Chapter Twenty-Eight
Nico
The room is dark and quiet. We’re fresh and clean from the shower, cuddling together. There’s a lot that needs to be said but neither of us seems to want to talk. But we need to, or else we’re going to end up how we were before.
“Roman,” I start, keeping my voice soft and even.
“Yeah?” he says, his voice also soft but raspier.
“I really missed you,” I admit.
He squeezes me a little tighter. “I missed you too. I should have texted you. I’m sorry I didn’t.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “This is hard.”
“I don’t want it to be.”
“What do you want?” I ask. He says nothing, so I shift to face him. “Please, tell me the truth. Be honest.”
He holds my gaze, his finger dragging along my bottom lip.
“I want to be with you, Nico. All the time. I miss you when I’m not with you.
I think about you all the time. I want to understand how this happened so quickly because…
because I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you in Vancouver. And I haven’t stopped.”
“Roman…” I breathe out, my eyes falling closed. My chest aches. When I open my eyes, I still find him watching me. “I love you too. I have for… I don’t know. Since that first time I saw you watching me, I think.”
He huffs a small laugh, his hand sliding down to my hip.
“How can we make this work?” I ask. “Because I really want to figure that out.”
“So do I,” he says. “And I’ve been thinking about that…”
“Tell me your thoughts. Please. Do you have a plan? Because I have nothing. Which is why I’ve been scared to reach out. I didn’t want to come to you with nothing.”
“You are everything, Nico. That’s enough.”
I sigh, nuzzling against his chest. How am I going to leave him again?
“My contract with the Diamonds is up at the end of this season,” he starts. “I can sign with anyone I want. I’ve… already spoken to my agent about it.”
I pull back to look into his eyes. “But you’ve been with this team since you were first drafted.”
“And I love my team, but what’s the point of life if I stay stagnant the entire time?”
“You’re one of their top defenseman, Roman. That’s not stagnant.”
“I’m considering trying for a Canadian team. It’s not guaranteed that any of them will want me, and it’s not a guarantee it’ll be near you, but I want to try. It’ll make things just a little easier.”
“You would do that for me?” I ask, my throat tight with emotion.
“For us,” he says. “Because this is worth something. I love hockey. It’s been my life always. But I’m ready for more. As long as… as long as you want that too.”
“I do,” I say eagerly, leaning in to kiss his lips. “So badly, Roman. I want this for us. We can figure this out.”
He nods. “Yeah, we can.”
I fall asleep in Roman’s arms and only wake when the sun shines across my eyes. I turn in his arms to watch him sleep. He’s so handsome. Hot. Sexy. Rugged. Just overall perfect.
I run my fingers along his cheek and jaw. His lips and chin.
Could we really figure out how to make this work?
Is this man really willing to move to another country for me? My country?
How did I get so lucky?
He sighs contentedly when I run my fingers down his neck and over his bare shoulder. I press my hand to his chest to roll him to his back, then throw my leg over him and straddle his waist. His eyes pop open, hands coming to my hips.
I grind down on his dick, already feeling him hard. We don’t have any lube left, so I shift down more, spit into my palm and take us into my hand. I do my best to jerk us at the same time, but Roman is big and my hand… well, it doesn’t quite fit around him alone, never mind both of us.
He loves it though, if his moans are any indication. His fingers dig into the sheets, grasping on tight. The chords of muscles in his arms and shoulders tighten as his head presses into the pillows, his eyes squeezing shut.
“Nico,” he grits out. “Yes, fuck—yes.”
I jerk us faster, his dick throbbing. He grunts as he shoots cum all over his stomach and the sight has me exploding too.
My cum covers him, and I stroke us through our orgasms, squeezing every last bit of cum out.
He pulls me down, making a mess. I laugh as he kisses me, and rolls me over, his large body covering mine.
“Best way to wake up,” he says, nuzzling his nose against my neck and inhaling.
“I want this every day,” I say.
Roman nods against me. “We can figure this out.”
“Yes, but first… we need to shower again.”
He lifts up to smile down at me. “Seeing you wet in the shower? Count me in.”
He lifts me up like a caveman and carries me to the bathroom, making me laugh the entire way.
In the shower, Roman washes us both. When we’re out of the shower, I see a missed call on my phone.
étienne.
I call him back.
“Are you decent?” he asks.
“Why are you asking?”
“We’re coming up so Connor can get a change of clothes.”
I glance across the room at Roman, whose full, round ass is on display as he digs through his bag for clothes.
“Hello? Nico?”
“Yeah, sorry. Uh, five minutes?”
He groans an annoyed sound. “Fine.”
I end the call and drop onto the bed as I watch him get himself dressed. When he turns, he frowns. “What?”
“Just enjoying the view.”
His frown turns into a grin.
“étienne and Connor will be here in five minutes so Connor can change.”
He nods, running a hand through his damp hair. I pat the spot on the bed beside me, and he comes to sit.
“I don’t have my schedule for the year yet, but it’s busy,” I say. “If you get signed to another team, when will you know?”
“Officially, July first.”
“That’s… only a couple months away,” I say, unable to stop my smile.
Is this really going to work out? And so soon?
“Yeah.” He nods. “If I get signed, I could move before the summer is over.”
“Wow,” I breathe out. “So we can… this can really work?”
Roman nods. “I have a good chance at getting a team in Canada. The problem is—which one?”
I turn to face him more, taking his hands in mine.
“Wherever it is, we will make it work. If I have to move, I—”
“No,” Roman says, cutting me off. “No, you can’t leave your family.”
“I’m not a baby, Roman. I want to be with you. If I need to move, I will. I can visit my family. You can’t give up everything and I give up nothing.”
“I don’t want either of us to give anything up, Nico.”
“Roman, please. Just trust me, okay? And… maybe let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Once we know what team you’re going to, we can talk about it then.”
“Deal.” He leans in to kiss me.
There’s a knock on the door, then it beeps, and it opens.
I look at the both of them with a knowing grin. Connor’s cheeks turn a little pink, which…
“Mon Dieu, Connor. Is that a blush I see?” I say.
“Knock it off, Nico,” étienne chastises.
“How can I? It’s such a beautiful color.”
étienne gives me the middle finger, while Connor hurries over to his bag, taking the entire thing into the bathroom.
“You scared him,” étienne hisses.
“Connor? Scared?” Roman says with a disbelieving laugh.
“He’s fragile,” étienne argues.
Roman scoffs. “Are we talking about the same person?”
étienne crosses his arms, popping a hip. “Don’t be jealous that I know him better.”
“Better?” Roman barks out a laugh. “No way. But whatever side of him you see, I’m glad it’s you and not me.”
He throws his arm around me, pulling me close. I smile up at étienne.
“I thought we were getting breakfast?” I say.
“I said Connor and I were getting breakfast,” étienne says.
“No, I’m pretty sure you said we.”
“As in me and Connor.”
“Hm, not what I heard. And I’m starving. Oh, and don’t forget that I drove here…”
“Wow, Rabat-joie. Thank you, once again, for ruining—”
“Uh, uh.” I hold up a hand. “Finish that sentence and you can walk home.”
I get to my feet as the bathroom door opens.
“We ready?” Connor asks, looking at étienne.
“Yes,” I say. “We are. Right, Roman?”
He laughs, shaking his head. Connor gives him a confused look.
I hook my arm in étienne’s. “Don’t be silly, étienne. You love me.”
He grumbles as he pulls open the door, cursing in French.
“What is going on?” Connor asks quietly to Roman.
Roman only laughs as they follow us down the hall and to the elevator.