by Skye Jordan
One of his big, warm hands slid down her thigh and pulled it wide, giving him room to wedge his erection against her sex. Sensation rushed her lower body. Eden moaned, bowed, and sank her hands into his hair. Beckett growled in approval, slid his hand back up to her ass, and gripped as he rocked against her.
“You feel so good,” she breathed at his temple.
His mouth moved over her collarbone, her shoulder, her chest, then closed over her nipple. Pleasure blasted through her breast and pulled between her legs.
Eden arched, groaned, and pulled at his hair. This wasn’t how she remembered sex. What she remembered was more like a Sunday afternoon, mellow and mild and moderately satisfying. This was sex on drugs. Intense, wild, and highly addictive.
Beckett rocked his hips against her. His erection slid along her sex, thick and hard and hot.
“Want you,” she said, panting. “So bad. Right now.”
He lifted his head and met her gaze. His eyes were hot, his expression fierce. He gripped her waist and leaned sideways, tipping Eden off-balance.
“Beck—”
“Wallet,” he rasped, twisting to reach toward his pants on the floor “Need my wallet. In my pocket.”
He pulled is wallet free, opened it, and plucked something from the inside fold.
Yes.
Eden’s pussy clenched with anticipation. She took the small square from his fingers, but he closed his arms around her and lay back on the bed, dragging her with him. Stealing the condom back, he ripped it open, and rolled it on.
Then he curved his arm around her waist, rolled to his knees, and pulled her into his lap for a slow, wet kiss. The length of his erection slid easily over her slick entrance, and she moaned into his mouth. And while his tongue stroked hers, his hands guided her hips to position himself. He pulled out of the kiss, pressed his forehead to hers, and held her gaze as he pushed inside.
Delicious pressure spread through her pelvis. Her hands slid into his hair and fisted.
Beckett’s eyes slid closed, and his fingers dug into the flesh of her hips. “Fuck,” he said, voice low and rough and tight. “So good.”
The pleasure in his voice rekindled Eden’s energy. And the feel of him inside her urged her body to move. She pressed her face to his neck, drew in his masculine scent of musk and spice, and used the strength in her thighs to move over him. Slowly at first, getting used to the stretch, she drew him out, then pushed him deep. Sensations erupted along her walls, spread through her pelvis, making her crave him faster and deeper.
“God, Eden…” His voice shook, and he lifted one hand to clasp the back of her head. “You’re so… Baby, I’m…” He pressed his face against her shoulder and lifted into her. “Fuck.”
The pleasure in his voice filled Eden with a euphoria she hadn’t experienced in forever. “I want to feel you come, Beckett.” Her hand slipped to his shoulder, and she dug in to hold on as he moved faster. “Come hard for me.”
He growled, pulled his head back, and cupped her cheek, meeting her eyes. “Come with me.”
She pressed her forehead to his. “You fucking overachiever.”
He huffed a laugh, then covered her mouth and kissed her deep. One arm wrapped low on her hips and pulled her against him, holding her still as he thrust, thrust, thrust, giving her clit as much action as her pussy.
And God, the feel of him filling her, holding her, trying so hard to please her…
Both his hands slid down her back and over her ass. He drew her cheeks apart and pushed harder, deeper, lifting her whole body with his power. His cock pounded something inside her that spurted a thrill through her lower body. A cry erupted from her throat, and her hand tightened on his shoulder.
“I love that sound,” Beckett ground out. “Let me hear you, Eden.”
When he thrust again, a sliver of pain preceded the blast of pleasure and she cried out louder. Longer.
“Oh yeah,” Beckett praised. “God, that’s good. I’m gonna come hard for you, Eden.”
“Yes,” she breathed, lightheaded from the ecstasy flowing through her body. “Yes.”
They were both sweating, and Eden’s grip on his shoulder kept slipping. He drove harder and deeper and faster until a perpetual cry streamed from Eden’s mouth, punctuated by “Beckett” or “Yes.”
“Bring it, baby,” he demanded in a dark, raspy voice that coiled inside Eden with carnal sensuality. “Come with me.”
She whimpered. He thrust. Thrust. Thrust. And Eden broke with a scream and a shudder. Beckett let go at the same time. His strong body tensed and recoiled. Drove, tensed, recoiled. The frenzied, repetitive pattern rubbed all Eden’s pleasure spots just the right way, dragging even more climaxes to the surface.
By the time Beckett’s orgasm drained him, Eden was sweating and spent, spread limp across Beckett’s lap. She was supported by his bulk, enclosed in his arms, and filled with his body. And she felt an inexplicable new weight in her chest. A sense of being owned in a primal, fundamental way she couldn’t explain, by this man she’d only meant to use for a quick fling back into life.
She forced herself to lift her head. A quick cleanup, and she wanted to be on her way. Definitely before he brought up the idea of her going home. Talk about an ego crusher.
But when she eased her grip on his shoulders and leaned back a little, her head spun.
Beckett stroked a hand down her hair and gently pressed her head back down. “Stay.” The quick rise and fall of his chest mixed with the hard beat of his heart. “This is…perfect. You feel so…perfect. Just another minute.”
One of his hands traced circles low on her back. The other twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. His cheek rested on her head. And, other than his heavy breaths, he remained silent. Contentedly, peacefully silent.
Warmth snuck past Eden’s defenses, and she relaxed against him again. In those moments, all her senses seemed to flip back on. She closed her eyes to memorize the thump of his heartbeat beneath her ear. Drew deep lungfuls of air to pull in the heady mingled scents of his skin and their sex. Slid her hands over his shoulders, loving the warmth of his skin.
And she was more than a little surprised at how amazing it felt to have a man holding her again. But then, she couldn’t remember any man holding her like this…maybe ever, let alone after sex.
Beckett finally took a deep breath and exhaled, but didn’t move. “That was fucking amazing, Eden.”
The soft words and his awe-filled tone deepened the warmth burning beneath her ribs. She didn’t know what to say to that. Amazing didn’t begin to describe that experience for her, and she opted to remain silent, pressing her mouth to his for a soft kiss instead. To relieve the ache between her legs, far more noticeable now that the intense pleasure had faded, Eden rose slowly on her knees, easing him from her body.
But he held her close and pulled her back to his lap, searching her face. “Are you okay?”
She laughed a little. “I’m better than okay.”
His concern gave way to that killer smile. “Yeah?”
“Oh yeah.” She stroked his face and decided to be honest. There really wasn’t any risk. He already had an ego the size of Texas. And she wasn’t going to do this again. “Sex has never been like that for me before.”
His smile faded, his eyes softened, and he lifted a hand to stroke her cheek. “I’m glad,” he said softly, then nodded. “Really glad.” He kissed her, gently, slowly, letting his tongue taste her in languid strokes that made things deep inside her spark and stir. He pulled back and smiled into her eyes. “I’ll clean up, then we can nap, and I’ll wake you in an hour or two in an unforgettable way.”
Eden’s lips parted, but before she’d formed any words, Beckett rolled her to her back, kissed her again, then stood from the other side of the bed and wandered into an adjoining room. The door closed, a light flipped on, and the sound of running water drifted in.
Eden groaned, flopped her arms across her eyes, then started laughing. She
slid her arms down to cover her mouth and stared at the ceiling. What the hell was this fizzy thing that made her want to giggle? “Jesus.”
The humor ebbed, and reality snuck in. What the hell did she do now?
Eden propped herself up on her elbows and the first thing she saw was her suede boots where they still covered the lower half of her legs. And a smile crossed her face. Beckett had made her forget all about leaving the boots on.
She bit her lip and pushed up a little more, glancing around the room for her clothes. Which was the first real look at the space. Upon entering she’d gotten the general impression of a large bedroom with standard furniture—bed, nightstands, dresser. But she’d missed the biggest and most unique feature—one wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. And there wasn’t one blind anywhere to be seen—in the middle of a city with half a million residents.
“Shit,” she murmured.
“They’re mirrored.”
His voice made her startle. “Oh my God.”
She pressed a hand to her chest and took a few quick breaths to slow the sudden hike in her heart rate.
He reached out and laid a hand on her suede-covered ankle. “I’m sorry.”
“No.” She shook her head and drew her knees close. “No, I was…” She gestured to the windows. “I completely missed that.”
His grin was quick and hot. He crawled onto the bed beside her and kissed her shoulder. “I noticed.” He stroked a warm hand down her arm and rested his chin on her shoulder. “I was saying that the windows have a mirrored film. We can see out, but no one can see in, which I love, because this is my favorite thing about the apartment. The way the moonlight and the city lights fill the rooms at night.”
He rose onto his knees and leaned over, straightening one of her legs.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“As wickedly sexy as these are, you’ll probably be able to fall asleep better without them on.”
He found the zipper on her inner thigh, worked it down her boot, and pulled the boot off. Then did the same with the other, all while Eden was trying to sort out the strange turmoil inside her. Would she be able to sleep beside a man? Did she even want to? Long before she had the answers, Beckett set her boots on the floor and kissed his way back up her body.
Eden had changed her mind about leaving by the time his lips touched the hollow behind her knee. And by the time he’d stretched out facing the windows and snuggled up behind her, his legs all wrapped up in hers, his arm tight at her waist, her head tucked beneath his chin, Eden realized she was in deep, deep trouble.
He settled and sighed, and the sound was so relaxed, so content. But it had the opposite effect on Eden and tension wound tighter inside her. Her emotions winged completely out of control, and tears burned her eyes. Which only made her angry. But she couldn’t focus on ripping herself for letting her stupid emotions get involved when he bent his head, pressed his face to her neck, and kissed her there.
“Sex isn’t usually like that for me either,” he said, his voice whisper soft, then propped his head in his hand. “In fact, I haven’t had time for much sex at all this year.”
That surprised her. She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. “Why’s that?”
He shrugged and let his gaze drift out the windows. “Busy. This job…during the season, it takes everything.”
She had a hard time believing he didn’t slip one-night stands or quickies in there somewhere, but she certainly wasn’t going to dig under that rock. “Are you really leaving town tomorrow, or was that just a way to get me to respond?”
A grin lifted his lips. “I’m really leaving town. I’m not a liar. I’d rather tell and hear the truth than a lie. We’ve got a rough five-game run on the West Coast starting tomorrow night in Los Angeles.” He dropped a kiss on her lips, lowered his head, and sighed again. “Catch a nap while you can, gorgeous. I plan on taking as much of your ass-kicking brand of sex as you’ll give me.” His voice turned heavy with fatigue. “Tonight’s got to carry me through these tough games next week.”
His breathing deepened and evened out within minutes, and Eden was left alone, wrapped up in a stranger’s arms, to stare out at the city lights and untangle all the contradictions she’d uncovered in this sexilicious hockey player.
10
Beckett floated to the surface of consciousness again, and a smile immediately lifted his lips. His back and shoulders ached as he rolled toward Eden, but he already knew she could make him forget all about the pain hockey wrought on his body. In fact, Eden Kennedy could make Beckett forget about every last worry weighing on him—his custody battle for Lily, his aging body, how the success of this season would direct the next five to ten or maybe even fifteen years of his life.
When he reached for her, his hand slid across empty sheets.
“Kennedy,” he yelled toward the bathroom. “Get your sexy ass back in here. I’ve got something that needs emergency TLC.”
He chuckled to himself, imagining the reaction he’d get for, one, calling her by her last name, two, ordering her to do anything, and three, suggesting she was obligated to meet his needs. Those had all become jokes between them over the course of the night. A night that would go down in Beckett’s memory.
He relaxed into the bed with a smile. Outside, the morning sun was cresting, and he felt happy and hopeful for the first time in a long time. He couldn’t wait to make love to Eden again. Then go to his parents’ and cajole Lily away from her cousins and grandparents to grab some one-on-one time with his baby girl before he jumped a plane with his teammates for five intense games in a row.
Life was fucking awesome.
So awesome, he wanted to share it. Thoughts of introducing Eden to Lily brought a mix of unease and excitement. Eden was a natural. She’d be amazing with kids, no doubt. And Lily was a bubble of love. His daughter spun webs of infatuation with everyone she met. Beckett didn’t worry about them getting along. He worried about them getting along too well. Because if things didn’t gel between him and Eden, he didn’t want to think about another woman disappearing from Lily’s life.
And wow, he was getting way ahead of himself. But, hell, it had taken him freaking forever to find a woman who even tempted him to think beyond one night. There had been a time when he thought he and Viviana might be able to make a go of it. Back when the thought of kids hadn’t ever entered his mind. Back when having the biggest contract and the most gorgeous woman were his top priorities. Back when he’d believed being a badass was more important than strategy.
He’d been another stupid jock, perpetuating the negative view of hockey players everywhere. But everyone had to grow up sometime. And Eden made that idea extremely appealing.
He sighed and rolled toward the bathroom. “Eden, what the hell are you doing in—”
The bathroom was dark. He darted a look at the bedroom door, which stood open. A streak of panic burned through his gut. If she’d wandered the apartment, she’d seen Lily’s room. She’d seen Lily’s things. Damn, he wasn’t ready to go there. His housekeeper did an excellent job of picking up after Lily every day. Beckett always knew he could come home with the confidence that no one who didn’t already know Lily lived here, would ever guess. Which was how he wanted to keep things. For now.
“Eden?” He sat up and threw the sheet off. Panic morphed to fear. The fewer people who knew about Lily now, the better. He halted in the doorway and found the living area and the kitchen empty. His gaze fell on the door to Lily’s suite. A knot wound tight in his gut, and he whispered, “Fuck.”
Beckett turned back into the bedroom and reached for his boxer briefs on the floor. Probably not a conversation he wanted to have naked. But as he pulled them on, he noticed all the clothes on the floor were his. Nothing of Eden’s remained. No dress, no lingerie, no boots.
“What the hell?” He turned out of his room and cut through the living room toward Lily’s suite, calling Eden’s name with more than confusion in his voice. He wa
s using the tone he used when he was getting ready to set one of the guys straight. Felt the same tightness in his gut that swamped him when a ref made a bad call against his team. But he didn’t understand it.
He didn’t understand it until he turned into Lily’s room and found the suite as pristine as Mimi always left it. Pristine and empty.
Holding on to disbelief, he lifted his voice and made one last attempt. “Eden.”
The apartment remained silent. Eerily silent. And realization settled in. She’d left.
He stood in Lily’s room, hands on hips, staring at the carpet with a maddening whirl of panic and anger and an odd sense of hurt kicking up all kinds of dust inside him. He mentally scoured their conversations between sex. She didn’t have to work today. Didn’t have school today. She’d said she planned on studying all day. Said something about meeting a study partner in the afternoon.
Dammit, she’d agreed to have breakfast with him at his favorite Irish pub. Had salivated over his description of their Bailey’s Irish Cream French toast.
A sickening feeling settled in his gut. He moved back into the living room, looking around as if he’d find some reason for her early disappearance. But nothing about the pristine way Mimi always left the apartment had been disturbed.
Beckett’s mood had gone from white to black in the span of two minutes. He scraped a hand through his hair and let out a tight breath on his way to the fridge. Now his mind searched their night for something that had gone wrong. Something that would have made her leave without telling him. Without giving him any idea of where she lived or when he could see her again.
But as he opened the fridge and stared blankly inside, he couldn’t pull up any rough spots. Everything between them had been amazing. While they’d both stayed well away from deeply personal subjects, they’d never run out of conversation when their mouths weren’t busy in some other highly pleasurable way.