I’d talked numerous times to Aaron and Natosha, my assistant, because even though I wasn’t singing there were still business matters to attend to. I’d texted with Malik, and I’d gone out with Anjali to a musical about Bonnie and Clyde. Also I’d been writing. I was surprised by how well that was going, given I couldn’t sing. I’d experimentally tried a few notes, and it felt okay and sounded okay…but I wasn’t supposed to be singing until at least three months after the surgery, which would be the end of March. So I forced myself to be patient. But I had a couple of songs written that I thought were not bad…different than my usual, as Chase had noted. Maybe it was being here in Chicago and the whole Chicago blues influence. Maybe it was my sadness and fear about my voice. Maybe it was the sexy, flirty feelings I had for Chase influencing my music. And maybe the songs would never see the light of day or be recorded…who knew? But I was happy to have accomplished something, created something.
Many of my songs were co-written with other songwriters, and some songs I recorded were ones I hadn’t written at all, so it felt freeing to be able to write whatever I wanted, and from wherever the songs came.
The doorman called up to announce Chase was here, and my heart cartwheeled in my chest. I went to open the door for him, my fingers actually shaking.
Then there he was standing in front of me. My breath all left me at seeing him, as it often did. It sucked that he’d been away so long, but here he was, smiling at me, snowflakes dusting his dark hair and the shoulders of his black jacket. I felt suddenly shy and uncertain but obviously he didn’t as he strode in, slammed the door shut, and pulled me into his arms.
I went willingly, melting into him, against him, my arms wound tight around his neck. His mouth on mine felt amazing, warm and firm and delicious as we opened to each other, tongues sliding. He kissed my cheek, my eyebrows, making soft noises of appreciation, then my mouth again. My lower belly fluttered.
“What’s all this?” He fingered my sweater. “I expected you to be naked.”
I choked on a laugh. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He smiled and nuzzled my hair. “Missed you, baby. Missed this hot little mouth.” He kissed me again. “And your tight pussy. And these sweet beauties.” He cupped my breasts through my sweater. “If you think we’re going to the party without having fucked each other senseless, you’re mistaken.”
My belly flip-flopped.
He gripped my ass and hoisted me against him, lifting me, and I wrapped my legs around him. He often did this because of the discrepancy in our heights, and truthfully, I loved it…I loved how strong he was, how precious and protected it made me feel.
And yeah, he headed to my bedroom.
Ack. With my indecision about what to wear to the party, I’d left all the clothes I’d rejected piled on the chair in my room.
“I didn’t make the bed,” I murmured against his lips. “And my room’s a mess.”
“This is not a surprise, beautiful.” He smiled into my eyes. “I’d be surprised if it wasn’t.”
I smiled too. “But I know where my phone and car keys are.”
“Amazing.” He lowered my feet to the floor, and his fingers moved over my sweater. He frowned. “How the hell does this work?”
I unhooked the fasteners hidden in the neckline on my left shoulder, and let the sweater fall to the floor.
“That’s better.” He had my tank top off in seconds, and I reached behind me to unfasten my bra while he opened the buttons of my jeans. I worked them down my legs, dropping to the side of the bed to push them off along with my socks while he shed his clothes.
I admired his beautiful body as I always did but as he shoved his jeans down, my gaze halted on a huge bruise on his thigh, a circle of blue and purple around a pale ring with another smaller purple mark in the center. “Oh my God! What happened?” I slid off the bed, my knees hitting the thick rug on the floor, and brushed my fingers over his thigh.
“Blocked a shot.” He said it so matter-of-factly.
My stomach actually hurt looking at it. I tilted my head up to meet his eyes. “It looks painful.”
He shrugged. “Yeah. It’s just a bruise though.”
“When did it happen? It must have been the Vancouver game.” That was the night I’d gone out with Anjali.
“Yeah.”
I leaned in and touched my lips to his warm skin. “I don’t like seeing this.”
“Part of the game, babe. That does help though…maybe you should kiss a little higher…I have a slight groin strain that needs some loving…”
I smiled and kissed his thigh again, then kissed higher and higher until I was kissing his erection through his boxer briefs.
“Yeah…right there…”
“Does it hurt?” I murmured.
“So fucking much.” He reached for me, lifting me and then laying me on the bed.
He stripped off the boxer briefs and moved over me, and I parted my legs to cradle him between my thighs. God, oh God, it felt so good and perfect and right as I welcomed him there. “I missed you too.”
“Did you miss this?” He fisted his cock and ran the head over my pussy, where I was slick and aching.
“Oh yeah. Put it inside me, Chase…please…fuck me.”
“My pleasure, baby.” He eased into me with that hot stretching sensation I loved, our bodies skin to skin. I held on to his shoulders, pulling my knees back to take him deeper, and our mouths connected in a deep, endless kiss as we fucked each other senseless.
* * *
—
We were a little late to the party.
But at least we got there before the game started.
We walked into the huge, red brick house in Lincoln Park. The spacious living room was filled with people, buzzing with chatter and laughter, a big screen TV playing the pregame show. A woman rushed over to us. She was so pretty, with long, lustrous dark hair and a friendly smile. She was also visibly pregnant. “Hi, Chase! Come on in. And hi, Jordyn.” She set a hand to her chest. “I’m super excited to meet you. I’m a little starstruck, honestly.” She tittered nervously. “I can’t believe Jordyn Banks is here in our house!”
I let out a breath, smiling back at her. “You must be Jenna. Nice to meet you too. Here. I brought these for you.” I handed her the wine and the tin of nuts.
“Oh thank you!” She set them on a console table. “I’ll take your coats. We’re putting them in the den.” She gestured at another main floor room.
“How’s the new house?” Chase asked her as we took off our jackets. “Getting settled in?”
“Getting there.” Jenna took his jacket and turned to me. “We just moved in a few months ago.”
“It’s a lovely house. And a nice quiet neighborhood.”
“Yes. Hopefully we’ll be here for a while. With hockey, you never know. We’re expecting our first baby in the summer, and this seemed like a good house for a family. It wasn’t the best timing, moving during the season, but somehow we got through it.”
I handed her my jacket too.
“Go on in.” She waved a hand. “Andrew’s tending bar so he’ll get you drinks.”
I eyed the group with slightly less trepidation, having been welcomed so warmly by Jenna. Chase took my hand and led me into the spacious living room. People sat on couches and chairs, and stood around a long dining table loaded with food in the adjacent dining room.
“Chaser! You made it!”
Lots of people greeted him, but their eyes immediately went to me with expectant interest.
We found the bar and I met Andrew, our host and Jenna’s husband, and got drinks. I decided to try a beer, since champagne had been okay on my throat a couple of weeks ago. Then Chase made introductions, so many I’d never remember them all, except quite a few of the players’ names were familiar to me. “Oh my God, Marc Dupuis.” I fluttered my eyelashes at him. “I had such a crush on you when you started playing for the Aces.”
He laughed and shook my hand. “That was a few years ago.”
“Yes, um…ten…right?”
“Right.”
“Wow, you’re really old,” Chase said to his captain. He turned his gaze on me. “You had a crush on him?”
“Fuck you, Chaser.”
They exchanged easy smiles.
“Where’s Lovey?” Chase asked Marc.
“Home. Sick as a dog.” He said to me, “She’s five months pregnant and still sick.”
Another pregnant wife. Yikes.
“I’m not staying long,” Marc added. “I had to meet Jordyn Banks though.”
My chest warmed, and I smiled back at him.
“That’s the only reason you came?” Andrew asked with fake annoyance. “We don’t rate?”
Marc snorted. “Are you even serious?”
Everyone was super friendly even though they seemed a bit awkward around me at first. I smiled a lot and asked questions, talking to Jenna about the new house and her due date, and somehow ended up in a conversation with Chase and Cam, who I knew was pretty much Chase’s best friend on the Aces.
“So, Jordyn.” Cam eyed me. “Have you seen Chaser’s collection of pictures of you?”