And when he finally let his eyes fall closed, turned his face into her neck, and whispered, “Mia, Mia, Mia…” with a tortured kind of bliss, tears rose to her eyes.
She dropped her forehead to his shoulder and held tight, riding wave after wave of penetration with his name whispering past her own lips.
The way he held her, so tightly, so lovingly, the way he controlled his thrusts in long, deep strokes, as if he wanted to feel every inch of her, as if he wanted to draw out the moments he was inside her, made something elemental shift in her chest.
She’d never been loved like this. If this was a hookup, if this was purely sexual, then she’d been missing the boat all her life. Because no one had ever made her feel so wanted, so loved, or so cherished as Rafe did now.
And even when his thrusts quickened and his body vibrated with his impending release, when other men could think about nothing but sating their own overwhelming need, she was at the front of his thoughts.
He took hold of her chin, pulled her gaze to his, and demanded, “Come with me, Mia.”
Then he kissed her, mirroring the hunger of his body in his kiss. The combination of physical and emotional assault coalesced, and Mia broke with a scream. She buried her face in Rafe’s neck, her body still quaking with aftershocks when his own climax hit. His strong body twisted and bowed and shuddered in the fiercest, most stunning display of male sexuality Mia had ever witnessed.
They stayed wrapped in each other’s arms while their bodies settled and they caught their breath. And as Rafe pressed sweet kisses to Mia’s neck, she knew this exercise in letting go of her girlish fantasies of the boy from her past had not only backfired, it had created an even deeper need for the man he’d grown into. A need that would stretch long into her future.
7
Rafe shut off his car and jogged to the player’s entrance of the Verizon arena in downtown DC. Showing up late for the scheduled routine on a game day would set him back five grand, the Rough Riders’ standard fine.
But as he pulled the door open and started down the corridor toward the locker room, Rafe smiled. He’d overslept because Mia had held him to their agreement and they’d gotten lost in each other until they couldn’t keep their eyes open anymore.
The familiar sound of his teammates’ voices and the use of equipment echoed off the cement, but Rafe’s mind was still piling up memories from last night, making his grin grow even bigger.
If he did get hit with a fine, it would be worth every penny. Because today, despite his lack of sleep, Rafe felt like he was on top of the fucking world. His body sang with energy and strength. His mind was clearer and more focused than it had been in months.
He could breathe deeper, think faster, and settle quicker.
He turned the corner into the main locker room, found it empty and dropped his duffel on the bench. The guys were scattered, some with the physical therapists, some in the gym, some with the coach.
But as he changed into workout clothes, his mind drifted to waking in an empty bed and a Kick-ass in the game tonight note on the dresser. That was the only part of his night with Mia that didn’t sit quite right with him. He tried to smooth down the edge of nerves by remembering that quiet moment, deep in the early morning hours, while they’d lain tangled together, sweaty and sated, she’d mentioned meeting a couple of girlfriends for breakfast. And despite staying awake and active until nearly five a.m., she’d still been gone when he’d awoken at seven o’clock.
Damn, he wished he could have made love to her one more time. He’d been more than ready when he’d stirred. The memory of rolling to reach for her and finding her gone still pinched his gut. He’d so badly wanted to love her slowly and sweetly, then lie with her in his arms until he absolutely had to get up for practice.
And that was only one of the things he’d never wanted before but now craved with Mia. The woman was phenomenal in bed. She was spontaneous and sensual and erotic. She didn’t shy away from anything—no position too weird, no play too rough, no fears over letting him have control. Or taking control, for that matter. They’d been equals in bed, and he’d never known what a turn-on that could be. She also had a sexual appetite that matched Rafe’s.
Put it all together and Mia had blown away every last fantasy-induced expectation. Add in their friendship and their affection for each other, and Rafe realized…
He realized one night wasn’t enough.
“I want us to fuck and forget…”
He’d understood that going in. Now he couldn’t help but wonder if that was the way she’d felt this morning, walking away. God, he hoped not.
Pulling on an old T-shirt, Rafe smiled at the memories of her cuddled up to him after sex. The way she never stopped touching him and kissing him. The way they’d laughed and played. They’d found the old Mia and Rafe again. Before all the complications of life and careers and boyfriends and brot
hers had pushed them apart.
Yeah, Rafe could get used to the idea of having Mia loving up on him every night. They’d connected the way he’d secretly been dreaming of connecting with her for years. And after last night, it was clear there was no way they could stay away from each other. At least not while she was in town. Rafe was going to have a sit down with her at his first opportunity—probably tonight—to talk about this. New York was only an hour’s flight away.
He sat, pushed his feet into tennis shoes, and tied the laces, knowing the distance was the least of the walls between them. Tate was a major problem. Tate and this team. And then there was Joe.
Rafe just needed to tackle them one at a time. When Tate and Joe knew Mia was on board with this, that she wanted to be with Rafe as much as Rafe wanted to be with her…
But, they hadn’t discussed that. In fact, he and Mia hadn’t discussed anything. They’d been too busy seeking out and delivering pleasure all night.
A few of the guys wandered into the locker room, chatting.
“There you are.” Beckett Cross, the team’s captain, stopped at his bench in a sweat-stained T-shirt, shorts, and running shoes. “Everyone’s been looking for you. Tremblay’s going to fine your ass.”