Chapter 18

I gnawed on my bottom lip as I walked down the now-familiar hallway. My stomach was churning, and it wasn’t because of the overly soggy nachos. Although they might have played a tiny part in it.

Was I doing the right thing by coming behind the rink uninvited?

When the game ended, Dash grumbled his way out to the locker room without a second glance at me. I couldn’t deny I was disappointed. It felt like all that anger and frustration he was throwing my way the entire game had completely dissipated. My stomach fluttered at the mere thought of his face when he realized I was sitting with a couple of football players. The same players he mocked me about last week. From that point on, he watched me intently. It was like he wanted to kill me. Or eat me. I couldn’t figure which it was. That scowly face always made it hard to decipher his emotions since he used it for pretty much all of his expressions.

It was funny. I’d always thought of Dash as focused and determined when it came to hockey. I’d never seen anything hinder his performance, but it was fair to say, that something was hindering his performance.

“Dash was watching you more than the puck.”

Adam’s words rang through my mind, giving me the confidence to walk through this hall like I owned it. Ever the gentleman, he offered to walk me home after the game, but I declined, deciding that my efforts would be better utilized here. Plus, I wanted to see Dash.

How could I not want to see my brooding goaltender?

Honestly, I also figured if I didn’t show up back here, he’d likely follow me and make a scene. As much as I wanted him to claim me like that in front of everyone at Covey’s Cantina, I knew it wasn’t the right move. Dash would eventually freak out because he hadn’t told Cade first, and it could ruin any potential long-term plans I had with him.

I slowed my steps and cursed myself because I couldn’t shake off this nervous energy. I was going to see Dash, and I needed to act like it didn’t bother me. At least, that was what I thought Sienna would do in my position, and since I’d gone this far with that motto, I figured I should keep going because I didn’t want to look like a fool.

“Madison, hey.”

That voice made me stop. Why did it sound so familiar?

Stunned. I shut my hanging mouth and gulped when I saw my high school ex standing in front of me with a wry smile on his face.

I tripped on my own feet even though I was standing still, and my face bloomed, but I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like I was still pining for him, but maybe it was because I wasn’t expecting to see him while I was trying to act like someone who was super confident.

“H-Henry. What are you doing here?”

A heads-up that Henry had transferred here from Dash or Cade would have been nice. He tugged at the purple bag over his shoulder and chuckled as he flicked his wet hair out of his face. Blinking, I swiped away the sprinkles of water that splashed across my cheeks. “I was sitting on the bench waiting for Coach to call me up. Guess I’ll have to wait until our next game.”

“No, I didn’t mean that. I figured that you somehow made it onto the Covey U hockey team.” I pointed to the floor as if that would explain the question. “I meant, what are you doing here at Covey? I thought you went to SoCol?”

He scratched the back of his head, letting out an uneasy groan.

“Yeah, I tried it out for a couple of months, but, uh, I just realized I’d made a mistake.” A smile tugged at the end of his lips as he took me in. “You know, I’ve been trying to talk to you since I got here. You’re studying computer science, right?” I nodded, and he let out a soft chuckle. “I am, too. Thought I saw you the other day in the lecture hall. I wanted to say hi, but you looked a little busy, so I figured I’d probably catch you at a game.”

“You wanted to speak to me?” My voice was high-pitched in surprise. “We didn’t talk the last two years of high school. Why would you want to speak to me now?”

“Just thought it would be nice to have a friendly face around.”

I raised a brow. “If you think my face is friendly, then your team must hate you.”

His smile dropped, but I didn’t feel bad about saying it. It was true. It might have been a while since anything happened between us, but he never apologized for what he did. This was the most he’d talked to me since the whole incident, which I assumed was because Dash and Cade had warned him off, but it didn’t make it any easier to get over being humiliated so publicly by him.

Henry pulled a strained smile, masking the uncertainty of my reaction. “It’s early days with the team. Once I gain their trust, it will be better. Some players have it in their head that I’m trying to mess up their line.”

“Gee. I wonder where they got that idea from.”

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t that the only reason you ‘dated’ me in high school?” I didn’t like mentioning the complete fiasco that was my love life because, honestly, it just embarrassed me, but he was here, seemingly oblivious to why the Crushers might be less than happy about it. So I’d point it out, loud and clear.

Henry tilted his head, looking at me with confusion. “Is that what you think? That I dated you because I was trying to tick off Cade?”

I pursed my lips, not needing to respond. He could see the answer across my face.

He shook his head, laughing humorlessly. “Wow. People really do have a low opinion of me, don’t they? I didn’t want to screw up my team. Why would I do that when the dynamic directly affected my future career prospects?”

Now it was my smile that dropped because I hadn’t thought about that.

“Might be hard to believe, but I liked you. I thought you were hot, and I asked you out thinking you’d laugh in my face. The hockey team and Cade were the last things on my mind when you said yes. I just wanted to impress you.”

“Then why’d you…” I couldn’t finish the sentence because we were still in the middle of the hallway, and anyone could hear. However, I doubted there were many players that didn’t know about this already.

“Cheat?” He raised his brows, saying it more confidently than I ever could. Sighing out, he looked to the side before bringing his attention back to me. “This wasn’t the way I wanted to have this conversation, but honestly, between Cade and Dash, I think this might be the only time I get with you.” He scratched the back of his head, taking his time. “Look, I probably should have said this before, but I’m sorry. When I look back on that time in my life, I’m embarrassed. I cheated on you because I was an insecure, scared little boy. Back in high school, you were this perfect girl. The one everyone liked, who was off-limits because of her brother. But here’s the thing, that wasn’t all you were about. You were smart and kind, and when I started talking to you, I never thought you’d actually like me back, much less agree to secretly date me.”

My heart was racing, and I could feel my ears burning as I listened to everything he was saying.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I was worth your time. I’m not worth anyone’s time. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to get drafted this year, which sucks.”

“Henry,” I breathed out. “Don’t think like that. The draft isn’t the only way to make it in the NHL. There are so many other opportunities.”

He laughed bitterly. “I hope so, but that’s not where I was going with this. For a very long time, I felt like I wasn’t worthy of anything. It didn’t matter how hard I tried, I would always be destined to fail, you know? Even at Southern Collegiate. I tried my hardest for that team, but did you know that everyone who attends that school is pretty much a grade A asshole?” I shook my head, surprised at just how candid he was being in the middle of the hallway.

“Honestly, after just three weeks, I knew it wasn’t the right fit. That was when I realized that I was the owner of my own destiny, and if I wanted a shot at being a professional NHL player, I needed to get out of there and play better. Where better to play than their division rivals? Must admit, I look forward to taking them out this year.” A wry smile grew on his face, and he almost seemed lost in thought.

“So that’s why you’re here? Because you want to get better prospects?”

“Yup. Nothing as scandalous as Dash or Cade would have you believe. I’m just here, trying to make it like everyone else. But that’s my point. I have a habit of self-sabotaging and I think that’s what happened with me and you.”

My ears prickled because it seemed like he thought about this a lot when I genuinely thought he didn’t care about me at all.

“I always knew you were out of my league, and it would never end with a happily ever after, so I self-sabotaged. Why not act a certain way to prove you’re not worthy than have someone else tell you?”

I laughed awkwardly. “I think you put me on quite a high pedestal there.” I was being honest, not fishing for more compliments, but something about hearing Henry’s explanation made me feel better about how things went down.

“Everyone did. You’re Madison Bright. Beautiful, sweet, and smart Madison Bright.”

Oh no.

Now things were starting to feel weird. His gaze was locked on me and he had this goofy smile sprawled across his lips. Was he about to declare his undying love for me?

I took the tiniest of steps back, easing away slowly to not draw attention to myself. Henry seemed like a nice guy who’d learned his lesson, but I would never go back there. Not when I had the possibility of Dash at my fingertips.

“Madison.”

My blood ran cold, and my stomach pitted out when I heard Dash’s emotionless, dark voice say my name. I leaned to the side and stood on my tiptoes so I could look over Henry’s shoulder, and sure enough, Dash was a few feet behind him. Angry and brooding, his chest was heaving, and as hot as it was, I didn’t want to have the conversation we needed to in front of my ex.

Holding my finger up to Henry, I narrowed my eyes and said, “You know what? Can we talk about this later? I’ve got a goldfish I need to feed.”

Just like that, I was walking fast—okay, I was jogging—down the hallway, away from Dash. If he wanted to talk to me, then he was going to have to chase me. I rounded the corner, looking for somewhere to hide, but all I found were more concrete hallways.

“Madison. Stop.” Dash’s voice wasn’t far behind me, and I huffed out an angry breath. I should have known I couldn’t outrun him. He might have been slow for a hockey player, but he was quick compared to me.

As I turned the corner, I caught his eye and realized just how close he was to catching me. I ran as fast as I could, thankful that I was wearing sneakers.

“Thought you were ignoring me, Big Man,” I teased from over my shoulder, my pace turning into a quick jog because his stride was so much longer than mine.

“Hard to ignore you when you’re everywhere I look.”

I scrunched my nose because that statement wasn’t true. I wasn’t everywhere . He was the one that followed me to a game the other day.

“Why are you running?” he groused.

“Because I’m a catch,” I sassed, flicking my hair over my shoulder, only to realize I could feel his looming frame getting closer.

When I felt Dash’s hand wrap around my torso, I yelped. A flurry of mixed emotions swirled through my body. Excitement. Lust. Trepidation. It felt like I’d been caught by the big bad wolf and there was no way of getting out of his clutches without giving him all my baked goods.

“Will you calm down?” Dash was walking backward, holding me as though my struggling was nothing more than a mild inconvenience for him. My feet barely touched the ground, and I was tripping on my own shoes. He didn’t care. He was just grumbling away, as per usual.

“Dash,” I whispered sharply, but it wasn’t getting through. I looked over my shoulder, thankful that Cade wasn’t around to see this since I’d already gotten a lecture about Adam, and I figured he’d freak out if he found out who I was truly interested in.

“Dash.” I tried to get through to him one more time, but before I could speak again, he covered my mouth with his palm.

As the voices of his coaches echoed in the distance, Dash drew my body closer to his, and, without another word, he opened a door close by and dragged me through it. I heard the lock click before he turned the light on and looked around in awe at all the hockey equipment. Pucks upon pucks were packaged and stacked next to brand new gloves and padding. We were in the supply closet, and when I glanced over at Dash, he was just staring at me with narrowed eyes and a beady expression.

“What was that about, Madison?” It was a silly question because surely that had to be obvious, but with his hooded gaze, I wasn’t willing to backtalk him this time.

He took a step forward. I took a step back. We kept doing this little dance until my back hit the equipment racks, and then I felt his presence all over me. With hands gripping the shelves on either side of my face, he glared down, waiting for me to answer.

So, I did the only thing that I could think of. I smiled and said, “What are you talking about, Big Man? I was just doing what everyone else was. Watching the Covey Crushers crush the competition. Go team.” I lifted my fist, pretending I was holding a glow stick, and shook it between us.

He didn’t look amused, but that wasn’t new for Dash. He didn’t have a sense of humor at the best of times, let alone right now.

“Madison.” It was a warning and a growl bundled into one, and unsurprisingly, it sent tingles straight to my core. I shivered but tried to hide it. “What were you doing here with Aiden?”

“You mean A-Rizzle?” I joked because it felt like the only appropriate thing to do when you had a broody hockey player glaring at you. “We were just having a good time. Hanging out in public. You know, something you and I can’t do,” I said just to goad Dash, because what did I have to lose at this point? If I was going down, it was going to be like watching Titanic . Long, heartbreaking, and a little confusing because Jack could have totally fit on that damn door.

Dash’s hands gripped the shelf behind me tighter, making it shake against my back. His body leaned into mine, and I turned my face so I was looking to the side because I didn’t want him to know just how much this entire scenario was turning me on. Yup. I was a lost cause. No one would get me as hot as this smoldering hockey player, and I was just going to have to accept that as fact now.

Dash was breathing heavily but still hadn’t spoken.

“What’s wrong, Big Man? You seem stressed.”

“And you seem hell-bent on giving me an aneurysm.”

“No problem. If you dragged me in here just to tell me that I couldn’t have you, that’s good to know, because I think Henry was just about to admit his undying love for me. Surprised you didn’t warn me he was here. Was it because you were worried I’d go back to him?” I pouted my lips out and toyed with that thought. “You know what? Maybe I need to go and see my old friend.”

As I tried to slink under his arm, Dash pushed his body onto me, stopping me from moving. Chest to chest, Dash was glaring down at me but saying nothing useful. His eyes were telling me to go, but his body wasn’t letting me. See. He was the king of mixed messages, and I was his wench waiting to become his queen.

With my hands rested on Dash’s chest, I tried to push him away, but I couldn’t; he was too heavy.

He wasn’t backing away either.

The only way I was going to get out of this would be to lean into his touch. My body pressed against his, but I was frustrated that my heavy sweatshirt and brother’s jersey were dulling the sensation of finally having him this close.

“Do you really think any other guy is going to make you feel the way I do?”

Wetting my lips, I gained the courage to say, “Don’t know. Haven’t tried yet.”

I smiled, ready to tease him for his silence, but before I could say anything, he stole my breath with a searing kiss. Punishing and hot, he kissed me to prove his point, pouring everything into it. Teeth clashed against teeth. Tongues fought with tongues. He was kissing me with so much force it almost hurt. I could feel it. He was grappling with the feelings he had for me and didn’t know what to do with them.

“Guess I’m going to have to show you, then.” He laughed bitterly, and his lips were back on mine before I could even take in what he said .

His large hands roamed my body, completely unbothered by the minor inconvenience of my clothing, seemingly too lost in kissing me to really care. When his warm palm slipped under my hoodie and grazed my skin, I tried to take in a sharp breath, but Dash wouldn’t let me.

His lips were feasting on mine, and my brain went fuzzy when his hand traced the line of my jeans and started to play with the button on the front. As he teased the opening of my jeans, I couldn’t take it anymore. I pulled away from him, throwing my head back onto the shelf behind me.

His hand didn’t undo the button like I expected. Instead, he flattened his palm and brought it all the way up my torso, under my sweatshirt. It dragged over the front of my bra, and when he found my nipple, he pinched it, sending shockwaves of pleasure straight to my core. My mind was reeling because I knew there were players still loitering outside, not to mention all the coaches out there too. What if someone needed something from in here and then found us?

“Did you really think Aiden Matthews could do this?” he asked so smugly that I almost wanted to slap him away for being so rude about my friend, but I couldn’t. His hand was toying with my nipple, while his hardness was pushing against my core. He was putting so much pressure on me that I had to grab on to the shelves just to stay standing.

“Dash,” I husked out, trying to get some air, but he was being less than helpful with that. “We can’t do anything. Not in here.”

“You sure about that?” he challenged, his hand now caressing my breast. I was melting in his arms, and I hated how much control he had over me. I also hated how much he knew it. “Because we’ve done worse.”

I lost my breath when his hand moved from my chest back down to my waist, and then I squeaked a little when he unbuttoned my jeans. Kissing me, he made my body feel like jelly, molding into whatever he wanted me to be. Before I could protest—not that I would—he pushed his palm down the front of my jeans, heading straight for my panties.

I gasped when his thick, warm fingers touched the top of my mound because it felt so good. Dash didn’t respond to that, he just used two of his fingers to play with my clit round and round, over and over. He knew how to get me off with such little effort; it was getting annoying.

Laughing into our kiss, he said, “You’re already so wet for me, babe. You can’t deny that you’re mine now.”

I winced because I hated how obvious it was that I was desperately in love with him, so I decided to tease him a little. “How can you be so sure it’s you I’m wet for?”

His fingers stopped moving, and he pulled away, cutting a look at me.

I licked my lips, making sure I didn’t waste an ounce of his taste, and said, “I was just in the stands hanging out with a few football guys, after all. Who knows, maybe we had a ménage à trois planned after this.”

Straight-faced, Dash didn’t move. He was just glaring at me, wondering how far I would take this.

So, I kept going. “Let’s not forget that Henry was looking for a second chance too.” His eye twitched. “Maybe I could bring him in on the action.”

Still not moving, Dash stared at me for a little longer than what would seem normal when you took into account that his fingers were on my clit. He pushed them down, sending a thrill straight to the back of my spine before moving his hand off me. I stopped the moan emanating from the back of my throat because I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing I yearned for his touch.

I waited for him to pull his hand out of my jeans and give me the inevitable lecture about how we couldn’t be together. Only that didn’t happen. What happened was even more shocking. He dipped his hand further into my pants and pushed two fingers inside me with ease. My fingers clawed at his arms because I was worried I might lose my balance. He didn’t stop at my yelp or the fact that my feet were nearly tipping off the floor because he was pushing me up. He didn’t need to. He was making his point loud and clear. My hips were bucking wildly, and if he kept up the pace, I was going to come just from his fingers being inside me. My body couldn’t help but react to Dash.

As I was just about to moan out his name, he took his hand away, leaving me wrecked. I opened my eyes lazily, confused over what just happened. Raising his hand between us, he shoved the two fingers that were inside me into my mouth, causing me to taste my own arousal.

“Lick them clean,” he commanded.

So I did.

Using my tongue, I stared at Dash while I licked every last crevice of his fingers until I couldn’t taste myself anymore. Swirling his fingers around, he pushed them down the back of my throat before pulling them out entirely and giving me a wicked grin. “Just remember, it’s me that makes you taste like that.”

I was speechless. Was this Dash? The same Dash who was usually quiet and brooding. Ugh. Why did I like this confident and commanding side of him?

Then he stepped back, gesturing for me to leave. He couldn’t be serious, could he? My jeans were still unbuttoned, and my panties were soaked, and he was going to leave me like this.

My chest heaved, my clothes were rumpled, and all I could think about was how I was going to have to get myself off against the hockey equipment if Dash didn’t come back over here and finish the job himself.

“Dash.” My word was short, drawn out, and barely audible because I was disappointed. I was so close to coming, and now it was all wasted. The euphoria building was for nothing because he took it away.

“What do you want, Madison?”

I hated the way he was talking to me in what felt like riddles. My brain was too fuzzy, and I couldn’t concentrate.

“To finish what you started,” I challenged, knowing Dash couldn’t back down from it.

He stalked toward me, encasing me in again, and kissing me even harder than before. Without hesitation, his hand went straight into my panties, and I was almost embarrassed at how easy it was for him to slip his fingers inside me. Thankfully, I was too aroused to think straight.

His thumb swiped across my clit in the little space he had as he moved down and kissed my neck. I closed my eyes and leaned onto the shelves for balance while he used his fingers to get me off.

“Does that feel good?” he asked. I didn’t immediately answer, too caught up in a mountain of pleasure to care.

“Yes.” He kissed the answer off my lips and pushed my jeans down to the middle of my thighs. Then he dropped to his knees.

A shock of pleasure ran up my spine when Dash looked up at me, grinning. He wasn’t about to go down on me, was he?

His face was in line with my pussy, and when he kissed the top of my mound, I shivered, unable to move much because my jeans were holding me in a viselike grip. He knew what he was doing. “Tell me, Madison. Has anyone ever tasted you before?”

He was taunting me. A tit for tat, but for some messed up reason, I liked it. I liked that he was getting so riled up in his own thoughts about what I’d potentially done with other guys because, in a fucked-up way, it showed me how much I meant to him and that this attraction wasn’t just in my head.

“Not yet.”

Short and simple, it seemed to be all the confirmation Dash needed. He edged my panties to the side, and when his tongue licked my clit, I cried out before quickly clamping my mouth shut with my hand. I desperately wanted to scream at the sensation, but we were in a public place and there was no way I was going to let this stop.

Dash grabbed an ass cheek in each of his hands to bring my center closer to his mouth. It didn’t matter that my legs were being held together by my jeans; he was going to make sure I jutted my hips out enough so that he could lavish my clit with attention.

I could hardly breathe, and as every second passed, I felt like I was flying. His touch was something I’d never experienced before, but it was everything. Wet and warm with a little feather-like caress, it was enough to have me begging for release.

People walked by. I could hear their footsteps and muffled voices over Dash’s moaning whilst he ate me out. Cringing, I was almost certain someone jiggled the door handle, but that wasn’t going to stop my goalie. He was making his point and he wasn’t going to stop until I came all over his face.

As my hips moved against his tongue, I choked on my own cry, hoping he couldn’t tell how much I was enjoying this. Who was I kidding? I was so wet, my pussy was making noises while I unabashedly rode against his tongue.

As his fingers eased inside me, I gasped because they were so thick, it almost felt like he was going to split me in half. The painful pinch lasted a second before it was replaced with indescribable pleasure as he rolled my clit against his tongue .

His tongue worked faster, and I was holding on to anything I could just to stay standing. I grabbed a box of pucks, accidentally sending the boxes above it to the floor, hitting my shoulder on the way. The pain from that wasn’t enough to stop the pleasure that I was trying to hold back.

I couldn’t anymore. It just felt too good. Then it happened.

My world came crashing down in a beautiful mess. My hips were chasing the end of the high as Dash held his fingers in place, letting me ride them until I was exhausted.

As I was coming down from my orgasm, Dash stood but didn’t back away. Instead, he kissed me, teasing his tongue across my lips, making me taste myself again. Then he rested his forehead against mine as we both breathed heavily. His fingers were the last thing to leave me, and I sighed when they did, disappointed at how empty I felt.

With one final kiss, he casually pushed my sweatshirt down, pulled my jeans up, and buttoned them. Soaking wet and exhausted, it was the first time I might actually need help to walk home because my entire lower half felt like jelly.

“What are we doing, Dash?” I resigned myself to ask the question.

His eyes were still dark, and I could tell there was something on his mind. I just wish I knew what.

“You tell me.”

“Well, I guess we’ll need to reconsider the definition of one night,” I glanced down at my tingling core, waiting to see his reaction. Would he freak out like last time?

Dash sighed in resignation. “What are you doing Friday night, Madison?”

“Friday night? What’s happening Friday night?”

“I would very much like to take you out on a date.”

I gulped, suddenly feeling nervous and confused at the same time. “A date?”

“Yup. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the next logical step for us.”

“And why do you think that?”

Don’t get me wrong. I was ecstatic that he came to that conclusion, but I needed to act cool about it. His eyes drifted up until he was looking me in the eye, then he licked his lips before smiling. My body tingled because I could tell he was tasting me with every swipe.

He sighed, moving off me to give us both a little space. “Look, Madison, I like you. I always have, but seeing you hanging out with other guys has made me want to murder everyone, and I’m sure you can imagine how inconvenient a prison sentence would be for me right now. You are mine.” I took a sharp breath, doing my best not to show him how long I’d waited to hear him say that. “That’s at least how I feel and the direction I’ve resigned myself to. I can’t ignore it anymore. But I need to make sure you want this, too.”

“What do you mean? I’ve made it pretty clear how much I want you.”

“No, you told me you’ve been crushing on me since high school and wanted me to be your first time.”

I raised a brow, looking at him in confusion because wasn’t that the same thing?

“I just need to make sure it’s not the idea of me that’s making you want this. I want to know that you want me for me.”

“You can’t be serious?”

“Yes. You yourself talked about that weird brother’s best friend obsession. Not to mention how you’ve been acting since we had sex.”

“That was to make you jealous. I’m not interested in any of those guys.”

“What about Henry? You told me back in high school that you only dated him because he was the only guy that had ever said you were beautiful. What if the same thing is happening here?”

“It’s not. Give me some credit, Big Man. I’m not sixteen anymore. I know what I want now.”

“Still, I’m not willing to blow up one of my longest friendships if you’re only interested in fucking me. I need to know there’s something serious between us before I tell Cade.”

I should have known that my own words and actions would be used against me. But how was I to know I’d end up in a supply closet discussing the possibility of dating Dash after he ate me out?

I raised my hand and shook my head. “I don’t know what to say, Dash. You’re not a fetish to me, if that’s what you think. I’ve had a crush on you since before I even knew what it meant. Ever since the day you taught me how to hit a puck, I always thought you were the coolest guy on the planet. I couldn’t stop thinking about you after you broke Henry’s nose, and I wanted you to be my first the minute I saw you grumbling at The Draft. It’s always been you.”

He didn’t say anything at first, and I didn’t like the silence, so I dropped my gaze to the floor, feeling a little too exposed. Maybe I came on too strong or said too much but my words were the truth, and I felt like he deserved to know that.

Dash took my hand, making it feel tiny against his. Then he brought it up and rested it on his chest, right over his heart. I only looked at our intertwined hands, yearning for him in so many more ways than I would like to admit.

“Thank you for telling me,” he husked out, giving me the courage to look up at him. His thumb rubbed across the top of my palm, and then he dropped down to kiss me on the lips.

It was a different kind of kiss than all the other ones, and as crazy as it sounded, this felt like our first kiss. It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t heated with so much lust that we couldn’t think straight. It was just a special kiss conveying something words never could, and I loved that.

As he pulled away, threats of a smile pulled on his lips. “I guess if we’re confessing crushes, I should probably tell you about the fact that I was obsessed with you in high school, and the only reason I dated Amy was because I thought she’d be a good distraction from you.”

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“Come on, Madison. Didn’t you find it strange that Amy looked just like you?”

“I, uh, hadn’t noticed.”

“Really? Because I had…all the time, and as an idiot teenager, I thought that would mean I’d stop thinking about what it would be like to kiss you. It didn’t. It just made me want you more. You were the forbidden fruit, and I was almost thankful that I left for college just so I wouldn’t be in the same vicinity as you.”

I couldn’t deny I was taken aback because I only thought the attraction started after Henry.

“The fact that we’re here talking about dating is something I never thought would happen, and I need to make sure that you’re one hundred percent in this before we get too deep.”

“Don’t you think we already are?”

He shrugged. “All I’m saying is, you should walk away right now if you don’t want this.”

The way he was looking at me made me finally realize just how serious this was to him. “Okay. So, you want me to prove I want you?”

He nodded.

“Fine. Then I’d love to go on a date.”

A smile grew across his lips, and my heart immediately warmed because I didn’t see that often. I took a step toward him and wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling good that I could do this without anxiety riddling my stomach. Dash wasn’t going to push me away. He wanted this just as much as me. He just wanted me to prove it to him.

“I know I want you, Big Man, but clearly, you’ve still got doubts about my intentions, and you know what? That’s understandable. I have been acting a little off-kilter recently.” I’d say I almost regretted throwing other guys in his face, but we wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t. “I don’t want you to have any doubts when it comes to telling my brother that you’re madly in love with me, so I’m happy to do whatever you want to prove that.”

He narrowed his eyes, trying his best to tame an amused smirk, but he couldn’t hide it. There was something blooming between us and it was all I could ask for.

Dash relaxed his forehead against mine as his fingers gripped my hips, pulling me closer. Was I dreaming because it was impossible for reality to be this good. There was no way Dash was here, spilling his guts to me like this. I never thought making him jealous would lead to him confessing he’d always had a crush on me, but I was living for it. This was the most Dash had talked in years, and to be honest, I loved that it brought us to the same place.

“Great. So, Friday, I’m taking you out,” he reconfirmed more to himself than me.

I nodded like an overeager teenager. “I’d like that,” I said with a meek smile, pushing some of my wayward hair behind my ear. “But does that mean whatever’s happening between us right now has to end?”

Yes, I asked because I was still horny, and I could. The guy just gave me the best orgasm of my life, and all I wanted was another one.

Smiling wickedly, he dropped his chin.

“Is that your way of saying you want to come home with me?” I bit my bottom lip, looking over to the shelves with hockey sticks hanging from them. It didn’t matter that we’d had sex before, or he’d just licked my most intimate parts. I still felt a little shy and awkward about asking for what I wanted.

“Maybe you could come to mine since it offers a little more privacy than the two pizza boxes you have.”

He seemed like he was ready to say yes, but then he dropped his head, and I knew he was going to reject my offer.

“I wish I could, but we’re going to Hockeyfest in the morning, so I've got to be up early.”

“Hockeyfest?” I tried to mask my frown with a smile, but Dash knew me. He could see I was disappointed. Hockeyfest. With my brother.

“There are plenty of things we could do before leaving here, then. Door’s locked.”

He chuckled humorlessly. “Not if I want this boner to go down before anyone sees it and wonders why I’m getting hard over a box of pucks.”

He grabbed a box behind me, moved it to the side and shook it. I didn’t care about the pucks. I was more interested in what was going on in his pants and if there was any way that I could have a look at it.

Squealing, I dropped my hands to his sweats. “Can I see it?” I didn’t care that I sounded overly eager. I’d seen the bulge plenty of times, even felt it inside me, but I’d never actually seen him.

“Can you see what?”

“Your boner.” I bit my bottom lip, holding off a giggle as my face flushed. “I’ve never seen one that wasn’t online.”

“What are you talking about? We had sex a month ago.”

“I know, but I didn’t look at it in fear that the sheer size of it would make me want to stop the entire thing. The only ones I’ve actually seen were online, and they didn’t look real. They’re all shaved and perfect. It looked so staged.”

Dash paused, really taking in what I was saying. “Madison, are you trying to tell me you watch porn online? ”

I shrugged my shoulders because being honest with him felt right at this point. He had just tasted the most intimate part of me, after all. “Not much, but every now and again, I find myself going down the rabbit hole. I have needs like everyone else.”

Dash crushed his eyes shut, silently cursing to himself. “Of course, you look at porn.”

“The porn I watch is tame, really. It’s just straightforward sex and doesn’t really get me off on its own. I think it’s because it’s not really catered to women, you know? And I’m always questioning the ethicalness of it, so it really takes me out of the zone.” Dash wasn’t talking, but he was breathing heavily with his eyes closed, so I thought I’d try to soften the admission. “It’s nothing compared to the dick pics that find their way into my DMs.”

He growled and pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed. “Guys send you dick pics, too?”

“Daily. I don’t get why they think that will make a girl want to date them, though. I mean, seriously. This one guy covered his little friend in glitter and laid it out on his kitchen counter. Told me he was a unicorn and asked if I wanted a ride.” Dash’s face looked as disgusted as I felt when I first received the message. “All I could think about was how unhygienic the whole thing was, and also, what’s he going to do after he’s taken the picture? Glitter is a bitch to get off at the best of times, and surely, that’s a one-way route to a UTI.”

“How did he stick the glitter on?”

I crinkled my forehead, surprised he was interested. “You don’t want to know what he told me.” I shivered in his arms, and I could tell Dash was really thinking about everything I’d just admitted.

“Anyway, besides agreeing that you will block every account that’s sent you dick pics, I really do need to take you home.”

Leaving him when we’d just made this progress felt like torture, so I took his shirt and pulled him back toward me.

“You sure I can’t tempt you with a kiss goodbye?” I gently kissed his lips. “One where I’m on my knees?” I raised my brows, throwing him a flirty smile.

“Don’t tempt me with a good time.” Growling, he grabbed my ass and pulled me up so high that I was forced to wrap my legs around his waist. He dropped his forehead to mine and closed his eyes as if he was in agony. “As much as I’ve thought about all the things I want to do to you, they’re going to have to wait. I can’t risk missing this bus.”

“Wait until after our date?”

“After,” he said lightly. “Before. During. We’ll have to see how good of a girl you are while I’m away.”

“Good girl?” I raised my brow, remembering last time he said that. Was Dash into that? I tried to suppress as smile when I said, “I can be your good girl.”

Bending me backward, Dash grinned and kissed me. Long and slow. I felt like a damn near princess in his arms. He swallowed my sigh with another kiss, and I felt dizzy knowing that this was only the beginning. Finally, Dash and I were able to be comfortable and real with each other.

As we pulled away, knowing that we were going to have to eventually leave, he squeezed my hand. “Come on, I should walk you home before it gets too late, and we blow our cover.”

I giggled, enjoying the way my hand was swallowed by his a little too much. This was real, and I couldn’t wait to see where Dash and I would go.