PUCK (A BAD BOY HOCKEY ROMANCE) (22 page)

A
SHLEY

I
t took
me hours to fall asleep last night, and I woke so early this morning. I’ve been sitting on the couch with my feet up, slowly sipping my coffee, lost in thought.

Jayson really got my panties in a knot, to say the least. I can’t believe I actually asked him up to my apartment last night! I mean, I can—I was so hot for him—but we’re not supposed to be screwing around at all.

That kiss was just too much. As soon as he put his mouth on mine I felt my body turn to Jell-O. He could have done anything he wanted to me and I would have let him. It’s not just physical, though—I really like him. We had so much fun together last night. It was probably the best date I’ve ever had.

I send Rachel a text to see if she’s awake and free. She answers right back, so I call her.

“Hey, Rach,” I say when she answers.

“What’s up, girl? What are you doing calling so early?” Rachel asks.

“Haven’t talked to you in a couple of days. Just wanted to say hello,” I reply. I do want to say hi, but I also want to talk about Jayson. “What’re you up to?”

“Not too much, the usual. Have a class in and hour, so just getting a few things done at home before I go. What’s new with you?”

“Not too much here, either—except I had the best date ever last night.”

“Really? With who? Jayson?”

“Yes, Jayson,” I reply in a dreamy tone. “We had such a great night together, Rachel.”

“So, I guess you guys did the deed again?” she asks. I can hear her smirking through the phone.

“Actually, we didn’t. We had dinner and went to his place for dessert, and all we did was kiss. I tried to get him to have sex with me and he refused.”

“That’s different. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who would say no to a hot chick,” Rachel replies. “I guess maybe he really does like you, Ash. Why were you asking him to have sex, anyway?”

“We said we would take it slow, but our kiss was so intense. I would have ripped his clothes off his back if we weren’t in the elevator,” I answer.

“Easy, girl. If you’re supposed to take it slow, he did the right thing. Remember, good things come to those who wait. No need to rush.”

I sigh. “I know, it was just… hot,” I say in a breathy voice. “He even mentioned getting married one day. I mean, it was just in passing, but it’s nice to know he thinks we might have a future together. I know I’ve fallen for the wrong guys in the past—repeatedly. But this one is different. He may have been a player before, but I know he cares for me now. I was being guarded, and we are still being cautious, but I know he is for real.”

“I don’t know, Ash. Maybe he really will be the one. Who knows? I wonder what Cynthia will say.” Rachel adds. I know she’s smiling on the other end. She knows my mother well enough to know she will not be pleased.

“Mom’s not going to be happy about it, but if we have something worth telling her about, she will have to get used to it,” I say, defending my new relationship for the first time.

“I just hope I get to be there if and when you tell her,” Rachel laughs. “I have to get going now, Ash. I’m really happy for you. You sound pretty excited about this guy.”

“Thanks. I am. Talk to you soon,” I reply, ending the conversation.

I love talking to Rachel. I can always be open with her. I wonder if I’ll really have the nerve to tell my mother and then tell her to deal with it. I guess I’ll have to cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I have a long day of work ahead and I need to take a shower and start getting ready.

Just as I’m about to get up off the couch, my phone vibrates. It’s a text from Jayson.
Did you have sweet dreams last night like I told you to?
I smile. Straight to the point, as usual.

Once I finally fell asleep I did. Thanks for asking,
I respond.

Why couldn’t you sleep?
he asks, although I’m sure he knows the answer.

Someone left me all hot and bothered. I had to cool down for a while.

Funny, same thing happened to me last night,
he writes back.
I really like you, Ashley. I want to see you again—soon.

I really like you too. I’m working doubles the next couple of days, though.
I insert a sad face.
I can let you know when I get off—maybe I can at least call you.

Any time you want to get off, you can call me,
Jayson responds, adding a smiley face. I laugh out loud.

Thanks, talk to you later. Have a great day,
I write back.

You too,
he replies, and our conversation is over.

I’m in an even better mood now. Even without hearing his voice, knowing Jayson woke up thinking of me made my whole day.

____________

I
get
to the restaurant right on time and it’s already busy when I arrive. I immediately jump into the swing of things and I’m on my feet right through lunch and into the early afternoon. When I finish with my last table, I get a light lunch from the kitchen, fill a tall glass of iced tea, and go sit down to take a break before the dinner crowd. I take a few sips of my tea before I start eating, relishing the feel of sitting down for the first time in hours.

I pull out my phone and see another text from Jayson:
Still thinking of you.
It makes me smile. I haven’t had time to really think about him since I got here, although he seems to always be in my head somewhere.

Thinking about you too,
I write back, and then start eating my lunch.

Jayson doesn’t answer, so I assume he’s busy at work. I read through some articles on social media and finish my lunch, then clean up and get my section ready for the dinner crowd. There’s hardly any down time today as the dinner crowd starts coming in early and continues until the end of my shift. I’ve had such a hectic day, but counting my tips at the end of my shift makes it’s worth it. I finish cleaning my tables and resetting for the next day. I don’t feel like hanging around tonight, so I say goodnight and head home.

It’s already pretty late when I arrive at my apartment, so I don’t want to call Jayson. I take out my phone to put it on the charger and see I had a missed call from him an hour ago. I decide to send him a text so if he’s sleeping I don’t wake him.
Saw you called. Late night, sorry,
I write and send. My phone rings almost immediately after. Of course, it’s Jayson and I smile.

“Hello,” I answer, sounding happy and much more lively than I feel.

“Hey, beautiful,” Jayson replies. It sounds like he may have been sleeping.

“I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“It’s okay. I’ve been waiting to hear your voice all day.” He sure knows how to make a girl feel good.

“Thanks. It was crazy today. Sorry I couldn’t call earlier. I don’t want to keep you up, though. Want to call me tomorrow?” I ask.

“Sure. I have a meeting before work, so I’m leaving pretty early. I can call you at lunch,” he answers.

“Sounds good. Sweet dreams,” I say, bringing an end to the conversation, even though I don’t want to.

“They will be very sweet now for sure. Goodnight,” Jayson says and we end the call.

I plug my phone in and get showered and ready for bed. I am in a great mood all over again. I love how one short conversation and hearing Jayson’s voice can change my entire frame of mind.

I climb into bed and as happy as I am, I can’t help feel a little lonely. I know I like Jayson. I feel like I can trust him. I don’t want to take things slow—I don’t need to. That one night was all I needed to realize my feelings and his are real. It might be crazy to feel head over heels already, especially about a known ladies man, but stranger things have happened. I fall asleep with these thoughts crowding my head.

______________

I
wake
in the morning and go to the kitchen to make coffee. I see my phone on the counter indicating I have a text message.
Have a wonderful day today, beautiful,
Jayson wrote very early this morning.

I can’t wait to see him again. I wish I didn’t have to work again today.

I go about my morning routine and decide I should look through the class schedule. Now that I have a little more motivation to get back to working “regular” hours, I feel more determined to at least start making an effort. If I wasn’t working nights, I could spend more time with Jayson. It may not be the most mature reason to start looking, but I’ll take whatever incentive I can to get the ball rolling.

I make notes on what sounds interesting and decide I should probably meet with my advisor again before I enroll in any more classes. I look up his information and send him an e-mail asking to make an appointment.

I finish my coffee and get dressed for work. I’m out the door with enough time to enjoy my walk to the restaurant without rushing. I get there just before the lunch rush and am set up and ready when the first of the crowd begins filing in.

I’m thankful for another busy shift, but I know Jayson should be trying to call me about now and there is no way I can take his call. I figured that would be the case when we spoke last night, but didn’t want to make a big deal of it. I’m disappointed I won’t get to speak to him, but I’m too busy to think about it.

I’m delivering coffee to one of my customers when I think I see Jayson out of the corner of my eye. I assume my mind is playing tricks on me, but when I look up again, there he is.

Jayson is sitting at the bar with a lunch menu in his hand and I see him talking to the daytime bartender, Brooke. She is looking at him like most women do—like she wants to tear off his clothes and ride him like a pony. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but she is definitely flirting.

I find myself about to get jealous when Jayson catches my eye and turns toward me, completely disregarding Brooke for a moment. He gives me a smile and a little wave just to let me know he’s there. He understands I can’t leave my tables to come over and talk now. I smile back and try to focus on my customers, which is difficult knowing Jayson is watching me.

I notice Brooke walk back to bring him a drink and take his lunch order, paying less attention to him now that she knows he’s here to see me. I’m serving the few tables I have left, hoping they finish up so I can spend a few minutes with Jayson on my break between shifts. I keep sneaking glances at him and see he is playing with his phone and drinking an iced tea. Brooke delivers a burger to him at the bar and I catch her dramatically leaning over to set his plate down and give him a nice view of her breasts. He doesn’t pay her any mind so I give her a silent
fuck you, bitch,
in my head. I can’t remember the last time a guy made me jealous and I like Brooke—but I can’t help my reaction.

Jayson is working on his burger and I’m bringing the check to the last of my tables. I clean my section and reset it so all I will have left to do once they pay is this one table. I order a club sandwich from the kitchen so it will be ready when my table leaves. They eventually pay and get up to leave and as soon as I thank them I quickly clear and clean the table. I go to the bathroom to wash up and then to the kitchen to get my lunch. I walk over to the bar and sit next to Jayson, who only has a small portion of his lunch left.

“Fancy meeting you here,” I say as I place a napkin on my lap.

“I tried to call but realized you were probably busy. I thought I would come down here on my lunch break to see you for a few minutes, instead,” he answers, dipping a fry in ketchup and stuffing it into his mouth. “Besides, I miss you.”

“That’s sweet. It’s barely been thirty-six hours since I saw you. You can’t miss me that much.”

“I know. It’s crazy. I never thought I would be that kind of guy.”

“I have that effect on men,” I reply in a sarcastic tone.

Jayson smirks. “Maybe. Or maybe it’s that I know I can’t have you so I want you that much more.”

I blink. “Wait. So once you have me, then the thrill is gone and you’re done?”

“Absolutely not. I’ve already had you, remember? I just want more. Plus, you’re a pretty cool chick to hang out with, so you have that going for you too. And you’re gorgeous. Should I go on?” he asks, making me giggle a little as I take another bite of my sandwich.

“Not now, but I’m glad you appreciate my many winning qualities. So, how has your morning been?”

“Pretty long already. Morning meeting, lots of paperwork—nothing too exciting. This is definitely the highlight of my day,” Jayson tells me finishing his burger and taking a swig of his tea. “Are you off tomorrow?”

“I am,” I answer. “Too bad you have to work.”

“I’m getting a lot done today. Maybe I can arrange to leave early.”

“If not, I can see you after. I was kind of missing you too, to be honest,” I admit. “I’m glad you came in for lunch.”

Jayson smiles. “Me too.” Brooke brings his check over and smiles at us when she places it down.

“I got this one,” I say, reaching for the bill.

“No, you don’t,” Jayson tells me, grabbing it first.

“All right, then, but that’s silly of you,” I reply. “I’m sorry, but I have to get back on the floor. I’m not supposed to break for this long.”

“That’s okay. I have to get back to the office, anyway. You can call me tonight. I don’t mind if it’s late. I liked talking to you before I went to sleep last night. Made my dreams pretty sweet.” He winks at me as Brooke returns his check for him to sign.

“Cool. Then I will call you later,” I respond, stepping off the bar stool. “Thanks for coming.”

“See you later, beautiful.”

Jayson made my entire day by stopping in. I love that he wanted to see me enough to take the time to come by, more so that he’s not afraid to show it. He could play hard to get if he wanted or not let me know he cares so much, but he’s not and that makes me like him that much more.

I bring my plate into the kitchen and go back to the bar to get my drink. Brooke catches my eye and walks over.

“Who’s the hottie?” she asks.

“He’s my boyfriend.” I answer, calling Jayson that for the first time. I don’t even know if it’s official, but Brooke doesn’t need to think otherwise.