That statement made me snort. “Oh, is that so? You imagined me naked while I was skating?” I teased. Somehow, I was pretty sure that Helena hadn’t just imagined me naked, but hopefully, she wouldn’t have to imagine anything much longer. When I told her as much, Helena gave another laugh. I grinned.
Making Helena laugh was never going to get old.
“Come on, let me take you home,” I told her after another soft kiss. My house wasn’t far from the rink. As we drove, Helena told me about her trip, about the people she’d seen and about how comfy the first-class seats I’d insisted she let me buy had been.
Pulling into the drive, I waved my hand towards the house. “Home sweet home,” I said, giving a small chuckle. “I’m actually a bit worried you won’t like it,” I admitted. It was silly. It was just a house, but it was my house and I did want Helena to like it.
“Of course I’m going to like it,” Helena announced, opening the door and gazing up at my house while I got her bags from the trunk. “No one raised by your mom could live in a house that didn’t feel like a home,” she pointed out. “Besides, you did so well with Pat’s house!”
And yeah, those things were true, but they didn’t calm the racing of my heart as I pushed the door open to let Helena inside.
Dropping the bags by the door, all of my attention fixed on Helena as she moved down the hall.
“Wow, Sam! It’s so much like you!”
That made me give a soft laugh. I’d spent a long time trying to make the place look lived in. For the first few years of owning the house, it had looked empty. Then, when Becca had moved in, she’d done a lot to make it look like a home. But it had been our home together rather than reflecting me as an individual, so after we’d broken up, I’d tried all over again to make it mine.
But the idea of having Helena put her touch on the decor was... pretty pleasing, actually.
“I’m not sure exactly what makes it so much like me,” I teased lightly. “Is it the hockey posters?” I joked. There were a couple of hockey posters and pictures throughout the house, framed because I was an adult. Getting my posters framed had felt very grown-up.
“I even have some books, somewhere,” I informed Helena as I led her through to the living room where there genuinely was a bookshelf, even if it was mostly filled with sports-related books.
She laughed, running her fingers along the spines and tilting her head to read the titles. “But not so many books that there isn’t space for me to leave some here,” she said, glancing at me with a smile. “I like that.”
That kind of touch was exactly what I’d had in mind. Having Helena’s law books, romances, and thrillers scattered between my sports books would make it feel like the space belonged to both of us.
“It’s not just the hockey stuff,” she said, returning to my comment about what made the place feel like me. “It’s… big, obviously, but you’ve managed to make it cozy.”
The compliment made me beam. Helena hadn’t seen the place before I’d actively tried to make it homely. Even now, she had only seen the living room, which, to be fair, was my best effort! Still, I wanted her to see everything else, too.
“Let me give you a tour,” I said, tugging her hand. While the house was big, it wasn’t so big that the tour took very long. We lingered in the gym, mostly because Helena had started kissing me. The kitchen, too, made up a longer part of the tour; this time, it was because Helena wanted to go through all the cupboards and learn where things were.
When we finally made it to the bedroom, I pulled her in against me. “So, did you want to see those muscles?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.
Helena laughed, her hand running over my chest through the fabric of my shirt. “Obviously, I do,” she answered, tipping her head back so she could look up at me. “But you’ve just played a whole match! Aren’t you tired?”
It made me smile that she would ask. The last time Helena had been around me immediately post-game, I’d been ten years younger. It made sense to wonder whether I’d had more energy then.
Which, in all fairness, I probably had. However, I would find the energy to get naked with Helena. Always. With my hands against Helena’s hips, I pulled her in closer. My body pressed into hers, heat spreading through me. We hadn’t done this since getting back together. There had been some amazing make-out sessions but we hadn’t taken it further in those few days together.
Now, we had the whole weekend. I fully planned to take advantage of that.
Taking one of Helena’s hands, I lead it to the hem of my shirt. “Do you want to feel them? They’re very impressive muscles,” I informed her, sliding her fingers under the material and smirking down at her.
Her breath caught a fraction of a second before I leaned down to capture her lips with mine. She gasped into the kiss, her fingers spanning the ridges of my abs. The muscles jumped under her touch, making Helena hum appreciatively.
Pulling back, she scattered kisses across my chest as her fingers worked the buttons of my shirt open. “They really are very nice muscles,” she praised, the compliment spreading a warmth through me.
I hadn’t doubted that she’d still find me attractive. But it was good to be completely sure.
Raising my arms, I let Helena slide the shirt off me, smirking at the way her breath caught. After an evening
