Page 170 of Through the Water

33

Killian

“I had only one superstition. I made sure to touch all the bases when I hit a home run.”

-Babe Ruth

“Remind me again why you’ve never worn a suit for me before,” Ari murmured in between kisses. One of her hands roamed my torso while the other held my tie in a firm grip.

“I was just wondering why I hadn’t seen you in one of my jerseys. Obviously, this is something you should start wearing every day.”

Pants optional.

“Oh, this old thing? I’ve had it for—”

I kicked the door shut behind me and cut her off with another kiss. My hands moved down to her hips, guiding her backward through the living room with only one destination in mind.

She grinned against my lips. “As I was saying, I got this when the Hurricanes made the playoffs. I needed something to wear to the games.”

My steps faltered, and I blinked, completely confused. “Wait—what?”

She exhaled a breathless laugh. “Well, I couldn’t go in just anything, could I?”

Most of the blood in my body was currently residing in my dick, so I was having a little trouble following. I’d assumed she’d flown in for tonight, but she’d clearly said games—as in, more than one—which was crazy. She would have had to have flown in days, maybe even weeks ago, to attend those.

“Hold on,” I said slowly. “When did you get into town?”

“Um, right after y’all made the playoffs?” Her voice was high-pitched, making her confession sound more like a question.

I scratched my beard while mentally calculating the dates. “But that was almost a month ago. Why am I just now seeing you?”

A flush crept up her throat. “You were doing so well, and frankly, I didn’t know how the press was going to react. I didn’t want anything to get into your head.”

I’d been wrong before.

Torture wasn’t being unable to hold Ari like I’d wanted or trying to give interviews with her hand squeezing my ass. It was discovering she’d been in the same damn city as me for weeks and knowing the only thing that had kept us apart was her reverence for the game.

A man could only take so much.

There was a sudden ferocity in the way I claimed her mouth, the culmination of months of pent-up need. I’d slow down and give her sweet, but right now, I needed to satisfy an itch.

I needed to be inside her.

“Wait,” Ari panted against my lips as I slipped my hand under the waistband of her yoga pants. “Just wait—I have a surprise for you.”

“I’ve got one for you too,” I murmured, rocking my hips. “Can you guess what it is?”

She freed her mouth from mine, gulping for her next breath. “Just—just sit on the couch. Please.”

Completely intrigued, I shrugged out of my jacket and sank down onto the leather with a wink. “The floor’s all yours, slugger.”

Ari toed off her running shoes and socks, before gripping the waistband of her pants, pulling them down several inches while keeping her eyes on mine.

“Fuck,” I whispered, my voice filled with awe. This was the glimpse I’d seen the first time I visited her room, a woman who didn’t lower her head for any man.

My brave girl.

“You showered, right?”

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