Against All Odds (Holt Hockey Book 2)

Grace

Levi’s mouth found mine urgently as the screams of the New Year rang in below us. I dragged my fingers through his overgrown hair, feeling slightly guilty that it was cold. His hands held my face as I gripped my legs around his waist. We couldn’t be closer if we tried. As the clock had ticked down and down, I’d found myself getting nervous. If Levi hadn’t walked into his bedroom, I would have collected my keys and spent the rest of my night trying to find him.

“I’ve literally been across the entire campus tonight,” he said between kisses. “Please tell me you haven’t been in here the whole time.” 

“Only about five minutes,” I admitted. “I panicked and came up here when Ryker turned up.”

Levi grinned against my lips. He carried me further into the room, kicking the door closed behind him.

“Why were you scared to see him?”

Levi’s smirk was palpable. He knew why. But he wanted me to say it.

“Because I love you, Levi Holloway. Only you.”

I returned my lips to his, trying to convey how much he meant to me. Levi thought I was leaving us to chance with the scavenger hunt, but he was wrong. It was him. It always had been. It always would be. And now I was done playing games. I didn’t want to waste any more time with each other. Levi seemed to feel the same. He carried us to the bed, lowering us so I was straddling his lap.

“I’ve missed you.” He kissed below my mouth. “So fucking much.” He kissed my jaw. “And I love you too.” He kissed my throat. “Grace Hughes.” He kissed my collarbone. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making things up to you.”

I lifted my arms in the air.

“You can start now.”

He arched one eyebrow. “You don’t want to go back to the party?”

I shook my head as I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. He grinned wickedly.

“My pleasure.”

He accepted the invitation and peeled my jumper over my head. After smoothing down my hair, he tucked a piece behind my ear. His eyes darkened as his gaze travelled across my chest.

“Is that a tan line,” he gasped, slipping the strap of my bra down.

“It’s summer back home,” I reminded him.

“I’m trying not to get jealous imagining the bikini, or lack-there-of, this tan line implies you were wearing.” His lips thinned. “Speaking of jealous, did anything happen with the ex-who-must-not-be-named?”

“Of course not. He has a girlfriend.” I combed my fingers through Levi’s hair. “And besides. I have a boyfriend. Don’t I?”

Levi smirked. “Yeah you fucking do.”

His mouth found mine again, igniting every cell in my body. I’d missed him, and this, so much. I pushed the puffer coat off his shoulders. Then he pulled back momentarily to whip his hoodie and t-shirt off in one swift movement. I ran my hands over his bare chest, muscle memory reminding me of the hard panes and smooth skin. When I palmed his dick, he groaned.

“I missed this,” he said, his hand moving to rub between my legs.

“Prove it.”

He smirked before dancing his fingers over my bra.

“Is this new?”

“Mmhm. I bought it for you.”

His teeth sunk into the skin above it. “I guess we can leave it on for a bit longer then.”

I rocked back on my feet so I could unzip his pants. My hands were shaking with need, so he did it for me. I climbed off fully to ditch my own jeans. I didn’t take stock of where they landed as I threw them away. I wouldn’t be needing them anytime soon. Maybe not even tomorrow if I had my way. When I returned to the bed, Levi rolled us around, so his weight was hovering over me. My chest heaved up and down when he ground his dick against me. If he did that again, I wouldn’t be surprised if I came. I was starving for him. Things became a blur of roaming hands and drawn-out kisses. I half sat up to take off my bra. He pulled back to slip off both our underwear. Then his hands were back between my legs. Teasing. Toying. Setting me on fire. I could do that as well. I wrapped my hand around his shaft, moving it up and down in slow, painful strokes. He growled, his eyes turning to smoke. I spread my legs, purposely positioning him right at my entrance. Each time I moved my wrist the tip of him entered me. It was torture for both of us. But something told me he was going to crack sooner.

“Grace,” he warned.

“Levi,” I innocently returned.

He thrust into me, in one tense and shuddering movement. I cried out, overcome by the pleasure of being with him again. I hooked my legs around his waist, deepening the contact. His arms rested on either side of my head. I wrapped my hands around his wrists, literally needing to hold on. Our hips met in frenzied thrusts. The type that left bruises as a reminder. 

“Wait,” Levi choked out. “Stop.”

I frowned, my entire body tensing.

“Tell me about your flight,” he said.

I gawked at him. “My flight?”

“Yes. I’ve missed you so fucking much and if you move your hips like–”

“Like this?” I teased, inclining my hips to meet his.

“Like fucking that,” he grit, pinning my hips down with his own. “This will be over before it starts.”

I giggled wickedly. “It was long.”

“Yeah?”

“The food was gross.”

“Really?”

“And the plane was full of screaming children.”

He grimaced. “Maybe leave kids out of it.”

He looked up at the ceiling, throat working as he swallowed. I rested my hand on his chest, feeling the rhythmic beats of his heart beneath my fingertips. He was painfully beautiful. And not just because he was stereotypically attractive and an animal on the ice. He was incredibly loyal. And bravely confident. And uncharacteristically thoughtful. And I loved him so much that the possibility of this ending after graduation was as impossible as me becoming a professional ice skater.

“Okay.” He nodded. “I think I’m good.”

“Thank god.”

Slowly, Levi began to move again. I rose my hips to meet his. We were no longer frenzied. The mood had shifted. To something more intense, something revolutionary. Something I sure as hell would never come back from. We both inhaled sharply as the overwhelming sensations took hold of each of us. This felt so right. We felt so right. Levi interlaced our hands, pinning them on either side of my head. We moved in sync. It was hard to believe anything could feel this good. And I wasn’t just thinking about the sex. My head fell back as a wave built in me. Levi kissed my throat, leaving a searing brand below my jaw. Asshole. Lucky it was scarf season. He released one of my hands so he could move his thumb to brush over my clit. I gasped.

“Levi, I’m–”

“I know.”

The wave crashed, raining over me in a drawn-out finale. My thoughts scattered. All I could focus on was Levi. His arms tensed before his body went slack over mine, his dick pulsing as he came in me. An immediate influx of exhaustion hit me. I’d barely slept on the flight, the angst of seeing Levi being too much to handle. Now I was here, I expect I’d have the best night’s sleep in weeks. Safely in his arms. Maybe we could wake up part way through the night and do that again.

“Grace?” Levi’s tone was measured and calm.

“Yeah?”

“I really am sorry.”

“I know. But I really do forgive you.”

His lips pulled up in a soft smile as his eyes searched mine.

“What happens when we graduate?”

I chuckled. “This conversation can’t wait?”

He shook his head. “I can’t lose you again.”

“Not going to happen.”

I untangled my hand so I could run my fingers along his jaw.

“I didn’t plan on bringing this up while you’re, you know, still in me, but I spoke to my brothers.”

He frowned. “About?”

“They’re going to spend time here next year. And I’ll fly home in the off-season for a while. Hopefully with you as well. Then maybe we can meet them in Hawaii whenever you get a short break.”

Levi was looking at me like I’d just solved all the world’s problems, and like I was his entire universe. I got it. I did. Because he was mine.

His voice was gravelly when he asked, “You’re staying?”

I nodded. “I’m staying.”

Our mouths collided again, this kiss saying more than either of us could. Once we were both breathless Levi pulled back and rested his forehead against mine.

“Happy New Year, Hughesy.”

I arched my back to kiss him. “Happy New Year, Holloway.”