Chapter 27
twenty-seven
. . .
Al
Riley sits beside me through dinner, and as we’re relaxing after the heavy meal, I set my arm on the back of her chair. She leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder and her hand falling to my thigh while she talks across me to Vanessa.
I’m glad they’re getting along. It certainly makes my life easier, knowing she has someone in her corner. She shouldn’t feel like she has no support network.
Mitchell catches my attention from across the table, a smirk twisting his lips.
He’s holding a drink loosely between his fingertips, swirling around the clear liquid.
I owe him an apology. Riley, too. I know he wasn’t trying to make a move on her, and I know she wouldn’t fool around with him.
It’s good that the team has accepted her so unconditionally; I shouldn’t try to read into it any more than that.
I give my teammate a nod, and he dips his chin, a satisfied glint in his eye. He tips back his drink, draining the glass, then lumbers to his feet. His gait is unsteady as he shuffles to the bar.
Should I say anything? We’re technically at a work event, and we have a game tomorrow night. It’s none of my business if he wants to get loaded.
Movement in the corner of my eye steals my focus, and MacGregor shoves back his chair and strides directly to the bar.
No pretense. He and Mitchell have a conversation, low and intense, and then Mitchell scowls and turns on his heel.
Nobody else is paying attention as the center slips out of the room.
The team captain sinks against the bar, rubbing his forehead. I do not envy his position. Dealing with our cast of idiots is difficult enough on a good day; add alcohol to the mix, and it’s sure to be a disaster.
This will be our first Thanksgiving as a family.
Cari leaves for Florida early in the morning to be with our parents, and Tony’s in Denver, so it’ll just be the three of us.
Somehow, it feels right. I’ll always love my parents and siblings, nothing will fracture our bond, but now that I’m married, I have my own family.
Truth be told, I’m looking forward to sitting on the couch with my wife and kid, watching the parade and the football game while the turkey is in the oven.
Well, the turkey is already cooked. Tyler dropped off a giant container the other day, along with all the side dishes, so we don’t actually have to cook anything, only warm through.
Although, after this heavy meal, I can’t imagine eating another bite, much less a second full turkey dinner. I push back from my seat with a groan, and Riley looks over at me with concern.
I lean over and kiss her temple, a soft, innocent brush against her skin. Her cheeks flame red, and a shy smile curves her kissable berry-red lips. Somehow, even with eating and drinking, her lipstick is perfect, the dark color doing dangerous things to my heart rate.
We almost kissed. A real kiss, not the innocent brushes I’ve gotten away with. If Jenkins hadn’t interrupted us, we would have. There’s still a lot to discuss, but just knowing she isn’t indifferent to me… I can deal with a little more uncertainty if it means we get to the bottom of this.
I want my wife, and I’ll do anything to prove myself worthy to her.
Eventually, dinner draws to a close, and we drive home in a comfortable silence.
I don’t feel that constant pressure to perform, to entertain her.
It finally feels like maybe she likes me for me, and not for all the perks of being a rich and talented hockey player.
What we have is so different from my other experiences with women.
Even the few long-term relationships I had, it was always about what I could do for them, rather than about the two of us as equals.
With Riley, I can be myself.
When we enter the house, Cari is asleep on the couch, the baby monitor on the coffee table. Carefully, I shake my sister awake.
“How’d it go?” I ask.
“She was a perfect angel,” she reports with a sleepy smile. “She convinced me to read triple the number of stories, but—”
I laugh. “Oh, the baby who can’t talk?”
“Yeah. She’s very convincing.” Cari yawns, her eyes fluttering shut. “If it’s okay, I’m going to stay here. My flight is in… six hours. I can head to the airport straight from here.”
“Stay as long as you need,” Riley cuts in. “Thanks for staying with her.”
“Anything for my favorite niece.” She grins.
“Only niece,” I add.
“Favorite,” Cari says firmly. “Even when you guys have more kids, she’ll still be my favorite.”
My face heats at the idea of me and Riley having kids. Filling our house with children, her belly swollen with my baby. My cock likes that idea, too, and I swallow loudly.
“Okay. Well. On that note, I’m going to bed.”
“Awesome,” Cari yawns. “See you when I get back.”
“Night.” I swipe the baby monitor off the table, tucking it into my pocket. Turning to my wife, I offer her my hand. “Ready?”
Riley nods, her cheeks a pretty pink. She pushes past me, ignoring my hand, and heads for the stairs, my eyes falling to her ass and legs as she walks.
“You’re so far gone for her,” Cari murmurs.
“Oh, yeah. Totally,” I whisper back.
“Does she know?”
“She will soon enough.”
My sister makes a face. “Gross. At least wait until I’m out of the house.”
Letting out a short laugh, I shake my head and follow Riley up the stairs. Her door is closed, the light on underneath, so I head to my room and start stripping out of my suit. I have enough foresight to hang it up and toss my shirt into the dirty hamper.
Crawling into bed, I pick up the book on my nightstand.
The psychological thriller Mitchell recommended has kept me up reading the last few nights.
It’s the third book by this author I’ve read in two weeks, and even though it gets my heart racing with the twists and turns, a pleasant sense of relaxation floods my system.
After a few chapters, my eyes grow heavy, and I set the book aside and turn out the lights. Burrowing under my covers, I pull the blankets up to my chest and try to get comfortable.
A quiet knock raps on my door, and I almost think I’ve imagined it until a second one sounds a few moments later.
“Come in,” I call, and the door creaks open.
“Hey,” Riley says, shrouded in the darkness.
“What’s up?” My voice cracks, and I cough to cover it.
“I can’t sleep. Can I…” Her swallow echoes through the room. “Can I stay in here?”
“Of course.” I pull back the covers and she rounds the bed, climbing onto the mattress and settling beside me.
Her body is stiff, tension rolling off her in waves.
“C’mere,” I murmur, tugging her into me.
She’s wearing an oversized T-shirt—I think it’s one of mine—and a pair of sweats, covered from head to toe.
There is nothing provocative about her outfit, and yet it is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.
I wrap my arm around her waist and curl my body around hers. “Relax. You’re safe with me.”
“I’m not so sure.” Her words are quiet in the room’s stillness, and I freeze.
Propping myself up on my elbow, I stare down at her. “Do you really think I’d hurt you?”
Her bright blue eyes are dark from the shadows let in by the blinds. “Not violently.”
A burning sensation rips through my tightening throat. “I would never lay a hand on you. I swear.”
After all this, she still thinks the worst of me. She still thinks I’m capable of that. My stomach turns, and I exhale heavily.
Her voice is quiet when she explains, “I know you wouldn’t hurt me physically. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have the power to destroy my heart.”
“I won’t.” My own heart pounds at the thought. I would never do that to her.
“You can’t promise me that,” she mumbles. “You can’t control it. Nobody can.”
“I will do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen. I don’t want to hurt you in any way. I’d rather take a thousand cross-checks to the ribs than do that.”
She cringes. “Okay, ouch. I know you don’t want to. But—”
“All I want to do is love you.” The words fall off my lips, and even though I know I should walk it back, I don’t want to.
Her mouth drops open. “Love?”
“If we start this… if you let me in, I’ll fall for you.” I know it in my bones, as certain as the stars in the sky. “If you don’t want that, I need to know now, before I let myself fall.”
She stares at me for a moment, and my heart races. I’m laying it all on the line. If she doesn’t want this, I can’t have her in my bed. It’s hard enough as it is.
Riley’s hand snakes around my neck, pulling me down. I let her manhandle me until I’m half lying on top of her, bracing my weight on my forearm so I don’t crush her. Her body feels incredible pressed to mine, all tempting curves and soft sweetness.
Before I know what’s happening, her lips are on mine and the world blurs. She tastes like heat and promise, her mouth opening under mine. I sink deeper, desperate, greedy, lost in the rush of her. My cock throbs, hardening in my boxer briefs.
Awareness hits me like a truck, and I pull back. “What are we doing?”
“I’m tired of fighting this,” Riley says. “You have the power to destroy me, and I have to trust that you won’t.”
“You could destroy me too,” I murmur. “It’s not only you putting your heart on the line.”
“I finally understand that.” She lays her hand on my bearded cheek, scratching her nails through the coarse hair. “I’m ready to try.”
This time, when our lips meet in a hungry kiss, I’m ready for it.
Her mouth is soft fire against mine, every brush of her lips unraveling me.
I cradle her jaw, angling closer, tasting her sighs.
The kiss builds, fierce and unrelenting, until I’m dizzy with wanting nothing but more of her.
My cock pulses, and it takes everything in me not to grind against her.
That’s not what this is about. It’s more than sex and getting off; she means more to me than that.
The kiss gentles, and I force myself to pull away.
“If you’re going to stay in here, there will be no funny business,” I say with mock sternness.
“Never?” She wraps her legs around my waist, thrusting her pelvis against me. My eyes roll back in my head, and I take a deep breath. Do I really want to put a stop to this?
She deserves more than a quick, hard fuck. Not for our first time. Not with all the things I want to do to her—with her.
“Not tonight,” I amend, rolling off her. “Not when we’re still figuring all this out, and definitely not with my sister downstairs.”
“I can live with that.” She squirms closer to me, burrowing her head onto my shoulder and slinging her arm around my waist. “I’m glad we’re doing this,” she whispers.
“Me too.” Drawing my arm around her, I drop a kiss on the top of her head. “Get some rest. Morning will come before we’re ready for it.”