Since I saw her that night at Lucky Seven, I’ve changed a lot. I’m no longer strictly devoted to hockey. I’m off of my routines with sleep and diet. Hell, I even had a rule about keeping my mind focused on hockey, and my head’s been nowhere near the game unless I’m on the ice.
I’m still playing strong, though. I’ve got a new fire in my belly now—to have it all. I want hockey and a relationship with Mia. I want more nachos and movies and late nights spent together.
Mia makes me feel stronger. I’m focused on something besides my game now. I’ve actually got something, and someone, to play for.
I want to make her proud. When we’re finally able to be together, I want her to know she’s with a real man now. A man who will protect her at all costs. Who’s not afraid of anything—even crazy, gut-wrenching, all-consuming love.
By the time I make it back to my place, I’m fucking tired. I haven’t slept well since before Mia was attacked, and the fight used up my remaining energy. I take the elevator to my floor and I’m greeted by a security guy I haven’t met yet.
“I’m Anton Petrov,” I say, extending my hand for a shake.
He shakes my hand, his other one on his waist where his gun is holstered.
“I’ll need to see your ID,” he says.
I take out my wallet and pass him my driver’s license. He nods in approval.
“Sorry about that, Mr. Petrov.”
“Hey, no worries. You’re just doing what I asked you guys to do. Thanks.”
I unlock the door and walk inside, shrugging off my coat and setting it on a chair.
Uncle Dix is snoring in his recliner, his favorite afghan covering him from chin to feet. Mia walks in from the hallway, a stack of folded laundry in her arms. She immediately sets it down and walks over to me, gently brushing her fingertips over my swollen eye.
“Thank you,” she says softly.
I love her completely in this moment. She understands. She doesn’t ask if I’m okay or tell me I didn’t need to do it; she knows I had to do it. And she knows why.
“My pleasure,” I murmur back, giving her other hand a quick, gentle squeeze.
“I’ll get some ice.” She turns.
“I need to lay down.”
She faces me again. “Go ahead. I’ll bring the ice in.”
In my bedroom, I strip off my shirt and lie on my bed gingerly, my ribs aching with the movement. Mia walks in soon with a bag of ice and a wet washcloth.
She sits down on the edge of the bed and uses the cloth to wipe the blood from my brow and cheek. I watch her as she works, noticing the small crease of concentration between her brows.
Her dark hair is loose around her shoulders; I like it this way. I take the end of a loose curl between two fingertips and feel its softness.
“If we were together,” she says softly, “we’d have amazing sex right now, wouldn’t we?”
I move my fingers from her hair to her jaw line, grazing it gently. “We would.”
She brushes a few loose strands of hair back from my face. “I’d undress for you, very slowly. You’d watch me, and I’d like that.”
My cock stiffens and my blood pumps. My fatigue is forgotten as she holds my gaze. There’s something new in her expression—something bolder, more assured. It makes me ache for her.
“Then I’d take my pants off and lay you on this bed,” I say, continuing our fantasy. “You’d spread your legs wide for me and as soon as I was inside you, neither one of us would feel like I could get deep enough. We’d hold on to each other tight while I fucked you so hard you’d be begging me to stop and keep going at the same time.”
“I’m not the best with words, but if I was inside you…” I cup the side of her neck. “I’d make you understand. You’d feel my feelings for you.”
She takes my palm and presses it to her heart. “I feel them,” she says, her voice ragged.
“You’d feel more. More than you thought you could stand. More than you knew was possible. You’d feel me worshipping you and loving you and making the two of us into one, for just a few perfect seconds.”
She closes her eyes and murmurs, “Please don’t stop.”
“I want your nipples in my mouth and your pussy wrapped around my dick, Mia. I want it so fucking bad it’s making me crazy. I haven’t been touched by a woman in so long, because the only one I wanted touching me was you.”
“I’d try to make it worth your wait.”
“I already know it will be. I’ll show you how real men fuck. I’ve fantasized about having you in every imaginable position and a few you’ve probably never even imagined.”