Chapter 26
BENNETT
Dinner was rough. Weston wouldn’t stop heckling me, Callum gave me the goalie death stare, then Tori showed up looking like an off-limits finance goddess. Now I’m keyed up — exactly what you don’t want before game day.
During the season, I respect my sleep routine. Meaning I stretch, shower, and go lights out by ten pm before a game.
But right now, my entire body’s humming. I strip out of my quarter-zip and jeans, throw on a pair of gym shorts. Then I grab my foam roller and try to roll out my calves, my quads. But they’re tight as fucking rubber bands, same as every other muscle in my damn body.
I massage up and down my calf with the roller, trying to ease the tension.
Knock, knock, knock.
Three light taps at the door.
Too quiet to be my brothers. No muffled voice identifying hotel staff.
Hopping up from the carpeted floor, I hurry over and peer through the peephole.
Tori.
And she’s alone.
Breaking her own rules.
“Hey.” I lean into the hall, scanning first to the left, then to the right. All clear.
“Curfew check.” Her words come out controlled, professional.
Her eyes are anything but.
Dark and dangerous, she stares up at me through lowered lashes.
I open the door wider, and she steps in without another word. I close the door behind her with a click.
“Tell me this is a bad idea,” she whispers, her fingers working her necklace.
“It is.” I step forward and then we’re kissing.
Hard, fast, desperate.
Like I’m dying and she’s oxygen.
Her fingers tangle in my hair as I press her back to the door, my hands gripping her hips. Palms gliding over the silky fabric of her skirt, the thudding of her heart vibrates against my bare chest.
“God, I’ve been thinking about you all day,” she murmurs and I smile against her lips.
“Ooh, I love it when you talk dirty to me, Sunshine. All day?”
“Yes.”
One word.
A breathy admission that means more to me than I dare to admit.
I slip my tongue into her mouth, tasting her. Wanting more — so much more.
“Same.” I swirl around, showing her exactly how much I need her right now.
A quiet moan escapes her lips, a soft vibration as my hands drift from her hips down to her ass. She hitches her thigh around mine, her shoe dropping to the floor.
Rap, rap, rap.
The sound’s so loud, it rattles the door. We both freeze. I press my hand over her mouth, dropping my lips to her ear.
“Bathroom. Now.”
She dashes across the room and I roll my shoulders back. Scrub the back of my hand across my mouth to remove any traces of Tori’s signature scarlet lipstick. The bathroom door closes with a soft click and I crack the door open.
“Making sure you’re tucked in nice and tight for curfew.” Weston stands in the bright lights of the hallway, Callum a few inches behind. Weston studies me for a second, eyes narrow. “You okay? You seem out of breath.”
I open the door a little wider, hand resting on the jamb and arm outstretched. Taking up the maximum amount of space to block his view.
“Yeah, man. Great. Doing my bedtime routine. Stretching.”
Too many words, Bennett. Shut the fuck up.
“Stretching?” Callum’s brow furrows, lips pressed tight as he peers over Weston’s shoulder.
I shift, spreading my legs even wider.
Thump.
My foot makes contact with something.
Fuck.
Tori’s shoe.
I cough and clear my throat, kicking the shoe out of their line of sight with my right foot.
“Yeah. Foam rolling. Quads have been tight lately.” I flex my left thigh and slap the outside of my leg, pointing at the exact spot. “It’s been a real bitch.”
“I can come in, show you the move the trainer’s been using on me. It’s really effective.” Weston dangles the offer, like I can’t figure out he wants to spy on me.
“No, thanks. I’ve got it. Need to get to bed anyway. Ice time will come early tomorrow.”
“Right.” Callum nods, shoving his hand in his pocket.
I guess they’re buying it.
A soft buzz sounds behind me.
Shit.
The bathroom fan. Tori must have accidentally hit it.
“What’s that?” Weston leans in, craning to see inside my room. I step forward, closing the gap.
“AC kicked on.” I scrub my right hand over the back of my neck, heat prickling beneath my hand.
“It’s sixty degrees outside.” Weston screws his mouth up like fucking Sherlock Holmes.
“You work for the Weather Channel now, Captain America?” My tone’s edgy. I want these nosy motherfuckers to scram. “Can I catch some shut eye? Or we gonna stand here and shoot the shit all damn night?”
Callum moves in closer to me, dropping his voice low. “Whatever you’re doing, Bennett—be careful. It’s not worth getting burned.”
Then he strolls away, all nonchalant.
Callum’s not joking. He’s never joking.
And that fact scares the shit out of me.
Weston hooks his thumb in Callum’s direction. “I second that. Don’t be stupid.”
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.” I roll my eyes, hot irritation rising in my chest like heartburn.
“You have a pattern, Benny. Self-destruction’s kinda your MO.”
“Fuck off, Weston.” Anger tinges my words. But Weston doesn’t take the bait, stays calm.
“Night.”
He follows Callum down the hall and I shut the door with a decisive click. Leaning against the wood, I take a deep breath.
Self-destruction’s kinda your MO.
He’s not wrong — and that pisses me off more than anything.
I’m tired of being the fuck up, the brother making headlines.
The bathroom door cracks open and Tori tiptoes out, her lone shoe dangling from her hand.
“You okay?” The words come out rough. From the close call, from seeing her like this.
Rattled. Undone.
Sexy as hell.
Her hair’s loose, falling over her shoulders. Lipstick smeared from earlier, her breath still coming in quick bursts from the adrenaline.
God, I fucking want her.
“We shouldn’t...”
She nods. “I know.”
I step closer to her, catching her wrist. Her pulse beats beneath my thumb.
“You should go.” I don’t believe a single syllable of what I’m saying right now, the words bitter in my mouth.
She holds my gaze like she’s daring me to mean it.
Biting her lower lip, she drops her shoe to the floor. Lifts her shirt over her head, then shimmies out of her skirt. Drops the clothes in a pile next to the bed.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand and I flip it over, reading the text message in the Hockey Bros thread.
Captain America: Nice shoe, Benny
Goalie Boy: Don’t
Fuck.
They know.
Of course they know.
I type out Fuck off.
Delete.
Type Go to sleep.
Delete that too.
Finally, I toss the phone on the nightstand facedown without responding.
“My brothers know.”
Tori stares at me for a long second, the soft light from the lamp casting shadows across her face.
“Did they see me?”
“No. They may have seen your shoe.”
Her eyes flash and she tips her head.
“Do you want me to go?”
I should say yes. That’d be the smart play.
“Hell no.”
A slow smile spreads across her face. She crooks her finger at me, laying down on the bed in only her lace bra and panties. I’m a fucking goner.
Standing at the edge of the mattress, I quickly assess my life decisions.
This one sits at the tippy-top under the ‘Most Reckless’ category.
But there’s no way I’m turning a nearly-naked Tori away.
I climb onto the bed next to her, levering up on one elbow and gazing at her delicious curves.
Not touching her yet. Making her wait.
Her breath catches under my stare, a slight tremor in the delicate column of her neck.
“You’re going to be very, very quiet.” I trail my thumb lightly over her cheek, along the seam of her lips. The tip of her tongue darts out, licking the skin, and now I’m rock hard for her.
“No noise. Not with my brothers prowling the hall.”
She nods silently. Already obeying instructions.
“Stay quiet.”
I hook a finger under the cup of her bra, tugging it down. She sucks in a sharp breath and the nipple instantly hardens. I bite back a groan, her control hitting me hard.
Dipping down, I pull the pink point into my mouth. Her muscles tighten, but she doesn’t make a sound as I lick and suck.
God, she’s gorgeous.
I can’t wait to be inside her again, filling her up.
Swirling my tongue around the rosy bud, her body quivers with shaking need. My hand pinches her other nipple through the lacy fabric and she bucks her hips.
“You want more?” I whisper in her ear.
“Yes.”
I still, my hand shooting up to cover her mouth. She gazes at me with dazed eyes.
“Okay?” I murmur.
“Yes,” she breathes.
“Quiet. Or we stop.”
She nods and I drop my hand back down to her breast, pinching and twisting. She bites down on her lip, determination etched on her face.
So damn cute.
I keep working her breasts, teasing her body with my tongue, my hands. Her fingers rake through my hair, massaging my neck, my shoulders.
Straddling her, I take both of her wrists and pin them above her head. Eyes wide and pupils blown, she opens her mouth, shuts it again.
“Keep them there for me.”
I nip at the sensitive skin along her neck, linger at the freckle with my tongue. She shivers with pleasure as I pepper kisses over her chest, her stomach.
“So damn perfect,” I murmur, my lips vibrating on her bare skin. Her fingers flex, like she wants to touch me, but she doesn’t dare.
That rule — don’t move — turns her into something nearly feral.
And it’s turning me the fuck on.
I drag my mouth down to her bellybutton, then hitch my thumb in the side of her panties. She arches, seeking friction, and I pause.
One hand still wrapped around her wrists, I catch her hip and grip her lightly.
“Hold still. Don’t chase.”
She narrows her eyes, internally warring. But she swallows whatever she was going to say, her body going very still.
“Still okay?”
She nods hard and I smile, teasing the waistband of her panties.
“Good.” I slide her panties down inch by inch, taking my time and leaving a trail of chill bumps on her skin. Her thighs quiver as I work my way back up her body to her core.
I want this as much as she does, but I’m not about to rush it.
I slip my hand between us and she moans.
“Bennett—”
“Shh. You want me to take you?”
“Yes.” Her eyes flick to mine, wide and hungry.
“Then you’ll take it my way.” I slide two fingers inside her, slow and deliberate, and she tightens around my hand. She’s fighting herself, pleasure and desperation flashing across her face. But she swallows every sound like it’s a challenge.
I move with purpose, controlled. Setting the pace and getting her ready.
A noise sounds in the hall, muffled voices moving past the room.
Reckless.
She bites her lip and I pump faster, harder. Testing her.
She squeezes my fingers and her back bows off the bed.
I stop and she makes a strangled noise, more breath than sound.
Leaning down, I press my mouth to her ear. “You keep forgetting the rule.”
“I—” Her cheeks flush, then she bites her lip.
I tighten my grip on her wrists for a heartbeat. Not hard, just a reminder.
“Don’t chase. Let me.” My hand starts moving again, my thumb circling her clit. She’s holding on, but barely.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand, vibrating the wood. She turns her head toward the sound, startled.
I reach up and turn her chin towards me. “Eyes on me, Sunshine.”
The words come out gruff and possessive. She blinks once, twice, as I press against her clit. Pleasure dances across her face, her lips parted.
I pause again, releasing her wrists to tug my shorts down and roll on a condom. She watches every move I make, eyes locked on mine.
I straddle her, lining myself up, while one hand keeps her right on the edge. Her chest rises and falls, fast and shallow.
Encircling her wrists again, I hold them above her head. Then I bend down, kissing her on the lips. Soft and slow. Her entire body’s quivering.
“You’re going to take me,” I whisper, “and you’re going to stay quiet. You want me like this?”
“Yes.” Her voice is thin and needy and I can’t hold back any longer.
I push in, measured, controlled strokes that keep her right where I want her. Tiptoeing the line between silent and shattered.
She tries to buck up again and I grab her hip, holding her down.
“Stay,” I murmur into her mouth. “Let me set the pace.”
Her breath turns ragged as she fights the urge to hurry and chase. I kiss her hard and deep, stealing her sounds and swallowing them. Driving into her harder. Faster.
Until she unravels beneath me, breaking into tiny pieces. She shudders against my body, trembling, her eyes wide and wet.
I keep going until I’m right there with her, my control finally snapping and I explode.
Dropping my forehead to hers, I kiss her soft and slow on the lips.
“Fuck — Sunshine.” I swallow hard, still breathless.
She answers with a satisfied moan and a sweet smile and I know I’m never going to be the one in control with her.