Chapter 6
Emery
After five days of quality nourishment, a successful spay surgery, and all the mandatory vaccines required for pets, Thora was released from the vet with a clean bill of health and has been living at Shaw’s for the past five days.
And surprisingly, so have I.
Even before Thora’s arrival—and the subsequent disruption of his life as he knew it—I spent every free moment I had with Shaw.
I introduced him to Daisy and Dezi, who were the perfect volunteers as we demonstrated the basics of dog ownership to him.
He went on walks with us where I taught him how to use the lead and he practiced commands my dogs were already very familiar with: Sit. Right here. Wait. And, of course, stay.
Speaking of stay…
Except for the three nights he was on the road for away games, we’ve slept in the same bed. The only problem?
We haven’t had sex yet, and honestly, I’m frustrated with how slowly things have progressed.
Shaw has been the perfect gentleman, which is a good thing—obviously—but I’ve reached my limit and am so ready for the next step.
We’ve done a lot of fooling around like horny teens over the past week, getting to know each other’s bodies very intimately. It’s when the temp rises to the point of hot and heavy, both turned on like gas pilot lights ready to explode, that Shaw will pull away and put on the brakes.
It’s confusing. I can tell he wants me, and the mixed signals are messing with my head.
To soothe my hurt feelings, I’ve come up with a variety of reasons and explanations.
My first thought is that many men—although not generally such young men—can suffer from performance problems. Maybe Shaw’s worried about his ability to perform. But from where I stand, that man does not suffer from any ED issue. He is hard as a rock every time we’ve made out.
The other option is that it could be his commitment to his sport. I’ve heard that high-performing athletes will refrain from sex during their season or championship periods due to superstitious beliefs about energy and focus.
And although he hasn’t mentioned or demonstrated any strong religious beliefs, I suppose there’s always the possibility he could be waiting for marriage.
Whatever the case, I’ve decided my plan for tonight is to just be open and ask him directly. And then, if there are no serious objections, then I’m going to make my move and jump his bones. I’m done waiting for what I want.
And Shaw Benning is what I want.
Georgia was more than a little surprised at the beginning to learn of our burgeoning relationship. Up to that point, I’d never had a man stay overnight. She also gets a kick out of the fact that he’s a professional athlete.
She pops her head around my open door as she passes my room on her way to the kitchen.
“That man is a snack,” she says, holding out her phone for me to inspect.
On the screen is a picture of Shaw being interviewed by the press in the team locker room, his seriously refined body on display, the lower half covered with a towel.
“And all this time I’ve been swooning over the pretty soccer players.
Who knew hockey players were this ripped? ”
She wiggles her eyebrows and purrs.
“Georgie, you little slut, you,” I teasingly say, feigning my outrage before throwing a balled-up pair of socks at her. She expertly dodges them by ducking behind the door with a laugh, then comes back around and into my room.
She takes a spot on the edge of my bed, moving the newly folded laundry I did today to make space for her to sit down.
The dogs are curled up on the floor in their own beds, each one noting her with interested eyes and soft snorts, probably thinking they should jump up for a snuggle.
I give them both a stern look of warning. Don’t you dare.
“How are things going with your hot hockey player? And how are things with his new dog?”
I sigh wistfully and scoop up my clean clothes, turning my back to her while I put them away in my set of drawers.
“He’s sweet and kind. Definitely not what I expected from a professional athlete… ”
“I sense a but there…” Georgia interjects when I hesitate. “Spill it. What’s the prob?”
She kicks out her bare foot and gently nudges it against the back of my calf.
I glance at her over my shoulder, then close the drawer and face her fully. Chewing on my lip, I consider how to phrase my concerns.
“Shaw is a little… too sweet,” I say hesitantly, my gaze drifting to the open door, wondering how much of my sex life with Shaw I’m comfortable sharing. I lower my voice to barely a whisper. “We haven’t had sex yet.”
Her expression is almost comical. “What?” The volume of her response gains head lifts from the dogs. “That man is sex on a fucking stick!”
I shake my head, twisting my mouth in consternation. “I know. I can’t come up with any reason for it, either.”
She looks me over, her eyes scanning me from my head to my toes and back again, then she whistles.
“Girl, you are one fine baddie, so it certainly isn’t your sexy ass that’s the problem.” She quirks a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, and I can read her thoughts before she even speaks.
“It’s not like I don’t feel his interest in me…” I stare her down. “That part is very evident.”
Georgia snickers and wiggles her fingers in a gimme gimme gesture. “Oh… let me have all those juicy bits. I want to know about the sticks those hockey players hide under their pads.”
I cover my eyes with my hand, feigning embarrassment. When I drop my hand again, she’s wearing a knowing smirk.
She leans toward me and places her hand on my thigh. “I’ve known you for a while now, Em, and you’ve never backed down from a challenge. Not personally or professionally. If he’s someone you want to bang, go for it. Make your moves, girly. The best-case scenario is you’ll get fucked.”
“And the worst?” I reply, tilting my head curiously.
She gestures as if to say, who knows. “I guess you’ll get fucked either way.”
We dissolve in laughter as the dogs jump up from their spots and wag their tails in unison.
Looks like they’re rooting for me, too.
The knock on the door comes later than expected, but Shaw texted me earlier that the game had gone into OT so he wouldn’t see me until after eleven p.m.
But that’s fine. The delay gave me time to steel my nerves and get myself ready to take things to the next level. I also took a moment to make it abundantly clear what I wanted from him tonight by sending him a sexy lingerie photo.
His text reply was the wide-eyed emoji followed by the icon for fire.
When I swing open my apartment door, Shaw doesn’t wait for an invitation to come in. He simply takes two steps forward, wraps his arm around my waist, and backs me up against the wall. His kiss drowns out any greeting that I was about to offer and steals all thoughts from my head.
Dezi and Daisy go nuts in response. They’ve become just as big Shaw fans as I am.
When he lets me go, my entire body sizzles with delicious need for him, and I sway a bit on my feet. That must be what romance books describe as a swoon-worthy kiss.
“Hey.” His voice deep and low against my neck, which he now peppers with kisses. My stomach flutters with both nerves and anticipation.
Because dammit, if I have anything to do with it, it’s gonna happen.
Tonight.
ASAP.
“Are we alone?” he asks, twisting his head to gesture behind him.
I nod. “Yep. Georgia went out with her boyfriend and won’t be home tonight.”
“Good. Because you did a bad thing earlier with that snap you sent.”
“Oh?” I ask innocently, breathing in the spring-fresh scent of his body.
He wedges his fully hard erection into my center. “It made me fucking hard. And that’s not a good thing when you’re in the team locker room.”
I moan at his admission, sliding my fingers through his damp hair.
“Good.” I take his hand and guide him toward my bedroom, glancing behind at the dogs and pointing to their kennels. “Crates. Now.”
The pups whimper slightly but dutifully follow my command and move toward their open-door crates. They love spending time with their new friend and want to cuddle with him, too.
Sorry, pups. He’s all mine tonight.
Shaw praises their obedient responses. “I look forward to the day Thora doesn’t freak out and bark her head off when I put her inside. It tears me up.”
I stop just before my bedroom door and turn to face him, craning my neck to look into his eyes.
“Would you prefer we go to your place tonight? Or we can bring Thora down here and set her up in my bedroom.”
He lets out a low chuckle. “Nah… the only heavy breathing and panting I want to hear tonight is from you.”
Good. Sounds like we are on the same page.
“Plus, she and Case are cuddled up on the couch right now. She’s not hurting for lack of attention.”
I smile at the visual and nod, tugging his hand toward me. “Good. Because I’m feeling needy for your attention.”
The door snicks behind us and we’re standing face-to-face in quiet silence in the soft light of my bedroom. A strand of my hair dangles against my cheek and Shaw lifts his hand, tucking it behind my ear, and follows the move with the soft graze of his knuckles.
“I’m all yours.”
He presses his mouth to my lips and kisses me deeply, directing me backward to the edge of my bed until the backs of my knees meet the mattress.
I think I might get what I want tonight.
Him.