Offside Hearts (Love and Hockey Book 1)

I’m the one who moves first, leaning in toward Noah, and the second I do, he’s right there with me. His lips meet mine, warm and firm, as he pulls me closer against his body.

Fuck, he’s a good kisser.

He kisses me like he’s been waiting for this.

Like he’s been craving it.

Like he’s been thinking about it for weeks.

God, he’s not alone if he has.

It’s almost hard to believe this is the first time we’ve kissed, but despite everything else that happened in the elevator that day, our lips never actually touched. And holy shit, I was missing out. His mouth is hungry against mine, his teeth grazing my lips and his tongue sliding out to taste my own—slow and gentle at first, then pressing deeper into my mouth as I open for him.

He rolls me onto my back, angling his upper body over mine as one of his hands palms the back of my head, threading through my hair. I cling to his shoulders, lifting my head a little to try to get even closer.

“Fuck, you taste good,” he breathes, nipping at my bottom lip. “Knew you would.”

He swoops in for another kiss as soon as he finishes speaking, his free hand wandering over my body beneath the blanket as we make out. His large palm skates down my side, following the dip of my waist and the curve of my hip before sliding back up again. When he cups my breast and squeezes, I whimper against his lips, and he groans in response.

His thumb brushes over my nipple, and even with the thin fabric of my top between us, the sensation sends sparks showering through my body. I arch my back a little, urging him to do it again, and his mouth curves into a smile against mine.

“Oh, god,” I breathe when he drags his thumb in a slow circle over my nipple, making it stiffen.

“I prefer Noah.” He chuckles, breaking our kiss and lifting his head to look down at me. “But if you want to be formal…”

I almost laugh, but the sound gets choked off in a breathy moan as he traps my nipple between the knuckles of his first two fingers and pinches. It’s not hard enough to actually hurt, but it sends a sharp zing of sensation through me, making my mouth fall open.

His blue eyes are dark, and they bounce between mine as he watches my face, like he’s trying to gauge my reaction to each little thing he does. I’d be happy to let him, but I already miss the feeling of his lips against mine, so I pull his head down again for another kiss.

He doesn’t stop touching me, switching to the other breast and playing with my nipple before kneading the soft flesh, and I clench my thighs as my whole body seems to light up under his attention.

When our kiss finally breaks, it’s only so that he can trail his lips over my cheek and jaw, pressing little kisses to the sensitive skin. I tilt my chin up, staring at the ceiling in a daze as he works his way down my throat, making goosebumps break out over my chest and shoulders. He gets to my collarbone and scrapes his teeth over it gently, and I wriggle on the bed beneath him.

“Noah…”

“Yeah?” he breathes, his hands pushing my top up as his head dips lower.

He slides the fabric over my breasts, bunching it up high on my upper chest as his lips close around one of my nipples. His mouth is warm, and when he bites down softly, trapping the little bud between his teeth, I grab on to his head with both hands.

“Fuck!”

He grins, switching sides as if determined to pay equal attention to both of my breasts, and when he draws one into his mouth on a deep pull, my jaw drops open as a startling, unexpected sensation shoots through me. He sucks again, making me squirm a little as I gasp for breath, then releases me with a wet pop.

“You like that?” he murmurs.

I nod, heat curling in my stomach. “Yeah.”

“Good.” His grin is sinful and satisfied, and it’s nearly enough to make my panties combust on the spot. “So do I.”

He returns his focus to my breasts, and my eyelids droop closed a little—then they pop wide open again as he starts to move lower, tugging down the blanket and settling between my legs. He hooks his fingers at the waistband of my sleep shorts and glances up at me, biting his lip.

“Is this okay?”

I nod, although the tightness in my stomach is more from nerves than arousal now. “Yeah.”

He presses a kiss to my stomach, right beneath my belly button, his gaze still locked on my face. Then he slips his fingertips beneath my panties too, dragging them down along with my pants. I shift my hips and bend my knees to help him, and he slides them off my legs one by one. He tosses them on the floor before running his calloused palms up the insides of my thighs.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous.” He grips my thighs, spreading them a bit wider. “I can’t wait to taste you.”

“Mm-hm,” I murmur, biting down on my bottom lip.

He drops his head, dragging his tongue up the crease of my pussy in one long lick, and even though it feels good, I tense up a little. He stops at the top and circles his tongue over my clit, and I try to let myself enjoy it, but I’m already getting lost in my own head. I’ve never been able to come this way, but I don’t want him to stop, so I shift my hips a little, making low noises of appreciation under my breath.

He keeps going, sliding his tongue back and forth, and I let my noises build up slowly, reaching down to slide my fingers into his hair.

He hums under his breath, and I let out a soft moan.

Then another.

On the third moan, I arch my back sharply, tugging on his hair as I twist my hips on the mattress. He lifts his head, allowing me to pull him away from my pussy, then looks up toward my face.

When our gazes meet, his brows draw together. “What was that?”

Embarrassment ripples through me, and I lick my lips, letting go of his hair. “I—I came.”

“No, you didn’t.”

My cheeks heat, a flush rising up my face. “Yes, I did.”

He fixes me with a look, then releases his hold on my thighs and straightens, sitting back on his heels between my legs. His hard-on is tenting his sweats, but he ignores that, still looking down at me as if he’s trying to figure something out.

“You didn’t come, Margo.” Heat flashes in his eyes as he adds, “Not to put too fine a point on it, but I know what you sound like when you actually come, and that wasn’t it.”

My jaw drops open, and I flounder for a second, completely at a loss for words. I’m on the verge of doubling down on my lie, insisting that just because he’s heard me orgasm once, that doesn’t mean he’s some climax expert who knows what I’ll sound like every time… but then I bite my lip and shake my head.

“Sorry,” I whisper, feeling like an idiot. “I should’ve just told you. I can’t come like that. My ex didn’t like going down on me, and I always got really self-conscious whenever he would do it. And then nothing would… happen for me, and he’d get impatient. So I just got in the habit of faking it. I didn’t think you’d notice.”

Noah blinks, the line between his eyebrows deepening as he absorbs my words. Then he leans over me, resting his hands on either side of my head so that we’re face to face. An expression I can’t quite read passes over his features, and he shakes his head.

“Wait a second,” he says slowly. “You’re telling me that your ex hated going down on you so much that you started faking orgasms just to get it over with faster?”

I tug my bottom lip between my teeth, my gaze skating away from his. I feel awkward and uncomfortable, and more than a little embarrassed that after all the buildup of attraction between us, this is how the night has ended up.

“I just… didn’t feel like there was any point in dragging it out, since I knew I couldn’t finish that way,” I admit.

Noah is still staring at me. Even though I’m currently looking at the wall beside the bed, I can feel his gaze on me, burning into the side of my face. The room is quiet for a long moment, and then he lifts a hand from the bed, resting two fingers on my jaw and tilting my face back toward his.

“I don’t think that’s true.”

I blink. “What?”

His lips press together, something like anger darkening his expression. “I don’t think it’s true that you can’t climax from oral. I think some stupid fuckhead was so impatient and selfish that he made you think you can’t come that way, just because he never took the time to actually do it right.”

I lift one shoulder in a small shrug. “I mean, he wasn’t the best at it, I guess. But it’s just never really been a thing that worked for me, Noah. He tried for like ten minutes once, and I still couldn’t come.”

He raises his eyebrows, a look of sarcastic disbelief on his face.

“A whole ten minutes? Wow. I hope he didn’t forget to pick up his fucking medal of valor afterward.”

That startles a little laugh out of me, but Noah shakes his head, his expression turning more intense. “I’m serious, Sunflower. Just because you can’t come on command or within some sort of set timeframe, that doesn’t mean you can’t do it at all.”

He seems almost outraged on my behalf, and despite the way my cheeks are still burning, I feel a surge of warmth toward him. Reaching up, I pull him down into a kiss, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

He responds immediately, kissing me back in a way that banishes some of my embarrassment and rekindles the fire in my veins. His body settles over mine, the fabric of his pants rough against the sensitive skin of my inner thighs as I wrap my legs around him, and I lose myself in how good it feels for a minute.

When we break apart for air, Noah smooths the hair back from my face. He draws back just enough to look into my eyes, the blue of his irises as deep as an ocean.

“Can I try again?” he asks softly.

I bite my lip, torn between wanting to say yes and not wanting to live through a repeat of that awkwardness. He must be able to read the indecision on my face, because a small smile tilts his lips.

“How about this? I’ll make you a deal. If you want me to stop at any time, just say the word, and I’ll stop. It’s all up to you. But only say stop if that’s what you want, not because you think it’s what I want. Not because you think I’m bored or it’s taking too long, okay?” His smile widens, turning hungry and wolfish. “Because, baby, if you let me, I’ll happily stay down there all fucking night.”

Butterflies take off in my stomach, flapping wildly as I stare up at him. I’ve never had a guy beg to go down on me before, and even though I’m not sure I’ll be able to give him what he wants, I don’t hate the idea of letting him try.

“Okay,” I whisper.

He grins, then tugs my shirt all the way off before leaning in to kiss me again. He takes his time with it, bracing one hand beside my head while the other moves down to tease my breasts and slide between my legs. His fingers slip through my folds and then back up to my clit, moving in light, deliberate circles. His hand stays between my legs even when our kiss breaks, and he travels slowly down my body, his mouth burning hot trails over my breasts and stomach.

As he settles with his head between my thighs again, his hands move to my legs, holding them open for him. I let out a breath, trying to relax my body as I stare up at the ceiling.

His tongue slides over me, warm and wet, and it feels good. The sensation is a bit muted, the way it always gets when I’m inside my own head, but I try not to think about that or worry that I won’t be able to finish. Instead, I close my eyes, trying to block out everything but the feel of what Noah is doing to me.

He’s patient, I’ll give him that.

He starts slow, like he’s trying to map the contours of my pussy, licking and exploring for a while. He teases my clit, never putting too much pressure and changing up the rhythm or pattern every time I start to get used to it. I bite my lip, grabbing two handfuls of the sheets beneath me as the TV plays in the background.

I lose track of time a bit, and at some point, Noah releases his grip on my thighs to free up his hands. He spreads my pussy lips with his fingers, and my eyes pop open in surprise, my gaze darting downward just in time to see him thrust his tongue inside me.

“Oh fuck!” I blurt, my heart jumping in my chest as my thighs tense involuntarily.

He pulls back a little. “You okay?”

“I… yeah.” My clit throbs as I nod.

“Did you like that?”

I nod again, and he grins. This time, he holds eye contact as he stiffens his tongue and thrusts it inside me, going as deep as he can. My inner walls tighten, and I have to fight not to clench my legs around his head. He fucks me like that with his tongue as one of his thumbs slide upward to circle my clit again, and I can feel myself getting wetter.

When he finally takes a break, my entire lower body feels hotter than it did before, and he laps at me again before looking back up at me through his lashes.

“Do you know how fucking good you taste?” he murmurs, his voice raspy. “I have to admit, you’ve starred in pretty much all of my fantasies lately, but goddamn… none of them were ever as good as this.”

My bottom lip is starting to ache from how tightly I’ve been biting it, and as I let it slide free, Noah groans.

“I could watch you do that all fucking night, Sunflower. You look so good like this.”

He returns to his task, and there’s something a little less restrained about it now, like he was holding back before and now he’s not. He fucks me with his tongue again, then drags the flat of it over my clit. Every time he does something that makes me jerk or whimper, his gaze shoots up to my face, and he repeats the action several more times.

I’ve completely lost track of time, I realize. At the beginning of this, I figured I would let him go for fifteen minutes or something and then stop him, whether I had crossed the finish line or not. But I’m pretty sure it’s been longer than that by now, and he really doesn’t seem to be getting bored.

“Fuck, yes,” he mutters against my skin when I unconsciously rock my hips upward to meet the pressure of his tongue. “So fucking sweet.”

He nips at my clit, just a tiny scrape of his teeth, and the jolt of sensation makes me half sit up before falling back down.

“Oh my god, Noah,” I pant as heat builds inside me.

“There you go. Take what you want, Sunflower. You’re so perfect like this.”

His praise goes straight to my head, as does the fact that I can tell he’s grinding his crotch against the mattress, as if eating me out has him so turned on that he can’t help himself. Instead of staring up at the ceiling or keeping my eyes closed, I’m watching him greedily now, entranced by the sight of him eating me out like I’m his last meal.

I’ve never actually watched a guy do this before, and until this moment, I wouldn’t have thought I’d like it. But it’s filthy in the best way, and when he starts to fuck me with his tongue again, I do what he said and take what I want, arching my hips to ride his face.

The familiar burn of an orgasm builds inside me, and my breath comes in choppy gasps.

“I’m close. Fuck, I’m… oh god, I’m…”

I’m coming.

I’m coming all over his face, and he’s not stopping. He drags his tongue out of me, but only so he can circle my clit with fast, hard strokes, keeping me tumbling along in a torrent of pleasure. I grab his hair just like I did the first time he went down on me, but this time, it’s not to pull him away—it’s just because I need a fucking anchor to ground me.

“There you go,” he mutters. “Fuck, baby. Yes.”

He waits until my body finally stops shaking, then lifts his head. My hands are in his hair, which is messy and unkempt, and my clit throbs all over again as I realize that the entire lower half of his face is wet.

Holy fuck.

He licks his lips and then grins, and I can’t even be mad at the smug glint in his eyes, because he totally earned it.

“That was fucking incredible,” he tells me.

I laugh, feeling almost giddy. “I think that’s supposed to be my line.”

He slides his thumb inside me, then draws it out and brings it to his mouth. As he sucks it clean, something low in my belly clenches at the sight. “Well, you can say it after I make you come again.”

“Are you serious?”

He arches a brow. “Do you think you can?”

“I don’t know.” I shake my head, my pulse picking up a little. “I didn’t even think I could come once.”

“Do you want me to stop? That’s our agreement, remember?”

My hands slide out of his hair as I gaze down at him. I just came harder than I have in a long time, but the way he’s looking at me makes my heart race, and if I’m being honest…

“No,” I whisper. “I don’t want you to stop.”

His grin is ravenous, but I only see it for a second. Then his head is between my legs again, his tongue returning to all the places that drew reactions from me earlier.

It feels different now, since my clit is so sensitive and my pussy is swollen and flushed. But I’ve already gotten over the hump of being too caught up in my head, and at this point, I don’t even care if I come again or not. I just want him to keep making me feel good.

Maybe the fact that I’m not focusing on it is what lets him wring another orgasm out of me after a while—and then another in quick succession after that.

When he tries to keep going after the third one, I squirm away from him, laughing and gasping.

“Wait, wait!” I yelp. “Oh fuck. Ah, it’s too sensitive!”

Noah stops as soon as I say the word, looking up at me. His cheeks are flushed, his lips shiny with my arousal, and he looks so fucking hot. He crawls up my body to kiss me, delving his tongue into my mouth and letting me taste everything he just did to me, and I wrap my arms around him, still trying to catch my breath in between kisses.

When we finally break apart, he gazes down at me with a warm smile. “Thank you, Sunflower.”

I grin, my heart fluttering. “You keep stealing all my lines.”

“Sorry.” He chuckles. “I can’t help it.”

After planting one more kiss on my lips, he clambers out from between my legs and settles onto the bed beside me, reaching down to draw the covers up over us. He rolls onto his side, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me close so that I’m tucked up against him, the little spoon to his big one. His cock is hard as steel, pressing against my ass through the fabric of his sweats, and when I glance at the clock and realize it’s nearly three a.m., my eyes widen.

Oh my god, he must have the worst case of blue balls ever right now.

I wasn’t aware of it until I saw the time, but he spent almost two hours with his head between my legs.

That thought does something to me, and I grind against Noah a little, pressing my ass against the thick line of his cock. Despite the fact that my body is sensitive and worn out, my core clenches as I feel him throb against me, and I start to turn around—but he doesn’t let me.

Noah tightens his hold on me, keeping me from rolling over to face him and burying his nose in my hair.

“It’s late,” he murmurs. “We should get some sleep.”

“Are you sure?”

He hesitates, then rises up onto his elbow behind me, and I turn my head to look up at him. His hand is splayed across my bare stomach, and he slides it up to rest on my hip. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’m not in a hurry, Margo. I want you. So. Fucking. Much. But I don’t just want you as a notch on my bedpost. I want more. So until I’m sure you believe that… I can wait.”

His expression is serious, and he gives my hip a little squeeze before leaning down to press a kiss to my temple. Then he flips off the bedside lamp and grabs the remote to turn the TV off, letting darkness settle over us as he gathers me in his arms again.

“Goodnight, Sunflower,” he murmurs.

I wonder if he can feel the pounding of my heart as I whisper back, “Goodnight.”