The Hero and the Fat Girl (New Hampshire Bears #3) (16 page)

“Baby.” I rock against his hand as he circles my clit. The friction of the clothing is sending me into a frenzy.

Listen to your body.

“Remington,” I moan, lifting my hips.

He needs to be in me. I have to feel all of him inside me. I start tugging at my shorts, and together, we toss them to the side.

“You want me on top?” His question is raspy, and he’s breathing heavy.

“Yes.” I don’t even have to think twice about it. He won’t hurt me.

I watch as he pulls his shorts off, tossing them in the same direction as mine. As he springs free, my mouth salivates. The last time, I was still drunk, touching him had been a mixture of curiosity and sexual gratification. This time…I want him.

“I need a condom.” He growls, stroking himself.

Can he get any hotter?

“You’re fine. I promise.” I can’t get pregnant, and I know neither of us has anything.

He lines up with me and pushes in. When I was on top, it felt deep, but now it felt…
right
. Two puzzle pieces coming together is the only way I can describe it. Remington completes me.

He pumps in and out of me as I grip his shoulders tightly. I even wrap my legs around his hips. I need him deeper, harder, faster.

“Baby,” I’m not sure why I keep calling him baby, but it feel right from my lips. “Harder.”

Remington complies and slams into me. His grunts in my ears almost bring a sense of serenity to me. I’m having sex with Remington, and he’s on top of me. I’m not scared or having a panic attack. I want this, and I’m okay.

The wave of the orgasm slams into me, and my body shakes. Remington finds the same satisfaction. He collapses on me, and the sounds of our erratic breathing fill the room.

“Am I hurting you?” He kisses my cheek.

“No.” And he isn’t either. I welcome his weight and warmth.

He pulls out of me and rolls on his back, taking me with him. I rest my head on his chest and listen to his thumping heartbeat.

I’m safe in his arms.

He really is my hero.

I let Remington sleep in as I crawl out of his arms in the morning. I slept in his arms all night, and I had no nightmares. I didn’t even take my sleeping pill.

I wake up Arabella and tell her we’re going swimming today. Well, she is, I’m going to yoga and spin class. I’ve been slacking on my exercising and even though I’ve not been eating a lot, I need to get back on track.

We’re almost done with breakfast when Remington appears in the kitchen. How is it possible for him to look even hotter than last night? Flashes of our night make me blush.

“Good morning, ladies.” He kisses the top of Arabella’s head and my cheek.

Oh, how I want to have sex with him again.

“Dad, we’re going swimming,” Arabella announces. “Are you coming?”

“Not today, honey. I have an appointment and I have to help with the last day of hockey camp. How about we have chicken wings tonight?” He compromises.

“Sounds good,” she agrees and takes her bowl to the sink.

“Arabella, go pack your swimsuit and a towel, okay?”

“Okay, Mom.” She races out of the room.

I look over at Remington. “That’s the second time she’s called me Mom.”

“I know.” He nods. “Do you want me to talk with her?”

“No, I’ll do it.” I sigh. “I don’t want her to get confused.”

“She’s eight. I think she’s aware of what she’s doing. Rickie sure as hell hasn’t been a mom to her like you have been.”

“I know, but…” How can I say it? If Remington doesn’t keep Arabella, I’ll just be crushed. I’m protecting myself as much as her. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Okay.” He tugs on my arm to pull me up, and he wraps his arms around me.

Immediately, I relax against his strong frame. “You sure you don’t want me to go to the lawyer’s with you?”

“Nah, go have fun, and I promise to tell you everything he says.”

“Okay.” I give him a soft, swift kiss on the mouth. “We’ll see you later.”

Yoga is exactly what I needed right now. The induced calming effect helps me center myself. My relationship with Remington is messed up, but in a good way. He brings the confidence out of me. I see a fat girl in the mirror, but he sees something else.

Beauty.

Am I beautiful?

No. Well, maybe. I’ll never be a Victoria Secret model, I know that much.

Last night, his touch gave me courage to do more with him and my body. Maybe next time, I’ll take off my shirt. The first time I didn’t wear a shirt, but the alcohol had made me hot. Last night, Remington did only what I asked of him.

After yoga finishes up, I go to the pool and check on Arabella. She seems fine, splashing around with a few other girls. I leave her there and head up to the second floor to the spin class only to find Harlow there.

“Hey girl.” She smiles.

“Hi.” I hop on the bike next to her. “I figured you were working.”

“Nah, Dacey needed to do some wedding planning stuff. Since Keaton is helping at the camp, I figured I’d take a day off.”

“I received Dacey’s invite. She must be getting excited.”

“Not really.” Harlow shakes her head. “Arranged marriages are super strange. Her mom is planning it all, but makes Dacey go with it to all the meetings.”

“Really?”

“She didn’t even pick her own dress.”

I gasp. “Well, that sucks.”

“I still find it all…weird.”

“But it’s their tradition.” I defend, even though I don’t understand it all either.

Dacey and Vance are both terribly nice people but are rooted in deep religious roots. One tradition their families hold tight to is arranged marriage. When the Bears drafted Vance, Dacey moved to the States with him, bringing her sister and brother-in-law, because they’re not allowed to be alone together.

Very strange.

“How are things with Remington? Since you’ve been ignoring me and Meadow. I’m living vicariously through Keaton.” She glares at me.

“I’ve sent you texts.”

“None about what’s going on.”

If looks could kill, Harlow would be a serial killer. She has a glare and stare down that will make one whimper in a corner.

I lean close to her, without falling off my bike. “We had sex,” I whisper.

“What?” she yells, causing some people to turn around. “What?” she gasps again.

“We did. Twice.” I hold up two fingers like she doesn’t know what twice means.

“Oh my God.” She jumps off the bike, pulls me from mine, and drags me out of the cycle room. “You have to tell me everything.” She continues to lead me all the way down to the juice bar where she buys each of us a bottle of water and sits us down.

“You really want me to tell you
everything
?”

“Yes.” She stares at me wide eyed and about to burst.

I take a deep breath and tell her the entire story. Surprisingly, she’s quiet the whole time, listening intently to every word I say.

“I can’t believe it.” She slaps the table. “Of all people, you’d be the last one I’d think would have sex.”

“Why?”

“I know you and he have this sham going, but I thought it was just a sham. But you’re falling in love. He’s obviously head over heels for you.”

“I’m not in love,” I mumble.

“Please.” Harlow rolls her eyes. “It’s written all over your face. You were practically glowing when you were telling me about your romp in bed.”

Love?

It’s impossible.

“Well, I’m going to get Arabella and get home. She has dance class tonight.”

“You’re in love. You’re in love.” She sings over and over as I head to the pool.

Arabella is still splashing and swimming when she looks up and sees me. “Hi Mom.” She calls out, heading to the ladder.

My heart skips beat. Deep down, I think it’ll confuse her calling me mom, when she has Rickie. But a selfish part of me loves to hear the word.

“How about we get cleaned up and changed?” I hand her the towel.

“Great.” She beams, waving at her friends, and we’re off to the locker room.

After showering, changing, letting Arabella use a little bit of my lip-gloss, we are finally heading off. We run several errands together and then pick up lunch. Arabella makes the suggestion to take something to Remington.

Are you hungry?

I can’t promise Arabella he will answer me, but he does.

Starving. Camp finished, but all us guys are still on the ice. Keaton’s trying to kill me.

“Let’s go.” I smile at her.

We order food for the guys and head over to the arena. The first thing Remington gave me, besides my engagement ring, was a family pass for the arena. It grants me access to just about anywhere.

Arabella carries the small bag while I carry the larger one with all burgers. We head down the tunnel only to be greeted by Coach Taden Long. The man is truly the greatest coach in the league, and he’s such a nice man. Well, I think he is. Remington says he’s a bit of a hard ass.

“Coach.” Arabella goes running up to him. It was at the end of year party where I’d been introduced as Remington’s fiancée and everyone met Arabella. Of course, everyone fell in love with her.

“Well, hello.” Coach bends down to her. “What do I owe the pleasure of seeing this bright smile?”

“We’re bringing lunch,” Arabella happily tells him.

“There’s plenty, Coach,” I add. I notice he has a large knot on the side of his forehead and a fading black eye.

“Were you playing hockey?” Arabella points to his injuries.

Coach shakes his head. “I have two left feet and tripped.” He explains away the bruises. “You have fun.” He smiles before walking…well…limping away from us.

Coming through the player’s tunnel, even now, my breath is still taken away by the vast beauty of the arena.

Yes, beauty.

The ice is pure white with the massive logo of the New Hampshire Bears in the middle. The arena chairs are yellow and brown in a pattern to repeatedly spell out
Bears
.

On the ice is a slew of Bears. Kyson, Keaton, and Remington are jabbing at each other on one end. Then there is Captain Hamilton Baer. He’s a beast on the ice, and I’ve never seen him smile. Ever. He’s also the biggest player in the league. He’s six foot eight and over two hundred and thirty pounds. All muscle. However, he’s a southern boy and extremely polite. Because I’ve always been a hockey fan, I knew Hamilton was drafted by the Alabama Blacksmiths, but left after a couple season and came here. He lives and breathes hockey. Remington told me he never has a girlfriend and never goes out or parties unless it’s mandatory.

In the center of the ice is Cabel Dirks. He’s the oldest player on the team at thirty-two, but he shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. He’s with Bas Zorn, the rookie. The Bears signed this kid almost as quickly as they did Vance. Bas comes from London, and I’ve only met him once, when he came with Cabel to introduce himself to Remington. I just wanted to stand there and let him talk the whole time.