by Tharp, Emma
Charles hands me a heavy glass filled with two fingers of amber liquid and ice. "Cheers," Charles says and clinks glasses with me. He hands another glass to Hudson and they sit on a couch next to each other.
"So how did you and Chloe meet?" Hudson asks.
Swirling the liquid around in my glass, the ice rings against the sides. I take a sip and enjoy the smooth burn. "She was doing an interview with my coach, and I walked into the room when she was there. I introduced myself and we became friends after that." I cringe inside a little when I call us friends. We aren’t really friends. “Fuck buddies” might be a better label, but not one I intend to share with her family.
"What do you think your chances are of making the playoffs this year?" Charles asks and crosses one leg over the other.
"Good, I think. The team has been gelling so far. And I seem to have come out of my slump." I'm not sure what possessed me to bring that up, but you'd have to be dead if you’re a Toronto Cyclones hockey fan and didn't notice how horribly I was playing.
Hudson nods and lifts his glass in the air. "Amen to that."
We all laugh. For the next thirty minutes we talk about sports and watch the football game. Before I know it, Chloe comes to the den and asks if I’m ready to leave.
We say our goodbyes and I give Hudson and Charles firm handshakes. At the beginning of the evening I wasn't sure what to expect, but Chloe has a wonderful family.
"So, what did you think?" Chloe asks on our drive back to the city.
I shift in my seat to face her. "Thanks for the invitation. Your family is great. I've never really had a Thanksgiving like that before."
She snaps her eyes in my direction. "Are you kidding me?"
"Why would I kid about something like that? Mom never had Thanksgiving Day off. The closest we had to a Thanksgiving dinner was turkey and mashed potatoes packaged up in Styrofoam containers that my mom brought home from the diner she worked at one year." I pull my shoulders back because I'm not ashamed. It's what I knew.
"Sorry. I hope I didn't offend you. That wasn't my intention.” Chloe's voice is full of remorse.
I stare out the window. It snowed today. Just a dusting, but I’ve never seen snow in Arizona or Nashville. It's actually quite nice. A family Thanksgiving and snow—two new milestones for me today. "What were you thinking when you invited me to Thanksgiving?"
Chloe bites at the corner of her lips. "I'm not really sure. I knew you have a tight schedule and wouldn’t have time to fly home, so I thought I'd invite you to have dinner with us so you wouldn't be alone." She looks at me again. It's dark in the car, but I can still see how the corners of her eyes turn down.
"Okay," is all I say. It hits home that as much as we’re trying not to, feelings could be developing. It’d be in her best interest to not let her emotions get involved.
The rest of the ride back to Toronto is spent in silence and she drops me off outside my apartment door. I don't ask her to come up.
After our morning team skate the next day, I shower and drive to Chloe's apartment. We've got a game tonight and I need Chloe. I sent her a text to tell her I'm on my way.
She didn’t tell me not to come over. I wasn’t sure after the way we left things last night. We were both quiet on the drive home. So much was going through my mind. I like Chloe. She’s the best sex I’ve ever had. I could have sex with her every day for the rest of my life, but women like Chloe need more than that. More than what I can give her. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before she puts an end to this, but I’m going to take advantage of every second she gives me.
I can’t help but wonder what kind of man I’d be if I was brought up by a man like Chloe’s dad, Charles. Probably a lot like her brother, Hudson. They’re both stand-up guys in solid relationships with good women. It sucks that I’ll never know what that’s like.
I knock and it feels like only a few seconds before Chloe is opening the door, grabbing my hand and pulling me inside.
She doesn't say anything but leads me to her living room. She's dressed in a tiny black negligée and I'm immediately hard.
“You look hot as hell today,” I tell her.
“Thanks.” She strips off my sweatshirt and joggers. Once I’m naked, she pushes me down onto the couch. She straddles me, fusing her mouth to mine and running her fingers through my hair.
I squeeze her breasts through the silky material, feeling her nipples come to hard points. My heart pumps faster and need courses through me.
She grinds her sex against me, teasing me, and she grasps my shoulders. A gentle moan escapes her lips, the sound sensual and sinful. When she pulls away from the kiss, her eyes are smoldering with desire. She's always into sex, but something is different today. It's as if she can't get close enough to me or have enough of me. There’s an intensity in her kiss, her touch, that’s never been there before.
"You look so sexy, but you have to take this thing off," I growl, sliding the thin straps of her negligée down her body.
She shimmies out of it, giving me a little striptease. I sit back and admire her ample breasts and the curve of her hips as she reaches over to the side table, gets a condom, opens it, and rolls it down my length.
My cock throbs as she straddles me again. This time, she positions herself over me and takes me inside her in one fluid movement. She’s soaking wet and ready for me and I’m in all the way to the hilt. “Fuuuck,” I groan.
My hands find her slim waist and she clutches my chest as she rides me. Her rhythm is frantic and unrelenting. The need in her eyes is raw and it fuels me and feeds my own desire. I thrust my hips up hard and pound into her.
“Yes!” she yells as she continues fucking me at a frenetic pace. She brings both feet up onto the couch and crouches down onto my length. I reach down and support her weight by gripping her ass. The sensation is heavenly, and my cock thickens and my breaths come faster. She’s driving me wild.
“Baby, you’ve got to slow down or I’m going to go,” I murmur. There’s no way I’ll let that happen without pleasing her first.
“Me, too,” she hisses. “So close.”
I take her cue and slam into her, pushing as fast and hard as I can. Her breasts bounce and she tips her head back as she screams out my name.
Pulling her mouth to mine, I kiss her, taste her like she’s my last meal, and I devour her as I come apart inside her.
Her body, slick with sweat, collapses onto mine. I wrap my arms around her and stroke her back until our breathing calms down. It feels like I’ve just skated for hours without a break. I’m exhausted and could use a cat nap.
She slowly gets up. “Sorry, but I’ve got so much to do today. I’m going to shower and take off.”
“Okay,” I tell her, but inside I’m not happy. It’d be nice to relax here with her for a while longer before I have to shower and head to the rink.
The longer I’m with Chloe, the more I wonder about what she’s up to when we aren’t together and if she misses me like I find myself missing her.
She plants a quick peck on my lips and saunters off toward the bathroom. “Good luck tonight.”
“Thanks,” I say and can hear the disappointment in my voice.
Fourteen
Chloe
As the puck drops, the noise in the arena is infectious. Cheers from the home crowd have my belly fluttering with excitement. Our seats are in the second level, center ice. We won't miss a second of the action.
I kicked Marcus out earlier because I had to get ready and head downtown to pick up the tickets that I bought from a ticket broker. My brother and I decided to go see the game, but Marcus doesn't know that we'll be here tonight. I hope he doesn't notice us. I don't want to distract him from his game.
“These seats are great. Thanks for getting them for us,” Hudson says right before shoving a huge bite of a hot dog in his mouth.
“No problem. I thought it’d be fun.” He and I have talked about coming to a game all season. I bought the tickets a cou
ple of weeks ago.
Hudson points toward the ice. “It’s so crazy that we were just drinking scotch together yesterday at Mom and Dad’s house.”
I knew Hudson would be all fanboy about meeting Marcus. He’s a huge Toronto Cyclones fan—we’re talking “yell at the TV every game” type of fan. It was fun to see the expression on his face when we walked in the door together and I introduced them. My family was shocked, but excited. I told them that we were just friends. They seemed to buy it.
“I’m glad you guys had a good time in the man cave.” It makes my heart happy thinking about the smile Marcus had on his face yesterday. I didn’t realize that he’d never experienced a traditional Thanksgiving dinner before. But in the car on the way home, things got quiet and I’m not sure why. Part of me thinks it’s because having him meet my family added another layer of intimacy to our relationship. I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t feel it, too. I’m still guarding my heart, but it was nice seeing him around my loved ones.
Marcus is in the starting lineup and within the first five minutes of the game, his teammate, Neil Fox, passes him the puck in the defensive zone and Marcus skates it up the ice and shoots hard from the blue line, burying the puck behind Boston's goalie.
I'm giddy with excitement and I'm on my feet clapping like a high school cheerleader at a football game. Hudson nearly spills his beer when he bolts out of his seat to cheer.
There’s so much action and scoring chances, but it’s still one to zero at the end of the second period. I get up to stretch my legs. “I’m going to grab another beer. Want one?” I ask my brother.
“Sure. I’ll meet you over there after I use the bathroom,” he says, brushing stray popcorn pieces off his shirt. “Can you grab some candy, too?”
“Sounds good.” I make my way to the beer stand. There must be fifty people waiting to get a cold one.
Tugging my phone out of my purse, I scroll through my emails since I’m going to be here a while.
Someone taps me on the shoulder. Turning around, I come face-to-face with a woman with light brown hair and green eyes.
"I'm his ex," the woman tells me. This must be Sara, who he told me about.
I give her a quick once-over. She's a beautiful woman with a slim build dressed in a Cyclones Jersey and jeans. "What can I do for you?"
It's her turn to look me up and down. She squints her eyes at me as if I'm a pesky fly getting too close to her dinner. "I wanted to give you some information. You should know that he cheated on me. Watch out for him. He's only out to break hearts."
My hands ball into fists at my sides and a nauseated sensation builds in my stomach, but I don't want to let her see that she's getting to me. "I'm not sure why you're telling me this. Marcus and I are not together."
“And why is that? Because he told you he doesn’t do relationships.” She makes air quotes with her fingers at the last words. “Let me guess. You guys are having casual sex. Well, good luck with that. He will hurt you.”
I widen my stance. “I’m interviewing Marcus for the paper I work for. That’s as far as my relationship goes with him.” I’ll be damned if I tell her anything about the true nature of what Marcus and I have going on.
She raises her chin and points at me. “You can lie to me all you want, but I could tell by Marcus’s reaction when you came by his place the other day that something is up between the two of you. When did you two start sleeping together? Because we didn’t stop until a little while ago.”
Hmm. I wonder how long it’s been. Could Marcus have been sleeping with both of us at the same time? It’s all of a sudden too hot in here. If he was with both of us, do I even have a right to care? We’ve never been exclusive, nor has he given me the impression that that was something he’d ever be interested in.
No, his needs are different than mine. He likes uncomplicated, easy sex. Right now, I like that, too. But eventually I will want more. And I’ll need way more. That’s why I have to keep reminding myself over and over again to not get attached to Marcus. I haven’t been doing a very good job of that. Especially since I invited him to Thanksgiving dinner and I nearly attacked him today when he came over for sex. I was desperate for him after talking to my co-worker about how hot she thinks he is and then seeing him with my family, I don’t know, but I needed him badly. Definitely not the best way for me to protect myself.
“You must be confused. This conversation is over.” I stalk off and away from Marcus’s ex toward the women’s room.
Tears sting the back of my eyes. Why the hell do I feel like I might cry? It’s Sara. She’s thrown me off. That’s all. I nearly run into my brother in the crowds of people.
“Oh, sorry,” he says before he realizes it’s me. “Chloe. Where’s the beer and candy?”
“I needed to use the bathroom. I’ll run and get them when the line dies down at the beginning of the next period.”
He grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me over near a wall and away from the flow of people. “What happened to you? You look upset?”
Shit. How am I going to explain this to Hudson? He knows me so well. I’ve never been able to hide anything from him. “Let’s go back to our seats. I’ve got something to share with you.”
Hudson nods and leads me back to our section and down to our seats. “Spill it, sis.”
“I think I might like Marcus, but it’s not a good idea.” There. Gosh, it felt good to just say the words.
He turns to look at me with eyes just as big and deep blue as mine. “Really? I thought you said you guys were just friends.”
“More like friends with benefits.”
His mouth makes an O.
A couple scoots by us and Hudson and I have to stand to let them by. “Please don’t judge me. I don’t know how this happened, but it did. We started hanging out, and now he thinks I’m his good luck charm and he’s giving me exclusive interviews for the paper.” I shrug. “Does that make me a slut?”
“God, no. Chloe, you’re one of the smartest people I know. You wouldn’t get yourself into something you couldn’t get yourself out of, would you?” His eyebrows pinch together, giving him the appearance of having a unibrow.
“That’s the thing. I’m not sure.” I lean forward and rest my head in my hands.
“Okay. But what I don’t get is why you’re all of a sudden upset.” He places a warm, supportive hand on my shoulder.
Looking up at him, I say, “I just ran into another woman who was seeing Marcus. She told me that he was cheating on her, but I don’t think they were exclusive either. And for some reason that set me off. I let that bitch get under my skin.”
Two Zambonis circle the ice, clearing it off. “It isn’t like you to listen to other people’s bullshit and take it to heart.”
“I know. I’ve got to pull it together.” I blink rapidly, doing my best not to cry.
“Listen, I know that you like to be strong and in control, but at some point in your life, you’re going to have to soften up and let someone in. Why not let it be Marcus? He seems like a nice guy and he lit up when he talked about you at Thanksgiving. Mom, Dad, and Caitlin, we all saw it. We talked about it after you left, how smitten with you we think he is. And you seemed the same—all bright and happy with him.” He gives me a warm smile.
That’s not what I want to hear. My family’s opinion means everything to me. It’s not helpful to know that they think Marcus might feel something for me, because I don’t know if my heart can handle it if I let him in and he hurts me.
Fifteen
Marcus
“What motivates you?” Chloe asks, her tone formal—bordering on cold. We’re sitting at her kitchen table for our second interview tonight. It’s been a week since we were together. It feels like I haven’t seen her in forever, but my two away games and her busy schedule have prevented us from hooking back up—for sex or interviews.
I clasp my hands in front of me. “Many things motivate me, but if I had to pick one, I’d say it’s never livi
ng like I did when I was a kid. My poor mom worked her ass off for peanuts. We barely got by. I never want to worry where my next meal is coming from.” I’ve been opening up to Chloe more than I have with anyone else. She doesn’t make me feel judged, only heard and understood.
She nods and keeps her blue eyes trained on me. “I think you’ve made sure that won’t happen. How much longer do you think you’ll be in the NHL?”
I shift in my seat. Her kitchen chairs are low backed and not designed for the comfort of a six foot four man. She wanted to conduct the interview in here today, and I don’t know why. Her couch is so much more comfortable and I can touch her freely there. “As long as they’ll have me, but realistically I’ll be happy with four or five more years. I’ve got a three-year contract here, but things could change. It’s possible that I will get traded again.”
“I see.” She jots a note down on her pad. She’s keeping me at arm’s length today and I don’t understand why. The kiss she gave me when I got here was only a quick peck, and she’s quieter, too—less animated.
My cell buzzes with a text alert. It’s sitting next to me on the table.
“You need to make a call?” Chloe asks, her eyes darting toward my phone.
“No, it’s Neil. He’s letting me know that he and a bunch of the team are getting together to celebrate our away wins.”
Chloe puts the cap back on her pen and turns off the recorder. “We’re done here for tonight anyway. You should go and meet your friends. They were great wins.”
They really were. We took down New York by four goals and Pittsburg by three. “Oh. Okay. If we’re done.” I want her to tell me to stay, not dismiss me like I’m some random interviewee.