“No way. That was perfect. I love when we finish together.” I ran my hands up and down his arms, tracing the defined swells of his muscles.
He huffed a low laugh and kissed my cheek. “It is a good way to go.”
After another beat, we reluctantly pulled apart, and I darted to the bathroom to clean up. When I returned, he was sitting up against the headboard with the sheet draped low around his waist. I stepped closer, and he tugged me back into bed, wrapping his warm body around me.
Soft lips landed on my shoulder and traveled up the curve of my neck. I sighed, melting against his body. His rough, warm palm smoothed down the side of my ribs, to my upper thigh, and back again. Suddenly, he paused, releasing his hold on me.
“Look at me for a sec.”
I rose onto my forearm and turned to face him. His fingers bracketed my jaw, tilting up my chin. Something that looked like worry skirted his face for a split second.
“Losing you would have been the biggest mistake of my life,” he said. “I’m never letting you go again.”
“Perfect. Then I’ll never have to leave this bed. It’s comfy.”
It really was. Plush duvet, crisp sheets, pillows that were a perfect mix of fluffy and firm. The company was a bonus too. Hell, I’d have slept on the ground as long as I was with him.
His expression shifted, and he gave me a mischievous half smile. “That aligns nicely with my plans for round two. And maybe round three later tonight, after some food.”
“At that rate, I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”
“Also part of the plan to keep you in my bed. Can’t leave if you can’t walk.”
I nestled into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. A low, satisfied hum rumbled in his chest.
I closed my eyes, relishing in the comfort he always brought me. When I opened them again, my gaze fell to his phone where it sat on the nightstand. The small spiderweb crack in the corner was gone. “Is that a new phone?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Broke the old one.”
I peered up at him. “Dropped it?” Maybe I wasn’t the only clumsy one.
“Uh…” Chase trailed off, looking sheepish. “Threw it against a wall, actually.”
I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to elaborate. I’d never seen him lose his temper and take it out on an inanimate object like that. It was difficult to imagine.
He shrugged. “Told you. I have a low tolerance for frustration, which includes being apart from you.”
OceanofPDF.com
CHAPTER 60
OceanofPDF.com
EASY LOVE
Bailey
I leaned against a pillar in Northview Arena’s concourse, waiting for Chase to come out of the dressing room while excited Falcons fans poured out the doors, chatting excitedly about the three-one win. One of the goals had been Chase’s—luckily, his time off during his suspension hadn’t hurt his game any.
Coincidentally, Chase’s first game back was at home and against none other than Callingwood. The game was significantly less dramatic than previous matches between the two schools, mostly because Luke was gone. Within a few days of the video leak, his parents flew up and hauled his sorry ass back to Texas. Apparently, they had to make a deal with the district attorney to get permission for him to leave the state.
With his departure, an invisible weight had lifted off my shoulders. I hadn’t realized how keyed up I was about the ever-present chance of running into him until it was no longer a possibility.
Derek told me there were rumors Luke’s parents had him working at one of the fast-food restaurants they’d invested in. It was poetic justice, given how Luke looked down on service jobs. That was in addition to being expelled from Callingwood and essentially shunned by the NHL. No team would even talk to him.
Kristen was gone too—suspended indefinitely, which would surely turn into an expulsion after her hearing.
The scandal was slowly losing its legs, probably because Stewart’s team had been relatively successful in tamping down on the video. Over the past week, things had started to return to normal. Today almost felt like an ordinary day. Almost.
None of it erased the pain, but it was a start.
Scanning the lobby, I found a vacant red bench and made my way over to it. I checked my phone for a status update from Shiv, who was at home scrambling to finish a sociology paper due at midnight. She was the queen of procrastination. It had to be an incredibly stressful way to live, but her grades were solid, so I guess it worked for her. I, on the other hand, would have flunked out of college and been committed for a nervous breakdown if I tried that strategy.
Her latest text reported that she was nearly done and would commence packing for our weekend trip to Dallas’s parents’ cabin shortly. How she’d managed to write a ten-page paper in one day, I’d never know.
I strongly suspected Shiv wasn’t a light packer, though, and that it would be a while before she and Dallas were ready to leave.
I glanced up just as Derek rounded the corner. His gaze fell on me, his expression brightening. Locking my phone, I pushed to stand and met him in the crowd.
“Hey,” I said. “How was your first game as captain?”
The minute Luke got in trouble for the video debacle, he implicated Paul. It wasn’t clear whether Paul had been involved or whether Luke was shirking responsibility. Derek had been asked to step in and assume Luke’s previous role.
“Good.” Derek shrugged. “Team is still adjusting, but we’re pulling through. The energy is a lot less toxic, uh, now that he’s gone.”
I didn’t doubt that.
“You guys played well, considering all the upheaval.”
“Yeah, not bad.” Derek gave me a half-hearted smile. His warm brown eyes scanned my face, and his mouth twisted into a frown that was eerily reminiscent of our father. “I wanted to apologize again, though.” He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “I was wrong.”
Hold up. I blinked, doing a double-and triple-take. Derek admitting to being wrong? And apologizing? Hell had officially frozen over.
“About what?”
Of course I already knew, but I’d make him say it anyway.
“Carter,” he said. “You were right; he’s good to you. You seem happy.”
Happy was an understatement.
“Crazy happy.” A goofy grin broke out across my face. I couldn’t even attempt to hide it. “He’s my person.”
“That’s great, B.”
I nudged him with my foot. “You’ll find your person someday.”
Someone bumped into me from behind, jostling me slightly. Derek grabbed my elbow and steadied me, giving me an uncharacteristically bashful smile.
“Actually, it is getting kind of serious with this girl Kim I’ve been seeing.”
My mouth dropped open. “Shut up. And you’ve been hiding this? When do I get to meet her?”
“Whenever you want.” He shrugged. He was making an effort to seem casual, but it was obvious that he was nervous.
“Tomorrow? Name a place and time.” I laced my fingers together, stretching out my hands and rolling my shoulders. “I’ll bring a list of questions. I have to play the role of protective little sister.”
Derek laughed. “Think you’ve got that backward.”