On and Off The Ice

"Glad to see you again, Amelia," the coach said to her as he herded the reporters away.

"Me, too," Sean added as he pulled her close again.

"Sean, I'm so sorry," she whispered and sighed as she slid her fingers through the damp, dark curls at the back of his head.

"I know," he replied. "I love you," he blurted a second later, as though he couldn't contain himself anymore.

Amelia laughed and squeezed him. "I love you, too!"

"And I love both you guys!" Max added, crashing into them and throwing his arms around them both.

Laughing, Sean and Amelia pulled apart and turned to face Max and the rest of the team.

"Coach wants us all on the bus right away, Sean," Max told him and winked at Amelia. "Our flight leaves tonight."

"OK," Sean agreed with a nod.

The other team members filed out of the locker room, bumping fists with Sean and offering friendly smiles to Amelia. She was glad to see that none of them appeared to dislike her after all the time that had passed.

She and Sean began to walk together, trailing some distance behind the rest of the team as they headed through the building towards the waiting bus. Neither of them said anything and Sean kept his arm around her shoulders. They paused outside the building, looking at the bus as the guys all climbed inside.

"Are you going back home now?" Sean asked, not looking at her.

Amelia smiled and gave him a squeeze. She knew what he was really asking. "I am," she said. "My flight doesn't leave until late tonight."

"Oh," Sean said and nodded. "When will I see you again?"

"I guess around three in the morning," she replied. "Or earlier?" She shook her head ruefully. "I can never figure out the time zones."

Sean did look down at her and she grinned.

"I thought you said you were going home," he said with a slight frown.

"I am," she whispered and reached up with one hand, laying her palm against his cheek. "Home with you."

Sean's face split into that adorable and sexy grin that she loved so much. He bent low and kissed her hard, sliding his tongue inside her mouth and teasing her until her knees buckled. He caught her up in his arms, keeping her pinned to his body as he ruthlessly explored her mouth, tangling his tongue with hers. When he finally set her back on her feet, they were both breathless and Amelia felt her face burning. A distant noise reached her ears and they both glanced over at the bus to see several of the windows open and the guys leaning out, hollering at them.

Laughing, Amelia waved and blew them all a kiss. Sean flipped them off. Then he leaned down, kissed her again and told her in a low voice that she'd better wake him up when she got home.

***

In spite of her immediate urge to slide into bed naked with Sean, Amelia refrained when she arrived at her apartment in the middle of the night. She set her bags down near the door and looked around the dim apartment with a frown. There was far more stuff in the small area than when she'd left it; boxes, extra furniture and dirty dishes in the kitchen. It looked like someone had been living here the entire time she was gone.

Shaking her head, Amelia quietly made her way through the apartment to her washroom to clean her face and brush her teeth. She combed her hair out, freeing the tangles she'd gained during her flight from Toronto. Then she undressed, heading across the hall to her bedroom wearing nothing but her hockey jersey.

The bedroom was even darker than the main room but she could just make out the large lump beneath the covers on her bed. Grinning, she crossed the room carefully and lifted the corner of the covers, easing herself onto the bed and doing her best not to disturb Sean. It was later than she thought it would be and she was exhausted. Sean was out cold, so instead of reaching for him, Amelia settled with her head on the pillow and closed her eyes, falling asleep.

***

When Sean first woke up, it was still dark and inside the bedroom there was the faintest glow from the street lights outside. He sighed and rolled over, squinting at the clock on the nightstand. He blinked a few times and groaned when he saw the time was just past six in the morning. Then he rolled again, bumping into something warm and soft beside him. Immediately his mind woke up and he smiled when he felt Amelia's breath on his arm.

He flipped over, sliding his arms around her and pressing a kiss to the exposed part of her neck. She murmured something in her sleep but didn't open her eyes. Sean kissed her again, sliding his tongue out and tasting the silk of her skin. Still, she kept her eyes closed. Slowly Sean ran a hand down her body, lifting the bottom of the jersey she wore and groaning when he felt nothing but skin beneath; she wasn't wearing any underwear.

Lucky for her, he wasn't either.

He decided she need to wake up now.

"I said 'good morning,'" she said, her voice raspy with sleep. Her eyes were puffy from what had to be a short sleep; if she'd been right about her flight arrival, she'd only been home for a couple hours. Her hair was tangled and stuck out all over her head at odd angles. She smelled slightly of sweat and woman and Sean had never found her so sexy as he did right then.

"I told you to wake me when you got home," he whispered and bent his head to lick her bottom lip.

"It was late and you were out cold," she replied as she looped her arms around his neck.

"Doesn't matter," he said. He trailed his lips across hers before kissing her cheek and moving to whisper in her ear. "I'm going to have to punish you now."

A shiver coursed through her and Sean groaned when she shifted, rubbing her thigh against his cock.

"I do deserve it, I guess," she murmured and planted a hot kiss to his chin. Her tongue darted out and traced a line along his jaw, ending with a nibble at his ear lobe.

Sean growled low in his throat and pushed his hand between her legs. He was delighted to feel her legs part beneath him and swallowed hard when he felt the slick wetness of her. She was so warm, so soft and he wanted to make her come apart. He stroked her, parting her lips with his fingers as he kissed her face, her nose, her eyes and her mouth. He pushed two fingers up inside of her and swallowed her moan. He moved his hand again, thrusting his fingers into her and coupled it with a stroke of his thumb over her swelling clit. Her body reacted almost instantly. She groaned and twisted her face out from under his. Gasping for air, she lifted her hips and pushed against his shoulders with her hands, shuddering as he stroked her faster.

As she came down from that high, Sean moved against her, jerking the hem of the jersey and pulling it up. She twisted so he could pull the single article of clothing off over her head. Then he lay down against her, loving how soft and pliant she felt beneath him. He lifted a knee to nudge her thighs apart, choking a little bit when her little fingers circled his aching cock.

"I want you now, Sean," she murmured, giving him a squeeze.

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He had so little control around her and now was no exception. He leaned down, capturing her lips with his and thrusting his tongue inside her mouth as he pushed himself inside of her wet, welcoming heat. They moaned together and Sean thrust rapidly against her, grasping her thigh firmly as she lifted her legs to wrap around him.

God, he could die right here, right now, with her so hot and wet around him and her tongue dancing erotically inside his mouth. She lifted her hips and met each one of his frantic thrusts and Sean couldn't make himself slow down. He couldn't, even if he'd wanted to. He just kept going, bringing their bodies together hard, over and over until he thought he'd explode.

Amelia raked her nails over his back and down until she was cupping his ass and her legs lifted higher, drawing them even closer together. With a shout, Sean let go. He came hard and fast, dying a little bit as Amelia kissed him hard, tightening around him as she did.

A few minutes later, or it might have been hours, Amelia kissed his lips as she held his head in her hands.

"That," she whispered, her breath still coming a little fast. "Still didn't feel like a punishment."

Sean laughed and pulled himself out of her with a groan. He lay on his side beside her, one arm draped across her middle as he looked down into her face. "That's because I don't want to punish you, Lia."

She didn't say anything for a long moment and Sean smiled, stroking her side in the silence.

"You should," she replied.

"Why?"

"Because of how I treated you. I'm surprised you don't hate me now."

"I could never hate you, Amelia," he told her honestly and punctuated it with a deep kiss. "I won't lie, I was angry with you. But I love you."

Her eyes filled with tears and Sean felt his heart constrict at the sight. He kissed her again, pulling her close and tucking her into his arms. He didn't ever want to let her go.

"I love you, too," she murmured, her breath tickling his chest.

They lay silently like that for some time, holding each other and breathing each other in. Then Amelia stirred against him, lifting her head with a sexy smile on her lips.

"What's with the boxes and mess in the main room?" she asked.

Sean felt his cheeks flush and was grateful for the darkness of the room. "I, uh, brought a few things over when your keys came in the mail."

"Why?"

"When it didn't seem like you were coming back any time soon, I thought it'd be easier to take care of the place if I just stayed here." In fact, he'd just wanted to feel closer to her after she'd gone. It had also worked out since he'd been wanting to find a place to live on his own for a while now. His landlord was a great guy, and he'd always felt like a part of his family, but he'd been ready to move out for some time now.

"So you moved in?" she asked, direct as always.

"Is that all right?" he asked, terrified that she might tell him to take a hike.

"Of course," she answered and snuggled against his side again.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sean pressed his lips to the top of her head and held her close.

"We're going to have to set some ground rules," she said after a moment.

"Like what?" Sean asked with a chuckle.

"Well, you're definitely not allowed to bring your stinky hockey gear in here at all," she said.

"It all stays at the arena anyway."

"Good. And no wild parties with all your hockey buddies."

He laughed outright. "Don't you read the papers? I'm one of the good guys."

She snorted and Sean laughed again, rolling so she was pinned underneath him again. She was grinning up at him.

"Am I going to be punished again for that one?" she asked innocently.

"Maybe," he replied and leaned down to kiss her wetly on the neck. "Or maybe I'll have to thank you."

She cocked her head to one side. "Thank me for what?"

"For curing me of my superstitions," he said.

"Really? You're cured? Does this mean I can wash that ratty baseball cap of yours?"

He gaped at her before pressing his mouth to her neck and blowing hard against her skin. She shrieked and batted at him with her hands. He did it again, easily fending her off until she gave in, taking back her words.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said breathlessly when he lifted his head. Her eyes were sparkling at him. "I won't touch your hat."

"You'd better not." He tried to sound stern but knew he was failing miserably. He didn't care. "You can touch anything else you want to," he added with a grin.

She laughed and squeezed her arms and legs around him. "I intend to, Kid."

"Good," was all he could manage when he looked into her eyes. God, she had him entirely in her grasp. He loved it.

He said as much to her, several times over the next few hours and days. He didn't stop saying it to her and was thrilled when she seemed just as eager to do the same.