Mature The Ice-ing On Top

It came as a huge surprise to Amelia; not because it hadn't been on her mind, but because he did it jut as the playoffs were starting. She thought he would be thinking of nothing except making it all the way to the final round. Instead he shocked her one night before the end of the regular season as she walked into their apartment.

"We need to move," he announced abruptly in the place of a simple 'hello.'

She merely quirked an eyebrow at him before giving him a peck on the cheek. "Why?"

"This place is tiny!" he complained, waving his arms at the stacked boxes along one wall; he still hadn't unpacked his stuff.

She laughed, moving past him to set her purse and laptop case on the kitchen table. "That's just because you're used to that palace you were living in with your boss."

Sean wasn't listening to her. He stalked off down the hall and disappeared. She could still hear him, complaining about this room, that room, and saying, "How the hell are we supposed to manage with one bathroom?"

Laughing, Amelia trailed after him, trying to catch up. She reached the bathroom but he was already gone from there, and she heard his voice to her left, in the bedroom.

"And where the hell am I supposed to fit this now?" he demanded.

She turned the corner and stopped dead in her tracks. Sean was kneeling in the middle of the room, holding a small, dark blue, velvet box. He grinned like a fool and Amelia had difficulty breathing all of a sudden.

"Fit what?" she asked when she could think again.

"Come here," he told her, his own voice husky.

She obeyed, pulled by the intensity in his hazel eyes. She crossed the room until she was standing in front of him. He frowned a little, cocking his head to one side and studying her hands.

"Hmm, actually, it might fit here," he murmured as he reached out and grasped her left hand. He gently tugged her trembling fingers towards him as he flipped open the box with his other hand. Then he was sliding a brilliant diamond and gold ring on her left ring finger.

"Perfect fit," he declared.

Amelia stared at him, his face blurring before her as her eyes filled with tears. He smiled at her, his hand closing warmly over her fingers.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

With a sob, Amelia fell to her knees and threw her arms around his neck. "I love it!" she bawled. "I love you, Sean!"

He chuckled, holding her close and kissing the side of her face. "Should I take that as a 'yes' then?"

She drew back so she could look in his eyes. As she brushed away her tears, she grinned at him. "I don't recall hearing a question," she replied.

Laughing, he took hold of her shoulders and pushed her back. "You have to get up," he ordered, pushing at her.

With another laugh, Amelia got to her feet and grinned down at him. He cleared his throat, made a show of checking his breath, and rubbed his hands together as though to warm them. Amelia laughed again and gave him a nudge with one hand. Grinning, he caught her hand in his and pressed a hot kiss to her palm that sent a tremor throughout her entire body.

"Amelia Clarke, will you marry me?" he asked, his face serious at last, and his beautiful hazel eyes shone earnestly.

Feeling her eyes tear up again, Amelia knelt before him. She drew his hands to her lips and kissed his knuckles. Then she met his eyes and nodded, unable to speak when she saw the love and desire in his gaze. Giving a loud 'whoop' of excitement, Sean yanked her into his arms and rained kisses on her forehead, nose, eyes and cheeks. Then their lips met and both of them sank into the kiss.

Amelia had tears running down her cheeks but she didn't care. She wrapped her arms around Sean and kissed him back, pouring all of her love for him into the embrace. He rose to his feet, hauling her against his body. They tumbled together onto the bed, clothes flying off at an alarming rate. Sean's warm hands slid over Amelia's body and she threw her head back with a moan, arching into his embrace.

A long while later, they lay quietly together, sprawled across the mussed up bed. Sean held Amelia against his chest, running his palm up and down her bare arm. She shivered, turning her head and nuzzling his broad chest with her nose.

"Were you serious about moving?" she asked.

He chuckled, the sound warm and vibrant under her cheek. "Would you rather stay here?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "It's not so bad."

They fell silent again for a moment. Then Sean spoke up. "There really isn't enough room."

"We've been getting along fine in here for months," she replied.

"What about the family?"

"What family? Both our families are back in Canada," she said and shifted so she could prop herself up on the bed beside him. "I mean, it'd be tight if anyone came to visit but..." she broke off when she saw the look on his face. "What?"

"You do realize you just agreed to marry me?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, I think I caught that," she replied as she rolled her eyes and poked him in the chest with a finger.

"Generally when people get married they think about starting a family together?" he went on.

She blinked and nodded. "Right. Kids. You're thinking about how kids will fit in this place."

As he nodded and watched her face. She glanced around the messy bedroom to the hallway beyond where she could see the corner of one unpacked box. "I suppose we'll need a bigger place then."

He nodded again and pulled her down for another kiss. "I'm sorry to leave the job to you for now, but I'm going to be a little..." he paused, waving one hand in the air as he searched for the word.

"Preoccupied?" she suggested with a laugh. "Busy? Too obsessed with something else to even think about your poor, overworked fiance?"

Laughing, Sean pulled her close and sealed his lips over hers to keep her quiet. She sighed happily as he released her and relaxed her head against his shoulder, keeping her eyes on his. His warm palm slid up and down her bare arm again and she felt her skin rise in little goosebumps.

"Do you mind?" he asked.

"What?"

"That you'll hardly see me for the next couple months. Hopefully for a couple months."

She shook her head with a frown. "You're asking if I mind that you and your team are heading into the playoffs? Sean, I'd be pissed if you tried to spend too much time with me over the next few weeks. You need to focus and not worry about me."

Chuckling, he pulled her against him and she half-fell, half-slid onto his chest, their sweaty bodies sliding together. "That's what I love so much about you, Lia. You're so honest and real."

"Well, I try," she replied casually and smiled at him. "Seriously, you don't need to worry about me. This is a huge deal. I understand and I agree with your need to concentrate on the game."

"Thank you, Lia," he murmured, pressing his lips to her cheek.

"Why did you even do this right before the playoffs?" she asked a moment later, propping herself up against his chest to look into his face. "What if I'd said no? Wouldn't that have had a negative impact on your game?"

He shrugged. "It might have but I was pretty confident of your answer."

She laughed and relaxed against his chest again, tucking her head under his chin. She stretched with a sigh and was gratified to feel a responding stiffening of his parts beneath her.

"I just can't believe you'd take that kind of chance at this time of year," she went on, shifting against him again and hiding her smile when he stifled a groan.

"What chance? I know you're wild about me," he said, his voice husky. "I mean, you practically stalked me for two months before we first hooked up."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, sitting up and pulling her body away from his rapidly hardening cock. "I did not stalk you! If anything, you were following me around to all those coffee shops, trying to get me to talk to you!"

Sean laughed and rolled over, dragging her body under his. She glared half-heartedly up at him as he pulled her under him, pinning her to the bed with his body weight. Not that she minded. She loved the feeling of his taller, broader form resting against her. She bent her knees and shifted so that he slid between her thighs, bringing their hips together. Sean sucked in his breath and his pupils exploded. Amelia felt her heartbeat quicken as she dragged her hands up his sides until she was holding his shoulders.

"I think we should just say that we were mutually stalking each other," he whispered.

"I can agree to that," she replied, her voice husky now with her desire. God, how she loved this man; this young man who had stolen her heart over a latte less than a year ago.

Without another word, Sean lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her soundly, his tongue tangling with hers. All thoughts of who had stalked who fled from her mind and she surrendered to his scorching kiss, the heat of his hands and the rigid length of him.

While he hadn't lied to Amelia when he'd said he was confident about her answer to his proposal, he hadn't told the entire truth either. Yes, he'd been fairly sure about her response, but after all his planning and ring shopping, when the moment had come, he'd lost all confidence. When she'd stepped into the bedroom and seen him kneeling on the floor, the look on her face had nearly stopped his heart. She'd cried and said she loved him and finally said 'yes' when he asked her outright.

He carefully extricated himself from her arms following their multiple celebrations and rose from the bed. Quietly he slipped into some boxers and wandered out into the apartment, closing the bedroom door behind him. It was still early in the evening, not quite nine, and he wanted to call his parents before he went to sleep. That is, if he could even get to sleep. His body was thrumming and his heart was still racing from the exhilaration. Now he had marriage to a wonderful woman and the most exciting playoff series on the continent to look forward to.

Yes, life was good.

"Hi, Dad," he said into the phone when his father picked up on the other end. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Of course not," his father replied. "We're just helping Tara make some cupcakes for her school's bake sale tomorrow." Tara was Sean's younger sister; she was almost thirteen.

"That sounds like fun," Sean replied, feeling the familiar tug of homesickness. He had long ago dealt with being so far from his family, but every so often he was sad about missing things; simple things, like baking cupcakes for Tara's bake sale.

"It's messy," his father said with a laugh. "What's up? How are you and Amelia doing?"

Sean loved that his family had accepted Amelia so readily. She'd met his father early on in their relationship since he tried to travel to as many games as he could. Sean's mother and sister had both spoken with Amelia over the phone several times and they exchanged emails regularly. Sean had yet to meet any of Amelia's family, but he also spoke with them over the phone as often as he could.

"We're good," he replied to his father's question. "Amelia's asleep right now."

"Asleep? What, is she sick?" His father asked and laughed. "It can't be later than nine."

"Yeah," Sean agreed, glancing at the clock on the stove. "Hey Dad, can you tell Mom to get on the other phone?"

"Sure," he replied and his tone told Sean he already knew something was up. "Hey, Tanya, pick up that phone over there!"

Sean waited patiently until he heard the click and his mother's voice greeting him. "I have to tell you guys something," he said.

"Oh, lord," his mother breathed. "You're not quitting the team are you?"

Laughing, Sean shook his head. He didn't get a chance to respond as his father took care of that for him.

"Yeah, Tanya, he's quitting the week before playoffs start," he said and Sean could almost see his father rolling his eyes.

"No, I'm not quitting," Sean said and took a deep breath. "I asked Amelia to marry me tonight and she said yes."

There was a split second of silence and then Sean's mother screamed. He yanked the phone away from his head and rubbed his ear with a grin. When he put the phone back to his ear, his mother was still exclaiming in excitement and his father was trying to calm her down. He eventually asked Tara to take the phone from her mother.

"Hi, Sean," came Tara's voice. "I miss you."

Sean's eyes stung with sudden, unshed tears. "I miss you too, kiddo," he replied. "Did mom and dad tell you?"

"Uh, yeah, I kind of figured it out," she said in the typical 'duh' tone appropriate to her age. "I'm glad you found someone so cool, Sean. She writes awesome books."

Sean laughed and nodded. "Yes, Amelia is very cool."

"I think you gave your mother a heart attack, Sean," his father piped up then. "Congratulations, son. We couldn't be happier for you."

"Thanks, Dad. I'm happy too. And relieved that she said yes."

His father laughed. "As if there was any doubt."

"Maybe a little," Sean replied.

"Sean, Amelia has settled in your team's city and traveled with you to away games more than I have," his father said. "I'd say it was a sure thing."

"Either that or she was networking," Tara added and laughed.

"Tara!" Sean heard his mother exclaim in the background. "Give me the phone."

"Talk to you later, Sean!" Tara said before handing the phone over. "Say 'hi' to Lia for me."

"Will do," Sean agreed and smiled when his mother got on the phone. She proceeded to tearily tell him how happy and excited she was for him.

It was nearly a half-hour later when Sean managed to bring the conversation to a close, agreeing to have Amelia call them the next day. They all said 'good-bye' and his parents wished him good luck in the playoffs, as well. As Sean hung up the phone and headed back to the bedroom, he shook his head.

I don't need luck anymore, he thought as he paused in the doorway to watch Amelia sleep. I have everything I need right here. Then he smirked to himself. Although the Stanley Cup would certainly top it all off nicely.

With that, he crossed the room and climbed back into bed with the love of his life.

After three house viewings, Amelia had just about had enough. It was two weeks after the proposal, Sean was on the road in the team's first playoff series and she was driving around town with the realtor, checking out different neighborhoods. She realized quickly that this wasn't something she wanted to do on her own.

I wish we hadn't given our notice at the apartment, she thought as the realtor took her into another secluded suburb. She and Sean had two and a half months to find something; almost as long as the playoffs would last, if the team did well. He'd helped her pack as much as they could before the start of playoffs and she'd repeatedly told him it was fine that she was doing this alone for the most part. Now she was seriously regretting that decision.

Oh well, she thought with a sigh and followed the realtor up to another open house. If we have to live in a hotel for a little while, and keep our stuff in storage, it'll be all right.

"Now this area is very nice," the realtor said, her voice breaking into Amelia's thoughts. "Very exclusive."

Amelia fought to keep from rolling her eyes. She'd heard the realtor say that so many times that it was beginning to lose meaning. If all these areas were so exclusive, why were there thirty of them?

"It's nice," Amelia agreed, looking around as they crossed the street to the narrow driveway leading up to the open house.

Every lot on the block had a thick screen of trees and shrubs out front and she saw several that had gates at the end of the driveways. To her, this all seemed a bit excessive but she also knew that anywhere Sean lived, with or without a wife, would require this sort of environment. She'd long ago accepted his stardom and she knew it would always be a part of their life. She still sometimes had a hard time dealing with the side effects of that stardom.

"This house has been on the market for some time," the realtor went on as they walked up the driveway. "I'm not saying you should put an offer in, but you could get a good deal."

"Really?" Amelia said, just making polite conversation. In her own mind she was wondering if it would be bad taste to switch realtors, and find someone less... pushy. The realtor had suggested, in one way or another, that Amelia and Sean make offers on just about every house she'd seen.

It was a pleasant house with a well manicured yard and nicely maintained exterior. Inside was spacious without being cavernous, even without any furniture inside. There were large windows, plenty of room for air circulation, and a big open kitchen that joined the great room on the main floor. Upstairs, there were four bedrooms, one very obviously styled as a nursery. At the sight of the sunny yellow walls and the Noah's Ark theme painted overtop, she felt her face grow warm and her stomach did a strange backflip.

I turn thirty in four months, she thought and had to leave the room.

She couldn't shake the strange feeling as they continued to walk through the house. She didn't hear a single word the realtor said about this feature or that feature. All she wanted was to get out of there and away from all of it.

"Listen, Hilary," Amelia said. "I don't think I'm up for looking at any more houses today."

"Oh, all right," Hilary replied and she seemed surprised. "Perhaps we could use a break. Can I interest you in some lunch and after we could check another couple I have in mind for you?"

"No, thanks," Amelia said with a tense smile. Her stomach was too twisted in knots at the moment to even think about food. "I think I'm ready to just go home for the day."

Hilary tried to convince her again in the car but Amelia was having none of it. She thanked the realtor and promised to call to set up another time later as she left the car and ran inside the apartment building. Even inside her familiar apartment, Amelia couldn't shake the feeling that had hit her after seeing that nursery. She paced around the small, mostly packed up space, gnawing on her fingernails. After a while, she sat on the couch and turned on the TV, hoping to distract herself some.

She came across some game highlights from the previous several nights. She didn't need the updates - Sean had called her several times a day since the playoffs had started - but she found the cadence of the sports shows relaxing. Gradually, her heart rate returned to normal and she wasn't feeling as sick to her stomach.

Later, as she watched Sean's game on TV, she wondered if maybe she'd eaten something bad and it just happened to hit her as she was in that house. It was an extremely thin theory but she liked it and ran with it, hoping it would help her to get to sleep that night. Unfortunately, her team lost and she spent most of the night worrying about the next game.

She dreamt that night about animals circling her in pairs and yellow walls closing in around her.

Sean hated losing. So did the rest of the team. They were far from being eliminated from the series but all the same, losing sucked. In the locker room, the mood was subdued but no one was terribly upset. They knew they still had a great chance to win and they were leading the series two to one.

"We'll get them next time," Max said to Sean as they changed out of their gear.

Sean nodded and tossed a grin at his teammate. "You're just going to have to start pulling your weight around here, Max."

Max laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. They joked and talked with the other guys on the bus on the way back to the hotel. Sean and Max were sharing a room and after settling in, Max got a call, leaving Sean alone in the room a few minutes later. With a smile, Sean picked up the phone and called home.

It took a while, but Amelia answered, her voice groggy.

"I woke you," Sean said, feeling like an ass.

"Yup," Amelia replied. "I was having a nightmare, so it's OK."

"A nightmare? About what?"

"Doesn't matter," Amelia said. "Where are you?"

"At the hotel," Sean replied around a laugh. She sounded so confused. "I wanted to call before I went to sleep."

"That was a good game," Amelia told him.

Sean snorted and shook his head as he settled back against the pillows. Just the sound of her voice relaxed him, groggy or not and the more relaxed he felt, the more turned on he got. "It was a terrible game," he responded. "Thanks anyway, Lia."

"Sean, even when you lose, you play well."

"I don't know about that."

She made an annoyed noise at him that made him grin. He could picture her lying in their bed, her auburn hair sticking out everywhere and her face lined with wrinkles from the pillow. He hardened more with each passing second.

"Don't make me come over there," she threatened. "I'm not feeling very nice right now and I wouldn't want to injure you."

"I think I'd love to take the risk," he replied, his voice coming out hoarse.

She must have heard the change in his tone because she laughed. "Are you horny, Sean? Is this a booty call?"

"Not unless you want it to be," he replied, feeling his cock harden even more at the thought of her naked beside him. "I doubt you're in the mood to drive all the way here tonight."

Now it was her turn to snort derisively. "Yeah, right. I'd get there right before morning practice."

"Hmm," he murmured, adjusting himself under the covers again. He was painfully hard now, his cock rubbing against the inside of his boxers with each move he made. "I always did enjoy a little wake up call."

"Well, you've got a roommate," she replied tartly and Sean laughed out loud.

"Not really," he said. "Max left a little while ago. I don't know when he'll be back."

"Oh, I see," Amelia said and Sean could just picture her face as a smile spread across her face. "This is one of those phone calls."

"If you say so," Sean replied.

"Well, I guess could handle that," she said. "Sean?"

"Yeah?"
"What are you wearing?"

He chuckled. "My superman thong."

She giggled, the sound going right to Sean's heart. He loved to hear her laugh. "What are you wearing?" he asked.

"Nothing at all, Kid. I knew you'd be calling me."

"Liar," Sean said with a laugh, his throat tight. He desperately wanted to feel her body next to his.

"I guess you'll just have to trust me," she said.

"You know I do," he murmured.

From there, the conversation quickly descended into passionate confessions of wanting to be together and desperation to touch each other and not just themselves. Sean dropped the phone at some point and when his vision cleared, he found it on the floor beside his nightstand. He picked it up to hear Amelia's soft laughter. His cheeks warmed but he didn't care. She was such an amazing woman and he wanted to repeat that climax in person very soon.

"I hope that helped make up for my loss," he said after apologizing for dropping the phone.

"Sean, you never have to make up for that," she told him and his chest constricted at the honesty behind her tone. "I will love you no matter what."

"I know. I love you, too," he told her. "I'll see you in a few days." They'd be back home for a game in three days.

"Yes, you will."

Sean slept like a baby after the call ended, unaware that Amelia lay awake in their apartment, her mind still filled with images from her nightmare.

Amelia viewed another two houses with Hilary before giving up entirely. She walked into the first house, feeling apprehensive but relieved when none of the rooms made her feel like that last one had. When the second house Hilary took her to had a real nursery, filled with children's furniture and littered with toys, Amelia thought she was going to hyperventilate. She practically ran from the house and told Hilary it was all off. She needed to get herself together before going any further with a purchase of this importance.

The day Sean came home was enough of a distraction that Amelia forgot about her strange house-hunting-induced illness. She tidied the apartment as best as she could and waited naked in bed for Sean to get in that evening.

Not a word was spoken as he came into the apartment. He merely kicked his shoes off, tossed his bag on the floor and practically raced down the hallway. Amelia grinned when he shed his clothes with alarming speed and sighed happily when his strong arms went around her. It was fast and hard and left both of them gasping for breath. Then they lay quietly together, breathing each other in.

"So how's the search for a house going?" Sean asked some time later.

Amelia responded with a groan.

Sean laughed. "That well, eh?"

"I'm taking a break from it," Amelia confessed and felt her face flush at the half-truth. She didn't want to tell Sean the real reason until she figured it all out for herself.

"That's fine," Sean said, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "There's no hurry, I guess. We can go home for the summer and try again in the fall."

"Yeah, we could do that," Amelia murmured. She decided that she didn't want to talk about it anymore and rolled on top of Sean with a grin.

He smiled back at her and groaned out loud when she slipped her hands between them, stirring his cock back to life. He held her hips, stroking her now and again as she rubbed him to full attention. Then she eased herself down on top of him and they both made contented noises at the feeling. Amelia looked down at Sean, loving how dark his eyes were and how his hands felt on her bare skin.

His arm slid around her waist and drew her down to him so he could kiss her thoroughly. She parted her lips, sucking on his tongue when he pressed into her mouth. Her fingers went to his hair that was growing longer and his hands moved down her back to cup her ass. He pushed into her flesh as he thrust up and into her, bringing their hips together sharply. She groaned, lifting her head and taking a deep breath as he did it again. Then again.

"Oh God," she breathed and bit down on her lip.

"You're amazing, Amelia," he replied, sucking her ear lobe into his mouth.

She smiled and shivered as his hand slipped between their bodies to tease her clit. She rose up above him again, pressing her palms against his chest to brace herself. She rocked her hips against him and tossed her head back, gasping as he stroked her faster and faster. Her climax rushed through her body a moment later and she writhed on top of him, taking her pleasure from his body.

"Good girl," he murmured as he continued to stroke her.

As she began to crest towards another orgasm, he took hold of her hips and pressed up hard. She moaned as he did it again. Her eyes opened to see him staring at her with such an intense look on his face that she felt short of breath. He was breathing hard, his chest heaving and Amelia smiled. His eyes flashed at her and she felt her body react to the naked lust she saw there. She moved faster on him, meeting him thrust for thrust until they were both crying out in pleasure.

"Holy crap," Sean sighed a little while later, cradling Amelia on his chest.

She laughed and turned her head, kissing the underside of his chin. "I can't wait until you're home for good this summer," she told him.

"Me either," he agreed.

"Not that I want it to happen too soon," she quickly added and smiled when Sean laughed.

"I know."

And they slept.

When the series went to a sixth game, an away game to top it all off, Amelia knew she couldn't bring up her concerns to Sean. Not yet at least. Maybe if they won the series, she could mention it but until then, she become something of a homebody. Sean left town again to play game six on the road and she kissed him good-bye, promising to watch every minute of the game on TV.

"Next series, you're coming to every away game," he told her sternly.

She lifted her eyebrows at his firm tone and nodded with a smile. "Whatever you say," she agreed. At least he was confident.

The few days he was gone for that sixth, and what turned out to be the final game of that series, Amelia tried to return to her old routine; walking to the local coffee shop in the morning and writing for the better part of the day. She just couldn't focus, no matter what she tried. She tried her best to sound cheerful on the phone whenever Sean called and could only hope she was successful. Since he went on to score two major goals in the game, she must have done a good job.

That night following the game, her mother phoned her.

"That was a great game," her mother gushed. "You make sure and tell Sean I said so."

"I will, Mom," Amelia agreed with a smile.

There was a brief silence over the phone before her mother spoke again.

"Are you all right, dear?" she asked. "You sound a little... I don't know, not yourself, I guess."

"I'm fine," Amelia said and knew immediately that that wouldn't fool her mother.

"All right, spill," her mother ordered.

"I don't... I don't know what's wrong," she confessed.

"Is it Sean? Are you guys having difficulties? You know dear, you shouldn't worry about it right now. I mean, he's caught up in the playoffs I'm sure and he'll just need some time to decompress and everything will be fine."

Amelia listened patiently as her mother gave her spiel and shook her head ruefully. "Mom, it's not me and Sean. We're fine, really."

"Oh. Well, that's great." A pause. "Then what's wrong?"

Amelia almost laughed. Her mother asked the question like she couldn't imagine there being another problem warranting concern.

"I don't know," she said around a heavy sigh. "I was out with the realtor a few days ago and we were at this beautiful house in a great neighborhood and..."

"And?" her mother prompted.

"There was this kid's room all done up in a Noah's Ark theme."

"And...?" Clearly her mother thought there was something more to it than that.

"And nothing, Mom. I freaked out, ran from the house and I've been having nightmares about Noah's Ark ever since."

Her mother laughed, actually laughed at her over the phone. "Oh dear, I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh, I'm sorry."

"It's OK, Mom," Amelia replied with another sigh. "I just figure I'm going insane."

"You're not insane, sweetie," her mother told her. "It sounds like you're just a little freaked out about the whole family thing."

"The whole family thing?" she echoed.

"Yeah. You're probably worried on some level about raising kids with Sean, or about having kids period. You saw the room and something about it triggered this fear."

"Holy crap Mom, have you been taking psychology classes?" Amelia asked and tried to laugh. It sounded almost like a sob instead.

Again, her mother laughed at her. "Amelia, darling, just talk to Sean. You guys can figure this out together."

"I can't talk to Sean about this now!" Amelia exclaimed. "It's the playoffs! I bring up some inane fear about having kids and they lose and it's all my fault."

"Oh Amelia, I think you're more superstitious than your fiance."

"No, I'm not," Amelia mumbled and rubbed her forehead with her free hand.

"Amelia, listen to me. The only way you're going to stop having these nightmares about Noah's Ark is to talk to your man," her mother said, using that firm lecturing voice Amelia had heard for years and years growing up.

"You're right," Amelia relented, her stomach clenching in apprehension at the mere thought of bringing up something so serious at this time of year.

She went to bed that night thinking about how she could bring it up. She dreamt about telling him while they rode an ark through stormy waters and the sky was a brilliant yellow. When Sean crept into bed late that night, and his cold hands slid around her body, she screamed in surprise.

"Ah! Jesus, Amelia!" he yelped in response.

"Sean, God, you scared the hell out of me!" she scolded, sitting up and twisting to look at him. Her heart was beating furiously and her breath was ragged in her throat.

"Ditto," he said, giving her a wide-eyed look.

She leaned close and smacked an open palm on his bare chest. "You jackass! What were you thinking?"

"OW!" he whined and rubbed at the spot she'd hit. "I was thinking about waking my fiance up and making love to her but now I'm wishing I'd painted the town red with the other guys."

Amelia gasped out a laugh and covered her face with her hands. The bed dipped beside her and then Sean was putting his arms around her.

"Hey," he whispered into her ear, brushing her hair aside with one hand. "What's going on?"

She shook her head and turned her face, pressing her mouth to his throat. She couldn't tell him. She just couldn't.

Instead, she gave him a kiss and sighed again when his arms squeezed around her. His hands grasped the edges of his jersey that she slept in and pulled it off over her head. She reached for his underwear and laughed in delight when she felt nothing but his warm skin. He moved his hands down her body and pulled her into his lap. She wrapped her legs around his waist and shifted close, groaning when she felt his erection brush against her thigh.

"Did you miss me?" she asked breathlessly, lifting her eyes to meet his dark gaze.

He grinned and it was positively feral. She shivered and opened her mouth when he leaned close. But he didn't kiss her. His breath whispered over her lips and her stomach clenched in anticipation. He moved his lips to her ear as his fingers tightened on her ass, cupping her and dragging her even closer.

"What do you think?" he asked, his voice low and gravelly.

She simply shook her head as his lips sucked on her earlobe. Then he flicked his tongue against the sensitive skin behind her ear and she gasped. Every bit of her was suddenly and sharply awake and on fire for him.

In a swift move, he rolled her to her back and she pressed her legs closer around him. She lifted her hips at the same time and bit her lip when she heard his responding growl. He reached back a second later and grasped her ankles, pulling them from behind him. Then he bent his head, kissing her neck and sucking on her pulse point as he lowered his body over hers. He pressed her legs down and she moaned, trying to lift them back around his waist.

"Lia, behave," he murmured at her, nipping at her ear lobe.

"I don't want to behave," she replied and laughed when he tickled her sides. "I enjoy your punishments too much."

He lifted his head and she saw that he was grinning at her, that charming, handsome and devastating grin that she'd fallen in love with. Her heart melted all over again, and she swallowed the sudden thickness she felt in her throat. He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers in the most tender, the most passionate kiss she'd ever felt. Her lips fell open on a sigh and the kiss turned ruthless. His tongue danced across her teeth before plunging inside her mouth and tangling with hers.

She kissed him back, holding the back of his head in her hands. His strength was no match for hers and when he tore his lips away from hers, she couldn't stop him. He kissed a hot trail down her neck and paused to give lip service to her taut nipples. She arched off the bed, holding his neck and biting her lip as he expertly teased one breast. She was so utterly distracted by what he was doing there that she almost missed his hands gliding down her hips and between her legs.

Then he was moving on from her breasts and laying moist kisses to her lower stomach. His hands were cupping her knees and he was sliding her legs apart. She looked down with a grin just as he stroked her clit with his tongue.

"Oh Christ, Sean," she moaned his name and her hands slipped from his head to clutch at the bed covers on either side of her.

He chuckled, his breath warm on her moist skin and she shivered. Then he licked her again, just tickling her opening with the tip of his tongue before sliding up and around her clit. He teased her, holding her legs open no matter how she tried to squirm away. Not that she wanted to escape from what he was doing to her. Her breath was coming fast and her head was tossing from side to side. It wasn't long before she was crying out as her orgasm rocked her.

"Mmm," Sean murmured as he released her and crawled back up her body to kiss her lips. "I love when you do that."

"Ditto," she managed around a breathless laugh.

Turning her head, she kissed him back and grinned against his lips when he settled himself between her legs. She lifted her hips and rubbed herself against him, letting him know in no uncertain terms what she wanted next. His hand dropped to her hip and pressed her down into the bed.

"Allow me," he whispered, driving himself up and into her.

She gasped and pressed her head back against the bed, her eyelids sliding shut. He pushed all the way in, exhaling with every slow second. He lifted one of his hands and cupped her cheek, drawing her face down for his kiss. His kiss was deep and thorough, and she was feeling properly claimed afterward. She lifted her hips, meeting his next thrust and smiling against his lips when she heard his low growl. He pressed down, holding her still as he continued to pull out and push back in. She tore her lips away from his mouth to catch her breath and that's all he allowed her, a single breath, before he closed his mouth on hers again, thrusting his tongue between her lips.

All the while, he kept pushing into her, going fast and deep one second, then light and shallow the next. She was panting, her mind already turned to mush even before he slipped a hand between them to stroke her clit as he lowered his head to suck on her nipple. She swore silently; or it might have been out loud, she wasn't certain of anything at that point. He chuckled and lifted his head, his eyes dark as he watched her sail over the edge a second later.

He kept rubbing her as he pushed faster, closing his mouth on her neck and sucking hard. She didn't care if he left a mark. She dug her nails into his shoulders and held on for dear life until she felt his body tense around hers. He groaned against her skin, coming hard and spilling himself inside of her.

"Oh wow," he breathed as he lay down beside her.

"Yeah," she whispered in agreement.

"I think I saw stars," he added.

She giggled and rolled towards him, snuggling against his side, all her fears gone for the moment.

They spent the next few days together, apart from his practices and team meetings. They played close attention to the other series going on in the playoffs, speculating on who they'd be up against in the next round. They talked about the house-hunting but Sean sensed something was wrong there, since Amelia changed the topic every time he brought it up. He decided not to press her on it, guessing that she'd talk to him about it in her own time. Knowing her, she was waiting until the playoffs were over before worrying him. He also knew that if it was anything truly serious, she would tell him; playoffs or no playoffs.

So he went to his practices, met with the press and scratched at his playoff beard. The other guys on the team, Max in particular, razzed him about his inability to grow a full beard. He didn't care.

"I'm just glad I don't have to worry about keeping lice out of mine," he commented to Max in practice two mornings after their return home.

The guys around them laughed at his remark. He grinned at Max who was also laughing.

"I mean, geez, look at that thing already!" Sean went on, pointing his gloved hand at his teammate. "You already look like Grizzly Adams. You're going to be the wolfman by the time the playoffs are over!"​