Wild for You (Hot Jocks #6)(35)

As far as anyone knows, Ana and I only rode together today. They don’t know we’re living together, and I want to keep it that way.

“You about ready to get out of here?” I ask her after a few more people filter out and the party winds down.

She looks up at me with a softness in her eyes and nods. “Sure.”

Becca hugs us both at the door and tries to get us to take some of the extra cupcakes. We both politely decline.

On the way home, Ana’s quiet, calmly looking out the passenger window as I drive. I’ve got something I need to tell her, but decide to wait until we reach my place.

“Today was fun,” she says, breaking the silence after a few minutes. “Owen is so extra.” She grins, probably recalling the silly baby-shower games.

“Yeah,” I murmur, chuckling.

“I’m so happy for Owen and Becca.” She smiles. “They’re going to make wonderful parents.”

If only she could have seen Owen in his playboy heyday. He was quite the hedonist. But, yeah, married life has certainly been good for him.

A few minutes more and we reach my place. When I unlock the door, Hobbes comes running over.

“I’m gonna get someone to move these to the basement for you,” I mutter as we step around the boxes stacked in the foyer.

Ana sighs and places one hand on her hip. “I know you’re not happy I went over there when you were gone,” she says, seeing right through my short tone. “It was my decision. And I wasn’t alone.”

I lick my lips and nod. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”

Ana has already lived with one controlling jerk, and I don’t plan on being the second. It’s her life, and these are her things. She had every right to go and get them.

Regardless, I wish I could have gone with her.

Now that I think about it, though, that would have been a terrible idea. I would have had no reason not to kick Kress’s ass now that he’s not a member of my team. Still, I could have at least sent a packing and moving company. Something.

Pausing in the kitchen, I run one hand over the back of my neck. “So, listen, can I talk to you about something?”

“Of course.” She meets my eyes, waiting.

Her lips are perfect. I can’t stop my brain from replaying our first kiss. It was hot and tender, and of course I want to kiss her again. Not happening, dude.

“Coach asked me to pick a cause for the team to support this season. Last year, it was breast cancer awareness, and all the guys changed the laces on their skates to pink ones. But for this year, I had another idea.”

“Okay?”

“It’s another women’s cause, but I wanted to run it by you first.”

“What is it?” she asks.

“Domestic violence.”

I read a bunch of statistics online and was prepared to rattle these off to her—like that most violence against women is never reported to the police, or that one out of five murder victims is killed by an intimate partner. But it now seems really insensitive, so I keep my mouth shut.

“There’s a women’s shelter in Seattle that’s vastly underfunded.” I swallow the words as an unexpected wave of emotion sweeps through me. “We’d be donating a portion of ticket sales to help out.”

Tears form in Ana’s eyes, and she blinks them away. “I think that’s amazing, Grant.” Her voice is small and hushed.

I can’t tell if she’s touched by this or saddened by it. I’m still not good with crying, but I’d like to think I’m getting better.

Opening my arms, I beckon her closer. “You look like you could use a hug.”

Softening, she smiles and steps into my embrace. “I didn’t take you for the cuddly type. But look at you, exceeding all expectations.”

“Trust me, I’m not.”

“Could have fooled me,” she murmurs, lingering in my arms. The top of her head doesn’t even reach my chin, and her face is pressed into the front of my shirt.

It feels so good to hold Ana again. I haven’t touched her since that night, not even an accidental bumping of elbows in the hallway. Nothing.

My heart rate picks up, and I take a step back at my body’s response to hers being so close. “I’m sorry.”

She blinks up at me. “For what?”

“I just . . .” I shove one hand in my pocket and force the words out of my mouth. “As perfect as the other night was, and believe me, I’m grateful you chose to share that with me . . . I don’t think that can happen again.”

She’s quiet for a second, and then looks up to meet my eyes. “I’m not looking to jump into another relationship, Grant. You don’t have to worry. It felt good. I think we both needed that. It doesn’t have to mean anything.”

I nod along to her little monologue, but she’s wrong. It meant a lot more to me than it did to her, and that’s why I won’t let myself go there again. Because I can see how easy it would be to feel messy, inconvenient things for her, and how easily she could break my heart.

I’d like to smile and make a joke. I’d like to tell myself that sex between us could be casual and fun, and promise her that it wouldn’t complicate things. But that would be a lie.

There’s nothing simple about my feelings for Ana. I don’t normally do complicated, yet here I am, in way over my head with this girl.