Sidney
My weekend had been surprisingly relaxing. I'd had lunch with my mom the day after the party and she had tried to reassure me that Dad only wanted what was best for me, and that sometimes his brain didn't always catch up with his mouth. I was grateful for her sensitivity and she helped me feel a bit better about how things had gone the previous evening.
Instead of catching an early flight back to Fenway, I stayed in the hotel and spent some time working and reading before catching the red eye home.
Now it was Monday.
But the trepidation had returned this morning when I watched the practice from a seat high in the stands, hoping no one would spot me. Killian's smile had made my heart pound, even though it wasn't directed at me. The sight of his powerful body moving up and down the ice made me miss his warmth next to me in bed.
Why had he texted me and asked me to come to his place after practice instead of just coming up to my office?
Killian's apartment was at the end of a simple red brick building. This was the first time I'd seen player housing. It wasn't bad, but it needed some landscaping. My real estate developer wheels were always turning. I made a mental note to have it taken care of in the spring. My frazzled nerves welcomed any thoughts that weren't about Killian right now. I was walking up the sidewalk to ring his doorbell, though I still didn't know why.
I reached for the small round bell and rang it. I was about to find out what was on Killian's mind.
He opened the door and before I could get out a greeting, he grabbed my hand and pulled me inside, pushing the door closed behind me.
I gave a small cry of surprise as he wrapped his arms around me, his mouth warm and familiar on mine.
"I've missed you," he said.
"I missed you, too. It's only been two days!"
"I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off you if I came up to your office."
He slid my coat off my shoulders and tossed it on a worn brown sofa. I got my first look at his place. The walls were bare and white. There was just a couch, a coffee table and a television in the living room. Open boxes were spread out on the floor.
He was packing.
"What's this?" I asked, gesturing at the boxes.
"Let's sit down," he said, leading me to the couch.
He kept my hand in his as he turned to face me as we got comfortable.
"I talked to Orion and the coach of the Indy team. I'm leaving tomorrow to take that spot on their roster."
He was leaving. I'd never thought about what this decision would feel like. And now I knew--it was like my heart was being pulled from my chest.
I realized I had a death grip on his hand and I released it. The tears were back. The woman who never cried was apparently making up for lost time. I swiped my fingers beneath my eyes, embarrassed by yet another emotional display.
"Hey." Killian slid down from the couch and got to his knees in front of me. He wrapped his arms around me, one warm hand grazing across my lower back. "I want to be with you more than ever, Sidney. I'm doing this because of you. Before we met, I was bitter and afraid. But you're fearless. I love that about you. If I can be fearless too, I'll be deserving of you."
"I want you to be happy," I said. "Whichever team you're on, that's all I want."
"I hate the fact that I became a guy who backed down from a challenge. That's not the kind of man I want to be. You were a challenge, but I was too crazy about you to back down. And now I've never been happier. So I want to face the challenge of playing for Indy. Maybe I'll stay, maybe they'll cut me. But I'm ready to give it a shot."
I smiled, his enthusiasm warming me. "I'm so proud of you. I know you'll be amazing."
"Promise you'll be watching. Even if it's on TV."
I reached for his face, cupping his scruffy cheeks in my hands. "Always. I will always be watching."
"I love you, Sid."
This time my tears were happy. "I love you, too."
He closed his arms around me, pulling me against him. I wrapped my legs around his waist, kissing him with all my pent up feelings.
"You love me," I said, my well of happiness spilling over.
"I do."
"So...we'll make it work. I'll come to Indy whenever I can."
"The schedule's a bitch for the next couple of weeks."
"I'll do the traveling," I said. "You need to focus on your game."
"We won't get to see each other as much." Killian pulled back to look at me, his eyes soft.
"We'll make it work. This is a good thing for you."
Winding his fingers into my hair, he kissed me, his tongue demanding against mine. He pulled at my clothes and I pulled at his until they were scattered on the floor. I laid back on the couch, my body humming with need for him.
He tore his mouth from mine and looked down at me. "It's a good thing for us," he said.
My heart swelled with love for him. He pushed my thighs apart, about to make up for the sex we'd missed over the weekend, when I stopped him with a palm on his chest.
"Mr. Bosch, you know I believe in incentivizing," I said.
His gray blue eyes darkened with arousal. "I'm well aware, boss. What'd you have in mind?"
"Score a goal with the new team and I'll give you the one part of me you've never had?"
"Your ass?"
"That's right. And you know me, Killian. I'll want it hard."
"Fuck. I've never wanted to score a goal so bad in my life."
My smile turned into a moan as he thrust himself into me.
"Like that?" he asked, pausing while buried all the way in me. "Or ... maybe like this?"
He pounded into me, pushing my thighs up near my shoulders to give himself a better angle.
"Oh, God," I cried, panting. "Like that. Killian...don't stop."
"Have you missed this, baby?"
"Yes." I closed my eyes, relishing the fullness of him inside me.
"I've missed your wet pussy," he said, wrapping an arm around the back of my shoulders to hold me in place as he fucked me even harder. "Fuck, baby...so good."
He lowered his lips to my nipple, circling it lightly with his tongue. I cried out and dug my nails into his back. I was desperate to come, and he was teasing me with the one thing he knew would send me over the edge.
"Your nipples taste so good," he said in a low, sexy tone. "I could just lick and suck them for hours."
He sucked one lightly then went back to circling it with his tongue, his hips still pounding into me mercilessly.
"Killian, please," I begged. "Please let me come.'
I felt his low groan against my nipple. He grazed it between his teeth lightly and I cried out with frustration. An instant later, his teeth locked onto my nipple and tugged it hard, sending me into a deep orgasm that spread through my whole body in powerful waves.
He groaned against my neck, his body tensing for a few seconds. When he went limp, I wrapped my arms and legs around him.
"I love you so damn much," he said in my ear. "No matter where I'm at, you're my girl. Don't ever forget that."
I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back tears of happiness. This next stage of our relationship wouldn't be easy, but nothing worth having ever was.
Killian
Two weeks into joining the new team, I was finally hitting a groove. I'd been too worried about screwing up to enjoy my first few games, but tonight's had been fun. I was already analyzing the mistakes I'd made, but I knew I'd done more right than wrong.
My teammates and I were meeting for a late dinner. I was sitting in the back of a cab on the way to the restaurant when I pulled out my phone to call Sid. A text from my former coach was waiting for me.
Orion: Nice game tonight.
I wrote back my thanks. It felt good to know that he'd watched it. Bennett and Liam were catching as many of my games as they could, and I knew they were in my corner despite all their pissy text messages. I missed everyone from the Fenway team like hell. Now I was a small fish in the pond, and my swagger was on the back burner.
I missed Sid more than anyone. In Fenway, there'd been small reminders of her everywhere. I'd be pulling on a hoodie and realize I could smell her perfume on it. I'd gotten used to the cinnamon toothpaste at her place, and now the mint kind at my new apartment just wasn't the same. I still pulled two coffee mugs out of the cabinet in the morning, forgetting I was only pouring coffee for one now.
When I dialed her number, the sound of her voice on the other end of the line soothed away some of the ache.
"Killian, you were amazing tonight," she said.
"Thanks. I wish you were here. Or I was there...or something"
"Me, too."
"How was your day?"
She sighed, the few seconds of silence telling me something was up. "You know, the usual."
"I like hearing about your usual."
"Just work stress," she said dismissively.
"You sound upset."
"I'm fine."
I shifted in my seat, restlessness settling over me. "You don't sound fine, Sid."
"I'm just tired."
"Will you be able to make it to Chicago tomorrow night for the game?"
"I can't. Something came up."
I waited for her to explain, but she didn't.
"Why are you being so cryptic?" I asked.
"I'm not being cryptic."
This wasn't the warm conversation I'd been hoping for. But then, it was close to midnight. I'd been held up after the game with an interview.
"You want me to let you go so you can sleep?" I asked.
"Yeah, I do need to sleep. I'm sorry I'm cranky."
"It's alright. Don't worry about it."
"I love you, Killian." Her voice was almost pleading, though I had no idea why. Was she feeling insecure about us?
"I love you too, baby. Miss you every minute."
We said goodbye and hung up. I passed the rest of the cab ride staring out the window, wondering if I'd made the right decision in coming to Indy. I didn't want to play in the NHL if it meant losing Sidney. Chances were good I'd never meet another woman who'd captured me the way she had. I'd never forgive myself if I lost her due to the strain of a long-distance relationship.