“No! Stay there,” I say, racing to grab a washcloth. As I return, I gently run the damp fabric over her delicate skin, her beauty somehow magnified in the soft glow of the dim apartment lights.
“I’m so proud of you, JJ,” she says as I finish. “I’m proud of what you and your team did tonight. Proud of what you did here tonight for yourself. And most of all,” —she leans up to press her lips against mine— “I’m so proud to be standing by your side through all of this.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, my heart ready to explode. I want to blurt out how I feel. Those three words would change everything.But she thinks we’re friends.And I love that. I’ve always wanted to be best friends with my wife.
I swear to all things hockey, I will make this woman my wife.
“There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side, Kenni. You’re everything to me.” I pull her in for another kiss, suddenly realizing I’m completely naked while she’s completely clothed. “Is it okay…no wait; I’m in charge still, right?”
“Yes,” she snorts. “You like being in charge, pretty-boy?”
“I’d like it a lot better if your clothes were on the floor.” I reach forward, unbuttoning her shirt inch by inch, each little piece of plastic a gateway to what’s underneath. I slide my hands inside, pushing the fabric from her shoulders and letting it fall.Kennedy slowly reaches up to take her scarf off, her eyes dancing with an emotion I can hardly believe.
“No,” I say, gently grasping her hand. “The scarf stays on.”
She blinks. “I like this side of you.”
“I’ve been dreaming of you in nothing but that scarf for months now, and now that I’ve been granted my wish, I’m not letting this opportunity pass me by.”
She lays her palm over my racing heart. “What else have you been dreaming about?”
I reach around behind her, unclasping her bra, slowly dragging it down her shoulders, exposing her chest to me. “This. You. Us.”
A blinding smile lights up her face. “Is it living up to your expectations?”
“Better than I ever imagined. This is fucking perfect, Kenni.” I pull her close, kissing her with the same energy I have skating down the ice. Getting lost in everything that is Kennedy Kramer, I palm her cheek with one hand, running my other across her tits.Goddammit, this woman. Not breaking our kiss, I reach down and undo her belt, her pants, sliding them both down.I need more.More of her body against mine. More of her skin on mine. More of her.
I need to be naked beside her.
“I need to taste you again. I have been starving for your pussy all day, and I need it.Now.Let’s go to bed.”
54
kennedy
This fucking man no longer needs a coach. He has graduated from training wheels and is full-on riding the damn bike. With his tongue. On my clit.Grilled Cheesus this man.His fingers inside me curl, hitting that spot and nearly sending me over the edge. I thread my fingers through the thick strands of his hair, pulling his face toward my hips and writhing into his face.I need more.I want this man, fully, completely. I need him inside me. I need him to soothe the ache I feel both there and in my heart.
“JJ, that feels so damn good. Fuck. I need more. I need you inside me.”
He jerks back, his gaze fixed on mine. His chest heaves, every breath a thought he’s not saying out loud.
“Kenni…I want to?—”
“Please, baby.Please…” My pleading turns into a full-on whimper, “I need you so bad. I really want this. I want you. I want?—”
“Frites.”
My body goes numb. Paralyzed. Struggling to find air as I register what he just said.
Whatwordhe just said.
His safe word.
“Oh.” I swallow down the lump in my throat. “Okay. I hear you. We’re stopping. I just…I got caught up in the moment and…Jordan, I’m sorry. I never want to pressure you?—”
“No! No. Kennedy, this is my issue. I want to be inside you. More than you will ever know. It’s like not fully breathing, knowing we haven’t connected in that way yet. I just…I feel so fucking lame saying this.” He throws his arm over his eyes, hiding from me. Hiding from what he’s about to say. “When I’m with a woman again, I want it to be…I want it to be forever. I don’t want to be what the media says I am. I want to make sure we’re both on the same page. I want to know that she’s dying to be with me as much as I’m dying to be with her. I don’t want there to be a doubt in my mind that she loves me the way I love her.”
My stomach twists into knots I’m not sure I can untangle. But I hold it in. He deserves this. He deserves to have a fairy tale redemption. I want him to have that.
