Page 51 of Face Off
I haven’t decorated my place in the eight years I’ve lived here because I’ve never felt settled. After Tiffany screwed me over, and I made the decision to come to Seattle, I’ve played the field. Never want anything more with anyone else. I’ve never brought anyone back to my condo; they’re never long term. It isn’t like I have a reason to show off the beautiful architecture that drove me to buy this place. That is until now.
I want Hayley to feel as much at home here as I do at her place. I want her to make this a home with me, with Camden. Itdoesn’t take me even the walk to my sister’s villa that night to realize that I want nothing more than Hayley. Baggage or not. She is it for me.
The elevator slowly climbs to the thirty-sixth floor as Hayley and I keep our distance from one another. I keep my fist balled at my sides because the urge to pull her to me and take her mouth with mine is too much to handle. It’s been pure torture since she’s been gone.
I type in my code before pushing the door to my condo open. My hand rests on the small of her back as I invite her into my not so homie space.
“So, this is it. My condo,” I say, shoving my hands into my pants pockets.
I prop myself against the kitchen island that overlooks the living space, taking in her curious glances. She steps into my space, taking in the floor-to-ceiling windows before slowly turning on her heels to really take in the barren space. “Not much for decorating?” she says through raised eyebrows. “I thought a man like you would have a whole shrine of himself displayed throughout his entire home.”
“I haven’t gotten around to decorating just yet,” I say as I push off the island to stand closely behind her. My hands rest on her hips as she leans her head back into my chest.
“Why?”
This is it. Time to reveal all your baggage. “When I bought this place eight years ago, I thought I would be moving into it with my wife,” I say as she turns in my arms to face me. A solemn look on her face as she waits for me to continue. “Tiffany. “
“The one who got away. I get it, Brooks; you don’t have to continue,” she says, placing her hand on my cheek.
I shake my head, signaling for her to let me continue. “Tiffany… She’s not the one who got away.” You would have been. “I met her one night when I was out at a bar. We had just won a game and were celebrating at a pub we frequented. Occasionally, puck bunnies would hang around to see who the next player is that they can hook up with and write home about. I should have known she was one of them, but for some reason, she captivated me.”
More like tricked me. That’s what I get for playing with fire for the first time. Yeah, sure I’ve had hookups, but most were never with the bunnies. I like to hook up with the girls who have no clue who I am. Makes me feel like a normal guy.
“She heard of my reputation and used it against me. Asked me my name as if she had no clue who I was. Pretended she was a schoolteacher.” More like a gold digger looking for her next free ride in life. “About a month in, I was convinced she was it for me. Proposed at the bar where we met and moved her in with me.”
God, those images are still so fresh in my mind.
“I found out who she really was several months later. I caught her at the bar I was at with the team after winning a home game. She told me she was going home because she was tired from wedding planning.” Yeah, planning anything but our wedding. “She was sitting on Dalton Wilder’s lap, a defenseman on my team. Lip locked.”
I didn’t approach them then, but I should have. Probably would have saved me from what I’m about to tell her next. “I waited until a week of away games to confront that dickwad. Said he’d been hooking up with her on and off for over a year, as well as several other guys from the team. Called me the dumbass for not realizing she was a bunny sooner. I decked him andseveral others who I discovered were fucking her in the locker room. Then Coach benched me for the game.” I sigh before telling her the next part. “I decked the coach in retaliation. Started spiraling and partying a lot, got into some legal trouble. Then, a month later, I was traded to Seattle a whole season earlier than planned.”
“I’m so sorry, Brooks. I hate her for what she did to you.”
You and I both.
She turned me into a person I despise. Made me a heartless player.
“I’ve never decorated this place because I never felt the need to. It was just me, myself, and I for a better part of seven years. Hell, Sydney’s only been here once, and that was to help me move in. But you’re the first. The first woman I want to share this place with.” Everything with.
Her breath hitches as she takes a step back to look up at me through the fringe of her lashes. My hands go to her waist, closing the proximity between us. “You’re the only person I could ever imagine sharing my place with. You and Camden. You’re what makes me want to make this place my home.”
Fully closing the distance between us, my mouth crashes down on hers as her hands work their way up the back of my neck and into my hair. My hands move slowly down, gripping the hem of the skintight dress she decided to wear for someone else tonight and pulling it over her head, breaking our kiss for only a moment. Her fingers work quick on the buttons of my gray button up before moving to my belt, unbuckling it in one swift movement before popping the button and guiding the zipper down. My jeans hang dangerously low on my waist as I pick her up, her legs wrapping around my waist instinctively as I walk us toward my bedroom.
The master bedroom is probably the only room that really shows me. A king-size bed resides in the center of the room as floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the city lights of downtown Seattle. The walls are a light gray that clash well with the black and gray striped duvet on the bed. My jerseys from Chicago and Seattle hang above the bed, while a fireplace which gives view into the master bath, showcases a few family photos of Sydney, Everleigh, and me on the mantel.
She brushes her lips along my jawline, down my neck as I carry her to the bed before slowly laying her down. I hover above her nearly naked body as I take her body into memory. The perfect round breasts with pink perky nipples that I’ve dreamed of sucking and nipping for the past two weeks when we were apart. [EaSS1]I kiss along her collarbone between the cleavage of the black lace bra. Pulling it down to take one nipple into my mouth. Kissing and sucking. Biting as my fingers work the nipple of the other. Rolling it between my finger and thumb and creating a perfect peak.
God, she’s so fucking perfect.
The way her body reacts to my touch. The way she looks at me, biting that juicy bottom lip I love so much. Yeah. She’s driving me fucking insane, and she’s all mine.
My hand moves down, brushing against the already wet lacy fabric as a guttural growl releases from somewhere deep in my chest. “Always so wet and ready for me.”
My fingers dip below the thin waistband, rubbing against her wet folds. My thumb moves up to her clit, rubbing slow circles before I remove my hand completely, bringing my fingers to my mouth and sucking her sweet juices off.
“See how good you taste,” I say, bringing my mouth back to hers. She moans into my mouth as her tongue slides againstmine, fighting for control. “God, I missed this mouth. This pussy. These beautiful tits.”
“Brooks,” she says, arching her hips into me more. “I need you.”
