Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
CHELSEY
“I-I can’t believe you did that,” I stammered, staring down at Matt. With him kneeling in front of me, heat flooded my cheeks because I couldn’t shake the memory of him with glazed eyes and a wet patch forming on the front of his jeans after he’d given me my most satisfying sex since our breakup.
He held my gaze, his cerulean eyes completely serious. “I’d do so much more. I’ve regretted losing you every single day. I never even bothered dating because no one else lived up to you. You were the standard that I compared other women to, and they always fell short.”
So, he’d been telling the truth? He really hadn’t dated. Maybe hadn’t even touched another woman since me. If that was the case, how much could I make him fall apart if I wanted to?
He must have thought I was waiting for him to say more because he continued: “I never thought I’d have the opportunity to earn you back, but for some reason, you’re giving me a chance and I’m not going to let you regret it. Whatever you want, if it’s within my power, it’s yours.”
Holy fuck.
I didn’t know how to deal with this level of intensity. Matt had always been passionate but not like this. This was something else.
“Get up,” I told him because seeing him on his knees made me want to revisit our secret rendezvous at the stadium. That wouldn’t be a problem except that back then, I hadn’t gotten to touch him, and now, I wanted to.
He rose, so close to me that our chests brushed. Or at least my chest brushed his abdomen since he was quite a bit taller than me, and my chest stuck out rather a lot more than his.
“Kiss me,” I said.
His mouth curved into a surprisingly shy smile after all that he’d just admitted. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me.
Soft. Sweet. No tongue.
I moved restlessly against him. It was nice, but it wasn’t what I wanted.
“More,” I demanded.
He smiled against my lips, grabbed me by the hips, and pulled me against his body as he slipped his tongue into my mouth. He tasted like mint, and he smelled of something that reminded me of s’mores shared over a campfire.
I rubbed myself against him, loving the friction, and his cock thickened and pressed into my lower abdomen.
I rocked and he grunted into my mouth. He moved closer, his strong thighs braced as he held me still and curled his tongue around mine.
The slide of his tongue sent pulses of heat to my core, and I slipped my hand between us, trailing my fingertips down the ridges of his belly.
“Can I?” I asked when I reached the waistband of his boxers.
“Anything you want,” he murmured, pulling back just enough for me to slide my hand inside and take him in my palm.
He was thick and hot and pulsing, his skin satiny. I ran my hand along his length, gripping him gently at first and then more firmly.
His hips jerked and he groaned. “You gotta decide what you want because too much more of that and it’ll be game over.”
I bit my lip, very tempted. It would be so satisfying to reduce this big, strong man to a whimpering mess and make him come in my hand. But Jesse could be back before long—we didn’t have all night—which meant that I had to prioritize, and right now, I wanted him inside me.
I let go of him and backed away. He started to make a sound of protest but stopped when I pulled off my tank top.
His lips parted and his chest rose and fell on a ragged gasp as his gaze lowered to my breasts.
His hand twitched and started to reach for me, but he stopped himself, perhaps unsure what he was allowed to do.
“You can touch me,” I told him, ignoring the twinge of self-consciousness as it occurred to me that I’d bared my belly to him for the first time since college. The swell was currently contained by my high-waisted yoga pants, but if we went all the way, he’d see it soon enough.
He kissed my shoulder and reached behind me to undo the clasp of my bra. “You’re so beautiful.”
His fingers fumbled, and that pleased me, both because it showed he was nervous too and because it was more evidence that he hadn’t spent his years in the NHL sleeping around so much that his moves were slick and practiced.
When my bra dropped away, he cupped my breasts and rubbed his thumbs over my nipples with an appreciation bordering on fervor. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, raising his eyes to mine. “We can take it slow. Go on a couple of dates. Work up to sex.”
I considered that for a moment, grateful he’d stopped playing with my nipples because that was awfully distracting. “That’d probably be the smart idea, but I want you. It’s been a while for me.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. “You won’t regret it.”
Fuck, I hoped not.
He bent and kissed each of my breasts, then flicked the nipples with his tongue, humming happily. I couldn’t help smiling. He’d always loved my curves. Or at least, I’d thought he had. He’d certainly liked burying his face in my chest or sinking his teeth into my ass.
He smoothed his hands down my front and around to my hips, lifting his head to kiss me again.
He took my mouth thoroughly and it was all I could do to hold on and snatch gulps of air each time we separated.
Heat rushed to my core and desire pooled at the apex of my thighs.
I pressed closer to him, seeking the friction I desperately needed.
With his hands on my hips, he backed me up until my thighs hit the edge of the bed and then he urged me down.
He stripped off his boxers, and I was level with his cock.
My tongue darted out and swiped the red, shiny head.
The salty tang of his pre-cum made me want to draw more from him and I started to move forward, ready to take him in my mouth, but he buried his hands in my hair and pulled me back.
“Remember what I said about it being over quickly?” he rasped, releasing me when I paused for long enough to nod. “You can do that next time. In fact, I’ll beg for it. But right now, I want to give you what you’ve asked for.”
I pouted. “Just a short taste? You can handle it. I know you can.”
He gritted his teeth and looked up at the ceiling. “Fine. But I only have so much control, Chelsey.”
With a grin, I leaned forward and closed my mouth around him. He was hot and heavy on my tongue, and he groaned, his hips jerking when I sucked him. I worked up and down his length twice, loving the way he groaned, but then pulled away. He was right, after all. I wanted more than a blowjob.
He encircled the base of his cock with his thumb and forefinger, squeezing tightly as if to stave off an orgasm. When he looked down at me, his eyes were glazed.
“Can I undress you?” he asked, voice hoarse.
I bit my lip, aware that getting naked with him would probably trigger some of my insecurities, but if I was giving him another chance, then I’d have to face them at some point and now was as good a time as any. “Okay.”
He leaned over me and grabbed the high waistband of my yoga pants.
When he reached my underwear, he took hold of that too.
I lifted my hips so that he could peel them down my body, revealing my pussy and legs, inch by inch.
He watched, fascinated, as though he hadn’t seen me naked a thousand times before.
“So gorgeous,” he murmured.
A sound caught in the back of my throat.
He frowned. “You are. I’m sorry if I ever made you doubt that. Every bit of you is stunning, and I’ve always been happiest with my face between those fucking luscious thighs.”
I squeaked and kicked off my shoes just as he reached the bottom of my legs.
He slid off the yoga pants and hesitated at my socks. “On or off?”
“Off.” I needed to feel sexy and leaving socks on during sex might be all right on occasion when in a committed relationship, but it certainly wasn’t the thing to keep me in the mood at this very moment.
He did away with them quickly and prowled over me. I scooted backward until my head hit the pillow and he climbed up, his eyes darting over me, eating me up like I was his favorite treat.
Coming down on his elbows, he kissed me. I closed my eyes and savored the feel of his mouth on mine and the warmth of his body over me. I wasn’t some dainty little thing, but he could easily pin me down if he wanted to and there was something sexy about that.
We could have kissed forever, but eventually, he moved down my body, peppering kisses along the length of my neck, over my collarbone, and down my soft stomach.
I throbbed between my legs, eager for him to kiss me there too, but instead, he shuffled farther down and kissed my shin, slowly working his way up one leg and then the other.
My nerves came alive beneath his lips, delicious sensations racing through me from their softness combined with the whisper of his breath. There was something almost worshipful about the way he didn’t miss a single part of me.
If he was determined to drive me out of my mind, he was succeeding.
Finally, he did as he’d said earlier and buried his face between my legs. I cried out, then clamped my hand over my mouth, hoping that no one had heard. Most of the players were elsewhere, but a few were in their rooms.
Matt didn’t stop. In fact, he doubled down, licking and kissing until I was moaning his name and clawing at the sheets, needing something to send me over the edge into the bliss he kept teasing me with.
When he slid back up my body, his mouth latched onto mine, and I could taste myself on his tongue. He notched his cock between my thighs and thrust between them, gliding smoothly because of all the pre-cum he’d been leaking. He rocked back and forth, then groaned and stilled.
“Need a moment,” he gritted out, withdrawing from between my thighs and drawing in a few deep breaths. I was so tempted to bite the sensitive skin where his shoulder and neck connected, knowing how much that drove him crazy, but I held back.
When he seemed to get himself under control, he sat back on his heels. “Do you have a condom?”
I nodded. “In the pocket of my pants.”
I’d known I might need one when I’d made the decision to come to his room.
He scrambled off me, searched my pants, and grabbed the small foil packet from the pocket in the back of the waistband, at the lower back. He tore it open and rolled it on. “Is this okay?”
“More than.”
He lay over me once again and positioned himself at my entrance. Slowly, he inched forward, sheathing himself in me. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to breathe evenly and relax to make room for him.
I was so full.
He took a moment—whether for his benefit or mine, I wasn’t sure—and then drew out and thrust back in. I whimpered as he ground into my clit, and I wrapped my arms around him, holding him closer. We settled into an easy rhythm, nice and smooth and unhurried.
I could sense how close he was to the edge, but he didn’t leave me wanting. He filled me over and over again. Relentless in driving us toward our combined release. I hooked my ankles around his thighs and held him in place, working myself onto him from beneath.
Pleasure curled tighter inside me and I arched my back. He groaned and kissed the side of my neck, setting alight a hotspot that only he knew.
My orgasm hit me and I buried my face in his shoulder to muffle my moans as I came, rippling around him. He stiffened and his cock pulsed deep within me. His whole body shuddered as he emptied into the condom.
He hovered above me for several seconds, coming down from the high. When his gaze caught mine, he pressed the softest, sweetest kiss to my lips. Tears almost sprang to my eyes, but I blinked them back, overwhelmed by the sudden swelling of emotion in my chest.
“I love you,” he whispered, then rolled off me before I could respond.
Perhaps he was scared of what I might say, or maybe he just wanted to spare me from having to say anything at all. Instead, he took off the condom and disposed of it in the bathroom.
When he returned, he lay alongside me and slung his arm over my waist, drawing me into the cradle of his body. I felt warm and cozy and safe in his arms, the same way I had all those years ago.
Despite his restful position, he practically radiated joy as he peppered little kisses on the back of my neck and shoulder, and my heart ka-thunked.
Maybe this time would be different. I hoped it would, even if I was afraid to believe that might actually be the case.
Snug in his embrace, I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up a short time later. The light was still on, but Matt was deep asleep beside me.
Adrenaline jolted through me and I snapped my head around to look at the other bed, but thankfully, Jesse wasn’t in it.
He might return at any moment, though, so I carefully extricated myself from Matt and managed to dress without waking him.
I tiptoed out, switching the light off as I did. The corridor outside was empty. Hopefully, that meant I could get back to my room with no one the wiser.