Page 51

Chapter 51

Declan

Coach Dunaway lingers in the locker room, watching me gear up as the rest of the guys start filing out.

“Everything okay?” I ask when we’re alone, and he nods before he walks over and sits down on the bench next to me.

“Everything’s great. I just wanted to go over a bit of a new play with you.”

It’s been a long road for me with Dunaway, but ever since Hannah’s collapse, it feels like we’re finding an equilibrium with each other. Actually, we’re getting along great, arguably better than we ever have, so as Dunaway goes over the details of his new strategy with me, I pay attention to every little detail—because I have a lot of respect for the man, and I want him to see it.

When he’s finished, Dunaway smiles and claps me on the shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Murray. Now get out there and show them what you’re made of—and don’t forget that Hannah is watching.”

He winks at me when I smile back, and we join the rest of the team out on the ice for the warmup. Thanks to our strategizing session, we don’t have as much time as we normally would, and it feels like the warmup flies by.

Before I know it, the puck drops, and the raw energy of the game breaks out. But even over all the noise, I can hear Hannah shouting my name and cheering me on. I grin to myself and put on an extra burst of speed, cutting across the ice like I’m flying. All the yoga I’ve been doing with her has paid off on the ice, and I’m faster and more agile than I’ve ever been. I’m playing for Hannah—and knowing that she’s in the stands cheering my every move makes it feel fucking effortless.

She inspires the hell out of me, and I’m so damn proud of her. She officially left law school not long after she told her parents she didn’t want to keep going, and they’ve both been amazingly supportive of her ever since.

She’s already working on opening a yoga studio of her own, and Dunaway has even been helping her scout out a potential location. The whole thing has come together beautifully, just like I knew it would if she gave it a chance. And seeing her thrive after everything she’s been through makes me feel like anything is possible.

The rest of the Aces must be feeling some wind under their wings as well because everyone’s playing at their absolute best. We’re totally dialed into each other and the game, sinking passes and shots as easily and naturally as breathing. We end up burying the other team so badly that I almost feel sorry for them. Almost.

As the game is wrapping up, I spot Hannah in the stands sitting next to my mom. It’s still hard to believe that my mother’s living here now and that she and Hannah are getting along so well, but it also somehow feels like the most natural thing in the world. Like this is how things were always supposed to be. Still, if someone told me a year ago that this is what my life would be, I never would’ve believed them—as much as I would’ve wanted to.

It’s beyond surreal to think that this woman, the one I spent months trying to find again after we shared that first amazing night at Opal and Oak, is mine now. And not just mine, but part of my family. Seeing Hannah and my mom in the stands together feels like watching my two very different worlds colliding, but it’s also a relief in a way.

Because now I don’t have to hide anything from anyone anymore. And neither does Hannah. Her parents know about us, and they’ve welcomed me into their family just like my mom did with Hannah. Most of the guys on the team probably already knew what was going on, but I don’t have to tread lightly around them anymore either.

We can just live. Together. And I can’t even describe how full that makes my heart feel. Not even getting into the NHL after years of grinding toward it could compare to how amazing it feels to be with Hannah.

My gaze drifts back to Hannah, who’s wearing my jersey openly and proudly now, and I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of the sight. It’s the best thing I’ve ever seen, so I blow both her and my mother a kiss, and Hannah catches it to bring it to her heart—which might be the second best thing I’ve ever seen.

I’m one of the first guys off the ice, and I shower quickly and head to the family and friends lounge. Hannah and my mother are already waiting for me, and Hannah launches herself at me as soon as I walk into the room, hugging me tightly.

“Congrats on another win,” she says with a spark in her eyes as she plants a kiss on my cheek. But that’s not nearly enough for me, so I grip her chin lightly and turn her head a little, claiming her mouth with mine.

“You know what that means,” I whisper in her ear when we part, and the way she shudders in my arms makes my cock throb. I made a promise to her earlier that if the Aces won today, I’d fuck her while she’s wearing nothing but my jersey. She flushes as we separate, a knowing smile on her face and heat flaming in her eyes.

“You played so well!” my mother exclaims as she reaches for a hug, and I pull her in tight. It’s so good to see her up and moving like this. Since she moved to Denver, I set her up with some of the best doctors in town, and I don’t know what they’ve been doing to help her, but her Parkinson’s symptoms have been noticeably diminished since she started the new treatment regimen.

“How couldn’t I with these two leading ladies out in the stands cheering me on?” I ask my mother before I kiss her cheek.

“Oh, come on now, you can save the flattery for this beauty.” She waves me off and smiles at Hannah, who blushes.

“Do you need a ride home?” Hannah asks her, and my mother shakes her head.

“I’ll be okay but thank you. Go on, go celebrate,” she says and ushers us away, so I kiss her goodbye and head out with Hannah.

The tension and anticipation crackles like electricity between us the entire drive back to her apartment. As soon as we walk through the door of her place, our lips are on each other’s. We kiss hungrily and with abandon all the way to her bedroom, stripping each other’s clothes off until she’s in nothing but her panties and my jersey.

“Take off the panties,” I growl, and with her face flushed, she shucks them down and kicks them away. “Good. Now get on your knees.”

Her eyes flash and she licks her lips as she sinks down in front of me. She gazes up at me with pure hunger, and I can tell from the way her breath is picking up that she’s just as turned on as I am. I rip my boxers off and take my cock in one hand to brush its tip across her plush lips, and she hums in approval.

“Now open that perfect, pretty little mouth of yours for me.” She drops her jaw compliantly, desire flickering in her beautiful, mismatched eyes as she holds my gaze. “ Putain , hummingbird, tu me tues .”

I slide my cock into her mouth, gentle at first so she can adjust to its girth, and slowly start rocking my hips, driving my cock in and out of her mouth. She keeps up with my pace, bobbing her head down to meet my thrusts, and with each of them I move a little faster, a little deeper, until I’m full-on fucking her face. She hums her excitement around my cock the faster I go, the vibrations sending shivers up my spine.

“You’ve never looked as beautiful as you do right now,” I tell her as my cock disappears between her plump lips. “This is my mouth to fuck.”

I massage her jaw and hold her in place to emphasize the point until she starts to sputter. I let her go, and she pulls back enough to breathe comfortably but keeps my cock in her mouth, swirling her tongue around its leaking head.

“Fuck, hummingbird, that tongue of yours is fucking magic,” I groan, feeling my balls tighten. It’s enough to send me over the edge, and she must know it because she abruptly pulls back and arches a brow at me, running a finger over the neckline of the jersey she’s wearing.

“Not so fast,” she breathes. “You promised me you were going to fuck me in this, remember?”

I groan at the reminder, my arousal surging like wildfire through my veins. She gets up and settles on the bed, then spreads her legs to give me a full view of her beauty as she toys with her piercing. The metal glints in the low light, her pussy already glistening with arousal.

“Do you want me?” she asks, her voice low.

“Yes. So fucking much.”

“What would you do for me?” she asks, moving her fingers to her clit to work it over, spreading her wetness across it.

“Anything.”

“Then crawl to me.”

A primal heat flames in my insides from her bossiness, and I lower myself to my hands and knees to do exactly as I’m told, watching her scorching eyes as I move closer to her.

“I would crawl a mile over broken glass to get to you,” I tell her and lower my mouth to her pussy to feast on her. She squirms beneath me, curling her toes.

“Would you really do anything for me?” she asks, her voice thick with desire.

“In a fucking heartbeat,” I say, glancing up at her as my tongue drags through her folds. She bites back a moan.

“Will you fuck my ass?”

Her words shoot straight to my cock like a lightning bolt. “Fuck,” I swear under my breath, and can’t stop myself from surging up to kiss her.

She falls onto her back on the bed and as much as I can’t wait to do what she asked for, I need to feel her first. I climb between her legs and slide my cock into her wet, willing pussy. Seeing her groaning and playing with her nipples through the fabric of my jersey has me throbbing inside her, lubing us both up.

I pull out and plunge my fingers into her pussy to get them wet, then gently start trying to open up her hole. It’s slow going at first, but I don’t want to hurt her. Eventually, with a lot of deep breathing and the addition of some lube Hannah pulls from her bedside table, she takes both of my fingers.

“I’m ready for the real thing,” she whimpers after a little while longer, her voice husky with need.

Fuck. That’s all I need to hear.

I pull her legs up to my chest, putting her at just the right angle, and start to slowly work my way into her ass. It takes a bit of work to get the head past the tight ring of muscle, but as soon as it presses inside, she lets out a throaty gasp, and I feel her starting to adjust around me.

“So fucking tight,” I hiss through clenched teeth. “Your ass is gripping me like a vise, hummingbird.”

When she’s ready, I fuck her just like this, taking gentle, easy strokes to help loosen her up more.

“Work your clit for me,” I demand. “Make yourself come while I’m filling your ass.”

She moans and slides a hand between her legs to massage her clit, drawing hungry, fast circles around it with her fingers and palm while I slide in and out of her tight back hole.

“That’s it,” I praise. “So fucking good. Show me how good it feels to have my cock in your ass while you touch yourself.”

“Declan,” she breathes, her back arching off the bed.

A beat later, her body seizes as she comes hard, falling to pieces on my cock and soaking both of us with her release. It dribbles down and lubes my cock up, making her ass feel even more incredible as it spasms around me, clenching and unclenching in waves, until I can’t take it anymore and erupt inside her.

“Fuck, Hannah!” I roar as my release tears through me, jet after jet of cum filling her up.

I collapse onto her in the aftermath, my forehead resting against hers. We steal kisses from each other as we try to catch our breath, our bodies still shuddering from the aftershocks. Hannah’s heterochromatic eyes look up at me, hazy with satisfaction, and I can’t help but kiss her again, savoring the taste of her on my lips.

I pull out gently and help her clean up, then crawl back onto the bed beside her and pull her tight against my body, one arm wrapped around her. We lie together in exhausted, sated silence, and after a few minutes, Ralph leaps up onto the bed and begins pawing at my jersey. Her little paws work methodically, kneading the fabric with intense focus. Then she circles around twice before settling down right on top of it, creating a little nest for herself beside Hannah and me.

“Aw, I think she likes it,” Hannah says as Ralph starts purring, her little body vibrating with contentment. I reach out to scratch behind her ears, and her purring instantly deepens, sounding like an idling engine.

“I think so too. Guess that means I’ll have to crochet a matching one for her next.” I smile, picturing Ralph in a tiny Aces jersey, claiming her territory just like her mom claims me.

Hannah laughs softly, the sound washing over me, and it hits me right in the chest. Every day, for as long as fate or the universe will let me, I’m going to do my best to make her laugh like that.

Because every day with this woman is a fucking gift.