"Of being the reason you don't take your shot. Of holding you back. I can’t stand the idea of you resenting me five years from now because you chose me over your dreams."
"Those aren't my dreams. They're my dad's dreams."
"Are you sure about that?"
I think about it. "I love hockey. I love playing. But the NHL? That’s a commitment. I don’t know if I want to commit to that life. I can’t commit to it without you. And before you say anything, I know you think you’re holding me back. I’m better with you, Sutton. If I sign and don’t have you, I’ll be out within a year. I need you.”
She's quiet for a long moment. Then she reaches out and takes my hand.
"What do you want, Declan? Really want?"
"You," I say it without hesitation. "I want you."
Her breath catches. "Oh, dammit, Declan. You’re killing me."
"I'm not asking you to follow me to Seattle. I'm not asking you to give up your plans or your future or anything else." I squeeze her hand. "I'm just telling you the truth. I want you. And I'm tired of pretending I don't. We’ll figure things out. I want my cake, and I want to eat it, too. And I will if you let me. If you know anything about me, you know I’m not the guy who doesn’t get what he wants."
"I've been making decisions for both of us without asking what you wanted. I decided we couldn't work long-distance. Idecided you needed to go to Seattle. I decided everything except the one thing that actually mattered."
"What's that?"
"What we both wanted." She moves closer. "I love you, Declan. I never stopped loving you. I was just too scared to admit that maybe love is enough."
"Is it enough?"
"I don't know, but I want to find out." She reaches up and touches my face. "If you'll let me."
I kiss her.
Chapter Five
SUTTON
Ikiss him back.
Everything I've been holding in for weeks comes rushing out in that kiss. All the longing, the regret, and the desperate need I've been trying to ignore. His hands come up to cup my face, and I melt into him.
"I missed you," I whisper against his lips. "God, I missed you so much."
"I know." He pulls back just enough to look at me. "I missed you, too."
I reach for the hem of his shirt and tug it up. He helps me pull it over his head, and then his hands are on me, sliding under the shirt I'm wearing—his shirt—pushing it up my ribs. I raise my arms and let him strip it off me, leaving me in nothing but my panties.
His eyes darken as he takes me in. "You're so beautiful."
I feel beautiful under his gaze. Wanted. Needed. All the things I've been craving since I walked away from him.
He leans in and kisses down my neck, his lips hot against my skin. I arch into him, my fingers threading through his hair.When his mouth finds my breast, I gasp. He takes his time, lavishing attention on one nipple and then the other until I'm squirming beneath him.
His hand slides down my stomach and slips beneath the waistband of my panties. When his fingers find me, I'm already wet and ready for him. He groans.
"Fuck, Sutton. You're soaked."
I can't form words. All I can do is move against his hand as he works me into a frenzy. He knows exactly how to touch me, exactly what I need. Within minutes, I'm trembling, right on the edge.
"Come for me," he murmurs against my ear. "I want to watch you fall apart."
I do. The orgasm crashes over me in waves, and I bite down on his shoulder to muffle my cry. I'm aware of the other guys in the house, aware that these walls are thin, but I don't care. Not right now.
