Ever After Page 17

  When she finally stopped shaking, he slid across her, covering her body with his. She leaned up and kissed him, anxious to taste herself on his tongue—the same tongue that had just done things to her she’d never known could feel so good. She was anxious to reciprocate, but there was no doubt he was going to make love to her first. He’d reached out to grab the condom on the bed, finally breaking their kiss so he could rip it open with his teeth since one of his arms was trapped beneath her. He slipped his hand between them, rolling the condom on before pausing to look into her eyes.

  “You’re sure about this, baby?”

  “Yes.” She slid her arms around his neck, pulling him down so they were chest to chest, hip to hip, forehead to forehead.

  He pressed the tip of his cock against her tight entrance, his eyes locked with hers as he slowly spread her nether lips apart. She arched, taking the first few inches of his length inside of her. She wanted to wait, but her body had a mind of its own and wasn’t having any of it, arching over and over until he’d completely filled her. They both moaned as he bottomed out, pleasure overwhelming her as she stretched to accommodate an unfamiliar intrusion. It was mildly uncomfortable at first, but now that he was rooted deep inside of her, heat was already building, sparking through her veins like liquid heat. She moved, rocking her hips in a desperate need to fulfill a yearning she didn’t fully recognize.

  “God, you’re beautiful,” he rasped, his eyes still trained on hers.

  “Thank you.” Her voice came out in a shuddery huff as he slowly pulled out and thrust deep again. He was taking his time, making her wait for each stroke of velvety pleasure. Her inner walls instinctively clenched each time he bottomed out, her world suddenly reduced to nothing but this man, this incredible stolen moment in time. For as long as she lived, she would never forget the look in his eyes as he glided in and out of her, never breaking their solid gaze or his tender embrace.

  “Ah, shit, I’m sorry,” he grunted, squeezing his eyes shut as he unexpectedly climaxed. She felt every movement as he pulsed into her, his entire body stiffening, his breath escaping in a whoosh.

  She held him tighter, wanting to ride it with him just as he’d done when she’d orgasmed against his face.

  “Just give me a couple minutes,” he murmured, resting his cheek against hers, “and I’ll be ready to go again.”

  “Yeah?” She was surprised.

  “Of course—I can go all day, baby.” Then he kissed her, and she lost herself in him once again. Though he’d already climaxed, he was still rock hard and she found herself on the verge again. She shifted restlessly, unsure what she needed from him, but anxious to find the same pleasure she’d found from his tongue.

  “Easy,” he whispered, running one hand up her arm and onto her neck. “I’ll get you there.” He flipped onto his back, pulling her with him so she was on top, looking down at him with wide, startled eyes.

  “I don’t…”

  “Rock yourself into your happy place,” he encouraged. “I’ll follow anywhere you lead.”

  “Ohhh…” Her voice was a breathy combination of wonder and anticipation as she shifted slightly, the pressure immensely different now. “Oh!”

  He smiled. “That’s it, baby.”

  She started to sway, closing her eyes against the intensity, the fullness, the sensuality of having his hard length as deep as it could go. She sped up, her hips moving to their own rhythm, her clit throbbing with need. Her head fell back as she bounced above him, insecurities about her body forgotten with the swell of pleasure spiraling out of control.

  “Come on, baby, let go for me…” He pressed his finger to her clit, rubbing it in time to her movements, and for the second time her world crashed in around her. She was momentarily blinded, coming even harder than before, unable to stop the wealth of emotion surging through her body, her heart, her soul.

  She wasn’t sure how long she continued to ride out the waves, blackness mixing with the bright spots in her mind, taking her somewhere unfamiliar but surprisingly wonderful. She was aware of someone screaming and slowly realized it had been her, her throat dry when she collapsed against him. Gentle fingers caressed her back, running over her shoulder blades, the bumps of her spine, her tailbone and then kneading her cheeks.

  “You know what would be hot?” he whispered.

  “Hmm?” She was still in a state of orgasm-induced bliss.

  “A tattoo right there.” He ran his finger across her tailbone again.

  “Of what?” she murmured.

  “Something that means something to you.”

  “You,” she responded automatically.

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “It’s what I meant. Even if we never see each other again, you’ll always mean something special to me because yesterday you gave me back my life and today you gave me the most beautiful thing I’ve ever felt.”

  “Aw, baby, that’s what you gave me too… I didn’t do anything.” He kissed the side of her face, his lips tender against her skin.

  “You did. Before yesterday, I was merely existing, wondering when the next chip was going to fall, how long before something bad happened again… and then you walked into the room and told me I was beautiful.” Her eyes inexplicably filled with tears. “Even if you didn’t mean it, even if you were just being nice—you gave me something to fight for, reminded me there’s still time to live, even if the cancer comes back.”

  “I wasn’t just being nice,” he whispered, his arms tightening. “I think you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen—especially now.”

  She flushed, burying her face in his shoulder. “I feel like I should be embarrassed… but I can’t. It was too good to be embarrassing, too memorable to ruin.”

  “If anyone should be embarrassed,” he chuckled, “it’s me. I didn’t last more than a couple minutes.”

  “You spent all that time going down on me—it makes sense.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate you giving me a pass.”

  “You got me off twice… you earned a pass!”

  His rumbled laugh warmed her and she nestled deeper.

  6

  They made love on and off all afternoon, neither of them sated no matter how many times they did it. Finally, as their stomachs growled in hungry protest, they showered and Lexi fixed her makeup as he sat on the edge of the tub watching her.

  “Tore just texted,” he told her. “I guess he has a date and a few couples are going to karaoke; he thought we might want to go.”

  She met his gaze. “You told him we were together?”

  “I told him we were going to the movies today. He texted me while you were drying your hair and asked what I was up to. I told him we were going to dinner and he invited us to go along. No one else that’s going is on the team, and even though Tore’s a little crazy, he wouldn’t say anything inappropriate to your dad—he’s not a jerk.”

  “Karaoke is fun,” she said. “But do I look okay? Should we swing by the house so I can change?”

  “I think you look amazing,” he said, getting to his feet and pulling her close. “It’s a thousand degrees outside, so shorts are perfect.”

  “Okay, two minutes to fix my mascara and we can go find food.”

  They got to the restaurant where karaoke started at 9:00 and Lexi felt a moment of trepidation as they walked in and she spotted Tore with a buxom blond. They were sitting at a high-top table with another couple about the same age and another blond who zeroed in on Zaan the moment they approached.

  “Hey, man.” Tore nodded at Zaan and smiled at Lexi. “This is Mimi and her friend Shawna, and that’s Bill and Samantha. Guys, this is Zaan and Lexi.”

  “I thought you said Zaan was single?” Shawna popped a bubble with the gum she was chewing as she turned pouting lips to Mimi.

  Mimi shrugged. “Thought he was. Sorry.”

  Tore rolled his eyes. “Chill, you guys.”

  Zaan pulled up a bar stool for Lexi and leaned agains
t her back, sliding an arm around her waist. “Who else is coming?” he asked Tore.

  “My roommate Everett and his girlfriend Trudy.”

  “Well, this is no fun!” Shawna huffed, folding her arms across her chest. “I don’t want to be the third wheel. You said Zaan was coming.”

  “And he’s here.” Tore scowled at her. “I never said he was coming alone.”

  “Oh, shut up, Shawna.” Mimi nudged her. “Lots of hot guys will be here for karaoke.”

  “But not hockey players.” Shawna turned to Lexi and looked her up and down critically. “So are you two serious?”

  Lexi was shocked at the girl’s forward question and wasn’t sure how to respond. “We—”

  “Yeah, we kind of are,” Zaan said easily, smiling. “Sorry. I’m sure every guy in this place will be checking you out, though. You won’t be alone long.”

  She flashed him a bright, flirtatious smile. “Thank you!”

  Luckily, Everett and Trudy arrived just then, along with another male friend and soon it was too loud and busy to talk anyway.

  “She’s a piece of work, eh?” Zaan whispered in Lexi’s ear. “It’s exhausting trying to keep them away without hurting their feelings.”

  “I can’t even imagine,” she acknowledged.

  He leaned in for a kiss and she forgot Mimi’s glorious breasts and Shawna’s overt flirtation. After more than eight hours of almost non-stop lovemaking she still wanted him; it was ridiculous but kind of romantic too.

  “I may have created a monster,” he murmured in her ear.

  “You certainly have,” she snickered.

  “Are you two going to make out or sing?!” Tore demanded, smacking Zaan’s arm.

  Zaan lifted his head, his eyes twinkling. “Can’t we do both?”

  “Oh, look!” Trudy giggled. “We could do ‘Paradise By The Dashboard Light’ together,” she said to Everett, who shook his head vehemently.

  “Oh hell no.”

  She sighed with disappointment.

  “I’ll do it,” Zaan said to Lexi, his eyes meeting hers. “You wanna?”

  She bit her lower lip, though excitement began building in her stomach. “Sure.”

  “I’ll go put our names in.” Zaan went up to the DJ as Mimi laughed.

  “That’s awesome,” she said. “Can’t wait to hear it. Can you sing?”

  Lexi gave a coy half-shrug. “I’m not bad.”

  “Okay, we’re set.” Zaan was back and slid his arm around Lexi’s neck.

  “Try not to embarrass yourselves,” Shawna muttered.

  Lexi cut her eyes to the other girl but didn’t say anything, opting to surprise her. She didn’t know if Zaan grasped how good of a singer she was, but he was about to find out. Hearing her sing along to the radio in the car was different than the real thing, and she loved a duet like “Paradise By the Dashboard Light.” This was going to be fun, even if Zaan was tone deaf and totally off-key.

  When their number was called, their group hooted and whistled as they walked up to the stage. The DJ handed them each a microphone and Lexi felt the familiar energy that always preceded a performance; she was always more at ease on stage than anywhere else. She hadn’t had the energy during chemo and radiation, but she’d been practicing the last six months hoping the Julliard audition would happen. Not that singing was hard work for her; she loved it more than anything. Except being with Zaan, of course, but she hadn’t even known him until yesterday.

  As the opening guitar riff reverberated through the speakers, her eyes met his and she winked, dancing in time to the music. He started to sing the male solo at the beginning and she grinned at his efforts to stay on key. He wasn’t bad, actually, and she couldn’t help laughing as he wiggled his hips. She kept her voice low as they sang the chorus, warming up to the music and the rowdy audience.

  Then it was her turn. She turned to the crowd and let them have it, belting out the song as if it had been written for her instead of a popular rock anthem everyone already knew the words to. Her voice carried through the room, raw and edgy at first, building into a crescendo that eventually had everyone in the restaurant cheering. The moment she heard the applause, everything else disappeared and the performer in her took over.

  She loved being on stage, especially if she could sing a song she loved, and being up here with Zaan was the best of both worlds. She’d forgotten how much she enjoyed this—the reason she was fighting so hard to get into Julliard—but like everything else, Zaan had found a way to remind her of it. If she hadn’t been having so much fun, she might have thrown her arms around him and kissed him, but she focused on the music and the crowd, because they were eating it up.

  Since the original song was approximately eleven minutes long, the karaoke version was shortened and she wished it could have gone longer. Zaan seemed to feel the same, singing his heart out until the very last note. They did the last chorus with their backs to each other, turning to hug when the song ended.

  “Oh my fucking God.” Zaan was staring at her. “You’re going to be a star, baby. I had no idea you were that good.”

  She flushed with pleasure. “Thanks. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

  “Wow!” Tore reached out to high-five both of them, grinning at Lexi. “Your dad never said anything about you singing like that.”

  She nodded. “I’ve been really sick the last two years, you know? He probably wasn’t thinking about anything else.”

  “What kind of sick?” Mimi asked curiously.

  “I had breast cancer,” Lexi lifted her chin a notch, waiting for Shawna to say something. The other girl seemed shocked into silence, though, while Mimi’s eyes widened.

  “Oh, wow. Scary. You okay now?”

  “So far, so good,” Lexi nodded, keeping her answers simple.

  “Did they cut off your boobs?” Shawna finally asked, squinting at Lexi’s chest.

  “They sure did.” Lexi met her gaze without flinching, grateful for Zaan’s hand sliding into hers.

  “That’s awful.” Shawna seemed more traumatized than Lexi as she stared down at her own chest. “I wouldn’t let them do that to me.”

  “You would if they told you it would kill you if they didn’t,” Zaan interjected quietly. “Personally, I think she’s the bravest girl I’ve ever known.”

  “But she’s so…flat.”

  Lexi resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but Tore did it for her. “Oh shut up, Shawna. Geez. That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said.”

  “Oh please.” Shawna scowled. “Don’t tell me you don’t like boobs!”

  “Of course I do,” he said, “but not if they could literally kill you. Duh.” He shook his head as he motioned to the waitress.

  “Well, cancer can fuck right off,” Mimi said, lifting her glass of soda.

  “I second that.” Tore raised his as well.

  Everyone clinked glasses and the conversation turned to other things, giving Lexi hope that cancer wouldn’t always define her.

  It was after midnight when they pulled up to Rob’s condo. Zaan turned off the engine of his SUV and they sat in silence, contemplating their choices for continuing their evening.

  “This sucks,” he finally muttered.

  “Why don’t you come in?” she asked softly.

  He shook his head. “It’ll be too hard to keep my hands off you and I can’t do that with your parents in the house.”

  “Okay. Then I guess…” Her voice trailed off, unsure if he wanted to see her again since she’d basically put out on the first date.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, reading her mind. “What do you want to do?”

  She snickered, making him chuckle too. “Other than that? Nothing? I just figured out how much I like it and we only have five more days together, so…”

  He looked away suddenly, his jaw working slightly. “What if you stayed here this summer?”

  “I…” She wasn’t sure what to say. Yes, she was 18, but didn’t hav
e any money of her own and chances were her father would never go for it.

  “Cody and Suze have been looking for someone to help out with the kids… I bet they’d give you room and board in exchange for that, and I’m getting my own place soon. The deal with me living there was just for my rookie season, which is over now.”

  “I don’t think my dad would let me,” she said sadly. “And even though I could probably live with Cody and Suze, they wouldn’t do it if my dad said no.”

  He sighed, his fingers digging into hers. “I’m not ready to let you go. We just found each other.”

  “It’s really intense between us, isn’t it.” It wasn’t a question; they both knew it.

  “That’s why I don’t want you to go.”

  “I don’t want to go either, but I’d have to leave anyway, in the fall.”

  “You could go to school here, couldn’t you?”

  She nodded, but looked down. “Yeah, but it’s not Julliard. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do—and Julliard will open doors for me. Would you have stayed in your home town instead of going to the Juniors for a girl?”

  “Not at fifteen, which is when I left,” he admitted.

  “Would you leave the NHL for a girl?”

  He shook his head. “No, but that’s my career, my future—how I make money.”

  “And Julliard could mean the difference between me going to ten thousand casting calls before I get a commercial and a role on Broadway. It’s a big deal.”

  “I know.” He squeezed her hand. “You’re so talented, you’re going to do amazing things with it, and I would never interfere with that. Just seems so unfair that I finally found someone who gets me and now…”

  “I know.”

  They were quiet again, sitting with their hands linked between them.