Epilogue
Aiden
The buzzing of the tattoo machine hummed like a heartbeat, steady and insistent, as I leaned back in the chair.
Sage’s hands moved with precision over my bicep, the final touches of ink etching the Stanley Cup across my skin.
I barely breathed, watching every line, every shadow she added.
It felt like a lifetime compressed into a single, perfect image.
“Looks good on you,” she said, snapping off her gloves and tossing them toward the trash with a casual flick. Her voice carried that mix of teasing and pride I’d come to love.
I turned my gaze down at the tattoo, tracing the detail with my eyes. It was finished. Fully realized. A tangible marker of everything we’d fought for this season, every hit, every goal, every moment we’d scraped and clawed for. I couldn’t help the grin that stretched across my face.
“Kinda does, doesn’t it?”
Sage looked up at me, her hair falling across one shoulder, eyes catching the studio light, and smiled. “One hell of a way to cap the season, I’ll tell you that. A celebration that’ll last a lifetime.”
I slid out of the chair, feeling the stiffness in my shoulder and the ache in my ribs, but none of it mattered. None of it compared to the warmth that hit me when I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind. My chest pressed against her back, and I rested my chin near her shoulder.
“This isn’t the celebration I had in mind,” I murmured.
She turned in my arms, tilting her face to meet mine, her hands dangling around my neck. There was that spark in her eyes again, the one that could set a rink on fire if she wanted. “Oh no?”
I shook my head, grinning despite the ache. “Granted, the one I have in mind won’t exactly last a lifetime but… it’ll be long enough for you to enjoy it.”
Sage laughed, the sound low and amused, and slapped my arm playfully. “Long enough, huh? With that bruised ribcage and busted shoulder?”
I winced, tugging on my t-shirt, and let her lead the way toward the door. The ache in my body didn’t matter. It never did with her around. “You may have to do most of the work,” I said, smirking as we stepped out of the studio together.
*
The moment we crossed the threshold of my bedroom, the air between us shifted, thick and electric.
I didn’t even think—I just pressed her against the closet, one hand braced on the wall above her head, the other grazing the small of her back.
Her lips met mine, soft at first, then harder as the heat between us grew.
Sage lifted her legs instinctively, wrapping them around my waist, pulling me closer.
My chest pressed against hers, every inch of distance gone in a heartbeat.
Her hands tangled in my hair, and I leaned into her, feeling her warmth, her pull, and the rush of everything we’d denied ourselves until now.
I barely registered the room around us. All that mattered was her, the way she tasted, the way she fit against me. Time slowed, and the world outside dropped away like it always did when we were together.
Her breath hitched against my neck, and I could feel the pulse in her jaw, the press of her body guiding mine. We moved as one, a tangle of limbs and murmurs, the quiet heat of a storm building in the space between us.
“I love you,” I breathed against her parted lips.
A soft laugh fluttered against mine, making them tingle. “I love you too.”
“Remember that when you’re surrounded by hot arty-farty types in New York.”
“I can’t promise anything.” She hiked up her leg and hooked it around my waist, grinding the warmth of her pussy against the hardening bulge in my pants. “Unless you make yourself unforgettable.”
“Done.”
*
My breath caught with relief as I watched Sage climb onto my bed.
She positioned herself above me, her knees on either side of my head.
Slowly, she lowered herself, placing her pink, glistening folds right in front of my face.
My nose filled with the sharp, musky smell of her arousal and my dick twitched in my hand.
I dove in, messily lapping at her dripping folds.
I ran my tongue down, teasingly flicking her hard and swollen clit.
Sage lurched forward, thighs clamping around my head, a startled cry escaping her lips as I wrapped my lips around her clit and sucked hard, before releasing it with a pop.
Swiping my tongue back and forth, I devoured her juices, letting it coat my tongue and wash down my throat.
She moaned out loud, grinding her pussy on my face.
Swirling my tongue around her opening, I dipped inside her, greedily gulping down the essence that poured from her core. My chin bumped against her bud, the prickly stubble on my jaw stimulating her further, pushing her closer to the edge.
I sloppily licked and suckled her, savoring every drop. My mind was clouded with lust, hips thrusting into the firm grip of my hand around my shaft as I searched for some friction, some relief from the ache building inside me.
She cried out loudly, her body jolting with pleasure as she reared up again. A gush of fresh arousal dripped out of her, drenching the lower half of my face.
I pushed up on my elbows and firmly lifted her as I got to my feet, crushing her body against mine. Capturing her lips, I claimed her mouth with a hungry kiss, feeding her the juices of her own release.
“Going somewhere?” she asked, licking her lips.
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lifted her and tossed her back onto the bed. She let out a squeal that quickly got sucked up by a gasp as I came to hover over her. Cupping both of her breasts, I fondled and squeezed them until she squirmed beneath me.
I leaned down and sucked one of the rosy, tender buds into my mouth, before releasing it with a pop. Then I turned my head, my teeth lightly sinking into her skin, biting and nipping at the tender flesh. She threw back her head, and writhed as I left bite marks all over her.
She reached out, her fingers threading through my hair to grip the back of my head as she pulled my mouth back toward her breasts.
I reached down, pushing her thighs open, and swiped my fingers through her wet folds.
The searing kiss I gave her was perfectly timed to coincide with my movements as I plunged two fingers inside her, thrusting them in and out in a steady motion.
Sage moaned loudly, her back arched high as her chest pressed flush against mine.
Heat coiled in my gut, and it was rising fast. I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
The time for teasing and toying was long gone.
I wrenched my fingers back out, lining my throbbing cock against her entrance. “I know I promised you a long time…”
“Just put it in,” she hissed, and I plunged into her with one hard, forceful stroke.
Sage cried out, rocking her hips to try and match the frantic pace I set.
The bed creaked harshly beneath us, but I didn’t think about it. I didn’t want to think about anything that wasn’t her. Spellbound by her breasts bouncing with the way I drove into her.
“You’re sure this thing will hold us, right?”
I grunted, slowing down, but not pulling out all the way.
I looked around, searching for any other surface that would do, but saw nothing.
Without thinking twice, I grabbed her thighs and wrapped them around my waist, lifting her as I stood up again.
She yelped her surprise, her arms quickly wrapping around my neck, my cock still buried inside of her.
I cupped her ass to hold her in place, using considerable effort to keep us balanced like this, and then I rammed myself in and out of her dripping pussy.
The room was filled with the sound of our moans and grunts, accompanied by wonderful wet noises and the sharp slap of skin against skin as I drove my cock into her.
“Fuck me, you’re so fucking hot,” she breathed. Her head tilted forward, resting in the crook of my neck.
Sweat beaded at the back of my neck, slowly trickling down my spine. My knees were weak and quivering, and the muscles in my arms and thighs burned from the exertion. I felt the pressure building low in my gut, lower back tightening with every single thrust in her warm, wet pussy.
She screamed in my ear as I pushed her to the brink of her release. Her pussy clenched around my dick, squeezing tightly as it pulsed through her climax. My groans mixed with her satisfied whimpers, echoing through the room as I filled her with one final thrust.
Our bodies slick with sweat, I placed her back onto the bed and pinned her down.
“I’m not finished yet,” I said, kissing her hard. She gasped as I pumped deep inside her, pleasure coiling low in my stomach with how tightly her pussy clamped around me.
“Neither am I,” Sage replied, her body tensing under my touch. I sped up my movements, driving my cock as deep as she could take me until a soft cry slipped past her lips and waves of pleasure swept over her, leaving her trembling.
She was so fucking beautiful when she came like this for me. There was nothing I could do to keep my own climax at bay any longer. A guttural groan reverberated against her neck as I let go and spilled into her pulsing core.
My body slumped forward, and then I rolled over to lie down beside her. She snuggled closer, her sticky thighs brushing against mine. I’d never felt so good. So satisfied.
So goddamn in love.