by Kendall Ryan
I weave my fingers behind his neck and push up onto my tiptoes until our lips meet in a long, tender kiss that’s well worth the three days of waiting. When I finally pull back, a devilish smile spreads across his lips, making me want to kiss them all over again.
“Well, hello to you too,” he teases as I tug him into the apartment. “Miss me?”
“Like crazy,” I admit on a laugh. “But now I don’t have to.”
Once we’ve freed up his hands by finding a vase for that gorgeous bouquet, we spend a few more minutes catching up on all the kissing we’ve missed out on over the past few days. I think I would forgo just about any date to stay here in his arms all night, but the grumble in my stomach that interrupts us mid-makeout session says otherwise.
“Isn’t it normally my job to interrupt our sexy time by being too hungry?” he says with a laugh.
I shrug, placing one hand on my stomach as if it will silence the grumbling. “I skipped lunch because you told me to come hungry.”
“I also told you to dress to impress.” His eyes trace my curves, lingering at the places where the pink fabric clings extra tight to my figure. “You sure do follow instructions well. And as much as I hate myself for saying this, can the make-out session wait just a little longer? I’ve got a car waiting so we don’t miss our reservation.”
“Hmm, as long as our next make-out session leads to us being naked.”
“Babe, that’s a given.”
In the back of the town car, I sit on my hands to keep them off Teddy. That suit hugs his muscular chest and arms in all the most delicious ways, but now isn’t the time to tear him out of it. Not when, apparently, we have reservations somewhere swanky.
“Will you tell me where we’re going now?” I plead, jutting out my bottom lip for effect and giving him the best puppy-dog eyes I can muster.
He laughs and shakes his head. “Being cute isn’t going to work, babe. Let’s just say we’re going somewhere we both love.”
When the car finally pulls into the parking lot, my jaw nearly hits the floor as I spot the big, glowing red pepper outside my window.
“Oh my God. Chili’s! We’re going to Chili’s?” I shriek, twisting in my seat to face him.
Teddy’s grin takes up nearly his whole face. “Is that okay with you?”
I love that he remembered this detail—that I admitted my love for chain restaurants on our very first date—and this restaurant in particular.
“Uh, yes! This is perfect.” I lean over and kiss him hard. “Best date ever.”
I love that even though we could afford someplace much nicer, and splurge on a bottle of wine that costs several hundred dollars—tonight we’re going for comfort and familiarity.
That’s what Teddy is, I realize . . . my safe space, my comfort zone, all the good and happy things in life. There’s nothing stuffy or pretentious about him. I don’t have to work hard to impress him or walk around on eggshells. I can just relax and be myself. It’s literally the best feeling in the world.
“It’s only just starting,” he murmurs against my lips before hopping out of the car and racing around to open my door for me. “Shall we, mademoiselle?” he asks, offering me his hand.
Eagerly, I place my hand in his, my smile growing by the second. We walk toward the restaurant hand in hand, but I stop him before he has a chance to pull the oversized wooden doors open.
“Should we be thinking about cameras? If you used your name on the reservation, some waiter might have spilled the beans to the press that you’re going to be here.”
Teddy shakes his head, squeezing my hand extra tight. “Who cares? We’re not doing this for the cameras anymore. We’re doing this for us. And if someone happens to leak a picture to some hockey blog, there’s no one else I’d rather be caught on camera with than my sexy-as-hell girlfriend.”
After leaving a slow, sweet kiss on my lips for reassurance, he pulls open the door and we walk in, by far the most overdressed couple to ever enter a restaurant this casual. After giving the hostess Teddy’s name, we’re led to a table toward the back, and I can feel eyes following us. I don’t know whether it’s because of Teddy or because we’re dressed so fancy. It’s probably a bit of both. We take our place at our reserved red vinyl booth, and I’m still smiling big.
“If I knew all I had to do to get that kind of smile out of you was bring you to Chili’s, I would have asked you on a date years ago.”
My heart stutters at the thought of what could have been, but I keep my expression neutral. Still, I can’t help but ask, “Why didn’t you?”
He leans over, linking his fingers with mine. “I wanted to. Shit, I really wanted to. But both of our careers were taking off, and I was immature and doing stupid shit . . .”
“You can say you were screwing puck bunnies.”
He shakes his head, a wry grin spreading over his face. “Yeah, you kinda had a front-row seat to that, didn’t you?”
“It doesn’t bother me. I gave you enough shit about it back then anyway.”
It’s true. Every time I saw him hooking up or on the way to hooking up, I’d call him out. Did I wish it had been me he was hooking up with? Yeah, but he was a hot, young professional hockey player. Women threw themselves at him, literally. I was in a long-term relationship with my career, so timing wasn’t on our side.
“But, yeah,” Teddy says, his eyes locking on mine. “I wanted you, but I didn’t just want you for a night, or a week, or a month. Every time I looked at you, I saw forever, and I didn’t wanna fuck that up by pursuing you when I knew we both weren’t there yet. And just so you know, I was planning on making my move, long before the tape scandal hit, so don’t think that’s the only reason we’re sitting here now.”
I look at our fingers as heat hits my cheeks. “What moves would you have made?”
“Whatever I did to win you over in college, I would have done all of that times a thousand. I would make you laugh because I know you love to laugh. I would have sent your favorite ice cream to the office when I knew you were working late. I would have put myself in front of you as much as I could have. I wouldn’t have stopped until I’d won your heart, and I wouldn’t have been happy until you were in my arms.”
A waitress wanting to take our drink orders interrupts us, and after she leaves, I meet Teddy’s eyes and smile, loving that he’s giving me the same fond look. I could literally stare at him forever and never get enough. He’s so incredibly handsome, and I love that he just bared his soul to me.
The idea of moving in with him hasn’t left my mind since he told me that us living together was what he wanted. The truth is I want that too.
The idea of waking up next to him and falling asleep wrapped around his body is one of the many things I want. I want us to cook together, to snuggle on the couch, to do mundane tasks like grocery shopping, paying bills, having friends over for dinner parties, and being lazy together on Sundays. I want every part of my life to mesh with his. The exciting, the boring, the normal, and the extraordinary.
“We’re going to need a freezer fully stocked with ice cream at all times,” I tell him in my lawyer voice. “Sharing the remote is nonnegotiable, and you can’t complain when I want to watch back-to-back chick flicks. Oh, and sleeping naked is a must. No compromise on that one.”
“Hmm, I think I can agree to your terms. I have a few of my own, though.”
His eyes flash with mischief, and I brace myself.
“Naked breakfasts every Sunday, filthy phone sex when I’m on the road, and I’m going to need you to give me regular massages because, babe, that massage was freaking perfection. Oh, one more. Date nights every chance we get, even when we’re old and have a bunch of kids.”
He locks his eyes with mine when he mentions kids. We’re new in this relationship, but it feels like we’ve been moving toward this exact moment for years.
I wait for fear and anxiety to set in, to start freaking out, but none of it hits me. All I feel is warmth, love, and e
xcitement. I imagine Teddy with a little girl curled up against his chest, and a little boy following him around everywhere. I visualize Christmas mornings, the first day of school, and the two of us negotiating over baby names. I want every single thing he’s offering.
“You with kids is an entertaining thought,” I finally say. “Our little girl is going to have you wrapped around her little finger. Imagine what you’ll be like when she starts dating.”
His response is immediate. “She won’t be allowed to date.”
I giggle and lean over the table to kiss him softly. “Your baby girl is going to have a mom who’s a lawyer, so she’ll know how to talk her way out of anything, and she’ll probably inherit your stubborn streak. So, TK, you’ve got no chance.”
“Fuck.” He groans. “Boys. We’re only having boys.”
I sit back in my seat and watch as his expression softens.
“So, do you agree to my terms?” he asks before he lifts his iced tea to his lips after the waitress places our drinks between us.
“Hmm, being naked with you, hearing your voice be all husky when you’re horny, having my hands on you, and seeing you become a DILF? They are tough terms to agree to.” I lick my lips, and his eyes zone in. “Throw in eating Chili’s in bed, and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
His gorgeous lips lift into a smile that reaches his eyes and takes over his entire face. “We’re doing this? You’re moving in, and we’re making my place our home?”
I nod, excitement bubbling within me. “Yeah, we’re doing this.”
“We’re starting right now.” He lifts his hand and signals for the waitress to come over.
I have no clue exactly what we’re starting. But when the waitress reaches our booth, I find out exactly what he means.
“Can we place our order to go? We won’t need our table any longer.”
I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing.
Teddy looks at me expectantly from across the table and raises his eyebrows as he nods down at the menu in front of me. After I order wings and a burger and fries, and Teddy orders what seems like half of the menu, the waitress rushes back to the kitchen.
“I feel like I’m going to fall in love with you a little more tonight.”
“Get ready, Dawson, because I plan on making you fall in love with me a little more every single day.” He finishes the rest of his iced tea and pushes the empty glass to the edge of the table.
After finishing my soda, I put my glass next to his. “You’re playing your cards right, King.”
“So, Chili’s and my cock is all it takes?” He pretends to write something on an imaginary piece of paper. “Noted.”
I snort, shaking my head. “Don’t forget the ice cream waiting for us in the freezer. Chili’s, ice cream, and your cock. In that order.”
He scoffs. “You are such a liar.”
After our food arrives packaged neatly in some to-go containers, Teddy slides out from his side of the booth and grabs my hand. I smile as he pulls me out of the restaurant and into the waiting town car. On the way back to his place—no, wait, our place—I can’t resist opening the appetizer container and eating a chicken wing. When I moan, I feel Teddy’s eyes lock on me. I make a point to moan a little longer, and I smirk when he shifts beside me.
He leans in, his warm breath curling around my ear. “Clothes off as soon as we get home.”
“Tonight keeps getting better and better.” I lift my fingers to his lips.
He licks the sauce off slowly, and instantly heat flashes between my thighs.
We’re barely inside the doorway before Teddy sets down the bags of takeout and his mouth is on mine—leaving hot, urgent kisses.
“Get over here.” He hauls me closer with a breathy murmur, and I move willingly into his arms. “Did I tell you how much I missed you?”
I shake my head. “Why don’t you show me?”
“Gladly, babe.”
Inside the kitchen, he places me roughly on the counter and steps between my thighs. I’m torn between wanting to move this party into the bedroom, or staying right where we are, because I can’t imagine pulling my mouth away from his long enough to walk down the hallway.
“Babe.” He groans when I reach between us and begin unbuckling his belt.
His hands are in my hair and his lush mouth is fused to mine while my hands do very naughty things to his perfect manhood.
The deep rumbling in his throat tells me that my efforts are appreciated. But when Teddy begins stripping me right there in the kitchen, it’s game over.
I want him here. Now. Forever.
This is how we end up having hot, frantic sex on his kitchen counter. The man’s stamina is incredible. He only lets go after he’s wrung two orgasms from my pliant body as I cling to his powerful shoulders. It’s intense and perfect. Just like everything else with him.
After I clean up and pull on one of Teddy’s discarded T-shirts, I climb in bed next to him, smiling as he begins laying out our food and making it look like an epic bed picnic. Our dinner may not be as hot as it should be, the fries may be soggy, and the burger won’t taste as great as it would freshly cooked, but I don’t give a shit.
I have my man. We’re in our bed, in our home. We’ve talked about the future, and I have images of Teddy as the father of my children on constant rotation in my head. Oh, and let’s not forget that I’m surrounded by our favorite food, and I’ve just had ridiculously hot sex.
I couldn’t want or need anything else.
“Best date ever,” I whisper.
He leans in until he is all I can see. “Today’s the first day of the rest of our lives. You ready for that?”
I smile. “Oh, I am so ready.”
“That’s my girl.”
And I am. I’m his. Finally.
Today, tomorrow, next week, and forever.
Epilogue
* * *
Teddy
“This is humiliating.” I groan, trying to conceal my junk behind a hockey puck.
I know what you’re thinking—what the hell? And yeah, you’d be right. This situation is all kinds of messed up.
“Don’t be a baby. It’s for charity,” Asher says, giving me a mocking look.
I give him a dark look and flip him the middle finger. “Just wait till it’s your turn, fucker.”
We’ve all been brought here today—a drafty warehouse on the outskirts of the city, which isn’t the best place to get naked as far as I’m concerned—under the guise of it being “for a good cause.”
I’m getting really tired of hearing those words leave our friend Aubree’s mouth. And considering she’s not even here today, what the actual hell? I know she works for the charity that the team supports, but this is getting a little ridiculous.
Actually, little is the wrong word entirely, because if the photographer seriously expects me to fit my junk behind a five-ounce rubber disk, he’s insane.
I called Sara thirty minutes ago when I learned about his “creative vision” for the photo shoot, and asked her to come up here and make sure I don’t disgrace myself, because I really don’t want to be the face of yet another messed-up scandal. The world has seen its fair share of my cock already, so I want to keep it under wraps. Can you really blame me?
I hear a commotion in the other room, the sound of a metal door closing, and then Sara’s sweet laughter echoes through the warehouse.
She’s here, thank fuck.
Sara walks toward us with Bailey in tow behind her. They’ve been out this afternoon having lunch and getting their nails done. When I called in desperation, they were finishing up, so they said they’d come straight away. Seriously, I have the best girlfriend in the world.
They’re dressed similarly, both sporting jeans and ponytails. Sara smirks at me and shakes her head. Poor Bailey doesn’t know where to look, her eyes widening almost comically as she takes in the scene.
I groan when Sara reaches me. “Thank God you’re here.”
; Sara pauses in front of me, her eyes dropping from mine to the hockey puck I’m holding in front of my crotch, giving me a questioning look as if to ask, What the hell have you gotten yourself into now?
“I know. Help me.” I mouth the words to her in desperation.
Sara laughs, and although I want to be annoyed by the fact that she finds my predicament funny, instead I’m instantly calmed by the warm sound of her laughter.
“Where’s Aubree?” is the first thing out of her mouth.
“That’s a great question,” Asher mutters from beside me.
“And one we don’t have the answer to,” I say helpfully.
“Okay, hang tight, guys. I’m going to fix this. Oh, and TK, do not move that puck. I don’t want people seeing what’s mine,” Sara says before she struts over to where the photographer is adjusting a cloth backdrop and his lighting.
“What’s she doing?” Asher asks, all of our eyes on my girlfriend as she moves in close to the unsuspecting photographer.
“Going into full-blown lawyer mode,” Bailey says, answering for me.
“That’s so fucking hot,” Asher says on a sigh.
“Yeah, it is.” I agree, my eyes still on my girl from across the room, where she’s now animatedly talking with her hands to the photographer.
“This can’t be what Aubree intended for today,” Bailey says.
I don’t know the tiny five-foot, one-inch brunette well, although I’ve gotten to know her a little better since Sara and I started officially dating two months ago, because they hang out often. I know Bailey’s been in med school for the last few years and is close to graduating, and that she’s ridiculously smart and feisty, so her personality meshes well with Sara’s.
Before either Asher or I can answer, Bailey whips out her phone. “You can get dressed if you want.” She motions toward us with a dismissive wave. “This might take a few minutes to get sorted, but Sara will get it done.”
Nodding, I turn my back to her, drop the puck, and tug on my discarded athletic shorts. “Roger that.”
Asher is dressed only in a pair of padded hockey pants, which are, of course, shorts, with the laces in front undone.