Page 101 of One More Time

He grabbed my hand as we entered the quiet dorm, Cal and Jarman sat on the couch watching some Hallmark crap that Cal loved. Both guys shot up and Cal kissed me on my cheek, “So glad you’re okay.”

Jarman squeezed my shoulder in lieu of words.

“Come on, baby.“ Hunter took my hand, kissing the bumps of my knuckles one by one, guiding me in the direction of our room. Once behind our closed door, he wrapped me in his arms. “Love you,” he whispered, almost tentatively. I pulled back to see the heartbreak in his eyes; he was supposed to be flying to Canada soon.

I took his face, savoring the connection of our lips that brought both elation and comfort to my body. “I don’t know about you, but I need to shower off the hospital and airport muck.”

Hunter moaned in response, sounding more like a pained groan. I couldn’t help but suppress the light laughter bubbling within me. It dawned on me that I never laughed more freely than when I was with that man. With that in mind, I guided him back through the living room to the bathroom, disregarding the playful catcalls from Cal and the amused scoffs of laughter from Jarman.

I stripped him of his clothes, needing to feel his skin against mine. Hunter, though, showed a lot more care while he undressed me. I knew I looked forward to when he could manhandle me but, in that moment, I didn’t mind the soft glide of his calloused fingers against my skin, the light brush of his lips against my bruised flesh that had taken too many hits. I pulled him into the shower, and we moaned at the scalding pressure from the water.

There was something about knowing another’s body and having them know yours. Like many times before, our hands cleaned each other, our lips met one another and brushed over each other’s bruises, and showed our love without words; in a way that was purely us. I had the only man I would ever want.

Once warmed by the water and each other’s touch that admittedly led to us stroking each other off with pure desperation, we collapsed onto the fresh bed sheets I found myself curling into Hunter’s chest, finding my home in his arms. The silence was easy and at the count of his heartbeats, I found my moment.

Chapter fifty-four

Hunter

My body begged for sleep, eyelids growing heavier with each passing second.

Though I could feel the energy buzzing from the man next to me, telling me he was ready for anything but. Despite molding his body to mine, creating a perfect blend of soft skin and hard edges, there was a rigid edge that told me his mind was racing.

“Baby? Your thoughts are loud enough to be broadcasted across the ESPN network. Care to share?”

As he propped himself up on my chest, I couldn’t help but notice a glint in his eye—a sort of youthful excitement that hadn’t graced us nearly enough. His tousled hair sticking out in every direction should have been amusing but on him, it came off as oddly charming.

“How do you feel about spending summer and autumn with me?”

I gazed at him, attempting to read between the lines. He knew I was planning to spend the fall training and as for the summer, I wasn’t sure how long I’d need to get set up in Vancouver.

“Baby…” I coaxed, trying to get him to explain further.

“Well, I can help you set yourself up over the summer. I love Canada and well, I was hoping I could stay with you when I go to the autumn training camp for Vancouver… Then there’s a chance I could sign a contract and…"

Tyler kept speaking but anything else he said blurred together. Amidst the astonishment, I recognized the moment to curb my baby’s stream of plans and the looming meticulous details. I ate his words as I sealed my lips against his, excitement coursing through my veins. I searched those pretty eyes for any chance of a lie

“Is this true? Don’t fuck with me, baby.”

His smile was like lightning shooting through my veins. “Vancouver is in a rebuilding year; they need some rookies. The training camp is where they’re choosing. Bellamy said there might be a slot on the farm team if not. I have to prove my—”

I cut him off again with another kiss. My hands found their way into his hair, and my tongue tangled with his, savoring the fresh peppermint and my man.

“Fuck, I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my life,” I mumbled against his lips.

That was what I wanted to do the moment I scored that goal, and it was taken from me with one hit. Every hardship we’d faced led up to that moment. The version of me from the start of the season would think it was all too good to be true. But after months of waiting for the puck to drop, I learned that he would be right there to give it back to me. Somehow, I knew, no matter where we’d be, he would always come back to me. Our future wasn’t promised with trades to worry about, but I had just been promised more time with him—however long it was

The smile of his lips against mine brought tears to my eyes. “Me neither Boston. You smashed into my life and made it complete. I selfishly want it all, Boston, but with you. I just want it all with you.”

Our lips spoke the rest of the words until the excitement turned into a comforting silence. “One more time” no longer meant treating each time like it was our last. It meant that we simply couldn’t get enough, and we planned to have each other time and time again.

Epilogue

Hunter

"Baby, can you just chill out?" I laughed as Tyler bustled around the house we temporarily called home.

"No! Have you seen my Monday underwear? I can't go to our Monday training without it; it's just not right."

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