29. Sophie
Epilogue
ONE MONTH LATER
"For someone who claims to hate scary movies, you're awfully invested in this one," I tell Evan, who's currently gripping my hand like it might save him from the demon on the screen.
"I'm not invested. I'm concerned about the poor life choices these characters keep making."
"Uh-huh." I reach for the popcorn with my free hand. "That's why you jumped when the door slammed."
"I did not jump."
"You practically landed in my lap."
"That was...tactical positioning."
"Sure it was, Ice Man." I pat his knee. "Just like how you 'tactically' suggested we watch something else after Natalia went to bed."
We're curled up on his couch—our couch now, really, given how much time I spend here—watching another of my "questionable" horror movie choices. Natalia went to bed an hour ago, but not before making us promise to save her some ice cream and help with her science project tomorrow.
"Speaking of tactical," Evan says as another character makes the brilliant decision to investigate a strange noise alone, "your stuff is taking over my house."
"Our house," I correct automatically, then freeze. "I mean…"
"No, you're right." He pulls me closer. "Our house. Has been for a while now." As the movie credits roll, Evan turns to me, his eyes filled with a heat that sends a shiver down my spine. "You know, we could do this every night," he says, his voice a low rumble that promises so much more than just movie nights.
I laugh. “What? Watch scary movies and eat ice cream?"
He doesn't laugh with me. Instead, he takes my hand, his thumb tracing circles on my palm. "No, Sophie. I mean we could make this…I mean, us…a permanent thing.”
My laughter fades as I realize he's serious. "Evan...are you asking me to move in with you?"
He nods, his eyes never leaving mine. "I want you here, Sophie. Every night. Every morning. I want to wake up with you and go to sleep with you. I want to build a life with you."
Tears well up in my eyes, but they're happy tears. "Yes," I whisper. "Yes, I want that too."
Evan's face breaks into a wide grin, and he pulls me into a tight embrace. "You've just made me the happiest man alive," he murmurs into my hair.
I pull back slightly, looking into his eyes. "And you've made me the happiest woman."
Evan gets up and walks over to the door of the den, closing it and locking it. He saunters back to the couch with a cocky grin on his face.
"Just in case someone wakes up…" he explains.
He sits back down next to me and leans in, his lips meeting mine in a soft, tender kiss. But the tenderness doesn't last long.
The kiss deepens, becoming more urgent, more passionate. I can feel the heat radiating off his body, matching the fire burning inside me.
Evan's hands roam over my body, exploring every curve and contour, and I moan against his mouth as his oversized palms cup my breasts, his thumbs brushing over my nipples, making each nub pucker beneath his touch. The scratch of his stubble is rough against my skin, sending pricks of pleasure pulsing between my thighs.
"Fuck, Sophie," he growls against my skin. "You drive me crazy."
I gasp as he bites down gently on my collarbone, his hands moving to the hem of my shirt. He pulls it up and over my head, tossing it aside. My bra is next…he quickly whips it off. His eyes lower as he drinks in the sight of me.
He sighs. “You're so fucking beautiful," he murmurs, voice deeper than a bottomless ocean.
Leaning down, Evan slips one of my nipples into his mouth, sucking and biting until I'm undulating beneath him. I can feel his hardness pressing against me, and I grind against him, desperate for more friction.
Evan groans, his hands moving to my jeans, unbuttoning them and sliding them down my legs. He hooks his fingers into the waistband of my panties, pulling them down and off, leaving my pussy completely exposed to him.
Sitting back, he lets his dark blue gaze rake over my naked body. I shiver as he wets his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue.
“Jesus, woman,” he says, his voice hoarse with need. "I want to fuck you so badly."
I reach for him, pulling him back down to me. "So what are you waiting for?" I whisper against his lips. “You know I want you. I always want you.”
He growls, capturing my mouth in a fierce kiss. I can feel his cock, hard and insistent, pressing against my thigh. I reach down, wrapping my hand around him, stroking him through his jeans.
Evan breaks the kiss, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Fuck, Sophie," he groans. "You're killing me."
I smile, enjoying the power I have over him. I unbutton his jeans, pushing them down along with his boxers, freeing his cock. I take him in my hand, stroking him slowly, feeling him grow even harder in my grasp.
Evan's hands find my pussy, his fingers sliding through my folds, finding me wet and ready. He circles my clit, his touch sending waves of pleasure crashing over me. I press against his hand, desperate for more.
"Evan," I gasp. "Please. I need you inside me."
“Not before I go down on your pretty pussy,” he says, taking my breath away. “I need to taste you, baby.”
His words send a shiver of anticipation through me. Evan kisses his way down my body, his lips leaving a trail of fire in their wake. When he reaches my inner thighs, he pauses, his hot breath teasing my sensitive skin.
I squirm, desperate for his touch. "Don’t stop," I whimper.
He chuckles, the sound vibrating against my flesh. "Patience," he murmurs, before finally, finally, running his tongue along my slit.
I cry out, my back arching off the couch as he licks and sucks at my most sensitive areas. His tongue circles my clit, applying just the right amount of pressure to drive me wild. One and then two thick fingers slide inside me, curling to hit that perfect spot.
"Oh God," I moan, my hands tangling in his hair. "Don't stop, please don't stop."
Evan hums against me, the vibrations sending shockwaves of pleasure through my body. His fingers pump in and out, matching the rhythm of his tongue as it flicks and swirls around my clit. I can feel the pressure building, a coiling tightness in my core that threatens to snap at any moment.
"That's it, baby," Evan murmurs, his voice muffled against my flesh. "Let go for me. I want to feel you come all over my face."
His words are my undoing. With a cry, I shatter, my orgasm washing over me in waves of intense pleasure. Evan doesn't let up, his mouth and fingers working me through every aftershock until I'm a trembling, oversensitive mess.
When he finally pulls away, his face is glistening with my arousal. He wipes his mouth, a satisfied smirk on his face. "God, you taste amazing," he growls.
I'm still catching my breath as he crawls back up my body, his hard cock brushing against my inner thigh. "Your turn," I whisper, reaching down to stroke him.
Evan groans, his hips bucking into my hand. "As much as I'd love that, baby, I need to be inside you. Now."
“I’d like nothing more,” I respond, leaning back on the huge couch, ready for him. He rolls on top of me and positions himself at my entrance, his cock poised and ready. With one swift thrust, he's inside me, filling me completely.
I cry out, my nails digging into his back as he begins to move. He sets a punishing pace, his hips slamming against mine with each thrust. I can feel every inch of him, hitting all the right spots, driving me closer and closer to the edge.
“Holy hell, baby,” he groans. "I can barely hold back."
I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper into me. "Harder, Evan," I pant. "Fuck me harder."
He complies, his thrusts becoming more urgent, more intense. The sound of our flesh slapping together fills the room, punctuated only by our moans and gasps.
"You feel so perfect around my cock, Sophie," he growls, his voice low and rough. "So tight and wet."
His dirty talk sends a surge of heat through me, and I can feel my orgasm building, my body tensing as Evan drives me closer and closer to the brink. He leans down, capturing my mouth in a fierce kiss.
“Let go for me, Sophie," he growls against my lips. “Show this cock how good you can come, baby.”
And with that, I come hard, my body convulsing around him, my nails digging into his flesh. Evan follows soon after, his cock pulsing inside me as he finds his own release.
"Sophie," he groans, his body shaking with the intensity of his orgasm. "You're goddamned incredible."
We sink into a heap together on the couch, a tangle of sweaty limbs and racing hearts. After putting our clothes back on, Evan pulls me close, his arms wrapping around me, holding me tight.
He gets up briefly to unlock and open the door.
Sitting back down next to me, he pulls me close again. "I love you, gorgeous,” he murmurs, his voice soft and tender.
I look up at him, my heart swelling with emotion. "I love you too. More than anything."
I look around at the evidence of our lives intertwining: my books on the shelves, my terrible horror movie collection taking up half the DVR space. And more importantly: my lucky pen on his desk, my photos mixed with his on the walls, my life completely tangled with his.
"When did that happen?" I wonder aloud, looking at our perfectly merged lives.
“What?”
I motion. “This. Me. You. Us.”
"Probably around the time you color-coded my kitchen cabinets."
"That was organizational efficiency!"
"You organized my spice rack alphabetically."
"It's an effective system! Natalia and I can find all the spices now. And she loves to help me cook."
"Speaking of Natalia," he says, pausing the movie, "she asked me something interesting today."
"Oh?" I shift to face him. "Was it about the new save I've been teaching her? Because she's really getting…"
"She asked why you don't live here officially."
I freeze with a handful of popcorn halfway to my mouth. "Oh."
"Yeah. Oh." He runs a hand through his hair—his nervous tell. "She made some pretty compelling arguments."
"Did she now?"
"Mmhmm. Something about how you're here every night anyway. How your apartment is basically just storage at this point. How..." He clears his throat, "how we're happier when you're here."
My heart does a funny flip. "We?"
"All of us." He meets my eyes. "Me especially."
"Evan..."
"You don't have to answer now," he says quickly. "I know it's a big step. And with training camp starting next week…"
"Yes."
"…we could wait until...wait, what?"
"Yes." I set down the popcorn. "Yes to moving in. Yes to making this official. Yes to…"
He kisses me, soft and sure and full of promise.
"Well," comes a small voice from the doorway, "finally."
We break apart to find Natalia standing there in her hockey pajamas, grinning like she just scored a game-winner.
"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" Evan asks.
"Aren't you supposed to be watching a scary movie?" She bounces over to squeeze between us. "Instead of being all mushy?"
"We weren't being mushy," I protest.
"Please. Dad was giving you his soft look."
"My what?"
"Your soft look." She pats his cheek. "The one you only give Sophie and me. Aunt Julia says it means you're being a teddy bear instead of the Ice Man."
"I am not a teddy bear. Ever…" he fake growls. Natalia and I laugh hysterically because we both know. We know how sweet and wonderful he is when he’s not busy being the big, bad Ice Man.
And maybe that's the real story here.
Not how an Ice Man learned to melt.
Not how a reporter found her heart's headline.
Not even how a family came together through hockey and heart and hope.
But how love writes its own story. And how the people you choose to surround yourself with know you so well and still love you for it.
"So," Natalia says after a moment, "since Sophie is moving in can we have family ice cream night every night?"
"Absolutely not," Evan says firmly.
"Absolutely yes," I counter.
"We'll discuss it," he compromises, but he's wearing that soft look again.
The one that means he's happy.
The one that means he's home.
The one that means he's finally, finally letting himself have everything.
And maybe that's the best story of all.
If you loved this book, you will also love the other books in The Chicago Blades series. Start with Secret Pucking Play HERE .