Liam pressed his lips to hers, drinking in her gasps. Pleasure tingled at the base of his spine. He bucked his hips wildly until his release crashed over him like a tidal wave.
He collapsed, boneless. When he had the strength to move, he shifted to his side, dealt with the condom, and then drew her against him.
She smiled and kissed him, snuggling into him with a sigh. Her fingers traced patterns over his chest that both relaxed and teased.
His brain was fried. He couldn't think of a single thing to say.
He combed his fingers through her hair, amazed that he finally had her in his bed.
She looked good there.
Damn good.
He wanted her all over again.
But her breathing had slowed and deepened and the hand tracing over his skin grew heavy and then stopped. Eyes closed, her body relaxed fully as she fell to sleep.
Liam dragged the blanket at the foot of the bed up with his foot. Shifting carefully so he wouldn't disturb his sleeping beauty, he pulled the blanket over them, then switched off the light.
He lay in the darkness with his arm wrapped around Claire's waist, mulling over the effects of fate.
Maybe the busted ankle had happened so that they'd come into each other's lives. His mother always said that the best things came along when you weren't looking for them. He hadn't been looking for Claire, but he couldn't deny the spark he'd immediately felt upon meeting her, or how it had grown stronger and brighter until it could power all of L.A.
He'd tried to push aside the thoughts about what would happen or could happen after he'd been cleared to return to his job, but they continued to creep in, especially now that he was about to begin physical therapy. The uncertainty was too great. What he needed to do was enjoy the next several weeks with Claire, definitely doing a lot more of what they'd done tonight, but the little things too.
She sighed in her sleep and shifted closer. Liam pressed a kiss to her forehead and wrapped his arm tighter around her. He liked having her close. The old line keep your friends close and your enemies closer flitted through his mind. Claire wasn't his enemy, even though she might end up with his job if things didn't go well. She definitely was his friend, but more than that, too.
He thought of Fin and Fiona. Fin had found his mate, even though Great Whites were mostly solitary creatures. Liam hadn't ever given the matter much thought, too wrapped up in his job and his friends to think about his future or who he wanted to share it with.
But Claire made him think.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SLADE
SLADE STOOD AND STRETCHED and then gathered his bag from the bus's overhead compartment. One week on the road, four games in St. Louis, followed by three games in Milwaukee, followed by the slowest flight and bus ride of his life, and finally, they'd arrived back at the baseball stadium's parking lot.
Most of his teammates were talking about getting into their cars and going home to their families or significant others. A few others were planning to hit the closest bar.
He should go home and rest his body, but eight o'clock on a Sunday evening wasn't too late to stop in and see Savanna.
Dom waited for him outside the bus. "Heading home?"
"Nah. I thought I might take a drive."
"Any place in particular? Like Savanna's."
"Yeah. Like Savanna's."
"Let me give you some advice." Dom patted the roof of his car. "Go for it. But make it last." He grinned, his pearly whites practically glowing in the dark. "See you here tomorrow."
Slade nodded and hugged him and then headed to his car. He hadn't been sure what time the game would end or how the flight or bus ride would be, so he hadn't called her in case their arrival would be delayed.
Hopefully, she wouldn't mind him showing up, unannounced.
Thirty minutes later, he knocked on her door.
Locks clicked, and then it opened. Savanna's hair was drawn into a high ponytail and she wore a white tank top and gray shorts that rode high on her hips. Smiling, she launched herself into Slade's arms. Slade slung his travel bag behind him as he adjusted his grip around Savanna's waist. He pressed his hand into the small of her back and walked her the few steps inside. His mouth fused to hers as he kicked the door closed behind him.
Need. The word pounded through him with every beat of his heart.
So much need.
He set her down to lock the door and drop his bag on the floor. And then he cradled her face in his hands. "Hi."
"Hi." Her hands traveled up his chest and curled into his shirt. Like a magnet seeking its mate, she strained toward him.
Stroking his thumb against her cheek, he lowered his head until their lips met.
They'd seen each other once more the weekend after their para-sailing adventure and his visit with his parents, for a quick drink last Saturday night. He and Savanna had spent time with Liam and Claire, Dom and his wife Irisa, and Adam and his wife Gemma before the guys had left for the road trip. He'd loved how the eight of them had gotten along. But right now, last Saturday seemed pretty far away.
Her hands clung to his biceps and she angled her head seeking a deeper taste. Slade was glad to accommodate. His tongue tangled with hers, firm licks that stoked his need higher when she caressed his with equal passion. He moved his hands over her, desperate to touch every inch. Slade traced the line of her neck, the slope of her shoulder, and across her collarbones. She wasn't wearing a bra. That thought registered a second before he grazed his fingers along her nipples straining against the shirt's material.
Soft fingers worked at the buttons of his shirt, opening the row
