My back bowed as I shattered into a thousand pieces of sparkling light.
Jansen gripped my hips as I unabashedly rode his face, seeking out that pleasure like my life depended on it. He worked me through the throes of the orgasm, my body trembling beneath him.
He raised up, stalking up my body like a prowling predator. He settled between my thighs, his hard length just grazing my entrance, the flesh soaked and swollen and aching.
“London,” he said my name, running his fingers through my hair as his mouth hovered above mine. “You have to tell me to slow down if you need me to. Need to tell me if there is anything you don’t like.”
I blinked the stars out of my eyes, and grinned. This man. He’d never trap me, never make me feel cloistered, never push me beyond whatever limits I may have. And my heart sighed and swooned at his care. At the way he went out of his way to truly understand me, my needs.
And right now?
All I needed was him.
I pushed up on my elbow, wrapping my hand around the back of his head to grip a fistful of his hair. Yes, I had little to no experience with sex but with Jansen? It was pure instinct, pure primal demand. “I want you, Jansen,” I said again. “I want you to do whatever you want with me. To me.”
He shuddered against me, the motion sending hot shivers up my spine. “What if I want to take you hard and fast?”
I became liquid—all limp limbs and breathless moans.
“Then take me hard and fast.”
He lowered his mouth to mine, claiming my lips with a searing kiss as he rolled his hips against me. Teasing me. I arched into it, seeking more. “What if I want to take my time?” he said against my mouth, his hands traveling down my ribs. “Worship your body until you can’t stand a second more of the torture.”
“Then do that,” I said, yanking him to me and kissing him just as hard and hungry as he had me.
I reached my free hand down between us, shifting so I could grip his hard length. He hissed against my lips as I squeezed him.
“What if—”
“Any way. All ways. As long as it’s you.”
Jansen stilled above me, his eyes flaring like blue flames. He shifted on the bed, reaching toward a nightstand near the head—
“I want all of you, Jansen,” I said, stopping him. “You already know I’m clean,” I hurried to add. “And I got on the pill after that night in the hotel.”
He shuddered above me. “I am too,” he said. “But, London—”
“I trust you,” I said. “If you don’t want to then I understand. But you asked me to tell you what I wanted.” I bit my bottom lip, wondering if I was asking too much. “I want to feel you inside me with no barriers.”
Something snapped, some restraint he’d held himself back with.
One second, I gripped him, and the next?
He’d drawn back, rising to his knees between my legs. He hooked his hands behind my knees, yanking me to him.
And he plunged inside me in one, fast, hot, thrust.
I moaned, arching off the bed to meet him as he pulled out and thrust in again.
And again.
And again
All the while, those burning blue eyes watched me, seared me down to the very quick of my soul. I raised my hands above my head, gripping those sheets as I held that gaze. He smirked at the submissive move, and God, he looked glorious. All the hard ridges of his abs on display as he slammed into me. The whorls of ink decorating his chest, his ribs. The muscles in his arms rippling as he yanked on my legs with each thrust.
“Harder,” I moaned, damn near demanded as I fisted those sheets.
“Fuck, London,” he growled, upping his pace. “You’re so tight, wet. You feel fucking amazing.” He accentuated each word with a harder thrust, his cock filling every inch of me.
I arched off the bed, using his hold on me for leverage as I explored the angle. Hot damn, he slid in deeper, the head of his cock touching some inner spot that pulsed and sparked with each graze.
“Faster,” I said, and that smirk deepened as he pounded into me.
Each stroke, each thrust, those sparks ignited to writhing flames. Consuming me, twisting me into a tight braid desperate for release.
“Jansen,” I breathed his name, my body a tingling, buzzing thing completely at his mercy. “God, yes. That. Keep. Doing. That.”
He pounded into me harder, his hold on my legs keeping me in place so I could feel every exquisite stroke.
“Fuck, London,” he growled, driving into me like he wanted to brand himself on my skin, my body, my soul.
Everything inside me clenched with an all-consuming fire, the flames licking up my spine. I tightened and trembled, a glittering storm winding up and up until I was sure I’d shatter completely.
“Jansen,” I moaned, writhing beneath him. “I’m. Going. To. Come.”
“Fuck, yes,” he growled, shifting his position so that he hovered closer to me. The move had his pelvis grinding against my clit with each strong, fast, pump—
I screamed his name, my entire body bursting with exquisite sparks as I completely and wholly unraveled. Jansen hardened inside me, the length of him filling me so deep, his long strokes drawing out my orgasm as he found his own release.
I shook against him, even as he lowered himself, planting a slow, languid kiss on my lips. Trembling, I released the sheets and wrapped my arms around him. He fell to my chest, our bodies sweat-slicked and blissfully, deliciously spent.
And as I ran my fingers through the dark strands of his hair, doing my best to calm my racing heart, I knew two things for certain.
One, there would never be anything as torturously wonderful as him.
And two, I was wholly and royally fucked.
Because while all I’d wanted to do was stand on my own and belong to myself, I couldn’t deny that Jansen had succeeded in completely and utterly claiming me.
And realized that I didn’t mind being his.
Not. One. Bit.
11
Sterling
“Someone’s been skipping the carbs,” Briggs said as I finished my squat reps and put the bar back on its stand. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this shredded. You might be giving Demon over there a run for his money.” He nodded toward the corner, where Brogan Grant was benching an ungodly amount of weight.
“Pretty sure that guy could bench a car if he had to,” I remarked, reaching for my water bottle. Any fat I’d lost was probably due to the marathon rounds of sex London and I were having at every possible opportunity.
“True.” Briggs adjusted the weights on the bar next to mine and started his own reps.
I didn’t say a word about the fact that he had about twenty more pounds on his bar than I did. Briggs was just like that. Always went above but never drew attention to it.
We finished our workout, showered, and headed for the conference room, where the rest of the team was already gathering. I sank into the empty chair at Sawyer’s left, and Briggs took the one next to me.
Meeting every month to discuss what team promotional events were going on was a new thing this year, but I liked that it gave the rookies a chance for some face time with fans if they got their hands in the air fast enough. Plus, it gave me an extra hour of staring at London, which was hardly something I’d argue with.
Maxim and Caz took the seats directly across from us, and I did my best to ignore them both—Maxim, because fuck him, and Caz because I was sure he’d take one look in my eyes and know I was carrying on a secret relationship with his sister behind his back.
Not cool.
Necessary, but still.
Not. Cool.
I took the stack of papers Sawyer handed me, kept one, and passed it down, elementary school style. It was an itinerary of the upcoming events and listed how many players they’d need at each one.
My name was already inked on every meet and greet, right next to Maxim’s, and oh joy, there was a TV promo spot coming up for the Ron
ald McDonald House fundraiser event. Yay.
London came by behind us, handing out bottles of water as Langley took the floor at the end of the table, explaining why two new events had been added. Had to admit, it was hard to concentrate on anything she was saying when I knew London was approaching.
“Sawyer,” she said, handing him a bottle.
“Thanks, little Foster.”
She cringed, but her smile was steadfast.
“Jansen,” she whispered, holding out my bottle.
I turned slightly in my chair and made the epic mistake of looking up into those gorgeous blue eyes of hers. They were pretty much my kryptonite and sucked every thought out of my head. “Thanks, London.”
My hand brushed against hers, my index finger sneaking a little stroke of the inside of her wrist as I took the bottle.
Her breath caught, and we shared a smile before she moved to Briggs.
“Briggs,” she muttered.
“Thank you, London.”
I turned my attention to the agenda in front of me and felt the heat of Maxim’s glare from across the table, which I did my best to ignore. It wasn’t my fault that his side of the table had Sean, the other game day coordinator, handing out their hydration. Too bad. So sad.
“Okay, we have an event at the zoo in two weeks, and they’ve asked for an additional two players for that. It’s basically a meet and greet. Photos. Autographs. Nothing too invasive,” Langley said, looking down the table.
Rookie hands shot into the air, and I let them have it. I was getting more than my fair share of camera time lately.
Seeing that London had finished our side of the table and was walking back to Langley, I took out my cell phone but kept it beneath the table as I texted her.
ME: You have no idea how badly I want to lick you right now.
London slipped out her phone and read the message, her cheeks flushing pink as she quickly typed out a response.
LONDON: You did a thorough job this morning already.
A smile tilted the corners of my lips.
“What about you, Brogan?” Langley asked, lifting her eyebrows at him.
“No.” He didn’t explain or offer an apology. That was it.
Langley sighed.
“He’d probably frighten the kids off,” Briggs joked.
The team laughed.
“He’s not lying,” Brogan replied, completely deadpan.
The laughter only grew louder.
“Oh, come on.” Langley put her hands on her hips. “We’ve had multiple requests for you, and you turn them down every time.”
“Then pick something without kids.” He shrugged. “They’re small and breakable and say weird shit that I never know how to respond to, and then it’s just awkward for everyone involved. I’ll do whatever you have coming up next that’s adult-only.”
“Great, so if a charity opportunity pops up at the senior center, you’re our guy,” Langley muttered, rolling her eyes.
ME: That black dress looks delicious on you.
London shook her head at the message, but a smile tugged at her lips.
LONDON: Pay attention and stop flirting.
ME: The dress will look even better on my floor tonight.
Her gaze popped up to meet mine, her blush rising all the way to her hairline. Then she put her phone into the pocket of her blazer and picked up an agenda, clearly doing her best to dismiss me.
I grinned. As much as I wanted to stand on top of this table and shout that London was mine, even I could admit that there were certain perks of keeping our relationship quiet. Flustering her in public was the biggest perk of them all.
“London?” Langley gave her the floor, and my girl stepped into the center position.
“Right, so you’ll all note that there’s a special event coming up over New Year’s Eve.”
The team groaned collectively.
“I know, I know,” she waved us off. “But it’s a part of the promotion we’re doing for the Ronald McDonald house. I know that we have a bye that weekend, but I’m going to need at least half of the team there since that’s how we’re advertising for the tickets. And you don’t have to tell me right now.” She looked poignantly at Caspian. “And you’re going.”
He scoffed. “Am I, really?”
“I just got called little Foster, so yeah, you’re number one on the list, buddy. Tux it up.” She lifted her brows at him and smiled.
“Fine,” he relented.
“Count me in, too,” Maxim added, giving her a slow smirk. “If it’s important to you, I’m there.”
My stomach twisted painfully, and it only intensified when he glanced at me to see if I’d rise to the bait. I didn’t. London knew I’d be there for her, and that was good enough for me.
The meeting came to an end, and we all filed out. As I passed London, who was pressed against the wall, close to the door, she stroked her hand across my stomach when no one was looking. My abs clenched at the touch, and my body temp rose a degree. “Five-thirty,” she whispered.
I nodded and managed to keep my eyes off hers as I walked into the hallway, where Briggs was waiting with an arched eyebrow.
“Man, you have got to be more subtle than that,” he lectured quietly as we walked toward the parking lot.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I shrugged.
“She called you by your first name.” He shook his head.
I blinked. “What?” We walked into the sunlight, and the team scattered, headed toward their various cars.
“She called every other player by their last name, except you.” He pulled out his remote and clicked the unlock button on his G-wagon.
“So?” I unlocked my Audi.
He glanced across the lot at Caspian before continuing. “So, in my years on this team, everyone has only ever called you Sterling. And at that table, she called every other player by his last name…except you. If you two are going to keep whatever you’re doing a secret, then you have got to cover your tracks a little better than that.” He stared me down.
Shit.
I couldn’t confirm or deny, not without breaking my promise to London that we’d keep this quiet, so I simply nodded and got into my car as quickly as possible. We’d have to be more careful at the arena, but at least I’d get her to myself tonight.
Two hours later, I held London’s hand as we entered a cornfield maze.
She tensed as we turned a corner and were surrounded by corn stalks in every line of sight.
“If it gets to be too much, maybe look up?” I suggested, pointing to the clear blue sky above our heads. We still had a good two hours of daylight, so we’d be out of here long before it turned inky black.
“Good idea.” She took a deep breath as we came to a T juncture. “Which way?”
“You choose.” I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed the back of it. I’d learned that London did much better in confined spaces if it was her choice to begin with. In fact, the only area in her life where she liked to give up control was in bed with me.
There, she didn’t care if I was above her, behind her, or had her pressed against a wall. She was all in, and damn did I love that about her. I loved a lot of things about her, which was making it increasingly difficult to act like we were only acquaintances at the rink.
“Let’s go left,” she suggested, tucking a strand of long, dark hair behind her ear.
“Left it is.” We made the turn and continued into the maze. “You know I’ll be at the New Year’s Eve thing, right?”
“I already marked you down,” she said with a nod as a mischievous smile spread across her face. “I put down Brogan, too.”
“Demon?”
“He said adult-only, and it’s black tie and eighteen and up, so he went on the list.”
I laughed. “Oh, my brave, beautiful woman.”
“He doesn’t scare me.” Her nose crinkled, and she led us right at the next fork. “Well, maybe he’s a little intimidating, but when y
ou grow up with Caz, you become immune to the broody, angry thing. Add Maxim to the mix—” She snapped her mouth shut.
“It’s okay.” I squeezed her hand for reassurance. “I just tell myself that he’s two different people, and your brother’s best friend, Maxim, is not the same person I share genes with.”
“You always say that. Share genes.” She took us straight when there were three options, and we passed a family who was coming out of the left, the husband muttering in agreement that he should have listened to his wife.
“That’s because it’s all we share.” My jaw ticked. “It’s not exactly easy to look at the guy and know that he was the reason I might have a father, but don’t have a dad.”
She tugged me to the right, where the path turned quickly again, closing us into a dead-end. “Why didn’t you say it that way before?” Her brow knit in concern and her fingers stroked over my knuckles.
“There’s nothing to say,” I bristled slightly but softened at the compassionate look in her eyes. “Look. You know that I didn’t know about them for years. I know that Sergei paid my mother a lot of hush money because I wasn’t exactly something he wanted advertised. He already had a family. He chose that family. And all the stuff that makes a family—love, memories, loyalty—none of that exists between Maxim and me, or his siblings. So yeah, we share genes. That’s it.”
Her shoulders rose and fell as she sighed, long and hard. “I’m so sorry.”
“For what?” I cradled her face. “You didn’t do anything.”
“For putting you guys in that promo together. I would never do it knowing what I know now.” Her gaze dropped.
“Hey.”
Her eyes rose to meet mine, and I brushed a kiss over her lips.
“If you need something from me, I’ll give it to you. That’s how this works now,” I said softly.
“And what do you get out of the deal?” Her hands rose to my chest.
“You.”
“Is that right?” She smiled slowly.
I nodded. “This is real to me, London. I’m in. I’m so in that—”
Sterling: A Carolina Reapers Novel Page 13
