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She grabs her right breast, tugging roughly on her nipple. “Yes, yes, yes,” she chants, back arching as her legs shake and the orgasm rolls through her.
I don’t give her time to come down from the high. I roll on a condom, stretch out over her, and replace my fingers with my cock, pushing inside in one smooth stroke. She clenches around me, legs hooked behind my back, her arms winding around my neck.
Her orgasm drags on, her body quaking, a low keening sound humming across my lips. I pull back so I can see her. Aurora’s nails dig into my shoulder, the fingers of her other hand tremble against my cheek, my name a nearly soundless whisper on her lips.
“God, you’re beautiful when you’re coming for me,” I murmur.
“I d-don’t want it to end,” she pants as she writhes under me.
Every time is better than the last. I feel the connection we have in more than just our bodies. I feel it in the softness of her eyes, in the way she whispers my name. I’m about to tell her how I feel, how deeply rooted in my heart she is, but another orgasm rolls through her. Aurora’s mouth drops open, and her eyes flutter closed as her body contracts. And then I’m falling with her.
Half an hour later, we’re sitting in the living room, Aurora wearing one of my hoodies, her legs draped over mine. I run a hand up her bare calf. “How are you feeling about the gala?” It’s just a handful of days away.
“Good. Great, actually!” Her eyes light up. “We have a whole table for the Hockey Academy, which is so amazing. They confirmed that Kodiak Bowman and his wife are coming.”
“That’s great news.” He’s the new “it kid” in hockey. He’s on track to blow a lot of records out of the water.
“Hemi thinks this will be our best gala yet. I love this side of the hockey world and how we get to give back to the community that supports us.”
Her excitement is infectious. “I love your passion for this.”
“I feel like I’ve found my calling, you know?” She runs her fingernails down the back of my neck. “Hemi says the auction is where we usually make the most money.”
“I can pull out—tell Hemi I can’t participate.” I’ve been thinking about this a lot. In part because Scarlet is attending, and even though I’ve told her I’m not interested in rekindling our relationship, I worry she’ll bid on me anyway.
“Most of the dates usually end up being a hang out with a hockey player night, like the way Dallas ended up spending his at the retirement village with the coach’s grandmother,” she says. “Besides, if you back out there will be questions. And people might think it’s because of Scarlet.”
I can feel her apprehension over it, which is the only reason I don’t press harder. “I don’t want anyone but you.”
“Scarlet still wants you, though?”
The only way to set her mind at ease is to be honest with her about my history with Scarlet. If I want this to work, I need to open up. “She knows I’m not interested. I’m not the same person I was when we dated. Her life is very public, and while being a pro hockey player means parts of my life are available for public consumption, I was never on board with my personal relationship splashed all over social media.”
Aurora hesitates, looking uncertain. “I know how private you are about your life, but will you tell me what happened?”
I should have offered it up as soon as we returned from the away series, like I said I would. But we’ve been so preoccupied with each other. And talking about this shines a light on how Scarlet affected my views on relationships and love. “Have you been afraid to ask?”
She shrugs. “Your life is already public enough, and I’ve wanted to respect your privacy. But I’m also aware the media coverage and reality don’t always match.”
That’s a yes disguised as nonchalance. Keeping this part of me closed off from Aurora won’t help us understand each other. “You’re right, they don’t.” I lace our fingers, needing the connection.
She squeezes my hand, and both our knees bounce. I don’t want this to be the thing to derail us, but leaving her in what-if limbo won’t make it better.
“Before I was traded to Toronto, I’d planned to ask Scarlet to marry me. I’d even gone as far as buying the ring, but she broke things off.”
Emotions flit across Aurora’s face. Surprise hits her first, then shock, jealousy, hurt, fear, and sadness. And then finally empathy. “But why? Clearly she regrets that choice now.”
“It really came down to me wanting my private life to remain private and Scarlet wanting the opposite.” I’d been so certain we could get past it. That she would eventually see the benefit of being out of the limelight when she wasn’t filming. I didn’t understand compromise, or how to listen to what she really needed. It took time for me to see how I contributed to the downfall of the relationship.
Aurora’s hand tightens around mine. “Did she know you were planning to propose?”
I shake my head. “Not until later. But she didn’t want the same things I did. So when I moved to Toronto, she gave a statement saying we’d broken up because of the distance. She wished me well, and that was that.” It had been gutting to see how easily she dismissed a two-year relationship.
“But really, she broke your heart,” Aurora says softly.
“She did.”
“And now she regrets her decision.” I can’t read Aurora’s tone or her expression.
