Chapter 12

Chapter

Twelve

brOOKLYNN

I rear back, slamming my ass into Forrest's hips as he pushes forward and lets out a groan. His hand lands hard against the cheek of my ass, and I know that my skin turns pink instantly.

Forrest grunts but doesn't stop moving in and out of me, his hips slamming against my ass with each thrust. His rhythm is pure perfection. I didn't anticipate him as an athlete being so damn coordinated, but he really is. His rhythm is impeccable.

He knows exactly what I want and when I want it. There's no need to tell him, and there is certainly no guessing on his part.

God.

So. Good.

I wasn't sure what would happen when we came home, but Forrest wasn't unsure at all. He knew exactly what would happen, and that was me. And what would be happening is this. Over and over.

We have been home for three days, and every single night, we've ended up in one another's bed. If I had to put a label on us, I would call us boyfriend and girlfriend, but I haven't talked to him about it, and I'm not sure I want to.

If he doesn't want to label us, I think I would be pretty upset about that… considering the fact I'm falling for him.

Falling hard.

Like, all the way down the abyss and into a deep, dark, never-ending hole, I've fallen for this man in every way I could have ever imagined possible, and I'm scared to death. Absolutely terrified.

But I'm not too scared to continue this with him because it's hot, and it feels unequivocally exceptional every single time.

"Please," I whimper, climbing higher and higher.

I'm about to come, and when I do, I know it's going to be out of this world. It's going to flow through me like warm honey, and I cannot wait .

"Touch yourself, honey. Make yourself come. I can't wait to feel it."

He doesn't have to ask me twice. I am ready to rock and fucking roll. Slipping my hand between my legs, I touch my clit. It doesn't take long, one circle, two, then three, before I cry out with my release.

Forrest thrusts hard and fast between my legs, the rhythm lost to him. His fingers grip my hips, digging into my flesh. I'm going to have bruising. I know I am, but I don't care. The orgasm that is still flowing through me keeps going as he continues to fuck me, and then he buries himself deep and stills.

I feel his cock twitch inside of me, and I let out a heavy sigh as he bends and presses his chest against my back. Lowering down to the mattress, I turn my head and rest my cheek against the cool sheet.

His lips touch the side of my neck, his tongue tasting me before he lets out a chuckle. "Fuck me, Brooklynn, how does it get better every time?"

Slowly, he pulls out of me and lies on his back, but he's not alone for long. He wraps his arms around me and drags me across the bed and against his side. Placing my chin on his pec, I look up into his eyes.

Forrest's fingers gently glide up my spine and tangle in my hair, tugging my head back slightly. As I look into his eyes, I can't believe I'm here, that he's mine. At least in my mind, he's all mine. I don't know if it's real or not, and I'm not sure I want to know, either.

"I don't know, but it does, doesn't it?" I ask.

He hums as his fingers continue to comb my hair. "Yeah," he agrees with a grunt.

I open my mouth to ask him what we are but then snap my lips closed and decide against it. Asking him something like that is just going to ruin it all, and I really like where we are. Sleeping beside him every night, having him inside of me twice a day, it's been beyond amazing. I don't even have words to describe it.

"I don't know either, but I fucking love being with you, honey."

Shifting my head to the side, I rest my cheek against his chest and close my eyes. I allow myself all of this, even knowing that it won't last forever. Because I'm not an idiot. Forrest is a professional athlete. He comes from old money and can have whatever he wants in this world— who ever he wants.

There is no way he's ever going to pick me. Not forever. So, I'm going to soak all of this up. Lying with him, fucking him, everything. Every part of being with him. I'm going to let it all marinate.

FORREST

Skating into the practice arena, I look around. The rest of the guys are still in the locker room, but I need a few moments alone with the ice. This is where I've always felt at peace. This has always been my home. No matter where I am, as long as I'm on the ice, I'm home.

Closing my eyes, I let out a heavy sigh and open them slowly. Except something is different now. I'm different. This is no longer the only place where I feel at home. Brooklynn has been added to the mix, and I feel at peace with being at her side in a way that I didn't think was possible, especially in the short time we've been officially together.

The stands are empty, but I can hear the phantom cheers around me. They fuel me in a way that nothing else has. This is my life. My world. This is everything to me. At least it was. Until I met a woman… well, this woman.

Until I met Brooklynn.

Now, I feel this pull toward her. I didn't even know I had that inside of me. But I understand how and why people turn their lives upside down for another person. I'm not saying I would consider ever giving up hockey, but if anything, it would make me pause and think about considering it if it was something that needed to happen for her.

Brooklynn would never make me, though. She knows how much it means to me. I know she would be encouraging me to just give in to my parents if she didn't. I'm completely lost in my thoughts, my mind in a whole other place, as I stare blankly at the empty arena.

The sound of blades on the ice causes my spine to straighten and takes me out of my thoughts. I don't turn around. I can tell by the way he moves that it's Reid. I've known him and played beside him for so long that I know what his movements sound like on the ice. His hand claps down on my shoulder before he gently shakes me.

"You good?" he asks.

Turning my head, I look over to him. "Yeah," I lie.

Well, it's partially a lie. I am good when it comes to Brooklynn and hockey. I'm not good when it comes to my parents and my future. As much as I know that Brooklynn wouldn't dare ask me to, I can't deny that it's tempting. Money is always tempting. But I know I would be miserable.

Everything is in complete fucking limbo, and it's unsettling. I don't like anything about it. My life was all planned out until my parents' bullshit threw a wrench in it, and now I've realized that I pissed everything I had away.

"Brooklynn?" he asks.

My eyes widen as I gaze at him. His eyes search mine as he waits for me to respond. "How did you know?"

Reid snorts. "Forrest, I've known. Everybody knows. You don't look at a woman the way you look at her and not end up in bed together. Although, I have to admit it took a lot longer than I thought it would. We almost started taking bets."

Shaking my head once, I don't say anything immediately. I'm not surprised they all noticed I was attracted to Brooklynn. I didn't do a great job hiding it. Before I can respond, the rest of the guys start to skate out of the locker rooms.

One by one, and then I watch as Coach Burns appears. He looks as if he's ready to punish first and ask questions later. And that look finds me immediately.

Fuck.

It seems like every single time one of the guys finds a woman, Coach figures it out and threatens to end their career during the whole ordeal. I'm not sure how he knows, but it's clear that he doesn't like his players going through the ups and downs of finding a woman and keeping her.

"Westwood," he barks from across the rink.

Straightening my shoulders, I skate over to him. I can tell he's seconds away from blowing his top, so I don't try to stop him. I've learned that when he's pissed, just let him rant. Rant all over the fucking place until he's done.

I watch as he tilts his head to the side, his eyes finding mine before he speaks. "Your father called me," he grunts, but he doesn't sound pissed at me. Instead, he just sounds irritated in general. "I usually don't say anything about players' families, but I have to tell you that I do not like that guy."

At least this has nothing to do with Brooklynn. Maybe the coach doesn't even know that we're together, which would be surprising the way these fucks talk. Biting the inside of my cheek, I nod a couple of times.

"I don't care for him much, either," I confess the truth.

Coach Burns chuckles, and then he clears his throat. "Just tell me if you're going to break your contract and leave. Don't leave me scrambling midseason."

I almost laugh, but I can tell this is a serious conversation for him. "I won't be canceling or terminating anything. This is my home, and it's been my home. I don't have the desire to be anywhere but right here, with this team."

"Thank fuck," he exhales. "Get your ass to work."

I do what the coach says, and by the end of practice, I am exhausted, hot, and sweaty. It's exactly what I needed. In the locker rooms, I stay away from everyone until it's time for me to get dressed.

Then I don't have a choice but to interact. Reid jerks his chin at me as he approaches. He's got a smile plastered on his face, and I can't help but grin as well. This man is a complete badass.

"Where's the girl?" he asks.

"The girl?"

I know exactly who he's referring to. There is only one girl who I would know anything about, and that's Brooklynn. I know he doesn't live at our place anymore. So he wouldn't have seen me bring her inside. It must have been Alexei or Lev who heard us fucking. I won't apologize for that—ever.

"You know where Brooklynn is," I murmur.

His lips twitch into a smirk. "Yeah, I sure as fuck do. But when are you going to make it official?"

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to respond to that. "I'm not five," I murmur.

His lips twitch into a smirk. "No, you're not, but you're almost twenty -five, and we're going to throw you a little party down at the Tipsy Tavern to celebrate. It would be nice if she could be there as more than your neighbor."

My lips twitch into a smirk. I'm not sure what they have planned. I can't imagine it's anything too outlandish. Twenty-five isn't a major milestone event, so I'm not sure why they would really do anything. But at the same time, I'm not going to bitch, and I've been dreaming of turning twenty-five since I found out about my inheritance.

"Brooklynn is mine," I simply state. And that's that. There's no need to explain shit because that's just the way it is.

I'm not sure how else to describe her. I'm not sure that a title like girlfriend is enough for what she means to me. We're fucking adults. That seems stupid. She's just plain mine. I don't know what else to say about it.

I do know that soon enough, we'll need to take our relationship to the next level, which would be living together, but I'm not ready yet. I've got to get my shit straight with my parents before I add any more to my current plate.

I'm thoroughly enjoying going to her place or her coming to mine and fucking until neither of us can breathe. I'm not ready to rock the boat quite yet. I've fallen for her, fell for her months ago, but right now, I'm just going to enjoy the moment and live in it.

"If you want to ask Brooklynn for party planning help, you're on your own. I have a feeling she will make it a lot bigger than it's meant to be. She likes to do things over the top."

Reid snorts, then jerks his chin toward me. "I feel that shit down to my soul," he says with a chuckle.

I watch as he walks away without saying another word. He doesn't need to. He knows everything he needs to know right now, and by tomorrow morning, everyone will know that she's my woman. And I don't care. I'm proud of that, of her.

Proud to have her as mine.

I just hope that whatever happens with my inheritance and my family, she'll be just as proud to have me as hers. Because, as of right now, it's not looking good. I'll probably be tight on money for a long time.

Too long

Light-years.