Instead of unbuttoning the shirt like I expected, he gripped both sides and tore, sending buttons flying.
My mouth fell open as he stripped it off and tossed it aside like it was nothing. “Oh my god,” I breathed, my chest heaving as my heart started to race even faster. “Why the hell was that so hot?”
Tanner cupped me behind the neck with one hand and jerked me back to his mouth, kissing me like his life depended on it as we both fumbled with the button and zipper of his pants.
As soon as his long, thick cock sprang free, I lifted up on my knees. Sliding my panties to the side, I fisted his length at the base and positioned it at my opening before sinking down, taking him all the way inside me.
“Yes,” I cried out, throwing my head back as a growl ripped from his throat.
“So goddamn tight. Every time.” His hands returned to my ass, lifting me up and slamming me back down as he lifted his hips to meet me, thrusting impossibly deeper. “My Sunshine was made for me,” he grunted as we both lost control.
Our movements and kisses were sloppy and uncoordinated as we chased after a release that would likely ruin us both for anyone else. Not that I wanted there to be anyone else. Ever.
Tanner Fine was it for me. I’d heard Gypsy and her friends talk about their epic loves. I’d witnessed my own friends find theirs one by one. I’d started to doubt if I’d ever find one of my own. Then this amazing man crash landed into my life and turned it on its head.
“I love you,” I breathed, my lips brushing against his as I rode him so hard and fast a sheen of sweat broke out across my skin.
A primal, animalistic sound rumbled from his chest as he fisted my hair at the base of my neck. “Say it again.”
“I love you.” The pressure in my core grew and grew as we fucked each other like our lives depended on it. “Tanner, I love you.”
“Fuck,” he hissed, snapping his hips up again and again. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that. Not. Fucking. Ever.” Each word was punctuated by a thrust until I teetered right there on the precipice of an orgasm that was so profound, I was actually scared to fall over.
“Give it to me, Sunshine. Let me see all that beauty as you come around me. I want to feel it.”
I whimpered, pressing my forehead against his as my pace sped up, my body moving without any input from me as it chased after that release. One of Tanner’s hands slid between our bodies, right to where we were connected. The rough pad of his finger pressed against my clit, and that was all it took. Everything exploded in an array of technicolor. Stars burst in front of my eyes as I cried out, clamping down around him as he swelled thicker inside me.
On a rough shout, Tanner followed after me, spilling inside me as he came. What just happened was a first for me, unlike anything I’d ever experienced, and I finally understood the difference between great sex, and amazing sex with a person you loved.
As we both struggled to catch our breaths, Tanner gripped the back of my neck once more, bringing my forehead to his. Those warm amber eyes were on fire as he stared into mine, straight down to my soul.
“You’re the love of my life,” he whispered, and on that declaration, he mended every single piece of my heart that had ever been broken.
Once we were finally able to move, Tanner lifted me off him with a gentleness that threatened to bring tears to my eyes all over again. He climbed off the couch and moved through the house unabashedly naked. As I watched the taut muscles of his ass flex, I knew I’d never get tired of the sight of my man naked. In fact, I made a promise to myself right then and there to try and make that happen as often as possible.
He cleaned between my legs with a warm washcloth, wiping away the remnants of our combined release, and once he was done, he stretched across the length of the couch, pulling me against him so I was lying partially at his side and on his chest.Grabbing the throw blanket, he smoothed it over us, wrapped his arms around me, and settled in.
The silence surrounding us was a comfort, and as the seconds ticked by, I felt my eyelids growing heavy. Then he spoke, and what he said wiped away any and all exhaustion. “I’m not going back.”
Stacking my hands on Tanner’s rounded pecs, I lifted my head and rested my chin on them so I could see his face. “What?”
“To DC. I’m not going back. I’m retiring. I’m staying here.”
My mouth opened but no words came out. It was everything I wanted to hear but it also filled me with guilt at the same time.
“Tanner.” I gave him a smile that I hoped didn’t look as sad as it felt. “I can’t ask you to do that. Hockey’s your life.”
“Hockeywasmy life. And you didn’t ask. It’s a decision I made myself... for me.” He hooked one arm around my waist and lifted the other, folding it behind his head, causing his bicep to flex. “I’ve been thinking about retiring for a long time. I’m thirty-seven. Most guys in the league retire before they get to be as old as I am. Especially in my position.” He pursed his lips, blowing out a breath as the wheels in his head turned.
I bit down on my bottom lip, hope and concern warring inside of me. “I don’t want you to do this for me. You’d end up resenting me, and I don’t know if I could handle that.”
He smiled softly, the fingers at my back playing with the ends of my loose hair. “I could never resent you. Truth is, my body can’t handle it anymore. These couple months in Hope Valley have been the only time in years that I haven’t been in pain. I’d like to retire now, before I’m forced out because of an injury I may not bounce back from as quickly. I’ve had a hell of a career, and two Cups to show for it. I’m good, I swear. I’ve accomplished everything I’ve ever wanted to accomplish in the league. Now I’m excited for what comes next. I’m excited for my lifehere.With you.” His smile grew as he added, “The woman I love more than life itself.”
The wave of emotion that crashed into me was so strong I had to slam my eyes closed and burrow my face into his chest.
“Tell me you want that too, Sunshine.” He gave my hair a gentle tug so I’d lift my face back to his. His expression was solemn as he stared down at me. “I think it might actually kill me if you don’t.”
“I want that,” I swore to him. “I want everything with you.”
