by Toni Aleo
He nodded, a grin pulling at his lips as he gave her an exaggerated wink. “On and off the ice, sweetheart.”
The guys all laughed at that as Reese smacked him in the shoulder playfully. “Oh hush.”
“No, really, inquiring minds would love to know what is going on,” Harper said with a grin.
“Yes, are y’all together? Did Phillip break through my sister’s walls and make her want to settle down?” Piper asked with a laugh, while Reese set her with a look that could kill. When she glanced over at Phillip, he was just smiling as he shook his head.
“Something is going on. I did catch them in the Assassins’ shower together,” Shea said, like he was asking for someone to pass the butter. Reese was mortified as her mother and father both sent her a surprised look, their mouths falling open, as Piper and Harper giggled together. Erik laughed as Jakob just shook his head, and Claire kept eating her carrots. Reese ducked her head, covering her face as she begged for this moment to end.
Elli pulled back, smacking him loudly on arm, before yelling, “Shea! Claire is in the room, and what the hell, Phillip? You know better than that!”
“Sorry boss,” Phillip muttered.
Shea looked across at a wide-eyed Claire, who was also grinning, and said, “They were swimming.”
Claire giggled. “Sure they were. I’m not stupid. They have sex and lots of it because I caught him with his hands up her shorts against a wall at a competition in Chicago.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Reese groaned.
Phillip said, “Claire Anderson!”
“What?” she asked innocently. “What happened?”
“Reese, language!” Rowan scolded as Reese continued to shake her head.
This was not happening. How in the world did she get in this situation? She should have stayed home! Damn it! Everyone was looking at her and to say she was embarrassed was an understatement. When Phillip’s hand laced with hers, she looked up at him, begging him with her eyes to take her home, but he just shrugged and, for some reason, calmness washed over her as she got lost in his sweet blue eyes. His mouth pulled up at the side before he turned to look at everyone and said, “So, we are sleeping together. Who cares? We are consenting adults.”
“True, but we will kill you if you hurt her,” Jakob said with a fork pointing at Phillip.
“Duly noted but no worries, don’t plan on it.”
“Good,” Reese’s dad, Blake, said before reaching for his beer.
“So no wedding bells?” Rowan asked.
Reese was about to scream hell no, but Phillip beat her to it. “Nope, we are having fun. We enjoy each other’s company. We are friends, and that’s it.”
“Yeah,” Reese added, “just friends that tend to get caught in compromising situations.”
“Fun situations, though,” he said, leaning into her playfully.
When her eyes met his again and the reminder of their fun situations came to mind, white heat coursed through her veins and she found herself breathless. His mouth pulled up at the side again, his eyes telling her that he wanted her and oh Jesus, she wanted him, even in this embarrassing moment. Something exploded in her chest, her heart swelled, and she couldn’t catch her breath. She had no clue what the feeling was, but it made her throat itch and her eyes well up with tears. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the feeling, she did. It just scared her, and she knew she had to look away. So she did as she nodded and said, “Very fun.”
And she had to keep it that way.
Hey, can you help me with something?
Phillip grinned as he read the message from Reese.
Sure.
Awesome, can you come over?
Yeah, Claire is at school.
Oh yeah, duh, cool, come on over and just come up to the main studio.
Okay, see you in a bit.
Tucking his phone in his pocket, he grabbed his keys and headed out the door. He had been waiting all day to hear from her. He was aware that it could be classified as pathetic, but he didn’t want to rock the boat by calling her every time he missed her. Which was almost every second that passed. She seemed a little weirded out by her family questioning them. Despite the fact that he tried to help with that, he was worried he made it worse. Saying that they were just friends was probably the dumbest thing he could do. He should have said they were hanging out, seeing where they would go, but his fear of losing her made it hard to say that. So instead, he lied to people that he hoped would be more than just a hockey family one day.
Running his hand through his hair as he drove to the studio, he expelled a breath as he tried to figure out what he was going to do about Reese. He wanted this to be easy. He wanted to look at her and she would know that he loved her, but he thought he was already doing that. He must not be though because she still thought they were only friends. He felt as if he had done everything short of screaming in her face that he loved her. Maybe that was what he needed to do, just admit his feelings, but he wasn’t sure he could.
It had been so long since he admitted love for someone other than his family. The fear of Reese’s rejection stung, and he hadn’t even been a victim of it yet. Knowing it could happen, though, kept his mouth shut tight. He had never been like this before. He didn’t care, he went with the flow, did what he wanted, loved who he wanted, and left all caution in the wind, but with Reese it was different. He couldn’t lose her.
Letting out a long, harsh breath, he pulled into his usual spot and got out the car, locking it behind him. Heading up the stairs, he opened the studio door and was greeted with…
“Phillip?”
He smiled as he headed to the back studio. “Yeah, it’s me.”
“Okay, lock the door please!”
Turning, he went back to the door, locking it before heading to the studio. When he entered, he stopped short when he got a look at Reese. Standing in high, high platform black heels, she wore a black pair of lace short shorts and a studded diamond bra and that was it. Nothing else. Now he wasn’t one to complain when a gorgeous woman stood in barely anything, but it also confused him since it was in the middle of the day. Had she called him to get some?
She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. “Okay, so I need your help.”
With what, getting off? he thought but then said, “With what? And why are you dressed like a stripper?”
She smiled as she ran her hands down her sweet body, sending his heart into overdrive. Fuck, she was sexy and he was deciding that coming over for sex was A-Okay with him. He felt his mouth slowly parting as she looked back up at him. “Remember that lady I saw in Chicago?” When he nodded, she continued, “Well, she asked me to come up with a dance and I’m not sure I still have it. I’ve been teaching G to PG-13-rated performers for the last couple of years so I’m worried I don’t have the R rating in me anymore. So I was wondering if you could watch and see if I turn you on.”
He scoffed. “Baby, I’m turned on just looking at your sexy ass.”
Her cheeks warmed with color as she waved him off. “That’s because you want me.”
“This is true,” he agreed as she took his wrist in her hand and dragged him to the seat she had against the wall. He sat down, leaning against his knees as he watched her beautiful hips sway side to side as she sauntered to the radio.
She turned, looking over her shoulder, and asked, “Do you listen to Christina Aguilera?
“Genie in a Bottle?”
She laughed. “Yeah.”
“Sometimes, she’s hot.”
Reese shook her head. “Okay, well, back in the day, I danced to a lot of her songs. This one is sexy, and I think what I came up with is fire hot.”
“Well please, the anticipation is killing me,” he basically moaned, his eyes running down her delectable legs. “Let’s do this.”
She shot him a grin before hitting the play button. Clapping from a crowd filled the studio and then she looked over her shoulder, mouthing, “Come here, big boy.”
His cock twitc
hed to life as she turned moving her hips in a mind-blowing way. Scooting to the edge of his seat, he leaned on his knees, his eyes zoning in on her. In a downright sinful way, she touched herself, before lifting her leg and falling into a split. Biting into his lip, he watched as she worked the floor like it was her lover. Her ass perked up in the air, giving him a little peek of her two perfect cheeks as she slowly wiggled them side to side. Reaching between her legs, she ran her hand from her ass along her pussy before opening her legs wide and then slapping them back together, her eyes never leaving his.
His blood was pumping hard, going straight to the muscle in his pants. His fingers bit into his thighs as he watched her move across the floor in the most delectable way. He couldn’t look anywhere; he couldn’t even breathe as he watched her make love to the floor, the air, fuck, to him, without even touching him. His body was strung tight, his chest heaving, and he felt like he was drooling as he zeroed in on her, everything disappearing around him as she went to her feet, running her hands up her legs, her flat stomach, and her succulent breasts before taking her pointer finger between her white teeth.
He was pretty sure he came at that moment.
Jerking back, he took in a harsh breath as the words, “Damn,” snuck out his mouth. He had been to his fair share of strip clubs, but no one could come close to what Reese was making him feel. His heart was beating so fast that he was sure it was coming out of his chest. His hair was standing to attention on his arms, along with his the solid muscle in his pants. He couldn’t seem to form a coherent thought, but he knew that she was it. She was the one. His personal Aphrodite.
Moving towards him, Reese lifted her leg up again in a heel stretch before dropping it to the spot between his legs. It surprised him and he jumped, but his need for her took over. He glanced at her thick thigh before looking up at her. Her eyes were hooded, her breathing labored, as she reached out, running her hands down his chest. She bit into her lip, her eyes locked on his, and he had to have her.
“Are you done?”
She smiled. “Yeah, sorry I was getting caught—”
Before she could even finish the sentence, he stood up, taking her in his arms and crashing his mouth to hers. When he picked her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and he lowered them to the ground. Pressing himself into her hot core, he devoured her mouth, his heart pounding against his chest as she wiggled against him. He groaned against her lips before sitting up and removing his shirt. She sat up, undoing the back of her bra and letting it fall off as he reached for her panties, quickly pulling them down her legs and over her unbelievably sexy shoes. Pushing her legs up, his hands holding her behind her knees, he dropped his mouth between her thighs, driving his tongue between her two wet lips.
She cried out, her fingers threading through his hair, as he did figure eights around her nub of nerves. Dipping his tongue inside her, he got lost in her warm, hot haven. She thrashed beneath him as he fucked her with his tongue, her nails biting into his scalp as he continued his torture on her. Going back to her clit, sucking it between his lips, he continued to lap up her sweetness. His cock was so hard from the sound of her moans that he wasn’t sure who was going to shatter first. He wanted her, so bad it hurt, but he wanted to wait until he was deep inside her. Running the tip of his tongue in slow, agonizing circles around her clit, she screamed his name and he smirked before softly biting her. That did it. Her back arched as she screamed out with unabashed abandonment.
Dropping her legs, he stood up quickly, toeing out of his shoes before pushing his jeans and boxers down. Her body was covered in a sheen of sweat as she sucked in a lungful of air. Dropping to his knees, he covered her with his body, pressing his hot, bulging shaft against her wet pussy before covering her mouth with his in long, drugging kisses that had his toes curling against the cool floor. Her hands ran down his back, cupping his bare ass as she moved her dripping wet center all over his long cock.
His hands trembled against her hips as he tore his mouth from hers, kissing down her throat, to her chest where he took one of her rosy peaks in his mouth, swirling his tongue around the tip as he pushed her legs back, her shoes dangling against his shoulders. The heels scraped his arms but he didn’t care, he needed her. She took in a quick breath, reaching for his face and bringing him down for another long kiss. He pulled away, panting, “Baby, I need to get in you.”
She only gasped as his hands gripped behind her knees, holding her open as he directed his hard cock into her hot center. He held his breath, his heart pounding as he slowly entered her, watching himself disappear inside her. Once he was pushed in to the hilt, he started to move slowly and provocatively inside her. She moved with him, meeting each thrust, in a rhythm that had him fighting for breath. He was lost in the lust, his chest seizing, his body trembling, and he knew he was almost there. Reaching up, he held her breast, tweaking her nipple with his thumb and forefinger as he sped up, pounding into her.
Reese’s hooded eyes met his, the golden flakes in her eyes shining as they locked with his. Something moved inside him, broke, and it had to be her eyes. They got him every time. Cupping the back of her neck, he brought her to him, kissing her long and hard as he thrust inside of her. With his thumb at the base of her neck, he squeezed as he started to pound, reaching the peak and ready to fall. She screamed out, her body shaking as she squeezed him like a vice grip. Pulling her legs back more, she arched her back. He groaned as he went deeper inside her. The sounds of their lovemaking were deafening, he wasn’t sure who was louder, and man, she was hot.
He was ready, and he could feel her getting there again. Pushing into her harder, his body slapping against hers, he added a little more pressure with his thumb to her neck, making sure not to hurt her as he fell over, filling her completely with his seed. Gasping, he thrust once more before, closing his eyes tight, sucking in a deep breath. Removing his hands from her throat and hip, he dropped them on both sides of her head, leaning down and kissing her hard on the mouth.
Pulling away only a breath, he whispered, “Sorry, I should have asked if you like that kind of thing.”
She smiled, moving her hands up his back and lacing her hands behind his neck. “I do. It was hot.”
He nodded, his nose against her as they shared the same breath. Opening his eyes, he met hers and he lost his breath. “You’re so beautiful.”
She bit into her lip, stroking his neck with her thumb before bringing him down for a long, chest-tightening kiss. When she pulled away, her hands cupping his face, the words were there and he was going to say them. “I… I..” Her eyes searched his, a smile playing on her lips, and he knew he couldn’t risk it. He couldn’t do it. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. When he opened them again, an easygoing smile rested on his lips. “I really liked that dance.”
“So it was good?”
“Great.”
“Awesome! Thank you! Hope it’s rated R in Mrs. Prissy’s eyes.”
He scoffed, moving his nose with hers. “Baby, that was more like NC-17.”
She smiled against his lips. “Thanks.”
“Oh, you are so welcome,” he said, cupping her butt as he looked deep into her intoxicating brown eyes. “I think you should dance all the time.”
“Really?”
“Yup,” he said with a nod. “It’s my favorite thing you do besides having sex with me.”
She laughed long and hard before standing up and pulling him to his feet. “Let’s go upstairs; maybe I’ll do both for you again.”
He groaned loudly, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her jaw. She smiled up at him, and the words were there again. He wanted to say them, scream them, but when she sent him a carefree grin, pulling him out the door, he said nothing.
“I THINK Phillip got the wrong size.” Reese frowned as she looked down at what she thought was a too tight, number 33, Anderson jersey.
Claire grinned up at her, in a matching, much larger Anderson jersey as she shook her head. “N
o, it’s a woman’s size. That’s why it’s fitted.”
Reese frowned again. “Well, that’s not what I wanted. I wanted what you got. Why did Phillip get this?”
She giggled as she said, “Probably because it’s tight on your boobs. Come on, it’s Phillip.”
“Touché.” Reese laughed as they made their way through the crowd to their seats in Luther Arena. Tonight was game night. This was the night for the Assassins to make franchise history with an eighteen straight game win. The crowd was buzzing, and their excitement was contagious. Reese was grinning like a fool, bouncing on her heels as she followed Claire though the sea of people. She obviously knew where she was going and that calmed Reese because she didn’t. Usually she sat up in the boxes with Harper and Elli, and it was going to be weird sitting down by the ice.
Elli had offered her box to them, but Claire was very adamant on sitting in her seats. It was sort of cute but when Reese fell into the seat beside Claire, she understood why. The seats were spectacular, right behind the home bench. Reese had a perfect view of both goals and if there wasn’t glass in her way, she could reach out and touch the guys. It was probably a good thing that the glass was there though because, lately, she couldn’t keep her hands off Phillip if she tried.
They had been… well… seeing—no, no that wasn’t it… definitely not dating… but… well, hanging out, for three months now. It had been great. Not only was the sex so hot it could melt the ice in Luther Arena, but they had fun. They went bowling with Claire, dinner, movies, and damn, was she happy. Yes, it scared the living shit out of Reese. She was becoming comfortable, and it worried her that at any time Phillip could become bored and want to move on. Because of this, she enjoyed the living hell out of him. Absorbed every second she had with him and Claire because it was becoming natural to her. So natural that a couple of weeks ago, when Phillip went away, instead of Claire going to Harper’s, she came and stayed with Reese.
She knew it was crazy, and she really wasn’t thinking when she asked Phillip if it was okay. She mainly didn’t want to be alone. She missed him when he was gone and having Claire was second best to having him. Of course, Harper gave her a look and questioned her motives, but all Reese could say was that she didn’t want to be alone. She had no clue what that meant, but it was the truth. Thankfully, Phillip was okay with it, and Claire was all about it. It worked out for all of them, so why analyze it? Phillip sure wasn’t, neither was Claire, so she wouldn’t either.