And she was frustrated with him for playing like this. Negan didn’t think using the excuse that he was worried about her and was upset that she was put in this situation because of his past would cut it.
Thankfully, the Alberta Grizzlies didn’t score on the power play. When Negan skated out there, the defenseman – Onni Koskinen – managed to clear it in his direction at the same time the penalty clock read zero. Negan picked up the puck – sent straight past the Alberta defensemen – and skated hard.
Negan had a breakaway. It was just him and the goalie.
The Alberta goalie – Samuel Fleur – skated out, giving the goal behind him the illusion of being smaller than it really was. Negan clenched his teeth together, the rubber of his mouth guard allowing his teeth to press down hard without hurting himself. He began to stick handle, smoothly lifting his stick over the puck and clanging each side of the ice. Even Negan never knew what he was going to do until he did it; the crowd was cheering, but he barely heard them. All he could focus on was the goalie. He was certain the defensemen were skating hard, trying to catch up to him. They were too slow. Not that Negan was the fastest on the team – that was Drew Stefano - but when he put his effort into it, it was hard to catch up to him.
He skidded to a fast stop, spraying ice everywhere. He shot, straight through the goalie’s legs – the five hole – and watched as the puck flew towards that opening –
- only to watch it bounce off his pads at the last minute.
Fuck.
He had missed and one of the Grizzlies’ defensemen scooped up the rebound.
That was okay. He was better now. His focus was sharpened and his head was back in the game. And that was what counted.
Chapter 20
Taking a breath, Katella knocked on the door of Negan’s house. He lived in an older neighborhood in Newport, across the street from Newport Harbor High School. The street had a church. It was quiet, safe. The perfect place to raise a family. For a moment, Katella wondered if he bought this house, thinking he and his ex might raise kids here. But then she remembered that they had broken up a year ago so kids weren’t even on his radar when he was picked up by Seraphina last summer.
It was smaller than the house she shared with Seraphina. If Katella had to guess, three bedrooms, two story house with an attached two-car garage. Big backyard, garden in the corner. She could see herself raising a family here. She clenched her jaw and shook her head. They had had sex one time.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Kat, she grumbled to herself.
She knocked on the white door. It wasn’t even a moment before it opened and Negan stood in front of her, wearing baggy sweatpants that bunched at his ankles and a simple grey t-shirt that showed off his broad shoulders and big biceps. His short hair was messy and in his hand was a blue mug with steam rising from it. The scent tickled Katella’s nose. Was that… tea? But she couldn’t even focus on that quite yet because she couldn’t help but stare at what was on his face. He wore glasses on his face – thick-rimmed glasses.
Katella blinked.
She was in love with him.
She didn’t understand how she had gotten even more attracted to James Negan in that moment, but she had. She had seen him in his hockey gear, in workout clothes, in a tuxedo, even completely naked, but it took her seeing him in his glasses and sweatpants for her to realize she was crazy, madly, deeply in love with him.
“Hey.” His voice was deep but gentle, and he seemed surprised that she was outside his door in the first place. “Do you want to come in?” He stepped aside so she could walk in with ease.
She nodded and took him up on his offer. It was difficult to speak. She had been slammed with this realization and she didn’t have time to prepare a response to it. Hell, she couldn’t even figure out the truth of it.
“Thanks,” she said over her shoulder as Negan closed the door behind her and locked it.
He nodded once but didn’t speak anymore on the matter. “Do you want some tea?” he asked. He didn’t wait for her to respond before leading her down the hallway and to the big, tiled kitchen.
“Uh, sure,” she said, following him. Her eyes tried to take in everything at once but it was difficult to do. “I still can’t get over the fact that you drink tea.”
“Tea’s fucking delicious,” he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. He walked over to the stove where a teapot was sitting on the electrical stove. Katella couldn’t help but drop her eyes to take in the way his firm butt looked in his tight sweatpants. “It’s a good pain reliever.”
Katella accepted the offered cup and blew across the amber liquid’s surface, watching the steam disappear. “How are you?” she asked. “The guy checked you pretty hard into the boards.”
Negan shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. Katella wanted to slap him. “Probably have a gnarly bruise,” he said. “But pain is part of the game.”
She wanted to throttle him. She wanted to make him react in some way. He was always so nonchalant, even when he was being a smartass with her.
“Negan,” she practically shouted. He spun around slowly, perking his brow causing his forehead to wrinkle. “How are you so calm about this?”
“About what?” he asked, cocking his head to the side as he narrowed his eyes at her.
She gestured between the two of them, her eyes wide as though she couldn’t believe he didn’t understand what she was saying. “Us,” she said. “About what this is.”
He gave her an odd look. “What is this?” he asked before turning back to the tea.
“That’s what I want to know!” she exclaimed, throwing out her arms.
He furrowed his brows. “Why are you being so dramatic?” he asked.
“Oh, right.” Katella felt tears start to accumulate in her eyes. “Because it was just sex, right? It didn’t mean anything. Yeah, maybe you hadn’t been using me but a relationship with me with actual commitments and feelings and labels would be too much for you, huh? God, why am I even here?”
“Will you calm down for two seconds and let me speak?” he asked. He turned back to the tea and poured himself a mug. “I’m not overreacting because there’s nothing to overreact to.” He locked eyes with her. “I’m in love with you, Kat. I’ve been in love with you for a couple of months now. And I think you love me, too.”
She glanced up and down, swallowing. She didn’t agree that he was right just yet but she also didn’t deny it. Truth be told, she wanted to hear more about what he had to say.
“Sex with you meant everything,” Negan said. “I’ve been around a time or two after my divorce. I’m not ashamed to say that you’re the best I ever had, but that might be because I’m crazy about you. I’ve never felt like this about anyone.”
“And that isn’t a big deal to you?” Katella questioned in disbelief.
He shook his head. “Of course not,” he said. “I love you. If you love me, great. If not, I’ll move on. Things will play out one way or the other, Kat. I have feelings for you, feelings I’m not afraid to show. You think I give you shit because I don’t like you? I won’t even talk to you if I don’t like you. And as for the labels…” He set his mug on the kitchen counter and walked over to her. When he was directly in front of her, he reached out to cup her cheek in his big hand. “If we’re together, you’re my girl. You’re mine. I’m yours. That’s it. It’s not that hard to figure it out. Girlfriend, partner, whatever you want to be called makes no difference to me. All I know is that we belong to each other, we belong with each other, and that’s it.”
Katella rubbed her lips together before she murmured a soft, “Oh.”
He took a step towards her, his eyes darkening with hunger.
“Oh?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. His eyes dropped to the mug in her hand. “You haven’t tasted my tea.”
Katella was glad for the distraction. She pressed her lips to the mug and took a long sip of the amber liquid. Her eyes closed at how surprisingly d
elicious it was. The taste wasn’t too sweet but not too watery. It was the perfect amount of flavor mixed with a hint of bitter sweetness that caused her senses to jump to full attention.
“Jesus, that’s amazing,” she said after she took a long sip. “What do you put in that?”
“My secret ingredient is love,” he said, deadpan.
She chuckled, shaking her head.
“So tell me,” he said, reaching out and curling a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “What do you think of what I told you?”
“Oh.” Her eyes dropped to the tea and she bought herself some time by taking a long sip of it. When she swallowed, she lifted her eyes to his. “Truthfully, I’m relieved. I’m crazy about you, too, Negan. I love you. Even though you’re a complete jackass, I love you.” His smile got wider as she spoke, and while she wasn’t sure if he was making fun of her, she couldn’t find it in her to stop talking. “I just don’t want us to turn into our previous relationships.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
God, he looked so adorable when he scrunched his brow and cocked his head with those glasses.
“I don’t want to give you any reason to cheat on me,” she admitted, “and I don’t want you to give me a reason to not be my real self around you.”
“You weren’t yourself around Matt?” he asked. “Not that I care about your time with him, you just don’t seem to be the type of girl to hold back. Ever. It’s kind of why I like you.”
“Matt and I were never official,” Katella told him. “I assumed we were because we attended things together – he took me to the NHL Awards and the AllStar game. I sat at the girlfriend table. But he never called me girlfriend. I never met his family or his friends, except his teammates. We never went back to his hometown during the summer. Because I never knew how he felt about me or where we stood, I never felt completely comfortable around him. I was worried I would scare him off. Which now, telling you, sounds ridiculous.”
He nodded once. “It is,” he said. “You scare me every day and I’m still here.”
She found herself laughing even though the situation wasn’t terribly funny. “Stop,” she told him.
“Stop what?” he asked. “I’m telling the truth.” He smiled at her in that gentle, sincere way, shaking his head. “We can bypass the whole talk, right?”
She pressed her brows together. “What are you talking about?” she asked. “What talk?”
“The talk,” he told her as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “About whether we’re just dating or if we want to see other people…” He let his voice trail off and pushed up his brow, trying to emphasize his point.
“If that’s what you want,” she told him.
He made a frustrated grunt. “That’s my problem with you, Kat,” he told her, annoyed. “You let people dictate your behavior. The whole Peters thing is a great example of this. Somehow, after he wrecks you, you’re fine for a year. Then, he comes crawling back and you turn into a hot mess, rebounding with Vane and reacting to Peters and his bullshit. When you’re with me, you get a say. What do you want?”
“I want you all to myself,” she told him. “And yeah, I was a trainwreck. You’re right. When my grandfather died, I held everything in. I needed to be strong for my sister. Matt left and no one was strong for me. I’m not complaining about that or trying to get your sympathy, I just…” She clenched her jaw. “When I heard Matt was coming back, it was the perfect excuse to act out. Like an idiot. But you… I don’t want this just to be a fling, Negan. You aren’t a rebound.”
He cocked his lips into a smirk, pleased with her answer. “I never said I was,” he told her. “I don’t want this to be a fling, either. And I don’t do competition. If you’re one of those girls who gets off on me being jealous, I can tell you right now, this isn’t going to work.”
Katella gave him a face. “Ditto,” she told him. “You don’t think I know you enjoyed it when I got a little possessive over you when you were talking to your ex?”
“You want to know a secret?” he whispered, taking a step toward her.
She pressed her lips together, nodding her head.
“I loved watching you get in a bidding war with another woman,” he told her. His voice was low and husky but she could make out his words clearly, like a wolf howling to the wind. “I loved watching you want to make me yours in front of everyone.” He slowly took off his glasses, but she caught his hand and shook her head.
“Leave them on,” she commanded.
His eyes darkened at her words and he did as she told him to do. He wasn’t the type to take orders but he did for her. She knew that was a big deal.
Katella bit her bottom lip on purpose, knowing he liked when she teased it between her lips.
His eyes darkened. Her lips curled up. He stepped closer to her. She took a step back. He raised a brow. A challenge. He smirked. Challenge accepted.
Without warning, he rushed toward her. The game was on.
Chapter 21
Negan slammed Katella’s back against the wall of the living room. There were no pictures or paintings hanging up, nothing to harm her. If he had to guess, he would assume that she liked being hurt just a little. She was just as damaged as he was. Her legs were already wrapped around his waist with his hard member pressing insistently against her inner thigh. He knew she could feel him, too, what with the black yoga pants clinging to her frame like a second layer of skin.
His lips were already on hers, demanding she open up and give him what he needed, what he craved.
Fuck, she’s going to be the death of me.
His hands gripped her hips. He liked the feel of her bones in his hands. It was as though they were made specifically for him to hold onto, to control, to do with whatever he wanted.
He ripped his lips away from hers because he needed to breathe, she needed to breathe. They would have suffocated otherwise – what a way to go, if it had come to that. He couldn’t pull away from her completely, however, and dropped his lips to her neck. He knew she had particularly sensitive areas on her throat that he wanted to explore further and perhaps leave a possessive mark or two. She clawed at his back. Even though he wore a shirt, the material was thin. He could feel her leave her own set of marks along his back, down his spine. It hurt like hell but in the best way.
He growled. She gasped.
God, the noises she made drove him crazy. He wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted to make her scream his name when she came. It was like he had some sick fascination with hearing his name on her lips, knowing he was the one who rendered her so helpless.
His lips made their way to her collarbone, where he began to nip the tight skin around the bone. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she let out a breathy moan. He didn’t think it was possible but he felt his member get even harder and he couldn’t help but grunt, even as he continued his onslaught of kisses.
He felt her grind her pelvis against him.
God, she was going to make him come in his sweatpants.
He could feel how wet she was, how badly she wanted him, and with the amount of mewing and heavy breathing she was doing, he knew it was just as nearly as much as he wanted her.
He was going to fuck her against this wall.
He needed to take her pants off but he didn't want to have to let her go.
"Please," she begged him - actually begged.
Katella Hanson didn't beg for anything. He knew her well enough to know that. It was that word said in that way that became his undoing and he knew if he didn't bury himself deep inside of her, he was going to come in his sweatpants like a teenage boy. He couldn't believe the type of effect she had on him. He didn't remember feeling that way, ever.
The crazy thing was, they had done this before - a couple of times. And he still wanted to be inside of her like it was the first time. Probably worse, because he knew what it was like to be inside of her.
He pressed her even more against the wall but g
ently pushed her feet to the ground. He took the hemline of her shirt in his hands and yanked it over her head like he was in a hurry. He was. He needed to be inside her like a man desperate for oxygen. From the corner of his eye, he saw an amused smile on her face. But her eyes - God, those eyes - were a dark forest green, filled with lust, that gold ring around her irises brighter than he had ever seen it. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever been around. He couldn't believe they breathed the same air.
Negan reached around her so he could unclasp her bra. She wore push-ups quite frequently and he loved the way her cleavage looked because of it. However, there was something special about freeing her breasts from their confines, seeing her pink nipples get hard - whether it was from the sudden coldness or because of him, he couldn't be sure and it didn't particularly matter - and watching the silky, colorful prison drop to the floor like a piece of garbage. Except, he didn't even watch the bra hit the floor. He was too focused on her breasts, and before he could remember that he needed to be inside of her and in order to do that, he needed to remove her pants, his mouth found a nipple and he sucked it hard.
She gasped and moaned at the same time. He ran his tongue over the nipple. He wanted to tease her, to draw it out, to have her soaking by the time he was ready to thrust inside of her, but he just didn't have the patience. She reached up and grabbed the back of his head with her hand, running her fingers through his hair and pulling at the roots.
Yes.
He loved the pain. He loved feeling her passion. He loved knowing he was pleasing her.
Negan pressed his hand flat against her back, right where the curve of her back ended and the curve of her ass began. He forced her in closer, gently placing his teeth on her sensitive flesh. Her groaning got louder. His cock strained against the soft material of his pants. If he didn't do something soon, he was going to lose it before he even began.
Black Eyes & Blue Lines: A Slapshot Novel (Slapshot Series Book 2) Page 13
