Page 8

Gabe

The remainder of the road trip passed by in a blur. I continued to text with Cassie, including daily videos. Still, we had yet to further discuss what happened between us, or what could happen in the future. We returned home with five wins and two losses, an excellent record for such a long stretch away from home.

Our final game was a rarity — an afternoon game — allowing us to catch a late evening flight and get home in the early morning. Ideal? No. But it meant I got home to my girls a day earlier.

Catching myself grinning as I look in the rearview mirror, I nod affirmatively. Yes. Plural. Mine. Cassie is mine. Ten days away made me realize how much I missed her. Part of it was based on the help she gave me. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have her at home to care for Mackenzie. But the absence made me realize everything I took for granted with Cassie, and some tidbits that make her so inherently breathtaking. Her messy bun when she slinks in to get Mackenzie in the middle of the night. The smile she gives my daughter when she thinks I'm not watching. Sorry, Cass: I'm pretty much always watching. I love seeing her array of eclectic coffee cups sitting in the sink beside my monotone ones. Her super sugary cereal on the shelf beside my healthier options. The growing stack of recipes she's been printing off for months down the road when Mackenzie can have solid foods. I knew I could fall for Cassie the night we met. But watching her fall for my daughter has been an exquisite experience I didn't realize I desperately needed in my life.

It's half past one in the morning when I finally pull into my garage, and I don't even bother removing my bags. After quietly closing the door behind me, I take the stairs two at a time, rushing toward Cassie's room. I carefully open the door, expecting to see the crib, but find the room curiously quiet. When I hear a coo and a gurgle, I chuckle as I walk back toward my room. Did Cassie lie about moving Kenzie's crib? Or did she move it back already?

As I push open my bedroom door, I find Cassie rocking slowly in the chair, quietly singing a lullaby to Mackenzie. I don't think I've ever seen such a beautiful and picturesque scene. My heart breaks wide open for them, and I realize in such a short period, I've irrevocably fallen in love with Cassie.

"Hey, you," I hear her whisper, and I find her watching me with a soft smile covering her face. I carefully place my phone and wallet on the nightstand, and shrug out of my suit jacket before walking over to her and crouching. "I just got her back to sleep. I think she knew you were coming home because she's been waking every hour."

I find my hand reaching for Cassie's face, my forefinger tracing an errant piece of hair down her cheek before moving it behind her ear. "Can I hold her?"

"Of course you can. She's your daughter," Cassie teases as she places Mackenzie in my arms. I look down at her cherubic face, so peaceful and serene, and I'm overcome with emotion. My eyes fill with tears before I realize what's happening.

"I can't believe how badly I missed her. And you," I whisper, not missing Cassie's sharp intake of breath. I turn and sit on the floor, my back to Cassie's legs, as I place the lightest of kisses against Mackenzie's forehead, then lay my head against Cassie's thigh.

"I saw the game today." I'm not surprised at her quick change of subject.

"Yeah?"

"Yup. It was weird rooting for someone other than my brother," she giggles.

"You were cheering me on?" I ask.

"I was. I saw both goals. Also saw the fight," Cassie whispers.

I chuckle. "Daniels is such a prick. I fucking hate that guy," I tell her.

"Grant doesn't like him either. He texted me from the plane and said he was glad you basically knocked him out."

"I'm not sorry I did," I murmur.

"I can't believe it's a five-minute penalty, though. The sport revolves around fighting, but it has the one of the longest penalties? It makes no sense."

"Mmhmm," I respond, my eyes closing as I finally relax for the first time since I left.

"I debated on ransacking your closet and finding a jersey so you could come home to find me in it," she whispers, raking her fingers through my hair. I let out a yawn and a moan.

"Every hockey guy's dream," I mumble.

"Gabe."

"Hmm?"

"Give me Mackenzie. Go get ready for bed," she says with a light laugh.

"On one condition."

"Okay?"

"You stay in here too," I say tentatively, awaiting her response.

"Can I be honest?" she finally responds.

"Always."

"I slept in here every night," she confesses.

I swear under my breath. "Fucking love that, Firecracker."

"Go get out of your suit," she says, pushing me lightly on my neck. I turn my head to apply the barest of kisses to her thigh, then swivel to hand her Mackenzie. Standing, I extend my arms above my head and stretch, which untucks my dress shirt. When my arms drop, I find Cassie staring intently at my crotch, and I'd laugh if I didn't fear waking up my daughter. I walk to the bathroom and get ready for bed.

When I finish, I leave the bathroom and find Cassie nervously waiting. "I never asked what side of the bed you sleep on? I've been sleeping right next to her, but it's fine if that's where you normally sleep. I can move. I can sleep in the other room, too, if you want to stretch out since you've been sleeping on crappy hotel beds for almost two weeks."

I grab her hand and drag her into my arms, burying my head in her hair as I exhale. "I said I wanted you in here because I want to hold you. I don't give a fuck about stretching out. I just want you in my space, Cass. Okay?"

She nods against my chest.

"I sleep closest to the door. You stay next to Mackenzie."

"Why by the door?" she mumbles.

"It's a protection thing. Gotta protect my girls," I whisper.

It's almost unnoticeable, but Cassie's arms tighten slightly around my waist when she hears me refer to her as mine.

I groan as my phone alarm goes off, then roll over and throw my arm over Cassie's form, yanking her against me. Burying my face in her hair, I inhale her floral scent, and a wave of peace settles over me as a few errant rays of sunshine scatter around the room. Cassie stretches, pushing her ass against my morning wood, and I stifle a groan as I move my head to suck on the side of her neck.

"Your daughter is right there," she whispers, but one hand slides behind her to hold my head in place. I dot kisses along her shoulder.

"Want to join me in the shower?" I respond, my voice husky and gritty with sleep. I feel her nod, and I smile against her skin. I set my alarm thirty minutes early this morning, intending on making Cassie breakfast before heading to a workout with Jax, but taking a shower with my girl seems like a much better option.

We both tiptoe to the bathroom. Turning on the shower, we take turns using the commode while the water warms up. Once I'm done, I find Cassie brushing her teeth, and she thrusts a toothbrush into my hand. "I don't do morning breath. Well, I mean, I did that one time you kissed me before practice, but if there's going to be kissing, please brush your teeth first."

I chuckle. "Noted."

As I finish with my teeth, I lose focus because my eyes find Cassie in the mirror, slowly removing her clothes. She gives me a flirtatious smile as she realizes I've stilled, the toothbrush hanging from my mouth.

"Gabe," she says quietly. "You're dribbling."

I immediately take a deep breath, inhaling some toothpaste, then gag and spit a mouthful everywhere. Coughing, I clean up the mess I've made before turning to find Cassie, with a hand covering her mouth, doubled over in laughter. I pick her up and carry her into the shower. She shrieks as we go right under the cascading water, and it's then that I realize neither one of us is naked.

"Gabe," she hisses.

"Sorry, not sorry, Firecracker," I tell her, yanking her tank top off before bending down to take her lips in a searing kiss. Cassie moans into my mouth as her arms wrap around my neck, and she jumps up to coil her legs around my waist. I push her back against the wall tile, and feel her stiffen against me. Fuck. I bet that's cold. "Shit. That I am sorry about."

"I'll accept your apology on one condition," she tells me cheekily.

"Oh yeah? What?"

Cassie gives me a wicked grin. "Make me come."

"That I can do, baby. How do you want it?"

"Hmm?"

"How do you want to come? Do you want my fingers in your wet cunt? Or do you want my tongue? Maybe you want me to take this glorious ass?" Cassie's breathing picks up with each dirty suggestion.

“Would you think less of me if I said yes to all?" she asks breathlessly, and my eyes widen at her question. I was only teasing about the last one. I didn't think she'd be game for it.

"Seriously?" I ask.

Cassie nods. "Definitely the first two. But that last one …" she trails off, biting her lip for a moment before finishing, "I think I'd like to try that. Maybe. Not today, but we could work up to it?"

"I'm up for whatever you want to do, Firecracker. You're running this show."

"Oh, really?" she teases as she reaches between our bodies and grabs my dick tightly in her palm. I hiss, resting my forehead against hers. The wet fabric of my boxer briefs provides a friction that feels phenomenal.

"You keep doing that, and you won't get any of my suggestions," I mutter as her fingers deftly slide up and down my shaft, squeezing at just the right pressure to send bursts of pleasure across my body. When Cassie squeezes the base almost perfectly, I grab her hand. "Woah. I'd prefer to not embarrass myself right now, baby."

Cassie lets out a squawk of shock as I kneel with her legs still wrapped around my waist. Surprising her even further, I grab the backs of her thighs and hoist her entire body up so her core is at my mouth. Throwing her legs over my shoulders, I slide her thong to the side, and then I get down to business.

There's something incredibly erotic about feasting on someone and watching their reaction the entire time. I can't always hear Cassie's moans and sighs, but I can feel them. My body is so in tune with hers that even with the cascading water sound reverberating around the shower, I sense when she's getting closer. Sliding two fingers inside her, I find her G-spot and tap, tap, tap. Cassie's legs tighten to the point of cutting off circulation in my neck as her body bows off the wall, and she comes on a silent scream. I might die right now, but damn. What a way to go.

When Cassie grabs hold of my hair as she comes down from her orgasm, I'm unprepared for the shift in gravity, sending me to the floor. Cassie topples onto me, laughing breathlessly at the predicament we've found ourselves in. It just so happens she landed straddling me, my cock ready and at the perfect mark. All it takes is one slight shift, moving my underwear to the side, and I'm sliding into her. I begin a punishing pace, rutting into her with borderline hysteria, almost out of control with my need for her.

"Gabe," she whimpers, and I grab her head to bring it down to mine. Eyes open, I can't break my gaze.

"I know, Cass," I grunt as she moves her hands to my face, latching onto my hair. I can feel her walls clamping down on me, and when her eyes roll back, she lets out a loud, guttural moan, and it's the sexiest fucking thing I've ever heard. It breaks down the last wall of my heart somehow. I come hard, probably the hardest I've ever come. Cassie collapses against me, her pants hot against my neck as she trembles in my embrace.

"We didn't use a condom," she whispers breathlessly.

"Oh, shit," I swear. "Fuck, Firecracker. I didn't do that on purpose."

"I know. I'm on the pill. And it's not the right time of the month for me anyway."

"I'm clean. The team makes us get tested fairly regularly." When one puck bunny passes around gonorrhea to over half the team, it becomes standard practice. Fortunately, I was one of the other half that steered clear of Gono Girl, as we affectionately referred to her.

"I'm clean too. I haven't been tested in some time, but, uh …" Cassie trails off, then giggles. "Well, it's been a while for me. You know. Since I had sex? Like well over a year. I mean, duh, not including you that first time. And honestly, I don't have much experience at all. I guess it doesn't really matter, considering I think you're still hard inside me —"

"Baby," I interrupt her with a laugh. "It's fine. I trust you. I don't care about your experiences in the past. I only care about our experiences in the future. Together. Okay?"

Cassie sighs blissfully against me. "Okay."

I'll remember this moment for the rest of my life.

Cuddling with the most beautiful woman in my shower, the individual tiles on the floor undoubtedly making huge divots in my back. But I couldn't care less.

I've got the girl. The girl.

I'm not letting her go.

Ever.