“What are we doing?” Claire asked, nearly tripping behind me as I dragged her by her hand.
Everyone had long disappeared from the locker room, not wanting to stay hidden any longer than they needed with Tom Gardini out in the hallway. I was high on the fact that my parents were here, I had played the best goddamn game of my life, Tom Gardini had noticed, and best of all, Claire was in the stands, proudly wearing my jersey like she was truly my girlfriend instead of this fake spiel that we had created for reasons that seemed so insignificant now.
“I told you, I forgot something.” I winked at her, and the pretty brown strands of her hair framed her face, making her look that much more beautiful.
“Your parents are waiting.” I spun around quickly and picked her up, draping her over my shoulder. “Theo!” she squealed, slapping my back through a fit of laughter. “What are you doing? Your parents—”
“Are meeting us at The Bex,” I finished for her, grinning wildly with a thrill that woke the second I saw her up in the stands. Her smile was the only thing I could focus on in between plays. It was troubling that I had such a hard time staying on task, but still, I played a damn good game, and it very well could have been because I knew she was there, watching me. I had always thought being focused and canceling out everything outside of the rink was the key to dominating on the ice, but I may have been wrong. Claire balanced me, and she didn’t even know it.
“Theo!” Claire huffed out another laugh as I plopped her down onto the cushioned bench in the middle of the locker room. We were surrounded by silver lockers with the letters BU painted on the front in black. The only eyes on us were from the wolf logo in the middle of the wall, and that wolf was about to get an eyeful.
“How is your ankle?” I asked, bending down and taking her foot in my grasp. My fingers splayed over the inside of her leg, and I flicked my eyes up to hers the instant our skin touched. She inhaled sharply, dropping her smile a moment later.
“It’s fine.” Her tone was playful, but her eyes were telling me that she was curious as to what I was doing. “I have the main audition next week. I’m starting off on light feet tomorrow, so I won’t injure it further, but it feels a lot better.”
“That’s good.” I nodded, placing her foot back onto the ground slowly. I was still crouched down on one knee, seeming relaxed, but on the inside, I was burning up. “My parents like you,” I said, running my hand up the inside of her leg. At first, when I saw her in these tight jeans, I loved them. But now I was irritated because they were a barrier that I desperately needed to remove.
Claire’s swallow cut through the pounding in my ears for a split second. “I like them too. And…”
I dragged my gaze from the button of her jeans and met her face.
“They’re waiting for us. What do you think you’re doing?” she asked.
A deep, throaty chuckle rasped from my mouth as my hand got to the inside of her thigh. “Did you truly think I could resist you after seeing you cheer for me during the game?”
Her sarcastic laugh cut through the air. “Oh, stop it. You’re too tired after games. Isn’t that what you used to tell the puck bunnies?”
“Do you know where my head kept going while I was talking to the one guy who I’ve looked up to my entire life?” My finger laid over the button of her jeans, and like the needy girl she was, Claire moved back a sliver, and it was the silent green light I’d been waiting for.
“No,” she answered hesitantly.
“You.” It was something I never thought I’d admit aloud, but here I was, bending for a girl who was never supposed to be mine. “And how much I fucking loved seeing you in my jersey, and how effortless you looked talking to my parents, winning my mother over in a split second. And after every single play I made, I could hear you yelling my name.”
Claire glanced away with embarrassment, but I hurriedly turned her chin with my hand and pulled her attention back to me. “Don’t be embarrassed. I want you at every single game from here on out.”
“You do?” she whispered, almost seeming nervous that I wasn’t telling the truth, which made sense. Over the last few days, I’d thought long and hard about her and this. She’d been burnt, badly, by her ex. And what was brewing between us had started out as a ruse. Our relationship had been a sham until, suddenly, our attraction and feelings weren’t. Each moment I spent with her was another moment stolen, and I was tired of feeling like a thief.
“Yes.” I hoped my words conveyed exactly what I was feeling. “Every”—I flicked the button through its rightful hole—“single”—Claire inhaled sharply—“game.”
Our eyes crashed, and desire flew through my veins. “Up,” I demanded, pulling her jeans down her ass and taking them off in a single whoosh. “Now open.”
Claire obeyed every command I gave her, and I was ready to devour her by just the single fact that she was still wearing my jersey.
“This is all I’ve thought about,” I admitted, leaning in close and licking my lips. My hands gripped the insides of her thighs, and she jumped, stealing my attention to her face for a split second. Her pretty pink lip was tugged in between her teeth, but she suddenly seemed hesitant, so I paused. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Claire’s chest was moving up and down, and I knew by the color creeping up her neck that she was turned on, but there was a sense of caution lingering.
“Tell me.” I shook my head before tapping the inside of her thigh, nearly salivating. “You know you can trust me, right?”
Her jaw worked back and forth, and she nodded quickly. “It’s just…” She looked down at her panties that were already sporting a wet spot. My tongue tingled, but I forced myself to wait. Doesn’t she know I am starving for her? “You’ve never done this to me before.”
“I’m well aware.” Please don’t make me wait any longer.
She swallowed nervously, and jealousy flickered within the deep parts of my brain. “What did he do to you that makes you think I don’t want this?”
Her mouth opened in shock and then closed abruptly. “I’m beginning to know you very well, Claire. So, tell me. Now.” My finger slowly crept over to her panties, and I slipped the moist fabric over, feeling my chest constrict with something that I wasn’t able to control.
“He just didn’t like to do this often. Not unless I had showered or…shaved.”
I could kill him. I’d like to put him in the middle of the ice rink and blast ice pucks at his head all fucking day.
“So, you’re self-conscious? You’re afraid that I’m not going to like this?” I didn’t wait for her to answer. Instead, I hooked my fingers in the sides of her panties, ripped them down her legs and spread her wide. “Watch me,” I snapped, licking her from the front all the way to the back. The taste of her against my tongue was something I’d never forget for the rest of my life. Something filled my veins, and I began to ravish her like I was famished. The nickname Wolf resonated even more than before as I devoured every single inch of her.
“God, Theo.” I hardly recognized her voice as I continued to lick, flick, and plunge my tongue inside her. Her taste was sweet, and I never wanted to go without it.
“My parents are waiting,” I teased. “Gonna come on my mouth?”
Her entire body bucked on the bench, and I eyed her white knuckles as she gripped the sides, spreading her legs even wider.
“Mmm,” I coaxed, replacing my tongue with my finger as I sucked on her clit. Fuck. Claire’s whimper was music to my ears, and it truly blew my mind that her ex could ever act like she wasn’t good enough. I sucked harder as she climaxed, and the very second she coated my finger, I clenched my eyes and licked every possible piece of her that I could.
She was out of breath when I pulled out of her and wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. I smirked as her mouth dropped open, and her eyes grew hooded with even more lust. The blue was burning brighter than I’d ever seen, and her smooth cheeks were flushed. I said nothing as I slowly pulled her panties back up her legs, and then her jeans came next. I stood up, held my hand out for her, and brought her to stand on wobbly legs.
“Did I prove to you how much I liked that?” I asked, bringing her in closer to my body and brushing my lips over her mouth. Claire’s arms went around my waist, and she angled her chin up to me, nodding softly. “I’m nothing like him, so whatever he did or said to you, forget about it.” My teeth ground together, and I was beginning to feel something potent when I thought about Claire and her ex. He made her feel insignificant and self-conscious, and the irritation it brought me was clearly significant for this late in our little game. But is it still a game?
For the first time since this all started, Claire didn’t wait for me to kiss her. Instead, she lifted up on her tiptoes, put her mouth on mine, and silently answered my question.
“Better stop.” I pulled back and peered down at her. That tongue of hers that was just roaming around my mouth jolted out, and she licked her bottom lip with a shy smile. “Or my parents will start to worry.”
The sudden realization that jolted across her features made my entire night. I threw my head back and laughed.
“Oh my God. I forgot!” she admitted. “We gotta go meet them!”
She took a step back, and this time, instead of me pulling her, it was the opposite. And like the lovesick puppy that I was, I followed after her.
