Page 78 of Breaking the Pucking Rules (LA Vipers #1)

KODIE

I was waiting at the window from the moment she messaged to say she was leaving.

Sad, I know. But now that Sutton is in bed and Mom has made herself scarce, I’m desperate.

Nerves rush through me like a tsunami as her car comes into view, her blinker telling everyone on my street that she’s turning into my driveway.

My neighbors are great. They’ve always been respectful of my privacy and treat us like we’re any other normal family.

I couldn’t be more grateful for them all allowing us to live our lives.

But that doesn’t mean they won’t be curious if they spot a woman pulling up at my house. I’m not sure it’s ever happened before.

I’m at my front door in a heartbeat, pulling it open and watching her behind the wheel of her car.

With a riot of butterflies in my stomach, I lift my trembling hands, wrapping my fingers around the doorframe as she slows to a stop with her eyes locked on me.

Was I playing fair by changing into sweats and nothing else before she arrived? Hell, no. Do I care? Also no.

Her eyes feast on me for a moment too long, and my need for her carries me forward and into the cool evening air. Not that I notice.

In a heartbeat, I have her driver’s door open and I’m reaching out for her.

“Kodie,” she squeals as I place her on her feet and crash my lips to hers.

She hesitates, and my heart sinks.

“Someone could be watching,” she whispers. “Take me inside.”

All the air comes rushing out of my lungs.

She’s right.

Pulling back, I ask, “Do you have a bag?”

“In the trunk.”

I nod, ripping myself away from her to collect it. “Go inside,” I instruct before following her a few seconds later.

Kicking the door closed, I drop her bag at my feet and pause.

She’s only standing in the entryway to my home, but she looks like she belongs.

“Your home is beautiful,” she muses, her eyes finding me after scanning the space.

A chuckle rumbles deep in my throat as I step closer, the magnetic force between us drawing me in.

“I think it’s a little early to make statements like that,” I tease. “Maybe you should see a little more first.”

Defying what I really want to do, I take her hand and tug her through to the main living area.

“Oh wow,” she gasps, taking in the entire wall of glass that showcases my lit-up backyard.

I love the home we’ve created here.

When my trade was confirmed, Vipers management hooked me up with a local realtor.

She was amazing, understood exactly what I wanted, and even though this place was at the very top end of my budget, I knew it was the one.

From the first day we moved in when we were surrounded by boxes, I knew it was the best decision I’d ever made.

Okay, best decision aside from signing Sutton’s sole custody agreement.

That will forever be at the very top of my list.

Stepping behind Casey, I wrap my arms around her waist and rest my chin on her shoulder.

“Have you had a good day?” I ask softly.

We may not have spent a whole lot of time together this week, but we have talked a lot, and she’s been very open about how she’s been feeling in the lead up to the holidays.

Hell, we’ve both done a lot of talking about how we’re feeling.

It’s something I’ve never really done before, but it feels good.

I feel lighter because of it, and I can only hope she does too.

Losing a parent is heartbreaking. But at least I was an adult when we lost Dad. I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been for Casey to lose her mom when she did.

“Yeah,” she muses before a little laugh spills free. “Dad forgot to put the turkey in.”

“Didn’t you make him set alarms so he would do it?”

“Yeah. He didn’t though, did he? Slept right through.”

“Oh dear.”

“It was fine. We just ate later than planned. What about you?”

“Same. Although dinner was on time because Mom is like a sergeant major when it comes to holiday meals.”

She chuckles, the sound lighting me up inside.

“I’m not sure I can see it.”

“Oh, trust me, the woman you’ve met is only one side of my mother. She’s a force to be reckoned with.”

She twists in my arms, reaching up to wrap her arms around my neck as her eyes lock on mine.

“I guess she has to be, with a son like you.”

My brows hike. “What are you saying?”

Her lips curl, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Don’t act all innocent with me, Rivers. You might be mostly living life in the slow lane now, but I saw you all those years ago.”

My eyes bounce between hers, wondering why I couldn’t have been lucky enough to meet her before now.

“Jealous, baby?” I tease. “You wanted a taste of me back then, huh?”

She shakes her head slightly. “I get a taste of you now. That’s all that matters. ”

“Mmm,” I hum before ducking down to steal the kiss I wanted outside.

As my tongue pushes into her mouth, she melts against me, and I can’t help wondering if it’s the first time she’s fully relaxed all day.

I lose myself in her, in her sweet taste and her soft body. My hands roam, tracing her curves, learning everything about her.

“Did you have any plans for tonight?” I ask as I kiss across her jaw.

“No,” she breathes. “I just…I just want to be with you.”

“Are you hungry?” I ask before sucking on the sensitive skin beneath her ear.

“No. Well, not for food, anyway.”

Music to my ears.

Gripping her ass, I lift her from the floor and carry her to my kitchen island.

“Kodie,” she whimpers, keeping me pressed against her core with her legs twisted behind my back.

With my lips back on hers, I blindly attempt to undo her coat.

It takes longer than I’d like, but eventually, I push the fabric from her shoulders.

Pulling back, I look down and my mouth runs dry.

“Casey, you look?—”

Resting back on her palms, she allows me a moment to look at her.

I swallow—or at least attempt to.

“Y-you’ve been wearing this all day at your dad’s?” I rasp, my eyes glued to her cleavage.

She nods, a smirk on her lips.

“You cooked…in this.”

“Uh-huh.”

Taking all her weight on one arm, she trails a finger down the deep V of her knitted gray dress.

Well, to be fair, dress might be pushing it.

She might be in a compromising position right now, but it’s riding so high on her that I can see her panties beneath.

I have no doubt that this dress—sweater—barely covers her ass .

“Do you like it?”

“Christ, how are you so hot?” I knock her hand out of the way, and my lips descend on her breasts, kissing and sucking her sweet skin.

“Oh god,” she cries, her head falling back as I tug both her dress and bra down, exposing her to me. “Kodie,” she gasps as I flick her peaked nipple with my tongue.

My erection strains against the fabric of my pants, desperate to be released. It would be so easy to tug her panties aside and take her right here.

“B-bedroom,” she forces out through her increased breathing. Shaking her arms from her coat, she sits up straight and loops them around my neck.

“Please, Kodie. As much as I want you to fuck me in your kitchen, it’s probably not the best idea right now.”

She’s right. I know she is. But it fucking pains me to stop even just long enough to carry her to my bedroom. But I know I don’t have a choice.

It’s not often Sutton gets up during the night, but if we continue here, you can guarantee tonight will be the night it happens.

Tugging the fabric back in place, I lift her into my arms, striding across the kitchen toward the stairs.

“I can walk,” she offers.

“Not a chance.”

She holds on, her lips attacking my neck as we climb to the second floor. My body is on fire; all I can think about is stripping her naked and laying her out on my bed to feast on.

Despite imagining this all day—hell, all fucking week—getting inside her the second she stepped through the door wasn’t actually my plan.

I was going to offer to at least feed her first. Sit and chat and watch some TV. You know, be an almost normal couple celebrating Thanksgiving.

But fuck…one look at her, especially in this dress, and I was fucked.

The food and TV can wait until later.

We’re quiet as we hit the top of the stairs, and as quickly as I can, I carry her to the other end of the house and slip into my room, closing and locking the door.

I’ve never used the lock before. The idea of keeping Sutton on the other side of it horrifies me, but tonight, should she wake up, it’ll be for her own good.

“Where’s your mom?” Casey asks, breaking the silence.

I don’t respond, forcing her to pull her head from the crook of my neck and look at me.

“She lives in the pool house,” I remind her.

“Yeah, I know. But she’s out there, right? She’s not going to?—”

“She knows we want privacy.”

“Oh god,” she whispers before hiding once again.

“She gave me a hotel keycard to get to you,” I remind her. “She knows what’s happening.”

“That doesn’t make it any better,” she complains.

“Any chance you could forget about her and focus on me instead?”

Her lips curl against my throat before she shamelessly wiggles herself against me.

“Make me,” she breathes, her lips brushing the shell of my ear.

A groan rips up my throat as my need for her explodes.

Dropping her feet to the floor, my hands go to the hem of her dress, and I peel it up her body, revealing her?—

“Fucking hell, Casey,” I groan, taking in what is arguably the sexiest lingerie I’ve ever seen.

“You like?” she asks coyly.

“No, I don’t like,” I muse, stepping closer to her. “I fucking love.” And I don’t just mean the lingerie.

Wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, I kiss her breathlessly before I begin working my way down her body, unwrapping her like a gift as I go.

As good as the lingerie looks on her. Casey naked is unbeatable.

The second she’s standing before me in just her heels, I gaze up at her from my kneeling position.

“You’re beautiful,” I tell her, needing her to know just how fucking incredible I think she is. Leaning forward, I press a kiss to one hip, and then the other.

She whimpers, her fingers sliding into my hair. But I don’t allow her to take control. Instead, I look back up at her again.

“Get on my bed, Casey. On your back, legs spread. Let me see you.”

As she does what she’s told, I rise to full height and watch in awe.

“I’ve never had another woman in this house, let alone in my bed.

” The words tumble free without instruction, needing her to know just how big a moment this really is for me.

“And there won’t ever be another,” I add as I push my sweats from my hips, letting them drop to my ankles, my cock springing free. “You’re it for me, Casey.”

She gasps as my confession hangs in the air between us.

“I know it’s only been a short amount of time, but…this…you…it’s everything to me. Tell me you feel it too?”

I know she does. Or at least, I think she does. I feel it from her every time she touches me—hell, every time she looks at me.

She nods, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip before she confesses.

“I feel it, Kodie.”