Chapter 29
Carter
I skip down to the basement to get some rest.
Is this what happy people feel like? Ordinary heel to toe walking isn’t possible. My heels barely touch the floor before I’m sprung forward to the next step.
Willa is mine. The notion fills my heart to pump against my chest like I never felt it before. It’s wild.
I reach the bottom of the steps to Gentry standing in the middle of the room, staring over my bed at the painting Willa did, that I hung earlier today.
“Is that a rat?” He asks without looking away from it.
“It’s supposed to be a cat.” I come next to him to put my clothes away.
“Why are there tits behind the moon?” He tilts his head as if it’s an abstract painting hanging in a gallery. “It has to be the ugliest painting I’ve ever seen.”
“Yeah,” I agree, sighing happily. It is ugly, but it’s Willa’s.
The painting is a reminder of how much I love her. If I can love that painting as much as I do, I must really fucking love her.
“Why are you so happy?” Gentry nudges me, and I realize I’m staring at the painting with a huge grin.
“I’m not.” I shake it off and try my best to give a brooding scowl. My mouth doesn’t want to cooperate.
“Is it Willa?” Gentry asks, grinning at his revelation. “You had sex with her again, didn’t you?”
“Don’t talk about Willa like that.” I point a finger at him. “She’s your coach.”
“And yours too.” He smacks my finger away and plops on his bed. “I didn’t mean it to be disrespectful. I’m only observing your happiness and how it’s related to when you”re with Willa. Tonight, you are extra giddy.”
He gets comfortable in his bed and I do the same in mine.
“It’s more than just sex.” I fiddle with my thumbs in front of me.
It’s late and we have practice in the morning, a practice and training, and then a game that starts the tournament to the Frozen Four. It’s going to be a long day.
“I’m not saying it isn’t.” Gentry shuts his light off. “Are you two an item yet or what? I heard you were inseparable at the banquet.”
Gentry is a junior and didn”t have to attend the alumni banquet like I did.
“Who said that?” I snap at him.
“People talk.” He shifts to look at me. “It wasn’t anything bad, but there are rumors of you two hiding a secret relationship, but there will always be rumors no matter what you do.”
“We weren’t, but we are now,” I confess to him. I don’t want our relationship to be a secret. “Willa is my girlfriend. Start or stop any rumors you want.”
“Hey, I don’t start the rumors.” He sits up and fluffs his pillow. “But I’m happy for you. You finally gave in to your true feelings.”
“Don’t start that shit either.” I point at him, but he laughs at me.
“Congrats.” Gentry stops laughing. “You and Willa deserve to be happy. Especially after what she’s been through. Don’t screw this up.”
Willa deserves so much that I can only dream about giving her, but I won’t screw this up.
I’d give her everything if I could. I’d make her dreams of being on the Olympic hockey team a reality if I had any power to do so, but I’ll be here to help with everything she needs.
It’s only been six hours, and I’m desperate to see her again.
The rest of the team files in the locker room to get ready, but I stay behind and wait just to catch a glimpse.
Only when Willa walks in, I can’t contain myself. She’s in her usual practice attire, skin tight black leggings under a Drexton Hall Huskies sweatshirt, but she wears it with a confident determination as she stomps through the doors. Her short crimped blonde hair is pinned back in her usual two small braids to keep it off her face, and her large bag is slung over her shoulder.
Her face lights up when she sees me, and I’m only two steps away when I reach out to hold it in my hands. Pressing my lips against her as if I haven’t seen her in weeks.
Willa is a force. Fierce with a determination that sucks me in.
She pulls away quickly and looks down the empty hallway.
“I’m sorry.” I rub my hands along her long neck. “I couldn’t wait to see you.”
She bites her lip to stop the grin spreading over her face. Popping up on her toes, she gives me another chaste kiss.
“In the barn, I need to be professional.” She looks over my shoulder to check no one can see us in the arena hallway. “Do you think we can do that?”
“Yup,” I groan and drop my hands to my sides. “How professional are we talking?” I hold her hand as we walk back down the hall to where I was standing, unable to keep my hands to myself.
“Less PDA, but I think holding hands is ok.” She squeezes my hand and stops outside the locker room doors. “Go get ready so I can kick your butt into shape.”
“Mmm,” I hum. “That actually sounds nice.”
She rolls her eyes and playfully slaps my chest.
“Hey, now. That display is too affectionate for me.” I joke and make a show of fixing my pants.
Willa glares at me, but it doesn’t match the lift to her lips.
“I’ll see you out there, and I’ll be very professional,” I promise with a wink.
“Good.” She rises onto her toes and gives me a kiss on the cheek before turning away to go to the rink. I hold her hand a little longer, not wanting to let go. Just to see her turn back with a smile and spark in her eye before letting our hands drop.
They push us hard through drills and practice. And every time Willa blows that whistle, I want to rip it out of her mouth and replace it with my cock.
Staying professional is hard, but she and the other coaches are pushing us even harder to get ready for the tournament to start.
“Taking a break?” Willa skates over to me as I squeeze water from my bottle into my mouth.
“Water break,” I grunt, trying to catch my breath.
“You need to work on your stamina. Breathe through your nose and push yourself harder.” She nods to the other guys still running drills. “You’ve taken twice as many breaks. It’s all in your head.”
“You have a problem with my stamina?” I’ll show her how long I can last if that’s her issue.
“No.” Her big blue eyes squint up at me. “You’re not even trying. I have a problem with you being lazy.”
“I can prove you wrong.” Her back hits the wall as I crowd over her. “I can go all day and all night.”
Her eyes widen, but she sucks in her lips to stop whatever retort she has. Slowly, her lip ticks up to a smirk.
“I want to see that same effort on the ice.” She pokes my chest. “Now get back out there.”
Bringing the whistle to her mouth, she puffs her cheeks out, but I steal it out of her hand.
“Don’t blow that in my face unless you want me to give you something else to blow between those lips.” I raise my eyebrows to suggest exactly what I’d like to see her mouth on, but she looks horrified.
Willa’s mouth drops as she sucks in a sharp breath.
“I’m kidding.” Sort of. Who wouldn’t want their dick sucked? “Are you ok?”
“Too far, Carter.” She wipes the fear from her face, but she’s definitely hiding something. “Be professional.”
She backs away from me to get a safe distance between us.
No one can hear us. Everyone is too busy to notice us off to the side, and the noise of sticks slapping and blades scraping is too loud.
“I am, but I can’t help getting turned on when you boss me around like that.” I wink at her and turn away to rejoin my team.
Before I make it fully around, a hard smack lands on the center of my ass. Surprised by the hard whack of her hand, I look over my shoulder to see Willa acting innocently, and trying not to laugh.
“I’ll get you for that.” I point at her evil little game. I can’t get her back. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her position here, and I could never physically hurt her.
Whether it’s sexual or not, I could never cause her pain.
She skates past me and blows her whistle as she goes. Teasing me with a little sway of her hips.
I push myself harder to impress her, but that leads to me being too exhausted to impress her in other ways. This tournament is going to be the death of me.
It’s been a week, and we’re miraculously still in it. One more game to play and we make it to the Frozen Four for our shot at the championship.
The guys are all hyped up, and you can’t help but get swept up in the excitement.
Between coaching us, therapy, and doctor visits, Willa’s been practicing with the girls on the women’s team. Nothing too big. I watched once, and they were taking it very easy on her.
Coach Higgins won’t let her back on the team. She’s not ready for that yet, but some of her friends have taken time away to play and practice with her.
With so much going on, we haven’t had time for more than a few quickies in the back of my car.
After Power Skate this morning, we have the rest of the day off to catch up on our classes, but with a plan in mind, I step onto Willa’s porch to surprise her.
She’ll be leaving for class soon, but I think we both deserve a break.
I raise my hand to knock when the door swings open.
Willa steps back with that glimmer in her eye she gets when she sees me.
“What are you doing here?” She smiles, but crosses her arms to act tough.
“Surprising you.” I lean against the doorframe.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” She challenges me and eyes the brown bag in my hand. “What’s in the bag?”
“Skip class with me and find out.” I swing the bag between us.
“You’re bad,” she laughs and drops her arms.
“Is that a yes?” I extend my arm out against the frame to block her way out.
I’m not taking no for an answer.
“Is that tacos?” She sniffs the scent coming from the bag. “It’s not even noon.” Her hands move to her hips, but she hasn’t said no yet, and she’s not kicking me out when I take a step inside.
I pass the bag to her.
She peers inside to confirm her favorite tacos are there.
“These can be reheated, right?” She looks up, taking a step back to let me in further.
“Sure.” Closing the door behind me, I stalk closer as she keeps backing up, inching us toward the steps.
“I just ate breakfast.” She takes another step, tripping on the first step of the stairs, but catching her balance with the banister.
If she doesn’t invite me up soon, I’m going to toss her over my shoulder and carry her into bed.
“I confess,” I rub the hairs on my chin, “my intention wasn’t to have lunch.”
“Oh?”
“Yet.”
Her innocent, doe eyes gleam up at me as I wrap my hand over her hip.
“My plan involves keeping you in your room all day until you force me out.” I tuck her hair behind her ear and let my hand fall to her waist, ready to lift. “And then feed you. Maybe. Are you good with that?”
She bites down on her lip, and I already know the answer. It’s a clear yes. We’ve been busting our asses all week, and it’s time to take a break and have a little fun.
“What if I said no?” She’s teasing me.
I move in closer, gripping her waist. She leans back against the banister, and I drag my nose up her neck, taking in her bittersweet, cherry scent before biting her ear.
“Wrong answer.” I tighten my grip and hoist her over my shoulder.
Willa screams from the sudden lift, and I race her up the stairs and to her room, slamming her door shut with a kick.
“Tacos,” Willa slaps my back and points to her dresser.
I back up and let her drop the bag down before tossing her onto the bed.
My intention was to go slow and take our time, but I’m desperate. I tear off my jacket and shirt in one swift pull and toss them to the side before coming back to her. Slowing down to kiss her lips and savor the feel of them fitting into mine the way they’ve been molded to seal together over these past few weeks.
Kissing anyone else would be unnatural. Willa’s lips were made to fit mine. Her subtle taste of cherries on her salty skin was concocted for me to drink up. Our tongues were formed to perfectly glide together. And she pieced together my heart.
I don’t have to be my father if I have Willa.
“Carter.” Willa breaks away and smooths her hands up my chest and down my arms in a continuous circle.
“Yeah, babe?” I pull her sweatshirt over her head and then her T-shirt that was under it. Letting out a groan when I gaze down at the soft blue lace bra under it.
“I was thinking about what you said.”
She lets out a soft moan when I kiss down her neck, from her jaw to her shoulder.
“About blowing you.”
I groan at the thought as I keep kissing every inch of her soft skin.
“It’s just that—”
I pause to check on her. She gnaws at her lip and can barely look me in the eyes.
“We don’t have to do that,” I tell her. I have no idea what she could be nervous about, but I never want her to feel that with me.
“I want to, but,” her fingers lightly move over my skin, tracing the tattoos on my shoulders and chest, “don’t get mad–”
“I’m not mad.” I lean to the side, picking her leg up over my hip and rubbing down her thigh to soothe away any bad thoughts she’s having.
“It’s just, it was hard with Vic.”
I tighten my lips together to stop myself from showing any kind of anger, but the mere mention of his name makes my blood heat to create boiling bubbles on my skin. There’s a reason I’ve stayed away from the Kappas and anyone associated with him.
“I would try to learn different techniques, and he would… never mind, it”s dumb.” She keeps tracing the lines on my chest, paying extra attention to the bird drawn on it.
“It’s not dumb.” I smooth circles over her hip.
“It is, because I shouldn’t still be caring about anything he thought. You gave that to me.” Her eyes snap to my face, looking at me for the first time since she started talking. “You gave me that closure I needed and showed me everything he said was wrong. It was just all wrong.” She shakes her head and rolls her lip between her teeth. “I’m ruining this, but I still get this tiny thought that what if he was right about one thing?”
“I don’t want you to do anything you”re uncomfortable with, but I can tell you whatever he said was bullshit.”
Everything she tells me about her ex gets me more enraged. I can’t change all the things he’s said to her, but I”d do anything to erase it all if I could. I’d do anything to get her to believe in herself. To truly have that confidence she has when it comes to hockey applied to everything she does. It’s going to be a long battle. Vic had poisoned her mind for three years. That doesn’t go away overnight.
“I want to do it.” Those blue eyes pierce into me with that determination I love. “But I want you to tell me if I do anything wrong. That is, if you want me to.”
“Willa, I’m not going to say no to your tonsils playing hockey with my cock.” She laughs and rolls her eyes at me. “You can’t do anything wrong. I’ve been very vocal about what I like, but it’s because of the way I feel with you. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and nothing has ever been this good. It’s because it’s with you.”
She nods and rolls herself on top of me.
“I’m ready.” She presses her lips against mine and wastes no time in getting my pants off.
“We have all day, Willa.” I hold her face and keep kissing her, wanting to savor every minute of this day that we have.
Willa nods and presses against my chest to move herself down, sliding her pussy from my waist to my thighs.
“You’ve given me so much. I want to give this to you.” She sucks and pulls at my neck, making her way down to my chest.
“Whatever you want.” I moan and get comfortable in her bed. Letting my hands roam over her back and arms anywhere I can reach.
Her tongue swirls around my nipple before she gives it a sharp nip.
“Oh, fuck. So good.” I encourage her to keep going, instilling that confidence she needs.
She lifts away and slides her pants off, eyeing my cock that’s peeking out of the waistband of my boxer briefs.
“Come here.” I pull her over me and cradle her face with my fingers laced in her soft, short hair. Needing to feel her against me, I hold her lips to mine and glide our tongues together.
She moans and pulls away, running her tongue vigorously over my abs up to my chest, swirling around my nipple and biting down with a sharp sting.
“Fuck,” I hiss, lifting my hips into her.
She’s so fucking rough, and I love it. I love every bit of her.
Her teeth scrape back down my abs and her lips purse over my head. She looks up and sucks with a flick of her tongue.
Fuck.My hips lift involuntarily, but she tears my boxers down my legs and flings them across the room.
Licking her lips, she comes back for more. Running her tongue up from my balls to my tip, suctioning on each inch as she goes.
“Babe,” I groan, unable to make out any other words.
Stroking my shaft, she flicks her tongue and sucks at the tip, taking me in a little deeper with each stroke.
This isn’t going to last long. My balls are already lifting up into my ass, and I’m trying to clear my head so I don’t bust too soon.
“Too good,” I moan and clench her sheets in my fist.
Fuck, I’m sweating. Sweat is pouring out of me as I desperately try to hold on. And just when I think I can’t take anymore, Willa takes me back as far as I can go.
My cock runs against the roof of her mouth to the back of her throat.
Her bright blue eyes pop open, staring up at my heaving chest and sweating pores.
“Gorgeous,” I breathe out as I gaze down at her. She’s amazing and fuck the cliché, but she’s fucking gorgeous with my cock filling her hollowed out mouth.
She pulls up and slides me back in, increasing her speed and sucking me back.
“Fuck, I’m coming.” I give her a warning and then grab her hair to pulse inside her as my cum bursts and spills out down her tiny throat.
Her nails dig into my ass, and she holds me against her, staring up at me while she swallows every, last, drop.