Ryan
I’m ready to fall asleep. She’s been in that shower for so long I actually debate knocking on the door to make sure she is still alive, but when I put my ear to the door, I hear her humming.
Fucking adorable.
She’s humming in the shower, and it sounds happy, so I return to bed and now I’m lying here, waiting for her to return and sprawl out on the sheets next to me.
She exhausted me. I’ve been with plenty of women before—hockey players are rarely at a loss for options—but none of my options have been anything like Andi, nowhere near as satisfying, as intelligent, as goddamn sexy. Whatever she did with her mouth, those hips—I’m hooked. That’s not to mention the fact that I enjoy talking with her, too, before and after.
Suddenly I can understand why Lawrence left behind his dickhead ways when he met Lilia. If she makes him feel anywhere near as good as Andi makes me feel, well, shit—I’d give up my dickhead ways too.
Even though that’s not an option for so many reasons. We both want to enjoy this for as long as possible, but at the end of the day, our relationship is going to grind to a halt in one way or another, no pun intended.
If I get signed here, Jocelyn will have my balls in a vice-like grip, especially my first year with the Lightning. I won’t be able to get away with anything. If I don’t get signed, well, there goes any hope for continuing our little agreement. Two thousand miles sure puts a kink in the friends with benefits amendment, and not the good kind.
I’m running a hand over my forehead, debating when I should bring this up to Andi, when she waltzes into the room and I forget all logical thought—or illogical thought, for that matter. All thoughts fly out the window at the sight of her wearing my fluffy-ass towel.
I’m sure she’s naked under there. She left her clothes by the bed and stumbled to the bathroom in nothing but a pair of socks. Now the socks are gone, and so is her makeup, and damn if she isn’t even more beautiful with a plain face.
“Do you by chance have a t-shirt?” she asks, a hint of shyness creeping into her smile. “Unless I should leave now? I don’t really know the etiquette here. I’ve never been a friend with benefits before.”
I’m speechless. Leave now? When I find my words, I gargle something that doesn’t make any sense.
“What?” she asks. “Was that English?”
I might’ve thought I was completely spent—it’s been a long day between training early this morning, enough sexual tension to break a lesser man, and finally the most insane release—yet somehow, I’m ready for her again.
I stand, the sheets falling off of me as her eyes land on a gigantic sign that I’m ready to go again.
She holds a hand up to her mouth and stifles a burst of laughter. “I guess that means I’m not getting kicked out yet?”
Luckily the condoms are already out and ready. I slip one on, watching her eyes for any sign that she’s not looking for a repeat.
On the contrary—she lets her towel fall to the floor.
I was right. She’s naked under there.
“You are stunning,” I find myself saying. Normally, I’m not one for compliments and touchy-feely shit—girls get too attached when I start saying that stuff—but this isn’t a conscious choice; I’m just blurting out whatever’s on my mind. “I need you again.”
Her yes is more of a needy groan, and I know before I even touch her that she’s ready. When my fingers find the warmth between her legs, she inhales a sharp breath. This time, there’s no foreplay, no dicking around—it’s urgent.
I lift her up and wind her legs around my back. We move forward, her back crashing against the wall harder than I’d intended. “Sorry, sweetheart,” I say, watching her eyes. “Did I hurt you?”
Her eyes shine with need and she shakes her head as she pulls me harder against her. I catch the back of her head as she throws it back, just before she hits the wall, her hair soft and damp against my fingers.
“I thought about you in the shower,” she whispers. “Daydreamed, really.”
Hot damn. I lower her hips, closing my eyes, savoring that first moment as we join in a mesh of limbs. This time, it’s about need, raw, dangerous need, and I don’t hold back. I want her to be mine, mine alone, and that thought is terrifying, so I thrust harder, faster, her moans growing louder and wilder with each passing second.
I can’t last much longer—she feels too good. Her teeth bite down against my shoulder as we hurtle toward the finish line, and when we reach it, I explode. Together, we sag against the wall, my hands holding her up, small puffs of her breath against my neck are sending jolts throughout my nerve system.
When I finally let her down, she’s grinning.
“God, you are insatiable,” I say, running a hand through my hair. “Was that good for you, sweetheart?”
She nips my lip. “What do you think?”
I laugh, holding her against me, loving the way her naked body feels against mine. I’ve never been a cuddler—again, it leads to attachment too quickly—but Andi is different. Perfect.
“I’m going to shower,” I say, maybe a bit too abruptly, needing some space. “Make yourself at home, climb in bed, raid the fridge, whatever.”
“Is everything okay?” Her eyebrows crinkle in concern.
She heard the shortness in my voice. Shit. I give her a long, lazy kiss to show her just how right everything is. “Some of us need a break, that’s all. We’re not all as energetic as you,” I say, heading to the shower. I stop in the doorway to the bedroom. “And Andi?”
She’s climbed into bed and looks up in surprise. “Yes?”
“I’ll be thinking of you.”
She turns red, but doesn’t let the embarrassment get to her. “Let me remind you that I’m not the one who needs a break, Mr. Pierce.”
I turn away, at a loss for words.
For the second, or third, or fourth time today, Andi Peretti has made me speechless.
CHAPTER 30
Andi
I’m woken by a kiss on my cheek.
“Sweetheart,” a voice murmurs against my ear. “I have to get going. You can keep sleeping if you’d like.”
I pull the pillow over my head out of habit. I’m a college student—resisting mornings is what we do.
“Babe, my flight leaves in just over an hour, I’ve really gotta run.”
The urgency in Ryan’s voice draws me out from under the pillow. The most emotion I can manage on my face is a raised eyebrow. “Why?”
He laughs, even though I’m not trying to be funny. I’m simply not a morning person. Apparently I’m especially not a morning person after a night—and morning—of fooling around in bed.
It didn’t help that we slipped in one last go-round before the sunlight came up, a new record for me. Turns out I like setting new records, I just don’t like returning to real life afterward.
“No…” I moan. “Stay.”
I’ve never felt so exhausted. I feel like I’ve been hit with a sack of bricks—a big, beautiful sack of brick abs attached to Ryan Pierce.