Chapter 54
Camden
Idrive my tongue into my wife’s mouth, teasing and lapping, while I thrust into her.
Pleasure pulses through my entire body. I’m vibrating with need.
I don’t need air or water or food or anything else in this world. All I need is her.
I massage her clit with my thumb, and it’s not long before I feel her tense around me again. She’s about to come again. Good. My entire body is tense, aching for release.
I could have come minutes ago, but I wanted to last. I wanted to make this good for her. I wanted to see her come again because I love watching her come. Nothing turns me on more than seeing my wife writhing and moaning, overcome with pleasure.
My chest aches and my lungs feel tight. Emotion fires through me.
So this is how it feels to have sex with someone you love. It’s more than just a physical release. It’s pleasure, but it’s everything else too. It’s the way my heart aches for her. The way my breath catches when I think about her. The way nothing feels complete or right unless it’s with her.
This is love.
I’m making love to my wife, and it’s beyond words.
I thrust faster as she starts to fall apart. Liquid heat shoots through my balls and the shaft of my cock. The pleasure and pressure inside of me crash and explode.
I come with a groan, feeling raw and wild but centered too. Every cell in my body rearranges. My entire being shifts. Because of her. Because I love my wife so fucking much.
When I gaze down at her, she’s staring up at me with those adorable half-lidded eyes. I smile and kiss her.
“What a good wife you are, coming twice in a row on my cock.”
She makes the cutest satisfied sound as she kisses me.
“Stay there,” I say softly. I kiss her forehead, then pad to the bathroom, grab a washcloth, wet it, then walk back to the bed and clean her up.
When I finish, I crawl next to her and cuddle her into my chest, feeling like the luckiest, happiest man in the universe.
“That was…” she murmurs, like she’s in a daze.
“Fucking incredible?”
“Yeah. That.”
We both chuckle. We lay cuddled together, me stroking her hair. I close my eyes, savoring the soft feel of her body tucked against mine.
Calm washes over me. Now that our secret is public, we’ve got a mess to deal with. But we’ll figure it out. Whatever the fallout is, we’ll handle it. As long as I have Ellie by my side, I can handle anything.
Coach Porter blows the whistle, signaling the end of the drill we’re running at training camp.
We gather around the coaches and listen to the feedback they give us. Once they dismiss us, we head off the ice to shower.
“Hey, Connors,” Coach Porter calls out.
“Yeah, Coach?”
“Come see me in my office before you leave.”
I tell him sure, then head to the locker room and brace myself for what’s about to come.
We’re five days into training camp, and no one from team leadership has brought up the media frenzy around my and Ellie’s marriage.
It’s pretty surprising given how it’s been all over sports news since it first broke almost a week ago.
I figured someone was going to want to have a word with me the second I reported for training camp.
I guess it’s finally happening now. I’m going to lose my spot as alternate captain.
As I get cleaned up, I think about how much that’s going to suck, even though I know it was coming.
I remember what Coach Porter said to me all those months ago, how if I wanted to be seen as a serious candidate for alternate captain, I’d have to clean up my act.
How the owner Greg and others didn’t want some party boy manwhore wearing the A on their jersey.
How they wanted someone who was a great player and a stand-up guy off the ice too.
I’m guessing their definition of a stand-up guy isn’t someone who marries their friend for health insurance and then becomes sports tabloid fodder because of it.
And even though I don’t regret it and I’d do it all over again for Ellie, it’s still a big disappointment to lose something before I even had it—something that I’ve wanted for so long.
I clean up, throw on a clean Bashers T-shirt and joggers, then head to Coach Porter’s office.
I knock on his door, which is cracked open.
“Come in.”
He’s on the phone, but waves me over. I walk in and sit down at the club chair in front of his desk.
He ends the conversation, then looks at me.
My nerves crackle at his hard stare. Coach Porter always looks so intense and borderline pissed.
The only time I ever see him smile is when he’s around his wife Abby and her daughter Emma or with Sophie.
Kind of wish one of them were here right now so he would lose the death glare.
“Team leadership has learned some news about you and your wife, Ellie. Specifically about the reason why you two got married,” he says.
“There are some pretty serious accusations being thrown around about you two. That your marriage is a sham. That you’re not a real couple and you only got married so she could have access to your money and lifestyle as a professional athlete. ”
He narrows his gaze at me.
I take a breath, swallowing back the anger I feel that people are outright lying about Ellie. “I can explain.”
His stony expression doesn’t budge. He nods for me to go ahead.
“Our marriage isn’t a sham. We’re a real couple.
She didn’t marry me for money. She doesn’t care about any of that,” I say, trying not to sound as pissed off as I feel.
“The truth is that she and I have been friends since we were kids. She deals with chronic illness, and her insurance had been screwing her over, refusing to pay for her meds. I was sick of seeing her suffer, so I asked her to marry me so she could get the medical care that she needed. That she deserves. Because I care about her more than anything in this world, and I wasn’t going to stand by and watch her struggle. ”
Coach Porter blinks, and his gaze softens.
“We weren’t romantically involved when we got married, but it didn’t take long for that to change.
” I swallow hard. “I know I did something dishonest by marrying her for health insurance. But I don’t care.
I love her. I’d do anything for my wife.
” I clear my throat. “This probably means I won’t be alternate captain.
That’s fine. Whatever you or team leadership want to do to punish more for this, I’m fine with. ”
Coach Porter is quiet as he stares at me, an unreadable look on his face.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Connors. You’re still alternate captain.”
My brow lifts. “I am?”
“Of course you are. I’ll make the official announcement in front of the team tomorrow. And I agree with everything you said and did. Hell, I would have done the same if I had been in your position and my wife needed help. No question.”
I let out a breath. “Oh. Thanks.”
“I just wanted to get your side of the story. Everyone on this team knows how insane social media and sports news gossip can get. We all know that bloggers and reporters twist the truth to suit whatever narrative they want to push,” he says.
“Frankly, it’s no one’s damn business why you two chose to get married. ”
“Right. I think so too.”
“Team leadership is behind you one hundred percent. We’ll just continue to ignore all the news and gossip. Something will hit the news cycle in the next couple of days and your marriage will old news. Just hang in there.”
He stands up. I stand up too and shake his hand. “Thanks for having my back, Coach.”
He nods once. “I like the work you’re putting into training camp. You’re playing hard and working well with your teammates. You’re always willing to step in and help the new guys on the team. You’re receptive to feedback from the coaches. You’re going to be an excellent alternate captain.”
“Thank you.”
I leave the meeting, feeling a million times lighter. And happy.
When I walk in the house, Ellie is at the kitchen counter slicing vegetables.
She tosses a carrot to Gus, then turns to me. “Hey. What’s that smile for?”
I scoop her up in my arms and kiss her.
“It’s official. I just met with Coach Porter. I’m alternate captain.”
She squeals and kisses me. I set her on the counter and we make out for a minute.
“So he didn’t care about all the rumors about our marriage on social media and sports news?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Nope.”
She flashes a relieved smile. “I’m so proud of you. You’re going to be an amazing alternate captain. I’m so excited to cheer you on when you play the first game of the season.”
Excitement bubbles up inside of me at the thought of Ellie coming to games and supporting me.
“I want you to wear something for me when you come watch me play.”
A teasing smile dances on her lips. “I’m already planning to wear sexy lingerie under my clothes for you.”
I kiss her neck. “That’s hot,” I murmur against her skin. “But I want you to wear something else.”
“Like what?”
“You’ll see.”