“Will do, Mom, and thanks, we’ll be over in a few hours.”
“See you guys then,” she says, then hangs up the call.
“See, I told you we had nothing to worry about. My mom’s got our backs.”
“If you say so, sötnos.”
“I love it when you call me that,” I tell him, wrapping my arms back around him. “I could listen to you talk in Swedish all day. I might not understand a word of what you’re saying, but it’s so beautiful to listen to.”
“I could teach you some. Then you could practice it by talking to my mom and sisters. Maybe come to Sweden with me next summer.”
“I’d love that,” I tell him, excited he’s thinking long-term and into the future.
Chapter Nine
Beckett
“Mom, Dad!” Julia calls out as we walk into her parents’ house. The smells of a huge Christmas Eve feast greet us, and my longing to be back home hits me hard. It’s moments like these that I really miss my own family. “We’re here.”
“Who’s with you?” I hear Matt call out as we round the corner, stepping into a large kitchen. “Oh, hi, Beckett,” he greets me, holding out his hand for me to shake.
“Coach,” I state, accepting his hand. I make sure my grip is firm. Since I’m not here as a member of his team, but as someone interested in dating his daughter, I need to make sure he knows I’m serious about her.
“Daddy,” Julia says, stepping between the two of us and engulfing her dad in a hug, before she places a kiss on his cheek.
“Hi, sweetheart. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Dad.” She looks back at me, giving me a small, yet confident smile. “Dad, I want to introduce you to my boyfriend,” she says, now smiling up at him as she steps back and leans against me.
My hand instantly goes around her waist and rests on her hip, my fingertips curling against her abdomen. I watch his eyes follow the movement as her words sink in.
“Is that so?” he states, a little sternly, looking us up and down. When his eyes land on Julia’s face and he sees the smile that fills it, his own expression softens and his demeanor changes.
Matt looks at me, dead in the eyes. “I expect you to be respectful of my daughter, to treat her right.”
“Yes, sir,” I tell him, never dreaming of doing anything different.
“All right,” he says, reaching out to cup my shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. “So, how long has this been going on?”
“We’ve been friends since that day you called me in to check his knee out, but we’ve only been dating since yesterday. He finally gave in to my charms, after months of trying to convince him that you wouldn’t have him traded.”
“I’d be an idiot to have you traded.” He raises an eyebrow. “But don’t hurt my daughter, and it won’t even be something on my radar.”
“Not going to happen,” I tell both Matt and Julia, then drop a kiss to her temple.
We move into the living room and are joined by her two brothers, who I met this summer when they’d come in to practice with Matt and me occasionally, as well at the two billet kids Matt and Bridget host.
With as many hockey players that are in the house, the conversation tends to stay on hockey most of the day and is very relaxed. I watch how Julia moves from conversation to helping her mom seamlessly. She can hold her own when it comes to discussing hockey with everyone.
“Did you have fun today?” Julia asks later, as we lay in her bed, wrapped up in each other.
“I did. It went better than I thought it was going to,” I tell her, kissing the top of her head, which is tucked against my bare chest.
“I told you it was going to be just fine.”
“You did,” I agree with her. “I still was worried, and I’m sorry that it took me so long to get here.”
“You’re forgiven. And I understand not wanting to risk your job, but I’m glad you finally saw my side of things,” she says, laughing.
I flip her over and under me, sliding down slightly so we’re nose to nose. “I’d rather show you how sorry I am. Make it up to you.”
I nuzzle my nose into the crook of her shoulder and my lips find the skin of her neck as I tease her. Julia’s long legs wrap around my hips, holding me to her as I grind against her. It’s a damn good thing my stamina is strong from all the time I spend on the ice, otherwise I’d be a dead man for how much I constantly want her.
“I like this plan,” she says, giggling as I tickle her neck, until she’s moaning and lifting her hips, seeking contact. I pull away slightly, causing her to whine. “Don’t stop.”
“Don’t worry, kärlek, I’ve got no plans on stopping.”
“Say that again, I don’t think you’ve called me that before.”
“Kärlek,” I whisper into her ear. “It means love, but not in the sense of telling someone you love them, like me calling you love as a term of endearment.”
Her answering smile tells me she loves it and my heart beats faster. I don’t know what this girl is doing to me, but I’m falling, and falling fast. She’s got a grip on me and has me kicking myself in the ass for holding out for so long.
I bring my lips back to hers, kissing her hard. Julia opens to me right away and I explore her mouth like it’s the first time. I kiss my way down her body, peeling off her tank top so I can get to her glorious tits. She seriously has the best I’ve ever seen, touched, or had the pleasure of enjoying—not that the number is high, but they’re still the best ones. I pay close attention to both, learning from the way her body responds to me. I kiss my way down to her panties and pull them off with my teeth, exposing her beautiful body completely to me.
“You’re perfect,” I tell her as I look my fill over her naked body.
“So you say.” She reaches out to me, beckoning me closer as I sit on my haunches at the end of the bed. I stand first and take off my boxers, then slide back onto the bed and between her legs.
“Is this what you wanted?” I ask, just before licking up her slit, circling her clit with the tip of my tongue.
“Y-y-yes.” She pants out on a moan as I suck her clit between my lips. I press my hips against the bed as my cock hardens, wanting nothing more than to sink into her pussy. “D-don’t stop!” she cries out as I release her clit.
I slip my fingers through her folds, circling her entrance before I slide two fingers deep inside. I curl them up until I find that small rough spot that makes her walls contract around me. I suck her clit back into my mouth, never letting up with my fingers until her legs are curling around my head and her pussy is convulsing around my fingers, practically trying to break my hand in the process. I can feel her body as the orgasm takes over and then starts to let up when her body goes limp on the bed. I slide my fingers from her and place one last kiss against her clit before I move up her body, resting next to her while she enjoys the high from her orgasm. I stroke my cock a few times while I wait, using the precum that’s leaked out as lubricant.
“Let me do that for you.” Julia’s gritty, lust-filled voice breaks the silence in the room as she replaces my hand with her own. The tenderness of her skin against my hard cock has me gritting my teeth as I hold back from coming right now in her hand.
I roll us so she’s on top of me, pulling her until she is straddling my waist. My cock is pinned between us, and she shifts her hips back and forth, allowing it to slide between her wet folds, teasing her clit.
“Do you want a condom?” she asks me.
“No,” I tell her honestly. After the time in the shower this morning, I’d be happy never going back to sex with one. The intense feeling of fucking her without one was mind-blowing. I’d never experienced that, and it changed things, made it that much better.
She lifts her hips up and slowly sinks down on my cock. My eyes roll back in my head as each inch disappears deeper inside her. I can feel as her walls flutter around me as she adjusts to my size. She stills once I’m fully seated inside, but only for a few seconds.
She lifts up and slides back down, riding my cock as she finds a pace that works well for both of us. I let her take control, only bringing my hands to her ass to help aid her so she doesn’t tire out before finding her release. I lean forward and suck a nipple into my mouth, flicking it with my tongue as she moans and rides my cock, her thrusts becoming a little more frantic and harder. The noise of our sweaty skin slapping against each other and our mutual moans of satisfaction fill the room.
Julia slows her thrusts as she slides off of my lap, pulling me along with her to the edge of the bed. I stand as she places her ass right on the edge of the mattress and wraps her legs around my waist. I line my cock up with her pussy and watch as I push inside her. The moan that escapes her mouth as I hit her deeply spurs my own lust and I pound my hips into her. Her legs slide up, and she wraps her feet around my neck. This new angle allows me to push in a little deeper.
“Beck!” she cries out as I thrust hard, probably harder than I ever have. I can feel the sweat rolling down my back. “Yes! Right there!”
“Come, baby,” I tell her, strumming her clit with my thumb as I do my best to hold back my own orgasm. The second I feel her walls tighten around me, I let go and thrust hard as my body releases jet after jet of cum. Her legs fall to the side and I collapse forward. My forehead rests on the bed, just above her shoulder, as I suck in deep breath after deep breath. My cock finally stops twitching inside her and I slowly pull out.
“We really need to remember some towels,” she says with a laugh as she stands and shuffles off to the bathroom to try and clean up. I follow her, grabbing my toiletry bag along the way, then wait at the doorway for her to finish her business before I do my own.
We both slide back into bed, naked and sated from our mutual releases. Julia is curled up against my side, her head resting back on my chest and my arm around her. I lazily run my fingertips along the skin of her lower back and hip, loving the feel of it beneath the roughness of the calluses that have formed after all the years of playing hockey. I look over at the clock and see it’s now well past midnight, making it the early hours of Christmas.
“Merry Christmas, sötnos,” I whisper to her, not knowing if she’s fallen asleep yet and not wanting to wake her if she has.
“Merry Christmas, Beckett,” she tells me, then lifts up and kisses me. We keep it lazy, not needing to push it into anything else, not that either of us has the energy right now for another round.
We eventually break apart and fall asleep, wrapped up in each other.
Chapter Ten
Julia
“Merry Christmas!” I yell out as Beckett and I walk into my parents’ house around nine the next morning. I’ve always loved the holidays. Not just because my parents always made sure to make it special for my brothers and I growing up, but because my dad was always at home, thanks to the few days’ holiday break. He wasn’t always home for birthdays or school events, due to the team’s travel schedule, but he was always present for Christmas and I loved it. I was always a daddy’s girl growing up, and not much has changed as I’ve entered adulthood.
“Morning, baby.” Dad greets me with a half-hug as we walk into the living room. My mom has laid out a spread of donuts and fruit, along with coffee and juice for everyone, another one of our traditions. My hands are full of presents, as are Beckett’s, as he helped me carry in everything I bought for everyone.
“Let me help you with those,” Dad offers, taking some of the items from my hands and setting them down by the large Christmas tree that fills the front window. I love the way my mom decorates the house each year.
“Thanks. Are the boys up yet?” I ask, excited to get to the opening of presents. What can I say, I’m still a kid at heart.
“They’re starting to move.” Dad laughs at my excitement. “I’m surprised you two weren’t here a few hours ago,” he tells Beckett. “This one used to try and wake us up around four in the morning on Christmas when she was younger.”
“I’m not that bad anymore,” I state, smacking his arm in protest.
“I agree. We had to create a rule that she couldn’t wake anyone up until at least six thirty.” My dad laughs as he pulls me into his arms, his eyes alight with nostalgia.
“I’ll keep that in mind for future years,” Beckett says, and I melt just a little at his ease of talking about the future.
I leave Beckett and my dad in the living room and wander into the kitchen to see if my mom needs any help this morning. Knowing her, she’s already working on the feast she’s planning for later today. I believe she invited a few more of the players over who didn’t have any family to spend the day with after I’d asked her about Beckett.
“Merry Christmas, Mom,” I greet her. “Need any help?”
“Merry Christmas, Jules. How are you this morning?”
“I’m good,” I reply, a small smile playing on my lips.
“Smitten looks good on you,” she states, and I can feel the blush creeping up my cheeks. “He’s good to you?”
“Nothing but a gentleman. I got to talk to his family yesterday when they FaceTimed him. It was fun to see him interact with them. I could tell he was missing them, especially since they were all together for their big family holiday,” I tell her. “It made me glad that he was spending the day with us. I can’t imagine how lonely it must be to be so far away from your family for so long. It sucked for me just being a few hours away when I was at school. I couldn’t imagine not being able to just hop in my car and drive home when I wanted to.”
“It can be hard, but he’s been here in the States for what, five years or so? I’m sure he’s used to it by now,” she reminds me.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m going to go rouse the boys,” I tell my mom. “I’m ready to open presents!”
She laughs at my excitement. “Of course, you are.”
I kiss her on the cheek, then clamber up the steps to my brothers’ rooms.
“Get your lazy asses up,” I yell at my brothers, knocking on their doors loudly before opening them up and flipping lights on.
“Jules,” they both groan at me.
“Jules nothing,” I call into their rooms. “Time to get up and open presents! Don’t you want to see what I got for both of you?” The other two doors open and Reed and Isaac come stumbling out. “Sorry to wake you guys. But we’ve got presents to open!” I excitedly tell them both.
“No problem,” Reed says as he pulls a t-shirt on over his head.
“I promised my mom I’d FaceTime with her this morning, so I’m sure they’re waiting on me anyways,” Isaac tells me as he holds up his phone.
About a half hour later, we’ve finally got everyone into the living room and seated. Both Reed and Isaac’s parents sent stuff to my mom to wrap for them, and I’m pretty sure my mom also bought them a few things. My dad starts handing out presents, his traditional job. Once everyone has something to open—Beckett included, much to his shock—we all start tearing into them.
An hour or so later, the room is littered with piles of opened gifts and bags filled with the wrapping paper. “Do you like your gifts?” I ask Beckett.
“Yes. You didn’t have to get me anything. I feel bad not having gotten you anything,” he tells me as I lean over to kiss him.
“You gave me my present this morning,” I whisper against his lips and watch as his eyes dilate.
“Sötnos, don’t remind me in mixed company,” he says, his eyes dropping quickly to the bulge that’s growing in his pants. I smile sweetly at him, letting him know I noticed it myself.
“Later,” I say, dropping another peck against his lips.
“Don’t make me break the two of you apart,” my dad barks from his seat on the couch across the room. I look up and see a shit-eating grin on his face and know he’s just giving us a hard time.
“None of that now,” my mom jumps in and comes to our defense. “If I’m not mistaken, someone was just like that when we were their age.”
“Yeah,�
�� he pretend grumbles, the humor still evident in his voice.
“What’s your favorite thing?” I ask Beckett, turning the conversation back to him and me.
“I don’t even know yet,” he says, looking at the things he got.
My mom got all the guys personalized toiletry kits with their names embroidered on them. I’d picked up a new case for Beckett’s phone since his current one was cracked, along with a few small trinkets. I also got him some candies, travel items he can take with him on his road trips, and I texted Jill yesterday to have a picture she snapped of us the night we went to the escape room printed and framed. She dropped it at my place yesterday while we were here at my parents’ house and I brought it with me today.
“Probably this.” He picks up the frame. “I don’t even remember this being taken.”
“Jill is sneaky like that,” I tell him.
“When did you have it printed?”
“Jill did it for me yesterday. Snuck it into my apartment while we were gone,” I tell him. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Sneaky woman,” he says, bringing me in for a quick kiss.
“Get used to it,” I tell him, pulling back.
We all kick back and relax as the boys open some of their presents, putting on one of the Xbox games they got from my parents. The guys all take turns playing each other for the next few hours. I take the time to set up my new kindle my parents bought me, replacing the one I’ve had for years that was starting to not hold a charge.
We graze on the spread of food Mom set out for lunch, all holding out for the big feast she’s made for dinner. Mid-afternoon, a few more of the single guys arrive, joining in on the Xbox game-playing and visiting with everyone.
“Are you getting lost in the story?” Beckett asks, as he lowers down to the recliner I’m curled up in, that’s in the den. I’ve got a blanket covering my legs and lap, and am nice and cozy.
The Hardest Shot: Indianapolis Eagles Series Book 7 Page 9