Chapter 13 Maybe This Time #2
“You swearing? I must be doing something right.” He continues his pursuit, taking me higher and higher.
I ride his mouth, moaning louder, my insides twisting, ready to burst. Suddenly his mouth leaves me, replaced by his palm jerking against my clit, fingers thrusting, providing even more pressure. And then I’m there… my body convulsing.
“Yes. Yes. Yes…” I cry, only they’re muffled by his lips on mine, and I go wild for it. Like a hungry animal, I lick and suck, savoring my taste on him. The tip of his cock finds my entrance and plays there through waves of my release.
“Condom or no? I’m clean. I get tested by the team. You?” he blurts in a rush, voice dark and strained, like he’s desperately holding back.
“Clean. On the pill.” I reach down, my hands pressing on his muscular ass, giving permission, imploring him not to hold anything back.
He knows what I need, and enters me in one thrust, my walls tumbling down, stretching and letting him in all the way. We both suck in breaths, adjusting. It’s intimate and overwhelming, his eyes holding mine like he’s afraid to look away—and it’s everything I hoped it would be.
“So good.” Tears come to my eyes. “Everything is happening between us so fast. But so good.”
“No, baby, don’t cry. This has been years in the making. We’re just setting everything right, the way its meant to be. You want me, don’t you? You want this?”
“Yes. I want you. Every inch of you.”
“There’s my good girl.” He moves inside of me again, so thick, filling me up, slowly at first, but like most things that build over time, the pressure needs a release.
Our pace builds high and higher, to a frenzy, reaching the ultimate ecstasy that two people can reach together.
Until I break first, tumbling down, body shaking and giving him everything I have.
I cling to him, and this pleasure of release, as he continues to chase his own. And there’s that hockey stamina coming into play. He doesn’t stop, but lifts my thigh higher, triggering new feelings, new responses, and when he comes, it’s rough and hard and powerful, grunting my name.
When it’s over, when we’re panting and holding on tight to each other, I want still more. I wish our bodies could quake together like this forever.
Eventually, curled against him, his arm heavy at my waist, his breathing evens out—maybe already asleep. And I’m calm, so relaxed for the first time in a long, long time.
For once, I don’t feel the need to brace for what comes next or question how things will be between us in the morning.
This moment is enough. And tonight, I let myself keep it.
When we wake the next morning, Eli lets me linger in bed as long as possible. While he is a bundle of energy. I hear him on the phone. I hear words like birthday and party and ice rink. He orders room service for breakfast, and yet another call comes in and he’s talking about signing some papers.
I stretch and finally get up, pulling on the plush terry robe the fancy hotel provides. He’s at the living room window when I find him—jeans on, no tee, coffee in hand, staring out at the view.
Mine is better.
His smooth back tapers into a trim waist and an ass that makes my pulse jump. I step up behind him and wrap myself around him, my just-out-of-bed warmth meeting his bare skin.
“Morning. I can’t tell you how lovely that was to sleep in a real bed for once,” I say, and then realize I don’t mean for him to have heard that.
He turns so fast that he almost spills his coffee.
“What do you mean, ‘for once?’” His eyebrows knit together. In my world, the sleeping arrangement at home is normal. But the concern on his face tells me it isn’t.
“It’s no big deal. But at the apartment, I let Mom and Aiden have the bedrooms. I sleep on the couch.”
He sighs and gathers me into his embrace and says nothing, when I’m certain he wants to say more.
My stomach growls, the perfect excuse to get out of this topic.
“So, you made breakfast?” I tease.
“Yeah, pretty hard work. Pick up the phone and order and wait,” he chuckles.
He takes my hand and guides me to the table, so elegantly made, with linen napkins and flowers and all.
He adjusts my chair as I sit, such a gentleman.
With each plate cover he lifts, he announces what’s under them; so much food.
More than I could eat, and if he’s planning to eat the rest, then I envy his metabolism.
I reach for a chocolate-chip muffin from a basket of them. He pours me coffee.
“How do you take it?” He asks, putting a spoonful of fresh fruit on my plate.
“Douse the coffee with cream, lots of sugar.”
“Noted.” He smiles, making it so.
“Were you on the phone?” I asked, digging in. The muffin is so good I wonder if I can take the entire basket home to Aiden.
“Yep. The first call was to your mom and Aiden, assuring them we’d be home soon. I sent them some of the photos from last night and thanked Aiden for coming up with our hero costumes. Oh, I also made a date with him to go sledding when we get back since I don’t have practice today.”
“He’ll love that. Thank you for offering.”
“If you’re not busy, you can come with us. A fun day out, just the three of us. We could stop by my new house afterward, and I’ll give you the tour. It’s just a few blocks away from you.”
His house… so close to us? “Then I guess I should say, welcome to the neighborhood? I can’t believe you bought a house there.” Okay, one more muffin. They’re so good. “And the second call?”
“To my assistant, Renae. We were going over ideas for Aiden’s birthday party.”
“Whoa, hang on. You have an assistant? And what do you mean birthday party?” I eye him suspiciously.
“Renae is my virtual PA, and she helps me do all the things I don’t want to do. Like my accounting, travel arrangements, stuff that needs done for the foundation. Anything I need.”
“So basically you hand over all the adulting stuff so that you can still play on the ice. That must be nice for you,” I tease.
It is interesting, though, to think that Eli can just easily pass things along instead of dealing with them.
“And what about the party? I thought I told you, keeping it simple, skating and cupcakes?”
“Oh, right. Well, you know, I got to thinking. This party thing could be a good income maker for the foundation, enabling us to give even more equipment and lessons away. If we can have a couple of birthday parties or events each month, that adds up. So I figure we use Aiden’s as a test, give him a nice party, all the bells and whistles, have a photographer present so we can have pictures to post on our website to advertise our event capabilities.
I mean… if that’s okay with you, of course. ”
I chew my cheek and think for a minute. “This sounds bigger than I’d planned. Not that I don’t want Aiden to have a nice birthday. And your idea for the foundation to make money is solid. But you’re not going too overboard, are you?”
“Who me? Go overboard in planning my first birthday party for a great kid like Aiden?” He scoffs, hiding his smile.
“Oh, brother.” I rest my forehead in my hand, elbow on the table. “Eli, I think what makes Aiden such a great kid is that he hasn’t been spoiled like many other kids are.”
“And I agree. Look at us, we both came from families with nothing. We’re awesome, you and me. Aiden will be too. It’s just one party.”
I side-eye him because he still sounds like he’s planning something big.
He winks. “Okay, fine. Look, I’ll scale back a little.
It won’t be too over the top. I promise.
In fact, the only week I can be there will be the same week you have finals, and I know that’s going to be rough on you.
So leave all the planning to me and Renae.
All you have to do is show up and be the sweet and sexy mother you are.
You and Aiden will have a great day.” He can’t hide how excited he is.
Plus, he’s Aiden’s hero-slash-obsession right now, and I know he’s going to love whatever Eli has planned, and he’s my son, and I want him to have nice things sometimes.
I sigh and give in, nodding, partly from his reassurances, partly from his offer to take care of the party details, because yes, finals week is rough.
But also because I’m still in that state of euphoria with Eli, in this fancy hotel room, and I don’t want anything to burst this bubble we’re in.
He jumps up and smothers me with kisses and promises, nuzzling and tickling me until I’m laughing out loud.
Everything will be fine. It has to be.
I hear my phone buzz in my purse, and I stalk over to get it, expecting it to be Aiden calling. But it’s a text from Jerrod.
Jerrod: Good news. Deal closing early. When do you want to have Aiden’s party?
My stomach plummets. My eyes flick over to Eli, his thumbs clicking away on his phone, no clue my ex suddenly wants in on this. There goes the sweet bubble we’re in. How do I tell him to include Jerrod in the birthday plans?