She took a step, pushing them both toward her bedroom. They kicked off shoes and peeled away shirts as they walked, separating for only the barest of moments. His hands were cold on her skin, and she shivered, then giggled, when he stroked over her ribs.
“I love that you’re ticklish.”
“I hate it,” she whispered. “It can ruin a moment.”
“Nothing’s ruining this.” He tugged her toward the bed. Then he turned so she landed on the mattress first. He started at her collarbone and kissed his way down her torso while his fingers undid her jeans. Leaning back off the bed, he peeled her pants away, yanking at her ankles to get them off.
He pulled so hard he almost dragged her off the bed. She yelped and grasped at the blanket, as if that would hold her in place.
“I got you,” he murmured against her skin once the jeans were gone. His tongue traced the line of her thigh, and Emma threaded her fingers through his short hair. “You smell so good,” he added as he nuzzled her wet panties. Then he licked her through the material.
“Mmmm.”
“Good?”
“Not enough.” She wiggled her hips. Letting go of his head, she turned her attention to getting her underwear and bra off. She wanted nothing between them. “Get your pants off, O’Malley.”
“I kinda like it when you’re bossy.”
She grinned. “Then get your ass over here and make me come with your mouth.”
He shucked his pants and underwear in one swoop and then covered her body with his. With his lips against hers, he said, “Say it again.”
She felt his hard dick against her and struggled to find the words he liked hearing. “Put your mouth on my pussy and make me fucking scream.”
“Hope you saved all your curse words today because that’s just the beginning.” He came at her again, using tongue and teeth and fingers until she was ready to crawl up the wall. Their movements were frantic and fumbling, like they couldn’t get enough of each other. Then he made her come so hard she screamed his name and every swear word she could remember.
When he finally sank into her, her body was loose-limbed and curved around him like a blanket. He rocked against her, in no hurry to finish, and she liked that about him. All of the rushing was over, and it was back to the two of them, face-to-face, breathing each other in.
Their bodies were slick as Sean slid in and out of her. Emma traced her fingers over his shoulders and down his back before gripping his ass and pulling him close to grind against her. Another orgasm was building slowly, and Sean seemed intent on driving her crazy first. She sank her teeth into the muscle connecting his shoulder to his neck, and he hissed at her.
“Fuck,” he grumbled and pulled out of her. Without warning, he grabbed her hips and flipped her over. He pinned her to the mattress and wrapped her hair in his fist. Tugging to get her attention, he said close to her ear, “You don’t get to come again ’til I say so.”
She bucked against him and realized it was futile. His hips kept her in place. He shifted and used his knees to spread her thighs. She inched her hips up, inviting him back into her. He licked the tattoo on her shoulder and then bit her like she had him.
“Ow.”
He chuckled and plunged back into her body. “Bet that’ll leave a mark. Be glad no one else will see it.”
Then he finally picked up the pace and drove into her, but kept his thrusts shallow.
“You punishing me or yourself?”
“No punishment. Just making it last.”
His hand slipped on her hip, and she used the freedom to buck up and take him deep. They both groaned. The hold he’d had on his lust snapped because he plunged hard and deep and fast. Her nerves coiled and tightened, and orgasm was just out of reach. And Sean knew.
He reached under her body and pressed on her clit, pinching a little, making her scream out. Her muscles contracted and her legs trembled. Sean stilled and then dropped on top of her.
The whole world fell away. There was nothing but them and the love they had for each other. Emma couldn’t be happier.
Chapter Eighteen
Sean spent the weekend at Emma’s apartment. They hadn’t left each other’s sides at all. They even did their laundry together in her building. Very domestic. As she graded papers for school, he flipped through the channels looking for a game to watch. They were sprawled on her couch. All in all, not a bad way to spend a weekend. Sean didn’t know why he’d avoided relationships for so long. Right now, he couldn’t see the downside.
“You coming to my game today?”
She looked at him from over the current stack of pictures. “What time?”
“Early. Like five I think?”
“Maybe you should write this stuff down so you wouldn’t have to guess.”
“It’s written down. On the website. When Tommy’s not around or can’t make it to the game, I check the site.” He pulled his phone out and scrolled to the league site. “Five. So you can come to the game and still be in bed like the old lady you are.”
She poked him with her bare toes. “I’m not old. I have to save my energy for a class of five-year-olds.”
“Does that mean I can’t spend the night tonight?”
“I didn’t say that. You can stay. I just won’t be awake at midnight.”
He smiled and stretched over her work to kiss her. He didn’t need to be awake at midnight. Sleeping next to her felt good. Except when she kicked him to get more room.
“I’m thinking the game is early enough that I might lure you to McGinty’s for a beer to celebrate when we win.”
“Who says you’re gonna win?”
“We want it bad. The team we’re up against is filled with assholes. They’re in first place, we’re in second.” He kissed her again. “And if we lose, we’ll be there to drown our sorrows.”
She cocked her head to the side and smiled. “I might be convinced to go out for a beer. But only one.”
“This isn’t nearly as hard as I thought it was supposed to be.”
“What’s that?”
“Compromising. Being in a relationship. Making room for someone else in my life. I’m liking it.”
She snorted. “We’ve been in a relationship for all of a week. Maybe.”
“We might not have called it a relationship before, but even I can admit it was one.”
She leaned around him and set her pile of papers on the table. “My point is, this is still the honeymoon phase.”
He stared at her and she burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“The look on your face. It’s an expression, Sean. I know we’re not married. No pressure here.” She licked her lips and he followed her tongue’s journey. “We haven’t hit anything hard yet. It’s always easy when it’s easy. When the going gets tough . . .”
He grabbed her chin and held her face so they were eye to eye. “I’m not going anywhere. This is what I want.”
“I want it too.”
“Good. Now finish your homework so I don’t have to listen to you whine later.”
* * *
Emma was a contradiction of emotion. Being with Sean, sleeping with Sean, talking with Sean relaxed her in a way she hadn’t thought possible. Well, she obviously knew the sex would be great; they’d never faltered in that area. But at the same time, something made her uneasy, like watching a spider crawl up her arm and being unable to make it stop.
Something wasn’t right. Sitting on the couch, grading papers while Sean flipped through channels felt natural. Even their quick conversation about the state of their relationship hadn’t caused this feeling. It had been nagging her since they’d gotten back together.
Sean was different in a way. In all the ways she’d said she needed him to be. It didn’t seem like an act, like he was pretending in order to be with her. He’d told her repeatedly that this was what he wanted.
Then why did she feel like something was off?
Maybe she just needed to get us
ed to things being good and healthy for a change.
She pushed the thoughts aside and focused on the scribbled pages in front of her. When she had her work done and her plans ready for the upcoming week, they had a late lunch and Sean got ready for the game. Emma sprawled on the bed and watched him repack his gear and extra clothes for after the game. She’d already pulled on the team shirt Sean had given her.
“Who are you playing tonight?”
“The Chicago Dawgs. D-A-W-G-S. Because stupid spelling is cool.”
“It’s not like you have some fab name for your team. I mean, you’re basically calling yourselves idiots.” She pointed to the letters stretching tight across her boobs. She’d worn the shirt he’d given her mostly because she liked the way it made him look at her.
He gripped his chest as if she’d shot him. He recovered quickly enough. “It’s going to be a tough game. They’re the champions and plan to hold the title. We intend to take it.” He slung his bag over his shoulder. “Ready?”
“Sure.” She hopped off the bed.
He ran a finger down her torso. “I like the way this looks on you. My own personal cheerleader.”
She gave him a little shove. “So this’ll be like a death match. I’m envisioning some nasty fights.”
He froze in the doorway of the bedroom and turned to face her. “Your no-punching rule doesn’t apply to hockey, right?”
She forced a smile. This was part of the unease she felt. He was afraid of being himself for fear of losing her. “Yeah, Sean, go into the rink and let some guy pummel you.”
“Just checking.” At least he caught her sarcasm. He spun to leave.
She grabbed his shirt and tugged him back to her. “You play how you need to play. I trust you. It’s not all fighting that’s an issue with me. I don’t want your fists to be your first answer to a problem. That being said, you’d look ridiculous trying to diffuse a situation on the ice by talking to a guy.”
“I got it.” He took her hand and linked his fingers with hers. “For the record, fists aren’t always my first response, but they do tend to be near the top of the list.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
They stepped outside and a blast of cold air smacked her. She shivered and yanked her jacket close around her on the way to Sean’s car. “Why do you want to fight?”
He shrugged as he opened the car door for her. “I wouldn’t say I want to. It’s how we always settled things.”
“We who?” She sat and buckled up. While she waited for him to stow his bag and get in, she realized her questions probably sounded bitchy. When he got behind the wheel, she added, “I’m just curious. I’m not trying to attack you.”
“Attack away. I can handle you. I grew up doing stupid shit. When you do stupid shit, you get into fights. Sometimes I had to defend myself, but more often, I had to defend Tommy because he was always scrawny.” He pulled out into traffic and took her hand again. It was like he couldn’t get enough of touching her. “Now that I think about it—mostly because you’re making me think about it—I don’t fight that often. I do it on the ice. And I do it when it matters.”
Logically, she should’ve been able to figure that out. He wasn’t doing stupid stuff anymore, so fighting shouldn’t be an issue. His words sank in and she realized that both times she’d seen him fight had been because of her. She mattered.
Long before either of them had admitted or committed to anything.
So it hadn’t just been her and her habit of falling for the wrong guy. Sean might think he wasn’t good at talking, but the things he said were pretty damn good. When they got to the rink, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips and took off. She found the friends and family section and sat with Norah and her friend Caitlyn.
“Be prepared for a brutal game, girls,” Caitlyn said.
“Sean said something about this team being jerks.”
Caitlyn leaned close and spoke quietly. “Yeah, but don’t say that too loud. A fight breaks out in the stands, we all get tossed out.”
“It’s that bad?”
“Yeah. You’ll see.”
Caitlyn wasn’t joking. Within the first period, there were three fights. She could almost feel the animosity rolling off the ice. The action was fast and the talent on both teams amazing.
Emma was still learning the names of all the players, but she knew where to find Sean and Tommy and Kai. Kai was like a brick wall, and other players practically bounced off him. Tommy and Sean worked together seamlessly, but it wasn’t enough to get a goal. By the end of the second period, there was still no score.
She’d never been so enthralled by any kind of game. The crowd roared nonstop all around her and she was swept up in the excitement. She thought for sure they’d be going into overtime, but in the last seconds of the game, Tommy broke free of the pack and smacked the puck into the net. For a brief moment, time stood still.
Everyone stared in shock before it sank in. Then they exploded. Fans and players alike. The people she was with were hugging and cheering; the opposing team’s fans were booing and jeering. Those who were there for the next game, and had little stake in this one, stared open-mouthed. The buzzer sounded, and the whole team rushed onto the ice and piled on top of poor Tommy.
Emma and Norah climbed over the fans to get to the lobby. Although it would take the guys a while to get out of the locker room, they wanted to make space for the audience wanting to watch the next game. She’d lived in Chicago her whole life and had never known such a hockey-loving world existed outside of the Blackhawks. This place was always full.
“You coming to McGinty’s?” Norah asked.
Emma remembered her conversation with Sean and although she wouldn’t be drinking much, she didn’t want to pressure him into not going. After a win like that, he deserved to celebrate with his team, especially since his brother had scored the winning goal. “Yeah, we’ll be there.”
“Let’s go now, then. I’ll drive us and text Kai to get a ride with Tommy or Sean.”
Sounded better than standing in the crowded lobby or out in the cold. “Okay.” She pulled out her phone and texted Sean so he wouldn’t worry about her, and they left.
McGinty’s wasn’t too crowded given that it wasn’t even eight o’clock on a Sunday night. Emma and Norah nabbed a few tables and pushed them together, and Norah went to order a couple of pitchers of beer. Soon, more people came in, including a group of players Emma didn’t recognize.
“Ah, shit,” Norah said.
“What?”
Norah pointed at the new group. “They’re from the other team. They don’t usually drink here.”
“This isn’t your place, is it? I thought I saw other players here before.”
“Not ours. Plenty of teams come by to drink after practice and games, but not them. Never them. This isn’t going to end well.” Norah poured beer into glasses, and they both sipped.
“Maybe we should plan on a short night. The game was rough enough.”
Norah snickered. “I don’t think the guys will listen to logic.”
“They won. They’ll be in a good mood. So maybe they’ll be okay. If they lost, though, they’d want to stake their claim here and not be pushed out. This is just a pissing contest, and I don’t want to get caught up in it.” Emma took a swig of her beer.
“I hear you. I have class in the morning, I don’t have time to waste dealing with police or a hospital visit.”
“Hospital?”
“These guys are mean. But so are ours.”
As they spoke, some of the Savage Tools started showing up. The Dawgs stationed at the bar threw some dirty looks, but said nothing. Maybe they weren’t there to stir up trouble. Emma saw Kai first, mostly because he was a full head taller than any other guy walking through the door. Sean was right behind him, but she only knew that because she heard the loud whoop he gave with his arms in the air.
He circled a hand toward the bar and said, “Round of shots! We’re cele
brating.”
He came up next to her and kissed her neck.
“Great game. But no shot for me.”
“It was a hell of a game.” He put his arm around her shoulders as he sat on the stool beside her. “I’ll do your shot. Or maybe we’ll pass it to Tommy.”
Sean pulled his keys from his pocket and pressed them into her palm. “You can drive home.”
Tommy joined the group, and another cheer rose up and fists pounded as they chanted his name. He turned scarlet and ducked his head.
Sean set a shot in front of him and raised his own glass in a toast. “To Tommy. For scoring the game-winning goal.”
Tommy mumbled a thanks and threw back the shot. He chased it with a sip of beer. Sean called for another round, and Emma knew exactly the moment he noticed who sat at the bar. His entire body stiffened.
“What the fuck?”
Kai and Tommy both looked up. Sean tilted his head toward the bar. “Any other time, they’re too good to drink here, but they show up tonight.”
“Maybe they just wanted a drink,” Emma offered.
“Sure,” Sean answered full of sarcasm. “I can believe they just happened to stop at our bar on the night they lost to us.”
The waitress delivered the fresh round of shots. Sean raised his. “To the Savage Tools. Here comes first place.”
From somewhere at the bar, a guy yelled, “Not likely.”
Sean spun to look, but when it didn’t go further, he returned his attention to the celebration at the table. For the next half hour, nothing came from the players at the bar, and Emma had mostly forgotten they were there. The guys rehashed the game almost play by play. Tommy said little and Emma wondered how he fit into this boisterous group. As long as the attention wasn’t on him alone, he joked and laughed, but when Sean talked about the game-winning goal, he waved it off.
“You got me the puck. Kai stopped some guy from slamming into me. It was a team effort.”
More players and other customers filled the place. Emma couldn’t believe how crowded it became. She and Caitlyn went to the bar to grab a couple of pitchers. While they waited for the bartender, one of the Dawgs looked her up and down and said, “I’ll give you twenty bucks to take off that shirt.”
In Your Arms Page 25