24. Sully
SULLY
My alarm goes off early. I set it last night when she fell asleep in my arms, and I didn’t want to move her. She jolts upright and is a little confused, especially when she turns around and sees me in the bed.
“Sully, oh shit.” She starts to scramble out of my bed, but I grab her. “What are you doing? I’ve got to get up, I can’t let Cassidy find me here.”
“She won’t. I set the alarm to five, just in case. She’s not going to be up for hours,” I tell her.
“Five in the morning.” She squints.
“Yes, now why don’t I make up for the early morning wake-up call with a really good early morning wake-up call?” I pull her back in my arms.
“Yeah, and what is that?”
My lips find her neck, and I slowly kiss down across the soft skin.
She shivers under me, her body already responding.
I take my time, savoring every inch of her as the first hints of sunrise filter through the curtains, painting her skin in soft golden light.
I tug her T-shirt up and over her head, tossing it aside.
She’s completely bare underneath, and the sight of her in the morning light, nipples hard, skin flushed, hair messy from sleep makes my cock throb.
“Fuck, Em,” I murmur, voice rough with sleep and want. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
I push her gently onto her back and move over her, kissing down her collarbone, across the swell of her breasts.
I take one nipple into my mouth, sucking slowly, tongue circling the tight peak while my hand palms the other, rolling her nipple between my fingers.
She arches into me, a soft moan escaping her lips.
I kiss lower, across her stomach, nipping at her hip bones, tasting every inch of her like I have all the time in the world.
When I reach the apex of her thighs, I spread her legs wider, settling between them.
The sunlight is stronger now, illuminating her perfectly. I groan at the sight.
“Look at you,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to her inner thigh.
“So fucking pretty and wet for me already.” I lick her slowly, long and flat from entrance to clit, savoring her taste.
She gasps, fingers threading into my hair.
I do it again, slower, then focus on her clit, sucking it gently into my mouth, tongue flicking in tight circles while I slide two fingers inside her, curling them just right.
“Fuck, Sully,” she whimpers, hips rolling against my mouth.
I eat her like a man starved, licking, sucking, fucking her with my mouth and fingers while the morning light bathes her body.
When she comes, it’s with a broken cry of my name, thighs clamping around my head, back arching off the bed.
I keep licking her through it, gentler now, until she’s trembling and pushing at my head, too sensitive.
When I finally crawl back up her body, I kiss her deeply, letting her taste herself on my tongue.
“Morning,” I murmur against her lips, smiling.
She laughs breathlessly, eyes hazy with pleasure. “Best wake-up call ever.”
I grin against her mouth, still hovering over her, my cock hard and aching between us.
The morning light is getting stronger, painting her skin in soft gold and highlighting every curve, every flush of her skin.
She looks like a fucking dream. I kiss her again, slower this time, savoring the way she melts under me.
My hand slides down her body, cupping her breast, thumb brushing over her nipple until it’s tight and sensitive again.
She arches into my touch, a soft moan escaping her lips.
“You’re so responsive in the morning,” I murmur against her neck, kissing lower. “I could spend all day like this. Kissing every inch of you. Tasting you. Making you come until you can’t remember your own name.”
She whimpers, fingers threading into my hair as I take her nipple into my mouth again, sucking gently, tongue flicking over the peak. I switch sides, giving the other the same attention while my hand slides between her legs, finding her still wet and swollen from before.
“Fuck, Em.” I groan against her breast. “You’re soaked again. You like my mouth on you, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she breathes, hips rolling against my fingers.
I slide two fingers inside her, curling them deep, stroking that spot that makes her gasp. I keep sucking on her nipple, alternating between gentle and harder, while my thumb circles her clit. She’s moaning softly, body trembling under me, completely open and trusting.
I want to devour her.
I move lower again, kissing down her stomach, over her hips, until I’m between her legs once more.
I spread her wider and lick her slowly, savoring every taste, every shiver.
She cries out, back arching, fingers tightening in my hair as I eat her like I’m starving.
I fuck her with my tongue, then suck her clit into my mouth, two fingers pumping deep and steady.
“Come for me again,” I growl against her pussy. “Let me feel you on my tongue.”
She comes hard, thighs shaking around my head, a broken moan of my name filling the room. I’m eating gentler now, until she’s whimpering and pushing at my head again, too overwhelming.
When I finally crawl back up her body, I kiss her deeply, letting her taste herself on my tongue. She’s flushed and glowing, eyes soft and hazy. She laughs, breathless and beautiful. “You’re going to kill me.”
“Only in the best way.”
I pull her into my arms, holding her close as the sun rises higher, the room filling with warm light.
We still haven’t had sex.
But fuck … I don’t know how much longer I can wait.
Later that morning I head to the gym with Emmett and Fish, trying to burn off the frustration that’s been building in my body for weeks.
I push harder than usual, heavier weights, longer sets, faster sprints on the treadmill.
My muscles are screaming, sweat pouring off me, but it’s not enough.
Every time I close my eyes, I see Ember on my bed, flushed and moaning, her thighs around my head, her taste still on my tongue.
I haven’t slept with her yet. And it’s fucking killing me.
Emmett spots me on the bench press, eyebrows raised. “Jesus, Sully. You trying to kill yourself or what?”
Fish leans on the bar, grinning. “What’s going on with you, man?”
“Nothing,” I tell him.
“He hasn’t gotten laid in ages. I think that’s the problem.” Emmett chuckles as he takes a sip of water from his water bottle.
I grunt through another rep, jaw tight. “Shut up.”
Emmett laughs. “No, seriously. When’s the last time you got some? You’ve been wound tighter than a spring.”
Fish nods. “We’re on a mission now to find you someone. We would make the best wing men.”
“No,” I tell him.
“What!” Fish sounds offended. “What do you mean, no? I used to be a legend with the women, Cap here, I’m not sure,” he teases.
“Fuck you, I didn’t need to sleep with every puck bunny in the arena.”
He’s not wrong there.
“That’s because I was looking for love in the wrong places, which is exactly what Sully is doing,” Fish explains.
“No, I’m not.”
He gives me a look that tells me he doesn’t believe me.
“We need to find you a woman before training camp starts. Someone nice, beautiful, funny, has her own thing going on that she doesn’t mind you being gone for half the year.”
I rack the bar with a loud clang and sit up, wiping sweat from my face. “I’m not looking for someone.”
“That’s not what you said at my wedding,” Fish adds.
“Fuck you. I told you that in confidence.”
“He’s not wrong though,” Emmett adds.
Fuck him too.
“There’s plenty of nice girls out there. No more puck bunnies for you. Time to settle down, you know retirement is around the corner.”
“Fuck you,” I say, flipping him off.
“You will be our age one day,” Emmett reminds him.
This makes him laugh. “And I hope I’m still going at your age.”
“Not sure if that is a compliment or a dig.” I look at Emmett.
“I don’t know either,” he says.
“Nothing but admiration for my elders,” Fish teases, and we both give chase around the gym. We catch him and end up in a play fight together.
“Mercy, stop, I have a photoshoot tomorrow, don’t mess up my face,” Fish yells.
Which makes Emmett and me laugh.
“Okay, pretty boy,” I say, letting him go.
“Fuck you guys, this is my money maker,” he says, waving over his face. “He has a seven-figure photoshoot.”
We make ‘ooh and ahh’ sounds and continue to tease him.
Fish flips us off, still laughing as he grabs his water bottle. “Laugh all you want, assholes. At least I’m getting paid to look pretty. You two just get paid to bleed on the ice.”
Emmett smirks. “Keep talking, pretty boy. We’ll see how pretty you look with a black eye before that photoshoot.”
I shake my head, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat from my face.
The banter feels normal, but it doesn’t do shit to kill the frustration still simmering under my skin.
Every time I close my eyes, I see Ember.
Her flushed cheeks. Her thighs shaking around my head.
The way she tasted. The way she looked at me like she wanted more but was still holding back.
Fish claps me on the shoulder as we head toward the lockers. “Seriously though, Sully. You good?” he asks, noticing I’m distracted.
“Yeah,” I mutter. “Just ready for the season to start.”
Fish gives me a look but doesn’t push it. “Well, if you change your mind about the wife hunt, we’ve got your back.”
I force a laugh. “Appreciate it.”
They have no idea. And I can’t tell them.
Later that afternoon, the apartment is quiet.
Cassidy said she was heading out to do some shopping, so when I walk into the living room and see Ember on the couch, I don’t hesitate.
She looks up from her laptop, eyes widening slightly as I cross the room.
I don’t say a word, I just pull her up into my arms and kiss her, deep and hungry, hands sliding under her shirt to grip her bare waist.
She melts into me instantly, fingers threading into my hair, moaning softly against my mouth. I back her up against the couch, lifting her so her legs wrap around my hips, grinding against her as I kiss down her neck.
“Fuck, I’ve been thinking about this all day,” I growl against her skin, sucking lightly on her pulse point. “You taste so good. Feel so good.”
Her hands slide under my shirt, nails dragging down my back. “Sully …”
I’m about to pull her shirt off when we hear a door opening down the hall.
Cassidy’s voice calls out, “Hey, I forgot my wallet …”
We freeze.
I set Ember down fast, stepping back, heart pounding. She smooths her shirt, cheeks flushed, eyes wide with panic. I turn toward the kitchen like I was just grabbing something, trying to look normal.
Cassidy walks in, rummaging through her bag. “I swear I left it on the counter.”
She looks up, glancing between us. “Everything okay? You two look weird.”
“Yeah, fine,” I say, my voice a little too casual. “Just … talking about the investment thing.”
Ember nods quickly. “Yeah.”
Cassidy narrows her eyes for a second, then shrugs. “Okay, see you guys later.”
She grabs her wallet and heads out again.
The second the door clicks shut, I let out a long breath and look at Ember. She’s still flushed, lips swollen from kissing, eyes dark with the same want I feel.
“That was close,” she whispers.
“Too close.” I step toward her again, pulling her back into my arms. “But fuck … I don’t want to stop.”
She kisses me hard, hands fisting in my shirt, like she’s thinking the same thing.
We’re playing with fire.
And I’m not sure either of us wants to stop.
A couple of days later, Emmett and I are in the building’s wellness center sauna, trying to recover after a brutal gym session.
The heat is thick, the air is heavy with eucalyptus.
We’re sitting on opposite benches, towels around our waists, talking about training camp when the door opens, and Ember walks in.
“Good, you made it,” Emmett says.
She’s wrapped in a towel, hair up, cheeks already pink from the heat.
“You don’t mind, Sully, do you?”
“No, not at all,” I say.
She sits on the bench next to me, close enough that her bare knee brushes mine. The second her skin touches mine, heat shoots straight to my cock. I have to fight not to react.
“Where’s Cass?”
“She’s gone to Nelly’s. It wasn’t a two-person job, so I stayed back to work on the homewares,” she explains.
“Oh, cool,” I say.
Emmett asks her about the Nelly job, and she chats away about it enthusiastically, but I can barely focus. All I can think about is how little is separating us. How easy it would be to pull her onto my lap.
Then Emmett’s watch buzzes. He checks it and sighs. “That’s Jo, she got home early. I’ll catch you guys later.”
He stands up, re-wraps his towel, and heads out. The door clicks shut behind him.
The second he’s gone, I launch myself at her. I pull her onto my lap, towel falling open as I kiss her hard, hungry, desperate. My hands slide under her towel, gripping her bare ass, pulling her tight against my cock. She moans into my mouth, rocking against me, fingers threading into my hair.
“Fuck, Em,” I growl against her neck, biting down. “I’ve been dying for this. You feel so fucking good.”
She gasps, grinding harder, her wet pussy sliding against my cock through the thin fabric still between us. I pull her towel open completely, exposing her bikini, then move the fabric to the side and take one nipple into my mouth. She’s lost in it for a moment, moaning my name, head falling back.
Then she suddenly stiffens. “Wait, people are just outside,” she whispers, panicked, even as her hips keep rolling against my hand.
I groan as she pulls back, eyes wide, breathing hard. “We can’t. Not here, not like this.”
I rest my forehead against hers, both of us panting, my cock throbbing against her.
“You’re killing me,” I mutter.
She laughs breathlessly, kissing me once more, soft and quick. “Later. I promise.”
I watch her re-wrap her towel and slip out of the sauna, leaving me hard, frustrated, and completely addicted.
This is getting dangerous.
And I don’t want to stop.