by Candis Terry
If he could manage to hold out that long.
In a momentary break that allowed him to catch his breath, she took off her glasses and set them on the nightstand. “I’ve never done this before . . . of my own free will.”
“I’d never force you to do anything you didn’t want to do.” He cupped her chin in his hand, looked into her eyes, and captured every subtle shift and flicker of emotion. “You know that, right?”
She nodded. “I’ve never wanted to do this . . . until now. With you.”
Jesus, she was killing him.
He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and just hold her. Protect her. But then she surrounded the base of his cock with her fingers, lowered her head, and licked the full length. A moan rumbled from his chest and he felt her smile against his tight skin.
For a while she touched, tested, and teased until he was nearly out of his mind with voracious need. When she finally took him into her mouth and swirled her tongue around him, he nearly exploded. Miraculously he kept his hands to gentle touches of her arms, neck, and shoulders. He didn’t grab her by the hair and push into her mouth. He let her control what she wanted and how much.
For the first time in his life he had to try and think of something else so she could explore him at her leisure. Toughest damn thing he’d ever had to do when everything male inside him wanted to push her back on the bed and bury himself between her legs.
While he’d mentally recited the broad range of his penalty minutes over the years, she kissed her way back up his chest.
Being with Lucy made him feel brand-new. Like everything they did was the first time for him. Luckily he was smart enough to realize that the way he felt had a hell of a lot more to do with his heart than with his nerve endings.
Even if those were about to explode.
“Will you touch me now?” Her lips glistened and her eyes were dark and seductive.
“Baby, anything you want. It’s yours.”
“Then I want you.”
He cupped her face between his hands and kissed her. Then he slid his hands down to caress her breasts. To slip his fingers between her legs and touch her the way he now knew she liked to be touched. When he did so, her head dropped back on a long, lusty moan, exposing her pretty neck for him to kiss. The more he touched her, the more she pressed against his hand.
He could tell she was on the verge when he whispered in her ear, “I’m going to lick you so you’ll come.”
“No.” She grabbed his shoulders as he began his descent. “I want you inside me.”
Now she really had his attention. “Are you sure?”
She gave a quick nod. “Don’t make me wait. I really need you. I want this. I want you.”
Relief and lust collided as he yanked open the nightstand drawer and pulled out a condom.
“Let me put it on.” Her voice was eager as she reached for him. “Show me how.”
His hands were shaking with anticipation as he tore open the package and showed her how to roll it down over his erection. Having her watch so intently was a double turn-on. But even as much as he wanted to just push inside her and get moving, he wanted to savor every stroke. Every second. Every sigh. Every moan.
She lay back and opened her arms for him. For the first time in his life he felt like those open arms were more than just an invitation to fuck. They felt like an invitation into her heart.
He leaned in and kissed her thoroughly, then he gazed into her eyes while his fingers slipped into the slick folds between her legs. His careful attention arched her back and made her moan.
“Take me now, Jordan.”
To know she wanted him after everything she’d been through made his heart race. He rocked his erection against her slick opening and kissed her thoroughly while he slid slow and deep into her incredible heat.
Not a doubt entered his mind. Being with Lucy was exactly where he wanted and needed to be.
Thinking stopped and pleasure took over as Jordan slid deep into her body. Lucy had worried that she might not be able to do this. Worried that her past had left too many mental and emotional scars. His warm, clean, manly scent washed over her as she closed her eyes and just enjoyed the amazing sensation of having him inside. Whatever she’d fantasized about Jordan Kincade didn’t come close to the real thing.
While he made love to her she filled her hands with the solid muscles of his shoulders, back, and buttocks. She felt his muscles release and contract as he surged deep inside her. She’d never experienced anything like this before, and the overwhelming emotion of it made her want to cry.
Like he could read her mind, he captured her lips in a kiss that stole her breath.
“You feel so damn good,” he whispered hotly against her ear as he lifted her leg over his hip and pushed in deeper. “I’ll never get enough of you.”
The shift in position brought a new sensation that delivered an onslaught of hot tingles where their bodies were joined. It was the most incredible thing she’d ever felt. Her friend Claudia often complained that she’d never had an orgasm during actual intercourse. Lucky for Lucy, Jordan had all the right moves.
The more she moaned, the more he whispered dirty words in her ear. The more he whispered, the faster the pace of their lovemaking. What had started out slow and sensuous had built into a fiery passion that had them both panting. Sweating. And then the heat detonated. She shattered, clutching his back, and screaming his name. His entire body tensed and he pushed into her a final time with a shudder and a long groan.
Hearts pounding together, he kissed her tenderly. He did not pull out and roll off. He did not leave her feeling as though she’d been used. When he rolled, it was to his side, and he took her with him.
And she felt loved.
He wrapped her in his arms, kissed her neck, and chuckled. “Told you I’d make you scream.”
She smiled because she never knew sex could be so fulfilling and so much fun.
“Okay, but next time it’s my turn to make you scream,” she said. “If there is a next time.”
He rolled her to her back, leaned over her, and kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”
He did get up then and disappeared into the bathroom to dispose of the condom. Moments later he reappeared and dropped down onto the bed, trapping her between his big arms and body. She laughed at the big, sexy, satisfied grin on his face.
“And just so you know . . .” He kissed her and gently caught her bottom lip between his teeth. “Next time starts right now.”
Chapter 14
Game two in the series between the Carolina Vipers and the Philadelphia Flyers turned out to be a free-for-all brawl within a hockey game. While Nicole leaped to her feet to root for the Vipers player to win in the scramble, Lucy turned her head. Especially when Jordan had been involved in a bout that had drawn blood.
His.
Glorified violence was something she’d never get used to—not after what she’d experienced. Not that she wasn’t willing to fight for what was right, just that she’d choose words over fists. Of course, in a hockey game, with the clock ticking, there probably wasn’t much time to talk things out. And that little black puck moved pretty quick across the ice.
The penalty box seemed a place Jordan enjoyed because he sure ended up there a lot. As she watched him in that glass-enclosed time-out, the intensity on his face revealed a completely different side of the man who’d whispered such passionate words while he made love to her.
All around her people screamed his name when he rushed the puck toward the net. They screamed his name when he dropped his gloves on the ice and duked it out with an opponent. They screamed his name when he slammed an opponent into the boards. She’d known he was a fan favorite, but seeing the frenzy in person was something else. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to ha
ve such fans. To have women throwing themselves at you wherever you went.
Not that he probably minded that part.
Before the game the PR department had arranged a meet-and-greet for the fans. It had been the first time Lucy had stood near Jordan when he’d been in uniform. He was a big, muscular, tall man made even more breathtaking by the added height from the skates and the shoulder pads he wore for protection. A true warrior on ice.
There had been little boys wearing Vipers hockey jerseys who looked up to him. Little boys who wanted to be him. There had been beautiful women who wanted him in their beds and who’d curled around him like cats while having their picture taken. They’d pressed their breasts against him and looked up at him with good time guaranteed flashing in their eyes.
While Nicole beamed with pride and inserted herself into the pre-game activity, Lucy had stood back in the crowd, taking it all in. Invisibility had its advantages, but when the shield shattered, it did it in a big way.
One of the busty blondes who’d cozied up to Jordan in the meet-and-greet and had done everything in her power to grab his attention had walked up to Lucy afterward and shoved an open newspaper at her.
“Is this you?” she’d said.
Lucy looked down at the sports page headline and the photo below it.
KINCADE HOT FOR TEACHER?
The photo was of them leaving the Peach Magnolia Grill. His hand was at her back and he was smiling down at her.
Lucy felt her heart stop, then trip trying to get started again. She didn’t have time to read the short article because the sneering blonde pulled it away.
“You’re not his type, you know,” she’d said. “Someone like you could never give him what he needs.”
Nothing earth-shattering about that. Lucy knew that fact painfully too well.
“We’ve been together,” the blonde said. “Often. I’m sure if he has anything to do with you it would just be a pity fuck. So why don’t you do us both a favor and back the hell away. Jordan and I belong together. And now that he’s back, we can pick up where we left off. I’m sure the next headline you see will be our engagement announcement.”
Stinging from the verbal assault, Lucy had watched the woman walk back toward Jordan, where she pushed aside a little girl in a hockey jersey to plant a kiss on Jordan’s mouth. The smug look she flashed Lucy afterward claimed him like he was a piece of property to be owned.
Uncertainty again rose like smoke from a fire.
Even if Jordan had already stolen her heart, she had to be honest with herself. The blonde was right. They’d never fit. No matter how much she wanted it to be so.
She was a schoolteacher who lived a quiet, boring life compared to his fast-paced and exciting existence. He traveled for most of the year while she preferred the safety and security of home. She abhorred violence. He played a violent game and loved every second of it. Jordan was wonderful, sensual, and patient. But he’d grow tired of someone like her—even if he’d never made her feel that way. Her life was in a small town, his was on the world’s stage.
They were boarding a plane directly after the game to go back to Sunshine. Between his sister and the rest of his family, he had a lot on his plate. Tonight needed to be their last night together. As much as she wanted it to be different, her sensible side knew she had to let go.
Even if it broke her heart.
After the second game of the series, the locker room was abuzz with conversation, congratulations, and the beat of Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper” pounding through the sound system. With two more wins under the team’s belt the Vipers had advanced toward the playoffs. The incident with the Rock had barely been a blip on his radar as the two of them worked together on the ice to create a win.
In the midst of players removing skates and giving the media post-game interviews, Jordan took a look around the room, and pride beamed through him. They’d been warriors out there tonight. Next week they’d come together to do it all over again. He felt damn good about what they’d accomplished. Damn good about being back where he felt the most comfortable. Even if there was still plenty to deal with, along with the promises he’d made to his family. No matter what, he intended to honor every single one.
In the meantime, he’d chartered a jet to take him, Lucy, Nicole, and Ziggy back to Sunshine. He’d have the weekend to get caught up on what was going on at home. Then Monday he’d catch an early morning flight to Dallas, where they’d play the next series of games. If they made it through that, they’d advance in the chase for the Stanley Cup.
Playoff schedules were grueling. With a game approximately every other day until they either moved forward or were eliminated, they had little time for rest, recreation, or private matters. Which meant he’d have a hell of a time getting back to Sunshine between games.
By now he hoped Nicole understood what he did for a living and that he had no plans to leave Sunshine on a permanent basis—even though the playoffs might make it seem that way. He couldn’t take her with him on the road but he didn’t want to break the momentum they’d gained in their relationship either. He’d have to find a way to be there without actually being there. Skyping seemed the best avenue if she’d agree to it.
And then there was Lucy.
He’d spent the past several nights making love to her and sleeping with her wrapped in his arms. Even if she snored like a buzz saw he wanted to be right there beside her. He wanted to wake in the morning and watch her stretch like a cat before she rubbed her pretty eyes, then smiled at him like he’d given her something special. He wanted to stand beside her in the kitchen while they made coffee and scrambled eggs. He wanted to hear her singing off-key in the shower. He wanted to see her side-by-side with his sister making headway on school assignments and building more than just a teacher-student rapport.
Somehow they’d been able to keep their relationship from Nicki, which, being in the same apartment for days, had been tricky. Especially if his sister had caught the way he looked at Lucy—which he did as often as possible—or if perhaps she might have heard Lucy’s passionate sounds. He didn’t know how he was going to juggle everything while he was on the road; he only knew that everything he had to balance was important.
“So you’re heading back to Washington?” Tyler Seabrook ran a towel over his wet hair, then draped it around his neck.
“Yeah. I’ll meet up with the team in Dallas.”
“You’re pretty brave to let your little sister loose on the rest of the world while you’re gone.” The comment was made with a smile, and Jordan knew the reference came from Nicki yelling at the Rock.
He laughed. “She is fierce for such a small fry.”
“I think Colton is going to be sad to see her go. He’s been checking her out in the stands every time he skates by.”
The rookie was twenty-one, only a few years older than Nicole. Still, Jordan didn’t want any hockey guys looking at her. Hell, he didn’t want any guys looking at her, period. “I’ll have to have a talk with him about that,” he said knowing there was no way in hell he’d let the horny kid anywhere near his sister.
“How are things going with your teacher?” Seabrook asked.
Jordan smiled. “Time will tell.”
Jordan watched Nicole board the plane with her guitar case in hand until she disappeared inside the cabin. Behind her, Lucy began to climb the stairs, then turned and stopped, putting a hand on his arm. He took it as an indication that she wanted a kiss before they got on board and had to act like there wasn’t anything going on between them. But when he reached for her she stepped back.
“What’s wrong?”
The fact that she wouldn’t look at him spoke loudly.
“I’m so happy that you and Nicole are working things out,” she said, her hand caressing the sleeve of his jacket.
“It wouldn’t have happene
d without your help.”
“That’s not true.” She looked down at her feet. “You’d have done just fine without me. You love her. It was only a matter of time before she accepted it.”
“Lucy?” He tucked his finger beneath her chin and forced her to look up. “What’s wrong?”
“This has been fun, and I’m so glad you asked me along.”
“But?”
“But now that you have things working in your favor with Nicole, it’s time we move on.”
“Move on?” A cold chill pricked the back of his neck.
She nodded. “Not that I don’t appreciate everything. But I guess I never really believed anything would ever happen between us and—”
“But it has happened,” he reminded her. “And it’s great.”
“Maybe on the surface.” She pushed her glasses up with her index finger, and the shuttered look in her eyes sent another chill up his back.
“On the surface. Between the sheets. Wherever you want to take this, Lucy. You can’t deny we’re good together.”
“I agree it’s been nice but—”
“Nice? Is that what you want to call it?”
“Be reasonable, Jordan. You and I both knew this was temporary.”
“It doesn’t feel temporary.”
“But it’s what’s reasonable,” she said, like repeating the word would make more sense. “Do you really think you’re the type to carry on a long distance relationship?”
She tilted her head and gave him a moment to think about that. A few weeks ago he’d have said a big hell no. But now . . .
“You have a busy life to get back to. And so do I,” she said. “Between your family, your sister, the trouble with the winery, and your career, you already have way too much going on.”
“And you think I won’t have enough time for you?”
She turned her palms upward. “Why would you want to add one more thing?”
“News flash. You’re not a thing. You’re a woman I’m very interested in.”
