The bad news was we lost. To Callingwood.

The good news was James didn't run for the hills after my not-so-smooth slip of the tongue in front of everyone earlier. And the best news of all was we'd slapped a label on things and I could actually, officially, call her my girlfriend.

Oh, she was definitely stuck with me now.

I eased my truck out of the stall and navigated through Northview's parking lot, turning onto the main road. Home was only a ten-minute drive away, but right now that seemed like a lifetime. My mind was firmly locked in one-track mode.

All I wanted to do was get James into my bed, get her naked, and have a little repeat of the other night. Or a big repeat, as the case may be. Maybe multiple repeats? Hmm...

"What was Luke saying to you earlier, anyway?" Bailey asked, snapping me out of my happy, horny daze.

"Nothing important." My grip on the steering wheel tightened a notch. "Just shooting off his mouth when he shouldn't be."

Brutal honesty was my default setting, intentionally or not. But in this case, she already knew Morrison was an asshole. I wasn't sure there was anything to be gained by letting her know what he said.

And I mean, it was true. He was unimportant.

"You sure laid him out," she said.

Satisfaction washed over me like a warm, fuzzy hug. I did. I really did. According to my insider sources on his team, I fucked up Morrison's knee nicely. Pity it wasn't his smug face, but a knee injury would keep him out longer, so I would call it a win.

I shrugged, stealing a glance at Bailey. "It was a clean hit."

"Kinda grey when you factor in the charging." A smile played on her lips and she made a so-so gesture with her hand. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Maybe he'll learn to keep his head up." Despite my best efforts otherwise, the words came out clipped.

Bailey caught it immediately. "Are you sure he didn't say something?" Her brows pulled together, hazel eyes tracing my face.

"Nah, I just prefer not to lose to Callingwood." Even if I did take him out of the game in the process, losing to Morrison's team annoyed me. Especially in front of James.

"You still played well tonight," she said, as if reading my mind. "No one can carry a game alone. Or with only Dallas, for that matter."

Yes and no. I should have done more to move the needle. Another assist or goal would have gone a long way in generating some momentum for our side. But I'd let someone else take my head out of the game for a good portion of it, and that was on me.

"You're a little biased, James, but I'll take the compliment." I winked at her, reaching over and patting her thigh. "Besides, the only thing that matters to me right now is that I get to take you home."

"Smooth talker." Bailey let out a soft, husky sigh. In my peripheral vision, she raked a hand through her long waves, breaking into a bashful grin. It was so easy to get her flustered and so damn cute when she was.

Signaling, I made a left onto the main thoroughfare of my neighborhood, a few minutes from my place.

My mind circled back to all the things I wanted to do when I got her upstairs, starting with having her soft, perfect lips against mine and moving south from there. There was this little sound she made the other day—a cross between a whimper and a moan—that I desperately wanted to hear again.

I wondered what color her panties were tonight. Whatever they were, I wanted to take them off with my teeth. Then I could kiss my way back up her gorgeous legs and take a nice, long detour between them.

"I think..." Bailey trailed off. She drew in a deep breath. "I mean, speaking of that. I've given it a lot of thought and I think I'm ready," she said. "To have sex, I mean—with you."

I was so surprised, I nearly drove right off the road.

It took me a good couple of seconds to reboot my brain. Even in the midst of entertaining all sorts of dirty thoughts inside my head, I wasn't expecting her to say that. But I was sure fucking glad she did.

"Great," I said. "Do you want me to pull over now, or?"

She laughed, swatting my arm. "No, you perv. I wanted to tell you when it wasn't the heat of the moment so you knew I meant it."

"Well, I'm all yours."

I really was. In every sense.

Factoring in tonight's loss, I was still coming out way ahead. Fuck the game. What was hockey, again?

*

After committing several traffic violations and the worst parking job I'd ever done, we finally got back to my place and went straight to my room. I followed Bailey inside, shutting the door behind me and locking it.

The first thing I wanted to do was ditch all these goddamn layers. I'd taken my suit jacket off in the car, but I was still in my white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to my forearms, plus grey suit pants. And she was in jeans with a red button-up plaid shirt.

Very cute, and yet very much in my way.

The clothes needed to go—now. At least some of them.

As I took a step toward her, the doorbell rang downstairs. Irritation, bordering on rage, gripped me. Fucking hell, why was this happening? I swear to god, if this was Ward somehow interrupting for the third time, I might kill him—best friend or not.

"Should you...?" Bailey looked up at me quizzically.

Definitely not. Unless the house was literally on fire, I was more than happy to ignore it.

I shook my head, pulling her closer. "I'm not expecting anyone."

I slid a hand up her neck, gripping her jaw. Our eyes locked and she looked back up at me, gaze soft. I knew in that moment that I was done, a goner. Not just in over my head, I was well past the point of no return.

Falling, fallen, fucked. In the best possible way.

I tilted my head, leaning in to kiss her, and her eyelids fluttered shut as our mouths came together. She parted her lips, letting my tongue slip inside. A soft groan escaped the back of my throat because she tasted better than ever, each and every time.

Her fingertips dug into my shoulders and my free hand slid around the curve of her waist, down to grip her ass. Somehow, kissing her both satisfied my desire and fueled it, like an insanely additive cycle.

Then the doorbell rang twice in a row, followed by an insistent bang on the door downstairs. Bailey jumped slightly, startling, and we pulled apart.

"Maybe it's important," she said.

At this point, it fucking better be.

"Okay." I sighed, reluctantly releasing my hold on her. "I'll go check."

Sprinting down the stairs, I quickly adjusted myself so I didn't commit some kind of act of indecent exposure in the process of answering the door.

It wasn't Ward or anyone we knew, nor was it important. It was a pizza delivery guy with enough food to feed a small village who'd gotten the wrong house.

Despite my attempts to explain otherwise, he remained stubbornly convinced that he did not, in fact, have the incorrect address. What's more, he literally tried to argue with me about what my address was. Negotiating nicely with him to get the hell off my front step took far longer than it should have and used every ounce of patience I possessed.

After he finally left, I jogged back upstairs, pushing open the door to my room. Then I stopped on the spot and my heart bounced off my ribcage like a puck hitting a goalpost. Bailey was perched on the edge of my bed, looking at her phone—wearing my red Falcons T-shirt.

It was everything.

"Sorry." She set down her phone on the nightstand, lifting her eyes to meet mine. "I was just writing Shiv back. She said they're going to O'Malley's for a couple of drinks."

Good.

I hoped they stayed there. All night.

Shutting the door behind me, I locked it again, pausing. My eyes slowly raked up and down her body, drinking in the sight of her and growing more intoxicated by the second.

Dark blonde hair, loose around her shoulders, lush lips parted. My shirt. And tiny grey pajama shorts showing off her slender, endless legs. Legs that might be over my shoulders later, in a different way than last time. Or in both ways, maybe.

Both would be great.

I regained my ability to speak, giving her a crooked grin. "Nice shirt."

"Isn't it?" Bailey's mouth tugged into a flirty smile. "I'm a big fan of number 19. He's pretty cute."

"What did I do to deserve this?" I asked, stepping closer.

Whatever it was, I was going to repeat it on the daily.

As I reached the bed, she pushed herself to stand, looking up at me. "Just being you."

Her hands landed on my shirt, slowly unbuttoning it from the top down, helping me shrug it off. She slid her fingers down my bare torso, probing. Then she took hold of my belt, unfastening it, followed by my pants. I quickly stepped out of them, pulling my socks off at the same time. Suddenly, I was left standing in front of her in nothing but black boxer briefs.

Her turn...But first.

"Are you nervous?" I gently brushed the hair out of her face, sliding my hands down to her waist and gripping over top of the worn cotton.

Bailey's eyelids drifted shut for a beat, before opening again, hazel eyes focusing on mine. "A little."

"You don't need to be nervous with me, James."

"I know." Her expression softened. "Are you?"

I gave her a small smile. "Honestly? Maybe a little."

Brutal honesty strikes again. But it was only fair to tell the truth when she had. Feeling like this was a first for me, at any rate.

"Really?" She asked quietly, blonde brows pulling together. "Why?"

A million reasons came to mind. Because I cared about her, which was basically uncharted territory for me in any context, sexually or otherwise. Because I wanted it to be good for her, which was something I was usually confident I had under control but suddenly found myself sweating quite a bit. And because she was so fucking beautiful that it made me ache a little inside.

I tried to capture all of the reasons in one sentence. "Because I'm so into you that it's insane."

It was. It was like a drug. It might be my undoing.

She hummed a little sigh, smiling. "Same here."

There was also the fact that I'd been waiting for this a long time and had no shortage of built-up sexual frustration. Part of me wanted to bend her over, pull her hair, and fuck her into next Friday, which was definitely not on the table tonight. I was more than okay with that, I just needed to slow my roll a little bit. Somehow.

I stroked the hem of her t-shirt—my t-shirt—between my finger and thumb. "You know, this is very, very sexy on you," I said. "Maybe you can put it back on later."

Bailey nodded silently, reaching down to help me pull it off over her head, tossing it onto the floor. Her lacy white bra beneath showcased her plump breasts perfectly. I sucked in a breath, feeling myself harden even more. Damn.

I traced a finger along her bra strap, down the valleys between her breasts, back up again to the other side. She drew in a small breath, goosebumps popping up along her skin.

My fingers slid under the waistband of her shorts, toying with the elastic. "Same with these."

She tugged them down, stepping out of them. All that was left was the lacy white bra and matching panties, combined with miles of smooth, touchable skin. Not quite naked, but significantly better access to her body. Not to mention, hot as fuck.

My hands spanned her hips and I picked her up, placing her down on the bed so that I was on top of her, between her legs. God, she looked fucking good beneath me and felt even better

I slid my hands underneath her thighs and gripped her plump ass. She let out a breathy moan as I kissed her neck, lifting her against my hard cock. This was perfect. Now we just needed to replicate it—without any clothing.

Not yet.

Get it together, Carter.

Instead, I grabbed her hands and pinned them down onto the bed. Then I ducked my head, capturing her mouth with mine. Bailey giggled against my lips, half-heartedly squirming in my grip.

Still holding her hands, I pushed myself up so I was hovering over her while she laid back on my pillow.

I raised an eyebrow. "Looks like you're stuck, James."

"You like being in charge, huh, tough guy?" Her lips curved.

Sure did. In truth, I wasn't applying much resistance. If she wanted to, she could easily pull away. And if she told me to, I'd let go instantly. It was more about the perception of being restrained.

"I like playing around with you." I grinned, leaning closer to just barely brush my lips against hers, pulling back again. "But if you say stop, it's a hard stop."

"I know," she said softly. "I don't want you to stop."

I lowered my voice, watching her face. "But do you like me being in charge?"

So far, I had pretty good instincts when it came to her. And I had a strong hunch that I was right about this, especially given the way she reacted to certain things, but it was always better to confirm.

Her pupils dilated. "Kind of."

"Kind of?" I said. "Or yes?"

"Is it weird if I say yes?" Her breath grew shallow.

"No," I said, voice husky. "I like it. But I don't want to overstep and upset you. That's why I asked."

Color flooded her cheeks. "Yes."

Knowing this took my fantasies to a whole new level. Oh, the possibilities. So many possibilities.

I mean, we would still have to ease into that, but maybe I could take my foot off the brake a little bit.

"Mmm," I murmured, studying her. "That's fucking hot."

Bailey's eyes gleamed, the shyness fading away in response to my answer. "Why?" She tugged against my hands playfully. "What would you do if you were in charge?"

I shook my head, biting back a smile. "Oh, James. So many things."

"Tell me one." Her voice was breathy.

Damn, where would I even begin?

Spank her, blindfold her, tie her up, have her talk dirty to me, talk even dirtier to her, edge her, have her touch herself in front of me...?

I could go on all night. God knows I'd had time to think about it.

But walk before you run, skate before you shoot, and all that.

"In time."

Ducking behind her ear, I inhaled her sweet scent against her skin, holding it in my lungs for a beat before exhaling. She sighed as I trailed a line of soft, open-mouthed kisses along the curve of her neck. Moving down to her shoulder, I gently sank my teeth into her flesh.

"Right now, I do have one thing in mind."

"What's that?" The words were a whisper across her lips.

"Making you come all over my fingers."

Now that I'd gotten her there with my tongue, I was confident I could get her there with my hands, too.

And hopefully after that, with my favorite body part.

She nodded, watching me. "Okay."

I kissed her again gently, reaching behind her back and undoing the clasp of her bra, slipping the straps off her shoulders. Taking her nipple in her mouth, I sucked, swirling my tongue around her perfect pink nipple. She tilted back her head and let out a sigh, raking her hands through my hair. I palmed her other breast, squeezing, before releasing her nipple from my mouth and moving to the other side.

Smoothing a hand down my abs, Bailey grabbed me through my boxers and pressed her palm against me, pleasure surging through my body. Holy fuck. This didn't bode well for me lasting later.

Breathe. I needed to focus.

Her back arched as my hands skimmed down the sides of her torso. I gently bit and sucked my way back up her neck, across her jawline, kissing her on the mouth before pulling back again.

I wanted to see her face for this.

My hand slipped beneath the waistband of her underwear. She drew in a jagged breath, lids fluttering closed as I rubbed between her legs with the pad of my finger.

She was so warm and wet, soft like silk. All I wanted was to be buried inside of her, balls deep. But not yet. I was going to go slowly, savor her a little bit, and make sure she was ready.

My fingers glided against her again and she pushed against my hand, needy and wanting. Blonde hair against my pillow, squirming with pleasure. Seeing her like this was the hottest thing ever.

"Baby, you're so fucking wet."

She let out a little gasp, hips undulating against me. I slid one finger along her clit, sinking lower to slip inside. Another finger followed and I gently began to stroke. My thumb moved to press her nub, working in rhythm with my fingers inside of her.

Her breath quickened, cheeks growing flushed as I kept stroking her with my fingers. She whimpered, biting her bottom lip as she rocked her pelvis in rhythm with my movements.

"Do you like how that feels?"

Her eyes flew open like I'd surprised her. She looked at me, eyelids heavy and eyes glassy, but she didn't respond.

"Do you, James?" I repeated, dropping my voice. When she didn't reply again, I pressed her gently with my thumb.

She drew in a shaky breath. "Y—yes."

"Are you going to come for me, baby?"

"Mmhmm," she moaned, nodding slightly.

I moved a little faster as her breath quickened. Her pussy clamped down on my fingers, pulsing as she writhed beneath me. She cried out, growing even hotter and wetter, right at the edge.

Fisting her hair at the nape, I tugged gently, angling her face and devouring her mouth. I kept rubbing her, unrelenting, as her legs started to tremble. She clutched at my arms with her fingers, crying out against my lips as she came apart.

Still kissing her, I slowly eased off with my fingers, gradually letting her down. Trying to give her a breather so I didn't completely overstimulate her, I broke apart from her lips and she drew in a shaky breath, watching me.

"Hi, baby." I ran my free hand through her hair, tracing down her neck, down her arm.

"Hi," she said, still breathless.

"Need a minute?" I asked.

She drew in a breath, cheeks still flushed pink.

"Maybe just one."