Unadulterated Something, page 25
Campbell laughed softly against her skin and nipped playfully at Emma’s shoulder. “I’m not.” She ran a light hand down Emma’s side, tracing the curve of her rips and the line of her hips as she soothed the spot she’d just bit with another kiss. “But it’s not exactly early,” she added as she drew lazy loops and swirls on the cheek her hips weren’t pressed against.
It was a wholly delightful sensation, and Emma lifted her hips entreatingly as best she could with Campbell lying on top of her. “What time is it?”
“Let’s just say that we’ve missed breakfast.”
Emma groaned and blinked her eyes open to look at her alarm clock. Ten fifteen. Her stomach rumbled in quiet distress, and she pressed her forehead into her pillow as she muttered, “Great.”
More importantly than missing breakfast, however, the time meant that they also had only a few short hours left to them before they had to go back to work.
Campbell dragged a kiss from Emma’s shoulder to her cheek and squeezed her ass. “At least you won’t have to wait too much longer for lunch,” she pointed out, her voice ringing with amusement.
She was right, of course. And, really, even hunger wasn’t enough to drive Emma from bed when she had a naked Campbell Jordan on top of her, but there was also a matter of pride at hand. Misplaced, perhaps, but still not something she was willing to surrender quite yet. She pursed her lips to keep from letting on how much she was enjoying herself as she pushed herself up off the bed in what amounted to less than a half-hearted attempt to knock Campbell off her as she muttered, “You know what…”
Campbell pressed a smile of a kiss to Emma’s lips. “I know lots of things,” she murmured, tracing the seam of Emma’s lips with her tongue as she rubbed the flat of her hand over her ass. “Like, for instance, right now, I know that I want you just…like…this.”
“Just like this, huh?” Emma whispered against Campbell’s lips, a soft, wholly pleased smile curling her own when she was answered with a low moan as Campbell kissed her again. She lifted her hips into the Campbell’s hand that had resumed drawing lazy loops on her ass, and when they broke apart, she relaxed back onto the bed with a sigh that was as contented as it was playful. “I like this.”
“Me too,” Campbell agreed as she nuzzled Emma’s cheek, her voice dipping into the crushed velvet tones Emma so loved.
Emma closed her eyes as she surrendered herself to Campbell’s whims, delighting in the feeling of Campbell’s lips and tongue on her skin. Desire blossomed low in her belly as her body came alive under Campbell’s tender, unhurried caress that circled and swirled and dipped teasingly lower before retreating when she lifted her hips entreatingly for more. The slow build was equal parts exquisite and maddening. Campbell seemed content to draw out the moment, rewarding her every whimper and moan that pleaded for more with another long, slow kiss or an even lighter circuit of her fingers against her skin, and only abandoned her slow tease when Emma was practically writhing beneath her.
“So beautiful,” Campbell murmured against Emma’s shoulder, sealing the words with a kiss as she shifted so she was more fully behind her.
Emma groaned as Campbell’s legs slipped between her own, knees pressing gently, guiding her open wider. Campbell’s left hand wrapped around her hip and tugged lightly, a silent cue to coax her up onto her knees, and a whimper caught in her throat when nimble fingers took advantage of the added maneuvering room their new position provided to dance over her hip and dip between her legs.
“Good?” Campbell whispered.
“So good,” Emma breathed as she rocked back, pressing herself against Campbell as agile fingers stroked and swirled against her. Her eyes fluttered shut at the feeling of Campbell’s hips grinding against her ass, and it wasn’t long at all before their bodies rediscovered the easy rhythm they’d found the night before. Thrust and counter-thrust, they moved together, hips pressing, bodies rocking to match the speed and tempo of the fingers between her legs.
Emma’s breath caught in her throat at the feeling of Campbell’s left hand sliding off her hip and over the curve of her ass, and she pressed her forehead against the backs of her hands that were curled into the sheets as two fingers curved against her. Her nipples tightened at the way the touch on her clit became slower, heavier as those fingers stroked boldly through the length of her three times, priming her for more, and there was no quieting the moan that spilled from her lips when they eased inside. She pushed herself up onto her forearms as she drove herself back against Campbell’s hand, taking her as deep as she could, a ragged, “Yes,” escaping her on a sigh as the fingers on her clit began to fly and Campbell’s hips started thrusting against her again.
Her breaths came hard and fast as Campbell guided her toward ecstasy with long, deep, masterful strokes and quiet words of encouragement that begged for her to let go. When she finally did, it was with Campbell’s name falling from her lips like a prayer as she trembled and shook, pressing herself against Campbell as hard as she could, her head tipping back as pleasure rolled through her in cleansing waves. The fingers swirling against her clit gentled and slowed as Campbell eased her through the length of her orgasm, and she moaned when Campbell pulled out and guided her back onto the bed with a sex-slicked hand on her hip and reverent lips pressed to the nape of her neck.
It was perfect and soft and comforting, and Emma’s heart swelled with affection as she turned beneath Campbell to pull her down on top of her. She wrapped her arms around Campbell’s waist as she captured her lips in a deep, messy kiss that was all feelings and very little finesse, and she couldn’t contain her smile when she twisted her hips to flip their positions so she was looking down into golden-hued eyes that glowed with affection. Her pulse tripped over itself as she dipped her head to brush the gentlest of kisses over Campbell’s lips, and she nuzzled her cheek as she breathed, “God, you’re beautiful. Please let me have you?”
And then she all but forgot how to breathe when soft hands framed her face, and Campbell whispered, “Yes.”
“Hey, Beauchamp! Whatcha doin’ on this side of town?” Beca greeted Emma as they crossed paths in the foyer of Stonebridge Hall. She leaned in and added in a hushed voice, “Gonna go sneak upstairs to see your lady before practice?”
Emma smiled. “I’m not sneaking anywhere.”
“I know.” Beca combed a hand through her hair. “And still nobody’s caught on to you two. It’s insane. I mean, if one of you were a dude, you’d be the talk of campus with everyone placing bets on if you were a thing or not.”
“Right?” Emma chuckled. “I guess it’s just one of the rare perks of being queer. Heteronormativity is so strong that we can just slip under the radar.”
Not that they needed to slip under the radar, really, there was nothing in their contracts that prohibited relationships with fellow staff regardless of gender, but it was a nice little perk. Because Beca was right—the moment word got out about them, they would absolutely be the talk of campus. And, if she were being honest, she was also more than a little surprised that nobody had picked up on the shift in their relationship over the last few weeks because, to her, it felt like everything had changed.
Never mind the smirks and not-entirely-discreet comments Beca threw their way whenever she saw them that still somehow flew under everyone’s radar.
“Or everyone was just so used to seeing you two together all the freaking time that they haven’t noticed the way you go all heart-eyes over her whenever she’s around,” Beca mused.
“I do not go all ‘heart-eyes’ over her,” Emma protested, albeit a little weakly, because she’d caught herself staring at Campbell a little too intently earlier that morning at breakfast and had to force herself to find anything else to look at.
“Oh yeah, totally,” Beca laughed. She gave Emma’s shoulder a little shove. “Anyway, I’m glad I ran into you. Would you and Campbell want to carpool to the faculty holiday party tomorrow night?”
Emma shrugged. There weren’t that many parking spaces at the restaurant in town that Woodworth had secured for the evening, and going with Beca and Lars had the added benefit of being able to park right next to the door. “Sure.”
“Sweet.” Beca smiled. “I’ll text you later after I talk to Lars to see what time he wants to head over there. Now, go steal a kiss or three before somebody finds out what’s going on with you two and you have to keep her office door open whenever you’re in there together.”
“Oh my god. It’s not like that,” Emma protested. Except it was, kind of—because Campbell’s office was one of the few places where they didn’t have to pretend they were just friends—but it wasn’t like they had gone so far as to defile Campbell’s desk or anything. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Beca winked, everything about her expression saying You can’t fool me, Beauchamp! “I’m gonna go refill my tea so I can get back to grading the stack of essays on my desk. I promised the kids I’d have them done by tonight so they could see their marks before they head out tomorrow for break. I’ll see ya later, Em!”
Emma chuckled and shook her head. “See ya,” she said as she started for the stairs.
Now that Beca had made her more aware of her not-really-sneaking-around-sneaking-around, she had to bite the inside of her cheek to not burst out laughing at the way everyone she passed smiled at her like it was perfectly normal for her to be visiting the administrative offices when she’d set foot on the second floor exactly twice the entire year before. She slowed her pace as she neared Campbell’s office, and rapped her knuckles on the door that was cracked open as she poked her head inside.
“Hey—” She cut herself off with an apologetic grimace when she saw that Campbell was on the phone.
Campbell looked up and waved Emma inside as she continued her conversation, “I know you’re working on a tight clock there, but could I have a little time to think about your offer?” She bobbed her head from side to side as she listened to whoever was on the other end of the call as Emma slipped into the office and closed the door after herself, and a small smile curved her lips as she said, “Perfect. I’ll let you know what I’ve decided by tomorrow evening. Thank you, René.” She disconnected the call with a tap of her thumb and sighed as she looked up at Emma. “Sorry.”
“For what?” Emma frowned and dropped her bag onto the chair in front of Campbell’s desk. “Everything okay?”
“I think so?” Campbell’s eyes drifted back to her phone. “That was René Gagne.”
“The director of Canada Hockey?”
Campbell nodded and rocked back in her chair. “He invited me to join the coaching staff for Worlds in March. I have until tomorrow night to let him know what I decide.”
“Wow…” Emma made her way around Campbell’s desk and sat down on its edge. She bumped Campbell’s chair with her knee as she asked, “You interested?”
“I don’t know,” Campbell admitted with a soft sigh. “Hell, I don’t even know if Woodworth would give me the time off to go do it.”
“What are the tournament dates? Depending on when it is in March, it could fall into Spring Break.”
“I’d need to leave for Oslo the week before break.”
“That’s not a big deal.” Emma shrugged. “I mean, it’s about halfway through the second semester, but it’s not like you’ll be helping sixth-formers with college applications and stuff. There might be a few prospective student tours and whatever, but nothing super-major usually happens around then.”
“No, I know. But I’d also have to go to Toronto for a training camp for a week right after New Year’s.”
Emma pursed her lips. Stonebridge took three weeks off during the holidays to make sure that even the international students had time to go home and see their families, so it wasn’t like the training camp would cause her to miss anything at school. Sure, she had been looking forward to spending the time between Val’s wedding and the start of classes with Campbell, but offers like this were rare. And if it was something Campbell would be interested in, she’d be a fool to turn it down again. “Coaching at Worlds is a pretty big deal.”
“I know.”
“If you want to do it, you should,” Emma said. “And, for as much as it kills me to admit it, you’ve got an incredible mind for the game.” She smiled at the way Campbell huffed a laugh and slapped her leg, and took her hand as she said, “Seriously, Campbell. They’d be lucky to have you behind their bench if it’s something you want to do.”
Campbell played with Emma’s fingers thoughtfully as she wondered aloud, “But it’s an entirely different game than what we’ve been doing here. How can I be sure that I’m actually ready for that?”
“How can you be sure that you’re not until you’ve given it a shot?”
Campbell looked up at Emma with a small smile. “You really think I could do it?”
“Absolutely.” Emma nodded. “But I’m just gonna go on the record now and say that if you do decide to do it, I will be cheering you on in my Team USA gear.”
Campbell laughed. “What about the games where we’re not playing you guys?”
“I might be able to be persuaded to wave a little flag or something,” Emma murmured as she leaned down to kiss Campbell.
“Just a flag?” Campbell’s asked as she pushed herself out of her chair and moved to stand between Emma’s legs. Her eyes twinkled with mirth as she ran a finger across Emma’s lips. “I bet I can convince you to do better than that.”
Emma’s heart fluttered as she looked up at Campbell, who was staring back at her with a tender, amused smile, and she licked her lips as she taunted playfully, “That would take an awful lot of convincing, Jordan.” She grabbed Campbell’s hips and tugged her closer. “You sure you’re up to the task?”
“I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeves.” Campbell cupped Emma’s face between her hands and kissed her softly. “The real question is”—she kissed Emma again, long and slow and deep in a way that would have her agreeing to pretty much anything just to keep it going—“do you honestly think you could resist me if I did try to convince you?”
Eyes still closed, her face angled toward Campbell’s like a flower to the sun, Emma hummed and asked, “If I say yes, will you keep trying?”
Campbell pressed a smile to Emma’s lips. “Yes.”
“Then, yes.”
Campbell laughed. “You know I’d do this anyway, right?”
“Lucky me.” Emma blinked her eyes open and smiled. “So does that mean you’re going to do it?”
Campbell took a deep breath and let it go slowly. She caressed Emma’s cheeks with her thumbs as her expression turned thoughtful. “Do you honestly think I should?”
“Do you want to do it?” Emma countered.
“I think I do.”
Emma lifted her chin to kiss Campbell softly. “Then do it.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” Emma gave Campbell’s hips a light tug. “So, you gonna go back to trying to convince me to do more than wave a little flag?”
“I would love to.” Campbell smiled and dropped a quick, chaste kiss to Emma’s lips. “But, unfortunately, Beauchamp, we have practice to get to.”
“God, such a hard-ass,” Emma grumbled as she let Campbell slip from her hands. “You know the girls wouldn’t care if we were late.”
“But if we’re late, then we can’t be the nice coaches who let them out of their last practice before break a little bit early.” Campbell laughed and took Emma by the hand. “And that means you have to wait longer before I can try to convince you to wear a Canada t-shirt in the privacy of one of our apartments.”
Emma launched herself from the desk. “Good point.” She winked at Campbell as she stole a quick kiss, and gave her hand a light squeeze before letting it go. “Come on, Jordan,” she said as she tilted her head to the door. “We’ve got a practice to get to.”
“We do,” Campbell agreed. She grabbed Emma’s wrist and murmured, “But, Em?”
Emma allowed the hand on her wrist to guide her closer. “Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
Emma smiled and, even though they had places to be, couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss Campbell one last time. “Any time.”
“This is incredible,” Campbell murmured, her eyes shining with reflections of the white fairy lights strung back and forth over the closed-off section of Main Street in Great Barrington that had been turned into a Christmas Market for the two weeks leading up to the holiday. The air smelled of firewood and pine, and the weather was perfect, with just enough clouds in the sky to help keep the temperature comfortable while still being chilly enough to contribute to the overall Yuletide ambiance.
Emma squeezed Campbell’s hand that was curled around her own in her coat pocket. Val had teased her for planning what she’d called a ‘Lifetime movie of the week’ date for her and Campbell’s last night together before they headed their separate ways for the holidays, but she had always wanted to do something like this and, well, it seemed like something Campbell would love. “I’m glad you think so.”
Campbell hummed and snuggled closer as they wound their way through the crowd. “Is this here every year?”
“Yep. They’ve been doing this for, like, almost a century now? I dunno, exactly, but basically for forever.”
“Forever,” Campbell chuckled. “Well, it’s nice to know we can make this a tradition if we wanted.”
Emma’s heart fluttered at the idea. School and hockey and trying to find time to be with Campbell and, basically, life in general had kept her too busy the last month or so that she had been too focused on the here-and-now to even begin to think about the future, but she very much liked the idea of Campbell still being a part of her life twelve months down the road to where they could do this again. “That sounds great.”
“Yeah?”
Emma squeezed Campbell’s hand. “Yeah.”
Campbell turned just enough to dust a kiss over Emma’s cheek as she murmured, “Good.”
