Hockey Holidays Read online

  This was the most silent sex she’d ever had, only the thwack of their bodies coming together and parting. But at the same time they were connected—not only physically, but mentally. Em could tell when her movements or reactions were good for Ian, and he was watching to see what she liked. Em liked everything he was doing, his rhythmic thrusting, the grinding of his pelvis against her clit, and the way he kept tweaking her nipples into sensitized points. It was all so good.

  Em closed her eyes. She was going to come again, and she let herself relax into the prickly wave of sensation running over her body. Ian lifted both her ankles and thrust hard into her, extending her orgasm and forcing her breath out in gasps.

  “You like that?” he asked, the words startling her out of her dream state.

  “Yes. Oh, yes,” she breathed.

  She opened her eyes and watched Ian push harder to his own climax. She lifted her body to meet his, trying hard to make him feel as good as she did.

  “Em.”

  One word was all he barked out as he thrust in one last time. And then he collapsed onto her, his heavy weight pinning her limp body to the mattress.

  “Wow.” Em lay on the bed completely naked and exhausted, but she made no effort to move. Her orgasm faintly echoed in her body like the last vibration on a guitar string.

  “Mmmmph,” Ian grunted. He had moved over and was facedown in the pillow and half-asleep already. Em wondered if she should go back to her room. She slid towards the edge of the bed, and Ian’s arm clamped down on her.

  He opened one eye. “Please stay.”

  She wriggled back into his warmth. It was what she wanted too.

  7. Coming Home

  When Ian opened his eyes, sunshine was leaking through the curtain. It was early, and Em was fast asleep beside him. He cradled her closer. Em was extra beautiful as she slept—calm and sweet.

  He’d wanted her for years. Pretty much since the day he’d met her. She was exactly his type: cute with light brown hair and a curvy body. But first she had a boyfriend, and by the time they broke up, Ian knew that she was way too smart and together for a guy like him. And if he hit it and quit it, Mase and Abby would both have his balls. So he’d avoided Em, right up until she marched up to him and asked him to come home with her.

  But maybe they had a chance now. The stuff she said to Penny last night, about him being the practical one while she was into theory made total sense. He could make life easier for Em. Once he had heard her complaining to Abby about coming home and finding a huge spider in her bathroom. “I had to get my neighbour to kill it,” Em confessed. Ian wanted to volunteer to be her spider-hunter. To see this confident career woman turn girlish and giddy over a spider. And then she would be grateful to him—that would be the best part.

  His half-erect cock liked that idea very much and nudged Em between the plump cheeks of her ass.

  “Mmmmm,” Em rolled over and now her magnificent tits were pushed up against his chest. God, she was incredible.

  He kissed her on the forehead. “Morning, beautiful.”

  She opened one eye. “Wasstime?”

  “Almost 10:00,” he said. “You said you wanted to get going early.”

  “Mistake,” she mumbled. But she opened both eyes. “Last night was…” She smiled. For the first time she was out of words.

  Ian grinned. “Yeah. You got that right.”

  Then to his regret, she rolled away and sat up. “Well, if we want to get home before dark, we better get ready.”

  He watched her pick up her clothes. The sunlight outlined her lush curves, and the sight was seared into his mind. He’d imagined her naked many times before, and now he knew exactly how beautiful she was.

  Em came back to the bed and kissed him. “You’re an amazing man,” she said. The words almost made him happier than last night. Almost.

  An hour later, they were showered, packed, and sitting down for one last breakfast with Hannah and Ronald. If they had any idea of the strenuous night that happened above them, they gave no indication.

  “More coffee, Ian?” Hannah asked.

  “No thanks,” he replied. Any more coffee and he’d have to piss before they were out of Toronto.

  “Did you enjoy the game?” Ronald asked.

  To be honest, Ian had almost forgotten the game with everything that had happened afterwards.

  “It was great. It’s always more fun to see the team at home.”

  “Well, you’re welcome to stay here anytime you want to see the Maple Leaves play,” Hannah said.

  “Thanks.” Ian didn’t want to assume he’d be back, but he could hope. And if he did come, he’d bring his toolbox.

  Ronald and Hannah both gave him goodbye hugs. They fussed over Em and urged her to come home again soon. Then Ian loaded up the truck and they left.

  “Well, that didn’t turn out the way I planned,” said Em. She wasn’t upset though. In fact, she was very cheerful. Ian resisted the obvious joke about finally getting some. His urge to irritate Em was gone.

  “They like me, and I like them too,” Ian said. But the real question was how their daughter felt about him.

  “You’d think after all this time that I’d realize how unpredictable my parents are.”

  “Most people act like kids when they go home.” Ian had seen it happen tons of time: mature friends turning into whining, squabbling kids.

  “I’m sorry, here I am complaining when you don’t have a home to go to.”

  “Not a big deal.” Orphans like Ian learned how to make their own family.

  “Do you ever want to get in touch with your mother?” Em asked.

  Ian sighed. The problem with his best friend being married to her best friend was that the women gossiped.

  “Never,” he replied. “If she didn’t want to know me before, why would it be different now?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s hard for me to understand how your mother wouldn’t want to be there for you.”

  “That’s because you have a normal mother,” Ian said.

  Most people were the same way, shocked that he had no clue where his mother was. Or they wanted a sob story, like she was an alcoholic or drug user who would get cleaned up and reclaim him. Too fucking late for that. Truth was that some women shouldn’t be mothers. His first memory of her was the time she left him at the mall. He’d been about three and already living with his grandparents. In the days before she’d completely fucked off, she still took him out sometimes. The overwhelming sensation he had with her was fear. She told him weird things like pussy willows were made from toes ripped from kittens, which gave him nightmares for weeks. Once a stranger had said he was cute, and she offered to sell Ian to him. He never knew if it was a joke or not.

  Finally, his grandparents realized that seeing her was fucking him up, and they only allowed supervised visits. Ian was happiest once he realized that she wasn’t going to come back. She moved from place to place until they lost track of her.

  But Ian didn’t think about that shit. He’d had his grandparents, his friends, and hockey. That was more than enough.

  Before Em could dig deeper into his past, Ian changed the subject. “I think your theory was wrong.”

  “My theory was wrong?” Em was shocked.

  “Yeah. Maybe it wasn’t all the guys they didn’t like, but the timing.”

  Em didn’t reply right away, but as Ian’s Grampa used to say, you could see the wood burning.

  “So you think that their disapproval was their way of slowing me down in my life plan?”

  “Yeah. You were pretty messed up after Lucas.”

  Em looked out the window at Lake Ontario. “That’s true. Wait, how did you know that? Did Abby tell you?”

  Ian passed a BMW that was crawling in the passing lane.

  “No. I could tell by looking at you. Your hair and everything was flat.” Em had looked lost then. She wasn’t fixing herself up, and she was more absent-minded then usual. Ian had thought about swooping in and