Page 34

Chapter 34

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Carter

T he living room was finally quiet, which was weird considering how loud it had been a couple of hours ago, and how loud it usually was with three guys living in one house.

My fingers trailed over the back of the oversized sectional as I wandered the room. The footrest I’d picked out when Nora hit thirty weeks and couldn’t get comfortable anymore. The abstract painting I’d created during a night when we’d all tried art therapy. The framed photos from our trip to the beach house.

This place wasn’t just expensive furniture and designer touches anymore. It was... ours.

Fuck. I’d lived in mansions, penthouses, and luxury condos on three continents. But this was the first place that felt like home.

My mind drifted back to earlier and Nora’s fingernails digging into my palm during the final minutes of the game. Her body leaning against mine when the Titans scored that game-winning goal. The way she didn’t hesitate to fold herself into me when we celebrated.

I hadn’t needed to be “on” tonight. No jokes to fill the silence. No outrageous stories to keep everyone entertained. No calculated generosity to make myself indispensable.

The realization hit me with unexpected force. I still liked being liked, and probably always would, but the deeper ache had always been about being needed. Not for my money or connections or even my sparkling personality, but for... me.

And lately? The guys had let me in, too. Not just as the one with the biggest bank account or the jokes, but as someone they leaned on. Someone who mattered. And Nora...

Nora trusted me. With her home, with her fears about the baby, with the quiet moments when no one else was around.

GB had kicked for me yesterday morning when I’d pressed my palm against Nora’s stomach and whispered ridiculously inaccurate hockey stats that no self-respecting baby should be subjected to.

I wasn’t the backup dancer to someone else’s spotlight anymore. I was a partner.

My feet carried me up the stairs and down the hallway toward the nursery. I stood in the doorway, staring into the dimly lit room. I brushed my fingers over a watercolor painting of three hockey sticks with a tiny pink skate in the middle. The corners of my mouth twitched upward.

I adjusted a stuffed elephant that had fallen sideways in the crib, my fingers lingering on its soft ears. This little girl would grow up surrounded by so much unconditional and unwavering love, something I hadn’t always been sure existed.

“Hey, you.” Nora’s voice floated down the hallway, sleepy and sweet.

I turned to find her padding toward me, phone in hand, wearing one of my oversized T-shirts. The sight of her round belly and perfect hair piled messily on top of her head made my chest tighten in ways I’d never experienced before meeting her.

“Miles and Dom want to video call.” She held up her phone. “They’re bouncing off the walls with post-game adrenaline.”

“Of course they are.” I laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s take this to bed before your ankles decide to rebel.”

“My ankles already staged their coup weeks ago,” she muttered, but let me guide her back to our bedroom.

I propped pillows behind her back, arranging two more under her knees the way she liked. “Comfortable?”

“As comfortable as anyone can be with a tiny hockey player practicing drills on their bladder.” She wriggled into position. “Can we use the laptop instead of the phone? I can’t hold my arms up that long.”

“Your wish is my command.” I retrieved her laptop from the nightstand, setting it on the bed between us before initiating the video call.

Miles and Dominic appeared on screen, crammed together on a bed in one of their hotel rooms. Both were still glowing with the aftermath of their win, ties loosened and dress shirts partially unbuttoned.

“The conquering heroes!” I announced with theatrical flair. “Did you get me a souvenir? Perhaps a jockstrap worn by the opposing team’s captain? I can sell it and get some money for diapers.”

Miles snorted. “You’re disgusting, but that isn’t a bad idea.”

Dominic leaned closer to the camera. “How are our girls?”

Nora rolled her eyes. “Both of us are fine. Though your daughter decided the third period was the perfect time for acrobatics practice.”

“That’s my girl!” Dominic’s face lit up with pride. “She’s getting excited for the action.”

Miles laughed. “Was she trying to kick through your stomach when we scored?”

We chatted about the game, dissecting plays and controversial calls. Nora started to slump against me, fighting to keep her eyes open despite her genuine interest.

I adjusted my position, letting her head rest more comfortably against my shoulder. “Try not to drool on me, sweetheart.”

“I’ll drool wherever I want.” Her words were muffled against my shirt.

Dominic’s expression softened as he watched Nora nestled against me. “This is really happening. Soon our baby girl will be here.”

This really was happening. All of it. The team was one series win away from hockey immortality. We were weeks away from welcoming a tiny human who would rely on us for everything. I was part of something real and permanent.

The realization washed over me. I’d spent most of my life collecting experiences, moving from one thrill to the next, always chasing the next high or rush. But the quiet certainty of knowing exactly where I belonged was the greatest rush of all.

I turned my head to meet Nora’s eyes in the soft lamplight. I was in love. Not just with her, but with all of it; with them, with our makeshift family, with the beautiful future waiting around the corner.

“I’m not so tired anymore.” Nora’s voice took on a sultry edge that made it very clear what she wanted.

I leaned down and kissed her, soft and sweet. Her lips tasted like the cherry ChapStick she constantly applied, and I felt that familiar electric current zip through me. The one that never seemed to dim no matter how many times we’d done this. The warm weight of her against me, the curve of her belly pressed between us, created this perfect pocket of contentment.

“Uh, guys? Still here,” Miles’s amused voice came through the laptop speakers.

I broke the kiss as a startled laugh bubbled up from Nora’s throat. She’d genuinely forgotten they were on the call. I hadn’t.

“Sorry, not sorry.” I reached over to adjust the laptop screen. “You know how insatiable she is.”

Dominic leaned forward, his eyes intense even through the video connection. “Don’t stop on our account.”

The air in the room shifted, charged with familiar possibility. We’d been here before; the four of us connected across miles, finding our own way to bridge the distance. It started as an accident, became an experiment, and now it was something else entirely.

I glanced at Nora, giving her the chance to shut this down. Her answer was to bite her lower lip, eyes darting from me to the screen and back again.

“What do you think, sweetheart?” I brushed my thumb across her cheek. “Feel up to giving the boys a reward for their win tonight?”

She shifted slightly, making herself more comfortable against the pillows. “I do think champions deserve rewards.”

I could practically feel the temperature rise on the other side of the screen.

“Let me set this up.” I slid off the bed and grabbed the laptop.

I connected it to the television mounted on the wall opposite our bed, then positioned the laptop on the dresser with its camera facing us. The guys’ faces appeared on the large screen, giving us a much better view of them.

Miles had already shed his tie and was unbuttoning his shirt. Dominic had moved their laptop to the end of the bed and settled back against the headboard. Both were watching us with undisguised hunger.

I returned to Nora, and she reached for the hem of my shirt. “Too many clothes.”

I let her pull it over my head, enjoying the way her eyes traced over my chest. No matter how many times we did this, the look of appreciation in her eyes still gave me a rush.

She lifted her arms, allowing me to draw her shirt upward. I took my time, revealing inch by inch of her skin, savoring the moment when the fabric cleared her breasts, fuller now with pregnancy. The shirt joined mine on the floor.

“You’re beautiful.” And I meant every word. Her body had transformed over these months, curves softening, belly rounding with our child. There was something primal and awe-inspiring about it that never failed to stir something deep in my gut.

“Seconded,” Miles’s voice rumbled from the television.

Dominic made a sound of agreement, his eyes fixed on Nora with reverent intensity.

I kissed her again, deeper this time, one hand cradling her face while the other splayed over her belly. She sighed against my mouth, arms winding around my neck to pull me closer.

“I want to taste you,” I whispered against her lips.

Working my way down her body, I dropped kisses along her neck, her collarbone, and between her breasts. I took my time with each nipple, knowing how sensitive they’d become, using gentle licks and the barest scrape of teeth until her breathing quickened.

“Carter.” She threaded her fingers through my hair.

I smiled against her skin, continuing my journey downward, pausing to press my lips against the taut skin of her belly. Moving lower, I helped her wiggle out of her underwear, positioning myself between her thighs. “Spread your legs, sweetheart. Let them see how perfect you are.”

She complied, knees falling open. I glanced over my shoulder at the screen, catching the hungry looks on both men’s faces. They had both removed their shirts, and Dominic was down to his boxers already.

Turning back to Nora, I settled between her legs, starting with gentle kisses along her inner thighs, moving toward her center. The first broad stroke of my tongue drew a moan from her lips. I worked her slowly, methodically, alternating between long licks and focused attention on her clit.

Her hands found my hair, guiding me. I added a finger, sliding it inside her with ease, then a second, curving them upward to find the spot that made her hips buck.

“Fuck.” Her head fell back against the headboard.

“Show us.” Dominic’s voice was rough with arousal. “Show us how wet she is.”

I withdrew my fingers, glistening in the soft bedroom light, and held them up toward the camera. “See what you guys are missing?”

Miles groaned. “Damn.”

I returned my attention to Nora, now working my fingers in and out while my tongue circled her clit. Her thighs began to tremble, her breathing becoming more ragged.

“I think they need to see more.” I shifted position so the camera could get a better view and used my thumbs to part her folds. I couldn’t resist dipping back down, my tongue flicking against her exposed clit, drawing a sharp cry from her lips.

A glance at the screen showed both men had freed themselves from their remaining clothing, hands working in slow, measured strokes as they watched us.

The knowledge that they were getting off to this sent a fresh wave of heat through me. I returned to my task with renewed enthusiasm, working Nora with my fingers and tongue until she was writhing on the bed.

“Carter.” Her voice took on a desperate edge that I knew well. “Carter, please. I need more.”

I pressed one last kiss to her inner thigh before moving up her body. “What do you need?”

“You. Inside me. Now.”

I stood to remove my remaining clothes, painfully aware of my own arousal. Nora watched me, her eyes dark with want.

She shifted to position herself on all fours, facing the camera, and I moved behind her, one hand stroking down her spine while the other guided myself to her entrance. I pushed in slowly, giving her time to adjust, watching her head drop forward with a low moan.

“Fuck, you feel incredible,” I groaned, my hands finding her hips.

I established a rhythm, slow and deep, watching the way her body accepted mine. The sounds she made drove me higher.

On screen, Miles and Dominic had increased their pace, transfixed by the sight before them.

“We want to see more,” Miles commanded, his voice strained. “I want to see everything.”

I slowed my movements and pulled out. After adjusting the camera angle, I helped her shift positions until she was straddling me backward, her back to my chest as I sat at the edge of the bed. She lowered herself onto me with a shuddering breath, my arms supporting her weight.

Like this, the camera had an unobstructed view of her full breasts, her rounded belly, and the point where our bodies joined.

I wrapped one arm right below Nora’s breasts, the other hand splayed protectively over her belly as she began to move. The position limited my thrusts, but the depth of penetration had her moaning loudly as she moved her hips in circles.

“Touch yourself,” I whispered against her ear. “Show them how you make yourself feel good.”

Her hand drifted down, fingers finding her clit. Her pleasuring herself while I filled her was almost too much.

“That’s it,” I encouraged. “You’re so fucking beautiful like this.”

Her movements became more erratic. I could feel her body tensing and knew she was close. On screen, Miles and Dominic were equally close to the edge, eyes fixed on Nora as they stroked their cocks.

“Come for us, sweetheart. Let us see.” Dominic’s voice was strained, as if he were waiting for the perfect moment to come.

That was all it took. She cried out, her body clenching around me as pleasure washed over her. The sight of her coming undid both men on screen, Miles with a strangled groan, Dominic with a curse and Nora’s name on his lips.

The combined effect of Nora’s body pulsing around me and watching the pleasure overtake all three of them pushed me over the edge. I buried my face against Nora’s shoulder, holding her tightly as I found my release with a muffled groan.

Nora sagged against me, completely spent, and I moved us fully onto the bed, pulling her into my arms.

Right where she belonged.