by Toni Aleo
Jordie shook his head, feeling like Karson was the dad, scolding him for not being the man he needed to be. “No.”
“Why? Bro, why are you so fucked up about this woman? She doesn’t even act like your mom, you know this. Let her go.”
“I’m trying.”
“No, you’re not. You’re holding it in. I’m going to therapy with you next week,” he proclaimed.
“Kacey’s been going,” he said slowly, but Karson shook his head.
“I’m going. Hell, she can too. But, Jordie, you need to look at me right now and tell me you won’t bring my sister down.”
Jordie didn’t answer right away, which he knew didn’t look good, but he was seriously thinking it over. He had to make sure before he made a promise to Karson that he could keep it. One of the main things he’d learned through his journey was that when he made a promise, he had to hold it instead of just blowing it off. Karson meant a lot to him, they had been through a lot, and Jordie wouldn’t betray him. But he also knew that he wouldn’t do that to Kacey. He couldn’t let her go because he loved her so much, but he wouldn’t fail her. He wouldn’t bring her down.
“I’m gonna up my therapy sessions,” he suggested and Karson nodded.
“Me and Kace can take turns, then.”
“Thanks,” he said, sucking in a breath. “But I won’t bring her down. She can’t fix me, but I can.”
Walking around the island, Karson stopped in front of him and reached out, squeezing his shoulder. “You’re already doing it, bro. Don’t give up. Stay strong.”
Jordie nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. Glancing over at his best friend, he nodded before sucking in another breath. “Would it be gay if I asked for a hug?”
Karson smiled, and without answering, he wrapped his arms tightly around Jordie, hugging him tightly. “I think it’s in the rules that our bromance allows hugs,” he muttered as he squeezed Jordie tightly to him.
Closing his eyes, he hugged Karson back, needing the support and strength that Karson was giving him. Karson was the closest thing to a brother he had, and he thanked God for him every chance he got.
“You’ve got this,” Karson whispered roughly. “I believe in you and know you can do this. Don’t hold in anything. Tell me, tell Kacey.”
“I just feel like a failure,” he whispered as Karson pulled back, gripping his shoulders.
“But you’re not. You are beating this. You are winning. Just look how far you’ve come.” Jordie nodded, pulling in a breath through his nose. He had come so far, but he still had so much further to go. Karson squeezed him tightly. “Don’t let her get in your head. You don’t need her. I know you want her, and hell, I wish she could be the person you need. But you have me, Lacey, Kacey, Ma and Dad, and a team full of dudes that love you like a brother. So many people love you. Why fight for the love of one who doesn’t deserve you?”
Nodding his head, he knew that Karson was right, but still he craved her love.
More than he craved the bottle.
And the problem was, he wasn’t sure which would kill him faster if he gave in to his cravings.
As he met Karson’s gaze, he knew there was really only one thing to do and that was to continue his road to sobriety and completely cut off all communication with his mom.
But how do you tell the person who gave you life that you don’t want them in it?
“Hey, sugar thighs.”
Kacey turned from the stove and grinned as Jordie came into the kitchen, his hockey bag hanging from his shoulder. He was wearing a suit, the shade of blue that really popped against his skin. His hair was brushed to the side and his beard was perfectly trimmed and shiny with oil. And those eyes, they were downright sinful.
In other words, he was fucking gorgeous.
Placing her hand over her heart, she shook her head, biting her lip. “Jesus, I don’t know if I can handle seeing you on game days.”
Her grinned, throwing down his bag and coming to her. “Did you know that this is the first time we are alone in our house and not dead asleep?”
She grinned, he was right. Between Karson, Lacey, and her parents, the last three days had been full of moving, decorating, and then sleeping. She had been ungodly tired with working, playing hockey with Jordie, and then moving. But all it took was that look in his eyes and she was feeling all sorts of naughty things.
And man, she felt good. Happy. Really happy.
They had only been in the new house for three days, and yeah, they hadn’t even had sex in it yet, but just knowing it was theirs filled her heart with so much love. It was so them and waking up next to him was perfect…until her dad came into the room screaming at them to get up. But those two seconds, looking into his eyes, were magic. He was hers, but she still worried so much about him.
She wasn’t sure if his mom’s goal was to fuck with his head, but Kacey was pretty sure she had succeeded. He didn’t talk about it though, not even in AA or therapy. He never brought her up, and that worried her. She wasn’t sure if he was okay, and she was worried to ask, which pissed her off because they were supposed to be communicating. But they hadn’t. The move was a lot of work, and they were still finding their footing. But looking at him now, he looked happy, he looked good. Maybe he was okay?
“This is true, but you look so snazzy, ready to go,” she pointed out, her breath catching as he stroked his beard. “Maybe we could make it a date to meet in the bedroom tonight?”
He shook his head though, slowly removing his jacket and then unbuttoning his shirt as he started for her, desire burning in his eyes. He wanted her and he was going to take what he wanted, no matter what she said.
That pleased her to no end.
“No, see, my plan was to tease you, since dudes in suits are basically for girls like girls in lingerie are for dudes, and then I was gonna do you. Against the counter. But first, I want to eat you like you’re my breakfast.”
Before she utter a word or even form a thought, he had her by her waist, lifting her up and plopping her down on her counter. Grinning, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he went between her legs, his eyes dark with desire.
“It worked,” she muttered as she pulled the belt out of his pants, letting it hit the floor hard. “But I’m cooking you breakfast,” she said as his mouth trailed up her neck while she pushed his slacks down to his ankles, stroking his cock with one finger. He gasped against her mouth before smiling against her lips. He was so hard, so thick and, ugh, she wanted him.
“But I’m hungry for this,” he demanded, cupping her pussy as he lifted her shirt with his other hand. Taking it off, he threw it over his shoulder before kissing down her breasts, pulling the cups of her bra down to take her nipple in between his teeth. As he feasted on her breast, he pulled her shorts down as she lifted up, helping him take them off. The counter was cold against her naked butt, but the desire burning inside of her counteracted the cold. Quickly she forgot that he looked spectacular, that he had to leave for his first game of the season, and that they were about to eat on this counter, because she wanted him to make love to her right here.
As his mouth trailed down her stomach, biting and licking her abs, his beard burning her belly in the most delicious way, she leaned back as he pushed her leg to the side, taking her whole in his mouth. “Oh my God,” she gasped, arching up into his mouth. “I have to say,” she gasped as his tongue flicked along her clit, “your choice of food is pretty fucking great.”
“I think so,” he said roughly against her pussy, making her quiver. The hair on his mouth tickled her lips and made her wetter, if that was possible, making her cry out in need. As he drove his tongue inside her, she bit down hard on her lip, moving herself against his mouth, and it felt so fucking good. Not just what he was doing but because with no one to hear them, no one to tell them to keep it down, she was free to scream as loud as she wanted.
As he slid a finger inside of her, she gasped, moaning his name as he started to move his finger in
and out of her, the tip of his tongue quickly flicking against her clit. Letting her head fall back, she gripped the counter, her thighs squeezing his head as she arched up into his mouth.
But when she sucked in a deep breath of smoke, her head snapped back up. “What is that smell?”
He glanced up at her. “All I smell is this delicious pussy,” he said, dropping his mouth back to her, but she lifted his head to stop him.
“It smells like smoke,” she said just as she looked over his shoulder and saw a blaze of flames. She screamed out, smacking his shoulders in distress as she yelled, “Jordie! The stove is on fire!”
Turning around quickly, he said, “Oh shit!”
Going to the left, he tripped over his pants, falling onto the floor with a huge thump. “Oh fuck, my dick.”
Crying out, Kacey jumped off the counter as he writhed on the floor, moaning like a man who could possibly have broken his dick. She went for the extinguisher by the washer. Running back to the stove, she pulled the clip and sprayed all the flames until they were out. Her heart was pounding, she was choking on fumes, and Jordie was still hollering out. When the final flame was out, she let her arms fall, the extinguisher by her legs as she took in what was left of her shirt on the skillet. As the fire alarm blared and Jordie groaned, she couldn’t help it, she started laughing.
“Guess our sex is so hot, we start fires,” she said as Jordie rolled over and looked up at her, holding his dick.
“I think I broke my dick,” he said, and she tried not to laugh as she came down on her knees to check on him.
“I doubt it. Want me to check it?”
Raising his brows, he asked, “With your mouth?”
She sputtered with laughter as he sat up, cupping the back of her neck. He pulled her to him, kissing her lips hard, swallowing her laughter. Leaning back, he kissed her nose. “I hate to say this, but I’m not in the mood anymore, and I think I’m dying from smoke inhalation.”
She giggled as she nodded. “I know, me too. Come on, let’s open the windows.”
Together, they stood, getting dressed before opening the windows and letting the smoke out, laughing. This could only happen to them. Everything was getting in the way of them doing it in their house, and it was becoming not only frustrating but also very comical.
When she lifted her Assassins tee that was burned to a crisp, she turned to him. He had already gotten dressed and washed his face. He wasn’t as clean as he had been when he first came out, but he still looked as gorgeous as ever. Smiling, she held up the burned black shirt and said, “I need a new Assassins tee.”
“I need to work on my aim,” he said with a chuckle.
“Yeah, no big deal. Story for the ages, I guess,” she said as his arms wrapped around her waist.
“Yeah, we’ll tell the grandkids about how I was eating breakfast and the stove caught fire,” he said roughly against her neck, nibbling on her jaw as she squirmed against him, his beard tickling her neck. Kissing her jaw, he said, “But I will get you a nice #3 T-shirt, with my name on the back.”
“Good, I’ll wear it proudly.”
“That’s right, and also, Ms. King, I will have sex with you in this house.”
She nodded. “Damn right, you will. Tonight.”
He grinned, his hands drifting down her belly. “Oh yeah?”
“Yup, no matter how tired and worn out you are, and even if your dick is kinda crooked, it’s happening.”
He buried his face in her neck and squeezed her. “I can’t wait.”
“Me either, so hurry home. I’ll be naked and ready.”
“Just the way I like you,” he teased as he went to grab his bag. “See ya in a bit.”
“I’ll be the one screaming your name,” she said as he reached the door.
“As you should be,” he said with a wink. “Love you.”
“Love you,” she called as the door shut. Looking around, the room was still pretty hazy, and very quickly she was getting light-headed. Before she could leave though, her face twisted in agony as she held her stomach and gagged. The smell was horrendous and soon too much to bear. Going into the living room, she sucked in a deep breath as the wave of nausea hit her hard. Bracing her hands on her thighs, she swallowed past the need to vomit and stood back up just as the door opened.
“Kace? You okay?” Jordie asked, coming in and placing his hand on her back.
She nodded, her stomach clenching as the vomit rushed up her throat, but she swallowed hard again. She hated puking and she wasn’t puking today. Today was game day. “Yeah, the smoke got to me. I feel like I might spew everywhere.”
“You’re green, baby. Come here, sit down,” he said, trying to move her, but she shook her head.
“No, I’m fine,” she said, sucking in another breath. “Do you not feel icky?”
He shrugged. “My head hurts, but I don’t want to puke.”
“I guess that’s a good thing, huh?” she said as another wave hit her hard. “Guess our sex is dangerous.”
He laughed, stroking her head. “You sure you’re okay? I forgot my keys, but I can stay if you need me.”
She shot him a deadpan look. “You know you can’t. Go, I’m fine.”
“Okay,” he said, and she knew he was in a rush. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, fine,” she said quickly, clearing her throat.
He kissed her forehead and set her with a serious look. “Text me later. Let me know you’re okay.”
“I will,” she said, standing up and sucking in a breath as the feeling of puking everywhere subsided. He looked at her skeptically and she waved him off. “I’m fine, Jordie. Promise.”
“Okay, going. Text me, okay?”
“Okay,” she said and nodded as he went out the door hesitantly, but she waved him off and he shut the door. Pulling in another breath, she felt a bit better and decided that they would not be having sex in the kitchen.
Things got too hot.
Chuckling to herself, she decided she was hilarious and went to get ready for Jordie’s first game.
“How’s the house coming?” Lacey asked as they settled into their seats. Mena sat in her lap, her little Assassins jersey dress on and tiny headphones covering her ears from the noise of the crowd. It was electrifying, the first game of the season, and everyone, including Kacey, was excited. She had been waiting since Jordie had gotten hurt for him to get back on the ice in full beast mode. He did well in the preseason games he played in, but tonight—tonight, he was going to rock it. He was ready, she was ready, and she just hoped the fans were ready.
Because Jordie Thomas was back.
“It’s coming,” she said, leaning back in her seat, thankful her nausea was practically gone by the time she got to the arena. “Although, Jordie and I tried to have sex in the kitchen and almost caught it on fire. I was cleaning smoke and burned shit off my brand-new stove all afternoon.”
Lacey’s face twisted in confusion and she sputtered with laughter. “Do I even want to know how this happened?”
Kacey grinned. “He threw my shirt on the stove, and I had forgotten to shut it off. Boom! Flames, fire, poor guy fell and almost broke his dick.”
She tried to hold it in, bless Lacey’s heart, she did, but soon, she was laughing so hard she was crying. Kacey was right there with her, holding her own stomach as she laughed until she couldn’t breathe. Still gasping, she said, “I’m sitting there, spraying the fire with the extinguisher as he’s moaning on the ground. It was by far the funniest thing that has ever happened to me during sex.”
“Oh my God, I’m dying,” Lacey proclaimed as Karl and Regina sat down beside her.
“Give me my baby then,” Karl said, taking Mena and cuddling her into his chest. “You watch hockey with Pawpaw.”
Wiping her face, Lacey shook her head. “Oh my, to be a fly on the wall. I’d pay, I’d seriously pay to see that.”
“It was humorous,” Kacey decided, crossing her legs. “I think I almost died from smo
ke inhalation though. I almost puked everywhere.”
“That happened to me when I caught the chicken on fire a couple weeks before I had Mena. Remember that?”
Kacey nodded. “I do! We were both so sick.”
“Yeah, I hate that. Thank God y’all didn’t burn the house down.”
“Right!” Kacey agreed as the lights went dark. “Give us a few weeks though. We are so hot when we do it.”
Lacey scoffed. “Jeez, get over yourself.”
Kacey grinned as the light show started before the guys hit the ice. Cheering along with the rest of the crowd that was there, Kacey got the little flutters in her stomach that she always got at the start of the game. It used to be for Karson, or even herself, but now it was for Jordie. She loved watching him play, but this was his first real game since being hurt. She was excited to see him hit the ice, to see him back to full Jordie mode. Hopefully, this will help, she thought to herself. He craved the smell of the ice, the feel of the ice beneath his skates, and the feel of his stick in his hands. So surely, those cravings would cancel out the ones of drinking. He hadn’t told her lately that he wanted to drink, but he had mentioned it in AA, and it honestly scared her. She felt like she should follow him around, make sure he wasn’t doing it, but she told herself she wouldn’t do that. She’d trust and believe in him until he proved her wrong, and he hadn’t done it yet.
He wouldn’t.
“Number Three! Jordie Thomas!” the announcer said and the crowd lost it. Smiling, she watched as he held up his stick, his grin unstoppable. He looked like her Jordie.
He looked happy.
Leaning over, Lacey said, “He looks good.”
Kacey nodded. “He’s home.”
“Yeah, Karson said they had a talk the other day and that his momma messed him up pretty bad.”
Looking over at her, she nodded. “Yeah. She’s a bitch.”
“Agreed, but Karson’s worried.”
Kacey’s heart stopped. “He is?”
