Chapter Nine

Thanks to Hugo giving them a heads-up, they decided to stay at Pierre’s place after his release from the hospital. It seemed his house had reporters swarming outside. Lennox felt fine, but Pierre danced around him like a panicked bee. After getting him settled in the recliner, Pierre found him a thick blanket. Before he could cover Lennox, Lennox snagged his waist and hauled him into the chair. He used his free hand to tuck the fluffy blanket around them.

“There. That’s the good stuff. Now I have everything I need.”

He felt Pierre’s muscles relax. Pierre chuckled. “The doctor said you should rest.”

“I am.” He kissed Pierre’s temple. “But I’m never fully relaxed unless I’m holding you. Plus, I need you to rest. You’re tense as hell. I’m not going anywhere, baby. It’s okay to take a breath.”

Pierre relaxed even farther into his hold. “I know. This has all just been a lot. I can’t handle even the thought of you hurting.”

Lennox smiled against Pierre’s skin. “Same. So just breathe for a little while. Let me hold you. Four nights in the hospital are too many nights without you sleeping in my arms. I need this.”

Pierre turned his head and lifted his chin. Lennox didn’t hesitate to kiss the lips he offered. He lingered. Without thinking, he sucked Pierre’s bottom lip. The sweet kiss turned sexy. Lennox’s hand slipped beneath Pierre’s shirt. He stroked Pierre’s stomach. Lennox’s cock stirred. He hadn’t gotten to consummate their marriage yet. Lennox needed that. He didn’t want Pierre to have an out. A huge part of him feared Pierre would hand him annulment papers any second. Pierre had only married him to keep him safe during surgery. There was no reason to keep him. He didn’t want Pierre to—in good conscience—be able to say either of them entered this marriage under duress. Lennox needed Pierre to know in his heart this was built on love.

Pierre smiled against his lips. “This isn’t relaxing.”

Lennox popped the button on Pierre’s jeans. “It is if you do all the work.”

When Pierre laughed, Lennox knew the answer was no. His heart sank. Lennox could live without the sex. He couldn’t live with the thought of this marriage being temporary.

Pierre leaned away. His gaze moved over Lennox’s face. A line appeared between his eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”

They had never backed down from communicating about things. Lennox wouldn’t change that now. “I need to know you don’t see this marriage as temporary or something you did just to protect me.”

The sweetest smile Lennox had ever seen touched Pierre’s lips. He plucked the ring from his thumb and slipped it onto the ring finger of Lennox’s left hand. “I’m a solicitor by trade. Just try to divorce me. I’ll make your entire existence miserable.”

Lennox eyed the ring on his finger. His cheeks hurt, making him realize how big he smiled. Then Lennox’s throat unexpectedly swelled. “We need to get some paperwork lined up. If anything happens to me, I need to know everything will go to you.”

Pierre blew out a sigh. “The husband in me wants to tell you not to talk like that. My profession says you’re being smart. I need to redo my will and trusts. Realistically, I’m older than you. I’ll likely go first. I want to know you’re set when I’m gone.”

“This is a depressing conversation.”

For a moment, Pierre didn’t respond. “I disagree,” he said suddenly. “It’s actually kind of comforting. This entire conversation solidifies how real this marriage is to us. It shows neither of us is here out of simple necessity.” Pierre shifted positions, settling in where he could hold Lennox’s stare. “If this hadn’t happened, I still would’ve married you. I would’ve stressed and worried, overthinking things while convincing myself you couldn’t possibly want to marry me. But I would’ve begged, eventually. Actually, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t already considered asking in the near future. Once I got past the panicking over wanting to tell you I love you, that is.”

“I really fucking love you.” The words burst from Lennox with all the power he felt in his chest. “Literally running you over is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Everything is just so easy. Nothing in my life has ever been as simple as falling for you. I didn’t know I could love a person this much.”

An adorable smile touched Pierre’s lips. “It’s almost funny. When you’re not around, I second guess myself at every turn. But each time we sit and talk like this, you’re right. Everything is so clear and simple. Any doubts I have about myself disappear. I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

“Damn right.” Lennox kissed the tip of Pierre’s nose. His phone rang. A loud sigh escaped him. The calls hadn’t stopped coming all day. It was teammates and whatnot, checking in and wishing him well. As much as Lennox appreciated them, he wanted a little peace. The well-wishers had begun to feel a bit relentless.

Pierre wiggled around and stretched until he could snag Lennox’s phone from the table. He passed it Lennox’s way without as much as looking at it. Lennox loved the way he blindly trusted him. Of course, Lennox tried to keep him at ease. He didn’t recognize the number. Lennox hit the answer icon and immediately switched it to speaker. He couldn’t handle pressing the phone to his ear. His entire head still felt tender. Talking on the phone sounded too loud against his ear.

“Hello?”

“Lennox?”

Lennox blinked at the familiar voice. He hadn’t heard it in years and still he recognized it immediately. “Stacy?”

A soft, sultry-sounding laugh came through the line. “Yeah. I heard about the accident.”

Lennox nervously glanced Pierre’s way. He maybe shouldn’t have put a call with his ex-fiancé on speaker. Lennox just hadn’t expected to ever hear from Stacy again. In fact, he thought she had gotten married or some shit. Pierre didn’t appear upset. He merely looked curious. Lennox cleared his throat. “Yeah. I’m not surprised. From what I understand, it’s all over the news.”

“How are you?”

Lennox fought the urge to hang up on her. There were no hard feelings between them. He just never wanted to hear from her again. She was his ex for a reason. “I’m good. How are you?”

“Good. Do you plan to come back to Calgary to heal? I’d love to see you.”

“Why?” Lennox didn’t mean to sound like a dick. He was simply caught off guard. There wasn’t a single reason he could think of for them to see each other.

She chuckled. “I miss you, and since you’re out for the season, I hoped—”

“I’m married.” Even Lennox heard how incredulous he sounded. He was morally offended in a way he couldn’t describe. It had been years since he even set eyes on Stacy. She had a lot of nerve. Lennox was happy.

“Oh.” She sounded strangely hurt. “I didn’t know.”

Lennox shot a glance Pierre’s way.

Pierre stared at nothing, chewing his bottom lip.

Stacy cleared her throat. “Well, I hope she knows how lucky she is.”

“He, and I’m the lucky one.”

Silence met his correction. Finally, she cleared her throat again. “I’m glad to hear you’re okay. I’ll let you get back to your life.” She disconnected the call before Lennox could respond.

Lennox winced. “Sorry about that. That was unexpected.”

Pierre didn’t say a word. He hit the button on the recliner, lowering Lennox’s legs. He stood and held his hand out for Lennox. “Come on. I’m about to gently make love to you. Obviously, we need to seal the deal on this marriage. Too many people want to see it undone.”

Not for a second did Lennox think that was true, but he wasn’t dumb enough to argue. If Pierre wanted him, Lennox was in. He would never feel too bad to make love to his husband. His heart literally beat for his man.

As much as Pierre didn’t want to be irritated, he was. It wasn’t Lennox’s fault, and Pierre wasn’t upset with him. He was just stressed and overwhelmed. Stacy's calling was simply the icing on the cake. Lennox wasn’t aware of exactly how hard Pierre had been forced to go up against his parents. Lennox hadn’t been wrong. They wanted that money. Since Len had chased them away from the hospital, they had wasted no time filing a petition challenging Pierre’s power-of-attorney rights. If he hadn’t been a solicitor, he would have been twice as frazzled. Thankfully, with his standing and connections, he had easily quashed their every attempt, and they had been given a verbal slap-down by the same judge who had married Lennox and him. It had been made beyond clear by the judge he would grant Pierre a tort of emotional distress if they persisted. Since the entire ordeal was about money to them, they had finally crawled back beneath their rock with that threat lingering over their heads. Now Lennox was back on his feet and they had even less standing than before. But Pierre’s nerves were at their breaking point. He just needed to feel their love.

Pierre slowly undressed Lennox, taking his time and great care. He wouldn’t risk Lennox’s health for anything. The way Lennox watched him made it harder to breathe. The heat between them had sweat breaking out in Pierre’s skin. Goddamn. He just had a way of looking at Pierre that weakened his knees. Lennox slid his zipper down while holding his stare. Pierre’s mouth went dry. There was so much love inside him, it swelled his throat, making it impossible to speak the words. Pierre was supposed to be seducing Lennox. Instead, Lennox stripped him while keeping him completely captivated. He didn’t understand how it happened. Pierre had led Lennox to the bedroom with the best of intentions. He had even been gentle and careful as he undressed Lennox. Then—somehow—he ended up face down with an enormous body covering his.

“Shh.” The soothing sound against the shell of his ear kept him from protesting. That, and the way his body burned. Wet fingers probed his asshole. Lennox didn’t move fast. Maybe if he had, then Pierre would have found the strength to argue. Instead, Lennox draped him like a blanket, almost tricking Pierre’s brain into believing this was no more than a quiet cuddle session. There seemed to be no reason to protest that Lennox was doing too much. Even when Lennox’s cock replaced his fingers, Pierre didn’t stop him.

“Don’t worry. Trust me.”

Fuck. He did. Pierre believed in Lennox like he never had anyone before. Lennox rocked inside him, making slow love to him. Pierre’s dick was trapped between him and the mattress. Between each thrust causing him to practically hump the bed and the way Lennox’s dick felt inside him, Pierre couldn’t think. His every brain cell was focused on the way he felt. Lennox stayed molded against him. He leisurely fucked Pierre. There was no rushing. His cock rubbed him internally, just the way Pierre liked. With their fingers linked and Lennox sucking his neck, Pierre closed his eyes and savored every sensation.

The pressure climbing Pierre’s shaft was a slow build. His breathing matched the battle he fought. He wanted to blow. Yet Pierre never wanted the moment to end. He wasn’t ready to return to the reality they faced. Pierre didn’t want to think about how close he had come to losing the love of his life. He didn’t want to go back to the fear clutching his heart every time he thought about the fight they faced now. Lennox kept him together and whole with every thrust.

“You feel so good beneath me. I could stay like this forever.”

Pierre whimpered. He was so close to the edge.

Lennox licked the shell of his ear. “That’s it, beautiful. Come for me. Ruin these sheets. I want to feel your asshole sucking me deeper when you blow. I love you so fucking much. You have no idea how much. I need you.”

Pierre hadn’t known it until Lennox said it, but those three words were exactly what he needed. He hadn’t realized how much Lennox needing him mattered to him until the confession pierced his heart. The building pressure turned to desperation. Mewling sounds burst from him, and he couldn’t stop. He strained against Lennox, going insane from the slow moments that never increased in speed. When his orgasm finally hit, Pierre’s entire body shook. He couldn’t hold back the moans that tore from his throat as Lennox took him to heaven.

Lennox cried out against his neck, making Pierre proud even as he fought for air. His body hummed with satisfaction. They had something beautiful together. Something untouchable. Pierre would fight for Lennox until his dying breath. Lennox would get well. He would get back on the ice and be happy for the rest of his life if it was the last thing Pierre did. He couldn’t live with any other outcome.