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“Don’t move,” I whispered roughly when she tried to disengage. Shockingly, I was still coming, and it’d be days until the last of it left her. Eventually, I retreated and watched my cum surge from her. “You good?”

She nodded weakly with a satisfied smirk on her lips. “I’m more than good, Sweet Hart. Now… let’s go get in that claw foot bathtub you keep talking about.”

I smirked, picking her up.

“I knew you’d come around.”

***

“I can’t believe it’s still raining,” she murmured tiredly against my chest. My fingers repeatedly caressed her shoulder as I stared into the fireplace opposite the bed.

“I think they made a good call canceling the ferry,” I murmured, still fatigued. I was exhausted, but in the best way. My brain had gone blank, and my body felt boneless. All I felt was Vera’s weight and her soft breath against my damp skin.

“No kidding. I would’ve been decorated in patches.”

I smirked and squeezed her shoulder. Suddenly, she propped herself up on her elbow and stared at me like she was about to ask me a question that would ruin my serene mood.

“Have you ever been in love?” she asked.

“Of course. I’m in love with you,” I said in a way that could be taken as a joke. But I was dead ass serious. I loved Vera, but telling her so soon could potentially send her running for the hills.

She glared at me. “Hartford.”

“Fine. Fine. What was the question? Have I ever been in love before?”

“Yes, but it’s a two-part question now.”

“Alright. So, no to your first question. What’s your second question?”

“When was the last time you seriously dated someone?”

I blew a raspberry and shifted, lacing my fingers behind my head. I stared at the dancing shadows on the ceiling from the fireplace as I recalled the past. “Junior year in college.”

“Tell me about her.”

I looked at her. “Not much to tell.”

“Doesn’t mean there’s nothing to tell,” she remarked.

“Sure, but you’re next.”

She smiled. “Fair enough.”

My eyes dragged back to the ceiling. “Her name was Shelby. We met at a kickback. She was hot and laid back. I was kind of impressed by her when she asked me out on a date and paid.”

Vera nodded. “Okay, modern woman.”

“Not so fast. Four months in, everything was cool between us until the scouts started circling, and discussions about my future began behind closed doors. Shelby started offering her opinions about which teams I should consider.”

“Oh no,” Vera moaned, flopping onto her pile of pillows.

“Catch this. Her number one contender was the Hudson Hawks because the shopping in NYC was insane, and we would only be two hours from the Hamptons.” Vera groaned into a pillow. “Oh, it gets worse. She wouldn’t shut up about the NHL and even changed her IG bio to WAG in Training.”

“Oh, God,” Vera laughed into her pillow.

“I know. It was so fucking cringy, and it was clear as day that she was no different than any other puck bunny. She only wanted me for fame and money. I was already on the verge of breaking up with her when she drove the nail into her own coffin by disrespecting my bond with DeAndre. She said some shit about how I spent too much time with my friend, and I needed to focus on hockey instead. I corrected her and told her that DeAndre was my brother. She thought that was hilarious. She didn’t think it was so hilarious when she was crying outside my apartment door.”

Suddenly, Vera launched herself off the pillows. “Oh, my God.”