Hot Shot (Hot as Puck Book 2)

32. Branton

Way to ruin the moment, kill the mood, dickhead.

If I wouldn’t look like more of an idiot, I’d slap myself upside the head.

“You… Never?” Blake’s eyes are locked on mine, confusion swirling in their silver depths. “But… Why?”

I can’t lie to her. Won’t lie to her. “It’s aways been you.”

“Branton, you’re twenty-six years old, have been married, have had puck bunnies throwing themselves at you since high school and you’re telling me you’ve never had sex with anyone?”

“No. I never wanted anyone but you. Thought my dick might be broken somehow but it all works just fine.” I rock my hips against hers to show her how well things are working.

“You’ve done nothing? Because I’ve got to say, you kiss like an expert.”

“Ah, well, I’ve kissed a couple of girls—women. Not many but a few.” I know my cheeks are red. I’m waving the virgin flag high over my head right now. “It never went far. My mind wanted to, thought I should, you know, but my body—my heart—had other ideas.”

“I don’t know what to say. This is…unbelievable. Extraordinary.”

“Is that a good extraordinary or bad?” If my lack of experience turns her off… “I might not have firsthand knowledge but I’m not clueless. I’ll make it good for you.”

“I don’t think you’re clueless or can’t make me feel good, I just… I’m shocked.” She wiggles under me. “And my ass is going numb.”

“Shit.” Jackknifing up, I jump to my feet and reach down to pull her up beside me. “Sorry. We kind of rushed that and I… Shit. I’ve killed the mood, haven’t I?”

“No. No. You did neither of those things. As I said, I’m shocked by your revelation. And in awe that you waited. For me.”

“I didn’t tell you to change anything between us, I just want you to know what you mean to me. What you’ve always meant to me.”

“I’m honored. And I have to admit a little thrilled I’m the only one who will ever share this with you. I’m excited to explore this together because I might not be as pure as you but I’m not far off it. I’ve only sleep with three guys. It’s hard to trust anyone to let them that close. I haven’t been with anyone since your second year of college. The year we got close when…”

“When Mom was killed.”

“Yeah. I wasn’t seeing anyone for a while before that and after… Well, after, I felt like I belonged to you. Or maybe it was I didn’t feel like I belonged with anyone else.” She shrugs. “It’s hard to explain.”

“I get it. Believe me, I get it. Being a hormone riddled teenager who can’t get it up for anyone but his best friends’ older sister is extremely hard to explain. Not that I tried. Can you imagine the teasing I would have gotten?”

Her mouth splits into a grin, her lips quickly parting on a laugh.

“Yeah, you can laugh.”

“My brothers would have had a field day with that info.”

I shudder at the thought.

She has to suck in a breath as another burst of laughter breaks free. “Oh, god. They really would have been merciless.”

“I’ve kept this secret for years, I’m trusting you to keep it with me.” I’m not. I don’t care if she tells anyone. Nothing matters to me any more except having Blake, claiming her as my own. The world knowing she’s mine.

“I would never talk to them about my sex life, why the hell would I talk to them about yours?”

It’s my turn to shrug. “Don’t know. Not sure why I said that.”

“Okay, here’s the deal. From now on, from this minute, my secrets are your secrets, and your secrets are my secrets.”

“Deal. Should we shake on it or…”

“Oh. I think we can seal this deal with something better than a handshake.” Her hands find my waist, her fingers curling into the waistband of my pants. “But first we’ll need to get rid of these clothes.”

“Can I admit to a teenage fantasy and maybe convince you to make it a reality?”

“Of course, I told you I want to make all your wishes come true.”

I can’t believe I’m going to tell her about this, ask her to turn it real. “I used to lie on that bed and think about you upstairs, in the shower. I’d imagine you coming down here in only a towel because the lights have gone out and nobody else is home. You’d ask to sleep with me because you’re scared of the storm raging outside…”

“This is sounding very elaborate.”

“I had a vivid imagination when it came to you. Still do.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Now I’m thinking maybe I pulled you in here out of that storm and you’re soaked to the skin, freezing cold, and I need to do everything I can to warm you up.”

“Like?”

“Body heat. Body heat is the best and fastest way to raise your temperature.”

“Pretty sure my temp is already rising.”

“Let’s see how high we can get it.”

I don’t waste time ridding us of our clothes. I’ve seen Blake in a swimsuit, in gym gear, but never completely naked. Never with only light covering her body.

She’s built—from all the years of hockey—strong and powerful, and I’m relieved I won’t need to temper my own strength. Because now that I have her, now that she’s naked in my arms, I’m not sure I can hold back.

I’ve waited years to touch her, to taste her, to be hers. And that’s what it comes down to. I’m offering her me. A virgin for her to deflower.

“What’s with that smirk?”

My gaze meets hers, my smile growing wider. “I’m the virgin sacrifice.”

Laughing, she rolls her eyes. “Are we changing your fantasy again?”

“You are my fantasy. Any way I can have you.”

“You have me, Bran, any way you want.”

“I just want you. I need you. More than I’ve ever needed anything and for a while there I lost my way, lost you, and I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

“We’ll make up for it.”

“You bet we will.”

“Tell me what you want, what you need, what to do.”

“Lie with me.” Reaching over, I pull back the bed covers. “I want to sleep in this bed with you.”

“Only sleep?”

“No. But I’ll take anything I can get. Sleeping beside you is just as much a fantasy as fucking you.”

“Such a crude mouth for an innocent virgin.” Blake smirks at me before she climbs on the bed.

“I told you I’m not clueless.” Slipping under the covers after her, I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her against me, chest to chest.

My eyes close as a shiver of pleasure rolls through me.

Her soft skin pressed to mine is a touch I’ve waited a lifetime for and I’m going to savor it. Every second, every inch. I want to etch tonight on my memory like a blade scores the ice. Except unlike an ice rink there will be no mental resurfacer to clear the marks away.

I will never forget our first time.

“You smell good.” The tip of her nose brushes against my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. “So good I’m not sure if I want to lick or bite you.”

“How about kissing me?” Using a finger under her chin, I tilt her head back so I can see her face, her eyes. “Will you kiss me again?”

“Of course. You don’t have to ask.”

“So I can kiss you whenever I want?”

“Always.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

“In front of your family?”

“Yes.”

“In front of our team?”

“Ah, well, that might be somewhere we have to refrain…”

“If there’s a ring on your finger? On mine?”

“Oh, well, that would be different.”

“Then let’s get married. Tomorrow.”

Blake opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. Her eyes are full of shock and I take advantage of her frozen state to kiss the ever-loving-shit out of both of us.

By the time I’m done, we’re breathless, panting hard, and I do the only thing I can think of.

“Marry me, Blake. Make me the happiest man alive by making me your husband. I promise to take care of you, always put you first?—”

Her hand slaps over my mouth. “Bran. We’ve just…we haven’t…we…”

“You know it’s right.” My words are muffled against her palm. My gaze locked with hers. “You know this is where we’re going, where we should already be. Haven’t we wasted enough time?”

“But…” She slowly lowers her hand and I reach for it, curl our fingers together.

“What’s stopping you from saying yes?”

“I…” She shakes her head like she’s trying to shake her thoughts loose.

“When I asked, what was the first word to pop into your head? Don’t lie.”

“Yes.”

Grinning, I bring my free hand up and cradle her face. “Then that’s the answer. Think about why you couldn’t say it.”

“Because there’s so much going on, so many things outside of us?—”

“None of those are important when it comes to this decision. We are the most important thing, everything else should be decided around that. We’re already moving in together, we’ve made a verbal commitment to each other about our future. This is the next step. The one we should have taken a long time ago.”

“We should have gotten married already?”

“You don’t think that’s where we’d be by now if I hadn’t gotten caught up in some woman’s revenge scheme?”

“You think Celeste did what she did for revenge?”

“Yes. After talking to Landon, I think she did everything to get back at him for not doing what she wanted.”

“Do you blame Landon for that?”

“Of course not. Why would I?”

“Yes!” Her mouth smashes on mine, her tongue thrusting between my lips, my teeth, and I’m barely able to reciprocate the kiss before she’s pulling back.

“Yes. Let’s get married.”

“Tomorrow?”

“You don’t want to wait? Have everyone there? You didn’t get to do?—”

“As far as I’m concerned, I’ve never been married before. I had a legal contract—a business arrangement—with a woman to secure a child. Nothing more.”

“Okay, however you want to do it, we’ll do it.”

“Speaking of doing it.” I press my mouth to hers and roll her beneath me. My hips slip into the cradle of hers, my thighs pushing her legs wide, and my dick notches in her heated core. I’m not embarrassed to admit I’m close to blowing my load. “This first time will be too fast.”

“I don’t mind fast.”

“I do. I want to love you slowly.”

“It doesn’t matter how you love me, Bran, as long as you love me.”

“I do. Love you. With everything I am I love you, and I can guarantee that will never change.”