Beingwith Stassie completely sober might be my new favorite thing.
I love talking to her. It sounds obvious, and it is, but I love listening to her dive headfirst into a story. The way she has to hold back a laugh when she tells me something Sabrina said, or the sad smile she has when talking about Seattle. Her Brady impression with a terrible Russian accent still makes me cackle laughing, even after I’ve heard it twenty times.
She has opinions and interests, and beneath her obsessively organized and competitive nature, she’s a woman who just wants to do well. It makes me feel shit that I labeled her as dramatic because, don’t get me wrong, she has her moments, but ultimately, she’s committed and she was just scared.
Another fun discovery I’ve made about sober Stassie is that for someone so opposed to clingy behavior, she’s being pretty goddamn clingy.
As in, literally clinging to me.
Like a koala.
Or a sloth.
Her entire body is wrapped around me. Face buried in my neck, hair repeatedly tickling my nose, legs straddling my waist, leaving me no choice but to balance my laptop on her ass, one hand scrolling through a costume website and the other tickling up and down her back.
As much as I wish she didn’t feel shit, especially since it’s because of me Aaron is annoyed, I’m glad she’s with me instead of pushing me away.
“Do you have any body fat?” She wiggles down my body until she’s straddling my hips, sitting up a little so we’re face to face. “It’s like lying on a pavement. You’re absolutely solid.”
Closing over my laptop and putting it on the floor, I turn all my attention to the beautiful woman on top of me.
My T-shirt is drowning her, which is another thing I love. Weird, I know. It makes me wonder if there’s a psychological reason why her wearing my clothes makes me horny.
“I’m sorry the body I work so hard for doesn’t make a good mattress for you.” I run my thumb across her bottom lip, and when she nips her teeth against the pad, a devilish look on her face, all the blood in my body rushes straight to my dick. “I’m pretty sure you like my body for other reasons, though.”
Her hips roll against the erection fighting to get out of my boxers and I swear to God, one tiny movement and this girl has me ready to lose my damn mind.
“You know what I want?” she muses, finger outlining each ab as her hand trails toward my belly button.
“Tell me, Anastasia, what do you want?”
“Food.” She giggles, lying back down on my chest, propped by her forearms. “I’m starving.”
I’ve been trying to get her to choose something to eat since we got home. It’s been an impossible and frustrating task, possibly the most infuriating one of my life.
I offered to get takeout. I offered to cook. I offered to just choose for us, but everything was met with a grumble and a head shake. So I try again, leaning forward first to kiss the tip of her nose since she looks so fucking cute right now. “Burgers?”
“Too many calories.”
“Pizza?”
“Calories.”
When I’m about to suggest Thai food for the millionth time, her phone rings beside us. “Sorry, lemme just grab this…Hey, Ry.” She holds her phone away from her body as his face fills the screen.
Great.
“What’s up?”
“Hey, I’ve just picked Liv up from rehearsal and saw Brin. She said Aaron upset you, just wanted to check in.” I’m trying not to look at her phone over my shoulder because I’m not sure if I’m in the shot based on the angle. “We’re going to Kenny’s for wings if you wanna join us?”
There’s a quieter mumbling in the background, and he chuckles. “Liv says hi, apparently, I’m too tall and I’m cutting her out of view.”
“Hey, Olivia! Yeah, he’s just being his usual charming self, but it’s fine. He’s just stressed because he thinks I’m being irresponsible about…stuff.”
Me. I’m stuff.
“And he’s always in a bad mood right before we compete, but he’ll be fine on the day, which is all I need. I’d kill for Kenny’s, but I can’t. Thanks for the offer, though.”
“I suggested wings, and you said no,” I mumble quietly.
She rolls her eyes at me, lowering her voice. “Calories.”
“Did you just say calories?” Ryan says harshly. “Is he trying to control what you’re eating again? Wait…Who are you with?”
“I’m with Nathan,” she says, holding her phone out to the side so he can see her lying on my bare chest. “And nobody is controlling anything, so don’t start. I have sectionals in two weeks, Ryan. We can’t all live on a diet of saturated fat and carbs.”
To my absolute surprise, when I look over at her phone and give a polite nod, he’s got the biggest grin on his face. “Nice to see you took my advice, Allen. I won’t intrude on your evening any longer. Bye, guys! Let me know if you wanna join us.”
Stassie disconnects the call and puts the phone down beside us, saying nothing.
“What advice did you take?”
“Huh? Oh, he, uh, Ryan said I should stop being so hard on you and give you a chance. Said you were a good guy and I should stop being stubborn.”
I’ve famously always said how much I like Ryan. I’ve always said he’s a really good guy, a wise guy who should be listened to. I take back all the other shit I said.
“And then he said I should fuck you, for science, and Brin agreed.”
I like Anastasia’s friends. They’re good people.
“Is this you giving me a chance?”
I’m prepared for whatever answer comes my way. She’s still here in my bed, whatever she says. I understand where her line is and I’m happy on the side of it I’m on right now.
“Yeah, I suppose I am. Although if I don’t get some food in me soon, I’m going to get hangry and who knows what I’ll say or do to you.”
“I’m ordering Kenny’s. You want wings, so you’re getting wings.” She buries her head into my chest and groans, mumbling some bullshit about putting on weight.
“Oh shut up, Anastasia.” I laugh, flinching when she digs me in the ribs for telling her to shut up again. “Calories don’t exist in pretend realities anyway. It’s one meal and you burn hundreds of extra calories a day. Okay?”
She fiddles with the ends of her hair, anxiously rolling a strand between her fingers. Eventually, she nods. “Okay.”
“We don’t have to talk about it now, but I wanna know what Ryan meant about Aaron controlling what you eat. Now, what do you want me to order for you?”
About an hour later, I have a much happier girl on my hands.
One big-ass bowl of boneless wings and cheese fries, and she’s got a massive smile on her face, looking at me like I created the sun. All I did was place the order and collect it from the front door, but it’s enough for her to be ecstatic.
Henry didn’t know where to look when she breezed past him toward the kitchen in my T-shirt. Nobody knew where to look when she physically moaned while biting into the first wing. JJ’s mouth opened, but even he thought better of it, which was a relief because we have a game on Saturday, and I’d rather not be down a defenseman.
But nothing can stop Henry and his concerned face. He’s been trying hard to not blurt out the first thing that comes into his head, but he doesn’t always succeed.
Stassie bites into another wing and his frown deepens. “I know I will have to listen to you making that noise later, Stassie. It doesn’t seem fair that I have to listen to it over dinner.”
“Fucking hell, Hen,” JJ splutters, spraying his drink all over the kitchen island.
Her mouth hangs open and even I’m unsure how she should respond. That’s my cue to get her away from my friends. When she’s finished eating and has washed her hands, I drag her back up the stairs.
The second I close my bedroom door, she pushes my body against it and wraps her arms around my neck, dragging my face down to hers.
Stassie’s soft body molds itself against mine and her fingers sink into my hair. “What’s the rush?” I ask, tugging down my sweatpants anyway because I’m not foolish enough to ask too many questions when she’s kissing me like that.
“Henry told me I’m loud when I come, so now I want to do it before he goes to bed.”
Jesus Christ.
All the reasons I thought she’d give me, that one wasn’t even on the list.
My hand slips beneath the flimsy material of my T-shirt she’s still wearing, dipping between her legs, and dragging my finger across the outside of her panties. She grinds into my hand, looking for pressure, fingers gripping my biceps as her tongue moves against mine.
Her little noises and movements are driving me wild. Moaning and squirming, her breathing heavy when I move my mouth down her neck and grip under her thighs to pull her up around my hips, pushing her farther against the door.
I’m fucking desperate to be inside of her. It’s all I’ve thought about since Saturday night. Her hips wiggle against mine, and goose bumps spread across my whole body. “What if I like it when you’re loud?”
“Do something to make me scream then, Hawkins.”
I drop her to her feet and grip each side of her panties, pulling them to her ankles when she gives me a nod. The T-shirt goes next, leaving her naked, thighs rubbing together, rosy cheeked and glossy eyed. She’s the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen, and I don’t even think she realizes it. I leave her standing there, throwing myself down on my bed and lying back.
“What are you doing?” Her hands settle on her hips, and she tilts her head to the side, equal parts confused and unimpressed.
“I’m waiting for you to move your ass over here and sit on my face, Anastasia. What does it look like I’m doing?”
I love playing house.