Delayed Call Read online

  Pulling away, he kissed her nose. “Did you have fun today?”

  She reached up, tracing her finger along his lips. “I always have fun with you.”

  He held her gaze as he nibbled on her fingers. “You aren’t sick of me?”

  “Never.” He wanted to believe that. He wanted to know that it wouldn’t happen, but still, the anxiety was there. He didn’t like feeling like that, like she would run out on him, but the wounds that whore caused were deep. He had to keep reminding himself that Brie wouldn’t go anywhere. Brie wasn’t Hazel.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m fucked in the head.”

  She tilted her head in question. “What do you mean?’

  “It’s nothing,”

  “Vaughn.”

  He felt stupid as he muttered, “I have to remind myself you’re not her.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, it’s dumb.”

  “No, I mean it’s a real concern, something that has kept you from doing this for a while. I understand that. But, Vaughn, I would never—”

  “I know.”

  “Okay, but let me say it,” she said, reaching up and holding his jaw in her hand, her eyes burning into his. “I will never hurt you like that. I would never lie to you or leave you like that. But most of all, I will never steal money from you. Your heart, that’s up for grabs, and I will take it the first chance I get, but everything else is safe—even that heart.” Her breath caught as her own heart pounded hard in her chest. “Do you understand me?”

  “I do.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay.”

  “Wanna go?”

  “No, let’s stay in.”

  “No.” He laughed and she smiled. “They’re waiting on us.”

  “I know,” he noted, taking ahold of her ass. “But I like it here.”

  “As do I, but I want wine and dinner. I’m hungry.”

  He nodded. “Can I bring you back here for some naughty time?”

  She eyed him. “Will you be staying?”

  “I can’t,” he answered quickly. “You know that. Coach would kill us.”

  “Likely excuse.”

  He smirked. “You don’t want to sleep with me. I snore.”

  “I do. I want to be with you.”

  “You are with me.”

  Exhaling hard, she slid off him, rolling her eyes. “Let’s go.”

  “We’re taking our time.”

  “You banged me against a hockey door.”

  “I did, and it was wonderful.”

  Rolling her eyes again, she pressed her hands into her hips. “Fine, come on,” she called to him, reaching for the door. “They’re waiting.”

  “I mean, do you want to rush it and then we burn out?”

  “If you think we’re going to burn out, then why are we doing this?’

  “Why are you rushing this?’

  “Why are you pumping the brakes? I want to be with you. All the time.”

  “And I want to be with you, but I don’t want to rush this.”

  She motioned her hand as if she was done. “Fine. Listen, I’m not asking anymore.”

  He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad. “So, you’re pissed?”

  She threw her hands up. “No, I’m annoyed, but I feel like I’m just nagging all the fucking time, and I don’t want to be that person. Can we please go?”

  He knew he was letting her down by not sleeping with her, but something was holding him back. He knew if he slept with her, he had to be sure that he was in this for the long haul. He felt like he was, and he wanted to be, but as he had said, he was fucked in the head. He had been so set in his ways, but within a week, he had wanted nothing more than her. It scared him; he didn’t want to let her down. He didn’t want to let himself down, but above all, he didn’t want to rush this. They were good.

  Nodding his head, he scooted out of the bed and met her at the door. Kissing her cheek, he was glad when she leaned into him. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  But she stopped him. “I just…” She paused, shaking her head. “I just want this to work.”

  “I know, but I don’t want us to have to try so hard. We’ve got this because we’re awesome.”

  A grin pulled at her lips as she nodded. “We do.”

  “Stop pushing us.”

  “You’re right.”

  “I am. It happens a lot.”

  Shaking her head, she walked past him, and he smacked her ass playfully as she grinned back at him. As he watched her walk down the hall, he knew the moment he slept with her, let her into his personal space, was the moment he would fall for her.

  He wasn’t sure he was ready for that.

  Because he would be devastated if she left him.

  “I have to say, Vaughn, you picked your match.”

  Shaking his head, Vaughn looked over at Wells Lemiere from his seat in the fancy Colorado restaurant. Wells, mirroring his sister, had dark hair and even darker green eyes with big, thick lashes. He was huge. Not fat, but big, like a mountain man. You didn’t mess with Wells, and everyone knew that, which was why he was the only openly gay player in the league. But when Vaughn looked at him, all he saw was his brother. With a chuckle, he looked at Brie. “Don’t give her a big head.”

  Brie laughed out loud as Wells’s face was big and bright with a huge grin. “Did you guys know his nickname was ‘The Legend’?”

  As Vaughn rolled his eyes, the whole table was in stitches. Even Wren was laughing hard, her face radiant as she leaned over, smacking the table. “We, no joke, gave him shit for-like-ever.”

  “Yeah, when they named him that, everyone who knew him wouldn’t let off it,” Jensen added and Brie snorted.

  “I gave him shit the whole time we were at the rink.”

  “Why did they call you that?” Alex asked.

  Looking up at Wells’s new boyfriend, Alex Rahim, Vaughn wanted to like the guy, but he didn’t. The guy was too soft, kind of vanilla, and that’s not who Vaughn saw Wells with. He liked his dudes hard and rough, and Alex wasn’t like that. Wells had always dated hockey players, so seeing him with this yoga instructor was a little hard to swallow. Vaughn knew the guy was gay, but Alex just seemed too mild-mannered for Wells’s driven personality.

  With a shrug, Vaughn said, “I was badass, the best fucking player on the ice. I made that guy right there cry daily, I was a—”

  “He’s gonna say legend. He’s secretly proud of it,” Brie said, cutting him off as she shot him a grin. He glared at her, and she just kept grinning.

  Wells laughed, shaking his head. “For one, he didn’t make me cry. Also, babe, he’s completely full of himself.”

  “Big time,” Wren agreed.

  “I think he loves himself more than anything else,” Jensen said with a roll of his eyes, and Vaughn scoffed.

  “Hell of a lot more than you dumbasses.”

  Jensen flipped him off as Wells leaned on the table, pointing to Brie. “But Vaughn, for real, I love her. Completely love her,” Wells decided, and that really had Brie beaming. “Don’t fuck this up.”

  Toasting her glass to him, she nodded as Vaughn met her gaze. Her lips were curved in a delectable way. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked…fucking perfect. Exhaling hard, he felt his heart swell a little more for her as she looked away, over to Wells. “And I love you. Are you sure you’re gay?”

  Wren snorted as she nodded. “Since he was like two.”

  “Darn,” Brie said, snapping her fingers playfully. “I’d date you in a heartbeat—”

  “Hey, what the fuck?” Vaughn hollered, and she giggled as she leaned into him.

  “If I wasn’t completely enraptured by this badass, gorgeous, amazing—” She paused, beaming up at him as he just shook his head.

  He knew what she was going to say and he wanted to smother her words with a kiss, but before he could, and to her complete delight, Wren, Jensen, and Wells all said,