Page 89 of Trouble in Love
“Dunno. Maybe it’s because it means you’re listening. I’m waiting for the novelty to wear off.”
“Princess, you could read me the ingredients on a box of nothing, and I’ll happily listen to it all day. I want to know every thought rattling around in that fascinating brain of yours. That’s not going to wear off.” In what was becoming a habit, Polly exhaled and melted into me as we watched the waves crash against the shore. Soon, it became so dark outside that all we could see was our own reflection. “Do you think you can forgive her, Pol? Move past it all?”
“I want to. And I think she does too. Maybe now that we have some space we can. Who knows.”
“I do.” I beamed a confident smirk at the window, one I knew would make her roll her eyes but also smile. “I’m sure you will. And I’m really proud of you for taking her call. It’s not easy to face your demons.”
“No, it’s not,” she sighed, pulling away from my hold and reclaiming the puppy who was chewing on the timber shutter. “It’s quite hard. Rather like those marble benchtops in the kitchen. They look solid. Perfect for some of those games we were talking about.”
“Ya know, I thought having sex on a kitchen counter with an unnamed dog yapping at my feet would be awkward. Turns out I’m okay with it.”
“Toto.”
“What?” I huffed, fisting Polly’s hair. “Her name … it’s Toto and … ooohhhh, fuck, do that again.” As requested, I gave another tug on her ebony locks, snapping her head back and claiming her mouth for a kiss that stole the last of my breath.
“Tell me you want me. Tell me I’m good. Tell me I’m yours.”
“Polly fuck. You’re my girl. My best girl. My only girl. My.Good. Fucking. Girl.” With each word I pounded inside her wet cunt, the sounds were hotter than anything I’d ever heard. When I pressed forward, covering her body, so small and fragile beneath mine, I snaked my hand between her legs and brushed my fingers over her clit. She collapsed, her orgasm ripping through her as her cries echoed through the empty kitchen.
It was all too much. The way her pussy squeezed and pulsed around me. My balls drew up, my whole body contracted as I reached my own peak. “Coming,” I grunted, grabbing the base of my cock, pulling out, and covering her round, red ass and back with my endless come. “Fuck, Princess,” I huffed, slapping my still-leaking cock against her cheeks. “Your ass looks amazing pressed between my hips and a slab of marble. I can’t wait to compare it to the countertops in the bathrooms.”
“Me too,” she almost sobbed, “If I survive this, let’s do that next.”
Luca
Hockey was a numbers game. My ten-match suspension passed in the blink of any eye. I was back on the ice on the second line. We had three W’s in a row, and I had four points, two goals and two assists in my first two games. All of this equaled ten out of ten and a team that was riding high as we transferred from the team plane to bus. That, the bus, was the only downside. It felt like we had been on the road for months, not days. I missed my house, my girl, and her little dog, too, But I couldn’t deny how good it felt to be back on the ice. First-line honors still eluded me. But it would come soon.
With each game I played, my confidence grew to its once-cocky heights. The trick shots and the pregame strut were back. Life was fun again, and it was all because of her.
Before my time in Australia, before Polly, I didn’t recognize the burden of my secrets, of how hiding so much of me stopped me from bonding with my hockey brothers. It was no wonder I so easily believed myself in love with Clara. She was one of the few to know all of me. I clung to her for understandingand safety. Not love. My life was a performance. Now it was my reality.
Meeting Polly …LovingPolly allowed me to be me.
“Fuck, I can’t wait for this game to be done. I want to go home.”
“Glad to hear it, Dickweed.” A swift slap was delivered to the back of my head as Coach Brown sauntered by. “Now, would you mind joining the rest of your team on the bus so we all can, or do you want to walk to the hotel in the snow?”
Immature giggles broke out around me as I dropped my head and followed, treading in the hollow left by his footsteps so I didn’t slip and make an even bigger fool of myself. “Sorry, Coach.”
“Sorry, Coach,” singsonged thirty-odd grown men as I stepped onto the bus, shaking the snow from my hair.
“Who did you guys’ rag on when I was gone?”
“Mostly Carter. He’s much less fun, though. He doesn’t bite back like you do.”
I looked over at Will Carter. Rookie. Redhead. Reader. He blushed and buried his face deeper into his book as I slipped into the seat next to him. “Guess we better stick together, little dude.” Cheeks flushed almost purple as he grunted something, then pushed his glasses back up his nose “Ya know, Carter. In all my years playing, you look the least like a hockey player of anyone I’ve met. You sure do play like one though.”
“Thanks … I suppose.”
“What are you reading?” I snatched the book from his hands and gave it the once-over. “Teacher of the Year.” The cover featuring two smartly dressed handsome men grabbed my attention, and after pursuing a few randomly selected pages, I decided I might not return it. “William. Is this a romance book? A male romance book? Are you reading smut?”
“Bro,” he mumbled, digging his elbow into my side and snatching it back. “As if the hair and dorky glasses aren’t enough, you want to out me and give them one more reason to give me shit?”
“Hey, chill, little dude. For starters, no one is outing anyone. But if you were out, no one would give you shit. Look how good everyone’s been with me.”
“Yeah, to your face, because you’re you, and because you married a hot Australian babe. Do you think they’d support me if my boyfriend turned up to training in my jersey?”
“Yeah, I do, actually.” I did not. Not a hundred percent anyway, and it must have shown on my face.
