She found her clit and let loose on it. Rubbing madly in a race to find her release.
It came in a roaring crash of tensing muscles and shattering blackness. Tingles pummeled her limbs, numbing and sensitizing until there was nothing and everything. Blood roared in her ears, breath gusting as the high overtook her, floated her away to the grinding cry of Henrik so close to her ear. She absorbed and ignored it both, simply lost.
Her legs gave out, squashing her arm beneath her. Henrik was slicked to her back, his panting heaves timing with hers in a rapid seeking of air. His heat baked into her, but she didn’t want him to move. Braced on his forearms, head resting next to hers, he wasn’t crushing her. It was intimate as only lovers could be.
This she could keep forever. This sense of belonging, of complete happiness where nothing else intruded. This was freedom.
She lingered in the good feelings, in the right and happy, and for now ignored the dark warnings that spoke of how soon this could all change.
* * *
Henrik tucked Jacqui in close, spooned behind her in his favorite way to sleep. He nuzzled his nose in the flowery scent of her hair, richer now with the lingering heat of their passionate sex.
Damn, he was still dazed and awed at her lack of inhibitions. “That was amazing,” he said by her ear, stroking her stomach. Slightly rounded and soft. She was everything he wanted, had always wanted.
“It was.” Her agreement was low, the intimacy holding even after they’d both dragged themselves from the bed to clean up.
“Thank you.” He kissed the side of her neck, a lingering touch that hopefully communicated exactly how thankful he was—for everything.
He felt more than heard her chuckle. “Ditto.” She wiggled her bottom, the gentle movement caressing his flaccid dick.
He countered her light tease with a nip to her shoulder. “Behave.”
“I thought you liked me when I was naughty.”
“I do.” He hugged her to him, threading his leg between hers so he was pressed even closer. “I like every side of you.” It was tempting to show her exactly how much he loved all her sides—top, back, bottom, heart, head, spirit—but the exhaustion was catching up to him.
Her purr rumbled through her back into his chest. She stretched, arched her neck and rolled her head into his. “You’re spoiling me.”
“Not enough.” She wouldn’t let him do all he wanted. Hell, she still refused to open the keyboard he’d given her.
“Too much.” She sighed, relaxing into him. She threaded her fingers with his on her stomach, her other hand finding his where it stretched in front of her, his bicep her pillow.
The cold air had settled in to cool his heated flesh. It was refreshing on his exposed skin above the covers. Beneath them, he was toasty warm next to Jacqui. The darkness was a comfortable blankness that let him dream and hope and...
“I’d do so much more if you’d let me.” Love you so much more if you wouldn’t run. The sense she was going to bolt at any second still lived with him. Strangled him at times. What he couldn’t define was if it was based on his past experience or her own actions.
She squeezed his hand, bringing it up to kiss his knuckles. “You don’t need to do more.”
But he wanted to. He took a fortifying breath and plunged into the family he wanted but had no experience with. “Do you think your brothers would be free next Sunday?”
“Why?” Her frown came through in her voice.
“I was thinking they’d like to come over and skate on my ice.” He’d have his ground guys finish the setup this week. “Get a few of my teammates to join us. Maybe scare up enough guys for a game.” He forced his voice to sound casual, but the increased rate of his heart was most likely giving away his nerves.
She was silent for a moment, almost too long before she shifted around in his arms, a hand settling on his jaw. Her features were barely discernable in the darkness, yet her touch was soft, her kiss equally gentle.
“I think they’d love that,” she said. “In fact, I’m positive they’d make the day work no matter what they had planned.”
He cleared his throat, worry keeping it dry. “Good.” He doubted her positivity. Yet most fans would love the opportunity to skate with players. He was definitely setting the odds of