Chapter 13

Thirteen

Maeve

Despite the storm raging inside me, I plaster on a smile as I stand at my door, and wave to my parents. Staring at his backup camera on the dashboard, Dad negotiates my driveway and backs into the street. He flicks his signal light on as he heads to the corner. Once they're gone, I shut and lock my door, then take off my coat and shoes. I lean against my front door, my heart is still in my throat, but on the drive home I naturally pretended I was perfectly fine. Like I've said before, my folks worry enough about me, and I just want them to go home with lightness in their hearts so they can enjoy tonight's win.

My closet door creaks as I pull it open, and I nearly jump at the noise, which is ridiculous. It's squeaked for some time now. I guess I've just been spooked lately, and tonight at the bar…I shiver and shut down those thoughts as I hang up my coat. Trying to focus on something other than what nearly went down, I walk to my kitchen, drop my bag onto the table and pour myself another glass of wine. Everything had been going so good, great actually, until that Theo guy showed up, and Tanner went feral.

I sip my wine, hugging myself to counteract a chill. Just then, my phone pings, and I pull it from my bag. Speaking of Tanner. I swallow and stare at his message, and a part of me knows he deserves an explanation. Honestly, he was just protecting me tonight. Did I overreact?

Tanner: Hey, just wanted to make sure you were doing good.

Me: I am. I really enjoyed meeting Jesse and Josie.

Three dots appear and then disappear. I sip my wine as I wait for his message to come in and when the dots disappear, I message back.

Me: I'm home now, just having a glass of wine. Are you still at the bar?

Tanner: No, I left after you did. Hey Maeve, are you okay?

My chest constricts, and I can feel the worry in his words. I drop down into a kitchen chair, my emotions on a rollercoaster ride as I recall the way he walked me across the bar tonight, keeping me close and sheltered, but then…Theo. I really do owe him an explanation.

Me: Do you want to come over? I just opened a bottle of wine.

Tanner: That girly stuff. (Smiley emoji)

Me: Yup.

Tanner: See you shortly.

I set my phone down and walk around my house, flicking on the lights and drawing the curtains like I always do. It's so odd, Tanner has only been here once and my place feels empty without him. I turn on the light to the backyard, and look for shadows. That's when knuckles rap at the front door and I nearly jump out of my socks. That can't be Tanner. He can't be here already.

I stand in my kitchen for a second and when my phone pings I snatch it up and read the message from Tanner that he's at my door and I appreciate his thoughtfulness. Leaving my phone, I hurry down the hall and the second I open the door and find him standing there, tall, broad, but a little sad and broken just the same, my heart pinches tight.

"Tanner." I pull him inside, needing the comfort of his body, despite what happened tonight.

"Hey." He pushes my hair back over my shoulders, and cups my face. His eyes are dark and full of concern as they rake over my face. "What happened, Sweetness?"

I nod, agreeing that something indeed did happen. I plan to tell him, just not at the front door, where anyone can be watching…lurking in the dark.

I gesture with a nod toward the kitchen. "Come on in." He shuts the door and locks it, and I take his hand, leading him to the island. I love the way he holds me, his big hand swallowing mine whole. I glance at him over my shoulder and once again my heart pounds as I take in his weariness. "Wait, how did you get here so fast?"

He shakes his head, but a grin tugs at the corners of his mouth. "You don't want to know."

"What did you do, Tanner?" I ask, some of tonight's tension leaving me. In the kitchen, I take out another wine glass and pour him a big glass. I hand it to him, and he examines it carefully.

"It's not poison."

He chuckles. "I don't know that. All I know is I did something to upset you tonight, and I'm really sorry, Maeve." My throat grows so tight it's hard to swallow. "You want to talk about it?"

"I actually do, which is why I asked you over." He nods, pulls a chair out from the table, gestures for me to sit, and when I do, he hands me my glass of wine. He pulls another chair out and sits across from me, our knees touching and while I love the playful side of him, there's something very sweet and endearing about this serious side too.

"You scared me," I admit honestly, and a new kind of worry and sadness moves into his eyes as he clenches down on his jaw, the muscles rippling.

He goes quiet for a minute, like he's running over the events of the night, and then he says, "Theo, my actions. The confrontation. That scared you."

I set my wine down and take his hand. "Violence."

He nods. "I'm sorry, Maeve."

"Here's the thing, T," I begin, wanting the truth on the table. "I appreciate you standing up for me, and really, you didn't do anything wrong. But what happened, the anger…" I stop and shiver, unable to push any words past my lips as I rub my scar. "He was angry when he did this."

"I so fucking sorry, Maeve. I never meant to scare you," he whispers, his voice laced with regret. "You don't like violence, and you thought I was going to fight Theo." I nod as he puts it together. "I actually was, but let's be clear about that, I would have taken him outside. I wouldn't have fought in front of you, but still…violence." He rubs my cold hands, lightly running his thumb over my wrist. We both look down and stare at our entwined hands for a moment. "I don't ever want you to be afraid of me, Maeve."

"I'm not sure it was you I was afraid of, Tanner. It was the anger you displayed. It took me back to a dark and scary place. A place I never want to go again." I lift my head and look at my patio door. "The other night, the scare, I think it just made everything fresh in my mind again. I thought I was doing so much better." Feeling suddenly foolish, a sound crawls out of my throat. "Maybe I overreacted."

"You don't need to brush this off as nothing. It's not nothing. You were afraid and reacted. Simple as that." He puts one hand on my face, pushes my hair back and lightly traces my scar. I'm about to pull back, in an instinctive reaction, until I spot a kaleidoscope of emotions churning in his eyes. "He did this."

"Yes," I manage to say and I can tell it's taking everything in him to keep his anger in check and I truly appreciate the efforts. "As you and everyone else knows, he didn't like that I'd broken things off and decided he'd ruin me for any other man, and kill my career in the process."

"I won't ever scare you like that again. I want to be honest, though. If I ever come across your ex, I plan to introduce my fist to his face. I'll do it where you can't see it." His jaw tightens and through clenched teeth he adds, "Tell me that's okay."

I have no idea why, but I start laughing. Maybe it's his blatant honesty, or maybe it's the tension of the night leaving my body. He grins, and looks at me like I might have fallen off the runway a time or two.

"Are you okay?" he finally asks, when my laugh settles into a chuckle.

"Not even a little."

"Me neither." He exhales sharply and takes a mouthful of wine.

I go serious again. "I hate that he called me beauty."

"Maeve, you are beautiful. There's no denying that. Sometimes people…" He snorts out a laugh. "Okay, most times, people are assholes. If all they see is your beauty, or think of you as some kind of possession, they're not worth getting upset about."

"I just wish people saw more, you know. I'm sure you understand that. You're more than a hockey player."

He nods, understanding that the world thinks they have ownership over public figures. "What do you want them to see?"

I glance around. "Maybe that I worked hard to get where I am. Most people think Daddy got me the job, but I was the top student in my class at college."

"You're good at your job. You've done great things for my shoulder."

"Thank you." I glance at the stove. "I like to cook, and I'm pretty good at it. I also love adventure." I swallow and shade my scar. "I just haven't done it in a while."

"You'll do it again, when you're ready."

I nod. "My job might have been to look pretty and stay fit, but I have a brain and a voice. Models aren't stupid."

"Far from it, Maeve."

"I spent the last few years second-guessing my decisions and not trusting in myself to make the right ones."

"In time, Sweetness."

"I sing."

His eyes open wide. "You sing?"

"I used to, anyway." I scrunch up my nose. "I haven't in a while."

"You'll sing again."

"Thank you, Tanner." I angle my head. "How is it you know all the right things to say?"

"Not always." He blows out a breath. "I thought I really fucked things up between us."

I stand and take his hand. "You didn't, but you're about to."

I pull him to his feet, which takes a great amount of effort, and his eyes are dancing with questions as they search mine.

"Maeve?"

I give him my best come hither grin, one I learned early in my runway career. "I think you should come upstairs with me, and?—"

His head jerks back as understanding hits and he cuts me off and says, "Oh, when you said, you're about to…you meant…fuck…" His words fall off, as his chest rises and falls quickly. "Yeah. Good. Great."

I arch a brow and my heart soars as he gives me one-word answers. It's fun to see him enthusiastic and thrown off his game. "That took a moment." I let my gaze drop. "Has the blood left your brain that fast?" I put one hand over his crotch and grin when I find him half hard and getting thicker by the second.

He moans and pushes against my hand, and my body begins to heat from the inside out. "Sweetness, I never have any blood in my brain when I'm around you."

I laugh at that, and he pulls me to him, rubbing his hands up and down my arms. "You're always so cold."

I revel in his touch, the way his big hands touch me so gently, so carefully, so very differently from the way he gripped Theo tonight, or checked his opponent into the boards. He's aggressive sure, but he's nothing like my ex, and my heart knows that. "It was freezing at the rink."

"I loved that you were there." Warmth and tenderness move into his eyes.

"I loved watching you." Seeing him on that ice, confident and powerful, yeah, that was a major turn on. Is it any wonder girls chase after him? But this guy, he's here with me. He could have had his pick of bunnies tonight, but instead, he left the pub and checked in on me.

If I'm not careful, I could really fall for him. What if I did? Would that be so bad?

Are you ready to really open yourself up again, Maeve?

That almost makes me laugh, because even if I was, I'm still in hiding and he's not ready for anything serious. Even if he was, I could never go out in public with him and I don't want him to eventually regret his choice. But those thoughts are for another time, because right now, he looks like he's going to devour me and I want nothing more than his mouth on my body.

"Come on, let's get you warmed up." He picks me up like I weigh nothing, and I put my legs around his waist as I slide my hands around his shoulders. He heads upstairs and instead of stopping in the bedroom, he walks into the ensuite bathroom and sets me on the counter.

"What are you doing?"

"Warming you up in the shower."

My heart sinks. Did he not know what I meant? "I thought?—"

"Shower sex," he explains quickly and offers me a cocky grin that does crazy things to the juncture between my legs. "What, has the blood left your brain too?"

"Always, when I'm around you, T."

He pulls back the glass door, and turns on the water, and I stare at his perfect backside as he adjusts it. "Are you admiring my ass?" he teases.

"Yup," I answer honestly. "I'd prefer if you didn't have any pants on, though."

"Sweetness, I'm bent over the tub. That will not be a good look."

I burst out laughing at the visual. "Yeah, okay. I'll wait."

"Nice and hot."

I start unbuttoning my shirt. "Yeah, it is from where I'm sitting too."

"Is that all you ever think about?" he teases with a mock exasperation.

"Have you seen yourself, T?"

"I'd rather see you." He steps up to me, moving my fingers away from the buttons so he can undress me. I lean back on my hands and let him, my gaze studying his very fine face as lust swims in his eyes. He pushes my shirt from my shoulder and releases my bra. I slide out of them and he growls.

Big hands cup me under the arms and lift me until I'm standing. He drops to his knees and peels down my pants and panties.

"You never did tell me how you got here so fast," I remind him and he growls.

"I just wanted to make sure you got home safely, Sweetness," he responds as he straightens up on his knees and takes one of my breasts into his mouth.

I rake my hands through his hair. "Are you saying you followed me home?"

"Like a lost puppy dog," he tells me and I laugh. He looks up at me. "I worry about you, so sue me."

I laugh at that. "You know I want to be able to stand on my own two feet."

He glances down, a shadow covering his face but I can still see sadness. "I know."

I touch his face and lift it until our gazes meet. "I kind of like you watching out for me, though. But I really do want to be able to take care of myself."

"You will. I have to warn you, though. As long as you're with me, Maeve, I'm going to watch out for you. No matter what. It's instinct."

"Am I with you, Tanner?"

"Yeah, you're with me, Sweetness."

"Until this burns out?" I add. I'm not sure why I felt the need to say that. Maybe I want to gauge his reactions. Maybe I want to see if he feels differently.

"Are we going to talk all night or are you going to get in that shower?"

Okay, so no comment on burning out, which means he sees it coming. "Shower," I say quickly.

"Hey, I have an idea." His grin is playful and mischievous. "You're obviously not ready to do it in public, but you can sing for me in the shower."

"If we're getting in the shower together, there are other things I want to do for you," I tease, and bite my bottom lip.

He angles his head, his eyes darkening. "Like let me put my cock in you?"

I nod, and a little breath of excitement leaves my lungs as I step into the shower, his big body following behind and crowding me. He puts me under the spray, my back to him, and reaches for the body wash. My entire body quivers in anticipation as he pumps some into his hands. Two seconds later, those hands are gliding around my body and soaping my breasts. I lean back and put my head on his shoulder.

"Tanner," I exhale, my entire body relaxing as I give myself over to his touch. Steam fills the shower as he runs his hands all over me, going lower, until he's between my legs. He strokes me, and plays with my clit and I move my hips, sure I'm going to climax if he keeps sweeping his thumb over my engorged nub like that.

His hot breath washes over me as he puts his mouth near my ear and asks, "Warm?"

"Hot," I tell him and the next thing I know, he's repositioning me at the back of the shower, my face to the wall as he puts my hands over my head.

"Oh, God," I murmur. He touches me all over, and I stand on shaky legs waiting for his hard cock to enter me and bring mind-blowing pleasure. "Tanner, please," I whine and wiggle, trying to encourage him to fuck me already.

He pushes down on my back, bending me a little more, and puts his cock at my entrance. "Is this what you want?"

"Yes," I practically scream and it brings out his shaky laugh, which tells me he's not as in control as he's pretending to be.

In one quick thrust, he enters me, and our groans merge. "That is so good," I cry out and claw at the tile wall.

"You're so hot and wet, Sweetness."

I push back, and he goes still as I move my body, sliding his cock in and out of me. His fingers dig into my hips, and I love the strong way he holds me. He takes over, changing the pace and rhythm, and my brain shuts down as he fucks me, everything about him raw, unchoreographed, animalistic, and I can enjoy it to its fullest because everything in the way he treats me, and touches me, makes me feel safe and desired.

"More," I cry out and he grunts and pounds into me. My climax takes hold, and he must feel it.

"Yeah, Sweetness, you know how much I love when you come all over my cock." His hot words push me over the edge and I let out a keening cry as I tumble into orgasm. "Fuck yeah," he growls as I squeeze around him.

"I'm there, babe." He holds me tighter, driving impossibly deeper and shoots his hot seed high inside my body. I revel in each pulse, the way he's falling over my body, his hands linking in front of my stomach, holding me tight, like this might have been as moving for him as it is for me. "Sweetness," he groans, his hot fast breaths on my back.

"I know," I manage to get out as I pant for breath. He holds me a little longer and stands, pulling me up with him. His cock slides out of my body and I whimper at the loss.

He puts his mouth near my ear. "Let's get you rinsed off." Gentle hands move me around until I'm under the spray and he uses his big palms to help wash the soap away.

Once I'm clean, I say, "Your turn." We switch positions, and I run my hands over his back as he lifts his face to the water.

"Did you know it's not just licking?" I say.

"What, Sweetness?" he asks, his voice sleepy and dazed. I suspect his brain still isn't working properly.

"Biting works too," I explain, even though I know he has no idea what I'm talking about, and why would he? I'm making this up.

"Biting?" he asks, sounding a little confused.

"Yeah, biting." I lean down and bite on one of his cute ass cheeks. He yelps and turns around to face me. I grin. "I bit it, now it's mine."

He laughs as he clues in. "Fine, it's yours. Tell me, what are you going to do with it?"

"This." I reach around him, to give him a whack. He playfully glares at me and I shriek and jump from the shower, grabbing a towel to dry myself off as I run to my bedroom.

"I'm coming, Sweetness, and you're going to pay for that," he warns in a singsong voice.

"That's what I was counting on," I tell him and jump into my bed when he appears at my door stark naked, beautiful and…all mine. Except the playfulness is gone from his eyes. He's staring at me with an intensity that tells me I'm going to be in trouble in the best possible way.