by Ellen Devlin
“I love you too, Chris. Safe travels.”
They kissed one more time, and then he was off.
***
“Hey, baby. You leave tomorrow, right?”
“Hi, big guy. Yes, I do. But guess where I am right now.” She rustled around to give him a hint.
His voice got quiet and rough. “Are you in my bed?” he growled softly.
“I am.”
He held the phone a bit away from his mouth so that she only caught brief snippets of the string of low curses.
“God, baby, the things I want to say to you.”
She smiled and stretched and then grabbed the second pillow and hugged it to her.
“It smells like you, Chris. This was a really good idea.”
They were silent for a few moments, each just feeling the presence of the other across the miles.
When he spoke again, his voice was still a low rasp. “I’m not sure how to say this without breaking our electronic communications agreement, but…if you feel the need to…you know…take care of things, take care of yourself, while you’re there, well, that would be amazing.”
“Oh.” Paige’s breath came more quickly, the desire in his voice sparking tingles low in her body. “I hadn’t thought about…” Her breath caught and then, with her voice mirroring his, said very quietly, “I could do that.”
His groan was involuntary, and the sound made her thighs press together as arousal started taking over.
“I have never been so tempted to break my phone policy.” Her voice was breathy, and he could hear a little gasp at the end.
He closed his eyes. Without realizing it, his free hand trailed down to rest on his thigh, seeking the heat building in his groin.
“Oh, baby, I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but don’t.”
“Don’t?” The panting quality of her voice had him starting to throb.
“Fuck,” he muttered. Trying to force himself to break the spell, he moved his hand to rub the back of his neck. “No, baby. Don’t.” His voice was still rough with desire. “I don’t want you to ever feel bad about anything we do, and you might regret it later.”
Paige laid her head back on the pillow and sighed.
She was quiet long enough that Chris asked, “Baby, are you there?”
“I’m here.” She smiled, feeling tears pricking at her eyes. “I can’t believe how much I love you, Chris. I didn’t know it was possible to feel this way.”
“God, me, either. I love you too, Paige.”
“I can’t wait to see you again.”
“Me too. Good night, safe trip, baby.”
***
Chris threw his bag to the side as he entered the apartment, loosening his tie as he walked toward the bedroom. It was still the afternoon, but he desperately wanted to put his face in his pillow and breathe her in. The sheet of loose-leaf paper sitting on the bed brought a smile to his face—it simply said, “Enjoy,” and was signed with a lipstick print. He picked up the page, and beneath it, neatly folded, was a pair of black lace panties.
“Oh, fuck,” he groaned, bringing the satin and lace up to his face and breathing in…her. The smell of her arousal caused such a sudden and intense visceral reaction that he leaned his hand against the wall before sinking down to sit on the bed, one hand still holding the panties, the other fumbling to release his belt buckle and pants. Dropping back to lie on the bed, he reached down with both hands, frantically attempting to free his throbbing erection, and when he had shifted his clothing out of the way, he brought the hand holding the scrap of material back up to his face.
“Oh, fuck. Paige.”
Eyes closed, his mind brought him between her thighs, and he was moaning with each stroke of his hand along his hard shaft.
“Yes.”
He was never this vocal when going solo. Then again, the scent of her was stripping away any remnant of control he might have normally had. His mind added in what she sounded like, what she tasted like, and he was already thrusting his hips up to meet his hand.
“Goddamn.”
He dropped her panties on his face and reached down to cradle his aching balls with his other hand.
“Oh, God.”
The pressure was rising, and he stroked his balls in time with his cock, feeling the contractions start deep at the base.
“Fuck. Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck, gonna come, baby—Paige!”
Her name was a shout followed by a deep groan as the orgasm overtook his body. Pulsing waves erupted, landing on his shirt, his abs contracting with every gasping one of them, his mind momentarily a white hot blank.
Breathing hard, coming down, he opened his eyes and reached up to his face to pull away the little bit of fabric that had triggered such an intense reaction.
His hands dropped off to the sides, he murmured, “Sweet Jesus,” and then started laughing, emotional release following the physical.
***
When Paige checked her phone that evening, she saw a text message that simply read:
Chris: Thank you baby.
XOXOXO
She smiled.
Paige: You’re welcome. Hope you enjoyed your present.
Chris: You have no idea.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The team got back in town in the early afternoon after the second road trip, and Chris had coordinated with Paige for her to come over right after she got out of work.
He knew she would be there soon, but she had a key, and he really needed to take a shower to get rid of that “I’ve been on a plane for a long time” feeling.
He had only been in the shower for a few minutes when Paige quietly slid open the shower door and slipped in behind him.
“No, don’t turn around,” she said to stop Chris from turning to embrace her. “I just want to look at you.” She ran her hand down his back, reaching up to gently follow the shape of the toned muscles from his broad shoulders, stroking along his spine, moving down and over to end at his hip.
Chris exhaled, enjoying the hot water on his front and her caress on his back.
Placing her thumbs in the small of his back, near his spine, she pressed and rubbed, massaging away at least some of the tension from the tight muscles. He made a sound of contentment as she continued, pressing deeply.
A few moments later, she picked up a scrub, lathered it, and began the process of washing his back.
“Thank you, baby,” he said with a sigh. Chris leaned his hands against the front wall of the shower, dropping his head down to allow the water to cascade over his head and down his back.
“Hey,” Paige chided gently, “let me wash before you rinse.” She shifted her scrubbing down to his firm glutes as Chris chuckled. His quiet laughter stopped abruptly with a sharp intake of breath. She had reach under to caress his balls with one soapy hand.
“Oh,” he said with a soft groan. She continued soaping his scrotum far longer than was necessary for cleanliness. “That feels amazing.”
Paige dropped the scrub and snaked her other hand around his hip, now using both hands to slide his soapy testes around, back and forth, exploring, listening to his breathing deepen. She shifted her front hand to slide up his expanding erection.
He groaned again, more deeply, as she stroked him slowly, soap making his cock slide easily through her fist.
“Just making sure you’re really, really clean, big guy.” Paige smiled against his back, placing kisses along his spine as she continued stroking, fondling. She tasted the skin on his back with her tongue and bit him gently. All the while continuing to slide his hard shaft through her fist and move his balls with her fingers.
In a slightly strained voice, he said, “I think I’m clean now.” He tried to turn around, adding, “I should wash you.”
Pressing closer to him to prevent the turn, Paige tightened her grip slightly and said, “No, I don’t think so. I’m not convinced you’re clean enough yet.” She shifted to moving her hand more rapidly along his length, twisting her
hand just a bit at the head each time.
It was making him crazy. She increased her speed until she heard his breathing hitch in the familiar way that told her he was close. They both knew there wasn’t enough pressure or friction to get him off; it was just enough to keep him on edge, orgasm close but unreachable.
Finally relenting, she said, “Okay, you’re probably clean enough…” She had barely finished the sentence before he turned to her, pressing her back against the wall of the shower. The cold against her back made Paige squeak in surprise as he pressed his mouth to hers. His hands found her breasts, his tongue found hers, and it was her turn to gasp as he shifted one hand from her breast to slide a finger through her slit and slip inside her.
“You’re wet,” he growled. He added a second finger and kissed her harder, pushing his tongue into her mouth in a rhythm that he matched with his fingers pushing into her, rubbing his hand along her clit.
Paige made a needy sound and rocked against his hand, seeking more pressure from his palm.
“Oh, no,” he said, removing his hands from her body and wrapping them around her wrists. “Not after all of that teasing. You have to wait for me.” Chris held her hands together in one of his, over her head against the shower wall. He kissed her, hard, as he tweaked her nipple with his other hand as she squirmed and moaned.
Paige felt his hard cock trapped against her midsection, and she moved against him, trying to continue her teasing while he held her arms pinned to the wall. Chris shifted hands so he could pay attention to her other breast, tweaking, teasing, tugging at the nipple until she was making breathy sounds against his mouth.
Briefly releasing her hands, Chris turned Paige around, pressed her hands against the shower wall, and positioned her slightly bent over, pulling her hips back toward himself. He slid two fingers through her folds and into her, pulsing them in and out in a quick rhythm while Paige writhed, moaning, pressing back against him.
Crouching down slightly, Chris gripped his cock and slid it between her thighs, making sure the shaft was tucked between her lips, the tip bumping against her clit as he pushed forward. He moved his hands to the outside of her thighs to hold them together, with his shaft trapped between them.
Paige gasped out a cry of pleasure as Chris started moving, thrusting between her legs, allowing his cock to drag back and forth against her, pushing against her clit with every movement. She was pressing back against him, and Chris saw her muscles shudder with the sensations.
Chris released her thighs and stood up, turning Paige around. Her face was flushed and her eyes were full of lust as she reached up to wrap one arm around his neck and kiss him, using her other hand to wrap around his hardened length.
Bending his knees again, Chris grabbed her ass and lifted, and Paige wrapped her legs around him. He positioned them both so that his tip pressed against her opening.
He pressed her back against the shower wall and entered her in one hard thrust, swallowing her shout of pleasure with another deep kiss.
Chris held himself buried deep inside her and looked into her eyes. “Now,” he said. “Now I’m going to make you come, you sexy tease.”
Her return gaze was full of heat, and Paige squeezed her legs around him and ground herself against him. “Yes,” she replied and, grinding against him again, added, “Please.”
“Please what, Paige?” He slid out just a little and then shoved in again, hard, filling her. “Tell me what you want, baby.”
She looked at him, her eyes filled with passion, and said, clearly and distinctly, “I want you to fuck me, handsome man.”
He grinned and started moving slowly in and out of her.
Paige closed her eyes, breathing harder. “Fuck me, Chris.” He moved a little faster, a little harder.
She opened her eyes and smiled at Chris, knowing just what he needed to hear. She kissed and bit his lower lip and then slid her lips up to his ear and whispered, “Please shove your big, fat cock in me, and fuck me hard.”
Paige felt him shudder, and his arms tightened around her as he finally gave in to what they both wanted. He thrust into her hard and fast. She clung to him, feeling her orgasm build as he rocked his hips, pushing her against the shower wall, the pressure from the base of his shaft against her clit making her writhe.
They bucked against each other, building toward release until his long, drawn-out groan of orgasm finally pushed her over the edge into a shared climax. He felt her fingers digging into his skin as she held him tightly, muscles contracting around him in waves, drawing out his own orgasm as he continued to capture her moans with his kisses.
It was a few moments before they realized the water was starting to cool.
“Looks like it’s time to get out, baby. Almost out of hot water.” He put her down gently and chuckled, saying, “I’m not sure how much of me actually got washed. Not that I care anymore. God, I missed you, Paige.”
She smiled at him in a slightly sleepy way as he turned to shut off the water, and she opened the shower door just enough to grab the two towels waiting on the rack, handing one to him.
“I’m pretty sure none of me got washed,” she said with a smile as she stepped out of the shower to dry off. “Welcome home, Chris.” She pressed one more kiss against his chest as he got out of the shower. “I missed you too.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“So, baby, there’s this work thing that I have to do, and I was hoping you’d come with me.” They were having dinner at Paige’s apartment; she had felt inspired and cooked lasagna.
“Oh!” The request caught Paige by surprise; she had met some of the other players, and they had even had dinner with Dmitry and Natalia and gone bowling with some of the others, but he had never asked her to attend anything for the team.
“When?” she asked. “And what is it? If I’m free, I would be happy to go with you.”
“It’s a formal charity event—dinner and dancing, that sort of thing—and it’s happening the third week of February. Are you free?” Chris sat back in his chair, wiping his face with his napkin. “And I know I’ve said this already, but my God that’s the best lasagna I have ever had.”
Paige smiled at the compliment, getting out her phone to look at her calendar once Chris told her the exact date.
“I’m free that weekend,” she said, “but how formal are we talking?”
“Black tie,” Chris responded, getting up to start helping with the dishes.
Paige froze. “Like, tuxedos and ball gowns? That kind of black tie?”
“Yup.” He turned back to the table to pick up more dishes and saw Paige standing, plate in hand, unmoving. “What?”
“I can’t do that.” Her voice was not quite steady, and Chris took the plate from her hand and brought her to the couch to sit down.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t…” She paused, reaching for some reason to give him. She was feeling the beginnings of panic. “I don’t have a dress. I can’t. I don’t have anything that I can wear for that. I’m sorry, Chris.”
He looked at her curiously.
“I would love to get a dress for you, baby. Just go pick one out. You could go shopping with Liz.”
“Liz wouldn’t want to do that.”
“Liz wouldn’t want to do what?” Paige turned abruptly; Liz had just opened the door to the apartment. “And what smells so good? Holy crap, is that lasagna?”
Chris responded, “Yes, and it’s fantastic. But Paige thinks you wouldn’t want to go shopping for a formal dress with her.”
Liz looked at Paige questioningly. “Well, that’s just wrong. Since when wouldn’t I want to go shopping with you? You look good in everything. That makes it fun and easy.”
“You don’t care about dresses.” Paige knew that she was sounding strange, but she felt panicky.
Now Liz was staring at her. “I care about you. And I would love to go with you.” Tilting her head slightly, she said, “What’s really going on, Paige? What�
��s wrong?”
Paige’s eyes darted between Chris and Liz, suddenly feeling trapped, and she deflated.
“I just don’t think that I’m the right person to go to a formal event like that.”
Chris’s whole demeanor shifted, and he chuckled. “Oh, baby. I’m a big, dumb hockey player. You are actually far more suited to this than I am. Or than any of the guys are. I need you to make me look good.”
Liz smiled, gave him a little punch on the shoulder, and went to explore the leftover lasagna situation.
Paige looked skeptical.
“Seriously!” Chris was trying to convince her. “Paige, think about it. Think about Dmitry. And Natalia. Which one of them is more suited to formal wear?” Paige’s mouth twitched. “And Zee? Please. Like that idiot is proper formal-event material.”
She started to relax.
“Are you sure, Chris?”
He took her hands and looked her in her eyes. “Yes. One hundred percent. Trust me, baby, you will fit in so much better than I will.”
“So, you’re going, right?” Liz was talking with her mouth full, and Paige just shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“Yes, I will go.”
“Excellent. Let’s start looking at dress styles for you!”
Liz scurried off to grab her laptop, and Chris put his hand on Paige’s cheek.
“Thank you, baby.” He leaned in and kissed her gently. “I really appreciate it. You’re going to be amazing. You’re always amazing.”
“So you won’t leave me alone there, right?”
Chris smiled, pulling her toward him so she could rest her head on his shoulder. “Only when I have to do something like take pictures. But then I’ll make sure you’re with someone you know. Deal?”
“Deal.”
***
Paige ended up having a lovely time. Chris knew his way around these kinds of events, and he talked with people effortlessly.