Saving Sara (Alaska Blizzard Book 5)

by Kat Mizera

  “Troy.”

  “You were jealous of Troy?” Her eyes sparkled for a moment.

  “A little.” He smiled sheepishly. “Kind of.”

  “He doesn’t hold a candle to you.” A soft smile curved her mouth and her eyes fluttered closed as her lips parted, a blatant invitation he couldn’t refuse. He kissed her with all the tenderness he hadn’t been able to show her the only other time he’d been able to touch her. He teased her lips open slowly, gently exploring her mouth, her taste, her sweetness. She was everything he remembered and more, but he wouldn’t rush again, not like last time. This time, he would make love to her the way she deserved. Maybe the way they both deserved.

  “I think we still have things to talk about,” she whispered when they pulled apart, looking up into his eyes.

  “If you’re talking about my sudden change of heart, it’s not all that sudden. The change is in my willingness to give it a shot because you know how I fuck shit up with relationships. I didn’t want that with you, but I went out with the guys last night and honestly? No one in that place did anything for me. You’re all I think about. I don’t know what we’ll be like as a couple, but we’re great as friends and the sex was pretty sensational, so I want to find out what else we can be.” He paused, his blue eyes finding hers. “What about you?”

  “I want to,” she whispered, swallowing nervously. “But I’m kinda scared, too. I mean, what happens if it doesn’t work out?”

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But there’s only one way to find out. And even if you and I aren’t as good together as I think we’ll be, you’ll always be important to me. I promise you that.”

  He kissed her again, this time sliding his hands around her waist and pulling her against him. She felt just the way he remembered, all soft skin and feminine curves atop sinewy muscles. She stayed in great shape even though she didn’t play hockey anymore, and he loved her body. He’d been dreaming about being inside of her again for months and he impulsively scooped her up in his arms, carrying her toward the bedroom.

  “Impatient?” she teased, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “Kinda. Yeah. It’s been a while.”

  “For me too.”

  “You didn’t sleep with Troy?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I haven’t really been able to think about anyone but you either.”

  “Fuck.” He gently set her on the bed and climbed over her, finding her lips again. This wasn’t the way he’d envisioned their night going, but touching her again was even better than he remembered. “I desperately need to see you naked,” he said, lifting the hem of her shirt and pulling it up and over her head.

  “Okay.” She grinned up at him. “But I also need to see you naked.”

  “Easy-peasy.” He sat up and yanked off his jeans and T-shirt in five seconds flat.

  “Boxers too,” she said, laughing.

  He didn’t hesitate and she leaned back on her elbows, her eyes darkening slightly as she watched him. Her makeup had run down her face and her eyes were a little puffy after how much she’d cried, but he still thought she was gorgeous. He reached down to find the back of her bra, unhooking it and letting it fall away. In nothing but a white, lacy thong, she was like a gift he was getting to unwrap one ribbon at a time. And she was all his.

  “Are we still good with no condoms?” he asked. “I have a ton but we didn’t use one last time.”

  “I’m good if you are. I haven’t been with anyone since then and my IUD is still good.”

  “I haven’t been with anyone either.” He grinned down at her. “Anything else we need to discuss?”

  “I think we’re discussing way too much.” She tugged him back on top of her and then they were skin-to-skin, their mouths coming together gradually. He stroked his tongue in and out of her mouth with a slow, sensual rhythm that made her sigh and squirm beneath him. He slid his lips along her jaw, kissing and licking the tender spot behind her ear, watching as her mouth fell open and her breath got a little raspy. Her pale skin flushed with excitement and he traced a circle around her nipples with one finger, loving how excited she got when he touched her. Her nipple pebbled beneath his finger and he bent his head to take it in his mouth. Her back arched up off the bed, meeting him as he sucked and licked first one breast and then the other.

  She was so damn responsive. He fucking loved it. So much so, he didn’t know what to touch or kiss next. He was thinking about the sweet spot between her legs, but she’d just wrapped her hand around his cock, stroking it firmly.

  “Minx,” he said in a raspy breath. “You’re trying to rush me and I want to take my time.”

  “If we’re going to do it seventy-two times tonight anyway, can’t we rush the first time?”

  “No.” He lowered his head again, and then rolled her onto her stomach. Between her gorgeous breasts and the spot between her legs he was dying to dive into, she would get her wish far too quickly for him, so he opted to feast on something else first.

  He kissed a slow, sensual line down her spine, watching as gooseflesh broke out on her skin and she started to squirm in anticipation. “Aaron, please…”

  “Not yet, baby.” He got to her panties and took them between his teeth, gently pulling them down over her firm, hard ass. Fuck, she was gorgeous. He was glad the cast was gone because he couldn’t wait for her to wrap her legs around his waist as he fucked her into oblivion.

  He gently nibbled one of her ass cheeks, lightly smacking them both with the flat of his hand and following each hit with swipes of his tongue. Her skin was like warm silk, soft but firm beneath his hands, and he explored her thighs with interest since he planned to be between them in a few minutes. They were equally smooth, the muscles beneath her skin quivering with anticipation. She knew what was coming so he made her wait for it, exploring every inch of skin on her legs.

  “Aaron…” She arched against his hands.

  “On your knees, beautiful.” He lifted her by the hips so she was on her knees but her upper body was on the mattress. She was still face down and he loved going down on a woman from this direction. He drew her knees together and slowly lowered his head to the glistening pink lips between her legs.

  She let out a long, low moan, and he teased her with the pointed tip of his tongue until she squealed with need.

  “More?” he asked softly. “You want me to fuck you with my tongue?”

  “God, yes, please.”

  He slid his tongue inside of her, holding her knees firmly together and keeping her right where he wanted her. She squirmed and wiggled until he playfully slapped her ass.

  “Keep moving like that and I’ll stop.”

  “Fuck, don’t you dare!”

  He chuckled and flattened his tongue against her, using more pressure until she started to shake. She came hard, her screams muffled in the sheets as she humped his face and coated it with her juices.

  “Damn, that’s pretty,” he said, releasing her legs and collapsing next to her.

  “Fucking hell, can we do that once a day?”

  “Twice a day,” he laughed.

  She flipped over. “We might need to do it a few more times, just to make sure it’s really as good as I thought it was.”

  “Baby, eating pussy is one of my favorite things, so all you have to do is ask.”

  “Mm, okay, but now I was thinking you’d fuck me instead.”

  “You don’t have to ask for that.” He pulled her on top of him. “I’m all yours.”

  Her eyes glittered. “Promise?”

  “Promise.” He thrust up and in and then there was no conversation for a long time.

  22

  Sara woke up slowly. She was warm and comfortable, her legs twined between Aaron’s and her head firmly nestled in his shoulder. His slow, steady breathing told her he was still asleep and she wondered what it would be like to wake up like this every day for the rest of her life. Everything about last night had been perfect. So muc
h so that it scared her a little, because no one was perfect. Not that a night of mind-blowing sex was a reflection of Aaron as a man or a partner, but it was a reflection of how they fit together, and in that regard, perfect was simply the word that described it best.

  So why was she lying here feeling all weird and uncomfortable? She wanted to move but she didn’t, because the spell might be broken, and she didn’t know if she could take any more disappointment if Aaron suddenly changed his mind again.

  She must have made a sound because Aaron’s eyes opened and he leaned down to brush his lips across her forehead.

  “Good morning, beautiful.”

  “Good morning.” She looked up at him, half expecting him to kick her out of bed. Instead, he shifted so they were both on their sides, facing each other.

  “Why are you up so early?”

  “Couldn’t sleep.”

  “How come?”

  She shrugged.

  “Liar.”

  “I’m a little nervous. Last time we slept together you freaked out after.”

  He chuckled. “I did and I’m sorry about that, but there will be no freaking out this time.”

  “Okay.”

  “You wanna go back to sleep or fool around or something else?”

  “Will you just hold me?”

  “Of course.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, his strong arms somehow making her feel safe. As if he could make all the disappointments in her life go away. Even as friends, Aaron instinctively knew what she needed, whether it was a hug or a beer or something else. That was why this was so scary, because he was an integral part of her life and some instinct told her if things went wrong again, there would be no going back to best friends.

  “You want to talk?” he asked after a few minutes.

  “No.” She smiled. “I’m good.”

  “So sex, food, shower or some combination of all of that?”

  “Mmm, sex first, then shower, then food.”

  “Works for me.”

  Half an hour later, they were flat on their backs, panting hard in the aftermath of more intense lovemaking. Every single time was better than the last, and Sara had never had this kind of intensity in a lover. He was incredibly passionate, but also skilled and gentle, all at the same time, which was part of what made it so different. He could smack her ass one minute and then plant a soul-bending kiss the next, leaving her breathless for more.

  When she’d gotten engaged two years ago, just before coming to Alaska, her fiancé had never elicited the emotions in her that Aaron did. She’d dated Jimmy because it was easy. She’d known him in college and they’d hooked up when they both moved back to Minneapolis. He was verbally abusive but made good money and seemed interested in something long-term. She’d thought she could handle it but after a while, his insults had gotten to be too much and she’d broken it off, despite the massive engagement ring and his promises to change. It had never felt right and now that she had Aaron, it made a lot more sense. She hadn’t known she’d been looking for Aaron, but her subconscious had been screaming that there had to be someone better out there. Thank goodness she’d listened.

  “I’m hungry,” he said after a few minutes.

  “You’re always hungry.”

  “I could make a crude remark about going down on you again, but I need sustenance first.”

  “Fine. Go make us some coffee and come back to bed.”

  “Coffee isn’t breakfast,” he laughed.

  “Okay. Go make us breakfast and come back to bed.”

  “Okay.” He kissed her lips and then swung his legs over the side of the bed.

  “And would you bring me my phone?” she called after him. “I didn’t tell Dani I wasn’t coming home last night, though she probably guessed.”

  “Yes, dear.”

  She watched him go with a grin, admiring his gloriously firm backside as he walked. Damn, had they really spent the night together as a couple? She almost wanted to pinch herself to be sure she wasn’t dreaming. She was tired and sore, but amazingly happy considering her veterinary dreams had been dashed yet again. Maybe having Aaron wasn’t a consolation prize so much as a shift in priorities. She’d never been as close to any man as she was to him and she’d been in love with him for at least a year. He wasn’t perfect, but their friendship was solid and last night had proven that the sex was—and probably would always be—spectacular. As sad as she’d been yesterday, the evening had taken a turn for the better and it had been the best sex of her life. Even better than their first time together. She couldn’t wait to tell Dani everything.

  Since she didn’t have a car today, and Dani had taken Niko to school, she went to practice with him. They walked into the arena through the players’ entrance and though it wasn’t normal for a player’s girlfriend to go into work with him, she figured she’d get away with it today since everyone knew her and she just needed to let Dani know she was taking the car. Things were a lot more relaxed on days they didn’t have a game, so while Aaron went toward the dressing room, she went in the other direction to Dani’s office.

  Dani looked up when Sara knocked, and she narrowed her eyes. “You are a terrible friend!” she said, scowling. “I was worried.”

  “I know, I’m sorry.” Sara closed the door behind her and sank into a chair. “But I have so much to tell you.”

  “You’d better,” Dani grumbled.

  “Well, maybe you can guess.” Sara lifted her hair to reveal the hickey on her neck.

  Dani squinted. “Wait, is that…a hickey?”

  Sara giggled.

  “So you and Aaron finally got together?”

  “Yup. And it was damn good too.”

  “I’m talking about the relationship part of getting together. We already knew the sex was good.”

  “Better than I remembered, in fact.”

  Dani chuckled. “Good to know. Are you feeling better now?”

  “Yesterday had nothing to do with Aaron. It was all about getting another rejection letter.”

  “Oh, no. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I couldn’t tell anyone. I was too upset and didn’t want it to impact the fundraiser.”

  “So now what? What about the other schools?”

  “You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about all that. Maybe veterinary school isn’t where I need to be.”

  “What?”

  “Hailey and I had this talk and you and I probably have too at some point, but I keep living in the future. Like, I’m here doing what I’m doing, but my head and my heart are thinking about what’s next, like this is a placeholder for my real life, which won’t start until vet school or whatever. That’s not healthy and it’s not right. I should be enjoying the now. Vet school might not be in the cards for me. And I shouldn’t sit here thinking that’s the end-all.”

  “You also shouldn’t give up your dreams because you’re with Aaron now.”

  “He told me he wanted to be with me before I told him about the letter, and Hailey and I had a conversation about all of this a while ago.”

  “Just don’t give up on vet school because you’re happy and falling in love. Especially with Aaron. Because as much as I love him, he doesn’t have a great track record.”

  “Oh, ye of little faith,” Sara said. “It’s going to be okay. I mean, he knows I still might get accepted to one of the other schools. It’s not like us being together was contingent on me not getting in.”

  “Well, of course. He’s awesome and you two are made for each other, but that doesn’t mean he won’t fuck it up.”

  “Let’s hope he doesn’t.” She paused, cocking her head. “What about you? How are you feeling?”

  “Physically, I’m a little tired, but everything is okay. My OBGYN said everything looks good, so we can start trying again in a few weeks or so.”

  “And emotionally?”

  “I’m sad, but I’m young and healthy. Dr. Deaton said this happens a lot.”

  “W
hat about Sergei?”

  “Honestly, Sergei has been a rock star. I worried so much about disappointing him, but he didn’t think twice about the baby; he was one hundred percent focused on me, making sure I was okay. He’s…” Her voice broke a little and she swiped at her eyes. “He’s truly the greatest man I know. I love him so much.”

  “And he loves you too.”

  “I know.”

  “Aren’t the Sidewinders coming to Anchorage soon? Are you going to tell Zakk?”

  “Just before Thanksgiving.” Dani nodded. “And I don’t know if I’ll tell him. Zakk gives the best hugs, though.”

  “Whenever you talk about Zakk, I hate being an only child,” Sara said.

  “I don’t know if all siblings are like mine,” Dani said, “but Zakk is the best. And Sergei’s brothers are pretty awesome too.”

  “It’s funny, Aaron and I are both only children.”

  “Then you’ll have to have a bunch of babies together.”

  Sara grimaced. “Geez, one step at a time there, skippy.”

  They laughed as Dani got to her feet. “Okay, I have to go. Are you going to watch practice?”

  “No, I need to get home to Merlin and then pack up my stuff because Aaron wants me to stay with him when the team is in town.”

  “Moving kind of fast, aren’t you?”

  “We’ve been living together the last two months or so and it makes sense. I’ll still take Niko to school on the days you need me to and I’ll pick him up every day. When you guys are out of town, I’ll stay at the house with him during the week and bring him to Aaron’s on the weekend so I can take care of Merlin and Mama.”

  Dani groaned. “We talked Sergei into a puppy, so now we’re going to have two dogs and a bird between us?”

  “Looks that way.”

  Dani laughed. “Good luck. Sergei wasn’t thrilled but Niko begged and begged and, of course, the minute we put the puppy in his hands he melted like butter.”

  “Puppies have a way of doing that.”

  “I think Gage and Laurel took one too.”

  “Oh my god, you’re all going to have puppies.”