Lindsey

The weight of something firm and warm stretching across my back is the first thing I notice when I wake up. Next is the naked muscular chest that I'm resting my head on. I notice the rhythmic rise and fall as the owner of said chest peacefully sleeps underneath me. I feel his warmth ghosting over the top of my head as he breathes.

Memories of last night start flooding my mind. Chase surprised me with dinner, wine, and slow dancing at our special place. He took me back to the rooftop garden and told me he wanted to reclaim the memories of that place and turn any negative feelings I had of it into positive ones.

He succeeded. Any bad emotions I had about that place after the whole incident with Val had been replaced with only warm fuzzy feelings, thanks to Chase. He made me feel special and genuinely adored the way that only he can. The whole night was filled with my favorite things, pink roses, red wine, the best Thai food in New York, and of course, Chase.

I'll never forget the rush of emotion I felt when I read the engraving on my necklace. And it only got better when Chase told me how he felt about me. He said I was the most important thing in his life. That I'd turned his world upside down and made him a better man, he mentioned the future- our future- and his eyes lit up.

I don't know how I got so lucky to have this man come into my life, but no matter the reason, I'll be eternally grateful. He's shown me how to open up again, how to be vulnerable without hiding away from everyone. He finds a way every day to make me feel valued and worthy of all of the good in the world. With just one look, he can make my darkest days melt away.

It hasn't been easy getting to this point, but Chase held on. He fought for us when things were most dire. He never gave up hope. He never gave up on me. Hearing him say those three little words sparked something in me that I thought I'd never get back. His love gives me hope and strength.

Being with him has given me back my confidence. It's bringing back the old me- the one I never thought I'd see again. She knows her worth. She's not afraid to dream big or reach for the stars. She loves relentlessly without fear of falling because she knows even if she falls and no one is there to catch her, she's perfectly capable of picking herself up and continuing on.

Somehow, I'm not afraid of falling anymore. I feel in my bones that falling for Chase isn't going to leave me broken and bruised. He builds me up every day, and though I don't know what the future has in store for us, I know that no matter what happens, I'll be okay.

I let my fingers glide across the heart, resting on its chain around my neck. I haven't taken it off since Chase gave it to me. It's a symbol of his feelings for me, and I've never been given a gift I wanted more.

Trying not to disturb him, I slowly shift upward to meet my lips with his. "I love you."

He starts to stir beneath me. His eyes crack open, and a sleepy smile spreads across his face. "Good morning, beautiful."

"Good morning." I return his smile.

As he sits up, the sheet covering us falls to his waist. I'm left staring at his chiseled torso. It should be illegal for a man to look this good.

"How'd you sleep?" He asks as he rubs the sleep from his eyes.

"So, amazing. This bed is so comfy. I don't want to ever leave it." I gush over the fluffy hotel bed and mountain of pillows that surround us.

That was another part of his surprise. Chase got us a room at a five-star hotel for the night, so we didn't have to be quiet or hold anything back like we would in the apartment. Needless to say, we had quite the eventful- and uninhibited night of fun. I lost count of my orgasms after number six. I'm proud to say, my man is a giver. And boy, did he give all night long.

Heat starts to pool at my core at the thought, and I feel myself already primed and ready to go again. I let a devious smirk decorate my face as I look over at Chase. He sends me a curious glance as I move to position myself over him. The realization of what's about to happen hits him as I take his member in my hands and start stroking. We have another hour before we have to start the day. Why not use that time for a little early morning fun.

We don't waste a second of that time. After I ride him slow and deep, we decide to shower. That leads to his picking me up and fucking me fast and hard against the shower wall, giving me another two orgasms before we stumble out of the bathroom breathless.

We finally relent and start getting ready for the day. I may have made him a little disoriented, though, when I knelt down in front of him at the floor-length mirror and took his entire length into my mouth and let him finish down my throat. What can I say? I wanted to give back a little after the incredible night he gave me.

When we finally pull ourselves away from one another long enough to stop acting like horny teenagers, we check out of the hotel and get back to our responsibilities. Chase heads off to the arena, and I head to work. Not even the gloomy weather can wipe the smile off of my face.

......

The Cobras had a game tonight, and they won in overtime, so as usual, everyone is at the bar celebrating. Taylor didn't make it to the game. She had a late meeting with her boss, but she said she's meet us all here afterward.

So, I'm sitting on Chase's lap at our table, waiting for her to show up, watching Jenna Davis hit on the new guy who made his debut tonight as a Cobra. He's been in New York for a few weeks, training with the team, but tonight was the first game he got to suit up for. He's pretty good on the ice, but he's cocky as hell and pretty full of himself- right up Jenna D.'s ally.

I'm trying to avert my eyes as she unashamedly slides her hand up his thigh, nearly groping him in front of everyone, when a quick movement to my right catches my eye. Taylor comes bustling up to the table and grabs the shot in front of Liam. She slams it, then takes the one in front of Chase.

What the fuck!?

I recover from the shock of seeing Taylor slam two drinks in quick succession and brave the question. "Tay, everything okay?"

She flags down a waitress and puts in a drink order. "I got fucking fired!"

Liam responds before I can. "What!? Jesus, Tay, what the hell happened?"

She explains that one of the high-ups made the call. Apparently, her sleazy ex-boyfriend, Max, made some bullshit claim about her offering up private client information to him. He's a rep for some protein company that's been hounding the team for years trying to sign some of the guys to their company. According to Liam, the products are shit, and the reps are shittier.

Taylor said Max was trying to get information out of her on one of her clients, and she refused him. The guy is a snake and wanted to get back at her for dumping him and refusing to share her information, so he somehow found a way to royally fuck up her career. She told us her direct supervisor knows the claims are bullshit, and he's trying to fix it, but he has to do some digging to figure out how Max pushed his claim straight to the top.

In the meantime, Taylor has to give up all company property and immediately stop any and all work she was doing for the team. She's pretty upset but doesn't want to say much else. I decide not to pry. She'll talk about it when she's ready. I really want to kick Max in the balls right now, though.

Chase and Liam are furious, they didn't like Max to begin with, but now they are ready to find him and kick his ass. Taylor calms them down and reasons with them that it would only make things worse for her if they did. So, they resort to calling him every terrible name under the sun and openly detailing how they'd maim him if they were allowed to.

After Taylor finishes her drink, she tells us all she just wants to head home and be alone for a while. I offer to go with her, but she insists I stay and keep the boys in line. I give her a hug before she leaves and listen to Chase and Liam slam Max for another hour.

I wish there was something I could do to help her. I've never seen Taylor have more than one drink before. That job meant the world to her, and she was damn good at it. I hate it when things like that happen to good people. And even though I've never met the guy, I hate Max for what he did to my friend.

A/N:

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