by Gina Azzi
Her fingers find my hair and tug just as I swipe my tongue up her center.
“Oh, God!” she cries out, bucking off the bed.
I nip at the inside of her thigh, dragging my mouth back to her most pleasurable spot. Then, I devour her until her pretty thighs shake and she lets out a strangled cry.
“Austin,” she moans, her hands clutching at me.
“Shh, baby.” I slide back up her body, my dick rock hard and desperate to slide back home. “You good?”
She nods, her tongue swiping across her bottom lip. A lip I desperately need to taste again. So I do. My cock drags through her folds and she moans again.
“Please, Aus. I need you. I love you,” she murmurs, the words coming quick and needy.
They fill me with an unprecedented swell of pride as I slide inside and make Chloe my girl. In every meaning of the word. “You’re mine, baby.”
“I am,” she agrees, stating it clearly, without a hint of hesitation.
I rock deeper, setting a pace that increases from sweet to heady to frantic. We crest and crash at the same moment, crying out in unison and floating back to Earth with our limbs intertwined and our eyes locked.
“Jesus,” she breathes out. “I’ve never…that was—”
“You’re perfect, Chloe.”
Her eyebrows bend together as I pull out of her and tug her body so she’s sprawled across mine. I drag my fingers through her hair and let out a chuckle, glancing down at a woman so familiar and yet so different than I imagined. “You’re perfect for me,” I clarify.
She presses a kiss to my chest and snuggles deeper. “It’s funny sometimes how much things change in such a short time.”
I roll my head against the pillow, my hand drawing lazy patterns on her back. Seriously, how is her skin so smooth? It’s like I can’t not touch her. “What do you mean?”
She shifts, crossing her arms over my chest so she can prop up her chin. “In June, I was crying to Abbi that I’d been banished to Boston and was pretty much missing out on my own life. Now, it’s almost August, and my life is better than I ever could have imagined it.”
“Even better than when you were planning your wedding?” I ask, hating the insecurity that wraps around my words. Hating myself for even thinking of, never mind mentioning, fucking Steve while I’m in bed with Chloe. After we did that. But still, I wonder. Would she be happier with him if he never got caught with Brittney?
“Much better,” she says easily, tilting her head. “I’ve taken off the rose-colored glasses. I think I thought things were great because we were checking all the boxes, meeting all the milestones. Condo, marriage proposal, saving for a house. But in hindsight, it sucks to admit it, but I was doing most of it on my own. Decorating our place, planning our wedding, thinking about our retirement. Steve was never into it as much as I was and yeah, I’m happy I realized that. Because how awful would it be to go through your entire life being more invested in your marriage than your partner? I don’t want to be an afterthought anymore, Austin. I want to be the leading lady of my own life. I deserve to be.”
“You do,” I agree, tugging her closer so I can kiss her mouth. “You deserve everything, Chloe. Fucking everything.”
Her lips curl into a smile against mine and I kiss her again. My hand squeezes her ass while the other one curls around the nape of her neck.
She swings a leg over my torso, straddling me. “I could get used to this, Austin,” she murmurs cheekily, nibbling along my jawline.
“I’m counting on that, baby.” I roll her over and we begin again, exploring, touching, and tasting.
I make Chloe Crawford come with my mouth, my fingers, and on my cock. It’s my favorite fucking hat trick and as I drift off to sleep, I feel lighter than I have in a long time.
I pull my girl closer, wrap myself up in her presence, and stop worrying about hockey, this season, the team. I just let myself be, and man, it’s one of the best nights of my life.
21
Chloe
I wake up to a view.
Damn.
Austin’s naked body is breathtaking. All sculpted muscle, firm lines, and hard planes. He almost looks like he was carved from marble. But the scars from a handful of surgeries, from years of playing hockey, serve as a reminder that he’s still mortal.
Hot, breathing, mortal man I want to have for myself all over again.
He whistles low and I snap my eyes to his. His gaze is sleepy but the smirk on his mouth is all-knowing and I laugh.
“Like what you see?” he asks.
“Too much,” I tell him, crawling on top of him.
He snorts and grasps my upper arms as I kiss him deeply, attacking him with a mixture of affection and want. My need for him spikes and he senses it, losing no time matching my frantic kisses with his own. He slows down the pace and we settle into languid, lazy, morning lovemaking that I’ve read about in books and seen in movies but never experienced in real life.
I’ve been missing out.
Austin’s body shadows mine. He thrusts deep, filling me up with pleasure. His eyes hold mine captive and I fall a little bit harder, faster. Everything with Austin Merrick is more and I realize just how empty the last five years of my life have been. I don’t want to miss a moment of it.
I wrap my legs around his hips. “I want to be on top,” I demand and he acquiesces, rolling us until I’m straddling his waist.
I sink down on his hard cock, groaning as he hits the spot I need.
“Fuck,” he breathes out, his palm splayed wide over my thigh.
I plant one hand in the center of his chest, the other gripping the headboard, as I find my own rhythm. It’s freeing. For the first time in my adult life, I feel uninhibited. Sexy. Desired. Sure of myself and who I am in this moment, with this man.
I tip my head back, the ends of my hair brushing my back. I increase the tempo, sliding up and down on Austin like my body was custom made to ride his.
“Jesus, baby. That’s it. Ride me, Chlo,” he groans out, his hands holding my hips.
I ride him hard and fast until my body shatters, a million shards of glass, a thousand droplets of water, a hundred grains of sand. All that is sharp and spiky, sweet and gentle, coarse and determined about me breaks apart in his hands. He follows a moment later, moaning my name.
It’s an undoing that somehow puts me back together. I collapse forward and Austin wraps me up in his strong arms. I know the moment that he recognizes everything that just happened is deeper than this moment, more than just sex, everything and yet nothing at all. Because he holds me tighter.
“I love you too,” he whispers in my ear.
And I smile. Because I know he sees me. And what’s more than that, he loves me just as I am. Dimpled ass, nervous laughter, word-loving me.
“Now let me feed you breakfast,” Austin adds.
“Pancakes.”
“Anything you want, Chlo.”
I press one more kiss to the underside of his jaw and shimmy off of him.
Austin’s eyes drink me in like he’ll never get enough, like my body is the most desirous thing he’s ever seen. He looks at me the same way I look at him and the realization fills me up with happiness.
“Coffee.” I raise an eyebrow.
“That too,” he agrees, swinging his legs to the side of the bed and standing. Austin stretches and I can’t tear my eyes away from his glorious nakedness.
He really is a national treasure. He really is the best man I know.
“This is already the best morning I’ve had in a long time.”
He turns, takes in my expression, and smiles. Walking over to me, his fingertips gently touch my stomach as he leans in to kiss me. “Mine too.”
While Austin takes a quick shower, I find my phone and wince at the three missed calls from Abbi.
Shit. I dial her back.
“Chloe Ann Crawford,” she answers.
“I’m sorry! I’m a shit friend but—”
“You
were having the best sex of your life,” she guesses.
“Yes!” I exclaim, relieved she gets it.
My best friend dissolves into laughter.
Oh God, I hope she didn’t say that in front of my mom.
“Wait, where are you?” I ask, wondering if she really went home with Panda last night. Is she at his place?
“Waking up in a very masculine—”
“Macho.” I hear Panda’s voice in the background.
“Macho,” Abbi amends, “bed.”
“You slept with Panda,” I surmise.
“I did. And now I need—”
“Pancakes,” I supply.
“And coffee.”
I giggle. It’s really no wonder Abbi and I are best friends. “I’m going to take a quick shower. Austin and I will pick you guys up for brunch in an hour.”
“Sounds perfect, my friend,” Abbi says, humor and happiness in her tone.
I end the call just as Austin reenters the room.
“Who are we picking up?” he asks.
“Abbi and Panda.”
He winces.
“What?” I ask.
Austin shakes his head. “It’s just that, look, Panda’s my boy. But I know Abbi’s your girl. And if she’s thinking that last night with Panda meant—”
I shake my head to stop him. “She’s not. Trust me, Abbi is the last girl you have to worry about getting the wrong idea about a hookup. If anything, Panda’s going to be begging her for more.”
Austin tips back his head and laughs. He laughs so hard, his chest vibrates.
I laugh along with him, raising my eyebrows as I wait for him to offer an explanation.
“I’d fucking pay to see that,” he says finally, swiping a hand over his face. Then, he drops his towel and snaps it against my ass. “You going to shower?”
I nod.
“You want company?” he asks slyly.
I grin and nod again, taking Austin’s hand and leading him into the bathroom.
An hour and a half later, we pull in front of Panda’s condo. I’m not sorry we’re late. Not even a little bit.
“What’s going on with you and Panda?” I ask Abbi later that afternoon.
She raises an eyebrow. “Me and Panda? What’s up with you and Austin? You could hardly stop making heart eyes and kissy faces at each other over brunch.”
I snort, rolling my eyes. I collapse in the center of my bed and feel the mattress dip as Abbi lays down beside me.
“I’m in love with him, Abs.”
She turns her head toward me, prompting me to look at her. Her gaze is searching, but after a long pause, a smile spreads across her lips.
“You really are.” Her words are coated in wonder but her expression is pure happiness.
I smile back. “I really am. He’s…he’s amazing.”
“He’s nothing like Steve.”
“What the hell was I thinking agreeing to marry him?”
Abbi shrugs, wedging a pillow under her head. “I think it was habit. The next logical step, you know?”
I nod. I do know. Steve and I made sense on paper and the longer we stayed in our relationship, the more natural the next steps—moving in together, merging our bank accounts, getting engaged—seemed.
“You would have been settling,” Abbi adds.
“I know,” I reply. This time, I do know.
“So, you’re going to stay in Boston now?”
“I…I want to. I spoke to Janie and some other members of senior management at the paper.” I shrug. “There may be some opportunities I could explore here.” I bite my bottom lip. “Still, it’s only been a couple of months and everything happened so quickly between Austin and me. So unexpectedly.”
“That’s usually the way of things.”
I elbow her in the ribs. “Seriously? Because you have such extensive dating experience?”
“I do have extensive dating experience. It’s relationships I fail at.”
I shake my head, hating that Abbi’s built her walls so high, she doesn’t allow herself the chance to consider a real relationship with any of the men she casually dates. Deciding not to open that can of worms, I say, “I’m going to see what happens. Give it until the end of the summer at least before I make any decisions. When I’m in New York for Marissa’s wedding, I’ve arranged to meet with Janie to discuss things in person.”
“That’s a good plan. No need to make big decisions now, when you’re still having fun.”
I frown and Abbi adds, “I didn’t mean that’s all you’re doing,” she clarifies, popping up on one arm and staring down at me. “I just meant that you don’t need to add pressure or expectations to something so…new.”
I nod, biting the corner of my mouth. Abbi has a point. It’s just, I can’t imagine not being with Austin. Now, when I think about my future, I see him in it. For someone who usually works from home, the thought of relocating doesn’t hold the same weight for me as it does for most people. Besides, Boston has more opportunities for me to break into the type of journalism I’d like to explore. Plus, my family, Mimi, are here. It’s not like moving to Boston would be a hardship. It would be a new beginning, a fresh start. A homecoming.
“Anyway,” Abbi changes the subject, “what are you wearing tonight?”
I snort. “Abs, I need a nap if I’m going to make it out with a rowdy group of hockey players tonight.”
She lifts an eyebrow, grinning. “He worked you over good.”
“Oh my God!” I blush, hitting her in the face with a pillow.
She laughs. “I’m not judging. I need a nap too.”
I groan.
Abbi’s laughter heightens. “Let’s nap. Then, we’ll pick out outfits. But tonight, please, let’s have fun.”
“Of course we’ll have fun. Have you talked to any of the bachelorette girls?”
“Marissa is having a spa day with her cousins and some fancy, family dinner party tonight. Do we care what Brittney and the other girl are doing?”
“Not even a little.” I close my eyes.
“Exactly,” Abbi says.
But I barely hear her because I’m already drifting off to sleep.
“No more shots!” I hold up a hand, nearly stumbling.
Austin’s arms dart out and wrap around my middle, holding me upright. “You okay, babe?”
I nod, sinking against his chest. “Panda’s trying to kill us.”
He chuckles. “He’s got nothing on Torsten. But your girl is keeping up with him.”
I watch as Abbi throws back another shot, her ass planted firmly in Panda’s lap. “She’s going to regret it tomorrow.”
“The hangover?”
“Everything. She’ll hate herself for being so openly flirty with him.” I lift my chin as Panda’s hands skate up Abbi’s thighs and his lips drop to the sensitive spot where her shoulder meets her neck.
Austin makes a noncommittal sound. “Do you want to go rescue her?”
Now I laugh. “No way. In this moment, she’ll kill me for interrupting.” We watch as Abbi turns into Panda’s touch, their mouths clumsily finding each other.
“Damn,” Austin mutters. “Panda’s not usually so…open with his PDA.”
“Abbi’s the same,” I agree.
I head over to Abbi and Panda, bumping my hip against their shared seat until they both glance up with hazy eyes.
“We’re going to head out.” I point at Austin. “Do you guys want to come with?” I direct this question to Abbi.
But of course, she grins at me and shakes her head. “I’m good, Chlo. Swear it.”
I lift an eyebrow.
“Don’t worry,” Panda cuts in. “I’ll take care of our girl.”
I glance at Abbi for confirmation, not missing the way Panda threw out “our” as if he and Abbi are more than just this weekend. She grins at me and flashes a wink. I stifle a laugh and kiss my bestie goodbye before heading back to Austin.
“They’re good,” I tell him, snick
ering at the concerned scowl on his face. “Hey.” I slide my hand down his back, not pausing until I pinch his ass.
His face quickly snaps back to mine.
I grin. “Want to get out of here?”
His eyes lighten with understanding. He nods, wrapping an arm around my waist and turning us toward the exit. Dipping down, he asks, “How’d I get so lucky?”
“We’re both about to get lucky,” I correct him.
His laughter rings out and washes over me, keeping me wrapped up in this moment. I don’t ever want it to end.
22
Austin
“Damn, you’ve got it bad,” Noah says before taking a swig of beer.
“What?” I shake my head, tipping back my bottle.
“I’ve seen that look before,” Easton agrees, smirking.
“Yeah, because you wear it.” Noah points at his brother.
Easton flips him off. “Whatever, man. You’re about to become a daddy.”
At that, Noah’s laughter fades and a look of pure joy, of contentment, washes over his face. “I can’t wait. I’m happy we decided to hold off on learning the sex, but man, I hope it’s a little girl.”
I grin and even Easton’s expression softens. “I’m really happy for you and Indy,” I tell Noah.
“Yeah, man. You guys are going to be amazing parents,” Easton agrees.
“Torsten really went all in, making sure you guys have everything you could possibly need,” I add, recalling Indy’s baby shower.
Noah snorts. “He made a damn registry with Indy. Rielle kept messaging me to ask if I think Big Daddy has baby fever.”
East and I laugh.
“It was cool that Chloe came,” Noah continues, turning back to me. “Indy’s really happy that they reconnected and I’ve never seen you so invested in a relationship before.”
“That’s because this is his first one,” Easton supplies.
This time, I flip him off.
I shake my head and lean back in my chair, taking another sip of my beer. “She’s different, guys. Things between us, they’re easy. It’s like we bypassed all that awkward, getting to know each other shit because I already know her. I have for years. Sure, she grew up but at her core, she’s still the same girl who used to my best friend.”
