Page 109 of Home Ice

The officer looks up and strobes his flashlight to get my attention, but he smiles when I pull up beside him. "Brant Morrison? Really?"

I give him my best grin and look at the shining name tag on his chest. "That's me. Think you can do me a huge favor, Lieutenant Smith? My girlfriend and I have some place that we really need to be." I make a show of checking my watch but then realize it's still back in the dressing room. "We're running late. Maybe I could give you an autograph, and you could let us slip down that alley?"

The man's gaze goes down from my face to my bare wrist. Then to my lap with Lily's hand still cupped around my dick. "Ah," he laughs. "Definitely in a hurry, I see." I nod and resist the urge to close my eyes in embarrassment. I have no doubt this is her paying me back for me announcing to the whole team what we were going to do. "Tell you what, five tickets to the game against San Jose next week, and the alley is yours."

I hold my hand out to shake his. "Five tickets. And I'll throw in an autographed stick for you to keep this between us?"

"Deal." He moves the barrier for me, and I pass through, shouting for him to call the ticket office on Monday. Then I floor it.

CHAPTER 65

IT SEEMS SO EASY IN THE BOOKS

LILY

My body is screaming by the time we turn into our neighborhood. And based on the way Brant's dick feels under my hand, his body is doing the same. Two more turns. Now one. I make a mental note to come back by here tomorrow, because I'm sure Brant left tire marks on that last corner. Just before the last turn, though, we slow and Brant pulls into the driveway of Dad's house. "Here? I assumed we would go to your place since you have the bigger tv," I tease.

"I don't think either of us is going to be watching television tonight. Let me have your keys. I need to run in for something before we go to our house."

Ours. I don't even try to hide my smile as I pull the keys from my purse. "I'll get it. Tell me what you want." I don't know of anything here that he doesn't already have at his house. Maybe my favorite vibrator, but I don't think I'm going to need that tonight.

"I'll do it." He grabs the keys and presses a quick kiss to my lips. "Be right back."

As soon as he's inside the house, I close my eyes. Without even intending to, my fingers find the apex of my thighs. I'm practically burning through my thin leggings. Brant isn't the only one who's looking forward to a lifetime of being together, of bringing out the best in each other. I can't believe I was going to throw it all away because of fear. No, I can believe it. So much of my life has been spent hiding and cowering, hoping I never stood out to anyone. But it's like Brant stood beside me while I looked into a mirror, whispering how wonderful I am until I finally believed it.

My finger brushes against my aching clit, and I gasp. Whatever he's getting can't be worth this wait. I circle my finger around my nub again and resolve to give him just thirty more seconds before going in and either dragging him next door or taking him right here. But before I get a chance, I hear his car door open. I yank my hand away, hoping he didn't see what I was doing. It was dark. He couldn't have.

"Getting started without me?" He asks with an arrogant lilt to his voice.

Damn it. His hands are empty when he sits beside me. "Couldn't find what you were looking for?" My attempt to change the subject is obvious, but it will have to do.

"I had to talk to your dad."

"My dad?" The words stumble out of my throat. I must have heard him wrong. But he doesn't correct me. "You told me once that he's not in there."

"I said he's not tied to the house, that he's wherever you are. And I believe that." His lips curve into a grin, drawing my attention to the mouth that I wish was on me right now.

"So why did you need to go in there, then?" I whisper, still staring at his lips. "I hope you didn't ask for his chili recipe, because he would never give that to anyone."

Brant chuckles. "He must not have shared his beef Wellington recipe with anyone either." He barely gives time for the playful jab to land. "I needed to talk to him about you, and it doesn't hurt to cover my bases just in case he is in there."

"Me? You can't just talk to me instead? I like to think I'm easier to talk to than a ghost."

"Sometimes. First, I asked your dad to let you out of that deal you made with him. He said living next door is close enough, so you're free to move in with your incredible and sexy boyfriend."

"That's what he said?"

"His exact words. Then I thanked him for spending his life fighting for you. I told him he doesn't have to worry about that anymore."

"Because I have you." I find his hand and slide a finger across its back before squeezing it.

"No." He shakes his head. "Because you have yourself. Because you finally fucking believe that you're worth fighting for. And I promised him I'll be with you forever and never let you forget how special you are. How worthy of everything. I promise you that too. You're stuck with me, Jams."

I try to screw my face up in a sneer, like he's not telling me exactly what I've wanted to hear since that first time I opened my door for him. Even if I didn't realize it then. "You do have excellent taste in donuts. I guess I could keep you around for that."

"I have even better taste in women." He taps his forefinger on the tip of my nose and lets it slide lower. It catches and pulls on my lower lip before it moves to my chin and down my neck to my shoulder. And damn, are shoulders supposed to feel this sensual? Is my upper arm suddenly an erogenous zone? "I knew from the first time I saw you that neither one of us had a choice. It was always going to end up just like this."

"Like this?" I reach for him with my free hand, but he catches it and pulls it to his mouth.

---