Point of No Return

by Olivia Luck

  “Having you back in my arms is all I’ve thought about for the past three months. When you left my place in January, I told you, Violet, that my heart is open, calling out to you. Always. Can we save the speech until a little later? I’m wiped from the game. All I want tonight is you, blue eyes.” Her lips part as if she wants to say something, but then she moves to her toes and presses her lips against mine in a sweet, closed lip kiss.

  “Whatever you like,” she says softly.

  “I’d like to get out of here. Come on, the car should be waiting.” I usher her toward the door, stopping only to help her slip into her light jacket.

  “You don’t drive to games?”

  “Sometimes we go out for a drink after and sometimes I’m drained and would rather not be driving.” Why am I talking? I need to be kissing her. Touching her. Proving to myself that she’s real. Thankfully, my man’s out front waiting for my bag. I nod my thanks, let him know we’re going to my place, and assist Violet while she climbs in the car.

  Locking her back where she belongs, pressed up against my body, I slip my fingers through her thick hair, fisting the locks in my hand and tilting her head to the side. “Whatever I like.” I repeat her earlier words on a husky murmur. “There are a lot of possibilities.” She’s blushing furiously, eyes darting to the driver.

  “Don’t worry about him,” I whisper against her lips. “You’re going to have to get used to me kissing you in public. I’m not going to be able to keep my hands off you. My hands have literally been aching to touch you again.”

  She emits a soft whimper and I can’t help but growl in satisfaction, silencing myself with her lips.

  “Ahem.”

  I force myself to pull away from Violet when I realize the driver is politely telling us that we’ve arrived at my house. “Sorry, man,” I say with a grin. “You’ve seen her, you must understand.”

  He laughs uncomfortably and exits the car to open the back for us.

  Like the night from the Scrapers fundraiser, I follow Violet to the front door and open it for her before going back to get my things. She’s playing with Rocky when I make my way back inside. Violet in my house is so right it’s almost scary.

  “I missed you, sweet boy,” she croons.

  The door closes behind me with a thud and I lean against it. “How about me?” She stands slowly, turning to face me.

  “Every day, Cameron.” Slowly, I prowl toward her and place my hands on her hips.

  “You’ve enchanted me from the first moment my eyes fell on you, Violet. The time we spent apart was the sternest test of my patience. Tell me it’s over. Tell me we’re going to be together now, the way we’re meant to be.” There’s vulnerability in my words that I didn’t show her until now. As badly as I want to take her in all the ways I promised months ago, I need reassurance from her that she’s not going to need her space.

  “That was part of my speech,” she says shyly.

  The tension clenching my heart unravels, and I bend down to press my lips to her throat. “Give me the abbreviated version,” I demand, though I don’t really need to know anything other than how to get these clothes off her.

  Her words stutter as my tongue traces an imaginary line across her skin. “If you’ll have me, I want to be with you.”

  “Oh, I’ll have you.” I begin walking her backward until I have her pressed up against the wall. There’s no time to go upstairs. I’m not wasting another second that I can be inside her. We’ll take it slow the next time. We have all the time in the world for me to explore her body.

  “Rocky, get out of here,” I say to my dog who has somehow still hung around us. His nails scratch along the floor as he runs out of the living room. But I’m not paying attention to that. My hands move swiftly to unbuckle Violet’s jeans and my own pants.

  “You had to wear that jersey, Violet. Did you know it’s my fantasy to fuck you in one?” I practically growl against her cheek.

  Her breathing’s increased, hands sweeping underneath the button-down shirt I’m wearing to stroke my skin.

  “It could only help to wear it,” she murmurs. I crouch down and clasp the back of her thighs in my hands. They’re trembling with anticipation and when I give them a tug, she gasps, startled, but tangles them around me low on my hips.

  Being inside her is home. The way she clenches my length tightly. Wet. Hot. Throbbing. All the sensations that drive me mad with pleasure.

  And then I’m not thinking of anything other than the woman in my arms.

  Violet.

  The morning sunlight streams across her cheeks still rosy from last night’s activities. Truthfully, we lasted early until the morning. I couldn’t get enough of Violet. And, now, I’m smiling like a cocky prick; she couldn’t get enough of me until we collapsed in an exhausted heap in the middle of my bed. She lies on her stomach, face turned toward me, curls a messy tangle on her back. I can’t help myself; I need to touch her again. Gently, I stroke the length of her naked back, admiring her luminous skin. Looking at her this way, I can’t help but mentally shake myself. This isn’t a dream. The woman I’ve wanted for years, years, is in my bed with no plans to leave.

  “Mmm,” she mumbles into the pillow mashed beneath her cheek. She blinks her eyes into focus and upon realizing where she is, Violet smiles sleepily at me. “Good morning,” she says scratchily.

  “There is never a time when you’re not the gorgeous woman I’ve set my eyes on.”

  Her expression turns shy. Gentle. “Thank you.”

  “What do you want to do today?” I stretch my arms behind my head, shifting back and up against the pillows. “Because I know exactly how I want to spend the free time I have with you before I’m on the road.” I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively and she giggles.

  “Before you go, I want to talk.”

  “We said enough last night,” I say grumpily.

  “There are things I want to tell you.” She moves to a sitting position, dragging the sheet with her.

  “Okay. On my terms,” I reluctantly agree, not wanting to waste time talking when we can be doing other things.

  “What are those?” I snake an arm around her upper back and tug her against my chest. Her cheek settles in the crook my neck and I hold her tight with one hand while the other sifts through her hair.

  “You need to be close to me.”

  “I can deal with that.” I feel her lips curve into a smile against my skin.

  “What do you want to tell me?”

  “You saw my notebook, so you know I’ve been making some changes in my life.”

  “Hmm,” I murmur noncommittally, wanting her to say the words.

  “The last time we were together, there was this side of me that felt like I was still married. I had a lot of loose strings that I need to follow through. It wasn’t just about being married. There was my family. I hadn’t spoken to them in ten years. As it turns out, my parents still want nothing to do with me, but my sister never gave up on our relationship. She’s moving here. Actually, she’ll be here next week and we are getting a place together.”

  “What?” I frown, into her hair, not liking this revelation. Well, I like the part about her reunited with her sister, but not moving in with her. “I thought you would want to live here . . .” I hedge.

  “Oh. Oh.” She shifts out of my arms, places a hand on my chest, and lightly pushes against it to stare at me. “You thought—you wanted me to be here, with you?”

  “You haven’t been listening.” I tuck a strand of hair around her ear. “Wherever I am, I want you there.”

  “I didn’t know,” she says softly. “But that ties into something else I wanted to explain. When I met Max, I was still this small town girl living in the city, not really knowing what to do. Then he came along and I practically assumed his life. Moved into his place, hung out with his friends. And I’m not saying that was a bad thing at all, but that’s not who I am anymore. I want to date you. Like, really date you and not rush into your
life and lose the one I’m building.”

  I study her vehement expression, knowing she won’t budge and being proud of her for that. “I want you to live here, Violet. The idea of you being anywhere but here doesn’t thrill me, but I understand. And with me traveling so much it’s probably a good thing for you to be with Iris. We’ll address this topic again in the future, though. This isn’t the last I’m going to say about us living together.”

  “Good. I like thinking about a future for us,” she says.

  “There’s a future,” I say a bit more roughly than I intend. “For years, I waited, Violet.”

  “Will you tell me about that?” she asks softly.

  Gladly. I’ve wanted to get this off my chest for months.

  “The first time was the night you got engaged to Max.” Her eyebrows jump upward. “That was back when I was in bachelor mode, but I’ll never forget seeing you that night. I knew you were taken and could tell it was by a man who truly loved you. But I couldn’t help but be stupefied by your beauty and the way you responded to the proposal. Didn’t even look at the ring. You only had eyes for the man. At the time, that was something I never thought I could have but wanted it fiercely.”

  “Oh, Cameron.” She places her hand on my heart, eyes going watery.

  “Then other times, whenever Stella and Blake were there, your attention was caught by them. Those were the early days of their relationship and I knew you were engaged and I backed off. But it was like fate didn’t want me to forget about you because she kept bringing back to me.” I shudder through a painful sigh. “When I found out Max died, I was sick. Thinking of you in pain and knowing how I had wanted you for so long. It was confusing and fucked up on too many levels. I held back and held back until there was a chance to be your friend. I fought it, Violet. That’s why I went on a date with that bimbo, Candi. As soon as I saw you, I knew I was a moron for even thinking any woman could compare to you.” She’s rubbing a slow cadence across my skin, almost distracting me from what I have to say. “I didn’t sleep with her. I haven’t been with anyone else in a long, long time. You’re it for me. No other woman stands a chance. If you’ll let me, I’ll do everything in my power to keep you happy and safe.”

  She hushes me with her lips, soft presses of her lips to mine push away the anguish in my words. “You are a good man, Cameron Stone. You are the man I want to be with.”

  I crush her to me, pressing my face into her neck, breathing her in.

  After what seems like a half an hour of holding each other, she eases out of the embrace.

  “There’s one other thing I need to tell you,” she murmurs.

  “You have all of my attention.” Always.

  “This isn’t going to be easy for me. There are going to be times my emotions are a little helter skelter.” I smile at her word choice but wait for her to continue. “There’s a section of my heart that will always belong to Max. I will give you all I have to give, but that includes that part of me. This obviously isn’t the normal boy meets girl scenario. You know I have baggage. At times, it may interfere with our relationship. I’m sorry for that.”

  “Don’t apologize. I know exactly who you are, Violet. Brave.” I kiss her forehead. “Strong.” I brush my lips around the shell of her ear. “Distractingly beautiful.” Lips to her nose. “Driven and brilliant.” Lips to her cheek. “Kind and compassionate.” Lips to her other cheek. “Giving.” Lips to her chin. “My girl.” Only then do our lips meet. I taste the salty tang of her tears and know I said the right thing. Warmth fills my chest.

  We’re going to be all right.

  Violet

  Point. Flex. Point. Flex. I watch my feet arch and straighten while I wait for Cameron to return. Earlier this afternoon, the Scrapers lost the Western Conference Finals in the seventh game. Ben, Stella, Iris, Felix, Dex, and I watched the game together at a bar near the Hope House. The Scrapers are on their way back to Chicago. Actually, their flight took off several hours ago, and I’m eagerly awaiting Cameron’s arrival.

  Rocky lies stretched out on my side. I’m on top of the bedding, running my fingers through the tufts of his dark hair. Cameron and I have been together since that night in early April when I gave him my notebook. It might seem like the worst time to start a relationship because he’s been consumed by work. In fact, the opposite was true. I had the space I needed to move into a little two-bedroom with my sister while we worked together to build Expertly Planned. All the time spent away from Cameron makes me appreciate him all the more. He’s endlessly patient with me.

  The door leading into the house from the garage slams, rousing Rocky from his slumber with a low bark. He glances back at me, realizes I’m calm, and burrows deeper in the blankets. My heart leaps. Cameron’s back.

  His strong, assured footsteps climb the stairs and then he fills the doorway into the bedroom. When he sees me, curled under his bed like I belong here, his face goes soft.

  “You’re here,” he murmurs.

  “Where else would I be?” I wonder. Truly, I’m curious. As if I wouldn’t be there to support him after his game.

  Somewhere along his trek up to the bedroom, he lost his shoes. He shucks off his t-shirt and jeans and crawls into the space next to me. He kisses me. A long, lingering, sweet kiss. His facial hair tickles my skin. It’s grown unruly due to playoff tradition.

  “Missed you,” he says in a low, rumbly way.

  “Missed you. I’m sorry about the game.” I reach up to run my fingers along his cheek.

  “Me too, but that’s what happens.” He rests his head in my lap and shuts his eyes, letting out a low murmur of approval when I sift my fingers through his thick hair.

  “What will you do this summer?”

  “Training, of course. But I think we should get out of town. You may have heard I won a trip to Los Angeles at a fundraiser in January.” Underneath his overgrown beard, his lips turn upward.

  “I wondered what you were going to do with that prize.” More than wonder. It crossed my mind every so often whether he wanted to use the trip with me. And I desperately wanted to go on vacation with him. Already this summer I’ve been to New Point a couple of times, and Iris and I went to Milwaukee for Summer Fest.

  “Violet, of course I bid on the trip for us.” Cameron sounds dismayed. His amber eyes open, and he stares at me with conviction. “You should know by now that all I want to do is be with you. In LA, in Toronto, when I take you to meet my family next month. In Paris, when I take you later this summer.”

  “Meet your family,” I whisper. The idea catches on like wildfire and I’m grinning at him.

  “Typical Violet, doesn’t think about the grand vacations I’m spoiling her with. She just wants to meet the family.” Rolling my eyes, I bend down and press my lips to his forehead.

  “I want to see where you come from. The trips sound out of this world and I’m uncontrollably excited to see the world with you. It’s just, spending time with your siblings and your parents gives me more insight into the man I’m falling for.” I’ve never made this type of admission before, and Cameron’s eyes flash when I’m finished speaking.

  Cameron moves himself into a seated position, cups my cheeks with his hands. “Fall with me, Violet. I’ll be there waiting, always, with arms ready to catch you. You’ll never hit the ground when you’ve got me.” My heart hammers in my chest. I rush forward to kiss him. God, he thrills me and woos me at the same time.

  “Yes.”

  With a satisfied, relaxed smile, Cameron leans against the headboard and tucks me against his chest. He rests his chin on the crown of my head.

  “I won’t be playing hockey forever,” he says suddenly, surprising me with the swift change of topic. “Two or three more seasons at best. One at worst. Then I’ve got to figure out what to do with myself.”

  “What about your budding career as a model?” I tease.

  Cameron barks out a laugh then squeezes me tighter. “Seriously. There could be a coaching job fo
r me in Chicago. Something with the media. All that is well and good, but I need your help.”

  “I’d be happy to. What can I do?”

  “When I was younger, I loved the celebrity status in the city. Thought it made me untouchable. Then I realized none of that mattered because I didn’t have someone to share it with.” Cameron sighs, adjusting me so he can press a kiss to my forehead, and wins another piece of my heart with his confession. “I have the girl of my dreams in my arms. It’s exactly what I didn’t think I’d ever want. Now I can’t imagine a life without hearing your voice every day, just to hear your voice.” He clears his throat, voice full of a smile. “That was off topic, but completely true.” I giggle but wait for him to continue. “I’ve got this celebrity status, and I want to do something with it other than get last-minute dinner reservations. I want to help people like you do.”

  Burrowing deeper into his embrace, I inhale this masculine scent—the combination of pine and all Cameron. “It will be something we share,” I say.

  “And something we’ll start planning on our long flights,” he says with a playful smile.

  “Okay,” I agree, not trying to hide my grin.

  “You’ll never get rid of me now,” he says in a mock monster voice. I shriek when he pushes me flat on my back, kissing the crook of my neck and tickling my ribs.

  This is what was waiting for me on the other side of depression. This is the reward I earned for battling the grief that threatened to consume my life.

  Max was the love of the first part of my life. He brought me into the world of adulthood and opened my eyes to the unconditional love from a family. He guided me through the transformation from a small town girl who never had a boyfriend to a wife. And it was good. Really, really good. If I never lost Max, I would have had the ideal life.

  But that wasn’t the way things worked out for me. I’m a different woman after losing my husband. Maybe, even, a better one.

  Standing on my own two feet, on my terms, I decided to start a relationship with Cameron. This man sees the woman I have become because of my relationship with Max.