Page 113 of Cross-Checked

“Yes, I can. Hockey has been my only love for most of my life. Then I stepped into my role as a dad, and now that I have you too, everything just feels...different. More complete. I’d miss playing, but I’m nearing the end of my career anyway. There’s no way I’m packing Abby and myself up and moving somewhere else—not without you. There’s no end to this situation that doesn’t involve me staying in Boston.”

“I don’t want you to walk away from your career for me.” It would add so much pressure to our relationship if one person sacrificed everything to be with the other.

“Really? Because I can’t think of a single better reason to retire. I would do anything for you. And if you don’t already know that, then I’ll have to do a better job showing you. Which should be easier, to be honest, now that we’re not going to have to hide this.”

I know what he means, but nothing about going public is going to be easy—especially not during the finals, when we’recompeting for the Cup and I’m up for GM of the Year...or was, anyway.

“And I’m going to start by helping you relax a bit.” He licks his lower lip and pulls it between his teeth as his eyes rake up and down my body so I have no doubt about his intentions. “But first, let’s get you out of this gorgeous dress so I don’t ruin it.”

Standing, he holds out his hand, and when I take it, he pulls me up and leads me back into my bedroom. There’s a dressing area with a sink and a closet on the opposite side. He turns me so I’m facing the mirror above the sink.

“You remember the first time we had sex?”

Looking at him in the mirror, I nod. I remember every detail about every time we’ve been together—they’re etched into my memory the same way he’s etched himself onto my heart.

“Tonight, I want you to remember what I said that night. I want you to keep your eyes open and watch yourself come. I want you to see how beautiful you are when you fall apart on me, and I want you to remember that I’m the only one who’s ever made you feel this way. The only one who everwillmake you feel this way.”

His promise and desperation come out in equal measure, and it pains me to realize he’s less sure of my feelings for him than I am of his for me.

“Ronan,” I say, my gaze still locked on him in the mirror as I bring my arm up and slide my palm along the back of his neck. “I meant what I said the other night. This is forever for me too.”

He lets out a relieved sigh as his hands come around between us. The delicious drag of his fingers over my ass as he works the zipper down the back of the dress has me clenching my thighs together.

Will this ever get old? Will I ever be less attracted to him?God, I hope not. I hope that I still want to jump him every time I see him, even years from now. Even when our kids have run usragged, and we fall into bed exhausted at night. He’ll still be the person I reach for, no matter what.

“What?” he asks, pausing his movements as he stares at me in the mirror.

I press my lips between my teeth as my eyes fill with tears, and his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me back against him. “Holy shit, AJ, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I say with a small laugh as I shake my head. “I just...I had this image of us, years from now. We had kids—a few of them—and we were crawling into bed, exhausted, at the end of the day. But still, we reached for each other, like we couldn’t bear to be apart.”

“Ican’tbear to be apart from you,” he whispers against my hair, then kisses his way from my ear to my jaw and down my neck. “My life with you in it is so much more fulfilling, so much more rewarding, than I would have ever imagined. Hockey’s been wonderful. But I’m not giving up our relationship to get in a few more years of playing anywhere without you.”

“What about Sloane? I thought you wanted to move to be closer to her?”

“Well, now we’re talking about the possibility of her moving up here, instead.”

“You’ve already talked to her about this?” I don’t know if I’m thrilled he’s so sure, or upset that he’s made these plans without talking to me first.

“I know what I want,” he says, and his eyes focus on me in the mirror as he slips the straps of the dress over my shoulders and lets it fall to the ground. He looks down, and a low hiss of air coasts against my skin when he sees my lace thong and garter belt. All of it is nude, including the thigh-high stockings.

He squats to take my dress off the floor, and as I step out of it, I go to kick my heels off. “Leave them,” he practically growls as he wraps his hand around my calf. “You don’t wear fuck-meshoes like that and take them off when I’m actually going to fuck you.”

“Don’t I?” I ask with a wink as I look down at him.

Standing, he turns to hang my dress in the closet before he’s stripping his own clothes off slowly, making me ache with need as I wait for him to come back to me.

“God, you’re fucking gorgeous,” he says as he turns back to where I stand, my legs crossed at the ankles as I rest my ass back against the countertop.

His thumbs brush against my nipples as he steps up and plants one foot on either side of me. A low moan crawls up my throat as he rubs across my hardened peaks, and then he’s turning me back to face the mirror as he says, “I love that you’re always so needy for me. And tonight, I’m going to make you come until you can’t stand on your own, until you fall into a deep sleep and forget about the last few hours.”

“I don’t want to forget,” I say, staring back at him in the mirror. “Yes, the last few hours have been damage control, but we’ve also spent that time planning a future together. And that starts now.”

I smile softly as I look up over my shoulder at him and he leans in to kiss me. It’s tender at first—a promise of sorts—and then he’s parting my lips and invading my mouth and taking total control of my body. His hands are everywhere, and as I reach behind me to grasp his hard length, he’s pushing my thong to the side and rubbing circles around my clit until I’m moaning into his mouth. It doesn’t take long. That first orgasm creeps up so quickly it takes me by surprise, and I’m using my thumb to circle the pre-cum around the head of his cock, gasping and chasing my release. But even though I’m right there, so close to tipping over the edge, I need him inside me...I feel empty without him.

I tell him as much, and he just smirks as he bends me forward and smacks my ass, hard. My gasp rings out and he presses his fingers harder against my clit.

“Come for me, and then I’ll fill you,” he promises. Waves of tingling electricity ripple through me as I clench my core together and my legs start to shake. But still, I don’t go over that tipping point. I’m about to tell him I can’t, when he takes my hand from his dick and moves it to the counter so I’m fully leaning forward. And then he’s pressing himself against my ass crack, rubbing lightly against that opening as he circles my clit with one hand and cups my breast with the other, pinching my nipple between his fingers.

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