Off the Record

  I step down into the huge claw foot bathtub, the bubbles tickling at my calves. Then I sink back into the most amazing cushion of a man...Linc Caldwell. His soapy, slick skin presses to my back and his arms wrap around me as I settle in between his legs. My head falls back to rest on his chest and my eyes close.

  I'm so tired yet exhilarated at the same time. For the past two days, Linc has been insatiable...and well, so have I.

  When he followed me back to the bedroom after I had given him that blow job--which by the way was an amazing experience in and of itself--he attacked me before I could even make it to the bed. The man apparently needed no recovery time because he picked me up and tossed me on the bed, tearing the rest of my clothes off. I was startled because he was already naked, apparently having ditched his clothes somewhere in between the living room and bedroom.

  He was all over me, and I was all over him. He covered my body with his own and engaged me in the most hot, steamy and passionate kiss I've ever had in my life. All the while, his hands explored. They were rough, then gentle. Pinching...rubbing...smoothing over my skin. As his tongue roamed my mouth, I closed my eyes and I swear it felt like a million different touches were gliding over my body.

  My hands and mouth did no less to him. I was thrilled to lick over the hard lines and planes of his body. The way his shoulders bunched and flexed as I dug my fingertips in. Or the hard gasp of pleasure he made into my mouth when I reached between us to wrap my hand around his thickness.

  It was at that point that he moved from my mouth downward. He stopped to pay exquisite attention to my breasts, but it wasn't enough. I was achy and full of need. My hands were moving everywhere on him. My thighs were locked against his ribs as he pulled and sucked at my nipples, squeezing the breath out of him I'm sure.

  "Linc...please...I need you."

  He moved up my body again, sealing his mouth over mine. His hand went between my legs and I practically screamed into his mouth when he plunged two fingers into me at once. I could feel my muscles squeezing and clamping on him, and he moaned again over my reaction.

  "You are so fucking wet...hot...you're driving me crazy."

  "Linc...now..."

  He removed his fingers and settled himself between my thighs. He was huge and pulsing. I rubbed myself against him, causing him to pull away from my mouth and bury his head into my neck with a groan. "Ever...I don't have much control left."

  I tilted my hips up to his, frantic with the need to get him inside of me. I could feel my blood rushing through my veins, pounding in my head. "Good...let go Linc."

  He did nothing more than hiss the word, "Fuck" into my ear and then started pushing his way inside while his face stayed buried in my neck.

  I wrapped my legs around and dug my heels into his ass, urging him in. I was mindless, out of control. All I could think about was needing him inside of me. It was like there was this itch inside of me that would turn me inside out if I didn't have him.

  With a wordless grunt, he sank himself inside of me and then he went still for just a minute. I closed my eyes and just felt him...hard and throbbing.

  Linc pulled his face away from my neck and stared at me. Oh my God, the look in his eyes was almost frightening. It was hotter than the depths of Hell and I even noted lines of strain around his eyes, like he was fighting with himself to slow down.

  I stared right back at him and said with my own determination, "Don't you even think about slowing this down, Linc."

  His face actually looked pained over my words but he did what I wanted him to. He grabbed my legs and hooked his arms underneath of them, spreading me wide and pulling my hips up off the bed.

  Then he started pounding inside of me. There was no slow, delicious build up to his speed and strength. He started out giving me all he had. Every time he slammed in, a shock of molten electricity shot through my body and I could feel my entire body tightening in anticipation of something to come...something that I wasn't even sure I could handle.

  Linc spoke to me in staccato words and through gritted teeth as he slammed in and pulled out. "Fucking...feels...so good...more...want more..."

  His words started pushing me toward the edge. And for a fleeting moment, I thought of Marc...and that in the two years we were together, and the countless times we had sex, I had never...ever...felt anything like this. And then Marc was gone and I focused my eyes on Linc's face.

  His eyes bore into mine and he growled, "I'm close...you better come with me, Ever. You better fucking come with me."

  That was all I needed and the dam broke loose. An explosion of pleasure so intense, it bordered on painful, ripped through my entire body. I felt every muscle in my body tense and then release, and for a split second, I couldn't feel anything. It was like I was suspended in nothingness. Then wave, after wave of pure orgasmic delight flooded through me. Linc's name came out of my mouth like a prayer.

  He answered me by giving one more, hard thrust, then he threw his head back with his eyes closed. I felt him pulse inside of me and he bit down on his bottom lip so hard, I thought he would bleed. His whole body shuddered and when he opened his eyes, they were no less heated than before. He made contact with my gaze, which I'm sure was wondrous and sated all at once, and his hips reflexively jerked against me as he rode out all of the tremors running through his body.

  Then his weight sagged against me where he stayed for just a brief moment before rolling to the side, pulling me with him.

  We laid like that for several minutes, our chests mashed against one another. I focused on the mad beating of our hearts, which strangely seemed to be in sync. Linc's arms were wrapped tightly around me, his chin resting on top of my head. I reveled in the feeling, which caused a weird pang in my chest. Could my ice be cracking?

  Linc then pulled back suddenly. "Fuck...we didn't use protection. I got so caught up...I didn't think..."

  Okay, that brought my warm and fuzzies down.

  I looked up at him and the panic on his face was chilling. "I'm on the pill, so we don't have to worry about pregnancy." I hesitated over what I wanted to say next, because it was embarrassing to me. "I'm clean though. After Marc cheated on me...I went to the doctor to get checked out. I was so afraid..."

  Linc pulled me back closer to him and kissed the top of my head. "Don't think about him. And I'm clean, too. I mean...I've never had sex without a condom before. And Christ, Ever...that was the best fucking feeling in the world."

  I smiled into his neck over those words. I know that was the best freakin' orgasm I'd ever had and I'm pleased that he felt rocked by the experience.

  "But I can wear a condom next time if you want," he said hesitantly.

  I just shook my head in the negative and whispered against his neck. "There's going to be a next time, huh?"

  I couldn't see his face but I could feel him smile. It radiated through his body. "Yeah...there's definitely going to be a next time."

  As I sit in the tub, with Linc just holding me, I can't help but feel a little squirmy thinking about that first time. And it only got better from there. We christened about every room and piece of furniture that the cabin held. It was a complete house of iniquity.

  I have never been sexually inhibited, at least not with my only other experience, which was Marc. But I don't think I realized just how much of a blow to my sexual self-esteem I'd taken until I sat here in this tub, with an amazingly hot and wonderful man, and realized just how satisfied I feel at this moment. I mean, I don't have any illusions that this is anything other than extremely gratifying sex. I do know that neither my heart nor my head is willing to venture in that direction. I'm still harboring too much hurt over my past experiences.

  "What are you thinking?" Linc murmurs in my ear. He's picked up the soap and has started rubbing it over my breasts. I wiggle my backside against him and I can feel him getting hard.

  "I'm actually just thinking that you've helped me overcome a little of my sexual insecurity I had been feeling since Marc chea
ted on me." I know honesty is usually the best policy, but I'm surprised I let that little admission slip out.

  Linc takes the soap and rubs it over my stomach and I sigh. "You have nothing to be insecure about. You are without a doubt the sexiest woman I have ever been with."

  I run my hands up and down his thighs as they cradle me. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Caldwell."

  His hand holding the soap slides down further and he rubs it between my legs, immediately igniting all of my nerves into a frenzy. "I'm not flattering you," he growls in my ear. He drops the soap so his fingers can begin to work me and he whispers into my ear with each movement.

  "I'm telling you the truth."

  One finger goes in. "All I can seem to think about is the next time I can crawl inside of you."

  He adds another finger and my legs fall even further open. "I think about coming deep inside of you."

  His thumb moves over that one spot that he has seemingly mastered in little to no time. "I think about the way your body clenches around me when you come."

  He pushes down with his thumb and my heels dig into the end of the tub, looking for traction so I can push back against him.

  He grazes his teeth against my neck and moves his fingers and his thumb in tandem. "In fact...I want to see you come now."

  And that's all it takes and I'm exploding...shattering...melting.

  When my body finishes rocking against his hand, he removes it. He bites down gently on my shoulder, then kisses it. "That's what I wanted. I knew you'd give it to me. See...you are the sexiest woman I've ever known."

  If Linc had not been holding on to me, I would have slipped helplessly under the water. I was utterly replete but vaguely dissatisfied that I came by his hand and not by the insanely delicious erection that was pressing into my backside.

  But Linc is not one to leave things unfinished...this I've come to understand. He stands up suddenly, cradling me in his arms. Stepping out of the tub, he says, "Let's go back to bed. We have some other things we need to do."

  Wyoming takes my breath away. Linc takes my breath away. I'm surprised I haven't suffocated to death between the two.

  We've been in the car all day driving. We headed north from the cabin and traveled through the Teton National Forest, before heading into Yellowstone. We came in through the south entrance and headed west so I could get my first look at Old Faithful. When it erupted, shooting a plume of water over a hundred feet into the air, I know I should have been humbled by the spectacle. Instead, all I could think about was how good Linc's arms felt wrapped around me as we both watched the geyser.

  I will have to admit, I was finally able to put my lustful thoughts of Linc aside when we traveled through the Hayden Valley. We pulled over on the side of the road and watched a herd of probably two hundred buffalo graze on the open plains. The beasts were enormous and they are quite dangerous, but we maintained a respectful distance. I did have a slight panic attack when we had to stop our car in the road while two buffalo crossed in front of us. They were as large as our car and if they wanted to ram us, we would have been in a world of hurt. As it turned out, nothing happened other than I snapped off some amazing photographs as they walked within two feet of the front of the car.

  We are now lying on a blanket in the soft grass near a picnic area. We had stopped in Jackson before heading out this morning and picked up some deli sandwiches and drinks. Our hunger satisfied, we are both content to lie beside each other and watch the fluffy clouds roll across the azure sky.

  "How did you know you wanted to be a reporter," Linc asks.

  "A fortuitous stint on my high school's newspaper. I found that I loved digging for facts and telling stories. It just seemed natural to me."

  Linc picks up a lock of my hair and twirls it between his fingers. I flip on my side and rest my head on my hand so I can look at him. "How about you? How did hockey become your calling?"

  "Kind of the same thing. It just felt natural. Dad worked a lot of hours at the shipyard so Nix and I could play hockey. It's not an inexpensive sport. Luckily I excelled at it."

  "Nix played hockey?"

  Linc grins. "Yeah, but he's wasn't very good."

  I laugh. "Nope. I guess everyone has their own thing they are good at, right?"

  Linc is solemn when he says, "Yeah...Nix was a great soldier. He's a hero."

  "Emily told me he fought in Afghanistan and was injured, but I didn't push for any details. It seemed sort of private."

  Linc is quiet then he rolls toward me and wraps his arms around my waist. "It's not a secret or anything. Nix got pretty banged up saving some of his fellow Marines. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions."

  "You're kidding? That's an amazing honor."

  "I know. There is no finer man than my brother in all the world. I wish I had half the courage and bravery he does."

  "You love him a lot."

  "That I do. Even when he is being a pain in the ass."

  I giggle at that thought. "Well, remind me to give him a hug next time I see him...to thank him for his sacrifices."

  "How about we just stick with you giving him a nice handshake. The only man you should be hugging is me."

  Looping my arms around Linc's neck, I say, "Is that so?"

  Linc tilts his head and nuzzles along my jaw. "Absolutely. I'm feeling very proprietary toward you right now."

  I want to laugh at his statement but then his lips touch my jaw and I forget all about laughing. But I still have the presence of mind to murmur, "Sounds like jealousy to me."

  Linc continues to kiss from my jaw up to my ear. When his lips reach their target, he whispers, "I admit...I'd be jealous of any man that touched you. In fact, I think I'd do them severe bodily harm."

  His words warm me but they also tickle me. I never thought Linc would be the jealous type. "Does that include kicking your brother's ass if I hugged him?" I tease.

  "That would give me great pleasure, actually. Make up for all the times he beat me up when we were kids."

  I try to think of a snappy comeback but then Linc's mouth is on mine and my mind goes blank as glass. He plunders softly while his hands move up and down my back. I can't help but move my hips in toward his and when we make contact, I can feel how hard he is for me.

  We kiss for a few more minutes but then I pull away. As much as I would love nothing more than to strip us out of our clothes and let Linc bury himself in me, I still have barely enough presence of mind to remember we are in a public, national park.

  We both let out mutual sighs when the kiss breaks.

  "I could make a full time job out of kissing you," I tell him.

  "If you can figure a way for us to get paid doing that, I'll gladly quit the NHL."

  I smile at his words and close my eyes. Linc continues to stroke his hand up and down my hip and it's a bit frightening to me how much I cherish his touch.

  When we had finally both given into this mutual lust we were harboring, I never thought of this as anything more than having a fantastically good time with a man I was becoming to admire quite a bit.

  But when he does something so simple as stroke my hip, and I want to just sigh into the touch and feel, it worries me a bit. I don't want to enjoy something so much that I will miss it when it's gone. And I know there will be a day when this is gone.

  "What's your favorite color?" he asks. My eyes fly open at the absurdly simple question.

  "Yellow. Why?"

  He grins at me. "Just trying to get to know you better. Now ask me something."

  "What's your favorite junk food?"

  Linc sighs. "Ahhh. Nothing like Barbeque Fritos."

  I wrinkle my nose. "That's gross."

  "Favorite movie?" he continues.

  "Titanic. Who was the first girl you kissed?"

  "Karmen Villachez...second grade. No tongue was involved though. What's the scariest thing you've ever done?"

  "Besides watching The Walking Dead with you? Hmmm...I rode The Loch
ness Monster at Busch Gardens when I was ten and peed my pants. And no comments about that please. Favorite song?"

  Linc snickers but answers me quickly. "Man In The Box...Alice in Chains. Favorite childhood memory...preferably one that doesn't involve wetting yourself?"

  I tense up slightly because my favorite memory had actually once involved my dad. It was when he brought me a huge bouquet of roses for one of my dance recitals. He was supposed to be out of town on business, but he didn't go and surprised me instead. But I refuse to let that be a favorite memory now.

  "Um...I can't think of one off the top of my head. What's your favorite sexual position?"

  Linc chokes. "What? How did we get from colors and songs to sexual positions?"

  My devious plan worked. I really wanted to get his attention away from my childhood memories, but now that we are talking about it, the idea has merit.

  "Oh, come on. Don't be shy. Tell me," I egg him on.

  Linc's eyes get dark. He brings his hand up from my hip and grips my jaw, forcing my eyes to his. "My favorite position is any time I'm buried balls deep inside of you."

  I cannot help the shudder than runs through my body. I sure hope no one is looking because I bring my hand down and cup him. He lets out a groan as I flex my hand over his hardness. Heat flares through me and I am overwhelmed by desire for him.

  Linc leans toward me and runs his tongue over the seam in my lips. "What's your favorite position?"

  "I like you on top of me. I like you in control. I like it when you possess me."

  Linc presses his forehead to mine and takes a deep, stuttering breath. "God, Ever. You are going to be the death of me. Have you seen about all of Yellowstone you want?"

  I nod my head. He leans in and gives me a swift kiss, then jumps to his feet, pulling me up behind him. "Good...let's go. I can have you naked and underneath me in less than an hour."

  I don't ever want to go back to reality. I want to stay cocooned here in Wyoming with Ever and live the rest of my days wrapped up in her.

  That's such a pussy thought to have too. If any of my teammates were in my head right now, I'd never hear the end of it. Maybe the only one that would understand is Nix. I know that's how he feels about Emily.

  I have no clue what has come over me. It's beyond my comprehension how in just a few weeks I can go from attraction, to loathing, to lust to something that borders on the softest feelings I've ever had toward the female persuasion.