Page 114 of Behind the Net

“Not tonight,” I tell her, knowing I’m going to regret it. “If we mess around more, Pippa, I’m going to break your bed.”

She opens her mouth to protest, but I cover it with a kiss, stroking into her mouth the way I want to with my cock. I give myself five more seconds of her mouth before I pull away, stand over the bed, and frame her jaw with my hands.

“You’re so perfect,” I tell her. “So fucking perfect.”

She watches me with that sweet, drowsy smile. It feels special, discovering sex with Pippa like this. Like we’re both discovering how it can be, because it sure as hell has never been like this for me.

She is so fuckingmine.

I pull the covers up around her, smiling as she settles into the pillows, still wearing my jersey, hair fanned out, all messed up from my hands in it.

I love her. The words are right under my vocal cords, but I hold them back, because this is all so new. They beat through my blood, they weave through my heart, and I’m sure they’re written all over my face.

“Good night, songbird,” I say instead.

CHAPTER55

PIPPA

Can we talk?

Ten days after New Year’s, I stand at the kitchen counter, staring at the text I just received from Zach.

My mouth goes dry as I read it again and again. It can’t be real, and yet, that’s his number. The last texts we exchanged were back in August, a couple days before he dumped me, when I was picking up coffee for myself and wanted to know if he wanted anything.

Disgust stirs in my gut. He had the audacity to take my song, and now he wants to talk?

I block him and delete the text history.

Jamie opens the door of the apartment, and I jump. He shoots me that handsome, disarming smile I’m addicted to, and thoughts of Zach vanish.

The second Jamie flew home from Silver Falls, he had to leave for a ten-day away game streak, but now he’s back. I rush over to hug him. At our feet, Daisy does her excited tippy-taps on the floor, tail wagging a mile a minute in excitement.

“You’re home,” I say into Jamie’s neck while he presses a kiss to the top of my head. His arms around me, pulling me into his hard chest, is the ultimate comfort.

“Finally.” He presses another kiss to my temple, and when I lean back to look up at him, his eyes go soft. “I’ve been wanting to do this for ten days.”

He kisses me, and I sigh into him. His mouth on mine is pure relief, sweet and careful, until he groans and sweeps his tongue between my lips. His stubble lightly scratches me, and heat pulses through me.

“Missed you,” he murmurs against my lips between kisses. “I love coming home to you.”

My heart soars like it did on New Year’s Eve, when I sang on stage. Like when we told each other we have feelings for each other. It can’t be healthy to experience heart palpitations like this so often, but I don’t care.

Jamie pulls away, looks down at Daisy, and picks her up. “Missed you, too,” he tells her. She licks at his ear, wiggling in his arms, and he grimaces while I laugh.

This man with a dog is almost too cute to be legal.

“I was just about to take her for a walk.”

Daisy hears the word walk and her head whips to me. Jamie smiles and gives her another scratch.

“I’ll go with you.”

Twenty minutes later, we’re walking through Stanley Park. Vancouver is experiencing a cold snap, and snow falls lightly around us, coating the towering emerald trees. People hate driving in the snow in Vancouver, so except for our boots crunching on the snow, downtown and the park are quiet.

“Your mom seemed really good the other day.” Hazel and I took Daisy for a walk with Donna a couple days ago, before it snowed.

He makes a pleased noise in his throat, smiling at the ground as we walk. “She has an appointment with a doctor on Tuesday.”

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