Bears of Burden: STERLING

by Candace Ayers

  And then, suddenly, it stopped. She groaned, annoyed at the lack of contact. “More, please, Shane.”

  He kissed her soaking lips and licked along the seam of her again. His body covered hers and he reached behind her to unclasp her bra. He tossed it away and gripped her breasts. He moved his knee between her legs and she rubbed herself against him desperately. His head dipped to her right breast, and he took her nipple into his mouth. She shook as he sucked on it, his teeth created the perfect opposition to the pleasure of his warm mouth.

  She pulled on his hair and gently moved his head up so she could kiss him. Lexi pushed him over so he was on his back. “Your turn.” Her voice was firm.

  She pulled his shirt from his pants and kissed his tight, muscled lower stomach. She kissed upward, pushing his shirt as she went. Once it was over his head, she moved down to his pants. She fumbled with his belt for a moment before she was able to toss it aside. She worked the zipper down and pulled his pants down his thighs. She pulled his thick, hard cock out of his boxers and ran her fingers over the head. The pre-cum wet her fingers and she brought it to her lips. It was salty and she loved it.

  She ran her tongue around the tip of the head and slid her lips over him. His head fell back as his cock disappeared into her mouth. She sucked hard, and ran her tongue down the large vein that ran down his length.

  “Lexi, fuck. What are you doing to me?” Lexi grinned around his cock, loving how vocal he was. His moans and hisses made her toes curl with pleasure. She loved turning him on like this. “Lex, I’m going to cum. Fuck.”

  His cock twitched in her mouth and his breath hitched as he released into her mouth. She swallowed his ejaculate quickly and slowly released his cock from her mouth. He came up on his forearms and looked at her. “Damn. You’re amazing.”

  She giggled and crawled up his body. He lay back and opened his arms. They faced each other, each laying on their side. Shane took her leg and put it over his hip. Even though he had just cum, he was hardening again. He ran the tip of his cock along her folds, and gently slid inside her. He pulled her hips close to his. The front of their bodies were pressed together and Shane leaned forward to connect their lips.

  Their bodies moved in sync. Shane’s hands roamed all over her skin and her nails dug into his back. With every slow, purposeful thrust, he hit the spot inside of her that made her see stars. His pelvis pushed against her clit. He whispered her name against her lips. Their eyes never left each other’s.

  Lexi could feel tears threatening. She felt so full, so connected to him. “I love you,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.

  “I love you too, darlin’,” he said with a conviction that rocked her to her core. They kissed leisurely, and he rocked into her so slowly. It was so different from the frenzied pace of their previous love-making. Even different than her sucking him off, or him licking her.

  It was amazing and she never wanted it to end.

  The rolling wave of an orgasm moved over her. Her inner walls clenched down on his cock and his kiss became more frantic. He let out a breath against her lips and she felt his cock twitch before he released inside of her.

  They stayed like that for a moment before he slid out of her, and got out of bed. He disappeared into the bathroom and reappeared with a cloth. He was always very considerate about cleaning her up. He ran the cloth between her legs and tossed it on the floor.

  He crawled back into bed with her and pulled her close. She breathed in the smell of him, her heart swelling. He kissed the top of her head. She was almost completely asleep when he began to move. “I need to grab something,” he whispered.

  He rolled out of bed and walked to his crumpled pants. He pulled something out of the pocket but she couldn’t see what it was. He climbed back into bed and laid something cool and small on her stomach. She looked down. A gold ring with a gorgeous, understated diamond in the middle sat right above her belly button. She looked over at Shane.

  “Will you marry me?” he asked.

  She picked up the ring and slid it onto her finger. “Yes.”

  He leaned over her and captured her lips in a deep, sensual kiss.

  Chapter 22

  A week later, they were having dinner with Shane’s parents, Amanda and Henry. She sat to Shane’s right and looked down the table to his parents, Amanda and Amanda’s fiancé. It was the first family dinner they had all had together. Shane had told her on the way over that it was the first family dinner they had had in years.

  “I’m thrilled all this nonsense with Matt is over,” Shane’s mother finally said. She smiled over at Lexi. “We’re thrilled to have you here. Shane has told me a lot about you. And from everything I’ve seen in the last few days, we’re lucky to have you as part of the family.” She looked at Lexi’s hand. “The ring looks gorgeous on you. It was my engagement ring, and Shane’s grandmother’s ring.”

  “I didn’t know it was a family ring.”

  She nodded. “Oh yes, it’s been in the family for generations. And now it’s yours.” She reached across and took Lexi’s hand. She squeezed it. Shane’s mother was elegant but felt frail. Lexi knew that under that frailty was intense strength. She smiled. “Enough of my yammering on. Everyone, eat!”

  There was a rustling as everyone began to serve themselves. Lexi took her first bite and almost moaned. It was delicious. Shane’s mother could really cook meat. It was funny, before she was turned she practically was a vegetarian, but since she changed for the first time she constantly craved meat.

  Shane reached under the table and took her hand. She smiled at her. Amanda leaned back in her chair. “You know, Lexi, I had my doubts about you but I think you and Shane are a good match.”

  “Hurrah! Blessings from the sister,” Shane said sarcastically. Lexi poked him in the leg. Lexi smiled at Amanda. She appreciated Amanda’s statement. She wanted to be part of Shane’s family.

  “Thanks,” Lexi said, looking at Amanda. Henry smiled at Lexi, and she wondered if Shane did the same thing to Henry.

  Lexi helped with the dishes and then everyone went to sit in the living room for coffee. Lexi sat next to Shane and he pulled her close. She rested her head on his shoulder and let the enthusiastic conversation lull her into a deep relaxation. She felt safe, truly safe, for the first time in years. And she felt like she belonged.

  THE END

  PUCKED

  STORY DESCRIPTION

  Aiden Cooper is the chiseled center for the Los Angeles Knights.

  Also known as the "Bad Boy Brawler of the NHL,"

  Aiden likes his hard partying ways.

  Drinking, bar fights, a different woman to warm his bed every night.

  Hell, his life couldn’t get any better.

  Until he meets Skyler…

  Skyler Larking has no business being in a relationship.

  But, Aiden Cooper is just too delicious to refuse.

  She only ever figured he’d be a one-night stand

  Then, when one night turns into two,

  And two nights turns into mutual feelings,

  Skyler realizes that the secret she is carrying could ruin more than just their careers,

  Her secret could tear both their hearts to shreds.

  Chapter 1

  I stood outside the locker room for the Los Angeles Knights waiting to get in. The Knights had just lost their third game in a row after Aiden Cooper, their twenty-six-year-old center, and ‘bad boy brawler’ of the team, started a fight with one of the referees. It wasn't the first time that Cooper had started a fight out on the hockey rink, but it was the first time that I was covering such an event. In fact, it was first day on the job as a reporter for a national news station and here I was on the outside. I was a little pissed. I’d put in my dues to get here, and then some. I’d worked my way up through the ranks at local stations, to get noticed by the national news. My work spoke for itself, yet I couldn't even get back there for a damned interview. Sometimes it sucked being a woman in this business.


  I watched as male reporter after male reporter was let into the locker room. My camera man, Billy, stood patiently by, waiting for his opportunity to get some video footage. I hated the way he kept looking sympathetically over at me, as if I was a lost child wandering around in a sea of testosterone.

  "Want me to go in?" Billy asked.

  "No," I said through gritted teeth. My stomach rumbled and I forced it to calm itself. These recent bouts of nausea were driving me crazy.

  I knew Billy was just trying to be helpful, but I couldn't send a cameraman in to do my job. This was bullshit. I'd worked too hard to get here. Besides, if the rest of the station found out I couldn't get the interview myself, it would confirm every whispered innuendo about me. They would all assume I'd gotten the job by sleeping with Troy Mannen, the station head. People were ridiculous that way- even other women. Always a judgement laid down on a woman who was comfortable with her own sexuality. I could tell the truth, but it wouldn’t matter. Yeah, I slept with Troy. He’d gotten me drunk and we had a one-nighter. No big fucking deal, and instantly regrettable. It didn’t mean anything to either one of us. Well, it didn’t mean anything to me. The truth wouldn’t matter, though. I mean, the part about a one night stand with the boss would, but not the fact that I'd already signed the contract long before we had sex, or that I had earned this job on my own merit as a reporter plain and simple. Nope. I’d be permanently labelled as the female reporter who slept her way up the ladder. Total bullshit.

  "This is ridiculous," I snapped, after Matthew Waters, the sleazy reporter for the country's biggest tabloid, was allowed inside. I turned to the security guard who stood blocking my entrance. "I need to get in there," I told him.

  My blue eyes raged with anger. My dark hair, which I had pulled back into a tight bun, began to come loose as my head spun around.

  "Sorry Ms. Larkin," the guard said, reading the name on my press badge. "I can't let—"

  But I was too tired and too irritated to listen to any more of his excuses. I stormed passed him and burst into the room. All eyes turned to me, the lone woman in a room full of half-naked men. Aiden Cooper stood at the back of the room, a towel wrapped around his waist. He grinned when he saw me. His lips curved up and met the light in his dark brown eyes, which seemed to shine even in the dimness of the locker room.

  I couldn't help it. My heart fluttered. Seeing Aiden in nothing but a towel, I realized that the rumors I'd heard regarding his body were woefully inadequate. His chest was not just chiseled with a hard lines of muscle rising and falling in peaks, it was as if some sculptor had carved him out of stone—the perfect specimen of man.

  "And who have we here?" he asked, approaching me.

  "I'm, um," I shook my head, trying to clear it. "Skyler Larkin, channel 10 news," I finally said, holding out my hand. "Mind if I ask a few questions?"

  "Not at all," Aiden said, but instead of shaking my hand, he dropped his towel and pushed his crotch towards me. Everyone in the room laughed. His coach stood in the background shaking his head, looking embarrassed. Aiden just stood there with a smile on his face, like it was no big deal that he was naked and only a foot away from me.

  "I, um..." My mouth ran dry.

  I knew my cheeks were burning, but I didn't know how to make them stop. I tried to look away. I didn't want to play into Aiden's hands—he was obviously testing me. I wasn't sure whether he simply wanted to embarrass me or if he wanted to get me to admit that he was the sex God that all the papers and online magazines made him out to be. What was that headline I'd read only last night? BAD BOY BRAWLER OF THE NHL—A GIRL IN EVERY RINK.

  Despite knowing that I was playing into his hands, I looked. I couldn't help it. Holy shit. The man was as well-hung as they said he was. A monster of a cock hung down between his tanned, toned thighs. I blinked and forced my eyes back up to his face, only that didn't help much either. His bronzed hair and deep golden eyes bore into me like sunshine through a window pane.

  "I, er, just have a few questions," I finally managed to squeak out. Damn, I wanted to be cooler than this.

  "Shoot," Aiden said.

  "Yeah, okay, um..." But my stomach began to churn. Damned nausea. My nerves were on high alert and the blood that raced to my head wasn’t mixing very well with the cheese enchiladas I'd eaten for lunch. I put my hand on my stomach and stepped back. I had to find a bathroom. Where the hell… but I was too late.

  My dinner came up and landed at the base of Aiden's feet, splashing his legs and, um, every other part of him. The shit-eating grin left his face to be replaced by a look of disgust. I ran out of the locker room with the laughter of Aiden's teammates echoing in my ears.

  Where the hell was the ladies room?

  Chapter 2

  A half hour later, I exited the restroom.

  "Skyler," Billy called, waving me over. "Hey, I've been waiting. Are you alright?"

  "Thanks Billy," I said, offering up a weak smile. "I'm fine. Just something I ate I guess."

  Billy leaned in, looking much more serious than he had only seconds before. "I also wanted to warn you."

  I lifted my eyebrows.

  "Troy called. He reamed me a new asshole, and I'm pretty sure you're next."

  "Great," I said dryly. My stomach was still doing somersaults. Of course Troy would be calling. Tonight was a total bust. We were supposed to have the spot with Aiden wrapped up and transmitted to the station in plenty of time for the evening news, but of course, instead of interviewing Aiden, I'd vomited all over him. Ten o'clock had come and gone, and the sports segment had broadcast without it. Great way to start a new job, Skler.

  Billy looked on worriedly. He was a kind man, maybe two or three years younger than me. I'd have guessed twenty-two to my twenty-five. He was anxious to please and just sort of anxious in general.

  "Don't worry," I told him. "It's my fault we missed the interview. Not yours. I'll make sure Troy knows that."

  Billy looked sheepishly at me but his shoulders relaxed. "Thanks," he said. "Are you ready to go then? It's almost ten. I should've had the news van back by now."

  I shook my head, digging out a piece of peppermint gum from my purse. "I don't think I can handle being in a car just yet. You go ahead. I need to sit for a few, I'll grab a cab in an hour or so, when my stomach's calmed down."

  "Oh, I don't want to leave you here."

  "No really, it's fine. This is L.A. Billy, not Smalltown, Iowa. Not hard to get a cab out here, any hour of the day or night."

  He looked around, uncertain, then finally conceded. "Alright, feel better."

  "Yeah, thanks. See you tomorrow."

  Billy drove off and I wandered around the stadium a while, trying to work off the lingering rumbles that continued to flip flop in my belly. I’d always felt at home in a stadium, probably because my dad and I spent so much quality time together at hockey games when I was young. My dad had been a good man. The best, and I was a daddy’s girl. After my mom died when I was 5 years old, dad stepped up and into the role of being both parents to me until the day he died 4 years ago. I couldn’t have asked for a kinder, gentler, more loving parent. I could only hope to do as good a job parenting my little munchkin as he had done for me. I absentmindedly rubbed my belly. Daddy had been a huge hockey fan. I could only imagine how thrilled he’d be if he knew I was now covering sports for a nationally syndicated station. If I still had a job after tonight, that is.

  "Heeey!" a voice called. I looked up and saw one of the players on the Knights opposing team, Rory Shelton, walking towards me. "Hey hey pretty lady, what are you doing out here all by your lonesome?" Fuck. Rory was not someone I wanted to see, and definitely not someone I wanted to be alone with if the rumors surrounding him were in any way true. I quickly glanced around the stadium. Yep, we were pretty much alone. I'd been so preoccupied with daydreams and getting my stomach under control I hadn't realized how quickly the stadium had emptied out.

  Rory's breath reeked of booze. His team had pro
bably been celebrating their victory in the locker room. Against the rules, certainly, but apparently the rules were bent once in a while. He reached out one hand and brushed a stray strand of hair out of my face. I involuntarily flinched.

  Rory had a bit of reputation as an asshole when it came to women. He'd been in jail a few times and there'd been certain allegations of harassment thrown at him by several women. Nothing concrete, and the allegations seemed to evaporate after a short while, but I’d been in this business long enough to strongly suspect that that only meant the women had been paid to keep quiet.

  "I'm fine," I said, rising from the bench.

  "Yes, you certainly are fine,” he said as his eyes raked up and down my body stopping at my breasts. I swear the asshole was drooling.

  "Just waiting for my ride. Should be here any minute. Good game tonight." I took a step away from him but he reached out one hand and grabbed my wrist. My heart jumped into my throat.

  "No, no, baby, you're not leaving so soon. Why don't you come with me? Let me show you a good time."

  "I am leaving, and you’re going to get your hands off me. Now.” My voice was loud, and I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt.

  I tried to pry his fingers loose from my wrist but he had a firm grasp.

  "Let me go," I shouted trying to pull loose from his iron grip. But my anger wasn’t working the way I intended, in fact, it seemed to have the opposite effect. The angrier I became, the more encouraged he seemed.

  "Not until you give me a kiss," he said, tugging me hard so that I nearly fell into him. His other hand wrapped around my waist.