Chapter Seven
Trent
B y the time we make it back to Dani's place for the night, she's giddy, tipsy, and radiant as hell, laughing like she's never been hurt in her life. But, as I'm coming to learn, her past is seasoned with more pain and disappointment than I think anyone realizes.
She's been hurt, let down, and neglected for most of her life. But somehow, impossibly, she still puts her whole heart on the line for the people she cares about.
"Careful, Sunshine." I hold onto her as we stumble through her front door, her arm tangled with mine, her boots tracking mud and glitter across the floor.
Her only response is another soft laugh that turns my blood to steam. She's wrecking me tonight, completely unraveling me at the seams. I don't think she even realizes how beautiful she truly is when she's happy, but it's impossible to miss the way she glows.
I wasn't the only one who noticed it tonight. My teammates did. Their dates did, too. The puck bunnies were practically shooting daggers at us before we left, jealous that she was the center of attention. As if they could ever compete or compare.
There is no competition or comparison. Dani is the magic in the world. They're what's left when it dies. She has an endless well of light to pour into the world. I think they flickered out a long goddamn time ago.
Dani nearly lands on her face outside her bedroom, but I catch her, one hand gripping the curve of her ass, the other clutching her wrist. The sound that leaves her mouth is one hundred percent illegal in seventeen states.
She bites her lip, her blue eyes wide, and then grins up at me. "Did you have to catch me by my ass?"
"Full service," I say with a straight face. "You fall; I catch. No exceptions."
She studies me, her mouth doing that almost-smile, the one that says she's thinking very dirty thoughts and probably categorizing them by achievability. I would literally kill to know what's going through her head, but she's a fucking vault sometimes.
She turns, hauling me after her, and we collapse onto her bed in a tangle of limbs and static electricity.
I'm on my back with her straddling my hips, the hem of her pretty little dress riding way the hell up. Without her tights, her panties are on full display. I am not complaining. Ruining those tights was the highlight of my night.
I slide my hands up her thighs, letting her grind against me, and pretend I'm not half a second from coming in my pants.
She arches an eyebrow. "You planning to fuck me in this dress again, Kirk?"
I sit up, drag her closer, letting my teeth graze the skin just below her ear. "I was going to fuck you out of it, but if you're that attached…"
Her laugh is half moan, half challenge. "Destroy it for all I care."
God, I love her.
And there it is, the thought that's been riding shotgun in my brain since day one. I'm in love with her.
The truth damn near slips out. I want to say it so badly I ache, but I bite my tongue because she deserves more than a drunken Christmas Eve confession.
So I show her instead.
I flip her onto her back, gentle but firm, and she squeals like she didn't know I could do that. She tries to scramble up, but I pin her wrists above her head, grinning down at her. She's breathless and beautiful, staring at me like I pulled the sun from the sky and handed it to her .
"You're fucking perfect," I say. "Have I told you that tonight?"
She shakes her head, hair wild on the pillow. "No. You've been too busy threatening to maim your teammates for looking at me."
I dip my head, tracing a line down her throat with my tongue, breathing her in. "You should see the way you look from across a room," I whisper, my lips brushing her pulse. "You're so beautiful it makes me stupid."
"Trent," she says, and my name on her lips is a fucking masterpiece.
I kiss her, deep and slow, taking my time, tasting the last traces of cocoa and wine on her tongue. She kisses back harder, more urgently, nipping at my lip like she's trying to draw blood.
I release her wrists and run my hands down her arms, her sides, over her hips. She shivers under my touch, arching into me. Christ, I want to spend the rest of my life making her shiver just like this.
I break the kiss and sit back, sliding my hands under her dress. She gasps when I grip her thighs, but she doesn't stop me. If anything, she spreads her legs wider, daring me to keep going.
I push the dress up, slow, savoring every inch of her skin, before flinging it to the floor, leaving her in lacy red panties and a flush that belongs in a fucking museum. She's perfect. She doesn't think so, but I could spend the rest of my life proving her wrong.
She bites her lip, cheeks pink. "You know you're overdressed, right?"
I make a show of pulling my suit jacket off, tossing it onto her desk.
I loosen my tie with my teeth. She snorts at that, which makes me do it again, just to get a second laugh.
Then I unbutton my shirt, slow as hell, letting her watch every move.
When I slide it off, she stares at me, eyes wild, like she's memorizing every scar and muscle.
She crosses her arms over her chest, suddenly shy when I'm naked and kneeling above her. I lean down to kiss her hands, then her shoulders, then every inch of skin she tries to hide.
"You're unreal, Dani," I murmur, tracing her collarbone with my tongue. "I could spend hours just looking at you."
She shakes her head. "You're so full of shit."
"I'm serious, baby."
She tries to sass me, but I shut her up with my mouth, trailing hot kisses down her throat, between her breasts, across her stomach. I go slow, drawing it out, until she's squirming and whining and begging me to hurry up.
But I don't hurry. I don't want to hurry.
Instead, I kneel between her legs and slide my hands up her thighs, pushing them apart until she's completely open for me. I kiss the inside of her knee, then higher, then higher still, until my mouth hovers right over her panties .
She's already soaked.
I press my tongue against the lace, tasting her through the fabric. She shudders so hard the bed creaks. I hook my fingers into the panties and pull them down, dragging them off as slowly as possible.
She's beautiful everywhere, but here? Christ, here, she's a fucking work of art. I stare, memorizing the sight all dripping and pink, letting her feel how much I want her.
"Trent," she whispers, and there's a plea in her voice I can't ignore.
I dip my head and lick her, soft at first, just teasing. She jerks, gasping, hands clutching the sheets. I run my tongue up and down, then circle her clit, flicking it until she's shaking.
She tastes better than fudge, better than victory, better than anything else in this world.
I keep at it, slow and relentless, holding her hips down so she can't get away. Every time she tries to lift off the bed, I press her back, making her take it. She's moaning now, her voice going high and desperate, and I know she's close.
I slip two fingers inside her, curling them just right, and she nearly screams.
"You're so good at that, Trent. Oh my go—"
I suck her clit, hard, and she explodes, coming apart all over my face with her thighs trembling and her hands in my hair. She pulls me closer, grinding her hips up, riding the wave until she's boneless and panting.
I keep licking, gentler now, cleaning her up, kissing her inner thighs as she comes down.
When she finally opens her eyes, she looks dazed, like she's been hit with a truck. I fucking love that look on her.
I crawl up her body and kiss her, letting her taste herself on my tongue.
She kisses me back, hungry and raw.
"Fuck," she says when she catches her breath. "You're going to kill me."
I brush my nose against hers, grinning. "Not until you come at least two more times."
She laughs, but I'm not joking. I want her coming all over me as soon as humanly possible, as often as humanly possible.
I slide my hand between her legs again, my fingers slick with her arousal. She's still sensitive, but she doesn't shy away. If anything, she spreads her legs wider, letting me in.
I kiss her again, deep and lazy, while I play with her. I want her to know exactly how much I want her. I drink in every whimper and gasp, high on the sound of her breaking for me.
She comes again, less dramatic this time but more intense, her body locking up as she clenches around my fingers. I swallow her moans, kissing her through it, holding her tight.
She falls limp, her face pressed against my chest, giggling like she can't believe this is real .
I stroke her hair, letting her breathe. She feels so fucking good in my arms, I just want to freeze time and keep her right here.
She tugs at my waistband, clumsy and impatient. "Your pants," she growls. "Off. Now."
I oblige, standing just long enough to strip out of them.
The second I'm naked, she wraps her hand around me, stroking slow and deliberate.
"Jesus," I mutter, barely holding on.
She grins, all teeth and sin. "Payback."
I won't last if she keeps that up, so I grab her wrists and pin them above her head again, kissing her hard as I crawl over her. I line myself up, watching her face as I push forward.
She's tight, hot…perfect. I have to grit my teeth to keep from losing it instantly. She feels that fucking good wrapped around my cock.
I set a slow, steady rhythm, savoring every thrust, every gasp, every time she clenches around me. I want this to last. I want to fuck her until the sun comes up. God, I want to brand every single inch of her, claim it all as mine.
She wraps her legs around my waist, drawing me deeper. The slight change in angle makes her gasp my name in a way I fucking love. I lean down, nipping at her throat, whispering everything I've been dying to say.
"You're everything," I whisper, my lips brushing her ear. "I've never needed anyone like this."
She moans, her hips meeting mine.
"I want to ruin you for anyone else, Sunshine." I rake my teeth down the tendon in the side of her neck.