The Stick Handler

by Fox, Cathryn

  She rolls her eyes. “What am I even saying.”

  “You’re saying that there could be a guy out there for you.”

  The server comes back with a bowl of warm bread to get us started. Katee reaches for a slice, butters it and slides it into her mouth.

  “Mmm, so good.” She swallows, washes it down with another drink, and sits back in her chair. “Remember that time we used the bread machine to make pizza dough,” she begins, and just like that we lose ourselves in old stories. Our meals come, and we eat, laugh, and drink too much champagne. Katee is giggly by the time we’re finished.

  “I need to go for a walk,” she says. “Work off the food and champagne.”

  “Good plan.” We take the elevator to our floor, change into jeans and sweaters, and bundle up in our winter coats before we head to the lobby. When we reach the main doors, we run in to Becca and Trey.

  “Hey you two, how’s the presidential suite?” Becca asks.

  Color fills Katee’s cheeks, and I grin. She must be thinking about all the fun things we’ve been doing in that suite.

  “It’s amazing.”

  Trey gestures toward the doors. “We were just heading to the club for drinks and dancing. Come with us.”

  “Sounds like fun, what do you think, Katee?” I ask.

  “Let’s do it.”

  We head outside and the cold air blasts our faces. Our Canadian friends don’t seem to be bothered by it. Katee and Becca talk about today’s helicopter flight, while Trey and I talk hockey. Katee is shivering by the time we reach the club. I find us a table, and help her from her coat. She snuggles in next to me.

  “I can never get warm here,” she says.

  “Did you read about the heated outdoor pool?” Becca asks. “I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s on my list of things to do.”

  “Now it’s on mine.”

  The server comes and we all order a drink. “I probably shouldn’t have anything. We had champagne at dinner.”

  “I think you worked it off with all that shivering,” I say, and look out over the dance floor.

  “What part of Canada are you from?” Katee asks our new friends.

  “Calgary. You should come visit.”

  “Next time I play there, maybe Katee will come and we’ll get together.”

  Katee gives me an odd look, but I don’t comment on it. She’s probably thinking that will never happen, because once this trip is over, Ari and I will be getting back together. But that’s not what I want. I can’t help but wonder if on some level Katee knows that. She knows I’m a one-woman kind of guy, and wouldn’t sleep with someone if I was committed. I’m not a cheater, that’s for sure.

  A slower song comes on and I reach for Katee’s hand. “Let’s dance.”

  “Great idea,” Becca says, and jumps up and drags a grumbling Trey to the dance floor. We laugh and fall in beside them. I pull Katee close and put my hands on her hips. We sway together, and as she brushes up against me, I dip my head and close my lips over hers. I kiss her softly, a slow caress over her bottom lip with my tongue and she exhales a soft sigh.

  “You having a good night?” I ask.

  “The best.”

  My hands fall lower, until I’m cupping her ass, and she chuckles against me. “I always thought you were a leg man, now I’m beginning to wonder.”

  “Have you seen this ass?”

  “Hard to miss,” I say.

  She laughs. “You are perfect.”

  “You know what, Luke,” she says, her voice thoughtful. She goes quiet, looks around the room, and says, “This whole vacation has been perfect. There isn’t anyone else I’d rather go on a honeymoon with.”

  My heart leaps. Earlier tonight, when she described her perfect guy, she had me down to a T. I can’t help but think I’ve opened her eyes to how good we are together and she’s beginning to see me as more.

  “It’s not over yet,” I say.

  She puts her hand on my neck, and my pulse jumps beneath her soft fingers. “No, it’s not,” she says and goes up on her toes. I kiss her again, revel in the sweet taste of her mouth. When she breaks the kiss, a fast song comes on, and I stay on the dance floor with her, knowing how much she loves to dance. We used to dance all the time, before I became involved with Ari.

  She throws her hands up in the air, and shakes her hips.

  “You know you dance like no one is watching.”

  “I know, and that’s what you love about me.”

  “You think that’s what it is I love about you?” I ask. Soon enough I’m going to tell her exactly what it is I love about her, and I pray to fuck she feels the same way about me.

  She turns around and shakes that sweet ass at me, teasing my cock until it’s hard in my pants. I grip her hips and put my mouth near her ear. “You’re so going to get it, Katee Kat.”

  12

  Katee

  I’m a bit light-headed and giggly by the time we make it back to our suite. Luke keeps one hand on me, and swipes the keycard over the lock. The door opens and we step inside. Elated after having such a wonderful night, I throw my arms around his neck and go up on my tip-toes. He grins at me, and it’s so adorable all I want to do is rip his clothes off him and do dirty things together.

  “That was so much fun,” I say. “We haven’t danced like that in ages.”

  His hands slide around my waist to hold me to him, and I don’t miss the growing bulge between his legs. It fires my body, and the needy juncture between my legs pulses.

  “I think you’ve had too much wine,” he says.

  I throw my hands up. “What can I say, I’m a lightweight.”

  Before I even realize what’s going on, Luke picks me up, carries me across the room and sets me on the bed.

  The warmth in his eyes curls through me, wraps around my wobbly heart. “I think you need sleep,” he says, and unzips my coat. He pushes it from my shoulders and I just sit there and stare at his gorgeous body as he removes his own outwear and kicks off his boots.

  “No, what I need is you,” I say, as he kneels before me and tugs off my boots. “In this bed with me.” As I look into his eyes, I know I don’t just crave him, I need him, on a level that is almost frightening.

  His nostrils flare as he looks at me. “You sure about that? If you had too much to drink…”

  “You are such a good guy, Luke.” I reach out and put my hand on his face, feel the roughness of his scruff on my palm. I revel in it for a moment, remember what it feels like between my thighs. “You always have my best interests at heart. But I’m a big girl. I know what I’m doing.” I lift my other hand and crook my finger. “And I believe you said something like you’re going to get it. What exactly am I going to get?” I ask.

  Heat moves into his eyes and I grin, knowing I’ve got him right where I want him. But then, he suddenly turns the tables on me, taking my power, and before I know it, he’s on the bed, and I’m bent over his lap.

  “Luke!” I squeal and kick my legs, but my attempt to free myself is futile. Then again, do I really want to break free?

  His hand comes down over my ass and I let loose a yelp. “You like to tease me, Katee?”

  “Oh my,” I say as he rubs his hand over my curvy backside. My sex clenches. No man has ever done anything like this to me before and I think I might…like it.

  “Teasing isn’t very nice, you know,” he says and gives me another smack. It tingles all the way to the needy juncture between my legs. “Girls who tease need to be punished,” he says, his voice so deep and hoarse it curls through me and arouses me even more. His hand comes down again. “Are you going to be a good girl from now on?” he asks.

  “I’m not sure.” I whimper and wiggle my ass. “But I’ll try.”

  “That’s not good enough,” he says and lifts me from his lap. I stand before him on shaky legs, my panties so wet if he doesn’t touch me soon, I might go insane. “Take your pants off,” he demands.

  “Why?” I ask.

/>   “Because I said so.”

  My God, I love this sexy take-charge side of him. A little sound catches in my throat as I release the button and pull down my zipper. I wiggle my hips just to tease him a bit as I shimmy my pants to my ankles. I kick them away and stand before him in my damp panties.

  He slides a hand between my legs, and feels my wetness. “Take them off,” he commands in a soft voice. After I do as he says, he taps his lap. “Lay back down here.”

  I gulp as I put myself over his lap, and his big hand caresses my ass. “You’ve been shaking this ass at me all night, Katee, teasing the living fuck out of me.”

  “That’s just how I dance,” I say, a half-truth. I love to dance with him, love the way our bodies touch as we move around the floor.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you wanted me to fuck you here.” He spreads my cheeks and runs his finger along my crevice. I quiver as he reaches beneath me, and puts a finger into my wet pussy. I nearly orgasm on the spot.

  He fucks me with his finger for a few minutes, then adds another and our moans mingle. I think I’ll put my cock in here first, get it nice and wet, then I’ll fuck this hot little ass of yours.”

  “Luke,” I say, both excited and terrified by the idea. He rubs the hot bundle of nerves inside me, and just like that, I let go. An orgasm breaks through me, and I come all over his hand.

  “Jesus, fuck,” he murmurs and grows harder against my stomach as I concentrate on the powerful pulses and marvel at how fast this man can make me climax. He says he’s helping me in the bedroom, showing me what I should expect, but when it comes right down to it, I think he’s ruining me. I’m pretty damn certain no man will ever live up to his standards.

  “On the bed, ass in the air,” he says. “And lose the shirt.”

  With my head somewhere still in the stars, I slide off his lap, remove my shirt and bra and sprawl across the bed on shaky knees.

  “Hands over your head,” he says.

  I reach up and grab the slats, and he shoves a pillow underneath me. He leans into me, puts his mouth near my ear and whispers, “Look at you all hot and ready for my cock.”

  I gulp for air, my body so turned on, it’s hard to breathe.

  “Katee, do you still keep your lube in your make up bag?”

  “Yes,” I whisper. “But how do you know that?”

  “I know a lot of things about you?” he says, and dashes into the bathroom. A moment later the sound of him removing his clothes reaches my ears, and by the time he climbs onto the bed, I’m shaking with need. “Your sweet little cunt is dripping,” he murmurs as he grips my hips and puts his cock at my opening. He powers forward and enters me in one hard thrust. His curses reach my ears, and I cry out from the pleasure. He rocks into me, the friction igniting my body.

  “Oh, God, yes…”

  “You like how I fuck you?” he asks.

  I swallow against a dry throat. “I love your cock, Luke. I love how you fill me and make me come.”

  He pulls out and drives into me again. “I want to fuck you everywhere,” he says. “I need to.” The emotions and urgency in his voice send a little thrill though me. “Tell me you need that, too.” He runs his hand along my spine, then puts it between my ass cheeks. He inserts a finger, and I move against him.

  “I want that, too,” I say. “I want you to be the guy to fuck my ass, Luke. I wouldn’t trust any other guy with my body like that.” He stills inside me for a moment, and I’m pretty sure he stopped breathing. “Luke?”

  “Yeah?”

  I move my hips, encouraging him to fuck me. “Harder,” I say, and he pulls out and powers back in.

  “Put one hand between your legs, and rub your clit for me.” I do as he says, and he groans his approval. I move against my hand as he slides his fat cock in and out of me, pistoning hard, and I cry out as another orgasm rips through me. I clench around him, a hot explosion of need.

  “That’s a girl, get my cock all nice and wet for your sweet ass.” He pours lube between my cheeks, and works his finger into my backside, stretching me and preparing me for his girth. After a long time, he pulls from my pussy, pours more cold lube between my cheeks, and presses his crown to my back opening. I go perfectly still.

  “Breathe, Katee,” he whispers.

  I take in a breath as he slowly works his way in. Pain curls around me and he stops moving, giving me time to catch up. He runs his hand along my back, soothing me, and comforting me.

  “More,” I say, wanting all of him inside me, everywhere.

  “You sure?” he asks.

  “Never more sure of anything,” I say.

  He pushes in a bit more and I breathe through the sting as he enters me. “That’s a girl,” he says, and lightly runs his fingers over my flesh. “I’m in, Katee. I’m all the way in.”

  “I feel you.”

  “How does it feel?”

  “It feels different. But I like it.” I like it so much that a bundle of emotions hits me in the center of my chest. I can’t believe Luke is taking me like this. That he’s my first. An invisible band tightens around my heart, and tears prick my eyes. Why the hell am I crying? Oh, probably because this man is my best friend, and I want this with him. All of this. Every day. For the rest of my life.

  He moves inside me and I lift my hips for him. “You are so beautiful,” he says, his voice a low soft murmur that brings on more tears. I sniff, and bury my face in the sheets. The last thing he needs to see is how emotional this is all making me. We’re having sex. This isn’t about love or the future, right?

  His fingers bite into my skin. “You want my cum, Katee?”

  “Yes,” I say my voice muffled by the bedding. “I want everything,” I say, and mean every word of it. I never should have slept with him. It only made me realize how much I love him. How the hell am I ever going to keep my feelings from him? The man can read me like a book. But if I don’t hide my emotions, what will become of us? I’ll lose my best friend and that can’t happen.

  He stills inside me and leans over me, his breath hot on my back. “I love that I’m your first, Katee,” he says, and his cock pulses inside me as he fills me with his seed.

  When he stops spasming, he slowly pulls out, and falls over me. He kisses my back and neck, and I let loose a long sigh. “You okay?” he asks, his voice so achingly tender, my heart misses a beat.

  “I’m good,” I say. “I think this might be my favorite yet.”

  He chuckles at that. “I’m going to get you some water and run you a bubble bath.”

  “Mmm,” I say, and stretch out, my body tired from all the physical activity. I let my lids fall shut, and sleep pulls at me, but the next thing I know, Luke is lifting my limp body and taking me to the big Jacuzzi tub. He sets me on my feet and helps me in, then hands me a glass of water. I take a long pull, and he finishes it off.

  “Are you going to join me?” I ask. He grins at me, and I lean forward for him to climb in behind me. He touches my shoulders and pulls me back until I’m relaxed against him. I glance out the skylight and look at the stars. As we lightly touch each other, a phone rings from begins the closet door, and I stiffen.

  “That’s your phone,” I say.

  “Leave it.”

  I crane my neck to see him over my shoulder. His face is tight, the muscle along his jaw clenching. “I think you should at least see who’s calling.”

  “I’m on my honeymoon. I don’t have to answer to anyone.”

  “What if it’s Ari? What if she’s changed her mind?”

  “Let’s hope she has,” he says under his breath, his words so low, I’m not sure he meant for me to hear them.

  As I think about that, my stomach clenches. I want Luke to be happy. And if being with Ari is what he wants, then I have to keep my emotions to myself. But I love him so goddamn much, want him all for myself.

  Oh God, Katee, what have you gone and gotten yourself in to?

  13

  Luke


  The pool area is set up like a Caribbean resort, with a swim-up bar, and palm trees throughout. There are numerous lounge chairs, and cabana beds around the perimeter, and even tiled lounge chairs set into the pool. I reach for the fruity drink Katee insisted I order and take a sip. It’s some concoction with rum and coconut milk. It’s not bad, but I could have done without the umbrella. Today is Valentine’s day and the honeymoon package comes with a nice romantic dinner for the two of us tonight.

  Afterward, I’m going to have to tell her how I really feel. I’ll keep the part about Ari to myself, that it was me who wanted to break up. But by now, Katee has to know what I feel for her is more than friendship, and I’d give my left nut to bet she feels the same way. It’s time she knows that what we’ve really been doing is making love.

  She waves to me from the pool as the entertainment director sets up the water volleyball net. I wave back as she swims off with Becca. The two have really hit it off and I wasn’t kidding when I said we could visit them in Canada. They swim to the shallow end where a mom is slowly introducing her young baby to the warm water. My heart pinches when Katee drops down to greet the child. The next thing I know she’s holding the baby, and the warm smile on her face speaks volumes.

  From beside me, Trey stretches out and takes a sip of his beer. I glance his way and before I know it, the conversation has turned to hockey. As it always does. But I don’t mind. He’s just interested in the game and I could talk hockey for hours.

  By the time I turn back to the pool, I see Katee and Becca, along with a bunch of other people, in the middle of a water volley ball game. Katee hits the ball and misses. When she goes under the water, I sit up a little straighter, but then some guy’s hands are all over her, pulling her up. She finds her footing, and they both laugh as she brushes her hair from her face. They reset the game and I can’t help but notice the douche bag continues to stand close to her.

  Anger simmers through my blood, and I work to pull myself together. Like I said, I’m not a violent man, but when push comes to shove, I’ll shove. Yeah, I’ll shove any guy hovering around my girl, gawking at her like he’s looking for a piece of the action.