“Holy god,” I groan, rolling to my side away from Tess. I’m a sweating, panting mess, and I feel like all my essence has been sucked out of my dick. I’m nothing but an empty shell now, the chalk outline form of Ryan Langley. “Babe, I can’t,” I mutter, eyes shut tight. “No more. I’m dead.”
The vibe she was using drops to the bed, buzzing between us as she giggles. “Poor puppy, did I wear you out?”
I just groan.
She showed up like a spinning tornado, busting into the house at 7:30 a.m. having already been out to the coffee shop. Then she dragged me into her shower where we fucked like animals, her hands pressed against the tiles while I hammered into her from behind. Her pussy squeezed my dick so hard, I saw stars. It was fucking epic. Best wakeup ever.
We somehow found our way back to my room, and we’ve spent the last hour naked. She made me come again when she slipped a buzzing cock ring on me that made me feel like my dick was zapped by lightning. My jizz spilled all over my stomach, and I practically squealed like a girl trying to get it off when I reached that point of oversensitivity.
Then my red-headed devil licked me clean while she fucked herself with a two-pronged toy she calls her ‘rabbit.’ She straddled my legs as she rode the toy, her beautiful body moving on top of me as she came again, calling my name.
Now she thinks I can try for round three, and I have to end this while my heart still beats. I’m convinced: Sex with Tess is gonna kill me…and I’ll gladly thank her for it as my soul ascends.
An hour later, I arrive at the Rays gym to see quite a few guys going through their reps with the strength and conditioning team. Metal music plays through the speakers loud enough to get the blood pumping. I walk past the row of exercise bikes where a few of the defensemen are cycling.
“There he is,” Jake calls, waving me down.
As I move towards him, he hops off his bike, sweat pouring down his face.
“Hey, man. What’s up—ouch—” I cry, reeling from a hard slap to the back of the head. “What the fuck was that for?” I say, glaring at him.
Jake gets right up in my face. “What part of ‘be her friend’ did your dick translate to ‘insert here?’”
I go still staring at him, momentarily speechless. “What—how do you know about that?” I cry, eyes wide.
He just points over my shoulder.
I spin around to see Doc glaring at me. She leans against her open office door, arms crossed. I turn back around to see Jake has been joined by a very large, very broody Mars.
“When did she tell you?” I blurt, my mind reeling.
“This morning,” Mars replies. “We all woke to her panicking in our bed.”
“Panicking?” I repeat, glancing between them.
“Yeah, apparently she deflowered you in a nursery,” Jake teases.
“On camera,” Mars adds.
“I wasn’t deflowered,” I snap at Jake. “It wasn’t my first time, asshole.”
“It was your first time with Tess, and that’s what matters to us,” he counters.
I go still, my gaze darting between them. Shit, what did she tell them?
“It wasn’t their first time,” says Sanford, waltzing between them with that hitch in his step.
“What?” Jake cries, spinning to face him. “How do you know?”
“It’s written all over his face,” he replies. “I bet they’re doing it all over that bungalow.”
“Mitä helvettiä,” Mars curses in Finnish. “Did you two fuck in my sauna?”
I glance at Mars. Yeah, I’m not answering that. I like my teeth right where they are, thank you very much.
“What the hell did you two do last night?” Sanny teases.
“Nothing,” I cry, my gaze darting between them.
Sanny smirks. “Look at you, wild stallion.”
“Well, I’m not gonna kiss and tell,” I huff, crossing my arms.
“Kiss and tell?” Jake echoes. “Jeezus, Langers. Is this grade school? Are we twelve?”
“We already know you fucked last night,” says Sanford. “She told us.”
“Yeah, in a nursery, which is fucking weird,” Jake adds. “Baby Josh sleeps in there.”
“Well, let’s not split hairs,” Sanford says with a hand on his shoulder. “You blew me in a Baskin-Robbins bathroom last week.”
Jake laughs. “Oh yeah. Totally worth it.”
“What we need to know is what happens now,” says Mars, holding up a hand to silence them. “She’s ours to protect.”
“Yeah, she’s Rachel’s family,” adds Sanny. “Which makes her our family.”
“You’re in sister-fucking territory right now, asshole,” says Jake. “Which is against, like, every code in the hockey bro handbook. No moms, no sisters. You’re lucky we don’t have you in a headlock on the floor.”
“Damage that knee, and you’ll all be sleeping out on the deck chairs tonight,” Doc calls from her office doorway.
“Will you call them off?” I shout over my shoulder.
“No.”
“Answer the question, tough guy,” says Jake, giving my shoulder a shove. “What is this between you two? Is she nothing but a puck bunny to you?”
“No,” I reply.
“A convenient fuck?” jabs Sanford. “A distraction? A fun trip to cougar town?”
“No—”
“Are you gonna break her heart?” Jake snaps, shoving my shoulder again.
“Guys, I don’t even—”
“Love ‘em and leave ‘em? Eh, Langers?” Sanford says. “Is that your M.O.?”
“No,” I growl.
“Then what is she—”
“She’s everything!”
All four of them have their eyes locked on me, and my heart is suddenly racing a mile a minute. We’re doing this. Right here. Right now.
I glare around at each of them. “She’s fucking everything, alright? I’m fucking—I’m obsessed with her.” I groan, dragging both my hands through my hair.
“Oh, shit.” Jake’s eyes are wide as he takes me in.
“I’m not sleeping,” I admit. “I’m not eating. I’m distracted on and off the ice. Since the moment I saw her standing in those waves on beach day, it’s like…” I try to think of the right words to explain it. “It’s like pieces of me are getting chipped away and replaced with her.”
“Shit,” Sanford says, glancing between his partners. “Guys, this is bad.”
“Yeah, abort mission,” says Jake, taking a step back, his hand on Sanny’s tattooed arm.
“You assholes wanna know how this fucking happened?” I say, gesturing to my knee. “I lost concentration on the ice for a split second. I let my eyes drift up to that crowd, and I thought I saw her standing there. One second too long of wishing it was her watching me, and then that winger took me out at the knees.”
Jake winces, glancing over his shoulder. “Babe, I think he’s serious.”
“Of course, I’m fucking serious.” I give him a shove. “You asked me what happens now, huh?” I turn around to face Doc. “Listen, Hades. You need to call off your three-headed guard dog,” I say, pointing a finger at her.
“Point at my wife again, and lose the finger,” Jake warns.
I drop my hand, not breaking eye contact with Doc. “I know you’re just trying to be her friend right now and protect her. I know you’re scared for her. I’m fucking scared too. What she’s going through is scary. But I’m not going anywhere, okay? Fuck being friends. I am crazy about that woman, so just back the fuck off. All of you,” I add, glaring at her men.
“Look at the balls on this kid,” Sanny says, arms still crossed as he measures me up.
“Hades,” Jake snorts. “Sorry, babe, but that’s totally gonna stick.”
“I’m making us Team Cerberus shirts,” says Sanford.
“Ohmygod, can you imagine? I want them in black with like a big three-headed dog on the front. It would be cool, right, Mars?” Jake says, looking to the quiet Finn.
“Leave me out of it,” he says.
“Don’t worry, Metaphor. We’ll make yours a crop top,” Sanford teases.
I just shake my head, glancing between them. “You guys are fucking crazy.”
Jake laughs. “Are we done here, Hades?” he calls over his shoulder. “You hear what you needed to hear?”
Slowly, Doc nods.
“Sorry, Langers,” he says at me. “We had to bring down the heavy on you. We needed to know where you stand. In case you’re worried, you passed the test.”
“With flying colors,” Sanny adds.
“Well, thank God for small fucking mercies.” I slip around her guys and head her way. “I’ve got PT with Brady for the next forty-five minutes. And then I’m coming back over here, and as punishment for Jake hitting me, you’re gonna tell me how I can get in good with Tess. I am not messing this up, alright?”
“I thought you just told me to back the fuck off?” she replies coolly.
“Look, I don’t need any help running her off. That woman was born with a pair of Nike Airs strapped to her feet.”
That earns me a smirk, which I’m gonna call progress.
I step closer, gazing down at her. “Give me something. Doc. One thing I can use to reach her and show her that I mean to stick around. That I’m good for—well, that I’m good for more than just being friends.”
She sighs, leaning against the doorframe. “You really like her?”
“I think I’m falling in love with her,” I admit. My eyes go wide to mirror hers, and I realize too late my mistake. “Oh—please, God, don’t tell her. Please—fuck—I know you have your girl code that you have to share everything, but Doc, please. She’ll run so fucking fast. She’s not ready. She—”
“Ryan,” she says with a soft laugh, placing her hand on my arm and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I won’t tell her, okay? You’re right. If you tell her that right now, we’ll be repairing a Tess-shaped hole in Ilmari’s wall.”
“So, what do I do?” I press, searching her face. “How do I reach her?”
She gives me another long look, like she’s measuring me up. Finally, her shoulders relax a little, and I know I’ve passed some important best friend test. I drop my hands back to my sides. “For as much as that girl loves to talk, her love language is action.”
“Her—what?”
“Service, Ryan,” she clarifies. “Acts of service. You can’t tell Tess you love her and make her believe you. She won’t. It’s not in her nature. Your best chance is to show her.”
I clap my hands together, brain whirring. “Right, show her. I can do that. Wait—how do you show someone you love them? Flowers? Chocolates?”
She smirks. “Is this a Hallmark movie? Are you gonna teach her the true meaning of Christmas, too, Langley?”
“Well, fuck, I don’t know,” I cry, my frustration rising. “I’ve never done this before. I’ve never tried to show a woman I love her.”
“Honestly, that will probably help. Don’t think about what you should do or what others have done. You need to do what feels right and natural to you. You’re a smart guy, Langley. I’m sure you can figure this out.”
I nod, my brain still working in overdrive as I turn away.
“Hey, Ryan,” Doc calls, breaking my concentration.
I glance over my shoulder, glaring when I see the set of hers. “What now? You gonna threaten me again? List the ways you’ll hurt me if I hurt her?”
“No. I’ll leave the threats to my three-headed guard dog,” she adds with a smirk.
I roll my eyes.
“I was just going to say I think she has a volunteer training event over at Mickler’s Beach today.”
“Yeah, I know. What do you—” And then I go still, my brain crunching on this new information. “Ohhh…and that would?”
“Never know until you try,” she replies. Turning away, she disappears inside her office.
