Page 40 of Unrivaled Love (D.C. Renegades #2)

Jo

“I’m running the play, got it?”

I am not used to surrendering. Bryson’s command was firm but his gentle soul still shone through. Another way we’re perfect for each other. He embraces my callous heart and encourages it to open to him. He could have a career taming horses after hockey.

My body is stretched out under him as Bryson straddles my hips. His knees bracket my sides and the urge to buck him fills my chest. I’m feeling twitchy.

Gently, his fingers trail around my breasts. Each caress is slightly different, sometimes he’s close to my nipples, others he swings wide and tickles the skin along my abdomen.

Breathing is a struggle but each deep inhale pushes my chest into his touch.

“More Bry, I need more.” I whimper.

“I know you do, Killer. But I’m running the play, got it?”

“Fine.”

“You’ll be happy with the results.” He chuckles and I want to kiss him and shove him away. Teasing is torture.

I watch his face as he concentrates on his gameplan. His light touches are driving me absolutely insane. Every cell in my body is desperate for him.

My patience is rewarded when he leans forward and kisses me. His hands push up my arms and he links his fingers with mine as he grinds along my stomach. I feel his cock getting harder. I hope he can’t stand being edged out either and soon pounds into me with the force I expect from him.

The kiss relaxes my body and mind as I lose myself in his taste. So when he slides the pillow out from under my head I yelp a little in surprise.

“What are you doing?” I ask as he sits up and holds the pillow over us.

“Playing.” He says and then he rips the thing wide open.

Feathers explode and fall around us like snowflakes. Each one settles after a moment and I reach up to clear a few from Bryson’s curls. He tucks his head and blows an exhale over my breasts, clearing the debris but driving my nerve endings to their limit.

“Oh god,” I exhale as the feathers dance off my skin and fall to the side.

Bryson only smirks before he lifts a feather and traces it over my chest. He moves more quickly than he did with his fingertips and I curl my hips up as a silent plea for attention.

“Is your pretty pussy asking for more, Jo?”

“Yes, shit yes, Bryson. Please.”

“So, if I were to…” he trails off and I open my eyes as his head drops and his mouth takes my breast. The heat and the wet makes my other nipple pebble harder and he reaches up with a hand to grab it roughly.

I arch into him and he hums his satisfaction which sends more ripples of pleasure through me.

Bryson switches sides and I feel a surge of arousal at my entrance.

Holy shit, he’s making me come just from tit play.

I glance down at the plane of his back as he hovers over me, devouring my body. The way his curls bounce slightly with the movement of his head. I will need to recall this when we’re apart. I must stock up on batteries because I’m going to need my vibrator constantly.

Bryson blows cool air on my chest, wet from his kisses, and it feels like the first contact with alpine lake water. The shock spreads quickly to a shiver and my body warms in its wake .

My hips lift again and Bryson smiles. “Here baby,” he says as he slides his thigh between my legs and lines it up in the apex of mine.

I clamp around him and the rough hair on his muscled thigh is exactly the grit I need when he’s tickling my shoulders with feathers. I grind against him and the contact along my entire pussy causes my muscles to flex further.

“Fuck, Bryson, I’m close.”

“Ride my leg Jo, get yourself there.” He says as he shifts to his elbows and I watch his abs flex as he watches me.

“Oh shit, yes, Bryson.” I chant and he dips again to suck and nip along my breasts. Every muscle in me is ready to explode. My vagina clamps down around nothing and my stomach bottoms out.

“Yes baby, that’s it, Killer. Fucking fall Josie. Let go for me.” Bryson whispers all this against my skin and I do.

I fall.

I’ve fallen.

I’m a goner.

“I want to fuck you.” Bryson whispers as I slowly release his thigh from mine.

“Yes, please, shit Bryson I need you inside me.”

He pulls my legs up and hooks my knees over his arms. He enters me in one thrust and we both exhale together.

“Shit Jo, you’re so tight.” He says through gritted teeth. I smirk and bear down on him. I try not to laugh when he falls forward to his elbows and my legs fall open further. We reposition and I wrap my legs around his ass and use my heel to bring him even closer.

I stare up into his brown eyes and feel the love in them.

We might not be saying the words yet but we’re feeling it. We’re showing it to each other.

He pumps into me and his hands brush along my face. Our movements cause feathers to poof up around us and it adds to the magical feeling of this coupling.

“Damnit Josie, I feel everything. I feel your tight fucking pussy strangling my cock.” He says and I pull him closer to me.

“I feel everything too, Bry. I need you, all of you. C’mon baby, let’s let go together.”

“I’m right there Josie.”

“Me too, Bry. Show me.”

He takes my mouth in a deep kiss as his hips drive into me in short, rough punches. I gasp for breath between our lips and slide into an orgasm that feels like relief.

All the tension melts away, all my fears, my doubts. I have Bryson in my arms and I’ll never forget this feeling. This moment will carry me through the days, weeks, fuck maybe months without him.

Bryson keeps his hands on my hips as we walk to the bathroom. His hands stay on me as we shower and he only breaks the contact when we work to clean up the feathers before falling back into bed. His arms wrap around me and I give him this because the connection keeps me afloat too.

***

The quiet zip of a suitcase wakes me. I roll over and find Bryson already out of bed. "Hey." I call out to him as I stretch.

"Hey Jo, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. I couldn't sleep."

"That's fine, is it time to go?" I ask as I poke the sleep out of my eyes.

"Almost, but I was thinking I'd take a car, you don't have to get up and drive me. "

"I want to." I insist. I pull the covers off and sit up. "Let me get dressed."

"Okay," he says as he sits on the edge of the bed.

I pee and brush my teeth.

Tears sting my eyes when one fleeting thought of leaving him at the airport slips in.

Fuck.

Three weeks ago I couldn’t stand him.

Or, at least I was jealous of him.

But now, the idea of being separated from him brings me to tears.

I sniffle as I square my shoulders.

I do hard things for a living.

Yes it's a game but it feels like going to war.

And my training schedule is not for the meek.

Bryson does the same.

Thankfully when I step out into my bedroom he's already in the kitchen.

I think seeing his crestfallen face would be the final shot to my resolve.

I hear the blender start and I smile remembering his face when we were accosted by the smell of rotten food.

I giggle remembering picking out a new blender with him at the store and how seriously he researched which model would be best. And how on the way home we stopped for ingredients so we could test it out right away.

I'm going to miss having him in my space. I'm going to miss him being here when I get home. I get it now, I understand the appeal of a relationship. The difference maker is the person. Bryson makes me want to create a home, a nest, and spend all day and night with him in it.

I worked harder at practice this week knowing I was coming home to him. That he’d be there to talk with, cook with, chill out with. This apartment is going to be a sad place with him gone .

But, I remind myself as I slip my sweatshirt on, the distance isn't forever. My off season starts in November and I’ll start training with the US Team which is in Maryland, not far from D.C..

And we talked about calling each other and texting.

We'll figure it out. We'll make it work.

We have to.

I roll my shoulders back and take a centering breath. We can do this. I can do this.

In an effort to appear nonchalant and totally cool with what we’re about to do, I lean against my door frame as I watch him in my kitchen.

"You get a good eyeful there, Killer?" He asks as he shakes his butt at me.

"Just trying to remember my favorite part of you."

"My ass?"

"Mhmm."

"Well get over here and grab it!" And with a laugh, I do. He lets me grab my fill for a moment before spinning and pulling my mouth to his.

This kiss is hard and soft all at once. It's light and heavy. It's every opposing feeling in the world but it's especially bittersweet. I feel like we just learned how to be together and now we have to learn how to be apart.

He lets me go and we grab our smoothies. I’m quiet as we leave the apartment.

There’s everything to say but nothing too. We know what we’re walking into. And away from. We know the challenge ahead. Or, we at least know it’ll be a challenge.

I don’t think either of us really understands what we’re trying to do.

When we're seated in the car, I turn to him. "Are you ready to get home?"

"Yes and no. I miss my place. The boys. But I also ran away for a reason and I'm not sure I'm ready to be back in it."

"I get that."

"How'd it feel to get back into your routine this week?" He asks .

"It felt really good. But I also had you to come home to every night which made it even better."

"Yeah, I'm not so lucky." He says to the window.

"Yeah," I agree quietly. The crushing weight of our pain is sharp in my chest.

There is nothing I can do to soothe him and that hurts. There’s nothing he can do for me either. The tough part is coming. We know it. We can’t stop it.

For the rest of the ride I focus on the road. I keep my hands at ten and two so I don't accidentally grab his. As soon as we touch, I’ll cling to him and won’t be able to let go.

When I get to the airport I drive to the departures lane and pull to the curb. If I parked in the lot we'd never separate. This way some security officer is going to come yell at us if we linger too long.

Bryson wipes his hands on his thighs before he gets out of the car. I suck in a breath and follow him.

He pops the trunk and pulls out his bag and each quarter of a second that ticks by brings a stronger threat of tears but I refuse to break down in front of him. I refuse to be anything but strong.

"Okay, I guess this is it." Bryson says as he stands in front of me. He seems small. His shoulders are curled in and there isn't the amusement in his eyes I've come to admire.

"Yep, guess so." I lift my hand in a wave and press my lips together in a side-of-the-mouth smile. It's awkward as hell but I don't know what else to do.

The heartbreak is already threatening to consume me.

Bryson barks out a laugh and I startle.

"Seriously Jo? You were gonna just wave? You're fucking priceless. C'mere. "

He opens his arms and the joy in his eyes is back as I slam into him and we rock each other in a hug.

His embrace is warm and even after using my laundry detergent he still smells like Bryson. A unique and spicy blend of wood and vanilla. I want to bottle it. It's probably his body wash or something and I should ask him what it is so I can buy it, too.

Bryson's hand comes up to my face and he tilts my head for a kiss that makes my toes curl.

"Fuck, I'm going to miss you." He says as he presses his forehead to mine.

"Ditto." I manage to reply as I fight the emotion threatening to break me.

"I know we're not saying it yet but we're also not not saying it so I'm not saying it now but I am ya know?" He rambles.

"Ditto." I say again and this time the word is an octave higher because those tears are really close. We're on the brink.

"Okay," he says and it's as much for him as it is for me. "Okay, I'm gonna go. I-" He stops himself and kisses me again.

The security officer blows her whistle and we scramble apart. I hurry around the front of the car and get in. I lift my hand in a wave and he returns it before turning towards the doors.

I press the ignition and crumple forward to the steering wheel. My head causes the horn to blast and it startles my system. I can’t hold it back anymore. I don’t want to. I need to let go.

The tears flood out of me and drop rapid fire to my lap and when I bang my forehead on the wheel again the horn sounds. I stifle a giggle through my tears and yelp when there's a knock on the window.

Bryson is standing there with tears in his own eyes. I roll down the window because if I get out I'll never let him leave .

"I have to say it." He says, chest heaving. Our eyes lock and I can’t get enough air in my lungs. All I can do is nod. He exhales and reaches into the open window with both hands. "I love you, Jo Hamilton."

I could float away at his words. I was so afraid to hear them but for the life of me I can’t figure out why. Every cell in my body lightens hearing him. Now, I can do this for him too.

"I love you too, Bryson Svoboda."

The words leave my lips fractions of a second before he crashes his mouth on mine. I fist the front of his shirt and hold on for dear life.

Bryson is both my buoy keeping my head above water and the anchor trying to drag me under. He’s my reason for joy and happiness but each day apart might slowly kill me now that we’ve found each other again.