Ice Contact (Milwaukee Steel Riders #1)

22. Hayes

22

hayes

A s we walk back to the car, two things are on my mind. First, the girl holding my hand, who is the best part of Milwaukee, is shielding me from a world of embarrassment. Second, a long list of things I’d like her to do with what she’s shielding.

But it dawns on me that I fly out in the morning for a road trip for the rest of the week. Fuck . I don’t want to come across as being too forward, she’s got a lot going on emotionally, and I want to give her space, but I also don’t want to drop her off at her house. I don’t want this night to end before I’m gone for five days. I slow my steps as we near the car, an idea popping into my head. Hopping into the driver’s seat, I wonder…would she go for it ? Only one way to find out.

“I have another question for you, and again, you can say no if you aren’t comfortable.” I glance at Olivia as we drive out of the park, my dick twitching at the thought of what I’m about to ask. “How would you feel about coming over to my place and staying the night? I know that probably sounds presumptuous, and I promise we don’t have to do anything other than hang out and talk until we fall asleep, but I leave in the morning for a road trip. I’ll be gone most of the week, and I…I don’t want to miss another moment with you.”

Olivia is quiet for a moment, her fingernails nervously tapping out a rhythm on the door handle, my palms fucking sweating while gripping the steering wheel as I wait for the gears in her mind to stop turning.

“Can we do more than talk?”

“We can do anything you want. Just so you know, I’m trying to calm down what’s going on below my waist right now, and comments like that are not helping,” I groan, glancing over to her as she fights back a grin.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any more tension in those pants.”

I tilt my head, glancing at her from the corner of my eye with a raised eyebrow, a smirk twisting my lips. “What did you say, Olivia?”

“Damn…I said it again, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did. And unlike the earlier incident, which I’m still taking under advisement, you should never have to apologize for getting me turned on.” I adjust my length, unashamed, as she nods in agreement trying to hide a smile. I hope she is beginning to see there is no need to walk on eggshells around me.

“Sooo…” she hesitates before she speaks, nervously rubbing her thighs. “I can’t believe I’m about to tell you this. But…since we’ve shared a lot of relationship scars today, what’s one more?” She takes a deep breath. “Cayden always complained I had too high of a sex drive. He was always too tired to keep up with me, so I constantly felt like I was bothering him by making suggestive comments.”

“I’m sorry… what? He actually said that to you? A human man told you your sex drive is too high?” I scoff as I white knuckle the steering wheel to avoid driving straight to this guy’s house and punching him square in the dick he clearly doesn’t know how to use.

“Yep. He said my sex drive was ramping up in my thirties, which was unusual, and his was winding down, which was to be expected. It was just one more way I was too clingy for him,” she replies with a hint of regret. “The kicker is, the last time I was at his place, he opened his laptop and there were all these porn sites pulled up, which he quickly closed. But I still saw them. While I have no problem with porn, I mean we’re all human, the pain of him being too tired to be with me, but not tired enough to jerk off to those videos, made me feel even worse about myself.”

“Are you sure he was attracted to women?” I ask as she lets out a boisterous laugh. “I have never heard of a man saying his girlfriend wanted to have too much sex.”

“Apparently it was too much for him, and he couldn’t keep up. You know, the one night a week we’d even see each other,” she grumbles with annoyance.

“Well,” I growl flashing a devilish grin. “there’s something you should know about me, Olivia.”

“And what’s that?”

“I love a challenge.”

We stop by Olivia’s place for her to run in and grab a few things, along with her car so she can drive home in the morning, then she follows me back to my place in the Third Ward. The elevator ride from the basement parking garage to my 5 th floor apartment seems to take an hour, the two of us standing in heavy silence. I look over, finding those longing eyes gazing back at me.

DING.

The sound of the elevator arriving breaks our gaze, and I place my hand on the small of her back, leading her toward my apartment. The lock sounds impossibly loud in the quiet hallway, and inside I drop my gear bag in the entryway as we both slip off our shoes. Olivia sets down her bag and jacket there as well. She fits so well in my space.

“Would you like a tour of the apartm-”

My words are interrupted by Olivia slamming her lips into mine. She runs her fingers through my hair as she moans into our kiss, her body flush against mine. That moan is going to be the death of me . As our tongues collide, I pick her up and she immediately wraps her legs around my back. My God, this woman is fucking perfect in my arms. I carefully carry her toward my bedroom. The passion building between us this week – fuck, since we met - has all been leading to this moment. This glorious, torturous, sexual tension finally has an outlet. We enter the bedroom, and I gently set her on the bed, standing between her legs.

“Olivia. I want this. I want you. But I want to be sure this isn’t too fast for you. I know you’ve got a lot going on. Shit, we both do.” My hands fist at my sides as I fight against the need to touch her. “I don’t want to push you into anything you don’t want.”

She pauses for a moment, her eyes darting around the room as if she’s looking for answers. For the love of all things hockey, let her answer be wanting me inside her.

“Hayes,” her eyes lock onto mine, “I really appreciate the respect and space you’re trying to give me. I mean…maybe this is too fast. We’ve both just ended some emotionally complicated relationships,” she says, and my heart sinks. But if she wants to slow things down, I’m not going to fuck this up. She deserves everything.

“Honestly, I don’t know what’s come over me, but ever since you sat down at Walt’s during my gig, I’ve felt a different kind of confidence building inside me. I feel like I can finally be myself.” I step closer, our legs pressed against each other. “Somehow, you’ve made me realize I’m tired of living for what other people want. I want to start living for what I want. What I need. What makes me happy.” I kneel on the bed, towering over her as my body burns. “And right now, what I want…is you.”