Stunning. She’s stunning.
She squeezes the base of me as she moves up and down, fast and hard, sucking me with a pop at the end. I close my eyes, lost in the moment as my body goes tight everywhere. I feel her within every nerve ending of my being, and when my release comes upon me and I explode, I can’t even think of breathing. I arch up into her mouth, coming so fucking hard I feel it everywhere. She sucks me until I’m bone-dry. I go slack against the dock, and everything fades away as I gasp for breath. When she crawls up my body, I wrap my arms around her, cuddling her body into mine as she falls to my side.
I’m still gasping as she kisses my throat and my jaw. Small, sweet little kisses that get under my skin and tickle my core. I nuzzle my nose into her hair, kissing her ear and then her cheek, before our lips meet once more. Our kisses are slow and drawn-out with no rush or concerns that we’re naked in the wilderness. She bites at my bottom lip, and I smile as she tugs on it, her eyes playful with mine.
She looks just as spent as I feel, and I’m winded by her beauty. “I could go to sleep right now,” I admit, and she cuddles into me, kissing my chest.
“Same.”
“Was that okay?” I find myself asking, and I kick myself for it.
“Did you have fun?” she asks, and I can’t say yes fast enough. “So did I. So yes, it was okay. It was great, in my opinion.”
Of course, I have more questions, but I know that’s my anxiety questioning everything. I had fun, and she had fun; what more do I need to know? I gather her in my arms, and I kiss her nose as our legs twine together once more. We lie like that for maybe five minutes before she moves out of my arms and grins down at me.
“Where are you going? I thought we were going to sleep?”
She laughs, shaking her head. “Nope, we’re going swimming.”
And without even a second look back at me, she cannonballs into the lake butt-ass naked.
I laugh loudly as I sit up, watching her thrash around in the water. “You’re insane!”
She laughs. “Come on!”
The challenge is in her eyes, and I’m never one to back down from a challenge. I throw off my jeans and run down the dock, diving into the water with no cares in the world. As the cold water hits me, I can’t believe I’m doing this. But then I know why I am.
Because of her.
twenty-four
Evan
“I apologize for disappointing you. It’s not something I intended. And I’m sure when we had our discussion about me coming to the team, you had a different plan, but I’d like to focus only on the team house.”
Jayden sits across from me with a blank expression. He hasn’t said a word since I sat down and started talking. I basically word-vomited everything I’ve been thinking and feeling. A man I have known almost my whole life, who has seen me at the top of my game, has listened with no judgment whatsoever. I don’t want to upset him or even disappoint him, but I also knew I had to be honest. I had to be true to my ongoing issues.
When he leans in, I hold my breath as he presses his elbows into his desk and props his face on his hands. “Let me let you in on a little secret,” he starts, holding my gaze and making me super nervous. “I would have hired you even knowing all that, Evan. Because you’re a good fucking dude.” I let out that breath I’ve been holding in a whoosh, and he smiles. “You’re doing great, okay?” I meet his gaze, and he nods. “Really. I get it, things are a little up in the air, and I’m sure you feel the way you did the first time you were on skates. All wobbly and off-balance. For good reason. You’re struggling with the one thing that has been your go-to from day one. You’re not the first, nor will you be the last, but from what I’m gathering, you’re going to help a lot of people. And that’s awesome.”
“That’s my goal,” I somehow get out, and he nods.
“I know. And one thing about you Adlers, you set a goal, you get there,” he says, smiling at me fondly. “None of what you’ve shared with me affects how I feel about you being the RA of the house, Evan. You are doing great things for those boys, and I truly believe you’ll continue doing so.”
“Thank you,” I say in a low voice. “I just don’t want to let you down. I respect you too much.”
“Same, bud. Same,” he assures me. “My goal and my job are to put you in the best position to be your best. To guide you. And I can’t do that if I don’t know how you’re feeling, so thank you for sharing that with me and for trusting me.”
“Absolutely. Thank you for being so receptive.”
“Anytime,” he says, standing, and I do the same before we shake hands. “If you need someone to skate with you, let me know. We can hit the ice or get some rollerblades, whatever. Let me help you—when you’re ready.”
I hold his gaze for a second. “You’re going to do great things with this program, Coach Sinclair.”
He grins. “Thanks, bud. That means a lot.”
As I leave, I find myself looking at the rink, and I even take in a deep inhale. The fear floods me within seconds, and I hate it. It’s so frustrating to know I am scared of something that I learned to skate on before I even walked a step. Mental blocks are a fucking trip and rude as fuck. It’s such hell, such bullshit, and as Jayden said, I want to help people just like me. When my phone sounds, I pull it out to see it’s Callie. With just one look at her name, my body vibrates with the memory of last night. All the pleasure she gave me, the laughs, and then the frostbite on my ass that I experienced.
Man, what a night.
Callie: Just got done with my volunteering hours. Did you already have your meeting? If you’re still in it, call me when you get done. Maybe we can meet for a run?
I hit her name, and she answers right away.
“How’d it go?” she asks immediately.
“Very well. He was understanding and supportive.”
“As he should be! I’m so glad. How do you feel?”
I smile. “Really good.”
“Fantastic. That makes me so happy. I was a little worried,” she admits with a laugh. “So, where are you off to now?”
“I’ve got class at one and a doctor’s appointment at four.”
“Four?”
“Yeah, I’m switching back to my brother’s fiancée for med management. She’s doing telehealth now, and she is insistent on fitting me into her schedule.”
“Well, that’s cool. She’s the one who works with Nico, right?”
I dislike the thorn that ends up in my side at just the mention of his name. I wonder if I should tell Callie what he said, but I don’t want to cause issues between them. Instead, I say, “Yeah, she works with all of the IceCats. She took care of me while I was there.”
“I love Angie. She’s awesome.”
“She is. We’ll have to do dinner when we’re on break.”
“I’d love that,” she gushes, and I smile. “Maybe you’ll show me off as your girlfriend.”
I chuckle. “Owen knows already.” I’m met with silence. “What? Is that not okay?”