Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 81248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“I’ll do it.”
“Really?”
Jasper nods. “They’re a big part of your life, which means they’re a big part of my future.”
Damn, if that isn’t what I needed to hear. I lean forward and take his mouth with mine, unable to not kiss him after that.
Telling me he loves me is one thing. Wanting to be part of this family and all its chaos? That’s everything.
32
Jasper
I think Kole and Asher are having a competition for who can like Ezra the least. Asher’s outright rude to him, but Kole is slyer about it, dropping comments that everyone but me and Asher miss. They spend as much time out of the house as possible, but on Ezra’s last day with us, he insists on everyone having a farewell lunch.
Ezra disappears for an hour, and when he returns, he’s brought a feast. Lobsters and mussels, whole chickens, and about every side I could imagine. The table is loaded with food, and then we’re all seated around it, except for the twins, who are eating at the coffee table because there are no more chairs.
I look beside me at Rhys as he pokes at the potato. “I don’t understand. It’s not burned. Is it edible?”
West laughs from my other side. “You know what? With all your opinions on food, it might be time you started learning to cook.”
“Sure, you can teach me,” he deadpans. “Oh. Wait.”
I don’t agree for West’s sake, but I’m on team Rhys with this one.
“Come on, Asher,” Ezra is saying. “Put it behind you. It was almost a year ago. That might as well be twenty years in NHL land. You’ll be on a team soon enough, and then you’ll get it. Play hard, party harder. Forget it all the next day. Hey, maybe you can sign with Boston, and—”
“Fuck no,” Kole blurts and then freezes like he hadn’t expected that to be out loud.
Asher throws an arm around his boyfriend. “Don’t worry, babe. I want to sign to any other team just so I can face off with Ezra on the ice.”
“Bring it, Little Dalton. I can’t wait to slam you against the boards.”
Asher turns to me. He meets my eyes for maybe the first time ever. “You know, I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but it’s possible you’re not my least favorite person anymore.”
“Wow. Should I take that as a compliment?” I ask.
“You’re only narrowly beating Ezra, so I wouldn’t get too excited.” Still, his lips almost succumb to a smile.
“Your degree still has one more math class. Maybe I’ll be bumped into third place by then.”
I swear he almost chokes. “No more math with you. I remember you mentioning there were teachers who hand out an easy grade. I’m going to need you to give me their names.”
Interesting. I lean back in my chair, extending my arm along the back of West’s. “Are you saying I have leverage on you?”
“Ah, what?”
Kole groans. “I foresee a lot of babysitting in our future.”
“Starting tonight.” I squeeze West’s shoulders. “Sleepover?”
“I think I’m going to like this arrangement. How many semesters until you take math again?”
“And suddenly West has overtaken Ezra in pole position,” Asher says.
Ezra extends his hand to me for a high five. “We’re moving up in the world.”
“I’m not high-fiving you for that.”
“Does anyone in this house like me?” Ezra asks.
We all glance around the table, but no one says anything.
Until West bursts into laughter. “You know I love you, Ez, but just like with our teammates, you have a habit of pissing people off without even trying.”
“It’s because you’re all jealous of my talent, isn’t it?”
“Talent to talk bullshit?” Asher asks.
Ezra winks at him. “Exactly.” He stands. “As fun as it has been catching up and hiding out for a while, I know where I’m not wanted.” He sniffs dramatically. “But also, I think I’ve spent way too much time around all this monogamy. What if it’s contagious?”
West throws a dinner roll at him, which he catches and shoves in his mouth.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll walk you out,” West says and follows him out the front.
As soon as he’s back inside, West can’t pack a bag fast enough. Asher practically pushes us out of the house and claims not wanting to hear us going at it now Ezra is gone, but before we leave, I overhear him telling Kole that we need the alone time.
Look at that. Asher Dalton has a heart.
That I plan to take full advantage of.
When we reach my place, West drops his bag inside the front door. “Want to go for a walk, or—”
I press him up against the wall, and my mouth cuts off his words. West returns my kiss just as eagerly, licking and nipping, hand curled into my hair.
“What I want,” I murmur, reaching for his belt, “is for my house to be a clothes-free zone. I want to be able to admire your naked body every chance I get.”