Chapter 33 Alex
ALEX
It’d been a week since I’d seen Eleanor.
I had tried to talk to her at the show the day after brunch with her mother and sister, but I just never found the right time.
I tried to text her about it, but all she said was it was fine.
I was really starting to get in my head about it.
We finished the show, but then it came to strike the sets, and we were too busy to even say goodbye.
I was starting to second-guess things. Maybe she was regretting what happened in the skate room. Why did I choose a skate rental room? She deserved more than that. Maybe she was realizing it.
But tomorrow we had plans to practice a little for tryouts. And I knew, with absolute certainty, that tomorrow at the rink couldn’t come fast enough.
Before I went to bed, I pulled my phone out.
Alex - Good night, I can't wait to see you tomorrow. I'll probably get there around 2.
Eleanor - I'm meeting Belle and Mel at 1, so I'll see you when I get there.
I’d been looking forward to this all damn day. Ridiculous, maybe. I wanted to see her. Really see her. Talk to her, hold her, kiss her senseless, and exist beside her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
But wanting someone when you were a parent came with . . . complications. You couldn't just disappear into someone new. You couldn’t just give in to impulse or stay out all night or blur the lines between your life and theirs recklessly.
Still, I found myself thinking up excuses.
Maybe I could ask Leo if he wants a playdate with Ava . . .
No. That was pathetic. And transparent . . . Even if Leo would absolutely love it.
I shook my head at myself as I pulled into the rink’s parking lot.
Get a grip, Prince.
Inside, the familiar cool air of the roller rink hit my face, sweet, nostalgic, tinged with sweat and the faint scent of old popcorn. I heard laughter before I saw anything.
Then I stepped into the rink, and Belle and Mel had set up a mini obstacle course with cones, balance markers, even a tiny ramp, and in the center of it all was Eleanor.
She had her helmet on with her blonde braids sticking out adorably. She was all set for the derby, complete with bright purple knee pads and her whole face lit with determination.
She didn’t have Belle’s brute-force power or Mel’s agility, but she was trying, and she looked incredible doing it.
My heart did a stupid flip.
She bent her knees, concentrated, and rolled forward through the first set of cones.
Wobbly. But steady.
Belle whooped from the sidelines. “That’s it! Look at you go!”
Eleanor laughed. God, I loved that laugh. When she lifted her gaze to check her path, her eyes found mine.
And she smiled and waved.
Bright and startled, like she hadn’t expected me yet, but was glad I was there.
I smiled back, and that’s when it happened, her front wheel caught one of the cones.
“Oh shit!” Down she went. Not hard, just enough to thump onto her padded knees and hands.
Mel clapped once, unfazed. “That’s derby, sugar!”
Belle added, “If you’re not falling, you’re not learning!”
I hurried onto the rink, fighting a grin.
“You okay?” I asked, offering her a hand.
She laughed breathlessly at me. “I swear I’m getting better.”
“You are,” I said, pulling her gently to her feet. “And you look great doing it.”
Her cheeks flushed pink. It wasn’t from embarrassment, but from me. And God help me, I wanted her even more.
Eleanor shook out her arms, rolled her shoulders back, and repositioned her helmet like a woman preparing for battle.
“Okay,” she said, determination tightening her voice. “Again.”
Watching her try again might’ve been the hottest thing I’d ever seen. She pushed off, gaining momentum with hesitant little strokes, then steadier ones. Her hips swayed, her braids bounced, and every muscle in her thighs flexed in a way that should’ve been illegal.
My respect was absolutely present. But my self-control? Hanging on by a thread.
Mel skated backward in front of her, giving instructions. “Bend your knees more! Lower, Eleanor!”
Belle yelled from the sidelines, “Use those gorgeous thunder thighs, babe! POWER!”
Eleanor barked a laugh, cheeks flushed and eyes bright, and nearly toppled again, but caught herself just in time, arms flailing, one braid smacking her own shoulder.
I grinned like an idiot. God, she was adorable.
She made it through the course. Barely. But she made it.
Mel raised her hands triumphantly. “YES! That’s it! I’m calling that a victory lap.”
Belle checked her phone. “Aw, hell. My pretty boy boss has me filling in on a new house. I gotta run.”
Mel added, “And I have a FaceTime date with three generations of aunties who will absolutely hunt me down if I’m late.”
Both of them shot us the world’s least subtle wink as they skated past. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Which means you can do literally anything,” Belle said dryly, following behind her.
Eleanor snorted. I groaned.
And just like that, they were gone.
Leaving us alone on the dim rink, the disco lights refracting pink and blue across her helmet, the place suddenly quiet and intimate in a way that made my skin feel too tight. Deja vu.
She rolled toward me, more steady on wheels than I’d ever seen her be. I reached out, caught her waist, and steadied her. Her breath hitched. Mine stopped entirely.
“You did amazing,” I murmured.
She swallowed, eyes flicking to my mouth. “I fell three times.”
“Still amazing.”
Her hands slid up my chest, hesitant at first, then bold. My pulse thundered.
And then we were moving, not walking, not skating, just drifting into each other like gravity demanded it.
I kissed her.
She kissed me back instantly, hungrily, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt. I pulled her flush against me, her body warm and soft and trembling slightly on her wheels.
Her mouth opened beneath mine, eager, trusting, and heat roared through me so fast I nearly groaned.
We broke only when she laughed breathlessly. “I’m going to fall if you keep kissing me like that.”
“Then maybe,” I said, voice low, “we should move somewhere with fewer wheels.”
Her eyes darkened. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I took her hand.
With skates clacking softly on the wood, we took a seat on the bench and started unlacing our skates. After we slipped off the rink, we walked toward the roller-skate rental room.
I held the door for her.
She stepped inside.
And the second it closed behind us, she turned on me.
There was a heat in her eyes that I had never seen before, and fuck, it was everything. She walked me back until my back hit the wall.
“Do you remember the last time we were in this room?”
“How could I forget?”
“I think it’s time I return the favor.”
Her hand skated down my chest until it rested on my already erect cock.
She smirked. “I think you like that idea.”
I cupped her face, claiming her mouth in a kiss. “I love that idea,” I said as I pulled away.
She was already sinking to her knees. And undoing the button of my pants.
I wasn’t sure what had gotten into her, but as she pulled my dick out, my brain emptied.
She looked up at me through hooded eyes, and she licked the underside of my cock.
As she swirled her tongue around its head, I knew I wasn’t going to last.
“Fuck, El,” I hissed out as she sucked me into her mouth.
Her hands cupped my balls as she began to work her mouth up and down my length. I gathered her hair in my hands as I watched her. It was everything.
“That’s it, baby,” I said as my hips rocked slightly.
Her gaze met mine as one of her hands cupped my ass, pushing me in, and the other around the hand in my hair.
“Do you want me to take control?”
She nodded.
“Fuuuck,” I groaned as I pushed into her mouth a little, testing. She closed her eyes and moaned.
This woman, on her knees before me, was perfect. I pulled out and pushed back in her mouth. I hit the back of her throat and stilled. I didn’t want to be too much, but I slowly pushed in even more.
That was it. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I gripped her hair and rocked my hips until I was just about to explode.
“If you don’t want me to come in your mouth, you'd better pull off now,” I gritted my teeth.
But she didn’t pull off. She just sucked me in harder.
I groaned as I spilled down her throat. I collapsed against the wall for support as I came harder than I can ever remember coming before.
When I was done, I let my head fall back against the wall, panting as she tucked me back in my pants. I looked down at her, and she grinned up at me as she wiped the corner of her mouth.
“Fuck, Eleanor, you are a constant surprise,” I said as I pulled her up into my arms.
Then I heard the door open, and we both jumped and looked at the door.
“Don’t mind me, I just forgot my phone,” Mel called from the lobby. “Don’t forget to disinfect.”
I was mortified, but El just collapsed onto my chest, giggling. I held her close to me.
I loved her. It’d been happening for a while, but I knew it now. I loved her, and I was prepared to do whatever it took to make her mine.