She sighed wistfully. “Even if we had more time, it probably wouldn’t work. Andy will be there.”
I tried not to let that sentence bother me. She was looking out for me and my career. But there was a part of me that couldn’t help but wonder if it wasn’t something deeper. Would she be embarrassed for her brother to know she was dating a guy like me?
“You’ll stay in my room?” I asked, the sudden surge of doubt and anger coursing through me making my tone sharper than I planned.
“I was hoping you would say that,” she replied, her voice all sweet excitement, and I forced myself to push any negative thoughts away.
“This is going to make it even harder to get through these next few days,” I told her. “Now that I know I’ll be seeing you, I can’t wait.”
“Would it help tide you over to know I’m going trip shopping with the girls after work tomorrow and I definitely plan to pick up some new underwear?”
I groaned, the sound long and pained. “You’re killing me, Gracie.”
She giggled and I basked in the sound. I loved flirty, confident Gracie.
“Hey, what’s my reward if I score for you in this game?” I asked, anticipation growing in my belly as I remembered the insanely good blowjob she’d given me after the first game.
This time I had a very specific prize in mind.
“I can tell from your tone that you already have something planned,” she said wryly. “So just tell me.”
“I want you to sext with me during the next away series.”
She groaned loudly, and I laughed. I’d been trying to convince her to send me racy messages and photos every single time we’d talked while I’d been away. So far, she had firmly refused, insisting that she was way too shy to do something like that.
But I really, really liked to push Gracie to explore outside her comfort zone. So I wasn’t going to abandon the idea unless she told me to.
“I’ll probably be so bad at it,” she whined.
“Not possible,” I said immediately.
“Liam. Have you met me? I’m awkward and shy, not a good combination for the sexy talk.”
I laughed. “I love that you’re shy. I happen to find it very sexy.” My voice dropped lower. “Particularly when I make you so crazy that you forget all about being shy.”
She sighed. “You do seem to possess an uncanny ability to make me forget just about everything.”
“That’s right, sweetheart. This weekend, I plan to make you forget your own name.”
I would have been happy to keep up the flirting for hours, but Gracie started yawning into the phone just a few minutes later. Knowing she had to get up early for school, and had probably stayed up later than normal to be able to talk to me after the game, I said my goodbyes. It was easier putting the phone down, knowing I was going to be seeing her in a matter of days.
I considered meeting the guys downstairs for a drink. It was important to be social during road trips. Bonding helped teams to gel on the ice, so Jay and I tried to set a good example for the young guys by organizing some team dinners and nights out while we were traveling. But I was pretty damn exhausted myself. I was always tired after a hard-fought game, and losing meant there was no adrenaline surge to help power through. Tonight, all I wanted to do was collapse into bed. I could text the guys and see about meeting up for a team breakfast in the morning before we had to head for the airport.
I brushed my teeth, stripped down to my boxers, and finally collapsed into bed, bringing my phone with me. I hoped I could keep my eyes open long enough to send out the texts.
When I opened my messages, I found something that woke me right the hell up. A three-word text?—
Gracie:Thought I’d practice.
Then a picture attachment. When I opened it, I nearly swallowed my tongue.
It wasn’t the raciest picture I’d ever received. The few times I’d gotten drunk enough to give out my number to puck bunnies after the divorce I had ended up with some real raunchy images in my texts. Not exactly the kind of thing you wanted to find on your phone the next morning once you’d sobered up.
This picture of Gracie wasn’t half as daring as those I’d gotten from strangers, but it was a million times hotter. It didn’t even include her face, though I would know those rose nipples anywhere. The shot was taken from just above her shoulders. Lying on her bed, sky blue quilt visible in the shot, she was naked. Gloriously, perfectly naked. She was all curves, from her plump, gorgeous tits to the dip in her waist flaring out into the swell of luscious hips, and I wanted to get my hands on every inch of her.
I was going to devour this woman the next time I got her alone. I stared down at the shot, trying to memorize every detail. Her legs were bent at the knees and crossed, hiding the paradise at her center from view. I could just make out the hint of a triangle of shadow there. Somehow not seeing it made it all the more enticing. Just the hint of what was between her thighs made me completely, painfully hard in an instant.
I was speechless for a long time, fingers hovering over the keyboard, unable to string together a single thought.
