On

Thin
Ice
BY
DAISY EGAN

This book is part of a series called The Redwood University Series. This
book is the first in the series.
First published in Great Britain by Daisy Egan, 2024
Copyright © Daisy Egan, 2024
The right of Daisy Egan to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are
either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any
resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales are entirely
coincidental.

Printed and bounded in the UK.

To all the girls whose love of ice hockey came from hockey romance
books… Me too.

PLAYLIST
Don’t Rush (Explicit) | Young T & Bugsey 3:28 Play Play | J Hus (feat.
Burna Boy) 3:25 Charmer | N-Dubz 3:08 RUNAWAY | Nino Uptown 2:40
Love Me Like You | Little Mix 3:18 I GUESS I’M IN LOVE | Clinton Kane
3:24 My Way | Timbaland & Anna Margo 2:56 Sprinter | Dave & Central
Cee 3:49 Ice Ice Baby | Vanilla Ice 4:32 Stuck with U | Ariana Grande &
Justin Bieber 3:49 No Favours | Mowgs & Nino Uptown 3:05 Twilight |
Cover Drive 3:28 No Worries | Nino Uptown 2:48 Lose Me | Nino Uptown
2:48 Low | Flo Rida (feat. T-Pain) 3:51 So High | Mist (feat. Fredo) 2:43
Fine Girl | ZIEZIE 2:46

Content Warning: This book is intended for adult readers only. It contains
mature themes and sexually explicit content that is not suitable for readers
younger than 18 years old.
Chapter 1

Sean

“Taylor, what the fuck are you doing?” Coach screams from the edge of the
rink.
To be totally honest, I don’t know what I’m doing, all I know is that my
head is most definitely not in the game today. My teammates fly across the
ice past me, the puck bouncing between them. The stadium is pumping with
tension, the team we’re playing today are wiping the floor with us and as
much as I hate to admit this, it’s mainly because of me. Since the second my
skates hit the ice today I’ve not been able to keep my eyes on the game
because they’ve been fixated on something else. The curly haired, sexy
brunette that sits with her legs crossed in the penalty box, picking her nails
and scrolling on her phone looking entirely uninterested in the
excruciatingly tense game that’s going on in front of her.
I’m a ladies man I’ll admit and I mostly let my dick lead all of my
decisions, but after last night I thought my horny ass would be satisfied at
least for 24 hours. I tend to stick to a one night, one girl rule, it prevents any
complicated feelings or expectations. Almost all of the girls I sleep with
want more from me, they want to be the one to change my fuck boy ways
but I’ve always known that I'll change when the time is right, and that time
most definitely hasn’t come yet, I’ll know when it does. I respect the fuck
out of women though make no mistake, I love women, but I’ve only really
ever had any interest in their bodies. The second they start talking about
themselves is the same second I need them to make a swift exit through my
bedroom door.
I’ve only been at Redwood for three months but I’ve managed to fuck my
way through almost every girl on campus…ok that may be an exaggeration
but I get a lot of sex. Last night was the craziest of my life, I had three girls
all over me after the game. Three blondes with legs that went directly to
heaven were touching me and flirting with me at the bar we all went to post
game to celebrate our win. To be honest I got kind of pissed off that they
wouldn’t leave me alone to celebrate with my boys so I took all three of
them back to our shared house just off campus and fucked them all, one
after the other. I won’t pretend I wasn’t fucking exhausted afterwards, the
three of them probably had the time of their life but all I could think off
when they left was sleep.
The girl in the penalty box tonight though is something else entirely, she’s a
fucking rocket. I keep skating past the box purely to get a closer look at her.
She’s small, a lot smaller than me which isn’t hard because I’m pushing 6-
foot-4. Her long, chocolate brown curls hang over her shoulder and her
green eyes are soft and uninterested, but I can see a lingering fire beneath
the surface.
I hope she’s a feisty one, they’re my favourite.
“Focus man, you’re throwing us off.” Kyle nudges me into the plexiglass
when the ref blows the whistle to signal the end of the second period. My
eyes are still hooked on her though, I watch as she stands and turns to leave.
Fuck, her ass is incredible, I can’t wait to get my hands on that later.

“I am focused.” I say, brushing my face with my gloved hand as I watch the

sexy thing saunter through the crowd towards the corridor that leads to the
locker rooms.
Kyle snorts a disbelieving laugh. “I mean focus on the game, not on Callie’s
ass.”
“Callie? That’s her name?”
“Yeah man, that’s her name, now erase it from your memory and keep your
head on what’s happening here. We need to win this game and we’re having
to work extra hard because you’re too busy drooling over a girl that you’ll
never have.”
That’s got my attention.
I lift my eyes from the delicious curve of Callie’s swaying ass to look at
Kyle. “Never have? You’re crazy man, I’ll have her if I want her.” Kyle
shakes his head with a smirk. “You’re dreaming. You know who she is
right?”
“No, but I’m about to find out.” I say under my breath. I bat him away with
my now glove free hand and skate off the ice towards the locker rooms. I’m
sweating like a whore in a church and I need to piss, but more importantly, I
need to find that girl.

My plan wasn’t exactly planning the way I wanted it to and I ended up back
on the ice before I was able to locate the mysterious, sexy, rocket of a
woman that I now know as Callie. I force myself to take my eyes off her
and concentrate on the game, we really need this win to get us out of the
relegation zone and back to our usual status.
Coach is screaming at all of us from the side of the rink, he gave us a heavy
pep talk — it was actually more like a verbal ass whooping — during the
break. We deserved it, we’re playing shit tonight. My team is usually like a
well oiled machine, working perfectly in sync with each other and battering
our opponents, but tonight I’m letting the side down. I know this and yet I
can’t stop. I literally can’t tear my eyes away from Callie, her tight stomach
through the thin material of her bodysuit, the swell of her perfect tits, the
way her thick curls bounce as she moves. She seems totally disinterested in
the game itself and I find my curiosity growing by the second. It’s the third
period now so I only have twenty minutes to make a quick decision, is this
game my priority right now? It should be, I am the captain after all, but I
think my dick has taken over at this point. The longer I look at Callie the
more I start to panic that she’ll leave after the game before I get a chance to
talk to her. I need to take her home with me tonight, I need to see what’s
under those clothes. I make a snap decision, zipping across the ice and
shoving my skate under one of the defensemen’s legs, sending him
tumbling onto his stomach. I wait for the sound that will determine my fate
and I hope I’ve done enough to be sent to the sin bin, which is exactly
where I want to be right now. The high pitched sound of the whistle has my
stomach jumping with triumph, but I keep my face neutral as the ref directs
me to the penalty box. Fuck yes!
Kyle is shaking his head at me from his spot in goal, reading my mind as
usual and knowing that my plan worked. He’s trying to hold back his smile
but he’s failing miserably. I’ve left my guys a man down for the next five
minutes and I know that’s shitty of me, but we’re one nil up at this point so
the chances of us taking this win are pretty good. I can spare five minutes of
my precious time to speak to this sexy bombshell, who by the way, doesn’t
even glance in my direction when I fall down onto the bench next to her.
Oh my god, she’s even better up close. Her creamy skin dips along her
collarbone, lifting and falling as she breathes a sigh of boredom. Callie
might just be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Her
chocolate curls fall down, dancing across her jaw and accentuating the light
sprinkling of freckles that decorate her cheek bones. Her eyes are bright
when she finally looks up at me, the emerald pools drinking me in and
making me ache to slap my lips onto her’s. Then her gaze hardens when she
sees who’s sitting next to her and the tiger behind those sexy, green eyes
sharpens it’s claws.
This is going to be a fuck load of fun, I can feel it in my bones.
Chapter 2

Callie

If there’s one thing I know about hockey players, it’s that they stink. I don’t
mean metaphorically, I mean they literally stink to high heavens. The
amount of sweat that pours out of them during a game is enough to fill the
Thames. I should know, I’ve been around them since I was little. James
Burch, also known as head coach of the men’s ice hockey team at Redwood
University also has another nickname he likes to go by, Dad. Yes, my dad is
the men’s hockey coach at the university that I attend for gymnastics. The
sport is my entire life, has been since I was four years old and almost every
decision I make is to further my chances of making a success of myself.
Redwood University sits about half a mile from the road, surrounded by
green and cocooned away from the rest of the world, or so it seems when
you’re there. It's miles from anywhere, the nearest city being London with
it’s hustle and bustle, which is incredibly ironic considering all you can hear
after dark at the university is the incessant tapping of laptop keys from
students who have missed their deadlines and the squawking of unknown
animals in the forests that line the property.
I love sports, not just gymnastics but it’s where my natural flare was as a
child. Dad wanted me to do something, anything that was athletic as he
used to be a hockey player himself. As hurtful as it is to say, I think he was
disappointed to find out he was having a daughter, it’s natural for him to
want to pass down his hockey genes to someone, but it certainly wasn’t me.
I can barely stay upright on the ice so I avoid it at all costs. My dad has
drilled it into me from the moment I said my first word that being
successful is what life is all about. My parents never had any other children,
so Christmases and family events are quiet, but it’s the way it’s always been
and it’s the way I like it. My mind is a constant buzz of deadlines,
competitions and training, so going home is pretty much the only time I’m
able to fully switch off from the stress of university life. Don’t get me
wrong I love it here, my dad has been planning for my time here since I did
my first cartwheel and I have to say I’m glad he saved every penny for the
first twenty years of my life to make sure I could get a place. I met my best
friend here too, Molly Crawford, we were paired in a dorm together two
years ago and the click between us was instant. She’s 100 miles per hour all
day, everyday and I’m about 10 miles per hour behind her, so we make for a
perfect pair. Anais then joined our dorm room 18 months ago, not long after
she started at Redwood, she’s a gymnast on my team too so we have a lot in
common. The girls on my team and Molly are pretty much the only people
I’m willing to give up my time for here, everyone else pretty much pisses
me off, especially my dad’s hockey boys. That’s why I’m wondering how I
ended up where I am right now. In the penalty box at a hockey game, my
dad screaming profanities from the plexiglass and waving his arms in the
air. I used to come and watch the games all the time with Molly, but I’ve
been so busy with competitions since we came back from summer break
that I’ve not made the time to come and watch any games. Like I said, I’m
awful on the ice, but watching hockey and playing hockey are two different
things entirely. As I sit, picking at my finger nails and half watching the
game, the sensation of warmth rolls over my skin when a huge wave of heat
brushes past me and lands on his ass, right next to me in the sin bin. I twist
my neck reluctantly, not wanting to engage for even a millisecond with
whichever player has been sent off the ice. He’s bound to be mad, frustrated
at being sent off for something he’ll be sure he didn’t do. When I look up at
the dimple-faced, smiling hunk of muscle I see it’s Sean Taylor.
Why god, why did it have to be Sean Taylor?
He’s the most annoying of them all, captain of the team since he joined the
university three months ago he’s already made himself known to every
single female that comes within a mile of him. The cocky smile spread
across his rugged face right now proves that. I watch as his gaze turns sultry
and he drags his caramel eyes down, prowling over my skin and making me
shiver.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s hot as balls, but I’m not the type of girl to jump
into bed with any guy who shows me an ounce of attention. I prefer to be in
a relationship, I like the stability and feeling like someone is committed to
me and only me. Not that that worked out for me the last time. My ex-
boyfriend Joel is a football player here, we were together for just over a
year when he dumped me last week. He said I was constantly in a bad
mood, always had an attitude with him and he could never do anything to
please me. I can’t help it though, it’s just the way I am and as much as I
love being in a relationship I refuse to change myself for any man. Sean is
still fluttering his eyes across my body, his gaze lingering on the low
neckline of my sleek, black, bodysuit as he digs his teeth into his bottom
lip. The whistle snaps his attention back to the game and I sigh with relief to
think he won’t bother me anymore with his perverted looks and eye
fucking. But of course I’m never that lucky, and when I turn my head back
in his direction he captures my eyes with his.
If he wasn’t so heartbreakingly good looking it would be easier to be rude
to him, it’s obvious why girls are literally falling at his feet. He’s huge,
about a foot taller than me and I’m 5-foot-4 on a good day. His short, dark
curls accentuate the hardness of his jaw line and the discreet coating of
shadowy stubble that blankets his face is screaming for me to reach out and
brush my fingers against it. But unfortunately for Sean Taylor he’s also the
most irritating, arrogant asshole on the whole hockey team. He knows he’s
hot and I think if you asked him he’d tell you he’s the hottest person he’s
ever seen. There’s nothing I hate more than a guy who thinks he’s god’s gift
to women.
He’s still looking at me like I’m his favourite snack, not saying a word and
it’s making me want to reach over and slap the smug grin off his gorgeous
face. He finally clears his throat and I realise that I’m staring at his mouth,
the pink of his lips tempting me in accompanied by his deliciously sexy
dimples and extremely arrogant grin. Absolutely not, I will never be seen
dead going home with a guy like him, like I said I don’t do hook ups
anyway and even if I did I’d have better taste than a walking ad for
chlamydia like Sean Taylor.
“Hey,” He says, his swampy eyes trapping me for a split second before I
remember who I’m sitting next to.
As tempting as it is to be rude to this giant hunk of arrogance, I decide to
try and be civil, hoping his time in here with me goes quickly so I can go
back to my scrolling and nail picking.
I sigh, full of boredom and indifference. “What you in for?”
“It’s not prison,” He snickers and I turn back to my phone. He has to be
annoying the second he opens his mouth doesn’t he?
My obvious disinterest in him clearly has him confused. I don’t think a girl
has ever been less interested in him than I am. Like I said, he’s painfully
hot, but his ‘I’m the king of the rink’ attitude overrides his hotness the
second he opens his mouth.
“It’s hockey prison.” I say, still not looking at him.
He barks a laugh. “I was sentenced to 5 minutes for tripping, which is
bullshit because I didn’t even trip him.”
There’s the ‘I didn’t do it’ mantra that I was waiting for.
“Actually,” he says, twisting his whole body towards mine and I
purposefully shuffle further away from him down the bench. “I did trip him,
I tripped him on purpose so I could get sent in here.”
“You purposefully got a penalty?” I ask, his shit eating grin glowing back at
me. “Wow, what a shitty captain you are leaving your boys a man down for
5 whole minutes.”
His smile widens further and my stomach does a backflip. “I wanted to talk
to you.” He grins, caramel eyes flitting across my freckled cheek bones.
There he goes again with the arrogance, I’m sick of hockey boys thinking
just because they’re tall, painfully handsome and sexy that girls will
automatically drop their pants. I’m not denying that most of the hockey
team are fine as hell, Sean Taylor being at least ten times hotter than the rest
of them, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to dive into bed with him, begging
him to give me the pleasure of his dick for one night. “Yeah, ok, look, the
smooth talking isn’t going to work on me, so save your breath.
Unfortunately for you I’m immune to your boyish charms.” I let out an
aggravated sigh, letting my irritation for him get the better of me. His eyes
float between mine, washing with a sparkle of excitement mixed with the
absolute confusion that any girl couldn’t want him.
“There’s nothing boyish about what I want to do to you.” He smirks, a
devilish grin spreading across his cheeks.
A flabbergasted scoff leaves my lips before I can stop it and Sean’s face
changes. “You’re really living up to the whole fuck boy, sleaze bag, man
whore image that I already have of you.”
I twist my body completely away from his and check the clock on the
scoreboard. Still two and a half minutes of torture left in here with this
buffoon of a man whilst he desperately tries to claw his way into my pants.
I keep my eyes on the game for a few seconds, but Sean never takes his
sparkling gaze off the side of my face. He’s so fucking annoying. “What?” I
spit, catching him by surprise and watching as his eyebrows shoot up into
his hairline.
“Woah tiger,” He laughs, the cocky smile never leaving his face. He doesn’t
try to hide the fact that his eyes keep falling to my tits. I brush the
uncontrollable mane of curls over my shoulder and cross one leg over the
other with a huff, turning away from him again and ignoring him
completely.
“So, are you enjoying the game? You don’t seem to be actually watching
it.” He says and I continue to ignore him. I can hear the smile in his voice,
like he’s enjoying this game of cat and mouse between us. Little does he
know that this mouse is like a cheetah and can outrun his flirty pursuit no
problem. “You must have paid a lot of money to sit here during a game like
this.”
“Ha,” I scoff and reluctantly meet his cocky smile. “Pay for this? You must
be joking.”
“Well, you must be a big fan to be sat in the penalty box, bet you’re
starstruck meeting me aren’t you?”
Urgh, this man is insufferable.
“You’re not going to stop talking to me are you?”
A slow smile crosses his face. “No,”
I let out a loud, impatient sigh. “The fact you don’t know that I’m your
coach’s daughter just proves how self absorbed you really are.” “There’s no
way you’re Coach’s daughter, I would have seen you around before. And
trust me, there’s not a chance in hell I would have laid eyes on you and not
taken you home with me.” He coos, leaning closer. His woodsy aftershave
is deliciously manly and I fight back the drool that wants to escape. No way
is this asshole going to get to me that easily. “Wow, your head is so big we
can barely fit in this box together.” I huff and he barks a laugh, leaning back
against the bench, arms folded behind his head. “You know a lot of the guys
on your team are hot, you’re not the only one.”
“Ha!” He sits up, pointing his finger at me playfully. “You think I’m hot.” I
roll my eyes. “Well, I’m not blind Taylor.”
He laughs again. Why does this fuck head laugh at me constantly? It’s like
he’s hating the fact that I have no interest in him, but revelling it in at the
same time.
“So now that we’ve established that we’re both hot as fuck, are you coming
home with me after the game?”
Now it's my turn to laugh, albeit dryly. “You don’t even know my name you
pig!”
He stands to his feet, the seconds ticking by as his time in the sin bin comes
to an end, thank god.
“Yes, I do Callie.” He sings, thirty-seconds left before he can go back on the
ice and stop irritating the shit out of me.
I roll my eyes and fold my arms across my chest again. “I’m not impressed
by you Taylor, now get back on the ice and do your job.”
His eyes flicker to the timer on the scoreboard. 20 seconds.
“Will you come home with me after the game if I score a goal for you?” He
asks, jutting his bottom lip out and making puppy eyes at me. “I'll think
about it.” I most definitely will not, think about it.
He fist bumps the air and winks at me, before sliding back out onto the ice
and flying towards the goal. Lewis smashes the puck to Sean, he glides
across the ice effortlessly, weaving through the opposing team and
whacking the puck flying. It whips past the left side of the goalie’s head and
within seconds of Sean hitting the ice, he’s scored the winning goal. With
only minutes left of the game it's almost certain that Redwood have taken
this one, and when his teammates clamber off him, releasing him from their
bear hugs, he looks straight at me. He points his hockey stick directly at me
and throws me a dazzling smile. My vagina does a little dance and I
metaphorically slap her around the face. I can’t let him get to me like this,
he’s interested in one thing and one thing only. And that thing is something
I can’t give him.
Chapter 3

Sean

Thank fuck for that, I’m so glad that game is over. My poor dick couldn’t
take the torture of staring at Callie any longer, the poor guy needs relief.
Her face was a picture when I pointed my stick at her, her cheeks glowing
pink as she sunk lower in her seat, hiding from everyone’s staring eyes and
mouthing insults at me. I thought for a second there that my usual charms
really weren’t working on her, which is something I’m not accustomed to
and don’t wish to experience. My cock leapt with joy when I scored that
goal, imagining all the things I can to do to Callie tonight.
I take a slow jog towards the hallway, exiting the rink after my teammates
and letting the crowd’s loud cheers muffle when the door falls closed. Callie
is walking alongside our coach, the soft curve of her spine begging me to
run my fingers down it. Her thick curls sway with her as she walks and
when coach turns left and enters the locker rooms I run to catch up to her.
“I’ll be ready in 15 minutes, wait here for me.” I whisper into her curls and
her head flies around to face me.
Oh man, she smells so good, like pineapple and mango.
She purses her pouty lips and tips her head at me, her thick lashes fluttering.
“And why would I do that?”
I hear snickers from my teammates who are loitering behind me, listening
to their captain being sass mouthed by this fierce little firecracker. “I scored
a goal for you, now I get to take you home, that was the deal.” I say, my
heart picking up speed as I watch her eyes sparkle with delight. “Deal’s off
Captain.” She smirks and spins around, strutting towards the exit.
My mouth has fallen open and I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry. My
dick is definitely crying right now, agonisingly desperate to see how she
feels.
“What?” I choke, hearing my boys hooting with laughter behind me. “I’m
sorry to disappoint you but I have no interest in being another notch on your
bedpost and I don’t do casual sex.” She says over her shoulder, not even
bothering to turn her head fully to look at me as she batters me with
rejection.
“Can I have your number then?” I blurt out.
My teammates fall silent behind me, their snickering stopping abruptly.
When I flick my head around to look at them their faces are stunned in
silence. It’s not a secret that I don’t ever ask for girls numbers, I don’t need
them. I don’t make a habit of seeing women on repeat but Callie turning me
down makes me want her even more, I’m willing to do almost anything to
make her want me back.
She fully turns around now, just as she reaches the doors. “Sean Taylor
wants my number?”
I smile, showcasing my panty dropping dimples and hoping my charm is
slowly bringing her around. “I'll admit I don’t usually ask women for their
numbers, but for you I’ll make an exception.”
“Awe, that’s so sweet.” She says, smiling sarcastically and yanking at the
door to leave.
I panic. “Is that a maybe?” I yell after her and she freezes in the now open
doorway.
“Like I said, I don’t do causal sex big boy, sorry to crush your dreams.” The
door swings closed behind her and she’s gone, her mind bending scent
filling the corridor and making me woozy with need. I don’t know how I
feel about this game we’re now playing, I literally never get rejected by
women, if anything I’m usually the one with the pick of the bunch. This is
like a punch to my ego, but I also feel a competitive fire lighting inside of
me. She’s made herself a challenge and I fucking love to win. I already
wanted her, the minute I saw her sitting in the penalty box with her soft
curls falling over one shoulder, her beautiful green eyes bright but fiery at
the same time and her delicious ass when she swished away during the
break. But hearing her tell me no just makes me all the more desperate to
win her over.

I don’t make it home until 8pm and my legs are wobbly with exhaustion
when I throw my bag down onto my bedroom floor. I’m really lucky to be
living here in this huge house-share with my teammates but sometimes I
crave alone time, like real alone time. Lewis, Nick, Kyle and I rent a house
together just off campus along a quiet country road. The outside of the
house really doesn’t do justice to the inside, especially since the bedrooms
here are more like their own luxury apartments. The four of us share the
price of rent and food, but with me being from a family with cash to spare I
like to chip in a little more where I can.
My parents are high flying lawyers, working in London in an office
building that was designed and created specifically for their company.
They’re always put together, both of them in matching suit trousers and hair
immaculately tamed, but don’t be fooled by their appearances. They’re two
of the kindest, most level headed, loving people I’ve ever had the pleasure
of knowing. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do for my sister Lois and I
growing up and they’re still a constant support for us both. My sister is two
years younger than me and is here on a gymnastics scholarship, whilst I
managed to bag one of the few hockey scholarships they offer here. When I
told my parents I wanted to come to Redwood University to play hockey I
was worried they’d be disappointed, that they’d want me to go into some
sort of business like their’s. But my mum’s face lit up and she pulled me
into a hug, reassuring me that I could do whatever makes me happy. Lois
received the same reaction when she told them she’d been offered a full
scholarship for gymnastics here. My parents really are amazing people,
consistent and always present for me and my sister whenever we need them.
“What the fuck was that out there today?” Kyle’s voice yanks me out of my
daydream and I let myself fall back onto my king sized mattress. Kyle
stands in the doorway, his arms folded and his body leaning against my
doorframe. His grin is lazy and knowing, he’s one of my best friends and I
know for a fact that he has already deciphered exactly what was wrong with
me on the ice today.
My teammates know what I’m like and they accept it, Kyle and Nick also
being pretty much addicted to women the same way I am but I will admit,
of the three of us I get the most attention. When the three of us have girls in
our rooms at the same time the house sounds like some sort of orgy is
taking place. I feel for Lewis though, he wants a relationship, craves more
than just sex and after his messy breakup with his ex he’s been pretty much
wallowing. He outright refuses to take my advice and hook up with
someone else to help him get over Grace, although I guess I don't blame
him for ignoring me, what do I know about getting over a girlfriend? I’ve
never had one.
Kyle flails his arms, his blonde hair shaking back and forth as he waits for
an answer from me.
“You know what that was.” I smile, letting my mind wander back to it’s
Callie induced coma.
“You’re one crazy fucker you know that?” Kyle laughs, pushing off from
the door and starting to close it behind him.
“Hey, hold on I need to ask you something.” I call after him and he pokes
his chiselled jaw around my half closed door.
“Is it Callie related?”
“Maybe…” I muse, trying not to smile.
He stifles a laugh. “What the fuck has gotten into you? You spoke to her
once and you’re obsessed.”
To be clear, I don’t know what has gotten into me. I just really fucking want
this girl, more than I think I’ve ever wanted anyone before. “Is she single?”
I say, peering up at Kyle from where he’s sat himself beside me on the edge
of the bed.
“Yeah, only since last week. Honestly though man I think you’re wasting
your time with her, she’s stubborn so if she’s telling you no, it’s most likely
always going to be a no.”
“We’ll see about that.”
It’s like everyone's goal here is purely to spur me on, to make me even more
desperate for a taste of her.
Kyle launches one of my many pillows at my head and leaves the room
with a loud bout of laughter.
“I wasn’t finished with my questions!” I shout as he disappears from sight.
“I was!” He yells back, laughter still rippling his voice.
I lay back again, grabbing my phone from my pocket and typing her name
into Facebook. It doesn’t take me long to find her profile and as I scroll
through her pictures I realise she’s a gymnast like my sister Lois. I bet they
know each other.
After about half an hour of social media stalking I click ‘Add friend’ on her
profile. Within seconds the button goes back to blue, indicating that she
rejected my friend request. I fight the playful smile that pulls at my lips and
click, ‘Add friend’ again. When she hasn’t responded in thirtyseconds I
click my lock screen shut and close my eyes. As fun as this game with her is
I'm so fucking tired I could pass out, today’s been full speed and I only got
five hours of sleep last night. When we got to the rink this morning there
was water leaking from our gym where we do all of our weight training and
warm up shit. We weight train at least once a day so if that shitty gym is
flooded we’re going to have a huge problem on our hands.
Just as I feel my ever buzzing brain starting to switch off I hear a ping from
my phone. I squint my eyes, peeling them open only a crack to read the
message on my screen.

Callie Burch:
‘Stop friend requesting me, stalker.’ My face lights up with a triumphant
grin. I don’t care if she’s calling me names, getting pissed at me or wanting
to rip my head off. Any sort of attention from this beauty is good attention
and the more she talks to me, the more likely that I’ll eventually get her to
drop her pants and give in. My god, I need a night with this woman, maybe
even more than one.
Chapter 4

Callie

“Callie I don’t know how many times I need to repeat myself this morning,
have you gone deaf?”
I wish I had, if I have to hear Ellen yell my name across the gym one more
time I might stab white hot pokers into my ears.
“Straighten your legs on that walkover or I’m going to come over there and
tape wooden boards to them!” She yells, throwing her hands in the air
before turning back to where Lois hangs sheepishly on the bar. My beam
routine is fucking awful this season, I don’t know what’s wrong with me but
I just can’t get the hang of it. I have all the skills under my belt, beam is my
strongest piece but for some infuriating reason I just can’t nail this routine.
To be honest I'm screwing up all of my routines this season, I'm sure Ellen
manufactured the most difficult routines possible just so she can watch me
crumble. But I’m nothing if not determined so I try once more. Training is
almost over and I can’t wait to get home tonight, get into my comfiest PJs
and sit on the couch with Molly eating our body weight in cookie dough
flavoured ice cream.
I straighten my arms above my head, shuffling my feet on the beam before
launching myself forwards. My legs travel over my head and my feet hit the
beam again one by one. The momentum is too strong though, I misjudged it
again and soon my feet land on the huge mat below the beam with a crash
that echoes through the gym. I hear Ellen sigh loudly from across the room
and I know I'm in for it again.
I’m used to being yelled at, my whole life I’ve been subjected to screaming
and yelling in the gym. You don’t become successful at gymnastics without
being constantly criticised and told your doing things wrong. That doesn’t
mean it doesn’t drain the life out of you though. “Right! All of you on the
floor now, we’re stretching before we finish.” Ellen huffs and the rest of my
teammates make their way over to our huge floor area.
I’m so grateful for the team I have here, there’s not one of them I don’t like
or get along with. Actually that would be a little bit of a lie, there’s always
Sofia, bitching about her boyfriend or telling us all were doing things wrong
in our routines. I don’t know why she doesn’t just focus on her own shit, it
would make the whole gym a lot more pleasant to be in. The rest of my
girls though, Lois, Anais and Jennifer are great to work with and I always
feel at ease when we are competing in team events.
Obviously Ellen makes me go first for stretching, I swear that woman made
me captain of the team solely so she’d have a reason to pick on me. I sit
down into a front split, my good leg first of course and Ellen quickly lifts
my back leg, stretching my muscles and making me grit my teeth together. I
can hear her counting under her breath whilst my teammates sit in a line
watching, waiting for their turn in the torture chamber. As she reaches my
sixtieth second of pain, the gym door swings open, squeaking and dragging
all of our eyes in the direction of the sound. A crowd of huge, topless men
filter into the gym, my dad trailing behind them. Normally twelve hunky,
gorgeous, shirtless men all swarming into our gym would be like a dream,
but these particular men are the bane of my existence. One in particular,
who finds me immediately and overpowers me with his Hollywood smile. I
roll my eyes which only makes Sean titter and nudge his shoulder into
Kyle’s, gesturing towards me like I'm a zoo animal. “Can I help you
gentlemen?” Ellen squawks, lifting her eyebrows so high I almost lose them
in her hairline.
I’m still sitting in my splits, much more comfortable now Ellen’s talons are
off me and she’s focusing on the greek god looking giants who have just
interrupted our training session. My eyes fight not to look at Sean, but the
warmth that settles between my thighs wins this particular battle and I spare
one more glance his way. His bottom lip is pulled between his teeth and his
swampy eyes are winding all over my body. I suddenly feel very exposed in
my crop top and gym shorts, I'll admit they’re so tight they’re practically
painted on, but they need to be for this kind of sport. I’m just grateful I
chose not to wear a leotard today. He spots me looking at him when his
eyes rise up from my chest and he grins brightly again. Those fucking
dimples. Why are they so irresistible?
My dad shoves his way through the sea of hockey players and comes to the
front of the group, before throwing me a quick, forced smile. “Our gym is
flooded again so I’m afraid we’ll be using your floor for the foreseeable
future.” He sighs and my brain almost explodes out of my skull.
This isn’t the first time we’ve been in this shitty situation, the hockey team
have a small gym area off the side of the rink that they use for weight
training. The fucking thing has already flooded once this year and we were
stuck with them using our floor everyday for an hour, eating up our training
time. Like I said earlier, my routines this season are dog shit and the last
thing any of us need is for sweaty, stinking hockey players to be parading
around shirtless in our gym, soaking up our precious time that could be
used perfecting our routines before competitions start. I groan loudly,
slapping my hands down on the ground. “Are you fucking serious?”
“Language Callie!” My dad snaps, fisting his hips and trying to seem
authoritative.
“I’m sorry Dad, but this is bullshit.” I groan, snapping up from my splits
and rising to my feet.
I’m so done with this year already, we’ve only been back at university for a
few weeks and already the entire year has pretty much gone to shit. My
teammates watch as I make my way towards the door in a sulk. Sean moves
to the right slightly, purposefully wedging himself between Kyle and Nick
so I have to pass through the middle of them to exit. The closer I get the
more defined his torso looks, the ridged planes of his stomach make my
vagina excited again and I silently tell her to calm the fuck down, she’s not
getting any action from that man whore, over my dead body. He’s not
making it easier for me to stay strong willed though when he comes into the
gym looking like that. He’s grinning from ear to ear again, as usual and the
closer I get to him the more obvious it is that my resolve at hating him is
faltering. Don’t get me wrong I do hate him for needing to have his dick
wet at all times, but why does he have to be such a sex magnet?
I huff. “Urgh, why do you have to be so hot? It’s a shame you’re an
irritating asshole.” I grumble at him, slapping at Sean and Kyle’s bare
chests and making a gap between them that I can squeeze through. The
second the back of my hand hits Sean’s stomach I hear him groan and his
palm lands where mine just was against his skin.
“She touched me.” He moans and I hear Kyle cackle.
“You ok there man?” He says, patting Sean’s shoulder in mock condolence.
I turn my face just before I reach the door and see Sean cupping his dick.
“No, I’m not ok, I have a raging boner now.” He groans, running his hand
down his face and continuing to cup his ever hardening dick. I let an
arrogant smile flicker across my own face as I slip through the exit, it feels
nice to be the one turning him on. I know he thinks I’m attractive, he’s
made than abundantly clear but seeing him weak with no sign of the cocky
smirk he wears is very fulfilling for me.
“Is it weird that I find her even sexier when she’s mad?” Is the last thing I
hear Sean’s muffled voice say through the gym door before I make my way
into the changing rooms, a grin of my own overtaking my face.
Chapter 5

Sean

“I think you need to chill out with this whole stalking Callie mission you’ve
started.” Kyle titters as the two of us spot each other during our weight
session.
The gymnasium here is pretty fucking huge, considering my sister Lois has
been at the university for three months just as I have, I’ve never been in
here before. Wish I would have come down and paid her a visit, I could
have been balls deep in Callie right now if I’d started my ‘get into Callie’s
pants’ project three months ago.
“I literally can’t stop Ky, I don’t know what the fuck has gotten into me, but
I like it.”
“You just like the chase that’s your problem.” He swats at my arm as we
swap around and he lays down in front of me, positioning his body before
he reaches for the weight above his head.
“You know when she first turned me down yesterday, I thought it was the
chase that excited me too, but now I’m not so sure. I mean yeah, she’s so go
damn fuckable I could come in my pants just looking at her, but I’m not
sure that’s all it is that’s drawing me in. I kind of like the fact that she hates
me.” A laugh rumbles in my throat and Kyle lets out a harsh breath. “Fuck
me, you’re going soft for this girl. You know you only met her yesterday
right?”
“I know and my brain has been able to think of literally nothing else since
then.” I groan, yanking my fingers through the pillow of curls that rests on
my head.
Kyle stands up, wiping his sweaty palm against his shorts. “Just be careful
is all I'm saying, if you do get your way with her you don’t want Coach
finding out.”
I bark a dry laugh. “Don’t worry about that, I’m sneaky as shit. I’ve had to
be, living in a house with three guys.”
“You don’t think we hear you with a new girl every weekend? Your walls
are paper thin man.” Kyle taunts, jabbing me in the chest with a balled up
fist.
I yank my t-shirt over my head, I can’t fucking wait to get out of here and
go home. All I want to do right now is eat an entire tub of ice cream and
watch some shitty movie in bed. Maybe piss Callie off a bit too by sending
her countless messages on Facebook.
“Maybe that’s all about to change.” I mutter, swinging my bag over my
shoulder.
“You’ll never change.” Kyle titters, his blonde hair bobbing as he slips his
feet into his trainers.
I nod robotically. “For the right woman I will.”

My evening isn’t exactly going as planned. I know I’m only 23 but surely I
should be able to just snuggle up in bed and watch a shitty movie and eat
my ice cream like a teenage girl occasionally. When I get home the house is
already pretty crowded, it’s not a party exactly, more of a get together with
the team. We’ve had a busy few weeks since we came back from summer
break and we’ve not had much down time. I groan internally though at the
thought of not being able to have the relaxing, post training evening I
wanted. We have another game tomorrow and I can’t be fucked for a night
of loud music and drinking.
Nick hands me a beer and I reluctantly take it, lifting the glass bottle to my
lips and letting the alcohol burn my throat as it travels down to my stomach.
I’m not really a drinker, my grandfather was a drunk and he abused my
mum as a kid so I don’t like to associate myself with the devil’s liquid. I’ll
drink sometimes with my team after a big win, or occasionally use the stuff
to numb me after a shitty game, but apart from that I tend to avoid it at all
costs.
The first thing I notice when I scan the room are the three blondes from the
other night, one of them draped over Lewis as he uncomfortably tries to
prise her manicured nails off the collar of his shirt. The other two are sitting
on Nick’s lap, practically undressing him in the living room. Normally I’d
be envious, wanting some of the leggy blondes for myself, especially after I
saw what they could do the other night. But every time I try to mentally
undress them, Callie’s beautiful, glowing face comes into my mind and
distracts me from anything else. I sigh, reaching for another beer and
convincing myself I’ll be going upstairs to bed after this drink, I really am
exhausted and I need sleep.
It’s Saturday tomorrow but hockey doesn’t stop on the weekends and we
have another important game in the afternoon. I know I'm the captain but
I’m definitely more on board for breaks and rests than the rest of my team,
they’ll want to be in the gym or on the ice all morning before our game.
When I put my beer down on the side, lifting my eyes back to the crowded
living room I see one of the blondes staring at me, walking towards me with
her sultry gaze, suggesting everything I would normally be looking for. I
have no fucking clue what any of their names were, I didn’t bother to ask, I
couldn’t give less of a fuck.
“Hi you,” she coos, her bright blue eyes tracking down my large frame as
she runs her hands down my stomach. “Wanna continue the fun from the
other night?”
I can’t be arsed with this shit right now. “No, not tonight sorry,” I say, lazily
throwing my empty bottle into the bin and slithering out of her grip. I make
my way up the stairs and Nick calls after me, “Where you going Taylor?
We’re just getting started down here.” He winks and gestures to the blonde
who is now pouting from my rejection.
“I’m done, crashing for the night,” I lift my arm in a half assed wave and
trudge up the stairs to my room.
I’ve only just locked the door when I hear a light tap on the wood, I swing it
open and see that fucking girl again, smiling at me suggestively. Fucking
hell, can she not take a hint?
“What do you want?” I say sharply and she looks hurt again. I can’t find it
in me to care though, not after I already told her I wasn’t interested. “I
thought maybe we could hang out…” She whispers, looking down at the
ground and shuffling her heeled feet.
I take a deep breath, digging deep in the unused part of my brain for the
right words to not hurt her feelings. “Look, I’m not trying to be an asshole
but I’m seriously not interested, the other night was fun sure, but it’s done
with.” I try to close the door on her but she wedges the sparkled toe of her
stiletto between the wood and the door frame.
Ok now she’s really starting to piss me off.
“Move your fucking foot, now.” I growl and her eyes narrow. “You’re such
a prick. You think you can just use me the other night and now pretend like
I don’t exist? Jerk.” She hisses, sauntering off down the hall and shoving
past Kyle as he ascends the stairs.
He catches my eye and confusion floods his vision. “Thought you were
only interested in Callie now? Didn’t take you long to go back to your old
ways.” He tuts jokingly and pushes his way into my room.
“I didn’t fucking touch her, trust me. She came up here begging for a ride
on my dick and I told her I wasn’t interested.”
Kyle’s face is twisted into an indecipherable expression, I'm not sure if he’s
pleasantly surprised at me sticking to my word or disgusted that I turned
down a hot girl.
“Seeing as you’ve made yourself at home,” I say, watching as Kyle takes a
seat on my chair, leaning back and sipping at his beer. “You can make
yourself useful and answer more of my Callie related questions.” Kyle’s
beer nearly sprays across the room as he fights to swallow his mouthful.
“More questions? What am I, her mother?”
“Come to think of it, how do you know so much about my girl?” “Your
girl?” Kyle lifts his eyebrows. “You’re delusional man, she’ll never have
sex with you.”
“What makes you so sure?” I say, whipping my t-shirt over my head and
laying back on my bed.
“Well, for starters, she’s already rejected you, more than once.” He smirks
and I momentarily want to smack him. Callie will come around, I’m going
to make her want me like I want her. “And secondly she’s got a vendetta
against us hockey players. She kind of has a soft spot for me though.” Kyle
grins and I want to smack him for a second time.
“Answer my question dickhead, how do you know her so well?” I try to
ignore what he said about Callie having a soft spot for him, surely she
would have fucked him by now if she was attracted to him.
“She comes to all the joint parties that we have with the gymnastics team at
weekends, you know, the ones you never want to come to?” He sips his
beer again.
“Well, I would have fucking come if I’d known she was there. Why didn’t
you tell me that my sister has a sexy captain?”
He chuckles. “Thought you got enough pussy already, save some for the
rest of us.”
My stomach lurches as I swallow the brick that’s made it’s way into my
throat. “You haven’t fucked her have you?”
Kyle snickers and watches the red fury creep up my neck. I’m jealous,
fucking jealous. I’ve never been jealous in my life and now the mere
thought of Callie wanting Kyle but not me is making red blur my vision.
“No, I haven’t fucked her.” He laughs and stands up to leave. “There’s a
party tomorrow at Mac’s place, you should come.”
As much as little Jamie Macdonald pisses me off, if there’s somewhere
Callie is going to be then I’ll be there too without having to be asked twice.
Mac is a left winger on our team, he’s the youngest of us all and he’s a
fucking irritation to say the least. He’s about 5-foot nothing and brags about
his sex life like he doesn’t picture his own grandma when he beats his meat.
The guy pisses me off, but if Callie is going to this party tomorrow it will
be a chance for me to see her relaxed, outside of the gym or the hockey
games which she apparently finds ‘boring’.
“Oh I’ll be there.” I say as Kyle lets my bedroom door swing closed behind
him.
Chapter 6

Callie

“Come on, pleeeease!” Molly gets down on her knees in front of me and
pouts her bottom lip.
I sigh. “Get off your knees, knob head.”
“I will when you agree.” She smirks, yanking playfully at my legs, her
blonde waves shaking with her head. Molly is my best friend, has been
since we moved into this dorm together but my god she can be annoying.
“Fine.” I huff, crossing my arms over as she stands and yanks me into a
hug.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She sings and I wriggle away from her.
“But you’re not coming to the party afterwards.” I point a warning finger at
her and she puts her hands up in surrender.
“I won’t even ask.” She flashes me a bright smile and runs into her
bedroom to get ready. If we’re going to make this damn hockey game on
time we need to leave in ten minutes.
Molly, unlike me, loves hockey and used to play as a child. She’s a runner
now and is the best on her team here at Redwood, I’ve watched her run and
I’m not exaggerating when I say the girl looks like she’s flying. Her feet
barely touch the ground when she runs and it’s the thing that makes her
happiest in the world, except for me of course. She came home after
practice today and told me there was a hockey game this afternoon, I told
her I didn’t give a shit and she slapped me around the back of the head. This
lead to us rolling around on the carpet together, fighting playfully like we
were in some sort of cheap porn movie. She then proceeded to beg me to
get tickets from my dad so we could go and watch the game. There’s also a
party at Jamie Macdonald’s house after the game, which is the usual
routine. The gymnastics team and the hockey team often have joint parties,
we train in the same building so it kind of makes sense as we all know each
other. I wouldn’t normally be so opposed to going to watch a hockey game,
I don’t love them like Molly does but I can enjoy it occasionally. The only
problem with going tonight is I now have a stalker by the name of Sean
Taylor, also known as Redwood's hockey team captain. As soon as I got
home last night I had countless Facebook messages from him, I know he’s
just trying to get into my pants and I get it, I know I’m attractive. I don’t
have a problem in that department, I work hard for my body and I'm proud
of it, but I don’t give it away to just anyone. I’ve made it clear to him that
I'm not looking for a hook up with the biggest playboy in our university, but
it doesn’t seem to be sinking into his thick skull. Even if I was up for some
casual sex, the last person I would choose to engage in said sex with would
be Sean Taylor. He’s the most irritating, big headed asshole I’ve ever had
the displeasure of meeting and for some unknown reason he’s set his sights
on me.
“Ready?” Molly says, emerging from her bedroom sporting a Redwood
hockey jersey and spinning around to showcase her golden waves that reach
all the way down her back.
“You make me cringe.” I roll my eyes and grab my jacket, not bothering to
change out of my jeans and tank top.
She swings her arm over my shoulder and presses her cheek to mine. “I
love you too Cal.”

The stadium is pretty packed when we arrive and we shuffle our way
through the crowd to our seats just above the penalty box. My dad saves the
seats for us every game, hoping I’ll decide to come and watch his boys play.
Don’t get me wrong, hockey is a great game to watch if you like adrenaline,
it’s fast paced and there’s constantly something happening on the ice, but I
don’t get the same thrill from it as my dad and Molly do. Molly grabs a
handful of sugary popcorn and shoves her fist into her mouth, chewing
happily.
“This is going to be such a good game Cal. Redwood and Preston are arch
enemies so there’s bound to be endless fighting today, which I fucking live
for.” She groans dramatically, grabbing another handful of popcorn and
ramming it straight into her lipgloss covered mouth. “Oh god, they’re so
sexy.”
I twist my head, turning my attention back to the ice and away from Molly’s
hamster cheeks that are now bursting at the seams with popcorn. The guys
emerge from the tunnel and slip onto the ice one by one, each of them
looking fine as hell. My subconscious mind is searching for him and I want
to punish myself for even wanting a smidge of his attention, but I can’t help
it. When Sean launches himself onto the ice, following the track of his
teammates and skating in a circle around the rink I watch his eyes lift up to
the stands where Molly and I sit. He’s looking for someone, my stomach
jumps to think he might be looking for me, then I remember the man has
never held interest in one woman for more than an hour in his entire life
before moving onto the next one. I'm sure he’s forgotten I exist by now, I
fucking hope he has anyway, the pig headed arsehole. He glides across the
ice, skating in an ’s’ shape before dropping down to stretch. He bends his
knees and gets down on the ice, stretching his legs and keeping his
chocolate eyes flitting around the stadium. When he comes up empty I
watch him skate over to Kyle and whisper something in his ear. Molly
hasn’t noticed my eyes following Sean, she’s too busy singing along to the
music that pumps through the arena as both teams complete their warm up
skate. Sean and Kyle are still whispering to each other and after a few
seconds Kyle points directly at me, drawing not only Sean’s attention but
some of the other guys in the team too. Thank god Molly is too drunk on
her second cocktail of the night to stop singing along and actually pay
attention to the fact that half of the hockey team are staring at me. Before I
can turn a dark shade of red Sean lifts his gloved hand to his mouth, and
blows me a kiss.
The fucker blows me a kiss in front of everyone.
I want to die of embarrassment, but I don’t want the man whore himself
thinking he’s getting to me. I can’t let him get to me.
So I do the only thing I can think to do, I lift my middle finger and direct it
straight at him, which only widens the smug grin that was already plastered
across his handsome face. His toothy grin is blinding as his caramel eyes
lock mine in place and I have to fight to break his invisible hold on me.
Luckily Sean doesn’t stare at me the entire game, but every time the ref
blows the whistle his eyes catch mine immediately and his face widens into
that shit eating grin that’s come to live in my head rent free. During the
third period Redwood are two-nil up and the Preston boys are getting more
and more aggressive on the ice. They’re constantly bashing our boys into
the plexiglass and sneakily tripping and jabbing at them with their skates.
Like Molly said earlier, they are arch enemies and the whole stadium can
feel the heavy tension and growing violence filling the air as the timer
moves towards the end of the game. The second the ref blows the whistle to
signal the end of the game, the captain of the Preston boys launches at Sean.
Sean is known for fighting during games so he was likely prepared and
hoping one of the Preston boys would give him the fight he was waiting for.
The two of them whip their helmets off and start hitting each other, and all I
can think of is, why does Sean have to be so hot for no reason? My heart
jumps into my throat as I watch them land punch after punch on each other
and I can’t decide if I’m turned on or worried for Sean’s beautiful face to be
ruined.
Molly is loving it, whooping and shouting, “Go on Sean, smack him!”
When my dad and the refs finally break the two of them up I see Sean’s
face is bloody, a small gash across his cheek which he wipes with his jersey.
My dad escorts him off the ice whilst Molly and I stand to leave. I’m trying
to be sneaky, glancing Sean’s way and hoping Molly doesn’t spot me, god
knows the girl will have twenty-thousand questions to ask if she sees me
eyeing up the one and only Sean Taylor. Luckily my best friend is now
three cocktails and a large popcorn down so she simply saunters ahead of
me out of the stadium, not even glancing back to see if I'm following. I let
myself look one more time towards Sean and see that my dad has an ice
pack on his face. My dad looks mad, he’s cursing at him, I can tell. As if he
can feel me staring, Sean looks up at me, his eyes softer than I’ve ever seen
them and he gives me a quick nod as I scurry out of the stadium.
Fuck, how could he tell I was worried about him? I don’t want to him to
think I give a shit because I don’t…Ok, maybe I do a little but I don’t want
to. God how do I stop his charm from seeping it’s way into my pours and
making me want to do something I know I’ll regret?
Chapter 7

Sean

“Jesus Christ…” I whisper under my breath as Callie comes into view. She
saunters down the stairs of Mac’s house, the music blaring and making the
walls jump to the beat. She’s wearing all black, her mini skirt looking like
it’s sewn onto her skin, dipping just under the curve of her ass and making
me itchy to reach out and grab a handful of it. Her top is tight too, fitting
like a glove and showcasing her perfect chest. Her thick curls cascade down
her back, swishing with her as she takes each step at a time, her heels
clicking and making her legs look long and sultry. A slap on the back of my
shoulder pulls my eyes away from Callie.
“Think you’re drooling there man, not a good look.” Kyle says, breathing a
heavy laugh and bringing his frosty beer glass to his lips.
“I swear I’ve had a wet dream exactly like this.” I groan, shaking out the
dark curls that sit on my head.
Kyle titters next to me and yanks my arm towards a group that has
congregated around the kitchen island. Of course my eyes are on Callie
immediately, who leans her hip into the counter and sips at some fruity
concoction. She’s chatting with the group, they’re having a debate about
some shit, I don’t know and I don’t care. I wrap my huge arm around her
chest and rub my other fist on the crown on her head like she’s five years
old. She scowls up at me and then shoves me with all her might, which is
the might of a mouse.
“Get off me Sean! Why do you have to be so fucking annoying? Is it your
new hobby now or something?” She runs her fingers through her hair,
shaking out her chocolate curls.
I grin, booping her nose and earning another slap on the arm. “I think it is
my new hobby, I’m enjoying it.”
“Yeah well I’m not, so can you piss off and annoy someone else please?
There’s some girls over there that I'm sure would love to go upstairs with
you, keep you busy and out of my way for a while.”
She spins around, facing away from me and continuing her conversation
with Lewis and the others. Does she not understand what’s going on here? I
don’t want any other girl, I want her. I’m so far from interested in other
girls it’s actually worrying me, I’m losing my touch.
I lean down to her ear, her hair tickling my nose. “Never going to happen
tiger, it’s you that I want.”
Her green eyes catch mine over her shoulder and I see her falter for just a
second, before the familiar scowl returns and she spins back to Lewis. God,
I love this game we’re playing.

After a few hours of watching my friends drink themselves stupid and

pretty much just staring at every detail of Callie’s body, I decide I’m done
being sober. I wasn’t planning on drinking tonight, we have a day off from
training and games tomorrow so I thought I could get shit done, you know,
be productive and all that. But I need some sort of anaesthesia for my dick,
every time I look at Callie he jumps for joy like he’s getting some tonight,
he’s not and we both know it. I don’t know if I’ve ever gone this long
without sex and I'm not sure how much longer I can wait. But the kicker is,
no other girls are doing it for me right now. Even the thought of taking
some random girl upstairs and fucking her just isn’t exciting me like it
usually would. One drink, that will be enough to blur my mind a little and
make this evening pass by more easily.
As I make my way into the huge, open plan kitchen, making a beeline for
the array of alcohol that’s scattered all over the countertops, I see Mac. He’s
stuck to the spot, fixated on something and when I follow his line of vision
I spot the girl who’s quickly taken over my mind. Mac is staring at her ass,
pulling his bottom lip between his teeth and readjusting his junk like a
teenage boy who’s never seen a sexy woman before.
Fucking pervert.
I grab the back of his collar, yanking him back towards me and making him
stumble.
“Hey Mac, keep looking at my girl’s ass like that and I’ll have to break your
fucking neck.” I growl into his ear.
The little fucker is so annoying most of the time anyway but watching him
fantasise about what’s under Callie’s clothes the same way I do makes me
consider acts of violence that I never have before.
He turns around and breathes a stuttered sigh. “Oh shit, sorry Cap, didn’t
realise you two were a thing.”
“Well, now you know, keep your eyes off what’s mine.” I say, slithering
past him and moving across the large expanse of kitchen towards Callie.
Fuck the drink, I don’t want other guys staring at her like that, like they
want a piece.
I snake my arm around her tight waist and kiss the crown of her head as
Mac slinks away with a frown. She knows it’s me before she looks up, I can
tell by the way she stiffens under my touch and I wait for her to shove me
away again, but she doesn’t.
Instead I’m greeted with an eye roll and a muttered, “Fuck off Sean,” but
she doesn’t wriggle out of my grip. My chest tightens and my dick does a
dance at the realisation that she might actually be warming up to me.
Maybe I can get a kiss from her tonight…fuck me what I wouldn’t do to get
a taste of her soft lips. The same lips that are moving seductively right now,
continuing her conversation with Anais, Kyle and Nick, whilst pretending
her heart isn’t beating 100 miles per hour with my hand wrapped around her
middle. If she thinks I can’t tell the way her body reacts to me then she’s
crazy, I feel her pulse quicken and the air thicken between us every time I'm
near her.
I eventually remove my arm from Callie’s waist and join in with the
conversation, receiving a knowing wink from Kyle as his eyes track my arm
where I let it rest possessively on the island behind Callie. “I’m not fucking
telling you her name so just back off.” Nick groans as Kyle continues to
tease him about this new, mysterious girl he’s been secretly seeing.
“Come on, just tell us, is she blonde?” I snicker, pressing my palm into his
shoulder.
He shakes his head. “Brunette, actually,” He smiles and I let out a belly
laugh at seeing him blush like that over a girl.
Nick is a lot like Kyle and I, we don’t usually go further than a one night
stand with women, but it seems like me, Nick has become infatuated by this
mystery girl. Maybe we’re all growing up.
“I thought you hockey boys only date blondes.” Callie says, lifting her
almost empty glass to her pouty lips, lips I would die to suck into my mouth
right now.
“Nah, that’s a myth,” I muse and she turns to me. “We only date 5-foot-4,
sassy mouthed girls who think they’re better than us. You fit any of that
criteria?” I grin and she rolls her eyes at me.
“You don’t date anyone Sean Taylor, you just fuck and chuck.” “I think I'd
like to date you Callie Burch.” I whisper, still grinning at her. I see her
emerald eyes flicker to my lips before she blinks, trying to hide the fact she
wants me, I know she does.
“Hey, did Pelker’s skate cut your stomach earlier? Coach said something in
the locker rooms about you needing to ice your stomach as well as that gash
across your face.” Nick interrupts my unspoken moment with Callie and it
takes me a moment to remember what the fuck he just said. My mind is on
some sort of hallucinogenic drug when she’s around me and I can’t fucking
think straight.
“Erm, yeah I did cut my stomach but it’s not that bad. It’s probably healing
up already.” I say, lifting the hem of my t-shirt and showing Nick the long,
but thin gash that slices through the centre of my hard stomach. Callie
groans beside me and I flick my eyes to her face. It’s twisted into a painful
expression and a flash of panic hits me in the chest, is she hurt or
something?
“What’s wrong?” I say, letting my t-shirt fall back down to cover my
stomach.
She gives me her signature scowl. “Can you stop showing me your sexy
body? I’m trying so hard to resist you here and you’re not making it any
easier for me.”
A loud laugh explodes from me and Kyle at the same time.
“I think someone is wavering…” He says, smirking at Callie whilst she
narrows her eyes even further at both of us.
“Never,” She states, clenching her thighs together and making my dick
instantly hard with need. “I might be finding it hard to resist his hot body
but he makes it easier for me every time he opens his mouth and words
come out.”
A smirk covers my face. “I can use my mouth to make you happy if you
want, wanna go upstairs now and I'll show you?”
She scoffs, flicking her hair. “You wish I was that easy Taylor.” She
saunters away and I watch her with a satisfied grin on my face. She can
deny it all she wants, but she’s definitely wavering.
“Why is she playing so hard to get? I know she wants me.” I say to Anais
who is also watching Callie make her way up the narrow staircase of Mac’s
huge house share.
Anais snickers. “She’s not playing hard to get, she is hard to get. She only
broke up with her boyfriend a week ago and she doesn’t do hook ups. I’ve
known her for almost two years now and not once has she had a one night
stand.”
I sigh, I guess I'll compromise then, if that’s what it’s going to take to get
what I want.
“I guess I could break my ‘no dating’ rule to win her over. If I’m going to
see anyone more than once it’s going to be her. There’s just something
about her, I just can’t…I can’t stay away.” I muse as Callie’s sexy thighs
disappear out of view at the top of the staircase.
Anais tips the last few drops of her drink to her mouth and tries to hide her
smug smile. I think I'm already ready to give up the fight, Callie has made it
pretty clear that’s she’s not going to be the one to give in easily. She says
she doesn’t want to hook up, so maybe I could take her on a date instead?
The idea alone makes me shiver with equal parts excitement at being
around her and also complete and utter panic. I’ve never dated anyone
before, it’s unknown territory for me and if I'm being honest it scares the
shit out of me. But I think I need to put my big boys pants on and accept
that I really fucking like this girl and I think it goes past just sex. Wow, I
think I am growing up.
Chapter 8

Callie

A few minutes of silence is all I need, my head is thumping from the music,
not helped by the sloshing of alcohol that I knowingly added to the mix. But
of course, I won’t be granted that moment of silence because my stalker is
in the house with me and he practically follows my every move at this
point. Considering I’ve only really known Sean for a few days he sure does
act like he’s obsessed with me.
“You ok?” His deep voice interrupts my peaceful silence from the doorway
of the random bedroom I’ve made myself at home in.
I grumble. “I was until you came in and bothered me.”
That just makes him laugh and he moves to sit beside me, his manly scent
invading my senses and making me wet again. For fuck’s sake, what is
wrong with me? I’m like a horny teenager around him.
“Why do you hate me so much? You barely even know me.” He says, his
hand clenching the bedsheets between our thighs.
“And yet you’ve managed to make an enemy out of me, well done
Captain.” I chuckle and he sighs. I lift my eyes from where they rest in my
lap and look at his face, it’s softer than usual, the arrogance invisible and
clouded by something else that I can’t decipher.
“I don’t hate you Sean, you just irritate me, and this cat and mouse chase
you’ve started isn’t going to end well, trust me.”
He twists his body to face mine, our knees brushing off each other. “No
Callie, you trust me.” He pauses, fighting an internal battle with himself.
After a silent beat of contemplation he blurts, “Let me take you out on a
date.”
What the fuck?
“You don’t date Sean. I don’t want to go out with you to then have sex with
you at the end of the night and have you pretend like I don’t exist the next
day.” I huff, feeling irritated again and folding my arms across my body,
pushing my chest up. His eyes immediately fall to my tits, but I pretend not
to notice, I’ve gotten used to him looking at me like I'm a snack.
“I just asked you out on a date, I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t want to,
trust me.”
“That’s the thing though,” I sigh, “I don’t trust you, I don’t trust anyone.”
He lays his hand gently on my thigh and I stiffen under his touch again.
“You can trust me Callie, I swear. I know I like to fuck around but I'm not a
tin man, I have a heart in here.” He pounds a fist against his chest and
smiles softly. “I can be good, I promise.”
I swat his hand off my thigh and stand up in a panic. “Woah, I don’t need to
see that side of you. Please don’t show me that side of you.” “Why?” He
chuckles, his dark curls brushing against his forehead. “I’m not all mouth
you know.” He pats his solid chest again.
“Yeah well I don’t need to know about it, just makes resisting you even
harder.”
He stands up from the bed and moves towards me. “Stop resisting me then.”
“I can’t.” I mutter, a warmth flooding my chest when he brushes his
fingertips along my forearms, watching as the goosebumps follow his
touch.
I whip away from him after a lingering moment of contact between us and I
can tell from the sparkle in his caramel eyes that he wants to grab me, pull
me back to him and smash our lips together. I want that too, but I don’t
want to want it.
“I just have too much going on right now Sean. I’m buried deep in
coursework that is way past it’s deadline, I have competitions coming up
and a coach that constantly yells at me when I’m trying my best. I can’t add
a guy into the mix right now, especially one that will most definitely be
done with me after a quick fuck.”
He ignores my last comment and goes back to the yelling, like it’s bothering
him. “Ellen yells at you all the time?” He says, keeping the distance that I
created between us.
I nod sadly. “Yeah, and as much as I hate to admit it, it really bothers me.
I’m kind of sad really, I pretty much live for people’s praise at this point.”
“That’s good to know.” He muses and I look up at him, my eyes full of
suspicion.
“Why?” I fist my hip and lean against the doorframe.
He grins. “I’ll remember to tell you what a good girl you are when I’m
fucking your sassy little mouth.”
Oh. My. God.
I gulp loudly, then try to hide it. I feel my eyes brighten at the thought of
Sean doing anything to me than involves us being naked. But, before I let
my vagina take over, I force my spine to straighten and flounce out of the
room.
“Fuck off Sean!” I yell over my shoulder and the satisfied smile that covers
my face makes me want to kill myself. Why is it so easy for him to make
me squirm? I kind of love it.

I can’t hold it in any longer and the moment I get home I’m word vomiting
all over my best friend, telling her everything I’ve been trying to hide for
the last few days.
“Oh my fucking god, Sean Taylor wants you? What are you doing here?
You should be in his bed, letting him make you feel fucking incredible!”
She squeals, jumping all over the dorm with childish excitement. I wish I
could share it with her, but as much as Sean fucking me senseless excites
me, I can’t let him. I don’t want to deal with the consequences after, him
avoiding me and watching the other girls who will be draped all over him. I
would want to rip my eyeballs out. This is the exact reason that I keep my
walls firmly up, especially with people like Sean and I can feel him
climbing them, peering over and trying to figure out a way in. I’m terrified
that if he does, I won’t be able to get him back out again. “I can’t Mol, you
know I don’t do that, that’s your thing not mine.” I groan, falling back onto
the sofa and letting Molly yank my heels off my sore feet.
Molly is a hook up kind of girl, she usually sticks to one guy at a time,
having casual sex with them for a few months before moving onto the next
one. But relationships? They’re a no go for her, we’re pretty much total
opposites when it comes to dating.
She laughs. “Then let me fuck him if you don’t want to.”
“I do want to, I just know that he’ll want nothing to do with me afterwards
and I can’t deal with that. I’ve tried it before and I know it fucking hurts.”
Molly pulls me lazily to my feet and hugs me tight. “You said he asked you
on a date though, maybe he wants more than just sex.”
“I just don’t trust him Mol, I can’t trust him not to hurt me.” I sigh, running
my fingers though her blonde tresses as she squeezes me tighter. “I know
you felt fucked over by Joel, I know it hurt, what he did but it doesn’t mean
every guy is the same Cal, you have to let someone in at some point.” She
kisses my forehead.
“Not yet, I'm not ready.” I mutter, padding barefoot towards my bedroom.
When I get there I plug my phone into the charger and a message pings
through on my lock screen.

Sean Taylor:
‘I meant what I said tonight Cal, give me a chance to earn your trust. I
promise I won’t hurt you.’
Chapter 9

Sean

I’ve tried to get Callie’s attention all week since the party, but she’s clearly
doing everything she can to avoid me. She didn’t reply to my message the
night of the party and everyday when my teammates and I come into the
gym to do weights she scuttles out, keeping her head down and eyes away
from me. I know she scared to get into anything with me and how can I
blame her? I know I have a bad reputation and it’s my own fault for fucking
around with so many girls I’ve lost count. But I don’t know how else to
make her see that I actually like her and I don’t think this is just about the
chase anymore like it was when I met her.
Everyday I’ve left little notes in her locker, telling her how badly I want her,
begging her to give me a chance and telling her how god damn beautiful
she is. I know she’s been reading them, because every time I go to put a
new note in her locker the one from the previous day is gone. She’s done
well to avoid me all week, but by the time Thursday rolls around I'm done
with her little game of hide and seek. Anais told me yesterday that Callie
stays late on a Thursday evening to practice her routines when the gym is
empty, we don’t have weight training today so she won’t be on alert,
expecting me to come in and performing her usual disappearing act.
I leave the rink and head upstairs to the second floor, still sweaty from a day
of training and drills. When I arrive at the gym it’s silent, eerily silent and I
momentarily panic that she somehow found out about my plan to ambush
her and she’s already left. Then I hear a muffled, frustrated grunt coming
from inside, so I push the doors open and watch Callie flick her head in my
direction when the squeak of the door draws her attention. Her eyes widen
when she sees me and I can almost hear her heart hammering from across
the gym.
“You should really lock the door when you’re in here alone, any weirdo
could come in.” I say, watching as she jumps back up onto the beam.
“Huh,” She barks a dry, sarcastic laugh. “Like you, you mean?” I guess I
deserve that, I have just snuck in here to catch her when she’s made it clear
that she doesn’t want to talk to me.
I watch as she lines her body up on the beam, shifting her feet into position
and throwing her body backwards into the air. My breath catches in my
throat as she lands safely back on her feet, breathing a sigh of relief that’s
accompanied by my own. She jumps down from the beam and crosses the
gym towards where I stand at the lockers.
“What are you doing here Sean?” She huffs, twisting her locker door open
and watching as another one of my notes floats to the ground. She heaves a
sigh and picks it up, I left it for her yesterday and I watch a tiny tint of pink
seep into her cheeks when she reads it.
I grip her hand in mine and twist her around to face me. “I told you, I want
you Callie and I'm not going to stop until you agree to go out with me.” She
sighs with frustration and yanks her hand out of mine. “And I told you, I
don’t trust you.” She drags her hair tie down her long ponytail and flicks
her hair over her shoulder.
“I’m going to shower.” I mumble and turn towards the door.
“Good for you,” She huffs and I leave the gym wondering what the fuck I'm
supposed to do now.
I really thought after our talk upstairs at the party last weekend that I was
making some progress with her, breaking down those walls that she’s
fighting to keep up. But the anger in her bright green eyes just now makes
me think she’s rebuilt every brick that I took down, filling in the gaps with
extra strong cement and making them even studier than before, specifically
to keep me out.
I get into the shower, letting the hot water soothe my aching muscles after a
long day of training on the ice and close my eyes. I need a plan, a next
move, something to help me get through to this fireball of a woman and
make her see that I'm not going to fuck her over.
Just as I feel my shoulders start to relax under the warm spray I hear a
muffled knock on the locker room door. I poke my head around the shower
curtain and listen, when I hear the door open softly.
“Sean?” I hear Callie call tentatively.
“Yeah?” I yell back, immediately turning the water off and wondering that
the fuck has changed in the last five minutes that she now wants to talk to
me.
Callie opens the door wider and I can hear her voice more clearly now. “Are
you nearly done in there? Ellen has locked the women’s locker room and I
desperately need a shower before I leave.”
I ruffle my wet hair and grab my towel from the hook. “Yeah, I’ve just
turned the water off so give me five minutes and I'll be done.” I wrap the
towel around my waist and step onto the cold floor. “You can wait in here if
you want but I am naked.”
I hear her curse under her breath and then say, “Yeah, I think I'll just wait
out here.”
I smile to myself at the knowledge that she thinks she'll be tempted in here
with me, maybe those bricks aren’t so sturdy after all.
I come out of the shower, into the main changing area and start to dry
myself. I’m still naked and Callie has been waiting outside all of two
minutes when she bursts into the locker room and slams the door closed,
rising on her toes and peering out of the tiny peephole in the centre of the
door. I freeze, watching her and confusion floods my brain, what the fuck is
she doing? She looks panicked, I can see her chest rising and falling from
behind before she breathes a sigh of relief and lets her feet fall flat on the
ground again. A chuckle slips out from my throat and Callie stiffens, like
she forgot I was in here, she spins around to face me and slaps her hands
over her eyes when she realises I’m still naked.
“Oh my god,” She groans, her hands completely shielding her eyes from
my body as she stumbles back against the door.
I laugh quietly. “I did tell you I was naked in here.”
“I know,” she says, eyes still covered. “But I just saw my ex coming down
the hallway with another girl and there was no way I was having that
conversation right now.”
I smile to myself as Callie’s eyes are still covered. “Wanna have this
conversation instead?” She makes a slither of a gap through her fingers and
peers out at me with one eye, keeping it firmly directed towards my face.
“You’re trying not to look at my dick aren’t you?” I tease and she lets her
hands fall to her sides, exposing the pink tint to her freckled cheeks.
“Naturally,” She breathes, spinning back around to face the door. My dick is
so happy to see her, especially since he’s not folded away in my trousers,
fighting to break out and wave hello to her like usual. I’m certainly not
lacking in self confidence, having girls constantly throwing themselves at
you will do that to a man.
“I know it’s big, you don’t have to pretend like you’re not impressed.” I
muse, feeling my head grow ten times.
She scoffs, still facing the door. “You’re disgusting, and I’ve seen better.”
Ouch, maybe my ego is more easily bruised than I thought.
“Like who?” I say, trying to push the images of anyone else’s dick inside
Callie but mine.
She laughs dryly. “None of your business fuck boy, now can you hurry up
and get some clothes on so I can shower in peace?”
As tempting as it is to keep teasing her I know she’s getting frustrated, so I
pull my trousers up my legs, tucking the big guy away again and
apologising to him that he’s still not getting any tonight. I pull my t-shirt
down and grab my bag, moving towards the door where Callie has her head
pinned, determined not to see my naked body.
“I know you want me Callie, you don’t have to keep fighting it, I know you
think I'm sexy.” I whisper into her hair with my chest pressed against her
back. Her breathing catches as usual before she covers it up with a scoff and
wriggles away from me. “Was that a ‘I’m dying to give in and let you fuck
me’ scoff or a ‘No, I don’t want you’ scoff?” I tease and she folds her arms.
“The second one,” She purses her lips at me and I’m fucking itching to suck
them into my mouth. I pause for a moment, watching her chest rise a little
faster under my stare.
“Huh, you know you almost had me convinced for a second there.” I smile
and the frustration builds behind her emerald pools again.
“You might possibly be the most pig headed, egotistical prick I’ve ever
met.” She spits, which makes me crack another grin.
I reach out and leave a pat-pat on her ass. “Touché,” I say and yank the
locker room door open, leaving Callie wide eyed and probably horny from
my ass grope.
I’ve been dying to feel her ass in my hand since the moment I met her and it
felt even better than I’d ever imagined. It was hard to leave it at a pat and
not just grab hold of it and lift her to my waist, kissing her so hard she
forgets how to breathe.
But I guess I can save that for another day.
Chapter 10

Callie

It’s Friday thank god, which means I have a day off from training. The
problem is that all I want to do is get fucked into Sean’s mattress now, he
has left me in a near constant horny state with no way of satisfaction. I have
a special friend that I keep in my drawer but for the last week it’s just not be
satisfying me the way I'm craving. I let myself lie in this morning, which I
almost never do, but Molly offered to go out and get us some breakfast so I
took her up on the offer and stayed in bed until 10am. I’ve been trying to
study since midday but I just can’t focus, my mind keeps going back to
Sean’s miraculous body yesterday. I know I shouldn’t have looked, I'm just
making life more difficult for myself but I couldn’t help it. He stood there,
completely bare looking like he was carved from stone and my brain just
wouldn’t let me look away. I did keep my eyes away from his dick though,
knowing for a fact if I looked at that I would have to have it, I'm not known
for my strong willpower so I try not to tempt myself any more than
necessary. I kept my eyes firmly on his rock hard chest and rugged, yet
boyishly handsome face, plus I couldn’t keep my gaze from landing on his
dimples. Those fucking dimples. However, since then I’ve been practically
dripping from the inside of my thighs, desperate for some sort of relief.
By 5pm I’m squirming in my seat at the kitchen island, trying desperately
to focus on my coursework and tapping away on my laptop. The words I’m
typing aren’t even making sense, I can’t concentrate when all of my blood
is between my legs right now. Molly is under a blanket on the sofa behind
me, watching a trashy reality show that she constantly begs me to watch
with her and Anais is at the opposite side of the island, cramming fruit into
a blender. I slam my laptop shut and jump down from the bar stool I’ve
been sat on for the last three hours, my ass is numb and I stretch my arms
above my head.
“Anyone want a smoothie?” Anais says, licking the purple mixture from her
fingers.
Molly jumps up from the sofa. “Oh yes please, I’ll have one. I need an
energy boost before my evening run.”
The girl runs competitively and even when she’s supposed to be resting, all
she wants to do is run, she’s like a dopamine addict but I guess I'm one to
talk, I love the rush of flying through the air too.
“I’m good,” I say, shaking my head but smiling at Anais with gratitude. “I
think I'm gonna take a quick nap.”
I walk down the hallway and round the corner to my room, letting the door
click shut behind me and making sure to slide the lock into place. I don’t
need any distractions, I just need a huge, relief filled orgasm and then I'll
feel better. I don’t need Sean with his smug face and painfully beautiful
grin…God, he’s so annoying. I lay back and yank my shorts down to my
ankles, reaching down and letting my cold fingers explore. It doesn’t take
long for the heavy orgasm to build and just as I'm about to come it vanishes,
like it ran away and took every ounce of my patience with it. “Fuck,” I
mutter under my breath and pick up the pace with my fingers. I circle my
clit and before I can stop it, Sean’s face fills my mind. His deep voice
calling me a good girl and causing the orgasm to quickly pick up speed. The
more I try to force him out of my mind, the more intense my images of him
become. Now I'm imagining his face between my thighs, his tongue tracing
the outline of my clit and sucking it between his lips as I come all over his
face. Before I know it I'm coming, my back arching off the bed and Sean’s
name leaving my lips on a muffled cry.
That might have been the best self inflicted orgasm of my life, and it was so
needed.
I let my body come back down to earth like a deflating balloon before I
clean myself up in my bathroom and pull my shorts back up my legs. I
know I still have a shit load of coursework to do and now I have no excuse
not to get on with it. I swing open my bedroom door and without lifting my
head, step into a wall of muscle. When I look up I see Sean’s arrogant grin
staring back at me, his eyes full of gloating.
“Fucking hell Sean! What the hell are you doing here, sneaking around like
a creep? How did you even get in here?” I smack his chest with both hands
and his smile widens. This whole stalking thing is going too far, now he’s in
my fucking dorm.
“Molly let me in.” Sneaky bitch. “You were just making yourself come
weren’t you?” He whispers, moving closer to me.
I’m speechless from his question, how the hell does he know what I was
doing in there? How long was he out here listening? There’s only about a
foot between us in this narrow hallway and I can smell his fucking woodsy
aftershave again, the one that makes me weak in the knees.
I put on my big girl pants and square up to him a little, my hands on my
hips. “Maybe, what’s it to you?”
A deep chuckle rumbles in his throat. “You said my name.” He whispers,
his breath so close I can taste him on my tongue.
Oh fuck.
“You imagined it.” I say, but the wobble in my voice proves him right
without me needing to say another word.
He moves closer again, our chests touching. “I definitely didn’t.” “Why are
you even standing outside my door listening? That’s so pervy and you
shouldn’t even be in my dorm, what do you want?” I make my voice a little
louder but it doesn’t take more than a millisecond for Sean to take my
breath away again.
His hand flies around my throat and pushes me gently back against the wall,
his body pressed up against mine. He brings his lips to hover above my
mouth and I force a hard swallow, my heart involuntarily stuttering in my
chest.
“Do you need me to fuck you Callie? Because I'm fucking desperate to.” He
coos, his huge hand still resting on my collar bone.
I feel the heat creep into my cheeks, coating my ears and neck as it goes. I
don’t want to let him win like this, why is it so easy for him to make me
feel weak?
He runs his hand down my chest, over my hardened nipples and curses
under his breath, letting his hand rest there for a moment before continuing
his path down my stomach. When he reaches the waistband of my shorts
my breathing really falters and I can’t hide the anticipation in my stomach
when he dips his fingers below the elastic.
“Are you still wet for me?” He whispers, his lips still inches from mine. The
second his warm finger pushes inside of me my legs almost crumble. “Fuck
Cal.” He curses, letting his forehead fall onto mine as he explores the
soaking mess in between my thighs. I let out a moan as he adds a second
finger, pushing deeper inside of me and using his free hand to hold my
waist so I don’t crumple to the ground like a wet piece of paper. “Callie! Do
you wanna get a takeout for dinner with me and Anais?” Molly yells from
the living room and reality crashes onto me like a ton of bricks.
I shove Sean away from me and his back lands softly against the wall on the
opposite side of the hallway. The fucker is smirking, bringing his fingers to
his lips and sucking the moisture from them with a delicious grin on his
face. My mouth is open, watching him and feeling more turned on than ever
before.
Fuck him for doing that to me.
“Coming!” I shout to Molly and Sean smiles wider.
“Again? Thought the image of my handsome face already made you come
once today?” He chuckles deeply and I thump his chest, moving behind him
and pushing his huge frame down the hallway towards the front door. When
we finally make it to the living room Molly and Anais are both huddled up
on the sofa, flicking through takeout menus. They barely look up at us when
Sean and I enter the room and I attempt to steer him towards the door
undetected, which of course fails miserably.
“Wanna stay for food Sean?” Molly smiles and I want to stab her. I try to,
with my eyes, but that girl can almost never take a hint.
“No,” I pipe up, “he needs to go home, he’s busy.”
“I don’t need to g—” He starts but I grab his hand and drag him to the front
door with me.
I swing the heavy wooden door open and gesture for him to leave, he’s still
holding onto my hand and when he looks down at our joined fingers and
smiles I rip my hand away from his.
“Bye Sean,” I say, pulling the door slightly closed behind me and blocking
my friends from seeing Sean’s annoyingly beautiful grin.
“Oh no you don’t.” He says, pushing the door back open and stepping into
me. He grabs my ass with both hands, lifting me off the ground to his height
and peppering kisses all over my cheeks before I can stop him. Then he puts
me back on the ground and gives my ass another pat-pat, for good measure
before leaving me standing in the doorway gobsmacked. That man is so
fucking brazen it’s not surprising he gets his own way so often.
I point at Molly when I spin back around to face them. “I will kill you.” She
simply shrugs and smiles brightly. “He’s cute.”
Anais laughs too and I look around for something to throw at them both.
“He may be cute, but he’s also a fucking irritation who won’t take no for an
answer.” I groan, resting my head in my hands, my elbows on the kitchen
counter.
Molly barks a laugh. “Why would you ever want to say no to that god of a
man?”
I lift my head, glaring at her and she widens her puppy dog eyes, throwing
her hands up in front of her and surrendering. Good choice Mol, I'm not in
the mood for games today, not after that encounter.
I wanted to make myself come, give myself some relief and instead I'm now
left even more turned on than I was before my orgasm. All because of that
annoyingly sexy, man child that won’t stop torturing me with his killer
dimples and disgustingly hot body.
Chapter 11

Sean

Molly Crawford has quickly become my second favourite woman after her
sexy, brunette best friend.
I went over to their dorm yesterday, looking for advice on how to win Callie
over and Molly graciously supplied me with top secret information about
her best friend. Molly suggested I go to the farm across the road from
Redwood, there are apparently some strawberries there — homegrown and
all that shit — that Callie loves. Molly warned me that they’re very
expensive, but little does she know, money is pretty much unlimited for me.
I ask my parents to send me some money and they do, without question or
concern on what I'm spending it on. I’m actually really fucking good at
saving though so I didn’t need to ask them for money for some strawberries,
that could have been embarrassing, don’t want them to think I'm going soft.
I pull up outside the green building at Redwood at around 6pm. It’s the
building shared by the hockey team and the gymnastics team, our rink being
on the ground floor and the gymnasium on the second. I have my
strawberries in a brown paper bag, hidden from Callie’s view when she sees
me enter the gym. Anais graciously told me yesterday that training finishes
at 6pm, but that Callie was planning to stay late again to practice her
routines. Luckily, the girls know their captain well and when I close the
door gently behind me she looks up from where she sits in the centre of the
huge, springy gymnasium floor.
“Oh, you again… Are you ever going to leave me alone?” She sighs, rising
to her feet and showcasing her slim figure.
I shrug. “No, I don’t think so.”
She huffs but pads over to me regardless and is eyeing my paper bag
immediately. “What’s in there?” She says, peering in before I snatch it out
of her eye line.
“Ah, ah, ah,” I say, wagging my finger at her and lifting my eyebrows. “Say
please and I might show you.”
The familiar red frustration creeps up her neck and she folds her arms
across her chest. I give in to her so easily, it's pathetic really but I can’t help
myself.
“Ok fine, come here.” I gesture for her to sit on the bench in front of the
lockers with me.
She sighs like she’s going to say no and flounce off to the locker rooms, but
instead she quickly unfolds her arms and sits next to me. Her eyes light up
like a child on Christmas morning when I open the bag and she peers inside.
I smile at her childlike happiness. “They’re your favourite right?” She nods,
reaching inside and producing a shiny, ruby red strawberry. “How did you
know?”
I tap my nose and wink. “I have my sources.”
“You mean you harassed my best friend for information about me?
Weirdo,”
She's smiling though, bringing the perfectly ripe strawberry to her lips and
taking a bite. Her eyes fall closed and she moans with delight. “Mmmm,
that’s so fucking good,” She chews delicately, savouring every morsel.
Is it bad that she’s turning me on right now? I can’t help but imagine her
moaning like that when I fuck her. I’ve got her here in a good mood, I’ve
brought her something she loves so now is probably the most she’s ever
liked me. I see an opportunity and I'm taking it.
“Can I have a taste?” I say, smiling weakly at her even though my heart is
picking up speed.
She rolls her eyes but extends her arm, holding the half eaten strawberry out
to me. Why am I so fucking nervous? This is it, and if she rejects me now
then I'll take it like a champ.
No, I won’t, I’ll be totally crushed, but it’s now or never.
She’s still holding the strawberry out to me, confusion knotting her
eyebrows together. “Well, do you want a taste or not?” She says, shaking
the strawberry at me.
Come on Sean, just do it.
I shove her hand to the side. “I wasn’t talking about the strawberry.” I
smash my lips onto her’s and clearly take her by surprise. She’s only stiff
for a second though before she relaxes into the kiss, her hands landing on
my jaw.
I wish I could deny the way everything explodes when our lips finally meet.
I’d love to say nothing changed and I knew in that moment that I was just
lust, just sex that I wanted from her.
But that would be a lie.
Fucking hell her lips taste incredible. The sweet strawberry still on her
tongue combined with her usual fruity smell is intoxicating. She’s
intoxicating and I can’t stop. Before I know it she’s in my lap, straddling
my waist with her fingers tangled in my curls, yanking me closer to her. I’m
groping her ass and the heated air between us is ignited into flames. I suck
her bottom lip into my mouth and she moans. My dick responds
immediately, thinking he’s been summoned.
I’ve kissed more girls than I can count, but the way Callie’s lips mould with
mine, like they were made for me, makes me sick to my stomach with
anticipation.
As much as Callie seems into this kiss, I don’t think she’s going to let me
fuck her tonight. The strange thing is, I don’t know if I even want to. Of
course I want to feel every inch of her body, fuck her until she can’t walk
and leave my fingerprints all over her, but I don’t think tonight is the right
time for that.
After a few minutes the kiss slows down, deepens and I'm hyper aware of
the fact that our tongues are swiping at each other so softly it’s making my
stomach gape with an emotion I’ve never felt before.
When we eventually pull away, the two of us fighting to inhale as much
oxygen as possible and bring our heart rates down, Callie stands up from
my lap. She smooths her hair and clears her throat before looking at me
again. Her lips are swollen, pink and delicious, and I wonder how I ever
stopped kissing her.
“I knew you secretly liked me.” I say, standing to my feet and grabbing my
bag.
This fucking stupid smile won’t get off my face. I’m so happy right now I
could burst. For fuck’s sake Sean, get a grip, it was only a kiss. Yeah, a kiss
with Callie!
She sounds her usual scoff. “I really don’t.”
“Ok baby, whatever you say.” I snicker. I have a plan up my sleeve, now
I’ve tasted her I need more, I'm desperate for more and I'm going to get it.
“Urgh!” She fake gags and I laugh deep in my chest. “Don’t. Call. Me.
That.” She says, with a jab to my chest on each word.
I cup her face in my hands and smack a kiss on her swollen lips before
leaving. I head straight for the women’s locker rooms, my master plan in
action and sit down on one of the benches, waiting for Callie. She strolls in
about ten minutes later and almost falls over when she sees me sitting there
with my signature grin plastered all over my face. She skids to a stop.
“What the hell are you doing in here?”
“I knew you were nearly finished so I waited for you.” I shrug, standing up
and towering over her tiny frame. Man, I just want to fuck her all over this
room.
“Well, can you please fuck off and annoy someone else for a change? I need
to shower.”
I shake my head, my dark curls moving with me. “That can wait, I need
more of you.”
I grab the back of her soft thighs and hoist her up to my waist, her legs
circling me instinctively as my lips find her’s again. She’s like a drug and
I'm most definitely an addict. She kisses me back, letting her usual sass melt
away and I know she’ll be falling at her knees in a moment when my plan
comes into action. I walk us over to the other side of the room and place her
carefully onto the marble countertop in front of the sink, still kissing the
crap out of her. I reach for the hem of her shorts and she untangles her lips
from mine, stopping my hand from moving any lower as her eyes darken
with warning.
“I'm not having sex with you Sean.” She says, her hands on top of mine,
preventing me from undressing her.
I nod. “I know, just let me make you feel good.”
I get on my knees, pulling her shorts down to her ankles and admiring the
sight in front of me. Her pussy is gleaming with moisture, just for me, and I
nearly crack and beg her to let me fuck her. But I manage to hold my own,
running my hands over her milky thighs and dipping my head between her
legs. She’s hot and pulsing for me to give her the pleasure that she needs. I
watch Callie’s head drop back and her breathing become deep and airy.
She’s moaning before I have even touched her and when I let my tongue
ghost over her clit she almost suffocates me. Her hands land in my hair and
she pushes my face deeper into her, making me chuckle against her swollen
bud. I suck it into my mouth, tasting every drop of her on my tongue and
revelling at seeing her like this.
I’ve thought about making her come so many times, seeing her vulnerable
and completely raw in front of me, when her usually hard exterior prevents
me from seeing the real her. She’s repeatedly cursing my name under her
breath and when her back arches I taste her sweetness on my tongue,
dipping into her pussy and collecting every last drop of her. I grip her thighs
as they shake with intense pleasure and I gently lick her clit, soothing the
burn that my sucking caused. I stand up, wiping the moisture off my chin
with the back of my sleeve and pulling her shorts back up her legs. She
hasn’t said anything, she looks dazed, like she doesn’t know how I managed
to win her over like that and let me make her come. I lift her down from the
countertop and place her to the ground, she quickly moves away from me,
still not saying a word. She heads for the showers without so much as a
backwards glance in my direction so I take that as my cue to leave. I won’t
push her past her breaking point, she let me get much further with her
tonight than ever before. So instead, I text her the minute I'm out of the
building and back in my car.

Sean Taylor:
‘I want to see you tomorrow.’
She texts back almost immediately.
Callie Burch:
‘I have training tomorrow,”
Then she adds some more.
‘And you’re annoying.’

I smile so fucking widely it hurts. Why do I love that I can piss her off and
turn her on at the same time so easily? And why is it so addictive? Why is
she so addictive?
Chapter 12

Callie

I don’t know how that happened, but I think I need to just accept that I want
him. I wish so much that I didn’t want him but I do. Only physically of
course, he still irritates the shit out of me almost every second of the day,
but why is he so painfully sexy? I’m on the brink of waving my ‘no casual
sex’ rule for this 6-foot-4, excruciatingly charming playboy. What the fuck
is wrong with me? I never thought I was this weak. I’m still not buying the
whole ‘I want to date you’ nonsense, Sean Taylor doesn’t date and I don’t
see why I would be the girl to change that. The woman that he’s going to
marry one day will be drowning in money just like him and she’ll probably
be a 5-foot-11 blonde with legs that go straight to the sky. Basically, the
opposite of me…

I’m trying so hard to focus on my routines lately, it’s all I can think about
— when I’m not thinking about Sean’s tongue all over me — but it’s not
making much of a difference to the quality of those routines. I have a
competition coming up and I’m about ready to rip my limbs off one by one
for not co-operating with me. My legs just won’t do as I ask them to and
when I attempt my final tumble of the night and land on my ass — again!
— I groan loudly and smack my hands to my face.
“What the fuck is wrong with me?” I yell at myself, sitting on the ground
and crossing my legs.
It feels like there’s a blockage in my brain, stopping the usual smooth
connection between the instructions my brain is screeching and my limbs.
I’m staring off into space, contemplating just laying down on this gym floor
and wallowing in self pity when I hear the gym door creak open. I can smell
him before I even break my vacant stare, his scent overpowering me as
usual and making me instantly needy for him.
“You thinking about that orgasm I gave you yesterday?” He says and I can
hear the smirk in his voice. There’s the usual arrogance I was waiting for. I
grin with malice. “I faked it.”
I stand to my feet and pad across the floor area, determined to try my
tumble once more before I leave and go back to the dorm. Molly is waiting
for me with a tub of ice cream the size of my head and one of my favourite
movies.
Sean’s airy laugh interrupts my train of thought. “Baby, I tasted it, there was
nothing fake about it.”
I glare at him and lift my arms above my head, ready to let the adrenaline
take over and try to land this fucking awful tumble again. “Stop calling me
baby, Taylor, I'm not your baby.”
He grins. “You will be.”
I turn my head, ignoring his beautiful, annoying face and sprinting forward
across the floor. I throw myself into my tumble, trying to keep track of the
floor below me as I twist, planting my feet on the ground at last. “Fuck
yes.” I shout, punching my fists in the air and jumping for joy. I’ve been
trying to land that tumble for weeks and have only managed it a handful of
times. Ellen is insistent that it needs to be in the routine, even though I
clearly haven’t cracked it yet. I hate her sometimes. Sean is watching me
with wide, sparkling eyes, full of pride and I feel my chest tighten.
He picks my bag up from the floor and gestures for me to come to him.
“Come on, let’s go, the table is booked for 7pm.”
“What?” I say, fisting my hip and watching his face twist into a knowing
smile. Why does he smile so much? Every time I see it I want to eat him up
like a cookie.
“Our date,” He says, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the gym with
him towards the locker rooms. He hangs my bag gently off my shoulder and
leans down to kiss me, it’s so gentle and soft it almost takes my knees out. I
lift up on my tiptoes, deepening the kiss.
“Umm,” I sigh, as Sean lifts my body up to his, my legs encircling his wide
torso. The kiss is still slow, soft and meaningful and I find myself unsure on
what the fuck to do next. I know what I want to do, I want to give him a
chance, to let him prove that I can trust him. But I'm still terrified, his
reputation exists for a reason, he created it himself with his fuck boy ways.
Seeing this side of him, this gentle, puppy dog side of him is stirring up an
internal battle in my chest.
I eventually wriggle down his body, letting my bare feet land on the cold
ground. I take a breath, deciding which side of the battle is going to win
today. “Sean, I don’t think it's a good idea us going on a date.” “I think it’s a
great idea.” He says, running his thumbs along my jaw line. His eyes are
still soft and swimming with hope. I fucking hate it. “I’m not sure I'm ready
to put my trust in you yet.” I let my eyes drop to the ground and he instantly
pulls my chin back up.
“Let’s stop playing this game now Cal, I was enjoying it at first, but you
and I both know that this isn’t about sex. Please give me a chance, I’ve
never done the relationship thing before so I'll admit I might need some
help, but I want to try…with you.” His eyes are pleading with me, the
swampy chocolate flitting between my lips and my own uncertain gaze. “I
know you want to trust me.”
I swallow hard to stop the tears that are gathering in my eyes. “I’m scared.”
I squeak and Sean lifts my chin with this thumb again. “What do you
mean?” He says, his warm eyes melting me.
I swallow again, clearing the remaining tears from my throat. “I do want to
trust you. You’re the most infuriating man I’ve ever met but there’s
something about you that draws me in.” His signature grin spreads across
his face. “I’m scared though, to put my heart on the line after last time.” His
lips find mine, gentle and tender again and the urge to just climb inside his
coat and let him hold me is gnawing at my insides.
“Baby your heart is safe with me, consider me your own personal safe. I’ll
lock your heart in my chest with my own, if you’ll let me.” He cups my
face again, his huge hands soft as they caress my cheeks. “I know I’ve
never done this relationship thing before but I'll be so good at it, if you just
let me try. Please let me try.” His eyes are still swimming with hope and I
don’t know what else to do with his words but nod.
His forehead lands on mine and he takes a long breath. “Really? You’ll let
me try?” He whispers and I lift my head away from his, throwing him
another fleeting nod.
“This isn’t a relationship though Sean. I’m still not 100 percent convinced
that you won’t get bored of me once we have sex, but I’m willing to give
you a chance.”
His eyes flash with hurt for a second before he nods knowingly. “Ok, that’s
fair…So, are you my girlfriend now?” He smiles, so soft and hopeful it
makes me almost blurt out a yes.
“No, I’m not your girlfriend, we’re just dating, taking things slow ok?” I
press my palms to his chest and feel the heat of his skin through his shirt.
He bobs his head, contemplating. “Slow…I can do that.” He smiles and
smacks a kiss to my jaw. “Come on, let’s go out for dinner.”
Chapter 13

Sean

I never wanted my life to be centred around anyone but myself, but it’s too
late. My whole life is about her, when I can see her, when I can touch her. I
find myself counting down the seconds until I can hold her again, smell her
hair and feel her breath against my lips before I kiss her. I just can’t get
enough. Hearing her agree to give me a chance set off fireworks in my
chest, I’m so glad I was finally able to crack her. Not in the way I had
originally intended, getting her into bed isn’t even a concern of mine
anymore, I just want to be around her all the time.

We arrive at the restaurant just before 7pm, it’s a miracle Callie was able to
get ready quick enough after we spent at least ten minutes just sucking each
other’s faces off outside the locker room. We’re seated at our table quickly
and I step behind Callie to pull her chair out, earning myself an eye roll. I
shake my head and guide her into the seat with a smile, that she certainly
doesn’t return. She’s scowling at me when I sit in my own chair opposite
her, her arms folded and lips pursed.
Fuck, she turns me on.

When the waiter approaches our table seconds later it’s like a switch is
flipped inside of Callie and a bright smile softens her features. I want that
smile for myself, I don’t like her looking at this waiter guy with a smile like
that. Is this what real jealousy feels like?
I reach across the table as Callie orders her drink and grab her hand from
where it rests in front of her. I enclose her small hand inside my own large
one and I watch as her eyes flicker to mine for a moment. I grip her hand
tightly, waiting for her to pull away but she doesn’t. The waiter takes my
order too and leaves us alone whilst he collects our drinks from the bar.
“What was that all about? You’re turning green.” She teases, but I can tell
she likes that I'm jealous, she’s enjoying this, a little too much for my
liking.
I lean back, letting go of her hand. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Our food is incredible, the two of us eating like we’ve not had a bite for two
weeks. The food might be excellent but it sure doesn’t satisfy the hunger I
have for the fiery brunette sitting opposite me.
Slow Sean, she said we need to take things slow.
The conversation is light between us for the most part, both of us talking
about our families and when the conversation moves over to Callie’s dad I
see her eyes darken a little and her shoulders tense.
“My dad’s a hard man, as I’m sure you know.” She says, fiddling with her
fingers. “He’s always been hard on me, I feel like I need to be talented at
what I do to earn his love and attention.”
My heart shatters instantly when her face crumples. “Baby don’t say that,
I'm sure that’s not true.” I reach for her hand again and she lets me take it.
She smirks. “Don’t call me that.” Then she drops her hand from mine and
leans back against her chair. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you all of
this deep shit.”
“Because you know I listen to you.” I say, sipping at the last few drops of
my coke.
She barks a sarcastic laugh. “Yeah, when you want something.” Ouch.
“That’s not fair, I’ve made it clear that I'm interested in more than just your
pussy haven’t I?”
She nods and purses her lips again. “Uh huh, you know how to talk the talk,
that’s for sure.”
“You’re still not convinced?” I tip my head towards her and she smiles. “I’ll
show you soon enough. Just wait until I give you the best fuck of your life,
let you sleepover at my house and then make you breakfast in the morning.”
She gleams at me, then lets her face drop to hide it. God, I'm obsessed with
every little bit of her.
The waiter drops the bill onto our table after a while and I watch in disbelief
as Callie reaches into her bag and takes her purse out. It’s my turn to scoff
today. “What the hell do you think you’re doing with that thing?”
“I’m paying for my own food.” She warns and I sit up straighter. “Like hell
you are!” I grab the receipt off the table and stand up, leaving Callie
seething as I walk up to the bar to pay for our food. She’s fucking crazy if
she thinks I'm letting her pay, I'm trying my damn hardest to prove myself
to her here.
When I turn back to our table she's gone, and I can’t help but laugh to think
she’s throwing a strop outside because I wouldn’t let her pay for her own
food. When I exit through the huge glass doors I see her, leaning back
against the wall, her face like thunder.
She sees me and flashes me an eye roll. “You’re not the boss of me Sean.”
“I know,” I laugh, laying my palms on her waist. “but I am a gentleman,
and there’s no fucking way I’m asking you out on a date to let you pay for
your own food.”
She grumbles something I don’t understand and swats my hand away when
I try to lace my fingers through her’s. She starts towards my car and I
follow behind her, watching her curvy ass sway as she moves, looking like
a wet dream.
“Excuse me…” A quiet voice says from behind me and I turn around,
tearing my eyes off Callie’s ass. There’s a girl around my age, shuffling her
feet uncomfortably and looking me up and down.
“Sorry to bother you but I just wanted to say I love watching you play
hockey, you’re amazing on the ice.” She smiles, looking like a mouse with
her timid eyes and tiny features.
“Oh, yeah thanks that’s really nice of you.” I say, checking over my
shoulder and not being able to see where the fuck Callie has gone. The girl
clears her throat as my own starts to close up, where the fuck did she go?
“Could I maybe have your number?” She says, watching as my eyes float
around the car park looking for Callie.
“Are you kidding? I’m right here.” Callie’s cold voice comes from my side
and I turn to see her possessively nestling herself into the side of my chest.
The girl freezes and looks like she’s being burnt alive by Callie’s stare. “Oh
sorry, are you his girlfriend?”
Callie huffs. “Well, n—”
“Yes, she is.” I interject, cutting of Callie’s denial of our relationship. I
know she said she’s not my girlfriend — yet — but this stranger doesn’t
need to know that.
The girl gasps quietly and steps back. “Oh sorry I had no idea. I’ll just go
then, it was nice to meet you.”
I nod once at her and watch her scuttle away from Callie’s fiery gaze. I spin
around to face her and smile widely as the green tinge fades from her
cheeks.
“Looks like it’s your turn to evolve into a green monster baby.” I chuckle,
flopping my arm over her shoulder and pulling her back into my side. I like
feeling her body against mine, she fits me like a jigsaw puzzle. “Whatever,”
She huffs, shoving my arm off her and storming to the passenger side
before yanking the door open and climbing in. I get in beside her and let the
engine rumble to life, reaching over and gripping her bare thigh in my palm.
She’s wearing a satin dress that lands midway down her legs, giving me a
handful of her soft thighs to grab at. Her skin is deliciously creamy and
smooth and I run my hands up and down it as we drive back across town to
her dorm. We don’t say a lot, just small bits of chit chat here and there
before Callie’s phone pings and she reaches into her bag.
“Oh, well that’s just great.” She groans, locking her phone and shoving it
back into her bag.
I look at her, then back to the road. “What’s up?”
She brushes her curls off her face and sinks lower in her seat, crossing her
arms over her chest.
“Molly and Anais have gone to a club for the night and I hate being home
alone.” She grumbles, watching my fingers draw patterns on her creamy
thigh.
I hesitate, should I ask her to stay at mine? Or is that not taking it slow
enough? I don’t know how to navigate this dating stuff, I’ve never done it
before and I’m scared of messing it up.
I clear my throat and sit up taller. “Do you erm…do you maybe want to stay
at my house tonight?” I shuffle in my seat, forcing myself not to look at her
beautiful face for fear of what I might see in her eyes.
“Is that ok? Are you sure you don’t mind?” She says, sitting up, her eyes
bright.
Well, I wasn’t expecting that reaction.
“Yeah, yeah I'm sure.” I say, trying to hold back the triumphant smile that’s
threatening to break free.
I have to really control myself tonight, no funny business that’s going to
push her away from me when I’ve managed to get her so close. Come on
Sean, you can do this, you can spend a whole night with her and not have
sex. It will be easy…ok maybe not easy but I know I can do it. My
motivation is too high to mess this up when she’s finally agreed to give me
a chance.
Chapter 14

Sean

The house that I share with Nick, Lewis and Kyle is fucking huge and
Callie’s eyes widen involuntarily when we pull up outside. I watch, amused
as she fights to close her gaping mouth.
“Hey,” She says, putting her hand on my arm as I start to get out of the car.
“Is anyone else here?”
My face twists in confusion. “I’m not sure…why, is it a problem if they
are?”
She shakes her dark curls and grabs her bag. “No, I just don’t want it
getting around that I'm sleeping over at Sean Taylor’s house.” I laugh deep
in my throat. “Oh, you’re embarrassed of me?”
“Hardly,” She scoffs and heads for the front door, me following like a
puppy behind her. She doesn’t wait for me to open the door for her, she just
walks straight in and makes her way up the stairs. I stand in the hallway for
a second, in shock at her confidence, she clearly didn’t spot Lewis curled up
on the sofa either playing on his Xbox. But more importantly he didn’t spot
her, due to the fact he has his headset on and is currently screaming
profanities at the poor fucker on the other end of it. I trail up the stairs
behind her and watch as she pushes open my bedroom door.
“How did you know this was my room?” I say, dropping my bag and coat to
the ground.
She shrugs. “It smells like you.”
Ok, what the fuck was that little flip that my heart just did?
She takes off her jacket and sits herself on the edge of my bed, bending
down to unstrap her heels. I move towards her, dropping to the ground and
unbuckling them for her, kissing each of her creamy thighs as I go. “I’ll get
you something to wear to bed.” I murmur as I stand up, leaving a light kiss
on her temple.
“Don’t look,” she says, her eyes flickering with anxiety. “While I undress I
mean.”
I knew exactly what she meant and I don’t want to agree, I want to see her,
but we’re building trust here, so I simply nod and turn around. I really want
to watch her slip out of her dress and stand there looking exquisite like she
does. But instead I throw a t-shirt of mine over my head, still facing away
from her temptingly delicious body.
“You can sleep in that.” I say, forcing a swallow as my throat tightens along
with my jeans at the thought of her behind me right now, in only her
underwear.
When I hear the mattress creak I assume the coast is clear and I spin around
again, pulling my jeans down my thighs and stepping out of them. I lift my
t-shirt over my head too, watching Callie’s throat constrict as her eyes track
down my stomach and land at the ever growing bulge in my extra tight
boxers. She’s climbed into my king sized bed and has the duvet pulled up to
her chest, it makes her look even tinier than usual as she sits right in the
centre. I clamber in beside her, lifting my arm and gesturing for her to move
into my side and let me hold her. She shuffles over, a little stiff and I know
she’s nervous, we are both half naked and in bed together. But there’s
nothing more to this night, she’s just starting to trust me and I'm determined
to keep building it brick by brick until neither of us can escape. I grab for
the remote that sits on the bedside table, I lean over her and hear as her
breath catches in her throat at the proximity of our seminaked bodies. I can
sense exactly what she’s feeling right now, the scorching heat of electricity
between us, the unstoppable sexual tension that grows every time I'm near
her.
“I’m not ready to have sex with you yet.” She blurts, as my back hits the
headboard and I resume my upright position.
Her head is down as she plays nervously with a loose thread on my duvet
cover. I tuck her curls behind her ear so I can see her face again. She stares
up at me through thick lashes, her usually bright eyes darkening with
caution.
I smile softly. “I know, I wasn’t expecting anything tonight. We can just
cuddle and watch a movie.”
She sighs and I feel the weight of unwanted expectation fall from her
shoulders.
“Ok,” she breathes, “I just didn’t want you thinking anything was going to
happen tonight.”
I grip her chin and lift it, forcing her eyes to meet mine. “I didn’t invite you
to stay so I could get into your pants Callie, I know you're not ready yet. I
said I’d earn your trust and me trying to fuck you any chance I get — as
much as I want to,” I flash her a cheeky grin and her mouth tempts her to
smile back. “Isn’t going to achieve what I want here. I want you to trust me
before we do anything that we can’t take back and I know you’re not there
yet.”
Her eyes change as she listens to my words, every single one of them true
and I'm desperate for her to believe what I say.
“I’ll wait as long as I need to, I'm in no rush.” I say, kissing the dusting of
freckles on her cheek lightly and releasing her chin from my grip. She
doesn’t look away from me though and I watch the disbelief filter in,
followed by something I can’t decipher.
Before I have a chance to say anything else she wraps her arms around my
neck and pulls my lips down to her’s. I suffocate in her fruity taste, her
tongue teasing mine, hot and wet and I almost bust in my boxers right then.
She flips the duvet off us and climbs into my lap, straddling my thighs and
pressing her warm, beating pussy right against my semi hard cock. Our lips
haven’t parted even for a moment since she grabbed me and pulled my
mouth onto her’s.
There’s an alarm blaring inside my head though, as amazing and fucking
electric as this is, I don’t want her to do something she’s going to regret. I
grab her ass in my palm, groping and squeezing the cushiony flesh, making
her groan wildly into my mouth. My hands run up her bare back under the
thin material of my t-shirt, her skin burning with desire. I don’t know how
to stop this, I don’t want to stop this but I know that I should. “Callie,” I say
between sucking on her lips and her teeth digging into mine. “What are you
doing?”
Her breath is airy, so fucking sexy when she says against my mouth,
“Changing my mind.”
Fuck me, what am I supposed to say to that?
Her hands are tight in my brown curls, passionately yanking my mouth to
her, cementing our lips together. I’m still kissing her when I feel her run her
fingers under the elastic of my boxers. My cock jumps for joy, he thinks
he’s finally getting some tonight from the only girl who’s been able to make
him hard since the day I met her.
“Are you sure?” I pant, my swollen lips brushing against her’s as I make
another desperate attempt to dissuade her from having sex with me. I think I
must have completely lost my mind to be trying to stop her from doing this,
when this was all I wanted from the beginning. But things have changed, at
least in my mind.
She sighs and cups my face between her hands, brushing our noses together.
“Yes, I'm sure.”
But my brain is still battling, trying to get through and win this fight. I
know Callie can easily break me on this, there’s no way I’m going to stop
her when her hands are in places I’ve always dreamed of them being. But at
least I can say I fought to the death.
“Callie…wait,” I say, gripping her hips and sliding her down my thighs a
little, away from my aching cock. “I thought we were taking this slow, and
this doesn’t feel very slow.”
She fists her hips, showing me the little tiger in her that I love. “You don’t
want to have sex with me?”
Oh. My. God.
I groan, burying my face behind my hands. “Oh course I do, I really fucking
want to but I don’t want to ruin this progress that we’re making.” Then a
wide grin takes over her face before she shuffles back up my legs again, our
chests pressed against each other. I wrap my arms around her waist and haul
her closer.
“We are taking things slow, we’re getting to know each other and spending
time together. But I can’t fucking wait any longer, I'm so damn turned on by
you and it’s making me insane.” She whispers, her mouth hovering over
mine as I struggle for words, any more words to make her think this through
again. I come up with absolutely nothing though before her lips are against
my ear, her warm breath tickling me. “I need you to fuck me Sean.”
Ok, I give up.
I don’t need to hear another word before I smash our mouths together again.
Our lips are everywhere, sucking and nipping at each other, but it’s not
enough. I flip our bodies and lay her down on the bed, slipping my tshirt
over her head and tossing it to the ground behind me. She’s wearing a bright
pink lingerie set, the lace barely covering all the parts of her I’ve been
dying to see. I stand up, admiring her every curve and the soft, creamy skin
that follows them before pushing my thumbs under the elastic of my boxers.
I’m fighting with them, she’s made me so damn horny it’s a battle to get
them down my legs. Callie props herself up on her elbows when my dick
bounces out, saying hello to her.
She gulps hard, her throat bobbing and I know I’m in for a treat.
Chapter 15

Callie

“Wow, that is one pretty dick.” I say, eyes wide and lips moist. “I can see
why everyone wanted a ride on that thing.”
Sean grins with pride, fisting his cock in his hand. “I know.”
I purse my lips at him and sit up straight. “And you ruined it.” “No,” His
eyes crease with panic, “no I didn’t, I still get to have sex with you right?”
Imagine if Sean’s big head ruined this moment, the moment I was finally
admitting out loud that I wanted him.
“Sean, that’s not fitting inside me,” I swallow again, my eyes still wide as I
watch him run his hand up and down his painfully hard dick. A smirk
covers his entire face, eyebrows rising with arrogance. “Thought you’d seen
bigger?”
I roll my eyes and then cross one bare leg over the other. “Maybe I
underestimated you a little…or a lot. I mean how big is that thing?” I’m still
mesmerised by his hand movements and I momentarily want to beg him to
switch with me, to let me wrap my hands around him and send him into
orbit.
“9.3 inches,” He grins, flashing his teeth at me as I lick my lips and gulp
hard again.

I want to taste him.

“9.3?” I purse my lips at him and his eyes capture them, looking like he’s
dying to suck them into his mouth again. “You measured it?” I let out a
throaty laugh and flick my hair back over my shoulder.
“If you had a sword this big wouldn’t you measure it?”
“Ha,” I bark, “still full of yourself I see.”
“You’ll be full of me too in a minute, now lay down.”
I press my palm to his chest as he stalks towards me. “Hold on,” I stand up,
shoving him down to sit on the edge of the bed. “Let’s see if it fits in my
mouth first.”
I watch as his face pales and his Adam’s apple bobs in his tight throat. I
know exactly how to get to him and I fucking love it. A thin trail of hair
leads me to his erection, the sheer size of it is intimidating to say the least
and I take a breath, preparing myself to choke on his cock. I’ll do it though,
I don’t care if it kills me at this point, I need to have a taste. Sean’s chest is
heaving as he watches my hot tongue take a lap up his throbbing dick.
“Oh fuck,” His head falls back and his muscles ripple as he grips my hair in
his fist. I press a kiss to the tip, lifting my eyes to his, wanting more than
anything to please him.
His caramel eyes are dark with desire, his taught fist gripping the bed sheets
beside him and ripping them from the corner of the mattress as he tries
desperately to push down his orgasm.
I let his cock leave my lips with a pop. “You ok there champ?” “Do I look
ok?” He breathes, raking a hand through his thick waves. “My cock is in
your mouth.”
It’s my turn to grin. “I normally suck at this but I'll try my best.” I cackle,
throwing my head back and looking up at Sean. His eyes are sparkling, soft
as he watches me laughing at my own joke.
“Did you just make a dick joke?” He asks, his face creasing into a sexy
smile as he suppresses his laugh.
“Depends,” I say, wrapping my hand around his rock hard erection that’s
jutting out towards my face. “Was it funny?” I open my mouth and let his
tip brush against my tongue.
His jagged breath breaks the air between us. “There’s nothing funny about
you kneeling in front of me with your pretty mouth open like that.” My lips
turn into a smile and I take his entire cock into my mouth, letting it hit the
back of my throat.
“Oh shit,” Sean curses, his hand tightening at the nape of my neck. The
twinge of pain as he yanks at my hair is drowned by the warmth of his
aching cock down my throat. “No, no I can’t.” He pulls me away, letting his
dick fall out of my mouth and bob happily in front of me. “Get up, I'm
going to come in five-seconds of you doing that.”
I get to my feet, wiping the moisture from my lips and collecting my now
tangled curls, letting them fall down my back.
“Get on the bed, beautiful, it’s my turn.” His crooked smile is so sexy I
almost combust. I do as he says and lay down on my back as he prowls
towards me like a predator. He positions his naked body on top of me and
gently wiggles my thong down my legs before reaching under my back and
unclipping my bra with one hand.
“I don’t even want to know how you can do that so quickly.” I murmur,
chasing his lips and pressing them to my own. “Please don’t break me in
half.”
He kisses my lips softly, letting his tongue linger against mine for a beat
before sucking my bottom lip into his mouth. He looks down between our
bodies, admiring my shape and darting his tongue out to wet his lips. “God
Callie, you have no idea how I feel right now,” He almost whispers. “I want
to be everywhere but I don’t know how.” He shuffles down my body so his
face is in line with my chest, he sucks my nipple between his lips and I arch
my back, groaning from the teasing pleasure.
“Choose your position Captain.” I say, as my nipple pops from his mouth
and he smiles up at me seductively. “Are you going left wing?” I point to
my left nipple and he lets out a deep chuckle. “Or, centre?” I pick up his
huge hand and splay it across my lower stomach. “Or…goal?” I tease,
pushing his hand down, over the warm skin of my stomach and letting him
land on my pussy.
There’s that crooked, dimpled smile again, he looks between my thighs and
swallows hard. “I’m number 1 goal scorer for Redwood you know that
right?”
I scoff. “Didn’t know that actually, I know you find it hard to believe this
but I’m actually not obsessed with you.”
“Hmm,” He muses, still staring at my glistening pussy as it begs him to do
something, anything. “Well, I'm obsessed with you.” He says, finally
looking back at me, his chocolate eyes are wide with need. “And I'm going
to score a shit load of goals for you tonight.”
He dips his head and I forget where the hell I am, who I am, what my name
is, everything. His tongue makes a trail up my clit, the pressure causing my
back to snap up off the bed again. My hands are tight in his hair as I
practically grind against his face, desperate for more. His hot tongue lashes
up and down, tasting me, devouring me like a starving man would. He
groans with delight into my pussy, circling my clit with his tongue before
sucking the throbbing bud into his mouth. That’s it, I'm a mess and I cry out
his name, yanking his hair harder and forcing his face as deep between my
thighs as possible. My body shakes with pleasure and my eyes sting with
tears, the orgasm sweeps over me, washing me away completely. Sean grips
my thighs tight, letting his lips ghost over my pussy as it releases my
orgasm onto his tongue. He leaves light kisses all over my skin on his way
back up to my face. The sweat is sticking my hair to the back of my neck
and I shuffle under Sean’s huge frame.
“You ready?” He says, sucking my collar bone, causing the skin to turn
purple.
I nod. “I think so.”
I’m still coming down from my orgasm so my head is kind of light right
now, which is likely a good thing because his dick is looming over my
pussy and it’s fucking intimidating.
But I want it, I want it so bad, I’m so ready to be respectfully railed into his
mattress tonight.
“I’ll be gentle,” He mumbles against my lips. “I promise. Just tell me to
stop if it gets too much ok?”
I nod again and gulp loudly, scrunching my eyes slightly and waiting for
him to fill me like a cream doughnut. He presses himself into me extra
slowly and I know even with my eyes closed that he’s watching my face for
any sign of pain or distress. I release a curse under my breath as Sean
pushes into me further, almost completely filling me.
My god he feels like heaven and hell stirred together in a deathly
concoction.
“You doing ok?” He says, tucking his face into my neck and sucking at my
skin like a hungry baby.
I take a jittery breath. “Depends what you define as ok…”
I feel his hot breath against me as he chuckles into my neck, before lifting
his head again to look into my hazy eyes. “Still in one piece?” I nod
robotically. “For now…but I want you to fuck me like you hate me, so I
might not be in one piece for long.”
His eyes widen and ghost over my freckled cheeks, gliding down to my lips
and his bottom one comes between his teeth.
He brushes his lips against mine and whispers, “I could never hate you, but
I can pretend just for tonight.”
I smile and lift my face, smashing our lips together again and he begins to
thrust into me. Fucking hell the tightness is making me dizzy. But I don’t
want him to stop, ever.
“Fuck Callie baby, you’re so tight.” He breathes, planting sloppy kisses all
over my neck and collar bone.
He’s so big, stretching me past my usual capacity and it’s then that I realise
he’s inside me, without a barrier of protection between us.
“Sean,” I grip his rocklike shoulders, still adjusting to his size. “You don’t
have a condom on.”
“Shit,” He pulls out of me, causing a pulsing ache inside where he once
was. “I wasn’t even thinking.” He rubs the back of his neck and scans the
room. “I don’t know if I have any here.”
I reach out and grab his biceps, pulling him back to me. “What are you
doing? Put it back in.”
His expression is puzzled. “I thought you wanted me to suit up.” “I didn’t
say that…are you clean though?”
“I’ve never gone in bare before Callie, I just lose my head when I’m with
you, I get caught up in the moment and don’t think about what I'm doing.”
He groans, teasing my clit with the moist head of his pulsing dick. “I get
regular checks though, I'm clean, I promise.” He whispers, nudging my jaw
and planting his open lips against the crook of my neck. “Umm…” I
murmur happily before my breath is snatched from me as Sean pushes his
cock into me, filling me so deeply I can feel him in my stomach. He hits me
with one punishing thrust after another before stopping again, staying
nestled inside me and swiping his tongue against my bottom lip, coaxing
my mouth open to allow him in for exploration. He pulls out of me, his
cock bobbing with happiness as he flips me over. My ass is pointing right at
him, my pussy glistening with need as he pushes into me slowly again.
“Oh god Sean,” My muffled screams spur him on, making him thrust harder
and faster. “You’re so big I…I can’t…” I stutter, my body feeling like it’s
about to crack down the centre.
He pulls my chest up from the mattress, pinning my back against his sweaty
torso. He nibbles at my ear, leaving purple marks all down my neck. I groan
so loudly that Sean reaches around and covers my mouth with his palm for
a moment.
“That’s it baby, tighten that pretty pussy around me and make me come.”
He growls into my ear and removes his hand from my mouth. I squeeze
myself around him and my name leaves his lips on a curse.
“I’m gonna come Sean, oh fuck don’t stop.” I moan, my voice so throaty
and tight I don’t recognise it as he massages my nipples with rough fingers.
Sean shakes his head. “I've wanted to fuck you for ages Callie don’t you
dare come until I tell you to.” He slows his pace, going torturously slow and
purposely teasing me, stealing my orgasm away.
I want to punch him in the face so badly right now.
He must see the fiery frustration in my eyes when I pull away from him and
turn onto my back again, yanking his body on top of mine. “Fuck you Sean,
let me come!” I hiss and grab his cock in my hand, bringing it to my
opening and sliding it back inside my achingly empty pussy.
I see his eyes roll back and I know he’s forcing his own orgasm down into
the pit of his stomach, he’s not ready for this be over yet and neither am I,
but I'm desperate to come all over him.
He keeps his pace slow, watching me get more and more mad. “You come
when I tell you to come. Who do you belong to Callie?”
Fuck, I hate him sometimes.
I dig my nails into his shoulders, biting my bottom lip so hard I taste blood
on my tongue. I still haven’t answered him so he stops moving entirely and
I almost explode.
“You! You!” I gasp, giving up the fight for domination this time. He can
dominate me all he wants to when his cock is inside me, I'll do whatever he
wants. He pumps into me, cupping my face between his huge hands and
leaving a trail of open mouthed kisses along my jaw line. My back arches
off the bed and I cry out his name, clawing at his back and wrapping my
slippery thighs around his solid torso, keeping his cock buried deep inside
me as I orgasm. I can feel as his own orgasm starts to peak and I consider
teasing him too, making him desperate but I don’t think I have it in me after
he’s made me come twice tonight, I'm spent.
I can feel the fire lighting in the pit of my stomach and Sean moans against
my lips, “Oh fuck, I'm gonna come baby.” He continues his pace and just
before the orgasm can shoot out of him he grabs me from the bed. “Get on
your knees Callie.”
I don’t hesitate, eager to have his stickiness all over my tongue I
immediately fall to the ground. I crouch below him and stick out my
tongue. His eyes are small, squeezing tight as he fists his cock hard and fast.
My dark hair is wild and sticking to my neck, my wet tongue waiting to
taste him.
“Oh fuck, you’re such a good girl.” He groans, draining his cock and
painting my face in his warm come. “That’s easily the sexist thing I’ve ever
seen.”
I lick my lips and use his t-shirt that lies in a crumpled pile on the floor to
wipe my face clean before standing up to put my underwear back on. The
moment it’s over the panic sets in, the worry I was squashing beneath the
overpowering desire to have a piece of Sean Taylor for myself. But now I'm
reminded that I would only ever have one piece of him, because the entirety
of him isn’t up for grabs and likely never will be. I can’t believe I gave in so
easily, I'm embarrassed of myself. I know Sean can feel this immediate
tension between us, filling the air and weighing us both down. I feel from
behind me as he starts to panic, like he knows that I might be regretting
what we just did.
His rouged hands reach for me, turning my body towards him and pulling
me to his chest. “Hey, you ok?”
I nod and rake my hair back into a ponytail, before pulling my thong up my
legs and turning around so he can clip my bra for me. I’m sure he’s never
clipped a bra up before, he’s only well practiced at unclipping as many as
possible. I can feel my head taking over again, the horny side of my brain
having done her part and now she’s off to bed, letting my logic take over.
The problem is, Sean knows me too well already and his brown eyes are
swampy with worry, it’s hurting but I don’t know how to fix it for him, or
for me.
Chapter 16

Callie

Sean snakes his arm around my waist and turns me back around to face
him, his eyes are creased with concern and it’s making me want to throw
up. I don’t want to hurt him, but I'm scared now we’ve done the one thing I
was putting off. It’s fear on my part, fear of rejection now that I’ve given
him what he wanted from me since the very beginning. I’m trying to trust
him, really I am, but whenever a sliver of light pokes through, showing me
the real him, I'm reminded of his past and the way he’s always treated
women. I’m terrified of being tossed aside again, like with Joel, he decided
he was done with me and that was that, until recently of course. It fucking
stung, worse than anything I’d ever experienced and I can’t go through it
again, I just can’t.
“Callie, are you sure you’re ok? You don’t regret having sex with me do
you?” The pain and worry that’s creasing his handsome face is stabbing a
hole through my chest.
I shake my head, a loose curl falling onto my forehead from my ponytail.
“No, I don’t regret it. I just feel like now we’re a ticking time bomb and I'm
going to be holding my breath, waiting for you to get bored with me.” He
cups my face in his huge hands, running his thumbs along my jaw.
“Baby…” His eyes hold a thousand words that he doesn’t know how to say,
but somehow I find comfort in them. “Look, we’ve had sex, which is what I
wanted from the start. But I'm still here and I still want you.” He coos,
leaving one kiss on each of my cheeks before releasing me. “Let’s watch a
movie or something, we can cuddle and I’ll make you breakfast in the
morning like I promised.”
I nod my head and whisper, “Ok.” Which is all I can force out right now. I
don’t know how my life has done such a 180 in the last few weeks. When I
first met Sean properly in the penalty box I thought he was a man whore
who wanted nothing more than to sneak his way into my pants. I think
that’s what he thought about himself too, I don’t think he even realised he
was capable of wanting anything more from a girl than just sex. At first his
infatuation with me was just a love of the game, the thrill of the chase and
he was so taken aback that any girl could reject him that it made him want
me even more. But the consistency this man put in to try and win me over is
pretty admirable if I may say so. I know I can be grumpy and foul mouthed
at times, but it’s honestly just my tried and tested defence mechanism to
ensure nobody can hurt me. Sean has somehow found a gap in my
ginormous brick walls and scrambled his way in without me even having
chance to notice an intruder.
Sean is rifling through his top drawer, pulling out a clean pair of black,
extra tight boxers which show off his exquisite package. I grab the t-shirt
from the ground that was whipped off my body, leaving me exposed before
Sean and I let ourselves go like wild animals. I smile as his familiar smell
fills my nose from the worn out t-shirt in my hand. I start to look for the
opening to put it over my head, but before I have chance to cover myself his
bedroom door swings open.
“Hey man, do you have that glove I let you bor—” Kyle skids to a stop, his
eyes flickering between Sean and I, who are both still half naked. It
wouldn’t take a genius to work out what’s going on here and I instantly
point my finger at him, my eyes a glare with warning.
“Not. A. Word.” I hiss, watching as his pupils widen and then crease with a
proud smile.
Sean is lying back on his bed, his arms folded behind his head looking
extremely content with himself right now. The man has no shame. Kyle
shakes his head with a grin. “He finally won you over then?” I look at Sean,
who’s face is plastered with that fucking arrogant smile as usual. He’s just
watching the interaction unfold, not bothering to defend me to his best
friend. Look, I don’t particularly care what people think of me but I don’t
need the entire hockey team thinking I'm that easy to get into bed.
I yank Sean’s t-shirt over my head and pull my curls out of the neckline.
“Not exactly, he’s on trial, we’re taking things slow for now.” I mutter,
grabbing my stuff from my bag.
“Looks slow to me…” Kyle laughs and winks at Sean who’s now watching
me gather my things.
Sean clears his throat and rises onto his elbows, his movie star stomach
contracting and giving me butterflies. “My dick isn’t on trial though, she’s
already in love with him, just have to make her fall in love with me now.”
He smiles and I consider throwing my deodorant at his head. Instead I
decide to be mature and just glare at him, metaphorically stabbing him with
my pupils.
I head into Sean’s bathroom and leave the door ajar, letting the FOMO
control me and not wanting to miss any part of their private conversation.
Kyle’s slightly muffled voice breaks the silence first. “Have you been
drinking tonight? Does Callie need a ride home?”
I hear the mattress squeak and Sean’s large feet pad across his bedroom
towards the TV stand. “Nah, she’s not going home.” He says, so
nonchalantly that I don’t know what to do with myself.
I’m supposed to be getting my makeup off my face, brushing my teeth etc,
but all I can do is press my ear to the door as discreetly as possible and
listen to what the hell he’s going to say next.
“Where’s she going then? I can take her if you can’t drive.” Kyle says,
confusion lacing his tone.
Sean sits back on the bed, the mattress squeaking again. “She’s not going
anywhere, she’s staying here tonight.”
I hear the TV click on, the crackling sound of animated voices creating a
blanket over the conversation I'm dying to listen to.
Kyle stutters, “What? She’s staying here? Like, sleeping over?” He’s as
shocked as I was when Sean invited me to stay, we all get it, he’s not a
sleepover sort of guy.
I wasn’t hinting for an invite when I told him that I don’t like staying at the
dorm by myself, I was worried about Joel turning up when I don’t have
Molly’s backup to get rid of him. I’ve been keeping something from Sean
because I haven’t felt like there’s been a right time to tell him and now
we’ve had sex everything is ten times more complicated than it was before.
“Yeah, like sleeping over.” Sean says with confidence and I hear Kyle gasp
under this breath. The TV is now only a quiet hum in the background as
Sean waits for me to return so we can watch a movie together. Kyle
chuckles low in his throat. “Ok, well shit maybe you really do like her. You
never do sleepovers.”
“Yeah, I really fucking like her man, like I don’t know what to do with
myself. I’ve never done sleepovers before, but I'll do them for her.” Sean
whispers and my heart grows a pair of wings and leaves my body. Oh god, I
feel like this is going to end in tears.

We watched approximately twenty-minutes of the movie before my fingers

were skating around Sean’s pretty dick again. I don’t know what’s gotten
into me but I just couldn’t help myself, and of course Mr sex maniac was
more than happy to participate in round two. After we had sex again — and
yes it was just as good as the first time — we fell asleep, the TV still blaring
as Sean’s arms tangled themselves around my body, pulling me back to his
chest. This man held me all night long and not in a sexual way either, he
didn’t sink his hand between my thighs or try to grope me. His large hand
lay splayed out across my lower stomach for almost the whole night as I
drifted in and out of sleep. Occasionally he skimmed down my waist and
gave my bare thigh a comforting squeeze, which only made my brain even
foggier with confusion. I don’t know what the hell I'm supposed to do now,
he’s been so amazing, so caring and patient with me. But the nagging
anxiety, the overbearing worry about him getting bored with me and
craving his old lifestyle still has me in chains. I give up trying to sleep at
around 7am, Sean's face is buried in my neck and his breath is laced with
vanilla as I twist my head to plant a quick kiss on his nose. I swing my legs
over the edge of the bed, sliding out of his grasp and padding towards my
bag that’s laying on his bedroom floor. That’s the moment when I make the
mistake of checking my phone, I just wanted to see if Molly and Anais got
home safe last night, but instead I’m greeted with ten new messages from
my ex-boyfriend, Joel. He’s been texting me for a few days now, begging
me to talk to him, saying he wants me back and he misses me. Telling me
he loves me, which is the one that hurts the most and he knows it, that’s
why he’s using it against me. I haven’t told anyone about Joel wanting me
back, not Molly, not Anais or Lois and definitely not Sean. I don’t know
how he’d react but I don’t want to find out. I don’t know what I want right
now, I'm really starting to like Sean and I can feel my trust for him stacking
higher and higher, but Joel and I have history and the feelings I had for him
are still buried in there somewhere. I got so caught up in Sean last night,
allowing my attraction to him to blind me, making me forget about my
current predicament of two men pulling me in two different directions. I
think I need space, time to think about what the hell I'm supposed to do
with myself.
I grab my things from my bag and head into Sean’s bathroom, checking
over my shoulder to make sure he’s still sound asleep on the bed.
Chapter 17

Sean

“Callie?” I groan, sweeping my arm across the warm but empty bed sheet
beside me. I crack open one eye, scanning the room but I don’t see her.
Fuck, did she duck out on me this morning? I know she was stressed last
night, anxiety clouding her mind after she gave herself to me. She’s still
scared, utterly terrified really that I'm going to toss her aside, but she
couldn’t be more wrong. Now I’ve seen every side of her I'm even more
obsessed and the chance of me getting bored with her and changing my
mind about what I want is laughable. I just wish she could read my thoughts
sometimes, see how I see her, how I feel when I look at her beautiful green
eyes and her wild yet soft curls. I know it’s actually me who’s in dangerous
territory here, falling hard for a girl who doesn’t know if she can trust me,
doesn’t know if she can give herself to me fully. My heart is in her hands
right now, waiting to be cradled or crushed. I sit up, my stomach fluttering
with worry as I realise she’s definitely not here, but then I spot her clothes
in the corner of the room and hear the toilet flush in my bathroom.
I breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank fuck,”
The bathroom door opens and Callie emerges, her hair perfectly brushed
and hanging loosely down her back, her jeans so tight they’re hugging my
favourite parts of her and all I can do is stare. Then the disappointment
floods me when I realise she’s dressed and I wanted to fuck her again this
morning before we have to leave for training, or cuddle the shit out of her, I
don’t care which. All I know is I can’t get enough of this girl. “Oh, come on
we didn’t need to be up yet,” I moan, scratching my head. “We could have
cuddled for longer, or fucked again whichever you prefer.” She’s collecting
her things from the ground, her dress from last night hanging over her arm
as she anxiously stuffs everything into her bag. She sighs and I feel the
weight of it from across the room. “Sean, I have to go.”
What? No, I don’t want her to go, not yet, I'm not ready to say goodbye to
her.
I clamber out of bed, my feet slipping on the laminate floor as I reach for
her. Her eyes are planted firmly on the ground and she refuses to look at
me, her chocolate curls creating a curtain over her face.
“No, you’re not leaving now. I’m making you breakfast remember?” I
sound like a whiny idiot, but I don’t want her to go and I know she’s pulling
away from me again, her fear taking over what she knows is good for her. I
can be good for her, for us.
My hands are gripping her biceps as she stares at the floor, shuffling her
feet like she doesn’t know how to navigate this. I don’t know how to either,
I’ve never done this shit before, never wanted a girl past one night and now
here I am begging her to stay. I have a feeling she’s still going to leave
anyway though.
“I just…I need to go home.” She mutters, but makes no move to slink away
from me. My fingers trail up her arms to bracket her jaw between my
hands. I pull her face up to look at me, forcing her eyes to meet mine and
that’s when I see it there, sparkling behind the emerald of her irises. The
fear, the uncertainty that I want to pull out of her but I don’t know how. I
pull her bottom lip down with my thumb, admiring the way her breath
stutters as I lean down to kiss her. Our lips are so soft as they move against
each other, slow and steady.
“What’s going on?” I say as I break the kiss. “Why are you being cold with
me?”
Her face crumples slightly under my scrutiny and I rub the lines away with
my thumbs, still cupping her cheeks in my hands.
“We shouldn’t have had sex last night.” She whispers and my heart
plummets to the bottom of my stomach. My hands fall from her face and I
take a step back which makes her drop her eyes to the ground again. I scrub
my hand down my face. “I tried to stop you Callie, three times I tried to
stop you but you wanted me. I wasn’t going to keep fighting when I’ve
wanted you so badly since the moment we met.”
She rakes her hand through her curls and lifts her eyes to mine again, letting
them harden a little as she controls the wobbling of her bottom lip. I know
she's trying not to let her emotions out, I wish she would though so I’d
know how deep her feelings for me run. Are they just surface level? Did last
night make her realise she actually doesn’t like me, she's just attracted to
me physically? God, I want to know what’s running around inside her head
right now.
“That’s the thing though isn’t it?” She blows out a breath, “You wanted me
for sex since the moment we met. I didn’t even start to like you as a person
until recently and I don’t do things this way around.” She hoists her bag up
her shoulder and moves towards my bedroom door. “I do feelings first, then
sex.”
She shoves her feet into her heels, not even bothering to strap them and I
know she’s already mentally got one foot out of my door right now. I follow
her movements though, planting myself in front of the bedroom door and
grabbing her wrist.
“Are you seriously telling me you don’t have any feelings for me?” I say,
my heart pleading me to stop torturing myself and just let her go. The
quicker she goes, the quicker I can start to get over her. But I don’t want to
get over her, I want to keep her.
She takes another jittery inhale. “I have to go.”
She snakes her body around mine as I scan the floor for a pair of joggers,
sliding them on and stumbling out of my room and down the stairs after her.
I catch her elbow as she reaches the front door and I see my three
roommates in the living room, watching us out of the corner of my eye.
Normally I’d tell them to fuck off and mind their own business but I'm too
focused on the beautiful brunette that’s trying to run away from me. “Callie
please don’t do this, there’s no reason for you to leave right now.” I beg, my
eyes darting between her hand on the door knob and her feet, worried she’s
going to just dart out the front door and I won’t be able to catch her.
She groans and presses her fingers into her temple like she has a headache.
“I’m sorry Sean, but you and I both know this isn’t going to end well, we’re
just playing with fire here and someone’s going to get burnt.” “That’s
bullshit Callie!” I’m yelling now, not knowing how else to stop her from
doing this, from ending whatever the fuck this is between us. “I want to
change for you, I've told you that, I just need you to give me a chance.” Her
eyes soften now and she rests her warm hand on my shoulder. “I don’t want
you to change who you are for me Sean, that’s not fair on either of us.”
“This is who I am. That other guy who fucks around and doesn’t give a shit
about anyone but himself that’s not me, not really. I like who I am when I'm
with you.”
I take a glance to my right, my friends’ eyes are all ricocheting off Callie
and I, watching me pour my heart out to her. On a normal day I’d care, not
wanting them to see me vulnerable like this but the only thing I care about
now is the girl in front of me, what she thinks. Nobody else’s opinion
matters right now.
“I like who you are when you’re with me too.” She drops her hand from my
shoulder and lets it hang at her side. “But there’s still another side to you
and you can’t just block it out, pretend it doesn’t exist. Fucking a constant
conveyor belt of girls is what you do Sean, it’s what you’ve always done
and there’s no reason for you to change now.”
“There is a reason…you.”
Her face drops and her lip trembles again, I just want to grab it to stop it
from making my heart ache.
“I think we need to figure things out on our own.” She whispers, pulling her
hair over one shoulder and looking at the front door again. I know she's
going to bolt so I hold her jaw in my hands, pulling her face to mine. “No,
no,” I murmur, planting my mouth on her’s, relishing in the way our lips fit
together like a puzzle. Her hands find the nape of my neck, pulling me
down to her and forcing the kiss to travel deeper. The feeling of her lips on
mine is already imprinted into my fucking bones, I don’t think there’s any
deeper it can go. I haul her to my chest with one arm wrapped around her
tight waist, leaving another lingering kiss on her soft lips. She pulls away
from me and I see a tear travelling down her cheek as she throws me one
last broken look. She yanks at the front door and scurries down the path to
where an Uber waits for her. She doesn’t look back as she practically
throws herself into the back seat and the car takes off down the road,
leaving me standing on the doorstep, topless and speechless. I pad back into
the house, slamming the door behind me and drawing the attention back of
the three nosey fuckers who are sitting on the couch. She’s actually gone,
she said we should figure things out on our own, but I don’t want to do
anything on my own, not now I've seen what it’s like to be with her. I don’t
like the thought of being alone anymore, which is funny because that’s all
I've ever wanted, to be alone and not have to consider anyone but myself. I
grab the nearest thing to my hand which happens to be the ceramic bowl on
the side table by the front door and throw it across the room, cursing loudly
as it smashes into the marble counter and the pieces clatter to the floor. My
head feels like it’s on fire, my chest tight and my heart constricting inside. I
want to just rip it out and stamp it into the ground, stop it from ever feeling
anything again. “You ok man?” Kyle says, getting up from the sofa and
walking across the huge expanse of living room towards me. I don’t have
anything to say to him, I have no words to give anyone right now. I don’t
know how the fuck I'm supposed to feel but I can’t pretend to be ok when
I'm not, I'm far from it.
I start to trudge up the stairs, my head spinning with questions, why did she
leave like that? This can’t just be about not trusting me, not after last night.
It was special, I know that’s corny but it's true. I’ve never felt that way after
having sex with a girl and I know Callie felt something too, she can deny it
all she wants but she’s not fooling me.
Nick clears his throat from where he’s sprawled out on the coach and I look
up at him. “You fucked her last night didn’t you?”
I stop on the stairs, letting my chin fall to my chest. “Yeah, I did and now
she wants nothing to do with me.”
“Oh how the tables have turned.” Nick chuckles and my hard eyes find his.
“Shut your fucking mouth or I’ll come over there and crush your
windpipe.” I growl, continuing up the stairs and away from his smug,
fucking face. I love my guys, but sometimes Nick can be such a fucking
unfeeling arsehole. The guy wouldn’t know love if it bit him in the balls.
Love? The word sounds weird even in my head, but it kind of fits. I know
it’s really fucking quick but I don’t do slow in any aspect of my life, not on
the ice, not in the bedroom. I think I could love Callie… screw that, I could
definitely love that girl. I just need to make her see, I can’t just let her walk
away from me, from us.
Chapter 18

Callie

“Callie, door!” Anais’ high pitched yell breaks through the peaceful silence
of the dorm room.
“Can you get it? I’m busy.” I groan, flopping over onto my back like a dead
fish.
I’m not busy, not even a little bit. I'm lying on my bed doing nothing but
staring into the open space above my head like I’ve done for the last two
days.
“My nails are wet!” She yells again and I heave a sigh, swinging my half
numb legs over the edge of the bed and plodding out of my bedroom and
down the hall.
I look like a jumble sale threw up on me, Sean’s huge sweatpants hanging
off my hips purely because I feel like I can’t breathe unless I have his scent
rammed up my nose at all times. I miss that annoying man who closely
resembles sex on legs, I miss him so much but I just can’t drag myself out
of this pit of despair that I voluntarily launched myself into. I want to have
him, he said I could have him, all of him but I just don’t think life is that
simple. He sees things so black and white but he’s never been in a
relationship before, which in turn means he’s never been hurt by one. He
doesn’t fully understand my worries, the trauma response to having your
heartbroken before but he’s being so incredibly patient with me it’s making
the ache in my heart seep even deeper. It’s only been two days and he’s
shown up at my door each one of those days, begging Molly or Anais to
persuade me to talk to him. He should know by now that I'm not easily
swayed by people, apart from him of course. Sean could ask me to launch
myself off a ten story building with him and I’d likely consider it. He’s
brought me roses everyday too and my favourite strawberries, the ones that
won him his first kiss with me. Not that I had much of a choice, he shoved
that strawberry out of his way and pounced on me. That kiss quite literally
changed everything, for both of us.
As I pass Anais’ open bedroom door I point a finger at her. “You’re lucky
you’re one of the only people on this earth that I actually like.” She blows
me a kiss, blowing a strand of auburn hair out of her face, her nails bright
pink and shining wet.
I yank open the door, expecting it to be Molly having forgotten her key like
she does at least once per week, but to my utter horror it’s not Molly. It’s
heaven and hell combined.
“Heeey!” My mum throws her arms out wide, shimmying her chest and
causing her collection of necklaces to clatter together. I don’t need a mirror
to tell you what my face looks like right now, my eyes are popping out of
my skull and they immediately zoom into my dad’s face as he stands, hands
in his pockets and face coated in indifference, behind my mum. I smooth
my tangled mess of curls, not that it will make much of a difference to the
absolute mess I am right now.
“Oh, honey you look like shit, come here.” She wraps me in a tight hug,
sniffing my hair and holding it out like it's a dead animal. It probably looks
like one sleeping on top of my head. “What the hell’s going on?” I shuffle
my feet and pull Sean’s sweats up my hips. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Mum blows past me like a gust of wind and heads straight for the kitchen, a
bag of goodies hanging from her thin arm. I don’t want to look at her too
hard, don’t want to notice the small changes in her already frail body since I
last saw her over a month ago. Her hair is still shaved, the dark shadow
across her skull where her curls, identical to mine used to flow from. The
cancer took all of that away from her, the hair, the muscle and fat on her
bones. But it couldn’t take her light, the sunshine that radiates brightly from
her smile and her piercing green eyes.
My dad saunters into my dorm, hands in his pockets like he has not a care
in the world. He’s not fooling me though, I know he’s stressed to fuck about
my mum. He likes to hide behind a hard front, pretend like nothing bothers
him and he’s not emotionally affected by things, but I know him better than
that. I guess I inherited that trait from him, if not any of my physical looks.
“Thanks for the heads up,” I hiss at him, keeping my mum out of earshot.
“You could have warned me you two were dropping by.”
“I’ve been calling you for two days and you don’t answer your phone!” He
hisses back, both of us keeping our voices hushed but laced with equal
annoyance at each other. Dad and I aren’t exactly close, but I respect the
hell out of him and aim to please him as much as I can.
I sigh. “Sorry, I’ve been a bit distracted.”
“I brought ingredients for spaghetti bolognaise, your favourite Cal!” Mum
sings from the kitchen counter as she unloads a bag full of food. My dad
falls back into the living room chair and turns on the TV, making himself at
home in a place he rarely visits, even though he works at this university.
Seeing his only daughter has never been a priority of his, he’d much rather
be on the ice all day with his adopted hockey sons.
“I hope you're cooking, because I'm certainly not.” I say over my mum’s
shoulder, peering into the never ending bag of food she’s emptying onto my
marble counter. She nods quickly, her excitement flowing from her and
momentarily making me feel a wash of calm for the first time in two days.
The woman loves to cook, experimenting with food and creating so many
scary combinations throughout my childhood. It was her thing, combining
random ingredients and hoping they would taste good. News flash, they
rarely did, but I always loved her enthusiasm all the same.
“Just heading out Cal!” Anais says, stuffing shit into her handbag, before
looking up and seeing I have unexpected company. “Oh sorry, I didn’t
realise anyone was here.”
“Wanna stay for dinner honey?” My mum says, her eyebrows lifting on her
forehead.
Anais smiles gingerly. “No, thanks though, just meeting a friend.” My mum
waves her out the door and I throw her a ‘please help me’ look, which only
makes her laugh as she lets the front door fall closed behind her. I love my
parents make no mistake, but spending an awkward dinner with the two of
them when I look like a bag of shit isn’t something I'm in the mood for. I
haven’t wanted to talk to anyone or really do anything besides going to the
gym and coming home since I last saw Sean. And I don’t plan on changing
that, not yet anyway.

We eat dinner in near silence, my dad and I do anyway, my mum yaps about
nonsense the entire time. I clear my plate, having not had much of an
appetite in the last couple of days and enjoying some normal food that
didn’t come from a takeout box.
My dad clears his throat and shoves his barstool back against the lino floor.
“I better head off in a minute, I have to be at the rink in twenty and I can’t
be late today. My boys have been slacking lately and they need all the extra
ice time they can get, especially Taylor,” my throat closes on the mention of
his name, my heart thumping hard as my eyes spring up to my dad’s face.
“He’s been grinding my gears for the last few days, I don’t know what’s
gotten into that boy.” He points at my mum as he shrugs his jacket over his
arms. “You, don’t be late to the rink or I'll leave without you.” He plants a
firm kiss on her temple and gives my shoulder a squeeze as he passes me,
disappearing through the front door.
My mum’s hands land on the island with purpose. “Right, movie time
baby.”
I roll my eyes when she can’t see and collect up our plates as she dives onto
the sofa like an excitable child, scrolling through Netflix to find the
cheesiest movie possible I assume. I don’t know if I can stomach watching
any kind of romance, but I can’t break her heart either so I guess I’ll suck it
up for tonight.
‘She’s The Man’ is the movie my mum picks, one of our all time favourites
when we need a laugh and that’s the kind of medicine I'm looking for, but I
just can’t find it, the usual humour inside me. And when a scene that
normally has the two of us rolling around the sofa clutching our stomachs
doesn’t so much as pull a chuckle from me, my mum pauses the movie and
turns her body towards mine. Her bright eyes are swimming with confusion
and suspicion.
“What’s going on with you honey? You’ve got bags the size of big ben
hanging under your eyes, your hair is ratty as hell and what’s with the extra
large, man sized sweatpants?”
I huff and shakes my curls out. “Just struggling a bit recently,” She tucks a
loose curl behind my ear. “Tell Mummy all about it.” “Please don’t call
yourself that.” I scrunch my nose and she laughs heartily before taking my
hand.
“No but seriously honey, you’ve always talked to me about everything, so
come on, spill.”
Oh god, I feel the water works bursting behind my eyes.
“Honestly?” I squeak. She nods and the first tear falls down my cheek. “I
feel like my heart is breaking.”
Mum pulls me into her, cradling me close to her chest like I'm still a small
child. “Who broke it?” She whispers into my dark tresses, brushing them
back over my shoulder as I cling to her small body. I always worry that if I
squeeze her too hard she’ll shatter like glass.
I lift my face from her shoulder, a wet patch left on her t-shirt from my
tears. “This guy…he’s literally perfect in every way except one thing that
my head just won’t seem to let me get over.”
“Sean Taylor?” She says casually and I swallow hard, wondering whether to
lie.
I stutter, “What? No—”
She holds her hand up to me, stopping me. “You’re a shitty liar. I saw the
way your face changed when your dad mentioned him earlier.” Tears spring
from my eyes again and the flood gates well and truly open, pouring down
my face and soaking both my mum and my clothes as they splatter. She
reaches for my other hand, covering them both with her own warm ones.
“I think I'm falling in love with him and I don’t know how to stop it.” I cry,
slapping the tears away from my skin.
My mum swipes a few drops off my cheeks with her thumbs. “Why do you
need to stop it?” I shrug, finding it harder with each day that goes by to
answer that question myself. “Look, I know a bit about heartbreak
sweetheart, let me give you a piece of advice.” She leans closer, “If it’s
right, it will all come together and if not, you’ll heal from it.” “That
simple?” I say, my voice still stumbling through the remaining tears. She
nods once. “That simple baby.” She kisses my temple and stands up from
the sofa. “Now, I better go before your dad throws a temper tantrum
because I'm two minutes late.” She rolls her eyes playfully and heads for
the door, my hand in her’s as she pulls me behind her.
I put my other hand on her shoulder when she yanks open the front door.
“You’re ok…aren’t you Mum? Chemo is still going ok and everything?”
My mum flaps her hands through the air and turns away from me, one foot
already in the hallway, making her escape. “Yeah, yeah I'm fine. You know
me, grab life by the balls and all that.” She floats down the hallway, waving
a hand behind her. “See you at Christmas honey, love you!” “Love you
too!” I yell after her, before closing myself away in my igloo again, away
from the world.
Chapter 19

Sean

Callie is avoiding me, like really fucking avoiding me. She’s even been
planning when she’s in the gym around our weight training schedule so she
doesn’t have to run into me. When she ran out on me four days ago I sat in
my bedroom coming up with a plan to make her see that this can work. I
know her fears are warranted, I've given her no reason to believe that I've
changed for her when it was me who created the fuck boy narrative in the
first place. I tried to stop her when she wanted to have sex with me, I told
her I was worried she’d regret it and it seems like that’s exactly what’s
happened. The irony of this whole situation is that Callie was so anxious
about me throwing her to the side like a used napkin after we had sex and
that’s exactly what she’s doing to me. The worst part about this whole thing
is that I feel like shit without her, all I want is to see her beautiful face, to
talk to her and work out a way to fix this so I can keep her. I’ll do literally
anything to be able to keep her.
It’s been four days of her avoiding every text I send, every call I make. I’ve
even gone to her dorm with flowers — white roses to be exact — and her
favourite strawberries every day since she ran out on me, but she’s still
refusing to talk to me. I don’t know if I did something that made her scared
or if she just never built any trust in me after all. But I really felt like I could
see a change in her, in both of us. I mean god I look in the mirror right now
and have no idea who is staring back at me. Sean Taylor, renowned play
boy turned mopey asshole over a girl who fucked him then chucked him.
Talk about karma.

I’m probably at the last place on the entire face on the planet that I want to
be right now. The only place I want to be being 9.3 inches deep inside
Callie. But that’s not going to happen is it?
My car rolls to a quiet stop at the edge of my parents' obnoxiously huge
property. I stick my hand out of the window and press the buzzer, listening
to it ring out a couple of times before Lois’ smug voice travels through the
speaker.
“Hey fuck boy, I bet Dad twenty quid that you wouldn’t show up, so you
owe me twenty quid.” She chimes and I roll my eyes, ignoring her. The gate
finally whirs open and I hit the accelerator again, slowly moving up the
driveway and rolling to a stop next to Lois’ car. I let my head fall into my
hands once before opening the door and stepping out. I really can’t be
fucked for this today, a family dinner is usually enjoyable for me, I'm a very
sociable person and love my family to pieces. But right now it feels like
there’s a gaping hole in my chest and no one in this house can fill it for me.
My social battery is low too, needing to be filled by one curly haired, fiery
brunette who currently would rather develop scurvy from never leaving her
dorm, than talk to me.
Lois leaps on me the second I step through the front door. “Awe, I knew
you missed me.” She grins at me, her deep dimples mirroring mine. Not
that they’re out today, they’ve not seen the light of day since four days ago
when Callie left me, taking my happiness with her.
I shove her off me. “I see you all the time.” I grunt, kicking my shoes off
and padding towards the kitchen where the smell of sizzling meat is floating
from.
Lois trails behind me like an annoying Chihuahua nipping at my ankles.
She definitely didn’t inherit Dad’s tall gene like I did, she’s even shorter
than Callie.
Callie.
I need to stop thinking about her or I won’t make it through this fucking
dinner.
“Yeah but you pretend like I don’t exist.” She scoffs from behind me just as
I reach the kitchen door, I swing it open and the hot air hits me directly
between the eyes.
I bark a dry laugh. “I wish that you didn’t.”
“Hi Sean! Oh I missed you.” My mum comes bounding over, arms
outstretched towards me just as Lois reaches up and pinches my bicep.
“Ow! No pinching, you little shit.” I hiss, nudging her into the kitchen
island that almost takes up the whole room. The kitchen ironically being the
smallest room in the whole house, it’s the room my mum spends most of
her time in when she’s not in the office. My parents spent just under 3
million pounds on this house, with it's vast expanse of land and it’s regal,
winding staircase. The funny thing is the pair of them spend less time in it
than ever before, both of them working their fingers to the bone everyday,
travelling an hour into London and never leaving their office before 8pm.
Mum wraps me in a tight hug, her familiar, homely smell giving me a
moment of peace and comfort in her arms. “You don’t call us enough
anymore, or answer your phone when we call. We miss you.” My mum
sticks out her bottom lip and Dad comes behind me, slinging one arm over
my shoulder.
“Leave the boy alone Judith he’s a busy man.” He ruffles my hair like I'm
five years old and grabs a potato from the tray. They’re still spitting and he
curses at the scolding heat as he pops it into his mouth and chews happily.
“Your sister actually answers her phone when we call.” Mum huffs and Lois
throws me an arrogant smirk.
I sigh and follow after my dad, launching a potato in the air and catching it
in my open mouth. “Sorry Mum, I’ve just been a bit out of sorts lately.”
Lois snorts. “Yeah we can see that, you look like a bag of dicks.” “Lois!”
My parents shriek in unison, Mum throwing a tea towel across the room at
my sister.
Lois throws her hands in the air as I glare at her. “What? He does! Look at
his beard.” She scratches the dark coating of stubble that’s appeared on my
face after four days of not shaving. I swat her little hand away and move
towards the dining room. “You look like father Christmas with that thing
sprouting out of your face.” She cackles and I turn to her as I reach the
adjoining doors.
“Will you fuck off?”
“Jesus Christ!” My dad says, his mouth opening to let out the billowing
steam from his second roast potato. “We send you two off to university with
impeccable manners and you both come back with potty mouths.”

Dinner goes by relatively quick, I pretty much inhale my food, having not
had my mum’s home cooking for about four months now. I’m cutting into
my last piece of steak when Mum clears her throat and my stomach
clenches. She only ever does that when she has something awkward or
uncomfortable to bring up.
“So,” She starts and I pop my last piece of steak into my mouth. Big
mistake. “Who’s this girl you’ve been seeing?”
My steak almost flies across the room when I start to choke. Of all the
things I thought she was going to ask, that would have been so far down my
list it would have been invisible.
“I haven’t been seeing anyone.” I croak, my throat tightening at the lie
coming from my lips. I take a sip of water, then another one, trying to clear
the bubble that’s expanded in my windpipe.
Lois barks a laugh and I turn to face her. “Sean? Seeing someone for more
than one night? The mere thought of it nearly made him choke to death.” If
I had something to throw at her right now I would seriously consider it. I go
quiet, not knowing how else to deal with a situation like this with
everyone’s eyes on me, assessing me like they’re trying to decipher morse
code.
“You ok honey?” Mum says, looking at me through her lashes as she tips
her glass of ruby wine to her lips, temporarily staining them.
I push my chair back, scraping it across the marble flooring. “You know
what I actually feel a bit sick. Think I'll just go and lie down in my room for
a bit.”
“Sean, I can—”
“Mum, it’s fine honestly. I just need to lie down.” I cut her off and leave the
room before anyone else can say a word and head upstairs to my old
bedroom.
I don’t know how long passes, half an hour, an hour maybe before a soft tap
sounds on my door. I can smell Mum’s perfume from here, the light
lavender smell that she’s carried with her since I was a child. I’m glad she's
never wanted to switch up the perfume choice, this one brings me so much
comfort the moment it hits my nostrils. My mum’s face appears around the
door, concern etched deep into her eyebrows, I’ve never been a good liar
and I think now, with my heart literally living outside of my body I'm even
worse at hiding things. My mum’s a great people reader too, even strangers,
so as you can imagine she reads Lois and I like we’re copies of her own
personal biography. I force a half smile onto my face for her sake as she
crosses the room to get to me, my arms rest behind my head as I stretch my
long body out across the king sized bed. The mattress dips as she sits beside
me and a sympathetic smile lines her mouth.
“I know something is hurting you.” She says, her voice draped in sadness. I
can’t look at her, if I do I might give away the last tiny pieces of myself that
I have left. “You might be a big, 6-foot-4, 23 year old man now, but you
were my baby once and I know you.”
I sigh. “Yeah, I guess I'm just kind of a mess at the moment.” My eyes are
still fixated on my lap as I sit upright, crossing my legs over each other.
Mum’s hand lands on my knee. “It is a girl isn’t it? I was right.” I finally
take a glance at her face, the laughter lines drawing my attention as I think
about the happy marriage she has. I want that one day, I never thought I did
but now there’s nothing I think I want more.
“How did you even know?” I mutter, watching her face soften when she
sees the pain hiding behind my eyes.
She smiles gently. “I called your house the other day and Kyle answered,
said you were on a date.”
Thinking about my date with Callie creates a sloshing wave in my stomach,
the memory of her electric touch lingering on my skin, the tightness of her
perfect pussy wrapped around me. But more importantly when she lay her
head on my chest and fell asleep, when I wrapped my entire body around
her’s, nestling into her neck and inhaling her fruity smell. Then, when she
ran out of the door in the morning, leaving me there alone.
“Oh yeah…that,” I say, letting my misty gaze travel back down to my jean
clad lap.
“I’ve never seen you like this before, over a girl.”
I take a deep breath and try to hold back, but the words tumble off my lips
like word vomit. “She’s not just a girl, she’s the fucking girl Mum and I
don’t know how to make her see that she can trust me. She knows what I’ve
been like with women and because of that she’s too damn scared to give me
a real chance, and how can I blame her? She’s right about all of it.” I feel a
single tear prickle at my eyelids and I sniff it harshly back. My god, I really
am going soft for this girl, Kyle was right.
My mum’s head falls, giving my knee a loving squeeze before she exhales a
sharp puff.
“Look sweetheart, I know this is hard to hear… but you can’t make
someone trust you. You just have to build it bit by bit and show her how
much you care about her.”
“I’ve been going to her dorm everyday, taking her flowers and her favourite
strawberries.” I sigh, scrubbing a hand down my face. “She won’t talk to
me though, doesn’t want to see me.”
Mum takes both of my huge hands in her tiny ones, the contrast dragging a
snicker up my throat.
“She’ll come around Sean,” the certainty in her eyes makes this whole thing
seem simple. “If she’s right for you and you for her, then she’ll come
around, trust me.”
I do, I trust my mum more than anyone else in this world but now my brain
is floating above my body. Am I being too soft about all of this? Maybe I
should just barge my way into Callie’s dorm and force her to talk to me.
No, that would never work, she’s too stubborn, she’d just pull back even
further. I'll go and try again tonight on my way home, take her flowers and
strawberries and maybe, just maybe I can convince her to hear me out.
Chapter 20

Sean

I always thought for sure it would take a huge event or some crazy fate for
me to find the woman who would make me want to change, to commit to
her and only her. But, it didn’t. Callie just fell into my life in the most
unexpected way possible and since the moment I set my eyes on her I could
feel a magnetic pull. I can feel it now, as I stand outside her dorm room for
the fourth day in a row, a weighty bunch of white roses tucked under my
arm and a bag in my other hand containing an extra large punnet of her
favourite strawberries. My mum’s words are buried deep in my chest,
pumping away with the organ I wasn’t sure was even working until I met
Callie. I came straight here from my parents' house, the light fading behind
the clouds as I drove, thinking about all the different ways I could persuade
her to talk to me today. The light padding of footsteps approaches the
closed, red door and I hold my breath, hoping it’s the girl I'm missing so
badly. It’s familiar creak lifts my attention from the ground and Molly’s
sympathetic face looks back at me, a pained smile creasing her forehead.
Her blonde waves swing over her shoulder as her eyes grow soft. “Hi
Sean,”
“Can I talk to her?” I say, my mind already telling me the answer to my
own question. I’ve asked to talk to her everyday, and everyday she’s
refused.
Molly sighs. “Well, it’s been a no for the last four days but I can go and ask
her anyway.”
“Thanks Mol,” I smile, but it’s forced. I don’t feel like I have anything to
smile about right now, not without her. It’s like the ray of sunshine that was
a constant in my life since I met her has been snatched away from me. Now
I'm left with nothing but darkness and frost.
I can hear Callie’s murmured voice snap, “I said no.” at Molly, before her
best friend returns to me at the door with her face twisted into a scowl. “I’m
sorry Sean, it's a no again,” she huffs, “and she nearly bit my fucking head
off for asking.”
I hand the bunch of roses to Molly, their comforting scent floating in the air
between us.
White roses are my mum’s favourite and my dad would always get her a
huge bouquet of them for birthdays and anniversaries. My parents’ love for
each other is something I’m desperate to emulate in my own life, it’s so
pure and comfortable. I didn’t think I needed anyone to love until I met
Callie, now it’s literally all I need.
“Give her these please, and tell her I miss her.” I say, handing her the bag of
strawberries too before shoving my icy hands into my pockets and turning
to leave.
“Sean,” Molly calls after me and I turn back to face her. “For what it’s
worth I have tried to convince her to talk to you about what’s going on in
her head.” She sighs and I can see the protective best friend behind her
eyes. “The thing you have to understand about Callie is, she’s fucking
terrified of letting her guard down with anyone. She let her guard down
with Joel and that ended in a shit storm. She barely lets me inside her head
and I'm her best friend.” Molly takes a step into the hallway, pulling the
door almost closed behind her. I’m guessing she doesn’t want Callie to hear
any of this, to hear Molly being totally honest about her deepest feelings.
“Callie has built this solid wall of protection around herself so that nobody
can hurt her. She’s scared that you’ve found a way in, but she’ll never admit
that.”
I lean back against the wall in the glossy, white hallway of the dorms,
digesting every word that Molly said and stitching it to my brain so I never
forget it. How can I show Callie that she doesn’t need to be scared with me?
I know I can be what she needs, because the thing is, we need each other
equally. I need her to show me how to do this relationship thing, how to
navigate the hard times and she needs me to show her how it feels to be
loved so deeply it’s in every crevice of your bones. I know I can do that for
her, love her how she deserves.
“Thanks Molly, can you just tell her something for me please?” She nods,
gathering her long, blonde hair and hanging it over one shoulder. “Tell her
I'm not going to give up on her, I want her so much and I'll keep coming
here every day for the rest of the year if that’s what it takes.” Molly’s face
crumples and she sniffs back a tear. “Oh my god, you’re so cute.” She looks
back over her shoulder and gestures to me with her palm. “Come on, come
in.”
“I thought Callie said—” I start and Molly interjects with a dismissive wave
of her hand.
“Forget what Callie said, that girl doesn’t know what’s good for her.” She
smiles and grabs my forearm, leading me through the kitchen where she
lays my gifts on the island and we round the corner to stand just outside
Callie’s half open door. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s like I can feel her
heart beating from here, like we’re tied together by an invisible string.
Molly’s palm lands flat on my torso, stopping me from getting any closer to
Callie’s bedroom door. “Wait here, I'm going to try and talk to her again,
hopefully she doesn’t rip my head off this time.” She whispers, rolling her
eyes and darting into Callie’s room, leaving the door cracked open so I can
hear every word that’s being said.
“Come on Cal, he’s really trying here. I mean for fuck’s sake Joel never
once bought you flowers and you were together for over a year. You should
really give Sean a chance, it’s obvious how much he likes you.” Molly
sighs, and I hear Callie return with her own.
“I had sex with him.” Callie blurts out and my eyes widen. She obviously
hadn’t told her best friend that we slept together, is that bad? I feel like girls
usually tell their best friends things like that.
I hear Molly choke on her own saliva. “Ok, hold on, back the fuck up…
when did this happen?”
“The other night!” Callie's voice has gone up two decibels. “When I ran out
on him and it’s all your fault!”
“My fault?” Molly gasps and I push my ear closer to the crack in the open
door.
“Yes, your fault. You told him to bring me those strawberries and then I let
him kiss me, and then I let him take me on a date and when he said I could
stay at his place we got into his bedroom and we were alone together and I
just couldn’t resist!” She groans, fighting to get her breath back after her
rambling. “He took me out for a really nice dinner that he wouldn’t let me
pay for, then he said I could stay over at his place when he found out you
and Anais were out and I didn’t like staying alone. He even promised to
make me breakfast in the morning, but I didn’t stick around long enough to
let him.” She groans again and I hear her shove her face into a pillow.
There’s a moment of silence behind the door and I hold my breath, waiting
for one of them to speak again. My mind is swirling with thoughts, none of
them coherent.
“Why didn’t you stay then?” Molly says, her voice quieter and milder than
before.
Callie’s muffled voice comes through the pillow she’s stuffed her face into.
“I don’t want to tell you.”
Molly sighs deeply. “Ok, well I’m not seeing any negatives here…” “That’s
the problem,” Callie says, “I can’t see any negatives either, I’m desperately
trying to find them but I can’t.” She takes a breath. “The only thing I'm
worried about is my dad finding out, but he doesn’t pay enough attention to
my life to figure it out on his own.”
I can’t believe what I'm hearing, she doesn’t see any negatives with me?
I’m not sure whether to be even more confused or ecstatic. If she has no
negatives to being with me then why has she been avoiding me for days?
“The other thing is,” Callie continues, shuffling and making her mattress
creak. “I know he’s been a ladies’ man in the past, but he really is pulling
out all the stops to prove to me that he wants to change. He wants to change
for me Mol, how can I resist that?”
Molly sighs deeply and I hear the mattress squeak again as Molly gets to
her feet.
“You don’t need to resist him,” Molly says, swinging open the door to
reveal me standing there like a gameshow prize. “He’s here and he wants
you, so stop being a princess and talk to him.”
Callie’s face is like a horror show, she doesn’t know where to look. Our
eyes meet and I can feel the pain in her’s, mirroring mine and I'm almost
certain that she’s missed me like I’ve missed her. I need her to talk to me, to
tell me what’s holding her back from me and maybe then we can figure out
a way through this storm.
Chapter 21

Callie

It’s him, he’s here, standing in my doorway and staring me with those eyes,
those fucking caramel eyes that live in the deepest part of my chest. I stand
to my feet in shock, watching Molly scuttle out of my bedroom door like
the traitor that she is. Sean moves towards me but maintains at least two
feet of space.
“Molly, you bitch!” I shout over his shoulder towards my half open door. I
hear her cackle like an evil genius from the kitchen. “Just doing what’s best
for you, and what’s best for you is Sean Taylor!” She yells back and I turn
my attention back to the only person I've been able to think about for the
past four days.
“Hey,” He says quietly, his eyes pinning me to the spot.
“Hi,” I whisper, my feet shuffling uncomfortably below me. I don’t know
how to drag my voice up from my throat.
He clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck. “Are you…ok?” “No,” I
say without hesitation. “Are you?” I already know he’s not, from the deep
bags under his eyes to the grown out dark stubble across his jawline.
“Not even close.” He mumbles, running a hand through the bundle of
messy waves that rest on his head. “I’ve missed you Cal, I've missed you so
much these past few days.”
I sniff back the tears that are attempting to escape down my cheeks and
shuffle my feet again. I want to just dive into his arms and let him have me,
let him have all of me but the fear is still holding me hostage. The
knowledge that I've not been totally honest with him is eating me alive at
the same time.
“Tell me how I can fix this Callie, I promise I can fix it.” He pleads, his
eyes crinkling with desperation.
God, I feel like my heart is going to crack down the centre looking at him
like that. I tried so hard to offend him for a while, to put him off me and
make him see that I didn’t like him. But now, seeing him hurting like this is
making me contemplate pouring poison directly into my eyeballs so I don’t
have to watch his face collapse like that.
I sniff, holding back the tears that I know are inevitably going to fall soon.
“You didn’t do anything wrong Sean, in fact you did everything right.”
“Tell me what made you run out on me then. I thought we were making
progress and then you left me there, after I all but got on my knees and
begged you not to go.”
I want to scream at him that he’s right and I don’t know what’s wrong with
me, but I don’t.
“I'm sorry I did that, it was shitty of me and I'm sorry for avoiding you
since then, it’s just what I do when I get scared, I run.” I let my face fall,
keeping my eyes off his.
“You don’t need to be scared Callie, and I'm not mad at you for leaving, I
just want to know why.” He inches closer to me, our bodies now about a
foot away from each other and I can feel the heat drawing me to him. “You
just told Molly that you don’t see any negatives to being with me and you
can see how hard I'm trying to prove that I want to change for you, yet
you’re still holding me at arms length.” He sighs and his shoulders slump.
“You were so worried about me losing interest in you after we had sex and
then you totally flipped the switch and wanted nothing to do with me.” He
looks so defeated, so hurt and the moisture falls from my eyes before I can
stop it. Sean finds my face again and when he sees the tears tracking down
my cheeks he takes one stride towards me and cups my face in his warm
hands. His thumbs are rough in the most comforting way, the way they run
along my cheekbones and his warm, concerned eyes dip down to meet
mine.
“Talk to me baby, tell me truthfully what’s holding you back.” His voice is
like fresh coffee, smooth and warm, his vanilla laced breath tickling my
nose and tempting me to kiss him. All I've wanted to do for the last four
days was kiss that man.
I let out a heavy breath. “I told you we shouldn’t have had sex. It was a
mistake, I wasn’t emotionally ready and I let myself have you when I
shouldn’t have.” I take another breath, my shoulder lifting and falling
weakly. “Because I'll never have you, not really and that’s what scares me
Sean can’t you see that?”
His grip on my face tightens and his nose brushes against mine, increasing
the taste of his breath on my tongue. “You can have me Callie, you can have
all of me.”
“There’s always a part of you I won’t have, the part that will be satisfied
with me for a while and then will start to miss the game, miss taking a new
girl home every night and the excitement of that.” My lips part on a jagged
breath again and Sean takes his hands off my face. “I can’t give you variety
Sean, I'm trying to make you see that.”
He throws his hands in the air and blows out a sharp puff of exasperation at
me. “I don’t want fucking variety Callie! I’ve had variety my whole adult
life and I'm so damn bored of it. I’m a big boy now and I'm craving more,
ever since we met and you told me to go and fuck myself I've wanted more.
You’ve changed something in me Callie and I want you, just you.” He steps
closer to me again, pulling me to his chest, his arm snaked around my waist.
“I want you every day and every night and there’s nothing you can say to
make that not true.” He ends his rant in a whisper, the passion draining from
his voice and transforming into a plea again. I want to say yes, he can have
me and that’s the end of it, easy, but life isn’t always like that. I have to tell
him about Joel, this isn’t fair on him. “Joel wants me back.” I blurt as his
hands drop from my waist again, shock and confusion making a haze float
across his eyes.
“What? Since when?” He says, forehead crinkling with worry and betrayal.
I feel an enormous pang of guilt for keeping this from him, but when the
hell was I supposed to tell him? On our date? Or maybe just after we had
sex for the first time? No, there was no way I could have told him then.
I look down, guilt crawling all over my skin like spiders. “He’s been texting
me, asking me to forgive him, to give him another chance. He’s been saying
that he misses me and that…” I look up to Sean’s face, the crumpled worry
now replaced with what can only be described as utter panic. “He loves
me.”
Sean runs a heavy hand over his dark stubble. “Do you miss him? L-love
him?” His voice is strained with gut wrenching pain as he forces the L word
off his tongue. His chocolate eyes burn into mine and I can’t even blink, I'm
stuck to the spot, my feet refusing to budge when my head tells them to run,
run away from this terrifying conversation. Flecks of my pink nail varnish
float to the ground as I scratch and pick at it nervously before slowly
shaking my head. What am I thinking? Of course I don’t love Joel anymore,
the feelings I once had for him are buried deep in the back of my mind but
there’s no chance of them resurfacing, they’re firmly anchored down.
I inhale quietly. “I didn’t know how I felt or what I wanted last week, that’s
another reason I was so confused after we had sex.” Sean’s face has
softened a little, the realisation that I don’t love Joel anymore and am purely
trying to explain my erratic and downright cold behaviour towards him.
“My head's been swimming Sean, and I think I'm at a point where I’d rather
drown than carry on treading water like this, fighting over what I want and
what I think I should want.”
Sean’s still staring at me, his face changing expression with each new word
that comes out of my mouth, like he doesn’t know how he should react.
This could force him the other way, make him realise that I'm more effort
than I'm worth and he’d rather a life without me in it. I’ve been dishonest
with him and I have to admit, if it was the other way around it’s more than
likely I would have told him never to talk to me again. “I’m sorry I didn’t
tell you,” I whisper, stepping towards him and closing the gap between us.
“I just didn’t know how to and I wasn’t sure what I wanted, then we had sex
and I felt awful like…like I was leading you on.” My eyes fall to the ground
again, my nail varnish following it as I pick at it anxiously. I can’t even
look at his face, not now everything is out in the open. I know what’s going
to happen, what should happen. Sean should tell me I was wrong to keep
something like that from him, that I shouldn’t have slept with him and that
he never wants to see me again. That’s what should happen, but of course
Sean is like a real life, huge, muscular angel. So instead, what comes off his
lips is much softer and gentler. “I understand Cal,” I look up then, that
being the last sentence I expected to hear him say. “I mean of course I wish
you’d have told me, but I understand why you didn’t.” His hands find my
waist, resting against my cold skin and warming it with his touch. “I know
we’ve only been taking this ‘slow’ for like a week,” He finger quotes the
air, smiling bashfully and I let out a teary chuckle. The truth is we’ve never
been slow, not since the second we locked eyes for the first time in that
penalty box. “But I can feel myself changing. All I've done is think about
you since we slept together and I'm not exaggerating when I say I’ve never
thought about a girl after we’ve had sex. Can we try this relationship thing
properly? Please Cal, I know what I want.”
He takes my jaw in his hands, running his thumbs along my cheeks and I let
my eyes flutter closed. I want to say hell yes, let’s crack this thing wide
open and just jump, but the fear still has me in it’s grip and I can’t work out
for the life of me how to wriggle free. I think I need his help. “I don’t know
Sean, I'm reluctant to give myself fully to someone again after last time.”
His face dips and his lips brush against mine, floating and making my knees
weak, the urge to smash my lips onto his is lighting a fire in the pit of my
stomach.
“Do you want Joel back?” He whispers, his sweet breath warming my lips,
his scratchy stubble brushing my chin.
I shake my head. “I thought maybe I did…but I don’t. The way he treated
me wasn’t right and I don’t want that again.”
“Do you want me?” He says, lifting his head and towering over me as
usual, one arm still snaked around my waist. “I hope you do because I'm
afraid you’re stuck with me.” He attempts a smile but it’s weak and I know
he needs to hear the words, that I want him and only him.
I wrap my arms around his solid torso and rest my chin on his chest,
looking up into the depths of his swampy eyes. “I think I'm starting to love
being stuck with you.”
His face relaxes, the lines on his forehead vanishing and he blows out a
breath laced with relief. “Thank god,” He sighs, his nose brushes mine as he
tips his head down, our foreheads touching.
Sean pushes the hair from my face and whispers, “I really want to kiss you,
can I?”
My head bobs eagerly in a nod and I yank his face down to mine, our
mouths colliding in a hot and breathy kiss. His tongue swipes against mine
and I grab a fistful of his jacket in each hand to keep me on my feet, rising
up on my tiptoes to increase the ferocity between our lips.
“I love the way you make me feel Sean, I don’t think anyone has ever
treated me the way you do.” I say against his parted lips, letting my heals
fall back to the ground and making me a whole foot shorter than him again.
His blinding grin spreads across his dimpled cheeks and he scoops me off
the ground, lifting me to his level with both arms trapping my waist. He
leaves a few open mouthed kisses on my neck as I bury my face into his,
inhaling ever drop of his delicious scent. I can feel him still smiling against
my neck before he pulls back, still holding me against him, my feet an
entire foot away from the ground.
“So, you’re my girlfriend now right? Or am I supposed to ask you properly?
I don’t know how any of this works Cal, you have to help me.” He places
me gently to my feet and I laugh, lacing our fingers together as he rubs the
back of his neck nervously with his other hand. I still find it weird seeing
him like this, all the arrogance out of sight and the real Sean showing his
vulnerable side, just for me.
“I mean, you can get down on one knee if you want and ask me t—” My
words are stopped in their tracks when Sean lowers himself to the ground,
one knee out in front of him like he’s proposing. “I was joking.” I say,
watching as a smirk widens his face.
“Callie Burch, will you please do me the honour of being my girlfriend?”
He coos, his hand holding mine and a sharp laugh bursts from my lips.
“You really should stop picking your nails.” He raises an eyebrow, eyeing
my half eaten fingernails.
“You should really stop taking everything I say so literally.” “So? Will
you?” He smiles, his dimples deepening.
How the hell am I supposed to say no to that face?
I do like to fuck with him though, so the first word that comes out of my
mouth is, “No.”
His face falls. “No?”
“Joking,” I bark another laugh and he throws me over his shoulder, slam
dunking me onto my bed. His lips find my stomach first, he lifts my t-shirt
and peppers tiny kisses all over my skin, making a pathway up to my
collarbone and neck before I'm shivering all over.
He hums with satisfaction into my neck and whispers, “Take your clothes
off.”
I laugh and shove him off me. “Absolutely not, Molly is in the other room.”
I swing my feet over the edge of my bed, standing up and grabbing my
phone from the dresser.
Sean moves behind me, his warmth cocooning me as his hands grip my hips
and he peers over my shoulder.
“Is he still contacting you?” He says, sucking my earlobe between his lips. I
nod. “He keeps texting me and saying he’s going to come here so we can
talk, even though I’ve told him there’s nothing to talk about. He’s not
getting the hint.”
Sean swipes the phone from my hand, over my head and spins away from
me. “Let me call him.”
“What? No, Sean you—”
But it’s too late, he’s scrolling, then tapping, then pressing my phone to his
ear. I clamber onto my bed and jump on his back, the weight of me barley
causing his body to move when I collide with him. I reach around,
snatching at my phone and cursing at him, until Joel’s deep voice comes
through the phone and I freeze, clinging to Sean’s back like a chimp.
“Callie? Thank god you called me I was starting to think—”
“It’s not Callie.” Sean growls, his shoulders tensing under my grip. I bury
my face into his shoulder blades, shaking my head. I need to hear what he
says to Joel but I’m also shitting myself at what he’s going to say to Joel.
This is 100 percent a no win situation but I'm dying to see how it plays out.
“Sean Taylor? Is that you? What the fuck are you doing with my girl’s
phone?” Joel’s voice is a little jittery on the other end of the line and Sean
cracks his neck from side to side, red hot possession climbing up his neck.
Something resembling a protective rumble rolls up Sean’s throat. “Don’t
ever call her that again, she’s not your girl anymore, she’s mine.” I hoist
myself up Sean’s back, wrapping my arms around his neck and nestling my
nose into his shoulder. “She doesn’t want you, she wants me, so back the
fuck off and don’t contact her again.”
“I-I-I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, she—”
Sean cuts him off again. “Let me make this easy for you man, don’t ever
contact her again or I'll come over and snap your puny legs in half…
alright?” He doesn’t give Joel a chance to respond before he hits the red
button and pockets my phone.
“God you’re such a dick, that was unnecessary.” I groan, slipping down his
back and landing on my feet with a soft thud.
Sean sits on the edge of my bed and rakes his hair back. “It was necessary
Cal, he needed to know that your mine and I don’t share.”
“You sure used to be good at sharing your dick with everyone on campus.” I
fold my arms over my chest and jut my hip out the side. Sean lifts his chin,
that crooked grin plastered across his face as he reaches his arms out and
hauls me to him. I stand between his open knees, still pursing my lips at
him whilst his runs his hands down my back.
“Yeah well, I don’t share you.”
I climb onto his lap, my legs straddling his hips. “I don’t want to fall in love
with you.” I moan, pushing my fingers through his thick hair and he nudges
my nose with his.
“Well, unfortunately for you I'm balancing on the edge right now and you
best believe if I fall I'm taking you down with me.”
Chapter 22

Sean

I’ve been away for just over a week now, competitions swamping my
schedule and my mind, tearing me away from the girl who now rules my
every thought. I miss her, having not seen her for 9 days now, I can’t
pretend I'm not struggling with withdrawal. She’s like a drug and I'm her
biggest addict. We’re due back from two weeks of competitions on
Saturday and I'm constantly thinking about spending the whole weekend
wrapped around Callie, touching her at all times, I love touching her. My
dick is missing her too, that’s why when I call her tonight I have one very
specific request.

“I need a photo of you Callie.” I say, the phone balancing precariously

between my shoulder and my ear as I fight with my sock.
“Hello to you too,” She snickers, the sound of her silky voice sends my
cock rocketing behind my jeans. I huff and rip my sock off the end of my
foot, giving up that particular one handed fight whilst I talk to my girl.
“Hey baby, I miss you. I need a photo of you.”
“Why?”
“I can’t keeping jerking off to mental images of you, I need something to
look at.” I sit on the edge of the sofa next to Kyle as he batters his Xbox
remote, muttering curses under his breath.
Callie huffs a laugh. “Oh, you want a naughty picture?” Her voice takes on
a sultry tone and I have to adjust my junk.
I nod, even though she can’t see me. “I mean, I could definitely still make
myself come to a picture of you fully clothed, but where’s the fun in that?”
“Ok, hold on,” She says and I hear her start padding barefoot across her
dorm.
My eyes widen and I shift on the sofa, the sword in my trousers digging
into my leg uncomfortably. “You’re doing it now? Oh my god,” Ping!
I pull the phone away from my ear, putting Callie on speaker and opening
her message. “Sweet Jesus,” I breathe, smashing the phone screen against
my chest to hide it. “Callie, what the fuck?”
I can hear the smile in her voice. “Is that good enough?”
“Good enough?” I gape, looking at the photo again, turning the phone away
from Kyle’s wandering eye.
Callie is standing in her bathroom, one leg crossed over the other as she
leans back against the sink. She’s wearing absolutely nothing, not even a
scrap of material in sight and I can’t fucking look away. My cock is
throbbing, fighting to get home and live inside her for the entire weekend.
“Erm…yeah, baby…that’s…wow, I miss you.” I stutter like a fucking idiot,
scrubbing my hand across my jaw, still staring at the photo of my girl,
looking like a fucking angel.
Kyle leans across towards me. “Let me see.”
I shove him hard and scramble off the sofa, almost falling flat on my ass as
I clamp my hand over my phone, hiding Callie’s body from Kyle’s eyes.
“You know I’d have to gauge your eyes out if you saw her like that right?”
Kyle barks a laugh and Callie clears her throat on the other end of the
phone, drawing my attention back to her. “Sorry baby, Kyle’s just being
certifiably insane over here. Please come and save me.”
“I have to go Sean, I have training in the morning and I'm so fucking tired
from the competition today.” She sounds tired, really tired and I know she’s
having a hard time with her routines right now, she keeps telling me how no
matter how hard she tries she just can’t get the hang of them. I know it’s
totally draining her mentally and physically. Even so, she smashed the
competition today, the team event was their strongest and they managed to
come second which was a surprise to everyone when my sister fell off beam
twice and Anais took a fall on bars. Lois has been a gymnast since she was
a child but I’ve never really cared to learn anything about the sport, until
this fiery brunette came along and consumed me, I want to know everything
about her. Even though I know she’s exhausted tonight after a long day she
still stripped off her clothes and made me a happy boy with that photo. God,
I love h—
Shit! My head is getting way ahead of me, thinking crazy things like that
when we’ve only been dating for a month. I am crazy right? It’s not normal
to think you might be in love with someone after a month together? I don’t
fucking know what I'm doing with this relationship stuff, even though
Callie has helped me a lot when I’ve been feeling uneasy, like a rookie. It’s
hard for me to be bad, or unpracticed at anything, I'm pretty much good at
everything I do. I’m a weapon on the ice and with the ladies, but wanting
someone as bad as I want Callie is total uncharted territory for me and I
don’t know what I'm doing with myself.

My blades glide to a stop next to Nick, my chest battering him into the
plexiglass and earning a hard jab in my right shoulder as he smirks at me.
Only 4 days left until I can go home to my girl, I can’t fucking wait to see
her, smell her, kiss her. She doesn’t know this yet but we are spending the
entire weekend in bed, naked.
“Stop daydreaming Taylor, you’re losing it.” Coach passes me, slapping a
palm down on the back of my shoulder and making his way off the ice. I’m
glad he can’t read my thoughts, images of his naked daughter swirling
through my mind.
We’ve been training since 8am this morning, it's now 2pm and I'm fucking
exhausted. I’ve been making good use of the photo Callie sent me everyday,
the guys and I are sharing a hotel room though so I’ve had to be mindful of
that. I can’t help but let her name leave my lips on a curse every time I
come now, my dick takes over my brain and I can think of nothing but her.
Nick grunts beside me as he yanks his gloves off his hands, the red, icy skin
underneath causing him to wince when he curls them into fists. “I know
Callie is super fucking hot but she’s kind of a bitch, I don’t know what you
see in her past her pussy.”
This fucking guy never knows when to shut up.
My brow furrows and I grab the back of his jersey, leaning into his ear.
“First of all, call my girl a bitch again and you’ll be seeing the inside of a
hospital.” I watch his smirk widen, he loves fucking with me, watching me
lose my shit. “Second of all,” I take a breath, letting the protective anger
fizzle out. “I’m scared shitless of her, but I think that’s what keeps me
coming back. It’s like I'm scared of her but I like it, keeps me on my toes
you know?” I step off the ice, following after Nick and walking towards the
locker rooms, the sweat dripping down the back of my neck. “All the other
girls I could have are always fawning all over me, desperate for my
attention but Callie is the opposite.” I let a coy smile cross my face before I
squash it down, watching as Nick drops his trousers. “She tells me how
much I irritate her at least once per day and I fucking love it. Maybe I'm
fucked in the head.” I cover my eyes with one hand. “Put that fucking thing
away.”
“Jealous that it's bigger than yours?” Nick grins, swinging his hips and
making his dick dance before wrapping a towel around his waist. “Anyway,
maybe you are fucked in the head or maybe…” he grins and throws his arm
around my shoulders. “You're falling in love with her.” I drop my trousers
too, admiring the muscle hanging between my legs, I can’t fucking wait to
put him to good use in 4 days.
“I already know I'm falling in love with her, but I can’t tell her that yet can
I? Isn’t it way too soon?” I grumble, lifting my jersey over my head and
grabbing a towel from my locker. “I feel like such a fucking rookie at all
this relationship stuff, I never know if I'm being too keen or not keen
enough.”
Nick yanks back the shower curtain and I step into the cubicle next to him,
the hot water creates a cloud of fog around us. “Maybe talk to Lewis about
it, he’s done the relationship thing before.”
“Yeah, good idea man.” I say, letting the water flow over my face, the
warmth softening my tense muscles.
I need to figure out how to navigate this stuff and I think Lewis might be
the perfect person to help me smooth out the confusion that’s rolling my
brain into a ball and bouncing it around inside my skull. The funny thing is
I know exactly how I feel, it’s not my feelings towards Callie that are
confusing me, it’s what to do with them.
Chapter 23

Callie

It’s finally Friday, just one day to go until my new favourite person comes
home and I can spend the weekend strapped to his chest, never moving
more than a few centimetres away from him. I really miss him, more than
I'd like to admit but the phone calls and video chats we’ve been having
every day since he left just aren’t enough anymore. I need to actually touch
him, to lie with him and have his huge arms wrapped around me so I can
bury my face in his mind bending smell.
When I got home last night Molly practically tackled me to the living room
floor and made me solemnly swear to stay home all day with her today
watching romance movies and eating ice cream in our PJs. Ellen gave us a
rare Friday off because our gym is being prepared for a competition
tomorrow, thank fuck it’s not a competition I have to participate in. The
freshman have a practice comp before the real shit starts for them next year,
the poor little fish dealing with big bad Ellen on a Friday and Saturday back
to back. I feel bad for them because I’ve dealt with her wrath all fucking
week and she’s been in an extra bad mood so I'm even more mentally
drained than usual. Molly should have known I wouldn’t need convincing,
I’ve always been a PJ day kind of girl. Probably because I spend most of
my life now either naked and squashed under a huge, dimple faced hockey
player or sucked into a pair of way too tight gym shorts. Since I agreed to
give Sean a real chance, to be his girlfriend, I feel like my lightbulb has
been relit. If you’d have told me two months ago that Sean Taylor would be
my boyfriend I’d have either laughed in your face or swung at you with a
baseball bat. But he’s seriously been the one thing I never knew I needed,
he makes every part of my life better, except when he has to go away and
I'm left missing him. Like right now, he’s been gone for 13 days, due back
tomorrow thank god because I need that 6-foot-4 slab of warm muscle to
put a very specific part of his body inside me ASAP, before I implode.
The credits role across the screen and I lift my stiff body off the sofa and
out of the sea of blankets that cocoon me, Molly and Anais. I gallop across
the living room towards our tiny kitchen, my stomach is painfully tight but I
can’t stop eating, maybe my period is due or something. I grab a few more
snacks and fall back onto the sofa between my friends who are huddled
against the cushions. Molly’s gazelle like legs tangle with mine as she
spreads out and groans at the stiffness of her muscles. The three of us have
barely moved since this morning and it’s almost 9pm already, we’ve
ordered a takeout, eaten our body weight in ice cream and watched at least
four romance movies. I’m draped in Sean's wardrobe, his grey sweatpants
swallowing me whole and his hockey hoodie reaching down to my knees as
they quake from the bitter cold in here. Our dorm currently resembles a
fucking ice box, the heating having been broken for the last six hours as
engineers flocked into the basement to try and fix it. I personally think they
should all find a new career, my toes are still frozen as I wiggle them, trying
to bring them back to life.
“I miss Sean.” I huff, bringing the collar of his hoodie up over my nose and
mouth. “Especially right now when I'm freezing my ass off and his body is
twice the size of mine. Plus he’s always hot, he’s like my own personal hot
water bottle.” I snicker and scratch at the bun that closely resembles a bird’s
nest on top of my head, before yanking it out and raking my hand through
my curls. When I look back up at Molly she’s smiling brightly at me, her
blue eyes twinkling with something I can’t decipher. “What?” I say, my
cheeks washing with pink as she gives me a knowing look.
She lets her gaze drift over my reddening cheeks before landing back on my
eyes. “You grin like a Cheshire Cat when you talk about him.” My cheeks
flush even more, so I look down at my lap, pulling my lip between my teeth
and fiddling with a loose thread on Sean's hoodie. “So?” “Oh my god, are
you falling for him?” She gapes, sitting up straight and pulling her blonde
waves over one shoulder.
A sound somewhere between a snort and a scoff falls from my lips. “No,”
I'm not even convincing myself with that half arsed lie.
Anais jumps up from the sofa and squeals, Molly joining her like they’re a
pair of teenagers at a Justin Bieber concert.
“Oh my fucking god you're really falling for him!” Molly shrieks and I grab
the nearest empty ice cream container and throw it lazily at her and Anais.
Before I have chance to fight back the two of them grab my ankles and pull
me onto the living room carpet, landing on top of my painfully full stomach
and bear hugging me so I can no longer breathe. Anais squeals, “You’re in
love! This is so great!”
I wriggle under them and they finally relent, pulling me up to sit cross
legged with them on the carpeted floor.
“I’m not in love, I'm in like.” I grumble, pulling Sean's hood up and tugging
on the strings, making the material close in on my face. Molly lifts a
sculpted brow at me. “That’s not a thing, especially not for you Miss all or
nothing,”
I wish she wasn’t right, I’d love if she wasn’t right, but I'm pretty sure the
bitch is right.

By 11pm the three of us are like blocks of ice, huddled on the sofa together
finishing our last movie of the night before heading to bed. Anais and I have
been roped into going to the gym to help the freshmen tomorrow in
preparation for their practice competition so I need my sleep, especially if
I'm expected to handle Ellen and her ferocity again. There’s a light tap on
our door and our heads all swivel simultaneously, our foreheads creasing in
confusion. I stand up, cracking my back as I go and shuffling across the
room in my two sizes too big socks.
“Did you order more food Mol?” I say and she shakes her blonde head. “At
11pm? No,”
I pull on the doorknob, rubbing my tired eyes and hauling the front door
open. Sean’s beautiful smile greets me, his dimples deep in his cheeks and
the grin he flashes me blinding. And his smell, oh my god it's everywhere,
in every pore of my body the second I open the door. His huge frame makes
me feel tiny as I stutter, looking for the words I don’t know if I can find.
“What…what are you doing here?” I gasp, blinking way too many times
and holding onto the doorframe to stop my knees from giving up on me.
Sean’s smile cracks open wider. “I couldn’t wait until tomorrow, I hope
that’s ok.” He hauls me into him, lifting me to his waist as my legs circle
his hard torso.
“It’s more than ok,” I breathe into his neck, inhaling every drop of his
woodsy smell and crushing myself to him as hard as possible. He cups my
ass in his hand and tightens the other one around my back, holding my body
against his.
“I missed you.” I whisper, pressing soft, sleepy kisses against his neck. He
sighs. “God, I missed you baby.” He prises me off him, placing me to my
feet and letting his caramel eyes trail down my body. I look like a jumble
sale threw up on me, nothing I'm wearing fits and the size of his clothes is
dragging me down, making me look even smaller than usual. His eyebrow
rises up his face and his expression shifts into a shit eating grin. “Are you
wearing my clothes?”
“Yeah, it’s fucking freezing in here… and I like the way you smell.” I smile,
burying the tint of pink coating my cheeks behind my loose curls. Sean’s
hand moves to bracket my jaw, tucking my hair behind my ear and pressing
his warm lips to mine. The heat spreads down from my lips, lighting a fire
through my chest all the way down to my frostbitten toes. I shiver when his
arms snake around my waist as his tongue swipes lightly over my bottom
lip. Molly clears her throat and I suddenly remember that we’re not alone.
“Get a room please.” She laughs, nudging Anais into joining her taunting. I
snap my head around to face her, keeping my palms flat on Sean's chest.
“Fine, we will.” I throw her a sarcastic smirk and lace my fingers through
Sean's, guiding him into my dorm and kicking the door shut behind us. He’s
bobbing up and down like a puppy, letting me pull him towards my
bedroom, he knows what’s coming, we both do.
“Keep the noise down!” Molly yells after us, earning a muted snicker from
us both as we reach my bedroom door.
Sean yells back, “Not a chance! She's going to be screaming my name all
night long!”
I grab the back of his jacket and yank him inside, dragging it down his
shoulders and undressing him like a ken doll. He’s fumbling with his hoodie
that’s draped over my body, pulling it over my head and throwing it to the
ground as he steps out of his jeans. He dives on me, making me squeal as he
whips my sweatpants off in one smooth motion, nipping at my inner thighs
as he makes his way up.
“I’m not gonna last long Cal, you know that right?” His tongue presses
against my hot skin, just under the aching bud that’s been craving him for
two weeks. “I dreamed of this every night I was away, just being able to
touch you, feel you, taste you.” His rough hands run up my thighs and he
looks up at me through thick lashes, his warm tongue lightly flickering
against my clit, making me squirm. “We’re going to take it slow tonight, I
just want to feel every little bit of you.” He climbs back up my body and
kisses me, his lips warm and hungry.
He really does take it slow, sliding inside me and thrusting cautiously,
feeling every inch like he said. And I feel every inch of him too, when he
eventually flips me back onto the mattress, my back sinking into it, he lets
his face hover over mine. I can see in his eyes that there are words floating
behind them that he doesn’t quite know how to say yet, but that’s ok, I can
drink them in just by looking at him. His sharp jaw, his tight, rippled
stomach, his fucking dimples. God, I'm in so deep with him I don’t think
there’s any chance of me climbing back out now.
“I really fucking like you Callie, like I don’t know what to do with myself
when I'm away from you. Am I supposed to tell you that?” He groans,
rubbing the nape of his neck anxiously. His cock is still inside me as I
chuckle back at him, cupping his chin in my hand.
“Yeah, you can tell me that. I really like you too, I missed you so much
whilst you were away.” I wrap my legs around his hips and tug him to me,
pushing him deeper inside me and cursing with pleasure as he begins
thrusting again. He’s hungry, starving for me and me for him. He trails
sloppy kisses up my neck and across my jaw as I come undone around him,
arching my back and sinking my nails into his taut biceps. “Oh shit, I'm
gonna come. Can I…can I come inside you?” He brings his face back to
mine, brown eyes flickering with uncertainty. I nod and he exhales deeply,
sucking my lips between his and letting his tongue explore my mouth as he
comes, my name leaving his lips on a pained groan. He’s never come inside
me before, he’s never asked to, he just always pulls out but I'm on the pill
so I don’t see a reason to deny us both.
As we lay there sweaty and panting, Sean scoops me up with his arm and
hauls me into his side, smacking a kiss to my temple as our bodies stick
together.
“There’s a party at your house tomorrow right?” I say, tipping my face up to
look at him.
He leaves a tiny kiss on my nose and nods. “Yeah, you’re coming aren’t
you?” He cups my cheek, thumb tracing my freckles. “If you don’t want to
then I'll come here and we can spend some time alone.”
“Of course I'm coming, I’d never miss a party Taylor, do you know me at
all?”
He flashes me a bright smile and pulls me closer, bumping our noses
together affectionately.
He sighs. “You’re never going to get rid of me you know that? Like there’s
no fucking way I'm ever leaving you alone now.”
I purse my lips, trying to halt the smile that’s taking over my face. “Does
that mean you’re staying here tonight?”
He nods and pulls my body on top of his, his firm torso surprisingly
comfortable to lie on. “I’m thinking about just moving in.”
I bark a laugh. “You barely fit in my bed, you monster.” I roll away from
him to the other side of the bed, intending to get dressed but Sean’s huge
hands grab hold of my bare hips and pull me right back to him. “Oh no you
don’t.” He murmurs, his palm closing over my collarbone as he plants wet
kisses on the back of my shoulders and neck, his arms enclosing me to his
chest. “You’re staying here with me until tomorrow morning.”
That’s fine with me. I’ve decided, there’s no place I'd rather be than right
here.
Chapter 24

Sean

“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, straining to open my eyes and find the
source of that fucking irritating noise that dragged me out of the best sleep
I’ve had in two weeks. I spent the night wrapped around Callie’s naked
body and honestly I feel like I'm waking up on a cloud. I swipe an arm
across the mattress searching for her blindly and dragging her back to my
chest when I locate her bare stomach. I grab my still ringing phone from
under my pillow and answer it gruffly, making no effort to hide my distaste
to whoever is on the other end of the phone for waking me from my Callie
filled slumber.
“What?” I spit, keeping my eyes closed and breathing into the crook of
Callie’s neck.
“Sean Taylor, do you have a girlfriend now?”
Shit.
I’ve been avoiding all of my mum’s calls since I saw her about a month
ago. She’s been desperate for me to get a girlfriend and settle down with
one woman for ages and I could tell by the texts she’s sent me over the last
few weeks that she somehow knows I managed to win Callie over. I swear
she calls my house purely to get inside information about me from Kyle,
that fucker tells her everything.
“You would tell me right? You’d tell your mum if you managed to win over
the girl you were pining over when you last saw me?” She says, hope and
trepidation lacing her tone.
I huff. “No, I wouldn’t tell you because you’d get all excited and quite
frankly I’d want to kill you.”
“Oh my god you do! You won her over didn’t you?” She squeals and I lift
the phone from my ear, wincing at the volume of her voice when I only
woke up precisely 7 seconds ago.
“Like that.” I groan, reluctantly pulling my arm out from under Callie and
sitting up straight against the headboard. My girl stirs and flips over to face
me, her hands searching for me in her sleep. I take her small hand in mine
and twine our fingers together.
“Sorry, sorry,” My mum says, sniffing back tears of excitement. I smack my
hand to my forehead in disbelief, this woman is crazy, she’s holding back
tears because her 23 year old son is only having sex with one woman for the
first time in his life.
“I won’t get ahead of myself.” She says.
I groan and scratch my chin. “I feel like you’re already planning mine and
Callie’s wedding.”
“Let me see a picture of her, pretty please, make your mummy happy.” She
says and I can hear her pouting her lip even though I can’t see her. It’s clear
where I got my flare for the dramatics.
I sigh and put my phone on speaker, flicking through the many photos I
now have of Callie on my phone. The picture she sent me whilst I was away
flashes onto my screen and I have to bite my fist to stop the horny groan
that wants to escape.
“You want a picture of her fully clothed or naked? I have both.” I grin,
swiping across to a more appropriate photo of my girl.
My mum scoffs with disgust, which only serves to widen my smirk. “Sean
Taylor!”
That’s the second time she’s full named me during this phone call, usually
I’d be scared of this tiny woman with a big attitude but luckily I’ve got an
even spicier version snuggled up to my side right now. So I tap send and a
photo of Callie, her dark curls cascading down her back, her jeans hugging
her perfect ass and her smile so bright it hurts my chest, comes through on
my mum’s phone. I know when she’s received it because she audibly gasps.
“Oh my god, she’s beautiful.” She gawks, I hear her repeatedly gasping
under her breath as she assesses the photo of Callie.
I breathe a laugh. “I’ll take your surprise as a compliment rather than an
insult to my taste in women.”
I know my taste in women is impeccable, I bagged Callie didn’t I? And
she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on.
She snorts dramatically. “It’s not your taste in women I'm concerned about,
it's the fact that a woman that beautiful has agreed to give you a chance.”
Her voice twists into a stern version of it’s usual chirpy nature. “Don’t,
mess this up Sean.”
I sigh and look down at Callie, her features soft with sleep as she nuzzles
her face into my side. “I won’t Mum, I swear. I think that I…I think I love
her.”
My mum tries to swallow her shriek of delight but it still almost deafens
me, Callie stirs next to me wriggling against my side, her warm skin
running up my stomach as she strokes her palm up my abs.
“Sean? Who are you talking to?” She murmurs and my Mum literally
screams with joy right into my eardrum.
“Oh my god is that her? Let me speak to her Sean please I—” “Ok, I'm
hanging up.” I say, pressing the red button and silencing my mother before
she spontaneously combusts.
I shuffle my body down so I'm face to face with my baby, planting a hard
kiss to her freckled cheek as she peers at me through sleepy eyes. “We need
to leave for training soon, it’s already 9:30.” I say into her mane of hair as
she stretches beside me.
Her eyes widen and she jumps out of bed. “Oh shit, how is it so late? I
won’t be ready on time.” She grabs a towel from the floor of her bedroom
and wraps it around herself as she skips around the room in a panic. I sit up
too, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, just in time to catch her
elbow as she tries to leave the room in a flurry.
“Hey, it doesn’t matter if we're a bit late. We could have another five
minutes in bed.” I smirk and she breathes a light laugh.
“No, we can’t be late, you know what Ellen is like and she's been in a foul
mood all week, I don’t need to be irritating her any more than necessary.
Plus I'm helping out with the freshmen today, not training.”
I stare at her blankly, lifting my eyes from where they rest on her tits. I just
want to suck her taut nipple into my mouth and drag my tongue all over her
body. “Sorry baby I didn’t listen to a word you just said.” She rolls her eyes
in the way I love, the feisty side of her showing itself for a moment before
she flicks me between the eyes, earning a sharp, “Ow!” From me as she
swishes out of the room.
I have to admit she's right about being late, Coach will give me more shit
than it’s worth if I rock up more than ten-seconds after he wants me there.
We better not show up together either or Callie’s dad might get suspicious
and that’s the last thing either of us need.

“How do you know if you’re in love?” I say to Lewis as he lifts the weight
off my chest where it almost crushes me. The guy is at least four inches
shorter than me but he’s built like a bull.
I’ve been watching Callie from across the gym all morning as she helps set
up for the freshmen competition tomorrow. I can’t stop wondering if my
feelings for her will ever settle, or if they’ll just keep multiplying every day
like they have been since we met.
Lewis chuckles beside me as we switch places. “Ahh, you’ve been infected
I see…”
“Well, I'm not sure,” that’s bullshit, I’ve never been so sure about anything
in my life but I need someone else to confirm it for me. “How would I
know?”
Lewis lies back on the bench, taking the weight on his arms and pressing it
up and down with ease. “Easy,” he grunts, setting it back on the stand after
five reps. “What’s the first thing you think about when you wake up in the
morning?”
“Hockey,” I say after a beat of hesitation. Lewis cracks a smile and shakes
his head at me, his chestnut waves moving with him.
“Liar,” He says, smirking at me as he gestures for me to get back on the
bench.
I lie down and take the weight from him, pressing it to the sky. “Ok, her,”
“And the last thing you think about when you fall asleep at night?” “Her
again,” I grunt, giving him the weight and sitting up, rubbing my hand over
my jaw.
“You’re in love man, plain and simple.” He murmurs and my eyes fall on
Callie again, she’s watching me too this time and I notice a smile pulling at
her lips when she catches my eye.
“Can I tell her that though? Or is it too soon?” I mutter, still holding eye
contact with my girl before she shifts her gaze to one of the younger
gymnasts who’s asking her for help with something.
Lewis shrugs beside me. “Depends, do you think she feels the same way?” I
turn back away from Callie and start to collect my things, stuffing my
clothes into my gym bag and contemplating everything that’s happened
between us over the last couple of months. Does she love me? I’m not sure
yet, maybe that means she’s not quite there.
“I’m not sure if she’s there yet.” I say as Lewis and I head to the locker
rooms, towels hanging over our forearms. Lewis, pushes open the door and
I spot Kyle sitting on the bench, his head buried in his phone screen.
“Maybe wait for her to say it first then.” Lewis says, swinging his bag into a
locker and heading for the showers.
“I hate this uncertainty, I know how I feel about her but I don’t want to
come on too strong and scare her off. I also don’t want to hide my feelings,
I feel like an idiot.” I huff, following behind Lewis into the showers. I strip
off my clothes and hang them on the hook outside my cubicle, stepping into
the steaming water.
“You’re not an idiot, you’ve just never been in love before. It’s new man
and you’re learning, that’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Lewis says, his voice
slightly raised so I can hear him through the splatter of water and the
shower curtain between us. “She’s the first girl you’ve ever loved, she’ll be
ecstatic to hear that when the time is right.”
A light laugh rumbles in my throat. “She’ll be the only girl I ever love I can
guarantee you that, because there’s no way I'm ever losing her.”
Chapter 25

Callie

I thought I’d get out unscathed today, considering the fact I was only
supposed to be ‘helping out’ the freshmen gymnasts, preparing them for
their first practice competition tomorrow. Somehow I ended up on the bar,
demonstrating something that Ellen requested of me when my hands
weren’t adequately chalked up, leaving me with a gaping rip in the centre of
my palm. It hurts like a motherfucker and the entire drive to Sean's after
practice all I can think of is dousing it in freezing water to cool the burning
skin. There’s a party tonight at Sean’s house and I can’t fucking wait to get
drunk off my face so I can forget about the competitions I have coming up
next week that I'm far from ready for. When I pull up outside I don’t bother
to knock, I spend a hell of a lot of time here and the guys don’t mind me
just walking in unannounced. Although I did get instant karma for that once
when I walked through Sean’s front door and found Kyle naked on the
couch, balls deep inside some random puck bunny. He of course thought it
was hilarious, but I’ve struggled to look at him the same way since. I
accidentally use my bad hand to twist the doorknob and curse at myself
under my breath before shoving the door open with my foot. Kyle, Lewis
and Nick are all on the couch, shovelling something into their mouths
whilst they drool over some half naked girl on the TV screen. I go straight
to the kitchen, dropping my bag from my shoulder in the hallway and
turning on the cold tap before sticking my palm under it. “Ah fuck!” I yell,
gaining the turning of three heads in my direction from the couch. The
horny zombies soon turn back to their movie when they see I don’t have
any limbs hanging off or anything.
Sean’s loud footsteps descend the stairs, having heard me yelling in pain.
“What’s wrong baby?”
I twist my neck to look at him, he has those grey sweats on that I was
wearing whilst he was away, they look much hotter on him. The deep v
shape leading down to his impressive package catches my eye as he tucks
his hands into his pockets, the sweats shifting lower on his hips. “I have a
really bad rip,” I say, squeezing my hand into a fist and wincing as the raw
skin contracts. “I need to clean it but it’s painful as shit.” Sean reaches
across me and tears off a piece of kitchen towel, damping it under the cold
water as Kyle brushes past him on his way to the fridge. He gives my
shoulder a squeeze as he leaves the kitchen again, arms full with beers and
popcorn.
“Here, let me do it.” Sean reaches for my hand but I put my balled up fist
behind my back, snatching the wet towel from him with my other hand.
“Let me look after you.” He says sternly and I'm automatically turned on, I
love when he gets bossy with me.
I scowl at him. “No, I look after myself, I always have.”
“You don’t need to anymore.” He reaches around my body, snatching the
wet towel out of my balled up fist and polluting my lungs with his manly
aroma.
His fingers dig into my hips and he lifts me off my feet. My ass lands on the
kitchen counter and the zombies on the couch turn their heads to see what’s
happening. I fold my arms over my chest and purse my lips when Sean
sinks his hands into my thighs and brings his face closer, his minty breath
tickling my tongue.
“Sit your pretty ass on there and let me clean your hand.” He whispers,
pulling my hand towards him and prising my fist open.
I’m not finished fighting yet though so I snatch it away from him. “No, I
don’t need y—”
He smacks a hard kiss against my lips, silencing me and splaying his hand
across my back, pulling my chest to his. “Callie,” he sighs, pressing another
lighter kiss to my flushed lips. “Just shut up for once and let me take care of
you.”
I try to scowl but my cheeks betray me and turn a light shade of pink as I
slap the back of my hand into his, allowing him to clean my gaping wound.
He smiles triumphantly and kisses my warm cheek. “Good girl,” Oh god.
My pussy is all excited now, hearing those two magic words and thinking
she’s about to get some…maybe she is. Sean’s eyes find mine, swimming
with confusion as I clench my thighs together and suck my bottom lip into
my mouth, trying to calm the warmth that’s spreading down my inner
thighs.
His eyebrows knit together as he watches me squirm on the counter.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I shake my curls, one falling over my eyes as I watch his large
fingers gripping my wrist, the other hand gently dabbing at my rip. Why am
I so turned on right now?
He glides his damp hand up my thigh, reaching the hem of my shorts. “Are
you…?” He dips his fingers below the hem, into my thong and ghosts them
over my sopping clit. “Oh fuck,” He mutters, pulling his hand out and
leaning into my ear so his eavesdropping friends don’t hear. “Is that because
I called you a good girl?” His voice is so sexy, raspy and deep and I just
want to climb him.
I nod fast. “Can you help me with that?” I tilt my head, gesturing to the heat
radiating from the apex of my thighs.
His eyes darken with a sparkle and he twists a lock of my hair around his
finger. “Get upstairs now.”
Sean’s hands are covering my waist, lifting me off the counter and dropping
me to my feet before his palm lands with a clap on my ass. I run up the
stairs, Sean following behind me, his loud footsteps banging up the
staircase before I swing open his bedroom door and throw myself back onto
his bed.
He really does help me with my situation, yanking my shorts down my legs
and feasting on my pussy like a starving man would. He makes me come,
twice on his tongue and when he’s done I'm panting, gasping for breath. He
runs his warm hand up my bare stomach and leaves a tight kiss on my
parted lips.
“You can pay me back later.” He winks and strolls into his bathroom to
shower, ready for the party that starts in an hour.
I needed that orgasm, this man pretty much has me in a constant state of
horniness, always waiting for the next time he’ll make me feel fucking
incredible.
When Sean emerges less than 10 minutes later he’s naked, my favourite part
of his body hanging between his legs, begging me to just stick out my
tongue for a taste.
I think I may have an unhealthy obsession with him.
He watches my eyes as they follow him across the room, shaking his head
as a cocky smirk spreads across his face. He takes my black dress from his
wardrobe and throws it at me, gesturing for me to go and change before
people start arriving. I stand up from the bed with a huff and salute him
playfully before trapping myself in his bathroom for the next half an hour,
taking a hot shower, taming my mane of curls and covering my face in
makeup. When I step out of the bathroom Sean has left the bedroom, his
expensive aftershave still filling the room and making my pussy excited
again. I adjust my black thong and twist my body in front of the mirror,
admiring the backless, thigh length dress I'm wearing. I step into my
sparkly heels, giving me an extra four inches of height, making it even
easier for me to pull Sean in for a kiss the second I get my ass down those
stairs. I take one last look in the mirror, ruffling my hair and tapping my
lipgloss stained lips before pushing open Sean’s bedroom door and
descending the stairs.
Chapter 26

Sean

The music has started pumping, rocking the house back and forth as people
start arriving. The gymnastics team are always here first, Lois being quicker
than usual to find me in the sea of people so she can attempt to piss me off
within five minutes of arriving. Callie still hasn’t come downstairs so I wait
for Lois, Jennifer and Anais to vacate the corridor and find their seats in the
living room before I make my way over to the stairs. Before I even get there
I hear the click clacking of her heels and when I look up I have to blink, at
least five times to make sure what I'm seeing isn’t a hallucination.
“Wow, you…you look beautiful.” I gape, watching my girl take one step at
a time down the staircase. She looks like she painted that dress on, stitching
it to her skin for a perfect fit. I meet her at the bottom step, her face almost
equal with mine as her heels and the step give her more height than usual.
“You always look beautiful but I'm sure you get sick of hearing me say it.”
She shrugs and plants her manicured hands on my shoulders. “I like hearing
it.”
I run my hands up her bare back, the dress swooping down where her spine
curves. “Good,” I lift her off the bottom step, putting her on the ground and
bracketing her jaw. “Because I like telling you how beautiful you are.” I
press our lips together for a beat then grab her hand and lead her into the
kitchen, pouring us both a drink.

Only half an hour passes by before my stomach is grumbling again, I know

I'm a bottomless pit but I'm even hungrier than usual, considering I ate
Callie’s pussy before coming downstairs a couple of hours ago. I think I
might need more of that later.
I get up from the sofa, brushing past Kyle and making my way to the
kitchen for the third time tonight and piling my plate with pizza. The house
is pretty packed now, gymnasts, hockey players and everyone in between
crowding the living room, kitchen and hallway. The only part of the house
that we make off limits is upstairs, none of us need to be finding some
horny freshmen fucking on our beds when we go up there later. When I get
back to the couch, letting myself fall down next to Nick and starting to
shove a huge slice of pepperoni covered pizza into my mouth, I feel a warm
breath against my ear.
“Do you ever stop eating?” Callie whispers and I turn my head slightly,
brushing my lips against her warm cheek. Her perfume is strong,
intoxicating and I don’t know if it's the alcohol but I'm drooling as her scent
washes over me.
I’ve not spoken to her much tonight, just watched her from across the room,
dancing, swishing to the music with her friends and losing herself for once,
letting her hair down. I love to see her like that, relaxed and not as highly
strung as she usually is when training is getting on top of her. I know she
wants to get drunk tonight, I can already smell the heavy alcohol on her
breath as she leans into my ear.
I shake my head, pizza still making it’s way down my throat and into my
growling stomach. “No…and I'll be wanting dessert soon too.” I wink and
she lets her eyes flicker around the room, making sure my sister doesn’t
spot us before dropping a light kiss to my jaw and starting to saunter away.
God, that dress is something else, as much as I'm a fan though it’s the
creamy skin underneath that I want to see. I’ll have to rip it off her soon and
fix the shredded fabric later. I grab her wrist before she can get too far away
from me and pull her closer, making her sit on the edge of the couch next to
me.
“I don’t like hiding this from Lois, I want everyone to know you're mine.” I
say, my hand hovering next to her bare thigh. I want to grab it, feel her baby
soft skin on my palm but I know she’s already panicking from the way she
keeps looking over her shoulder. Lois couldn’t be more fucking clueless,
she’s past drunk already and dancing with Anais, grinding against her and
shaking her dark waves back and forth, eyes closed as she lets the music
take over her body.
Callie shuffles next to me, laying her hand over mine. “I know, I'm just
worried about what she’ll think of me.”
“Ouch,” I say, chuckling quietly and watching our fingers intertwine where
they rest on the sofa.
“I don’t mean it like that,” she says, tightening her hand around mine and
giving me a reassuring squeeze. “I just don’t want her thinking that her
captain is some sort of puck bunny all of a sudden.”
I lean closer, watching Lois sway with the music over Callie’s shoulder. I
leave a kiss in her hair, her dark curls tickling my nose.
“It’s ok, we can keep it a secret… for now.” I watch her eyes soften as she
looks down at our hands. “I guess we'll have to tell your dad at some point
too.”
Her head snaps up, eyes wide with horror. “Woah, steady on there Captain.”
I huff a laugh, lifting her hand to my mouth and leaving an lingering kiss on
her soft skin, tasting her perfume on my tongue. She stands up,
straightening her dress and raking a hand through her hair before swishing
away, looking at me once over her shoulder as she goes.
“Any pizza left man, or did you inhale it all already?” Nick bumps my
shoulder when he stands up from his seat next to me.
I nod and point to the kitchen. “Left one slice just for you.” I smile, mouth
crammed with pizza again.
I watch over my shoulder as Nick makes his way to the kitchen counter.
Callie is grabbing something too, another drink I think or maybe two, I
don’t know. I'm distracted again by her smooth skin, the way her spine
curves and leads down to that perky ass that I want to grab. Nick says
something to her, gesturing towards the lemonade bottle that sits next to her
arm on the other side of the counter. I see her emerald eyes flash up to his
for a moment, then they roll in that sassy way they always do and her face
twists in disgust. She takes a drink in each hand, flicking her head and
causing her curls to fall down her back before she brushes past Nick and
leaves him with a face creased with confusion. I let my chin fall to my
chest, stifling my laugh as Nick falls back down beside me on the couch.
“Your girl's in a mood,” He mutters, shoving a slice of cheese pizza into his
mouth and wiping the sauce off his lips with the back of his hand. The guy
eats like a fucking animal.
I look over at my baby, she’s laughing with Lois, her hand on her shoulder
as she hands her another drink.
“Nah,” I say, pointing at my girl. “She’s good, she just doesn’t like you.”
I’m trying not to laugh, honestly I am, but watching a tiny girl like Callie
put Nick in his place is just too fucking funny. He could do with someone
taking him down a peg or two, the man’s ego is almost as big as mine…
almost.
He huffs again and takes another bite. “Why, what did I do?” “You’re a fuck
boy.”
“So were you before you met her and she likes you.” He scoffs and folds his
crust, cramming it into his mouth and chewing hard.
My laugh slips out before I can stop it, the couch dipping as Kyle lands
beside me. “Yeah, she likes me now, but trust me, I fucking knew about it
when she didn’t.”
“Who are you kidding?” Kyle pipes up from my left side. “She still doesn’t
like you.”
I nudge his shoulder with mine, his drink lapping up the side of his glass
and wetting his hand.
“You’re probably right, I think she just puts up with me at this point.” I
chuckle, hauling myself up from the couch and heading to the bathroom for
a piss.
I know what I just said isn’t true, I know Callie likes me, she told me last
night that she likes me as much as I like her. I remember distinctly because
my heart tried to burst through my rib cage when she said it.
Chapter 27

Callie

I’m pretty drunk right now and I know it’s my own fault but I needed the
alcohol tonight. I have a busy couple of weeks coming up with competitions
and other shit that I'm less than prepared for and I was fully planning to
ease the pain with as many drinks as I could pour down my throat tonight.
It's been about an hour since I last talked to Sean but I’ve felt his eyes
following me around the room most of the night. I love that he watches me,
I’ve never had anyone want me as badly as he does and it makes my heart
flutter uncontrollably every time I accidentally catch his eye.
I decide to ditch my heels on my way to my favourite room in the house,
the one with the alcohol.
Ok maybe it’s my second favourite, after Sean's bedroom of course. I see
him get to his feet as I pass him, his bright eyes fix on my ass as I move
across the floor, his footsteps covering mine as he follows me to the
kitchen. My bare feet pad across the kitchen floor before I reach for the
vodka, pouring a generous amount into my now empty glass. I feel Sean's
presence behind me, his tall, looming frame shadowing over me and
making me feel tiny as usual.
His warm breath hits my neck. “Put that down.”
I spin around to face him and hit his dimpled face with a scowl. “Don’t tell
me what to do Taylor.” I’m feeling extra sassy tonight, the vodka sloshing
through my bloodstream and creating a wave of attitude that I suddenly
want to drown him with.
“I think you’ve had enough now Cal.” He sighs, warm eyes melting into
mine. “I know you’re just trying to numb your anxiety about your
competitions next week but you need to stop now, it’s enough.” His voice is
velvety in my ears, soft and gentle.
I love when he’s like that with me, pulling out his warm, fuzzy side and
giving me all of it on a plate. I just want to pounce on him like a tiger,
devouring every inch of him when he treats me this way, like he’s afraid of
breaking me with his words alone.
What comes out of my mouth doesn’t reflect that though.
“Sorry, are you my dad?” I spit, lifting the glass to my lips and letting the
burn run down my throat.
Sean runs his hand down his face, scratching at his jaw for a moment before
I lift the glass to my mouth again. His eyes darken and before the devil’s
nectar can touch my lips he whisks my glass away, tipping the contents
down the plughole. The red I see behind my eyes can’t be normal and I'm
going to blame the alcohol for the way I behave towards Sean right now. I
know he cares about me, but how dare he read me like a fucking book and
then take my drink away like I'm a child? Forget pouncing on him,
devouring every inch of him. I’m going to fucking tear him to pieces.
“You’re drunk baby, no more.” He coos, bracketing my jaw with his cold
hands and I smash my palms against his chest, barely moving him but it felt
good all the same.
I shake his hands off my face. “Go and fuck yourself Sean!”
I march past him, arms across my chest but he doesn’t let me get far. He
snakes his arm around my middle and yanks me back to him, holding me
tight against his body, his comforting warmth coupled with his familiar
smell making me forget why I'm so mad at him.
“Don’t.” He warns, the usual bright, caramel flecks in his eyes darkening to
an espresso.
I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and fight not to let my gaze slip to
his lips. But I fail miserably and his face instantly softens, melting as he
stares at my mouth.
“Kiss me.” He murmurs, leaning closer and suffocating me in his heavy
presence. “You haven’t kissed me all night.”
I flick my head over my shoulder. “Lois might see.”
He holds my chin between his thumb and forefinger, pulling my attention
back to him. “Let her see, I couldn’t give less of a fuck. I’m gonna kiss my
girl whenever and wherever I want.” He coos and my knees falter, I could
blame the alcohol for that too…but I won’t.
Sean's lips are on mine before I have chance to muster up another protest,
and once I feel how hungrily he kisses me I don’t care who sees anymore. I
almost climb his body like a tree, tightening my fist in his hair and
smashing our mouths together repeatedly, not caring that I can barely draw
in a breath. He tastes like beer and I lap up every drop with my tongue
when it hits his. I have no idea how long I'm wrapped up in Sean, the way
he holds me against him, the way his tongue explores my mouth like this is
the last time he’ll ever kiss me, like he needs to memorise every crevice of
me.
After god knows how long I feel a light tap on my shoulder, followed by a
muttered curse. I break my lips apart from Sean’s and see a very drunk Lois
holding onto the kitchen counter next to me, her eyes droopy and her body
swaying like she’s on a fairground ride.
“Careful Cal,” she slurs, “he’s probably got chlamydia all over him, make
sure he wraps it before you get hot and sweaty.” She chuckles, her Seanlike
dimples appearing deep in her cheeks.
Wow, she’s seriously shit faced.
Sean clears his throat and holds my waist with one strong hand, tucking me
into his side. “Actually Lo, Callie is my girlfriend.”
Lois blinks more times than I can count, a wash of disbelief making her
face pale. Her eyes move between us a few times, flickering over Sean's
hand placement on my waist before she throws her head back in laughter.
Her eyes crease and she holds her stomach, wagging a pointer finger at us
both as her eyes flood with tears.
“You two are hilarious!” She waves us off and stumbles back towards the
couch, drink in hand.
Thank god she’s not in her right mind.
Sean pulls me back around to face him and dips his face to mine. “See?” He
nudges my nose with his own lovingly. “I told you she wouldn’t care.” I
sigh with irritation. “She’s drunk, it doesn’t count.” I slam my hands against
Sean’s solid chest, scrunching my eyebrows at him. Why did he have to do
that when I told him I didn’t want Lois knowing about us? The man is so
infuriating, I want to rip his balls off sometimes.
Don’t think it, don’t think it, don’t think it.
But then I’d have nothing to play with.
I thought it.
He grips my wrists as my palms attack his torso again. “Stop being a
naughty girl or I’ll have to punish you.” He half groans, half growls. My
thighs are suddenly stuck together, my lip between my teeth again and my
eyes glued to his. How does he flick that switch in me so easily? “Is that a
threat or a promise?” I whisper, tiptoeing up to breathe against his ear. I see
the shiver roll over him before I feel his hands on my hips in a bruising
hold.
His lips ghost over the shell of my ear. “Which one do you want it to be?”
Now it’s my turn to shiver, a ripple running from my ears to my toes as
Sean brings his face back to mine, dipping his head and running his thumb
along my bottom lip. I literally can’t take my eyes off his.
“A promise,” I breathe, my heart pounding against my rib cage. Sean’s eyes
flash over his shoulder before he tugs at my elbow. “Come on,” he says,
dragging me towards the stairs.
“Now?” I gape, watching my teammates collapsing onto the couch in the
living room, finally giving up the fight to stay on their feet after drinking
their collective weight in alcohol.
I resist a little, keeping my anxious eyes on everyone in the living room. I
down know why I'm so worried, most of them are too drunk to notice a
tornado ripping through the house.
Sean halts and turns to me, our hands intertwined as we reach the bottom of
the stairs. “Yes, now, you think you can turn me on like that and then make
me wait?”
I rip my hand from his and clap my palm across the back of his head. “I can
do what I want.”
He turns around, face cracked into a crooked grin that splits his face in two,
dimples out in full force as he wiggles his eyebrows at me. “Wow, you’re
extra feisty today baby.” He folds his body in half, tipping his chest below
my hips and hoisting me over his shoulder. I don’t bother to fight him, I’m
desperate to let him rip this dress off me anyway and as much as I love to
make him work for it I think the vodka has taken the real fight out of me
tonight.
Sean bursts through his bedroom door, dropping his chest and making me
land on the bed with a soft thud. His king sized mattress swallows me and I
spread my arms and legs like I'm making a snow angel. I hear him laugh but
my eyes are closed, letting my alcohol laced blood sink straight to the
middle of my thighs. When he climbs over me, creating a shadow across
my face I feel his warm skin covering me. He’s naked, I can feel it. Without
opening my eyes I tilt my head to the side and gain another titter from Sean,
he knows exactly what I’m asking for and he doesn’t hesitate to sink his
face into my neck. He sucks at my skin, wetting and nipping at it as his
makes his way down towards the neckline of my dress. “Now these,” he
says, pulling my dress down and burying his face between my breasts.
“These are my favourite.” He shuffles down further, pulling my dress with
him and whipping it off me so I'm naked too. “Actually, scrap that,” he
coos, tipping his head down between my open thighs. “This is my
favourite.”
I finally peel my eyes open, watching him transfixed as he sucks at my
pussy, groaning with delight as my back arches off the bed without my
permission. Before I have chance to come he scampers up my body like a
monkey and presses himself into me without warning. I gasp, writhing at
the size of him and clawing at his tight back, digging my manicured nails
into his muscles. I clamp my legs around his torso, begging him to drive
deeper into me as he kisses me desperately.
“Oh fuck,” I hiss, grabbing Sean's face and smashing his lips onto mine. He
kisses me like I'm the only thing he’ll ever need and I feel my legs start to
shake with my impending orgasm. Sean pulls out of me and flips us over so
I'm on my knees, my pussy waiting, begging for him to fill me again. He
lowers his face and I feel his beer laced breath against my clit. “You look
fucking incredible.” He murmurs, before sucking the throbbing bud
between his lips and taking me over the edge. He fills me again, making me
scream his name into the mattress, forcing my face down to drown out my
pleasure filled shrieks.
“I want to come inside you again baby.” He pants, fisting my hair and
wrapping it around his hand, pulling my chest up from the mattress so our
bodies stick together. “Can I?” He whispers into my ear, twisting my nipple
between his fingers.
I nod, shaking with intense pleasure again as Sean's thrusts become deeper
and sloppier. I know he’s close so I reach back, holding the nape of his neck
and twisting my face to kiss him. All I have to do is run my tongue along
his bottom lip and he collapses on top of me, cursing my name under his
breath as the orgasm crashes over him.
He rolls off me after a moment and I stand up, watching his come run down
the inside of my thighs.
He groans and I turn to face him. “Why is that so fucking hot?” His face is
pained, his quickly deflating cock in his hand like he’s waiting for round
two. I purse my lips, smirking at him and saying nothing as I head for his
bathroom to clean myself up.
Chapter 28

Sean

“You’re staying over tonight right?” I say, glancing up at the dark haired
beauty that stands naked, tapping a finger to her red painted lips as she
looks in the mirror. Her lipstick is mostly worn away from the starved
kisses I stole from her earlier but she pouts her delicious mouth and
attempts to salvage it anyway.
She twists her body, leaning back against the wall and stretching out her
tight stomach. “Do you want me to stay over?”
I nod, gulping as I trace her milky curves with my eyes. “Of course I do, I
always want you with me.”
Her face pales a little and she brings her manicured nail to her lips, nibbling
on the varnish and I watch her gaze fall to the carpet. I take a few long
strides across my bedroom to reach her, planting my hands on her bare hips
and dipping my face into her curtain of curls.
“What’s wrong?” I murmur, hoisting her chin up and lifting her emerald
eyes from where they anxiously rest on the ground.
The second her gaze fixes on mine she blurts, “I'm scared,” then her shaky
hands hold onto my biceps like she’s clinging to the edge of an unstable
cliff edge.
“Of what?” I whisper, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.
She sighs deeply and her eyes turn melty as she captures mine. “That this is
it. That we’re forever.”
Woah, I wasn’t expecting her to say that, but honestly, she’s hit the nail on
the head.
I push down the smile that wants to lift my lips and instead deepen my
gaze, holding Callie’s jaw in my palms and forcing her to look at me. “Me
too,” I breathe, rubbing my thumbs rhythmically across the splattering of
freckles on her cheekbones. “Because I'm certain that we are, and that’s
fucking terrifying.” My lips part on a chuckle and Callie’s face gains back
some of it’s usual pastel pink colour. “But we’ll be scared together baby,
this shit is new to both of us. I don’t want to brag but,” her eyes flicker to
mine, gaining me a roll filled with attitude. “I don’t think you ever felt this
way about Joel.”
I think I'm right…god I hope I'm right.
“You’re right.” She sighs. Thank fuck for that. “I never did and I think that’s
why I'm so scared. I thought I knew the relationship game really well but
the way I feel about you is just…it’s different.”
“Good different?” I murmur, raking my fingers through her thick tresses, a
smile creeping onto my face before I can stop it. She nods, a shy smile
lifting her lips and my entire face cracks open and blinds her. I love when
she’s open about her feelings towards me, it’s rare that she expresses her
emotions with words so when she talks like this with me, so open and
vulnerable I feel like I'm looking through a window into her soul. It’s
fucking addicting.
I slide my hands down to her hips and pull her naked body to my chest, our
warm skin colliding and making my chest flutter. “I'm a catch aren’t I? A
weapon on and off the ice.” I lift a taught bicep and squeeze, admiring as
the muscle strains against my skin.
When my eyes fall back to Callie her fist is on her hip, eyebrows pulled
together. “You’re on thin ice Taylor.” I love when she tells me off. My
dimples deepen further and I smack my lips against Callie’s jaw, feeling the
goosebumps ripple everywhere my open mouth touches. I feel her shoulders
relax as my hands run over them, down her bare back, heading for her ass. I
cup both cheeks in my hands, giving her perfect ass a hard squeeze and
hauling her into me. She only gives me a few seconds to hold her to me,
just staring at her pouty lips and daydreaming about sucking them into my
mouth before she shoves at my chest, brushing past me and grabbing her
dress from the floor. She slips it over her head, shaking out her curls and
turning back to face me as I stand there, still naked and watching her every
move, mesmerised. I think I could watch her stare at a wall and never get
bored.
“Speaking of ice…” she smirks, smoothing her dress over the curve of her
ass and turning to look at her open back in the mirror. “You have a game on
Tuesday right?” I nod, clearing my throat but remaining silent, hypnotised
by watching her move. “I'm gonna come and watch.” “Thank god,” I say,
finally picking up the bundle of boxers on the ground and pulling them up
my legs, hiding my deflated cock. “I always play better when I know you’re
watching.” I catch Callie’s sneaky smile that she tries to hide by turning
away from me.
“That reminds me,” I continue, unraveling my jeans and hoisting them up
my legs. “I need a hair tie from you, to wear around my wrist when I play.”
Callie spins back around, padding closer, her bare feet sinking into the
carpeted floor. “Why?” She says, head tilted in confusion.
“For good luck, you’re my lucky charm.” I smile, throwing her a wink and
earning myself yet another eye roll.
Callie drops to her knees, sticking her ass in the air and rummaging under
my bed. She pulls out a handbag, popping the button and rifling around
inside for a moment before triumphantly holding up a black hair tie. She
gets to her feet, moving into me and securing it around my wrist. I tilt my
face down, crushing my mouth to her’s for a beat and whispering a, “Thank
you,” against her soft lips.
“Hey, I hope you don’t think I'm really fucking nosey for asking this but…”
Her wary eyes capture mine and I nod for her to continue. “How much did
it cost for you to come to Redwood? I know your parents are rich but it
must have cost a fortune to send you and Lois here.” That’s not at all where
I thought she was going with that. I was expecting a question about how old
I was when I lost my virginity. Or how many girls have I slept with,
something along those lines but money is never really something we’ve
talked about. Callie is fully aware that my parents are high flying lawyers
with their own business in London. Our conversation about family never
really went past where our parents live and where we grew up. Callie had a
few choice inquires about why her ass started burning when she sat in my
car, that’s how my parents came up. She wanted to know how a 23 year old
hockey player who doesn’t currently have a side job managed to afford such
a new car with instantly heating seats. I told her that my parents bought it
for me as a birthday gift last year and that’s how their overflowing bank
accounts came into the conversation.
“Well, it cost a lot when I was at Preston while I waited for my space to
open up here. Redwood was always my first choice university especially
because they offered me a full scholarship, so now it costs nothing.” I
shrug, raking a hand through my curls and covering my stomach with a
tshirt.
Callie’s face drops, her mossy green eyes following. “I didn’t know you
were on a full scholarship…I’d have killed for one.”
I let out a light chuckle. “Don’t be so entitled Cal, we all know your dad
pulled some strings to get you into Redwood. Bit of a coincidence you were
then made captain of the gymnastics team too.” I laugh, half joking, half
serious.
I know Callie is talented, I've seen her body move in that impossible way it
does through the air like a bird. The way she springs across the floor like
her spine is made of rubber bands and the way she twists and turns with
such precision. She’s impressive to say the least. But of course with her dad
having been the head hockey coach here for almost ten years, she must have
seen the advantages of that. I’m sure he did his best to talk to all the right
people, ensuring his only daughter got a place at the most sought after
sports university in the country.
When I look back at Callie her mouth has fallen open, eyebrows high with
disbelief. “I’m entitled?” She shrieks, flailing her arms in the air. “You’re
the one with two millionaire parents and yet here you are on a full
scholarship that someone else could have had!” She’s really yelling now,
finger pointing at me aggressively, her cheeks flooding red with anger. This
isn’t like the normal attitude she throws at me, this isn’t just a black cat with
it’s claws out, ready to swipe at me. This is real, bubbling, volcanic anger
and I’m not sure how to play it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Callie truly mad
like this. She’s pretty fucking terrifying I won’t lie. “It’s not my fault I'm
talented.” I say, and immediately regret it when Callie scrunches her hands
in her hair, yanking at the roots with brimming frustration.
She blows out an exasperated breath and releases her curls. “Do you know
my dad had to save almost my whole life for me to be able to come here?
He gave up so much to get me where I am today.” Her voice has mellowed
a little, the red seeping out of her cheeks and down her neck, warming the
purple welts I left there earlier.
“What about your mum?” I say, watching her face crumple slightly and
again, regretting ever opening my big mouth.
I’ve asked about Callie’s mum before and she always seems to skate around
any mention of her, I know her parents are still together as Coach often
mentions his wife and you can’t miss the wedding ring attached to his
finger. Callie has always been more than happy to talk about her childhood,
all the happy memories and experiences but as soon as her mum is brought
into the conversation she does a u-turn and changes direction.
She heaves a weighty sigh. “I don’t want to talk about her.”
Don’t push her Sean, she’s clearly upset.
“Why not?” Is what flies out of my mouth before I can stop it. My intrusive
tendencies will get me in trouble one day I know but I’ve always pushed
Callie to her limits, there’s no use stopping now.
I see her usually bright eyes turn a murky colour as they mist over and she
tips her head down so I can no longer analyse her.
“Just leave it Sean.” Her voice has transformed into a whisper, the warning
still creeping it's way through her hard tone.
But of course, I don’t heed the warning, I never have with her. “No Callie, I
won’t just leave it, tell me.”
“My mum has cancer!” She snaps, waving her hands in the air as if to say,
‘happy now?’ The answer is no, I'm not happy, not even a little bit. Why
didn’t she ever tell me this? I could have been there for her, she’s been
holding it together, trying to be strong on her own and I fucking hate that.
My heart hates it too, looking at her crumpled face, the lines in her forehead
as she sniffs back tears and the thought of her crying alone whilst she dealt
with her mum’s illness. All the while I was going about my day having no
idea of the internal battle she was facing without me. “She had it a year
ago,” she sniffs, “we thought she was ok now but, it’s come back and it’s
worse than the last time. She says she’s ok but I know she’s not, she just
insists on wearing a brave face all the time. I’m sure she does it for my
sake.” Her voice cracks with pain at the end and I want to fall to my knees
at her feet, hug her warm thighs and tell her everything will be ok. But I
can’t do that, it wouldn’t be fair to lie to her when I can’t be sure everything
will be ok.
Instead I opt for, “Baby I'm sorry, I didn’t know.” She smacks my hands
away when I reach for her, wanting to scoop her up and hug her so tight she
forgets about everything. “Come here.”
She shakes her head at me. “No Sean, go away.”
“I wasn’t asking.” I say, grabbing her by the waist and dragging her to me. I
lift her off the ground, my arms wrapping around her body like tree trunks.
She instantly buries her face into my neck and her arms circle around me as
I feel the moisture seep into my t-shirt.
“Let me hold you, please.” I whisper into her mane of curls and she brings
her thighs up to enclose my waist, tightening around me as she hoists
herself up my body, sobbing into my shoulder.
She’s given in, allowing me to comfort her, to be her anchor when her own
is floating away. I love when she’s like this, totally raw and vulnerable with
me, letting me see the deepest parts of her.
I squeeze her tight. “Shhh, baby it’s ok.” It’s not though is it? My inner
voice screams at me not to give her false hope, to tell her things that aren’t
true just to comfort her in this moment. If there’s one person in this world
she can rely on to always be honest with her not matter what, I want it to be
me.
“It’s not ok Sean,” she sniffs, her voice watery and unsteady. “She’s going
to die, I'm sure of it.” Her face sinks back into my neck, the slippery skin
there coated in her tears.
I take a breath, pulling on the big boy pants that I don’t want to wear, but
know I have to, for her. I’d do literally anything for her and I refuse to lie.
“I can’t tell you that’s not going to happen.” I murmur and feel her body
tighten like a koala around mine, clinging for dear life. “But whatever
happens I’ve got you ok? I promise I’ve got you.”
Her wailing cuts through my chest, piercing a hole directly through my
heart and making me want to keel over in pain. I drop to my knees, still
holding her to me like we’re superglued together.
I don’t know how long we stay there, me gently rocking my girl back and
forth and whispering, “It’s ok baby,” in her ear on repeat until her stuttered
sobs finally cease. She peels her body off mine and I finally get a look at
her face, her rosy cheeks and her puffy eyes. My t-shirt is quite literally
soaked with tears, the cotton sticking to my skin where my baby’s puddle of
misery has spread across my shoulder. I can almost feel the weight float
away from her shoulders at having shared that with me and let out all the
pain she’s likely been carrying around on her back for god knows how long.
Callie fans her face, trying to cool her burning skin as I run my thumbs
along her under eyes, wiping away the smudge of mascara. I stand up,
taking her hands and bringing her with me. “Wanna just stay up here for the
rest of the night and cuddle?” I whisper, dropping my forehead to her’s and
breathing her in.
She shakes her head, her curls brushing over my jawline. “No, I need
another drink. The mental breakdown plus the mind bending sex has
sobered me up.”
I stifle a titter and follow her out of my bedroom like the obsessed puppy
that I am.
Chapter 29

Sean

The ping of my phone distracts me for a moment as I follow Callie down

the stairs and back to the party. I lift it from my pocket, reading the passive
aggressive message from my mum about why I haven’t answered any of her
repeated phone calls, when I bump into Callie’s back.
“Shit, sorry baby.” I mutter, grabbing her hips to stop me from knocking her
flying forwards.
She’s just staring, her body frozen like a block of ice and when I slide my
hands up her biceps I feel her trembling.
I immediately move around her, creating a shadow over her face and
blocking her wide eyed gaze from whatever it’s locked on. “What’s
wrong?”
She lifts a trembling finger and points over my shoulder. “Joel…Joel is…
he’s here. Why, why is he here Sean?”
I twist my neck, tightening my grip on Callie’s arms and pulling her into my
side as I scan the downstairs for Joel. When my eyes land on him he’s
laughing without a care in the world, lifting his beer bottle to his lips and
jabbing an elbow into Nick’s stomach.
Nick. That fucker.

“I’m so sorry Cal, I told Nick not to invite him when he mentioned it a few
days ago.” I cup her face but she circles my wrists with her delicate fingers,
releasing her face from my protective grasp.
Her eyes are still wide with fear, trembling hands grip my t-shirt in her
small fist, pulling my body across to cover her’s.
“I don’t want him to see me, I can’t deal with him tonight.” She whispers in
defeat and I turn back to face her, still concealing her tiny frame behind my
huge one. “I think one mental breakdown is enough for one night.” I drop a
kiss to her temple. “He can’t do anything here baby, don’t worry.” “I am
worried Sean, I know how manipulative he can be.” She sighs, scraping her
curls back into a bunch.
“Yeah well, I'm here, so he won’t do shit.” I growl, looking over my
shoulder at Joel’s smug face again.
Nick’s such a fucking arsehole for inviting the football team tonight, after I
specifically told him not to. There’s a good chance he’ll be feeling my fist
against his jaw at some point in the next week if he doesn’t stop pulling
stupid shit like this. Joel follows Nick across the room, landing with a soft
thud on the couch that faces away from the kitchen, so I drag Callie behind
me towards the island.

We manage to avoid Joel for another hour, hovering in the kitchen, me

constantly checking over my shoulder to watch his every breath incase he
decides to come over here. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t spotted Callie or me
considering we’ve barely moved from our spot since he got here. I've tried
to steal as many kisses from her as possible but before she allows herself to
get lost in me she breaks our lips apart and her worried eyes flicker back to
Joel. I’ve been holding my piss for almost a solid hour now and I'm at the
point where I'm squirming on the spot, grabbing at my crotch in discomfort.
“Callie I've really got to piss, come with me.” I reach for her wrist and she
allows me to hold it as she takes another sip of her drink.
She was right, the sex and the crying really did sober her up and it’s like she
started from scratch when we came back downstairs. She’s by no means
drunk right now, but I know she’s hoping the liquid courage will aid her if
Joel does set his eyes on her tonight.
She shakes her head, letting her emerald eyes land on mine. “It’s ok, I'll be
fine here for a minute while you go.”
I don’t want to leave her alone, I really don’t want to leave her alone but I
know better than to fight Callie on something once she’s made up her mind.
I give her a quick nod and hold my lips to her cheek for a moment before
scurrying off to the downstairs bathroom before my piss escapes and creates
a puddle on the floor. I can hear the bustle from inside the bathroom,
groaning with intense relief when I release a shower of piss over the toilet
bowl, tipping my head back and releasing a breathy sigh. “What the fuck
was that phone call Callie? You’re with Sean Taylor now? Are you fucking
stupid?” I hear a muffled voice spit from the kitchen. The bathroom door
and where I left Callie standing are within a few metres of each other and
now the music has died down I can hear everything.
“Fuck, he moves fast.” I mutter, fumbling to zip up my jeans and dashing
back out the bathroom, not even bothering to wash my hands. I guess Joel
had spotted us loitering in the kitchen after all and was just waiting for his
moment to pounce on my girl the second she was left alone.
I hear a grunt from Callie before she shrieks, “Let go of my arm Joel!” I
crash out of the bathroom and grab my girl from behind, sliding her body
behind me and releasing her from Joel’s bruising grip on her forearm. My
brain is foggy, red mist circling my every thought and making me want to
do nothing but smash this guys skull with my foot like a pumpkin. Instead
my palms collide with his chest, pushing him back and making him almost
trip over his own feet before he catches himself on the kitchen island behind
him.
A sound between a snarl and a growl rolls up my throat. “Put your hands on
her again and see what happens.”
I know everyone’s eyes are now on us, the commotion drawing in the
drama loving assholes but I couldn’t care less in this moment. Joel’s lips
flicker with a knowing smirk as his eyes roll down my body. I have at least
four inches on him and I know by the tiny gulp — that he thinks I don’t see
— that he’s at least a little intimated by me. “You’ll be done with her soon
anyway and then she’ll be begging me to fuck her again.” He mutters,
murky eyes searching for Callie as she keeps herself hidden behind me, her
wall of protection.
I bark a laugh, ready to crush his pathetic little daydream about ever
touching my girl again but she beats me to it, moving around my body and
crushing her back against my chest.
“Your dick is tiny Joel, get over yourself.” She snarls and I snake my arms
around her tight stomach, holding her securely against me and letting a
proud grin split my face.
You tell him baby.

“Fucking slut,” Joel whispers under his breath as Callie attempts to drag me
back towards the stairs, leaving this pathetic weasel alone in the kitchen. I
roll my neck and spin back around to face him, stepping into his space and
blocking his line of vision.
I tip my face down to his. “Sorry I didn’t quite catch that, could you repeat
what you just said a little louder?” I say with contempt, my tone laced with
patronising aggression.
“I said,” he stands taller, pretending like his eyes don’t keep falling to my
balled up fist that rests against my leg. “She’s a fucking slu—” I don’t give
him chance to finish that word before my solid fists lands on his jaw,
connecting with his nose soon after and sending him crashing into the
island. He lands, like a crumpled mess on the floor, gripping his nose and
looking up at me like I'm a crazed murderer. I certainly would consider
murder after hearing him use such a derogatory word to describe my
beautiful girl. The laughable part is that she couldn’t be further from a slut,
it took me a hell of a lot of begging and persuading just to get her on a date
with me, she made me work even harder to get a taste of her heavenly
pussy.
I grab the collar of Joel’s stupid, fucking preppy shirt and haul him outside,
almost lifting his feet off the floor as he continues to hold his nose in place.
He groans in pain as I launch him onto the front lawn, watching him
scramble to his feet and back away from me like he’s an injured gazelle and
I'm the monstrous lion who’s hunting him. I slam the front door, not taking
notice when it rattles the entire house from the force of my slam. I point a
warning finger at Nick who’s eyes are bulging out of his head from where
he sits on the couch, Lewis gaping on his left and Kyle’s prideful smirk on
the right.
“He doesn’t set foot in this fucking house again do you hear me?” I bellow
and Nick nods, any sign of his usual arrogance disappearing into thin air.
My eyes immediately scan the kitchen for Callie, her small frame leaning
against the kitchen counter looking less than surprised by my outburst. I
think she’s the only one who could have predicted that I’d break Joel’s nose
over a comment like that, as when I approach her she simply rises on her
toes and kisses the frown that’s pulling down on my mouth. “Let me see
your arm where he grabbed you.” I say quietly, lifting her forearm and
examining the red fingerprint that’s made it’s home on her skin.
I don’t fucking like that one bit, it’s making me sick to my stomach to see
another man’s handprints on her. I’m the only one who gets to leave my
mark on her body, she’s mine and only mine. The protective, possessive
monster rears it’s head again and I yank her into me, swallowing her with
my body and inhaling the scent of her coconut shampoo, forcing the
burning anger to dissipate from my chest. I need to focus on her, making
sure she’s ok, not on that fucking waste of oxygen that thinks he still owns
her. I drop urgent kisses all over her bare shoulders, her neck, her freckled
cheeks and she hums with comfort ridden happiness.
“I’m ok Sean, really I am.” She whispers as my lips detach from her neck. I
bury my face in her shoulder, lifting her from the ground and bringing her
to my height. “Don’t say you’re ok.”
“But I am,” she protests, curling her fingers into the wisps at the nape of my
neck. “I promise.” She whispers, her warm breath tickling the shell of my
ear and making me shiver. “Thank you for doing that for me.” I pull my
face out of her warm neck and catch her eyes with mine. “Anytime,”
I plant a soft but possessive kiss on her pink lips and sigh as her tongue
gently traces the length of my bottom lip.
Callie could so easily ruin me, make me fall in love with her and then break
my heart. But I’d let her, if it meant I got even five minutes of her love, I’d
let her fucking destroy me.
Chapter 30

Callie

The hockey team are no longer using our floor for their weight training,
their gym was fixed about three weeks ago, the weak water pipe that
continued to burst was replaced and there have been no problems since. As
much as I love being around Sean — and I really do — I can’t say I wasn’t
relieved to hear the hockey team would no longer be stealing our precious
training time. My routines have improved slightly, I've been working my
ass off trying to perfect them since competition season has started and I
finally feel like I'm getting somewhere. Don’t get me wrong they’re far
from gold medal standard but I've been scoring pretty well in my
competitions considering these routines were the bane of my existence only
a couple of months ago. Sean tells me how proud he is of me when I come
home from a weekend of competitions and it makes my heart skip a beat
every time those words leave his lips. I miss him insurmountably when I'm
away, even though it’s only for two days it feels like I'm missing an arm
without him. When I come home to him he rubs my sore thighs and
massages my back before devouring my pussy like he hasn’t eaten in
weeks. I know I'm falling in love with him and I fear I'm in so deep now
there’s absolutely no way I'll escape without having my heart broken in the
process.
But I try to squash that thought down as I leave the gym after a long day of
training, it’s unusual for me to finish before Sean so today it’s my turn to
meet him at the rink. He’s been waiting outside the gym for me everyday
after training, driving me either home to my dorm or to his place where I
stay the night at least three times per week and more often than not if I'm
not staying at his place he’s staying at mine. We’re rarely apart, already
reliant on each other’s presence like oxygen. This relationship between us
feels like it’s rocketed so fast, going from me hating him one minute to
teetering on the edge of love the next. But in the exact opposite way I feel
like I've known that man my entire life, like he’s always been there, waiting
to fill that gap in my heart that only he can fit inside. I won’t tell him that
though, I don’t need to boost his already oversized ego.
I push open the double doors and the cold air hits me square in the face,
making my eyes sting, water filling them as I make my way towards the
edge of the rink. My dad has already left and the guys are just putting a few
cones and other random hockey shit away that I have no knowledge or
interest in. I lean my elbows on the side of the rink, watching Kyle and
Sean play fighting like children and stifling my laugh. I love seeing Sean
happy, it’s my favourite hit of endorphins watching him in a state of
playfulness like he is right now with his best friend. After a moment of
them tackling each other, arms wrapping around each other’s heads and
loud bellowing laughter coming from the two of them as they wrestle each
other to the edge of the ice, Lewis catches me watching and throws me a
shrug accompanied with an eye roll as if to say, ‘Children.’ I nod back,
acknowledging that I am very much in agreement, these 6-foot tall, 23 year
old men are still very much children in adult bodies, but I kind of love it all
the same. Sean soon spots me and glides across the rink, my smile growing
wider the closer he gets. His chocolate curls are wild when he ruffles them
with his icy hand, his brown eyes melting into me as he gets closer and my
heart flutters as usual. Plus, he never looks hotter than when he’s all kitted
up in his hockey gear. My heartbeat settles between my thighs as Sean
clashes with the half wall that I'm leaning on and dips his face to kiss me
warmly.
“Hi beautiful girl,” He whispers, planting a wet kiss on my cheek before
spraying the back of his sweaty neck with his water bottle, cooling his hot
skin. God, he’s making me blush.
I stretch a sarcastic smile across my quickly reddening face. “Hi arrogant
arsehole,”
Sean puts his water bottle down and smirks at me, letting his arms hang
over the wall and dangle by my hips. Our faces are centimetres apart and I
can taste his minty breath on my lips as the icy air creates clouds between
us.
“Oh good,” he snickers, “I was hoping you’d be in one of those moods
today. We’re going for a skate together before we leave.” Sean ducks down
behind the wall as my eyes widen and my throat tightens. I can’t skate to
save my life, I've always been a disappointment to my father’s hockey
genes considering I can barely stay upright on a pair of skates. When he
reappears he’s holding a pair of white ice skates, dangling them from his
hand and flashing me a shit eating grin. He knows I can’t say no to his
gorgeous face, his dimpled cheeks and his sexy caramel eyes, the man
knows how to get his own way with me. I could never give up the fight that
easily though, I can’t let him think he’s won just yet. I fold my arms across
my chest and jut my hip out to the side. “No, we’re not. I can’t skate Sean.”
“Consider it a trust exercise.” He muses, lightly placing one hand on the
curve of my spine as he leans close to my face again.
All the other guys have left the rink now so it’s just the two of us in this
huge place and it's daunting as fuck to think about getting on the ice with
Sean and completely embarrassing myself. The truth is I’m scared, terrified
even because I know I'm no good at skating and every memory I have of it
as a child includes my dad getting frustrated at my lack of natural talent on
the ice. I always felt like a disappointment and the last person on earth I
want to disappoint now is Sean Taylor.
Wow, never imagined a crazy thought like that would ever enter my mind.
I’m not done with the sass just yet though. “You want me to trust you not to
let me fall on that death rink?” I taunt but Sean's face softens a little, the
smile fading and being quickly replaced with a serious look. He slings the
skates over his shoulder and holds my waist in his hands, squeezing it
reassuringly. “I’d never let you fall…” His eyes capture me in their depth
and he tilts his head down, lips brushing against mine. “Never,” Then his
lips connect with mine so softly it almost sends me to my knees. “Sean, I'm
not—” I start to argue again, still not wanting to back down of doing this
terrifying thing and having to really trust a guy I'm not sure I'm 100 percent
ready to embarrass myself in front of yet.
But Sean presses his finger to my lips, halting my resistance. “Baby, it
wasn’t an option.”
I'm speechless, as much as my instinct is to continue to argue with him, the
way he’s taking control of me like that is so fucking hot I want to just burst
into flames. So I huff, but takes the skates from his outstretched hand and
sit down on the bench to put them on. I slip my feet into them, the
unfamiliar stiffness and wobble when I place the blades on the ground is
making my stomach slosh with anxiety.
Sean won’t let me fall, I know he won’t.
“Good girl,” He says, his voice smooth and reassuring as he pats his thigh,
offering to tie my skates for me.
I’m too fucking nervous to argue now, so I land my blade on his thigh and
watch as a arrogant and triumphant smile creeps onto his face. He loves
bossing me around and I love it too, the worst part is the fucker knows it.
He holds his hands out to me, helping me to my feet and onto the slippery
death rink. My legs are shaking, trembling with nerves as I take a couple of
steps, digging my nails into Sean's biceps as he guides me, gliding
backwards like it’s the easiest thing in the world. I’m sure it is for Mr I'm
good at everything. God, he still annoys the shit out of me.
How can someone so painfully attractive also be good at everything they
try, even being someone’s boyfriend which they’ve never done before? As
if he can read my every thought he cracks a bright smile, picking up our
pace across the ice. I can’t pretend this isn’t a little thrilling, being upright
and sliding so smoothly across the slick ice, Sean's hands holding my waist
tightly, making me feel safe and secure in his grasp.
“See, I told you I wouldn’t let you fall.” He grins, lovingly giving my waist
a small squeeze.
I bark a laugh and then my heart drops into my ass when I wobble a little.
“There’s still time.”
He purses his lips, forcing his own laugh back down his throat. “Do you
trust me more now?”
“Yes,” I answer too fast, not giving my brain time to think out a sarcastic
answer like I usually would when every one of my brain cells is focused on
not landing my ass on the freezing ice.
“Maybe…” I correct myself but it’s too late.
Sean’s arrogant grin is cracking his face wide open and before I have
chance to fight him he bends down and throws my body over his shoulder,
spinning us in a circle. I scream and pound his back with my fists, all the
while trying not to piss my pants from laughing so hard. I hate to admit it,
but it’s actually been fun skating with Sean. Maybe I only thought I hated
the ice so much because every experience I've had with it had heavily
featured my dad yelling at me.
Sean drops me gently to my feet off the side of the rink and moves behind
me, making his way off the ice too. I bend down to untie my skates and I
hear a groan roll up Sean's throat. When I lift my head his fist is in his
mouth and his muddy brown eyes are glued firmly to my ass. “Can I help
you?” I tease, watching as his eyes grow wider and his teeth dig further into
his curled up hand.
He blows out a sharp breath. “Your ass is fucking exquisite.” “Yeah, I
know.” I smirk, pulling my already aching feet from my skates and standing
back on solid ground.
Sean still has his skates on which means he’s even taller than usual and he’s
quite literally a giant towering over me right now. My vagina does a dance,
licking her lips and imagining how great she’s going to be treated tonight,
like most nights.
Sean leans down to my ear. “I’m going to fucking ruin you later.” He
whispers, causing a tiny whimper of anticipated pleasure to escape from my
lips. He smirks again, loving the way his words affect me before smacking
a fleeting kiss to my jaw and walking down the hallway towards the locker
rooms.
My god, it’s like my arousal switch is constantly on around him and I don’t
know how to switch the damn thing off.
Chapter 31

Sean

“Can we have some music on in here for once? It’s like driving with my
grandma.” Callie grumbles, twiddling the knobs on my radio and then
giving up with a sigh.
The radio is the one thing that lets my car down, the soft leather heated
seats, the tan interior, the automated parking is all well and good, but
having no radio is a bit of a shit one at times. I rummage in my pocket,
lifting my ass off the warmth of my seat and sliding my phone from the
tight front pocket of my jeans, frisbeeing it onto Callie’s lap. “Here, plug
my phone in and choose something. I will warn you though,” I reach over
and squeeze her thigh. “My music isn’t to most people’s taste.” She rolls
her eyes in the way I love and sighs. “Nothing about you is to most people’s
taste. Apart from your—”
“Dick,” I jump in, finishing her sentence for her and earning myself a slap
on the back of the head.
“I was going to say,” she continues, her tone laced with familiar irritation.
“charismatic personality.” Callie huffs a laugh and I join her, lacing my
fingers through her’s as she selects a song from my playlist and sets the
phone down under the radio.
When Luke Combs' ‘When It Rains It Pours’ blasts through the speaker I'm
surprised, thinking she’d choose a much more popular song to play first. I
love country music, it’s no secret for people who know me, but I never play
music when Callie is in my car. All I want to do when she’s around me is
talk to her about anything and everything. I’ve picked her up from training
every night for the last month and having not seen her all day I have to put
on my detective hat and find out everything there is to know about her day,
what she did, who she spoke to, how she felt etc. It’s not a controlling thing,
it’s just that I'm clearly totally obsessed with this girl and I'm on a constant
chase to learn everything about her. I let my hand relax over her thigh and
give it a gentle rub, sinking my fingers into her baby soft skin and letting
the music flow through me. This kind of music always made me happy as a
child, it was the one good memory I have of the summer, having a break
from hockey and driving down to the coast to spend the week with my
family. We’d swim in the ocean, go for fabulous dinners in fancy
restaurants and Lois and I would eat until we were sick. My parents would
always have a country playlist ready for the six hour drive and Lois and I
would sing along in the back before falling asleep with our faces plastered
against the windows.
The chorus of the song soon begins and when Callie’s angelic voice starts
singing along word for word I’m dragged out of my trip down memory lane
and land back in the present with a thump. Callie knows all the words to
this song, her voice is like a lullaby, soft and sweet in my ears as she leans
her head back and lets herself get lost in the music. I try not to stare at her
in disbelief, really I do. I try to focus on the road ahead but I can’t. How the
fuck does she know this song? There’s no way she likes country music too,
it’s so niche here and I don’t think I've ever met anybody who likes the
same kind of music I do. This woman is my fucking soulmate. Callie turns
to me after a moment, pausing her singing to ask, “What?” As I stare at her
wide eyed.
I force a gulp. “Marry me.” I croak and she furrows her brows, eyeing me
suspiciously.
“Did you hit your head today?” She says and I let out a sharp laugh,
wrapping her small hand inside my huge one and resting it in the dip
between her thighs.
“How the hell do you know this song? I didn’t peg you for a country girl
Callie Burch.”
“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover Sean, you’ll get yourself in trouble.” She
taunts and my cock hardens in response.
He’s constantly on alert around her anyway, never feeling satisfied unless
he’s buried 9.3 inches inside her wondrous pussy.
“My mum has always loved Luke Combs, she used to play him on repeat
when I was a kid and it kind of became our thing as I grew up. She would
take me on road trips when Dad was away coaching, it would be just the
two of us and we’d sing until our lungs were aching.” She smiles, eyes
watery from the happy memories. “I miss those days with her, before
she…” she looks up at me, sadness clouding her usually bright, mossy eyes.
“Well, you know, before she got sick.”
I suddenly feel the need to change the subject sharpish, I want to take her
mind off this path of depression it’s found itself on, so I rub my thumb
across her bare thigh and turn the volume down slightly.
“Am I taking you home or are you staying at mine tonight?” I say, Callie
lifts her head from where it droops and gifts me a light smile. She sighs.
“Take me home.”
Oh, I didn’t think she would want to be without me tonight. I never want to
be without her.
“Ok…” I mutter, questioning myself now and wondering if I can actually
read her at all. I thought for sure she’d want to stay with me tonight.
“Really?” I look over at her and her eyes narrow playfully.
“No, not really,” Her breathy laugh makes my chest tight. “Why don’t you
just say that you want me to stay over at your house?”
The way the mood has lightened is a ‘thank fuck’ moment for me, just
being able to drag her out of that sudden bout of sadness is something only I
can do and the thought alone makes my heart beat quicken. “Callie, I'd have
you move in if it was my choice.” I laugh, meaning every word but
immediately wondering if I'm coming on too strong. I don’t tend to stress
about that too much anymore, I know how Callie feels about me and I'm not
scared of being too much for her. But I still occasionally let my obsession
with her make itself known and then spend a few hours worrying that she
might change her mind about being with this love sick puppy and want to
end things. But I should have more faith in her because her response leaves
me speechless.
“Move in with you…do you mean that?” She whispers, eyelashes fluttering
as she peers up at me.
I nod, trying to hide the lump in my throat as she bites the inside of her
cheek, contemplating.
After a minute that felt like an hour she finally nods and says casually, “I’ll
think about it and get back to you.”
I suck in my smile and lean over to kiss her forehead. “Ok baby, but
remember I always get my own way.”

There’s that sexy eye roll that I love.

“I’ll be getting my own way the second we step foot in your bedroom
tonight Taylor, you wait and see.” She flutters her eyelashes at me again,
this time the flirty energy crashes over me like a tsunami.
I gulp hard. “What…what do you want me to do?”
She flashes me a sultry smile, then her eyes darken and she whispers, “I
want you to choke me with your cock.”
Oh my fucking god, I'm in for one hell of a night.

I practically drag Callie up the stairs the second we get back to my place,
crashing through my bedroom door and undressing at the speed of light.
Callie watches me amused, fisting her hip and pursing her sexy lips at me as
I rip my clothes from my body. I march over to her, lifting her skin tight t-
shirt over her curls and launching it over my shoulder. Her shorts go next,
also flung over my shoulder and landing somewhere on my bedroom floor.
I point to the floor. “Get on your knees.”
Callie swallows and licks her lips, anticipation burning behind her bright
eyes before she drops to the ground in front of me. I fist my already
painfully hard cock as Callie tilts her head back and gives me the perfect
view of her moist, pink lips.
“Fuck my mouth and make me gag.” She coos and I almost come all over
her face right then. Her voice is raspy, full of need and it’s so fucking sexy
it hurts.
My eyes widen at her request. “What the hell has gotten into you today?” “I
just love—” She clamps her mouth shut and fights to keep her expression
emotionless, but I know she’s slipped up.
I twist her curls around my finger. “You love what?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing, just put your cock down my throat.” Sweet
Jesus.
I don’t need to be asked twice so I part her soft lips with my thumb and dip
my erection inside her warm mouth.
“Oh my god,” I groan as the moisture and the heat start the orgasm swirling
in the pit of my stomach. But it’s actually hard to focus on the physical
pleasure after hearing the L word slip out of Callie’s mouth so automatically
like that. I know she loves me, she was going to say it, but I understand
she’s still wary, scared to completely let her guard down and that’s ok. I can
wait as long as she needs, but my heart gallops in my rib cage all the same,
wanting to leap out of my body and makes it’s home in her’s.
She cups my balls in her small hand, massaging and pushing me closer to
the edge. She licks slowly up my cock, teasing me as my head falls back
and my hand roughly grips the hair at the nape of her neck, pushing my
pulsating dick further into her hot, wet mouth.
“Jesus baby, you suck my cock so well.” I stroke her face, running my
thumb along the length of her jaw. “Good girl,” The words leave my lips on
something between a growl and a whimper.
Yes, this girl has me fucking whimpering.
She lets my cock fall out of her mouth with a pop and begins to run her
fuck-able lips all the way up my shaft, licking, sucking and making me
groan with desire. I part her lips again and a cocky smirk cracks her face as
she watches me silently beg her for more, for relief preferably in the form
of watching her swallow every last drop of my come. Her mouth opens for
me again and I slip inside, revelling in the addictive way she takes my
entire cock down her tight throat and totally milks me dry, swallowing my
come and licking the residue from her juicy lips. I curse her name with a
growl as she licks the last bead of come from my tip and wipes her mouth
clean with the back of her hand. I help her to her feet and kiss her still wet
lips, tasting myself on her tongue before leading her towards my king sized
bed and lifting her from the ground, earning myself a high pitched squeal
and battering of her hands against my chest. I launch her onto her back,
watching my mattress swallow her tiny frame. God, I could just look at her
all day. Her tight stomach, her soft, milky skin, the way her spine curves
and trails down to the most perfect, grab-able ass to ever exist. Her perky
tits with hard nipples in the centre, begging to be sucked between my lips,
my tongue swirling over them. Then there’s her face, that’s a whole other
masterpiece in itself. Her bright green eyes, the way they hold mine in that
intense way like she’s trying to speak through them. Her sharp jaw line and
the splattering of tiny, honey brown freckles that coat her cheekbones, her
thick eyelashes fanning against them as she blinks seductively at me, just
watching me watch her. As my eyes finally land on her’s I can see a sparkle
behind them, a wondering, mesmerised look mixing with the usual fiery
sass.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She says delicately after a moment
of silence between us.
I shake my head. “I just fucking love looking at you Cal, I could look at you
all day.”
Her mouth parts like she wants to say something, leaning up on her elbows,
but instead she closes the gap between her lips and sighs as I start to move
towards her, climbing onto the bed and covering her naked body with my
own.
I kiss her jaw, sucking lightly on her skin and feeling her shiver beneath me.
“Lie back now beautiful…” I lift my face to her’s landing a firm kiss on her
lips. “It’s my turn to worship you.”
Chapter 32

Callie

Sean made me come a total of three times last night, worshipping me as he

promised he would and sending me into an orgasm induced sleep. Those
orgasms are all I can think about this morning when I wake up to an empty
bed and a note on Sean’s pillow.
It reads:
‘Gone to the rink baby, don’t forget puck drop is at 12:30. Your seat is
saved as usual princess.’
He adds a winking face to the end of his note, plus a heart with the letters
C+S inside which makes me equal parts cringe and swoon. I flip my body
over and stuff my face into Sean's pillow, soaking up every drop of his
vanilla sweet smell and then swallowing the drool that pools in my mouth. I
sweep a hand under my pillow for my phone, checking my messages and
groaning when I see three from Ellen, saying she needs to talk to me
urgently. I don’t have training today so she can shove her urgent chat up her
ass if she doesn’t mind. My day is going to be spent cheering on my man at
the rink then going out for drinks and proceeding to be respectfully railed
into his mattress for the rest of the night. Maybe I'm a sex addict now.

Molly has also called me twelve times since last night so I tap on her
number, watching as her contact photo appears on the screen. Her tongue is
out, licking the ice cream that’s clasped in her hand, her blonde waves
flowing down her cheeks, eyes closed and a smile of childlike glee on her
face. We had a weekend away together last year by the coast and spent the
entire time eating ice cream and drinking cocktails, it was totally carefree.
Come to think of it I'm not sure I've spent even one day like that since our
trip last year. I barely get any time off and when I do all I want to do with it
now is have my back rubbed and be smothered with kisses by my very own
sex god hockey player. I still make time for my best friend of course, like
right now as the phone rings out and I almost think she’s not going to
answer, but then her high pitched shriek comes flying through the speaker at
me.
“Callie Burch!” Uh-oh, I’m in trouble. “Are we not friends anymore?” She
squawks and I can picture her in the dorm right now. Hands on her hips,
back against the kitchen counter as she throws crazy accusations at me,
probably rolling her eyes as she does. If Anais is there she’s sure to be
rolling her eyes too, but at Molly’s dramatics rather than at me for staying at
my boyfriend's house for one night.
I push my laugh down my throat. “Yes, Molly Crawford we are still friends,
best friends.”
“Huh,” she muses, “well, I would have thought a best friend would have
answered at least one of my calls in the last twelve hours.”
My laugh escapes before I can stop it. “I’m sorry Mol, I was busy being
fucked into oblivion last night, couldn’t really get to the phone.” Molly
cackles like an evil genius. “I mean Sean Taylor is delicious, so I guess I
forgive you.”
“Wanna come to the game today? It’s at 12:30 but I'm leaving in about half
an hour. I can pick you up on the way?”
“Yes, yes, yes! I haven’t been to a hockey game in forever. Ever since you
started fucking the captain you’ve abandoned your best friend to watch the
games alone, all so you can finger yourself when your boyfriend starts
winking at you every time he scores a damn goal.” I can hear the extra
dramatic eye roll in her voice.
I hum in amusement and check the time. 11:10am, god I slept late this
morning, I better get moving if I want to be on time to the game.

We make our way up the steps just behind the penalty box to find our seats,
arms full of snacks that Molly insisted we needed. My coat pockets are
stuffed with enough sweets to send us both into an instant sugar coma and
when we sit down Molly plants an extra large Pepsi in my lap and begins
sucking on her own straw.
“It’s Preston again today right?” She asks, wriggling out of her coat and
hanging it on the back of her chair. I nod, sipping on the ice cold drink and
shoving my hands between my thighs to warm them. “I fucking love when
we play Preston, there’s always at least one fight and when I tell you I live
for that shit…I mean I live for that shit.”
I shake my head at her and hold back my laugh, attempting not to choke on
my drink before placing it to the floor. I mean, Molly isn’t wrong, there’s
something so hot about the way the guys fight on the ice, it’s a major turn
on. I’ve always loved to watch it but now I have Sean's beautiful face to
think about and as much as it makes me horny watching him smash his fist
into someone’s nose on the ice, I also don’t want him bruised when he
comes home to me.
The guys start their warm ups, sliding across the ice effortlessly and
battering puck after puck into the net at Kyle as he fights the repeated
attacks. Sean scans the stands for me and when his eyes lock onto mine he
skates over to the glass immediately, ignoring his teammates teasing when
he blows me a kiss. They pat the back of his shoulder as they pass him,
whispering taunting comments into his ear but the man isn’t lacking
confidence in any aspect of his life so he simply ignores them. I wish I was
more like him sometimes, able to not worry about what people think of me.
When I don’t blow him a kiss back, rather flash him my middle finger and
purse my lips, Sean curls his finger, gesturing for me to come to the edge of
the ice. I get up reluctantly, not wanting to draw any extra attention to
myself from the quickly filling stadium but Molly and Sean decide to team
up and ruin my plan. Molly’s hand lands against my ass with a slap as I
stand up from my seat and make my way towards the steps to go down to
the edge of the ice. A loud bang from the plexiglass grabs my attention and
when I look down Sean’s pointing a warning finger at Molly, eyes wide and
teasing.
“Hey Crawford!” He yells and Molly playfully points her finger at herself,
puppy dog eyes turned up to the max as she looks behind her like she has
no idea who Molly Crawford is. “Don’t fucking touch that ass, it’s mine.” I
bury my face in my hands and scurry quickly towards where Sean is leaning
over the wall at the edge of the ice. The second I’m within a metre of him
he reaches for me, pulling me into the wall and smashing his lips against
mine passionately, barely giving me chance to come up for air. I can feel
people’s eyes burning into me and I pray to god that one pair of them
doesn’t belong to my dad who’s voice I can hear bellowing from the other
side of the rink. I break the kiss after a minute and watch Sean’s shit eating
grin split his face before his eyes dance over my lips again and he leans
closer.
I press my finger to his looming pout. “Nuh-uh big boy, you can have more
later.”
He bites his bottom lip and lifts his chocolate eyes to mine, stopping my
heartbeat in the process. “Ok fine, I guess I better get back to,” he throws a
thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to his teammates who are still engrossed
in their warm up, minus their captain. “that.”
He smiles again and I curse him in my head for making my heart stutter so
often. He holds his icy lips to my neck for a beat, arms cocooning me in a
tight hug before flying back across the ice and making my thighs
automatically clench together as I watch him. I scuttle back up to my seat
and sink low in it, still feeling too many pairs of eyes on the back of my
head.
“Now that,” Molly gestures between Sean and I, “was hot.” She smirks,
wiggling her eyebrows at me and stuffing a handful of popcorn into her
mouth, a few sweets poking out between her fingers.
I watch her in disgust. “Ew, you don’t mix the two, like ever.” Molly kicks
her heels up on the wall in front of us with a ‘I don’t give a shit because I'm
iconic’ shrug, just as the announcer asks all the players to leave the ice in
preparation for the start of the game.
We’re half way through the second period and Redwood are two nil up,
Sean having scored both of those goals and pointed his stick at me
obnoxiously every time. I thank god for the fact my dad has been too
distracted with his other players to notice any of Sean's brazen attempts at
flirting with me mid game. Molly has stuffed almost every kernel of
popcorn into her mouth before the whistle blows again and we both watch
wide eyed as Sean and another player take their helmets off and square up. I
can see Sean's eyes darken and his hand grasps the other player’s collar,
yanking him closer and murmuring threats into his ear. Both of their faces
are red with aggression and I can almost see the steam coming off them.
The ref places a warning palm on both of their shoulders, muttering
something and then backing away. He’s allowing them to fight, which is
common practice in hockey, as long as it’s quick and clean. But I already
know from the look in Sean's eyes that this fight will be anything but clean
if he has his way, quick, yes, but not clean. Sean’s never been one to fight
clean, on or off the ice which he proved only a month ago when he smacked
Joel at that party for calling me a slut. I have no idea what this fight is over,
I was too busy daydreaming about Sean’s tongue all over me later that I
missed what provoked either of them. Sean’s fist collides with the other
guy’s jaw first, making a piercing crack echo through the arena and
everyone erupts. The crowd is shouting, bellowing even, as the two of them
brawl, landing on the ice and throwing repeated punches towards each
other. Sean is spitting something at the guy he’s currently straddling, hissing
something through gritted teeth and practically pinning the smaller guy
beneath his heavy frame. Watching him evokes a ripple of heat to roll up
my body, starting between my thighs of course and spreading up to my
cheeks, heating them and making me blush.
This man can do anything he wants to me later and I mean anything. The ref
rips them apart after a couple more echoing smacks and splatters of blood
hit the ice. Sean is still seething, I can feel his energy from here, the fiery
anger emitting from him as he fights to get back to the battered player
who’s being carted off the ice by his coach. My dad’s face can only be
described as thunderous, eyebrows furrowed, deep lines in his forehead as
he grabs the back of Sean's jersey and yanks him towards the edge of the
rink. He’s berating him, pointing fingers and spitting curses as he forces
him down onto the bench. Sean quickly catches my eye and I pray my pink
cheeks aren’t visible from here. Our gazes crash and Sean's mouth twitches
with a sly smile so I hit him back with my own.
Molly blows out a jagged breath next to me. “Jesus that was hot. I’m
actually jealous that you get to go home with him tonight and let him fuck
you until you can’t walk.” She groans and I let my laughter rip through me.
She’s not wrong, I am going to let him fucking break me later.
Chapter 33

Sean

“Sorry guys, but there was no way I was going to let Ryan fucking
Pritchard talk about my girl like that and not smack him in the mouth.” I
breathe, rubbing a rough hand down my face, scratching at my dark
stubbled jaw.
Kyle pats my back. “Don’t worry man, we get it.”
They don’t get it though, none of them are in love, not like I am. Fucking
obsessed would be a more accurate way of describing the way I feel
towards Callie.
There are a few grumbles from my teammates as they fight with their
jerseys and shorts, trying to strip off and head for the showers. I feel bad for
fighting and getting myself shoved into the penalty box for five minutes,
leaving my guys a man down but there was no way I could just do nothing.
Ryan Pritchard has always been a fucking nuisance, a bit like Mac who
hangs around us now, thinking he’s some hot shot hockey player that all the
girls want, when in reality he’s a scrawny little runt who is just desperate to
lose his virginity at the ripe age of 22. But I was willing to let bygones be
bygones tonight.
Preston was my university before I came to Redwood so I'm very familiar
with Pritch in more than one way. I’ll admit I stole a girl from him one
night at a party, she was eyeing me up whilst she sat on his lap and I knew
he’d liked her for a while, but I was an asshole back then. Ok, more of an
asshole. So I winked at her and that’s all it took for her to trail behind me up
the stairs and let me fuck her. I don’t think Pritch has ever really forgiven
me for that and that’s why he started on Callie the second he saw me point
my stick at her after my second goal.
“Wow, she’s hot as fuck.” He murmured as he skated behind me. My head
flew around, recognising his voice immediately. “Shut the fuck up Pritch.”
He huffed a dirty laugh. “I heard Sean Taylor had finally got a girlfriend,
but I guess you’re still fucking some puck bunny on the side right?” He’s
trying desperately to get a rise out of me, I have to try and contain the
erupting volcano.
“Can I have a go with her whilst you’re away fucking some other bitch?”
He continued taunting me and I could feel the possessive, protective fire
burning hotter inside the pit of my stomach.
I of course ended up throwing him to the ice, hissing in his ear, “Don’t even
let her face enter your brain again or you’ll be watching it spill out all over
this fucking ice.”
He got to me, I’ll admit that but when it comes to my girl there are no
lengths I won’t go to.

Callie

I watch Molly hop into her taxi, arms still cradling her half empty, extra
large popcorn as she throws me a lazy wave with the other arm. I head back
into the arena, making my way around the rink towards the hallway that
leads to the locker rooms. Sean is usually pretty quick at hitting the showers
and I don’t tend to wait more than twenty minutes after a game for him to
emerge, smelling like a fresh autumn breeze. There are still a few stragglers
hanging around when I get to the hallway, pushing open the double doors
and passing a middle aged couple who are quietly chatting as they lean
against one wall. I flash them a coy smile and keep walking towards the
entrance of the men’s locker rooms when I hear a surprised and unsure
voice call after me.
“Callie?” She says, her voice cautionary and oddly familiar. I turn my head
fast at the sound of my name. “Yeah?”
The woman’s face splits into a bright grin, her dimples sending a wave of
warmth directly to my chest. Do I know her from somewhere? I really feel
like I know her from somewhere.
She smiles and clasps her hand to her mouth for a moment, shaking her
head. “Wow,” she starts, deep, brown eyes warm and inviting as she looks
at me. “You’re even more beautiful in person.”
Ok, now I'm really confused.
I cock an eyebrow at her, keeping my face neutral, not wanting to offend
this seemingly friendly woman who apparently knows me from somewhere.
“Sorry, do I know y—?”
“Baby!” Sean’s voice cuts through mine and I twist back to the men’s
locker room door, watching him bound towards me like the usual puppy
dog he is before he skids to a stop, eyes locked on the couple who’s gazes
are flickering rapidly between the two of us.
The woman squeals and clasps her mouth again. “Oh my god he calls her
baby!” She taps the back of her hand against her husband’s chest and he
grunts, rolling his eyes.
“Jesus Judith, you’ll make the poor boy insecure.” He grumbles, placing a
palm on her shoulder to calm her incessant bouncing with joy. “Ha!” She
barks, her sculpted eyebrows lifting high on her forehead. “A son of yours,
insecure?” She gestures back to Sean who is still frozen like a deer in the
headlights. “His head’s so big it’s almost falling off his shoulders.”
Sean finally clears his throat — thank god because mine has never been
smaller. “What the hell are you two doing here?”
Sean’s mum clamps her arms across her middle and juts a hip. “What, a
mother can’t come and watch her only son play hockey once in a while?”
Sean rubs the nape of his neck nervously and his eyes fall onto me. “You’d
have known we were coming if you ever answered your phone.” She scoffs,
her tone dripping in motherly authority.
“Shit, sorry Mum, I've been a little busy lately.” He mumbles, still rubbing
at the back of his neck.
I want to reach out for him, wrap my hand in his and reassure him that it’s
ok. But my own heart is racing, Sean’s parents being unexpectedly in front
of me like this is utterly terrifying I can’t lie. I need them to like me, it’s so
important to me that they approve of our relationship. But at the same time I
know they’re high flying lawyers, Sean has told me all about their lavish
mansion and their huge, custom built office building in the centre of
London, every detail of which makes me feel minuscule right now, like a
tiny fish coming face to face with a pair of sharp toothed sharks. But Sean’s
parents are far from scary when I truly look at them, their soft eyes that
resemble Sean’s so closely and their many laughter lines that scatter across
their faces.
Sean’s arm comes around my waist, pulling me gently into his side and
planting a light kiss on my temple. “Mum, Dad, this is my Callie.” My
Callie…oh god, why does he have to make my heart grow a pair of wings
every time he opens his mouth?
Sean’s mum smiles as she reaches for my shaky hands, taking them
comfortingly in her’s. “I’ve been so excited to meet you Callie.” She
beams, her own personal rays of sunshine splashing the room with colour
and light. “I’ve wanted Sean to settle down and have a meaningful
relationship with someone for so long.”
“Oh,” I say, butterflies racing through my bloodstream as I glance up at
Sean, his face loving and prideful when his eyes meet mine. “He told you
about me?”
Sean’s mum and dad nod in unison and Sean’s breath tickles my ear when
he tips his face down. “She forced it out of me.” He smirks, planting a
delicate kiss behind my ear lobe.
Sean’s mum claps her hands together with action. “Right, let’s go for dinner
tonight, so we can get to know Callie better.”
“Ok,” I nod, gifting them a shy smile. “That sounds nice.”
Her face splits in two, mirroring the smile I've seen Sean display so many
times before, she claps her hands together and sings, “We’ll meet you at the
restaurant at 6pm, I'll text you the address.”
She begins marching away and Sean’s dad simply shrugs his shoulders
apologetically at us, patting his son’s arm as he follows his wife out the
doors into the bitter wind.
Sean grips my biceps and turns me into him instantly. “We don’t have to go
to dinner with them baby, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” I shake
my head, grateful for his concern. “No, it’s ok, I want to go. They seem
lovely.”
Sean rolls his eyes, smile tipping his lips. “My mum is very excited about
me having a girlfriend so I'm sorry in advance if she’s over bearing.” “I
think she’s sweet,” I pause, looking down and shuffling my feet. “Do… do
you want to go to dinner with them?”
His hands slide down my arms, landing firmly on my waist and sinking his
fingers in possessively. “Well, I was hoping to spend the rest of my day
fucking you into my mattress.” He smirks, caramel flecks dancing through
his irises. “But I guess I could spare a few hours for my parents.” I breathe
a laugh, burying my fingers in his curls. “You can fuck me into your
mattress when we get home.” His face creases with a wide smile, dipping
his lips to kiss me tenderly. “You smashed it today by the way, and that
fight.” I make an ‘o’ with my fingers, clamping my lips together. “That was
hot.”
“Really?” He beams, hands trailing up my back, pulling me further into him
so our chests are glued together. “I’ll remember to smash someone’s face in
every time you’re watching from now on.”
I reach up, my face pulling into a frown as I run my fingers along his
bruised jaw. “I wish your pretty face didn’t get bashed up though.” “The
other guy was the one covered in blood baby, which makes it a successful
fight.”
“What were you fighting about anyway?” I ask, hands flat against his chest
and I feel immediately when his heartbeat picks up under my questioning.
He shrugs, holding my wrists and lifting them up to his mouth, tickling my
palms with soft kisses. “He just said something I didn’t like.” My inner
thighs tense at the softness of his touch, his warm lips on my skin and I
know he’s purposefully trying to distract me by turning me on. It’s working.
I wriggle free and fist my hip. “Like what?” My tone is more serious now,
more determined and I watch as Sean’s expression falters, giving in almost
instantly to me.
“You’re not going to let this go are you?” He sighs and I shake my curls,
one of them falling loose and tickling my cheek. I tuck it behind my ear and
Sean runs a hand down his face, breathing deeply before he speaks again.
“He asked if he could have a go with you when I'm off fucking some
random puck bunny.” He murmurs, hands wringing anxiously before he
steps into me again.
“Oh,” Is all I can say, feeling like a baseball bat has assaulted my head as
the insecure thoughts drain in, seeping into every crevice of my brain like
they used to when I first started dating Sean.
I thought I trusted him more now and in lots of ways I do, but hearing
someone else assume he’s still fucking someone other than me on the side
makes me question myself.
Sean’s hands are gripping my shoulders roughly before I can let the crazed
worries totally plague my mind. “You know I don’t do that right?” He
waits, but I don’t look up or respond straight away so he lifts my face,
forcing my worried eyes to clash with his. “Cal?” His voice is laced with
panic.
I sigh deeply and throw him a hurried nod, watching the anxiety trickle out
of his bright eyes and the warmth make it’s way back in whilst he breathes a
heavy sigh of relief. The truth is, deep down I know he’s not cheating on
me, the man is quite literally obsessed with me. We’re together every
moment that we can be and when we’re not together he’s constantly texting
or calling me. My heart is telling me I have nothing to worry about, he’s
worked damn hard to earn my trust and I don’t want to see him feeling
deflated because he thinks his hard work and dedication to me has gotten
him nowhere. Because it has, it really has changed things for us both and I
do truly feel I can trust him with my whole being.
Our foreheads fall together and I can taste Sean’s sweet breath on my
tongue. “You’re the only one I want Callie, you know that.”
I do know that and that’s the exact reason why I'm not going to let my
insecurity about being enough for Sean drive me to a pit of despair like I
might have a few months ago. I want today to be great, dinner with Sean's
parents has to go well and I'm determined to make it.
Chapter 34

Sean

There was a space in my chest that I didn’t even know was there before I
met Callie, it wasn’t making itself known because she wasn’t in my life yet.
My heart knew that she was the only one who could fill that hole, nobody
else could fill the void I never knew I had until I met her. That’s all I can
think about in this exact moment as I watch her pull a baby pink cocktail
dress up her legs and shape it to her delicious curves. She twists one way,
then the other, facing the mirror and mentally scrutinising everything about
herself whilst a barely there frown pulls down the corner of her mouth. I
fucking hate it.
I get to my feet and hold her from behind. “Baby, stop analysing yourself.”
“I can’t help it,” she huffs, turning in my arms, still trying to get a good
look at her body so she can pick on every tiny detail in her mind. “I feel like
my ass looks flat in this dress.”
I almost choke on my own breath. “I’m sorry, what?” I twist her away from
the mirror, her hands flat on my chest. “This ass?” I grab it with both hands
and her face twists into a smile. I dip my face to her’s so our lips brush off
each other. “You, are so fucking beautiful it hurts.” I whisper, my breath
dancing across her tongue.
She gulps hard, darting her tongue out to wet her pillowy lips before she
smashes them onto mine, inhaling deeply as I haul her up off the ground,
squashing her against my suited chest. When I eventually release her mouth
from my hungry grasp I place her heeled feet back to the ground and she
audibly gasps when she takes in my outfit. I’m wearing a suit, not a
particularly expensive one but it’s pretty nice, formal enough for this
evening of painful fine dining we’re about to endure with my parents. Callie
gulps hard for the second time today. “Wow,” she pats my blazer clad chest,
smoothing the material like I'm getting ready for my first day of school.
“Jesus Christ Sean…”
I can feel the arrogance seeping onto my tongue, begging to be released but
I know Callie’s tone will change to one of a feisty nature if I say anything
egotistical right now and I'm fucking loving the look on her face. Her eyes
are round and bright as they coast over my body, trailing up from my toes
back to my face.
She pulls her bottom lip into her mouth and shakes her head, her dark curls
dancing with her. “Ok, I think this is the exact imagine I’d like to orgasm to
for the rest of my life.”
The laugh that rips through me is filled with love and adoration, watching
this girl who owns every piece of my soul drool over me all because I'm
dressed in a suit is making this day one of the best I've ever experienced.
The irony is that she doesn’t see how beautiful she is, she’s fucking
breathtaking right now as she stands there, pink satin clinging to her shape,
her face painted like a supermodel and her curls hanging down her back,
softer than usual and accentuating her honey coloured freckles. The truth is
though that she’s always fucking breathtaking, when she’s just waking up in
the morning, when she takes off her makeup and her skin is pinker than
usual, when she’s just out of the shower, hair wrapped in a towel and skin
dripping as the steam follows her like a cloud. She’s the most beautiful
though when she’s truly happy, the unfiltered, unburdened kind of
happiness and not to blow my own trumpet here but I've only ever seen her
in that state of beauty when she’s with me.
I’d like to think I make her happy, I really hope I make her happy.

The entire car ride Callie is bobbing her leg up and down on repeat, staring
out of the window and lacing our fingers together tightly as I rest my hand
against her creamy thigh. I know she’s nervous, on the verge of an anxiety
induced meltdown might be the more accurate way to describe her right
now. When my car squeals to a stop in the car park I turn off the engine and
pull Callie’s thumb from between her teeth. She’s bitten the skin down to
red, raw flesh and she winces when I suck it into my mouth, trying to cool
the sting with my tongue.
“Don’t be nervous baby, it will be ok.” I murmur, one hand still holding
her’s and the other brushing lightly against her cheek.
“What if they don’t like me Sean?” Her eyes flicker with worry as they
bounce between mine. “I need them to like me.”
I grip her face in my hands, trying to calm her heartbeat, I can hear it
strumming against her collar bone. “Shhh, stop panicking Cal. I’m telling
you it will be fine…do you trust me?” She nods immediately and I feel a
kick in my chest, my heart fighting to escape and get to her. “They’ll love
you just as much as I do, I promise.” I leave a barely there kiss on her
shoulder and watch her chest stutter as she peers up at me for a beat. That’s
the moment I realise what I just said.
I can’t believe I just said that, what a dickhead. I wish Callie was too
nervous to notice the words that just flew off my tongue before my brain
had a chance to catch up and tell me to stop. But I'm pretty sure by the way
her eyes are resting on her lap right now that she heard every word. I told
myself so many times that I wasn’t going to tell Callie I loved her until I
was sure she was ready to say it back, and I'm still unsure if she’s fully there
yet. I can wait for her to say it first, I just need to watch my tongue. I lose
my filter around her — not that I have much of one at the best of times —
and I just end up spilling my feelings like vomit onto her. But telling this
girl I'm in love with her needs to be at the right time and I need her to be
ready too.
Callie quickly composes herself and reaches for her door handle, shoving
the passenger door open which I then proceed to reach over her and slam
closed again. I get out my side, running around to her and opening the door,
holding her hand in mine as she steps out in that stunning outfit that’s
making me want to bust a load into my pants every time I catch a glimpse
of her. She hasn’t said a word about my accidental love confession, but as
we walk hand in hand towards the restaurant entrance she gives my hand a
hard squeeze and lets her head fall against my bicep. I feel like she’s telling
me what I already knew, that she’s not quite there yet, but she will be, soon.
Chapter 35

Callie

I think my heart fell out of my ass when Sean said he loves me. I know it
was a passing comment and I'm not even sure Sean realised that he’d said it,
but the weight of those words falling off his tongue so casually made my
heart shudder with pleasure. I really want to tell him that I love him too,
that I feel everything he’s feeling and I want him to know how much he
means to me. But the words still feel stuck to the roof of my mouth, slowing
melting away as each day goes by and I know I’ll be absolutely certain
when I'm ready, which isn’t yet.
Dinner with Sean's parents is going well…I think. I’m still nervous as shit
but they’ve both tried their best to put me at ease, keeping the conversation
relaxed and making jokes to lighten the heavy weight of nerves that is
hurting my shoulders.
My leg continues bobbing for a while before Sean’s heavy palm lands on it,
rubbing his thumb across my goose pimpled skin and whispering, “Just
relax, it’s ok.”
God I wish I could tell him how much I love him.
After we’ve eaten, Judith leans back in her chair, cherry red wine leaving a
residue on her lips when she tips the liquid to her mouth. “Well, I can’t say
Sean getting a girlfriend this early into his time at Redwood wasn’t a plot
twist.” She titters, tipping her glass up again. “One I certainly didn’t see
coming.”
Sean’s warm breath tickles my ear when he leans down, fingers digging into
my bare thigh. “You’re the best plot twist I ever had.”
My heart takes off again and I'm sure at this point it’s left my body entirely
and made it’s home in his. I try not to smile, really I do but my face cracks
without my permission and I reward Sean with a beam so bright it most
likely blinds him.
“Yeah, it was a plot twist for me too, considering I had a different boyfriend
at the start of this year.” I murmur, sinking my claws into Sean’s hand
where it rests on my thigh under the cover of the table.
Sean scoffs loudly. “Yeah, he’s probably one of the biggest pricks I've ever
met…and I've met a lot of pricks in my life.”
“Sean, I don’t care for your choice of language.” Judith says, throwing him
a disciplinary look before she leans towards me across the table, using her
wine glass to shield her mouth from the men. “I bet he was a prick
though…he was wasn’t he?”
I burst into laughter and feel my muscles relinquish their tensing for the
first time all evening. Judith joins me, tittering and downing the last
mouthful of ruby wine before shifting into a more comfortable position in
her seat.
The restaurant is quickly becoming quieter as the dinner rush dissipates and
the only people left are us and a few other tables of people having late night
drinks to wind down. The quiet murmur of voices is like white noise,
forcing my mind to stop it's whirring and overthinking.
“So,” Judith starts again and Sean’s dad rolls his eyes, a ‘does she ever shut
up?’ Look in his twinkling eye when he flickers a smile at me. “Tell me all
about your family Callie, I know your dad is Sean’s coach.” I nod and take
a quick sip of my wine. “Yeah, he is. We’ve never been particularly close
but I do try my best to make him proud.” Sean gives my thigh a reassuring
squeeze and his cold lips find my bare shoulder. “I’m much closer to my
mum, I'm an only child so the two of us spent massive amounts of time
alone together when I was growing up, you know, with my dad travelling a
lot for work.”
“What does your mum do then? Does she live close by?” Judith asks totally
innocently, but Sean and I tense up in unison.
I don’t want to feel like I can never talk to people about my mum, it’s just
like an aching pain residing in my chest when I think about her looming
fate.
I swallow the tears and clear my throat. “My mum isn’t working right now,
she—”
“Stop.” Sean says, his arm coming around my shoulder, hauling me closer
to him. “She doesn’t want to talk about that Mum.” His eyes are worried,
his palm on my shoulder lightly like he thinks I might shatter into a million
pieces if he holds me too tightly.
“It’s ok,” I tilt my face up to his, purposefully softening my eyes and
holding his for a beat. “I don’t mind.” I nod as he releases me, his protective
sizzle still lingering on my skin after his palm has left. Sean’s mum grabs
his dad’s arm and points at her son. “He’s such a gentleman, are you sure
he’s yours Ken?”
Ken rolls his eyes again — I think him and I could be kindred spirits — and
rubs a hand down his face, looking like a mirror image of his son. “Jesus
Christ, I can’t win can I? When he used to fuck around with loads of
women you used to say he was definitely mine!”
Judith stifles a laugh along with Sean and I. “Yeah well, now I'm not so
sure.” She snickers and I force my laugh down my throat.
After another hour and a half, plus a whole other bottle of wine between us
all — minus Sean who is designated driver and refuses to touch a drop
when he has me in his car — we finish off our last few sips. I tilt my glass
to my lips, letting the last few droplets run down my throat, except one that
escapes down my chin and lands in-between my breasts, trailing down
towards the crevice of my cleavage.
“Shit,” I murmur, reaching for a napkin, but before I can catch the droplet
and wipe it away Sean’s tight grip comes around my wrist.
He shakes his head and a sultry look clouds his chocolate eyes. “Don’t.
Anything that ends up between those is mine.”
I watch him, speechless and utterly choked as he dips his face into my
neckline and swipes the droplet of red wine away with his tongue. I try to
hide my red cheeks when I look up at his parents again, fully expecting
their faces to be white with shock and disgust, but instead I'm greeted with a
tired eye roll from Judith and a wink in Sean’s direction from Ken. What the
fuck is going on?
Instead of saying something, using my big girl words like the 21 year old
woman I am, I opt for playing dumb instead, standing up from my chair like
Sean didn’t just practically suck my nipple in front of his parents, and
getting my coat. Sean holds it out for me, an innocent grin spanning his
dimpled face and I know in his cave man brain that he sees nothing wrong
with what he just did. I on the other hand am currently suffering from mind
numbing embarrassment as we walk outside to our cars and wave goodbye
to Sean’s parents.
The drive home is quiet, I'm quiet because I'm mad at him and I know he
senses it because he tries to hold my hand and make conversation with me,
but I am determined to stay in a sulk at least until we get home and I can let
rip on him. When I do let my eyes fall onto Sean his face is tense with
suppressed laughter, not with worry or anxiety like it ought to be, he’s
finding this shit funny. He’s not going to be laughing though, not when we
get home.
The second we step through the door my hand connects with the back of his
head with a slap.
“Ow!” He spins around and looks at me, wide eyed and confused. “What
the hell was that for?”
I jut my hip and look at him with fire burning behind my eyes, sarcasm
filtering through as usual. “Sean Taylor, do you have a death wish?” Sean
rubs the back of his neck nervously and glances over to the living room
where Kyle and Lewis are sat, their headsets covering their ears as they
fight their cartoon men on the screen. I know they’re listening to our
argument though, I can tell by the way their shoulders straighten and they
readjust their headphones, tilting them slightly to let the sounds of mine and
Sean’s voices through.
Sean holds his hands up. “I feel like whatever I say right now is going to be
wrong, so why don’t you just tell me what I did and I can fix it baby.” Urgh,
this man is insufferable at times.
“Don’t you dare baby me, Taylor!” I’m raising my voice a little now,
drawing even more attention from the earwigs on the couch. “You stuck
your tongue between my tits in front of your parents!”
Kyle is the first to spin around, so fast his head almost falls off his
shoulders. “I’m sorry, you did what?”
I nod at him, my eyebrows high on my forehead as I gesture for Sean to
explain himself. His guilty eyes find Kyle, then me, then Lewis, desperately
looking for help, but he’s not going to find any, not from them. “You’re mad
about that?” He says and I gape at his stupidity, of course I'm fucking mad
about that. “I thought it would make you want my cock when we got
home.”
I didn’t think he could drive me any more insane that he usually does, but
this takes the biscuit.
Kyle and Lewis quickly retreat to their game when I hit them between the
eyes with a ‘mind your own damn business’ scowl and turn back to Sean,
moving closer to him and lowering my voice an entire octave. “Usually it
would,” I hiss, watching his confused eyes follow mine as they climb up his
annoyingly beautiful face. “If your mum and dad weren’t watching it
happen.”
He grins widely, the usual cockiness back. “They didn’t mind.” “Yes, but I
did Sean,” I groan and rake my fingers through my curls with frustration.
“You just love to embarrass me don’t you?”
His face softens but he grips my waist tightly, shrugging. “Kind of,” his
grin splits his face, “you’re so cute when you turn pink.”
I bang my palms firmly against his chest and fold my arms, huffing and
turning my face back to the living room, pretending to be interested in the
mind numbing game the guys are playing. But Sean’s arms quickly circle
me, hauling me back into him and pressing a tight kiss to my lips before I
can protest. Not that I want to, I always want to kiss him, even when I'm
mad.

“You’re my favourite person in the entire world.” He murmurs against my

lips and my annoyance with him melts into the carpet at my feet. I try to
keep hold of it as it fights against me, tugging at my heart strings when his
deep dimples make themselves known again. It’s so hard to be mad at that
face. I try to huff and cross my arms again, shrugging out of his grip and
taking a step back, frown still pulling my mouth down at the corners.
Sean sighs. “You still in a mood?” I nod, face like thunder. “Fine, you asked
for it.”
I watch as a devilish grin takes over his usually bright one and I see his
muscles tense beneath his shirt as he begins to prowl towards me like an
animal.
“Sean, no—” I start but it’s too late, he has me flung over his shoulder like
a sack of feathers quicker than I can blink.
He breathes a heavy laugh. “I guess I’ll have to fuck the sass out of you
then.”
My thighs clench automatically and I relax over his shoulder, happy to let
him fuck every fiery flame out of me until I crumple into a pile of ashes.
Chapter 36

Callie

He did indeed fuck the sass out of me…well, maybe not all of it. There’s
always a healthy amount of sarcastic venom running through my veins,
ready to spit at Sean anytime he needs his ego taking down a peg or two.
But when his dick is so deep inside me that it feels like it’s protruding out
of my stomach I don’t care to sass him at all, that man can do whatever he
wants to me.
I gather the scattering of clothes from the ground, holding up my brand
new, pink cocktail dress and peering at Sean through the gaping hole in the
centre of it. He tore it off my body so aggressively that he practically
shredded the thing.
“Shit, sorry,” he eyes me guiltily, “I'll get you a new one.”
“You better.” I point at him, warning behind the piercing of my eyes. The
truth is I don’t really give a shit about the dress, it was worth having him
tear it from my body like a starving man, eager to tuck into his favourite
buffet.
I start to rummage through Sean’s wardrobe, certain I left an outfit here last
week. “Aha!” I hold up my jeans and turtleneck in victory and Sean grins in
my direction, flashing me his deep dimples.
“Hold on,” I lift the jumper to my nose, inhaling the heavy scent of
lavender. “Did you wash these?”
He shrugs. “Yeah, so?”
I stare back at him wide eyed, mouth pretty much open for anything to fly
in right now. I can’t believe he washed my clothes, he’s so fucking adorable
sometimes.
“You good over there?” He snickers, standing up from the bed, my
favourite part of him swaying as he moves towards me. “You’re turning my
favourite shade of pink again.”
“I just…I can’t believe you washed my clothes for me.” I squeak. Why is
there an actual tear threatening to spill over right now? Sean breathes a
laugh and pulls me into him. “Baby, I only threw a jumper and a pair of
jeans into a washing machine.”
“You don’t get it.” I huff, wriggling away from him and slipping the
turtleneck over my head.
Sean pulls my curls out of the neckline and grabs my jaw, forcing me to
look at him. “Actually Cal, I do get it. I know you’re not used to being
looked after by anyone, Joel never did anything for you, so every tiny thing
I do you think it’s a big deal. But you better get used to it, because I have no
intention of ever stopping.”
“Why do you always do that?”
“Do what?” He smiles, running his thumb across my cheekbone. I dip my
head, looking at the ground. “Make my knees weak.” Sean barks a sharp
laugh. “You’re funny baby.” He picks his boxers up off the ground and pulls
them up his legs as I slip my jeans on. “I don’t know why you’re getting
dressed anyway, you’re not going anywhere.” I purse my lips and hold back
the sarcasm I really want to fire at him. “You want me to stay over again? I
haven’t seen the inside of my dorm for almost a week, don’t you want some
alone time after today?” Sean shakes his head, his dark locks bouncing.
“No, never want alone time.”
I sigh and smile at him, planting my hands on his golden chest. “You don’t
need me attached to your hip at all times, you were fine before you met
me.”
“No, no I wasn’t fine.” He lifts my chin with his finger, “Callie before you I
was just me, and I never want to be just me again.”
I think I may just want to crawl inside his skin and live there at this point. “I
need to go home,” I almost whisper, “I haven’t seen Molly for five days and
it’s likely she’ll claw my eyes out when I do see her.”
I wait for Sean to look disappointed, to ask me not to go home and to stay
with him, but instead he says, “Ok then, let’s go,” and starts rummaging
under his bed, pulling out an overnight back and cramming it with clothes.
He’s coming with me, of course he’s coming with me.
A light laugh falls from my lips and Sean looks up from his seat on the
carpet. “What?” He says, eyes clouded with confusion.
I shake my head, smiling lovingly at him. “Nothing, come on.”

The door clicks open as I twist my key, the thing is nearly gathering dust I
haven’t used it in so long. Sean goes ahead of me, carrying mine and his
bag and dropping them to the ground in the hallway. As I move around him
I see Molly curled up under a blanket on the sofa, ‘Real housewives of
Cheshire’ playing in the background as she taps away on her laptop. She
barely looks up as we enter but quickly does a double take when she sees
Sean’s 6-foot-4 frame creating a shadow across our coffee table. I’ve been
gone so long she assumed it was Anais, like it couldn’t possibly be me
entering my own dorm with the key I've had since I moved in. Molly stands
up, placing her laptop on the sofa and folding her arms. “Oh look, if it isn’t
the best friend stealer.” She’s aiming her daggers at Sean, icy pools making
him shiver with fear.
Sean holds his hands up in innocence. “I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me.”
Molly strides across the room towards us both, pointing a daring finger at
Sean. “You’re lucky you’re hot.” He plants a fleeting kiss on the crown of
her head as she slides past him. “Ok, you’re forgiven.” She smiles,
ensnaring me in a tight hug.
As her familiar peachy smell fills my nose I squeeze her harder, wanting to
hold onto her forever. Molly has helped me through a lot since we met and I
can never repay her for the support she gave me the first time my mum
went through cancer treatment. She was my rock and now I have Sean too,
I'm so fucking lucky.
Before I know what’s happening next my feet are lifted off the floor along
with Molly’s as a pair of tree trunk arms wrap around us both. “Group
hug!” Sean sings, holding the two of us in the air like we weigh no more
than one of his goose feather pillows.
With my arms still around Molly’s neck I roll my eyes and whisper to her,
“I’m sorry about him, he’s like an overexcited toddler at times.” Molly
twists her face to Sean and grins. “He’s cute though, so it’s ok.” Sean finally
puts us back on the ground and I reach for my bag which he quickly swipes
out of my hand. I roll my eyes, his chivalry not lost on me but starting to get
on my nerves tonight as I head for my bedroom. “You two better not have
super loud sex like the last time you stayed here.” Molly huffs as I round
the corner and push open my bedroom door, leaving it open so I can
eavesdrop on their conversation. I love to hear Sean talk about me when he
doesn’t know I'm listening.
I hear a loud laugh burst from Sean’s mouth. “It’s not my fault she’s so
noisy.” Ok I take it back, the man’s a pig. Molly snorts a laugh and Sean
continues, “You know, when Callie and I have sex is the only time she does
as I tell her to.”
Molly fake gags loudly. “Ok, I really didn’t need to know that…like I really
didn’t.”
“She's such a good girl…” Sean teases and I hear a slap, followed by a loud,
“Ow!” from Sean. I make a mental note to kiss my best friend's face several
times later to thank her for keeping my man in check. “Don’t ever, say
something like that to me again Sean Taylor or I will remove your balls
from your body in your sleep.” She warns and the sound of Sean’s footsteps
quickly follow, the sound getting closer before he steps into my bedroom
looking like a frightened deer, locking the door behind him.
“She’s scary,” he breathes and I turn away to hide my proud smile. “She
may even be scarier than you.”
“Wanna find out how scary I am?” I twist back, darkening my eyes and
purposefully dragging my eyes up his body until I find his throat, watching
his heavy gulp. “Thought not.”

I climb under my duvet around an hour later, Sean and I having stuffed our
faces with Oreos and ice cream whilst watching a shitty film that I didn’t
see the ending of because by that point Sean’s tongue was down my throat.
He climbs in beside me and I move over, making a cold strip of mattress
apparent between us.
His eyes immediately look at the gap, then at me questioningly. “What are
you doing all the way over there?”
I decide to tease him, purely because it’s fun and I haven’t done it for a
while. “I want some space tonight.” I turn over so I'm facing away from
him, but only a second later he’s yanking me back across the bed, wrapping
his arm across my chest and trapping both my legs under one of his.
“Fuck the space.” He mutters into my neck, peppering repeated kisses there
and making me shiver.
I groan playfully. “God, you’re so needy.”
He squeezes me tighter, his body warm and comforting around mine. “I
know, I just have this uncontrollable need to be touching you at all times.
I’m sorry if it’s annoying.”
Great, now I feel like a bitch.
I twist in his tight grasp, turning over to face him. “It's not annoying, I've
just never had a guy want me like this, I'm not used to it.”
He grips my chin between his fingers, pulling my eyes up to hold his.
“Well, get used to it, because we’re endgame baby.” He presses a delicate
kiss to my lips, shit eating grin following after and I bury my face into his
warm chest, floating into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter 37

Sean

I swipe my arm across Callie’s mattress…cold. My eyes fly open and I

search the room for her briefly before climbing out of bed, heels of my
palms rubbing at my tired eyes. I drag the zip open on my overnight bag,
digging around for the pair of grey sweatpants I packed last night before
coming here and that’s when I notice the murmured voices in the kitchen.
Callie’s dorm is pretty small, so you can almost always here every tiny
noise from whatever room you’re in. There are definitely three voices out
there, Callie’s, — of course, I’d know her voice anywhere — Molly’s and I
think Anais must be home too. The three of them haven’t had any alone
time together for at least a week before I came along and whisked their
friend away to my lair for endless sex and cuddles. So, I decide to give
them a minute to catch up before I go out there and kidnap my girl again.
We both have a full day of training today so I was hoping to keep her in bed
until the very last minute, but she obviously had other plans. To be fair to
her, she’s a monster when she hasn’t had a coffee in the morning so I should
probably be grateful that she’s out there, sipping away at the liquid gold
before I undoubtedly piss her off over nothing. I crack the bedroom door,
taking a seat on Callie’s velvet, pink dressing table chair and leaning back,
gazing up at the fairy lights that hang loosely from her ceiling. “Have you
told your boyfriend you’re in love with him yet?” Molly says and I hear a
mug being placed down firmly with an echoed clang on the marble island.
Callie blows out a quiet breath and I'm immediately straining to hear every
word she’s about to say.
“No…” she mutters and I just know she’s picking nervously at her
fingernails. “But he said he loved me by accident yesterday.” Oh shit, I
really thought she may have missed that. I should have known, that girl
doesn’t miss a thing.
Anais chimes in, “By accident?”
I hear as the three of them sip their coffees and I'm pushing down the breath
that’s sitting deep in my throat. I don’t want to risk any tiny sound coming
out and them catching me listening. Like I said, the walls in this dorm are
made of paper or something and I desperately need to hear how this
conversation pans out.
“He said it in passing but…” another deep breath from my girl before she
sighs, “it felt right, hearing it coming from his mouth.”
I hear a bar stool or two squeaking as they are pushed back across the tiled
floor and I guess Callie’s friends are moving closer to her, hugging and
smothering her in their love like girls do.
Callie clears her throat and I can hear the bubble of tears in her voice. “He
makes me so happy, like happier than I ever realised I could be. Going from
being with a guy like Joel who degraded me and made me feel like I was
never good enough for him. To Sean, who tells me I'm beautiful every damn
day and makes me feel so safe and wanted, has made my heart literally
double in size.”

I’m a puddle. Melted into hot, molten liquid on Callie’s bedroom carpet
from her words.
Molly murmurs, “So tell him that, he needs to hear it.”
I do, I do need to hear it, but not until my baby is ready to say it. I won’t
push her.
“I can’t,” Callie squeaks and I'm practically bouncing up and down at the
bedroom door, desperate to get out there and listen more closely. “I do feel
it, honestly I do but the words feel like they’re stuck in my throat and my
heart is forcing them to stay there. My body is trying to hold onto the last
smidgen of vulnerability that I have left, I've given him every part of me
and telling him I love him would mean he has my heart to break if he
chooses to and I'm just not ready for that yet. I trust Sean, I mean that, I
trust him with my whole being but it’s like I'm still waiting for something to
change between us. Maybe he’ll get bored of me or decide this one woman
thing isn’t what he wants.”
As if I could ever get bored of her, she’s crazy.
The girl has me in a chokehold I swear to god, I'm almost panting as I listen
to the conversation trickle off, Anais and Molly offering supportive and
comforting words to my girl and my feet take me down the corridor before I
ask them to. Poker face Sean, you heard nothing.
As I round the corner into the kitchen all three sets of eyes fix on me like I
just walked in on something I shouldn’t have. Little do they know I heard
everything anyway but my lips are sealed for now.
“You three ok?” I say totally innocently as they all pull their faces back to
their original shape.
Callie nods and I move towards her, ensnaring her in a hug from behind and
tipping my face down to leave a rough kiss on the back of her neck. I watch
the goosebumps rise where I made contact with her skin and my heart skips
at the memory of her words only a moment ago. She sinks her fingers into
my biceps as they curl around her shoulders, holding me tightly to her and
all I want to do is whisper, “Do you know how much I love you?” into her
ear.
But instead I opt for, “Another coffee anyone?”

Callie

“Were you busy yesterday or did you just decide to ignore my text
messages about needing an urgent meeting with you?” Ellen folds her arms
passive aggressively and lifts her eyebrows high on her forehead. I breathe
a heavy sigh and turn away from her. “Both…”
“Callie, I don’t find you funny,” she huffs with exasperation. I don’t know
what she has to be exasperated about though, I'm the one treading water
with these shitty routines, battling at each competition and barely keeping it
together. I’ve managed to nab a few decent scores this season but I'm
usually the highest scorer on the team, that’s why I was made captain in the
first place.
I pad across the floor, Ellen’s annoyingly uniform footsteps following me to
the beam where I mount and sit, legs hanging astride it.
“Are you going to let me talk now or just walk off in a sulk?” Ellen sighs,
eyebrows still lost in her hairline.
“I’m not in a sulk, I just want to practice.” I say, chalking my hands and
getting ready to swing my legs behind me and start the routine from hell.
Ellen clears her throat and I let my legs hang loose again, sighing loudly.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t care for your tone Callie, this is important.” She waits for me to
object but I’d rather get her rambling over with so I can ignore her for the
rest of the day. “I’m changing your routines.”
My breath catches in my throat and I croak, “You’re what?”
Ellen nods with a hint of fake empathy for a second before hardening her
features again. “The routines I gave you just aren’t bringing in the scores I
expect from you so I've decided to change them all.”
“I…I can’t…” I try to speak but my throat is tightening by the second,
stopping the oxygen from seeping into my lungs and the sensation is
causing the panic to build even more. She can’t do this, she can’t change
my routines just when I'm getting to grips with them. I’ve only just
managed to crack them enough so I can compete and get decent points for
the team and now she’s going to change them? Half way through the
season? I swear this woman hates my guts.
I try to suck in a breath but my lungs fight against me, trying to suffocate
me silently. Anais’ hand lands on my shoulder and the sound around me
turns muffled. Anais is shaking me, yelling something I can’t hear properly.
All I can think about is breathing, which I can’t fucking do. I grab at my
throat, clawing and trying to rip a hole in it so I can get even a tiny sliver of
air into my now shrivelled up lungs.
“She’s having a panic attack, I used to have them as a kid.” I hear Lois fire
out, the girls are around me, shaking me, their voices breathy with stress as
they chant over and over again, telling me to breathe. I wish I could scream
at them that I'm trying, I just can’t open my throat enough to get any air in
and my heart is pumping faster than ever, using up any oxygen I do have.
Anais’ face is in front of mine, her eyes flickering with fear. “Get Sean!”
She yells, gesturing for Lois to run and fetch the only person I can bear to
think about right now.
Breathe Callie, breathe.
I try to talk myself out of this but it’s not that easy apparently, I need
something…someone.
“My brother Sean?” Lois’ muffled voice asks, confusion clouding her tone.
And why wouldn’t she be confused, she has no idea that Sean is my
boyfriend and that we’ve been seeing each other for months now. Jesus, my
head is throbbing.
Anais sighs roughly. “Yes, just go and get him now!”
She’s running out of patience just as quickly as I'm running out of air. I
don’t know how I haven’t passed out yet, having felt like I can’t take a
proper breath for the last few minutes I was sure I’d be dead by now. I suck
in a couple of sharp gulps but they do nothing to dull the aching tension in
my chest as my own body suffocates me in panic. I close my eyes,
imagining Sean’s voice in my head telling me to relax and breathe… then, I
really hear him. His voice is strained, panicked as he hauls my leg over the
beam and stands in-between my open thighs.
His hands are on my face, his voice muffled but steady as he begs, “Callie,
look at me!”
I peel my eyes open, sure that I'm imagining him being here or maybe I
have finally died and gone to a Sean filled heaven with ice cream and
endless sex. But his chocolate eyes find me and I realise I'm not dead, he’s
really here, holding my face in his warm hands and breathing his
peppermint breath onto my lips.
“Hey, I'm here, it’s ok.” He murmurs as I continue to fight with the air
around me, dragging it into my throat and trying to swallow it down. I
shake my head, twisting my fingers into the curls at the nape of Sean's neck,
feeling like I might float away at any moment.
Sean’s damp forehead lands on mine softly and I force myself to hold his
gaze. “Deep breaths baby, deep breaths.” I try, pulling the air in and holding
it there for a moment. “That’s it,” Sean says softly, “and again, in…and
out.” I do as he says, clawing the oxygen in and forcing it to stay, waiting
inside my lungs before blowing it back out. “Good girl, that’s it,” I can feel
my heartbeat slowing, my throat loosening and the sound around me
coming back, the cotton wool in my ears dissolving and making the gym
sound extra loud, even though everyone in it is dead silent apart from Sean,
who is still coaxing me through deep breathing.
“Callie, I'm sorry, I didn’t mean—” Ellen starts but Sean silences her with a
threatening, protective glare.
“No,” he hisses, “don’t fucking talk to her.” His eyes are red with rage and
his hand tightens around my back as he moulds me to his chest. “This is
your fault.”
“Sean,” I squeak, pulling his face back to mine with my still shaky hand. He
leans his forehead on mine again and whispers, “It’s ok baby, I'm here.” I
wrap my dangling legs around his middle, burying my face in his neck and
letting him lift me up to his waist. “I can’t do it Sean…I just…I can’t.” “I
know,” he says, his voice smooth and comforting like my morning coffee.
“Don’t worry, we’re going home.”
I snap my head up from his shoulder. “I can’t go home I have to—” his
finger lands on my rattling mouth, silencing me and forcing me to swallow
the words I was about to say.
“We’re going home Callie, this isn’t good for you. Either you walk or I’ll
carry you…your choice.”
He’s not fucking around, I can tell by the way his face flattens,
expressionless and authoritative.
I huff and shuffle down his body, letting him win this particular battle
because the truth is I really want to go home and sleep. My brain is
exhausted from the mental load I've been carrying and with a bomb like the
one Ellen just dropped on me I don’t think I can take anymore, not today
anyway. Sean takes my hand and leads me across the gym to my locker
where he punches in the code and collects my bag, swinging it over his
shoulder.
“Erm, hold on.” Lois snaps just before Sean and I reach the door to leave.
“Care to explain what the hell is going on here?”
Sean beats me to a response. “Conversation for another time Lo,” he pulls
me out the door after him as I throw a ‘I'm sorry I didn’t tell you’ frown at
Lois.
I feel bad for keeping our relationship from her but she’s one of my closest
friends and I know she looks up at me as a captain. I never wanted her to
see me differently or to think I've turned into some puck bunny. These are
the times I wish I could be more like Sean, not care about people’s opinions
of me and just do what I want to do without fear of judgment. But I'm not
like that and I don’t think I ever will be.
Chapter 38

Sean

Callie launches her bag across my bedroom the minute we step foot inside,
having been in a major sulk with me the whole way home. I know she
didn’t want to leave training, she gets stressed out when she doesn’t have
enough time to practice her routines but how the fuck could I have just gone
back downstairs to the rink and carried on training after that? Seeing Callie
in that state made my heart rise like bile up my throat, watching her try
desperately to suck in a breath as she clawed at her neck will forever give
me nightmares. Nightmares of losing her, of her having another panic attack
and me not being there to fix it for her.
She sighs and falls to a sitting position on the edge of my bed, head in her
hands. “I’m so grateful you helped me come down from whatever the fuck
that was back there, but I needed to stay and practice.”
“Whatever that was?” I swear this girl is next level complacent at times.
“Callie you were having a panic attack!” My palm runs down my face,
exhausted from the mentally draining morning I've already had. Hearing
Callie admit to her friends that she’s in love me and then watching her fight
for her every breath has knocked the soul out of me.
She shakes her head, ponytail swinging with her. “It's not the first time
that’s happened and it won’t be the last but I can’t just leave the gym Sean!”
She’s getting mad now, frustrated at me for forcing her to leave when she
didn’t want to, but she doesn’t get it. I’m not trying to control her, I'm
trying to protect her.
I blow out a sharp puff of air. “I was doing what’s best for you, it’s all I ever
try to do because I l—”
I stop, halting the word from escaping and watch as Callie’s eyes flicker
with knowing, she’s not stupid, she knows what I was about to say. When
I'm around her it's like my brain goes to sleep and my tongue just does
whatever the fuck it wants, spilling my secrets left, right and centre. “You
what?” She whispers and I consider just telling her right here, right now but
Lewis’ words ring clear in my mind, reminding me why I wanted to wait for
her to say it first. She just told her best friend this morning that she wasn’t
there yet and that’s ok, it just serves as a reminder as to why I need to keep
my big mouth in check for a little while longer. I look down at the ground,
feeling the unfamiliar warmth seep into my cheeks. “Nothing, I just want to
protect you baby.”
She heaves a sigh and stands up, pressing her body into mine and encasing
me in a soft hug. “I don’t want to need you Sean.” She murmurs into my
chest, her voice muffled by the fabric.
I drop a kiss to the crown of her head. “But you do and it’s ok to need me…
because I need you too.”
Her tender eyes peer up at me, her freckled cheek bones accentuated by the
bright light hanging from my ceiling above our heads. She looks so fucking
vulnerable right now and I'm not sure my heart can take it, I feel it
splintering as I look down at her, wanting nothing more than to spill my
love all over her and drown her in it.
“I want you…always.” She whispers, tiptoeing to lay a light kiss on the
point of my chin.
I dip my head and mould her lips with my own, nibbling gently on her
bottom lip, electing a groan from deep in her throat. Jesus Christ,
everything she does is so sexy.
“I want you too baby,” I breathe into her mouth, running my swollen lips
over her’s and enjoying the way her throat tightens with a gulp. “I’ll never
get tired of this, of you.”
I push her back onto the bed, her back sinking into my mattress and push
my hand up her creamy thigh, dipping into the pulsing heat of her pussy.
She’s ready for me, as always, and I waste no time plunging two fingers
into the tight, wet heaven between her thighs. Her back arches, body
convulsing around me as I lean down and suck her pleading clit between
my lips, watching her knuckles turn white as she grips the bedsheet. When
she comes all over my tongue — the one I've been lapping up and down her
clit for only minutes — I feel a warm sensation wash over me, tightening
my chest and making my heart thump excitedly. I don’t think I could love
this girl any more if I tried.

Callie

I haven’t been to training all week, Sean was spot on when he said I needed
a break and practically forbade me from going to the gym after my panic
attack. Ellen has sent me a string of texts over the past week asking if I'm
coming back and the word sorry has actually been scattered through the
onslaught of messages I’ve received, which shocked me as I don’t think
I’ve ever heard that woman admit when she’s in the wrong. I’ve spent the
majority of my time reading, completing some coursework on my laptop
and spending time with Sean — when he’s not stolen away from me to hit
pucks. I’ve had a pretty relaxing week, just what I needed. He on the other
hand has been drowning in games and training, the team having been on a
losing streak and it's making Sean more stressed by the day. So when I get a
text from him at 8pm saying they bagged the win tonight my face lights up
without my permission. I haven’t seen him today, I stayed at my dorm last
night as I promised Molly we could have a movie night, Sean had training
really early this morning so he begrudgingly let me sleep without him —
his least favourite thing to let me do. When his victory texts pings onto my
lock screen I shoot him a quick text back, knowing I'll be in his bedroom
waiting for him when he gets back from his celebratory drinks with the
boys tonight. I don’t tell him that though, I’ll just lay there, naked and
waiting for him, watching as he swallows and immediately rearranges his
cock. I’ll never get bored of the way he looks at me.

Molly, Anais and I order a few pizzas, extra vegetables for me and Anais
whilst Molly’s pizza looks like the inside of a morgue. The girl loves meat
pizza, extra bacon, extra beef, extra everything that comes from any kind of
animal. I watch in awe as usual when she stuffs an entire slice into her open
mouth, chewing and humming like a happy child. When the three of us are
full enough that all we can do is lay back and groan, I pick up my phone
again, one more text from Sean appears on my screen telling me he misses
me and I smile lazily as I reply.
“Get a room,” Anais laughs, holding her bulging stomach.
I roll my eyes and lock my phone, slipping it into my back pocket. “Don’t
be jealous girls, you’ll have someone that wants you too one day.” The two
of them throw me a middle finger and start to clear the coffee table of
empty pizzas boxes and wine glasses. I check the time, 11:04pm. Shit, I
better leave soon if I want to get to Sean’s before he does. “Actually,” I start
and the two of them look up at me, eyebrows high on both of their
foreheads. “I’m going to stay at Sean’s tonight.” Molly barks a cocky laugh
and opens her palm to Anais. “Cough up, you owe me a tenner.”
My mouth falls open as I watch my so called best friends exchange cash
after betting on me to cave and go to my boyfriend’s house for the night.
They turn back to me, faces both turned up into devilish grins. “Bitches,” I
mutter, making my way to my bedroom and grabbing an overnight bag,
cramming it with essentials — plus Sean’s favourite lingerie of mine — and
leaving my dorm with a sarcastic wave towards my friends. Maybe I’d be
mad at them for betting on me but they’re right, I hate to admit how
obsessed I am with Sean Taylor but the man has me in a chokehold.
I arrive at his place by midnight, the house is dark and still, not a light
flickering in the window, not the usual sound of cartoon machine guns
coming from the TV in the living room. I use my key to get in and whack
up the thermostat, shivering as I ascend the stairs towards Sean’s bedroom.
The house is fucking freezing, the guys having been out all day training, but
the minute I'm tucked under Sean’s huge duvet I hum with delight,
wriggling my toes and feeling my skin warm up. His smell is everywhere,
coating his pillows and swirling all around the room. I inhale deeply,
revelling in his woodsy, manly aftershave and counting the minutes until he
comes home so I can cling to his body like a koala for the rest of the night.
Chapter 39

Sean

Thank god we won tonight, I couldn’t have handled another loss after four
in a row over the past week. The guys and I went straight to our favourite
bar in town which is where we still are at midnight. The drinks have been
flowing but I’ve been attempting to keep somewhat of a clear head tonight,
some of my teammates can go nuts, downing ten pints of beer, plus shots
and still wake up tomorrow ready to go. But I'm not like that at all, the
drink goes straight into my blood stream and lives there rent free for at least
two days afterwards, making my mind fogging and unclear. I’m not really
in the mood to be out tonight anyway, I was hoping to head home and pick
up my girl on the way but the boys had other plans and I couldn’t bail as
their captain. I agreed to come out for a few hours, which of course turned
into five.
“Oh my god man you have to tell us about this girl now, it’s been what…
three months or something?” Kyle jeers, jabbing Nick in the shoulder and
nearly knocking his beer flying.
Nick mutters under his breath, “Fuck off.”
Kyle jabs at him again. “Come on, if she’s ugly it’s ok, we won’t judge
you.”
“She’s not fucking ugly,” Nick turns his head towards Kyle’s taunting eyes.
“She’s just none of your fucking business.”
“Man,” Kyle sighs, pointing his finger between Nick and I. “You two are
pussy whipped now and I'm not enjoying it.” He lifts his frosted beer to his
lips, a trail of condensation making it’s way down the glass and then down
his bare arm. I intentionally knock Kyle’s glass with my elbow, causing the
golden liquid to lap up the side and soak his hand and his chin. I grin at him
as he curses me under his breath, wiping the back of his hand across his
dripping jaw.
“Fucking hell I was only joking, no need to waste perfectly good beer over
it.” His own shit eating grin spreads across his face as he watches me,
before his gaze lands over my shoulder and his bright eyes widen in horror.
I follow his line of vision and before I know what’s happening a blonde
with legs that go straight to heaven lands gently on my knee. I know her,
I'm almost certain I’ve fucked her before and her spicy perfume is
tightening my throat, making me cough.
“Hey Sean, wanna get out of here and go to my place for round two?” She
drawls, clearly having been plied with alcohol tonight by her friends. I don’t
even remember her name, I never made a habit of finding out anything
about the girls I slept with…until Callie of course.
“Get off my knee.” I hiss, trying to keep the attention away from my rowdy
teammates. Kyle is still gawking with me, his eyes tracking her legs as they
dangle down from where she perched herself in my lap. The blonde’s eyes
narrow at me. “Why? You let me sit on your knee before.”
“Do you need me to make you get off?” I growl, getting more pissed off
now. Why can’t some girls just take a fucking hint when it’s practically
smacking them right in the face?
She huffs but shuffles off me, rubbing her ass against my leg as her heels
land back on the ground. The air around us immediately feels lighter now
she’s no longer touching me.
I twist my body to block Kyle’s view of her, his eyes still wide. “Look, I
have a girlfriend now so there’s isn’t going to be a round two.” The blonde
rolls her eyes and reaches for the collar of my shirt. I brush her hand away
with the back of mine and darken my eyes with warning. “Politely fuck off
now.”
She folds her arms, her thick lashes brushing against her cheekbones as she
closes her eyes and lets out a long huff, before sauntering away across the
bar. When I turn back to Kyle his eyes are back to their normal size and the
icy blue of them is burning into me as he grins.
“What?” I snap, downing the last of my beer and deciding right there and
then that I'm heading home and calling my baby. I don’t fucking like this
shit anymore, I don’t want to deal with random women fawning all over
me.
Kyle’s grin widens and his eyes sparkle with pride. “Good for you man,
you’re a loyal guy.”
My best friend loves to berate me for being pussy whipped but when it
comes to me being loyal to my girl I know he’s actually filled with pride at
how much I’ve changed since I met Callie.
I shrug, forcing the smile down. “Yeah well, when I have a girl like Callie
at home I don’t feel the need to look at other women. The appeal just isn’t
there like it used to be.”
Kyle nods, gulping down his foamy beer and patting me once on the
shoulder. I push back my bar stool and get up, rubbing my damp, icy hands
on my jeans and declaring to my teammates that I'm heading home. A few
of them groan but most of them are too far gone to give a shit, they simply
nod and throw me a lazy wave.

I kick off my shoes the second I get inside my house, the darkness
enclosing me and making me feel like a beady pair of eyes must be staring
at me through the shroud of blackness. I make my way up the stairs,
dragging my feet and pulling my phone out of my back pocket to text
Callie. It’s 1:24am right now so I'm sure she’s sleeping, I want to hear her
voice so badly but I don’t want to wake her so I settle for a text. I hit send
as I step through the door into my dark bedroom, a pinging sound making
me jump and hit the light switch fast. As my eyes adjust to the sudden
blinding light that spreads across the room I see a lump in the centre of my
king sized bed. Callie sits up, her phone cradled in her palm as her eyes
focus on me. Her brown curls cascade down her back as she sits taller,
piercing green eyes boring into mine as I lay my hand on my chest and
breathe a sigh of relief. For a second I thought some crazy fucker had
broken into our house and was sleeping in my bed, but the sight of my girl
laying under my duvet waiting for me is like a wave of happiness and relief
mixed into one.
I blow out a sharp, relieved breath. “Fucking hell baby you scared me, I
didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Yeah,” she murmurs, so quietly I can barely hear her. “It was supposed to
be a nice surprise.”
Her eyes are soft and sad looking, her shoulders slumped and her gaze
staying firmly on her lap as she speaks quietly like a mouse. “Yeah, it is a
nice surprise…” I say warily, like I'm walking across broken glass,
watching my every step. I’m staring at her, her slow, steady breathing and
her frowning lips. “What’s wrong?” I say, sitting down on the edge of my
bed and brushing my fingers along her forearm which she quickly jerks
away from me.
“Don’t touch me Sean,” she snaps, the volume of her voice suddenly
increasing and I immediately notice the sharpness in her tone that wasn’t
there a moment ago.
She shuffles across the bed, creating a blanket of space between us, the air
becoming colder the farther away from me she moves. A sickening feeling
embeds itself into the pit of my stomach as I watch her, eyes prickling with
tears and the fiery green that I'm used to dulling with aching pain. I open
my mouth to speak but have to force the whispered words off my tongue.
“What did I do?”
My heart is racing faster than ever as she swipes the screen on her phone
and turns it towards me, the bright light glaring as my eyes adjust to the
photo. The first thing I notice is the flash of blonde hair, then my own face
as the photo of the leggy girl from earlier sitting on my lap stares back at
me on Callie’s phone screen. I choke on my breath as it tries to escape from
my throat, realising exactly what that looks like and it’s then that the puzzle
pieces snap together like magnets. Callie’s sad eyes look back at me
expectantly, waiting for me to say something to clear up her plagued
thoughts but my throat is closing up by the second.
“I was going to just leave and never speak to you again,” she croaks
through the bubble of tears in her throat. “But I'm trying to be more mature
than that, so I need you to tell me what the fuck is going on.” “What is
that?” I stutter, leaning in closer to look at the photo before Callie angrily
snatches the phone away from my view.
I don’t know why I said that, I know exactly what that photo is, I was in
that bar only an hour ago when that girl approached me but why the hell
does Callie have a photo of it?
Callie’s emerald orbs darken and she scrunches her eyebrows together in
angst. “You tell me Sean, because it looks like it’s you with some random
slut on your lap.” She spits, the fierce anger clear but I can see the hurt
hiding behind it, the raw pain she must be feeling thinking I betrayed her.
“That’s not at all what happened, she came to our table and was all over me.
I told her I had a girlfriend and I wasn’t interested, then she left me alone.” I
ramble, trying to get the words out of my mouth as quickly as possible to
reassure Callie and save her hurt feelings.
“You sure as hell look interested with her draped all over you like that.” She
murmurs, looking back down at her lap and breaking contact with me. She
wipes at her watery eyes and the urge to reach out and hold her is making
my hands itch.
I shake my head and shuffle closer to her. “Callie that’s not what happened,
you can ask Kyle, he was there.” She sniffs again, forcing the tears to stay
hovering inside her eyelids. “Who even sent you that photo?” I say,
suddenly filled with suspicion. Who the fuck is trying to purposefully
sabotage my relationship?
“I don’t know, it was an unknown number…” She whispers, finally looking
up at me with her soft, melty eyes that make me want to die. I reach out for
her and she lets me take her shaky hand in mine. “You can see what’s going
on here right? Someone is obviously trying to set me up, make it look like I
cheated on you.”
“You’re not getting out of it that easily Sean.” She pulls her hand out of my
grip and sniffs harder this time, the tears breaking free and trailing silently
down her cheeks.
That’s it, I can’t sit here and watch her cry like this.
“Baby, please don’t cry.” I grab her face in my hands and wipe her rolling
tears away with my thumbs before she shakes my palms off her cheeks. “I
promise I didn’t do any—”
“I trusted you Sean!” She yells, water splattering all over my duvet where
she sits. “I fucking trusted you and I don’t trust anyone, you know that.” “I
spent so long building your trust Cal, why would I want to ruin that now? I
swear I didn’t betray you baby, I could never. You mean fucking everything
to me, absolutely everything!” I’m yelling now too, the desperation to fix
this mess clawing it’s way up my throat and out of my mouth.
Callie’s feet land with a soft thud on my carpet and she starts to pull her
jeans up her legs. “You know,” she croaks, water still forming tracks down
her face. “I never doubted your feelings for me until now.”
My stomach flutters with panic as I watch her collecting her things. “Are
you leaving?”
She nods once but doesn’t look at me. “Yes, I am. I need some time to
think.”
Shit, she’s serious. No, she can’t go, I…I need her.
“Callie no, please don’t go.” I stutter, falling to my knees as she reaches the
bedroom door. I cling to her legs, holding her to me and hugging her thighs
like a scared child. “No Callie, you can’t go, please don’t.” My own voice is
pained, desperate, pleading with her. If she leaves tonight she might never
come back to me…I can’t even comprehend trying to live my life without
her now.
I peer up at her and her gaze is equal parts shocked and aching with
uncertainty. “What are you doing?” She says, her hands landing on my
shoulders.
“Begging you not to leave me, you have to trust me on this. I can’t lose you
Cal, I just…I can’t.” I croak through a bubble of my own tears, the water in
my eyes spilling over and Callie’s green orbs widen with pain as she tracks
it down my cheek.
“Stand up Sean,” she whispers and I sniff hard, wiping away the moisture
with the back of my hand.
She squeezes her eyes shut for a moment and then brackets my stubbled jaw
with her delicate hands, pulling our foreheads together. I breathe in her
heavenly smell, the scent that reminds me that I'm home, when I'm with her,
I'm home.
“I promise I’ll come back, I just need some space for tonight.” Her voice is
soft and warm when she speaks now, her breath tickling my lips as I lick
away a remaining salty tear that lies there and swallow down any more that
are threatening to escape.
Her thumbs find my under eyes like mine did her’s only minutes ago and
she wipes away any remaining moisture. “I’m not mad at you ok? I believe
you when you say you didn’t cheat on me, I…I trust you.”
The words that fall from her tongue make my heart melt into a puddle
behind my ribcage. I pull her chest to mine, hugging her tighter than I ever
have before and sinking my still wet face into her neck.
“Just go home for tonight, but please come back to me tomorrow. I need
you Callie, you’re the only person I’ll ever need.” I say into her shoulder
and I feel her arms squeeze tighter around my neck. I lift my face and hold
her gaze, locking our eyes together and deciding if I should say what’s on
the tip of my tongue right now.
“I can’t believe you still don’t fully trust me after all this time.” I sigh, “I've
been there for you through so much and it kind of feels like you have one
foot out of the door, waiting for me to fuck up.” She lets her hands fall from
my shoulders to hang by her side, letting out an exhausted sigh. “If you still
don’t trust me now, I'm not sure you ever will.”
She blows a tired breath and then brings her eyes up to mine again. “It takes
a hell of a lot for me to trust someone Sean, but I'm getting there I swear.
And I do believe what you’ve told me tonight, like I said, I trust that you
didn’t do anything with that girl.”
I nod and lean down to kiss her soft, pink lips, holding her mouth to mine
for a long beat before releasing her and watching her leave my bedroom. As
soon as I hear her engine roar to life and the sound dwindle away as she
drives off toward her dorm I sink back on my mattress, rubbing my jaw and
thinking about how this night did a 180 so fucking fast I feel like my feet
haven’t touched the ground.
I need to find out who the fuck set me up tonight and when I do, it’s going
to get messy.
Chapter 40

Callie

I don’t know why the hell I doubted him, I should have known it was a set
up or a misunderstanding like Sean said. He has worked so damn hard to
earn my trust over the months we’ve been together and how do I repay his
hard work? By doubting his loyalty to me at the very first hurdle we’ve
faced. I feel like shit as I twist my key in the lock, letting myself into my
dorm at just after 2am, trying to be as quiet as possible as I tiptoe down the
hallway to my room. I push open my bedroom door, the emptiness of not
having Sean with me sinking deep into my bones and making it’s home
there for the night. I’m desperate for sleep, my eyelids we’re dropping
dangerously on the drive over here and I feel immediate exhaustion the
second my head hits the pillow. Before I let my eyes flutter closed and the
heaven that is sleep take over, I shoot Sean a quick text.

Callie:
'I’m sorry I doubted you tonight, I should have known you’d never cheat on
me. I see how hard you’ve worked to earn my trust and I promise you it’s
working. Please don’t give up on me now.’
It’s mere seconds before my phone pings in my hand and I read Sean’s text
with a smile.

Sean:
‘I know baby, it’s ok. You forget that I know you, better than anyone and
that means I know when you’re scared. You can always tell me how you
feel and I’ll always listen, no matter what, but don’t close the door on me. If
I ever upset you, tell me and I’ll fix it, ok?’

Callie:
‘I will, I promise. I’ll call you in the morning.’
Sean:
‘You better. I miss you already, call me as soon as you wake up.’
I fall asleep clutching my phone, Sean’s words swirling through my mind
and allowing me to drift into a peaceful sleep.
Sean

“Is that blonde still there?” I say the second Kyle picks up the phone, the
noise of the bar in the background taking over his muffled voice. He
chuckles a drunk laugh. “Hello to you too.”
“Focus Kyle, the blonde, is she still there?” I snap, not in the mood for his
jokes after the night I’ve had. Someone manufactured this whole thing and
I'm going to find out who.
He pauses before speaking again. “Yeah, she’s in the corner with her
friends, why?”
“Give her the phone.”
“What?” Kyle squawks and I crack my neck from side to side, loosing my
patience by the second.
“Give her the fucking phone Kyle.” I hiss and I hear him curse at me under
his breath before muttering something I can’t hear to someone else. I hear a
girly sigh. “What do you want?”
“I need to know why you approached me tonight.” I say, trying to keep my
voice from wavering and letting the burst of anger fly out.
She sighs again. “Because I wanted sex.”
She’s an even worse liar than Callie.
“No,” I grit my teeth, forcing the seething anger to calm. “That’s not the
only reason. Did someone tell you to approach me tonight?” Silence. “Tell
me who it was.” I hiss and I hear her heels click clacking across the
laminate flooring of the bar. The music immediately muffles and I hear a
door squeak closed.
“I didn’t ask him why he wanted me to approach you ok? He said he’d buy
me a drink so I just did what he wanted.” She whispers, her tone tense and
nervous.
I gulp hard, the anger fighting it’s way up my throat. “Who was it?” “Do
you know Joel? Joel Steller?”
My heart beat kicks up a notch and I feel every muscle in my body go into
fight mode hearing that arsehole’s name. I hang up the phone without so
much as a ‘thank you,’ but I don’t care in this moment. All I know is I need
to get over to Joel’s dorm, right fucking now.
I don’t even know how late it is when I get to the five story dorm building
that Joel lives in, I only know this is his block because Callie mentioned
that he insisted on being in the building nearest to the football field and
having the number 48 on his door because it’s his lucky number. Fucking
weirdo.
On my way up to the fourth floor in the lift I flex my fist, knowing it’s
about to get some action, preferably against Joel’s face. I try to calm my
ragged breath but I just can’t, I’ve totally lost control and the closer I get to
his door the more animalistic I become. I feel like a tiger protecting his cub
right now, claws at the ready as I bang my fist against the door hard. The
sound echoes through the deserted hallway but the door swings open fast,
the smell of weed permeating the air around me as a cloud of smoke floats
out of the door and down the hallway.
“What do you want?” The guy on the other side of the door slurs, his eyes
have red rings around them and his irises are twice the size of a sober
person’s.
But I'm not here for him, the wide eyes of the guy I'm actually looking for
lock onto mine from the living room and before he can blink I'm inside his
dorm room. I grab him by the neck, smacking him into the wall and
pressing my palm deep into his throat as he claws at my hand. The
adrenaline is racing through my veins now and it’s like I have superhuman
strength as I hold him forcefully against the wall and lean into his face.
“What the fuck?” Joel yells, wiggling his legs and fighting to break out of
my tightening grip on his throat.
I crack my neck, feeling the heat crawling up my skin. “You know what,
I'm not even mad that you tried to set me up.” I say, watching his face pale
as the realisation of why I'm here sinks into his puny brain. “What I'm
really fucking mad about, is that you made my baby cry, you made her
doubt my feelings for her.”
“I knew that fucking slut wouldn’t keep her mouth shut.” He pants, still
clawing at the hand that’s trapping his neck against the wall. I sigh with
contempt, ready to leave this fucking weasel with one last warning before I
go. “Let me make this crystal clear for you, you’ll never have Callie again.
Doesn’t matter what you do to me, how much you try to destroy my
character, she’ll never want you.” I take my hand off his neck and he
coughs, gripping it with his own sweaty hands and panting like he’s been
held under water and only just allowed up for air.
I turn to leave, Joel’s friends are still wide eyed and silent as I reach the
door. “Oh by the way,” I say, turning my head back to look at Joel who’s
still holding his neck. “If you ever look twice at my girl again I’ll break
your neck.” I shake my head with a dry chuckle, “Sorry that sounded like I
was joking, I will actually break your neck.” I say, eyes darkening as I
watch him gulp hard. I leave, letting the door slam shut behind me and tap a
quick text out to my girl for her to read when she wakes up.

Sean:
‘It was Joel who tried to set me up tonight, but don’t worry, I’ve handled it.
Call me when you wake up.’
Chapter 41

Callie

I fly down the stairs into the entryway of my dorm and look out of the
foggy glass into the pouring rain. The water is pelting down, bouncing off
the concrete and making it almost impossible for me to make out where
anything is outside. I pull open the door, hovering under the canopy that is
sheltering me from the torrential rain as it batters the pavement and all of
the cars in the lot. I’m peering, eyes squinting as I try to work out if Sean’s
car is here yet when I hear a door slam and see him jogging through the
violent onslaught of rain towards me.
Why does he look so damn sexy just by existing?
He heaves a sigh of relief as he steps into the shelter that I'm standing
under. “Hi,”
I give him a timid smile and blink up at him. “Hey,”
His huge arms wrap around my waist and haul me gently into him before he
cocoons me in a comforting hug, breathing deeply into the warmth of my
hair and humming with satisfaction. I link my arms around his neck and
tiptoe to bury my face into his damp shoulder, his jacket is dripping with
moisture from the heavy rain but I don’t care, I just want him to hold me for
a minute.
“Joel set me up last night, he asked that blonde to approach me and then
took a photo. He wanted to make it look like I was cheating on you so that
you’d end things with me.” He murmurs into my neck and I pull away,
wanting to look at his beautiful, dimpled face. The hurt is clear in his eyes
like I knew it would be, the pain that I could believe he would ever do that
to me.
I always knew Joel was an asshole, but this really takes the biscuit, and the
worst part is that Joel was the one who ended things with me, not the other
way around. It’s like he’s just mad that I found someone who actually treats
me the way I deserve to be treated and now I'm out of reach for him. I sigh
and scrape my hair over one shoulder. “He’s such a prick, I'm sorry I
doubted you last night.”
He tucks one rogue curl behind my ear and I shiver at the way his finger
lightly brushes against my collarbone. “It’s alright baby, I know trusting me
is hard for you.” He breathes a weighty sigh, laced with exhaustion and
deep defeat.
I feel like shit that I’ve made him think I don’t trust him because I do, I just
have an automated barrier always at the ready to snap down and protect
myself from any sort of hurt. I have to try to explain this to him so he gets
it, I don’t want him to feel deflated, like his hard work is useless and I still
doubt him at every hurdle.
“That’s the thing though,” Sean raises his head as I begin to explain. “It’s
not hard for me to trust you. I don’t know what came over me last night, I
should have known it wasn’t what it looked like.” I breathe, bracketing his
jaw in my hands and running my thumbs across his dimples.
He quickly shakes his head and covers my hands with his own. “It’s not
your fault, if I'd have seen a photo like that I would have felt all the same
things you did, betrayal, hurt—”
I cut him off by pressing our lips together, taking his breath away for a split
second before he gains it back and cups my ass with both hands, squeezing
gently and swiping away at my tongue with his. The heat of his mouth, the
words he just said, the way this man understands everything that I'm feeling
without me having to say it, all makes me more sure by the second that I'm
deeply in love with him.
He pulls away with a deep gulp of air. “You know I'm trying right Cal? I’m
really fucking trying to be good for you.”
My forehead lands on his chest as he plants a lingering kiss in my hair. “I
know, I see it. I see everything you do, it doesn’t go unnoticed.” He pulls
my face up to look at him, brown eyes swimming with gratitude and love as
he glues me to the spot with his intense, yet soft stare.
“Good,” he smiles, dimples waving hello and making my knees weak. “I
would do anything for you, do you know that? I would crawl over glass,
walk through open flames, cut my own hand off.” He laughs and I copy,
sniffing back the tears of happiness listening to him declare his unwavering
feelings for me. “I mean it, I’d do absolutely anything.” I gulp down the
three words that are balancing on the precipice of my tongue and clear my
throat, raking a hand through my wild curls and looking past Sean at the
still pelting rain.
“I know the plan was to go for a scenic walk but…” I grimace as I watch
the rain splatter against the ground, puddles spanning across the car park.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea anymore.”
Sean barks a laugh and turns to look at the cinematic storm that’s quickly
growing. “Why? Nothing wrong with a little rain,” he turns back to me,
teasing grin out in full force. “Or are you scared about your hair getting
ruined?”
I smack his chest hard and shoot him an eye roll. “Let’s just go for a drive
instead.”
“Oh yeah?” He wiggles his eyebrows at me, a laugh bursting through my
lips as I look at his sparkling eyes, ideas of a sexual nature forming behind
them — which by the way, I'm fully on board with.
“Yeah big boy, come on.” I leave a pat-pat on his chest and take a tiny step
out into the rain, ready to sprint across the lot to his car.
But before my foot can even make contact with the soaking ground Sean’s
arm snakes around my middle and yanks me back under the protection of
the canopy.
“Have you lost your god damn mind Burch? I'm not going to let you get
wet running to my car.” He shrugs his jacket off, his only form of cover
from the downpour and hovers it over my head. “The only time I want to
see you soaking wet is when my face is between your thighs.” He smirks
and my body listens to his demand, pooling the moisture and radiating heat
right from the very spot he just mentioned.
Sean’s arm hooks under my ass and lifts me to his waist with one hand,
jogging across the car park with me clinging to him under the protection of
his jacket. He drops me on my ass into the passenger seat before running
around and climbing in beside me. Miraculously, I'm totally dry, Sean on
the other hand is dripping like a dog who just climbed out of the bath but
that doesn’t even slightly dull the breathtaking smile that’s covering his
entire face right now.
We must have been driving for at least an hour, chatting nonstop like we
always do and listening to country music, singing together at the top of our
lungs. Sean decides to pull over into the gravelly area of a country park that
looks pretty deserted. I know where his mind is at the second I glance over
at him, feeling the familiar tingling sensation as his eyes coast over my
body hungrily. I dive over the centre console, landing with my legs
straddling his lap and begin to attack his mouth with mine. His breath
catches in his throat before he sighs happily and sucks my bottom lip
between his teeth, nibbling gently and causing a wave of desperation to
wash over me.
“This isn’t what I,” he peppers kisses down my neck, “had in mind when I
said” he rubs his nose across my jaw, “let’s park up.”
Bullshit, this is precisely what he had in mind.
“Hmm,” I hum as his tongue strokes the sensitive skin behind my ear,
leaving goosebumps on every inch of skin it touches. “I think this is exactly
what you had in mind. Plus, I’ve been horny since last night.” When his soft
lips collide with mine again I feel more desperate than ever to have him
touch me, like really touch me. “It’s kind of exciting you know, doing it in
public.”
Sean’s fingers find my jeans zip and drag it down slowly, swiping his
tongue against mine. “Hell yeah it is baby.” He breathes, his voice so deep
and sexy it’s making my blood boil with desire.
His hand dips inside my underwear, the hot skin reacting immediately to
even the slightest touch from him.
He slips a finger inside me and I clench around him, a moan along with a
quiet, “Fuck,” leaving his parted lips as he circles my clit with his thumb.
Jesus Christ I'm not going to be able to contain myself for long, I can never
get enough of him. My back is arched, my legs still straddling him as they
begin to shake, the orgasm heavy in the pit of my stomach. I want to make
this last, to hold onto the burning, pulsating need as long as possible but
Sean has other ideas. He picks up his pace inside me, his finger dipping in
and out fast, the heel of his palm slapping against my clit. As I throw my
head back, panting and moaning, Sean’s mouth locates my neck, sucking a
trail of possessive swells up it.
Sean mutters a muffled, “My god,” as he watches me, his fist between his
teeth and his eyes bulging. “Come on my fingers Callie, right now. I shake
my head, eyes still screwed shut and neck craned backwards as I fight
against my impending orgasm. “No, not yet Sean,”
His hand is on the base of my throat immediately, pulling my face back to
his, eyes dark with dominance. “You fucking do as you’re told,” he growls,
Jesus, he’s so hot, “now be a good girl and come all over my hand.” The
two magic words are all it takes to push me toppling over the edge, the
orgasm crashing into me and knocking the wind out of me completely. I cry
out his name, grinding against his fingers and feeling the prickling moisture
in my eyes as the intense pleasure rolls over me like a wave. “You’re so
fucking pretty when you’re coming all over me.” Sean coos into my ear, his
hot breath coasting over my skin and making me tremble. “I fucking
worship you.” He whispers, sucking my earlobe into his mouth and forcing
me to collapse with pleasure filled exhaustion against his chest. When I
manage to catch my breath and look up at Sean he’s gleaming with pride
like he just accomplished something impossible, which is hilarious to me
because making me come is one of his more practiced hobbies.
I love when he looks at me like that, like I'm the only girl in the entire
world.
I unfasten his jeans and he wriggles them down his thighs, his cock already
rock hard and bobbing in front of me. I dip my head, running my tongue up
it and feeling his legs tense under me before I take the head of his dick
between my wet lips and suck gently.
“Fuck Callie, you’re unbelievable.” He groans, the back of his head hitting
the head rest with a soft thump. “You won’t be able to do that for long if
you actually want me inside you.” I smile around him and lap my tongue up
his length one more time, leaving an open mouthed kiss on the end for good
measure before adjusting myself above him. He grips my hips and slams me
down, forcing me to take his entire length at once. I choke on my own
breath as he lifts me again, pushing himself as deep into me as possible. I
take over the rhythm, lifting and dropping onto him, watching his eyes roll
back in his head and I know he’s already close.
He looks down at our joined bodies, heaving a rough sigh and digging his
fingers into my hips again. “Oh fuck yeah, that’s it Callie, don’t stop baby.”
So I don’t stop, I keep my pace, gripping his shoulders for support and
revealing in the sight of him coming totally undone inside me. His head
falls to my shoulder with a muttered curse of my name, arms circling my
waist as he comes down from his high. I close my eyes too and let my head
flop, burying it in his damp neck and feeling his thumping heartbeat next to
my ear. I feel the warmth of his lips against my neck, running along my
collarbone and sliding along my jawline before Sean lifts my chin with his
finger and our lips meet for a long, soft kiss.
Chapter 42

Sean

“So,” Callie says, landing back in the passenger seat and hiking her jeans up
her legs, hiding the wet patch that’s made itself known on her underwear.
Jesus, I swear I could fuck her again right now. “It’s less than two weeks
until Christmas break and you haven’t mentioned any plans yet.”
I haven’t mentioned any plans because I don’t have any, my parents are
away for two months and Lois is spending Christmas with her new friends.
It would be great if I could lie to Callie, I know what’s she’s going to say,
she won’t want me spending Christmas alone but I want her to enjoy her
break without worrying about me. The only problem is that this woman can
read my thoughts without even looking at me and she’ll know immediately
if I lie to her.
So instead I opt for a nonchalant shrug. “That’s because I don’t have any
plans baby.” I try to avoid looking at her but her beautiful green eyes are
like a magnet to me, so I reward myself with one peek and watch as her
eyebrows scrunch together in confusion.
“What do you normally do for Christmas break?” She asks, shuffling back
up on her chair and shaking out her bouncy curls.
“Well, normally I'd go to my parents’ house but they’re going to Italy for
two months.”
There’s the eyebrow scrunch again, this time she’s staring right at me
though, assessing me. “Did they not invite you?” She mutters, twisting in
her seat to lean back against the door, her body facing me.
I shuffle uncomfortably, having wanted to keep this piece of information to
myself. I should have known she’d prise it out of me, woman’s like a
bloodhound.
“They did invite me…” I take another peek at her and her softened features
make me want to curl up in a ball and die. I know what I'm about to say is
going to turn her into a teary mess. “But I said no. I didn’t want to be away
from you for that long.” My cheeks flush pink and I feel like a fucking
child, how is it she has managed to make me blush twice now since we
met?
Her warm palm lands on my thigh and she squeezes gently, sniffing hard
and gulping down those tears I knew would spurt the minute I told her why
I turned down the chance to spend two months in Italy.
She points her finger at me and twists her face into a warning glare. “Stop
that now.”
“Stop what?” I titter at her attempt to be stern, her tiny frame barely filling
the passenger seat of my car.
“Being cute,” she says, pursing her lips and trying to avoid joining me in
bellowing laughter. “Will you go to Kyle’s for Christmas Day then? His
Mum lives only a couple of miles from campus right?”
Fuck, this is the part of the conversation I was hoping to avoid. I shrug
again, hoping to convince her I don’t care about spending Christmas alone.
The truth is I do care, I don’t like being alone, especially not now I have
Callie. All I want to do is be within a metre of her at all times, preferably
touching her too. I know she loves me and she won’t want me to be alone at
Christmas but I can’t let her ruin her own plans to spend time with her
family. With her mum’s condition worsening it’s more important than ever
that she goes home for Christmas and I'm not going to let her worry about
me. I’m a big boy, I can look after myself. “Sean,” she says, nudging my
shoulder and waiting for a response. God this woman will be the death of
me one day.
“Nah I won’t go to Kyle’s, I’ll just stay at the house.” I murmur, keeping
my expression as neutral as possible until Callie decides to choke on her
own saliva and my eyes widen. I reach over to pat her back and she shrugs
me off, sitting up straighter and lifting her eyebrows high on her forehead in
horror.
“Alone?” She squeaks, “You'll stay at the house alone?”
She looks absolutely horrified at the idea of me spending Christmas alone,
which I fully expected. Back in the days when she used to pretend like she
hated me — all the while wanting to dive into whatever I was offering her
— she would have rather eaten broken glass than shown me this side of her.
The side I fell in love with, the way she cares so deeply about the people
she loves and the way she’d make herself unhappy before she saw me
unhappy.
I simply nod and her eyebrows shoot even further up into her hairline. “I’ll
be fine Cal, honestly.” I pat her thigh and turn on the engine which Callie
proceeds to reach across me and turn straight back off again. As hard as I
try, she’s not going to let me run away from this conversation. “Absolutely
not!” Callie shrieks and I purse my lips to contain my blinding smile. I just
love the way she cares about me so much, nobody ever has before her.
I shake my head and let a tiny smile slip out. “Baby, I'm a big boy, I’ll be ok
on my own for a week.”
She rolls her eyes in my favourite way and folds her arms over her chest,
pushing up her cleavage and giving me an eye full. “No fucking way Sean,
you can’t do that, you’re coming home with me.”
Ok, she’s officially lost her damn mind.
“What about Coach? Do you not think he’ll figure out what’s going on
between us if I stay at their house with you for an entire week?” She shrugs,
any air of worry gone. “You know what? I don’t even think I care anymore.
He can know about us, I don’t need to keep you a secret.” “Oh,” I smile,
heart thumping a 100 miles per hour. “That’s how it is now?” I take her
hand in mine and she scoffs but I can see the beam trying to break onto her
freckled face.
“Yeah Taylor, that’s how it is. I’m proud to have you, I don’t need to hide it
from anyone anymore.”
“Oh shit ok,” I smirk, smacking a kiss to her lips. “What about Lois?”
Callie’s hand slides out of mine and she tuts, quietly muttering, “That’s
different. And anyway, I think she’s pretty much figured it out herself after
you came riding in like a knight in shining armour when I was having a
panic attack.”
“Has she mentioned anything to you, asked you about us?”
“No,” she shrugs, “she’s been pretty good at avoiding any mention of you
during training.”
“Does that bother you?” I say, running my thumb along her jaw and
swallowing down the urge to suck her lips between mine again. She shakes
her head, curls bouncing. “No, I understand why she’d feel uncomfortable,
that’s why I wanted to avoid telling her.”
“She’ll get over it baby,” I tuck a curl behind her ear, “just give her a bit of
time to come to terms with it.”
“Yeah, yeah I know, just kind of sucks that she’s not talking to me much at
the moment.”
Note to self, tell Lois to stop being a bitch to my girl.

I feel like I’ve barely had chance to blink and it’s already Christmas break,
the light frost covers the ground and I have to walk like my legs are made
of wood so I don’t fall on my ass as I make my way to the car. My suitcase
is trailing behind me, the door handles frozen as I yank them open, listening
to the ice crack. I land in the driver’s seat with a shaky huff, I don’t know
why I'm so nervous to spend Christmas break with Callie and her family. I
mean, I'm very familiar with her dad — him being my coach and all — but
I’ve never met her mum and I'm desperate to make a good impression on
her. I have a taste of what Callie must have felt when she met my parents,
makes sense now why she was trembling with nerves during our dinner
with them. Also, the inevitable fact that Coach is going to find out that I’ve
been seeing his daughter in secret for months, I'm totally uncertain of how
he’s going to take it and I know Callie isn’t bothered about what he thinks
anymore but I am. I’m by far his favourite guy on the team, that’s why he
made me Captain and I don’t want that to change. However, in the same
breath there’s nothing I wouldn’t give up to be with Callie, that includes my
future hockey career.
I’m leaving at 7am this morning for what reason I don’t know, other than
the fact that I'm nervous as hell and I need to get to Callie as quickly as
possible. As soon as I'm with her I know my nerves will vanish into thin air,
seeing her smile makes my heart melt into a puddle and all other emotions
evaporate. Callie went to her parents’ house yesterday but I had to stay on
campus for an award ceremony that the hockey team host at the end of each
year. It was my first one and it’s normally something I'd revel in, going up
on stage and being the centre of attention but my mind could focus on
nothing but the fluttering in my chest when I thought about spending the
entire week at Callie’s house.
The drive goes by way too quickly, although I'm almost certain I’ve been
speeding the entire way, the country roads allowing me to press the
accelerator to the ground and get to Callie as quick as I can. When I pull up
on the side of the road — triple checking the address she sent me yesterday
— I stare up at the house, the moss around the windows, the little picket
fence and the thin layer of snow that blankets her front garden. This house
looks like something out of a fairy tale, the chimney puffing out smoke and
the thatched roof remaining me of the stories my mum read to me when I
was a little boy. I know Callie’s family don’t have a lot of money but this
place is breathtaking, like a story book house and I'm all of a sudden itching
to get inside and sit by the open fire. I walk tentatively towards the front
door, knowing already that I’ll have to duck to get inside, the door is no
more than 6 foot high and there’s no way I won’t have to crane my neck to
fit under the snowy canopy. My hand shakes a little as I tap lightly on the
door, praying my girl is standing right behind it, waiting for me to arrive. I
hear a muffled call and the padding of footsteps before the door swings
open and the one face I’ve been dying to see is in front of me, beaming.
Callie pants and smiles widely at me like I'm the best thing she’s ever seen
and I'm sure my face is mirroring her’s right now. She reaches for my hand,
pulling me inside and pinning my back against the front door. “Hi, I missed
you.” She whispers, pressing her warm lips against my icy ones.
“I missed you too baby,” my eyes dart around the room. “but maybe we
should ease your parents into the fact we’re together, rather than put on a
live porno show the second I step foot through the door.” I chuckle, my
heart beating hard and warming every crevice of my body now Callie is
wrapped around me.
“Nobody is home yet, they went to the shop to get some more food for
tomorrow.”
Oh, ok then.
I pick her up immediately, listing to her squeal with childlike joy and
carrying her up the stairs over my shoulder, using my nose to locate her
bedroom like she used to do to me when we were first together. I push open
the squeaky door that screams ‘I'm Callie’s bedroom’ purely from the
gymnastics posters that litter the walls and I drop her down onto the bed. I
lay my body on top of her’s and breathe her in, her flowery scent mixed
with the general christmassy aroma of cinnamon and spices fill the air
around us and I feel strangely at home for a place I’ve never been to before.
“So,” Callie giggles, wriggling under my tickling grip on her waist. “Wanna
fuck before they get back?”
“God yes,” I groan, dipping my hand into her leggings and pushing my
fingers into her warmth.
Maybe this week will be better than I thought.
Chapter 43

Callie

Christmas Eve has always been my favourite day of the year, I prefer it to
the big day itself purely because I actually get to relax on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Day is always pretty chaotic, cooking with my mum, getting the
house ready for guests and throwing out the bundles of wrapping paper that
end up strewn across the living room floor. Mum and I have always baked
on Christmas Eve, she’d let me lick the bowl clean and I’d sit cross legged
in front of the oven, keeping my eyes pinned on whatever was baking away
in there. But this year is different of course, Sean got here yesterday but my
parents didn’t arrive home until late and by that point Sean and I were
already curled around each other under my duvet, eyelids drooping with
sleep. This morning though is quite different, surprisingly my dad hasn’t
even asked why Sean is here or why he slept in my bed last night. And right
now the two of them are lounging back on our sofa, hockey game blaring
out of the TV as they chat about things I don’t understand, using terms like
lip lettuce which immediately makes me want to close my ears for fear of
whatever the hell that means. I’d rather not know.

I’m in the kitchen with Mum, mixing a bowl of dried fruit into a blob of
much too sniff dough, watching in awe as Sean and my dad tip beers to
their lips in unison. The damp air around me is making my hair stick to the
back of my neck, the strong smell of baked bread and cinnamon laced
candles fill the house and I'm 100 percent here for it. The two men on the
couch have me in a trance as they comfortably laugh together, Sean’s taut
arm hanging over the back of the sofa like he’s lived here all his life. I’m
totally mesmerised by the two of them until my mum comes behind me and
gives my waist a loving squeeze.
“So that’s him then? The guy you were bawling over not too long ago?” My
mum wiggles her eyebrows and I stifle a laugh, all the while amazed that
she can decipher every thought that passes through my brain. I break my
fixed gaze from where it rests on Sean and turn towards my mum. “How do
you always do that?”
She pats the lump of dough on the counter, watching it wobble. “Mother’s
intuition baby, now spill, I want to know everything.”
I heave a sigh, one filled with equal parts happiness and exhaustion from
fighting against the ever growing love I have for this man. “Yeah he’s
just…” I turn my head back to look at Sean, his dimples deepening as he
laughs at something my dad says. “He’s everything Mum.”
Her hand lands on my shoulder as I tear my eyes away from Sean again. “I
can tell honey, I’ve never seen you so in love before.”
“Woah, I don’t know if I'm quite there yet Mum,” I hold my hands up,
watching her sly smile as she kneads the dough roughly, squashing it
against the counter.
Obviously I am there, I'm so fucking there and have been for a while now. A
quiet laugh escapes her and she shakes her head. “Oh honey, you’re so
there.” She lifts the huge blob of dough from the counter and drops it into a
mixing bowl with a strained huff. “And he is too, trust me.” “How can you
tell?” I say, taking another peek over my shoulder and immediately catching
Sean’s gaze on me. His eyes are soft, warm and comforting, watching me
like I'm the only person in the room. Mum shrugs and shuffles past me,
bowl of heavy dough in hand. “It’s so obvious Callie, just the way he
watches you it’s…”
“How does he watch me?” My eyes are still trapped by Sean’s, like he can
hear every word of our conversation his mouth turns up into a smile that
makes my chest thump.
“Like he’s waiting to take a bullet for you.” Mum whispers, planting a kiss
on my cheek and leaving the kitchen, oven whirring along with my mind as
I process what she just said. I’m not stupid, I know how Sean feels about
me, he makes it abundantly clear in his words and his actions. But that part
of me that always doubts whether I'm good enough for people is still
attempting to fight it’s way through the strong wall of self worth I’ve built
since being with Sean. The way his eyes are still locked on mine now only
confirms what my mum just said, he gestures with his head for me to join
him on the couch, shit eating grin still blazing a fire in my chest as I land in
the spot next to him. It takes my dad less than a second to pounce, his
demeanour changing when he spots Sean’s arm lift over my head and come
to rest across my shoulders, hauling me into his side.
His face darkens slightly, stress lines on his forehead deepening. “So, shall
we have this conversation now or after dinner?”
My words get stuck in my throat, do I just admit it straight away and deal
with his anger or try to deny everything and tell him Sean and I are just
friends? Luckily for me I don’t have to decide, Sean sits up straight, pulling
me up with him.
“Look Coach, I'm sorry we kept this from you, we should have told you
sooner but Callie was worried about your reaction. She tries so god damn
hard to please you and all she wants is for you to be proud of her.” He takes
a deep breath, his eyes flitting to me for a second. “But we are together, and
that’s not going to change.”
Wow, I think he took my breath away with that speech. Watching him take
control like that and stand up to my dad is so sexy, I just want to ride him
like a horse. My dad sits taller too and my stomach lurks at the possibility
of a full blown argument between the two most important men in my life.
“Well, I can’t say I'm not disappointed that you didn’t tell me sooner…” his
eyes land on me and I shrink into Sean’s side a little. “But I understand why
you kept it from me.”
Ok, what?
My eyes shoot up to my dad’s, his ageing features softening under my wide
eyed stare. “Really?” I croak and he nods with a small smile. “Wow, ok,
well…thanks.”
“Callie, you don’t need to be worried about telling me things, I won’t ever
stop you from being with someone that you love.” Sean and I tense at the
same time, the ‘L’ word rearing it’s head again and making us both shift
uncomfortably. “I need you to know too Cal,” my dad continues, not
sensing the tension thickening around us after he threw out the word love
like it was nothing. “I am incredibly proud of you.”
Jesus Christ my heart can’t take all this up and down, one minute it’s
beating at a normal rhythm, then it comes to a complete stop hearing the
word love fall off my dad’s lips so casually and now it’s beating at an
unnaturally fast pace. I don’t think my dad has ever uttered the words, ‘I'm
proud of you.’ Since the moment I was born he’s always been pretty hard on
me, expecting results and accomplishments to keep himself feeling fulfilled
as a father. But those words are pretty much all I’ve wanted to hear from
him my whole life, the weight that lifts itself from my shoulders hearing it
leaves me feeling like I might float away.
The tears prick against my eyes, stinging and I quickly sniff them away,
swallowing them down. “Thanks Dad, that means a lot to me.” I squeak as
Sean’s arm tightens around my middle, him always reading my every
emotion like a book.
Dad slaps his hands down on the arms of his chair and comes to a standing
position. “Right, enough of this soppy shit, let’s eat.”

Sean

“Ow,” I groan, rolling away from the annoying pointy elbow that’s burying
itself repeatedly into my side.
Callie’s mouth brushes over my ear. “Wake up please, I'm bored of waiting
for you and I’ve been awake since 6am.”
Jesus Christ, what is going on?
I peel my eyes open just as my brain manages to catch up and I remember
it’s Christmas Day, the best part being that I get to spend the whole day
with my girl. I roll back onto my side facing Callie, her eyes bright with
childlike excitement, a hint of laziness left in her slightly droopy eyelids.
“Merry Christmas Captain,” She smiles, her eyelashes fluttering and my
dick instantly hardens on command. He’s more awake than I am because
my mind is still semi conscious from being woken abruptly by my annoying
girlfriend a few seconds ago.
I raise my eyebrows, scoffing with disbelief. “Really? You want sex right
now? I literally just opened my eyes woman.”
Callie purses her pouty lips and my dick responds again. “No…I don’t
know what you’re talking about.” Her mouth says she has no idea what I'm
getting at but her eyes look sultry as hell.
“You called me Captain, which means you want me to break you in half
with my dick.” I laugh and she kicks her pointed toes towards my bruised
shins. I reach out and grab her ankle, dipping my face to her’s and brushing
my lips against her open mouth. “No kicking, you little shit.” I press a firm
kiss to her lips, nibbling delicately on her bottom one and eliciting a sexy
groan from deep in her throat. I’ve been waiting for this morning so I can
give Callie the present I’ve been hiding from her for the past week and
there’s no way I'm going to let my ever hardening cock ruin this moment.
Or her own constant horniness around me for that matter. “I have a present
for you.” I smile, landing a soft kiss against her cheek as I climb over her
warm, half naked body — that I'm trying desperately not to look at — and
reach into my overnight bag. When I locate the small, wrapped square I
look back at my girl, who is now sitting up, cross legged and scowling at
me.
“Sean Taylor,” uh oh, I'm in trouble. “I thought we weren’t doing presents.”
Her mouth is twisted into a frown and her eyes are snake like. I gulp hard,
momentarily forgetting that she’s five-foot-four and I can pick her up with
one arm. She’s scary when she gives me that look, the one that she’s giving
me right now. Luckily for me I know the real her, the one she can’t hide
when she’s around me, the soft, mushy one and I know all I have to do is
dig it out from under the fiery demeanour that she wears. I climb back onto
the bed, taking her face in my hands and forcing the fire to fizzle out under
my gaze. “So you’re telling me you didn’t get me anything?”
She stutters, looking away from me. “Well, no…I…I mean…I did but—”
“Exactly,” I silence her, pressing a fleeting kiss to her lips and stopping her
in her tracks. “So shut your pretty mouth and turn around.”
She grumbles something unintelligible but does as I say and turns away
from me. I pull the ribbon on the box, watching it unravel in my hand
before taking out the delicate chain and lifting it over her head, fastening it
at the back and pulling her smooth curls out from under it. She peers down
at it, twiddling it between her fingers whilst I hold my breath for her
reaction. My heart is pounding, nerves prickling the back of my neck and
making me sweat as I wait silently for her to say something.
“23?” She squeaks and I can hear the croak of the tears in her throat.
“That’s your jersey number.”
I grip her biceps and turn her back around to face me. “Yeah, now everyone
will know who you belong to.”
Her watery eyes widen with sarcasm almost immediately and I crack a
smile. “Who’s that then? You I suppose?”
I nod, my hand creating a necklace when I wrap it around her throat, the
’23’ charm dangling below it. “You’re learning, good girl.” I smash my lips
onto her’s, hearing her breath hitch as she climbs into my lap, straddling my
hips. “I’m the only one who gets to make you come,” I murmur against her
open mouth as her warm breath fans against my lips. “All over my face and
all over my cock.” Callie pulls away and takes a jagged breath, pulling her
swollen bottom lip between her teeth and looking down at our joined
bodies. “Are you turned on?” I whisper, wedging my hand between us and
cupping her pussy. The heat is pulsating from her, begging me to dive in
and steal a taste.
Callie takes a second jagged inhale. “Everything you say turns me on.” She
says with a wobbly laugh.
I take that as my invitation to move this to the next level, the level I’ve been
dying to climb to since the second I opened my fucking eyes and looked at
Callie’s sultry gaze staring back at me. I flip her over, our bodies still joined
together like magnets as I pull her shorts to the side and dip my hand inside.
I drag my fingers through the sodden mess between her thighs and she
claws at my back. Her back lifts off the bed when my fingers enter her,
sliding inside her effortlessly as she clenches her perfect pussy around me.
I could actually bust in my boxers just watching her like this. She screws
her eyes shut for a moment and then she tentatively removes my fingers
from her sopping heat, watching with a painfully turned on expression
when I suck them into my mouth.
“Wait,” she pants, still catching her breath from where I stole it from her.
“before we do that, let me give you your first present.”
“First present? There’s more than one?” I smirk, sitting up and readjusting
my cock as Callie bends over, showcasing her beautifully sculpted ass.
“Well,” she stands, a wrapped velvet box in her hand, not much bigger than
the one I gave her. “The second present is kind of for both of us.” She
winks and I bark a laugh, I like where her line of thinking is headed. I stand
up with her, approaching like she may have a rabid animal inside that box
she holds lightly in her palm. Her smile as she watches me take it lights up
my whole chest and I rip the wrapping paper off eagerly, my heart thumping
fast. I lift the silver, chain link bracelet from it’s velvety bed and clamp my
lips together, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “Callie…” I murmur and
her glistening eyes burn a whole through my heart, she’s so excited to give
this to me, something she knows I’ve wanted for so long. “You know I’ve
wanted this bracelet for ages.”
“That’s why I got it for you,” she says, her fingers lightly tracing my
forearm as I stand there, speechless. “Do you like it?”
My eyes fly up to her’s, catching her waiting gaze. “I love it Cal…but it’s
too much, how much did you spend on this?”
She rolls her eyes, wafting a dismissive hand towards me. “Just say thank
you Taylor.”
“Thank you baby,” I whisper, hauling her body into mine and squashing her
with a tight hug that likely blocks her airways.
When I eventually release her, watching her suck in a breathy laugh, I try to
resume my earlier conquest of breaking her in half with my dick. But Callie
has other ideas.
I try to slide my hand back into her shorts but she wags a finger at me and
pushes at my chest. “Hold on, I told you I have one more present for you.”
Before I have a chance to respond she whips out of the room like a gust of
wind and I'm left standing in the centre of her bedroom, my dick protruding
from my boxers. When Callie finally emerges, she’s wearing a white, satin
dressing gown, one I’ve never seen before and my dick that was quickly
deflating stands to attention again.
My eyes widen. “What’s going on here then?” I say as she leans against the
now closed door, her eyes hooded with seduction. I fucking love where this
is going.
Callie shrugs, a sexy smirk pulling at her lips. “You can unwrap me now.”

Fuck. Off.
“You’re serious?” I croak, my cock now straining against the cotton,
fighting to get to her.
“So serious,”
I practically sprint across the room to get to her, yanking at the silky tie that
keeps her body hidden from me and the second the dressing gown falls off
her shoulders and pools at her feet I'm totally gone. She’s wearing a white
set of lingerie, the lace clinging to the curve of her delicious hips, cupping
the swell of her breasts and drawing my attention to the apex of her thighs
like an ‘x’ marks the spot. I fall to my knees without thinking, this fucking
goddess standing in front of me is mine and sometimes I still can’t believe
that’s the truth.
“Jesus, you’re a fucking dream.” I whimper, biting my fist and blinking
faster than usual to make sure I'm not dreaming all of this. Just when I think
I couldn’t get any luckier with this woman, she goes and pulls something
like this. Callie puts her hands behind her back, crossing one leg over the
other and I look up at her, begging her with my eyes to let me have her.
“Do you want to touch me?” She murmurs, her voice so sexy, breathy but
teasing all at the same time and I'm fucking living for it. I nod, my throat
tight and dry when I try to swallow but Callie simply runs her manicured
nails through my mess of curls.
“Beg me then,” she whispers and my heart nearly burns a whole through
my chest, my dick following suit and trying desperately to escape. I force a
dry swallow. “Please baby,” I croak, “please.”
Callie’s finger lifts my chin, a flabbergasted smile splitting her freckled
face. “I was joking Sean.”
“I wasn’t, get your pants off now.” I groan, trailing my fingertips down her
milky thighs, stopping at her knees and making my way back up again.
Callie lets out a snicker and I gaze up at her again, inhaling her beauty, her
lightly tanned skin, her dusting of freckles, her bright green eyes that make
me want to collapse and die from their insufferable beauty.
This girl has me totally wrapped around her finger and she knows it. “Can
I?” I rasp and she nods quickly.
I know why she’s so keen the second I remove her thong, the scrappy lace
being immediately launched over my head to land somewhere on the
ground. Her thighs are practically dripping with need, the heat radiating
from her pussy, begging me to fill her. And trust me, I intend to do nothing
else for at least the next hour.
Chapter 44

Callie

“Callie? Can you hear me?”

“Yeah Dad, I can hear you. What’s up?” I mutter, trying to tie my shoelaces
as I wedge my phone between my shoulder and ear. He’s quiet for a
moment and I can hear him muttering to someone in the background, his
tone is making my stomach twist with nerves. I’m sure he’s talking to my
mum, whom I haven’t seen for the last two weeks since we got back to
Redwood after the best Christmas break of my life. I’ve been training all
day and my brain needs to rest just as much as my body, but I'm sensing in
my dad’s tone that he’s going to ruin any plan of relaxing that I had for the
rest of the evening before I have to drive four hours to the bottom of the
country.
“I think maybe you should come home for the weekend, just to spend some
time with your mum.” He mutters and I hear a door close, muffling my
mum’s irritated voice even further. I couldn’t decipher anything she was
saying, but I could hear the warning and frustration towards my dad in her
tone.
“I just saw her two weeks ago…” My words are coming out weak because
the truth is I'm scared. I’m scared about what this means, is he saying her
condition is worsening? And if he is then why doesn’t he just come right out
and say it. “Is Mum ok?”
My dad heaves a tired sigh. “No, not really Cal, she’s going downhill and
fast. I suggest you skip that competition tomorrow in Devon and instead
come here and spend the weekend with your mum.”
I’ve always known my mum was going to die from cancer, the doctors told
us the second time she was diagnosed that it was almost inevitable that it
would take her from us at some point. But when I saw her two weeks ago
she seemed in great spirits, full of life and bright sunshine as always. I
guess that’s the thing about cancer though, it can decide to ruin your life at
any given moment and you don’t always see it coming. My mum is also
renowned for pretending she’s ok when she’s not, putting on a brave face
for everyone around her and remaining strong even when she feels weak.
“Let me talk to her,” I rasp, forcing a swallow when my throat feels
unnaturally dry. I hear my dad sigh, but he knows I'm just as stubborn as my
mum so he doesn’t bother to argue with me.
The next thing I hear is a wet cough come through the speaker. “Cal, you ok
honey?”
I take a breath. “Yeah Mum, I'm fine. The real question is, how are you?
Dad said you’ve gone downhill and I should skip my competition this
weekend to come and see you.”
Another hard cough. “Don’t you dare skip that competition Callie Burch,
you’ve worked so hard with those god awful routines and you’re going to
smash them this weekend, no ifs or buts.”
“Mum, are you sure? I can come home and spend the weekend with you.”
“No,” she croaks, clearly her gravelly throat again. “You go baby, I'm ok
don’t worry about me.”
But I do, I do worry about her. I know she’s struggling and I can definitely
hear the change in her voice from two weeks ago when I saw her. She
sounds more frail, more damaged and it’s killing me to listen to. However,
just like my dad I know not to bother arguing with her, so I reluctantly
agree to go to my competition, promising to call her tomorrow night.

Sean

Bang, bang, bang. No answer…shit, did she leave without saying goodbye
to me? Surely she wouldn’t do that but I haven’t heard from her all day and
I know she was planning on leaving for Devon this afternoon. I press my
ear to Callie’s door, listening for footsteps, movement, anything, but all I
hear is silence. I try to call her, but her phone rings out before sending me to
her voicemail. Fuck, why would she leave for the weekend without saying
goodbye to me? That’s not like her at all. Did I do something wrong?
I’m wracking my brains for anything that could have upset her when I hear
a muttered, “Fuck,” from down the hallway. Callie comes stumbling around
the corner, four shopping bags overflowing with food dangling from her
tiny frame as she struggles against the weight to keep herself upright.
I rush towards her and take the bags from her arms. “Here baby, let me
help.”
Her hand flies to her chest in shock. “Jeez Taylor you scared me, what are
you doing here?”
“I thought you’d gone to Devon and not said goodbye to me.” I pout and
she strokes my prickly jaw, sighing.
“Sorry, no I wouldn’t do that. I’ve just had a shitty afternoon since I
finished training.” She unlocks her dorm and gestures for me to follow
inside.
I dump the shopping bags onto the counter top and follow behind her like a
puppy as she turns on the coffee machine, grabbing two mugs from the top
cupboard. I can sense the tension in her shoulders without even needing to
touch her, I can hear the millions of thoughts whirring around inside her
mind, I just don’t know what’s causing them.
I plant my hands on her shoulders, massaging the knots out of them as she
continues making our coffee. “Baby, what’s bothering you?”
She spins around, letting her forehead fall to my chest and blowing out a
sharp breath. “My mum isn’t doing well at the moment. My dad called me
this afternoon and said I should skip my competition to go home and spend
the weekend with her.” I thread my fingers through her soft curls as she
continues. “And that only means one thing…he doesn’t think she has long
left.”
Oh my god, I wasn’t expecting the conversation to take such a dark turn. I
bracket her jaw in my hands, forcing her to look at me, holding my eyes for
a moment before dipping my head and touching my lips to her’s. “Do you
want to skip the competition to go and be with your mum?” She shakes her
head, her hands lightly resting on my waist. “Mum forbade me from
skipping it, you know what she’s like, stubborn as hell.” “Like someone
else I know.” I smile and I see Callie’s mouth pull up at the sides.
She swats at me and turns back to the coffee machine, pressing the button
on the top and watching the steaming liquid filter into the mug. The
piercing aroma fills the air and I breathe deeply, trying to keep my mind on
anything but the fact that Callie’s mum could die soon.
“Do you want me to come with you this weekend? I don’t have any games.”
I say, tipping my face to kiss her bare shoulder as she mixes the piping
coffee and hands it back to me.
“No Sean it’s ok, but I appreciate the offer.” She smiles mildly at me,
fluttering her eyelashes innocently and I just want to stitch her to my skin
so she never has to be without me.
She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever known, she doesn’t need me but I
know I make her life better. That’s not me being cocky or arrogant either,
I’ve seen the change in her like everyone else has since she met me. But I
decide not to argue with her over coming to Devon, letting her have her
space if that’s what she needs, I know she’ll call if she needs me.

I leave Callie’s dorm around 8pm after cooking a meal for Molly, Anais and
Callie before they all make the long drive down to Devon. She’ll be back on
Monday after her competition weekend and I already can’t wait for her to
get back…maybe I have attachment issues, or maybe I'm just madly in love
with this girl. I don’t know how much longer I can wait to tell her how I
feel, the words almost tumble off my tongue every time I'm around her and
I can feel how close I am to just blurting it out one of these days. I’m
currently lying on my bed, one arm resting behind my head and the one
tapping away at my phone, watching the time tick by as I wait for my girl to
text me that she got to her hotel in Devon safely. There’s no chance of me
sleeping knowing she’s still on the road, the drive taking her just over four
hours which means she won’t arrive until after midnight. The time is
coming up for midnight now and I'm waiting with bated breath for her to
message me, telling me she’s ok and that she arrived safely. She’s sharing a
room with my sister Lois which I know she’s nervous about as the two of
them haven’t spoken much since the panic attack incident when Lois
inadvertently found out that Callie and I are together. I did text my sister
earlier this week to warn her about being nice to my girl whilst they were
sharing a room for the weekend. Did she reply? No, of course she didn’t,
she can be a brat sometimes but the truth is she has a heart of solid gold
under that tough skin of her’s. I’m just hoping sharing a room will force
them to reconcile and not let my relationship with Callie come between
what was a strong friendship.
Ping!
“Thank god for that,” I mutter to myself as I open the text message from
Callie.

Callie:
‘I’ve just checked into my room, Lois isn’t here yet so I think I’ll just go to
bed, the drive took it out of me. I’ll text you in the morning, goodnight. X’

Sean:
‘Oh come on, I don’t even get a tit pic before you go to sleep? I waited up
for you to make sure you got there safely, I think I should be rewarded for
being the best boyfriend ever. X’

A few minutes go by with no response and I assume she’s had enough of me

for one day and gone to sleep. But after a moment my phone pings again,
this time telling me I have a picture waiting for me. My cock is hard before
I even open it, eyes widening with disbelief when I see a full screen view of
Callie’s round, perky tits. Her skin is golden tanned, tiny freckles
splattering across her torso, up to the swell of her breasts. Damn, I just want
to suck her nipples into my mouth and feast on her soft skin. It’s going to be
a long weekend without her.
Chapter 45

Callie

Competition days are always go, go, go. From the second I open my eyes
it's an adrenaline rush, the flipping of my stomach as I watch my teammates
compete, the surge of endorphins when I land that difficult dismount I’ve
been trying to nail for ages. I love competing, it’s in my blood to be
ravenous for a win, claws out the entire time but also laser focus turned on
and able to think of nothing else but smashing my routines. I’m currently
top of the leaderboard, Anais nipping at my heels with only two points less
than me and Lois following after. The team event is not until tomorrow, so
for today at least I'm competing against some of my closest friends, but it’s
all part of the sport. We don’t take losing personally and learning to lose
graciously is a huge developmental milestone in elite sport, it’s just as
important as winning gracefully. I drop down onto the bench at the side of
the floor area, stretching my calves before I have to go and complete my
last and least favourite piece of all, vault. As I push my heels into the
carpet, leaning down and flattening my chest against my shin — that’s now
littered with purple bruises from falling off the bars yesterday — I feel
someone sit down beside me. When I glance up from my stretch I see Lois
fiddling with her fingers, biting anxiously at her nail as she watches the
scoreboard, waiting for the judges to determine her fate.
“You did well Lo, don’t stress.” I mutter, pulling out some tape from my
bag and re-strapping my ankle before I have to start my least favourite vault
move ever.
She’s still biting at her nails when I sit up straight, still feeling the very
heavy tension between us that I'm desperate to shift. When she got to the
hotel last night I was already sleeping and we were up and ready by 6am
this morning so I’ve not had chance to try and clear this stale air between
us.
“Lois come on, please talk to me. Look, I know you're mad that I'm dating
your brother but I can’t help it, he was going to have me whether I liked it
or not.” I try to hide my growing smile when I think about Sean, as always
he’s making me blush without even being here.
Lois’ score flashes onto the board, moving her into second place and her
face lights up along with a muttered, “Thank god,” before she turns back to
me with a deep sigh. “I’m not mad at you Callie, I'm just hurt that you kept
it from me.”
I sigh now too, knowing she’s totally right. “I know, I'm sorry. I just didn’t
want you to think badly of me for being with someone like Sean, who is
known for his hobby of flitting between women like they’re flavours of ice
cream.”
Lois titters. “That’s one way of describing my brother,”
“I really like him Lo, please don’t let this come between us.” She pats a
hand on my bare thigh and stands up, reaching her hand down to help me to
my feet too. “It doesn’t change our friendship Cal, I still love you and hey, I
guess one day you could be my sister-in-law.” She grins and my stomach
does it’s own little backflip. I’m not sure if it’s a good backflip or not.
“Erm, I'm not sure that’s on the cards just yet Lo,” I laugh and she nudges
my shoulder, gesturing to Ellen who is stood waiting for me at the vault,
hands on hips and eyes like a snake.
I huff and kiss her cheek. “Better go before Ellen gouges my eyes out.” Lois
pats my ass as I move past her, yelling after me, “Go and smash it Cal!”
Oh, I intend to.

I’m well and truly fucked when I get back to my hotel room and not fucked
in a good way like when Sean has broken me with his 9 inch dick. No, I'm
fucking exhausted, mentally, physically, emotionally. I dump my bag on the
ground, making a mental note to sort all of my sweaty shit out later and sink
back onto my bed. Lois lands beside me, pulling out her phone and
beginning to scroll through her messages from today. We both groan with
exhaustion, a hint of frustration laced through both of our guttural sighs
after the competition ended with neither of us collecting a gold. After I
fucked up my vault I was dropped to second place, Lois pushed to third and
Anais following in fourth. Ellen was pissed to say the least, but not as
pissed as we were at ourselves for not coming top of all the universities like
we usually do. My phone screen is filled with messages when I turn it on,
not having had chance to look at it since 8am when we started warming up
this morning. The first name I notice is of course Sean’s, I scroll through his
many messages of support from this morning, the latest one from only an
hour ago asking me to call him when I get back to the hotel. Just as I'm
about to hit the call button, desperate to hear my favourite voice, I notice
my dad has tried to call me a few times today too. My stomach sinks and
before I have chance to think too much into what this means, he calls again.
I answer immediately and can hear the thumping of my heart in my ears as I
wait for him to speak. “Callie why haven’t you been answering your phone?
I’ve been trying to reach you all day.” He says, so quietly it’s making my
skin itch with anxiety. Usually if I’d ignored his calls all day he’d be
yelling, scolding me for not being at his beck and call. But his voice is
totally foreign today, a soft, raspy sound there that I don’t think I’ve ever
heard before. I clear my throat. “I was at my competition Dad sorry,
everything ok?” It's not, I can already feel it deep in the pit of my stomach.
Then there’s a silence on the other end of the phone, a silence so heavy I
feel like it might crush me. I can hear him breathing, stuttering and uneven
as he waits, for what I don’t know but I can’t bear this any longer so I
mumble quietly, “Dad?”
He inhales a long breath. “Cal, I'm so sorry to have to do this over the
phone but…”
“No,” I gasp, my lungs closing in on me and my ears prickling with heat,
waiting for the words to fall from his lips, the words that will make me
want to curl up in a ball and die.
“I’m so sorry honey,” he chokes on his tears, “but she passed away this
morning.”
My ears are ringing, my head burning as the red hot flames crawl up my
neck like a wildfire, spreading to every crevice of my skin and lighting me
up like a house engulfed in flames. My eyes instinctively flood with tears,
my vision a total blur as they roll down my cheeks in a heavy stream,
leaving a trail of ice on my burning skin. I hang up the phone without
saying another word, grabbing my chest where it feels like my heart might
fall out of it.
Lois twists her face to look at me, seeing the tears and sitting up straight.
“Cal, what’s wrong?”
I collapse into her, gripping her t-shirt so hard I'm worried I might tear a
hole in it, she holds me as I weep and god, do I weep. I scream a low,
throaty bellow as she hugs me tight, my entire body feels like it’s made of
jelly, my legs and arms totally numb. When my mum’s beautiful, childlike
grin enters my mind is when I totally lose it, rolling away from Lois and
curling up in a ball, lying on the bed in the foetal position and rocking
myself repeatedly as I sob with pain into my knees.
How can this be happening? How can she just be gone? Just like that. I saw
her two fucking weeks ago and she was fine! I don’t understand, I don’t
understand anything right now.
I don’t know how long I'm in that position but I do hear my phone ringing
on repeat for what feels like days. When I finally feel able to lift my head
from where it’s almost crusted to the pillow with tears, I see Lois sitting on
the other side of the hotel room drinking a glass of water and watching me
like a hawk.
When our eyes meet she stands up and approaches me, tenderly laying her
hand on my arm as I sniff with the still trickling tears. “Callie, I'm so sorry,
I saw the text from your dad when you were asleep.” Did I sleep? I don’t
remember sleeping. “He’s tried to call you…so has Sean.”
Sean. I need him, right now, I need him.
I sit upright. “Where’s my phone?” I croak, my voice hoarse and dry. My
throat hurts, my head hurts, everything hurts, especially my heart. Lois
immediately retrieves it from her back pocket and puts it into my
outstretched hand. I nod in thanks and unlock the screen, finding Sean’s
number and pressing it with shaking hands.
Lois stands up from the bed. “I'll give you some privacy Cal.” She leaves
the room just as Sean picks up the phone, his voice full of pride and
excitement, the total opposite of how I'm feeling. “Hey baby, I heard you
totally smashed it today, I'm so proud of you.”
I can hear the grin in his voice and for a split second the usual warmth
spreads through my chest. Until the blazing fire returns and makes me want
to die again.
I sniffle, speaking through my tears. “Can you come here?”
He falls silent for a beat and then whispers, “Are you crying?” I hear him
shuffling around but I don’t respond. “Tell me what happened, tell me now
Callie.” His voice is stronger now, that usual protective instinct wading
through his deep tone.
I choke on my tears again. “My mum she…” God, I can’t say it out loud,
it's too painful. “She’s gone Sean.” I wail, dropping my phone onto the bed
beside me and burying my soaking wet face into my hands, sobbing loudly.
“Shit,” I hear Sean murmur, my phone still laying on the bed beside my
knee. “I’m coming baby, I’ll be four hours ok?”
He hangs up before I can reply but I don’t care, all I care about is that he’s
coming. I don’t think I’ve ever been so desperate to be in his arms than I am
now, I need him to hold me so tightly I can forget just for a moment that my
heart has been ripped from my chest and stamped into the ground in front of
me. I need him here and fast.
Chapter 46

Sean

Shit, shit, shit. My brain feels like there’s a cloud of fog hanging over it,
preventing me from being able to think clearly. I’ve been swerving in and
out of cars down the busy motorway for just under four hours now, my
satnav says I have twenty-five minutes to go until I'm at the hotel but I'm
determined to be there in half the time. I haven’t stuck to the speed limit for
more than five minutes of the entire journey here and yet the time seems to
be dragging by so slowly, it’s driving me fucking insane. Fifteen minutes
later when I round the bend and the hotel comes into view I feel my heart
beat normally for the first time since I spoke to Callie earlier. I still can’t
believe this is happening to her, my poor baby, all I want to do is wrap her
up and keep her heart caged in my own chest forever so nothing can ever
hurt her like this again. I slam my car door shut, sprinting towards the
double doors and walking straight past the reception desk. My face must be
totally thunderous right now, as the young, mousy girl on reception simply
watches me pass her with wide eyes, not even attempting to stop me
barging inside. I press the button in the lift, taking me up to the top floor of
the five story building and listening to the echoing sound of my feet
stomping along the silent corridor towards Callie’s room. I count the
numbers in my head, 104, 105, 106, 107, finally 108. I lift my fist to smash
it against the door but I stop myself, imagining the delicate state my girl
must be in and deciding a light tap will suffice.
The door pulls open just a crack and my sister’s face appears in the gap.
“She’s in a state Sean, she’s just been laying on her bed in silence, she
won’t say a word to me.” Lois’ eyes are soft with sadness, powerless to help
her friend and I consider reaching out and giving her a hug. But then I
remember my girl needs me and she’s waiting.
“Let me in Lo,” I half plead, half demand and she immediately nods,
opening the door wider and dragging me inside by the pocket of my grey
hoodie.
It takes me only half a second to scan the room and find Callie curled up in
a ball in the centre of the bed, just like Lois said. She looks like a small
child, holding herself together like her limbs might fall off if she lets go of
her vice like grip around her knees.
“Baby,” I murmur and Callie sits up fast, twisting her body around and
crawling across the bed towards me.
Her eyes are the first thing I notice as she scrambles closer, climbing me
like a tree and wrapping her legs so tight around my middle I can barely
suck in a breath. Her face is sunken, her eyes a deep purple underneath
from the onslaught of tears and I feel my heart breaking as I hold her,
hearing her sob uncontrollably into my shoulder. My solid arms encircle her
like armour, fighting to protect her from any pain she’s feeling.
Unfortunately that pain isn’t caused by something physical, something I can
fight off and protect her from, it’s emotional, it’s in her heart and all I can
do is hold her. Knowing I can’t take away this pain for her is the most
difficult part, every one of my instincts is screaming at me to do something,
stop this feeling for her and take it for myself, but I can’t. I sigh into her
neck, breathing in her warmth and her flowery scent, the thick sadness
hanging over us.
“Baby, I'm so, so, sorry.” I whisper, so only she can hear.
She gives me a tighter squeeze, her arms clasped around my neck and her
face nuzzling deeper into my shoulder as her gut wrenching sobs continue. I
must hold Callie like that for at least half an hour before carrying her over
to the bed and laying down behind her, stroking her hair in a robotic motion
as I try to collect my scattered thoughts. Her sniffles quiet down after a
while and I pepper light, barely there kisses on the back of her neck and
shoulder, wrapping my body around her’s as her breathing deepens and
slows. When I know she’s deep in sleep I get up, Lois still hovering on the
chair in the corner of the room, pretending to be engrossed in her phone
when I know she’s really been watching me in awe since I got here. Lois
sighs. “She’s broken isn’t she?” She whispers, tilting her head towards my
sleeping girl.
“Yeah, she is. But I’ll fix her, don’t worry.” I murmur, heading for the door,
desperate for a breath of cold air in my lungs.
“Hey Sean, can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” I whisper, conscious of waking Callie if we talk too loudly. Lois
swallows, like she’s nervous. “Are you serious about her?” I nod
immediately. “Yeah, I am—”
“Because if you’re just fucking around,” she interrupts me, pointing a
warning finger in my direction.
“I’m in love with her Lo…” I look back at Callie, curled up like a sleeping
kitten. “Like I'm really fucking in love with her.”
“Well, good. Because she may act like an angry cat most of the time but
inside she’s very squishy and vulnerable.” Lois still has a warning glare
plastered on her face which only makes me chuckle, these two tiny women
love to give me shit and act like they could pin me to the ground when we
all know I could pick them both up with one pinky finger.
“I know Lo, I’ve seen every side of her and that’s why I can’t leave the girl
alone, I'm obsessed.”
“Have you told her that you love her?”
I shake my head, eyes falling to the ground with embarrassment. “No, not
yet. I wanted to wait until she was ready, I'm still not sure she’s there yet.”
Lois snorts a quiet laugh behind her hand. “You stupid fucker,” she laughs
again. I would consider smacking her if she wasn’t a girl. “She’s obviously
in love with you too.”
Lois isn’t the first person to say how obvious mine and Callie’s feelings are
for each other, maybe we’re both being stupid, like we’re scared of three
little words. Well, I'm not scared of them, I'm fucking dying to say them to
her, say them with my whole chest and mean every single syllable. But I
know Callie was reluctant to give me a chance when we met and I’ve spent
our whole time together doing all I can to prove that I can be good for her,
to prove that I can commit to one woman, if that woman is Callie. Lois
sighs and stands up, planting a hand on my shoulder. “Sean, you’re the only
person she wanted today, she didn’t want me or Molly or her dad…only
you.” Lois smiles tenderly and my heart pounds with excitement. “Trust
me, she’s in love with you.”
Well shit, my little sister is smarter than I thought. Maybe Callie and I are
both holding back for no reason, why can’t we both be honest about our
feelings for each other? I know it's fear on her part, fear of rejection and
eventual abandonment. But for me it’s been about patience, or so I thought.
I thought I was waiting for Callie to be ready but maybe that’s been my
mistake all along, maybe she’s needed the reassurance of me telling her I
love her first, for her to feel confident enough to say it back. I’m going to
tell her, not right now when she’s grieving but when she’s feeling more like
herself again, I'm just going to say it. I’m going to tell her how every time I
look at her my heart flutters, every time she laughs or smiles my chest feels
tight and how I love her with my entire being. I’ll tell her how I’ve never
loved anyone before and I will never love anyone else the way I love her.
Chapter 47

Callie

I’m pretty sure my heart is no longer in my body, I don’t know who has it
but it’s certainly not me. I hope to god it’s Sean because at this point I'm
almost certain he’s the only one who can take care of it and stop it from
shattering into a thousand pieces. Maybe it’s already shattered, I don’t
fucking know, I don’t know anything right now other than the intense,
aching pain I feel in the centre of my now empty chest and the desperation I
feel to be attached to Sean at all times. It’s the only thing keeping me in one
whole piece, having him hold me is the only thing that is stopping me from
totally falling apart and considering things I’ve never dreamt of doing
before, none of them good.
When I peel open my dry eyes, squinting under the much too bright light of
the hotel room, the first thing I notice is the piercing coffee aroma that’s
invading my nostrils. Usually I’d be straight out of bed and hunting for the
source of the mouth watering smell, but today all I can feel is the cold spot
behind me where Sean was. I flip myself over, scanning my aching eyes
across the small hotel room and thankfully I spot him quickly before the
panic sets in. He’s sitting in the chair that Lois made her home in last night,
his caramel eyes full of worry as he rubs the back of his neck, muttering
quietly as he talks on the phone. I clear my throat and his eyes spring up to
meet mine, softening with empathy as he takes in my dishevelled look, my
face twisted into a painful frown.
“I gotta go, I’ll call you back when I’ve spoken to her.” He mutters and
places the phone — which I now see is mine — onto the desk he’s sitting
next to, rising to his feet and coming to land next to me on the bed. His
arms haul me against his chest, cradling me in his lap like a baby and I push
my nose into his hard chest, inhaling his comforting woodsy smell mixed in
with the coffee that floats around the room.
I swallow down the tears that are teetering on the edge of my eyes. “Did I
dream it? Or did it really happen?” I stutter, one single tear escaping down
my cheek and landing on Sean’s forearm.
He squeezes me tighter into him. “I’m sorry baby,” he sighs, dipping his
forehead to lean against my damp cheek as I sniff back the remaining tears.
I’m not going to spend all day crying today, I refuse to crumble into a total
mess when I know my mum would have hated to see me this way. The
irony is that I’ve known this day was coming for a while, I thought I’d
managed to get my head around it to some degree, but the way the news hit
me yesterday was like a fucking bulldozer falling from the sky. Luckily
Sean was able to catch it before it landed directly on top of me, crushing me
under it’s weight and taking me away from him forever.
Sean sits me up, my legs straddling his waist as he tucks a lock of hair
behind my ear tenderly. “Do you want to go home today? I can take you.”
He murmurs, thumb running across my cheekbones where the trail of my
previous tears still sit. I shake my head and he lets out a breathy sigh. “I
won’t push you Cal, but I really think you should see your dad.” I know
he’s right, the man is always right and he is one of the most level headed
people I’ve ever met, but I don’t know if my heart can take the pain of
seeing my dad today. I know it’s the right thing to do, we need to be a
support for each other in times like these but to be brutally honest I don’t
think I have anything left to give my dad. It’s not secret that the two of us
have never been close and just because we mended some bridges at
Christmas doesn’t mean we're suddenly going to be hugging and crying all
over each other. The only person I want to comfort me is Sean, he’s the only
one who can do it properly, the only one who actually makes me feel better
when I'm in his arms. But this isn’t just about me and I know that, my dad
must be broken too, just as much as I am. I feel a responsibility to be there
for him, unlike me he has nobody else to comfort him or be with him whilst
he grieves.
I sit up straighter, Sean’s hands running up my bare back under his t-shirt
that’s draped over me. “Ok, I’ll go, but I don’t want to stay overnight. I
want to go back to Redwood tonight, to see Molly and sleep in my own
bed.”
Sean nods. “Whatever you want to do baby, that’s what we’ll do. I totally
get it if you want to stay at the dorm tonight with Molly, I can drop you off
after you’ve seen your dad.”
I lift my head fast from where it had dropped into Sean’s neck. “You…
you’re not going to stay at the dorm with me tonight?”
I need him to stay with me, I can’t sleep alone.
“Oh, I thought you meant you wanted to just stay with Mol tonight,” a
small smile lifts his lips, “of course I'll stay with you, you know I never
want to be away from you, especially when you’re delicate.” “Hmm,” I
hum, burying my face into Sean’s neck again and letting him smother me as
he huge arms wrap around my waist.
The drive to see my dad is painfully long, mostly because I just stare out of
the window the entire way there, Sean’s hand running up and down my
thigh as he drives in silence beside me. I know he’s giving me the quiet
space I so desperately need to process everything that’s happened, I
appreciate it but I kind of wish he’d say something. I wish he’d rattle on
about hockey or his family or something that would keep my brain busy and
focused on something, anything other than the same sentence that keeps
spinning around inside it. I’m never going to see my mum again. “Cal,”
Sean shakes my shoulder gently and my eyes flutter open, I don’t even
remember falling asleep. “We’re here baby.”
Shit, shit, shit, I don’t want to be here.
I stretch my arms above my head, my spine cracking after sitting in the
same twisted position for hours. Sean’s hand finds my chin, raising it and
forcing my tired, sunken eyes to look at him.
“Want me to stay here so you can—?”
“No,” I cut him off, not needing to hear the rest of his sentence to decide
that I most definitely can’t go in there without him. “I can’t go alone.” We
walk up the cobbled path together, Sean’s large hand enclosing mine in it’s
warmth before his other fist lands with a soft thump against the front door. I
feel like I'm holding my breath when the door finally creaks open, my dad’s
sullen face appearing behind it. He gestures for us to enter, not saying a
word and closing the door with a click behind us. My hand tightens around
Sean’s, our fingers interlocked in a unbreakable hold as I watch my dad
shuffle uncomfortably, not knowing what to say. I get it, I don’t know what
to say either, so instead I peel my hand out of Sean’s and take a few steps
across the hallway to my dad. I hook my arms around his neck and hug him
tighter than I ever have before. To my surprise I feel his arms around my
middle without hesitation, holding me close to him. A spluttered sob cracks
through his throat and my own dam bursts before I can stop it, now here we
are doing exactly what I said we never would, holding each other and
crying. The shared grief is like a magnet between us that never existed
before, something drawing us to each other, the way we empathise with
how the other one is so utterly broken as ourselves. We hold each other for
a long minute before breaking apart, the second we let go of each other I
immediately gravitate back to Sean, nuzzling into his side and dipping my
hand under the back of his t-shirt, planting it firmly against his warm skin
as he drops a kiss to the crown of my head. “Do you guys want to stay for
dinner? I can order a takeout?” Dad sniffs, wiping his wet eyes roughly with
the back of his hand.
I nod, looking up to Sean who is smiling tenderly down at me. “Yeah, sure
Dad,”
My dad nods, a warm smile tipping his lips although he keeps his eyes on
the ground. “Great, let’s sit.”
I look to Sean for reassurance again and as usual he’s already looking down
at me, his chocolate gaze fixed on me like I'm the only thing he sees.
“You’re everything to me,” he whispers, eyes locked onto mine as I stand
there speechless for a moment, my heart faltering under his intense stare.
Sean’s face splits into a bright grin and his hand lands on my lower back,
steering me after my dad towards the living room. My heart flutters when I
replay his words in my head and I want to shout how much I love him from
the rooftops, but I guess today isn’t the day for that when the crack that split
my heart yesterday is far from healed. The first thing that hits me as Sean
and I land on the sofa is the strong smell of my mum in here, maybe this is
where she was the other day when my dad called and I could hear her
scolding him in the background. I feel the tears pricking my eyes again but I
force them back down, drowning them and forcing a sad smile onto my face
as my dad makes eye contact with me for the first time since we got here.
“Is there anything you need me to help with, like with the…the funeral?” I
croak, swiping at the moisture pooling in my eyelids.
Fuck, how I am supposed to go to the funeral?
Sean, reading my mind as usual, gives my thigh a reassuring squeeze. “I
can deal with that stuff, you both need to take some time to be with your
feelings, let me handle the admin.”
I take his hand in mine and let my body fall to the side, cuddling into him
when his arm comes around me as my dad watches with a smile. “Keep a
tight hold of that,” he gestures to the two of us, “both of you. I hope you
both know how lucky you are to have found each other, don’t take it for
granted.” He sighs, the sullen look weakening his usually hard exterior as
he reaches for the remote, turning on the TV and filling the heavy silence.
Chapter 48

Sean

We don’t arrive at Callie’s dorm until almost 11pm, the silent walk down
the hallway is making me itch with the urge to say something, but I don’t
know what to say or if I should even be speaking right now. These past two
days have likely been the hardest of Callie’s life and I'm not sure whether I
should be keeping quiet, giving her the space to be inside her own head or
trying to drag her back to earth with me by keeping her mind distracted. I
take hold of her hand as she twists her key in the lock and she flashes me a
quick, forced smile. As the door creaks open Molly jumps up from the sofa
immediately, her eyes wide with worry for her best friend as the blankets
she was wearing tumble to the ground.
Molly takes two long strides across the room to Callie. “Oh Cal,” she tips
her head in sympathy and Callie blubbers, spluttering and trying to hold
back the assault of more tears, but she can’t hold them in and she bursts.
Molly hauls her into a hug, rubbing her back and squeezing her tight as she
cries.
“I’m so sorry Cal, I'm so sorry.” She murmurs, holding my girl tightly as
she fights to control her tears. I want to reach over there, take her back and
be the one to hold her when she cries but I know she needs this moment
with her best friend, the one who was here long before me. When they
eventually pull away, Molly rubs her thumbs under Callie’s eyes, mopping
up the moisture and cradling her face between her manicured hands. “I love
you, anything you need you let me know ok?” Molly says softly and Callie
nods in response, swiping the back of her hand across her tear streaked face.
Callie sniffs. “Thanks Mol, I love you too.” She whispers dryly, her throat
tight and hoarse. “I’m going to my room.”
I nod when she twists her face to look at me, trying to force a smile of my
own for her sake before she picks up her bag and trundles off down the
hallway, her shoulders low.
I sink down onto a barstool and let my head fall into my hands. “Jesus
Christ,” I huff, a deep sigh leaving my lips. “What a weekend this has
been,”
Molly slides a cup of hot coffee across the island to me and I return her
empathetic smile.
“I know this is a stupid question but,” Molly pauses, pushing her blonde
waves back from her face. “How’s she been?”
“Not great, as you can imagine, but she’s tough.” I sigh, sipping at the
liquid gold and revealing in the warmth trailing down my dry throat. “I
can’t believe you drove four hours to be with her when she needed you,”
Molly says and I look up at her again, her eyes are bright with gratitude this
time. “I mean, I know you’re like boyfriend of the year or whatever but…”
she glances over her shoulder, making sure Callie can’t overhear what she’s
about to say. “I think even Callie was surprised you came running the
second she called for you.”
I let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh. “I would have walked there if she
needed me Mol,”
Molly nods, face crumpling with deepening thought as she stirs another cup
of coffee that I assume is for Callie. “I’ll make your guys some food in a
minute, I'm sure you’re hungry.”
“It’s ok, you don’t have to do that. We actually ate with her dad a couple of
hours ago but maybe she’d like some ice cream if you have any.” Molly
immediately dips down below the island so she’s out of sight, rummaging in
the freezer before holding up Callie’s favourite ice cream flavour — cookie
dough — with a triumphant grin. She slides it across the island too, two
spoons following it’s path to me and I quickly pocket them. “You staying
with her tonight?” Molly says, handing me the piping hot mug of coffee to
take to my girl.
I nod. “That’s ok right?”
Molly smiles brightly at me, nodding too. “Of course it is, like I said,
you’re who she needs right now.”
Fuck yes I am, I fucking love that.
When I walk into Callie’s bedroom, coffee in one hand and ice cream in the
other, the spoons clattering around in my pocket, I see my baby curled up
on the bed. Her hair is sprawled out over the pillow behind her, emerald
irises hiding behind her closed lids as her chest rises and falls at a steady
pace. It’s moments like this when I just look at her and think, how the hell
did I get so lucky? From almost the first second I spotted her in that penalty
box it’s like I knew something was different, it was a different kind of
attraction, like a magnetic force pulling me to her. Then when she rejected
me I was even more hooked on her, desperate to change my fuck boy ways
and prove to her that I can be everything she needs. I just want to put her in
my pocket and keep her safe, I want to do everything life has to offer with
her, experience every new thing with her.
I sit down beside her, lifting her floppy arm and placing it over my middle
as I shuffle my own arm under her neck and bring her closer to me. She
stirs slightly, eyes fluttering open and in a groggy voice she whispers, “You
have ice cream?”
I breathe a quiet laugh. “Yeah baby, I have ice cream, you want some?”
“God yes,” she replies, sitting up and rubbing her tired eyes with the heels
of her palms. “You got my favourite.” She smiles, her freckled cheeks
drawing my attention as always, she’s so painfully beautiful. “Of course I
did…” I snicker, “well, Molly actually handed it to me from the freezer but
—”
“You would have chosen this flavour anyway, because you know it's my
favourite.” Callie cuts me off and digs her spoon into the tub of frosty
goodness, jamming her full spoon into her mouth and cringing at the cold as
it hits her tongue.
Her mouth is packed with ice cream as she murmurs, “You know me so
well and I love that.”
I fucking love it too.
Before I can even blink her lips land on mine, cold and sweet from the ice
cream and I suck them into my mouth, fighting my way in with my tongue
and lapping up any remnants of milky sweetness that’s left. She’s hungry
for me, probably hoping this will make her forget about her grief even if it’s
only temporary and I'm more than happy to help her feel good, even if it’s
only for tonight. Her hands are in my hair, pulling me closer, my own hands
in a bruising hold on her hips as I hoist her up into my lap. I feel like I
haven’t kissed her like this for years when in reality it’s only been a couple
of days, but she’s like a drug to me, without her I'm shaking with addiction.
The warmth of her pussy is apparent the minute she’s straddling my waist,
grinding on me, desperate for any kind of friction she can get as our tongues
battle for dominance. My palms slide up her waist, following the curve of
her torso before stopping on either side of her face and reluctantly pulling
her lips off mine.
“Baby, are you sure?” I pant, watching her eyes wash with confusion and
rejection. “I’m just checking you definitely want to have sex right now, I
don’t want you to regret it tomorrow.”
Callie huffs a laugh and pulls my hands from her face. “Don’t be ridiculous
Sean, I’d never regret it with you, no matter what the circumstances.”
Do I say it now? I really fucking want to say it now.
“Callie, I…”
Callie’s face twists in confusion again, but this time impatience is definitely
there too. “You what Sean? Come on please just say whatever you want to
say so you can fuck my brains out.”
I shake my head with a laugh and the urge to say those three words
disappears again, this isn’t the right time, it’s like it’s never going to be the
right time with this sassy mouthed girl I chose. Instead of saying anything
else I flip her over so her body is under mine, fully intending on doing
exactly what she wants, fucking her brains out. She claws at my back,
pulling my t-shirt over my head and launching it somewhere behind me. “I
need you to make me forget,” she breathes into my mouth as I run my palm
under her t-shirt and locate her hardened nipple. “Not forever, just for
tonight,”
I nod, inhaling her sweet smell. “I can do that,”
I hum as her hand tracks the length of my torso, dipping inside my grey
joggers and wrapping perfectly around my cock. Her palm fits over me like
a glove, slipping up and down in a motion that could easily make me come
all over her hand right now. But I'm desperate to be inside her like I always
am, so I pull away, sitting up and undressing as she does the same. We’re
like animals, ravaging each other’s bodies and taking exactly what we need
from the other. No matter how many times I fuck her, kiss her, hold her, it
will never be enough to satisfy me, I'll always need more. She rakes her
hands through my curls, kissing me hard as I line myself up at her soaking
wet entrance, running my fingers through her moisture and watching her
back lift off the bed with pleasure before I sink myself into her. She’s so
hot, so wet and the sensation is almost blinding, her pussy tightens around
me as I move in and out at a steady pace.
“Fuck Sean, that feels so good,” she wails and I cup my hand over her
mouth, her eyes pinging up to mine.
I clamp my lips together to hold back my laugh. “Molly is next door, I don’t
think she needs to hear that.”
Callie laughs too, for the first time since her life was turned upside down.
“But you do…need to hear that I mean.”
Fuck yeah I do.
I smash my lips down onto her’s again, slipping my cock in and out of her
faster, harder, everything she murmurs into my ear. Before I even have
chance to flip her over, push into her from behind and see the break taking
view that is Callie’s ass jutted up to the sky in front of me, I can feel my
dick twitch inside her. She drains me totally dry, her pussy squeezing every
last drop of come out of me and I collapse on top of her, taking only a
moment to catch my breath before lowering myself down to her still
dripping pussy. Her own wetness isn’t the only thing seeping out of her now
though, so I grab a tissue and clean the mess up that I made inside of her.
She tries to sit up but I push her back down, confusion washing over her
beautiful, freckled face.
“You think I'm going to just please myself and forget about the fact you
didn’t get to come?” I laugh, “Do you know me at all?”
“Oh,” Callie muses, lying back and burying herself deep into the mattress.
“Well, in that case, go right ahead Captain.”
Jesus, I fucking love when she calls me that.
I don’t hesitate to tease her a bit, trailing my tongue around her throbbing
clit but not actually touching it at all, hovering over it, but never making
direct contact. After only a few seconds Callie is writhing under me and I
can see the growing frustration as I watch her, I know her next move before
she even makes it. She huffs and groans, reaching down to grab a fistful of
my hair and stuff my face between her thighs. I stifle a laugh and get to
work pleasing her, lapping my tongue up and down, sucking her pulsing clit
between my lips and tasting her sweetness, revealing in the way only I can
make her feel.
Her thighs wrap around my face and she groans, “Sean, I’m…I'm…” I slap
my hand over her mouth again. “Come on baby, let me taste you.” That’s all
I need to say for her to be coming all over my tongue as I lick her clit,
soothing to burn from all the nipping and sucking that I did to send her
toppling over the edge, watching the orgasm drown her. All I want to do
now is wrap my body around her, nuzzle my face into her warm neck and
wait for her to fall asleep buried in my chest. Callie has the exact same idea
as she twists around to face me, curls tickling my stomach as she sinks her
face into me, breathing softly and after only a few minutes she’s taken deep
into sleep where I soon follow.
Chapter 49

Callie

Molly has already left for practice when I wake up and make my way out
into the kitchen, leaving Sean asleep in my bed. He has to leave today, I
know he does and yet he hasn’t mentioned it at all. I’m dreading it, him
being gone for a whole month, especially now when I need him more than I
think I ever have before. But I have to be strong, keep going on my own
and not let myself crumble into a million pieces on the ground when he’s
not around.
I turn on the coffee machine, the familiar whirring sound blurring the
thoughts spinning around in my mind, the coffee smell invading my senses
and bringing a wash of peace with it for a moment. Through the noise of the
machine I don’t hear the padding of Sean's footsteps as they approach me
from behind, so when his huge arms come around my waist I jump a little,
before letting out a relieved breath when his usual woodsy scent cocoons
me.
He plants a kiss in the crook of my neck. “Morning beautiful, how are you
feeling?”
“You know what? I’m actually feeling ok,” I murmur, pouring the coffee
into two mugs and watching the steam billow up towards the ceiling. Sean’s
hands slip down to my hips, holding me tightly and tilting his face around
to peck my lips softly before taking the coffee from my hand and sipping at
it. I turn around to watch him, mesmerised as always by the way his bare
torso contracts, the way his dimples deepen when he catches me looking at
him and the way his v-shaped pelvis points towards my favourite part of his
body that hides under his grey track pants. “What time do you have to
leave?” I say, a hint of moisture pooling in my eyes at the thought of him
going and not being able to see him for a month. He sips at his coffee again
and watches me with an uncertain look in his eye.
“I don’t have to go,” he finally says, “I can stay here, if you need me.” His
voice is so smooth, so sure of what he’s offering but he should know me
better than that by now, I’d never ask him to miss his most important games
of the season for me.
I shake my head immediately. “No, you’re going. So what time do you need
to leave?”
He’s still watching me as he drinks, his eyes never leaving mine like he’s
trying to read my mind as to whether I mean what I say. Of course I’d love
him to stay here with me, he’s like my anchor, holding me down when I feel
like my soul is floating away from me. But I also know how amazingly
talented he is on the ice and how his team rely on him to lead them. He’s so
good at what he does and I'm so fucking proud of him it hurts, so there’s no
way on earth I'm going to ask him not to leave, even though my heart is
screaming at him to stay.
Sean sighs and puts down his now empty mug in the sink, brushing past me
and muttering, “I have to go at 8am, we have a long drive.” He leaves the
kitchen without another word and a sinking feeling makes itself known in
my stomach, is he mad at me? Does he want me to ask him to stay? I follow
after him, pushing open the bedroom door and watching him shove last
night’s t-shirt over his head.
“Are you mad at me?” I squeak and his eyes spring up to mine, eyebrows
scrunched tightly in confusion.
“What? No, baby, why would I be mad at you?” He stands up and moves
towards me, collecting my curls and bringing them to hang down my back.
I shrug. “I don’t know, it just kind of felt like I upset you a minute ago.”
“No, you didn’t upset me, I just really don’t want to leave and I was kind of
hoping you’d ask me to stay so I had an excuse not to miss you like crazy
for the next month.”
“I mean, of course I don’t want you to go Sean but…” I look into his
caramel eyes, all of his feelings so clear as they pour out of him and I
consider just screaming how much I love him right into his face. “I’ll miss
you so much,” I run my thumbs along his jaw, the scratchy bed of stubble
making my fingers itch. “But you have to go, your team need you and
hockey is important you.”
“Not as important as you Callie,” he shakes his head, his warm palms
covering mine on his cheeks. “No where fucking near as important as you.”
He takes a long breath, pressing his lips to mine for a long beat and then
collecting his car keys from my side table. “I better leave in a minute, I
have to go home and get all my stuff together before I have to meet the
team at the rink.”
Oh god, he’s leaving already.
“Ok, well call me when you get there ok?” I sigh, already fighting off the
tears that I'm desperate to stop from spilling.
I know it will only make it harder on Sean if he sees me upset at him
leaving, even though inside my heart is dying at the thought of not having
him hold me for four long weeks.
“I will,” he brackets my jaw again, “and Callie, if you need me to come
back, you call.”
I let my eyes flutter closed, mainly to stop the tears from spilling and giving
away how much I fucking hate this. “I won’t ask you to come back Sean.”
“Cal,” he huffs, shaking his head with exasperation. “Just nod for yes.” He
smiles and I can’t stop the airy laugh that leaves my lips as I nod, doing as
I'm told for once.
Sean’s dimples deepen and I want to run my fingers over them, but I'm only
making this harder for both of us, so instead I let him lead me by the hand
towards the front door, where he shoves his feet into his shoes and steps out
into the silent hallway.
He turns back to face me, his own expression sullen. “Ok, well, I guess I’ll
see you in a month then.”
He leans his face down to mine, ghosting over my lips for a moment before
they crash down onto me. The kiss is intense to say the least but not in a
sexual way, it’s like everything we both want to say but are too scared or
stubborn to, is poured into this kiss. His strong hands are around my waist,
holding my body to his like a puzzle piece, lifting my feet slightly off the
floor so we're on an equal level. His lips are so soft, so comforting as they
move methodically against mine and I never want to stop…but I know we
have to, so I reluctantly pull away after a long moment. “I’ll call you
tonight,” I say, swallowing the words I'm so desperate to launch at him.
Sean nods and turns to leave, planting one last fleeting kiss against my lips.
As I watch him get closer to the stairs I feel a heavy weight settle in my
chest, like my heart is saying, “What the fuck are you doing?” Sean has
been my absolute rock this weekend, he’s done anything and everything he
ever could to make me happy, to support me through thick and thin and I
can’t even be honest about how I feel towards him. I’ve never loved him
more than in this moment and that’s why my heart takes over before my
head can catch up.
“Sean!” I yell after him, even though he’s no more than 10 metres away
from me.
He spins around, his eyes sad, his face drooping with the longing to stay.
This is it, I have to say it now, I have to tell him.
I take a jagged inhale. “I love you.”
Sean’s expression immediately transforms to one of surprise, but his eyes
soften and for a moment I think he’s going to cry, meanwhile I'm holding
my breath for him to say something. This will be the moment when I know
for sure, he’ll either reject me and everything I’ve been scared of happening
since I met him will come crashing down on me. Or he'll tell me that he
loves me too, I don’t know what I’ll do if he just walks away. “I love you
Cal,” he says, his expression pained as he marches back to me, hauling me
up into his arms and hugging me so tightly I can barely breathe.
But you know what, I don’t fucking care, all I wanted was for this man to
love me as much as I love him and now I’ve heard the words leave his lips I
feel like my knees might buckle from the relief. He didn’t reject me, he
loves me too. My head and chest feel so light as he holds me there, his face
in my neck, his arms around my middle as I wrap my legs around his waist
like a vice, never wanting to separate myself from him.
Sean lifts his face from my neck, his features still warm and soft. “One kiss
Callie, that’s all it took.” His face crinkles into a smile. “One kiss and I was
done, I was yours forever.”
My heart feels like it might burst out of my chest right now.
“Forever…” I muse, pursing my lips to hide my growing smile. “That
sounds nice.”
Sean's face cracks in two, the full force of his dimpled grin hitting me right
in the chest. “Hell yeah it does.” He presses a tight kiss to my lips and then
smacks another to my cheek before grinning at me again. “I can’t believe
you love me,”
I roll my eyes and wriggle down from his body like a tree. “Yeah, well,
don’t keep going on about it or I’ll take it back.” I fucking love teasing him.
“Nu-uh,” he wags a playful finger at me, “no take backs.” He strokes my
cheeks with his rough hands and plants one more lingering kiss to my lips.
“Ok, I really have to go now before Coach screams at me for being late.” I
nod, still not wanting him to leave but not being able to ignore the way my
whole body now feels lighter than before, when I was carrying around my
love for Sean but never letting him have any of it.
“Ok, I love you, be safe.” I sigh and his face splits again, bright smile
almost blinding me.
He blows out a sharp breath. “I’m never going to get tired of hearing you
say that,” he leaves a kiss on my temple. “I love you too by the way, incase
you were unsure about that.” I press my lips together to stop my laugh as he
turns to walk away.
“Don’t finger yourself too much whilst I'm gone.” He warns as he reaches
the staircase that will take him away from me for a month.
“Oh, I will.” I say, wiggling my eyebrows and electing another deep laugh
from Sean.
He shakes his curls, looking at me once more. “I know you will, at least
film it and send it to me so I have some good jerk off material.” I flash him
a wink and he leaves, his panty dropping grin and his godlike body
disappearing down the stairwell as the pit in my stomach widens a little
now he’s gone.
Chapter 50

Sean

Pretty much all I’ve done since I left Redwood three and a bit weeks ago is
mope around and think about Callie. Mainly just replay the moment she
finally told me she loves me, it was like the hallway started moving
underneath me when she said it, like my mind went foggy for a second and
all I could hear was a ringing in my ears. Her face was so vulnerable,
unwavering as she let those words finally fall from her lips like it was the
most natural thing in the world to say. I can’t lie, a few tears almost escaped
down my face before I collected myself and instead launched myself at my
girl, holding her to my waist and vowing to tell her how much I love her
every single day that she'll let me. It made all the months of waiting to say it
worth it, I'm so glad I let her say it first, even though I had promised myself
I would share my feelings with her once she was moving past her grief. But
it seems she didn’t need to wait, she was ready to tell me and she did, and
since that day it’s all I’ve been able to fucking think about. Luckily I've had
enough time between our hectic game and training schedule to call Callie at
least once per day, obviously texting her as much as possible through out
the day too but it’s nowhere near enough to satisfy the constant craving I
have for her. Being away from her for all this time is putting me in a shit
mood, the thunder cloud that’s started following me around is getting closer
to bursting every day and I'm at the point now of counting the fucking hours
until I can go home. I’m also stuck sharing a hotel room with Nick as Lewis
had to stay home, icing his injured leg and Kyle paid for his own room.
Snobby prick. We’re all praying we have Lewis back before the end of the
season, but I have to say, it’s not looking good for him.
It’s coming up for 9pm and I feel like a fucking zombie walking down the
hallway to my hotel room, Nick trailing behind me, dragging his bag along
the floor. The sound of the leather dragging across the tiles is making me
irrationally irritable and I have to crack my neck to one side, squeeze my
eyes closed for a moment in order not to punch Nick square in the face. The
second we step into our room Nick groans loudly and falls back onto his
bed. “Jesus, I'm fucked after that. Coach really spanked our asses after that
colossal fuck up of a game.”
He’s not wrong, we got our asses kicked by the other team today and Coach
didn’t hold back the fire when he got into the locker rooms after the game.
He totally let rip on us but I didn’t stand up to him like I usually would,
knowing he’s clearly still deep in grief and if he wants to take it out on us
then I'm happy to receive the wrath of his feelings.
“Maybe you should have kept your eyes on the puck then, rather than
constantly scanning the stands for girls you’d like to fuck.” I mutter, rolling
my eyes out of sight so Nick can’t see my distaste. I know, that would have
been me too not that long ago, but I guess I’ve grown up. “First of all, that’s
not what I was doing, I have a girl keeping me busy right now” Nick picks
at his fingers sheepishly, staying tight lipped about this mystery girl again.
“And second of all, you’re one to talk. Didn’t you get purposefully sent into
the penalty box when you first saw Callie, leaving us a man down?”
I huff a laugh and shrug. “Ok, you have a point.” I hate admitting when
Nick is right.
“Exactly, so shut up and sit down so we can play COD for an hour before
we both collapse from exhaustion.” He says, reaching for my controller and
tossing it across to my bed.
“Alright, your charming demeanour has convinced me. Let’s see if Lewis is
free to join too, the poor fucker has been in that house all by himself for
almost a month now.”
Nick nods, slipping the headphones over his ears and flicking at his
controller, starting a game for us and inviting Lewis to join.
“Come on man, you’re so fucking boring.” He groans after a moment and I
know before I put my headphones on that Lewis has joined and he’s likely
complaining about being disturbed again.
The man has done nothing but sit on his royal ass at home for the last three
weeks and every time we try to call or get him on a game with us he moans
that we are interfering with his ‘rest’ which pretty much includes him
jerking off twice a day and watching chick flicks on the sofa like a big girl.
“You two are fucking annoying, can’t I be left in peace for more than five
minutes at a time without you two boner killers calling me and begging for
my attention?” Lewis grumbles through the speakers of our headsets. I snort
a loud laugh, headphones now securely in place. “We’re not interested in
how many times you tug it per day Lew,”
He huffs something I can’t decipher before joining the game and quitting
his winging, the three of us quickly becoming engrossed in the TV screen.
After about an hour and too many animated bullets coming my way, blood
splattering the screen soon after, I'm ready to listen to my stomach’s
incessant rumbling and eat something. I slide the headphones off, getting up
from my cross legged position on the bed and stretching my aching
muscles, competing so many times in such a short space of time really takes
it’s toll on my body.
“Going to grab some food from downstairs, you want anything?” I say,
patting Nick on his tattooed shoulder as I pass him, making my way
towards the hotel room door.
“Just get me a burger or something please man, I'm fucking starving.” I nod
and leave the room, the door closing softly behind me with a click as I step
out into the quiet hallway and begin towards the lift.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and check my messages, I have one from
Callie that was sent nearly two hours ago.
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath as I read her words, telling me how much
she misses me and more importantly how much she loves me. I still can’t
believe she actually loves me.
I call her immediately but she doesn’t pick up so I shoot her a text back
instead, apologising for taking so long to respond and telling her to call me
back whenever she can. I of course tell her how much I miss her too and
how much I love the fucking bones off her.
When I finally get back to the hotel room my hunger pangs have been
overtaken by the tired mist that’s clouding my brain. I’m so fucking zonked
I can barely see straight and the worst part is that I still haven’t heard back
from my girl, maybe she’s mad at me for not replying to her for two hours
earlier. I couldn’t blame her if she was, as here I am checking my phone
every two-seconds to see if she’s responded to me. Each time I see the
empty lock screen my heart beats a little quicker with worry that I’ve upset
her and she’s sulking with me. Usually I find her sassy attitude and sulking
endearing, but not when I'm a shit ton of miles away and I can’t force her
into a bear hug to pull her out of her mood. I drop the paper bag containing
Nick’s requested burger and chips into his lap where he sits on the bed, still
immersed in a game with Lewis. I can’t be fucked to play anymore violent
shit with them tonight so I lie back on my own bed, closing my eyes and
resting my hands behind my head with a deep breath. I need to talk to Callie
before I can sleep, the gaping pit of anxiety in my stomach is widening the
longer time goes on without hearing from her. I can barely keep my eyes
from drooping as I try my hardest to watch Nick play, fighting to keep my
mind awake as I listen to him and Lewis yell to each other through their
headsets, Nick’s mouth crammed with fries like the pig he is.
After a few minutes of fighting sleep I hear Lewis mutter through Nick’s
headset, “Someone’s at the door so I better go,” then the two of them call it
quits, Nick turns off the console and lies back against his own pillows with
a sigh.
“Are you just as fucked as I am?” I grunt, peeling my eyes open to look
over at Nick as he pulls his t-shirt over his head and tosses it to the ground.
“Uh huh,” he nods, flopping back against the mattress, his tattoo covered
stomach contracting. “I’m so ready to go home and chill the fuck out for
two weeks.”
We have two weeks off when we get home, two weeks of no games and
barely any training, I can’t fucking wait for a rest.
Ping!

“Oh thank fuck for that,” I breathe a sigh of relief, grabbing my phone from
the nightstand and reading the text from Callie that appears on my screen.
She’s telling me all the things I needed to hear, that she’s not mad at me,
that she couldn’t respond because she was driving and that she can’t wait to
see me at the weekend.
When the shit eating grin splits my face in two, Nick laughs. “You’re
wrapped around her fucking finger you know that?”
“Yeah I know,” I grin lazily at him, “I fucking love it, and I love her.” Nick
rolls over with a fake gag and turns off his light, plunging his side of the
room into darkness.
I shoot Callie a reply, asking where she was driving to at this time of night
and letting her know she can call me if she wants. I’ll have to go out into
the hallway to talk to her now that Nick is passed out and already snoring
obnoxiously, but I’ll do whatever I need to just to hear her soft voice before
I go to sleep. The second I press send another ping breaks the silence in the
room and makes me jump slightly, shoving my phone under the pillow to
try a mute the sound from waking Nick. Luckily the man sleeps like a
fucking elephant, a tornado could rip through this hotel room and it
wouldn’t wake him. I’m surprised to see a text from Lewis when I look
down, squinting my eyes into the bright light of my phone screen as it
filters through the darkness around me.
Lewis:
‘Your girl just showed up at my door, she wants to sleep in your bed
tonight, she’s missing you man.’
Oh god why is she so damn cute all the time? I just want to wrap that girl in
cotton wool and keep her in my pocket. I tap against my screen, replying as
quickly as I can.

Sean:
‘I fucking love that girl, look after her for me Lew.’

I check Callie’s message thread again…no reply yet but she’s probably
getting undressed and climbing under my duvet, snuggling into the scent
that drowns my pillows. My heart beats so hard for her it’s crazy that it
doesn’t spring out of my chest and go running back to Redwood to find her.
Only five more days until she’s back in my arms, and she doesn’t know this
yet but we're 100 percent spending the entire weekend naked and wrapped
around each other. I can’t fucking wait.
Chapter 52

Callie

I don’t know how I got here, all I know is that I'm missing my 6-foot-4,
irritatingly handsome hockey player more than I'd like to admit to myself.
I’ve had to claw out every smidgen of inner strength that I have over the
past three weeks without him, navigating my grief as well as missing the
only person who can comfort me in the way I need has really taken it’s toll
on me mentally. The funeral was the absolute worst, standing there next to
my dad in the drizzling rain as they lowered my mum into the ground. My
hand tensed beside me, searching for Sean’s comforting grip when it wasn’t
there. I just need to feel like I'm near him, even though he’s hundreds of
miles away right now and won’t be home until the weekend. I guess this is
how I got here, standing outside his front door and tapping lightly against it
with my fist, an overnight bag slung over one shoulder as I shiver on the
spot. The January wind is slicing at my bare arms as I shudder, banging
slightly harder against the wood just before the door swings open and Lewis
stares out at me, a confused expression clouding his eyes. His chestnut hair
is blowing as the winter air invades the house, so he quickly gestures for me
to come inside. I smooth my curls the minute I step foot into the quiet
hallway, Lewis shutting out the icy chill behind me.
“Can I stay here tonight please?” I blurt out, my cheeks flushing pink with
embarrassment for needing to be here for the night. I know it’s clingy of me
to need to sleep in Sean’s bed when I'm missing him but I don’t care. Lewis
raises a honey coloured eyebrow. “You know he’s not back yet right?” I
nod, feeling the heat spreading across my entire face. “Oh,” he whispers,
“that’s why you want to stay here, you want to sleep in his bed.” Fucking
hell, can every guy at this university just read me like a book or something?
I sigh, resigning myself to the embarrassment and meeting Lewis’ eyes.
There’s nothing there but a soft understanding and it’s then that I remember
Lewis having a serious girlfriend last year who broke his heart. The poor
guy was depressed for months after she left him, pining after what they had.
He’s not like his friends, he loves relationships just like I always have,
we’ve always had that in common. Looking into his soft, green eyed gaze
right now reminds me that he’s probably one of the only people around me
that deeply understands how I feel right now and that I don’t need to be
embarrassed about needing Sean.
“Can I?” I mutter, “Please?” My voice is still quite as a mouse when I speak
but Lewis’ bright face splits into a smooth smile.
He nods as his smile widens and he shoves his hands into his pockets. “Of
course you can,” he tips his head towards the stairs, “make yourself at home
and I’ll be down here if you need anything, can’t get up the stairs with this
stupid fucking leg.” He nods down at the strapped portion of his knee, his
toes a light shade of purple from the tightness of the strapping. “Ok, thanks
Lewis I do appreciate this.” I smile, heading for the stairs. Lewis titters a
laugh. “You and I both know he’d rip my balls from my body if I didn’t let
you stay here.”
“Yeah,” I laugh, “he probably would, but thank you all the same.” “You
know, I never see him happier than when he’s with you,” my heart’s grown
wings again, “he loves you so much, he’s like a lost puppy when you’re not
around.” Lewis chuckles under his breath, raking a hand through his short,
brown bristles.
There’s my bashful smile coming back with a vengeance, pink cheeks
following suit. “He makes me happy too.”
“I can tell, he brings out a totally different side of you, one I’d never seen
before you guys met.”
He’s right, he’s so right.
I shrug. “I guess I was never really happy before. All those parties were just
a way to keep me sane when I was training and dealing with Joel’s shit all
the time. I never really knew what it was like to be properly loved, even
with all my faults…until I met Sean.”
Lewis ponders my words and I know he’s reminiscing his own failed
relationship, but after a beat he simply nods and throws me a lazy wave,
heading back to his indented place on the sofa. I head up the stairs, hearing
my phone ping after a moment and reminding myself to respond to Sean
before I go to sleep, hopefully he can stay awake long enough to say
goodnight to me. I pull my t-shirt over my head, digging in Sean’s draw for
one of his to wear to bed, loving the warm, mushy feeling I get when I slip
it over my head and curl up under his covers. His king sized bed swallows
me whole as I bury myself in the centre of it, the pillows smothering my
face in Sean’s manly scent that I want to drink up every drop of. But instead
of letting my eyes win the battle and fall closed, dragging me into a well
deserved sleep, I check my phone first. Sean’s message makes my heart
skip as usual and the second I hit send on my reply he reads it, like he was
staying awake, waiting for me to respond to him. A moment passes and he
hasn’t sent anything back so I stuff my phone under Sean’s pillow and turn
onto my side, letting the thought of sleep overwhelm me as it drags me
under. My eyelids are drooping, the smell that surrounds me relaxing every
muscle in my body as usual and I just know I'm going to have the best sleep
of my life since Sean left almost a month ago. But he has his own plan,
which includes waking me from my almost peaceful slumber as my phone
starts to ring, vibrating through the pillow and giving me an unsolicited face
massage.
“Hi you,” I croak, my voice already rough from my near sleepy state. “Hey
baby, I'm so glad you’re still awake I was trying not to fall asleep so I could
talk to you. I’m out in the hallway so I don’t wake Nick, although to be
honest the man snores like a fucking elephant so he’d probably sleep
through a little bit of phone sex anyway.” He murmurs, his sexy voice
making my stomach burn with desire.
I breathe a muffled laugh. “We’re not having phone sex Sean and I’d love it
if you’d hurry up and come home so you can actually fuck me, playing with
myself is getting pretty boring.” I smirk to myself, knowing that I can get
him going so easily.
“Yeah well, you still haven’t sent me that video you promised me,” he
huffs, “I don’t know how I'm expected to jerk it without some sort of
motivation and nothing makes me fucking hard anymore other than you, I
think you’ve broken my dick.”
I laugh, imagining him leaning back against the wall in the hallway with
that bright smile across his face as he talks to me, his torso contracting as he
laughs, his dimples deepening and his arms flexing a he moves the way he
does. Fuck, I'm so damn horny without him.
“There’s nothing broken about your dick,” I hum softly, desperate to turn
him on as much as I am even though there’s not much either of us can do
about it right now.
“Hmm,” he muses, still a smirk to his husky voice. “You’re right about that,
I’ll show you when I'm home in…” he pauses, “ninety-six hours.” I blow
out a tired breath, not only tired for sleep but exhausted from constantly
missing Sean. “I miss you,” I sigh, “I can’t wait another ninetysix hours,”
“I know baby, it’s fucking awful being away from you, I can’t concentrate
on the ice either, not when I'm missing you so badly.”
We talk for a while longer, going over our plans for the next few days
which mostly consist of counting the minutes until we can see each other
and trying to keep busy. Sean has a few more games before they come
home and I can tell by the way his voice drags when he speaks about it that
he’s struggling with the exhaustion of so many games jammed so close
together in his schedule. He has two whole weeks off when he’s home and I
intend to stay within a metre of him for as much of those two weeks as I
can.

I don’t get much sleep even though I'm painfully tired, so when I wake for
the fifth time at 6am I decide to just give up on chasing sleep and get up,
tiptoeing down the stairs to make a coffee in silence. Lewis is sleeping on
the couch right now considering he can’t get up the steep staircase to his
room with the state of his injured leg, so I try extra hard not to wake him as
I make my liquid gold. Taking the first sip and proceeding to burn my
bottom lip however isn’t a good start and I try to let the curse that slips from
my lips escape as quietly as possible, but Lewis sits up straight from his
position on the sofa. He digs into his eye sockets with the heels of his palms
before squinting over at me as I hold my hands up in apology. “Shit, sorry I
didn’t mean to wake you,” I grimace, “I was trying to be extra quiet but the
coffee was so fucking hot it burnt me and the curse just fell out of my
mouth before I could stop it, I’m sorry.”
Lewis shakes his head, a lazy grin plastered across his face. “Don’t worry
about it, I’ve been tossing and turning all night anyway, this sofa is really
uncomfortable.” He plants his hands on his lower back, twisting his body
and cracking the achy bones with a groan.
“Yeah,” I mutter, “I was tossing and turning too.”
“Being in Sean’s bed not good enough to help you sleep?” He muses,
standing up and grabbing his own mug from the highest cupboard. I shake
my curls, tucking a handful behind my ear. “Not really, it was better than
being at the dorm but…I just want him back now.” I sigh, sipping at my
coffee again and enjoying the warmth as it glides down my throat.
Suddenly Lewis’ expression changes to one of deep thought, like he’s
contemplating a crazy scheme and when his eyes find mine again he says,
“hey, I have an idea…”
Chapter 53

Callie

I'm on a plane, a fucking airplane and it’s only been four hours since I got
out of bed. Lewis is a great guy, so fucking great and he’s an amazing friend
to Sean but maybe this idea of his was a bit bananas for a random Tuesday
morning. He knows I'm missing Sean, desperate to see him yada, yada,
yada but I didn’t expect him to offer to pay for my plane ticket to surprise
him in France today. It's no secret that I’m pretty much broke 99 percent of
the time, I’ve never shied away from that fact, never hidden it from people
but I certainly don’t expect handouts from anyone. The truth is Sean could
have bought me a plane ticket himself, his bank account is bulging at the
seams and he’s often overly generous, especially towards me. But his
efforts to persuade me to travel to France for the month with him were shot
down when I told him how busy I was with training and competitions. What
I accidentally — or not so accidentally but don't tell him that — forgot to
mention was that I didn’t have anything on during the last week of his trip. I
kind of thought it would be pointless flying out there for one week and I
definitely underestimated how much I’d be missing him. So here I am, half
an hour from landing in Bordeaux on a Tuesday morning and my boyfriend
has no idea that I'm coming. I know he has a game at midday today so I
booked my ticket in the taxi that Lewis practically shoved me into at 7am
this morning, insisting Sean and I both need this. He’s right, we do need
this, we need to see each other and my chest is fluttering continuously when
I picture the way his face is going to look when he sees me waiting outside
the rink for him.
My leg won’t stop bobbing up and down when I finally find my bag and get
into a taxi, taking me directly to the rink. My nail has found it’s way to my
mouth as it always does when I'm nervous, my teeth taking tiny pieces out
of it as I watch Bordeaux fly by the window. By the time I actually make it
to the rink it’s only fifteen minutes until the game starts and my chest is
thumping with anticipation, just being in the same room as Sean after
almost a month away from him is giving me an anxious stomach ache. I
shuffle past a few people, apologising under my breath and land in my seat
with a sigh just as the guys all start sliding onto the ice, one after another.
Then he comes into view, just after Nick as he glides onto the ice, looking
painfully hot with a panty dropping grin plastered across his face. I know
other girls will be thinking the exact same thing as I am right now, god I
want him to fuck me until I can’t walk, but I don’t care who else is looking
at him because he’s always only looking at me. Not right now of course, as
he has no idea I'm even here watching him. He flies across the ice like a
bullet through the air, zipping in and out of his teammates towards the goal,
passing to Nick and flying around the back of the net — a tactic he often
uses to confuse his opponents — and takes the puck back from Nick,
smashing it into the goal within the first five minutes of play. The arena
erupts, everyone on their feet cheering my guy on as he flashes a smile at
his team, they clamber on top of him, enveloping him in a huge brawl of a
hug. He takes several pats to the back and pucks to the shins for the
remainder of the first period, scoring one more goal ten-seconds before the
whistle sounds. I’m so fucking proud of him I could burst and as he makes
his way off the ice, Kyle hangs a loose arm over his shoulder, glancing up
and making brief eye contact with me, throwing me a wink and pushing
Sean off the ice ahead of him.
I had to text Kyle on the way here to let him know I was coming, he’s the
only one of Sean's teammates that I trust and I needed him to keep my plan
in action. Kyle will bring Sean out of the rink after the game and take him
towards the docks where I'll be waiting for him. There was no way I could
ask Mac or Nick to pull this off, they’d be fucking useless and Kyle is
Sean’s best friend, the only guy he really likes on the team aside for Lewis
of course.

When the third period comes around Redwood are three nil up and
absolutely dominating the ice, the tension in the air is worsening, becoming
thicker and heavier the longer time goes on and the other team can’t get
even one measly goal in. Kyle is catching their every attempt with his eyes
closed and the rest of the guys are lapping up the electric energy in the
arena. The minute the whistle blows to indicate the end of the game one of
the French defensemen start on Sean, shoving him back into the boards. The
two of them have been toe to toe pretty much the entire game and the
smoke is now puffing out of the French guys ears, a string of unintelligible
French curses flying out of his mouth as he dives on Sean. The two of them
rip off their gloves and helmets as they collide with each other, fist flying,
spit and blood following as it splatters to the ground, decorating the ice like
paint on a blank canvas. I simply roll my eyes and reach for my phone as it
begins to vibrate incessantly in my pocket. Don’t get me wrong I love when
Sean fights, it turns me on and my vagina always does a little dance, excited
to get some action herself later. But I know he can look after himself so I
never stress when the blood starts leaping through the air, I’ve watched him
fight enough times to know he has it under control.
Molly’s name flashes onto my screen and I accept the call, keeping my eyes
on the fight. “My man is fighting again.”
“You sound awfully calm about that,” she muses, a popping sound telling
me she has a mouth full of gum. “Getting used to the whole hockey wag life
are you?”
I huff a laugh. “Yeah, I kind of like the fighting,” I look back to Sean as
he’s carted off the ice, swiping a smear of blood across his face with the
back of his hand. “Screw that, I fucking love it.”
Damn, he looks so sexy with sweat dripping down his face like that. “It’s
hot as balls right?” Molly chirps, cackling when I audibly groan low in my
throat as I watch Sean shaking out his hair and leaving the ice with blood
smeared across his cheek. “Anyway, you need to start taking me to more
games with you, you’re not a good friend.” She muses, popping her gum
loudly again. “You’ve been depriving your best friend of watching hot,
sweaty, godlike men throwing punches at each other.”
I clear my throat dramatically, standing up from my seat. “Do you want my
boyfriend? Because if you do we may have a problem.” “Ha!” Molly barks,
“You wish Cal, I just like watching them roll around together.”
“Horny bitch,” I mutter with a laugh as I make my way out of the stadium
into the icy breeze.
“Says the one who has sex with her boyfriend three times a day, every day.”
She teases and I don’t even bother to deny it. I mean we don’t have sex
three times a day, that’s a bit of a stretch but it’s true that there’s nothing I
love more than letting that hunky man break me in two with his dick.
I tell Mol I’ll be home at the weekend and promise to take her to at least
one hockey game a week from now on to make up for apparently being a
shitty best friend, depriving her of watching sexy men punch each other in
the face.
When I finally get around to the docks at the back of the stadium my legs
are shaking from the freezing air swirling around me. Maybe that’s part of
the reason I'm shaking but I can’t deny how nervous I am to see Sean, I
have no idea why but my chest is compressing so much I can barely breathe
as I lean against the railing waiting for him. I’ve been so caught up with
nerves since the moment I got here that I have barely had chance to look
around me. The scenery is beautiful, the water below me sparkling blue and
although the air is frosty, that doesn’t stop the sun from blaring down on
me. I let my mind wander for a moment, dreaming of summer and letting
the rays warm my face, that’s when I hear them, two very familiar voices
muttering to each other as they round the corner and come into view.
Chapter 54

Sean

“What the fuck are we doing round here man? I just want to go home and
shower, I smell like a fucking wet dog.” I groan as Kyle drags me towards
the docks, my body aching from the fight I just won. I don’t like to brag but
I fucked that guy up, it’s his own fault for starting on me, he should have
known better.
The docks are beautiful, the crystal blue water sloshing under our feet as we
walk across the iron railed bridge towards the other side. I still don’t know
what the fuck we’re doing out here, Kyle said he had to show me something
in private. At first I thought he might whip his cock out and show me how
big it is or some weird shit like that but not sure why he’d choose such a
public place for it.
Kyle shoves me in front of him as we reach the end of the bridge, the sun
glaring in my eyes. “Just shut the fuck up and look.”
He points towards the railing on one side of the docks and I squint my eyes,
desperately trying to see through the blazing sun.
And that’s when I realise exactly what I'm seeing…or more like, who I'm
seeing. Her dark curls flow down her back so effortlessly, her freckled
cheekbones and her bright emerald eyes staring directly into mine. That
fucking smile cracks her face too, the one I live for and I'm stuck to the
spot, my throat sticky, stopping any sound from breaking free. I turn to
Kyle. “Did you…?” How did…?”
Kyle pats my shoulder once and nods towards Callie. “Go and get her man,
she’s waiting for you.”
I look back at my girl, standing there next to the railing, her face soft and
warm when mine is frozen in surprise. I force my legs to move even though
they feel like jelly, wobbly and unsteady as my strides turn into a run. I
bound towards her like an overexcited puppy and as her face becomes
clearer I remember exactly why I fell in love with her in the first place.
She’s so excruciatingly beautiful, her skin pink from the wind and her wild
curls fanning her cheeks. She’s so fiery but mushy all at the same time and
her heart belongs to me and me only. I feel the happy tears prickling my
eyes as I crash into her, hauling her into my arms, lifting her body up to
mine and inhaling every drop of her fruity smell. Her arms hook around my
neck, her thighs around my torso and her whole body tightens around me,
like she wants to lock us together. I don’t think I’ve ever missed anyone as
much as I’ve missed her this past month so I hold her in my arms so tightly,
breathing her in.
I nuzzle my face deep into the warmth of her neck. “My baby,” I breathe,
wrapping my arms around her middle and sucking in a lungful of her scent.
“Fuck, I missed you.”
Her legs tighten around me. “I missed you too,” god I’ve missed her voice.
She brings her face round to mine, pressing our lips together in a soft but
hungry kiss. My fingers wrap through her curls just as her hands wrap
through mine, our mouths moving methodically against each other and her
taste is driving me fucking crazy.
“I love you, I fucking love you, do you know that?” I moan against her soft
lips as she devours me with her touch.
She nods and breaks the kiss. “I know that and I love you too, so much
Sean, I couldn’t wait to see you.”
I plant my lips on her’s again, sucking her bottom one between my teeth
and swiping my tongue across it gently, listing to a moan rumble in her
throat which makes me immediately hard. The taste of her tongue is making
me insane with need, I just want to be inside her for the next week, never
stopping, never taking a break. Her mouth is so familiar to me, so
comforting like the parts of her that are buried the deepest are handed over
to me when we kiss.
“God baby, your lips taste like home.” I whisper and Callie’s light, airy
laugh permeates the private bubble around us.
“You’re so weird,” she titters, rubbing along my jaw with her thumb. I hum
as her fingers brush against my neck and I bury my face back into her
shoulder, I could just stay here forever, holding her like this. But more than
anything I want to take her back to my hotel room, take all of her clothes
off and fucking worship her until my dick is too numb to work anymore.
As if she’s read my mind she dips her mouth down to my ear, her breath
tickling my neck. “Wanna go back to your hotel?”
“Hmm,” I hum, letting my forehead land on her’s softly. “I can’t wait to feel
every single inch of you.”
The drive back to my hotel is too fucking long, the scenic views that whiz
past us doing nothing to distract me from the fact that I have Callie’s hand
in mine, my other hand firmly planted on her thigh. I can look at nothing
but her, watching the way she stares out of the window in awe at the
sparkling water that passes by. Her eyes are bright with wonder when she
looks at me, catching me staring and letting a knowing smile tug at her lips
as we pull up outside my hotel. I practically yank her out of the taxi,
dragging her up the stairs and into my bedroom before Nick can get back
from the restaurant the team have gone to for celebratory drinks. I couldn’t
give less of a fuck about celebrating anything but the fact my girl is here
and she’s all mine for at least the next hour until Nick comes back and ruins
my fun. I’m dying to take this slow, having not made love to her in almost a
month I just want to feel every inch of her, taking my time and relishing in
how she feels wrapped around me. I want to touch every part of her soft,
milky skin and run my hands all over her but I'm also like a starving lion
that finally caught a gazelle, and I'm fucking desperate to tuck into my
meal. Callie feels more tense than usual when I lay her down on the bed,
her clothes long gone and her naked body stretched out like a goddess in
front of me. Her green eyes don’t hold mine like they usually do, the
intensity there but something clouding it in the way they flicker around the
room, like she’s nervous. I can’t for the life of me work out why her
muscles are tight with tension though, why I can’t capture her eyes like I
usually can.
I cover her body with my own, lightly lifting her jaw and forcing her to
look at me. “Hey, you doing ok there?”
She nods and swallows hard, taking my pulsing cock in her palm and
sucking every worry out of my mind when her hand moves around me like
that.
“Ah, fuck Callie that’s so good,” I groan against her collarbone where I slap
open mouthed kisses, occasionally sucking hard at the skin and leaving my
mark on her.
I reach between us and caress her clit, making her arch off the bed and claw
at my back like she always does when I tease her, pinching the throbbing
bud between my fingers and massaging it softly. I push my cock into her
and she sucks in a sharp breath as I stretch her out, trying to be as gentle as
is humanly possible when all I want to do is fuck her so hard my dick falls
off.
Suddenly Callie’s eyes flash with uncertainty and she shoves at my chest.
“Wait, wait, wait…”
I pull out of her immediately, moving my painfully hard cock away from
her opening and stroking her cheek as the worry overtakes her expression.
“Hey,” I whisper, “do you want to stop? Just tell me and we’ll stop.” She
shakes her head, biting at her already half eaten finger nail. “I’m just
nervous.”
“You never need to be nervous with me Cal, I know it’s been like a month
since we—”
“It’s not that.” She cuts me off and I rake her hair back off her face. “I love
you now,” she murmurs, finally catching my gaze. “So, this feels different.”
Ah, I get it.
“Well,” I half chuckle, keeping one hand on her jaw. “I wish I could say the
same, but I’ve loved you for a long time.”
“How long?” She squeaks, her eyes wider than they were just a moment
ago.
I clear my throat, unsure whether to tell the truth. “Since we had sex,” I
mutter, hoping she’ll mishear me, but of course, she’s like a bloodhound, so
she heard every word and she’s quick to snap back at me.
“The first time?” She gasps, her eyes fighting through the wall I'm using to
hide my vulnerability.
I nod sheepishly and her hands are on my face before I can blink, her
expression soft with understanding as her green pools pin me in place.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wasn’t sure if you were ready to hear it so Lewis said to wait until you
said it first.”
Callie slaps a hand to her forehead and scrunches her eyes in angst. “God,
you two are so fucking stupid. You should have told me how you were
feeling.”
I take her hand from her head and kiss her palm, holding it’s warmth to my
cheek. “Well, I’ll just make sure to tell you every single day from now on.”
Callie giggles. “Can you fuck me now please?”
There goes my dick again, obeying her orders the moment they leave her
lips.
“Your wish is my command,” I say against her soft lips, pressing against
them and pushing my cock back inside her where I intend to keep it for as
long as possible.
Chapter 55

Callie

Sean made love to me every day this week, he kicked Nick out of his hotel
room every night and respectfully railed me into his mattress, whispering
things like, “Fuck, I love you,” and “you look so god damn beautiful when
I'm fucking you.”
That man makes me constantly weak in the knees but I'm never more in
love with him than when he’s expressing his feelings, opening his heart to
me and telling me exactly how he feels. I don’t need to be with someone
who makes me guess what they’re thinking, Joel was like that and it's
something I never want again. Luckily for me Sean is opposite in every
way, always making his feelings for me clear and making me feel loved like
I never have before. He scratched an itch in my chest that I never knew was
there and he continues to scratch it every day, keeping my heart satisfied
and pumping with love and need for him.
That’s what I need to focus on today as my legs shake with nerves just like
the first time I was in this situation, meeting Sean’s parents for dinner after
their trip to Italy. They arrived back two days ago and immediately asked to
see Sean and I for a catch up. They made me feel so comfortable last time I
met them and I was most certainly flung into that encounter with no prior
warning whatsoever. Sean was amazing at trying to keep me calm, holding
my nerves in his warm palm and caressing them slowly, stopping my
heartbeat from going into overdrive and exploding straight from my chest.
This time feels different though, with both of our feelings out in the open
and so much having happened since I last saw Sean’s parents I'm not
exactly sure how to feel today.
My heels click clack across the laminate flooring of the restaurant, my
ankle length dress flowing with me as I move as closely to Sean as is
humanly possible. My hand is cocooned inside his huge one, his thumb
creating robotic circles against my palm as we walk towards a private table
in the back of the semi-busy restaurant.
It’s a Sunday afternoon and the atmosphere in here is so different to the last
time we came for dinner. Mostly families crowd the space, the noise of
children chatting and crayons clattering to the ground makes my heart
happy and most importantly numbs the nerves I feel buzzing around in the
pit of my stomach. The thin satin of my dress swishes against my freshly
shaved legs, the material tickling my skin where the dress slits up one of my
thighs, showcasing my pale skin. God I need a spray tan soon, I'm sick of
being the colour of a milky bar.
“Hey you two!” Sean’s mum beams, standing up and greeting us both with
a hug.
My fluttering heart calms even more when her arms come around me —
Sean tightening his grip on my hand — and I relax into her embrace. Sean’s
dad simply nods at us both, a man of few words as he is and gestures for us
to take a seat opposite them. We get to talking immediately, them filling us
in on their amazing trip to Italy, describing the snowy peaks and the golden
sands to us but I imagine it’s even more beautiful than what I'm picturing in
my head when I listen to them. Judith is sparkling with excitement as she
talks but even more so when she listens to Sean explain everything that’s
going on in our lives. Her face almost bursts with anticipation when Sean
gets to the part when I surprised him in France a few days ago, her chin
resting on her fists like a child as her bright eyes flicker between the two of
us.
When our food finally arrives my stomach is screaming at me to shove it
down my throat as quickly as possible. I haven’t eaten a single thing all day
because of the nerves, the mere thought of food this morning was making
my stomach churn uncomfortably. But now I'm fucking ravenous and I have
to remind myself not to demolish the entire plate like a starved animal. I can
feel Sean’s eyes on me as I tentatively take the first bite, letting my eyelids
flutter closed momentarily as the peppery sauce hits my tongue and I fight
to hold back my pleasure filled groan. It takes me only minutes to clear my
plate even when I purposefully try to eat as slow as I can, keeping my
beady eyes on everyone else and their pace as all of our plates slowly
become more and more empty. The only thing left now is a smearing of
sauce and a couple of abandoned vegetables between us as we all sit back
with tight stomaches.
“So,” Sean's mum starts, taking a long gulp of her wine. “When are you two
getting married?”
I choke on my own drink, coughing and sitting upright in my chair as Sean
pats at my back. “Sorry,” I croak, still trying to clear my throat of bile as
Sean’s hand rubs circles on my skin.
I can tell he’s holding back a laugh, likely a cocky one at the fact his mum
assumes I’d want to marry him. That man likely believes every woman on
earth wants to marry him, it’s a pity he’d be 100 percent right. Sean
chuckles under his breath. “I don’t think Callie is quite there yet Mum.”
What? What the hell does he mean ‘Callie isn’t there yet’? What about him?
He can’t possibly already be thinking about marriage right? He’s a crazy
fucker.
“And you are?” I whisper, still swallowing down the lump of utter shock
that’s lodged in my throat.
Sean simply nods, grinning at me. “Whenever you are baby.” Ok, what the
fuck is going on today?

By the time we leave the restaurant my head is spinning and I'm not sure if
it’s due to the sheer amount of red wine that I drank or the fact that Sean’s
intention of marrying me is now out in the open. I’m only 21 and to be
totally honest marriage is never something I’ve even allowed to enter my
mind before, fear of rejection has always ruled me and so the thought of
someone ever wanting to commit their life to me was a silly idea that was
never even to be considered.
We follow Sean’s parents back to his childhood home and when we get
inside Sean insists we head straight up to his bedroom. I can see by the
twinkle in his eye that he thinks he’s about to get lucky, but if he knows me
at all he’d know that never in a million years would I have sex with him
whilst his parents are downstairs none the wiser. He leads me up the grand
staircase, my eyes still adjusting to the brightness of the house, almost the
entire downstairs is made of glass, the huge windows covering the place
from floor to ceiling and letting the sunlight pour in. Sean pulls me down
the hallway behind him as I stumble on my own feet, unable to do anything
but stare at my surroundings before he hauls me into the last room on the
right and closes the door behind us. My face cracks into a smile when I
realise I'm in his bedroom, the walls are covered in hockey posters, so much
so you can barely make out the shade of paint hiding behind them. The king
sized bed in the centre tells me Sean’s always been a huge guy, even when
he was just a teenager living here, he told me once how he hit 6 foot when
he was only thirteen and I can totally believe that now. He drags me over to
the bed and my eyes continue to trail around his room in awe, the carpet is
pristine, white and crystal like, gleaming back at me. When I finally look
over at Sean — who surprisingly hasn’t tried to remove any of my clothes
yet — he’s wearing a sheepish smile on his face, his dimples deep and
beautiful as always.
“This is weird,” I let out a breathy laugh, unsure where to look next. “It’s
like being inside your brain.”
My eyes continue their path around the room, taking in every detail and
falling even more deeply in love with Sean the more I look around at his
bedroom. I can’t explain it but, it’s just so…him. When I turn my face back
to his he’s simply staring at me, wonder and adoration clear in his caramel
eyes.
“I’m so in love with you,” he says and my heart kicks into gear, battering
my ribcage as I suck in a sharp breath followed by a light laugh. “I know,” I
smile arrogantly, teasing him. “I’m great aren’t I?” Sean barks a laugh of
his own, a snort mixed in there too. “Yeah baby, you really are great.”
He tips his face to place a delicate kiss against my lips, his mouth moulding
to mine in the way it always does, like it was made for me. “I know what
my mum said back there scared you,” he whispers, breaking the kiss and
planting a firm hand on my thigh.
“It didn’t scare me,” I stutter, but Sean presses a finger to my lips to stop
me.
He shakes his head, eyes soft and understanding. “Don’t lie to me baby, I
know it scared you and that’s ok.”
Why can he always read my mind like that? It’s so fucking weird but I
guess I secretly love it. It’s like I don’t always have to say how I'm feeling,
the man just knows.
“I guess it did take me by surprise,” I smile and he returns with his own.
“But it also kind of sounds…nice.”
Sean’s face widens with surprise. “Really?” I nod and his face gleams with
happiness. “Well, that’s great because I really want to marry you Callie.”
He takes my face in his huge hands, thumbs caressing my cheekbones. “Not
yet though Sean, I'm only 21.” I say as softly as I can, desperate not to hurt
his feelings, but to my total relief his face doesn’t split in pain or sadness,
he nods, a look of understanding and agreement clear in his eye. “One day
though? Promise you’ll marry me one day?” He whispers, lips now
hovering over mine as his hands trail down my face and land on either side
of my neck.
“Yeah Sean, I promise.”
“That’s good,” he grins, dimples making my heart beat faster as always.
“Because if you said no I would just keep pestering you until you changed
your mind anyway.” His smile is so wide that my stomach reacts, flipping
in all directions as I look into his sparkling eyes.
“Huh,” I raise my eyebrows, sass lacing my tone. “You mean like you did to
win me over in the first place?”
“You always wanted me,” he scoffs, “even in the beginning when you
pretended like you didn’t.”
He flexes his bicep, squeezing it and making the veins pop as the inside of
my thighs become increasingly slippery. I can’t let him know that though,
the arrogance still isn’t lost on me, no matter how long he’s been my
boyfriend.
He plants a fleeting kiss to his solid bicep and flashes me a dimpled, toothy
grin again. “Who could resist this?”
“Watch it Taylor,” I point at him sternly, swallowing the laugh that tries to
bubble up my throat. “You’re on thin ice right now.”

THE END

Acknowledgements

To be honest I don’t really know where to even start with thanking people,
there are so many of you that unknowingly contributed to this book and for
that I'm eternally grateful.

I guess I should start with my amazing fiancé who never tires of me tapping
away at my laptop and moaning that I don’t have enough time to write
whilst staring at a blank word document. He’s accepted this new path of
mine with nothing but support and love, I don't even have the words to
express how lucky I am to have him. My mum, who always reads my books
even though she doesn’t usually like romance, but will sit through spicy
chapter after spicy chapter to show her unwavering support for everything I
do. One of my best friends, Nerissa. You read my work and cringe through
the sex scenes, but you read them anyway and I love you for that. To the ice
hockey romance book club on TikTok and Instagram, I love the enthusiasm
you’ve shown for Sean and Callie before you even had chance to meet
them. And of course to every single person who has ever read anything I’ve
written, just thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Follow me on instagram for updates on future books: @daisyeganauthor

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