Page 61 of Ice Cold, Red Hot
I woke to the soft morning light seeping in around the edges of my blinds and for a moment I braced myself for the onslaught of emotion that had greeted me most mornings this year. Regret, anger, frustration… but then I remembered.
I reached beside me to find her there, and when my hand found Celeste’s soft backside, she let out a happy little groan that had me rolling over to take her into my arms. I snuggled against her, pulling her back in close to my chest and burying my face in her hair. And the only thing I felt was… good.
She rolled into me, her eyes still shut as she sighed out a soft breath, and I let myself look at her, propping my head on one hand for a better view. Her lashes looked thick against the bronze skin of her cheeks, which were just the tiniest bit rosy. Her lips formed a perfect pink rose, and I bent in and dropped a light kiss there, not wanting to wake her, but unable to resist. Her hair was a wavy dark halo across the pillow top.
It occurred to me that I shouldn’t feel this peaceful, this content. We lost. I lost. The championships were over for the Firehawks, and so was my college career. But here I was, smiling despite all those realities.
Celeste’s eyes fluttered and she caught me watching her. “You okay?” she asked. Because my girl worried about me before herself.
I grinned at her. “Yeah. Better than I should be.”
She trailed her fingers down my jaw and let her eyes drop shut again, snuggling closer. The feel of her naked butt against my cock had me thinking of a few ways to wake her up, but just when I was going to implement one of them, my phone buzzed on my nightstand. I reached over Celeste to pull it to me.
I didn’t recognize the number, but something in my gut made me answer the call. I kept Celeste tucked tight as I did.
“Hello?”
“Shepherd Renshaw, please.” A man’s voice. Gruff, but not unfriendly.
“This is him.”
“Shepherd, hi. Mark Allerton with the Chicago Storm. You’ve been on our board since mid-season.”
I waited. That was good news, I guessed. But this guy hadn’t just called to tell me they had been watching me. There had to be more.
“Listen, Shepherd. We’d like to offer you a contract. Entry-level.”
Shit. I sat up, forgetting that Celeste was lying on my shoulder. She grumbled, but then sat up next to me, gripping the sheet against her, eyes wide. “What?” shemouthed.
“Seriously?” I knew it wasn’t the right thing to say. I should have said something confident and assured. But after the season I’d had. “You want to sign me?”
Celeste’s eyes got huge and her smile covered her entire face.
“We do,” Mark chuckled on the other end. “It was a rough season, but you proved you’ve got grit and determination. Plus one hell of a right hand.”
“Thank you, sir,”
“We can talk numbers next week. I’ll get in touch with your agent. Bill Keating, right?”
“Yeah.” I hadn’t talked to the guy much, but he was Blake’s agent, and he’d agreed to represent me if I went pro.
“Talk soon. Have a great weekend.”
“Thanks, goodbye.” I put down the phone, staring at it for a moment like maybe I’d just imagined that phone call.
“Shepherd!” Celeste cried, her hands wrapping my upper arms. “You got an offer?”
“Yeah, I mean…” I met her eyes, realizing how happy she was for me. How good it felt to have someone on my side. “Yeah, maybe. He’s calling my agent, so we’ll see… but… yeah. Chicago.”
“Your home town! That’s amazing!” She pulled me close, hugging me tight, and I soaked in the praise and excitement. No one else around me would react this way. Dad would want to hit the numbers, get the best deal possible and then lecture me about the potential for me to fail spectacularly. Griff and the guys would be excited, but their support would rightfully be tempered by concern about their own futures. Only Celeste was happy just forme, and it made me realize what a fool I’d been, pushing her away all this time. She only made me better.
I pulled back, staring at her, unable to believe this was my life. “They want me,” I whispered, still in shock.
“Of course they do.” She gave me a sly smile and then pushed me back into the mattress. “So do I,” she said, sliding her body down mine until her soft mouth found the end of my cock.
For the next thirty minutes, I let the world rotate around me—everything absolutely fucking perfect.
CHAPTER 30
