Forever Wild (Wildcat Hockey Book 5)

JACK

Everly hasn’t stopped smiling since we left her apartment.

Leaning against the doorway of the villa that leads out onto the patio where we have our own pool just steps from the beach, I can’t take my eyes off her.

“This cannot be real.” She turns in a circle on our patio, arms wide and head tipped up to the sun. She’s a goddess.

I come up behind her and she flings her arms around my neck and looks up at me with wonder in her eyes. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Umm…bringing me on vacation,” she says with a small laugh. “I kept pinching myself on the jet. I can’t believe this is your life.”

“No thanks needed. I have you all to myself for the next thirty-six hours.”

I had planned for us to come up last night but that was before I knew she’d gotten an offer on the house and wanted to celebrate with her friends.

I scoop her up into my arms and walk into the pool with her. We’re both still in our travel clothes but I don’t care. Her legs wrap around my waist, and I kiss her deeply as we sink into the water up to my shoulders.

Her hands glide over my shoulders and around my back.

“You’re a pretty great guy, Jack Wyld. Generous and kind, and you’re good at knowing just what to do to make people around you feel seen and heard.”

“Is that a nice way of saying I’m commanding and heavy-handed?”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit. People look to you constantly for guidance and reassurance. They know that when you’re around, everything is going to be okay. You would do anything for the people you care about. I’ve seen it so many times with your team, but over the past few months, I’ve seen just how far your devotion reaches. Your community, your dad, me. I can’t think of a single person that makes me feel more free to be me. And trust me, that is a gift.”

My skin prickles as she hands me the compliment while looking at me so intently. No tease or sass. She means it, and I soak up her words, hoping they’re true. Hoping I’m good enough for her.

“I would do anything for you,” I confirm. “I would have before, but now…”

She waits for me to finish the sentence.

“I am in love with you.”

Whatever she expected me to say, it’s clear that wasn’t it. My heart pounds in my chest. I have never said those words to anyone.

“I don’t expect you to say it back now or maybe ever, but for as long as you want me, I’m yours, Ev.”

She sighs audibly and then brings her mouth to mine. Her soft lips rest there, and we breathe each other in.

“I love you too.”

My chest tightens and I grab the back of her head and kiss her like a man completely in love. I don’t know how I’m going to keep showing her how much she means to me, but I know I’ll never get tired of trying.

I peel her out of her shirt and send it flying toward the patio with a wet thunk. She giggles and we struggle to get me out of my shirt next. Pants are easier.

“Look at you,” she says. “Skinny-dipping again.”

“The things I do for you,” I say, teasing like it’s a real inconvenience. I’d risk public nudity for her any day.

Her back rests against the side of the pool and her legs wrap around my waist. Gently, I nudge the head of my cock against her entrance.

“Are you ready for me?” I ask.

She nods. “Always.”

I push in slowly, letting her adjust to my size. She sighs and a smile of pure pleasure turns up the corners of her lips.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this.”

“I sure fucking hope not.” I grip her hip a little tighter. Just the thought of losing her has me wanting to keep her here on this island forever.

Her hands find purchase on my shoulders and she rolls her hips as I bury my cock farther until there’s nowhere else to go. Still, I rut into her, wanting to fill every inch of her with me.

“You said you wanted to ruin me for other men.” The words are breathy and end with a moan. “But there’s no comparison. I’m yours too, Jack.”

I’m often at a loss for words with Everly. Showing her how much that means to me is far simpler.

“What’s mine, baby?” I ask, lips grazing down her throat to her breasts. I palm one and suck on the other. “These mine?”

“Yes,” she cries, fingers pulling at my hair.

On the next thrust I pull out of her. We both groan at the loss, but not for long. I turn her around and pull her back to me. One hand drops between her legs and I cup her pussy. “This mine?”

She nods as I glide my fingers over her clit and then slip one inside. She moves slowly, fucking herself on my hand while I continue exploring her neck and shoulders with my mouth.

“What about this, Ev?” My hand glides higher and I press my thumb against the pucker of her ass, while my other fingers still rub along her pussy.

“Jack.”

I’ll never get tired of hearing her say my name while I do deliciously dirty things to her body.

“Is it mine, Ev?”

“All of it,” she rasps as I push two fingers into her cunt. “It’s all yours. I’m yours.”

I replace my fingers with my cock, taking her from behind, and wrap one arm around her waist to keep her in place. She holds on to the edge of the pool as I take her hard and fast.

She cries out, clenching around my dick as she finds her release and I tumble right along with her. She might be mine, but she owns me. Irrevocably.

We spend the rest of the night going between the bed, the pool, and the ocean until we fall asleep naked, hair still wet.

When I open my eyes, the sun is shining through the villa and Everly is lying half on me, head propped up on her hands, watching me.

“Morning,” I say, voice rough with sleep. My lips curve into a smile and I wrap my arms around her, pulling her farther on top of me.

She laughs as I settle her right on my hard dick. Yep, waking up like this is my new favorite thing.

“What time are we leaving?” she asks.

I open my eyes again and see a little of her happiness has dimmed. She’s dreading leaving too.

“Ten.”

She nods and then glances down as if to hide her disappointment.

I lift her chin up with a finger. “We’ll come back. Sometime when we can spend a whole week here. Or an entire month.”

“You’re crazy,” she says with a small laugh.

“About you. Yes.”

She still wears a melancholy expression that makes me want to say fuck it to hockey and the team.

She cups my cheek and drags her thumb along my stubble. “I don’t need it, you know? This place is gorgeous, and I had the best time with you, but we could have hung out in my tiny little apartment all weekend and I would still be just as wild about you.” She presses her hand to my chest, palm flat over my heart.

I take her hand in mine and press a kiss to her knuckles.

I know what she’s trying to say, but being able to surprise her with big, extravagant things is just one way I can show her how much she means to me.

We get onto the jet and take our seats. Neither of us slept much last night so we fall into a comfortable silence as we prepare for the ride home.

She lets her head fall to the left so she can look me in the eye as she says, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She rests her head on my shoulder, and we fly home like that. I’m usually anxious to get back after time away, but even I’m feeling sad as we get in my car. I plug my phone in and notifications start rolling in, many from James.

“Did he know you were leaving?” she asks as my phone keeps pinging.

“Of course,” I say. “But he’s probably shocked I actually managed to disconnect all weekend.”

To be fair, it’s a first for me. Usually, I spend vacation doing a lot of the same things I do at home, just in a tropical location.

I scroll through the texts. The first couple are just asking me to check in with him and then asking to call him as soon as I get a chance. So high-maintenance. I move over to voicemail. He left two. The first one is basically the same as his texts, but before I listen to his second, my phone rings.

“Hey,” I answer, shaking my head at Ev. I mouth ‘James’ to her, so she knows it’s him calling again. I lean across the console and kiss her.

“Hey, Jack. Thank god. Are you on your way?”

“On my way where?” I ask. I know I didn’t have any events scheduled this weekend. I cleared it with him before I left.

“The hospital. Didn’t you get my messages?”

“No. I only listened to the first so far. What’s going on?” My first thoughts are my teammates. Somebody did something stupid and got hurt or maybe Coach, but I’m not prepared for what comes out of his mouth.

“It’s your dad, Jack.”