“Okay, then. Thank you for believing in me.”
“That’s something you can be grateful to me for.” I shook my head and laughed over how stubborn he could be. “Now that we’ve got that settled, what do you want to do tonight?”
He shrugged and tilted his head to the side. “That’s up to you, babe. Today was all about me. It’s only fair for you to pick now.”
I bit my bottom lip and glanced up at the big-screen television. “This is probably going to sound dumb, but I’d really like to just stay here and chill. We can log in to one of my streaming services to pick stuff to watch and order in food when we get hungry. The hotel has room service or there are restaurants nearby that I’m sure offer delivery.”
“You don’t have to twist my arm to get me to cuddle up with you all evening,” he agreed with a grin.
It didn’t take us long to pick a show neither of us had seen that had a bunch of seasons with tons of episodes. Instead of ordering from a restaurant, I pulled up the app for the grocery delivery service we used back home and ordered popcorn, pop, candy, sub sandwiches, chips, and pickles. We spent the next several hours absorbed in a fictional world filled with hot as heck Vikings. There were more than a few awkward sexy moments on the screen when my heart raced. By the time we were on the sixth episode, my panties were drenched. Worried that Corby would notice because of how we were positioned on the couch, I jumped up and asked, “Do you need anything?”
“Yeah.” I let out a little squeal when he stood and dropped his hands down to my butt to lift me straight off my feet. “You.”
When I wrapped my legs around his waist, my pussy pushed against his hard length. A deep groan rumbled up his chest, and he tightened his hold on me. Striding through the living area and into the bedroom, he carried me over to the side of the bed as though I weighed nothing. Then he ground himself against me before twisting around and falling on the mattress with my body on top of his.
“Dang, all those workouts really paid off if you can pick me up like that.” I pressed my hands against his chest to lift myself up a little so I could peer down at him.
“Nah, babe. That was nothing. I do a lot of weight training and pull-ups to make sure it isn’t easy to knock me off the puck. Compared to my workouts, you barely weigh anything.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “That was a nice attempt at flattery, but you don’t need to worry about telling me pretty words so I’ll like you. Spoiler alert—I already do.”
He cupped my face in his palms, staring me straight in the eyes. “I don’t need bullshit compliments to flatter you, Emme. You’re a fucking knockout, and I’m damn lucky to be the man at your side.”
I didn’t think he was lying to me about how pretty he thought I was, but I knew I wasn’t as light as a feather. “I see myself in the mirror every day and know I’m nowhere close to being skinny.”
“You’re the perfect weight as far as I’m concerned.” He wrapped his hands around my hips and picked me up again, lifting me high in the air before settling me back on top of him. Then his hands drifted down my sides, pausing at my chest—where his thumbs brushed against the edges of my boobs—before stopping at the curve of my waist. “And I fucking love your curves.”
I buried my face in his neck and mumbled, “I might need to hear that a few hundred times before I truly believe it.”
“I’ll tell you as often as you need, babe,” he vowed, stroking his hands up and down my spine.
“Right now, what I really want is for you to show me.” I dug my fingers into his shoulders. “Make me believe.”
“It’ll be my fucking honor,” he rasped, his hands going to the bottom of my shirt to pull it over my head. Then he tugged down the sleep shorts I’d put on while we were waiting for the food delivery. I hadn’t been sure about going braless, so I’d kept mine on. When it slid down my shoulders and left me in nothing but a pair of panties, I felt vulnerable. His gaze trailed down my body, and my insecurities evaporated when his eyes met mine, and I saw the fierce need there. “It shouldn’t be possible, but you’re even more gorgeous than I imagined. And I did a fuck of a lot of fantasizing about you while you were avoiding me.”
I offered him a sheepish grin. “Sorry.”
“You can more than make it up to me by coming on my face.” I wasn’t sure how giving me an orgasm would be to his benefit instead of mine, but I would be a fool to argue when I was already mostly naked and desperate to come. I didn’t resist when he laid me on my back. My breath caught in my lungs when he yanked his shirt over his head before pulling my panties down my legs. I stared at the bunching of his muscles as he settled between my legs and spread them wider.
I started to lower my hands to cover myself, but his head snapped up, and he growled, “Don’t hide yourself from me, babe. You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. Your pussy is so fucking pretty.” He trailed his finger down my drenched folds. “I can’t wait to taste you. To bury my mouth in your pussy until my tongue drives you to orgasm.”
He stared at my hands until I pressed them flat against the mattress. Then he lowered his mouth to my aching pussy, his tongue circling my clit before he licked down my core. “Mmm, delicious,” he hummed in appreciation.
I felt sensations I never knew were possible, making my hips lift off the mattress as he drove me higher and higher with his mouth. When his lips moved back up to my clit and he sank the tip of his finger inside me, I panted, “Oh, my gosh, Corby. I don’t know if I can stand it.”
“You don’t have to, babe. I want to see you let yourself go,” he murmured against my damp flesh. “I fucking need it.”
My fingers clenched the comforter as he continued to devour me. He’d barely worked one finger partway inside my tight channel when my orgasm crashed over me. When my tremors subsided, I panted, “Whoa, I had no idea my release would feel that overwhelming without us having sex.”
“Emme, babe. Are you a virgin?”
I nodded, and his shocked expression was so unexpected that it made me giggle. I had never expected that sex—or at least the stuff leading up to it since we weren’t quite to that point yet—was going to be so much fun. “Yeah, I figured you knew that since I’ve never had a boyfriend before you.”
“I guess it didn’t hit me until now.” He wrapped my fingers around his hard length, the thin material of his athletic shorts the only thing between us. “I want you more than anything. Which is why it fucking kills me to ask you this—are you sure you’re ready to give me your virginity when we’ve only been together for a month?”
When I paused to think about my answer, doubt started creeping in. Not about Corby and me, just the timing of taking this step because our relationship was still so new. “Won’t it hurt you to be like this without us doing more?”
“You’re so damn sweet, babe.” Corby brushed his lips over mine as his hips punched forward, pressing his cock deeper into my palm. “But your answer doesn’t depend on my hard-on. I’m like this basically whenever you’re near. Hell, I had a fuck ton of them because of you before we even got together. It’ll go down at some point, or I can jack off in the shower and come back to cuddle with you. Whatever you want.”
The possibility of watching him take care of his hard-on was intriguing and got me all worked up again. But I desired something else more than that. Although I’d never given anyone a blow job before, I wanted to taste him. Desperately. “I have a better idea.”
After scrambling onto my knees and moving between Corby’s legs, my hands gripped his hips for balance as I tugged his shorts and boxers down so I could lower my head to lick at the vein running up his dick. He twitched in response, and a drop of pre-come beaded at the tip. I suckled at the crown, enjoying the salty taste on my tongue, and slowly worked my mouth down his hard length. “Emme, fuck.” His hands gripped my hair as he helped to guide my movements until I was taking him deep inside my mouth. “Oh yes, babe. Swallow my dick.”
My tongue worked the underside while I fi
gured out how to hold my head so I was the most comfortable. He thrust in and out with long, controlled strokes, giving me time to grow accustomed to the pace. His breathing was hard and heavy, sending shivers down my spine. I was thrilled at the effect I was having on him. “That’s right, babe. Take it all.”
I hummed in agreement around his hard length and felt his flesh swell on my tongue as I sucked. He started to pull back and warned, “I’m going to come.”
Instead of pulling away, I glided my mouth as far down as it would go. His hands tangled in my hair now, holding me close as the first hot pulse of his come spurted down my throat. I did my best to swallow it all down, tasting him on my tongue as he grunted my name. After I sucked the last drop from his throbbing dick, he knifed up and pulled me onto his chest. “Holy fuck, Emme. That was incredible. Thank you.”
“I guess I could let you thank me for that”—I rubbed my cheek against his chest and giggled—“except then we’d end up in a vicious cycle of gratitude because you made me come first.”
“Damn straight,” he grumbled, cuddling me close. “I don’t get mine until you get yours.”
12
Corby
Once we returned to Black Mountain, the next couple of weeks flew by. I had been spoiled by having Emme to myself during our trip, and it fucking sucked that we hadn’t been able to be alone like that again. A lot had been going on, but I was determined to carve out time for just the two of us soon.
The first day I could sign my national letter of intent to commit was finally here, and I was having a hard time wrapping my head around the number of full-ride offers I had received. Black Mountain Academy was hosting a signing party for the hockey team since several of us planned to submit our paperwork today, but I was still second-guessing my decision. Once I signed on the dotted line, I was committed to that school for at least my first year of college. If I didn’t keep my word, then I couldn’t play for another school that year either. And waiting too long to decide put the offers at risk because they could be pulled at any time.
“What’s wrong?” Emme smoothed down the lapels of my suit jacket with her palms as she stared up at me. “Today is supposed to be a happy one for you. You’ve accomplished something you’ve been working toward for years, but you look like you might vomit any second.”
Luckily, I hadn’t eaten any of the food the school had put out yet because she was right—my stomach was roiling. “I feel like I might.”
“But why?” She tilted her head to the side, a wrinkle creasing her forehead.
I heaved a deep sigh, trying to find the right words to explain everything that was going on in my head at the moment. “I never expected to have this many options. I thought I’d be lucky to get one full ride that included pretty much everything once I get to campus. My decision feels so much bigger now.”
“Your top choice hasn’t changed, right?” she asked as her brows raised.
As tempted as I was to go with the offer from the school closer to one of the Ivy Leagues she had applied to for early acceptance, I knew I wouldn’t develop as much on their team. They just didn’t play at the same level as my number one pick. Making that decision would almost definitely decrease my odds of ever going professional. “No, it’s still the same.”
“The suck it up, find William, and get this thing done,” she suggested with a grin.
We had only been together as a couple for a month and a half, but Emme had come out of her shell so much in that time. At lunch, she joked around with the other guys on the hockey team as often as she did with Emily, Sarah, and me. She ignored all the catty glares she got from the two bitchy cheerleaders who seemed to have it in for her. And she threw sass my way a hell of a lot more often, which I fucking loved. “Whatever you say, boss.”
I burst into laughter when she winked with a grin. Tugging on my arm, she urged, “C’mon, let’s go find Mrs. Carrington so she can sign at the same time as you.”
I had been irritated to discover that I needed a guardian to sign off on the national letter of intent even though I was now eighteen. I was old enough to vote or be drafted, but according to NCAA rules, I couldn’t choose which school I was going to attend on an athletic scholarship unless I was twenty-one. My situation was unique due to the timing, and it had taken several calls with the NCAA to determine who was most appropriate to sign off on the letter with me. Ultimately, they wanted it to be Mrs. Carrington since she had been my guardian when it came to legal decisions for the past several years. Luckily, she was willing to defer to me when it came to which offer I accepted as long as I went to college. She didn’t care which one since they were all great schools, and she knew nothing about hockey.
Scanning the room full of my teammates, some of their families, school administrators, our coach, and a few people from the media, I found my social worker deep in conversation with William. Jerking my chin in their direction, I said, “She’s over there.”
We made our way over to them. Emme practically bounced up and down in excitement as she greeted them. “Hey, Mr. Whitney and Mrs. Carrington. We need to get Corby over to the signing table before he chickens out.”
“Are you having second thoughts?” Mrs. Carrington’s gaze slid to Emme as William reminded my girlfriend she was welcome to use his first name. I wasn’t surprised my social worker had figured out why I might hesitate since she’d known me for so long. “Today is only the first day you can sign. If you aren’t ready, you can wait. There’s plenty of time.”
“Not with the offers Corby received,” William disagreed with a shake of his head.
Mrs. Carrington looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded. “Most student athletes only get a partial scholarship. If I wait too long, my top pick may decide I’m not serious about playing for them and pull the offer.”
“He definitely doesn’t want that to happen since he loved it there when we visited.” Emme elbowed me in the side. “Which is why you and he need to head over to the signing table now, before he lets his cold feet mess this up for him.”
“I basically live on the ice. My feet are never cold,” I denied with a grin.
“Ha-ha, you’re too funny.” Emme hooked her arm around my elbow and swept her hand out in front of us. “More than one hundred thousand dollars is waiting over there for you. Let’s go get it.”
I hadn’t totaled up the price tag on all four years of the scholarship I planned to take. When Emme put it that way, a fire was lit inside me. A hundred grand wasn’t much to any of the other students in the room, but that kind of money was life changing for me. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
I held my other arm out to Mrs. Carrington, who accepted it with a smile. “I’m so proud of you, Corby.”
“Thanks,” I murmured as we made our way over to where a table had been set up for us to be photographed and filmed while we signed our letters. The school administration turned the day into an event because they wanted the publicity, but I didn’t mind giving them as much attention as they could get. Being at Black Mountain Academy had helped me get the offer I needed to attend my dream school without worrying about a fuck ton of student loans. And it had brought Emme to me. I was more than willing to ham it up for the cameras if that helped.
With William and Emme standing behind me, I pulled the chair out for Mrs. Carrington. Once she sat, I dropped onto the chair next to her. William stepped forward, pulling the copy of the national letter of intent and scholarship offer he’d printed for me this morning out of the pocket of his suit jacket. After I took the papers from him, he reached back into his pocket to get a fancy pen. Handing the writing instrument to me, he said, “My father gave this pen to me when I was your age. I’ve inked many lucrative deals with it since then. I thought maybe some of my good fortune would rub off if you used it today.”
Glancing over my shoulder at Emme, I grinned. “See, being superstitious sticks with hockey players beyond their time on the ice.”
She giggled, her cheeks turning pink when a fl
ash went off nearby. Thanking William, I accepted the pen and turned to face forward again. After signing my name and adding the date, I slid the paperwork over to Mrs. Carrington. As I watched her add her signature next to mine, it felt as though a weight was lifted off my shoulders. The decision was final; there was no going back now. And no point in second-guessing myself anymore. I smiled for a few photos before standing, and our little group moved off to the side so Chuck and his family could take our spot.
After I returned William’s pen, I stretched my hand out to shake his. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
“If you want to pay me back, bring the Stanley Cup to Black Mountain one of the times you win it.” He clapped me on the back and smiled.
“As fantastic as this offer is”—I tapped the papers we’d both just signed and shook my head—“it isn’t a professional hockey deal.”
“Not yet,” he conceded. “But I have no doubt you’ll get picked in the first round of the draft, and the day will come when you win a championship. I’ll be cheering extra hard, looking forward to a phone call when you get your day with the Cup.”
I hadn’t known what to think about William when I had found out he was going to be my new foster parent, but he had turned out to be my biggest supporter over the past five months. In the end, his motivation for taking me in didn’t matter because I benefited the most from his decision. “From your lips to God’s ears.”
“If you play in college like you have for our team so far this season, I don’t think you’ll stay for the full four years to get your degree. Whichever team drafts you will be impatient to get you on the ice,” he predicted.
Mrs. Carrington’s eyes narrowed. “Well, I for one hope you’ll be there long enough to get your bachelor’s degree. Even high-paid athletes need something to fall back on when their career is over.”
Charity: Black Mountain Academy/Fortuity Page 9