His hands found her hips. Somehow, he didn't even have to open his eyes to find them. His fingers slipped past the stretchy material of her yoga pants. There was heat trapped within the tight clothing and he pressed the back of his fingers against her skin to capture it for himself. Her muscles tightened underneath her touch and he reveled in the feeling of having such an effect on her when she drove him bat-shit crazy. Slowly, he pulled the material down until he had to release her nipple and was kneeling beneath her. She grabbed his shoulders and held on as he helped her step out of the pants. All she was left in was a hot pink thong.
This was not what he expected - Katella did not seem like a pink girl - but he liked it on her. Too bad he would be ripping it off of her in a second.
He reached up and tore the flimsy material in half, letting the hot pink strips fall to the floor. She made a squeak of protest.
"I'll buy you ten new pairs," he said. "Just as long as you know there will be a good chance of me ripping them off of you."
Before she could respond, he straightened his back and pressed his lips against her mound. She gasped, instinctively arching her back and grinding against his face. Oh yes, she tasted as delicious as he thought she would. He wanted to feel her come against his face, he wanted her legs to be cooked noodles, he wanted her to sag against him because she wasn't able to stand on her own.
He thought he needed his cock inside her - and he did - but he realized he could slow down for this moment. He wanted to feel her twitch and spasm against his face. He wanted her juices dripping down his skin, into his mouth. He needed this. His arms cushioned her, keeping her steady and his hands were placed on her inner thighs, separating them slightly so he had access to her lips, to her clit. He moved his tongue back and forth over the sensitive nub and kept his ears perked so he could pick up any sounds that would indicate she wanted more of what he was doing.
Negan had never gotten into oral. Obviously, he loved it when a woman did it for him but he didn't really like doing it to his partners probably because when he did it the first time, he was heavily criticized and he didn't feel comfortable doing that again. Luckily, none of the women he was with wanted it anyway. He wasn't sure what compelled him to finally try on Katella but he was glad he took a chance because she tasted amazing and the pleasure he was giving her was worth it.
He dropped his right hand from her inner thigh and slowly slid his index finger inside her slick walls.
"Oh, God, James," she murmured.
He felt his cock shudder at hearing his first name on her mouth. She typically called him Negan, even now that they were together, which he liked. But he appreciated that even more now that she only said his first name under special circumstances. And he could feel her inner walls clench around him and she felt so tight and so wet that it was hard for him to remember why he hadn't already slammed into her.
Jesus.
He curled his finger and she cried out.
Good. Yes. This was what he wanted to hear.
He continued the motion, grinding inside of her. The noises she made were music to his ears and he couldn't stop now, not even to be inside of her.
She gasped and mewed and the minute she said his name, he knew he had her. The hand holding her hipbone tightened so he could keep her balance as she completely spasmed against his face. He slurped it up, not letting any drop go to waste. He hadn’t thought he would enjoy oral this much, hadn’t thought someone would have appreciated it from him the way Katella currently was. Now, he found, he liked doing it to her. He wanted to do it more. And goddamn, she tasted delicious.
When she finally came down, he wasted absolutely no time. In one fluid motion, he managed to stand up, pick her up in his arms, slide his pants and boxer briefs down in order to free his cock from its cotton prison, and thrust into her without a thought. It was only when his cock was buried deep within her slick walls did he realize he wasn’t using a condom. He paused, unsure of what to say.
Somehow, Katella knew what he was thinking.
“It’s fine,” she told him. “I’m on birth control. I want it. Please.”
There was that word again. How could he refuse her anything when she said that word with a slight pout to her lips and her forest green eyes big and wide?
He growled, his grip on her tightening. When she smirked, he felt himself twitch in response to it. Immediately, he closed his eyes. He couldn’t come yet. That would be embarrassing. But the fact that she wanted to feel him with no barrier, no protection, was just enough to make him lose it. When he finally released, it would be inside her, all the way inside her. He had never liked to think of it as marking his territory but Jesus, if that wasn’t what it felt like, he didn’t know how else to describe it.
He wanted to go slow, to really feel her, but he couldn’t. His body wouldn’t let him. The minute he pushed into her, it took everything in him to pause, to allow her the time to get used to his size. Her sharp inhale of breath indicated that along with the pleasure, it hurt her just a little bit.
He liked it.
God, he loved everything about being inside of her.
She really was the best he had ever had, and now he was like some ravenous fool, unable to control himself when he was around her. Once he was sure she was okay, he started moving inside of her, slowly at first, until he couldn’t take that pace and needed to go faster, harder. Each time he slammed into her, the back of her head hit the wall behind her and she would let out a grunt. He continued thrusting inside of her, pushing as deep as he could go, needing to impale her as much as possible.
There was no way for her to come with him penetrating her in this way against the wall. He needed to feel her splinter around him, to lose control just like he would. He released one hip and took her hand in his before placing it on her mound. He didn’t need to explain; she understood what he wanted her to do. Hell, she had no problem taking what was hers that he was actually surprised she hadn’t started doing it herself.
No matter.
She started to move her fingers across her clit like she was some kind of expert – and she was. For a minute, he couldn’t help but stare at what she was doing to herself. He was mesmerized. She didn’t even have to look at herself; she knew exactly what to do to illicit the pleasure she desired.
His hand found her hip again, he readjusted himself based on what she needed to do to have easy access to herself and continued.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered. “You better come soon because I’m ready to fill you up.”
Negan had never been much of a talker during sex. He preferred the natural noises the act produced – squeaking, moaning, grunting. It made him get harder, especially hearing Katella breathless and begging him for more. Again, it was something new he wasn’t quite used to and it was all because of her. All because of Katella. He wasn’t sure what that meant, considering he had never believed in the whole soulmate bullshit. But it definitely made him ponder the reality of fate and if Katella was the type of person he was supposed to be with.
No. Not type.
The person he was supposed to be with.
The thought made him smile.
His sharp ears suddenly heard her breath hitch. She was ready to come, he knew it.
“That’s right, baby,” he implored her, his voice raspy and insistent. “Come all over my cock. There you go… I want to feel it, Kat. Make me feel it.”
He wasn’t sure if it was what he said or the sound of his voice that sent her over the edge. It didn’t matter all that much. It was important to him to watch her shatter, to take in the beauty and perfection that was her. It wasn’t until she said his name through her gasping and moaning, how she shouted “James!” did he finally feel himself start to release as well.
Coming was not like in the movies or in television; rarely did lovers come together. He had never come with any of his partners and he hadn’t cared one way or the other. But Jesus, coming with Katella was blissful. He would make more of an effort to
try with her this way again. And again. As many times as he could.
When he slowly began to soften, Negan helped Katella to the ground. She leaned the majority of her weight against him, not quite able to stand just yet. He took her in his arms, using one hand to push his glasses up his nose. He had no idea how they managed to stay on.
Not that it mattered.
The only thing that mattered was getting Kat to his bed, sleeping for a few hours, and then doing it all again.
Chapter 22
The morning came too quickly. Sun peeked through Negan’s window and cascaded across their entwined bodies, warming their exposed bodies not covered by his thick comforter. Katella cracked her eyes open and felt herself smile as she felt the weight of her lover on her body. His legs over hers, his arm across her waist, his chin tucked against her shoulder. Like he couldn’t get enough of her. Like he had to be around her always.
She didn’t have this with Matt. In fact, truth be told, she had never been one hundred percent comfortable with Matt in the entirety of their two-year relationship to actually let her guard down. To feel safe enough to fall asleep with him. He never held her at night. They never cuddled. And that was fine, she never had a problem with that because she liked having her own space when she was able to sleep.
But this was nice. This, she could get used to.
Katella felt safe with him. She thought that a lot but it was true. She felt safe and comfortable and protected.
And the crazy thing was, she got to wake up to this every morning if she wanted to. If she was lucky enough.
She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, allowing her fingers to slide through his dusty brown locks. They were soft and silky, which was odd. Matt’s hair was typically filled with dried gel and it wasn’t conducive to running fingers through.
Maybe you need to stop comparing Negan to Matt about everything, a voice in her head pointed out. Matt is nowhere near Negan. They aren’t even in the same league.
At that moment, she felt a ghost of a kiss on her throat. She looked down and saw Negan, eyes still closed, with his head tilted up so he could kiss her. She smiled warmly.
“You’re beautiful,” he mumbled against her throat.
“You haven’t even opened your eyes,” she pointed out.
He grinned. “I don’t have to,” he said. It was then that he decided to open his eyes and as she looked down, she could see into his soul. This was the Negan she rarely got to see when she was on the outside. Now, she was on the inside. His eyes, while dark, were warm. They looked almost like coffee with flecks of caramel. She could get lost in his eyes.
“How did you rest?” he asked her, like he meant it.
She closed her eyes, keeping her fingers in his hair. She felt him shift and the hand that had been holding onto her waist began to trace patterns into her hipbone. He seemed to be fascinated by her hipbones for whatever reason and the sensation of his rough fingers on her soft skin gave her tingles that spread throughout her body.
“Really, really, good,” she murmured, closing her eyes once more. “I don’t think I’ve gotten sleep this good since before my grandfather died.”
He was silent. Probably unsure of how to respond, which was fine with Katella. She appreciated the fact that he wasn’t forcing words into the silence as a way to speak.
"I'm glad you feel comfortable enough with me to finally relax," he finally murmured. She could feel how tense he was - probably worried he was going to say something wrong.
"I do," she told him, nestling her chin in his hair and holding his closer to her. "To be honest, I've never felt this... safe in a long time. Seraphina and I always thought the safest place we could be was in our grandfather's lap. We knew nothing bad could get to us if we were with him. Even with Matt..." She let her voice trail off. "I was always on my toes around him, always unsure of what we were. I'm not complaining and I'm sure you don't want to hear it but I think it's important for you to know that I've never felt this way with anyone before."
"I feel the same way," he told her. His voice was low and soft, like a gentle breeze that rustled the trees. "With Edina..." He let his voice trail off and Katella held her breath. She hadn't expected him to talk about his ex, didn't feel he owed her that since it was part of his past and he was already uncomfortable talking about those issues. "I'm not saying I did the right thing. I wanted to work on things with her up until the point where she refused. She was so good at manipulating my issues and turning them around on me. She was a permanent victim. She didn't want me to go out with my friends but didn't want to go out with me. She didn't trust anyone on the team, claiming they were cheaters. The thing is, regardless of what they do, their behavior isn't going to persuade me. If I'm going to cheat on her, it's not because everyone else is doing it. It's my choice. But she believed what she wanted to believe. There was no talking her out of it."
"You've been playing hockey your whole life," Katella murmured. She stated it but it was actually a question. When he nodded against her, she continued. "She knew this was what you wanted to do with your life. She knew what type of lifestyle that would be. Why..." She stopped. It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that she was here holding him, that Edina wasn't relevant anymore.
"I'm a loyal person," Negan continued. "I just didn't see a way out. She refused to sign the divorce papers because she didn't think our fights warranted such a dramatic reaction. The truth of it all was, though, because she wouldn't accept any responsibility, I started to resent her. And with that resentment festered bitterness and by that point, I had fallen out of love with her and there was no reason for me to fall back in love with her. She was happy with the way things were but I wasn't. And I refused to let my life be a lie.”
Katella didn’t respond. She didn’t think it was her place to do so. Instead, she just held him until they both had to start getting ready. He had a morning skate he wanted to attend in preparation for his game tonight against the Houston Rangers.
That evening, Katella slid in her seat next to Seraphina, a box of popcorn in her hand. The national anthem had just finished and the starting line was being announced.
“I noticed you didn’t come home last night,” Seraphina murmured to her sister.
“Hmm.” Katella felt her lips curve up into a grin as she slid her eyes over to Seraphina, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “I didn’t realize I had a curfew.”
“You don’t,” Seraphina said, leaning back in her seat. “A little head’s up would be nice so I know you’re okay.”
Katella nodded once. “Sorry,” she said.
“So?” Seraphina drawled. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”
Katella snorted. “You know what happened, Sera,” she said. She looked at her sister and found Seraphina’s eyes locked onto Brandon Thorpe, skating around his net until the referee began to line up at center ice. “What about you? How are things going with Brandon Thorpe?”
“If you’re asking if anything happened between us, the answer is no,” she said.
Katella clenched her jaw. “You’re going to lose him, Sera,” she said, her voice uncharacteristically serious. “You know that, right? Guys like Brandon Thorpe don’t come around every day. Trust me, I know from personal experience. You have the chance to be happy. Why are you letting it slip through your fingers?”
“He’s not doing anything,” Seraphina said, whipping her head to look at Katella. Katella cocked her head to the side, pushing her brows together. “Look, I listened to what you said and I’m open to him and me… We would have to keep it under wraps, obviously, but I’m open to that. I just want him to pursue me. I’ve done a lot of pursuing, Kat. Whether the guys have been shy or intimidated, it doesn’t matter. I just feel if he’s into me, he’ll take the risk.”
“Does he know that?” Katella asked. “He might know you don’t want to risk the team by dating a player so maybe he’s waiting for a sign from you.”
Seraphina sighed and Katel
la shook her head. They both focused their attention on the game, but Katella made a mental note to try and attempt to set Thorpe and her sister together in some way. There was too much chemistry between them to let that go to waste. And if Seraphina loved him, she owed it to herself to at least try.
The game went along normally, fast-paced and low scoring. Thorpe was amazing in net, as usual, blocking ridiculous saves, getting under the opponent’s skin. He wasn’t a talkative guy, even on the ice, but he didn’t need to be. His skill explained for himself.
It was hard to watch the actual players when the opponents were in Thorpe’s zone. He was like some kind of wizard, blocking shots and making saves that shouldn’t have been possible for him to make. He was the only goalie in the league to have three assists this season. If he didn’t win the Vezina this season, Katella had no idea what would get a win at all.
It wasn’t until the middle of the second period – when Zachary Ryan took a stupid hooking penalty – did things get bad. Katella had no idea how it started. She had no idea what caused it. All she knew was she saw Miguel Guzman of the Houston Rangers talking to Matt. Guzman was known for being an instigator. He was a fourth-line winger; his job was getting skilled players off the ice in order to give his team the opportunity to score. He was good at it, somehow knowing exactly what to say to the right player to cause him to lose it and drop the gloves. Katella wondered what he was saying to Matt. Matt had gotten into fights – he wasn’t the type to shy away from that – but he rarely started them unless there was a reason. It was one of the things that drove her crazy about Matt – his lack of reaction. There were plenty of things that should have bothered him and didn’t. Even now, Guzman was talking to him about something, shoving him with his shoulder, tapping him with his stick, and Matt refused to respond.
And then, things went from bad to worse. Because while Matt didn’t respond, Negan did.
It was almost as though Negan couldn’t take what was being said anymore, which made Katella question what was being said in the first place. He threw his gloves down on the ice and went after Guzman. He didn’t care about where the puck was, he didn’t care about the play. The only thing that mattered to him was getting Guzman for whatever he had said.
Black Eyes & Blue Lines: A Slapshot Novel (Slapshot Series Book 2) Page 14
