Tracey
The smell of bacon and eggs is better than any alarm clock to blast me out of my cozy slumber. When I open my eyes, I blink a few times at the unfamiliar surroundings before remembering where I am. Mmm. Right. I’m in Dak’s bedroom, in Dak’s bed. Except, his side of the bed is empty. I roll over and press my nose into his pillow and inhale so deeply I may suffocate myself with feathers. The scent of him is everywhere. It’s so yummy, even better than the smell of bacon and eggs. I stretch and languish in the afterglow of what happened last night. It was amazing! He was incredible! I was incredible! I’m no longer an anxiety-ridden freakazoid!
I didn’t cringe when he touched me. And I was the one who made him feel everything he felt last night. I did that to him. Sean’s main interest in bed was to give me instructions on how to make him feel good. I have to admit, the dude knew all about the best way to give a blowjob.
The whole thing is so ironic. After allowing myself to be so controlled and used by Sean, I took a little something away from the horrible experience, which has allowed me to feel more confident after all. I may do a happy I still-got-it dance right here in bed, like the one Diane Lane did in Under the Tuscan Sun after sleeping with the hot Italian dude.
“You awake, Sleeping Beauty?” Dak says from the doorway. He has his sweatpants on but he’s still shirtless. He’s so beautiful standing there smiling at me. I could lie here all day admiring his muscled chest and roped abs or better yet, licking them. He walks over to the bed and bends down to brush a soft kiss across my lips.
“Hi.” I give him a sleepy grin.
“Hi,” he answers in a hushed tone. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“I’m feeling pretty fabulous.” I stretch in pleasure.
“That’s because you are fabulous.” He brushes light kisses down my neck.
I run my fingers along the fuck-sexy morning scruff on his face and find myself wondering what it would feel like scratching against the skin between my thighs. The thought causes heat to coil in my stomach and I’m rubbing my legs together to soothe the growing ache for him.
He can already read my movements like a book. When he glances up his eyes deepen to a sultry dusk blue and then he returns to the exploration of my neck with his lips and finds the spot just under my earlobe, which sends my hormones racing.
“You drive me crazy, baby. I could eat you for breakfast.” He nibbles along my neck.
“Dakota…” I purr.
He bends his head back so he’s looking into my eyes again. “Tracey.” My name is a prayer on his lips.
I’m about to tell him how much I want him inside me, right this second. Until he says, “As much as I want to climb back in this bed with you, baby girl, we need to get to the rink and start working on our routine. We’re going to rock their world when they see us skate together.” He leans in and gives me another soft kiss. How can he be all logical and shit at a time like this? I would rather he rock my world.
“We’ve got all day. Hold that thought.”
What thought? I know he’s got bionic abilities at everything he does, but can he read my mind too?
“The only thing I’m thinking is…” I run my fingers down his chest and his skin quivers at my touch, “…how much I really, really want…” I sweep my fingers down his abs to the waist of his pants and feel the thick bulge of his erection move inside his sweatpants. “To eat bacon and eggs, right now.” Giggling, I grab the pillow next to me and push it into his face.
“You little tease. Get out of that bed right this second.” He throws the pillow back at me, laughing, but I move out of the way before it hits me.
Scrambling out of the bed to get away from him, I run out the door and down the stairs to the kitchen. I’m still giggling when I run into the kitchen, stopping dead in my tracks when I see Dalt and Wolfe sitting at the table.
Wolfe smiles at me over his coffee cup. “Morning, sweetheart. You have a good night?”
“Did you get your research project done?” Dalt asks, obviously trying to hold back a grin.
“Yes, as a matter of fact we…” Holy crap. When I notice Wolfe eyeing me up and down, I remember I’m in Dak’s t-shirt. Only Dak’s t-shirt, nothing else.
When Dak walks in the room behind me, Wolfe adds, “You must’ve had a seriously hard time agreeing on what info to use, the way you were yelling at Dakota…screaming his name.” Wolfe snickers into his coffee.
I turn toward Dak. We stare at each other for a second before we simultaneously raise our hands and high five each other. “Yup. It was pretty much the best research I’ve ever done in my life.” Dak grins and moves to pull a chair out from the table for me. “Take a seat. I’ll make you a plate.”
I walk right over, chin held high, pull Dak’s t-shirt down to my knees, and take a seat. “You guys should try some real research sometime,” I offer matter-of-factly.
No walk of shame for me. Last night was one of the most wonderful nights of my life. I feel good about everything for the first time in a long time and I have no intention of feeling ashamed of any of it.
“Yeah, assholes. You could all use some real research instead of the shit you do almost every night.” Dak sets a dish filled with scrambled eggs and bacon down in front of me. “Coffee?”
“Yes. Thanks.”
“Cream and sugar?”
“Yes. Please.”
“Milady,” Dak says, placing a steaming mug of coffee in front of me. He bends down and kisses me on the cheek. This show of affection in front of his friends feels a bit strange, even though they obviously could hear us loud and clear in the bedroom last night.
Wolfe almost spits out his coffee. “Who are you and what the fuck did you do with Dak Andersen?”
“Shut up, Wolfe,” Dak and Dalt admonish him in unison.
None of us laugh the way we did last night when the same thing happened at the table. It’s like we’re all aware Dak and I crossed beyond a friendship line. The question is, can we stick to our plan of no strings, no messy feelings and keep our friendship? No. The question is, can I?
***
After inhaling my breakfast, I run home to take a shower and change into dance clothes for our first off-ice practice session. I don’t even get my foot on the first step before Nikki calls out from the living room.
“No way. Get your ass right over here, Tracey Hayward.”
Wow. She’s going to make someone a wonderful mother someday.
“I’m in a hurry, Nikki,” I say, stepping into the living room. “What do you need?”
“I need you to tell me what the fuck happened last night. Come on, girl. Spill it.”
“Nothing happened. We got our project done…it took all night.” I suck in my bottom lip and worry it between my teeth.
“Tra-cey,” she drawls and waggles a finger at me. “I haven’t known you long, but I already know when you bite on your bottom lip, you’re either very nervous or thinking really hard. Right now I’ll bet you’re nervous and thinking hard about what kind of story you can tell me instead of telling me the truth. You need to tell me. I’m dying to know. Was he as good as they say? No way, right? No one can be that good.”
Um. Yes, they can.
“Nikki, there’s nothing to tell. We didn’t have sex. Gotta go. We’re going to the rink to practice.”
“Are you telling me you spent another night with the hottest guy on campus and nothing happened? Have you seen you? There is no way Dak would’ve missed climbing all over that body.”
“We did not have sex. We…we…did other things. Okay? Got to go. I’m in a hurry. We’ll talk later.” I hurry out of the room before she can say another word.
As I’m running up the stairs she calls out, “After I get back from my touch football game, I want to hear every dirty, luscious detail.”