Chapter Twenty-Six

Eduardo lifted the champagne from a silver bucket of ice and let his gaze roam my body, head to toes and back up again.

I'd showered and put on the silky black hotel robe that had a giraffe embroidered on the back.

"You thirsty?" he asked.

"Sure."

He popped the cork and expertly filled two flutes. "For you." He passed me a drink. "And strawberries, too."

"Thank you." I took a sweet strawberry, ate it, and then sipped my drink, enjoying the sweetness and the bubbles. "This isn't dinner, is it?"

He laughed and came up close. "No, ma choue , the chef is on standby to prepare us a hearty meal whenever we want it. I wouldn't dare not feed you. No one likes hangry Pippa."

I laughed and looked into his dark eyes. They were so brown they were almost black, and I could easily lose myself in them.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured, swiping his lips over mine. "And being here with you is so special."

"You're special," I said and rested my hand on his bare shoulder.

He'd also showered and wore just his boxers. His perfect skin was soft yet tight over his ripped muscles, and his dark nipples were hard. He had no chest hair—I wasn't sure if he shaved or if that's how he was naturally. And his boxers, well, they held a very sizeable and very interesting wedge of flesh, and I'd waited too long to get up close and personal with it.

He sipped his drink and studied me, clearly trying to read my thoughts.

He read me like a book.

"Lie down," he murmured and nodded to the bed that had a shaft of evening sunlight etched over it. "And let me adore you."

I took another strawberry, ate it slowly, enjoying the anticipation of getting naked with Eduardo.

"And you won't need this," he said, slowly tugging at the belt of my robe. He let it fall open, exposing my naked torso and the small patch of hair between my legs. "I want you naked, and beneath me, and gasping my name." He pushed the robe over my shoulders, and it slipped down my back. I let it fall to the floor and pool at my feet. Excitement sped up my heart rate.

"And these," I said, cupping his cock over his boxers. He was hard, not fully erect, but definitely on the way there. "Are you losing these?"

He moaned softly, and his eyelids grew heavy. " Oui , in good time." He set his hand over mine and pressed my palm against his cock a little more. "You will test my patience. I've never wanted a woman so badly, but trust me, I'll make it so good for you."

"I know you will." Damn, he had a fine package, and it was solidifying at speed.

"To the bed," he said in his low, sexy voice. " Ma choue."

I moved to the bed, the air from the open balcony doors washing over my skin. After taking another sip of my champagne, I set it aside and sprawled on the bed, stretched languidly, and let the shard of light caress the skin of my abdomen.

"I am a lucky man," he said, almost to himself, and sat on the bed.

I watched his expression as he drank me up, and it truly felt like a lover gazing at me. Not a photographer or agent, or a client or designer. It was intoxicating, how he looked at me with such gentle longing, wonder, respect. I wasn't stupid, I knew Eduardo was a ladies' man, but right now, I could have been fooled into thinking it was his first time seeing a naked woman.

"Don't move," he said and held out his champagne glass.

I lay still and watched.

He very carefully filled my navel with fizz. Bubbles popped in the sunlight, dampening my skin and the very fine hairs that grew there.

"This is the only way to truly enjoy champagne," he said, then tipped forward and licked my abdomen.

His tongue was a slow stroke that sent a tremble of desire over my flesh and to my pussy. "Eduardo."

He closed his eyes and sucked up the champagne from my navel.

"Mmm." I rested my hand on his warm shoulder.

His kisses traveled up to my breasts, slowly, reverently, and he took my right nipple into his mouth.

I let my body get heavy on the bed, I wanted to get to the carnal ecstatic stage but I also wanted to enjoy the journey.

And it seemed he did, too.

He treated each breast to serious attention, bringing my nipples to hard, aching points that created a tug in my clit. I kept my breaths slow despite the fact I was heating up with longing.

"You're so soft," he said, his face coming over mine. "And you taste delicious."

"That will be the champagne." I touched his cheek.

"No, it is you." He kissed me. "And I want more."

"So have more, sate your appetite."

"I intend to." He paused. "You ready?"

The smile he gave me was so deliciously seductive I swear a small orgasm quivered over my clit.

"Yes," I managed.

He moved down my body, keeping his weight held but not so much that I couldn't feel his heat and his skin. Again his kisses were lingering and thorough, and it felt like an age before he reached my pubic hair.

I closed my eyes and curled my fingers into the bedding. My excitement was ramping up. I was so turned on. "Oh…Eduardo."

"Like this." He settled between my legs and pushed at my inner thighs. "Give yourself to me." He tickled the inside of my right thigh with the tips of his fingers, creating a fluttering that had my pussy dampening.

"I am yours," I said.

They must have been the right words to say, because he set to work on my clit.

"Oh, yes…" I managed. His mouth was warm and slick, and he caught all my most sensitive spots with the flat of his tongue. "Fuck…yes."

He stretched one hand up to cup my right breast, catching my nipple between his fingers, and I set my palm over it. I was greedy for every sensation, every touch he could give me.

And he was giving me plenty; his tongue was gliding through my folds, poking at my entrance and rotating over my clit. The pressure quickly began to build, my clit swelling and my hips rocking of their own volition to meet his mouth.

I was moaning softly, enjoying each lave and caress of his tongue. And then he eased a finger into me. I gasped and my belly tensed. "Oh God, yes…oh, right there."

He was pressing over my G-spot. A firm touch that created a denseness I knew would send me to orgasm.

"Eduardo," I moaned again, reaching down to spread my pussy lips, wanting his tongue firmer on my clit.

He gave it, a fast, determined flick that had my toes curling and my breaths coming in short pants. He was building me up, pushing me to the point of no return. I was going to come.

And then he stopped.

"Oh…no…Eduardo…I was just about to…"

"I know." He sat back on his knees and quickly rolled on a condom. With his erection sheathed, he added another finger to my pussy and smoothed over my G-spot.

But without the stimulation on my clit, I couldn't come.

I groaned, arched my spine and pressed my head into the pillow. How could something feel so good yet also feel like torture? Warmth radiated throughout my body; my skin was supersensitive. I grasped both of my breasts and tweaked my nipples.

Eduardo stared down at me. His lips glistened, and his eyes were keen, as though he was committing every moment to memory. With his free hand he held his cock as if holding a wild beast.

"Mmm." I moaned. "Fuck me now."

"You want me to fuck you?"

"Yes, please…now."

"You think this pussy is ready for my big dick?"

"Yes…oh yes…"

He smiled, just with one side of his mouth, and flicked his thumb over my clit at the same time as working me internally.

"Ah…oh…" I stretched my legs wider. "Just there. Like that."

"Don't come," he said, "not until I'm inside you."

"So get…inside me."

"Soon."

I was quivering with the effort of not coming. The man was wicked with his fingers.

" Je suis un homme chanceux ," he murmured. "Fuck."

I bit on my bottom lip. My handsome hockey player was totally lost to the moment, and I was lost to him.

"Now." He suddenly withdrew from my pussy and loomed up and over me. "Oh, I have waited and dreamed of this."

I hooked my legs behind his and cupped his face.

His mouth hit down on mine as his cock penetrated me.

For a moment I held my breath; he was big and solid and long, too. When he kept on going, I wondered when he'd end. It was like he was taking over my body, claiming me utterly.

I loved it.

"Ah, so tight around my cock," he said and stared down at me. "Tell me, I am not hurting you?"

"No, no, you're not." I stared up into his eyes. "Oh, yes, like that."

He'd filled me completely and settled his groin over my clit.

"Fuck me like that."

He gave an elegant roll of his hips which stimulated my clit deliciously.

"Oh…more…like that," I begged.

His kisses were deep and thorough. I found myself in an intoxicated, heady state. My body was being adored in a way that left me confident the orgasm was a certainty so I could enjoy the buildup.

A bird screeched outside, it sounded like a parrot, and a gentle breeze flickered the drapes. None of it seemed real; only Eduardo was real for me in this moment. All of my other thoughts were scattered.

" Ma choue, ride me." He didn't give me a chance to answer and just rolled to his back, pulling me with him within his embrace.

My legs folded at his sides, and I sat upright.

This new position hit different hot spots inside of me, his big cock so thick and solid.

With a groan, I arched my spine, locked my fingers at the crown of my head, and jutted out my breasts.

His cock throbbed, and I knew he was damn near coming.

"Fuck me," he gasped and clamped his hands over my breasts. "And come, fuck… oui, come now."

I didn't need telling twice and I rocked my hips, gyrating my clit on his hard body. He was so beautiful beneath me, slick with sweat and every fine muscle taut.

"Yes. Yes." I grabbed the spark of my climax and fanned the flames. Each time I rocked on him I grew closer. And then I could contain it no longer. My body was an arrow about to be fired. I held my breath, closed my eyes, and let the climax ravage me.

I stayed upright, shoulders back, and rode through the bliss.

He was coming, too, and he cried out in French, holding my hips in a pincer grip and keeping me just where he wanted me.

My pussy was weeping around him, my clit throbbing with stimulation.

His chest puffed up and he dragged in air. The tendons on his neck were flush with tension.

"That's it," he gasped. "Oh, oui, that is it."

"It was good for you?" I slowed, stopped, and raised an eyebrow at him.

"You have to ask?" He ran his left hand up to my breast and tweaked my nipple. "I should think every animal in the park can sense my primal satisfaction."

I giggled. "It was good for me."

"Worth the wait?"

I tipped forward, my breasts flattening on his chest. "It was definitely worth the wait." I kissed him, my charming Frenchman who dominated on the ice and seduced in the bedroom.

Not in my wildest dreams could I have conjured a man like Eduardo. Yet here he was, in the flesh. Thoroughly real and his cock hardening again in my pussy.

Eduardo and I didn't leave the hotel room. We had lobster, steaks, and key lime pie delivered. We ate on the balcony, keeping watch for the silhouettes of the giraffe strolling in the distance. We spotted them twice, much to my delight.

"Want to shower with me?" Eduardo asked after closing the balcony door to shut out the night and any bugs that might try and bunk with us.

"I could be persuaded."

"Good, because you won't regret it."

"Are you this confident with all of your women?" I scraped my hair onto the top of my head and secured it with a scrunchie.

"All of my women?" He frowned.

"Yes, it seems you are the Casanova of the team…perhaps the Casanova of the hockey world."

He laughed, but there was an edge in his eyes as he drew me near. "Do not believe everything you read."

"I haven't read anything, I'm just saying what I see."

"Casanova." He nodded slowly and studied me. "An Italian who was a great lover." He paused. "And also a scam artist and alchemist and spy who—"

"What?" I laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know the bad bits about his reputation. I would never have compared you."

Eduardo kissed the tip of my nose. "You just know him to be a man who loved women a little too much."

"Yes."

"Is it possible for a man to love a woman too much?"

"I guess not." I tipped my head. "But maybe a man could love too many women."

"Are you asking me for numbers?"

"Definitely not."

"Good, because I would not say."

"Or could not?"

He kind of shrugged. "All you need to know is that I am here with you and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." He ran his hand down my back, over the silky robe I'd put on to eat. "And I can't imagine that there is any other woman I'll want to be with now that I've been with you."

"Are you serious? Have I just tamed the wild man of The Vipers?"

"Believe me, I am not the only wild Viper." He chuckled, his chest touching mine. "But oui , when I am with you I feel such happiness in my heart. And when I am not with you I am thinking of you and hoping that you are well. That you are happy, satisfied, being cared for."

"By Ben, Theo, and Dylan?"

" Oui , by the men I have come to consider as my brothers."

I paused, seeing a vulnerability in him that hadn't been there before. "Are you saying you're really not jealous of them?" I remembered the fight on the ice.

"I am really not jealous, as long as they treat you right."

"My relationship with each of you is different, you know."

"I know, and I'm glad. I think what we have is special and is just for us."

"So do I." I kissed him and tasted the sweetness of the key lime pie lingering on his lips. "But I'm going to ask something of you now, and you might not like it because it isn't fair."

"It isn't fair?"

"No." I shook my head. "And I'm sorry."

"Just ask."

I swallowed. Just thoughts of it made me feel nauseated and selfish. "I don't want you to see other women, Eduardo. If I'm with one of the other guys for the night, I don't want you to be out with someone else. I can't stand the idea of you being your wonderful, romantic, seductive self then sleeping with them, I just—"

"Hey, hey, that is not going to happen." He cupped my cheeks and lifted my face to his. "I just told you, I'm not interested in anyone else. I just want to be with you. You are more than enough for me. My very own supermodel."

"Rink bunnies won't tempt you?" I searched his eyes.

"Rink bunnies won't tempt me." He kissed me. "That is a promise, there is only you, and if that changes, which it won't, I promise it would be a conversation before anything happened."

"You absolutely promise?"

"On my heart." He closed his eyes. "I'm falling in love with you, Pippa, and I'm a man who wasn't sure if that would ever happen, but I can feel it. It's like a landslide going through me, I have no control over it, it's just sweeping me up, gripping me, and I am enjoying every moment even though it's scaring the fuck out of me."

"Don't be scared." I squeezed closer. "You are in my heart, too. A heart I wasn't sure would ever be able to even beat again at one point in my life, and now there you are. It's wonderful."

"It is."

My robe fell away, and I hadn't even noticed him undoing it.

"Come on, shower time." He took my hand and led me to the en suite.

The shower was huge and the jet of water warm and strong.

Eduardo stepped in, the water glistening on his skin and his cock hardening.

I followed, my hand still in his.

"We should just stop time and stay here forever," he said, tugging me close and under the water.

We kissed, and our faces became wet, streams and rivulets pouring on our heads and over our noses and off our chins. My pussy fluttered as his cock pressed between us—solid and dense and demanding but also patient.

I traced his back, over the roped muscles and into the gutter of his spine. His ass cheeks were taut and high, and I flattened my palms over them, giving a good squeeze.

He moaned softly and did the same to me.

My heart rate picked up; his touch was electric.

" Ma choue." His kisses spread to my neck.

A wonderful quiver of need went through me, and I reached between our bodies for his cock.

It was hot and slick, and when I grasped it firmly, he stiffened further in my fist.

"Ah, oui, yes, touch me," he murmured, his head falling back, face to the water.

For a moment, I marveled at his beauty, at his perfect face, and then I kissed his neck, the hollow of his throat, and then the round of his shoulder.

I fondled his cock, rubbing my thumb around the rim, and then over his slit.

A full-body tremble attacked him, and he locked his knees.

The sense of dominance I had, owning his pleasure, sent new waves of excitement washing through me.

I dipped lower, nibbling on first his right nipple and then his left.

"Pippa." His hand tangled in my hair.

My mouth watered to taste him, and I sank to my knees, coming face to face with his big dark cock. I ached to explore and touch him, do everything to him.

"Are you going to…?" he asked, his fingers tugging my hair roots.

"If you want me to?"

"Does the Pope pray?"

I took that to be a yes and opened my mouth and took his cock between my lips. I stroked over his slit with my tongue and cupped his balls.

" Merde , that is so good." His body tensed, and he rested back on the shower wall just behind him. "Ah oui , more…"

I gave it, sinking onto him as the water streamed over me, wetting his cock and my face. I kept my lips a tight circle over the smooth surface of his shaft.

He groaned, the sound mixing with the splashing water.

I wanted to make him come. I wanted to feel him lost to pleasure for a few exquisite moments. Pleasure I was in charge of.

With a steady pace, I brought him closer and closer. I used my hands to fondle and caress and my tongue to draw moans of longing from him.

He parted his legs a little, and a drip of salty pre-cum coated my tongue, mixing with the shower water.

"Pippa…" he gasped.

I was still playing with his balls and I sank deep, so deep he touched the back of my throat. I extended my index finger and gently stroked the patch of skin between his balls and his asshole.

" Putain, putain …fuck…" He dragged on my hair and canted his hips forward.

So he liked that. Good.

I pressed the smooth skin I'd found and bobbed up and down on his cock with my lips tight.

"Ahhh… oui …" He came, great pulses of release that flooded my mouth.

I swallowed some and let some escape and be washed away.

He was fucking my mouth, coming long and hard.

Still I kept up the pressure behind his balls; it had him groaning and gasping.

"Oh Jesus, yes…" he said. He released my hair and cupped my face.

I looked up, his cock still moving in and out of my mouth.

He was staring down at me, his wide eyes glistening.

Taking his balls in my palm, I let him slide from my mouth and caught his spent cock in my other hand.

"That was…" he said breathlessly. "Fuck, you are a wild thing. Who would have thought you'd…"

"Hit all of your hot spots?" I raised my eyebrows.

He gave me a satisfied smile. " Oui , hit all of my hot spots. You are truly something else."

He lifted me to standing and embraced me, my breasts squashing against his chest and the water now landing on my shoulders and running down my back.

Contentment spread through me. I was tired yet fulfilled and I felt safe, so safe in his arms.

"I love you," he said, his gaze steady on mine.

"Because I gave you a great blow job?"

He chuckled. "Not just because of that. You are so special, so strong yet soft, perfect but damaged, and I wouldn't have you any other way."