by Kat Mizera
“We live together, so probably longer than that.”
“We should take a shower.”
“I don’t think I can walk yet.”
“I’ll carry you.”
A few seconds later, he slid off the bed and picked her up, carrying her into the bathroom. She wanted to be embarrassed or uncomfortable, but she wasn’t. She’d known sex with him would be spectacular, but she hadn’t been expecting him to go at her like an animal. She’d fantasized about someone doing it, but she’d never dreamed it would be him, that he would know exactly how to fulfill her fantasies.
“How did you know?” she asked as they stepped under the warm spray.
“How did I know what?” he asked, looking down at her curiously.
“That I liked it like that.” Her eyes met his.
He gave a little shrug. “I guess I know women, at least when it comes to sex. My gut told me that’s what you needed and I gave it to you.”
“No one’s ever gone at me like that…so rough and…dirty.”
“Was it okay?” He lifted her chin, narrowing his eyes a little as he studied her face.
“It was way better than okay. It was fucking awesome.” She smiled.
“I like it rough and dirty.” He backed her against the wall of the shower. “And soft and sexy.” He brushed his lips against hers. “And everything in between.”
“Mm-hm.” She wanted to resist him, but that ship had sailed. He was kissing her again, but now with light, playful swipes of his tongue, one hand on her ass. God, he could kiss. Ten minutes ago, they’d been going at it like animals and now he was working her up all over again using tenderness and finesse.
She reluctantly broke away, meeting his surprised gaze. “If we keep doing this, I’m going to drag you right back to bed.”
He chuckled. “Sweetheart, that was always the plan.”
Cassie woke up alone in Logan’s bed, but as she turned over, she realized he was getting dressed. He smiled over at her.
“Morning. I was trying to let you sleep since it’s Sunday.”
“I’m used to getting up early.” She yawned, suddenly aware she was naked.
“I’ve got a three o’clock game. You wanna come?”
“I…yes.” She absently pulled the sheet up.
He just smiled and finished getting dressed.
“Does, uh, Ryder know we…” Her voice trailed off.
“Had sex?” He grinned. “Nope. We lucked out—he didn’t come home last night.”
“Please don’t tell him.”
He frowned. “Cass—that’s not how I do things. What we do is none of anyone’s business but it’s not a secret, so—”
“Yeah, but we’re not going to do it again, so—”
“How come?”
“How come what?”
“I thought it was really fucking good. Why wouldn’t we do it again?”
“Because neither of us does relationships and we don’t want to fuck up the friendship?”
“Yeah, but isn’t it perfect that way? I mean, we don’t do relationships, but we apparently do great sex, so why not enjoy it for what it is?”
“And what happens when one of us gets bored?”
“We stop having sex and go back to just being roommates?”
“I don’t know, Logan.” She sat up, holding the sheet against her chest. “Casual sex is fine, but from a safety perspective, you can’t be having sex with me and sex with a different puck bunny in every city. I trust you, but there’s a limit.”
“Oh, no, I wouldn’t do that. I say we both get tested, just to be a hundred percent sure we’re good, and then the sex part is exclusive until we decide to move on.”
The smart thing to do would be to say no, but Cassie always got a little lost looking into those cobalt-blue eyes of his and she answered before she could help herself. “Okay, but no one can know.”
“How the hell are we going to hide banging each other’s brains out from Ryder?” he asked, laughing. “Because there’s no way in hell you’re going to be quiet when I do the things I want to do to you.”
“Then you have to have a man-to-man talk with him, and explain that it’s none of anyone’s business and he only gets to know because he lives here.”
Logan made a face but nodded. “Okay, but once he hears us going at it, he’s definitely going to give us shit about it.”
“I can handle it as long as it’s just him.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“I’m serious, Logan. No one can know.”
“Our little secret, huh?” He winked. “Sounds great. And don’t worry, I don’t ever talk about my private life.”
What the hell had she done? Logan left a little while after their talk and told her he’d leave tickets for her at will call. She’d tried to go back to sleep but was too busy berating herself for being stupid. Now she was up having coffee and for the first time in weeks, called Tara.
“Hi!” Tara answered on the first ring. “How are you? I’ve missed you!”
“Hey.” She sank onto a bar stool at the island. “I need to talk.”
“Of course. What’s going on?”
“Are you sitting down?”
“Oh god. Go ahead—hit me.”
“I slept with Logan.”
She was met with silence on the other end.
“Our Logan? I mean, Logan Pelletier? The biggest man-whore on the Blizzard?”
“You’re not helping.”
“Sorry. So, uh, how did this happen?”
Cassie told her about the whole weekend and how it ended in Logan’s bed. “And the worst part is that I didn’t just like it, I loved it. We did five times last night, Tara. I can barely walk today.”
Tara giggled. “Sounds familiar. And frankly, I married the guy who could do me five times a night.”
“But neither of us want to get married. God knows, I’ve done that twice already. No thanks.”
“Okay, then enjoy it. Amazing sex is pretty hard to find. Trust me, I know.”
“I know too, which is why I agreed to this crazy roommate-with-benefits idea, but what happens when we get tired of each other? Or worse, when he gets tired of me?”
“What makes you think that’s going to happen? You’re smart, beautiful, and like you said, the sex is amazing. He won’t get tired of you.”
“I have terrible taste in men and starting something with someone like Logan is proof that I haven’t changed at all.”
“Did it ever occur to you that those men just didn’t know what they had and that there’s nothing wrong with you?”
“There’s nothing wrong with me, but I have a habit of choosing men who don’t care about me the way I care about them, and always wind up getting hurt. In those cases, it was fairly easy to walk away, but I can’t start over again. I like living here, not having to worry about money, being able to study and work a job where I can keep my clothes on. I don’t want to have to go back to stripping because I couldn’t resist those damn blue eyes of his.”
“I think it’s more than his eyes you can’t resist,” Tara laughed. “But he wouldn’t do that to you. Come on, you know Logan. He’s a player, but he’s a good guy. He knows how much you need this living situation. But I do think it would be a good idea to bring it up. Like say the words, ‘You can’t kick me out if things go sideways with our arrangement.’ Remind him that you don’t make five million a year like he does.”
Cassie was startled. “Does he make that much?”
“Oh. I don’t know. I was guessing, but probably? You can Google and—”
“Oh my god, no! I don’t want to know what he makes!”
“Well, regardless, just a gentle reminder that you don’t have the resources he has. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“So you think I should just enjoy it while it lasts and keep my head down with school and work?”
“You’ve had such a rough time the last few years, so yes, I absolutely think you should enjoy it. And
also, I want all the details because a guy with a reputation like his, well, usually it’s a lot of hype.”
“Oh, hell no. He is the absolute real deal in bed.”
“Hung?”
“Maybe a tiny bit above average in that department, but it’s more about what he does with it. And he can get it up again in less than five minutes. Three times in a row. The fourth time, it took about twenty minutes and the last time, I don’t know because we napped for a bit before we did it again.”
“Wowza. Color me impressed.”
“Me too.”
“Does he give good head?”
“We didn’t do any oral yet. I’m hoping next time.”
“Sounds pretty hot.”
“You should see him naked.”
“I’m good with my husband, but I can only imagine.”
“That abdominal V…” Cassie sighed happily just thinking about it.
“I’m familiar with that concept.”
“I’m so going to jump his bones tonight.”
“After this conversation, I might have to jump Donovan’s right now.”
“Ew. Too much information.”
They laughed and talked for another few minutes before hanging up. Cassie carried her coffee into the living room and called to Coco, who came and sat next to her.
She really did like living here and there was nothing wrong with enjoying sex with an attractive, single man. Even if he was her roommate.
Even if he was every single one of her fantasies all rolled into one.
18
The Blizzard hit the road a few days after Logan and Cassie had sex. They’d gone at it in the shower before he left this morning and it had been hotter than hot. She was limber and had no limits. There hadn’t been a lot of time to experiment, though, because they were both busy and he hadn’t spoken to Ryder yet. He had to do that as soon as he had a chance because he wanted her all the time. Hell, if he had anything to say about it, she’d be in his bed every night he was home.
The sex was that fucking good. And they’d barely done anything.
She liked it rough, and most women shied away from that. He understood since he didn’t do relationships and there had to be a level of trust to let a man get too rough. Cassie, apparently, had no such reservations since they were already friends, and so far, she hadn’t said no to anything. He wondered if she’d let him spank her. If she was into it, he might die and go straight to heaven. That was his favorite, but a lot of women were either afraid, said it hurt too much, or it simply didn’t come up during one-night stands.
“You’ve been a little too quiet tonight,” Ryder said, eyeing him at dinner. The team had gathered as a group at a steakhouse in Calgary and there was a lot of laughter and talking over each other.
Logan had been so lost in thought about Cassie, he hadn’t realized how much time had gone by. “Sorry.” He grinned at Ryder. “I was just enjoying the steak.”
“Something you want to tell me?” There was something hard to read in Ryder’s eyes.
“Uh…” Logan coughed lightly. “Not sure. Why?”
“Well, unless Cass has started masturbating in your shower and has named her vibrator Logan, I’m pretty sure there’s something you might want to tell me about.”
“Did you ever think you’re not supposed to know about it?” Logan asked.
“I live there!” Ryder protested. “How could I not? You guys were loud.”
“Shh.” Logan frowned. “I was going to tell you but it’s important to her that no one knows.”
“How come?” Ryder looked confused. “Please don’t tell me this was your idea.”
“Of course not. But I think it’s because of my rep, you know? We’re kind of trying out a friends-with-benefits thing, so—”
“Why would you do that?” Ryder cut him off, frowning. “She’s our friend and roommate. I need her to watch Coco for me, it’s important, and we already know it’s hard to find someone who can handle her. If you screw this up, we could lose her and then I’ll be back to square one. Seriously, did you even think about my situation before you let your dick overrule your brain?”
Logan was startled at how annoyed Ryder seemed to be. He had no plans to do anything that would push her away but Ryder’s concern gave him pause. He and Cassie were on the same page about serious relationships and had agreed to enjoy the sex—and each other—until they didn’t want to anymore. It was simple and probably one of the best decisions he’d ever made. Sleeping around was fun, but after four years of it, it might be nice to spend more than one night with someone and, frankly, he probably supported a few CEOs with how much he spent in condoms.
“Look, I’m sorry about that, but I swear, we’re cool with what we have going on. I’m not going to do anything to make her want to leave.”
“Except maybe break her heart.”
“No way. She’s been divorced twice, so she’s not into anything serious like that at all. This is sex and friendship, you know?”
“What the hell do you think a relationship is?”
The two men stared at each other for a few seconds and then Logan scowled. “Nah, you’re way off base. This is nothing like a relationship. But I promise, we’re good and I’ll be super careful not to upset her. You have my word.” He held out his fist and Ryder gave him a look before bumping it with his.
“If you fuck this up, you’re paying for Coco to go to a private sitter or boarding place.”
“Deal.”
“Hey, we’re hittin’ this new club tonight,” Jude said, sliding his chair closer to them. “You guys in?”
“Sure.” Logan didn’t even hesitate and soon a group of them were heading out in two Ubers. Professional athletes, in general, sometimes got a bad reputation for partying and womanizing. While some of the bad press was warranted, a lot of times it was sheer boredom. They loved the game, their teammates, and often even coaches and support staff, but at the end of the day, being on the road could be tedious. Day after day on planes, buses, and cars. Hotel rooms all looked the same after a while, and those sixty minutes on the ice every other day wasn’t enough to keep them occupied.
Throwing in a little practice here and there didn’t add much to the tedium, and when it got to be eight or nine at night, sometimes going out was inevitable. Even the most happily married of the guys needed a change of scenery, and though most of the guys Logan knew on the Blizzard didn’t cheat, some did.
He didn’t excuse the behavior, but he did understand it. That was one of many reasons why he didn’t think he wanted to get serious with anyone for a long time. Short-term, though, after just a few days of mind-blowing sex, his thoughts kept drifting to Cassie. Instead of appreciating the plethora of women hanging out with them tonight, he was bored after a couple of drinks. Boredom was what usually led him out, and now a different kind of boredom was making him want to go back to the room.
“She’s into you,” Vik whispered at one point in the evening.
The nightclub was loud, dark, and smelled of smoke.
“She’s all right.” Logan looked around, hoping to feel the usual excitement when it came to women. He’d told Cassie he would stay faithful until he got bored, and deep down he’d thought it would only take a night or two away from her. Instead, he was far more interested in going back to the room alone than going home with anyone he’d met so far tonight. Or last night.
“You ready to go?” he asked Ryder just after midnight. “I don’t want to be hungover tomorrow. We need a win.”
Ryder arched a brow. “Seriously?”
“You can stay if you want. I’ll go.” He threw some money on the bar and headed for the exit.
“You’re leaving?” Jude looked surprised as he fell into step beside him.
“Just want to catch up on some sleep,” he lied. “I’d like to kick some ass in Winnipeg.”
Jude nodded. “Since when do you need extra sleep for that?”
Logan shrugged. “I dunno. Slim pickings to
night, and I’d rather sleep than settle.”
“That’s fair. See you at breakfast!” Jude waved and went back to their friends.
Logan looked over his shoulder one last time but didn’t feel the pull to stay, so he called for an Uber and went outside to wait.
By the fourth night of either not going out or going back to his room early, Logan gave in and called Cassie. He’d been telling himself he didn’t want to, but that was a lie, and maybe she’d be into phone sex. So far, she’d been into everything else.
“Hi.” She sounded surprised to hear from him. “Good game tonight.”
“Thanks.”
“You looked great out there. That third period goal was nice. I’m going to steal that move Saturday morning when I play with the girls.”
He chuckled. “You’re welcome.”
“So what’s up?”
“Just wanted to check in, say hi, see how Coco’s doing.”
“She’s the best dog and I love her. If you guys ever kick me out, I’m taking her with me.”
This was his opportunity to talk about things, so he jumped on it. “Listen, speaking of which, I wanted to talk about that.”
“Kicking me out?”
“Yeah. I mean, no. Jesus.” He mentally rolled his eyes at his bumble. “What I mean to say is, I want to make sure you’re comfortable with this thing between us. Like no matter what, it will never impact your living situation, okay? I talked to Ryder about our little secret the other night and he was concerned about that part of it, so I wanted to reassure you about everything.”
“Actually, I’m glad you said that,” she said quietly. “That’s been in the back of my mind, too. I’m good if we decide not to, uh, do this anymore, but I can’t afford to just pick up and move. I don’t make the money you do.”
“Cass, we’re friends first and foremost. I would never do anything like that. I swear.”
“Okay. As long as you understand the financial part of this, we’re good.”
“Does that mean I get to see you naked when I get home?”
“God, I hope so. My vibrator is getting quite the workout without you.”
“Don’t use it anymore.”
