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She squeezes me back. “You’d do the same for me. You have done the same for me.” She takes my hand and pulls me toward my bedroom. “Come on, let’s put you in something sexy so he’s rocking an uncomfortable boner all evening.”
The entire crew ends up at the Watering Hole, so the potential awkwardness is diluted by all the other people. Rix and I stuff ourselves into a booth with the girls and discuss the gala. I’m even more nervous about Scarlet attending now that this thing with Hollis has moved to another level. But I play it off like it’s fine, because having her attend is another checkmark on my resume, and what else can I do?
It isn’t until I’m home and getting ready for bed that my phone buzzes with a new message.
Hollis
Dinner tomorrow night at my place.
Aurora
A date? With my dad across the hall O_o ???
Hollis
He has a dinner meeting with his agent.
He’s had a lot of those lately. When his contract ends, he plans to hang up his skates and move on to the next phase of his career.
Aurora
What time?
Hollis
You have class until five thirty, right?
Aurora
Yes.
Hollis
Roman’s dinner meeting is at six, so come up any time after that.
Aurora
Can I bring anything?
Hollis
Just your beautiful self.
CHAPTER 24
HAMMER
The next evening, Rix is already at Tristan’s by the time I head up to Hollis’s. I text three times to make sure my dad has really left for dinner. He was disappointed when I said I had too much homework to go with him, but he was understanding—especially with exams around the corner and final projects coming due. My shame bucket is getting close to overflowing, but telling him now…it’s more pressure than I can handle. Not that I’ll admit that to anyone but myself. Sure, he’s a little overprotective and sometimes he struggles with boundaries, but he’s spent his whole life putting me first, and I’m plotting and lusting after his best friend. A man who is so expressly out of bounds. I’ve heard ‘don’t date hockey players’ my entire life. It’s shitty, especially because I don’t have any intentions of stopping, or being honest. Not about this. Not yet.
I zip the hoodie over my outfit. I’m wearing black, high-waisted dress pants, a spaghetti strap camisole with lace accents, and a gauzy pale blue blouse over the top. No bra, because my lack of one really seems to set Hollis off. I’ll never get over knowing he wants me. I grab my purse and the glass baking dish, check my reflection one last time, slide my feet into my flats, and leave the apartment. My heart is racing by the time I reach the penthouse floor. I glance at my dad’s door. A pang of guilt makes my stomach churn. I take a deep breath and knock on Hollis’s door. I half expect my dad’s to swing open and catch me in the act. But Dad’s door stays closed, and Hollis opens his. My mouth goes dry. He’s wearing black dress pants, a crisp white button-down that hugs every one of his deliciously defined muscles, and the tie I gave him for his birthday last year.
“Hi,” I breathe.
“Hi, yourself. Come in.” He takes the dish, closing the door behind me. “You didn’t need to bring anything.”
“It’s dessert and a decoy in case I ran into someone on the way up. Just covering all the bases. Oh, wow.” I look around the penthouse. The lights have been dimmed and the dining table set for two. Wine chills in a bucket and candles flicker. “So you brought your A game?” My hands shake as I unzip the hoodie.
His gaze heats as it moves over me. “Something like that.”
