The Newport Seagulls ended up beating Houston 1-0.  It was a gritty game that started since puck drop in the first period.  Seraphina had no idea who she was kidding when she gave her speech but she wanted to make sure her voice was heard and that the team knew what their number one priority was: get the two points.  Houston was going to do everything in their power to try and throw off their game.  They were going to talk about Seraphina, Katella, and any other woman close to the team in order to get a reaction.  Things were already tense, and for some reason, the Gulls seemed to have a chip on their shoulder.

Somehow, no one got kicked out of the game.  Negan did get into a fight when a fourth liner who checked one of the Gulls’ rookie defenseman a little too hard in the corner and there was no call.

Katella, of course, jumped up and cheered, especially when Negan managed to knock the fourth liner on his ass.  Both team benches had the players banging their sticks against the outside wall of their bench, showing support for their teammate.

Brandon didn’t play due to his hand still needing to heal after what happened two nights ago in Vegas.  He wasn’t on the bench with his teammates.  Due to his injury, he wore a suit and was up in the press box.  They had to call a backup from their Irvine AHL team and fly Sam Jones over from John Wayne just in case he had to start.  Luckily, Jimmy Stafford was on point and he managed to keep them in the game, earning his first-ever NHL shutout.  Seraphina couldn’t stop smiling for the kid.  When he was announced as the game’s number one star, she cheered for him.  He deserved it.

Instead of partying right away, they had to hop a quick flight from Houston to Phoenix.  They got there just after eleven at night.  Everyone checked in and – Seraphina hoped – stayed in and got sleep.  They were ten points shy of an actual seeded playoff spot and that was if the Sacramento Suns lost every single game.  She wanted everyone on their game because they needed all the points they could get.  If they won the next three games, it was all but guaranteed that they would clinch a wildcard spot, but Seraphina wanted the seed.  She wanted the safety.

They checked into a comfortable hotel a couple of blocks from the Phoenix rink, which happened to be right next to an outdoor mall.  By the time they made it to their rooms, Katella changed into one of Negan’s old shirts and passed out on her bed.  Seraphina wasn’t sure if Negan would come in later or if they decided they needed a break to catch up on sleeping, but minutes after, Brandon came to the door and crawled into bed with her.

“How’s your hand?” she whispered in the darkness.  Katella’s bed was in the next room but she was a light sleeper so Seraphina made sure to keep things quiet. 

“Better.”  He raised his right hand and began to curl and flex his fingers.  “Not one hundred percent but I’m playing tomorrow.”

“Do you think you should?” Seraphina asked, furrowing her brow.  “Not that you’re incapable.  I just want to make sure you don’t make it worse.  Especially with playoffs.” 

"Do you trust me?" he asked her. He wasn't defensive but there was something in his eyes that seemed insistent that she be honest.

"Of course I do," she told him, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. She reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand. "Of course I trust you, Brandon. I know you can do anything, really. But I don't want you to let your pride get in the way of what's best for the team."

"Do you think I would put pride before the team?" he asked, quirking a brow.

"You don't bond with your team at all," she pointed out. "You don't encourage your backup much."

"That makes me unsocial, not prideful."

"Either way, you're putting what you want before what they need," she pointed out. "Did you even tell Stafford what a great job he did last night?" She pressed her brows up, emphasizing her point. "Come on, Brandon. You're captain. This is part of your job. And your hand hurts but you're not even considering maybe sitting out."

"Because I know I can do this, Seraphina," he said, his voice insistent. "If anyone knows me, it's me. I know I can do it. If I didn't think I could, I wouldn't do it. I promise you, I wouldn't."

Seraphina looked into his eyes and considered what he was saying for a long moment. This was the conflict of interest. This was the hard part. If the player was anyone else, she would have told them to take one more game just to be sure. But this was Brandon and he was her exception to everything. Everything. Even if they weren't dating, even if they weren't together, she would have left the decision up to him.

"Okay," she said with one nod.

"Okay?" he asked, somewhat surprised. He thought she was going to fight him more on this. She was almost offended that he would make that assumption.

"Okay," she said again. "I trust you. If you think you can do it, I believe you."

He smiled. She still wasn't used to his smile and she was mesmerized by it. She couldn't help but tilt her chin up so she could kiss his lips and run her fingers through his hair. It was soft and made her sigh through the kiss.

"I love you," she breathed out before she could stop herself.

He pulled back, surprised even more. His green eyes were narrowed, trying to read her face, trying to decipher if she was being honest. Her cheeks turned red now, not fully believing that she had actually said that to him so early in their relationship – even though she had told him as much after their first night together.

"What did you say?" Brandon asked. His voice was touched with awe and wonder, almost as though he didn't believe what he had heard.

"I love you," she repeated again. 

He smiled then, a beaming smile that completely filled his face with light and crinkled his eyes and made him the most beautiful thing she had ever seen on this earth.

"I love you too," he told her.

And she believed him. She could read his eyes and he actually spoke the words and Brandon Thorpe never said anything he didn't mean. He didn't say much of anything at all. But he said he loved her. And that made it true.

He took her face in his hands and gave her a long, slow kiss. She opened her mouth and he immediately responded, sliding his tongue into her mouth and kissing her like the world was burning around them but all he could concentrate on was this kiss and exploring her mouth like this was his last opportunity to do so. She loved the feel of his hands on her face as he gently took control of the kiss. She could feel his strength in his hands and that feeling of restrained power caused her pelvis to thrum with tightness.

She crawled on top of him, straddling his waist without breaking their kiss. She could feel his hardness press against the inside of her thigh. Even though they had gotten extremely familiar with each other, sometimes multiple times in one day, Seraphina still felt a rush of excitement, knowing that he wanted her, knowing that she brought him to such pleasure that just kissing got him hard.

Seraphina pressed against his hardness and he groaned through the kiss, his grip on her face tightening.

She gasped. She loved having this sort of power over him. She wanted to feel him move and writhe against her. She wanted to hear her name on his lips.

His hands slid under her shirt, cupping her back before sliding her shirt over her head and dropping it to the floor. He ran his cool hands over her soft skin and she shuddered at the conflicting sensation. She locked her arms behind his neck and spread her legs wider for him, deepening the kiss even further. She pulled his own shirt off and started attacking his neck with her mouth, her teeth, her lips. She loved running her fingers up and down his torso, feeling the muscles twitch and spasm underneath her touch.

More clothing was shed and discarded. Seraphina positioned herself in his lap once she was completely naked and she took his cock in her hand while her left hand gripped his shoulder. He groaned and shuddered under her touch. She began to stroke him in long, fluid strokes, up and down. Each time she did, he twitched underneath her. His head was thrown back against the pillows. He looked beautiful in the glow of the moon seeping through the windows.

She spread her thighs for him and proceeded to lower herself onto his cock. She hissed as he pushed through her folds and coated him with her slickness. She had always loved having sex but she had never been with anyone who caused her to get wet with just a look, an innocent touch. Even something as savage as fighting the way he had back in Vegas made her pelvis throb and she held back a groan.

“Don’t you dare,” he murmured, his eyes at half-mast. “I want to hear you scream for me.”

Once she got used to his size, Seraphina began to move up and down Brandon’s hard cock, trying to get as much of him inside of her as she could. His hands gripped her hips as she did so, holding her in place. His mouth found her nipples and he began to suck on them as she moved, causing her to cry out and speed up. His grip on her tightened now that he knew what she liked and he continued to suck and tease and even gently nibble on the sensitive pink nubs until she started to quicken her breathing, until it was hard for her to continue to move since the buildup was starting to get too intense.

Her hands found his shoulders and she sunk her nails into his flesh. He let out a groan. “Sera,” he managed to get out. “I need you to come now because I am and there’s no way for me to stop it.”

His words were her undoing and when she released herself, he did as well. Seraphina had never thought it was possible to actually come with someone, at the same time. It had never happened to her and she just assumed it was one of those Hollywood legends that she read about in books or saw on television that didn’t actually happen in reality.

But she was wrong and she was so glad she was because she had never thought an orgasm could feel like this. Orgasms were the most selfish things she had ever felt in her body due to the fact that they were all about her. But when it happened with someone else, there was something special, something that bonded the two together, something she was so lucky she got to experience with Brandon.

“Jesus,” he murmured, his forehead hitting her shoulders as he began to soften inside of her. His hands released her hips and circled around her waist. Seraphina placed her head on top of his and began to lightly scratch his back with her fingernails.

She chuckled. “I feel the same way,” she murmured.

“That feels good,” he said, indicating her scratching.

“I’m glad,” she murmured. “I’m glad you’re with me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You would survive, Sera,” Brandon told her, picking his head up and locking eyes with her. “Sometimes, I think you forget how strong you are. You think you need someone else to guide you – me, your grandfather. But you don’t need us. You can do this on your own. I believe in you.”

Seraphina felt her heart clench. She had never thought about it that way before. She gripped his face in her hands and kissed him long and slow. She could feel him stir underneath her and she smirked.

Perhaps he was right. But it was nice knowing she had him in her corner.