by Toni Aleo
This was the most silent sex she’d ever had, only the thwack of their bodies coming together and parting. But at the same time they were connected—not only physically, but mentally. Em could tell when her movements or reactions were good for Ian, and he was watching to see what she liked. Em liked everything he was doing, his rhythmic thrusting, the grinding of his pelvis against her clit, and the way he kept tweaking her nipples into sensitized points. It was all so good.
Em closed her eyes. She was going to come again, and she let herself relax into the prickly wave of sensation running over her body. Ian lifted both her ankles and thrust hard into her, extending her orgasm and forcing her breath out in gasps.
“You like that?” he asked, the words startling her out of her dream state.
“Yes. Oh, yes,” she breathed.
She opened her eyes and watched Ian push harder to his own climax. She lifted her body to meet his, trying hard to make him feel as good as she did.
“Em.”
One word was all he barked out as he thrust in one last time. And then he collapsed onto her, his heavy weight pinning her limp body to the mattress.
“Wow.” Em lay on the bed completely naked and exhausted, but she made no effort to move. Her orgasm faintly echoed in her body like the last vibration on a guitar string.
“Mmmmph,” Ian grunted. He had moved over and was facedown in the pillow and half-asleep already. Em wondered if she should go back to her room. She slid towards the edge of the bed, and Ian’s arm clamped down on her.
He opened one eye. “Please stay.”
She wriggled back into his warmth. It was what she wanted too.
7. Coming Home
When Ian opened his eyes, sunshine was leaking through the curtain. It was early, and Em was fast asleep beside him. He cradled her closer. Em was extra beautiful as she slept—calm and sweet.
He’d wanted her for years. Pretty much since the day he’d met her. She was exactly his type: cute with light brown hair and a curvy body. But first she had a boyfriend, and by the time they broke up, Ian knew that she was way too smart and together for a guy like him. And if he hit it and quit it, Mase and Abby would both have his balls. So he’d avoided Em, right up until she marched up to him and asked him to come home with her.
But maybe they had a chance now. The stuff she said to Penny last night, about him being the practical one while she was into theory made total sense. He could make life easier for Em. Once he had heard her complaining to Abby about coming home and finding a huge spider in her bathroom. “I had to get my neighbour to kill it,” Em confessed. Ian wanted to volunteer to be her spider-hunter. To see this confident career woman turn girlish and giddy over a spider. And then she would be grateful to him—that would be the best part.
His half-erect cock liked that idea very much and nudged Em between the plump cheeks of her ass.
“Mmmmm,” Em rolled over and now her magnificent tits were pushed up against his chest. God, she was incredible.
He kissed her on the forehead. “Morning, beautiful.”
She opened one eye. “Wasstime?”
“Almost 10:00,” he said. “You said you wanted to get going early.”
“Mistake,” she mumbled. But she opened both eyes. “Last night was…” She smiled. For the first time she was out of words.
Ian grinned. “Yeah. You got that right.”
Then to his regret, she rolled away and sat up. “Well, if we want to get home before dark, we better get ready.”
He watched her pick up her clothes. The sunlight outlined her lush curves, and the sight was seared into his mind. He’d imagined her naked many times before, and now he knew exactly how beautiful she was.
Em came back to the bed and kissed him. “You’re an amazing man,” she said. The words almost made him happier than last night. Almost.
An hour later, they were showered, packed, and sitting down for one last breakfast with Hannah and Ronald. If they had any idea of the strenuous night that happened above them, they gave no indication.
“More coffee, Ian?” Hannah asked.
“No thanks,” he replied. Any more coffee and he’d have to piss before they were out of Toronto.
“Did you enjoy the game?” Ronald asked.
To be honest, Ian had almost forgotten the game with everything that had happened afterwards.
“It was great. It’s always more fun to see the team at home.”
“Well, you’re welcome to stay here anytime you want to see the Maple Leaves play,” Hannah said.
“Thanks.” Ian didn’t want to assume he’d be back, but he could hope. And if he did come, he’d bring his toolbox.
Ronald and Hannah both gave him goodbye hugs. They fussed over Em and urged her to come home again soon. Then Ian loaded up the truck and they left.
“Well, that didn’t turn out the way I planned,” said Em. She wasn’t upset though. In fact, she was very cheerful. Ian resisted the obvious joke about finally getting some. His urge to irritate Em was gone.
“They like me, and I like them too,” Ian said. But the real question was how their daughter felt about him.
“You’d think after all this time that I’d realize how unpredictable my parents are.”
“Most people act like kids when they go home.” Ian had seen it happen tons of time: mature friends turning into whining, squabbling kids.
“I’m sorry, here I am complaining when you don’t have a home to go to.”
“Not a big deal.” Orphans like Ian learned how to make their own family.
“Do you ever want to get in touch with your mother?” Em asked.
Ian sighed. The problem with his best friend being married to her best friend was that the women gossiped.
“Never,” he replied. “If she didn’t want to know me before, why would it be different now?”
“I’m sorry. It’s hard for me to understand how your mother wouldn’t want to be there for you.”
“That’s because you have a normal mother,” Ian said.
Most people were the same way, shocked that he had no clue where his mother was. Or they wanted a sob story, like she was an alcoholic or drug user who would get cleaned up and reclaim him. Too fucking late for that. Truth was that some women shouldn’t be mothers. His first memory of her was the time she left him at the mall. He’d been about three and already living with his grandparents. In the days before she’d completely fucked off, she still took him out sometimes. The overwhelming sensation he had with her was fear. She told him weird things like pussy willows were made from toes ripped from kittens, which gave him nightmares for weeks. Once a stranger had said he was cute, and she offered to sell Ian to him. He never knew if it was a joke or not.
Finally, his grandparents realized that seeing her was fucking him up, and they only allowed supervised visits. Ian was happiest once he realized that she wasn’t going to come back. She moved from place to place until they lost track of her.
But Ian didn’t think about that shit. He’d had his grandparents, his friends, and hockey. That was more than enough.
Before Em could dig deeper into his past, Ian changed the subject. “I think your theory was wrong.”
“My theory was wrong?” Em was shocked.
“Yeah. Maybe it wasn’t all the guys they didn’t like, but the timing.”
Em didn’t reply right away, but as Ian’s Grampa used to say, you could see the wood burning.
“So you think that their disapproval was their way of slowing me down in my life plan?”
“Yeah. You were pretty messed up after Lucas.”
Em looked out the window at Lake Ontario. “That’s true. Wait, how did you know that? Did Abby tell you?”
Ian passed a BMW that was crawling in the passing lane.
“No. I could tell by looking at you. Your hair and everything was flat.” Em had looked lost then. She wasn’t fixing herself up, and she was more absent-minded then usual. Ian had thought about swooping in and
saving her, but Abby warned him off. She said that Em was not in a good place, which wasn’t exactly breaking news. Then Em had come up with her stupid plan to find the perfect partner, and since then she’d gone out with a series of boring corporate clones.
Unexpectedly, Em laughed. Her laughter lifted him, and he smiled back at her. “What’s so funny?”
“Ian Reid, you’ve rocked my world in multiple ways this weekend.”
He chuckled. Everything was falling into place.
They stopped for a late lunch in Kingston, and afterwards Em fell asleep. Ian liked that. He enjoyed the freedom to look at her pretty face without worrying that she would catch him staring. And he liked that she trusted him to take care of her. He drove carefully as a light snow began to fall.
When they were about half an hour from Ottawa, she woke up and stretched.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” She shot him a dirty smile, and his cock hardened immediately. “Someone kept me up last night.”
He smiled back at her. Maybe now they could talk about what was going to happen once they returned to their real lives.
“So, Em,” he began.
Then her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her purse and answered it.
“Oh hey, Thomas.”
His gut tensed at that name.
“Yeah, I had a great Christmas, how about you?”
She didn’t look over at him while she was talking. In fact, she turned towards the window.
“Well, I would say we’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”
Ian’s hands tightened on the wheel.
“Really? I’m kind of tired. Well, okay. I’ll see you then.”
She disconnected. “Um, Thomas is going to meet us at my place.”
“You work fast,” Ian replied coldly. They had sex last night, and she was going to see her real boyfriend tonight. And she called Ian a player?
“It’s not my idea, but he’s leaving for a business trip tomorrow, so it’s the last chance I’ll have to talk to him.”
Ian cleared his throat and focused on the road.
“Are you upset about something?” Em asked.
Ian shook his head. “Why would I be upset?”
“I don’t know, you seem kind of mad.”
He stared out at the highway. “What did you tell Thomas about Christmas? Did you tell him I was coming home with you?”
“Uh, yeah. But I didn’t tell him the real reason, of course.”
“So what reason did you give?”
Her voice went soft. “I said you didn’t have a family.”
“And it didn’t bother him that we’d be together for three days?”
“No, I don’t think so. Thomas sort of knows you, and he knew that we’re, uh, friends.”
But they weren’t really friends before. They barely spoke to each other. What Em was dancing around was the fact that Thomas—and Em—didn’t consider Ian to be anything. He wasn’t good enough to be a threat to their relationship. Ian was so below Em in status that nobody could imagine them together. He might dream of being with Em, but she only saw him as a hook-up.
He sped up. The sooner she got out of his truck, the better. He’d been a complete idiot to think that they could be anything to each other.
“Ian, you are upset. I can tell because you’re grinding your teeth,” Em said.
“Yeah, well, we already figured out you’re not that good at reading people, princess. You can’t even read your own parents.”
“Why are you being like this?”
“I’m like I always am,” he said. And that was true. He was acting exactly like he used to, before this holiday happened.
The last few minutes of the trip passed in silence. Ian pulled up in front of Em’s big condo building. Thomas appeared from the front entrance. He was carrying a little wrapped box, which was whatever perfect present yuppies gave each other.
“When am I going to see you again?” Em asked.
Ian shrugged. “Hockey, I guess. Or Mase and Abby’s New Year’s party.”
He avoided looking at her and hopped out of the truck. He unloaded her suitcase and her stupid hedgehog.
“Hey, Ian. How you doing?” Thomas was in his face, all cheery.
“Great,” Ian replied. They shook hands, and Ian passed him Em’s suitcase. Thomas was thin, with wispy hair and wire-rimmed glasses that made him look like a grandfather. If this was what Em wanted, she was welcome to him.
Ian handed the hedgehog to Em without meeting her eyes.
“Thank you for driving, Ian, and also for—”
He interrupted her. “You’re welcome. Sorry, but I have to go.”
He hopped into the cab and slammed the door. As he turned on the ignition, he looked out the side window.
Em was walking up the path cradling the hedgehog case. Thomas was beside her, and when he put his hand on the small of her back, something cracked inside Ian’s chest. He’d played hockey for years, but this pain was worse than any hit he’d ever taken.
Ian eased the truck onto the road. He’d been a fool to dream about being with Em. Good things didn’t happen to guys like him.
8. What Are You Doing New Year’s?
“So it turned out I didn’t really know what Ian was like. My parents loved him, and now I really like him too,” Em finished the tale of her latest romance in Abby’s kitchen where they were prepping for the New Year’s Eve party.
Sophia clapped her hands in glee. “Did I not call this? I said you two would fall in love, and you did.”
“Well, it’s not love yet, and I’m not sure about Ian. He won’t answer my calls or messages,” Em said as she chopped fruit. Because Abby was pregnant and tired, everyone was pitching in to make the food for tonight. And the less cooking Abby had to do, the better for everyone attending.
“Well, you’re not that good at reading people,” Sophia said.
“That’s what Ian said too,” exclaimed Em. “What are you referring to?”
Sophia and Abby exchanged a significant look.
“Lucas,” Sophia said. “He was pretty wishy-washy so it wasn’t a huge shock that he couldn’t commit.”
Em groaned. “Okay, before I get too involved, are there any problems with Ian Reid that I should know about?”
Abby laughed. “You’re the one who has the most issues with Ian. He’s not the world’s most sophisticated guy, but he’s an open book. What you see is what you get.”
“Then why won’t he return my messages or calls?” asked Em. “That’s not being open. I think he’s a player. He slept with me, and now I’m just another notch on his bedpost. Or on his hockey stick if he doesn’t have bedposts.”
“Hold up,” said Sophia. “You and Ian slept together?”
Em nodded. “It was high-quality sex too.” The kind she wanted more of.
“He does have a great body,” said Abby.
“Who has a great body?” asked Mason as he passed through the kitchen with a large quantity of ice.
“Ian Reid,” said Em. “Do you know why he’s not talking to me?”
Mason shook his head. “I know it’s going to come as a huge shock to you ladies, but guys don’t dissect their relationships like a frog in a grade twelve biology class. Reeder and I talk hockey.”
He disappeared, and Abby shook her head. “I call pants on fire. They gossip like old ladies. But Ian hasn’t been over since you guys got back from Toronto. Which is kind of weird.”
“Tell us exactly what happened, and we’ll read the clues you might have missed,” suggested Sophia.
Em explained how the car ride home had gone and how Ian had brushed her off when she suggested they get together. When she looked around, both Sophia and Abby had their foreheads buried in their hands.
“Em, you went to your apartment with Thomas! The guy you told Ian he was paving the way for. Ian thought you were rejecting him.”
“That’s ridiculous. I told him it was the only time Thomas could mee
t me. Clearly after everything that happened, I had to break things off with Thomas right away. It’s only logical.”
Abby resumed cutting oranges. “People don’t always do the logical thing. Besides, Ian is a guy who hasn’t had a ton of breaks in life. He doesn’t expect the best from people.”
Em stuck out her lower lip. “Well, I’ll explain everything to him tonight. And I got him a present, something he’ll really like.” She found her purse and pulled out an envelope. “Ta da. Tickets to the Leafs-Sens game here next month.”
Abby wrinkled her nose. “Sorry to break the bad news, but he has tickets already. He’s going with Mase.”
“Oh.” Em felt deflated. It had been a frustrating few days. Ian wouldn’t talk to her, and she didn’t know enough about his habits to “accidentally” run into him. The tickets seemed like an incentive he couldn’t refuse.
“Just talk to him,” Abby said. “I’m sure once you explain about Thomas, everything will be fine.”
“It will,” agreed Sophia. “Let’s get ready now. You’ll want to look your best when he gets here.”
“Wow, Em. I don’t think I’ve seen that dress before,” said Abby with widened eyes. The party had begun, and guests were arriving.
“It’s new,” Em admitted. She bought the burgundy satin dress at a boutique in the Byward Market, and the neckline was more revealing than she would normally wear. But since she knew Ian’s weaknesses, she decided to maximize her competitive advantage.
“You look hot,” Sophia assured her. “Doesn’t she, honey?” Henry was here now, and he nodded, carefully keeping his eyes fixed on Em’s face as any smart fiancé would.
Em mingled and chatted, but her attention turned to the front door each time it opened. Ian was usually the first one here and the last to leave, so Em began to wonder if he was even going to show up.
Then she heard his voice. Well, his voice was loud so it wasn’t hard to discern it. Her whole body tingled with a strange joy. She couldn’t help smiling as she turned and moved towards the door.
Ian was hanging up his coat by the front door, and she could see his face as he spoke to Mason. Then Mason moved aside, and there was a woman with Ian’s arm casually draped over her. She was an attractive brunette in a strapless green dress. And her competitive advantages were bigger than Em’s.