39. Braden
Chapter 39
Braden
B ella blinks at me, surprised at what I’ve told her to do.
But a second later, her pouty mouth curves up in a sexy smile. She’s into it, just like I knew she would be.
She’s likes it when I’m bossy in bed. She likes it when I tell her what to do.
She reaches up and grips the wooden headboard.
I take the extra second to breathe and steady myself.
Fucking her is the sweetest torture. My dick and balls are throbbing, begging for release. She’s so tight and warm and wet, I feel like I’m on the verge of coming the entire time I’m inside of her.
But I won’t. I refuse to. I want this to last. I want it to be good for her before it can be good for me.
Seeing her play with her clit and come hard around my cock was the single hottest thing I’ve ever witnessed in my life. Everything this woman does drives me wild. I want to make sure that this is good for her, that I give her everything she wants .
“Will you come for me? Please?” she says in a sweet, soft voice. My cock throbs.
“Fuck, baby,” I mutter, dizzy at the way she begs.
I grip her hips and thrust hard. “Do you see what you do to me?”
I’m wild as I fuck her hard and fast. Liquid heat gathers at the end of my spine. I feel her clench around me. The pleasure and pressure inside of me are off the charts. I’ve got thirty seconds, max, until I blow.
“You’re mine,” I growl. I sound like a fucking caveman. I don’t care. It’s how I feel. I want this woman more than anything else in the world.
“I’m yours,” she says.
Hearing her say those words sets me off. I come with a roar. It’s so hard that I fall forward. I plant a hand on either side of her body, propping myself up as the pleasure wrings me out.
I breathe hard, blinking quickly. I can barely see straight and my hearing is fuzzy. That’s how hard I just came.
Bella’s beautiful face comes into focus. My heart pounds in my chest seeing her sweet smile and those beautiful dimples.
I cup her face in my hand and press a soft kiss to her mouth. She slides her hands up my chest, moaning softly into my mouth.
I can’t get enough of this woman. I’m addicted to her and I want more of her.
And now she’s my girlfriend.
Slowly, I pull out of her and give her one more kiss before I step off the bed and head to the bathroom to get rid of the condom. When I crawl back into bed, I cuddle her to my chest.
She melts into me with a soft moan. I kiss her forehead .
“That was insane,” she murmurs.
“Good insane?”
“Incredible insane.”
I grin. “Rest up, pretty girl. I’m not done with you yet.”
She flashes a giddy smile before yawning. Seeing her do that makes me yawn too. It’s not long before she falls asleep. I’m not far behind her. As I drift off, I know I’m falling hard for this girl.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you this since the first time I came here, but this is the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted,” Bella says. She devours another spoonful of the caramel segnato scoop in her cup.
The blonde woman behind the counter at Sweet Cheeks Creamery beams at her. “You really think so?”
Bella nods. “My favorite thing in the world is caramel segnato. I’ve never had this flavor of ice cream before and you nailed it.”
I hold up my cup of mint chip ice cream. “This is the best ice cream I’ve ever had too. Hands down.”
The blonde woman beams at us. “Oh my gosh. You guys made my day. Thank you!”
After spending the weekend in my bed fucking each other’s brains out, Bella said she was in the mood for something sweet so I suggested we come here.
Bella smiles at the woman as we stand in the ice cream shop. It’s a cute place. There are pastel pink walls, a neon pink sign that says “ice ice baby” in cursive writing behind the counter, and a greenery backdrop that makes up the entire wall on the far side of the shop.
“Are you the owner?” Bella asks .
The blonde woman nods. “Yeah, I’m Becca.”
“I’m Bella. It’s so nice to meet you. Is Maya Grant your sister-in-law?”
Becca’s eyes brighten. “Yeah, do you know her?”
Bella nods. “She’s a friend of mine.”
Becca steps out from behind the counter, her hand on her pregnant belly.
“Oh congratulations!” Bella says to her. “You have such a cute bump.”
Becca beams. “Thank you. My husband and I are super excited.”
“Are you having any fun cravings?” Bella asks. “My best friend is pregnant and right now the only thing she wants to eat are pickles dipped in peanut butter.”
Becca’s head falls back as she laughs. “That was how I first suspected I was pregnant. I had that exact same craving. Never had it before in my life. Right now, my biggest craving is ice cream, which works out since I own an ice cream shop.”
We all laugh.
“You should sell a pickle-and-peanut-butter-flavored ice cream. That could be a hit with your pregnant customers,” I joke.
Becca chuckles. “Now there’s an idea.”
“What’s your favorite flavor?” Bella asks her.
Becca grabs a giant water bottle from the counter and takes a sip. “Coffee. I’m craving coffee constantly, which sucks because I can’t have more than a small cup a day because of the caffeine.” She pats her stomach and smiles down at her bump. “Baby is worth it though.”
“I’m a barista and I brew a special type of hot chocolate that tastes like coffee,” Bella says. “I can bring you some to try, if you want. ”
Becca’s blue eyes light up. “Really?”
“Yeah, I’d be happy to. My best friend is a coffee addict and she drinks cups of it every day. She says it totally satisfies her coffee craving.”
“Oh, I would love that!”
Bella hands me her ice cream cup and pulls her phone out of her jacket pocket. She and Becca exchange numbers. She promises to drop off some hot chocolate to Becca tomorrow morning.
Becca notices Maizie, who we left outside next to the entrance. “Oh is that your puppy? She’s so cute.”
We all walk outside and introduce her to Maizie. I untie the leash from the outdoor table and she hops up on her little legs to lick Becca’s hands as she pets her. Becca laughs.
“We weren’t sure if it was okay to bring her in,” I say.
“I love dogs, you’re always welcome to bring her in with you,” she says to us.
Bella promise to text Becca. We tell her good-bye and walk down the street. I loop my arm in Maizie’s leash so I can finish eating my ice cream.
“Look at you. Making new friends and showcasing your coffee.” I gently bump Bella with my elbow. She laughs.
“Becca seemed so nice,” she says.
“Yeah, she did. Did you see how her face lit up when you raved about her ice cream?”
Becca beams. “I hope she likes my hot chocolate,” she says as we walk along the block through the neighborhood.
“She will. Your coffee and your hot chocolate are the best. No question.”
She flashes a soft smile at me. “You’re sweet.”
“It’s the truth.”
We finish our ice cream as we walk through the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver. It’s almost the end of November, but we haven’t had much snow in the city yet, just a couple dustings that have melted after a day. It’s a crisp, clear afternoon and all the leaves on the trees that line the street in this neighborhood are fiery red, orange, and gold.
When we finish our ice cream, I toss the empty containers into a nearby trashcan. Bella offers to take the leash, so I hand it to her. We walk ahead and I scoop Bella’s hand in mine.
She looks up at me, amused smile playing on her lips.
I can’t help my grin. “What?”
“You’ve never held my hand before when we walked Maizie together,” she says.
“Well, you’re my girlfriend now. And I want to hold my girlfriend’s hand when we’re walking together.”
Her smile turns warm as she gazes up at me. She gazes down at our joined hands. “I like it,” she says, her voice soft.
My phone buzzes with a text. I pull it out of my jacket pocket and see a message from my mom.
Hi, honey! Can’t wait to see you when you’re playing in Vancouver next week! Nana and Pop Pop are so excited. Nana is whipping up your favorite sweet potato casserole for family dinner.
I smile down at my screen and tap back a quick message.
Hi, Mom. I can’t wait to see you all too. Love you
I slide my phone back into my pocket.
“Sorry, had to text my mom back,” I say.
“Everything okay?” Bella asks.
“Yeah, all good. It’s been a while since I’ve visited my family in Canada. We’re playing Vancouver next week, but I’m going a few days early so I can visit them and so we can celebrate Thanksgiving together. ”
“I thought Canadian Thanksgiving was in October.”
“It is, but my Mom’s family likes to celebrate US Thanksgiving whenever I’m able to visit them.”
She grins. “I didn’t know you were from Canada.”
“I’m not. My mom and her family are all Canadian though, and they live in the Victoria area. I was born in Michigan. That’s where my dad is from. I grew up visiting British Columbia multiple times a year to see my mom’s family. My parents divorced when I was in college, and my mom moved back to Victoria after that.”
“Sorry to hear your parents split up,” Bella says softly.
“It’s okay. It’s for the best. My dad’s been a workaholic his whole life and wasn’t the most attentive husband in the world. I realize that now that I’m older.”
I remember being a little kid and seeing my mom cook my dad’s favorite dinner for their anniversary every year. Sometimes she’d make reservations at a nice restaurant. Half the time he was late. And the other half, he’d call to say that he couldn’t make it because he was too busy with work. Because nothing mattered more than being a successful hockey coach, not even having dinner with his wife.
Even now I remember that sadness in her eyes when he couldn’t make it. How it happened year after year, until she finally got fed up and left him.
“That must have been really hard for your mom,” Bella says.
“It was. She really loved him. She tried for years to make things work with him, but you can’t make a relationship work with someone who’s never around.”
Bella nods, glancing down at Maizie as she sniffs a patch of mud along the sidewalk.
“What does your mom do for a living?” Bella asks
“She was a dietitian until she moved back to Victoria. ”
“How cool.”
“Yeah, she loved it. She spends most of her time taking care of my grandparents now, since they’re getting up in age.”
“She sounds like a really sweet person,” Bella says.
“She is. She’d like you a lot.”
Bella smiles like she’s surprised and heartened all at once.
“So, does your dietician mom make you eat super healthy when you visit her?”
I chuckle. “Yeah, she always tries. I’m sure she’s going to have a healthy spread when I visit her next week and our family has Thanksgiving dinner.”
“Next week is Thanksgiving already?” Bella shakes her head. “That means I’ll have to see my parents.”
“You don’t sound excited about that.”
We stop walking when Maizie pauses to pee next to a tree.
“I’m not excited to force-feed myself dry turkey and listen to my parents lecture me about my life choices.”
“Then don’t.”
She looks up at me. “What?”
“Come to Canada with me.”
She blinks at me. “What?”
“Come to Canada with me,” I say. Excitement works its way up in my chest just thinking about Bella coming with me. I want her to meet my family. I want to take her on a fun and relaxing getaway so that she can rest and recharge after working so hard.
“You don’t have to come to my game,” I say quickly, remembering how she doesn’t like going to hockey games anymore. “But I can show you around Victoria.”
She’s quiet for a second. “I’ve never been. That sounds really fun.” She frowns slightly, like she’s thinking about it. “You sure your family would be okay with me crashing Thanksgiving dinner? I don’t want to be rude.”
“They’d be so happy to have you. Seriously. My mom is going to be thrilled to meet you. I promise.”
After a moment, she smiles at me. “Okay. I’m in.”