Playing For Keeps

by Samantha Lind

  “So, how was the date with the doctor last night?” I ask, needing to know where things are between them before I move forward with my plans for tonight.

  “It didn’t. He ended up being called in for an emergency, so I just stayed home.”

  “Are you guys going out again?”

  “I’m not sure. We don’t have any new plans. He’s a nice guy and we have great chemistry, but I just don’t think anything between us would be serious, and serious is what I really want.”

  Hearing they have good chemistry turns my stomach a bit, but hearing that she doesn’t think they would turn into anything more is a good sign for me.

  “How have you been? Still thinking of hanging up the skates at the end of the season?”

  “Ah, I don’t know yet. Some days I think yes, and others, I think no way am I ready. But it’ll all come down to how my body does throughout the playoffs. As long as I don’t suffer any major injuries, I anticipate returning for at least next season. After that, if I decide to return, I’ll probably just ask for a one-year contract or a three-year, with the option to opt out at the end of each season. Keep my options open.”

  “I’m glad you’re thinking of returning. I think you’ve still got another season or two left in you,” she tells me.

  “How’s work treating you these days?”

  “Ah, pretty good. You know how athletes can be. Pains in my ass one moment and the best people the next,” she teases.

  I absolutely love the easiness between the two of us. Sitting close on the couch, both of us relaxed and talking about our days and work. I’m not sure what comes over me, but I lean in and cup Madison’s cheek, rubbing my thumb across her bottom lip. I watch as her eyes dilate at my movements, and lock on to mine.

  I slowly lower my mouth to hers, sealing them together. I don’t give either of us time to think about it, I just dive in, pushing my tongue past her lips, deepening the kiss. I pour all the pent-up emotion into it, and eventually tug her until she’s straddling my lap.

  We make out on the couch, neither of us in any rush. I take my time kissing her, running my lips down the column of her neck, and back up to her ear. I lightly suck her earlobe between my lips, gently nipping at it before releasing it and returning my attention to her neck. I reach down, finding the hem of her shirt, and slowly lift it off her body. Her full breasts fill my hands as soon as her shirt is off. She either took off her bra when she changed or didn’t wear one with her dress. At this point, I don’t care; I’m just going to enjoy what’s before me at the moment.

  I stand up with Madison in my arms, and she wraps her legs around my waist as soon as I’m fully standing, heading toward my bedroom. I lay her out in the middle of the bed and strip off the yoga pants she had on. She’s now laying in front of me, completely naked.

  She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

  I drop my shorts, freeing my erection. I’m already hard, with a few drops of pre-cum glistening on my tip. I reach down and give my cock a few pumps as I reach for a condom in my bedside drawer.

  I quickly roll the condom down my length before I bring my hand to Madison’s pussy, sliding my fingers through her wet folds and easily inside her.

  “Ahhh,” she moans. “Yes, Richard.”

  I love the way my name falls off her lips as I work my fingers inside of her, building up her orgasm.

  I kneel on the bed above her, so that I can kiss my way down her body, stopping for a few moments to lavish her nipples. With my fingers still inside her pussy, I travel down her torso, leaving open mouthed kisses as I go, until I’ve reached her mound with my lips. I circle my tongue around her clit a few times before sucking it hard while simultaneously pressing against her g-spot with my fingers. This movement has her body clenching around my fingers and her bowing off the bed as the first orgasm rips through her body.

  I slip my fingers from inside her, and slide up, dropping kisses along the way. I settle next to Madison as she comes down from her orgasm. Once she’s breathing a bit more normal, I roll back on top of her and slide my cock deep inside her in one thrust. Her body is still lightly clenching from her orgasm. The squeezing around my cock has me almost seeing stars already.

  I start to pump a steady rhythm, lifting one of Madison’s legs up higher around my waist so that I can slide in deeper with each thrust. I bring my other hand down and circle her clit with my thumb, watching as she arches against the bed as another orgasm builds inside her.

  “Oh God! Right there, don’t stop,” she says, between pants.

  “I’m going to come,” I grit out, as I pump harder and faster into her.

  I crest over the edge as I feel her body follow mine. I collapse on top of her, holding the bulk of my weight on my forearms that are bracketing her. I rest my head against her shoulder as I catch my breath.

  I eventually roll off of Madison, slipping the condom off and tossing it in the trash before lying down and pulling her into my arms. We lay next to each other, her tucked snugly against my body, wrapped up in my arms. We stay this way for a while, neither of us speaking.

  Madison rolls away, sliding out of my bed, and walks into the master bathroom. When she comes out, she reaches to pick up her pants, and my heart skips a beat.

  It’s now or never.

  “I should go,” she says, looking up at me before slipping one leg into her yoga pants.

  Now or never, I chant again in my mind.

  “Or you could stay,” I reply, looking directly at her.

  “What?”

  “I said, you could stay,” I say boldly, not leaving any room for question in my statement.

  “Richard.” She says my name on a sigh. “What are you saying?” she questions, stopping her attempt to get dressed.

  “I’m saying stay the night, Madison.” I stand from the bed, closing the small distance between the two of us. “I’m saying I want more. With you. I want this,” I say, motioning between us.

  I cup her face with one hand and use the other to grab one of her hands. “I want you,” I whisper into the quiet that has settled between us.

  “You want me?” she questions, looking up at me.

  “Yes, all of you. I want to give you all of me. The good, the bad. I want to stop this friends-with-benefits and, for God’s sake, for you to stop dating other people and choose me.” The words just pour from me as I stare down at her.

  Tears start to slide down her cheeks, and I immediately let go of her hand, wiping them with the pads of my thumbs before pulling her into my arms.

  “I love you, Madison. I have for a very long time. I just didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want to lose you from my life. But when you told me a few weeks back that you were going to start dating again, it crushed me. I thought I’d lost you. But our friends all assured me that you felt the same way, and that I needed to man up and lay it all out for you.”

  “You… you love me?” she asks, crying a little harder now.

  I shift us so that I can look her in the eyes, cupping her face in each of my hands again, wiping away her tears with my thumbs. I lower my lips to hers, placing the lightest kiss against them before whispering, “I do.”

  I don’t really know which one of us deepens the kiss, but it happens. Madison is pressed tightly against me, hands against the back of my neck and head. I slide my hands down to cup her ass and lift her up in my arms as she wraps her legs around my waist.

  I walk us the few steps back over to the bed, laying us both down side by side, then break the kiss and move back slightly so I can look her in the eye again.

  “Talk to me, Mads. You haven’t said much since I dropped this all on you.”

  She smiles up at me, and it’s like the sun is shining directly on me. Without any words, I can tell from that one smile that everything is going to be okay between us.

  “I…I love you, too, and have for so long,” she tells me, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

  I kiss her hard, pulling her
as close to my body as I can, my cock hardening between us again.

  “Can I make love to you? I need to be inside of you right now,” I tell her.

  “Yes. And you know I’m on birth control and clean if you don’t want a condom.”

  “Fuck, I love you, Mads. I’m clean. Hell, I haven’t slept with anyone other than you in years.”

  She pulls back, looking at me, shocked. “You what?”

  “I haven’t wanted another woman, nor have I slept with one in years. I’ve only wanted, only needed, you,” I tell her, as I place another kiss against her lips, shifting us so that I can slide inside her.

  Chapter Twelve

  Madison

  I lay here in Richard’s bed, wrapped up tightly against him. My mind is whirling with what transpired last night.

  When he asked me to stay, I was shocked.

  Astounded.

  Amazed.

  When he spilled his heart out to me and told me he’d been in love with me for years, my heart burst with excitement and love. We’d finally made it past that friends-with-benefits box we’d so tightly placed each other into.

  I curl tighter against Richard’s side, breathing him in deeply. The musky scent still fills his room, and his bed, from our lovemaking that transpired throughout the night. One of us waking every few hours reaching for the other, not able to get enough of each other.

  I lay here, exhausted, but in the best ways possible.

  Sore, but for the best reasons.

  Although, I don’t think I’ll be able to sit on the exercise bike at the gym for at least a few days, if the ache between my legs is already making itself known.

  I place a kiss to Richard’s chest, loving the fact that I can touch him now whenever I want. Knowing that I’ll be able to show my affection whenever I want, and no longer having to hide it or keep it in check, is so freeing.

  The press of my lips to his chest has him stirring under me, the arm that’s wrapped around my back and resting on my hip shifts, so he’s cupping my ass, which he squeezes in his palm.

  “Mornin’,” he says groggily, sleep filling his voice as he rolls to face me.

  “Morning,” I tell him, smiling before placing a kiss on his lips. What I’d intended to be a light, quick kiss, he quickly deepens and takes control of as he sinks a hand into my hair, so he can angle my head just right. He rolls us so I’m under him, his already hard cock heavy against my leg. His free hand starts to roam my body, stopping to tease my nipples, rolling the sensitive peaks between his fingers.

  He descends my body, kissing and nipping a path as he goes, stopping to lavish my breasts before continuing his descent down my torso, until he reaches the apex between my thighs. He gently presses my legs apart, settling between them as he kisses my inner thighs before swiping his tongue up my slit, circling his tongue around my clit before sucking it hard between his lips and lightly biting it.

  Richard feasts on me, alternating between licking, biting and sucking, bringing my body to another earth-shattering orgasm. He rests his head against my stomach as I come down from the ecstasy my orgasm has bestowed upon my body.

  I take a shuddering breath in as the final tingles leave my body. Then, my stomach takes that moment to growl extremely loud, causing both Richard and I to burst out in laughter.

  “Sounds like I need to get you fed,” he says, between a laugh and placing a kiss to my stomach.

  “I could definitely go for some food, and soon,” I muse.

  “Up you go,” he says, tapping my hip. “Let’s go find some breakfast, then we can come back to bed if you want.”

  “Oh, can we?” I tease back at him. “Methinks that’s what you want to do today.” I smile at him as I stand from the bed, stretching out my tired, sore muscles. I don’t miss the way Richard’s eyes roam over my body and the heat from his gaze on my body warms my chilled skin.

  We both get dressed and make our way out to the kitchen after a stop in the bathroom. We raid the fridge, deciding to make some omelets, along with sausage and toast. While Richard works on the omelets and sausage, I start a pot of coffee and drop the toast in the toaster. While I wait on both to finish, I grab Max’s bowl and get him some food and fresh water.

  “Thank you,” Richard says, after I set down Max’s bowls, and places a kiss to my cheek.

  “You’re welcome. He was just giving me such a sad face, with his bowl sitting there empty. I couldn’t let him suffer any longer this morning.”

  “I see how it is, you love my dog more than me,” he teases.

  “Maybe just a tad,” I joke right back.

  Once we finish cooking, we carry the food out to the patio; the weather this morning is beautiful.

  I take a bite of my omelet and groan.

  “Watch it. Too many noises like that, and you won’t be finishing your food,” Richard warns me, with a devious smirk on his face and a heat in his eyes I’ve never seen before. It’s as if the change in our relationship has brought out a new side of him.

  We hunker down and focus on eating our food, both in need of refueling after the night we had.

  Sitting back with my cup of coffee in hand, I enjoy the sun starting to shine on my face. Soaking in the Vitamin D is refreshing.

  “We should take Max for a walk or to the dog park. It’s so nice out here to not enjoy the good weather we’re having today.”

  “We can do that,” he replies, reaching out to grab my free hand and linking our fingers together. He brings our clasped hands to his lips, so he can place a kiss against the back of my hand.

  “Anything you need or want to get done today? You don’t have practice, do you?” I ask.

  “No practice, we actually have two days off in a row. I need to drop my suits off at the dry cleaners and pick up my other ones that they have, but I can always do that tomorrow. Anything you need to do today?”

  “My only plan was to stop at the store for some groceries. My fridge is starting to look a little bare.”

  “What’s it going to take for me to convince you to just stay here, especially when I’m not on the road? I want you in my bed, every night, if I can convince you. I’m over not getting to sleep next to you all night.”

  “Hmmm… I’m sure you can figure out a way,” I tell him, winking. “I guess, if all else fails, you can always tie me to your bed.”

  “Don’t give me any ideas, woman. Or you might just find that happening,” he says, tugging me up out of my chair and into his lap.

  I settle against his chest, and his arms circle my waist as he pulls me close. I rest my head against his shoulder as I relax into his body.

  “We should get ready and go for that walk,” I suggest.

  “Shower first?” Richard suggests.

  I nod my head, not making any other effort to move.

  We sit, allowing the heat of the sun to cover us, neither of us in a hurry, now that we’d eaten, to get up and move. We fall into a comfortable silence as we both relax in the lounge chair and I actually start to nod off, lying against Richard’s chest. Between the heat of his body seeping into my own and the heat of the sun, I’m more relaxed than I’ve been in a long time.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Richard

  With Madison asleep in my lap. I settle in to enjoy the quiet moments with her in my arms. The weight that lifted off my chest the moment I asked her to stay makes me feel like I’m floating. The past twelve or so hours seem almost like a dream. They’ve gone better than I could have ever dreamed of them going, and I’m really pissed at myself for not talking to her sooner. For allowing so much time to go by, with my feelings as strong as they’ve been, without telling her.

  I can’t change the past, so I’m going to focus on the future. Since we already know each other so well, and for so long, it makes this relationship feel so different. I think that also has to do with how long I’ve known that I loved her. And telling her that last night was unforgettable. The shock she truly expressed almost knocked me over. />
  I lose track of the time, not really caring how much has passed while Madison sleeps in my arms. The couple of things I was going to do today are not important and can wait. Having her in my arms has just become the most important thing I can do today. She starts to stir when Max comes over, bumping his head against my hand, trying to get some attention. His wet cold nose misses my hand and nudges Mads’ leg, waking her up from her nap.

  Pushing against me, Madison sits up, looking around a little, as if she’s lost and trying to decipher where exactly she is, and what time it is.

  “Have a good nap?” I ask, breaking the silence.

  Yawning, she lays her head back down on my chest before answering. “Yes, I guess I was a little tired. How long have I been asleep?”

  “No idea, I just let you sleep. Figured you could use it. It was the least I could do after keeping you awake so much throughout the night.”

  “We should really get moving. If I sleep all day, I’m going to be a mess at work tomorrow.”

  “Then up you go. Let’s go get that shower, and we can head off and get our errands done. We can stop at your place, so you can grab stuff for the week. I’ll make us a nice dinner in tonight, and we can head to bed early, so that you can get a good night’s sleep and be ready for tomorrow.”

  We shower, albeit not fast, due to me backing Madison up against the shower wall and taking her hard and fast. Once we made it out of the shower and got dressed, we headed first for the dog park with Max for an hour or so. Afterward, we stop by Madison’s place, so she can grab her things. We drop her stuff, along with Max, back off at my place, then head for the grocery store for enough groceries to last the week.

  I can’t get over how easily we fit together, how perfectly our lives can blend together after just one conversation that took place and was way overdue. It all came down to me manning up and saying those four words—Or you could stay—that have changed my, our, lives so quickly. The ebb and flow of today, from making and having breakfast together this morning, to grocery shopping this afternoon. We just fit. Like peanut butter and jelly go together, Madison and I just fit, we make sense together, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep it that way.