Holiday Face-off

by Kristen Echo

  “The sex was rough, like Gabe was punishing me. We lost the baby around eleven weeks when my uterus ruptured. The blood started right after sex and the doctors couldn’t do anything. The relationship ended the same day while we were at the hospital getting the news. Gabe was happy, and I didn’t know what I was. From that point on my opinion of jocks has been low.”

  “Yeah, I can see why you hold us in low regard. I’m sorry you went through that. Are you okay?” He never stopped rubbing her legs throughout her story. Whatever she expected to see wasn’t there. His eyes were full of caring and concern.

  Her emotions were all over the map. She never imagined talking about all of it would be so painful. Her eyes burned as she twisted her fingers over her lap. “I moved passed it all and try not to think about any of it. The doctors said there was scarring and potential lasting side effects. They said I will have a hard time conceiving. I’ll end up like my mom, unable to carry to term. It was a lot to process and I’m not sure I have. This is the first time I’ve ever talked about any of it.” Her stiff upper lip couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks.

  Theo opened his arms to Carly, and she went willingly into them. He didn’t have to provide her comfort, or be so understanding, but this wasn’t an act. Theo had a heart the size of North America and Carly was being enveloped by it. Even though she didn’t deserve him, she wanted him.

  “Do you want kids someday?” She asked.

  “No time soon, but one day. Why?” He held her close, her head pressed against his chest. The rhythmic sound of his heartbeat soothed the ache in hers.

  “You said you wanted to see where this could go. You and me. Couples lay their cards on the table and I might not have babies. I’m damaged, Theo, and you deserve a woman who can give you everything.”

  He lifted her chin to face him. Their eyes locked and his widened. “You are not damaged. Never think that of yourself. You are smart, feisty and I love your honesty. You went through hell with your exes, but you came out a stronger woman. Who knows where the future will lead, but I am certain I want to see you in mine.”

  He said the most beautiful words. His mother would be proud.

  For the first time in a long time, Carly had hope.

  “I’d like you in mine too.” She kissed him and that hope bloomed inside her heart.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  C arly was getting used to the way Theo kissed, making love to her mouth. The precision thrust of his tongue against hers. She kissed him back with as much vigor and strength as she could muster. Her hands were always on him, exploring and tracing the contour of his muscles. The result was her wet and wanting more, and him hard and raring to go.

  Once wasn’t enough. She doubted she could ever get enough of Theo, but she didn’t want to think too far ahead. Focused on the here and now, she looked to him to provide what she needed. “Do you have another condom?” She asked as she stroked the ridges of his chest.

  He smiled and reached into his wallet. “Are you ready for me to make love to you again?”

  His words no longer scared her. Every time he said love, the heaviness in her chest became lighter. “Yes,” she said, twirling her ponytail around her hand.

  Theo’s eyes romanced her body, telling a tale of naughty, delightful treats ahead. “Last one. We better make it count.”

  And they did.

  Theo was insatiable and so full of virility. He was on a mission to prove what love felt like. They started out with her bent over the arm of the couch. He slammed into her in one fluid motion. The position opened her G-spot for him and he rammed into her hard. He chased her orgasm with powerful thrusts that moved the couch. The squeak and scratch against the hardwoods barely registered over her loud moaning.

  Carly had never done more than the missionary position and she knew now she’d been missing out. The instant his fingers found her clit she came. Her internal walls squeezed and contracted around Theo. She cried out in pleasure, her face buried in a cushion muffling his name.

  Theo wasn’t done with her, not even close.

  He pulled out of her, but only long enough to sit on the couch and pull her onto his lap. She mounted him and the new position allowed her to savor every ridge and contour of his cock as he entered her. She liked being face to face and in control of the pace.

  Their lips met, and their tongues dueled as she rode him hard. With her knees on either side of him and her arms wrapped around his neck, they connected in a new way. Her climax came sooner than she thought possible. She closed her eyes and let the tornado of bliss toss her off balance, ripping through her and wreaking havoc on her heart.

  “You have the best come-face, ever,” he said, watching her regain her footing.

  She opened her eyes, to see him smiling, his breathtaking grin was for her. “Yours is better.”

  Carly swiveled her hips and Theo growled. He flipped her onto her back, causing her to giggle. “Let’s find out.”

  They went at each other like wild animals. He took her over and over until her legs went limp and they both collapsed onto the floor. Theo made her come so many times she lost count before he filled the condom with his release.

  She was on the pill and even with her decreased chances of conceiving she knew it was better to be cautious. Another unplanned pregnancy would be too much for her wounded heart to handle. She wasn’t sure she could survive the anguish of another loss.

  After he disposed of the condom, he pulled her back into his arms. The solid muscle and strength made her feel safe. She’d become used to depending on herself and not seeking comfort. The luxury of being spooned and comforted was too much, and yet not enough.

  The daylight had disappeared, giving way to night. They had spent the entire day fooling around, and Carly had never smiled so much. Her cheeks ached, along with another part of her. “Did you have a good Christmas, Theo?”

  “Best ever. I loved my present, I hope you know I plan to keep it,” he said, running his fingertips down her arm.

  “What will you do with me?” Carly joked, wiggling her ass against his groin.

  He gripped her hips and thrust behind her once. His erection skimmed between her cheeks. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll come up with something. But we ran out of rubbers.” He bit her earlobe playfully and moved one hand up to cup her breast. He toyed with her nipple, elongating it.

  “Theo!” She swatted his hand, but loved the sensations. “We shouldn’t have sex without protection.” Carly rolled onto her back and sat upright. Theo was laying on his side, staring at her like she was daft.

  “There are other things we can do. Or have you already forgotten how talented I am with my tongue?” He waggled his brows and stuck out his very talented tongue at her.

  Carly laughed, rising to her feet and making a run for it. She swiped a handful of clothes off the ground and headed down the hall. “You must catch me first,” she yelled over her shoulder.

  “You can’t run, Carly. I’ll find you.” He was hot on her heels.

  Her heart raced as she quickened her step, running until she reached the end of the hall. There was a door to a bedroom, she assumed. The other option was a dead-end. With nowhere to go, she planted her hand around the knob ready to hide inside, but not before looking back to see him.

  Theo stalked towards her, slowly closing the distance. His naked body on full display and she loved it. “You know it’s a bad idea to run from me, right? You’ll have to be punished.” He was joking around, but it made her hot all the same.

  Carly made a split-second decision not to be caught yet. She gripped the handle and opened the door. “Can’t punish me; if you can’t catch me.”

  Two steps into the room, Theo wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air. They both laughed.

  The clothes in her arms fell to the floor as Theo spun her around, bringing her front to his. She reached up on the tip of her toes and kissed him. Her tongue slipped into his mouth and licked along his teeth. She�
�d become addicted to his taste. When they broke apart, they were both panting.

  “I’m falling in love with you,” Theo said.

  Carly wanted to believe him, but it was too fast. Insta-love didn’t happen in real life. She even had a hard time being convinced when she read it in one of her beloved romance books.

  “Theo…” She wasn’t ready to hear him say those three little words, and she was even farther from saying them herself. It had only been a few hours since she accepted this wasn’t a onetime thing. They were more than a hook up of convenience.

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “It’s okay. I didn’t say it to make you uncomfortable or to hear it back. So, don’t freak out. I’m not professing my undying love for you yet, but I get the feeling it won’t take long for me to get there. It’s fast and unexpected and I like that when I’m around you it’s like I’m invincible. Carly, I’m happier than I’ve been in months.” Theo smiled, and she wanted to smile back, but something caught her eye in the corner of the room.

  The room was dark, but it was impossible to miss the giant life-sized poster of him plastered next to the window. An entire wall was dedicated to hockey. There were jersey’s, cards, posters and different memorabilia. Several pictures were of Theo and his hockey team. She scanned the images and gasped. The slight variations of his arrogant smile and the sexy glint in his eyes she’d thought was all hers stared back. They didn’t belong to her; he didn’t either. She’d somehow forgotten he was a hockey heartthrob to millions of fans.

  “You’re very photogenic,” she said, walking up to one picture where he was topless and his body had been covered in oil. He was every teenage girl’s fantasy man.

  Theo stepped next to her, wrapping his arm over her shoulder. “It’s part of the job.”

  Carly stiffened. “Do you like being adored like this?” If she wanted to date him then she’d have to get used to this. There was no if; she wanted him, but this was all too much. Sharing Theo with the world and never having him all to herself.

  How could she accept never being the priority?

  He exhaled loudly and turned her in his arms so they were facing one another. “Not really, but it doesn’t suck either. I love playing hockey. I work my ass off to be the best and with that comes this stuff.” He waved his hand around, pointing at the posters and a calendar of him posed with nothing but a blanket covering his private parts. Theo didn’t have a bad side, and every smoking-hot inch was displayed for the world. “Fading into the background doesn’t sell tickets to the game. You don’t understand the amount of work that goes into PR. We’re forever chasing the cup. Carly, you—”

  “You have lots of fans and you like to keep them happy. I get it. Posing half-naked somehow translates into ticket sales.” She didn’t like seeing these pictures and looked down at their bare feet. The bubble of lust busted wide open and out popped the reminder of NHL demands. Theo wasn’t a free man. He didn’t call the shots in his own life.

  “I’ll have you know every single one of those pictures was taken for charity.” He tilted her chin, so she was forced to look into the ocean of his eyes which helped to calm her racing heart. “All the proceeds are used to pay for some awesome work. My body’s in peak physical condition. If it sells calendars or magazines to pay for machines to help sick kids or provide disaster relief, then I’m happy to help. I have a lot of fans, Carly. I won’t deny it, but I only give my attention to those I want. You have my attention.”

  The words soothed the sting somewhat, but Carly’s insecurities weren’t so easily swayed. She didn’t know where she would fit into his hockey life. It wasn’t a trust issue as much as playing second fiddle to the best game on the planet.

  “You’re an amazing guy.” She reached onto the tips of her toes and kissed him. The only remedy for her anxiety was his lips; his tongue; him.

  But would that be enough?

  He picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. The kiss deepened. The loud roar of an engine and the crackle of snow under tires broke the silence.

  They both held their breath, waiting to confirm the sound. The engine turned off, and in the next instant, one and then another door closed.

  Carly was panicking inside. What the heck were they going to do? There was no place to hide.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  T heo put her back on the ground. “Someone’s home.”

  Carly exhaled. It wasn’t her overactive imagination. “Shit.” She bent down and searched for the clothing she’d dropped. They needed to get dressed and get the hell out of there. “Help me find my pants.”

  The lack of light and the dark colored carpet hid her missing garments well. She crawled towards the door. She was sure she’d dropped them when Theo had picked her up there.

  They couldn’t greet the owners dressed like they were. This was a nightmare.

  “Got 'em.” He held up her jeans and twirled her panties around his finger.

  The front door opened and the stomping of boots made her hold her breath. Her stomach was in her throat and all she could hear was the loud thumping of her heart. They were so screwed.

  They could try to make it out the back door, but Theo’s keys were in his coat at the front door. Her boots and most of their clothes were in the living room. They wouldn’t be able to sneak out and survive outside for long in the nude. She had to think of another option.

  She rushed over and pulled on what she could but she was missing the top half of her outfit and one sock. Theo had nothing. He stood before her buck naked as the footsteps creaked through the house.

  “What are we going to do?” Carly whispered, covering her breasts with her arms.

  “Hello! Is someone in here? I see your car out there.” A deep male voice yelled.

  “Daddy, there’s jackets hung here too. I’m scared,” a female said.

  Carly closed her eyes and started counting. One. The loud thump of heavy footsteps pounded again.

  Two. Once she opened her eyes, this would all disappear and it would be just the two of them again. Three.

  “Now’s not the time to check out.” Theo grabbed a fleece blanket off the bed and wrapped it around himself. He pulled her into the shelter, covering their bodies from view. “We need to go introduce ourselves.”

  “This can’t be happening.” She closed the blanket, making sure all the important parts weren’t visible. She checked the window; the snow had tapered. If she hadn’t been so wrapped up in Theo she might have noticed the storm had passed.

  “The longer we wait the more freaked they’ll be.” He cleared his throat and guided them towards the hall. “We’re coming out,” he announced loud enough so they’d expect them.

  Tucked against his chest they shuffled down the hall towards the living room. “We needed a place to wait out the blizzard,” Carly said, hoping to alert the owners that they meant to harm.

  It was too late. A shotgun greeted them when they rounded the corner. The owner pointed the barrel directly at them with his finger positioned on the trigger. One wrong move and they were toast. This was a holiday face-off she never saw coming.

  The candlelight flickered behind the man and his daughter, providing enough light to know they were in deep trouble. “Breaking and entering is against the law. Put your hands up where I can see 'em.” He kept the gun aimed at Carly’s chest. “Bet you're wanted criminals or something. Did you come for my girl?”

  The man wore a flannel checkered top like the farmers back home. It didn’t make him less intimidating. Especially if he thought they were somehow involved with the recent disappearances she’d seen on the news. No wonder he was pointing a gun at them.

  Carly’s hands shook as she followed orders. The blanket opened and her bare chest revealed. The fleece landed at her feet. Luckily, Theo was standing behind her and they couldn’t tell he was completely naked.

  “Oh, hell! What were you two doing in my baby’s room?” His eyes assessed their lack of clothing, and he shot them a dis
gusted look. His baby was probably thirteen or fourteen and old enough to draw her own conclusions. Carly glanced over her shoulder; unsure how to answer.

  “I promise we mean no harm. We needed a shelter from the storm. That’s it,” Theo said with his hands raised above his head. “If you let us grab our stuff we’ll leave right now.”

  There was enough light for her to see the young girl’s eyes widen. Carly kept one hand in the air and covered her chest with the other. “Please don’t shoot us. We aren’t criminals.”

  The daughter squealed and started jumping up and down. The high-pitched shriek hurt Carly’s ears. “OMG! You’re Theo Montagne. Daddy, move.” She shook her father’s arm and the gun waved at them. “You are my favorite hockey player,” she said, stepping closer.

  Carly could almost see the saliva dripping from the girl’s mouth as she eyed Theo from top to bottom. The farmer looked even less pleased. “I don’t care who they are; they broke into our home. They’re dangerous, Cybil. You need to stay back.”

  “Could you lower the gun, Sir? We just want to get our clothes and go. We are unarmed, and I promise if you move aside we will be out of your hair in minutes.”

  They were going to be shot. Her stomach did several flips as she eyed the closest exit. The farmer didn’t look happy, but he lowered the gun. “Grab you shit and get out!”

  “Thank you, Sir.” Theo threaded his fingers with Carly’s free hand, and they moved together as one unit. He kept his back to the wall as they moved past the pair in the hall.

  “No. You can’t leave.” Cybil stepped closer as she took something out of her pocket. “No one is going to believe me.”

  The flash went off on Cybil’s phone. She snapped several pictures before Carly could react. Her first instinct was to grab the phone, but the girl was too far away and standing next to a man with a gun. The only thing she could do was protect Theo by keeping her body in front of his, and hoping the girl didn’t have a good angle to catch all of him.