Once our lips separate, I have trouble breathing. My head buzzes from the high Dean has provided me. He lowers me to the ground and unzips my dress that falls to the floor. My panties are next, and I step out of them, kicking the clothes to the side along with my heels. I’m naked, my body on fire and fueled by adrenaline.
Dean doesn’t waste time discarding his dress clothes. Though, I watch him intently as he slides his boxers over his hips. I suck in a deep breath, too aware of how his body makes mine respond. Between his chiseled arms, well-defined shoulders, and his long, hard cock, Dean has me out of breath and desperate for what’s to come.
I bite my bottom lip. He slides his hands to my waist, staring into my eyes with greed.
“Dean,” I moan.
Once our tongues collide, I know deep down that choosing Dean was the best decision. Lost in the moment, I run my hands over his chest, making my way to the rest of him. We kiss for so long that my head spins when our lips separate. Dean hesitates, his hand cupping the side of my face as he stares into my eyes. He reaches between my legs and rolls the pad of his thumb over my clit before he slides two fingers inside me.
Leaving a trail of kisses from my neck to my breasts, Dean takes his time exploring my body. He sucks on my nipple and tugs it with his teeth. As I come undone, I grab hold of his shoulders, my body writhing beneath him.
I watch as Dean brings his fingers to his mouth and licks my juices from his skin. “You taste good, Kitten,” he says with a wicked grin that reaches his denim irises.
He carries me over to the bed, and as he kisses me, I taste myself on his lips.
“You’re so beautiful.” He brushes his thumb along my cheek. “I love you so much.”
On occasion, Dean tells me he loves me. But hearing it tonight, of all nights, stirs so many emotions inside my chest.
“I love you, too, Dean.”
With his hand on my back, he holds me as if I’ll break. I love how careful Dean is with me. He positions himself between my legs, and I mentally prepare myself for his size. He plants soft kisses along my jaw, making his way to my mouth.
“Kitten, I’ll take it slow,” he promises. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I trust you, Dean.”
He rolls on a condom, and then Dean inches himself inside me. I tilt my head to the side, my mind going blank as I shut my eyes, waiting for the hard part to pass. As promised, Dean moves slowly, the tension lessening with each movement. Once he fills me all the way, I dig my fingernails into his shoulders. My body tingles from all of the pleasure points Dean hits at once.
We fall into a rhythm, my body relaxed and more in tune to his. He sucks in a deep breath, his chest rising and falling with each groan that escapes his lips. I’ve never seen him so focused before, with his eyes full of hunger and determination. My muscles tighten around him, my entire body coming alive. Dean picks up the pace, and as I come undone, my mind detaches from reality. A wave of heat spreads from my cheeks to my toes, rocking me to the core. I’ve never felt anything so intense.
After I come again, it’s not long before Dean collapses on top of me. He kisses my lips before rolling onto the mattress next to me. Neither of us can speak, still out of breath. I rest my head on his chest, and Dean hooks his arm around me.
He sits up enough to cup my face in his big hand. “How about we take a shower together?”
“Good idea.” I smile. “We can have sex in there too.”
He laughs. “You’re addicted already, huh?”
I nod. “Uh-huh.”
He carries me to the bathroom. The night has only begun, and so far, it’s perfect. Dean wasn’t lying when he said it would be special. We crossed a line tonight. There’s no way we can ever go back to being just friends. We have to make this work.
So many feelings cloud my judgment, making it hard for me to distinguish between them. Our first kiss was only the beginning. Sex was the start of something else, though I have no idea how to navigate the new aspect of our relationship.
Dean sets me down on the bathroom floor. He turns on the shower and checks the water temperature with his hand. Once Dean’s hands slide onto my hips and his tongue into my mouth, I forget about all the questions running through my head. They’re no longer significant enough for me to care. Getting lost in this moment with Dean is all that matters.
The next morning, I roll onto my side and stare at Dean with one eye open. “Morning, handsome.”
He’s already looking at me. “Morning, beautiful,” Dean says against my lips, slipping his tongue into my mouth for a quick kiss.
He’s hard already, every inch of him digging into my thigh. After last night, I thought he’d be sick of me, or at the very least need a break after all of the sex we had. Reaching between us, I wrap my hand around his shaft and give him a few strokes that cause him to groan.
“We had sex three times last night,” I say. “And you still want more?”
Dean nods. “I’ll always want more of you.” He whispers the words as he presses his lips to mine.
I slide my hand up and down his length, and he moans as his hand joins mine to help me stroke his cock. We kiss for so long that my lips are swollen, and Dean feels close to finding his release. I know he doesn’t want to come on my hand. So, I peel my lips from his and stop jerking his cock. He’s out of breath, his eyes lidded when I look into his blue irises.
“Take a bath with me,” I say. “I’ve been eyeing it up since we got here last night.”
Dean kisses me on the lips and whispers, “I’m only gonna get you dirty again.”
I flash a wicked grin at him. “I’m counting on it.”
“I like how you think, woman.” He lifts me into his arms and then slides off the bed, headed toward the bathroom.
After Dean turns the knobs and adjusts the temperature of the water, I throw a few scented beads into the tub. The room fills with a sweet scent that smells good enough to eat. I climb in after Dean, the warm soapy water feeling so damn good on my skin. Dean hooks his arms around me, holding me against his chest.
I rest my head back on his shoulder. “This is perfect.”
“You’re perfect,” he says against the shell of my ear. “I don’t want to go home, not after the best night of my life.”
“The Draft should have been the best night of your life,” I counter.
“It was the second best.”
My heart swells from his confession.
“With you at my side, I can do anything, Kitten. It’s gonna take a lot more than a plane ride to keep me away from you.”
“I can visit you on the weekends.”
“And I’ll try to coordinate my schedule around yours. This will only be temporary. Eventually, we’ll figure a way around all of this long-distance shit.”
“I’d have to give up my job and move to Philly for that to happen.”
“I don’t want you to do that,” he says. “You would never ask me to give up hockey for you, and I would never ask you to do that for me.”
“I know. I’m glad you’re not the type to ask me to give up my dreams to follow yours. That’s what my dad did to my mom. She was a lawyer before she met him, and a damn good one.”
“If there’s a will, there’s a way,” he says with a sigh. “My mom always says that.”
“Before she died, I asked my mom why she followed my dad, and she said, ‘Because I couldn’t breathe without him.’ That always scared me. What if I loved someone so much that I couldn’t breathe without them? Her words have always haunted me.”
“You’ve never told me that. Is that how you feel about me?”
“I don’t know,” I say in a hushed tone. “You’re still here with me. But after last night, I wonder if I’ll feel like my heart is cracked open when you’re gone.”
He hugs me tighter, and his chin digs into my shoulder as he kisses my cheek. “No matter where I am in the world, I will always be with you, Kitten. Remember, I’m one phone call away. You’ll
never feel like you can’t breathe without me because you will always have me.”
As his best friend, I have loved Dean for years. But as his girlfriend, I know one thing is certain. I’m falling in love with him, slow and steady, one day at a time. And it scares the hell out of me. Because that gives him the power to hurt me.
“Dean, I’m scared.”
“Why?”
“I’ve avoided this kind of pain for years because I didn’t think my heart could handle it. I’m still not sure it can. My feelings have only grown for you since the first time we kissed.”
“Same,” he says. “And for the record, I’m scared, too. If I lose you, it’s not just a relationship, it’s our friendship. The thought of not having you in my life freaks me the fuck out. You’ve been in it for so long I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”
Sliding out from between his legs, I turn around to face him, my knees on the bottom of the tub and hands rested on the ledge. Dean looks at my breasts and licks his lips. When his eyes meet mine, it feels like the world has stopped around me. Nothing matters when he’s with me. The world could end right now, and I would die the luckiest and happiest woman alive.
Because of Dean. My best friend. And now, he’s so much more than my friend.
When he shifts his weight, his cock pokes through the bubbles. I take this as my cue to finish what we started in the bedroom, fisting him in my hand. Dean grips my hips and lifts me onto his lap, lowering me onto his hard length. There’s a quick pinch that I’m still getting used to, and then he rocks his hips. Inch by inch, he fills me up, our bodies working in rhythm with the other.
I let out a moan and fall forward, my palms pressed to his chest. The pressure building inside me is so intense that I swear I can’t take it anymore. But when Dean kisses my neck, I forget all about the pain. I arch my hips as he kisses me, my hand gliding down his wet, muscular back. Dean takes his time, careful not to hurt me. He thinks he will break me, treating me like a fine piece of china.
A groan escapes my lips, and the sheer force of my raging orgasm forces my eyes to slam shut. We get lost in each other, riding the waves of pleasure that make us forget about the fact this won’t last. In a few short days, Dean is going back to Florida. We’ll live separate lives apart from the other, and nothing will ever be the same. At least not like this. Not the way it’s supposed to be.
After we both come down from our high, neither of us can move, too breathless to speak. I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heart pound, wishing we had more time together.
Chapter Sixteen
Kat
A few weeks after Dean left for Florida, I started my internship with Silvia at The Locker Room. I was so excited for this opportunity. It was supposed to be the job that would take me closer to a future in sports broadcasting. But all of my plans have gone to shit. I do nothing more than make coffee, photocopy documents, and order lunch for my boss.
My initial vision for this internship was completely different. I thought we would get the chance to at least research topics for articles and write the occasion blurb. Yeah, not quite. Because of my dad, Mr. Hopper, the editor-in-chief, had requested me personally. Most people would say I lucked out. I get to intern for the top dog. But my new boss is a real pain in my ass.
“Katherine, get in here now,” Mr. Hopper screams through the intercom on my desk. He yells so loud I swear the phone trembles along with me.
Shiiittt….
My blood boils from his shrill tone. Mr. Hopper is the only person alive who calls me Katherine. When I first corrected him, he said he wasn’t a fan of nicknames or foolish girls and ignored my request to be called Kat. I’m not his biggest fan. I doubt he’ll ever be mine. I think he secretly hates my dad and chose me as his intern just to punish him. Well, I’m the one who’s getting the shit end of the stick here.
I rush into his office with a notepad and pen in hand. “Yes, Mr. Hopper?”
He looks up from the stack of open books in front of him. Grayish black hair falls in front of his eyes. “Order my lunch.”
“Sure,” I say with a forced smile. “What would you like?”
His phone rings and I stand there, waiting as he raises his finger for me to hold on. I do this a lot. Sit and wait for some asshole to tell me what to do. My dad says you have to work your way up the ladder, but I’m starting to wonder what exactly I’m even learning here, apart from how to order food.
Mr. Hopper growls into the phone at the person who has the unfortunate pleasure of speaking to him. Five minutes pass before he scrawls his order on the top of a takeout menu and throws it at me. The paper falls to the floor at my feet. Tears rush to my eyes, but I force them down. I can’t let this jerk see me cry in front of him. So, I bend down to pick up the menu and leave his office in a hurry.
Once I’m at my desk again, I can’t stop myself from letting it all out. I lean forward, my head between my legs under my desk, sobbing like a baby. This is so unlike me. Why the hell am I crying because he acted like a dick? He does this every day. Even though I don’t like it, I’ve gotten used to it. My emotions are so out of balance lately. I miss Dean more than normal. My heart aches whenever I think about him and the distance between us.
Needing to hear his voice, I remove my cell phone from the desk drawer and dial his number. It rings and rings, the call going to voicemail. He’s been so busy this past week with his training schedule. We haven’t had a lot of time to talk since he started working with his new team. I knew this would happen. My mother went through this with my dad, and so did I. But I couldn’t stop myself from falling for Dean. He had me the second he said hello all those years ago. I just didn’t know it until it was too late.
“Dean, it’s me,” I say into the phone. “Again. Call me, please. I need to hear your voice. I miss you.”
I hang up and then place Mr. Hopper’s order. Staring down at the screen, my heart slams into my ribcage when it lights up with a new text message. But my excitement slowly dissipates when I see it’s from Silvia instead of Dean.
Where are you? I whisper to myself. Why aren’t you answering my calls?
Dean promised to call me every single day. I’m not normally so needy, but anymore, I feel like I’m in physical pain. This is what my mother warned me about. Being so far away from Dean is killing me. I never wanted to feel this way about anyone for this reason.
Silvia: I’m in hell.
Kat: So am I.
Silvia: Come save me.
Kat: I wish I could. Dickface is in a shit mood.
Silvia: Can you sneak out?
Kat: No, his food will be here soon.
Silvia: Meet me at the bathroom on the seventeenth floor on your break.
Kat: K. See ya then.
Thirty minutes later, Mr. Hopper’s food arrives. The scent of fried onions fills my nostrils, causing my stomach to turn. Until today, I liked onions. But now, my stomach is revolting, the chunks rising from the back of my throat. After I take the food into Mr. Hopper’s office, I run to the bathroom as if my life depends on it. I’ve always had a weak stomach. My dad thinks it’s because of food poisoning I had as a kid. But this is something else.
I make it to the bathroom without spilling my guts onto the floor. My stomach feels like it’s at war with the rest of my body. After I finish puking, I sink to the floor and wipe my mouth. What the hell is wrong with me? I feel like death, my belly in so much pain I can’t think straight.
I text Silvia, and she appears a few minutes later. She enters the last stall, holding out her hand to help me up. I take it, my body so weak I have to grab her shoulders to regain my balance.
“What happened to you, babe? Did you eat bad fish or something?”
I shake my head. “No, I haven’t eaten all day.”
She holds me at arm’s length, eyeing me suspiciously. “So, what are you throwing up then?”
I shrug off her concern. “What I ate last night, I guess. That and a lot of coffee and water.
”
“Have you been crying?” She swipes my cheek with her fingers.
“Yeah.” I sigh. “It’s like I’m falling apart. First, I start crying because Mr. Hopper throws a menu at me, and then the smell of onions from his lunch made me sick.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “That’s weird, don’t you think?”
I roll my shoulders. “No, I’m stressed out. I’m not sleeping. Dean’s been MIA for the last few days. He’s so hard to get a hold of now.”
“Do you have your period?”
“Nope.”
Her curious look grows more serious. “We normally get our periods at the same time. So, that means you’re late. I just finished mine. When was the last time you had yours?”
“Umm… Maybe at the end of June or sometime in July. I’m not sure. It’s not that big of a deal. I’ve gone months without getting my period.”
“Yeah, but you weren’t having sex back then,” she points out.
My eyes widen when I realize where she’s going with this.
I shake my head. “No, it’s not possible. We used a condom.”
Her eyebrow raises. “Every time?”
I nod, sure of the answer until I stop myself. “No, not when we were in the tub together.”
She blows out a breath of air that I can feel on my cheek. “Oh, babe, no. Please tell me you didn’t let him…”
“We were talking about our future, and I don’t know… it just happened. I wasn’t thinking.”
“He must not have either,” she says under her breath.
We stare at each other in horror. My stomach churns again, and this time for a different reason.
“There’s no way,” I mutter. “Not with the first guy I had sex with.”
“It happens to girls all the time, Kat.”
My chest fills with panic, the air sucked from my lungs. I press my palm to the cold concrete wall, attempting to catch my breath. “No, no, no…”
Dean (Face-Off Series Book 6) Page 8