Dirty Play (Empire State Hockey Series)

20. Gwen

“So let me get this straight. We’ve gone from a one-night stand, friends with benefits situation, where he bailed in the middle of the night, to long walks and secret hookups that you damn well should have told us about. And now you’re going home with him to meet mom and dad?” Sawyer asks as she sits on my bed, her eyes wide as she attempts to summarize the entire story I just told them.

“Let’s not forget the kidney donation,” Ellie adds with a smirk that tells me she’s loving this. Trevor and Ellie haven’t been together for that long, but she fits into our group like a missing piece. Luckily, she’s stuck with us forever, though, since they”re having a baby later this year.

Sawyer, Cassie, and Ellie all came over this morning after our text convo last night. I’m pretty sure that the second I mentioned I was going to Ivy Falls with Cade, they set their alarms and made sure to show up with their questions locked and loaded—and snacks at the ready, because Cassie gets me.

“I mean… yeah. After that first night, we didn’t see each other again for quite a while. But then Sawyer’s big ass mouth told Cade I would be walking home when I got off at midnight, and then he became, like intent on making sure that I was always safe, so he started walking me home.”

“That’s actually pretty fucking cute.” Cassie smirks. “I mean, it’s obvious that man is crazy about you. We’ve all known that for quite some time, but the fact that he’s so protective is hot. He’s like your guard dog.”

“It really is, though. It makes it even hotter that he’s so much taller than you, helps with the guard dog vibe,” Ellie says, giggling. “Like a big pit bull.”

“No, pit bulls are cute and cuddly and will pretty much treat most strangers like their long-lost friend. They want to snuggle anytime, anyplace, and with anyone.” Cassie laughs. “That man is like a Rottweiler or a German Shepherd. You’d have to be dumb as fuck to walk up and try to hurt someone they care about, and once they love you, they’re loyal for life.”

“See, that’s a much better comparison than an onion, Sawyer.” I smirk, which earns me a bag of chips to the face. Lucky for me, I’m hungry.

Cade behaving like a Rottweiler is a comparison that I can see. They’re basically big ass teddy bears with scary looking eyebrows. They seem a lot more vicious than they really are… unless you fuck with them.

“But what does this mean?” Sawyer interjects. “Like… all of this has happened, you two have crossed these lines, physically, but has anything changed between you guys outside of that? Aside from the obvious—he invited you back home with him.”

“I know… I’m honestly still shocked that he invited me. We’ve talked—well, sort of—but it’s enough, for now. Whatever this is, we want to continue doing it and see what happens. But we haven’t labeled it. I know that sounds dumb as fuck, but I don’t want to push him. I”m basically treating him like a scared animal. No sudden movements, no loud voices, and definitely no asking Cade to be my damn boyfriend.”

“That doesn’t sound dumb at all. It actually kind of makes sense,” Sawyer says. “You can tell that man is closed off, has been since before we’ve known him. So I guess at this point, progress is progress if you’re making your way through those walls. Do whatever works for you both. Just be sure you’re getting what you need from him too, and I don’t just mean in the bedroom.”

“I have zero complaints in that department. As for the two of us? I mean, only time will tell, but things seem different this time.”

Walkinginto Cade’s apartment with a suitcase and bags, I can’t help but notice the doorman’s shocked expression when I tell him I am heading up to meet Cade. It looks like he’s seen a ghost, enough so that it almost makes me laugh out loud. I guess everyone wasn’t lying when they said he never brings women over.

Internally, I’m kicking my feet and giggling that I get to be the one he brings home—both to his apartment and to his mama’s, but I refuse to let that show as I raise my hand to knock on his door. Before my hand connects, the door swings open like he’s been waiting for me.

He looks hot as fuck in his usual gray sweatpants that fit just right and a fitted black tee with the Cyclones logo that shows off every muscle. He’s basically a walking sex ad, and I’m not sure I know how to behave right now.

That backwards hat does it for me every time. I”ve never once shied away from letting him see my approval, and that was before we got together. Now that we’ve seen each other naked, my cheeks flush, and I’m almost embarrassed at how badly I want him right now.

“Hey, Tink,” Cade says, bag slung over his shoulder, with a smile on his face that tells me he just watched me check him out.

“As much as I love that you’re happy to see me, get that damn bag off your shoulder before you strain yourself. We don’t need you hurting yourself further.”

His smile widens as he drops his bag and pulls me into a hug. I’m not used to this type of affection from Cade. We’ve never really hugged before. We kind of just went from not touching to fucking, not a whole lot of stuff in between.

“Hug me back, dammit,” he grumbles, noticing my arms still t-rexed to the side. I oblige, wrapping my arms around him. It’s surprising—his arms wrapped around me and his chin on my head, feel a lot like home.

“Good girl,” he mutters, and I want to melt into a puddle at his feet. But then I remember he’s still recovering from surgery that was not even two weeks ago, and I hold myself back.

“What’s this for?” I ask, my voice quiet. I’m doing my best not to show him just how badly he’s affecting me. He’s trying, sneaking in a few kisses here and there, but I stop him anytime he tries anything more. The man is insatiable, and I already know he’ll end up popping his stitches if I let him get naked with me.

Not to mention, I’m still a little hurt about him not telling me he was having a damn major surgery. Was I just going to find out the next time I saw him? I mean, the man has barely missed a single night of walking me home, and if I didn’t find out, what was he planning to do in the days he spent in the hospital?

“I’ve missed touching you,” he says, surprising the shit out of me with his honesty, but I bury my face in his chest to hide my smile. “Plus, I really need to apologize.”

“For what, exactly?” I say, pulling back just enough to look at him, his arms still wrapped around me, now resting on my ass.

“For not telling you about the surgery, I know I fucked that up. I definitely shouldn’t have let you find out about all of that while you were at work. You deserve better than that,” Cade rasps out, his voice cracking, and I can tell this isn’t easy for him. But he doesn’t run, and for that I’m thankful.

“You’re right. I deserve better,” I tell him, his eyes widening at my bluntness. But I lean up and give him a chaste kiss on his lips before looking him square in the eye. “And next time, you’ll do better. Now, let’s get loaded up and on the road. I need snacks pronto.”

Cade turns, grabs another bag, and looks at me sheepishly. “I think I’ve got us covered,” he utters, sounding quieter than normal. “But if I forgot anything, we can stop. At this point, we’re going to be there by ten, so we’ve got plenty of time.”

I peek in the bag that’s filled with every snack I can imagine, but the Flamin’ Hot Lime Cheetos and Sour Punch Blue Raspberry Straws stick out, proving that this man really hasn’t missed a single thing.

How did I miss just how attentive he is?

Unable to stop myself, I pull him in for a hug as gently as I can. “You’re really just a constant surprise, Mr. Williams.”

With Morgan Wallenplaying through the speakers, we finally make our way off the freeway toward the town of Ivy Falls.

I’m absolutely dead tired, especially since I didn’t want to stop more than once, which was for dinner in the middle of nowhere, not exactly my idea of excitement.

“So, are you going to tell me anything about your family, or are you just going to make me walk in blind?” I break the silence, needing to talk to wake up a bit.

Long drives at night aren’t exactly my favorite, but Cade’s been doing a pretty good job of keeping me company and playing DJ, taking every single one of my requests. But now I need some info.

“What do you want to know?” he grumbles, adjusting himself in his seat to better face me, his back against the door.

“Why don’t we start with who I’m going to be meeting,” I say, my eyes on the road, trying to see where I’m going. The further we drive, the fewer street lights there are, making it damn near impossible to see.

“Well, we’ll be staying at my parents’ house, so there’s my mom, Shelly—she’ll be the one to welcome you with open arms and a smile on her face. She’s a good one. I feel like you’ll get along with her great.”

“She sounds lovely. I’m excited to meet her.”

“Then there’s my dad, Carson. He’s quiet and more reserved than my mom but once you crack him, he’s funny. Really funny. It’s more of a dry humor that can often come off as rude, but damn, it’s funny.”

“Well, at least now I know where you get that from.” I look over at him and wink, and he just grins and shrugs. “Is there anyone else?”

“My brother, Vince, and sister, Kylie, live in town, so I’m sure you’ll meet them tomorrow. They’re both younger than me. Kylie is twenty-seven, and Vince is twenty-five. Don’t be surprised if Kylie pulls you to the side for ‘girl talk.’ She can talk to anyone. You’ll find that out right away. She might come on strong, but she means well.”

Cade is already standing up for people he hasn’t spent time with in years. People he’s pushed away but is still putting first. It’s in moments like this that he shows me the little parts of him that I”ve always longed to know. The parts that show me just how good of a man he really is.

“Well, that doesn’t seem that intimidating. I mean, I’m still not a fan of meeting new people, let alone four new people in one day, but we’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, just ignore my brother, though. From what I hear, he’s broody and grumpy all the time.”

“Again, sounds like someone I know,” I joke, earning me a glare. “What? Are you worried I’m going to flirt with him, too?”

His hand quickly moves from his lap to mine, squeezing my thigh, high enough that I can almost feel his fingers against my pussy.

“No, I’m not afraid of you flirting with him because you won’t. You’re mine, Tink. Even if we haven’t figured out what that means yet, you’re mine.”

“But—”

“I don’t share, Tink,” Cade growls, cutting me off.

His grip tightens on my thigh and I squeeze my legs together, my clit throbbing, just craving his touch. It’s been too long since I’ve touched him, and damn, I miss him. It’s hard forcing myself to wait, but I couldn’t live with it if I hurt him.

I just smile, trying to hide my blush, and continue driving. Deep down I’m kicking my feet and squealing after hearing him call me his.

“I can’t see anything, Cade. There are no freaking streetlights out here,” I groan, only fifteen minutes later. I’m ready to fall asleep just about anywhere. My body doesn’t do well when I switch between night and day shifts, and I usually need a good night to crash to get back to normal.

“No shit, Gwen, we’re in the middle of nowhere,” Cade responds, obviously getting tired as well. It’s been a busy day for him, and whether or not he’ll admit it, he’s still recovering and needs to take it slow.

When we pulled off the highway about thirty minutes ago, I thought we’d be there in minutes. I didn’t realize that we still had almost an hour left to drive, all of which is on this tiny little road that has no lights. I’m worried about driving us off a cliff.

I doubt there is even a cliff around, but I’m convinced that if there were one, I’d head straight for it.

“Take a left here,” he says the moment a street sign pops up. Thankfully, the reflection from his headlights is just enough to make the turn smooth. We learned the hard way that if I don’t turn slow enough, it’s a bit rough for him.

“I don’t know how you get around out here. I’d always be lost.”

“I grew up out here, and trust me, I spent many nights as a teenager driving these roads,” Cade says nonchalantly like he didn’t just send my mind into overdrive.

The thought of him driving these roads with a girl makes me grumpy. I don’t like the thought of them driving these roads at night, alone, looking for a quiet place to fool around. Yeah, I don’t like that thought at all.

It makes me angry and, dare I say… jealous?

That’s not an emotion I’m used to.

“Damn, woman, if you think any louder, the whole town will hear.” Cade chuckles, his eyes darkening as he watches me, a little hint of a smirk playing on his mouth, and I wonder if he actually knows what I was just thinking about.

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I grumble as a blush rises on my cheeks. Now I hate these dark ass roads just a teeny bit less.

“When we were growing up, Vince and I used to fuck around on these back roads. We both had 4Runners, so we would always drive around like a bunch of idiots,” Cade explains. “Before you even ask, yes, we would have girls with us.”

At his words, my stomach turns. Hearing him say the words somehow makes it that much worse.

“The only girls Vince and I ever brought back here were our sisters.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. It’s not like I’m jealous or anything,” I state, keeping my eyes forward as we pull up to a big gate that is thankfully open.

It hits me all of a sudden that he just said sisters. As in plural. This is the first time since I’ve known Cade—especially since I’ve known about Kylie—that he’s mentioned Veronica, even if indirectly.

“Whatever you say, Tink.” Cade laughs a low, happy laugh that makes me smile. Even knowing he doesn’t believe my lies doesn’t matter because seeing this man happy has me forgetting what we were even talking about. “This is my parents’ driveway, follow it right up here and park on the right.”

As we make it around the corner, I see his parents’ home. I was expecting a small ranch house, but this place is stunning. The whole house is white with black trim and has a porch that wraps around the entire thing. I’m in love with it.

“This is beautiful, Cade,” I say as we park.

“It really is,” Cade says as I turn the car off.

Reaching across the center console, I grab his hand, giving it a quick squeeze, reminding him he’s not alone.

“You ready?” I ask.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he says before opening his door.