“Hey, Brody,”
I don’t let him finish. “Do we know anything yet?”
“No, I haven’t received anything.”
“Shit.” I run my hands through my hair. “Do me a favor? Get whoever you need to and get confirmation that she’s pregnant. I need to know this as soon as possible.”
“Brody, what’s the rush?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because some evil person is trying to ruin my life and extort money from me. Maybe that’s the rush?” My blood is boiling now. How dare he ask me such a childish question? He should understand why I’m angry and in a rush to end this whole situation.
“Fine, I’ll find out as soon as I can and call you back.” He disconnects the call, and I almost throw my phone across the room. I only want someone to prove to me that she isn’t carrying my child, and that I won’t have to have her in my life anymore.
“Who pissed in your cheerios?” I turned to see Bradley and Selene standing in the doorway.
I groan. “My stupid ass lawyer hasn’t gotten any proof yet whether Jessica’s knocked up or not.”
I see the sadness in Selene’s eyes immediately. I’m such an ass. I’m not thinking about her, not the way I should be. I need to do something to make it up to her. I should show her how much I care about her and make a night about her.
“Hey, bro, why don’t you and I go have some brotherly time?” Bradley asks.
“Um.” I look between her and my brother.
“I’m going to hang out with Allison at her house,” Selene explains.
“Why aren’t you at work?” I realize that it’s still early afternoon, and she shouldn’t be home yet.
“Had some personal time.” She shrugs like it’s not a big deal. I’ve noticed that lately she’s been taking time off, and it worries me. “It’s fine. Go have some brother time. I’m going to have some girl time. All this Swedish testosterone around me is making me nervous.” She walks over and kisses my cheek.
I didn’t want her to go, but she’s right. We’ve not left her side in days. I eventually nod, and Bradley walks her out the door and watches her go to her house. I don’t move from my spot because if I do, I will run to her and not let her go.
“Grab your skates and sticks, Brody.” Bradley slaps my shoulder as he heads to my hall closet. “We’re going to go work out these issues.”
“What issues?”
My twin gives me a pointed look. “What issues?” he repeats. “Brody, I know you better than anyone else. Trust me, I know that something is going on in that head of yours.” He grabs a bag and heads out the door. I grab my hockey bag and follow him.
Bradley drives to the rink, and I don’t say one word on the way. I only stare out the window, watching everything zoom by me. How could my life be fucked up and perfect at the same time?
We park outside the practice rink and go in. I’ve had a key to the rink since I was made captain. I unlock the door, walk in, and turn on the lights as we go through. We both sit on the bench and lace our skates. Bradley grabs the sticks and hits the ice. I watch him do a couple laps. He should be in the NHL. His speed is remarkable. We played when we were young, but he never had a goal to be in the NHL like I did. I grab a puck and the other stick and jump on the ice with him.
“Ready?” Bradley asks with a smirk.
“Bring it,” I joke back. With that, we start playing one-on-one.
Shot after shot and Bradley constantly stealing the puck from me, the next hour is exactly what I need. Even the practice with the team can’t compare to spending time with my brother. We hardly talk through our game. As I drive the Zamboni over the ice, Bradley sits on the bench, putting new tape on the sticks. When I’m all done, I sit next to him, looking out at the fresh sheet of ice.
“Talk, Brody. You can’t keep it all inside.” Bradley’s right.
“I feel like it’s all falling apart,” I say quietly.
“How so?”
I take a deep breath before answering. “This whole Jessica situation is driving me crazy. I still don’t know if she is really pregnant. On top of that, what the fuck am I going to do if she is? I don’t want to have a kid with her. I mean, I’ll love and take care of the kid, but I don’t want to be with her.”
“Who do you want that with?” he asks.
“Selene,” I answer instantly.
Bradley chuckles. “Brody, I’m so glad that you found Selene.”
My forehead wrinkles in confusion. “Why?”
“Honestly, I was becoming concerned about you. You were bouncing into every single girl’s bed that you could find. I didn’t think you would ever fall in love. But,” he looks over at me, “when I saw you with Selene the first time, I knew that you were in true love.”
I stare into my mirror image, and I’m in shock. He saw that I was in love with Selene? It’s almost the same thing Kris told me the other day.
“Don’t you think it’s a little strange for me to have all these feeling for her so fast?” I ask.
Bradley shakes his head. “No. I mean, look at Mom and Dad, they fell in love the first night together. They tell us that all the time.”
I nod. I can remember the story. They both swear the first time they saw each other, it was instant love. I always thought it was strange, but now, thinking of Selene, I can understand it.
“Oh shit,” I announce.
“What?”
I look back out at the ice. I love her. I’m truly, one-hundred percent, in love with Selene. I want her in my life, all the time, every moment.
“What is it, Brody? You’re as white as a ghost.” Bradley’s voice brings me back to the reality that I want to be in.
“I’m in love with Selene,” I tell him.
“I thought we established that already.” Bradley looks confused.
“No, I mean, I’m really in love with her,” I tell him adamantly.
“Yes, I know this,” he says in the same tone as I had.
I put my head in my hands. It’s a like fog had been covering my eyes, and now it’s lifted. It’s perfectly clear. “What am I going to do?” I ask aloud, not meaning to.
“Brody, you’re going to love her and take care of her.”
I run my hands through my hair. He’s right, and that’s what I’m going to do. “I’m ready to go home.”
“Fine, I’ll take you to Selene’s.” My brother gives me a huge smile. I love him for reading my mind.
~
Bradley pulls my car behind Selene’s in her driveway. I have to restrain myself from running in there, sweeping her into my arms, and having sex with her right then. We walk into the house, and I hear her laugh. There’s a twitch in my pants that brings a small grin to my face. I walk into the kitchen where she and Allison are sitting at the table. My heart actually skips a beat when she looks up at me.
“Hey, guys. Did you have fun?” Selene smiles at us.
“We did,” Bradley answers. “Hey Allison, are you hungry?”
Allison’s eyes widen a bit. “Um, actually yeah, Selene and I were just deciding where to eat.”
“Well, how about you take out a Swedish tourist to a nice restaurant for some real American food?” Bradley flashes a bright smile, and I roll my eyes.
“Only if you’re buying.” She stands and grabs her purse from the back of the chair.
“Deal.” He sticks his elbow out, and she takes it. Both of them leave without as much as a goodbye to Selene or me.
“Well, that was interesting.” Selene giggles, standing up and clearing the glasses off of the table.
I don’t say anything, only follow behind her to the sink. I wrap my hands around her shoulders pressing her against the counter.
“I’ve missed you.” I push my hips against her, whispering into her ear.
“Brody,” she breathes out.
“I know that you’ve missed me too.” I lightly rub my hands up and down her shoulders.
“And how do you know that?” She giggles q
uietly.
“Let’s say it’s a lucky guess.” I chuckle in her ear right before I take her earlobe into my mouth and gently bite down on it. She moans and pushes back against my hips.
“Brody, tell me that you want me.” A moment ago, her voice was full of lust, and now it almost sounds sad.
I step back and turn her around, facing me. “I’m going to say this, and I want you to hear me out before you say one word, okay?”
She nods.
I cup her face in my hands and look deeply into her beautiful eyes. “I love you, Selene. I know that it’s quick, and yes, at first I thought you were a stalker, but our first night together and the arrangement that we made was the most incredible night for me. I never thought that I would ever love anyone after my heart was broken, but you showed me that my shattered love could be healed. On top of that, you were the one person I’ve always been looking for.” I can see the tears in her eyes.
“Are you about to ask me to marry you?” Her eyes widen slightly.
“Would you say yes?” I blurt it out before I can stop myself, and my heart stops for a moment.
“Not this time.” She gives me a small smile, and there’s hope that if I ask again, she might say yes.
I kiss her lips hard. I want to be inside of her badly. I need to feel her naked under me. When I finally break from her, her lips are red, swollen, and her eyes are full of lust.
“I want you,” I say to her.
“Not in the kitchen please. I just disinfected everything.”
I chuckle at her, take her by the hand, and lead her to the bedroom. Bonkers is on the bed, chewing on a ball. He perks up, wags his tail, and looks at me.
“Out, Bonkers,” I command, and the dog grabs his toy and leaves the room.
“My dog listens to you better than me. That’s a little sad,” Selene says, walking over to the bed, taking off her shirt.
“Stop,” I tell her as she’s about to unsnap her jeans.
“Oh, I’m sorry, captain Ross. Do you want to undress me?” Her voice is seductive.
“Yes, I do.” I grab the front of her jeans and jerk her to me. “If you thought for a millisecond that I never wanted you, by the time I’m done with you, you’ll never forget it.”
“I’m liking the sound of this.” She winks at me.
With that, I pull her jeans down quickly and guide her to the bed, pushing her onto it, removing them all the way along with her panties. I kiss up her calves, to her thighs, and pay close attention to each of her hips. I spread her legs apart and hear her moan my name.
I don’t know what it is about my name coming from her lips that drives me insane, but it makes me want her more. I begin to suck her, and the taste of her sweetness is on my tongue. She’s the one I want forever. I lick her deeply, pushing my two fingers into her. Her hips arch as she digs her hands through my hair, pulling me closer to her.
I keep sucking, licking, and pushing into her until I can feel her tighten around me. Selene’s saying my name louder, and I know that she is close, so I stop. I stand up and remove my shirt as the woman I love lays on the bed, trying to come down from the sexual fog that she’s in. I remove the rest of my clothes and slip on a condom. I pull Selene into an upright position and take off her bra. I can still feel her shaking.
“Lay on your stomach,” I tell her.
“Trying something new?” she bites down on her lip.
“Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.”
She doesn’t say anything as she positions herself on the bed. I crawl up behind her, kissing up her spine, feeling the chills pulsating through her. I tease her with my tip gently stroking her.
“Brody,” she pleads, and I push into her. She cries out as I pull out and thrust again. I repeat this several times as I watch her cling to the headboard.
My body needs more of her. I pump faster into her as she yells out my name over and over. I can feel myself about to lose it as she grows tight around me. I lay my body to match hers and unclasp her hands from the headboard, lacing our fingers together. I hold onto her as she buries her face into the pillow and yells my name.
“Fuck,” is the only thing I can say as I feel myself release. It takes everything I have to hover over her because I’m shaking. Finally, I pull out and roll off of her. Selene doesn’t move, she just turns her head to me.
“Well, I definitely won’t forget that,” she says between breaths.
All I can do is laugh at the woman I love.
Chapter Nineteen
Selene
“God, I love you,” Brody murmurs as he nuzzles my neck.
I smile. I can’t help it. A giddy feeling arises within me as he presses a kiss against my shoulder. What is it about him that when he says he loves me, I feel like I should go skipping or go twirling in circles in a field of wildflowers with glee? The best part is that he’s saying it because he wants me to know. Simple as that. There isn’t an expectation for me to say it back either. I want to tell him how I feel, so badly, but I’m holding back for some reason.
Brody lifts his head suddenly, a matching smile on his face. “Why are you grinning like that, Selene?”
“No reason in particular,” I lie.
His grin widens, recognizing my fib. “Are you sure it’s not because of what I said? About the fact that I love you?” Is he addicted to saying those three words to me? Because it’s like he can’t help himself.
“You see,” I start, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I already knew that, but thanks for saying it.” Thanks for saying it? How lame am I? Why can’t I tell him already? It doesn’t seem to faze Brody, though.
He places a kiss on the tip of my nose and says, “You’re welcome. Let’s go shower and get dressed. We’re going out.”
“Out where?” I ask, curious.
“Out.” He grins. “C’mon.”
“I need to know where so I know how to dress, Brody.”
He huffs like this is such a trying subject. “Wear whatever you’d like, Selene. You’ll be beautiful either way and as long as you have clothes on, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“How about this, you go to my closet and pick something out for me?”
Brody nods. I take a shower while he sifts through the clothes hanging up. With extra care, I shave, ensuring that my legs are as smooth as possible. Excitement runs through me, wondering what Brody will choose. I’ve never had a guy pick out my clothes before. Is he choosing my outfit based solely on where we are going or how he thinks I’ll look in it? Or maybe on what he will want to take off when we get back from wherever we are going?
When I emerge from the bathroom, Brody isn’t in my room, but I think I can hear water running from down the hall. He must have gone to that bathroom to take a shower. On my bed, he’s laid out what I’ll be wearing tonight. It’s a light gray dress that I’ve worn to a couple of events I’ve had to go to for my father. It’s borderline inappropriate for a business event as it hugs my body and the neckline plunges between my breasts. I usually wear a long necklace with it though. The dress has sleeves that stop above the elbows, and its length is just to my knees.
Returning to my bathroom, the towel still wrapped around my body, I dry my hair first. I think I’ll wear my knee-high, black suede, high-heeled boots and a black, button up coat with the dress. Sounds from down the hall drift down to my room as I slip on the dress. For a moment, I wonder if that really is Brody. What if he went home to get ready instead? What if that’s not him?
Absolutely hating myself, I call out, “Brody? That is you, right?”
“Yeah, babe,” he replies.
Relief floods me at hearing his voice. It was ridiculous to think that it wasn’t him, but I wanted to be sure anyway. While I go back to getting ready, he slips into the room, leaning against the doorframe, but I don’t realize it until he speaks.
“I think I did a good job,” he says, those blue eyes raking over my body in appreciation. I smile and when his eyes finally reach mine, he adds, “I’m
heading to my place for a minute, okay? I won’t be long.”
“Okay. I’ll be ready by the time you get back.”
Brody nods, walks over to kiss my temple, almost looking concerned, and then leaves to go next door. I ignore any reasons why he may be concerned. Not going there right now. Instead, I’m going to lotion myself up, put on my makeup, and finish so I will indeed be ready. Before we go, I have to let Bonkers out. I stand just inside the door, watching him through the glass and hating that I have to leave him.
The clicking of a door shutting causes my heart to constrict as it shoves its way up my throat. I turn to find Brody and my heart slowly makes its way back down. I hate my reaction, but I’m not going to think about it. Brody walks over to me, looking rather handsome. He’s wearing black slacks and a white, buttoned-up collared shirt with the first few buttons undone.
“Ready?” he questions.
“Almost. Waiting on Bonkers.” My smile doesn’t feel real, even to me. My heart is still going a mile a minute. This is absurd. He only left me alone for a few minutes, and his return has my heart going crazy and my hands trembling.
Brody notices me shiver slightly as a chill runs down my back. His brows bunch, his lips dip in a frown, and he steps forward, running his hands up and down my arms. “Are you cold, Selene?”
“No. Just a chill in the air, I guess.” Thankfully, Bonkers starts heading our way. I let him in, pat his head, and then Brody leads me outside to his car.
When he takes my hand, everything apart from us and this moment disappears. Right now, life only consists of Brody and me and our plans for this evening. Perfection. I feel like I need to absorb every detail, starting with his hand. It’s rough with callouses, warm, and allows mine to fit perfectly inside his. I turn in my seat a little, taking in his features as he drives.
His jawline is smooth and strong, leading to a chin that slightly juts outward. Even his nose looks strong. How can a nose look strong? It sharpens the outline of this side view of his face. Light-colored eyelashes move as he blinks and his hair is smoothed away from his face. Finally, my eyes venture to those red lips, my favorite. They lift as he smiles, and he glances over at me.
A Hockey Player's Proposal (Oh Captain, My Captain #2) Page 13