by Jaci Burton
"Come on."
She felt a strong solid arm encircling her waist. He tugged her along to his building, and hit the elevator button. She gripped the hand holding onto her and held on.
She felt like she was having a weird out-of-body experience, like she was floating above the clouds. She still felt weak, like she wanted to slide down the wall of the elevator and pass out.
Until the squeeze of Will's hand on hers brought her back to reality.
"Almost there," he said.
She barely registered his words as he led her from the elevator down the hall to his room. He slid the key card in and opened the door, then pulled her inside. She went inside, followed him to his room. He undid her parka, took off her beanie and gloves, then laid her on the bed.
He followed her there and pulled her into his arms.
She listened to the sound of Will's heartbeat. Strong and steady. That's what she needed. That and the way he smoothed his hand down her arms.
"It's okay," he said. "You're gonna be okay."
She wanted to believe that. She closed her eyes, willing everything to be okay.
She must have drifted off, because she woke up to the feel of strong hands stroking down her back. Not an unpleasant feeling at all. In fact, she felt much more relaxed than she had when Will had taken her to his apartment. She nestled into his chest, breathing in his male scent. There was something comforting and strong about the smell of a man, so potent and powerful, and one hell of a turn-on, too.
She lifted her head and looked up at him. "Thank you."
"You know, it's not a hardship to have a beautiful woman asleep in my bed."
Her lips curved. "A hot mess of a woman who fell apart and then passed out in your bed."
He shrugged, then sifted her hair through his fingers. "You had a bad day. Everyone's entitled to a bad day."
"That's an understatement. I totally wigged out about my mother."
"Feel better now?"
"I do. Thank you. I just needed to fall apart somewhere, I guess."
"Thanks for choosing me."
She rolled over onto her stomach. "Funny thing about that. I had another incident earlier today."
"You have had a bad day. Tell me about it."
"I was late for practice, so I didn't warm up. And then when I did my first jump, I felt a twinge in my hamstring. I couldn't even finish practice."
He sat up and frowned as he looked down at her. "No shit? Are you okay?"
She sat up as well, crossing her legs over each other. "I'm fine. My trainer massaged my leg after I got off the ice, and then I was allowed to run through my program. My leg is fine."
He swept his fingers over her hair. "Jesus, babe. I'm so sorry. I should have never suggested we spend the night down the mountain when you had an early practice. That's on me."
She felt better hearing him take responsibility, and hearing his concern was like a balm to her tortured senses. "Thank you. But I'm really okay. At least now I am. I totally freaked when I thought I wouldn't be able to perform. I actually--well, let's just say your name entered my mind, and I had all these thoughts about how I shouldn't be having fun--or sex--when competition is looming so close. I blamed myself and I blamed you. It wasn't a pretty thought process."
"I see. And then you had lunch with your mother, which just made things worse."
"Yes. She was upset, because I was late for practice. Oh, and that I have friends I've been hanging out with."
He frowned. "Having friends is bad?"
"To her it is. She told me I'll lose my edge." She looked down at her fingers, then back at him. "I didn't tell her about you."
"I don't think you have to tell your mother everything. But that's up to you, Amber."
She was glad he understood. "I didn't want you to think I was trying to hide anything, or that I was ashamed of what you and I have going on."
He leaned over and brushed his lips across hers. "You wanna know what I think?"
"Sure."
"I think you can choose to say or do whatever makes you happy. Being here and competing comes with enough stress. I'm not here to add to that."
Relief washed over her. "You know what?"
"What?"
"Despite my freak-out earlier, which was totally unwarranted, you are the person who is least likely to add to my stress level. Obviously the fact that you were the first person I texted when I was having a meltdown means that you're the one person here I know I can count on." She reached for his hand. "Which I hope doesn't cause you to have a meltdown, because I don't mean that in a 'Let's get married and have ten babies' kind of way."
He laughed. "I didn't take it that way. I'm glad you texted me."
She climbed onto his lap and wrapped her legs around his hips. "I feel the need to properly thank you."
He rubbed his hands over her thighs. "Totally unnecessary, but I feel I should tell you that I know many different ways to reduce stress."
"Is that right? Do tell."
"I'd rather show."
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. It was a gentle kiss, and she knew he was going easy on her because she'd utterly fallen apart on him earlier. But she wasn't fragile and she needed him to know that, so she was the one to deepen the kiss, to slide her tongue between his teeth to search out his.
He groaned and wrapped his arms around her back, bringing her body more closely aligned with his. The contact of their bodies touching was electrifying, igniting a fire inside of her.
His lips burned a path down her neck and across her collarbone. She tilted her head back, wanting more. He gave her more by raising her shirt, his fingers blazing a hot trail along her back.
There was something about Will's touch on her skin that sent her libido into overdrive. Even the barest slide of his fingertip along her skin was like a lightning rod on her nerve endings.
He leaned back. "What do you do to your skin to make it feel like this?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Like sliding my hands through soft water, or melted butter."
She shuddered as he moved his hands upward, teasing her back with the barest strokes of his fingertips. It was warm in the room, but chill bumps broke out on her skin.
It wasn't like she'd never been touched before. She might have been a virgin before she'd had sex with Will, but she'd made out with guys. She'd never felt this undeniable zing of attraction like she did with Will. All he had to do was look at her and she felt his gaze like a caress all over her body.
Like now, when he raised her shirt over her head, then raked his gaze over her body. It wasn't like he was ogling her boobs or anything. He looked at her neck, leaning in to press a kiss at the hollow of her throat. She felt her blood pulsing against his lips, her heart pumping a fast beat so incongruent to the gentle licks he laid across her skin.
He drew her bra strap down, raking his teeth across her shoulder. He held her, sliding her off his lap and rolling her back onto the mattress, following her so he was above her. Then he moved down and kissed the swell of her breast before pulling the cup of her bra away to capture one of her nipples in his mouth.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, as if he had all the time in the world to explore her body. He sucked and licked her nipple until she felt each pull all the way to her pussy. She was panting, needy and ready to feel the length of him inside of her.
But Will seemed to have other ideas, because he left her like that and glided smoothly down her body, removing her pants and underwear.
"Which leg?" he asked.
She lifted her head. "What?"
"Which one did you hurt today?"
"Oh. The right one."
He lifted her leg and slowly massaged her foot, then made his way to her calf, taking his time to gently work each muscle. He laid her leg over his shoulder and started massaging her hamstring as if he knew what the hell he was doing. Not too hard, not too gently, but with authority.
It was kind of like ni
rvana, because while it was like getting an actual massage, she was naked, Will was a man she was having sex with, and it felt great to have that twingy muscle massaged, but it was also incredibly sensual.
"You don't have to do that."
His lips curved in a way that made her want to jump on his cock and rock against him until she stopped aching, until she came--hard.
"Relax, babe," he said. "Let me do this for you."
She lay back on the bed and closed her eyes, giving herself up to the magical sensations his touch evoked. She'd never realized how erogenous her hamstrings were.
In truth, her hamstrings were not erogenous zones at all. It was just that Will was touching her and he could probably massage her elbows and she'd want to have an orgasm.
She let her body go lax, every muscle completely relaxed. Until he moved from her hamstring to her inner thigh, using the same gentle motions. And as he inched closer to her pussy, she tensed, needing him to use his talented fingers to get her off.
She desperately wanted an orgasm.
"Relax," he said, rubbing her inner thigh with his fingers. "I'll get you there."
Then he cupped her and used the heel of his hand to glide over her sex. She lifted, driving her pussy against his ever-moving fingers.
She was already so close, so charged up, and Will had found her clit with his thumb. It didn't take her long to hit her climax. She let out a moan as she released, shuddering against his hand.
He got up on his knees and took off his shirt, then sat and wriggled out of his jeans. He rolled over and pulled a condom from the nightstand, put the condom on and came back to her, lifting her leg as he slid inside of her.
She gasped, still shuddering from the aftereffects of that amazing orgasm. Now he filled her, sliding in and out of her with slow, easy thrusts that made her quiver, made her body clench around him in a fierce show of possession.
"Oh, fuck, yeah," he said, surging against her.
"I feel that, Will. When you grind against me like that? Oh, God, it's so good."
He lifted up on his hands, looking down at her. "You're so tight, so hot, squeezing my cock and making me want to come. I love fucking you, Amber. Being inside of you is like nothing I've ever felt before."
His words sent her reeling, and when he took her mouth in a searing kiss, it made her senses go haywire. She was wrapped up by him--in him--every part of her under sensual assault. Sweat beaded down his chest. She snaked her fingertips along that sweat line and over his abs, watching them clench in response.
The scent of sex filled the air, an aphrodisiac sweeter than any cologne she'd ever worn. She breathed in its perfume, letting it fuel her senses. His body moving against hers was an agonizingly sweet sensation, leading her ever closer to the orgasm she needed.
"I'm gonna make you come, Amber," he said, using his fingers to brush across her nipples. "And then I'm gonna come hard inside of you."
Every word that spilled from his delicious lips was a tantalizing tease, a promise of how good this was going to be when she came.
She felt as if she was riding a rollercoaster, taking that first exciting climb upward, and then hovering at the top, suspended, just waiting for that moment when she took that thrilling, death-defying fall.
Will's face loomed above her--his features tight, fueled by passion, urging her to continue the climb.
Almost there. So . . . close.
She was on the precipice. Right at the top, ever so close to the drop.
And then she fell. She gripped Will's arms and arched against him, crying out in unintelligible words as she came. She rocked hard against him, shuddering and trembling as her orgasm rocked her world in one brain-blasting wild ride.
Will went with her, gripping her buttocks in a tight hold, shuddering against her as they both went on the ride together.
She felt like she was spinning out of control, her climax continuing as he thrust over and over inside of her until she barely remembered her own name.
She finally caught her breath, swept her fingers over Will's sweat-laden back and reveled in the languor. She slid her foot over his calf, certain she'd never be able to move again.
Holy shit that had been amazing.
"Yum," she said.
"Good?" he asked.
"So good I think my limbs have liquefied. You're like magic."
He let out a soft laugh, then rolled over onto his back. "I think you bring out the best in me. And for the record, I might not be able to move for the next hour."
She shifted onto her side to face him. "I don't have anywhere I have to be until tomorrow."
"Neither do I." He turned to look at her. "Though I'm getting hungry."
"We'll have to do something about that. We need to replenish your reserves."
"Yeah? Planning to use me again?"
"Oh, definitely. I might get stressed again, and I skate tomorrow."
He rolled over to look at her, circling her hip with his finger. "Then we'll need you relaxed."
"Very relaxed."
"Did I mention I can help with that?"
She grinned.
TWENTY
SWEAT POURED DOWN WILL'S FACE. HE SHUFFLED HIS stick back and forth from one hand to the other, ready for the face-off.
They were deep in the third period, tied two to two against Russia. After beating Switzerland two days ago and Sweden yesterday, they only had to win against Russia and they'd make it to the quarterfinals.
This team was on fire. There was no way they were going to lose. Their face-off was near the Russian goal. Will was determined they'd stay down there. The clock was ticking down and the last thing he wanted was to go into overtime.
Oster got the puck and Will skated to the goal. Hogan was there to accept the pass.
He took a shot, and the goalie blocked it, sending it back around behind the goal.
Will chased it, along with Ivan Petrov. Petrov was his teammate on the Ice, but during this game they were opponents. Weird as fuck, but they both knew going into this they'd be battling each other. They wrestled for it against the boards and Will came up with the puck, sending it sliding along the side toward a waiting Drew.
Drew passed it off to Oster, who shot it to Will. Will hustled with Ivan behind the goal. Petrov slammed him into the boards, hard. Their sticks battled and so did their bodies. Ivan jabbed his elbow into Will's ribs, causing him to suck in a hard breath. That would hurt later, but for now, he wanted that fucking puck.
He won the battle, hearing Ivan's curse. It was in Russian, but it wasn't the first time he'd heard it. Adrenaline pumping, he knew he'd only have a matter of seconds to hustle that puck to the goal. He skated those few feet as fast as he could, seeing Hogan right in position. He shot the puck to him, and Hogan slapped it with his stick.
The only thing Drew saw was the lamp light above the net. He raised his stick and yelled as loud as he could. The crowd erupted with cheers--and some groans, too.
Drew made his way over to Will.
"Hell of a pass, man," Drew said.
"And you were right there." Will patted Drew on the helmet, then glanced at the clock. A little over a minute left.
At the face-off, the US took the puck down to Russia's end. Will took a hard shot at the goal, but Russia's goalie defended. Russia moved it forward, but the US defenders and their goalie held solid until the buzzer.
They'd won. It was a tough damn battle, but they were moving into the quarterfinals.
Will was exhausted, sweating and damn satisfied. He was as excited as he'd ever been, but he tried to button that up. They had a couple more games to win yet.
They lined up to shake hands with the Russian team. When Will got to Ivan, he brought him close, touching his head to Ivan's.
"Great game, Ivan."
Ivan hugged him. "Fuck off, Madigan."
But Ivan slanted a grudging smile at him. Will grinned back.
Ivan would be okay. He was mad as hell, but he'd be fine. If Will had lost
, he'd be pissed off, too. He understood.
They hit the locker room and everyone cleaned up while chatting each other up about the victory.
"Two more and then we're in the medals," Drew said, grabbing his towel after he turned the shower off. He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, standing in front of Will, who was just finishing up his shower. "I gotta call Carolina. She's probably freaking out."
"Yeah, my parents are likely going crazy right now, along with everyone at the bar." It would be good for the bar's business, and Will was happy about that. He made a mental note to call his parents.
After he got dressed, he pulled his phone out of his bag. There were text messages from his brother and his dad. And one from Amber, who told him she was at the arena along with Lisa and Blake and that everyone around them had gone crazy after that last goal. She said they all wanted to go out for lunch to celebrate his win. He sent Amber a quick message.
Gotta call my parents. Tell me where to meet you.
He pushed the button for his mom's cell phone number, since she always answered, whereas his dad would often ignore his cell if he was busy. His mom picked up on the first ring.
"Will. You were amazing. We all watched here at the bar."
Even though the game had taken place in the morning Vancouver time, he knew his parents had opened the bar early, his mom most likely providing nonalcoholic drinks for the typical bar crowd.
"Thanks, Mom. It was an exciting game."
"We're all so proud of you. We even let Ethan leave school early to watch your game. He's off at hockey practice now, no doubt celebrating with all his teammates. He said he'd call you later."
Will grinned, imagining how excited his brother must be about the games. "Okay, I'll look forward to his call. Where's Dad?"
"Entertaining everyone who crowded in to watch your game this morning. I made muffins and we served juice and coffee and tea and sodas."
He grinned. He'd called that one. "That's great, Mom. I gotta run. Tell Dad I'll talk to him later."
"Okay. Love you."
"Love you, too, Mom."
He hung up and realized how much he missed his family. He saw them a lot during the off-season, but during hockey season he was often playing home games or traveling. Whenever the Ice played Chicago, it was great because he could visit home.
It didn't matter where he lived or where he'd ultimately end up. Chicago would always be home to him. As long as his family lived there, that's where home was.