Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 152064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
“I thought I had another day to go,” she mutters.
“You need me to stop at the drug store to pick up supplies?”
She shakes her head. “I have stuff at your place.”
“Okay, good. So home it is.” I pull into traffic. “You want me to pick up dessert since we didn’t have a chance to order any?”
“Oh, maybe. I would give my left pinkie toe for one of Rix’s chocolate lava cakes.”
I smile. “You’re in luck. I have a few in my freezer. You want me to stop for anything else?”
She folds her hands over her stomach. “I think I’m okay.”
“You think of anything, you just let me know.”
A little while later, we pull into the underground lot. I’m thankful the elevator is empty and stays that way on the trip up to my apartment, even though most of the people in the building know me and wouldn’t post pictures on social media to create drama.
The people in the restaurant are a different story. That’s tomorrow’s problem, though. I’ll message Hemi later, once Tally is taken care of.
I let us into my apartment, and Tally disappears into the bathroom. While she cleans up I pull the lava cakes out of the freezer and turn the oven on. Tally reappears a few minutes later wearing joggers and one of my T-shirts.
“Better?” I run my hands down her arms.
“Much.”
“Feel like finishing dinner?”
“Definitely.”
We grab plates and cutlery, and I open the boxes.
“So.” I spear one of the seven artfully arranged green beans and offer it to Tally. She nibbles the end. “I gotta be honest. The presentation is great, even boxed up.” I pop the rest of the bean into my mouth. “And it tastes awesome, but the portions are small.” I motion to my cupboard. “I was thinking maybe some spiral KD might be a decent addition.”
“That sounds like literal heaven.”
“Awesome. I’ll break out the good stuff, just for you.” I kiss her cheek.
Tally and I make the noodles together and put the lava cakes in to heat while we polish off dinner.
“Why are these always so good?” Tally spears a cheesy noodle and pops it in her mouth, followed by one of the maple-braised carrots.
“Comfort food? When I was a kid, we used to buy elbow noodles, powdered milk, and cheese sauce in bulk. It wasn’t until I went to the Hockey Academy that I learned most people just used the KD packets and bagged milk.”
Her expression softens. “Bagged milk was more expensive.”
“By a lot, yeah.” We were always trying to stretch grocery money. “And my appetite was endless.”
“It must have been so hard.”
I shrug. “It was all I knew.”
“Is it difficult to go out for a nice dinner like we did tonight? Places like that are super expensive.” Tally strokes the back of my hand.
“It used to be. At first, I worried it was all going to disappear.” My upbringing, coupled with what happened with Fiona when I signed my contract, exacerbated my fears for a long time. Again, I’m tempted to tell Tally the real reason, but tonight has already been hard enough on her. “Rix has been great about helping me invest,” I explain. “And I have security after nine years in the pros, which makes it easier.”
“It’s wild that you’ve been doing this since you were my age.” Tally rubs her abdomen and winces. “I should have taken a painkiller as soon as I got here.”
“You getting sore?” I push my empty bowl away.
“Yeah. Nothing a couple pills and a heating pad won’t solve.”
“There are other ways to remedy that problem.” I want the closeness that comes with taking care of her.
She narrows her eyes. “I’m not going for a walk right now.”
“I’m not talking about a walk, kitten.”
She frowns.
“Orgasms help alleviate cramps,” I explain.
“I’m bleeding.”
I shrug. “Natural lube.”
“You’re serious.” She blinks up at me. “Are you serious?”
“I’m a hockey player, Tally. I’m not scared of blood, and my libido is always at a level ten.” I turn her to face me and push her legs apart. “You want a natural analgesic? I can help with that.” I run my hands up her warm thighs. “You were pushing my buttons earlier, let me push yours.”
She rolls her bottom lip, cheeks flushed. “It’ll be messy, though.”
“I have plenty of dark towels, and I would love to make you feel better.”
She runs her hands over my chest. “I would love that, too.”
I stand, pick her up and pause to turn off the oven before I carry her through the apartment. On my way to my bedroom, I grab dark towels from the bathroom closet and wet a couple of washcloths.
Once we’re in my bedroom, I strip her out of her clothes and me out of mine, lay a soft towel over my navy sheets, and lift her into bed, climbing up after her. She reaches for me as soon as I’m stretched out beside her. I kiss her softly, fingers trailing over her collarbones, moving lower to skim her nipples.