“More!” she shouted as she grabbed onto the headboard. “I want to feel you….”
And so he pumped, thrusting his hips. He was in so deep he couldn’t tell where he ended and she began. He was about to lose it, and he felt her tightening around him like a glove. The edge was so close…he tried to hold on, but he couldn’t. He let go, and pushed over the boundary line.
“Chrisssssssssss!” she shouted. ‘Oh dear god.”
The sound of her letting that pleasure wash over her cut the silence in the apartment.
He watched her as he pulled out of her, focusing on how she fell against the pillows. She was adorable, she was his and she was there, soft and comfortable in his arms. And until his phone rang early the next morning, he wasn’t letting her go.
Chapter Eleven
After Mel had woken up from the post-book coma, she found herself glued to the streaming video on her computer screen, watching the Empires games as live as she could get them. Once his games were over and he was back in his hotel room, she and Chris would talk, Skype, text or talk, win or lose. They joked about her cover art for the book that was coming out and how he’d managed to avoid getting hit by the flurry of hats that came his way despite the fact he was playing an away game. But nothing could compare to seeing him.
Which meant the first night he was back in New York, they had dinner at Darcy’s. It was safe—since Chris had agreed to start doing the pub’s books—comfortable and rather delicious. But after her burger, she looked at the dessert menu and decided she wanted something else. “I want a cupcake,” she said, grinning up at Chris. “And I saw a few places nearby.”
He nodded, signaled for the waitress. “Can we have the check, Caro?”
As the waitress returned with the check and they did their traditional stare down, before he rolled his eyes and paid, Mel realized beyond all else, she felt happy. Warm. Comfortable. Loved.
“You ready?” he asked, excitement in his eyes.
She nodded. “Absolutely.”
Together, they walked hand in hand out of the restaurant. “Feels good, doesn’t it?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said as pulled her closer and kissed her cheek. “It does.”
She giggled, and gave herself up to the moment, the feeling of walking down the cobblestone streets with him, towards the place she’d seen. Tiny shop, glass window, familiar joker in the window. “Here,” she said as she pulled him into the shop.
“Whoa.” He grinned, but followed her lead all the same. “A woman who knows what she wants. I like that muchly.”
“Like?” she wondered, her eyebrow raised as she gestured towards a display case filled with cupcakes of all sorts. “A woman who brings you this, and all you can say is like?”
This coaxed a full-bodied laugh out of him. “I might have a few other ‘l’ words to contribute to the discussion,” he returned, once he’d stopped laughing. “I mean there’s lemon, lickable….”
She rolled her eyes and grinned at the people behind the counter. “One lovely squiggle and one…something for the lummox over there.” She turned towards Chris. “What do you want?”
And in the middle of the silence, she stared in the direction of the lights that were coming through the glass and blinding her.
They’d been found.
She tried to breathe, tried to calm down but she failed miserably. Chris’s angry expression left as suddenly as it came, then his arms wrapped around her, pulling her towards him “Okay,” he whispered. “Okay. We’ll get out of this. I promise.”
“Yes. Yes,” she managed. “We’ll go when I nod.”
Then he turned back around, placed a twenty on the counter and focused on her. “Ready when you are, love.”
She was so nervous that she almost didn’t catch it. But it was there, and despite everything, those casual words hurt her heart the most.
*****
He grabbed her hand, watching her. At her nod, they broke out of the store, leaving their cupcakes behind. Forget the fucking icing, they needed safety from the disaster waiting outside. They busted through the barricades, the swarms of people in front of them. He knew these streets like the back of his hand, and kicked himself for not being smart enough to drive down.
He heard her breath, coming in quick gasps, and felt her hand tighten around his. They ducked around a corner, letting her breathe for a second. “The Elk isn’t that far from here,” he replied.
“Dammit,” she said, her words lost in the tears she was fighting. “All I wanted was a fucking cupcake. I’m sorry…”
He shook his head. He needed to cut off that argument immediately. “Not your fault.”
A small grim smile altered the planes of her face before he saw her take a deep breath and begin to pull herself together. “Let’s go,” she pronounced.
They ran through a few more alleyways, then opened a back door Bruce always kept unlocked in case of emergencies.
“Fucking hell,” Bruce said as he and Mel came through into the kitchen. “You two alright? You need anything?”
As Chris was about to answer, he saw Sousa running into the back. “You guys need to get out of here,” Sousa said, her words quick. “Kay just called…you’re all over the place and they’re trying to bust in here. Fuck knows what happened. But Al…Razor’s Al, put the word out. He said the guys by him’ll take you somewhere. Fucking hell.”
Mel looked at him, fear and worry on her face. “There’s one place I can think of.”
And as she took out her phone, Chris held his breath. He focused on his Melanie as she dialed a number and spoke into the phone. And when she put the phone back into her pocket, she met his eyes.
“Uncle Arnie said to come to him from wherever we are.”
He nodded. Now that their destination was set, they were ready. They had to go. And fast.
Chapter Twelve
The safety of Arnie Dawes’s apartment was something she hadn’t expected, but Melanie grabbed onto it with both hands.
“Thank you so much,” she replied. “I mean…”
“Of course, my dear,” Uncle Arnie said, smiling as he ushered them both into his study, closing the door behind them. He gestured to the couch and Chris guided her towards it, concern in his eyes. She must have looked awful to make him look like that.
“You can do whatever you both need,” Arnie said, as he continued to pace in front of the couch. “But I think the best thing would be to lay low for a while. And because the paparazzi seem to be on to you two, you won’t find any peace in the city or the surrounding areas. I can get you an airplane, a car and security.”
She looked at Chris and he seemed so lost, it hurt.
“Yeah,” he said. He squeezed her hand and stood up, leaving her alone on the couch to pace. “I think that’s a good idea.” And then he paused. “I’m not sure how far we need to go.”
She watched Arnie’s expression change from concerned to happily surprised. “Just across the border would be enough,” he said as he reached out to clap Chris on the shoulder. “I’m not suggesting the other side of the world.”
Chris shook his head, and sighed. “Yeah,” he said as he took his phone out of his pocket, a smile on his lips despite the desolation in his eyes. “I should probably make some calls.”
She nodded, looked up at him. “Yeah. I’m sorry…”
He stopped pacing and bent down in front of her. His sudden focus scared her. “This is not your fault,” he said as he ran a hand through her hair. “And I don’t want you blaming yourself. No matter what happens. Not your fault.” And then he kissed her, his focus changing from her mind to her mouth, his lips burning hers, his tongue invading, catching her almost unaware.”
And when he broke the kiss, he smiled at her in a way that made her insides melt.
“Not more in front of your uncle, Mel. But you needed that, and well,” he blushed. “I did too. Now I have an idea of where we can go.”
“Where?” She focused on him, saw the n
ervousness in his expression and knew this was going to be difficult.
“North of the border.” he replied. “In Canada, but I have to figure out exactly where.”
*****
Chris braced himself. It was going to be complicated. But dear god he had to do it, and so with Mel and his team owner looking at him, he dialed the long distance, international number and waited. Ring. Ring.
“Chris, what the heck is going on? Kayleigh called us, to warn us? You and this girl…caught by the paparazzi. What exactly have you done?”
“Mom, I…” He swallowed back the pending explosion. He couldn’t lose his mind like this, in front of both Mel and Arnie Dawes. His mother was freaking out. “The girl I’m with might be it. And she needs me.”
He took a breath, tried to take the words back, but the look on Mel’s face didn’t say scared, so it was okay.
“For fuck’s sake, JoAnn,” his father interjected before he could say anything more. “The boy’s been tortured enough. So has the girl.”
“Graham…”
The sound of his father’s voice as he made his presence known might have been enough to knock him senseless if he hadn’t already been sitting down.
“Now Christopher, you may think we don’t notice what you’ve done for the family, your siblings over the years, but we do. And what your mother is trying to say is that we can’t help you unless we know what you need.”
“I need a hideaway,” he began, getting to the heart of the matter. He’d react to the nuclear fallout of the discussion later. “Bryson’s using the cottage?”
“Don’t even go there,” his father said ruefully. “Your older brother’s in one of his moods.” Then he paused.
He knew his older brother’s moods, and hoped this installment wasn’t too serious. Just as he was about to ask, he heard his father’s voice.
“What about your grandfather Leroux’s place?”
“We never did anything with it,” his mother interjected. “It’s still in his name. Up in Ontario.”
And after little while, he hung up the phone, arrangements having been made. Then he looked at Mel and Mr. Dawes, both of whom stared at him with such faith. “We’re going to Ontario.”
Chapter Thirteen
Melanie was terrified. Chris had bailed them out. Arnie had bailed them out. Emily had bailed them out, making some sort of magic with both the Public Relations people at her publisher and the Empires. Even Pierre, a relative of the guy who owned the Poutine shop bailed them out! Pierre picked up the keys, aired out the cottage they’d be staying in and met them at the airport. And she, who had done nothing, sat there on the plane, shaking like a leaf, as the song said.
“Shhh,” Chris murmured in her ear. “It’s okay.”
“I don’t do this,” she replied. “I’m not like this. I’m stronger…I don’t…” And then the tears came, racing out of her eyes like someone had turned on a faucet. “I don’t sit on the sidelines as things fall apart around me. I take charge,” she managed between the incessant bawling.
“Just because you’re not taking charge for once doesn’t mean you’re not strong, Mel,” Chris replied, his voice soothing in her ears. “There’s so much you handle, so many situations where I would have blundered, still would, and you walk right through them with a smile on your face. This time’s mine.”
He paused, and she felt as he ran his fingers through her hair. She liked the way it felt.
“And by the way, love, just because I’m not losing it doesn’t mean I’m not freaking out.”
She tried to remember that as they snuggled in the cottage in front a blazing fire. They talked, laughed and shared so much of their stories. It felt so comfortable. And yet.
And yet through the course of his storytelling, she noticed a common thread. Nobody really, extensively, had ever taken care of him. And that, she decided, needed to change.
*****
It was early, just starting to get light outside. Chris couldn’t sleep anymore, and so he kissed Mel’s shoulder and carefully got out of bed, throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt he’d casually left on the floor of the bedroom they were sharing. Yanking on a pair of boots, he headed outside to the Jacuzzi Pierre assured him still worked. He needed a soak.
The air was chilly, biting but perfect. He took a deep breath, and soaked in how pure it was. God this was good. Bad circumstances but good all the same; a getaway from everything with Mel by his side. But soon life would intrude. He headed over to the Jacuzzi, pressed the button and, within moments, Pierre’s prognosis proved true as the bubbling began.
After waiting for a while he undressed, letting the air briefly hit his skin before he practically took a leap into the bubbling tub and settled in for a soak. It was wonderful.
*****
Melanie woke up when she rolled over and didn’t collide with the large body of the guy who was sharing her bed. She stretched, sated, wondering where Chris had gone. She missed him. Wanted him. And decided she needed to go and get him.
She got out of bed, covered her body with the nearest blanket and headed into the kitchen. She’d take a look, she decided before going back to sleep, or not.
Stepping into the kitchen, she didn’t see him moving around, but she caught sight of something outside, on the porch. The Jacuzzi.
Grinning at the prospect and the possibilities she could envision, she ran back to the bedroom. Then she grabbed a condom, ran back to the kitchen and opened the sliding door that separated the kitchen from the porch. And after taking a deep, bracing breath, she stepped through.
Quick footsteps took her to the Jacuzzi. Despite the fact she was moving quickly, she still was freezing her ass off. “Holy fuck, it’s cold!” she exclaimed. She put the wrapped condom in her teeth, electing to keep her hands free enough to clutch the flimsy blanket to her naked body.
“It’s March in rural Ontario. Of course it’s fucking freezing,” Chris replied, grinning at her, as he stood up from the tub. He was hard, big and ready. “Want to warm up? I’m all ready for you.”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she returned, grinning back at him after Chris had taken the condom.
As she dropped the sheet and sank into the tub, she watched Chris put on the condom and found herself, once again, rather thrilled at the size of his cock.
“Let’s get warm,” he said as he sank into the tub, the warm, bubbling water making her hot.
This time, she grabbed his good shoulder and, as they floated in the center of the tub, put her legs around his waist. “This way,” she purred as she sheathed him. Holding him tightly, there was motion, friction deep within, his cock rubbing against her inner walls, the water bubbling around them pulling them closer. Pulling, pushing, closer, faster, harder, his breath against her, her heart flying…
And then they fell over the edge, together, not wanting this moment to end.
She felt his hands massaging, touching. This was perfect, this was simply perfect. He was so…god. She knew this would end, knew they’d have to go back to New York and she’d have to let him go. Because as the new book came out, she would become the public loudmouth ‘Girl in the Lace Corset’ once more, and he didn’t deserve to lose his career because of her. He didn’t deserve to be forced into her shadows. And that’s what broke her heart.
But that would be later. Now, she luxuriated in his arms. She wouldn’t let him go until he got called to join the team, and not one minute before that.
Chapter Fourteen
The Call came early in the morning. Melanie was put on a plane to New York, and no amount of discussion would convince her otherwise. In the end, he couldn’t argue with her need to edit any more than she could argue with his need to meet his team. And because she wouldn’t consider that kind of thing, he had to respect her wishes.
But that departure wasn’t the only thing on his mind. In fact, Chris arrived at the team hotel in Toronto with a nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach that had nothing to do wi
th Mel. The message left on his voicemail was unexpectedly ominous. And so he was looking for Assistant Coach Jim MacArthur, who everybody on the team called ‘Mac’, instead of Coach Michaels himself as he headed into the lobby.
“Coach wants to see you,” Mac said as soon as they spotted each other.
He nodded, taking the folder with the check-in information and the room key. Same information, different hotel, he noted as he paged through it, grinning. Then he focused on the fact he’d been instructed to see his coach. “Everything okay?”
He knew Mac wasn’t exactly going to elaborate, but he figured he should probably ask him anyway.
“Good luck, Emerson.”
The usually stoic Mac had an expression he couldn’t decipher, which once again, was bad news. “Thanks, Mac,” he replied, smiling back despite the churning in his stomach, hefting his bag as he headed to the room number the coach had written on a slip of paper.
The feeling of dread didn’t go away, even as he rode the elevator up to the meeting room and his destiny. His feet sank into the carpeted floor as he tried to mentally prepare himself for what was going to happen…for what he knew awaited him on the other side of the door. And when he got to the right one, he knocked.
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