Page 23 of Cross Check Daddies (Miami Icemen #3)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Ace

She slips back into the living room, barefoot, quiet, her sweatshirt hanging off one shoulder again. Her hair’s pulled into something lazy, strands falling around her face.

She looks soft. Undone in the kind of way that makes you want to wrap your arms around her and just stay there.

I’m on the couch, legs spread, head tilted back against the cushion. The TV’s playing something we’re not watching, the light flickering low against the walls. When she walks in, I hold out my hand.

She takes it.

I pull her into my lap, her knees settling on either side of my thighs. Her mouth is right there, too close not to kiss. So, I do. My hands slide up her sides, her breath catches, and when my tongue brushes against hers, she lets out this low moan that tightens every muscle in my body.

I kiss her slowly. Then pull back, eyes on hers.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said. About wanting time. Space to process everything. I want to know... all of it.”

She looks startled, then shy. Like she hadn’t expected me to ask again. Her eyes drop to my shirt. Her fingers play with the hem. I kiss her again, gently this time.

“Just tell me,” I whisper against her mouth. “No filter.”

She takes a breath and pulls back slightly. Her voice is quiet but steady.

“The two people I’ve been seeing… They are Cam and Tanner.”

I go still. Not because I’m angry. Just... surprised. I didn’t think it was people I knew. Not like that.

“Shit,” I murmur, leaning back, scrubbing a hand over my jaw. “Okay. That’s... wow.”

That explains the fight those two had.

“I know,” she says quickly, already climbing off my lap. “It’s weird. I didn’t plan it like this. I didn’t expect?—”

“Brooke,” I interrupt, reaching for her hand. “I just need a minute. That’s a lot to absorb.”

She nods, folding her arms, pacing a little. I watch her carefully, the way she pulls her sleeves over her hands, the nervous bite of her lip. She’s bracing for judgment. I’m not here to give it.

“You talk to them about it?”

“Not together,” she says. “Cam and I had a fight. And a... moment. After. He knows. I asked him to talk to Tanner. I don’t know if he will.”

I nod slowly. “Everything’s easier when it’s out in the open. Secrets rot things from the inside. You think you’re protecting people, but what you’re really doing is drawing lines in the dark and hoping no one stumbles over them.”

She stops pacing. Her eyes flick to mine, something vulnerable flashing through them.

“That’s... really good advice.”

“I coach for a living,” I say, smirking. “Sometimes wisdom slips out between yelling at grown men to stop checking each other into the boards.”

She laughs. “You’re wise beyond your years.”

I pinch her butt. She yelps, spins, and swats at my hand. I grab her waist and pull her back down to the couch, this time beside me. Her laughter dies down into something quieter, warmer. I press my palm against her knee, then slide it up, resting on the curve of her hip.

“So?” she asks.

“So,” I echo.

“What do you think?”

I trace my thumb along her jaw, down the side of her neck. Her skin is warm under my touch.

“I like you. More than I planned to. I’m not trying to own you. I just want to see where this goes. If that means we keep talking, keep touching, keep figuring it out as we go... I’m in. But I need honesty. Always.”

“Okay,” she says, her voice low.

Her eyes flicker shut as my hand strokes up her neck, fingers threading into her hair.

She tilts her face toward me, and my lips graze hers.

I suck her bottom lip into my mouth, drawing a soft whimper from her throat.

Her fingers grip the front of my shirt, tugging just enough to let me know she’s not ready to pull back.

Shit, why does she taste so good?

It’s maddening.

I kiss her again, deeper this time, my tongue sliding against hers, her moan vibrating in my mouth. She’s straddling something fragile—still caught between guilt and permission—and I don’t push her off it. I just meet her where she is. Right here. Right now.

As long as she wants me here, I’m staying.

The kiss deepens until we stop pretending to keep it measured. She shifts in my lap, and I groan low into her mouth as her thigh slides against my cock.

Her hands find the hem of my shirt and push it up, palms flat over my stomach, like she’s memorizing what I feel like beneath her. The fabric peels over my head and lands somewhere on the couch. I’m not watching anymore.

My focus is narrowed down to the soft, rapid gasps she lets out every time my fingers slide up her sides or dip under the waistband of her sleep shorts.

I pull back just enough to catch her eyes.

“Unlock your balcony!” I say, voice already rough.

She blinks. “You wanna go outside?”

“Yeah. I don’t want your son waking up and seeing us.”

She smiles, lips swollen, flushed from kissing. “I’ve never actually been out there.”

I lift her off my lap and take her hand. She leads me through the sliding glass door, barefoot on the tile. The air outside is cooler than I expected, but not enough to chase us back in. Her breath fogs slightly in the air, her arms wrapping around herself as she steps closer to the railing.

I come up behind her, wrap my arms around her waist, and press a kiss behind her ear.

She leans into me, body pliant and warm, head tilting to give me access.

I slide one hand beneath her shirt, fingers grazing the bare skin above her navel.

She shudders when I cup her breast, thumb brushing her nipple in a lazy circle.

She spins in my arms, eyes locked on mine as she pushes her shorts down her thighs, then mine. We’re bare, lit by city lights and half-hidden by shadows, the whole damn city right below us.

I pull a condom from my wallet and roll it on, but I already know this is going to burn through every ounce of self-control I’ve got left.

Her hand wraps around my cock as I slide my fingers between her thighs. She’s wet, aching for it, moaning into my mouth as I press inside her with two fingers, curling just right, just enough.

Her grip tightens around me, stroking slowly, making my breath catch. We’re both shaking when I press her back against the balcony wall, lift her leg, and slide into her in one long, tight thrust.

She gasps, hands clawing at my shoulders, nails digging in like she needs something to hold onto before she unravels completely.

It’s hard and messy and desperate. I grip her hip with one hand and cradle the back of her neck with the other as I fuck her, her moans swallowed by my mouth, the slap of skin muffled against the rush of wind. Her name breaks from me, raw and low.

She clings to me like I’m the only thing keeping her tethered. It’s fast because we’re past the slow part. We’ve done the talking. The waiting. This is what’s left. Sweat. Teeth. The kind of kiss that bruises.

She tightens around me and cries out, legs locking around my waist as she comes. I’m right behind her, thrusting deeper, hips jerking as I finish, groaning into the curve of her neck. She’s still gasping when I pull out and reach to slip the condom off.

It’s split.

“Fuck.”

She freezes. I hold it up. Her eyes go wide. “Seriously?”

“Yeah,” I mutter. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even feel it?—”

“It’s okay,” she says, dazed. “We’ll deal with it.”

I lift her into my arms and carry her inside. She doesn’t protest, just curls into me like it’s second nature, like she’s done this a hundred times before. Her voice is soft when she speaks.

“Bedroom’s down the hall. Second door on the left.”

I find it easily. The lights are off, but moonlight spills through the blinds, cutting soft lines across the bed.

I help her clean up in the bathroom first, my hands gentle even when neither of us speaks.

She brushes her teeth, eyes still heavy, hair tangled.

I tuck her in, pulling the blanket up, smoothing her hair back.

She watches me like she’s waiting for something. Maybe for me to leave.

I sit beside her and kiss her forehead, then her lips. “Think about what you said earlier,” I murmur. “If you want me to talk to Cam, say the word.”

“No,” she says quickly, hand on my chest. “I’ll handle it.”

I kiss her again, deeper this time, not because I’m trying to push her but because I don’t want to leave her like this. Wanting. Wrecked. Unsure.

“I should go,” I say against her lips.

“Not yet,” she whispers, voice strained.

I slip under the covers and pull her into me. Her back presses to my chest, and I slide my arm around her waist. We breathe together, her fingers brushing mine until her body stills and her breath evens out.

One hour later, I wake in the dark.

Her hand is still curled against my chest, soft and trusting, her mouth slightly parted. I ease away gently, pressing one last kiss to her temple. I dress in silence, grab my phone, and leave the apartment without turning on a light.

I walk back up to my place, slide my key into the door, and step inside, then lean against the wall for a second, breathing out slowly.

I’ve slept with her now.

And somehow, I’m more certain than ever.

I like her.

God help me, I really like her.