On the first day back at campus in January after winter break, I’m curled up on the coach with half a bag of potato chips and some leftover chocolate chips I found in the freezer, watching a Korean romcom series Hana recommended.
When another wave of cramps hits, I wrap my comforter tighter around me.
Reagan commiserated with me for a while before she had to leave for class. We huddled together beneath a cocoon of blankets while watching the first episode. Now I’m starting the third one, but things are about to get dire because my snacks are running low.
I grab my phone, ready to say fuck it and order delivery so I don’t have to go out. A knock at the door interrupts me. Sighing, I leave the comfort of my blanket to answer it.
Easton leans against the frame with his forearm when I open the door. He holds up a packed grocery bag.
“Hi,” I stammer in surprise.
He slips past me, dropping a quick kiss on my lips before taking his stuff to the kitchen island. I close the door and watch from the other side as he unloads everything.
“I wasn’t sure what you were in the mood for, so I figured it was best to cover the bases. Salty, sweet, savory.” He shakes the box of nuggets before setting them on the counter. “And I brought this heating pad from the house.”
Tears prick my eyes. Stupid hormones.
“You got me all this?”
He gives me a soft smile. “You said you had your period and were dying from cramps. Of course I’m going to take care of my girl.”
A lump forms in my throat. “I expected not to see you for a few days when I texted you that. Guys typically run in fear of a girl on her period.”
He stops unloading the snacks in the kitchen and gives me an insulted look. “I’m not afraid of blood.” Stalking around the island, he backs me against it, trapping me between his arms. “And it doesn’t make me want to be around you or have you any less. I don’t care if you’re on your period, because I find you hot as fuck when you’re all done up shaking your sexy ass on the bar and when you’re wearing those cute little fuzzy socks. You make me want to earn my red wings with you over and over again. Okay?”
“O-okay.”
He takes me by the waist, eyeing me up and down with a smirk that makes my insides twist pleasantly. “Want me to go down on you? Lay down on the couch. I’ll suck on your clit and finger you while you watch your show.”
I rub my forehead, torn between the arousal pulsing through me and the urge to sit around in a burrito blanket all day. “No, you don’t have to.”
Guiding me back to the couch, he sits me down and plugs in the heating pad. I set the lukewarm hot water bottle I was using on the coffee table, then spread the pad across my abdomen with a relieved sigh as the heat starts to kick in.
“Thank you,” I mumble.
“I told you, Maya. You need me? I’m there.” He sits down with me, wrapping the blanket around both of us. “I have something else, too.”
“A magic way to scoop out my uterus?”
He chuckles. “No.”
I wave a hand. “Sorry. I’m just being dramatic. I hate suffering through cramps every month.”
“Let it all out. Rage as much as you want, baby. I’m here for anything you need.” He kisses my temple and rubs my back.
I shift to curl against his side. “This. I just need this.”
“Me too. Missed you over break.”
My face presses into his neck. “I missed you, too.” A small laugh slips out of me. “I thought Ryan was going to catch us every time you called me.”
“Worth it.”
Any moment I wasn’t with Grandpa and Easton wasn’t playing hockey or with his family, we talked. He called almost every night of winter break. Sometimes it was over Facetime with a wicked gleam in his eye, lighting me up with desire from his dirty mouth. Other times it was just because he wanted to hear my voice while we fell asleep.
I draw in a deep breath, closing my eyes at his calming scent. It feels good to be back in his arms.
“Here, this is what I got you.” He takes my hand and slips something into it. “I’ve noticed you like to move around when you get anxious or stressed. I went to this holiday market with my mom on Christmas Eve and saw these at a stall. I thought of you—thought that you might like them.”
The gold ring loops in a coil to create three rings with a set of matching beads that can be spun or moved freely around the loops. I slide it on my thumb, tracing the beads. It’s soothing to roll them.
My heart climbs into my throat at his thoughtfulness. “Easton. This is…“
“Is it okay?”
I give him a soft smile. “Yes. I love it.”
His arms loop around me, kneading the aches out of my lower back. I groan pitifully in appreciation.
“Did you spoil all the girls with this treatment? You’re being the perfect boyfriend. If anyone finds out, I’m going to have to fight to keep you.”
He scoffs, his embrace tightening. “No. This is all for you and only you. Forget the guy you might’ve heard about or think I was before we met, because I’m not him anymore. The only thing I am now is yours.”
I roll my lips between my teeth and a tender glow fills my chest. “Thank you.”
“What are we watching?”
“Don’t you have class today?”
“It’s a short one just to go over the syllabus. I’ll get the notes from Cam and email the professor later. I’d rather stay here with you.”
“What about practice?”
“We had practice early this morning. I skipped weight training when I saw your text, but I can make it up later.” He tugs me back against him. “Now stop worrying that pretty little head about me.”
I huff, battling a smile. “You really want to hang out all day and watch a romcom with me?”
He sighs in exasperation, tipping my chin up to meet my eyes. “Baby, I don’t know how to be any clearer. Every second spent with you is my favorite. Stop trying to put yourself last when you’re number one for me.”
It’s difficult to breathe for a moment, my cycle making me sensitive to getting emotional over something as simple as my boyfriend wanting to be here with me while I feel gross.
He drops a kiss on my forehead. “Catch me up on the show’s plot.”
I give him a rundown of the characters, gaining enthusiasm as I go on. His smile is full of affection at my animated explanation while I talk with my hands.
We put on the next episode and contentment washes over me. He gets as sucked into the show as I am, both of us gasping when drama unfolds to keep the two love interests apart. When the episode ends on an epic cliffhanger, we both scramble for the remote to tell Netflix we’re still watching.
He beats me to it, starting the next episode.
“If they don’t end up together by the end of this, I’m gonna be so pissed,” he mutters.
“Right? They’re so perfect for each other.”
The show puts me through the wringer, taking my emotions on a rollercoaster ride. When the couple has the slightest brush of their hands, I clutch at Easton, feet kicking with excitement.
“Oh my god, look! It’s happening!”
He shakes his head. “Nah, they’re gonna blue ball us some more. Watch. I bet they get interrupted.”
I slump against him when he turns out to be right. He chuckles, clasping my chin with his fingers to angle my head for a kiss.
“They might have to suffer through a slow burn, but we can do this whenever we want.”
My face splits into a brilliant smile. I get the remote to rewind the part we missed so we can read the subtitles.
“Oh, damn. We watched three episodes already?”
“It’s addictive,” he admits.
I smirk, reaching for the snacks he brought me. “Hana warned I would put it on and not stop until I finished watching it. Which is exactly how I wanted my day to go with a nice veg out.”
“I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve had a day of doing nothing.”
“We’re practicing self-care and resting. It’s good for you.”
“You’re good for me,” he counters.
It amazes me how happy I am with him. And if I hadn’t let my walls down for him, I would’ve ruined this because of my fear of going through another awful heartbreak. I’m glad he never stopped chasing me until I could learn to let him in.
Easton would never treat me the way Johnny did.
I want him to know I trust him. To do that, I need to tell him everything.
Instead of starting the episode again, I pause the show and sit up. He gives me his attention immediately.
Reagan’s the only one I’ve ever talked to about this, but something loosens inside my chest once I have the urge to share it with him.
“You remember the night we thought there was a break in at the end of last semester?”
He grunts. “You report that asshole to campus security, right?”
“Yes. They have his plates and won’t allow him back on campus.”
“Good.” The tension ebbs from him and he caresses my spine. “I feel better knowing you’re safe from him.”
I sigh. “He’s a total egotistical dickhead who’s obsessed with himself, but I wasn’t in danger. He hasn’t tried to contact me again.”
“Doesn’t make me want to make sure you’re protected any less.”
I toy with the ring he gave me, nudging the balls along the loop. “Johnny’s the one who made me hate hockey players. I wanted nothing to do with any of them ever again after we broke up.”
Easton lifts my chin with a crooked finger. His jaw is set, eyes blazing fiercely.
“He hurt you, didn’t he? What did he do to you?”
I swallow, gathering my courage. “At first, nothing. Johnny had a big personality, and since I was close with Ryan in high school we were around each other a lot. At the end of their season in mine and Ryan’s sophomore year, he came onto me at a party. I thought it was cool an upperclassmen was flirting with me.”
The memory makes me frown. Looking back, I now have the clarity to see how much he flirted with other girls at the same party. I was simply the first one to say yes when he wanted me to go with him.
Frustration at my naivety burns in my chest. I rub at it, flashing Easton a thin smile when he soothes me with his own touches while he listens.
“I guess he knew my brother wouldn’t stand for one of his teammates sleeping me then ditching me, so he asked me out. It seemed fine enough through the summer. I mean, other than the fact he would pressure me into sex and never cared if I came or not.” A dry laugh leaves me and he narrows his eyes in disapproval. “I don’t know if it was happening during the off season, but probably when it started back up, especially when the team traveled for away games.”
Easton’s brows wrinkle. “If what was happening?”
I give him a resigned look, aware that he’s already guessed by his brittle tone.
“Cheating on me. We dated all through his senior year and long distance his first year at Elmwood, but it wasn’t until I was touring colleges that I caught him.”
Easton goes still, breathing heavily. He clears his throat and twines our fingers together.
“Sorry. Go on,” he says gruffly.
I squeeze his hand, grateful for his fixation with tracing patterns on the inside of my wrist as I go on.
“I was such an idiot. I thought it would be cute to surprise him, so I showed up for the tour early. When I found him, he was screwing a sorority girl.”
“You weren’t,” he grumbles. “He was the fucking idiot.”
“Well, yeah, I know that now. In the moment, I was a wreck. The betrayal cut me deep, but that wasn’t the worst of it. He was consumed by the glory of being a hockey player and the attention that brought him. He made me believe the entire team knew he was cheating on me regularly the entire time we dated.” I close my eyes. “Even Ryan. So I didn’t have the guts to tell him. I was too afraid to know if he knew the truth or not.”
A growl tears from Easton, but he holds my hand gently. He works his jaw, scrubbing a hand over his mouth.
“I think if you told your brother, he would’ve killed this guy. There’s no way anyone would be able to play alongside a teammate that did that.”
My shoulder lifts. “Johnny was a champion gaslighter to the end, even as I broke up with him.”
I sigh. It feels great to get this out, but it does make the pain of his betrayal resurface.
“I hated what he did to me. That he lied and twisted my emotions around to suit his narrative like he was owed the chance to get with other girls whenever he wanted.”
My voice wavers. I pause for a moment to collect myself, throat sore with tightness to keep myself from falling apart.
“And because I was so torn up over the thought of being around him, I stayed away from hockey, which I loved before he did a number on me. After that, I drifted from Ryan and I couldn’t stomach going to a game.” I chew the corner of my lip. “I didn’t want to give myself over to any kind of serious relationship again.”
He remains quiet through the rest of my story other than the dangerous rumbles of outrage and a hard glint in his eyes. His jaw clenches, a muscle jumping in his cheek, and he flexes his fist.
“If I ever catch him alone, I’m making him pay for that,” he grits through his teeth.
My breath hitches. His fierce protectiveness is tinged with the promise of violence. It shouldn’t turn me on so much, but I can’t help the way it makes my heart race with excitement.
This is what always attracted me to hockey players in the first place. Their intensity. Their wild nature. Their need to fight for what’s theirs.
It wasn’t like this with Johnny. He only had an endless amount of arrogance. The only person he’ll ever love is himself.
“I’m the one who dumped him, so at least I have that to be proud of. I wish I’d recognized what was happening sooner, or never dated him at all. After him, I didn’t want anything to do with guys like him, so I took the safest routes.”
His angry expression softens. “You didn’t want to get burned again. It makes sense. I’m sorry you went through that and felt like you couldn’t let your guard down around people.”
I nod and swipe beneath my eyes. “I shouldn’t have told you while I’m on my period. I always get all weepy over the littlest things.”
He gently bats my hand away to catch my tears with his thumb. “I’m glad you told me. I want to know everything about you. The good things and the bad. You can always lean on me.”
Heart in my throat, I press my lips to his in a soft kiss.
“Now let me erase all the ways he wronged my girl.” His forehead presses to mine and he holds the back of my neck, squeezing to drive his point home. “Because I will never let him or anyone else hurt you again.”
The kiss he gives me starts out sweet and gentle. It only lasts for a few moments before I want more. Warmth spreads through me as I swing a leg over his lap and wrap my arms around his neck.
His cock hardens the more I grind against it. He eats up the tiny sounds I make, holding my ass in a firm grip to encourage me to rub against him until I stiffen, pleasure erupting in my core.
“That’s it, sweetheart,” he says against my lips. “Did that feel good?”
Releasing a shaking breath, I nod. My hips continue rocking, savoring the delicious sensation of the thick ridge pressed against my pussy. His jeans and my thin leggings are the only barrier between us.
He slides a hand up my back. “When does your roommate get back?”
“Not until later. We have time.”
“Go get yourself ready for me. Then come right back here.”
The rough, commanding tone sparks an intense pulse of arousal that takes a long moment to ebb away. I start to get up, but he slips his fingers in my hair and kisses me hard before he lets me go.
I take care of what I need to in the bathroom, then strip down to just his big Heston University t-shirt I’ve claimed as my own to sleep in.
When I return to the living room, he’s put a towel on the couch where he sits. His shirt is off and he strokes the huge bulge in his boxers without hurry. He admires me with hooded eyes, patting his thigh.
My nipples harden and his mouth tugs into a slow, smug grin. I lick my lips, padding closer.
“Are you sure?” I really want him to say yes, body thrumming with desire now that I’m all worked up. “We’re probably going to make a mess if we do this.”
He grasps my wrist and jerks me onto his lap sideways. “I’m not afraid to get dirty or make a mess with you. I just want to make you feel good. Let me take care of you, Maya.”
I shiver at the drag of his fingertips moving up my leg to tuck between my thighs. He nudges them apart and strokes my folds with a light touch until I push against him, legs falling open.
He hums, giving me more pressure. “You want to come, baby?”
“Yes.”
“Turn all the way around for me.”
Easton helps me twist around so I’m straddling him in reverse, my back resting against his chest. I bite my lip, feeling oddly on display in a way that makes my insides coil sensuously.
He pulls the shirt up and his other hand delves between my legs, fingers spreading me. A dizzying exhale rushes out of me when he slips a finger inside while grinding the heel of his palm against my clit.
I tip my head back on his shoulder with a bitten off cry as he adds another and plunges them deep inside to tease the spot that makes me gasp. He toys with my nipple, plucking it with the same pace as his fingers fucking me.
My entire body aches with arousal that builds and builds, finally snapping with an orgasm that makes my thighs tremble.
He takes his time fingering me while kissing my neck. I don’t know how long it goes on for, all I know is boundless pleasure from him playing with me.
“Have you had enough?” he asks after what seems like ages.
“More,” I plead. “Feels so good.”
“Yeah? You need my cock to fill you up.”
I don’t have to answer. He knows how much I want him by the way my pussy squeezes his fingers.
“Kneel up.”
He keeps one hand on my hip to hold me steady while he works his boxers off. My mouth drops open when I finally sink down and feel his cock stretching me until I’m completely full of him.
Somehow it’s even better like this than it is when I’m not on my period, my nerve endings lit up, more sensitive to everything.
“How does that feel?” His lips map my throat and he squeezes my breasts while he lets me adjust to the size of him. “Is that what you need, Maya?”
“Yes.” I gasp at the deep angle when he scoots down slightly to fuck me in a slow, steady pace. “Oh, god, that’s so—”
“I know, baby. Just relax for me. I’ve got you.”
One of his hands drops down, touching where our bodies are joined before he presses against my clit, rubbing in the same gentle pace as before to build me up to an epic release. The long time he spent leisurely playing with my pussy has me balancing on the edge of another orgasm within moments, keeping me floating in ecstasy that’s even more incredible with his cock inside me.
It’s less about his desires. He’s one hundred percent focused on me, groaning in enjoyment from every ounce of pleasure he wrings from me with the same unwavering drive he has when he’s playing hockey.
“Fuck, look at you, Maya. You’re so perfect. A gorgeous mess for me.”
I let go, unable to think of anything but the sensual tingles that build in my core each time his cock glides into me in long strokes to make me feel every inch. I no longer care about bleeding on him or anything outside of being fucked into oblivion.
Any sense of time becomes lost to me. All I know is the bliss of slipping from one orgasm into the next while Easton kisses my skin, murmuring praise and encouragement when he feels me clamping on him each time I come.
When I’ve lost track of how many times he’s pushed me over the edge, he tenses with a rough groan.
His arms lock around me and he buries a curse against my neck. The pulse of his cock deep inside as his come floods my pussy makes me moan. I fall back against his chest, both of us panting and worn out.
I’m too out of it, drifting in the aftershocks of overstimulation. He takes care of cleaning both of us up in the shower and rinses the towel. I stop him when he tries to figure out how to insert a tampon, laughing sleepily at his attempts.
When we’re done, he makes me drink a bottle of water while he cooks us dinner now that it’s dark out, then holds me in his arms on the couch while we watch the final two episodes of the show.
I feel weightless in the best way, like I don’t have to worry about anything because no matter what I have him there to support me. For the first time since I caught my ex cheating on me, I truly feel like I can move on from it.
I thought I never wanted to fall for another hockey player as a way to keep my heart safe, but now I know it’s okay. Even if I didn’t want this, it’s too late. He has my heart and I know he’ll do everything to cherish it.
Snuggling closer to Easton, a soft smile breaks free when his embrace cinches tighter to envelop me in his warm, loving comfort.
