Chapter Thirty-Seven Rhys
She’s perfect.
I can feel a little hint of anger rolling off her and it’s intoxicating. She’s intoxicating.
Sadie Gray is my fucking girlfriend now. I want to shout it so that my dad, the trainers—hell, the whole building—can hear me.
I open my mouth, desperate to find some reason to refer to her as my girlfriend, but she smacks me in the chest. Once, twice, before I grip her wrists in one hand and use the other to angle her chin away from where she’s hiding from me.
“I’m starting to think I can’t do this,” she mumbles, closing her eyes. My stomach drops out of my ass, and I can’t stop myself from tightening my hold on her wrists.
It’s hockey , that dark, mocking voice that I’m realizing is a version of my own taunts. Hockey makes you something useless and pathetic. She can see what you were before, and she doesn’t want this thing you are now. The thing you’ll be forever.
But I’ve been through this before, and as much as I want to use her to push away the darkness, I want to love her more. So I close my eyes and remind myself that I’m okay. I’m healing.
“Sadie.” I breathe, my hand tucking into her hair.
Her eyes blink open, swimming with tears, and I take in the sight like a hit to the gut. A hit she makes good on.
“You scared me,” she cries, angry and sad, and so beautiful it hurts. “You were just lying there and I-I couldn’t tell if you were okay or alive—”
She smacks me again, just a little flick of her palm to my chest.
I huff a laugh and draw her closer, kissing her cheek.
“I was just doing my Darth Vader impression. Trying to do his death justice.”
She laughs, the sound almost jarring against the red splotches of her cheeks, tears still free-flowing. “I thought you weren’t breathing.”
“Dedicated to the role,” I say with a smirk.
She shoves me off her completely, her brow furrowing as she looks me over again. I take the moment to examine her back, eyes widening and smile broadening at the 51 over the right breast of her oversized bomber.
“You look so fucking perfect, Gray. I like the jacket.”
She furrows the divot between her brows further. “Ro made it.”
“I want you in my jersey, too.”
She ignores me, still examining every piece of my exposed skin, then flickering her gaze between my eyes. “You’re okay?”
I whisper, “I’m perfect, baby.”
The soft name does her in.
Her body slams onto mine, knocking me flat on the table as she climbs me. She’s layering kisses on me between laughs and sobs, and I think I could stay like this forever, with the comforting weight of her on top of me.
I feel like I did before last spring, the Hockey House packed with people—half of whom I’ve never seen in my life—and then the circle of us: Freddy, Bennett, Holden, and me, along with most of our second line; Caleb, Sanders, and Hathaway, a freshman who’s become a regular.
Sadie and Ro stopped by the dorms to get ready while we attended the postgame meetings and showered, but they should be here by now—even if it had been like pulling teeth to get them to agree to come.
My parents nearly got on their knees to beg Sadie to let Liam and Oliver have a slumber party at their house, and she only agreed after coaxing from Ro and me.
She trusted them.
Something I plan to reward her for later.
Despite the win, and the fact that he only let in two goals, Bennett looks pissed.
He sips on a beer—quite a rare sight for the meticulous goalie—but he’s distracted, more frustrated than usual.
A few of the football players we hang out with come to join us by the campfire, followed by Ro and Sadie—still in their homemade jackets, but now decked in scarves and hats, too.
I stand so quickly that there’s a little chuckle from Holden.
Paloma plants herself in his lap and tries to distract him from the conversation he was having with Freddy.
But she doesn’t need to, because Freddy’s already up and getting laughs from Ro, who plays self-consciously with her straightened hair.
“Hey.” I smile, grabbing Sadie and yanking her close to me. I plant a kiss on her forehead and rub my hands up and down her arms. “Ro, your hair looks pretty.”
She flushes, but I can tell by the squeeze of Sadie’s hand and her smiling nod that I did right with the compliment. Freddy tucks Ro up under his arm and yells something about beer pong, and she gives him another startlingly bright grin.
I would worry, but Freddy has assured me he’s purely in friend mode with Ro. Still, it makes me slightly nervous because she looks at him with stars in her eyes, romantic and gooey. Even if Bennett and I warned him, Ro might still get hurt by the flirty forward.
“Wanna play?” I ask before kissing Sadie again. She shakes her head.
“Just wanna be around you, actually.” Her hands snake up over my shoulders and grip the muscles there, eliciting a quiet groan as she presses. “Can we go to your room?”
“Already?” I tease, pulling back and flicking her nose. “I’m not that kind of man, Gray.”
She laughs, husky and sexy, and my jeans feel tight.
“A bathroom, then,” she teases back.
I grip her chin with a growl and lean down to kiss her softly. “Whatever my girlfriend wants, she gets.”
And then I embarrass her, tossing her up and over my shoulder as she squeals in protest—but it’s lighthearted and full of giggles.
“Sorry, guys—raincheck on the beer pong. Have to go take care of my very needy girlfriend,” I announce, beaming with pride.
Cheers and laughter erupt around us as I offer a quick salute to my team and take my light little prize, with her soft fists against my back, through the back door and up to my room.
I set her down and move to click the door closed, and she’s already stripping off her jacket when I turn back to her. Before I can reach for her, she shoves me against the door and sinks to her knees.
“Oh, fuck, ” I breathe out, releasing the door handle and gently scooping her hair up off her face and neck. “Sadie.”
“Yes, Captain?” she says, her hands eager and swift as they undo my belt and pull my shorts and boxers down in one fell swoop.
I can’t even attempt another word before her lips—dark cherry-red and freshly bitten—are pressed to the crown of my dick.
Her mouth opens then, tongue licking lightly before she wraps her small hand around my cock, tapping me on her tongue.
I’m going to come, and my girl has barely done a thing.
My hands grip into her hair, massaging the base of her neck and down to her shoulders as Sadie takes her time exploring me with her mouth.
She is perfect, and I want her to know how deeply my feelings run. I’d put a ring on her finger if it wouldn’t terrify her. I know she won’t run from me now, but I’m prepared for the strength it’ll take in the future.
“You’re so beautiful,” I say, pressing my finger to her cheek tenderly. “So fucking perfect. God, seeing you like this—”
She moans, and the reverberations travel up my cock like a shiver. I barely grab ahold of my slipping control as she rests her hands on her knees and looks up at me, my cock halfway out of her mouth.
She’s giving me control. Our push and pull, she’s letting me have this moment.
“That’s my girl,” I whisper, thrusting slow and gentle into her mouth. She squirms beneath the praise, like she wants to touch herself but won’t. Unless…
“Are you wet for me, baby?” I ask, and Sadie keens, rocking slightly and taking me deeper. “Do you need me?”
She pulls off to gasp, “Want you,” before sucking me right back in with an intoxicating noise.
“Touch yourself, Gray. Take what you need.”
Her hand dives into the band of her jeans, shoving down. I hate that I can’t see what she’s doing up close, but her movements give me enough to imagine. And when it comes to Sadie Gray, I have an incredible imagination.
She rocks back and forth, grinding on her hand.
Sadie moans again, her eyes shuttering with relief before blinking up at me, wicked delight stretching her mouth in a smile around my dick.
I barely have time to warn her, trying to pull myself back, but she shoves up higher on her knees and grabs my ass, pulling me far into her throat. Stars shoot behind my eyes, and I feel lost between needing to throw my head back but desperate to keep my gaze on her as I come.
Holding back for even a second seems too long, so when I reach for her and nearly trip out of my pants, we both dissolve into laughter.
I manage to take off everything but my shirt and then grab for her hips and roll her jeans down her thighs.
I try not to get too distracted by the expanse of her skin beneath my hands.
It’s when she takes off her shirt, revealing no fucking bra , that I can’t stop myself from grabbing her up in my arms and tossing her little muscled body onto the bed.
I press her back and try to eat her out, but Sadie begs and yanks on my arms until I pull back.
“This was supposed to be a treat,” she says.
I laugh. “You’re always a treat, baby.”
“A reward,” she groans. “For winning—though I’m thinking ‘for being alive’ might be a better incentive for you, Captain.” Her foot connects with my chest and I wrap a hand around her ankle, raising an eyebrow.
“Don’t be a brat.” I chuckle. “Just tell me what you want. I’ll give you anything.”
Sadie shakes her head and sighs into the mattress, lolling from side to side. “You’re too good to me. Stop it. I was trying to be sexy and… and I had this whole plan. And your stupid ass is ruining it.”
The way she’s whining sounds too much like her sex-kitten voice and I’m rock hard again.
“Want to start over?”
She huffs and crosses her arms, pouting like a grumpy teen—but eventually nods.
“All right. What do you want me to do, Gray?”
She lifts herself up off the mattress, her hair cascading around her in little waves that show it was braided earlier.
Her hands press to my chest and push me back, to which I easily comply, stretching out beneath her as she straddles my hips.
There is only a slip of silk fabric keeping the heat of her from directly pressing to my very hard cock.
Her eyes are dark beneath the smoky eyeshadow, darker as she takes me in, completely at her mercy.
“All right, hotshot.” She smirks and my hips pulse upwards. “Easy.” She giggles.
But Sadie turns slightly serious as she reverses our usual stance and grips my chin in her little hand.
“I want to make you feel good, because you always make me feel good. And you’re not going to control it, okay? You’re just going to lie back.” She leans forward, pressing her bare chest to mine. “Relax,” she drags out, nipping and licking my ear. “And let me take care of you.”
I shudder violently as she tongues my neck, then bites down on my collarbone until I hiss.
As she draws back, she squeezes the muscles in my shoulders as best she can—her hands are too small, even if they’re strong, to really do much. But it feels heavenly.
Everything she does feels heavenly, because it’s her.
Sadie pushes her satin thong to the side before sliding on top of me, warm and wet and endlessly ready for me.
“God, Rhys ,” she groans. I thrust up again at the noise. “You’re so fucking perfect.”
Her praise feels like standing in the sun, warming me everywhere.
She rides me slowly, gripping me between her legs like a vise while praise pours from her lips like water. It doesn’t matter how small she looks right now, perched on top of me like this; she could easily kill me if she wanted and I’d say thank you as I bled out beneath her.
She comes, and it’s just like every time I’ve seen it before—like she’s a little surprised, like it catches the careful, controlled girl totally off guard. It’s impossible not to follow after her.
My orgasm is powerful, making me almost lightheaded as I slowly punch my hips unsteadily, abdomen clenching while Sadie slowly rides me through it.
And then her lips spread into a little sleepy smile, and she looks down at me. I’m overwhelmed with that feeling again—the desire to keep her here, protected and safe and mine—until I’m biting down on my tongue, desperate to shove the I love you, I love you, I love you back down my throat.
I’m not sure how much longer I can hold it back, but I’m desperate to keep her.
And this—Sadie melting into my arms and kissing my shoulders, caressing me with gentle strokes and touches that I copy until we’re lying with our heads near the footboard, whispering quiet secrets into the glittering dark—this is more than enough.