In Your Arms

by Shannyn Schroeder

  She slid her own hand down to finish and he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

  “This is what you wanted.”

  “I want to come.”

  “You will. When I’m ready to let you.”

  She growled and bucked her hips up against his body. He slid away from her, and as she shifted to follow, he grabbed her hips and flipped her over, pinning her to the bed. She landed with an oomph as his body covered her.

  Turning her head to the side, she said, “You better finish fucking me.”

  “I will, sweetheart.” He hauled her ass into the air.

  She moved to rise up on all fours, but he pushed the center of her back to keep her down. He reached under her, found her nipples smashed against the mattress and twisted just enough to have her moaning. He sheathed himself in another condom and slid into her warm, wet body. He leaned over her, pressing together so there was nothing but a sheen of sweat between them, and wrapped his fist in her hair. She’d liked that when he’d taken her up against his dresser.

  He tugged a little and she looked at him over her shoulder. Not only was she incredibly hot, she liked this. She really didn’t want him to be nice to her. Where she had shut down when he’d tried talking, here, naked and fucking, she’d show her vulnerability.

  He pulled out slowly, keeping his eyes on hers, and when he drove deep again, tears welled in her eyes. He wanted to stop. He wanted to hold her. But more than anything, he wanted to give her what she needed.

  Sean drove into her until they were both panting. He wouldn’t last much longer, so he reached around her hip and circled her clit.

  Emma released a string of curse words. He pressed, pulled, and pinched her clit until she screamed his name. Her entire body shuddered, clamping down on his dick and pulling him deeper. Every nerve in his body sparked and ignited.

  Their bodies trembled together. Emma sniffed and he realized she’d finally released the tears she’d swallowed back earlier. Now she let him hold her, probably because she didn’t have the strength to push him away. He disposed of the condom and crawled back beside her, keeping her body close to his.

  Whatever they had was different. He’d never felt the need to take care of someone like he wanted to take care of Emma tonight. Caring for people wasn’t his thing. As Emma’s back shuddered against his side with a deep sigh, he realized he already cared for her.

  Chapter Nine

  Emma woke the following morning, and her eyes felt gritty and her head throbbed. Damn, she hadn’t had that much to drink. Then she remembered that she hadn’t been drunk. She’d cried. And cried some more. On Sean.

  Who still had an arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Why the hell hadn’t he left? What normal guy stayed after screwing so a girl could cry on him?

  This was so not good. She shouldn’t have called him. She could’ve picked up a guy at any bar to fuck. Hell, she could’ve called some guy from the summer.

  But you like Sean.

  The thought was like the annoying singsong her kids would tease each other in. She didn’t want to like Sean. He was not the guy for her future, and she needed to think about that. He’d come over last night and given her everything she’d needed in the moment. He’d helped her forget for the night. But she wanted long-term. She wanted a guy whom she could call and talk to about Darius being shot, and he’d hold her and talk to her and make her feel better.

  You wouldn’t let Sean hold you. And he brought cake.

  That stupid voice went from annoying to loathsome.

  She eased out from under Sean’s arm and walked to the bathroom to shower. Her body was the best kind of sore. Her orgasms last night had done so much more than relax her. As the water heated, she stood in front of the mirror and took in her appearance. She looked like she’d spent a chunk of her night crying. She turned to climb into the shower and caught sight of a mark.

  Stopping, she lifted her arm and twisted. She had a hickey on the side of her boob. She clenched her teeth and did a quick study of the rest of her body for other marks. She’d told him not to do that.

  Satisfied it was the only one, she got into the shower and cleaned up. Looked like she’d have to have the conversation with Sean she’d avoided two weeks ago. She’d be an adult and explain why they couldn’t continue to see each other. As the stupid voice started to question the logic of that, Emma smacked the faucet off and climbed out. One way or another, the little voice was going to get with the program.

  After pulling on sweatpants and a T-shirt, she went to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. She listened to the pot gurgle and debated if she should make Sean breakfast. If he were just some guy she wanted to rush out the door, he’d be lucky to get a cup of coffee. But he had come over after she’d dodged him for almost two weeks. And he’d let her cry on him. And he’d made her come so hard she might be feeling it for weeks.

  She sighed. He’d brought cake.

  He’d even gotten up at some point in the night to put it into the refrigerator. This conversation was going to be harder than she thought.

  She made some plain scrambled eggs and toast and poured two cups of coffee. She considered bringing him the food, but then decided that was far too romantic. Thankful or not for the night they shared, she didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. She leaned over the counter to call him and saw he was already walking her way.

  “Smelled food,” he said. His hair was messed and standing up. He scratched his bare stomach, just above the band of his underwear.

  The conversation would be a hundred times easier if he were completely dressed.

  He reached across her for a cup of coffee and kissed her temple. After taking a swig of coffee, he said, “I could get used to this. A night of wild sex and then breakfast.”

  “I’m not usually this ambitious in the morning.”

  “Breakfast isn’t a necessity.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. Damn. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He dug into his plate of eggs. The least she could do was let him eat. She ate her own food in silence.

  When his plate was clear, Sean put it in the sink. Then he said, “I’m glad you called me last night.”

  She bit her lip. It had to be now. “About that. I shouldn’t have.”

  “Why not?”

  “This”—she waved a hand between them—“can’t be a thing.”

  “Again, why not?”

  “Look, Sean, I like you. I really do. But you’re not what I’m looking for.”

  His eyebrows shot up as if no woman had ever told him no.

  “You’re a great guy and a shitload of fun, but I want to settle down. I want to get married, buy a house, and have a baby.” She waited a beat for him to absorb that. “You don’t strike me as someone looking to settle down.”

  He crossed his arms. “You’re right. I’m enjoying my life. I don’t know if I’ll ever want to get married and tie myself to one person.”

  “Okay.” She blew out a breath. That had gone better than expected. Not that she had thought he’d throw a temper tantrum or anything, but guys rarely like being told they’re not right.

  “There’s not some Mr. Marriage yet, though, right?”

  “Huh?”

  “You don’t have a boyfriend you’ve been hiding?”

  “No. I wouldn’t do that.”

  “Then why can’t we have a thing and a good time until he does come along?”

  “What?” She couldn’t have heard him right.

  “Why can’t we hang out and have fun until you find the guy who wants to marry you?”

  She blinked and felt her eyebrows almost touch. “You want to go out with me and you’re okay knowing I’ll be dating other guys, looking for someone permanent?”

  “Yeah. Who says you have to go from boyfriend to boyfriend? There should be a lot of sampling.”

  Emma’s mind spun. She’d had plenty of casual sex, but nothing regular. No one regular. Sean’s suggestion started to take hold. It made total sense.
>
  “Is it that hard to agree with me?” He nudged her shoulder.

  “I’m thinking. I didn’t think you’d suggest a benefits package. I halfway thought you’d be offended that I don’t want to date you.”

  “But you do want to date me. You just don’t want to marry me.”

  He was right.

  “So we’ll date each other and see other people. No one gets jealous or possessive?”

  “Nope. Go find your Mr. Right. I don’t have a problem with that.”

  “Okay.”

  He stepped close to her and grabbed her hips to bring her to him. “’Bout time. I’ve never had to do so much talking to get a girl to go back to bed with me.”

  “I’m sure.” Then she remembered the hickey on her breast. She slapped a hand on his chest to get his attention. “Speaking of being in bed . . . I told you not to leave any marks.”

  He smirked at her. “You told me no marks where people would see them. I marked you in a place your students should never see.”

  She held up a finger. “First, technicality. You need to follow the spirit of the rule as well as the words. Second, Mr. Right might take issue with some other guy’s teeth marks on me.”

  “Whoa. I said date and find Mr. Right. I don’t want to share your body with him.”

  She barked out a laugh. “Are you kidding? Am I supposed to find a guy, date him, not sleep with him, but convince him to marry me?”

  Sean bumped his hips into hers. “In a perfect world, yeah, but I meant that when you find a guy who seems like the real deal, we call it quits.”

  His hips set to a slow rhythm, grinding against her, and Emma had a hard time focusing. “Just like that?” she whispered. “I call you and say I found him and you disappear?”

  “Yep.”

  It all seemed too easy, too perfect. She knew pitfalls lay ahead, but with his hard-on pressing against her insistently, she didn’t care. They were adults and they’d figure it out or end it earlier. She pressed her fingers into his biceps and pulled him in for a kiss.

  They stood in her small kitchen and made out, groping each other through their clothes. Sean came up for air and said, “Sounds like we’ve come to an agreement. Let’s seal the deal in the bedroom.”

  Emma followed him, determined not to worry about the pitfalls.

  * * *

  Sean hung out at Emma’s until almost lunchtime. He wanted to stay in bed with her all day, but she refused.

  “Why not?” he asked, snaking his hand up her T-shirt.

  “I have work to do.”

  “Like what?”

  “I have to revamp my lesson plans since I lost so much time last week with my kids. I mean, I had time, but with everything that happened, I couldn’t keep on track.”

  Sean saw the sadness sweep over her face at the thought of her dead student. “Lesson plans? All I remember from kindergarten is coloring and copying letters.”

  She shoved playfully at his shoulder as she climbed out of bed. “We do a lot of that. It’s part of developing fine motor skills. But there is a plan to everything I do with them. I have goals I have to help them reach.”

  “Shit. Kindergarten is supposed to be play and laughing and making new friends.”

  “We do that too.” She piled her hair on top of her head and snapped a band on to hold it.

  Sean was momentarily distracted by her bare neck. “Will you come to my hockey game tomorrow night?”

  She spun back around. “If you leave now so I can get my work done, I’ll think about it.”

  “Why do I have to leave now if the game’s not ’til tomorrow?”

  “Because I think I know you well enough to know you’ll find a way to interrupt me plenty between now and then.”

  He threw the covers off and stretched his naked body, hoping that would tempt her. Her hot gaze ran over him, and he smiled. “If I leave now, can I come back later tonight?”

  “Why is everything a negotiation?”

  “Why do you answer every question with another question?” He folded his arms behind his head. “Just say yes. You know you want to.”

  “You can come back as long as you’re gone by noon so I can finish whatever I don’t get done today. Otherwise, I won’t be able to come to the game.”

  Hmmm . . . he had options. Spend more time with her from now through tomorrow and have her miss the game, or play by her rules and spend the night tonight and maybe even after the game tomorrow.

  “Deal.” He hopped out of bed and pulled on his clothes.

  “That was almost too easy.”

  “I did the math, that’s all. I’ll call when I’m on my way back. I’ll bring dinner if you want.” He slid a hand along her jaw and brought her close for a quick kiss. Then he bent, picked up his shoes, and went to the living room. “Work hard now so you can play hard later,” he called and then slipped out her door.

  Sean pulled up on his house just as Tommy was walking to his car. He waved at his little brother, not caring that Tommy would notice the grin on his face.

  “What happened to you last night? You didn’t show at McGinty’s.” Tommy jiggled his car keys in his hand.

  “I told you Emma called. She had a rough week. One of her students was killed.”

  “And she called you to comfort her?” Tommy started laughing.

  “Why the hell is that funny?”

  Tommy bent a little at the waist to catch his breath. “It’s not like you’re the6 most sensitive guy around.”

  Sean didn’t care what kind of jabs Tommy threw. So what if Tommy had always been the more sensitive brother? Emma had called Sean. “She was looking for the kind of comfort I’m good at providing.”

  Tommy pointed at him. “That’s the asshole we know you to be.”

  Sean threw his arms up. “It’s what she wanted.”

  Tommy shook his head. “For the older brother, you have a lot to learn. Girls don’t want to fuck when they’re sad. They want you to hold them and let them cry on you.”

  Sean thought back to his night with Emma. She had refused his attempts to hold her. But after coming hard, she had curled up and cried on him. “That right there’s the difference. Emma’s not a girl. She’s a woman.”

  He turned and left Tommy staring at him. He liked the teasing nature of his relationship with Tommy. His little brother was his best friend. But some of what he’d said hit too close to home. Deep down, he knew there was truth to Tommy’s words, but even more truth to his own.

  * * *

  Emma couldn’t believe she was not only going out on a Sunday night, but she was also looking forward to it. It was amazing how much energy she had even after staying up much too late with Sean the last two nights. The great orgasms had left her completely energized. Sean had kept true to their deal and come over late Saturday night while she was binging on Netflix after having given up on him.

  He’d said he was trying to give her enough time to work. She’d thought he’d found something better to do. They’d both agreed they were being ridiculous and should’ve called. Calling to make plans didn’t make them a couple.

  He’d stayed until lunchtime and then took off, leaving Emma plenty of time to rework her lesson plans and be ready for school on Monday. Now she was driving to the hockey rink to watch Sean play.

  It felt like a couple-ish thing to do, but she’d been trying to convince herself that it was something friends would do too. And since they bordered the friendship line, she could hang out and watch him play.

  She parked in the rink’s lot, surprised by how crowded it seemed. She hadn’t thought an amateur hockey league would fill the stands. After walking in, she began to think she should’ve come with Sean. That way, she’d know where to sit. Instead, she wandered in the back, trying to decipher where to sit to be able to see him. Then she caught sight of Norah, who waved wildly at her.

  Emma picked her way through the crowd to Norah.

  “It’s about time,” Norah said. “Sean told me to kee
p an eye out for you so you wouldn’t have to sit alone.”

  “Sorry. He didn’t tell me where to go, much less to look for you.” She took the seat beside Norah. “I’m glad you waved me down. It would be awkward to watch the entire game alone.”

  The game was already in play. “Which team are we?”

  “The Savage Tools. Green jerseys.”

  Emma looked at Norah. “What kind of name is that?”

  Norah shrugged, but Caitlyn leaned over and said, “It’s been their name since Sean and Tommy’s dad started the team when they were fresh out of high school. A tool is an idiot, you know? Mr. O’Malley and his friends have a sense of humor, I guess.”

  Emma nodded. Sean had been on this team for a long time. She wondered why he hadn’t gone on to play in college and was about to ask Norah when she remembered what Sean had said about hating school. She focused on the ice instead.

  Sean was easier to pick out than at practice because his name was on his back. Emma wasn’t sure how she knew it was Sean and not Tommy, but she knew. Something in the way he moved on skates, the shift of his shoulders, the reckless way he crashed through players with the puck.

  Norah and her friend Caitlyn gave explanations during the play. Emma knew enough to kind of follow along. Years of working at bars had taught her to have a passing knowledge of Chicago sports. A small comment often resulted in a bigger tip. That was something her mom had taught her before she was old enough to drink.

  The game was exciting. Emma was glued to her seat the entire time. When the final buzzer sounded, the crowd was crazy loud. You’d’ve thought they were at a Blackhawks game. Emma looked around, but it didn’t seem like too many people were leaving. “The game’s over, right?”

  Norah stood and stretched. “This one, yeah. There’s at least one game after this. Probably two. I didn’t check the schedule.”

  “Later games?” This one hadn’t started until after seven-thirty.

  “There are a lot of teams in this league. Stiff competition.” Norah grabbed her bag and added, “The guys will probably be out soon. I’m going to wait outside since it’s still nice out. I’m not ready to say good-bye to summer yet.”