16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Leo

I stretch my feet out on the coffee table as the TV flickers in front of me. My eyes are fixed on the screen, but my mind is miles away, still trapped on the ice. Every missed shot, every fumbled pass from the last few games plays on a loop in my head, a highlight reel of our failures. We're playing like shit, our playoff chances slipping away with each loss.

But it's not just the game that's got me twisted up inside. No matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about that night with Cat. The way my fingers felt wrapped around her hair, the heat of her throat, the velvety touch of her tongue that sends shivers down my spine even now.

“Fuck.”

I shake my head, trying to clear the images, but they're burned into my brain. Even porn hasn’t helped. Nope, it just feeds my fantasies. Makes me feel like a teenager with the number of times I’ve been playing with my dick lately.

Thank fuck she’s out tonight. Probably with Nora or Rosa, which means the house is quiet. Too quiet since Mason and Stella are asleep upstairs.

Lately, it’s been harder to be away from them. Maybe because I thought I’d have more time with them while they’re young, but they’re growing up faster than I can blink. Or maybe because I’m finally realizing the time I’m missing I’ll never get back.

There's a bitter taste in my mouth that has nothing to do with the beer I'm drinking. The sacrifices we've made as a family for my career suddenly seem pointless. What do I have to show for it? A string of losses and a team that's falling apart at the seams.

It just sucks.

I drain the last of my beer, then glance down at my lap, grimacing at the half-hard bulge in my sweatpants.

What the hell was I thinking, fucking around with Cat? I'm not that guy—the one who can't keep it in his pants. Never was.

So why now?

The front door opens, and Cat walks in. My body tenses involuntarily and I grab a pillow, placing it on my lap to hide my growing problem. Can't help but notice how she moves—all purpose and fire, like she's ready to take on the world.

“Hey,” she says, kicking off her shoes.

I grunt in response, not trusting myself to form actual words or how they may sound, especially since my dick is growing harder.

She narrows her eyes at me, hands on her hips. “What's crawled up your ass and died?”

I snort.

She flops down next to me on the couch, close enough that I can smell her shampoo—

something floral and citrusy. “Seriously, Leo. You look like someone pissed in your Cheerios.”

I roll my eyes, trying to ignore the way my body keeps reacting to her proximity. “Everything okay with Rosa?”

Cat groans, throwing her head back against the couch. The long line of her throat is exposed, and my jaw tightens as I fight the urge to taste her skin. My fingers twitch, longing to trace the curve of her neck. I swallow hard, forcing myself to focus on her words instead of the tantalizing sight before me.

“My grandmother is impossible. You know she chased out another health aide? I swear, she's going to go through the entire agency at this rate.”

“What about assisted living?”

The glare she shoots me could melt ice. “What do you think? She's more stubborn than a mule with its hooves superglued to the ground.”

I can't help the smirk that tugs at my lips. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

“Don't start, Leo.”

I hold up my hands, palms out, in surrender. “Not looking to fight. But my offer still stands. Maybe she'd be more receptive to moving in here.”

Cat snorts, shaking her head. “Yeah, right. Because what this house really needs is another stubborn Alonso woman.”

“Wouldn't be the worst thing.” Then again, with the way my daughter winked at Rosa during the recital, maybe it’s a bad idea.

“You sure about that?”

“No.”

If Wyatt were here, he’d kick me. Hell, I want to kick myself. I can’t even explain why I just gave such a short—yet honest—answer.

“You okay?” She looks at me, really looks at me, and I have to fight the urge to squirm under her gaze. Her eyes are searching, probing, like she's trying to peel back my layers and see what's underneath. “Want to talk about it?”

I grunt, looking away, my fingers digging into the couch cushions.

Part of me wants to open up, to let some of this weight off my chest. The pressure of the season, the constant fear of failure, the gnawing loneliness that's become my constant companion—it's all threatening to spill out.

But it's the other half I can't tell her. That my mind is still replaying our night together, wondering if she's thinking about it too. That every time I close my eyes, I see her face, feel her touch. I'm surprised Wyatt hasn't said anything.

Has she even told Nora? The thought makes me uneasy. But then again, if she hasn't . . . does that mean it wasn't memorable for her?

Fuck, when did I turn into such a teenager? Worrying about my “performance” like some kid who just lost his V-card. I don't do this shit.

But with Cat . . . everything's different. And that scares the shit out of me.

Cat's eyes narrow. “And you call me stubborn.”

“I’m not the one who refuses help to the point they cut their foot open and bleed.”

She growls, like literally growls, and I can feel my dick leak because of it.

“You know you’re not my boss right? That this thing is all an even exchange. Not that I mind helping out. But for fuck’s sake, don’t think I have to actually listen to you.”

“No?”

“No.” She reaches over, poking me in the chest. “And you can’t do anything about it. You know what, I think that motherfucking step stool is going in the garbage tomorrow.”

In one swift move, I use one hand to swipe the pillow off my lap and grab her wrist with the other, pulling her across my lap so that her perfect ass is in the air. “You are such a pain in the ass, you know that?”

“You’re really going to spank me?” She rolls her eyes as if I don’t have it in me. “Go ahead, I dare you.”

Whatever rational thought I should have to stop myself flies out the fucking window, and my hand smacks her perfectly round ass.

Not sure what I was expecting, maybe a little more jiggle. But her ass is solid and fuck, my palm kind of hurts.

She flops down with a groan, face in the cushions. A second later she smacks the couch, then turns her head to face me, full-on fury written across her features. “For fuck’s sake. If you’re going to spank me, then actually spank me . Make me think about you every time I sit down for the next couple of days. I’m sooo tired of you all thinking I can’t handle someone being a little rou—”

I cut her off, this time putting more power behind the strike, enough so that she shifts forward. But the moan she releases goes straight to my hardening dick. A sound I want to hear again.

So, my palm cracks down on her other cheek, even harder. I alternate sides, and when she starts squirming I use my other hand to push down on the nape of her neck, pinning her down.

“Fuck, Leo. Harder. More.”

This time when my palm connects with her cheek, I give it a firm squeeze. “Think you need to stop being so stubborn, Hellcat.”

She squirms, her body pressing against my erection. “Someone likes spanking my ass.”

“There goes that mouth of yours.” I smack her ass again. “Do I need to stuff it and shut you up again?”

Say yes. Please, say yes.

Cat fights my hold on her neck until she's staring right into my eyes. “How about you stuff something else, Hartman?”

I can’t help when my hips buck into her. With a growl, I push her off me momentarily to stand, then lift her and stalk off toward my bedroom.

She slithers over my shoulder until my arms are bracing the backs of her knees. A crack echoes down the hall, my dick twitching as a stream of precum is released. She chuckles, then does it again. “Like that big boy?”

Fuck, yeah, I do.

She spanks my ass again. “Two can play at this game.”

I double time it to my bedroom before I truly act like a teenager and come in my pants. After kicking the door closed and locking it, I toss her onto the bed. “Strip.”

Cat chuckles, getting to her knees, then slowly takes her shirt off. Too slowly. She’s doing it on purpose.

“Don’t play with me.”

“I’m doing as I’m told. Isn’t that what you wanted, big boy?” She eases one bra strap off her shoulder, then the other, her tits still covered.

My dick twitches, and I palm it, giving a hard squeeze. “Faster.”

Cat just sighs and continues her slow as molasses pace. Enough’s enough. I rip my shirt off, then yank down my sweats and boxers. My hand wraps around my hard length and I stroke myself, quirking a brow. “If you want this, then I suggest you lose the rest of your clothes in the next minute.”

She glares at me, the corner of her mouth lifting up.

Fuck.

After removing the rest of her clothes, she lays down, spreading her gorgeous legs as she reaches between them, fingers sliding through her glistening folds. “And if you want this, you better watch that mouth of yours.”

“Cat.” Her name comes out strangled and gravely as I tighten my grip on my length, a bead of precum forming at the tip.

She sinks a finger into herself, eyes locked on mine. “Want this, Leo?”

“Fuck, yes.”

But first, I want to taste her. To feel her come undone on my tongue.

I move down the bed, settling between her legs, the scent of her arousal intoxicating. I run my hands up her thighs, feeling the soft, smooth skin beneath my fingertips. She arches at my touch, her breath hitching. “You’re fucking stunning, Hellcat.”

My tongue flicks out, a tentative taste that makes her body shudder. She’s sweet and tangy, and I’m fucking hooked. “This pussy tastes so good. So addicting. It’s making my cock fucking throb.”

Cat moans, her fingers leaving her pussy and tangling into my hair, pulling me back to her. “Stop talking, and keep licking, Hartman.”

I chuckle, then run my tongue up her slit, slow, like I've got all the time in the world, circling her clit before dipping back down, pushing inside her. Her hips buck against my mouth, her body writhing with each flick of my tongue. Her breath comes in short, sharp gasps as she pulls me even tighter to her, showing me exactly what she needs.

“Leo.” The way she says my name is like a secret, a plea and a prayer all at once. It drives me wild.

My hips grind into the bed, moving in sync with the rhythm of my tongue as it delves in and out of her heat. My muscles tense as the pleasure mounts, my balls tightening. But I don't want to come, not like this. Not all over the sheets. I want to be inside her, to feel her around me when I finally let go.

I suck her clit into my mouth, my tongue flicking against it as she writhes, her skin flushed. Then I slide two fingers into her, curling them to hit that sweet spot.

“Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Leo!”

She cries out, her body pulsing as she comes hard around my fingers, her inner walls gripping me tight. I lap up her release, my tongue gentle as she comes down from her high, her body shaking with the last of her orgasm.

I smile, kissing her inner thigh before I get up and walk to my dresser. I pull open the underwear drawer and remove a condom from the box in the back. After sheathing myself, I get onto the bed, bracketing my arms on either side of her head. “You sure about this?”

“Yes. Please, Leo. Get the hell inside me. Now.”

“There goes that mouth again.” I smirk, running a finger along her throat before cupping her neck and giving it a squeeze.

“You’re gonna need to choke me harder then.” She smiles, using her hand to tighten mine.

Fuck .

I position the head of my dick at her entrance, running it back and forth over her wet pussy. “Don’t look away.”

She moans as I thrust inside of her in one long stroke. “So fucking tight.”

The next time, my hips slam into her again. And again. And again.

Each push makes her body tighten around me, makes her pretty little face twist as she moves her hips to meet me, fucking me back. Cat bites her lip as she tugs at my hand, motioning for me to choke her again.

I give her what she wants but carefully. I’ve never really done this before, and don’t want to hurt her. Sweat drips down my spine as I piston into her. “Fuck, Cat. So good. Not going to last.”

“Give it to me, Leo.” She reaches around me, her nails digging into my ass as she claws at it, then smacks it, launching me right over the edge.

“Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck.”

I push as far as I can into her as my orgasm hits. Cat tightens around me seconds later, her eyes rolling up as she releases a long moan.

After a minute, I gently pull out of her and roll to the side, trying to catch my breath. “That was . . . fuck, you’re amazing.”

She smirks. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

So much for never fooling around again because one thing’s for sure. I want more.

No, not want. I need more.