Chapter 24
FEE
Ihold up the sweatshirt, surveying my work with an excited shimmy. A few days ago inspiration hit and I poured all my feelings into it. I hope Mac loves it. I tuck it into my overnight bag, giddy with anticipation, and meet Tally in the hall.
“I’ll handle the treats and you can throw the catnip mouse?” she says.
“On it.” I slide my feet into my boots and shrug into my coat.
Tally reaches for the doorknob as she tosses treats down the hall, and I yeet Parsnip’s mouse, distracting him so we can leave without him escaping into the hall. He yowls forlornly from the other side of the closed door.
“Sorry, Pars! I’ll be home later!”
We head for the elevators, which take a short eternity to arrive.
“Are you excited to see Mac?” Tally asks.
“So excited.” I do a little hip shimmy. “Do you think Enid will bring Curtis?”
“Unlikely. He’s not really into the party scene as far as I can tell.”
“Plus, he looks like the budget version of Brody.”
“There’s also that,” Tally agrees.
“How’s Flip?” I ask.
“So good.” She sighs dreamily. “He’s just so thoughtful. Yesterday he sent lunch to the studio for me and my troupe.”
“That’s super sweet.”
“Right? Like he isn’t even in Toronto and he’s taking care of me. I’ve never had this before,” she confides.
I squeeze her arm. “You deserve to be treated like a queen.”
“He makes me feel like one.”
We finally make it to the lobby and pull on our toques and zip our jackets before we head outside. It’s February, snowy, and bitterly cold. I tuck my chin, protecting my face from the frigid gusts of wind, and rush across the sidewalk. Enid is parked in the kiss and ride zone.
“You can have shotgun, Tally.” I slide into the back seat. “Thanks for picking us up! I hope you weren’t waiting long.”
“Just a couple of minutes,” Enid assures us.
“Should we stop at the LCBO on the way?” I ask as she pulls away from the curb.
“Chase and Cammie went out earlier. They’re already there,” Enid explains. “And I specifically requested iced tea coolers for you.”
“Thanks. You’re the best.”
The drive to Mac’s house is short. I grab my overnight bag, my excitement and nerves twining as we exit the vehicle and trudge up the freshly cleared walkway. Mac throws open the door before I can knock.
“You’re here.” He wraps his arms around me and lifts me off my feet while burying his face in my hair. I loop my arms around his neck and kiss the edge of his jaw.
“Hi, Enid and Tally!” Mac’s voice is muffled by my hair.
“Hi, Mac Attack!” They say in tandem as they head for the kitchen.
Mac sets me on my feet. “Want to bring your bag up to my room?”
“That would be great.”
He slides the strap off my shoulder and slings it over his, then takes my hand and leads me up to his room.
I haven’t been here since we dry humped our way to orgasms. I’m flooded with memories of that night, and more recently, our phone sex. I’ll fingerfuck you until you’re creaming in my hand. A shiver runs down my spine.
“You okay?” Mac asks as he closes the door.
I nod, swallowing thickly as I fight not to just drag him to the bed and ask him to make good on his promises. Mac is different from other guys I’ve dated. I really love that he wants to take this slow, but it also means I need to temper my hormones.
He tips his head. “You sure?”
“I’m sure, just thinking about our phone call last night,” I whisper.
He rubs the back of his neck. “I was pretty graphic.”
“I liked it,” I blurt. “But you already knew that, based on the way the call ended.”
He nods slowly and sets my bag on his bed. “It’s easier to be uninhibited on the phone.”
I step closer. “I’d do it again when you have another away game.”
“So would I.” His eyes light up and darken at the same time as he laces our fingers. “And I meant what I said.”
“Which part?” I curl my fingers around his.
“All of it.”
I tip my head back. “Can you be more specific?”
His smile turns lascivious. “You mean making you cream in my hand?”
“Yeah. That’s the part.” My knees go weak.
“I’m looking forward to that.” His voice is guttural.
“Me, too.” I loop my arms around his neck. “Will you kiss me?”
“Now?”
I nod.
“Of course, sweetheart.” Mac curves one hand around the back of my neck, and brushes his lips over mine, softly, tenderly. He comes back again and I tip my head, parting to allow him inside on a long, needy hello.
Eventually he pulls back, eyes warm and vulnerable as his thumb sweeps the contour of my bottom lip. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” I finger the hair at the nape of his neck. “Especially your hugs and hanging out, and the smell of your cologne, even though it was only for one night.”
Mac grins. “Same.”
“I have something for you.” My stomach is full of nervous butterflies.
His eyes warm. “Oh yeah?”
“It’s in my bag.” Anticipation makes me jittery.
We untwine so I can unzip my bag to retrieve the hoodie. I shake it out and show him the front first, with the small logo on the left breast.
“You got me a new hoodie?” The smile that brightens his face makes my chest swell.
“Check out the back.” I turn it around. I incorporated the Tilton U logo but put my own spin on it with vibrant colors that match Mac’s eyes and little hockey players skating along the tops of the letters.
“Holy crap. Is this a new special edition? I’ve never seen one like it before.” Mac traces the design reverently.
“That’s because it’s one of a kind.”
His mouth drops. “You designed this.”
“I did.” I bite my lip.
“For me?” he asks softly.
I nod. “For you.”
“I love it. This is so cool, Fee.” He yanks his current hoodie over his head, tosses it on the bed, and pulls the new one on.
He runs his hand over the small logo on his chest, an echo of the one on the back, and moves to the mirror to check it out.
“This is the coolest gift anyone’s ever given me. ”
“I know you’ve had a lot go missing this year, so I figured a one of a kind would be harder to steal.”
“It’s awesome.” He slips his arm around my waist. “It’s my new favorite forever.” He kisses a path from my neck to my lips. “You’re wildly talented.”
“I was inspired.”
“Do you ever let people watch you create?”
“In class, sure. But we’re all working on our own things.” I finger the hair at the nape of his neck. “And I used to paint with my mom all the time.”
His gaze softens, and he strokes my cheek. “I bet you miss that.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “I feel closest to her when I’m in the studio.”
“I’d love to see that space some time.”
“I’ll take you there,” I promise.
A bang on the door scares us both. “You have all night to get your freak on! Come hang out with us!” Gage shouts.
We laugh and Mac squeezes me to him. “I want to show the guys my new hoodie anyway.”
“Okay.”
“But don’t worry.” He winks. “I haven’t forgotten my promise. I’ll thank you properly later.” He laces our fingers, tugging me into the hall.
He closes his door behind him, and I follow him down the stairs.
“Check this out.” Mac proudly shows off his hoodie.
“Dude, that’s awesome,” Brody says.
“Where did you get that?” Gage asks.
“Fee made it for me.” Mac tucks me under his arm. “Cool, right?”
“Like amazing,” Chase agrees.
I love this part of being a couple. Of being his girlfriend. Of being able to claim him the same way he claimed me when he gave me his hoodie and told me to keep it because he likes the way it looks on me.
“The whole team will want one,” Mac says proudly, and kisses my temple.
I smile up at him. “You’re the only one who gets to wear this design.”
He brushes his lips over mine. “One of a kind, just like you.”
Eventually, I have to excuse myself to the bathroom—but I run upstairs, girlfriend privileges and all.
When I come out, I notice, for the first time, posters from my alter ego tacked to his wall.
I don’t know if they’re new or they’ve always been here.
But he has every single one from this year.
It sends a thrill through me that Mac is a fan of my alter ego’s work.
I’ll ask him about them later. When it’s just us.
When I come back, some girls are talking to Mac. He tips his head and holds out his hand at my approach. He pulls me into his side and I wrap my arm around his waist.
“Charvi and Inaya, this is my girlfriend, Fee. She’s the artist who designed my hoodie.”
“We were just telling Mac how much we love it. You’re super talented,” Charvi says.
“Thanks.” I push up on my toes and kiss the edge of his jaw. “He really inspires me.”
“I’ll be your muse anytime.” And I can see he means it.
And I feel it in my heart when he kisses me, in front of our friends, and all these people, that I’m authentically his and he’s mine.