Best Played (Salt Lake Pumas) Read online

  Her body shifted against mine, an almost visible shiver running through her. It wasn’t one that seemed out of any kind of dislike, though, so I pushed her shirt higher, exposing the skin of her stomach to my kisses.

  With a moan bubbling from her throat, Roxi whipped her shirt the rest of the way off, tossing it into the darkness behind me. “God, Olle,” she breathed, her chest rising and falling with every breath as my tongue danced against the heat of her skin. “You make me feel so beautiful.”

  It made me grin against her. Roxi was beautiful. I’d told her so, and I’d vowed to make sure that she knew it. Hearing it now made me feel a glow of pride in the center of my chest.

  “Come on, don’t I get to see if you put on special underwear for me?” Roxi teased, her hands eagerly tugging at my shirt.

  “I haven’t,” I told her straight away. The boxers I had on were hardly going to be a match to the beautiful lace that Roxi was wearing. But I thought that I had a pretty good idea about how I could make up for that with her.

  Taking a step back, I pulled my shirt over my head, tossing it in the general direction of where Roxi’s top had flown. My hands dropped down to the fastenings of my pants and I grinned at Roxi.

  “Would you accept nakedness in lieu of some amazingly sexy underwear?”

  Propping herself up on her elbows, Roxi looked even more stunning. My fingers trembled on the button of my jeans before finally popping it free, not even waiting for an answer.

  “I will always accept nudity,” Roxi confirmed, sitting up more so that she could reach for me. Her hands were hot as she stroked over the lines between my abs. She gave a throaty purr, shifting forward on the bed so that I was practically between her legs.

  “I’ve been looking and wanting to touch for so long,” she said softly, taking the chance to thoroughly explore my shirtless torso.

  “And now you can,” I promised. “All yours to touch.” That seemed to be the right thing to say, because Roxi’s eyes practically darkened with lust. If I made her feel beautiful, then she certainly returned the favor, too. Her nails scratched over my sides, not so much that it hurt, but enough to send a shiver through me.

  Pushing my pants down, I pushed my boxers off with them. I’d promised Roxi nudity and nudity I was going to deliver. There was no shame in me at her seeing just how turned on by her I was already. The way Roxi’s eyes traveled over me, taking in every inch, made me give a soft groan.

  “You’re very welcome to explore,” I told her, tongue running over my lower lip to wet it.

  She didn’t hesitate. Not that I’d expected her to. After so long waiting to touch one another, we both wanted to enjoy this moment to the fullest. Her hands traveled around my waist, venturing up to map the muscles of my back. I flexed them for her, making her smirk up at me.

  “You feel amazing.” She leaned close, her breath warm against the skin of my stomach. She brushed her lips across my abs, repeating the same movements I’d made against her stomach a few moments ago.

  Meanwhile, her hands had dropped to my ass, squeezing and tugging me forwards until she practically pulled me to the bed on top of her.

  “Now do I get to explore?” I asked and Roxi laughed. She did nod, though, giving me the permission that I’d been waiting for. My hands slid up Roxi’s body, lifting her enough so that I could reach the clasp of her bra. It took me a moment to get it open, maybe the excitement getting the better of me.

  Once open, I helped the straps off Roxi’s shoulders. Leaning back, I took in just how beautiful Roxi looked. One of my hands found its way up her side and then higher until I could cup one of her breasts. With my thumb rubbing over Roxi’s nipple, she gave a soft moan.

  “Fuck, you look and sound so good.” And she truly did. My lips kissed their way to Roxi’s other nipple, tongue swirling around it until I earned more gentle moans.

  She rocked against me, wrapping her arms and legs around me until all I could feel was her embrace. The noises she made were driving me wild, little half-caught breaths and whimpers of pleasure echoing around us.

  I tried to take my time, my mouth moving from Roxi’s nipple to the full curve of her breast, tracing the shape of her with my tongue and teeth. One hand slid down her stomach, fingers drawing idle patterns against her as her body shook with desire.

  Roxi groaned, rubbing herself against me as well as she could in our current position. One of her hands slid up to my hair, tangling in it to hold my head in place.

  Having her pull me in closer felt great, but I wanted to get Roxi to make even more amazing sounds. So I pulled back slightly, only enough to kiss my way lower. My hands slid down Roxi’s sides, over her hips until my fingers could slip under the material of her panties.

  Dragging them down, I replaced the material with my mouth. Roxi lifted her hips so I could pull her underwear off fully and I used the opportunity to settle between her legs. First, I gave one of her inner thighs a light bite, teasingly. Then, my mouth moved higher, eager to elicit more sounds from Roxi.

  She cried out, wriggling against the sheets in delight. Tipping her head back, Roxi arched her hips towards me, inviting me to carry on. Her fingers stayed tangled in my hair, twisting the strands around her fingers as my tongue explored her.

  I moaned, the taste of Roxi so sweet on my tongue that I could hardly stand it. She lifted one leg, draping it over my shoulder so that her heel pressed against my upper back. She pushed against me, keeping me close, though we both knew that she was only keeping me there because it was exactly where I wanted to be.

  “Oh, Olle,” she sighed, the sound of my name making my body stir with lust.

  My mouth was otherwise occupied, so I couldn’t reply in words. But I could reply in actions. As my tongue explored her, I moved faster, lapping harder until Roxi’s body was practically grinding against me. I wanted to hear her, wanted to make her scream. Licking harder and faster, my wish was coming true.

  Her hand tightened in my hair and so did the muscles in her body. With the moans becoming louder, I knew she was close. So I didn’t stop until she screamed my name again, the moans practically resounding around us.

  I lapped softly through the last shivers of her passion, only pulling back when Roxi tugged me away from her suddenly oversensitive body. Her face was glowing, hair looking disheveled from having rubbed against the sheets.

  Roxi was anything but tired. She pushed me until I let her flip me over, stretching out on my back against the bed. I groaned appreciatively as Roxi straddled me, her bare body rising above me and making me ache to reach out and touch.

  “God, you’re so good,” she said, smirking. “But now it’s my turn to show you how much better I can be than ‘nice’.” Remembering our conversation on the plane after sharing Roxi’s childhood bed, I laughed.

  That laugh quickly turned into a deep groan, rumbling up from my chest as Roxi gave one of my shoulders a light bite. Like her nails before, the bite didn’t cause pain, but the sensation was different enough to bring a response. Roxi grinned at me, clearly pleased with her achievement.

  Her hands slid lower then, fingers brushing over my abs once again until one hand wrapped around me. I was already so hard that it was impossible not to thrust up into her touch.

  “Fuck,” I swore, breath catching. “You feel good.” And she’d hardly done more than touch me with her hands!

  “Yeah,” she agreed, her voice low as she stroked me slowly. After so many nights of only hearing Roxi’s voice, it was good to finally feel her. We hardly seemed to need words.

  Roxi watched my face, learning what I liked, what made me cry out and what made me bite my lip to keep from thrusting up into her touch.

  Seemingly satisfied, for the time being, Roxi lifted herself up over me. I held myself still with one hand, the other flying to Roxi’s waist to guide her as she sank down with a loud cry.

  Our bodies met in a perfect synchrony. It felt more like a homecoming than the actual coming home had. Roxi’s bo
dy was like fire, enveloping me into its warmth. I thrust upwards, meeting her, one hand sliding over Roxi’s back so I could pull her down, our lips meeting instantly.

  We moved together so easily, like our bodies both knew each other and wanted to learn everything. I listened to the noises Roxi made, matching my motions to hers so we both would rock together. When she went faster, so did I, thrusting up to meet her harder and faster.

  Her nails dug into my shoulders, holding on as pleasure swept through her. She looked stunning, her back straight and her hips rising and falling like a wave. It was all I could do not to let myself get distracted just watching her.

  As if sensing my waning attention, Roxi kissed me again, her teeth nipping against my lower lip. It brought me straight back to the moment, my whole body alive with sensation as Roxi tightened herself around me.

  “Olle!” she cried again, tipping her head back so that I could lap at the warm hollow of her throat.

  My blunt nails scratched over Roxi’s back, just enough to be felt but nothing else. She moaned against me, rocking forward even faster. Our bodies moved together so perfectly, pleasure shaking through us both at the same time.

  “Uhh, Roxi!” I cried, hips slamming up to meet her body. From Roxi’s moans, I knew she was as close to the edge as I was. It took only a few more thrusts before both of us were overwhelmed. “Ahh,” I groaned. “Fuck, I love you.” And with that I bucked upwards, coming harder than I ever had in my life.

  I could feel Roxi wrap herself around me, everything clinging to me as her own climax spread through her. By the time we were both done, she was gasping heavily, her forehead damp against my shoulder.

  Carefully, I circled my arms around her, shifting our positions so Roxi could relax against the mattress. Pressing myself to her side, I brushed my lips over her ear, her cheek, whatever patch of skin was nearest and available for kissing.

  Slowly, she seemed to come back to the world, her eyes focusing intently on me as a grin spread over her face. “I love you, too.” I hadn’t realized I was waiting for the words, but once they came, I felt all the air rush out of me.

  This wasn’t how I’d planned to tell her. In fact, I did wonder if it was still too early. Having her say it back, that made a difference. We might be rushing, I knew that, but I was also so sure that I did love her. And also that she loved me.

  Our lips met in a slow, gentle kiss, a kind of calm that contrasted the activities we’d just done. But it also felt exactly right. She felt right, pressed against my body like this, letting me pull the covers over us as I snuggled more into Roxi.

  “I’m glad you’re no longer just a pretend girlfriend,” I told her, meaning every word.

  She laughed, turning her head so she could give a playfully aggressive nip at the slope where my neck met my shoulder. “I was an excellent pretend girlfriend,” she informed me.

  And really, I couldn’t disagree. Having Roxi fake being my girlfriend had reminded me of all the good things about being in a relationship. And it had let me get to know her in a way I might never have done, otherwise.

  “I’ll be an even better real one,” Roxi promised. “I’ll even let you eat celery.”

  “Wow, you must love me,” I teased, one hand settling against Roxi’s side. She rolled over then, letting me be the big spoon. Her body was so warm against mine, my sleepiness returned with a vengeance. I yawned, hiding it against Roxi’s hair but not very successfully.

  She laughed at me, telling me to sleep. It wasn’t an order I planned to disagree with.

  As we fell asleep, our legs tangled together, my hand against Roxi’s hip, all I could think was how lucky I was to have this.

  We might have started as a lie, but this was all real.

  Epilogue

  Roxi

  Olle and I grew closer and closer. He talked me through his bipolar in more detail, always assuring me that there was nothing he needed me to do to make it any better. And I learned a little Swedish, so that I could at least tell his mom and dad ‘good morning’ when they called.

  He eventually did come to see me compete in a horse-jumping event. When I lost, it was my turn to teach him that, unlike him, I didn’t want him to give me space at such moments. I wanted him to be there, and reassure me that it sucked, but that next time might be better.

  So that’s exactly what he did.

  Together, we bought an assortment of art to hang on Olle’s walls - only one of which included a horse. When I wanted new drawers, he helped me build the IKEA flatpack I bought for myself.

  And the next summer, when we got a joint invitation to Lacey and Will’s wedding, there was no question of either of us needing to find a fake date to keep us from being singled out and pitied.

  We drove down together, taking turns behind the wheel and enjoying the countryside as it splashed past the windows. I was taking it as an opportunity to show Olle more of the beauty of the States.

  “I’ve never been to an NHL wedding before,” I observed as Olle was driving. “I imagine it’s going to be quite a big deal. I mean, all the Pumas are coming, right?”

  “No, only the ones he likes,” he informed me, shaking his head. Olle’s tone was so deadpan that it wasn’t until I saw the tiny grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, eyes still focused on the road, that I realized he was joking. Even without looking at me, Olle must have been able to sense the expression on my face because he laughed.

  “We haven’t had a lot of NHL weddings on the team,” he commented. “But yeah, everyone is coming. I don’t think you can get away from having a huge wedding when you’ve got a whole hockey team wanting to be groomsmen,” Olle laughed. “Unless you elope, I suppose.”

  As Lacey’s best friend, I’d been pretty involved in helping her plan her wedding. Even though she might have joked about wanting to elope sometimes, I knew she’d never seriously considered it.

  Having the big, white wedding was definitely right up Lacey’s alley. The thing she’d been most worried about had been finding someone suitable to look after her and Will’s dogs when everyone they liked was invited to be a guest!

  “It’s exciting,” I said, grinning. “I like big events, when I don’t have to really be in charge of planning them.” Luckily, Lacey had hired a professional wedding planner so I’d been able to mostly watch and enjoy rather than roll up my sleeves and get involved.

  “And it’ll be fun to be at a wedding with you as my date for real,” I added.

  This time Olle did turn to me to grin. His eyes quickly returned to the road, but not before warmth had settled low in my stomach at the look he gave me. We both remembered well the last wedding we’d attended. The wedding that had led us to be where we were now.

  A real couple.

  “And we had a lot of fun at Rachel and Tim’s wedding,” Olle commented. “Imagine how much more fun we’ll have now I know you dislike celery?” he teased. Reaching out, Olle brushed a hand over my leg. “Are you going to find us a barn to make out in? Arrange a rainstorm?”

  Laughter bubbled pleasantly inside me as I looked back on all those memories. It was almost hard to believe that it had been a whole year since Olle and I had embarked on my wild plan to pretend I had a boyfriend.

  Having one for real was so much better!

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” I teased. “But one thing I can promise: we’re not going to chastely sleep side by side this time around.” Even if we were too tired from wedding activities to do much, I knew that at least I would fall asleep with Olle’s warmth pressed up against my back.

  He laughed at that, but also let his hand slide slightly higher on my leg. “I don’t want to do anything particularly chastely with you,” he informed me, turning to me long enough to give me a wink.

  “Can you believe it’s been more than a year?” Olle asked, echoing my own thoughts. He shook his head. “And to think you dashed across the world to see me, I must’ve been pretty special,” he teased.

  “You’re sti
ll pretty special,” I assured. “And I’d dash across the world to see you again, if you wandered off.” This time, I would know in advance that I needed to make a plan. And my ability to understand what people said to me in Swedish would probably be a little improved!

  It had been a good year, and I had every reason to hope that the next one would be even better. Maybe the Pumas would even win the Stanley Cup at last!

  “What’s your favorite memory to look back on?” I asked, hoping Olle might lay some compliment on me, since I’d been kind enough to tell him how special I still thought he was.

  Of course, by now, Olle knew to recognize my compliment fishing. I was lucky that he never seemed to mind. If anything, I was sure that Olle enjoyed complimenting me. He certainly was pretty good at it.

  “I love watching you ride,” he told me. When a smirk tugged against the corners of his mouth, I gave a dramatic sigh. This was hardly the first time he’d made that joke. He didn’t even need to make it for me to hear it!

  Olle laughed at that, before shaking his head. “I like that, too, I like that you’re so good at knowing exactly what I’m thinking. But I think my favorite memory is probably me asking you to move in with me.”

  Excitement swirled through me, but I did my best not to show it. No doubt, Olle could still feel it in the air as it shimmered between us. Moving in with Olle was something I’d been thinking about more and more.

  Both of us hated to leave the other behind, and the time we wasted getting from one house to another was time we could spend more enjoyably if we were already together.

  “Funny,” I observed, unable to completely keep a smile off my face. “I don’t have a clear memory of that at all. Remind me?”

  “Well,” he said, tone serious. “It basically went like this. We were in the car, heading to see some of our friends get married, and I thought that’s the perfect moment to ask you. It adds to the charm, you see, when I can’t actually look at you without causing a car accident.”