by Cher Carson
“Did it ever occur to you that she’s missing you as much as you’re missing her?”
He wanted to believe that more than anything. “She calls, emails, texts me. She seems happy.”
“Ever wonder why she’s making the effort to maintain contact if she’s so happy without you?”
Steve shrugged. “We’re friends. I don’t want to lose touch.” He couldn’t imagine his life without her in it, even from a distance.
“You could go there during the off-season, explore this thing between you two.”
Steve had thought about it, considered suggesting it to her, but it seemed too risky. At the end of those months, he would still have to walk away, more invested than ever. “She works crazy hours, nights, weekends. We wouldn’t have any time together.”
“Maybe she’s burying herself in work for a reason, huh? If you were there…”
Steve held his hand up to silence his friend. He couldn’t build a future on maybes and what ifs. “I know you’re trying to help and I appreciate it, but it’s not gonna happen for us, man. I just need to accept that so I can get on with my life.”
Chase slapped him on the back. “Good luck with that, buddy.”
Brooklyn started her rental car, getting ready to pull out of Steve’s driveway, when a black limo eased up to the front door. Her heart thumped in her chest. She hadn’t seen him since the night she told him she was leaving.
She watched him get out of the car. He looked so handsome in a black suit and silk tie. Her only thought was of touching him, kissing him, losing herself… until he helped a woman out of the car, a beautiful brunette in a black strapless dress and mile-high heels.
He looked toward her car and she cursed herself for not making her getaway sooner. Now it was too late to escape without being seen. He said a few words to his date and started to walk in her direction.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the car.
He stopped in mid-step, staring at her.
She could feel the tension of the past months melt away at the promise of feeling his strong arms around her again. She needed him tonight; she’d worry about the consequences tomorrow. She smiled. “Hi, Steve, bet you’re surprised to see me, huh?” She looked past him to the woman standing in the drive, watching them with open interest. “I didn’t mean to intrude on your date.”
He took the final steps toward her, framing her face with his hands. He bent to kiss her, heedless of their audience. “God, I’ve missed you,” he whispered, touching his forehead to hers.
She reached up, wrapping her arms around his hard biceps. “I’ve missed you too, so damn much. I couldn’t come home without seeing you.”
“Why are you here?” he asked, kissing her again.
“The sale on my house is closing. I had to pack up.”
He dropped his head, refusing to meet her eyes. “Right, you’re here because of your house. I thought maybe…” He shook his head. “Forget it; it doesn’t matter why you’re here. I’m just glad you are.”
She smiled, wrapping her arms around him, stroking his back. “Does that mean you’re going to invite me in? Or is your date not over yet?”
He grinned. “Trust me, it’s over. Just give me a minute, okay?”
“Sure.” She reached into the car as he walked toward the waiting limo. She had an overnight bag with her. She’d planned to spend the night at her parents’ house and catch a flight in the morning. She didn’t want to be presumptuous, assuming he would invite her to spend the night, so she left the overnight bag in the car, grabbing only her purse.
He walked back to meet her as the limo pulled out of the circular drive. “Where are your things?”
She smiled. “I didn’t want to assume anything. I mean, I don’t know where things stand between us, whether you’re seeing someone, or…” The thought that he might be involved with someone else killed her, but she wasn’t willing to admit that to him.
“No, there’s no one in my life right now,” he said quietly.
She didn’t know if that constituted an invitation, so she hung back, waiting.
“How about you?” he asked. “Are you seeing anyone?”
She shrugged. “I’ve been dating some. We have to attend a lot of events, so…”
He reached out to grab her, hauling her against his chest. “You don’t know what it does to me, thinking about you with someone else,” he whispered, threading his fingers through her hair.
“Are you…” He closed his eyes. “Are you sleeping with anyone else?”
“No, no.” She wrapped her hand around his neck, pulling his head down to meet hers for a long, lingering kiss. “There’s no one else. You?”
“No, God no.” He kissed her lips, over and over again. “I haven’t even been able to think about making love to anyone else since you left.”
She reached inside his jacket, feeling the heat of his skin through the thin fabric of his shirt. “I know sleeping together won’t change anything. It’ll probably just make this harder, but I really need you tonight, Steve.”
“I need you too, sweetheart.” He threaded his fingers through hers, leading her to a huge set of hand-carved mahogany doors.
His city house was a sprawling stone and stucco bungalow on several manicured acres in the midst of an estate subdivision of similar homes. Perfect for the family she suspected would one day fill it, completing his life. She pushed that thought out of her head. She didn’t want to think about the kids he would have with someone else or the wife who would share his secrets. She wanted to enjoy the here and now, one more night in the arms of the man she loved.
There was no other way to describe the way she felt about him. She thought about him all the time, reaching for the phone half a dozen times a day, to share a triumph or vent about a problem. In a few short months, he had become her rock, her safe place to land in a world of uncertainty. She loved her job with a passion that exceeded anything she’d ever felt working as a defense attorney. No question, she had found her place in the world. She just wished it didn’t have to be so far away from him.
He unlocked and opened the door, drawing her into the foyer as he punched his code into the keypad on the wall. He flipped a light switch, illuminating the foyer as he kicked his shoes off.
She looked around at the great room and kitchen, both visible from the entrance. The décor was elegant, but understated, decidedly masculine with dark, rich fabrics and wood. “Your home is beautiful,” she said quietly, removing her boots.
He drew her into the circle of his arms, kissing her lips. “It’s too big, too damn empty.”
“Someday you’ll have a wife and kids to fill it. She’ll be…”
He closed his eyes. “Please don’t. I don’t want to think about that right now. You’re here with me; I just want to enjoy this.”
“Me too,” she whispered.
He peeled her leather blazer off, tossing it on a gilded bench lining one wall. “I don’t want to think about when you have to leave or how long you can stay. I just want to pretend that this can last forever.”
She closed her eyes, a tear slipping down her cheek. She had to tell him how she felt; he needed to know that he was like no one she had ever met. “Steve, I don’t know how or when it happened, but I’ve fallen in love with you.” She bit her lip, her eyes drifting to his chest as she waited for him to say something, anything, to put her out of her misery. Finally, she took a step back, out of his arms. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. Under the circumstances…”
He grabbed her by the waist, lifting her off the ground. “I love you too, so goddamn much. It’s killing me, knowing you’re thousands of miles away, living your life without me.” He buried his face in her hair, her neck. “What the hell are we gonna do?” he whispered.
She shook her head, stroking his hair. “I don’t know.” She pulled his head back so he was forced to look her in the eye. “I can’t think about that right now.”
He picked he
r up, carrying her down the hall to the master bedroom. He kicked the door open, hitting the light switch with his elbow.
She leaned in, kissing his neck. “It feels like I’ve been waiting forever,” she whispered.
He laid her down on the mattress, kneeling on a bench at the foot of the bed.
“Kiss me,” she whispered, wrapping her legs around his waist.
He hovered over her, nipping and teasing her full lips until she growled and grabbed his head, forcing her tongue into his mouth. He chuckled before deepening the kiss, stroking her tongue with his as he caressed and squeezed her taut nipples.
She finally broke away, panting into his neck. “God, I want....”
“I know what you want, baby.” He drew her earlobe between his teeth, carefully avoiding the diamond earring decorating her lobe. He traced the shell of her ear with the tip of his tongue before licking a path down her neck. “You want me to suck on your clit like this, don’t you?”
He demonstrated, hungrily sucking on her neck as he ground his hard cock into her pussy.
She fisted the suede duvet in her hands. “You know I do.”
“Stand up and strip for me, nice and slow.”
She sat up, bracing her weight on her forearms. “You go first.”
He chuckled. “I’ll leave that to you. Come on, show me that gorgeous body.”
She smiled, sliding off the bed. She pulled the long-sleeved cotton T-shirt over her head slowly, never taking her eyes off him. Her hands went to the front of her jeans, her fingers fumbling with the button and zipper.
His eyes trailed over her tits, concealed only by a scrap of coral lace.
She closed her eyes, letting her jeans slide down her legs. She reached down to remove her jeans and socks.
“Stand up and turn around,” he said quietly. “I want to look at you.”
She did as he asked, her hands travelling down her thighs, over her flat stomach. “You like?”
He drank in the sight of her, naked except for a coral thong and demi bra. “Take the bra off. I want to see your tits.”
She reached around to release the back closure, slowly slipping the straps over her shoulders as she let it fall to the ground. She hooked a finger inside of her thong, but stopped when he shook his head.
“I want you to leave that on.”
She licked her lips, her eyes drifting closed. “Whatever you want.”
He crooked a finger. “Come here. I want you to take my clothes off.”
She grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.” Walking toward him slowly, her eyes travelled up and down his body. She reached for his tie, loosening it before sliding it from around his neck. She ran the fabric across her nipples, shuddering when the soft fabric grazed the sensitive peaks.
“Open your legs,” he said, taking a step back.
“Why?”
“Just do it.” His voice was rough, barely stronger than a whisper. He waited for her to oblige before he said, “Grip either end of the tie and stroke your pussy with it.”
He watched her fist the silk tie, rubbing it between her legs as the soft fabric abraded her tender flesh.
He waited, watching her climb the peak as his cock swelled in his pants. “Enough, stop.”
She sunk her teeth into her bottom lip. “But I’m so close.”
“Your orgasms are mine, baby. When, where, how many, I’ll decide.” She’d come to him tonight because she needed to him to fill a void. He didn’t intend to let her leave until she was satiated.
She whimpered, letting the tie fall to the floor.
“I believe you were helping me out of my clothes.”
She reached for the buttons on his shirt, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “I can smell her perfume on your shirt.”
“We danced a few times.”
She looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. “Did she turn you on? Did you get aroused dancing with her?”
Tongue in cheek, he responded. “I’m a man, sweetheart. When a woman flattens her tits into my chest, my body responds, like it or not.”
“Did you kiss her?”
He loved that she cared so much. “Sure, we kissed.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”
He was playing with her, loving enough minute of her seething jealousy. “Are you telling me you haven’t kissed another man in the past three months?”
Her eyes fell to his chest. “Well sure, but…”
He gripped her waist. “Who the fuck did you kiss?” The thought of another man sticking his tongue down her throat made him crazy.
“Oh, it’s okay for you to make out with other women, but I can’t kiss other men?”
He let his hands fall to his sides. He knew this was pointless. They had never defined their relationship, didn’t have a promise or commitment to remain faithful. “Brook, we need to talk, to figure this thing out.”
She shook her head, reaching for the buttons on his shirt. “I know, later, I promise.” She pushed his blazer over his shoulders, her fingers flying over the buttons running the length of his shirt. “You’re so sexy,” she whispered, pressing her lips to his chest.
He tilted his head back, closing his eyes as her mouth moved over his skin. His control could snap like a dry twig at the least provocation tonight. He was wound so tight, so tense and frustrated.
She moved to his belt, then the front of dress pants. She stripped his clothing slowly, kissing the length of his body until he was finally naked and she was on her knees in front of him.
He held the back of her head. “I can’t let you do that right now, sweetheart.”
She looked up at him, her eyes pleading. “Please, I need to make you feel the way you make me feel.”
He resisted the urge to pull her back, understanding her need to make him lose control. He felt the same way. He wanted to break down her walls, destroy her resistance, and make her accept the obvious… they belonged together.
She held him in her hand, closing her eyes as she sealed her mouth over his hot, hard shaft.
He watched her relax her throat, taking him deeper into her mouth, fixated on giving him pleasure. He fell a little harder, a little deeper in love with her in that moment. She caressed his balls gently, licking and sucking him reverently.
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to talk himself down off the ledge. “I don’t want to…”
“I want you to,” she whispered, swiping her tongue over his smooth sac. “I want you to come in my mouth.”
Once she started sucking him hard and fast, he knew there was no way he could control it, so he gave into his body’s urgings and shot his hot come down the back of her throat. Watching her struggling to swallow fast enough to take it all made him want to pleasure her. He wanted to do this all night, make love to her, let her make love to him.
He took her hand in his, leading her toward the bed. He pushed the suede duvet down and climbed in, pulling her down beside him. “I need a minute to get my bearings.” He grinned. “It’s been a while.”
She pressed her lips to his chest, smiling when she felt the pounding beat of his heart. “Too long.”
He curved his arm around her waist, kissing her forehead. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
He chuckled. “It worked. That was one hell of a surprise. So, this thing between us…”
She set her chin on his chest, looking him in the eye. He was everything she’d ever wanted, but a relationship seemed impossible, given the distance between them. “We both have demanding careers, Steve. That’s not going to change any time soon.”
He stroked her hair, letting it slip through his fingers. “I know. I’ve got three to five years left to play, and it’s not like Oregon has a hockey team. I couldn’t ask for a trade, even if I wanted to.”
She was stunned by his statement. “You would actually consider a trade? But your best shot at winning another Cup is right here.”
He kissed
her lips. “I’ve already won a Cup, but I’ve never been married, never had kids. I want that. Don’t you?”
She’d love to be able to wake up him beside him every morning, but they were still a long way from having a conversation about forever. “Sure, someday, but…”
He closed his eyes. “But you’re not there yet. Sorry, I didn’t mean to make assumptions.”
She propped herself up on one elbow. “I’m crazy about you, you know that, but a lifetime commitment is something I take seriously. I think the bigger issue is how we’re going to handle the foreseeable future, don’t you?”
He sighed. “We’re not even half-way through this season. It’ll be months before I can even think about coming down there. With my travel schedule…”
“And with my work schedule, the time I have to spend in court. It’s a hopeless situation, isn’t it?” She didn’t want it to be, she wanted him to tell her they could find a way to make it work, but she was too much of a realist not to see the flaws in a long-distance relationship.
“Sweetheart, it’s not like I can just hop a plane to come and see you on the weekends. We have a game almost every Saturday night, practices, travel days. The team owns me for eight months of the year. That’s just the way it is.”
She sighed. He sounded as defeated as she felt. “I know, and the only time I can get off is a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday, not both. It would never work, Steve.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Baby, I can’t let you go again. This is too damn hard.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here. I was being selfish.” She tried to blink back the tears. “I just needed to see you.”
“I’m glad you came. I needed to see you, too.”
“Even if it’s just to put this behind us, find a way to move on?”
He sat up, setting her at arm’s length. “Is that what you’re suggesting? That we just give up?”
She knew she was hurting him, it was destroying her too, but she didn’t see a viable solution. “I don’t know what else to do. We can’t figure out a way to be together, and we sure as hell can’t keep doing this to each other.”