Chapter 11
ELEVEN
Logan
It’s Saturday afternoon. Some of the guys went to a movie. I decided to stay home. And spend more time than I’d like to admit watching Annie Bang skate on YouTube.
She hasn’t skated for a while, but there are plenty of videos of her and Ivan at various championship events. In some of the earlier ones, they’re kids. But then they get older. And their routines turn…very adult.
Christ. I find a video with Annie wearing a bright red little number and red lipstick, her hair in a high ponytail. The song is ‘Beggin’ by M?neskin.
I watch with a slack jaw and heavy feeling in my gut as she and Ivan skate hand in hand facing each other. Then out of nowhere, gripping her hands, Ivan lifts her up in the air. How the fuck does he do that? Of course, she weighs about a buck ten, if that.
Holding her high over his head, his arms straight, Ivan spins. Then my heart leaps into my throat as Annie falls upside down behind his head. Jesus Christ! Then she’s sideways across the back of his shoulders, holding her own ankle in a position that should not be humanly possible. Ivan’s carrying her with one arm and keeps spinning. Then he drops her! But catches her in his arms. Her legs cartwheel above his head then her blades land smoothly and gracefully on the ice.
I exhale a sharp breath and slouch into my chair. Sweating profusely, I swipe at my forehead.
I click to another video. This one’s different. The song is a Sam Smith one, full of angst. Annie’s dress is white with silver sequins sparkling in the arena lights, a sheer skirt fluttering around her thighs. Ivan’s wearing black pants and a white shirt. On top of death-defying moves, they spend a lot of time gazing into each other’s eyes and touching each other’s faces. At one point, Ivan’s spinning, holding her against him, their arms wrapped around each other, noses touching, looking achingly in love. My eyes burn as I stare without blinking.
Jesus. She’s beautiful. Graceful and elegant, from the tips of her pointed toes to her dainty fingertips.
They jump, side by side, doing I don’t know how many rotations in the air, but it looks like a lot, and they’re perfectly in sync, which honestly should not be possible given their height difference. When Ivan tosses her in the air, catches her as she lands, and pushes her away from him, I wince, remembering the story she told me about falling and hitting her head. When he picks her up and throws her across the ice twirling in the air, my skin goes cold and I want to close my eyes. But I keep watching. And she lands fluidly, like it’s nothing. How the hell?
She must be insane to let someone do that to her! What if he was holding her over his head and his hand slipped or what if he caught an edge or…Christ. My stomach is in knots.
Then she falls. My heart lurches and I lean forward. Obviously, she’s okay, but…it looks bad. But she jumps up and keeps going, barely missing a beat.
Wow. That’s not just physical toughness. It takes mental strength to keep going like nothing happened.
Holy shit, Ivan’s got his hand right between her legs! My mouth is a huge gaping hole in my face.
Now they live together. And dance together. I tug at the neckline of my hoodie. I’m having trouble breathing.
I need air. Time to take Teemu for a walk.
Yeah. A nice long walk along the river. I get his leash and we head out.
It’s into November now. The leaves are falling and a lot of the tall grasses and plants have turned golden brown. The sun shines in the clear blue sky but its warmth is weak.
We stroll down to the riverbank because I like being near the water. I miss the ocean. Teemu takes care of business and I let him stop a lot to sniff as we head toward Pier 1, because that’s fun for him
Of course I’m thinking about Annie Bang. Of course .
Last night was super fucking hot. My memories of that night in Pyeongchang have always been scorching hot, kind of like a fever dream, and I’ve wondered if my recollection is accurate or I’ve just built it into something incredible in my mind. But…wow. Annie’s sexy. A little dirty. And fun. I couldn’t get enough of her.
Was fucking her a bad idea? Oh hell yeah. We work together. She’s my coach . Not like any other coach I’ve ever had, though. She’s a tiny little badass in bed and I love it.
She’s a tiny little badass out of bed, too, now that I think of it.
That thought makes me smile.
We pass Pier 1 and continue to the park where there’s a dog run. Teemu loves to be let off the leash there. All kinds of dogs run freely and he quickly makes friends with a Corgi and a Bichon wearing a tiger striped sweater. I take a seat on a bench beneath a tree and watch the dogs play.
I kept things casual this morning when I took Annie home. I didn’t want to turn it into a huge deal. It happened, we’ll move on. It’s not the first time I’ve had a one nighter, and probably not for her either. We’re adults.
Except I keep thinking about her lush mouth, her hands on me, her tight, hot pussy… Reliving last night’s events is like a porn movie in my head. It’s making me hard. I swallow a groan and try to focus on the dog park again. A couple of big dogs are play wrestling and Teemu starts barking at them.
“C’mon, Teemu! It’s okay, they’re just having fun.” I stand and stroll toward him.
“Your dog’s named Teemu?” A girl near me speaks up.
I glance at her. Cute redhead. “Yeah.”
She smiles. “You must be a hockey fan.”
I bite back my own smile. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“He’s really cute.” She’s totally flirting with me.
“Thanks. Which dog is yours?”
She points at smallish dog of indeterminate breed in a blue sweater.
“I think Teemu needs a sweater,” I say. “He’s feeling left out now the weather’s getting cooler.”
“He definitely should have one before winter.”
I could easily stay and chat with this pretty girl and maybe invite her for coffee or something…but I’m not interested. “Okay, Teemu, let’s rock ’n roll! We gotta go!” I hold up his leash as the signal.
He obediently trots over to me and I clip him up. I give the woman and her dog a smile before turning away and leaving the enclosure. Instead of following the path back to the riverbank, we go out onto Riverside and stroll the sidewalk the few blocks to my building. As we approach the building entrance, a small figure shrouded in black walks out.
My eyebrows lift. It’s not very often you see a nun in a full habit these days. In her black headdress with white covering her head, neck, and sides of her face, she pauses on the sidewalk in the shade of the building. She touches the cross she’s wearing around her neck and appears to sigh.
“Hello, sister,” I say as I approach. Teemu strains on the leash to get closer to her; I don’t know why. I haul him in.
Her head snaps around. She’s wearing sunglasses. And pink lip gloss. Those shiny lips part, and she says, “There you are!”
What the…wait a minute…
I’ve loosened my grip on Teemu and he’s jumping joyfully at the nun’s full skirt. She bends down to pet him. “Hi, Teemu! Who’s a good boy? You’re a good boy!”
“Annie?”
She looks up, slides the sunglasses down her little nose and meets my eyes. “Yep.”
My jaw nearly smacks the concrete sidewalk. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“I didn’t want anyone to recognize me. You said some of the other players live here, too.” She gestures at the building. “I need to talk to you.”
The last time a woman said that to me after a one-night stand, she thought she was pregnant.
Turns out she wasn’t. Nonetheless, my stomach turns to stone. “Uh…
“Inside,” she hisses, poking her hand at the door. “Come on.”
Okay, she can’t know if she’s pregnant already. Get a grip, Loco.
I let us inside the locked building and greet Juan, the doorman, then stride toward the elevator. His gaze shifts to the nun beside me, to me, back to her, then down to his desk. I almost laugh out loud.
When the elevator doors close, I stare at Annie and slowly move my head from side to side. “You are nuttier than squirrel shit.”
She looks down at herself. “Possibly, yes.”
“Where did you get that?”
“It’s a Halloween costume. I wore it to a party a couple of weeks ago.”
“Oh.”
“Did you go out for Halloween?”
“Yeah, Barbie had a party.”
“What did you dress up as?”
“Marty McFly.”
Her eyes light up. “Oh! From Back to the Future!”
“Yeah. Why are we talking about this?”
She bites her lip. “Just making conversation.” She pauses. “Why did the nun cross the road?”
I stare at her.
“To pray on the other side.”
I roll my lips inward on a smile.
“What did the priest say to the nun at the salad bar?” She pauses. “Lettuce pray.”
“Jesus.”
“Well, that too.”
I bark out a laugh.
“I’m a fun nun.”
The doors slide open on my floor and I step out.
Annie pokes her head out and gives a look each way down the hall like she’s in a spy movie before following me and Teemu.
“Nobody else lives on this floor.”
“Just being careful.”
Once inside, she rips off the wimple. “Oh God, I’m sweating.”
“Come in.” I lead her into the living room. “Okay, what is up?”
She sits on my sofa, looking ridiculous. And cute. And hot. Which is a little disturbing, considering her attire.
“We didn’t talk. After last night. We need to uh, be on the same page.”
I sit too, a short distance away from her. The habit scares me.
“Obviously, we shouldn’t have done that,” she continues.
I make a face of reluctant agreement.
“I am nun too happy about it.” Then she cracks up. “Get it? Nun too happy?”
I slump down into the couch and cover my eyes.
“Sorry. Seriously. Nobody can know about what happened. Right?”
“What happened last night is between us.”
“And your teammates who were at the club last night.”
“They don’t know. When Murph texted asking where I disappeared to, I didn’t tell him I was with you. They won’t hear it from me.” I meet her eyes steadily. “Okay?”
She nods slowly. “We have to work together.”
“I promise I’ll be as much of an asshole as I was before.”
“Really?”
“No.”
She tilts her head with a “come on” look.
“I said I’ll try to do better in the attitude department.”
“Okay. I’m worried I’ll be fired.”
“Phhht. They won’t fire you.”
“How do you know that?” She’s practically wringing her hands. “They could!”
I reach out and take her hands in mine, separating them and curling my fingers around hers. “Relax. You’re not really in a position of authority over me.”
She wrinkles her nose. “I suppose.”
“It’s not like I can get anything from sleeping with you.”
She stares back at me.
“I mean, professionally.”
“Right.”
“No one will ever know.”
“And it can’t happen again.”
I clear my throat. “Definitely not.”
She clasps my fingers and stares into my eyes. Her hair’s damp and frizzy at the temples. She’s not wearing makeup other than her lips and she looks as innocent and chaste as a nun.
But I know she’s not.
Heat slides down my spine and my balls throb. Ah, fuck.
The moment stretches out. The air crackles around us. Her gaze drops to my mouth. The heat in my groin builds. Her pretty lips part and her eyes flick up to mine.
I’m holding her hands and I can’t stop myself from dragging her across the couch and onto my lap and crushing my mouth to hers.
“Have to get this off,” I mumble, tugging at the costume. “I’m so fucking turned on by you, but it feels dirty.”
She chokes on a laugh and turns her back to me. “Can you untie me? And unzip me?”
There are two parts to the costume, and I quickly undo them and help her drag the voluminous dress over her head. Beneath, she’s wearing flowered pink leggings and a matching sports bra. “Whoa. What a difference.” I run my hands all over the smooth, stretchy fabric that hugs her hips, thighs, ass. “But need you out of this, too.” I try to work the sports bra up. “Shit, this thing’s tight.”
“I know.” Still facing away from me, she crosses her arms and slips her fingers beneath it., then wriggles out of it.
Then I peel her leggings down over her hips, taking a pair of thong panties with them. I pull her down onto my lap, and her ass presses into my throbbing dick. She lets out a low moan and I reach around her to cup her tits. “Perfect.” I squeeze and mold them, then pinch her nipples. Her ass cheeks tighten against me and her breathing quickens.
“Not fair,” she gasps. “You’re still dressed and I’m naked.”
“I can fix that.” I straighten, reach behind my neck, and yank off my hoodie. Then I grip her hips and shift her forward on my lap so I can undo the zipper of my jeans. My cock is hard and leaking, poking up beneath the waistband of my boxer briefs, and I shove them and my jeans down my thighs. “Wait.”
“What?” she pants.
I thrust a hand into the pocket of my jeans and pull out a condom.
“Ohhhh.” She stands briefly and starts to turn, but I keep her facing away from me, kicking off my clothes, then guiding her back to my lap. I admire the view as I do so—the sweep of her waist and hips, the groove of her spine, the perfect smooth roundness of her ass. “I’m on birth control. Just so you know.”
What is she saying?
“But condoms are good. For now.”
“Yeah.” I’m good with it, too. Whatever she wants. And I appreciate her telling me that.
I resume playing with her tits and she falls black against my chest. I slide a hand down over her abs and between her legs and she accommodates by spreading her legs. My fingers brush over velvety skin and she shivers. Then I explore deeper and find a bounty of slick, wet flesh. “Wet. So wet. What a drenched little pussy.”
She moans again when I stroke her there, her head rolling on my chest. I flick her nipple, pinch her pussy lips, then pet her clit. Her body jolts against me. My brain is flooded with lust.
“Gotta suit up,” I mutter, reaching for the condom. I get it on in a flash, then grip Annie’s hips and lift her over me. She curls her fingers around my shaft and together we line ourselves up so I can enter her. “Ah, fuck. You feel so fucking good, babe.”
“Yessss.” She hisses out the word, squeezing around me as I press upward, clenching my ass and thighs. “Oh God, yes. So good. Filling me up.”
I’m there. All the way in, her ass on my groin, my cock buried deep inside her. I pinch her clit and she shudders hard. “I’m so fucking close,” I mumble into her vanilla-scented hair. “Gonna go off fast.”
“M-me too. God.”
I circle a wet fingertip over her clit and Jesus, in seconds she’s tensing, tightening, wailing. The squeeze on my dick is excruciating and I thrust up harder. She sits up and, with my hands on her hips, I hold her in place as I fuck up into her in savage, mindless strokes, lost in black bliss. Pressure builds at the base of my spine. My abs tighten, my heart pounds and then pleasure crashes through me, blinding me. “Jesus Christ!” I shout, shuddering.
Her hands push into my knees as she gasps and quivers, then we both collapse back into the couch cushions, a heap of damp skin, messy hair, and sticky fingers. Holy Mother of God in a raincoat.
* * *
Of course we end up in my bed for another round. Her endurance and appetite match mine, and I could weep at the perfection of it. I’m almost asleep, drifting pleasantly.
“Three nuns die in a car crash and end up before the gates of St Peter.”
My eyes pop open. “What?”
Annie’s spread out over my chest, our legs tangled. She rubs one foot up my hairy calf and grins, propping her chin on her hand flat on my chest. “It’s a joke. St Peter says to the nuns, ‘Given you are nuns and have devoted your life to good works, you only have to answer one question each to enter Heaven.’ He looks at the first nun and asks, ‘Where did the first woman live?’ She says, ‘The garden of Eden.’”
I press my lips together, not sure where this is going, although I appreciate the nun humor.
She continues. “St. Peter nods approval and looks at the second nun. ‘What was the name of the first woman?’ The second nun pauses for a second and then replies, ‘Eve.’”
I nod, my smile breaking free.
“‘Well done!’ says St. Peter. He turns to the third nun. ‘As the Mother Superior you should be able to answer this—what did Eve say to Adam when she first saw him?’” Annie pauses. “The Mother Superior furrows her brow and says, ‘Oh, that’s a hard one.’” The furrow in Annie’s forehead matches the one in the story. “‘Correct!’ says St. Peter. ‘You may enter.’”
Yeah, I laugh. “That is terrible.” I give one ass cheek a little tap.
“It’s funny!” She’s laughing. “Come on!”
“Okay, maybe a little funny.” My eyes drift closed again.
“Hey, are you going to sleep?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
“Have I told you how much I love sleeping?”
“But it’s the middle of the afternoon.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I mumble. “It’s my superpower. I can sleep anywhere. Anytime. Especially after sex. Or food. I love sleeping.”
She snuggles in closer. “Okay.”
“Even better with you here,” I say, shifting her into a more comfortable position. “Let’s have a lil nap. Sleep with me, Mini.”