Back Check (Aces Hockey #4)(68)

 

"You're so quiet," Katelyn commented as they neared his place. "Is everything okay?"

 

"Huh? Oh sure. Yeah." He turned down the ramp into the parking beneath his building "Everything's great."

 

-

 

Back at Tanner's condo, they undressed and went to bed. Katelyn turned into his arms as she did every night they were together. When she was alone, she slept in pajama pants and a long-sleeve T-shirt. When she was with him, she slept naked. He generated enough heat to keep his entire condo warm, and she loved snuggling into his body warmth.

 

His big hands moved over her body, trailing heat over her skin. As always, he effortlessly aroused her and she was soon rubbing against him, then reaching for his thick cock. She slicked her thumb over the damp head and stroked his shaft.

 

"Yeah," he moaned, rolling to his back. "Want you to suck me."

 

"Mmm." She loved doing that. She rolled to her knees and shifted lower on the bed until she was level with his groin. She licked him and took him deep, cupping his balls, scraping her fingernails over his inner thighs. He groaned and fisted her hair, holding her head in place, helping her move up and down his shaft. He tasted clean and male, so damn good. Tension coiled low in her pelvis.

 

He wasn't talking like he usually did in bed … telling her how sexy she was, how beautiful … telling her what he liked and asking her what she wanted. His hips lifted, fucking up into her mouth. His breathing grew faster, the guttural noises he made deeper … he was close to coming. She didn't mind if he came in her mouth … she loved it … but there was something off about this.

 

It felt like he wasn't really there with her.

 

She slid her mouth off him, her jaw aching slightly, and crawled up beside him. She kissed his cheek and whispered, "I want you to fuck me now."

 

Without a word, he reached for a condom, gloved up, and rolled on top of her. He pushed inside her, and it felt good, but still … odd. He buried his face in the side of her neck as he pumped into her.

 

He hadn't even kissed her.

 

She wrapped her arms and legs around him and held him tight as he fucked her, her burning eyes squeezed shut until his body shuddered against her. It was the first time they'd had sex where she hadn't had an orgasm.

 

That didn't matter. She didn't need an orgasm every time. Just being with him, close to him like this, was wonderful. She stroked her hands up and down his back. Then he lifted his head, gave her a quick peck of a kiss, and rolled off the bed to get rid of the condom. When he came back, he slid under the covers, turned onto his stomach, and fell asleep.

 

What was this?

 

She stared wide-eyed at the ceiling in the dark, the covers tucked up under her chin. She started trembling and it wasn't because she was cold.

 

What was wrong? Why was he like this?

 

Had she come on too strong? Defending him to his dad? Talking about hockey? Had he sensed how upset she was about the possibility that he'd be traded? Because they'd both known going into this that was a very real possibility. But she'd told him she could deal with it.

 

Maybe she was moving too fast. Coming on as too needy. Rachel had been right … she did tend to rush into relationships. She felt like she'd known Tanner forever, because … well, she had. But really they'd only been together again a matter of weeks.

 

 

 

        

          

        

         

 

She had to be smart. She'd rushed into relationships in the past. She just had to cool things off a little.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 18

 

 

Monday morning Tanner was getting ready to leave for the airport to fly to Buffalo for their game that night when his phone buzzed. He grabbed for it and checked the call display. Kevin.

 

"Hey, Kev. Whassup?"

 

"The Aces just signed Julien Boucher for a six-year, thirty-six-million-dollar deal."

 

Tanner froze, the phone pressed to his ear. "Shut the fuck up."

 

"Truth."

 

He closed his eyes briefly, ashamed that his first thought was, What does this mean for me?

 

When he should have been happy for his friend and teammate. "Great news for Boosh."

 

"Yeah. Fantastic news for him. This could make things tough for us, though."

 

"I know, I know." He exhaled sharply. "Fuck."

 

"It has to mean things are coming to a head. Trade deadline is a week from today. They've signed Boucher. They need to piss or get off the fucking pot when it comes to your contract."