16. Caroline

CAROLINE

One thing I was absolutely unprepared for is how I would actually miss Hudson when the season started and he was constantly on the road.

Not just the amazing sex, and endless orgasms, but hanging out with him. Laughing with him. Sneaking into closets with him. We just have so much fun together, and we click so easily.

Both of our schedules were hectic between his games, my class schedule, both of us working at the rink, my sorority commitments, and anything else that seemingly came up when he got more than a single day at home. It felt like we were two ships passing each other in the night, our schedules never truly lining up.

“When’s your lover boy going to be home again?” Tatum asks as she browses through a sale rack at the boutique we’re currently shopping in. An impromptu, last-minute shopping date for an outfit for her date tonight, even though our room currently looks like a category five hurricane hit it after she destroyed her closet. Apparently, things are heating up with her new guy, and tonight’s the night she’s meeting his friends.

I tagged along for moral support and because there’s one thing I really need from today’s shopping trip, and that’s our next stop.

“He’s not my lover boy, and he flies home tomorrow night, I think. A whole forty-eight hours before he’s got to leave for another game,” I say with a pout.

“Ugh, I’m sorry, Care. At least you’ll get forty-eight hours of great dick before he’s gone? I know you have to miss him. I’d never be able to date someone who was gone like most of the year.” Her eyes are filled with sympathy, a small frown sitting on her clear-glossed lips.

I shrug, pretending to focus on the hideous purple dress on the rack in front of me. “I do miss him, but it’s also casual, Tate. We’re having fun. Once we start involving… feelings and shit, things just get complicated. So, when he’s in town and our schedules mesh up, we hang out.”

“A built-in dick appointment—I’m here for it. Just… protect your heart, okay?” Tatum says.

“No heart involved. Don’t worry.”

And that’s the truth, mostly. But… being around him is so easy. When we can shut out the rest of the world and all of the things that are working against us.

Maybe someday more wouldn’t be so terrifying…

As soon as the thought enters my mind, I push it down.

No. Relationships are not for me, and I like things just the way they are. Anything more becomes messy and complicated, and I don’t do messy.

“Now, what about this?” I hold up the purple dress, and she wrinkles her nose and shakes her head.

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t even show me that. I’m not finding anything in here. How about we head home?”

Nodding, I put the dress back on the rack and grab her hand. “Yes, but one more stop before we head back.”

An hour later, I’ve got the bag secured and big plans for it once Tatum leaves for her date.

I check my phone once we’re back in our room and smile when I see the unread texts from Hudson.

Hudson: How was your day? Missing me yet?

When his message went unanswered, he sent another, and my smile only widens.

Hudson: Gotta head to the arena to warm up, but when I get off the ice tonight… I want to FaceTime you and see your beautiful face. Miss you Bubblegum.

Caroline: Good luck tonight! I’ll be watching, and pretending that I know what’s going on when I’ll really just be watching the super hot goalie I’m currently banging.

Hudson: Caroline, don’t talk about banging before I have to go on the ice. Gonna be kind of hard to play when my cock is hard.

Caroline: I guess you probably shouldn’t think about what I just purchased then… Wouldn’t want to affect your playing.

Hudson: Stop teasing me woman. Gotta go, I’ll call you as soon as I’m back to the room.

Caroline: Knock em dead, Romeo.

“Earth to Caroline.” Tatum waves her hand in front of my face from beside my bed, and I toss my phone onto the bed, giving her my full attention. She’s in a completely different outfit with her makeup done, looking so cute. “I’m headed out, and I’m staying at Zach’s this weekend, so I probably won’t be back until Sunday. Have fun with your lover boy. Love you. Byeeee.” She drops a quick kiss to my cheek before grabbing her overnight bag from the bed and leaving me in a slightly less destroyed room, all alone.

I sprint from the bed, snatch the shopping bag from the top of my desk, and reach inside. My fingers graze the jersey inside, tracing over the letters on the back.

Rome.

30.

I take off my clothes, sliding the jersey over my bare skin, and grab a pair of the sexiest panties from the hundreds that Hudson had sent over. The see-through black lace ones with the bow on the back that remind me of a present waiting to be unwrapped.

When he gets his phone tonight after the game, the first thing he’s going to see are these pictures, and I can’t wait to see his reaction.

Kneeling down in front of the full-length mirror, I pull the jersey up higher to expose my ass and the thin black string of lace between them, I gather my hair to the side, ensuring his name and number are visible from this angle. I snap a few pictures, then switch positions to take a few more.

A girl needs options, especially when you’re sending them to the literal hottest man on the planet, who’s a famous hockey player.

God, that feels so weird to say. Hudson’s this accomplished goalie, and I’m just a girl… in college… thirteen years younger than him… Us being together is weird on the surface.

But it doesn’t feel that way when we’re together. It just feels right. Natural.

Like he’s becoming one of my best friends, and I don’t want to question things or complicate them because I love things just the way that they are. Chill.

My finger hovers over the Send button, hesitating for only a moment before I press it and then I pick up the remote and put on his game. I can’t help the smile that touches my lips when I see him guarding the net, his hulking body dropping at the blink of an eye to stop the puck.

Onscreen, he moves a lot like he does when he’s between my thighs. Powerfully, confidently, assuredly. There’s no hesitation in his movements; they’re steadfast and graceful.

I’m in awe.

It’s the first time I’ve really seen him play, aside from when he’s played at the rink with the kids, and that’s completely different. He’s Coach Hudson then.

On the screen? Out on that ice?

He’s the Playboy Playmaker.

I spend the next two hours attempting to work on my paper, but my eyes keep dragging back to the screen, focusing more on the game and Hudson than the introduction of general chemistry.

By the third period, I’ve abandoned my books completely and am pacing in front of the TV, chewing my nails nervously. The Avalanches are tied with two minutes left on the clock, and my nerves are completely shot.

Holy shit.

This is intense.

The camera flits back to my dad, who’s pacing just like I am, his charcoal suit slightly rumpled, along with his hair from running his hands through it in exasperation.

This has been a game far more interesting than a shutout, if I do say so myself. The adrenaline has my blood pumping and my heart pounding wildly.

I need them to win. They need to win!

With thirty-four seconds left, Reed Davis flies down the ice so fast that I can hardly keep up with the puck. He pulls back, taking his shot into the net.

A second passes. My breath stops. My heart pounds.

Then… the crowd goes wild.

Absolutely feral.

Because the puck sailed right past the goalie’s legs and into the net with a whoosh.

The Avalanches win!

“Yesssss!” I scream, jumping up and down. They did it. Holy shit, they did it.

I just watched my first full hockey game since I was a kid, solely for Hudson, but now I can totally see what the hype is about.

Flopping down onto my back on the bed, I sigh. That was incredible.

I pick up my phone and pull up Hudson’s messages again, typing a quick one back while my heart is still racketing against my rib cage.

Caroline: You are so getting lucky. You were amazing! Congratulations, Romeo.

He probably won’t see my messages for an hour or so since they have to shower and then do media, so I set my phone down and put on Gilmore Girls while I wait. Slowly, my heart rate returns to normal, but the smile never goes away.

That’s my Romeo.

* * *

“Hello,”I mumble into the phone groggily, my eyes still shut.

A chuckle vibrates through the speaker. “Hey, Bubblegum.”

My eyes snap open and ping around the room, noticing the blank TV screen and darkness blanketing the room.

Shit, I must have fallen asleep while waiting for Hudson to call.

“Were you sleeping?” he asks, and only then do I look down at my phone and realize his handsome face is on the screen, and it’s not a phone call at all. He’s FaceTiming me.

“Mhm,” I mumble, bringing the phone in front of my face and praying I don’t have drool somewhere. “I was waiting for you to call, and I think I just crashed from the adrenaline after watching the game.”

I’m still half-asleep, my voice low and slightly hoarse.

He grins, “This is my favorite version of you. Soft, sleepy. I can’t wait to get home and wake up to that, Bubblegum.”

“Mmm. Tomorrow, right?”

He nods, propping his phone up against the mirror of the hotel bathroom. I realize then he’s only wearing a small white towel knotted around his waist, and the shower glass is still steamed up behind him. He must have called as soon as he stepped out of the shower. Water rivets trail down his torso, and immediately, I’m more awake.

It’s impossible not to look at Hudson and want him so badly I ache.

“Do me a favor?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Wear that jersey for me.” He grins, running his hand over his short hair, then reaching around his neck to clasp his chain.

Why are chains so sexy? Something as mundane and ordinary has way more effect than you’d imagine.

Or maybe it’s just Hudson.

“Maybe,” I tease him, biting my lip.

I can't believe I actually fell asleep still wearing it, but after the adrenaline wore off from the win, I just crashed.

“Oh Bubblegum, after those pictures, the only place you’re going to be for the forty-eight hours I’m home is in bed, taking my cock.” The commanding tone of his voice causes me to shiver. “What did you think was going to happen when you sent them to me, baby?”

I shrug, the smirk on my lips turning sassy, but say nothing.

I love this between us. The banter, the way he can say nothing at all but make me want… all of it. Without a single word.

He grabs the phone, and the bathroom goes dark as he flicks the light off and walks through the dimly lit hotel room to the bed. He flops down onto the plush white comforter, resting the phone on his chest.

“Do you have any idea how hard I was when I saw you in my jersey in those pictures?”

I shake my head, feigning innocence. “Tell me.” My words are a whisper, and when his gaze darkens, his eyes turning heavy, I feel myself growing hotter by the second.

“I was in the locker room with at least forty other men, and I still got hard. I had to tuck it into the waistband of my slacks so no one would see,” he says low and hoarse in a way that I feel in my core.

Biting my lip, I nod. “I wanted that. To drive you crazy.”

“Mission accomplished, Bubblegum. My dick is still hard,” he rasps.

“Maybe… you should make it better.”

He grins smugly. “Maybe you should help me make it better.”

Suddenly, his camera is flipped around, and I see the hard rivets of his abs, with the trail of hair leading down into the knotted white towel around his waist, where he’s very clearly hard, bulging behind the thin fabric.

Oh. My. God.

My body is now on fire, and the jersey I’m wearing is only making it worse. I’m burning up for him, and he’s thousands of miles away while I’m alone in my room at the sorority house.

Rethinking my newfound love for hockey.

He palms his length over the towel, squeezing it as he husks, “Turn the light on. I need to see you, baby.”

I reach over and flick the lamp on and the light illuminates the room in a warm glow.

His gaze darkens when he sees that I’m still wearing the jersey I teased him with.

“If you only knew how fucking sexy you are wearing my name, Bubblegum. If you only knew how possessive I feel or the shit it makes me want to do. Take it off, let me see you.” He grunts, then hisses when I pull it off, revealing my bare chest. “Fuck. You have the most perfect tits I’ve ever seen. Those little barbells I love to pull with my teeth.”

Lying back on the bed, I bring my free hand to my nipple and circle the peak before fingering the tiny metal bar through it.

I know how much he loves them and how much I love for him to touch them. My nipples are sensitive, and when he takes them into his mouth, I’m gone.

Only for him.

“Show me my pussy, Bubblegum. I’m missing sliding my tongue in it, licking up all of your cum.”

I shimmy out of my leggings and toss them onto the floor, then lower my phone to where my panties are, propping the phone onto the comforter.

“Mmm, you’re making a mess in the panties I bought you.” I almost moan when I see the towel around his waist disappear, exposing his cock.

The veins in his arms bulge as he strokes himself in slow, languid movements, making my mouth water.

I want to lick those veins.

“Rub your clit through the panties, Bubblegum. Make it real wet for me.” Suddenly, the camera turns around, facing him again, and I see him rising from the headboard and walking over to the small computer desk in the corner of the room. He props the phone up on the desk and sits in the chair across from it, giving me a full view of him.

God, he’s so ridiculously hot.

His body is a complete work of art, his chest wide and his arms thick. Everything is cut with muscles that I know he’s worked hard for. Flat stomach, chiseled abs, tapered waist, and powerful thighs.

It’s how he can toss me around like I weigh absolutely nothing, even though nothing about me is light.

“I want you to watch me fuck my fist and know that I’m thinking about fucking you in my jersey, seeing your tight little cunt stretched around me, taking all of me.” He pauses and spits into his hand before bringing it back to his cock.

The motion is so dirty, so absolutely filthy, that I swear I almost come on the spot.

My finger works my clit, dipping below the fabric of my panties as he starts to pump his cock, smoothing his palm over the head, using his thumb to spread the precum seeping from its tip.

“Hudson,” I pant. My fingers slip lower and plunge inside my entrance, the sound of my wetness echoing through the room as I begin to fuck myself. I don’t squeeze my eyes shut and succumb to the pleasure, no.

I keep them wide and fixed on Hudson as he pumps his cock and watches me slide my fingers in and out of myself. The ragged groan that tumbles from his lips has the orgasm inside of me building and building.

“I’m about to come, Caroline. Need you with me.” He drops his head back on his shoulders, his abs tightening as he does, his eyes never leaving the screen. “Come for me, baby. Pull on your piercing.”

Following his command, I rub the sensitive peak of my nipple between my fingers, tugging on the piercing as my fingers brush against my G-spot inside, and it sends me right over, pummeling into pleasure so intense that my entire body trembles.

“Oh God. Hud—” I moan, my words cutting off as all of the air leaves my lungs in a woosh, pleasure racking my body in powerful waves.

“Fuck, I wish I were there so I could watch my cum dripping out of you.” His head drops back against his shoulders again as he groans hoarsely and erupts, coming all over his stomach in spurts. His cum drips down his abs, coating his fist and fingers.

It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

When we’re both able to catch our breath, Hudson chuckles, grabbing a T-shirt from the ground and cleaning himself up while I pick the phone up and ditch the panties since they’re now soaked.

“You are a dirty girl, Bubblegum.” He smirks. “I fucking miss you, and I can’t wait to be home tomorrow so I can clean you up. With my tongue.”

I shiver, even though I just came so hard watching his head thrown back in pleasure as he fucked his fist. I can still feel my clit throbbing.

I’m so in over my head. He’s turning me into a sexual fiend.

“Can’t wait.”

“As soon as I land, I want to see you. Need to see you..”

I pull my lip between my teeth before saying softly, “Okay.”

“I’m fucking beat. Thank you for the pictures and for being my good-luck charm before the game.” He pauses, his smirk turning into a full blinding smile. “And after. I’ll text you when I touch down.”

“Glad I could be of assistance.”

“And Caroline?” he says before we get off.

“Hm?”

“Wear the jersey.”