Alex (Cold Fury Hockey 1)

I’m not sure exactly what sets Sutton off, but I’m betting it might be the fact he asked her to cook dinner for him when she was clearly exhausted. Her face turns red as she walks up to him and pokes him in the chest with her finger, causing him to take a step backward as his eyes flare with surprise.

“You can’t be that moronic,” she seethes. “I’ve been in a hospital all day hoping one of my kids doesn’t die because she took a lethal dose of meth, and I come home to find you waiting for me after I explicitly told you I was not in the mood to see you, and on top of that, you want me to cook you dinner, which does not sound in the slightest bit relaxing to me. It’s utter ridiculousness. Now…I’m tired, I’m hungry and I’m going in my house…without you. ”

Brandon’s jaw drops and his lips purse inward and out again, not quite sure if he should say anything. But Sutton doesn’t see that because she spins away from him and starts stalking up to her house. She doesn’t even spare me a glance but calls out over her shoulder, “Are you coming, Alex? We can order some Chinese. I’m starving. ”

Staring after her just a moment, I admire the strength still evident in her step, even though she looks like a feather could knock her over. I’m completely turned on by the steel rod that is her spine and the way she just stood up to Brandon. I resist the urge to do a football dance of victory around Brandon because I just got invited inside while he got sent packing.

“He can come in but I can’t?” Brandon calls out to her pathetically.

Sutton doesn’t even respond but opens her door and walks in, leaving it open for me to follow.

Turning to Brandon, I try to look sympathetic. “Sorry, dude. But word of advice: Next time a woman tells you she’s tired and had a rough day, I’d try to refrain from asking her to cook for you. ”

Staring at me blankly, his lips purse in and out again, not quite able to formulate a response. Shrugging my shoulders, I turn away and trot up the porch steps and walk through her door, shutting it quietly behind me. I don’t see her and assume she may be in her bedroom getting changed, but I hear the satisfying sound of Brandon’s Audi starting up and backing out of her driveway.

“Make yourself at home,” Sutton calls out from the back of the small house. “I’m going to grab a quick shower. ”

“Okay,” I call back to her. Spying her car keys on a small table near the door, I add on, “I’m going to move your car into the driveway. ”

“Be gentle with her. She’s an old soul,” she warns me.

Snickering, I head out the door and move her bucket of rust off the street and into the safety of her driveway. I lock her doors, although I’m quite confident no one would steal it, and head back inside her house. I can hear the shower running, so I busy myself by looking around her small living room.

Sutton’s house is a contradiction. It’s small and in a shabby neighborhood not too far from downtown Raleigh. It needs some work, especially on the outside, but once you walk in, you can see she has put some real effort into fixing it up.

Her living room has hardwood floors that have some scratches and dents, but they are clean and gleaming under the soft lamplight. Her couch is soft and cozy-looking, in a large flower print of butter yellow and pale blue. Definitely girly and so not my taste, but for some reason it fits Sutton. A large, shaggy area rug sits in the middle and plain but sturdy oak tables finish the decor.

What really catches my attention, though, is her mantel. It sits over a fireplace that doesn’t look like it’s been used for years, but it’s crammed full of family pictures. Walking up to it, I study each picture one by one. They are of Sutton and her family. Some with Sutton and Glenn together, or just Sutton and her mom. There’s one of Sutton and Jim where it looks like Sutton is dressed for the prom or something. And there are several with all of them together, including a few of Sutton with some friends that look like they could have been taken in college. The photographs all come together to tell the story of a woman who has a very happy and healthy family life, which is amazing given that she is the child of an addict and an abuser. She has strength and resilience that cause me to marvel at her, and it’s one of the reasons that she has me captivated.

“Admiring the craziness of the Murdock family?” Sutton’s voice carries softly from behind.

I turn toward her, intent on letting her know her family’s brand of craziness is actually pretty f**king awesome. But the words get stuck in my throat.

Sutton is standing there, fresh out of her shower. Her hair is pinned on top of her head in a wavy mass of fire-tinged locks, slightly damp around her temples and nape. She’s wearing nothing but a white silk robe that is tightly belted at her waist and barely hits the top of her thighs. This state of dress in and of itself isn’t necessarily enough to cause desire to surge through me, but the fact that she put the robe on while soaking wet, causing it to become practically transparent, has me almost dizzy with lust.

The translucent material leaves nothing to the imagination. I can clearly see her br**sts, which are fuller than I originally gave her credit for, and her pink ni**les are puckered hard against the cool air of her living room. My dick starts to get hard just from a brief glance, and gets even harder as she walks toward me and I notice her br**sts swaying against the thin material.

Eyes hot with something I can’t identify, she walks by me and over to her purse that sits on the small table by the front door. Reaching in, she pulls out a small box and turns toward me, tossing it my way. I fumble to make the catch, bobbling the box a bit, but when my hands steady, I notice with surprise I’m holding a box of condoms.

My eyes rise to meet hers and she stares at me steadily. While she seems poised, I can sense an urgency vibrating through her.

“I had a really bad day,” she starts off, her voice softly washing over me. “And I’d really like to not think about it. I had intended to call you when I got home…ask you to come over, so imagine my surprise when I found you waiting here for me. ”

She steps in toward me and the scent of orange blossoms fills the air. I imagine she has slathered her skin with some type of silky lotion that is now permeating the air around me, and my fingers literally itch to touch her.

She reaches toward the box I’m holding loosely in my hand and runs a fingertip gently across the glossy surface while she stares at it.

“I stopped at the store on the way home…picked these up. This isn’t something I would normally do,” she says softly and I hear some nervousness in her voice that is contradicting the surety of her words. “I think you know that about me and I hope you don’t think less of me. But I would just really, really like to not think about today and I would really, really like to take this to the next level with you. ”

Lifting her eyes to meet mine, she takes a step in closer and my c**k gets harder yet. She practically purrs at me. “Are you going to help me forget about today, Alex?”

Yearning such as I have never felt before in my life flashes molten in my veins and I have the vicious urge to throw her to the floor and pound my way inside of her. She has no clue the monster that she’s awakened inside of me.

“Sutton,” I growl in warning, hoping (not really) that she’ll back away from me before I lose all semblance of control.

She pays me no mind and takes a last step toward me, the hand that was stroking the box of condoms now wrapping around my wrist. She pushes my arm away and mashes her br**sts into my body. A shudder of need rumbles through me and I close my eyes so I can’t see the plaintive look in her eyes.

But her voice still carries strong. “Please. Help me forget today. ”

Releasing my pent-up breath slowly, I open my eyes and bring my free hand up to wrap around her waist. Pulling her in until my erection is pressing into her stomach, I look down at her. “You’re sure?”

Nodding her head, she says, “I’m sure. And don’t be soft and sweet with me. Really make me forget today. ”

Chapter 16

Sutton

I know this boldness is stemming from the really crappy and stressful day I’ve had, but I know I want Alex more than I’ve ever wanted another man. He’s been taking his time with me because he wants to develop our “connection. ”

Well, the connection is developed. Done. Complete.

I realized that the minute I pulled up to the curb by my house and saw both Brandon and Alex standing at the bottom of my porch. Immediate annoyance flashed through me when I saw Brandon.

But Alex?

An array of emotions and feelings overwhelmed me. Excitement, lust, tenderness, happiness, fear.

Yes, even the fear I felt caused my skin to tingle in a delicious way, because I knew that after tonight, things were going to change between us. I knew that the rash decision I had made to pick up some condoms on the way home was probably the best decision I had made in a while, but it didn’t stop me from being a little scared about trying to seduce Alex into my bed. This was a first for me and I hope I didn’t make a fool out of myself. I really hope I didn’t make a fool of myself because I have to admit I did like the power I held while making my desires known to Alex.

I truly wanted to forget the horrendous nature of today. Of watching Mara lying in a hospital bed, with pale skin and bruised shadows under her eyes. I hated seeing the self-loathing in her gaze when she first opened her eyes to look at me, just before turning her head away to stare blankly at the wall. I’m losing her…I can feel it, and I need something to scrub away the grit of hopelessness I’m feeling.

I need Alex.

His arm is strong and sure as he holds me pinned up against his body. I can feel his thickness hot against me, jerking every so often in anticipation of what’s coming. His eyes are dark as they stare down at me, and I feel a small measure of confident power that I created that look of need on his face right now.

Leaning his head down, his eyes search mine for a brief moment before he closes the gap and brushes his lips against mine. I sigh, not in contentment, but a bit in frustration because I want more…more than just the slight touch he’s giving me now.

Opening my mouth, I press in on him, slipping my tongue in his mouth. Alex drops the box of condoms to the floor and palms the back of my head. He holds me in place as we kiss, his mouth moving so softly against mine. His tongue moves in languid strokes, going ever so deliberately.

It causes me even greater frustration and I involuntarily grind against him to spur him on. It doesn’t work, though, because he just continues to kiss me with lazy abandon, not in a rush to go further.

Alex moves his lips from mine, skimming them across my jaw and down to my neck, causing my fingers to grab on to and curl tightly into the fabric of his shirt.

“Not like that,” I complain as I push against his chest, frustrated by the whisper-soft touches against my skin. I want—no, I need—more.

Laying a last kiss against my neck before pulling back, Alex looks down at me, his face deadly serious with question. “How, then?”

“Not soft. Rougher,” I whisper. “Faster. Just…more. ”

The groan that seeps out of Alex as he comprehends what I’m saying causes all of my low-lying muscles to clench violently. I expect him to kiss me now with a ferociousness that matches the look that’s on his face at this moment. His teeth are gritted but his gaze is filled with boiling lust.

A small, triumphant smile starts to form on my lips, and I get ready for the onslaught of his lips. I’m ready to give it back to him just as hard.

Instead, Alex drops his hand from the back of my head and with a speed that leaves me blinking in astonishment, he brings it down between my legs. Brushing right past the short hem of my robe, he pushes the palm of his hand against me roughly while his index finger enters smoothly because I’m soaked with need.