by Asrai Devin
They were all nice guys. Some of them flirted with her. Mainly, she wanted to disappear from the whole thing. She had to deal with the implications of jumping Kip earlier that morning. Her body wanted more already.
Colton said he was hungry. With that, Kip ushered them out. Now they were in the truck headed for the nearest pizza place and Mandy leaned on the door, her eyes closed. "No wonder you are in such great shape," Mandy said. "How in the hell do you do that with your legs?" She sat up and looked at him.
Kip laughed. "Practice love."
His laugh made her shiver. It was deep and rich, like his voice. It touched her deep inside her belly. "I can't wait to see the game tonight."
"Should be a good one," he said. Then he spoke to Colton. "I think it was too much for your mom. But did you enjoy yourself?"
"Yeah." Colton looked from his camera. "I got tons of great pictures and nearly everyone signed my shirt. I totally can't wait to show Mark. Hey, can we go up in the Calgary Tower today?"
Mandy would have negated that, but Kip spoke first. "Sure. After we grab some lunch."
Mandy leaned her head back. She smiled at Kip when he reached over and rubbed her thigh. "Too much?" he asked.
She nodded. "A little." she sighed. "Sometimes I still feel like the shy teenager."
"You are the shy teenager. It's one of the things I love about you."
Mandy wanted to snap at him. Tell him to stop being so sweet all the time. If he got any sweeter, they would be in a fucking romance novel and she would start believing that everything in her life was perfect.
"You look upset by that."
"I'm tired and hungry."
"Good thing we are here. We have to go to some store and get my kitchen stocked," he pointed out.
Mandy stifled a yawn as he parked the truck. "Right. IKEA."
"IKEA?"
"Sure, they have the best stuff for cheap."
Colton whined at the suggestion. "I hate that place. You always take a million hours to go through there."
"Well, cross you fingers that the play area is open for you."
"They have a play area?" Kip looked intrigued by the idea.
Mandy waited until they were heading into the restaurant to answer. "Yeah they have a supervised play area for the kids."
"Shit." He wrinkled his nose. "Sorry."
"I know, I know," Colton said, "It's a bad word. Don't repeat it."
Kip laughed and put his arm around Colton's shoulders. "You really are a good kid. Come on let's figure out what kind of pizza to get."
They were seated and had put in their orders in due course. Colton insisted on sitting beside Kip so he could show his new best friend the pictures of practice. "I'll sit with you, but I have to kiss your mom first so she doesn't feel left out."
Colton averted his gaze while Kip gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "I'll make everything up to you tonight," he whispered. He held her gaze while he moved around the table to sit beside her son.
She leaned on the table and watched them look at the pictures on the tiny screen on the back of the camera. Kip was truly interested in what Colton had to say. She was getting in deeper by the second here.
Their pizza came quickly. Mandy wasn't sure how Kip worked that one, but he seemed like her personal miracle, so she didn't question. She simply picked off the mushrooms. "Mom hates those," Colton informed Kip when the order was placed.
"I know," Kip replied. Mandy reached over and put them on the edge of Kip's plate. She noticed a pile of pineapple grew on her plate. Her hand brushed Kip's as they passed each other the hated bits of food.
Mandy looked up and met his green eyes. They mirrored her amusement and he covered her hand with his and squeezed it. "Old habits," Mandy said, softly.
"Very old habits," he replied.
Mandy glanced at Colton who was digging into the pizza, not noticing anything else. Mandy decided she should do the same. And she wondered what her chances of getting a nap before the game were.
After the game, Mandy watched as Kip hoisted a sleeping body out of his truck. They had lost the game. She couldn't help but wonder if her presence had thrown him off somehow. But she didn't comment.
Kip was subdued when they left the stadium. Mandy was as well, she had gone another round with a bunch of people she didn't know. All she wanted to was to return to Kip's and have him all to herself.
Of course, she'd never really have him all to herself. There would always be hockey between them. He'd left her once for the game. If he had to choose again, what would he do? What would she do? Send him away again? She wasn't sure her heart could take it this time.
Suddenly, she looked forward to returning home. She followed Kip in the front door. He kicked off his shoes and climbed the stairs. Mandy turned on some lights and unpacked the things they had purchased that afternoon. She itched to make Kip something. He might be able to buy damn near anything he wanted in the world. But she could give him a meal cooked with her own hands.
She had ready to wash and he still hadn't come down. Up she went instead. After looking in every room on the way, she finally found him on the edge of the tub, filling it with water. "Would you care to join me?" he asked.
She nodded. "I would." She felt that now-familiar flip flop of her stomach and heart. Her eyes searched his face and she reached out and wrapped her arms around him. "This is all so overwhelming."
He looked up from where his face was pressed between her breasts. "It is. And I'm sorry meeting the team was so bad for you. I didn't realize it would be."
Mandy shook her head. "No, don't apologize. Everything has been overwhelming and that put me over the top. But Colton, he's-"
Kip cut her off. "- amazing. I love spending time with him."
"That tears at me even more. I can't believe we have to leave tomorrow."
He nodded. "I know. Look hockey will be over sooner or later."
"Let's hope for later. There's a lot of time between then and now. We don't have to talk about the future tonight."
Kip leaned forward and shut off the water. He kissed her deeply. "Let me undress you."
Chapter 10
Mandy remained complacent while he undressed her. He bent his head and kissed the skin as it was exposed. When kissing no longer satisfied his need, he nibbled and licked. He had her fully undressed while he was on his knees in front of her.
He helped her perch on the edge of the tub, opening her knees so his shoulders fit between. With his fingers, he opened her delicate folds. With his tongue, he caressed her in the most intimate of kisses.
She squirmed between him as he drank her exotic taste in. Her knees quivered against his shoulders, as he let out a relentless barrage on her senses. He held her hips with his hands, keeping her from moving away.
Eventually, too soon and too long, she bucked under him, his fingers making long deep strokes into her body. She moaned her satisfaction. He caught her before she slid to the floor.
His cock twitched in anticipation. It too wanted fulfillment. He put it off for the moment and held her. Then when she was steady again, he helped her into the steaming tub.
He shucked his clothes, dropping them over hers. He turned the jet timer on and climbed in beside her. He sat next to her and pulled her body against his, shoulder to knee. She slid her leg over top of his. "I thought we would go slow," Mandy said, a mischievous grin on her face.
"We were. I thought," Kip replied. He licked his lips again, smacking them dramatically. "You taste better than I recall. Definitely more potent than wine. Which I forgot to get."
"I don't need anything to drink. That bit of action was more than intoxicating."
He kissed her again. "It was all I could do to keep from fucking you on the floor."
"That would have been a little less than comfortable. My body is still humming, though. It's been ready to go all day."
"I think you need to relax." He moved her so she sat on his lap.
"This is how you hope to acco
mplish relaxation?"
"If you'd be quiet."
He pressed his thumbs into her lower back, moving them in circles. He moved up and down her back that way until she was limp in his arms. He kissed her shoulder and pulled her against him. "That's better."
"Much."
"Did you enjoy the game?" he asked, finally.
She feared mentioning it, not sure how he felt about the loss.
"It was fun. But very loud. Is it that loud on the ice?"
"I don't know. My focus is on the game. I don't hear anything."
"Colton loved it. Thank you for that."
"I'm glad. Not only to impress you."
"I know. I worried that having me there made you nervous."
"It's comforting. Exciting. Playing at home is always electric, because all these fans want you to do well. That's more for themselves. If I know you are up there wanting me to do well, it's different. That's for me."
Mandy grinned. "You're one hell of a romantic guy."
"Don't let that get out. I'll have enough answering questions about our relationship."
"What will you tell them?"
"It's none of their fucking business."
"Kip."
"I dunno, that you were my high school sweetheart. And we chanced to meet again and it turned out you still carried a torch for me, who could turn that down?"
She turned to show him her smirk. "I hope they don't give you the same hard time you got in high school for dating me."
"How do you know I got a hard time?"
"Please, I was the total opposite of what you were. I was a total loser. I had one friend. I was slightly overweight. You were like this god."
"You were beautiful. I never let those idiots bother me."
Mandy didn't reply. She didn't believe him either. She leaned against him.
"I didn't let it stop me then. And I won't let it stop me now. It's not as if I'm in the spotlight. I only play a quarter of the games."
"I don't want to be the one who slows you down or anything."
"You're never the person who slows me down." She moved back, feeling self-conscious. He pulled her close again. "I'm starting to overheat and get pruney. Should we get out of here?"
"Sure," Mandy said. Her mind stayed on her fears. She followed him out of the tub, took the towel he offered and rubbed her skin down. She wrapped it around herself to ward off the chill of the room.
"Come on, I've been dying to get you into my bed since you arrived on my doorstep."
"You had me there. This morning." She frowned at the digital clock on his bedside table. "Yesterday morning."
He tugged at her towel. It dropped to the floor. She realized as she glanced at him, he was naked. She shivered as she looked at him. He was so fucking beautiful it hurt. That someone like him could want her seemed nothing short of a miracle.
He kissed her, as if proving that he did want her. She kissed him back, letting him move her toward the bed. His hands were on her breasts, lifting them, fanning her nipples with his thumbs. When she lay on the bed, he moved over her. He put his head to her chest, licking, sucking.
Mandy waited until he was done, until he moved, and she pushed him onto his back. She returned the favour, recalling how much he enjoyed her teeth lightly on his skin. She smiled as she straddled him, moving lower. She put her teeth around a nipple and bit gently, tugging backward. She glanced up, enjoying the look on his face.
She let go and continued moving down. She made him squirm with her tongue in his belly button. She let her fingers scrap over his tight abs. "Good god, you're in amazing shape."
"It's only good if it's turning you on."
"It is," she said, as she moved down. Her hands gripped his muscular thighs. "I still can't believe the way you can spread your legs."
"They pay me a lot of money for things like that," he panted.
"And I get it to enjoy it for free. Lucky me." She gripped his cock in one hand, stroking it slowly. She smiled at him, a promising smile, then she bent her head. She could see his eyes roll back in his head in anticipation. Then he disappeared as her mouth engulfed his cock. It stiffened as she took him deep inside, swirling her tongue around him.
He groaned and dug a hand into her hair. She ran one hand across his hard stomach. She didn't get to play for very long with him before he tugged at her head. "I can't take it," he said. "I need to be inside you."
"Condom?" she asked.
"In the side table." He sounded winded for a guy in such great shape and she smiled, pleased with herself.
She grabbed a condom out of the top drawer and opened it carefully. "It has been a long time since I did this," she said, as she rolled it over him. She wiggled her hips so she straddled his body. "You get to lie back and enjoy it a little longer."
With a smile, he caressed her breasts then moved to her hips, he grabbed her ass, before she impaled herself on his dick. He let out a low groan as she rocked her body over his. She leaned back, arching herself, while he slid in and out. She wouldn't last long, especially not with his thumb pressing into her clit.
She closed her eyes, letting him push her over the edge. He kept his finger rubbing that spot, even as she came. She let her hands down on either side of his head, as she panted in ecstasy. And he pressed harder, making it happen again. She kissed him deeply, stifling the loud moan she wanted to let out.
He grabbed her around the waist and lifted himself. With a swift, deft movement, he flipped her to her back. He held her hips tight as he pounded into her. His mouth fused to hers, his tongue thrust as wildly as his hips. He pulled back, suddenly. He looked at her. "You okay?"
She blinked. "Fine, except you stopped doing what you were."
"I got lost for a moment. I forgot, again."
She rubbed his back with her open palms and kissed his face softly, hoping to soothe him. "I will let you know with a swift pinch if things aren't going well for me. Okay?"
He smiled at her, his eyes soft and sparkling, teary-eyed. He kissed her mouth gently. "Okay. I can't believe how hot you are."
She lifted her hips, squeezing her inner muscles around him. He groaned and renewed his thrusting, albeit slower. Mandy bit his shoulder. He glanced at her. Knowing she had his attention she looked into his eyes. "Fuck me, Kip." She hoped she came off demanding and seductive at the same time. "I want to feel you come."
Her words, her voice or some combination did it. He lifted her to him and thrust into her hard and fast. Fucking her, pushing her over the edge again. She shuddered as the waves slowed, she felt him shaking a little, thrusting slowly into her a few more times, he let himself lie over her.
She stroked his shoulders. "I have needed this for a very long time."
"You can tell me what you've been doing for release for the past four years after I clean up." He rolled away from her and stood beside the bed. "See if it's as good as my imagination."
She laughed as he left. She pulled back the covers and climbed under. Then she panicked. Would she sleep in here with him? What did that mean? But as he appeared in the doorway from the bathroom, she knew wouldn't leave tonight.
* * * *
Kip sat on the edge of the bathtub after he tossed the used rubber. He took a few steadying breaths. He'd lost it in there before with Mandy. He'd forgotten who he was with. Over the years sex had gotten to be something he did because his bodily needs couldn't be taken care of in any other way. It wasn't special, it wasn't exciting. It merely was.
He never wanted it to be like that with Mandy. She was special. Sex with her was more than sex, it was even more than making love. It was a way to express what he felt for her in a physical way. He'd forgotten that when he pounded into her. His mind so wrapped in the feelings, he'd lost himself in her.
He had lost himself. He didn't like it. He made a promise to himself to not let that happen again. Every moment with Mandy was precious, he'd lost so much time with her. He'd been trying not to kick himself for letting her go without a fight a
ll those years ago. It was a losing battle, but he figured he needed to put that aside for now. He had her here. The next step was figuring out how not to let her go again.
He got up from his seat and returned to the bedroom. He stopped in the doorway between rooms. Mandy curled up under his covers. She hadn't left to get dressed, she'd climbed under the blankets.
His heart went into a free fall landing in his stomach. He smiled and walked to the bed. "Mind if I join you?" he asked hoarsely.
"Sure," she said, pulling back the blankets for him.
"Just a sec." He held up a finger. Walking away, he shut the door and turned the lights off. "You are staying here tonight right?"
He crossed the darkened room, slipping under the covers with her. This had to be the nicest feeling in the world. He didn't care that he'd had a hand in the losing game earlier. He didn't care when she left him for who knew how long tomorrow afternoon. Tonight they shared a bed.
She snuggled easily into his arms, as if she'd been there all his life. "I'm staying," she whispered. "Once I was here, it was set."
Kip kissed the crown of her head. "I don't want you to leave."
Mandy's voice was hoarse when she spoke. "I wish I didn't have to. But we aren't ready to jump into everything. I can't do that to Colton. If it were only me, maybe. I dunno."
He stroked her back. "Hey, shh. Listen, when I say that, it's not a request. It's that renewed feeling. It's as if nothing bad could ever happen when I'm with you."
"That new love stuff. We used to fight all the time."
"Not fought. Disagreed, argued sometimes. But I always knew that we wouldn't give up because of a fight." Instead we gave up, because I had a dream. He'd given up too easily when she told him to go without her. He'd respected her wishes when she asked for a clean break.
"We never gave up." She looked at him. "We were so young."
He kissed her. "Do you feel old sometimes?" He couldn't seem to stop kissing her when she was within arm's length.
"Sometimes. Lately, yeah, when I look back on the years. You?"
"In my line of work, I'm getting old. People don't last that long unless they are way on top."
