Across the Line (In The Zone) (22 page)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Calder was coming home after a week away and Becca couldn’t wait.

At first, living with him felt like she was on vacation. Even though Calder’s job demanded a lot from him, they had quite a bit of time to spend together, certainly more than they’d had before, living on opposite sides of the country. She cooked for him as much as possible. He was so appreciative of her food. She sometimes just sat back and watched him smack his lips and roll his eyes in pleasure.

As for sex, they couldn’t get enough of each other. It seemed as if they were catching up on lost time. And it didn’t matter if he’d spent the day at practice, worked out, traveled across the country or even played a very physical game of hockey—damned inconsiderate of the NHL to schedule games when she finally had the time to spend with him—he always seemed to have the energy to satisfy her.

He also gave her a few hockey lessons. That short time “between the pipes” with him and Tim had been so much fun, she’d begged Calder to teach her how to shoot the puck instead of block it. To her surprise and his, she wasn’t half-bad.

Even Tim was impressed. “You should maybe look into joining a women’s league.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Becca said. “Would Erin want to do it with me?”

Shaking his head, Tim laughed. “Skating’s not really her thing.”

Becca considered it. After three weeks of living in San Diego, she was getting bored and antsy. She needed to work, to have a purpose, a reason for getting up in the morning. But that reason was not ice hockey.

What she really needed was to reopen Cups here in San Diego.

She called the insurance company every day, but they always gave her the same answer. The check would come when the investigation was complete and they had no control over how long that would take. The arson investigation was being handled by an independent company.

So, it came down to whether she wanted to be patient and wait, or take Calder up on his offer to loan her the money she needed to get the ball rolling.

Damn it, she hated borrowing money, but the only other alternative to going stir-crazy was to get a job, probably in a restaurant, until the insurance money came through. That seemed worse. She couldn’t imagine being someone’s employee again after having been her own boss for so long.

So, when Calder returned from his San Jose-Colorado-Phoenix road trip he came home to one of his favorite dinners.

“Oh my God, that smells good.”

She went to greet him in the foyer where he dropped his bag and opened his arms. He kissed her and held her tightly.

“Is that your famous Tuscan Garlic Chicken I smell?”

“And grilled vegetables and lemon ginger sorbet for dessert.”

“Hot damn. I have died and gone to food heaven. Is it ready? I brag to all the other guys about your food, you know. They’re all so jealous. In fact, I think I’ll tweet them a picture of dinner tonight.” He gave her one last squeeze and let her go. “Especially the single guys.”

“You’re horrible. Is Fischer still wearing the tie?”

He grinned. “You bet your sweet ass he is.”

Ten minutes later, they were sitting down to the meal. Between bites of food, Calder told her about the trip. They’d lost the first game, but won the other two. He, Hart and Tim had earned a combined total of six points—three goals and three assists. Even though she’d watched the games on TV, she let him recount the pertinent parts. It was always interesting to hear his side of things. Sometimes what he said coincided with what the announcers discussed. Sometimes, because he was on the ice and privy to what was being said by the players and the officials, his viewpoint differed.

When he was finished with the food and the road trip review, she folded her hands on the table and said, “I have two surprises for you.”

“Wait. Let me guess.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You didn’t really make lemon sorbet for dessert. You’re going to slather my cock with chocolate fudge and lick it off slowly.”

Laughing, she rolled her eyes. “No.”

“You bought some new lingerie and you want my opinion.”

She laughed again. “No. Don’t you think about anything but sex?”

“Does hockey count?”

She rolled her eyes again.

“Okay, okay, I give up. What are the surprises?”

“If you’re still willing, I decided to take you up on your offer for a loan.”

Just like that, he was serious. “Of course I’m still willing. I’m more than willing. I’m eager. Becks, there’s nothing I want more than to help you get your restaurant up and running again.” He held up a hand. “And before you say anything, I know you’re going to pay me back.”

“Yes. Absolutely. Every single penny.”

“We’ll go to the bank tomorrow and open up an account for you. I already liquidated some funds in the hopes you’d come to your senses. How much should we put into it?”

She told him and she saw his Adam’s apple go up and down as he swallowed.

“Hey, no problem.” He chuckled. “Restaurants are expensive.”

“Yes, they are. And this isn’t even a full-service restaurant.”

“Doesn’t matter. This is a sure thing. Cups is gonna take San Diego by storm.”

They had dessert and then he went to unpack and take a shower. She threw the dishes into the dishwasher, then headed to the bedroom herself to undress. It was time for her second surprise.

The man loved to shower. Not that she minded. Better too many showers than too few. He also loved shower sex. He loved it so much she’d begun to expect he purposely waited until she was in there so he could join her. Again, not that she minded. He was strong and had amazing balance. They’d done it in positions she’d never have tried in a million years on a dry carpet, let alone slick tile. But Calder was as steady as they came.

Tonight
she
would be the one who snuck in. As she entered the bathroom, she saw him inside the glass enclosure. She was used to watching him through glass at the Mesa Arena, but those times he was wearing ten tons of gear. Not here. Here, he was magnificently naked.

He really had the perfect body. Despite his complaints about unacceptable body fat, he’d looked pretty good when she’d first met him. That was almost five months ago. Now, after he’d trained hard the entire summer, his powerful, lean form was a thing of beauty. For a moment, she watched him rub soap over his chest and stomach. So much defined muscle. She loved watching them flex as he moved. He looked so incredibly sexy, wet and dripping.

And he was all hers.

When he finally noticed her, his eyebrows lifted. “Well, look who’s here.” A slow smile spread across his unshaven face. “Feeling dirty?”

She snickered. “Very.”

“What a stellar surprise to come home to. I pity anyone who’s not me right now.”

“Oh, this isn’t the surprise,” she said.

“Really?” Raising his eyebrows, he opened the door for her and she joined him.

“And I don’t suppose you can tell me what it is.”

“Of course not. Then it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

He pulled her close. “Do I get it tonight?”

“Oh yes.”

He smiled.

The hot water felt good, but not as good as his hands. He kissed her long and deep as he caressed her ass, gripping and squeezing. She went from mildly aroused to really turned on in about five seconds.

“Fuck, I missed you,” he said in a rough voice.

“I missed you too.”

In fact, she’d slept badly while he was gone and she wasn’t sure she liked that. She was already so accustomed to sleeping in the same bed with him that his absence disturbed her rest. What did that say about her? Was it so easy for her to latch on to a man and depend on him for her well-being and happiness? God, she hoped not. She didn’t want to be that woman.

Calder’s hands stopped roaming. “I just had an idea. Don’t go anywhere.”

He left the shower and, dripping wet, took a couple running steps then slid across the bathroom floor. She held her breath, hoping he didn’t slip and break his neck, but then she realized belatedly that the man slid around on a slick surface for a living. He stopped at the door, slapped the light switch and everything went dark. She heard his diabolical laugh and she smiled.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

He returned to her side. “I thought it would be fun to do this in the dark.”

“We do it in the dark all the time.”

“Not in the shower.”

She felt his mouth on her neck, his hand on the small of her back. She had to admit, it was titillating. Being deprived of her sight, it seemed as if she were focusing her other senses more, feeling more, anticipating.

He slid his hands up her sides and got her to raise her arms above her head, all the while ravaging her neck.

“Hold on to the showerhead.”

She gripped it then gasped as she felt his mouth close over her nipple. Pleasure raced through her body and she arched against him. The hard pulls had her panting. The nip of his teeth made her gasp. He switched to the other breast, tortured that one too. Then, just when she didn’t think she could take it any longer, he went down on his knees, lifted her leg so her thigh rested on his shoulder, and began to feast. Still holding on to the showerhead, she spread one arm flat against the wet tile to keep herself from falling. It was a matter of self-preservation.

God, he was good at this. He knew just how to read her body, knew exactly how hard to push her and when to back off. It wasn’t long before she came, shuddering, her hand cramping from the tenacious grip she had on the showerhead. He pushed two fingers into her and gave her another climax. That one ripped through her more violently than the last.

Still on his knees, suddenly he cursed. “Fuck. Damn it, damn it, damn it. You didn’t bring a condom in, did you?”

She smiled in the darkness. Time for surprise number two.

One of the first things she did when she moved here was contact Erin (the only woman she knew here in San Diego and a nurse to boot) and find out who her gynecologist was. If she and Calder were going to be living together, they were going to have a lot of sex. It made sense for her to go on the pill, and she was overdue for an exam anyway.

“No, I didn’t bring a condom.”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck. Be right back.”

She grabbed his arm. “No, wait.”

“Wait what? We can’t go unprotected.” His voice was gruff with frustration. “And I’m honestly not sure if I could pull out. Not after being away from you for eight days.”

“Calder, we won’t be unprotected.”

Even though she could barely see him, she felt him go completely still.

“Are you saying...?”

“I went on the pill.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Calder wondered if he was dreaming. Using condoms had become so ingrained as a habit, he almost never thought about sex without them. It was in many ways like wearing a helmet. Warm-ups, he went helmetless. He liked the cold wind in his hair as he sped around the ice. It felt so free, so natural. But come game time, putting it on was automatic. It was the rule, unquestioned. With sex, obviously if a woman went down on him or gave him a hand-job, he went without a rubber. But when it came down to the main event, he
always
wore one, no exceptions.

Until now.

“Don’t fuck with me,” he said in a low voice.

She giggled. “I kind of thought that was the whole point.”

“Jesus, Becks. Come on, I’m serious.”

“I am too. We don’t need to use condoms. I went on the pill. I am safe as of yesterday.”

“This is unreal.”

Other women he’d slept with had been on the pill too. He’d only had a couple of relationships that lasted long enough for him to develop the trust necessary for unprotected sex. Oddly, he’d stayed with Perri the longest and had trusted her the least. Looking back, he wouldn’t have put it past Perri to get pregnant on purpose and thereby gain the ultimate in leverage.

Becca was different. In so many ways, she was different from all of them.

He trusted Becca. He loved Becca.

He slid his hands up to cup her face and said so. “I. Love. You.”

He kissed her to put some punctuation on the statement. He rubbed his lips against hers, nibbled, licked, went between, then deep. He poured his feelings into that kiss, everything he felt but couldn’t put into words. Her response was warm and eager and equal in every way. Her hands caught in his wet hair and she pressed her body against him, shifting her hips and moaning.

He reached down between their bodies and bent his knees while she raised her leg and canted her hips toward him. A bit of fumbling, then nothing but Becca, slick and hot around him. The sensation was so raw and real. He went still for a moment, deep inside her, so he could savor it.

“Amazing,” he murmured. “You’re amazing.”

He pulled back then pushed inside again. The almost complete darkness intensified the feeling. All his focus was on the point where they were joined, the heat, the tightness, and most of all the absence of barriers between them.

That knowledge and the sweet grip of her had him on the edge almost immediately. Plus, it always excited him when she came on his face. Sharing her climax pumped him up emotionally and physically. But damned if he was going to go off like a jerk-off virgin. He was twenty-five fucking years old and knew how to control himself, condom or not.

Gritting his teeth, he mentally shut the door on his own pleasure and concentrated on making her come again. He knew what she needed. He knew how to do it. He’d done it dozens of times. All he had to do was execute.

He pulled out and turned her around. She didn’t resist. She loved this position. While she leaned forward and braced herself, he widened his stance, put a hand on the small of her back and took hold of himself. The water was hitting him right in the face, so he shut it off. Suddenly he could hear their heavy breathing. It seemed so loud now.

“Tell me if you get cold,” he said, rubbing the head of his cock against her entrance. What with the water and her own lubrication, she was super slick.

“I’m nowhere near cold.” The last word trailed off into a moan as he entered her again. “That’s good. That’s so good.”

He tried not to think about how tight she was.
Be a machine
,
an unfeeling machine.
He ignored her gasps, the soft cushion of her ass against his groin, her naked back as she arched against his thrusts. Instead, he focused on her cues. She was close already. Thank God. He put his hand over her mound and rubbed. Her breath hitched and she made a noise in her throat. He thrust harder.

“Come on, Becks,” he grunted. “Let it come.”

He slid his first two fingers alongside her clit, back and forth. She let her head drop and gasped for breath. Almost there. He redoubled his efforts.
In and out
,
Griffin
,
in and out.
Don’t stop.
Don’t come.

She tensed, stopped breathing. This was it. Just a little longer...
there.
She shuddered. Her inner muscles contracted around him and she cried out.

A split second later, he lost his grip on control. He exploded. Holy hell. Holy fucking hell. This was beyond anything he’d ever imagined he’d feel. This was what sex was meant to be, an all-encompassing, body-and-soul, life-changing experience with the woman you loved.

It was, surprisingly, better than hockey.