She blinked, and I could see sleep pulling at her again, but before she drifted away, I brushed my lips across her cheek, the corner of her eye, and then finally to her ear, whispering, “And I think you know that.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
FRANKIE
The pounding headache jolted me awake, but the moment I opened my eyes to the harsh, blinding light, all I wanted to do was sink back into the dream I’d just escaped. I remembered little, only that Teddy had been there, and for the first time in what felt like forever, we didn’t have to hide.
I wasn’t sure what was real and what was just a blur of the night. The deep voice saying“You’re mine”still echoed in my mind, sending a shiver down my spine. At first, I didn’t recognize my surroundings, unsure of where I was. This wasn’t my bedroom. But as my vision cleared, I realized I was in my living room.
A soft snore broke the silence, and I peered over the edge of the couch to find Teddy asleep on the floor, curled on his side with his knees pulled up to his chest. Maybe it hadn’t all been a dream.
But then, a wave of nausea hit me hard. Bile rose in my throat, and I barely made it to the bathroom before my body betrayed me. Whiskey—goddamn whiskey. The devil I’d welcomed into my system last night. I'd wanted to drown out the text messages from Travis, the reminders of his threats, the constant pressure of his control. I’d wanted to blur the fact thatI was feeling things for the first time—things I couldn’t explain—and feeling them for someone I shouldn’t.
Teddy and I were a tinderbox, the kind of chemistry that could set everything on fire if we weren’t careful.
But when I glanced back at him, still sleeping on the floor, something in me softened. He’d stayed the night. Stayed to make sure I was okay, slept beside the couch in case I needed him. And lord, how I needed him. How badly I wanted him.
My phone chimed from across the room. I grabbed it from my purse by the front door and saw the reminder:Coaches' meeting in an hour.Shit. I’d forgotten. We were meeting with our GM, who was also the assistant GM for the LA Kings, our NHL affiliate. The playoffs were creeping up on us, and this meeting was about to determine everything—trade deadlines, call-ups, the future of our players.
It was important.
Leaving Teddy still asleep, I moved as quickly as I could with my pounding headache, rushing upstairs to get ready. I brushed my teeth, stripped out of last night’s clothes, and sighed as the warm spray of the shower hit my skin. I let the water work through my hair, feeling the weight of it melt away as it slid down my spine.
I was so lost in the sensation that I didn’t hear the bathroom door open. It wasn’t until the cool rush of air hit me, when the glass shower door swung open, that I turned, surprised.
Teddy stepped into the shower, guiding me back against the ledge. The sound of a bottle hitting the floor was a distant echo, but I didn’t care enough to pick it up. Not when his eyes roamed over me with the intensity of someone who’d just stumbled upon a rare treasure.
“Mind if I share?” he asked, a teasing grin tugging at his lips. “After all, our state’s in a drought.”
A laugh slipped out of me, lighter than I intended. “Conserving water is important.”
Taking that as his cue, he kicked the fallen bottle aside and placed his hands on my hips, pulling me closer. His body already pressed against mine, a heat that didn’t hide the fact that he wanted me. His lips brushed mine, slow at first, hesitant, as if savoring the moment. But then, that restraint shattered, and he groaned as he deepened the kiss, pulling me into him like he had every right to.
You’re mine.
And I think you know that.
Yes. Yes, I did.
“Do you know what you do to me?” he whispered against my lips. “I want this.” One hand skimmed up my stomach, over every curve until it reached my breast and squeezed.
I nearly fell, my knees going weak with the sensation. I always thought that was a cliché. Weak knees. But now I knew it was very real.
As Teddy’s other hand went south, finding me wet for him, his mouth smiled against mine. “I dream about you,” he said. “Every fucking minute of every fucking day and night. You have completely taken over my thoughts. I can’t stop wanting to touch you, kiss you, hear your voice.”
I reached between us, taking him in my hand.
He grunted in what sounded like pain, and then his forehead dropped against my shoulder. I shuddered as one of his long fingers entered me and a second joined it. “I think I’m?—”
He stopped when I bit his neck, and all he could do was breathe. My tongue followed my teeth, scraping and licking along his skin. He thrust into my hand involuntarily.
“You’re what, Valentine?”
“I’m so in deep here.”
“Hmm, deep, huh?” I stepped away from him and pushed his hands off me.
His questioning eyes met mine, but then I dropped to my knees and took him. That was the best way to explain what came over me as I swallowed him, pushing forward until he hit the back of my throat. His legs shook as I scraped my teeth along his length. This was how I showed him. He was mine too.
