Page 30 of Want You

“You know what I mean. This doesn’t feel like just sex anymore, not to me.”

She stared back at him before looking away. He watched her thoughts play out across her face. Doubt, fear, confusion, irritation, contentment, pleasure, and pain all warred for her attention. She released a long breath before turning back to him.

“It doesn’t. But…” She paused.

“Listen,” Nathan said, plating the eggs next to sourdough toast and walking around the island to slot himself between her legs. He set the plates down and took her face in his hands, forcing her to look up at him. “I don’t want to be a placeholder while you wait to see if some fuckhead gets his shit together and writes you back. I don’t want to be just some guy you fuck and I certainly don’t want you thinking about fucking anyone else.” She swallowed and he watched as her lips parted, her eyes searching his. “I want last night. You in my bed. You on my cock. You with my cum deep inside you. And I want this.” He gestured toward their plates. “Breakfast with you. I want to know how you like your eggs and how you take your coffee without asking. I want to not just know your favourite flower, but I want to be the guy that gets to buy you an entire bouquet every goddamn week. I want to fuck, sleep, cuddle with you in your bed.”

She squirmed on the stool but remained silent.

“I want to call you after my games when I’m far away and be able to ask how your day was without you censoring things. And after you tell me about all the good and bad, I want to listen to you come with my name on your perfect lips. But if you don’t want that, Octavia, I need you to tell me right now because if I get any deeper into this only to have you walk away because of some guy on the internet, it will ruin me.”

Her hands slid down his arms, gripping his wrists, and she stared back still not saying anything, making his heart jump into his throat, ready to slam to the ground and smash. He never begged, never put himself out there like this, ever. The last thing he had wanted as badly as he wanted her was to make it to the NHL. And he’d done that. He needed her to say she was willing. Everything to do with Octavia was a fucking need.

She moved slightly. Was that a nod? Did she just nod? “Say it, Octavia. Use your words.”

“Okay, Nathan. You can call me to ask about my day. But”—her finger blocked his lips right before they touched hers—“please don’t buy me flowers every week, once a month would be sufficient. I really like yellow tulips.” She dropped her hand and he laughed as she finally let him kiss her.

Her hands swept down his sides, goosebumps erupting under her fingertips. His tongue slid alongside hers and she squeezed his sides, causing him to groan and jump back.

“Oh my god.” She gasped, realizing where her hand had been.

Nathan grimaced, gripping the counter and breathing out slowly. “No, I forgot. Apparently fucking you numbed the pain.”

“Adrenaline will do that,” she said, tucking her fingers into the top of his sweats and pulling him forward so she could examine the bruise. “This looks so painful.”

He shrugged. “It’s par for the course. Not my first. Won’t be my last.”

Octavia’s brow furrowed in concern. “Do you have anything you can take for the pain?”

He shook his head. “I don’t take anything.”

“Oh, because you’re such a big, tough guy,” she said, mockery clear in her voice before she laughed.

“No.” He shook his head, taking her chin in hand and tipping her head back so he could look down into those captivating green eyes. “Because five years ago I liked the numb feeling I got from pills a bit too much. If I’m going to numb the pain, Autumn girl…” His free hand traced up her leg and dipped into the front of the boxers. Her breath hitched when he dragged his finger through her wet heat. “It’s gonna be with your pussy.”

Nathan pulled his hand free and traced her lips with his finger, coating them in her arousal before leaning in and licking them clean.

“You’re obsessed.” She purred against him.

“I’m addicted, baby. One fucking hit of you and I was hooked.”

Octavia threw her head back and laughed.

“I’m so glad you find this funny.” Nathan laughed along with her, soaking up this rare, unbridled version of Octavia. Unsure of how long it would last.

“When do you have to leave?” she asked, throwing her arms around his neck, her tongue gliding up his throat.

He glanced at the time on the microwave and sighed. “An hour and I still need to pack.” Octavia pouted up at him. Fuck, he thought, who is this woman? He couldn’t stop himself from pulling that bottom lip between his teeth. “Let me drive you home?” he asked after her lip had slipped free.

She sat back and studied him for a minute before nodding. “Only so you know where to come the minute you get back.” She drew him back down and he gave into the urge to lift her and carry her back to bed, leaving their breakfast forgotten. He knew he had spent years mastering packing for a reason.

Autumn

Are these from you?

Nathan smiled down at his phone where a photo of a bouquet of yellow tulips had just loaded. He stopped on a side street after dropping her off to order them and, despite the cost of a rushed delivery on a Sunday, he had never been so excited to buy a woman flowers.

Maybe.