Page 60 of Date With Skates

Étienne’s hands land against my chest. “This is very real. I can show you.”

I lean down to capture his lips, kissing him softly and running my fingers through his hair.

“Feels real,” I mutter, moving my mouth to his neck. “How are you here?”

“Talk after,” he says, reaching for my jeans’ button. He pops it open and takes my hand to lead me to one of the beds.

Étienne sheds his jacket and shirt, while kicking off his shoes. I do the same, taking off as many clothes as I can before he’s grabbing me again.

He shoves my pants down, and I hiss when he runs his hand over a bad bruise I got from the game.

“Mon Dieu,” he says. “What is this?”

“Puck to the leg.”

“Poor baby,” he pouts.

“Stopped them from getting a goal though,” I say proudly.

He leans in and kisses it carefully. “All better.”

I kick my shoes off, then get out of my pants and slide my arms around him to lift him up. He wraps his legs around me and I walk us to the bed. We kiss as we finish taking our clothes off until we’re fully naked, and then I have him on his stomach so I can taste him.

“I don’t have lube,” I tell him when I slide a finger inside, using my spit as a substitute for now.

“Check my… pants,” he groans.

I kiss his ass cheek before leaving him on the bed to check his pants. There are a handful of lube packets.

“You think we will need this much?”

He looks at me over his shoulder. “I didn’t think it was enough. It’s bad enough Nico took a couple. I almost murdered him for it!”

I laugh as I go back to him, dropping the packets on the bed. I kiss up his back, until I find his shoulder and then his lips. I sit back, opening the lube and spreading it on him so I can fuck him.

The moment I’m inside him, the moment we’re connected, something in me settles. It feels right in a way it didn’t before. Maybe this is what it’s like to really miss someone. Because I did. I really fucking missed him. And I think he needs to know that now, because I wasn’t entirely truthful with him in Vancouver.

I pull him to me, holding him against my chest, and I whisper in his ear.

“I missed you so fucking much, Trouble.”

I expect a smart-ass remark, because that’s who he is.

Only he grips onto my forearm that’s wrapped around his chest and he whispers right back.

“I think I missed you more.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Étienne

I have no idea what time it is because I’m wrapped up in the blankets and holding onto Connor for dear life, so I don’t want to look over my shoulder and check the clock.

I don’t care what time it is. I don’t have anywhere to be.

But Connor does. He has to go home. Back to the United States, two thousand miles away from me.

“Stay here with me forever,” I say softly.