Riley and I spend all our free time in bed together before I have to leave with the team to prepare for the first playoff game of the season.
Holding her in my arms, I think about what we have. It’s different. It’s special. What we have together isn’t just sex. It’s mind-blowing sex. It’s put-a-ring-on-it sex.
It’s more than sex.
I listen to her gentle breathing, hoping that she doesn’t have any regrets. She better not because I sure as hell don’t. My only regret is not doing it sooner.
The alarm on my phone goes off.
“What’s that?” She blinks a few times as she groggily sits up, looking around the room for the source of the noise.
“My alarm,” I say. “I have to start getting ready. My flight is in a few hours.”
“No,” she protests, pouting her lips in the cutest way.
Smiling, I pull her close and kiss her on the forehead. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
I trace the bridge of her nose with the tip of mine before I climb out of bed and start to pack.
“Why don’t you guys get more time off?” She’s rubbing her eyes.
“Because people are excited about hockey. People like you.”
“You know what else I’m excited for?” She looks at me with a lazy smile.
Looking at her, I smirk. I know exactly what she’s implying. Throwing a t-shirt into my gym bag, I climb back onto the bed, crawling up her naked body.
“Trust me, I want to stay just as much as you do.” I kiss her neck, unable to control the carnal growl deep in my throat as I smell her sweet scent.
She combs her fingers through my hair.
“Will you be at the home games when I’m back?” I ask.
“I’ll try.”
I pull back. “Free tickets to a playoff game and all you can do is try?”
She gives an apologetic shrug and pulls me close again. “I’ve got exams all week. There’s a lot of studying to do.”
“What will I do without my lady luck?”
Pulling her hand from my hair, she touches the rose pendant necklace hanging between her breasts. “If I could be there, I would. But I need to study.”
“But you’re so smart already, why do you need to study?”
She lets out a soft laugh.
“Here.” Unclasping her necklace, she lifts my hand and drops the necklace into my palm. “That’s where my luck comes from. Now it’s yours.”
“You don’t need this for your exams?”
She shakes her head. “That’s what studying is for. Take the necklace. That way I’m with you.”
Smiling, I lean in and kiss her. “You’re the best.”
“Win those games.”
“Am I in your playoff fantasy draft?”
She smirks. “Just win, okay?”
“Yes, boss.” As I pull myself down her body, I kiss her thigh and blow a big raspberry against her skin before she shoves me off the bed.
***
The Blades fly out to play the first round against the Portland Wolves.
As I settle into my hotel room, I curse the sight of the large empty bed. It’s hard not sleeping in the same bed as Riley after spending four days straight with her naked body pressed against mine. It’s strange that I already miss, despite only being gone now a few hours. I can’t help but text her as I sit in the bus on the way to the arena. And I can’t help but continually check my phone even though I know she’s already too busy studying to respond. I can’t help myself. She’s the first woman I’ve ever felt this way about, and I don’t want this relationship to slip through my fingers like smoke.
“Big game,” Marcus says. We’re standing in the locker room in the Portland arena. “Playoffs! We finally made it, bud.”
“We sure did,” I say.
I’m looking at my locker, hanging the rose pendant necklace in the perfect spot in the cubby so I can see it between periods.
“Damn,” Marcus says. He’s looking at his phone.
“What is it?”
“The Crushers are already leading.”
“You know what?” I look at him. “I don’t care. What matters is us. Right here, right now.”
“Wow, you’re in a good mood.”
The rose pendant catches the light and I smile. “I feel more relaxed than I’ve felt in a long time, you know? I finally feel like I’m where I’m meant to be.”
“Don’t get too relaxed. We have a cup to win.” Marcus throws the tape at me. I catch it with one hand. “Ready?”
“I was born ready.”
After fifty-five minutes of playing a scoreless game, we manage to score by the skin of our teeth in the last five minutes thanks to a few lucky bounces.
The excitement of winning the first game of the playoffs is immense as the team celebrates.
After taking part in the post-game celebration, interviews, and team post-mortem, I shower and pack my things. Carefully taking the rose pendant out of my locker, I kiss it and put it securely in my bag. I can’t help but feel like my good luck charm paid off.
There’s a text message waiting for me.
RILEY: Nice assist 😉
I smile to myself.
LOGAN: You found time out of your busy schedule to watch me?
RILEY: How can I resist?
I’m about to send her a text about how much I miss her, how much I’m thinking about her, but she texts first.
RILEY: I can’t stay up. Big study sesh tomorrow morning. Get some rest xox
LOGAN: Dream of me.
She sends back a smiley face. Smiling to myself, I pocket my phone and head to the hotel. Only forty-eight hours until I get to see her again.
God, what’s wrong with me? How did I fall so hard for this woman? Not long ago, I was happy to be alone forever. Now I’m counting down the hours. The old me would think I was dumbstruck, an idiot. But Riley makes me feel complete. She makes my world feel full. Everything else seems secondary.
It’s this exact attitude that loosens me up for the next game two days later. I pass the puck to everyone on my line, creating opportunities every time I’m on the ice. Our synergy allows Rory to score a hattrick while Skip gets a shutout.
Another win for the Blades. We’re on fire!
I’m riding a high as I get back to Seattle that night and make my way home well past midnight. Something ignites inside me knowing Riley’s there waiting for me.
I walk into a dark empty apartment.
“Riley?”
As I make my way into the bedroom, I see that the bathroom door is open. Steam is pouring out the door as the shower runs.
Smiling to myself, I put my bag down and start taking off my clothes. Taking off my watch, I place it on the dresser. One of the drawers is open and I can see her clothes neatly folded inside. A warm feeling radiates inside me knowing her stuff is mixed in with mine. It feels like she already lives here. Our lives are already intertwined.
For a moment, I envision what our living room would look like if all her stuff was here. I can even see us moving to a bigger place, one with an office and a backyard. A place we could call home.
A noise interrupts my fantasy.
Riley walks out of the bathroom wearing an oversized Blades t-shirt. A sleeve is hanging off her shoulder, showing off a pink bra strap. She’s in black underwear. No pants.
“I didn’t think you’d be back so soon.” She dabs at her wet hair with a towel.
“I hurried because I was excited to see you.” I take a step closer.
She throws the towel aside and walks up to me, placing her warm hands on my chest and bringing the clean smell of green apple shampoo and coconut body wash with her. She leans in, giving me a long, slow kiss. The exact one I’ve been waiting for. I close my eyes and lose myself in her lips. She tastes so good.
“Congratulations on your wins,” she says.
“Thanks,” I whisper. Leaning in, I kiss her again. “I missed you.”
She smiles. “I missed you too.”
This alone makes me feel at home.
“You know how my week was.” I slip my hands around her waist. “How was yours?”
Her smile wavers and her chin quivers before she drops her face into her hands and begins to sob.
“Riley? What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head.
“Hey, hey.” I pull her hands from her face. “Look at me.”
She looks up with her watery sea-glass eyes.
“What happened?”
Taking in a deep inhale, she pulls away and grabs a letter off the nightstand. She looks at it as she bites her lip as if debating if she should even show it to me.
“What is it?” I ask.
She hesitates before handing it to me. “The Seattle biomechanics lab decided not to take me on as an intern.”
Her chin wrinkles.
“Oh, Riley.” I set the letter aside. “Come here.”
I pull her in so she can cry on my shoulder, which is exactly what she does.
‘It’s okay.” I stroke her wet hair, inhaling the crisp scent of green apple.
“It’s just not fair.” She sobs softly as my shoulder starts to feel wet and warm. “I’ve worked so hard.”
“You’ve got other internships or positions to apply to, right? I mean, this isn’t the only one?”
She nods. “That’s true, but…I just wanted to get this one.”
She looks up at me with her watery eyes.
“Because of your Aunt Mary?” I ask.
Her mouth opens in astonishment. “You remember that?”
“Of course. It was on our first date at the charity gala. You said you wanted to work at the biomechanics lab here in Seattle because you wanted your Aunt Mary to be proud of you.”
She sniffles. “I can’t believe you remember that!”
“It was important to you.” I touch her wet cheek. “I think your Aunt Mary will be proud of you no matter where you end up. You’re a smart independent woman who can get any position she wants. It doesn’t have to be at the same place she worked at. There’s no way she’s not proud of you already.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. You know how I know?”
She shakes her head.
“Because I’m proud of you.” I wipe away her tears. “You’re determined and smart, and that’s a deadly combination.”
She laughs but her smile quickly fades. “I just had my heart set on a job here in Seattle for so long…”
I furrow my brow. “You don’t have any other prospects here?”
She looks up at me and quickly looks away. “I still have one place I’m waiting to hear back from but if it falls through then I’ll have no choice but to move.”
There’s a vulnerability in her voice that makes my stomach twist. This was supposed to be just the beginning of our relationship, not the end. It makes me want to fix everything so that we can be together, the way we are in my fleeting fantasies.
I look into her eyes. “Everything will be okay. I believe in you, Riley Jamieson.”
She smiles. “Thanks, Logan Drake.”
“I can see you living here, with me,” I say. My heart is thumping in my chest.
“You can?”
I nod as I tilt her chin up and kiss her. My lips brush against hers slowly, passionately. She places her hands on my chest, moving them slowly up to my shoulders. I clasp my hand over one of hers.
“I love you,” I whisper against her lips.
I feel her smile. Her trusting gray sea-glass eyes look up into mine.
“I love you too.”
I don’t know what else to do but smile.
“That’s the first time we’ve ever said that,” she says.
“But I know you’ve loved me all along.”
She furrows her brow and laughs. “What?”
“You told me on our date at the student bar that the next person you had sex with would be the man you loved.”
Her cheeks turn pink. She looks down, trying to hide her smile. I tilt her chin back up so she can look at me. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her body against mine, feeling her softness and heat. She trails her hands down my back, slipping her fingers under the waistband of my jeans.
“Come on, Mr. Drake.” She tugs at my jeans, pulling my hips into hers. “Show me how much you love me.”
She pulls me down onto the bed with her.
“I can do that.” I smirk as I pull her oversized Blades shirt off, revealing the pink lace bra and mismatched black cotton panties underneath.
I kiss her shoulder, inhaling her as if she might disappear soon. She runs her hands through my hair, breathing in my ear. We paw at each other like hungry wolves, starved for each other’s affection.
The relief of connection is more intense and invigorating than anything felt before. We move against each other slow and steady like ocean waves, rolling together in the still of the night, becoming one with the rhythm.
I stare into those gray sea-glass eyes, feeling the hope I feel for both of us. Wanting to become one with her, I press my lips against hers, kissing her with the knowledge that she’s all I’ll ever need.
“Please,” she moans. “Let’s do this all night.”
I kiss her neck and breathe into her ear. “Let’s do this forever.”
