Gamed (Minnesota Caribou Book 4)

by Colleen Charles

  “Hmm… I have a single mom, one brother and one sister and I’m the oldest.”

  “I know all that. Tell me about them.”

  Max’s lips twitch, but he doesn’t laugh at me. “Are you trying to figure me out, Dr. Johnson?”

  “Maybe.”

  “My mom is the hardest working woman you’ll ever meet. Sometimes she kept down three jobs just to keep food on the table. My brother followed in my footsteps and played hockey in Milo’s youth program and now he’s at UMD. And Meg…”

  He jerks when I reach the indentations of his abs. “Is she as sassy as you are?”

  “Sassier. Her smart mouth is going to get her in trouble someday. She’s a sophomore in high school. Sixteen going on sixty. If my mom has a coronary, it will be because of Meg and not me. I know you’ll find that hard to believe.”

  Inhaling his scent, I keep rubbing his rock-hard body. “I believe it. If she’s anything like I was back in high school, you’ll all have your work cut out for you.”

  He glances down at me. “Were you a wild child back in the day?”

  I swat at him playfully. “It wasn’t that far back, you know. And yes, I kept my mom up at night.”

  “Why not your dad?”

  “He’s way more laid back than she is, and he trusted me to keep mostly to the straight and narrow. But Jules and I got up to some shenanigans. Drinking, staying out too late, cow-tipping—you know, the run of the mill stuff.”

  He yanks me on top of him. “Did you just say cow-tipping?”

  “Yeah. Don’t tell me you’ve lived in Duluth your whole life and you’ve never tipped a cow?”

  He pulls me up his body, dangerously close to his lips while my stomach ends up on his groin. Damn, he feels so good I suppress a little shiver as the waterfall rushes behind us.

  “I have never abused an animal. And I’m surprised that you have.”

  My lips twitch until I can’t stand it anymore. “Gotcha. I’ve never tipped a cow. It can kill them, you know.”

  He plants a gentle kiss on my lips. “All this talk of cow-tipping has me worked up.”

  I shimmy against him until he groans. “Really?”

  “Remember when you said you liked it when a man takes charge?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Max

  “We also said we wouldn’t get vertical today.”

  “We’re not vertical, we’re horizontal. So technically, we’re good.” I let my hungry gaze rove over her body, sweeping down and then ultimately landing on her full lips. Reaching out, I trace the curves with my fingertip, ending at her perfect cupid’s bow. “I love your lips.”

  She plants a kiss on my pointer finger and then her tongue darts out to flick it. “Thank you, I think.”

  I pause. “And I want them wrapped around my dick.”

  She glances around. “What if someone sees us?”

  “Hmm… pretty sure you asked the same thing in the alley and no one saw us. Besides, I rented this entire course for three hours. No one is going to come anywhere near here. Unless you count the critters. Because they’re about to get an eyeful. The squirrels will get so horned up there will be an outbreak of the little bastards in about six weeks.”

  “What about Meatball? What if she’s traumatized?”

  Glancing at my dog completely wrapped up in her chew, I shake my head. “She’s good.”

  I crawl my fingers up the back of Sue-Ann’s neck until I get to her ponytail holder so I can release her hair. The thick strands are silky and gorgeous, and I want them trailing all over my body. Despite her lame protests, her eyes twinkle and her hand hovers so close to where I want it most. Her teasing turns me on in a way I can’t really put my finger on. Probably because she sees me as more than a good ride.

  I love the way she looks at me. Like I’m welcome in her world and she’d be sad if I wasn’t in it.

  She tugs her lower lip between her teeth, and my cock grows to an impossible length as I watch her, thinking about what I want that mouth to be doing to me. “You’re really big, Max. What if I can’t do it right?”

  I stroke a fingertip along her jaw. “There’s nothing you could do to me that would feel wrong or be wrong.” After a sigh, I grip her by the waist and pull her down on top of me for a sweet kiss. “Get out of your head, Sue-Ann. Life is fun, and it’s meant to be savored not censored. But I guess you don’t have to do it if you don’t really want to. I’d never force you or coerce you to get vertical with me.”

  “Horizontal.” Her fingers trail up my inner thigh until I moan. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to. I’m sorry I’m up in my head. Maybe you should have put vodka in my water bottle instead of water. I could use a little liquid courage right now. It’s just that it’s been a while… I’m kinda rusty.”

  That information puffs my chest out. There’s something incredibly sexy about a woman who doesn’t get around. Who saves her most intimate self for someone she cares about. Because sex means something then, not just a quick fuck to get your rocks off or a means to an end. She’s forever surprising me in the best ways and that might be the thing I like about her most of all. Life with Sue-Ann would never be dull.

  I’m head over heels crazy for this girl and this is how I want her. How I like her best. Vulnerable. Stripped down and fully at my whim without any barriers or walls between us. Sue’s breath hitches in her throat as she pants in short, uneven bursts. Slowly, my zipper rolls down, and I put my arms behind my head so I can watch her.

  And the view is fucking spectacular.

  Once my dick springs free, she strokes me, still a little unsure of herself, and I throb in her warm palms. She runs those wicked fingers from the base to the engorged head, testing my size with perfect caresses that drive me to distraction. I know she’s worried about wrapping her mouth around me, so I thread my fingers through her hair and give her constant encouragement and reinforcement.

  We take things slow, and I capitulate to her pace, enjoying every single moment. She glances up at me, and it’s hard not to come undone when she looks at me like I matter. Like she sees me and everything I bring to the table.

  Like I have gifts to give and she was made to receive them.

  “Shit, babe,” I whisper as she sucks down the first few inches of my steely flesh. That warm, wet mouth is heaven on earth. The waterfall rushes behind us—or is that the blood in my ears? A low, sexy hum rumbles from Sue-Ann and straight to my straining dick.

  I wish I could stop this moment—suspend it in time—just so I could imprint my memory with how I feel and how she looks taking me down the back of her throat. But I can’t do that no matter how much I want to, and my eyes end up fluttering closed as I lose all focus. I’m too lost to the pleasure—to her. I’m wrapped up in this woman and what she does to me.

  And for the first time in my life, that transcends sex and goes straight into spiritual territory.

  My balls tighten as she takes me deep. I suck in a ragged breath, my dick giving a little leap straight into Sue’s sweet mouth.

  “I…” The syllable groans out on a puff of air. Instead of talking, I pull her head back and shift as my cock springs free with a pop. “I’m not finishing without you. Ride me, Sue-Ann.” It doesn’t take long to get rid of her jeans and panties. I fish a condom from my pocket and roll it on. Sue peeks out at me through hooded lids, her lips swollen from being wrapped around my cock.

  She gingerly climbs astride me until just the straining tip of me disappears inside her wetness. “Like this?”

  Instead of answering, I tug the V-neck of her t-shirt down until it exposes her lacy bra. Then I pull the cups down so I can circle her nipples with my thumbs. “I love looking at you like this. With your hair falling down and your sweet pussy about to swallow me whole. Best view ever.”

  “I like it too,” she whispers, sliding down only one more delicious inch. I buck upward, trying to force the issue, but she slaps her palms down on my chest. “Uh uh, naughty boy. I’m in charge
now. You had your turn. You told me to ride you.”

  She blinks and then keeps her eyes wide open as she stares down at me. It’s as if I can read all her secret desires. “Do you like me deep inside you, Sue-Ann?”

  “Yes,” she moans, her head thrust backward, exposing that swan-like neck.

  “You’re stunning like this,” I whisper in a rush of breath, as if I could hold back the words. As if I’d ever want to. “How did I get so lucky?”

  “I want to come, Max. You’re the only man who’s ever made me feel like this. Like it’s easy and I don’t even have to try.”

  “Oh, you will. Don’t even doubt it,” I promise, tugging her forward and down onto my waiting lips. I push my tongue into her mouth, the exquisite possession complete. She belongs to me in this moment—maybe even for forever because that’s what I’m thinking about right now.

  Tomorrow.

  The next day.

  And the day after that.

  Too fucking many days for it to be just about sex.

  Sue-Ann returns my kiss as if it might be her last, and I thrust upward into that slick heat until I hit her pubic bone. She works her hips, smacking her ass cheeks into my groin until I growl and wrap her legs around my hips to draw me in even deeper.

  She grabs my hand and moves it between us so I can circle her swollen clit with my thumb. As she moans, I pinch it a little between my fingers and then stroke it again.

  She covers my hand with hers, a low moan escaping her lips. “I’m coming, Max.”

  “Damn straight you are.” Her pussy flutters around me as she screams her release to the treetops, her orgasm flowing over in waves. All I can do is join her as my cock pulses—every single cell in my body firing with sensation.

  Sue-Ann flops over me and settles in a satisfied heap on my chest. My breath sticks in my lungs and I make a guttural sound. There’s nothing that feels better than this woman wrapped around me. “Just so you know. With you, horizontal is just as good as vertical.”

  *****

  After settling Meatball back in the truck for a nap, I tug Sue-Ann behind me as we head inside for the dinner I had catered, satisfied from disc golf and other outdoor activities. After the gourmet feast I just enjoyed, all my bodily hunger will be slacked. At least for the moment. Because when it comes to her, I feel like I can’t get enough, and I know I’m going to crave being balls deep inside her again before this perfect day even ends.

  Before we reach the private room I procured for dinner, we pass a ballroom, and loud music is seeping through the double doors. I skitter to a stop, pressing my ear against the white beveled wood. “Oh, my God, I love this song!”

  Sue-Ann stares at me as I swing the door wide and motion for her to follow me inside. “We can’t go in there, Max. That’s a wedding reception.”

  I roll my eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve never crashed a wedding either. For someone who’s been on this earth over thirty years, Sue-Ann, you’re surprisingly un-worldly. Everyone in Duluth has gone to a wedding they weren’t invited to. A friend of a friend and all that. Wedding dances are like keggers. Everyone’s welcome. Besides, it’s not like we’re going to ask for food or anything. Just one little dance before we move on to our private dinner. You’re not afraid, are you?”

  She peeks over my shoulder and into the dark ballroom. Neon letters, spotlights, and a spinning disco ball blink above the dance floor.

  Once we slip inside, she turns and slaps me on the arm. “The chicken dance is your favorite? What the hell, Max. You’re yanking my chain again. You just wanted to act like a crazy person.”

  I spin on my heel and dance my way toward the parquet floor, flipping my arms like wings and wiggling my ass as I waddle low. “What? You don’t believe me? I’ve been doing the chicken dance like a pro ever since my first wedding when I served as the ring bearer for my Uncle Rick. You’ll meet him someday. He’s an okay dude. Just don’t let him cop a feel.”

  Sue-Ann lets out an outraged gasp, but before I can really get going, the best man pops into step beside me and motions the groom over. “Max Monroe is doing the motherfucking chicken dance at your wedding, dude! This is a once in a lifetime moment!”

  Despite his twinkling eyes, the groom grimaces. “With what this cost, it damn well better be. I don’t plan on ever getting married again. It’s too damn much work and it emptied my wallet. Monroe, you just might want to stay single.”

  After rounds of high-fives and man hugs, the three of us continue mimicking deranged birds in the middle of the dance floor. The moment people see me and recognize me, they join in until you can’t see one slice of wood on the parquet floor, just solid wiggling, twitching bodies as the music gets faster and faster. My laugh erupts from somewhere deep inside me, and I can’t remember the last time I felt so carefree.

  She brings out the best in me.

  Life is good. Damn good.

  After dinner, I’ll tell her how much this day means to me.

  Because ever since Sue-Ann Johnson came on the scene, my world has spun on its axis.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Sue-Ann

  One month later…

  “What if I do something stupid?”

  Jules glances at me out of the corner of her eye as her hands grip the steering wheel. “Like what?”

  I put my fingers in my lap and twine them together. “Like jump up and clap when the wrong team scores. And everyone will know this Caribou jersey is new.”

  Julia sighs. “First of all, if you get confused, just look down. Our colors are blue and brown and you’re wearing them. The opposing team is red and black. Just follow Max or Adam and whenever they do something good, you can cheer. Just don’t jump up if the other team scores. That would be embarrassing.”

  I try to act like everything is normal when my stomach is tied in a tight knot. “How do I know if the Caribou have done something good?”

  “There’s this little black disc, Sue-Ann. There will be all these huge hulking hockey dudes on the ice, and they’ll all want it. The team that gets it in the net the most times wins. You really don’t need to know much more than that for your first game.”

  My mind drifts to Max and all the times I’ve seen him naked. “Will they look hot?”

  “To be honest, you can’t really even recognize them from the WAG section. And Max and Adam both wear face shields. You’ll have to follow them by their numbers.”

  My face flushes with heat because I feel like such a moron. “You mean like Darth Vader face shields?”

  “Kind of. They protect from most stuff, which is why both of them still have their teeth. But sometimes they still get knocked out by a high stick or something.”

  I spin my head around. “Do you mean to tell me there are men on that ice who don’t have any teeth? How barbaric!”

  “They all end up losing some of their teeth along the course of their career. Most of them choose not to have permanent dental work done until they retire. Why do it when you have to keep on doing it? At some point, the root of the tooth will die if you keep fiddling with it and then you’re screwed.”

  A shiver works its way up my spine, and I wonder if I can ask her to turn this car around. “I’m not sure about this, Jules. This professional sports thing is scary. Teeth are pretty important to me.”

  “You’ll do fine. Besides, did you know you’re the first girl to sit in the WAG section to support Max as a Caribou? He’s never given anyone his seats before outside of his family.”

  My heart flips over and something settles in bone-deep. This seems like a really big deal. The biggest. Does this mean we’re in a serious relationship? Has everything seeped outside the lines of the casual fling? We’ve been dating and having the most amazing sex of my life for over a month now, but neither one of us has ever really defined it. We talk about everything. Everything but us.

  Once we reach the Caribou’s state-of-the-art indoor arena, Jules and I grab sodas from one of the numerous concessions stands an
d head to our seats in the lower tier. The ice feels a little chilly and I suppress a little shiver, glad I wore my hair down. I never thought I’d need a coat in September, but maybe I should have brought one.

  The section reserved for friends and family of the Caribou is off to one side of the penalty boxes and just above the plexiglass protection. Prime real estate with unobstructed views of the ice. I notice a bunch of lines on the slick surface, some blue and some red. There’s a light above the goalie’s net. Fans stream in and it’s already starting to get loud as rock music blares through the PA system. The excitement echoes through my body, setting all my cells on fire.

  Maybe this won’t be so bad. I can watch Max work for a change and then we can hook up after the game ends.

  I settle into my leather seat and put my Coke in the cupholder. “Will you answer my questions, Jules, or will that annoy you while you’re trying to watch Adam?”

  She pats my arm. “Of course, I will. I see Adam play all the time and have for years. It will be fun to see the game through someone else’s eyes for a change. You can ask me anything and I’ll answer if I know. I’m still not an expert, but I’m getting there.”

  When the Caribou take the ice, the house lights dim, and a single spotlight illuminates the starting line-up as they’re introduced. Adam shoots out of the locker room and hits the ice like he’s half-God, half-warrior, and Jules and I stand up so we can shout our asses off for him.

  I finally spot Max’s number nineteen a couple of players before the back-up goalie. He takes a few warm-up shots and stretches his legs and back, looking gigantic in his skates and pads. My heart rate accelerates when I see him glance in my direction. If I had a Bible, I’d swear on it that we made eye contact, but then he skates away and I’m not sure.

  Once we sit down and the referee drops the puck for the first face-off, I sense a little tug on my sleeve. When I turn to look, I see a gorgeous and tiny woman sitting to my left. Hypnotic sea-green eyes peer at me through square glasses.