Page 62 of Fall Wherever They May

“Hmm. Do you have a kink for spanking your bosses?” I giggle.

“When we’re in the bedroom, you’re not my boss. I’m the boss. Do you understand?”

I don’t respond until he raises an eyebrow. I nod my head, but apparently that’s not good enough because he says, “Words, Aspen.”

“I understand.”

“Good girl.” His lips skim my throat.

I think I may have a praise kink because hearing those words come from his mouth is a complete fucking turn-on.

“I’m going to tie you up.”Kiss.“Tease.”Kiss. “Torture.”Kiss.“And manipulate your body until you’re fucking dripping, writhing, and begging for release.” His lips hover over mine. “I’ll deliver pleasure so overwhelming that it’s on the brink of pain. I won’t be done with you until you're completely wrung out, pleading with me to stop.”

I bite my lip imagining all the things he would do to me. I’m left panting, and my panties wet with desire.

He kisses my lips again, then he winks. “But, as much as I want to keep you here all night and take my time with you, I really need to walk you home.” He gives my ass a gentle tap and lifts himself off me.

I’m left reeling, confused, and so fucking sexually frustrated. He’s just going to work me up and send me home? What the fuck is wrong with him? He must see my frustration because as he helps me off the bed, he pulls me to him, then whispers in my ear, “It’s called delayed gratification, Angel. The first time I take you to bed, it’s going to be all about us. “Today was hard and emotional for us both. Plus, it’s after one in the morning. There’s a little boy sleeping in his bed, expecting to see his mom when he wakes up.”

And there it is. The reason this man completes me.

Cal walks me across the street to my house. When we reach my front door, I turn, wrap my arms around his neck, and bring his face to mine, kissing him deeply.

“Thank you for trusting me, for opening up to me, for giving me pieces of you that you’ve refused to give anyone else.”

He kisses my forehead. “When I said that you own me, I meant every word. You own every piece of me.”

I peer up at him through my lashes and whisper, “I don’t want you to go. I don’t want you alone tonight.”

He grabs my hands from around his neck and brings them to his lips; he kisses my knuckles. “I’ll be okay. It’s only a few hours until we both have to be at work.”

I scrutinize his sincerity for a moment before nodding my head reluctantly.

He bends down, teasing my lips with his own before delivering a kiss that leaves my toes absolutely curling. “Now take your sexy ass to bed,” he whispers when we break apart. Cal reaches around me, opens the door, then ushers me in. “Good night,” he says before he quickly closes the door behind me.

Bossy ass.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Cal

The hockey arena is a cacophony of chants and cheers, but over the noise I can still make out the clicking of sticks as the boys try to force the puck out of possession. That, along with the swishing of the skates on the ice and the clanking of the puck against the boards, are the best sounds in the world . . . well, aside from the little noises my girl made a few weeks back in Chicago. My mind is invaded by thoughts of Aspen’s sweet, seductive sounds and the way she looked at me through the curtain of her long, thick lashes as I laid her on that bed in the hotel room and explored the curves of her body with my hands and mouth.Fuck.I need to redirect my thoughts, pronto. The last thing I need is to be standing up in a crowd of parents, cheering for Tuck’s team with a raging hard-on.

I cup my hands around my mouth. “Let’s go, Tuck!” I yell out and clap as he takes possession of the puck and moves it down the left side of the ice. I take my seat next to Aspen, with her mom on her other side. Katherine listed her house with an enticing price to sell quickly. As soon as someone made an offer, she booked her flight. She flew in today and is here to surprise Tuck.

Tuck dekes, cuts, then passes to Williams, a defenseman. Williams passes the puck to Elija, the team’s right winger. Elija rounds the crease but is blocked by the opposing side, who gains possession. The puck is passed back and forth until it ends up on the weak side of the opponent’s defense.Zimmerman, the left winger, breaks out, then passes back to Tuck. Who knew a little league game would have me on the edge of my seat?

“I’m surprised your boy isn’t a goalie,” Aspen says to Ivan as he cradles his new baby girl in his arms. Aspen tosses her hand sanitizer back into her purse, then holds her hands out for Ivan to pass the baby. He carefully places Ivy into Aspen’s waiting arms, and fuck me, if seeing her cradling a baby doesn’t give me insight into what our future could look like. Aspen and Katherine fuss over Ivy as Aspen runs a finger along the baby’s forehead, then down her cute, pert little nose. A longing creates a tightness in my chest. I want to be a family with Aspen and Tuck.

“Trust me, Ivan tried,” Evie cuts in with a chuckle, pulling me from my daydream. “Elija kept skating out of the crease and into the middle of the ice to get to the puck, leaving the goal wide open. Plus, he’s too aggressive to be a goalie.”

My head jerks back to the ice when someone beside me gasps. “Oh, shit,” Ivan curses.

My brows pull down into a tight frown of confusion. “What happened?” I ask Ivan.

He nods his head in Tuck’s direction. “High-sticking. That kid jabbed Tucker in the neck,” he says.What the fuck?

Aspen, who’s still cradling Ivy in her arms, forces her attention back to the ice as Tuck grabs his neck. She passes the baby to Katherine and jumps to her feet. I do the same. She tries to shuffle around me to run down to the ice, but I intercept her, grabbing her around the waist and hauling her back to me. Aspen tries to wrestle out of my hold, but I pull her back tight against my front and speak low in her ear. “Angel, I know yourmomma bear instincts are kicking in right now, and you want nothing more than to run down there and check on him, but don’t. He’s okay; look at him.” She glances down to where Tuck stands. The ref is checking him over, and Tuck nods his head.

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