Pucking Only (Night Hawks Hockey #2)

Chapter Seventeen New Dynamics

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: NEW DYNAMICS

CARSON

Waking up in the middle of the night with Skyler cuddled against me is jarring. I momentarily forgot what we’d done together. The memories flood back in an instant. Staring up at the ceiling of Skyler’s bedroom, I’m not sure what I should be feeling right now.

Holy shit. I can’t believe we did that… again. We’d both been so determined not to, and yet it had happened anyway. Almost like it was inevitable.

I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want Skyler. Even Elizabeth, who I once thought I might be in love with, never excited me the way my Star does. I’d broken up with Elizabeth before high school graduation because our relationship just hadn’t felt right and I just couldn’t make it click the way I wanted to. It’d been like trying to shove a square peg in a round hole, and I’d felt the same way about every other woman I’d even casually dated since.

I don’t have that same discomfort with Skyler. Things between us… click .

But things shouldn’t just click! I don’t want or need any clicking! I’m not interested in a relationship, so what am I doing right now? And with Skyler of all people? Even if I wanted a relationship, which I don’t, Skyler doesn’t even live here, so… there’s that.

I’m not sure what to think about all this. I can’t help but like the way it feels to have her pressed against me. As I’m still trying to untangle the thoughts rushing through my mind, Skyler stirs next to me. Opening her eyes, she looks up at me and appears momentarily startled.

“What the…” Her eyes widen and I know realization is hitting her just as hard as it hit me.

“Hey,” she murmurs, inching away from me a bit. I want to pull her back to me, but I resist, not wanting to freak her out.

“Hey.”

She chews her bottom lip for a moment before saying, “We did it again.”

I nod. “Yep. We did.”

I run a hand through my hair, feeling the tension in the air between us. Having sex with each other once is explainable. Lack of judgment. Accidents happen and all that. Twice, though? It makes it much harder to pretend like this is just a coincidence. Like we keep ending up in bed together by mistake.

“So…” I murmur, breaking the silence. Before I can say anything else, Skyler interrupts.

“So, clearly, we can’t seem to keep our hands off each other,” she sighs.

Skyler turns her head to look at me. Her dirty blond hair is a mess, splayed out on the pillow. I wrap it around my hand and give it a gentle tug. She’s always wearing it up, usually in a ponytail, but I really like how it looks loose and fucked up. She swats at my hand but I don’t let go.

“Okay, so we’re amazing at fucking each other,” I say. “What do we do about it? ”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” she admits, her voice soft. “Maybe instead of fighting, all that animosity between us has shifted into this… lust-hate daze or something.”

Lust-hate daze. The words hang in the air, and I realize she might be right. We’ve been at each other’s throats for so long that maybe this is just what happens when the fighting stops. The tension has to go somewhere, and apparently, it’s decided to take the form of this intense, undeniable attraction.

I turn onto my side, propping my head up on my hand as I look down at her.

“So, what does that mean?” I ask, genuinely curious. “Is this something that could keep happening?”

Skyler doesn’t answer right away. She bites her lip again, thinking it over. I can see the wheels turning in her head. Finally, she looks back at me, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“It could,” she says slowly, like she’s testing out the idea. “I mean, I’m only in Denver for a little longer, and… well, it’s been a while for me. So why not use the opportunity to, I don’t know, scratch the itch?”

There’s something in her tone, something almost casual, that makes me realize this could actually work. She’s not looking for anything serious, and honestly, neither am I. I’ve got enough on my plate with the team. I’m trying to keep my head in the game, and the last thing I need is to complicate things with feelings.

But this… this could be perfect. We can hook up, get it out of our systems, and by the time she leaves, maybe this weird tension between us will be gone for good.

Maybe we could actually be… friendly.

“I could get on board with that,” I say, nodding as the idea solidifies in my mind. “No strings, no expectations. Just fun.”

Something crosses Skyler’s expression. She almost looks… pa ined. It’s there and gone in a second. Most anyone else would’ve missed it. When she slaps on a smile, something twists in my stomach that I try to ignore. Skyler’s smile widens, and I tell myself we’re on the same page, finally, and this doesn’t have to be complicated. It can just be what it is.

“There’s one thing, though,” she adds, her tone turning more serious. “We should probably keep this between us. Grace doesn’t need to know.”

Oh, shit. Grace. Yeah, the last thing I want is to piss off my sister. She’d have my balls if she found out about this, especially after I gave her and Jensen such a hard time. This whole thing makes me such a hypocrite. If Grace found out, she’d never let me live it down.

“Agreed,” I say firmly. “No one needs to know.”

Skyler reaches out, her fingers brushing against mine, and I feel a strange sense of camaraderie between us. We’ve made a deal, and for the first time, I feel like we’re actually in control of this situation. We can have our fun, enjoy each other, and when it’s over, we’ll walk away with no hard feelings, no regrets.

“Good,” she says, letting out a breath she’s been holding. “Then let’s just enjoy this for what it is.”

I nod, feeling more relaxed than I have in days. This is going to be fine. Better than fine, actually. This is going to be exactly what I need.

As I lie back down, pulling her closer to me, I can’t help but think that this might actually work. By the time she leaves, I’ll have worked her out of my system, and things can go back to normal.

For now, I’m going to enjoy every minute of this, no pressure, no expectations. Just us, and whatever this is.

Grinning, I reach for her, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her back against me .

She lets out a surprised laugh. “Feeling a bit bold now, are we?”

“Well, now that I know you’re not going to rip my head off, we can have some more fun, yeah?”

“I suppose it is still night time,” she replies softly, the corners of her mouth twitching up into a grin.

Slipping my hand around the back of her head, I pull her in for a kiss. I take my time with this one, moving my lips against hers slowly, savoring her as she goes soft against me. Without breaking the kiss, I roll us over so that she’s underneath me. I run my hands up her sides. Her skin is so smooth and soft. Reaching her breasts, I gently squeeze them, marveling at how perfectly they fit in my palms.

I want to explore every inch of her. The last two times were fast and desperate and I didn’t have time to truly appreciate how beautiful she is and how sexy her body is. Her soft curves make my mouth water, and she’s so responsive and sensitive that even the lightest touch makes her shiver.

Flicking her nipples with my thumbs, I grin when she lets out a sharp gasp. “Carson,” she whimpers. “Please…”

“Please what?” My eyes are locked on hers as I wait for her to answer me.

Her teeth sink into her lip a moment before she finally says, “Please, fuck me.”

Grinning, I drop my mouth to her throat and press kisses down to her collarbone, then across the top of her breasts. Her breathing grows heavier as I continue down her body, dragging my tongue across her nipples. She moans and gasps and I love the sounds she makes as I shower her body with attention.

Continuing down her belly, I reach the apex of her thighs and push her legs apart. She throws her head back and cries out when I lick along her sensitive folds. Grinning, I blow on her before continuing to lick her pussy. When I wrap my lips around her clit and start to suck, she goes wild, thrashing against the pillow and she grabs the top of my head, holding me down against her.

When she cums, it’s intense and her thighs squeeze around my head, trapping me against her. She finally lets me go and I have to come up for air, but my chest is swelling with pride that I’ve been able to make her feel like this. My cock is hard and straining. I need relief.

Moving back up her body, I capture her lips in another kiss as I line up with her entrance.

“Hold on,” she says, stopping me. “Do we… Do we need a condom?”

I freeze and stare down at her. “Um, do we?”

She nibbles her bottom lip for a moment and then shrugs. “I mean, I’m on birth control and clean, and since we’re going to keep doing this… if you’re clean too, I’m good without one if you are.”

I try not to let it show just how psyched I am that I get to fuck her bare.

“I’m clean, too,” I nod, doing my best to sound nonchalant even though my cock is twitching and eager.

“All righty, then,” she shrugs. “Don’t keep me waiting. Get to it.”

“Bossy,” I growl, then grip her hips and slam into her.

She lets out a cry and drags her nails down my arms.

I release a long groan, overwhelmed with the pleasure of being inside her again. God, she feels so good. So goddamn perfect. She’s groaning and wrapping her arms and legs around me, holding onto me tight as I move in and out of her.

“Star,” I moan. “You feel so good… so fucking good… God, you’re going to make me cum. ”

“Don’t stop.” She digs her heels into my ass like she’s digging spurs into a horse. “Don’t you fucking stop!”

“Say please,” I snarl, her demands both a turn-on and irritating as hell. Deciding to teach her a lesson, I stop and pull out.

“Wha…what?” she stammers. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Taking hold of her waist, I flip her onto her stomach. Pulling her hips so her ass is up and her back arched, I raise my hand and spank her hard enough to leave a red mark.

“Ah!” she shouts, looking over her shoulder at me with wide eyes. “What the hell…?”

I spank her again and slam my cock back into her, making her cry out again.

“Not so bossy now, are you, my little brat?” Grabbing a handful of her hair, I tug her head back as I start to mercilessly fuck her.

“Shit, Carson!” She’s moaning and whimpering, helpless to do anything but take what I’m giving her.

I’m completely lost in her. The only thing that matters to me right now is staying inside her for as long as I possibly can. At the same time, I’m desperate for release, but I’m going to make her come one more time before I do. I wrap my other hand around her and pinch her clit.

“Come for me, baby,” I command. “Right now.”

Her body seizes and her pussy squeezes me as her orgasm makes her scream. I’m moments behind her, unable to hold back when she’s milking my cock so damn good. I don’t know how much time passes before I can think straight again. Panting, I pull out of her and roll over onto my back. I fight to catch my breath as I stare up at the ceiling again. This time, I’ve got a smile on my face.

Skyler is lying next to me, sucking in deep breaths as well .

“Well,” she chuckles. “I think this could work.”

“Yeah, I think so too.” Sitting up, I glance down at her and give her a wink. “I should head out.”

She props her head up on one hand and gazes up at me, her eyelids heavy and her smile soft.

“Yep, I suppose you should. That’s what this type of arrangement means, right? Cuddling is against the rules.”

Her tone is teasing, but there’s a hesitancy in her tone. I drop a kiss on top of her head and get out of the bed to find my clothes.

“I think we can make up whatever rules we want,” I tell her, pulling on my pants. “But for tonight, we both could use a little space just to process everything.”

She sits up and nods, looking somewhat relieved. “Right, that’s smart. Besides, you hog the covers. It’s annoying.”

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” Once I’ve pulled on my shirt, I move back to the bed and cup the side of her face, turning it up to me so I can kiss her lips one last time. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to leave her…that wants to crawl back into bed and hold her for the rest of the night.

I resist that urge, and pull away from her. Giving us both some space is the right thing to do. We’ve just changed the dynamics of our relationship in a major way and we each need time to let that sink in.

“Good night,” I say as I turn for the bedroom door.

“Good night,” she replies.

Walking out of her room, and then her apartment, a strange sense of satisfaction settles over me. This friends-with-benefits deal might be crazy, but it might also be the best thing that’s ever happened between us.