I wake up feeling like I’ve spent the night under the summer sun.
A heavy arm is draped over me, and my legs are sandwiched beneath a hairy one. I’m warm. Secure. Adam is a protective barrier between me and the world right now, and I want to stay here for as long as I can.
I’m only an inch away from the edge of the king-sized bed, and that only makes me stifle a laugh so I don’t wake him. A pinky-orange colour glows beneath the blackout curtains covering the window, so it must be very early.
Adam’s breath fans my hair, and I can feel his lips pressed to my head. A smile breaks out on my face. The memories of last night replay in my mind. Everything we did, everything I felt, it’s all burning inside me.
I’m falling in love with him. That much I can’t deny. Now, what do I do with that? What does all of this mean going forward?
All I know for sure is that I need to figure my shit out sooner rather than later. I’ve been putting my future on the back burner for too long now, and it’s become a weight tied to my ankle, pulling me down.
I can’t continue to drown when I have someone offering me a life jacket.
A deep rumbling noise escapes the cuddle bug behind me as his arm tightens around my side and he pulls me even closer. I laugh, letting him move me however he wants.
“How long have you been up?” he asks, sleep thick in his tone.
“Long enough to realize that you’re not only a bed hog but also a serious cuddler.”
He chuckles. His lips meet my ear and then the skin below it. “I had to make sure you couldn’t get away in the middle of the night.”
“I’m only here because I didn’t want to have to wiggle against the massive boner digging into my ass right now and wake you up before I could disappear.” I push back against said boner and let his pained groan settle between my legs.
He splays his hand across my stomach and tries to still me. His voice drops to a growl. “If you don’t stop, it will be doing a hell of a lot more than just digging into you.”
I shiver and, with a boost of confidence I don’t recognize, reach behind me and grip his bare shaft. He hisses through his teeth.
“Don’t tease me with a good time, Adam.”
Suddenly, he’s pulling my hand from his cock and slipping his fingers between my legs. I lift my leg to make room for him and let my head loll to the side when he swirls one around my opening and pushes it inside.
“You talk a big game, baby. But we both know you’ll fold as soon as I touch you.”
I want to argue, but words fail me. Instead, I have to hold myself back from begging for more. Adam has an alpha male side that I did not see coming. One that only lifts its head when we’re like this, completely lost in each other. It makes my stomach turn to goo and my pussy soaked.
He pulls his finger from my pussy and uses it to rub my clit. “No argument?”
“You know I don’t have one,” I grind out and push myself further into his hand, desperate for him to give me more. He pulls his hand away completely instead. “Adam, pl—”
The broad head of his cock pushing inside me steals my breath and my words. He slides in easily with how wet and ready I am for him and curses my name when he fills me completely.
“Your pussy—shit—it feels like fucking heaven,” he grunts, beginning to thrust. “Stretched around me nice and tight.”
“You’re huge,” I gasp. “That’s why.”
He reaches around me to grab my breast and pinch the nipple between his splayed fingers. “No, Scarlett. It’s because it was made for me. It was made to take this cock.”
My eyes roll back. “And you were made for me.”
His thrusts falter. His voice isn’t commanding or thick with desire when he speaks next. It’s warm, almost nervous. “Yeah? You’re right. I was.”
I squeal when he rolls me to my stomach and settles behind me. His hands palm my ass cheeks before spreading them and pushing inside me again.
“Oh, shit,” I curse, burying my face in the pillow.
The new position has the tip of his cock hitting my G-spot and my clit brushing the mattress with each thrust. When he places a hand on my lower back, I look at him over my shoulder and find his eyes on me, burning so bright with a hefty cocktail of emotions.
His brows tug in with his pleasure as our eyes lock and hold. I cry out when his pace slows and becomes harder, each thrust sending me jolting forward. I’m nearly there, and he realizes it with a groan.
“Give it to me, baby. Give it all to me,” he half pleads, half orders.
I drop my head forward and claw at the sheets as his words push me over the edge. Stars burst behind my eyes, and sounds escape me that I can’t hold in.
“Fuck, you make the prettiest sounds when you come.”
A full-body shudder racks through me as he continues to pound into me. The sound of slapping flesh is enough to pull me out of my orgasm-induced brain fog.
“I want you in my mouth,” I rush out.
He doesn’t hesitate to pull out and stroke himself while watching me fumble to my knees and crawl to him. I’m desperate to have him in my mouth, and when I replace his hand with mine, bringing him to my lips, the groan he releases says he’s desperate for the same thing.
I swirl my tongue around the tip, collecting the mix of our flavours before sliding it down his smooth shaft, down to the base. He gently gathers my hair and pulls it from my face.
“Put it in your mouth, baby.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I push him past my lips and slide down the length of him, only stopping when I can’t take him further. Wrapping my fingers around whatever I can’t fit in my mouth, I pump my hand in time with every rise and fall of my head.
“That’s it. So fucking good.”
His praise encourages me to take him deeper, hitting my gag reflex. I sputter, and spit leaks from the corners of my mouth.
“Christ. Not going to last much longer. I’m nearly there,” he chokes.
The grip on my hair tightens, but he doesn’t push me. He lets me take it at my own pace, even if he’s dying to fuck my mouth.
I hollow my cheeks and suck him harder each time I reach the tip. Using my other hand, I touch his balls, cradling them in my palm and rubbing the smooth skin beneath them with my thumb. His groan tears through the room.
“Where?” Adam asks suddenly. I look at him through my eyelashes and blink, answering him with a hard suck. “Dirty fucking girl.”
I hum around him and fight off a smug grin when that’s the final thing to set him off. As soon as he whispers my name like a curse and presses his fingers into my scalp, he fills my mouth.
Only after I’ve swallowed everything he’s given me do I pull away and suck in gulps of air, trying to catch my breath. The hands in my hand move to my cheeks as he pushes forward and captures my mouth.
It’s a deep kiss, one that carries the weight of appreciation. I smile against his lips before pulling back and falling backward on the bed.
“Did you know that you have a filthy mouth, Adam?”
He tips his head back and laughs loudly. “I do. And you seem to like it.”
I shrug, smirking. “It’s like you have an alter ego. It’s kind of sexy.”
“Only kind of?”
I watch him fall to the bed beside me and turn to face me. His eyes twinkle, even in the dark.
“Mm. I’m too tired to search for another compliment,” I mumble, shutting my eyes. “What time is it, anyway?”
The bed dips before the sound of him digging around his side table fills the room. “Seven thirty,” he says.
My eyes shoot open. “Crap. I thought it was earlier.” I nearly throw myself out of bed and wander around the dark room, grabbing pieces of clothing off the ground and attempting to put them on. “Where did I put my phone?”
More rustling. “Your pants?”
“No pockets.”
“Kitchen?”
After tugging a shirt over my head that smells like Adam, I find the door and peel it open before rushing into the hallway. It’s much brighter out here, and I have no trouble finding the kitchen. My phone screen is lit up when I spot it on the island.
Grabbing it, I see a photo of my mom on the screen. I frantically answer the call.
“Hi, Mom. Everything okay?”
Adam must turn the coffee machine on behind me because it makes a hissing sound before liquid begins to drip into the pot.
“Where are you? You missed curfew, young lady. You’re lucky I didn’t call the police,” she chastises me like a child.
Like a child.
My inhale is warbled. Fear sinks its jagged claws into my chest and twists. How do I deal with this? This has never happened before.
When a strong chest meets my back and two strong arms bracket me, I fall back into the embrace.
“Where is Mrs. McConnell, Mom?”
“She came over for coffee, and then I sent her home. It’s far too early for company, anyway. Silly woman.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry I’m not there. I’ll be home soon,” I say cautiously.
“Where are you, Scarlett? This isn’t like you.”
Adam presses a gentle kiss to the side of my head when I speak again. “I stayed at a friend’s house, but I’m coming back right now.”
Mom clucks her tongue. “Yes, you are. I’ll see you in a little while, then.”
“See you,” I whisper before hanging up and calling Mrs. McConnell. I don’t allow myself to focus on anything else.
She picks up on the second ring. “Hello?”
“You just left my mom alone?” I ask, my voice louder, more brash than I wanted. She gasps, and instant regret digs deep in my gut.
Adam places his hand over the one holding my phone and gently slips it from my grasp. I let him bring it to his ear and tell my neighbour what’s going on, knowing that I’m nowhere near the right headspace to talk to her.
Placing a hand to my chest, I close my eyes and let Adam’s conversation with the older woman turn to static.
The reality of my mom’s disease is heavier now than ever. She’s been getting worse every day, but this is just another sign that I can’t do this on my own.
She deserves the best help she can get, and I’m beginning to realize that isn’t me. With my job at WIT being the only real source of income we have now that she can’t work anymore—even just helping out at the greenhouse a few hours a day is too much as of late—I can’t afford to quit and stay home with her again.
Shit. How is me working at the rink going to change after what’s happened? I’m going to have to get another job. I can’t keep working for Adam. He can’t be my boss.
My heart feels like it’s cracking. I’ve grown to love my job. I love working with Willow and getting to see her growth with each session. I love my mornings with Adam and the smiles he sends me whenever our paths cross throughout the day. Oh, God.
“What a mess,” I say on an exhale.
Adam, done with the phone call now, moves his hands to my shoulders and squeezes. “Mr. and Mrs. McConnell are going back over to your house now to check on your mom. They’re going to call back after they speak to her.”
I spin around and press my face to his bare chest before slipping my arms around his waist and holding him tight. He blows out a breath and hugs me back.
“I have to go home now.”
“You do. I’ll take you there.”
“My mom keeps getting worse. I need help,” I admit.
Adam rubs my back in slow circles. “Then let me help. Tell me what to do.”
If only it was that easy. I have no doubt Adam would fix anything that dared upset me if given the chance. That’s just the kind of guy he is.
“I have a few meetings planned with some in-home caretakers. I just need to set a day to do it. I need to pick someone as soon as I can.”
“Do you want me to come with you? What day do you need off? I can clear us both,” he offers.
I shake my head. “Don’t do that. As much as I would like you to be there with me, that only brings us to my other problem.”
He stiffens. “What problem?”
“I can’t be your employee anymore, Adam. I can’t be with you and work for you at the same time. It won’t work,” I croak. Emotion stings my eyes, and I blink to try and push it away.
“You barely work for me, Scarlett. You work for Willow and any other skater that comes to WIT needing a trainer with your skill set and experience.”
“It wouldn’t feel the same as it does now. And what would everyone else think? That you’re sleeping with your employees now? I can’t damage your reputation like that, and I don’t want to lose you. Me quitting is the only option.”
He releases me and takes a step back. His eyes are guarded. I want to reach for him but chicken out, letting my arms hang limp.
His voice is strong, almost angry. “Fuck my reputation, Scarlett. It means nothing compared to you. And everyone knows you got your job because of how fucking amazing you are on the ice. Because of the glow you get every single time you clap for Willow and every medal you’ve earned and record you’ve beaten. You got your job because of how much you deserve it. You’re not losing me.”
“I got it because I was the only all-star athlete lounging around without a career and in need of a reason to leave the house.” The words feel wrong, like I don’t fully believe them anymore.
He runs a hand over his hair and over his jaw, tense with frustration. His eyes flick around his kitchen.
“You’ve spent months at WIT, and I’ve watched you fall in love with what you do there. When I met you, you wanted nothing to do with hockey. You thought you had lost everything with your injury—the same injury you’ve pushed yourself to heal from, in case you’ve forgotten. Dammit, Scarlett. This is your second chance. It might not be what you expected, and yeah, you won’t ever win another Olympic medal or score another season-winning goal, but does all that really matter? Does it matter when you’ve found something else that makes you feel the same rush? The same feeling of success? Of happiness?”
His words are perfectly aimed bullets of truth. Each one sinks deep.
A sob-like sound escapes me, drawing his gaze. Our eyes clash together, his suddenly soft as he says, “It’s time you stopped hating yourself for what happened and started to shift your perspective. Your glass isn’t half-empty, baby. Not anymore.”
