Page 96 of Pucking Strong (Jacksonville Rays #4)

“ D id you have fun tonight, lamm?” Henrik sits at the head of Karolina’s bed, tucking her in, while I lie across the foot of it.

She gives a sleepy nod, still clutching the picture book we bought for her at Deck the Chairs.

“We have a surprise for you tomorrow,” he says.

Her eyes blink open. “What is it?”

He smiles, smoothing her blankets. “You get to take the walking boot off.”

She sits up, the book flopping to the side. “Really?”

“Yep, you’re all healed,” I say, propping my head on my hand as I stretch out on my side. “Are you excited, honey?”

She nods fervently. “Now I can do ballet, and surfing, and ride horses on the beach!”

I laugh, sitting up. “Easy, Supergirl. One thing at a time, okay? First, you gotta prove how strong you are by finishing up your physical therapy. We’re gonna race Morbror in the swimming pool.”

“And school? I can go now?”

Henrik nods. “You start at the new school in January.”

She settles back against her pillows. After a moment, her tired smile turns into a pout.

Henrik brushes her hair back. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ll miss Mr. Torres.”

“I thought you didn’t like that he made you learn math,” I tease.

Her pout deepens. “He taught me about the bees. And how the sun makes food for flowers.”

Henrik considers for a moment. “What if we promise to have Mr. Torres over for dinner once a month? That way, he can learn all about your progress at your new school.”

She nods, her pout softening a little. “And Hanna.”

I step around to the head of the bed, placing a hand on Henrik’s shoulder. “What about Hanna, honey?”

She glances between us. “If I don’t have my casts anymore, will Hanna go too?”

I wince, catching Henrik’s eye.

He recovers smoothly, taking her book and exchanging it for Teddy the Bear. “I already spoke with Hanna, and for your birthday, we’re all going to Disney World together.”

Karro squeals with delight, squeezing her bear tight enough to pop him. “Princess makeovers!”

“Oh, girl, just you wait,” I say. “We’re gonna do everything. Every park, plus the water one. Fireworks, animal safaris, all the shows. And Hanna will ride every ride with you. Morbror and I will too.”

I don’t miss the way Henrik’s shoulders stiffen. Or the way Karro looks to him and stifles a giggle. “What?” I glance between them. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Henrik mutters, rising from the bed. At the same time, Karolina shouts, “Morbror is afraid of roller coasters!”

I slowly turn to face him, one brow raised. “Seriously?”

He crosses his arms, defiant in the face of my surprise. “They’re a safety hazard.”

I just shake my head. I did this to myself. I fell in love with a Capricorn and married him. This is my life now. There’s no one else to blame, and there’s definitely no turning back.

I ’ m standing at the sink shirtless, nearly done with my nighttime hair- and skincare routine, when Henrik steps into the bathroom.

He leans against the open door with his arms crossed, looking divine in a low-slung pair of house pants and a fitted grey T-shirt.

“All good?” I say, adjusting the elastic band of my head scarf on my forehead. “She still asleep?”

He nods. “Yeah, she’s out like a light.”

“Good.” I rub the last remnants of my loc oil into my palms, warming them with the friction. “How do you feel?”

He raises a brow. “About the custody decision?”

“Obviously.” We walked around in a daze all night, looking at the rest of the decorated lifeguard chairs, playing carnival games, eating tacos from a food truck. Nothing felt real. We were just sort of floating. Then we came home. Now we’re here.

Henrik considers for a moment. “Honestly?”

I pause, setting aside my little jar of under-eye serum. “Yeah, babe. Honesty always.”

His brow furrows as he shrugs. “I suppose it feels a bit anticlimactic.”

“Oh my god, right?” I turn to face him, leaning my hip against the sink. “ So anticlimactic. Here I was, making worrying my entire personality. I was starting to dress to match my own frown lines. Like, what am I even supposed to stress about now?”

He chuckles, unfolding his arms and slipping his hands in his pockets. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

“I mean, yeah, there are already like five things.” I give a distracted wave of my hand as I turn back to face the mirror.

“We have to plan for Christmas and Karro’s new school.

We need to get her a backpack, folders, new colored pencils.

Then there’s the wedding, our trip to Sweden to see your parents for the bye week … ”

As I talk, Henrik crosses the room, stepping in behind me. I’m dabbing my expensive gel serum under each eye with my pinkie as his hands go to my shoulders. I still as he starts to rub circles with his thumbs. I raise a brow at his reflection. “What are you doing?”

“Touching you.”

I smirk, setting the little jar of serum down. “Don’t start something you can’t finish, old man.”

He hums. “Old, am I?”

“Older than me,” I tease. “And, apparently, afraid of rollercoasters?”

Stepping in close, he lowers his face to breathe in my skin, trailing the tip of his nose from my shoulder up the curve of my neck.

I fight a shiver, hands dropping to grip the edge of the sink, as his lips press to the point just behind my ear.

“Are you afraid I’m not exciting enough for you, mitt hj?rta?

Married to a boring old Swede who eats oats and drinks his coffee black? ”

I shrug, leaning into his touch. “I already fixed the coffee thing.”

He kisses my neck, his hands trailing down my sides. “Did you now?”

“Mhmm. Don’t think I don’t see you reaching for the milk every morning. You like it a little sweet, admit it—” I gasp as he wraps his hand around my neck and jerks my body back against his. “Hen, what—”

Reaching around me, he slaps something down on the vanity. I glance down at what looks like a little black remote. “What’s that?”

“What does it look like?” he says in my ear.

I smile, pressing myself against him. “It looks like a remote. But to what?”

He nips the skin at my shoulder, making me groan. “Try it and see.”

I pick up the remote, wholly distracted by his hands and lips on me.

It’s a simple thing with only a few buttons.

I press the little On button. Behind me, Henrik jerks, his hands gripping tighter to my shoulders.

He mutters a curse in Swedish. Then I hear a faint buzzing.

My eyes widen as I stare at him in the mirror. “Babe!”

He groans, stepping in until I feel his erection against my ass.

I gasp again. “Henrik Karlsson, are you wearing a vibrating cock ring?” Spinning around, I cup his crotch. And, yep, there is definitely something wrapped around my man’s junk right now. “Lemme see.”

“Teddy—”

Grabbing the top of his lounge pants, I jerk them down, freeing his cock. It’s half erect, growing harder. There’s a thick ring of black silicone wrapped around the top of his cock and strapped under his balls. The ring buzzes and Henrik grunts, stroking his shaft. “Where the heck did you get it?”

He shrugs. “The internet. Do you not like it?”

I grin up at him. “The question is do you like it. How does it feel?”

“Good,” he mutters. “Tight. Strange.”

I just shake my head, unable to look away.

“What?”

“I am in awe of you, you know that? I never thought I’d see the day Henrik freaking Karlsson would surprise me with a vibrating cock ring.”

He chuckles, stroking his hard cock again. But then he’s grunting, his eyes closing. “I was going to suggest I fuck you while I’m wearing this, but now I feel a bit light in the head.”

Scrambling for the remote, I turn the vibrations off. “Is it too much? Too tight? Do you want it off?” I reach for it, but he grabs my wrists.

“Give me a moment.” He lets out a breath, staring down at the contraption. “Teddy, I want …”

His words trail away, so I twist my arms in his grip until we’re bracing each other’s forearms. “What, babe? You want what?”

He glances up at me, vulnerability in his eyes. I try to read his silence. “Do you want me to top you?” He nods, and I smile, letting out a breath of relief. “Oh, thank god.”

“Why thank god?”

I just laugh. “You know me. My mind will instantly skip, hop, and jump right down into the dark place. I was ready to hear you say you wanted to be alone to play with your new toy.”

“No, I want you with me.”

“You wanna let go,” I intuit.

He nods again.

I smile, leaning in to brush a kiss to his lips. “Don’t even worry, baby. Between that ring on your cock and me riding your ass, you’re gonna come so hard for so long, you’ll think your soul was fucked from your body.”

“Christ,” he mutters.

“You’re gonna have to call in sick tomorrow.”

“Teddy …”

Laughing, I peck his lips again. Then I dart from the bathroom into the bedroom.

He follows me out, leaving his pants abandoned on the floor by the sink.

It’s my soul that’s gonna leave my body as, in the reflection of our floor-to-ceiling window, I watch him one-handedly tug his shirt off.

He drops the shirt to the floor. Then he’s standing naked in our bedroom, my cock ring–adorned Adonis.

“What are you doing?” he says, fisting his shaft.

“I get to play too, right?” Rattling open the bottom drawer of my side table, I pull out two vibrating butt plugs and hold them out to him. “Black or blue?”

His eyes go wide. “Christ, Teddy. You’ll put these inside you?”

I hold out the more bulbous black one. “This is tricky to get in, but it hits the prostate like magic.” I show him the blue one. “But this one vibrates so hard, you feel it in your teeth.”

He hands me the black one.

“Good choice.” I toss the other one back in the drawer and shut it with my foot.

Henrik steps in next to me, peeking over my shoulder. “What else do you have in there?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know? Babe, get the lube.”