by Jaci Burton
Amber was mesmerized watching the flips Lisa did. She was getting huge air, landing perfectly and sweeping into the next trick without hesitation. She looked amazing, without flaw. And when she finished with a huge lift into a double cork lien--hey, she remembered some of the names--Amber held her breath when Lisa landed.
She'd executed it flawlessly and the crowd showed their appreciation with screams and applause.
Amber, Will and Blake and everyone were on their feet, yelling and clapping for her.
Now they just had to wait for her score.
When the score came up, the crowd erupted with applause. Lisa was in first place.
"Oh, my God," Amber said. "I'm so excited for her."
"That's a high score," Will said. "She fucking shredded that half-pipe."
"She did."
She'd scored so high she'd automatically qualified for the finals, which was amazing. The lower scoring competitors had to run again to qualify for the top twelve.
It was a grueling wait for the finals. Amber couldn't even imagine what it was like for Lisa to wait it out.
Blake had been unable to sit. He'd finally gotten up and moved down to where the crowds stood at the scoreboard.
"He's nervous for her," Will said.
"Yes, he is. It's sweet. You can tell he really wants her to do well."
"If I could be on the ice with you when you compete, I would be."
She leaned into him, then wrapped her arm around his. "That is so sweet. It would also be terribly distracting."
"Yeah, you'd probably crash into me while you were doing a jump."
"Which might affect my score a little."
"Or a lot."
She laughed. "Okay, so you could just sit somewhere and cheer me on instead."
He sighed. "If you insist." Then he winked at her.
She watched the end of the Swedish snowboarder's run, then turned back to Will. "Hey, if I could be on the ice with you during a hockey game, I would be. It causes me severe anxiety watching you play."
One corner of his mouth lifted. "We could sneak you out there, hand you a stick. No one would notice."
"Ha. Yeah, no one would notice the chick in the skating skirt."
"I didn't say we'd let you play in your sexy skating outfit."
She trailed her fingernail over his hand. "Oh, you think my skating outfit is sexy."
"Babe. You could be out on the ice wearing a hot dog costume and you'd still look sexy."
"I'm trying to picture myself doing a triple axel in a wiener costume."
He slanted a half grin at her. "Now I've got that picture in my head. Maybe not as sexy as I first thought."
She shoved into him. "You can't take it back now that you said it. You have to accept me as a hot dog."
With a sigh, he said, "I never thought the day would come that I'd be in a relationship with a wiener, but you are kind of irresistible."
She laughed. "That's very progressive of you, Will."
Banter completed, they watched both Americans fly through the half-pipe on their second runs. Chloe stunned with an amazing run, but it wasn't high enough to beat Lisa's score.
Oh, shit.
Amber looked over at Will, who grinned back at her.
"Lisa just won gold," Amber said.
"Hell, yeah."
Chloe's score put her in silver position and Patty had earned a bronze medal.
All in all, a stellar day at the half-pipe.
They got up and followed the crowd out of the stadium. Amber was elated for her friend. She turned to Will. "I'm going to hang out for the medal ceremony, and see if I can get anywhere near Lisa."
"Okay. The guys and I were going to go outside the village to grab a bite to eat. Do you want me to ask them to wait for you so you can go with me?"
She loved that he considered her. She shook her head. "Thank you, but that's unnecessary. You all go on and have fun."
"Okay." He drew her against him and kissed her. "I'll catch up with you later."
Now she was even more euphoric. Instead of just blowing her off, Will had thought about her before going to hang out with his friends and teammates. Her chest was filled with joy. She was sure the majority of that was for Lisa, but she couldn't help but feel that a tiny corner of it had to do with the way she felt about Will--or how she perceived he felt about her.
Since she was utterly clueless about relationships, she had no basis for comparison. But somehow what was happening between them felt right.
With a satisfied sigh, she went in search of Lisa. She had to congratulate her friend.
And commend her on her lucky underwear.
It was obvious that Amber was going to have to get herself a pair of lucky underwear.
TWENTY-FIVE
WILL TOOK A LOOK AT HIS PHONE. IT WAS ELEVEN thirty. Kind of late. He and the guys had ended up hitting a couple of clubs outside the village, just to burn off some steam before tomorrow night's game. They'd shot some pool and sat around and talked strategy.
Obviously he wasn't the only one on the team who was pent up and nervous about tomorrow's game.
Regular season games? He was chill. Even postseason didn't affect him much. He'd feel a heightened sense of anticipation, but otherwise, he could handle it.
But here they were playing for gold. It was an entirely different hockey game. They all felt that tension. Getting out tonight and letting go a little had helped. They'd met some locals, talked hockey and had a great time. It had been low-key and fun, exactly what they all needed.
Now he needed to go to bed, but he still felt that adrenaline pumping through his bloodstream. He wasn't ready to settle in yet. He knew Amber had an early practice tomorrow. So did he. He shouldn't bug her. He'd texted her a couple of times while he was out. She said she was in her room, reading a book and relaxing.
He really wanted to see her, even if it was just to say good night.
He didn't know when she'd started to matter so much to him, and tonight wasn't the night to start dissecting his feelings. The only thing that mattered was he wanted to be with her, now.
He pulled out his phone and sent the text message.
You still awake?
Hopefully, if she was asleep, she wouldn't get the message until tomorrow morning.
She answered right away. Yes. What are you doing?
He typed back: Back at the village. Hanging around outside.
She replied with: Come see me.
Happy she'd replied, he texted and told her he'd come right over. Since he'd already been on the way to her apartment building, it didn't take him long to get there. She was already downstairs, wearing her pajama bottoms and her coat.
Whenever he saw her, he felt that jolt, low in his belly. She wore her hair up, pieces of it brushing her cheek. He wanted to take that clip off and slide his hand into her hair, to feel the softness of it, to kiss her until she moaned against him.
His cock twitched as he walked through the door she'd opened for him.
Damn, he needed her. He hadn't realized how much until just now. And maybe that was just pregame stress and she was his outlet for it. He didn't have explanations for how Amber made him feel. Only that whenever he was around her, he felt a lot. And what he was feeling for her felt more than just physical.
She put her arm around him as they walked to the elevator. "How was your night? Did you have a good time?"
"Yeah. We ate, played some pool and hung out with some locals and talked hockey."
"That does sound fun."
When the elevator doors closed, he turned to her. "I missed you. I tend to miss you when I'm not with you."
She looked surprised. He'd been surprised as well. He hadn't intended to say that, but the words had just fallen out. He couldn't even blame alcohol since he hadn't had a drink tonight.
She tilted her head back and studied him, and there was a look in her eyes that told him her heart was there.
"Same," she said. "Like, really, Will. The
same."
The elevator doors opened and they made the short walk to her room.
"Is Lisa here?" he asked as she entered her key card.
Amber shook her head and opened the door, turning to face him. She walked backward into the room. "She's out celebrating. She and Blake went down to Vancouver to spend the night."
He shut and locked the door. "So we're alone."
She pulled off her coat, then dropped her pajama bottoms, leaving her in a skimpy tank top and her panties.
His dick took notice, coming to life in an instant.
"Yes, we're alone."
He dropped his coat and came toward her. "I had really intended to come say good night. Give you a kiss. Then leave."
She nodded, then sat on the sofa, propping her feet on the table and spreading her legs.
His cock went fully hard.
"That's probably a good idea. You have a big game tomorrow. You need your sleep."
He pulled off his shirt, toed out of his boots, then unzipped his pants and let them fall to the floor. "Yeah. I should go. After I get my kiss."
She slid her hand into her panties, and his balls quivered.
"I could use a kiss."
He stepped over the coffee table, then got down on his knees between her legs, watching as she rubbed her pussy.
"Does it feel good?" he asked.
She gave him a wicked smile. "It would feel better if you were doing this."
"Oh, I can do more than just touch you."
He peeled her underwear over her hips and down her legs, discarding them. Then he spread her legs, teasing his fingers along her inner thighs, listening to the sound of her breathing, watching the way she watched him so intently.
"I told you I came here for a kiss."
He leaned in and pressed his mouth to her sex, breathing in the musky scent of her as he licked around her satiny skin. She lifted her hips and he cupped his hands under her buttocks, lapping around her clit, easing into pleasuring her. He wanted to take her there slow and easy, with no rush, so she could enjoy every second of what he was doing to her. Because he sure as fuck enjoyed tasting her.
As she started pressing against him, he increased the pressure, giving her more direct contact.
She moaned, writhing, moving her body into the position she liked.
"Oh," she said. "Right there, Will. Put your tongue right there and suck."
He had to give Amber credit. She was a fast learner, she wasn't shy about sex and she gave instruction well. And when he found the right spot, she could come with wild abandon. He loved to watch her let go, like now, when he felt her body jerking against him and knew she was right there.
"Ohhh, yes. That's it, I'm coming."
When she came, she bucked against him, shuddering as she pushed against his mouth. He fed off the pulses as she ground against his face. There was nothing sweeter than feeling a woman come and knowing he had given her that pleasure.
He held onto her butt and gently licked her to bring her down, taking in each quake as she rode the last of her orgasm, finally settling.
He rose, shed his boxer briefs and stepped away only long enough to grab a condom. Then he was back, tugging Amber against him. He pulled the clip out of her hair, watching as the blond waves tumbled down over her shoulders. He slid his hand in her hair.
Like silk. She was so beautiful, lying there looking at him, she took his goddamn breath away.
She reached for him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. He scooped his hand under her butt, then slid into her with an easy stroke.
She tightened around him in welcome, pulsing and squeezing his cock as he moved within her. He leaned forward to tease her nipples, watching her chest rise as she silently asked for more of his touch.
"Will. I like you touching me," she said, her voice a breathless whisper. "It feels amazing. My pussy comes alive when you tweak my nipples like that."
"And when you talk dirty to me like that it makes my balls quiver and all I can think about is driving my cock hard into you."
She reached up to rake her nails down his chest. "What's stopping you? I want to feel you, Will. I want to feel you hard inside of me."
He thrust, hard, then pulled partway out and pumped back in. She gasped.
"More. More of that. Deeper, Will."
She was driving him crazy, her eyes wild with the same powerful need he experienced. He couldn't get enough of her. He wanted to crawl inside of her and never let her go, never stop this connection he felt to her.
And when he felt her contracting around his cock, he knew she was going to go off. He took her mouth in a kiss and stayed that way all through her orgasm, all through his, too, feeling her breath, her body, everything as they rocketed together and held on to each other.
He moved his mouth from her lips to her jaw to her neck, breathing in her scent. She always smelled sweet, like summer mornings when the air was fresh and the day was new and anything was possible.
Fuck. He'd just thought poetic thoughts about a woman, and his gut was all tied up with emotion.
Ah, hell. He was falling in love with Amber. He raised his head and stared down at her. She smiled up at him, that innocence and freshness always present in her eyes.
It wasn't just about sex. It had never been just about sex with her. Even from the beginning, he'd been taken by her wit and intellect and zeal for life. He'd wanted to know more about her as a person, not as just someone to play with for a limited time. And as every day had gone by, he realized he wanted to spend more and more time getting to know her.
His dad had told him he'd realized he was in love with his mom after a week.
It had been nearly three weeks. Could he trust this? Was this real?
He didn't know. All he could go by was what he felt. He'd dated a lot of women. He'd loved one. He knew what love was.
This was love.
"Do you have a cramp?"
He frowned at Amber. "What?"
"You look pained."
"Oh. No. I'm good."
Her lips curved. "Yes, you are definitely good."
"No, you're good." He stood, picking her up with him and depositing her on her feet.
They went into the bathroom to clean up. She turned to him, resting her butt against the sink counter. She wound her arms around his neck.
"Thank you for coming over."
He kissed her. Her lips were warm and inviting, making him want to sink inside of her all over again.
"You're kicking me out, aren't you?"
She nodded. "Much as I'd love for you to stay over, so we could wrap ourselves around each other for the rest of the night, it's already late and you have an important game tomorrow."
"Yeah, I know."
She pressed her lips against his. "And you need sleep."
He grabbed her hips and rubbed against her. "I need you."
"I need you, too. But if you stay here, we'll be up all night making love."
He breathed in deeply, then let it out. "That sounds really good to me."
"It does. But not good for resting. So out with you."
He was about to move toward her, but she skirted around him and the counter and headed into the bedroom.
Damn. The logical side of him knew she was right. So he stayed in the bathroom for a minute to get his wayward cock under control. When he came out, she was in the kitchen sipping from a glass of water. She'd also poured one for him.
"Drink this before you leave. You need to stay hydrated and you were sweating a lot."
She'd given him a glass of water. She was kicking him out of her apartment because she cared about him getting rest before his game. No wonder he felt all these goddamn feelings about her.
He took the glass from her and downed it in several swallows before setting the glass in the sink. "It's your fault. You make me work."
Her lips curved. "Think of it as a pregame workout. Or a pre-bedtime relaxation."
He went to get his coat, then came o
ver to her, pulling her into his arms. "I'll definitely sleep well. Not as well as I would if you were next to me."
"Ditto."
He kissed her, lingering in the kiss a little longer than he probably should have given that his dick got hard again. But Amber stepped away, then smiled at him.
"Out."
"Fine," he said, smiling at her as she opened the door. "Talk to you tomorrow."
"Yes, you will. Good night, Will."
"'Night, Amber."
He realized as he made his way down the hall that he'd wanted to say something else to her before he'd left.
But it was too soon. And the timing wasn't right.
So those important words would have to wait until some other time.
TWENTY-SIX
"AND HOW IS IT OVER THERE?" HIS MOM ASKED. "ARE you getting enough to eat?"
That was always Will's mother's biggest concern. "The dining hall here is double the size of our street, Mom, and it's open twenty-four hours a day. There's no way I could ever go hungry."
"I'm so glad to hear that. But are you eating regularly?"
"Let it go, Lorie," his father said on speakerphone. "You know the boy. He's eating."
"Well I have to check."
"Why? You gonna send him a baloney sandwich if he isn't?"
Will grinned. If there was one thing that had been a constant in his childhood, it had been the bickering between Vic and Lorie Madigan. If his parents didn't snipe at each other at least once a day, Will would think they didn't love each other anymore.
"I'm eating. I'm getting rest. I'm having a great time. I wish you could both be here."
"We wish we could be, too, Will, but the bar has been packed every day since the games started," his dad said. "You know who stopped in the other night during your game?"
"Who?"
"Lucky Harrison."
"Really? I haven't seen Lucky since grade school."
His dad laughed. "That's what he said. He lives in Cleveland now. He's a warehouse manager. He was in Chicago for a conference and came by to see us, and stayed to watch the game. Caught up with some of the guys, too. He said to tell you good luck. I got his number, so you can call him when you get back."
"That's great. I'll be sure to give him a call."
"So you're meeting nice people there?" his mother asked. "You're not lonely?"
"I'm not lonely, Mom. There's always something to do and there's a game room. I've watched several events with my friends. And don't forget some of my teammates are here, too."
