Page 35 of On Thin Ice (Calgary Mounties #1)

Chapter Thirty-Three

DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO ANY OF THIS

Adele

The next morning, after only a few, too short, hours of sleep, sunlight pours through my window, waking me from a very deep sleep. Normally, I pull the block out curtains each night, but we’d been slightly preoccupied.

Lincoln’s arm tightens around my waist, his bicep flexing as he stirs with a groan.

“Too early,” he murmurs into my shoulder.

“Actually, it’s after ten,” I reply, my voice cracking with exhaustion.

“Ugh, I have practice in two hours,” he grumbles, pulling me in closer and resting his forehead on my shoulder.

Never in my life have I had a night like last night.

I thought we’d been drunk on sex in New York, but we’d barely stopped for hours once Lincoln carried me to bed.

I lost count of how many orgasms I’d had, something I’d never thought possible.

But none of the men I’d been with before were professional athletes surging with adrenalin after winning a game and then experiencing jealousy for the first time in their lives.

He’d spent hours kissing every inch of my body, as though trying to erase the memory of the fierceness of that first round.

I told him over and over how much I’d enjoyed it, but it seems the golden retriever side of him had returned, and I wasn’t going to complain if he wanted to make my body sing for him.

“Come on.” I pat his arm, scooting forward once he lets me go. “I’ll make you some breakfast and coffee.”

Some part of me must have known I’d be feeding him, because I’d bought bacon and eggs when I’d got my groceries, something I rarely do.

I pull on my robe and head into the kitchen, and he stumbles out after me a few moments later, pulling his boxers on.

He comes up behind me as I start cooking, sliding his arm around my waist while he kisses my temple. I turn my face to look up at him, reaching up to cup the back of his head as I kiss him gently.

Nothing about this feels fake anymore.

He eventually moves towards my coffee maker, grabbing two cups and getting it started while I work on breakfast. It’s all very domestic, and I know we need to talk about this, but I’m scared to admit how I’m feeling.

I’m scared to admit that I’ve fallen for him.

We eat breakfast in companionable silence, each so tired that we can’t manage small talk. But when he gets up to clear the plates away, I follow him back into my small kitchen and take his hand, weaving our fingers together.

“What are we doing, Lincoln?”

He looks down at our hands before meeting my gaze again. “I don’t know.” I stay quiet, waiting for him to sort through the thoughts in his head. Eventually, he lets out a breath and looks up again. “I guess… The lines between what’s real and what’s fake have sort of become a little blurry for me.”

It’s obvious that admitting this out loud is a struggle for him .

I squeeze his fingers again. “Are you saying… Are you wanting to try this… Us… For real?”

“Maybe… I don’t know… I don’t know how to do any of this, Addie.”

I step forward and bring my hand to his cheek, looking up at him. “You’ve been doing pretty well, so far.”

That gets me a small smile. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He lets go of my hand and slides both of his down my sides to grip my hips, pulling me close. “So…” His eyes drop to my lips before flicking back up to mine. “Should we maybe try this?”

“Are you asking me to go steady, Lincoln O’Malley?” I bite my lip, knowing the effect it will have on him.

He huffs out a laugh, tightening his grip on my hips. “You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?”

I shake my head with a grin. “Nope.”

He lowers his forehead to mine. “Adele Wilson. Will you go out with me? For real, this time?”

“Who even asks that anymore? Honestly, it’s like you’ve never even dated before,” I say, knowing my joking around will drive him crazy.

He rolls his eyes. “You’re impossible.”

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

He sighs. “I’m going to kiss you now, you pain in the ass.”

I feel a slight flutter in my belly. “Okay. I suppose I can handle that,” I whisper, just before he brushes his lips to mine.

There’s something different about this kiss. By now, I’ve lost count of how many times his lips have been on mine.

But this one? This one feels like coming home.

And what a kiss. I’ve kissed plenty of guys in my twenty-nine years on this planet.

Hell, I almost married the last one. But none of those guys ever came close to making me feel the way I do right now.

Lincoln pulls me flush against him, and I lift on to my tiptoes to get even closer, but even that doesn’t feel close enough.

He deepens the kiss, stroking my tongue with his while he brings his hand up to cup the back of my head and holds me still, devouring me whole.

Eventually, I pull away, smiling up at him. “As much as I’d like to continue this, you need to go get ready for practice.”

He groans, pulling me in and giving me a quick peck on the lips. “Fine. Be the responsible one.”

Grinning, I turn to walk out of the kitchen, and he smacks me on the butt, causing me to squeal and turn to glare at him over my shoulder. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

“You’re such a child.”

“Yep. And you love it.”

I refuse to acknowledge that I really, really do.

After Lincoln leaves, I set about tidying up my room after the mess we’d made last night.

Who would have thought sex could cause so much disarray?

The decorative pillows I usually have piled high on the centre of the bed are scattered all over the floor, and the bedspread is on sideways.

I long to climb back into the bed once I return it back to its normal state, but I have to go meet Kylie and take Milo off her hands so she can leave for her tour this afternoon.

I shower and pull on my sweats, not bothering much with my appearance as I throw my hair up in a messy bun and head out the door. Thankfully, it hadn’t snowed again through the night, so I don’t have to deal with removing the ice from my car. I’m not sure I would have had the energy for that.

As soon as I arrive at Kylie’s front door, she takes one look at me and smirks .

“You look like you’ve been thoroughly serviced,” she comments, stepping aside to let me in.

I nod. “Yeah, I’m going to be walking bow-legged for a few days, I think.”

She laughs, tilting her head back while Milo jumps around us, her energy feeding his excitement.

“Seth mentioned Lincoln was a bit tense when he left the arena last night. I take it you’d told him you were seeing Ben?”

I sigh. “Yeah, I texted him. When I got home, he was sitting in his car out the front, coiled so tight he was ready to explode. Seems like he’s never experienced jealousy before.”

She grins, leading the way into their lounge room.

Milo pushes his head into my hand as I follow her, begging for affection.

I flop down on the couch, and he jumps up beside me, cuddling into my side.

I take my phone out and take a quick selfie with him sending it off to Lincoln before putting it back in my pocket.

Kylie picks up the half-finished coffee from the side table and raises an eyebrow as she takes a sip. “So, what’s this mean for you guys, then?”

I feel myself blush, and her eyes twinkle when I reply. “We’re going to try dating for real.”

She slaps a hand against her thigh. “I knew it. There was no way the two of you could just do the casual, friends with benefits thing. Seth owes me fifty bucks.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Seth thought we wouldn’t end up getting together?”

She shakes her head. “Oh, no. We knew you’d both give in, eventually. He just gave it a month, while I gave it a week.”

I roll my eyes, wanting to be annoyed, but it’s hard to be annoyed when what she says is right.

We chat for a little while longer, and as I’m getting up to leave, my phone vibrates in my pocket.

Lincoln

Cute, my two favourite people. Can’t wait to see you in a few hours. Come stay at mine?

I smile, and Kylie puts her arm around me, giving me a side hug. “I’m so happy for you both.”

I hug her back. “Thanks. I’m pretty happy, too.”