Trouble : Boston Bolts Hockey

Beside me, Cade scoffs, and on instinct, I lean back, almost making the mistake of looking at the screen of his phone.

You trying to hide something?

The memory of Jason’s words—a.k.a. the worst human ever—echoes through my brain, bringing with it a wave of dread. Quickly, I shift out of Cade’s lap and into the chair Declan vacated. Speaking of Declan, where did that broody man get off to? I scan the bar in search of him, but Cade’s hand on my thigh stops me.

“He left.”

“Hmm?” I force my attention to his face, keeping my eyes off the phone, which is, unfortunately, a trigger for me.

He chuckles, but it’s an annoyed sound. “The man never texts, and the one time he does, I can’t even enjoy it.”

“I’m lost,” I admit.

“Declan. He left. Said he’ll meet us at home.”

A strange disappointment sweeps through me. As much as I like Cade, I can’t help but feel some sort of way about Declan. Maybe because he’s opening up his house to me. Maybe because of how good it felt when his eyes were on me…which, I’ll admit, is odd. I’m constantly in the spotlight, under the microscope. And lately, since the issue with Jason, I can’t help but squirm when I’m the center of attention. Yet he’s different, and I don’t have the slightest idea why.

“Should we go?”

Cade leans in, running his tongue over his bottom lip. The man has made it abundantly clear that he wants me, and I like that he doesn’t play games.

And he’s gorgeous.

Blue eyes, easy smile, broad shoulders, and thighs that bulge in all the right places against his jeans as he spreads his legs wider and pulls my chair between them. “Do you want to go?”

What I want to do is lick his lips. Get lost in his touch. Forget my name and my problems and Jason. I haven’t allowed anyone close since him, and suddenly, I want to purge my body of his touch.

Is that a thing? It should be. Maybe Lake and I can dance around her bonfire, and I can burn all the clothes I wore when I dated Jason.

You’d be burning hundreds of outfits.

It’d be worth it, though, if it helped me shake this writer’s block and I’d remember how to write a song again.

I shiver at the thought of never writing another song. Of having completely lost my talent.

Cade ghosts a finger up the slope of my neck, mistaking the reason for the cascade of goose bumps as desire rather than trepidation.

Though that single touch quickly sends all thoughts of my problems scattering. Now my body is buzzing for a completely different reason.

“I think we need privacy.”

He lets out a light laugh, his breath ghosting over me. “Public sex not your kink like Sara?”

My pulse picks up as I scan the group. I’d all but forgotten that we aren’t alone. Shit, I’m in my own little world with this man. He’s intoxicating. “Not quite sure what my kinks are, but”—I suck in a breath, garnering my courage—“I think I’d like to find out.”

Cade’s blue eyes blaze as he shifts in his seat. “I’ve got to get Mel home. You guys going to be okay?”

Brooks nods. “We’re staying at the hotel across the parking lot. We’ll see you back in Boston for the game.”

We say our goodbyes, and as the door to the bar swings shut behind us, muting the noise of the people inside, my thoughts are suddenly impossibly loud. Like that little voice in my head grew so it could be heard over the din of music, and now I’m adjusting to the quiet again.

“My car is here, but since I’ve had a few drinks, we should probably call for a driver.” He pulls out his phone, narrating his thoughts. “Dec’s house is only a few blocks from here, but it’s cold out.”

I can’t help but smile at the way he processes out loud. “I don’t mind the walk.”

Cade looks up from his phone. “You sure?”

“Absolutely. It’ll sober me a bit.”

With a grin, he slides his phone back into his pocket. “Good, because now I can tease Declan about ditching us and forcing us to walk home.”

I snort. “You two have an odd friendship.”

Cade grasps my hand and links our fingers. The connection is oddly comforting. He’s clearly comfortable with physical touch and doesn’t overthink his actions. His personality couldn’t be more different from that of the standoffish man I’ll be living with through the holidays. The man who appears to do nothing but think.

Though he didn’t take his time thinking about how to react when that reporter came at me. He acted on instinct alone, blocking the man’s view of me. Though the move was a simple one, it instantly put me at ease. Made me feel safe.

I can’t remember the last time I truly felt safe like that.

That’s the worst part of a loved one’s betrayal. The stolen sense of safety. Of control over oneself.

My heart pounds, the echo of it drowning out my thoughts. I take a long, slow breath. My anxiety is spiking, and if I don’t get it under control, I’m liable to spin out.

Focus on something you can feel: Cade’s hands. Something you can smell: The ocean. Something you can hear: His steady voice.

While he’s been talking, I’ve been stuck in my head. Jason has held me captive emotionally for far longer than he ever did physically.

I press my tongue to the roof of my mouth, willing myself back to the present. We’re walking on the boardwalk, the reflection of the moon on the water casting a gorgeous golden light over the bay.

“How long have you and Declan known one another?”

Cade chuckles. “I don’t remember a time I didn’t know him.”

I hum and survey the water. Lake and I are like that. We came up together in Nashville, singing and working in bars, hoping to get our big break. Hers came far sooner than mine, when she was only sixteen. She stayed in Nashville with me, though our dynamic changed greatly. Suddenly, she was a star, and I was her sidekick. In certain ways, I still am. She’s far more brave, more bold, than I am. She pushes the envelope, while I wait in the wings, watching to see how each scenario plays out for her. Often, that turns into yearning to follow her lead.

Her marrying an older man has me considering the man at my side and wondering how it will feel to be pressed down by his heavy weight tonight. Because we both know that’s where we’re heading.

Though I can’t imagine a man like Cade settling down the way Ford did with Lake. He’s got to be in his mid-forties, yet he acts like just another playboy in a bar.

I’m not judging whatsoever. That attitude is what makes me so comfortable with him. He knows what he’s doing.

Makes me wonder what else he could teach me.

“Has Declan ever been married?”

I’m not sure why I keep asking about his friend. If Cade is concerned, he doesn’t show it. He just laughs. “No. The only thing Dec is married to is stress.”

“Like I said, you make an odd pair.”

His shrug is casual. “He wasn’t always like this. Life hasn’t been easy for him.”

“Is life easy for anyone?”

Though Cade’s feet don’t stop moving, he goes just the slightest bit rigid. “No, I don’t suppose it is.”

Not liking the serious tone that’s so foreign coming from him, I shift the conversation back to Declan. “What was he like before life got hard?”

Cade rolls his tongue over his bottom lip, making it shine in the moonlight. “He was always stern, don’t get me wrong. Control has always been his thing.” He’s quiet for a moment, like he’s lost in thought. “He just knew how to let his guard down, I guess.”

Before I can really consider what to ask next, he guides me off the boardwalk and down a dirt path.

“His house is around the back.” Cade points to a large cape that, in the dark, appears to be a deep shade of blue.

With a hand at the small of my back, he urges me up the front steps. The simple wreath on the door makes warmth spread through my chest. I can almost hear Declan saying look, I decorated to anyone who dared call him a grinch.

When we enter the house, the smell of a dwindling fire hits me. Low flames dance behind the gate in the oversized brick hearth in the corner of the living area, as if Declan has just walked away from it. Disappointment settles heavy in my belly at the thought of him getting Cade’s text and then feeling the need to disappear.

“Can I get you a drink?” Cade walks around the space comfortably, like he stays here often.

“Whatever you have is fine.”

“Tequila?” He dangles a bottle from his fingers and hits me with a devilish smirk that makes my stomach swoop. For so long, the only emotions I’ve experienced have circled around fear and anxiety. But after just a few hours in this town, other feelings are bubbling to the surface. Though it has more to do with the people here than the town itself. Namely, two people.

I’m staring down the dark hallway when Cade settles beside me on the couch, two shot glasses in one hand, the bottle of tequila in the other. “Everything okay?”

I shift my attention to him. “I hate that he disappeared into his bedroom. Feels like we chased him in there.”

Cade sets the glasses on the coffee table and opens the bottle. Once he’s poured us each a shot, he hands one to me, meeting my gaze. “Declan doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do. I’m sure he’s fine.” He licks across his lip, his eyes dipping down to my shaking hand, then focusing on mine again. I feel the trail of his gaze like a flame, and another shiver of lust slithers through me. “What would you have done had he been here?”

His dark tone, the way he angles closer, make it feel like a naughty dare. Like he can see inside my head. Like he can read every dirty thought that has been taunting me since I saw Cade watch Declan while he held me on his lap. And how I caught Declan staring at the two of us when he thought no one was looking.

It’s a hunger.

It takes effort to swallow past my trepidation and voice my true thought. “Have you ever shared someone?”

Cade’s pupils dilate, sending a shiver down my spine.

I toss back the shot of tequila, hoping the burn will make me forget the ridiculous question I uttered. He watches me for a long moment, his scrutiny causing me to squirm. I’m afraid to meet his gaze, unsure of what I’ll find. I’m not even sure what I want to find. But seconds bleed into a minute, and finally, I look at him.

“I can do one better,” he says. I swear he’s closer than he was only seconds ago. “I’ve shared with Declan.”

The air in the room grows heavy, and the burn in my throat intensifies. “Really?”

“Do you like that idea?” He pours another shot into my glass, then zeroes in on my face. “Four hands on you.” Smoothly, he shifts until his lips are so close, his warm breath skates over my neck. “Two mouths. Heat everywhere.”

Drenched with a desire there’s no fighting, I launch myself at him, fusing my lips to his. He sets the bottle of tequila on the table with a grunt. When both hands are free, he palms my hip, then my ass, kneading the flesh as he plunges his tongue into my mouth. The kiss tastes like tequila and bad decisions, like filth and desire and fun.

With his other hand, he fists my hair and pulls me back. His breaths are harsh as he licks my lips. “Tell me, are you trouble like Dec said?” He sinks his teeth into my neck.

Fuck. I writhe in his arms, needing so much more.

“Or are you a good girl who likes to do very bad things?”

Holy shit, I gush at that simple question, soaking my panties instantly. “What kind of bad things?”

“You want me to tell you how the two of us would have fucked you if he were out here when we got home? How he would have enjoyed watching me strip off all these clothes? How he would have poured the tequila over your tits and told me to clean you up? You see, Dec is a neat freak. Likes everything tidy. But me…” He bites my lip again, all sense of decency flying out the window. “I like to make a mess.” He tugs on my hair again, the tension just short of painful. “He’d tell you to get on your knees and take out my cock.” He nods to the floor.

I take the hint and slide off him. The wooden floor is hard, but I welcome the burn. It reminds me that I’m alive.

“Then he’d pull your hair back. He’d be gentle about it, because that’s how he’d treat you—like you’re special. Precious. Rare. You’d love the way his rough fingers felt sliding across your scalp as he made a delicate fist.”

As Cade speaks, I help him out of his jeans and then his boxers, leaving both to pool at his feet. His cock is rock hard, long, and curving to the right. The thought of how perfectly he’d fill me sends a lick of fire up my spine. I press my hands against his thighs, waiting for further instruction.

“Then he’d tell you to lean forward.”

Eagerly, I obey, still gripping my thighs.

“Circle that fat cock.”

I wrap my fingers around his shaft and tug. The warm, smooth length of him makes my mouth water.

“And suck.”

Licking my lips, I do as I’m told, opening my mouth and sliding down until he hits the back of my throat, causing me to gag.

He tugs on my hair and groans. “Good girl. Do it again.”

So I do. I continue working him with my mouth, all the while getting wetter. The way he tastes makes me hungry for more. Insatiable. Circling his crown, sliding my tongue across the knot at the bottom, I relish the way he curses. When he tugs me back, I’m panting, and tears stream down my face from having taken him so deep.

“Get a condom from my wallet and sit on my cock, Trouble.”

I tip my chin higher and smirk. “Thought I was your good girl.”

With his lip caught between his teeth, he groans. “You’re a filthy girl. A little slut who’s thinking about my best friend fucking you while you’ve got my cock in your mouth.”

Guilt mixed with desire courses through me. Is he upset? Or is he turned on?

He chuckles like he can read my mind. “Don’t tell me you weren’t thinking about what it would be like if he were telling you to do those things while you sucked me off.”

Fuck, he’s gorgeous. Those lips tipped up in a wicked smile, his blue eyes bright beneath that backward cap. Right now, I’m pretty sure I’d do anything he asked.

“I hope that’s what you were thinking about. I know I was.”

Scrambling, I dig through his pockets, then his wallet, for a condom. With a shaky hand, I hold it out to him. I don’t dare even breathe as he rips it open and slides it down his length, tugging gently once.

“Strip,” he orders.

One word. Five letters. And I’m ready to combust.

I don’t make a show of it. I wouldn’t be capable if I tried. I’m desperate to have him inside me. So I slide my jeans off quickly, barely keeping myself from stumbling, and toss my shirt, relishing the “fuck” that slips past his lips when I straighten, and he scans first my tits, then my stomach, then my bare pussy.

When I go to straddle him, he grips my hips and shakes his head. “Face him.”

All the air escapes me. Hell, I think it’s all been sucked from the room.

Face him.

Fuck.

Dizzy, I spin, expecting to find Declan watching us. Instead, all I find is a painfully empty room. The disappointment doesn’t have a chance to stick, though, because Cade is clutching my hips again and pulling me onto his lap, grounding me to the fantasy again. “Put my cock inside you.”

With my fingers wrapped around his shaft, I line him up. Then, with a deep breath in, I lower myself slowly, reveling in the way he fills me as I slide down until I’m seated fully on his hips.

With a gentle hand, he sweeps my hair off my shoulder. “Ride me, Trouble,” he murmurs, his lips ghosting my ear. “Make us both come.”

I writhe against him, drowning in ecstasy. I’m completely naked, the warm fire crackling, and dim flames causing shadows to dance around us. With each thrust of his hips, I feel more and think less until I’m losing myself completely. My climb to the top stalls just as I’m on the edge of an orgasm. It’s there, teasing yet evading me.

“I need—” I whimper.

With a hand splayed across my stomach, he taunts me. “What do you need, Trouble? You need his fingers to play with your clit. His mouth on your nipple?” He sits up, pressing his warm chest against my back, and loops his other arm around me. With one hand, he tweaks my nipple. He slips the other between my legs and weaves serendipitous circles against my clit.

Desire floods me, pushing me closer to the precipice, but it once again eludes me.

The clatter of a glass startles me. Heart leaping and eyes flying open, I zero in on the hall, where the sound came from. Squinting, I can just make out a shadow. A mere silhouette.

Declan.

He shifts then, and I can make out the way his hands are fisted.

Lust singes all my senses at the thought of him watching me writhe on his best friend.

How long has he been there? Did Cade know? Is that why he told me to face him?

That last question is what does it. The elusive orgasm I’ve been chasing suddenly barrels into me. As I crest the wave of ecstasy, Cade bites down on my shoulder. With a groan, he thickens, and then spills his own release.

Shutting my eyes, I pant. I’m still reeling, still coming down from the high, when Cade presses a kiss to my shoulder and then my cheek and whispers, “You were such a good girl for us.”