Listen to My Heart

I ducked my head as I walked down the sidewalk after my last night class on a very cold Wednesday night. My chin was tucked into the collar of my jacket as I begrudgingly sucked the terrorizingly cold breath into my lungs. My lungs constricted painfully against the cold air as I blew it out as fast as I pulled it in. January in Minnesota was down right nasty, and it happened to be the coldest week of the year where we were lucky to have a high above 0. I shivered at the thought and forced my frozen legs to pump me faster towards my house.

The vast amount of snow that blanketed the area, dumbed down the noise from the passing cars and the scuffling feet against the sidewalk, creating a calm and content feeling despite the harsh, cold wind. The flurried twirled through the air and smacked against on another before the hit the ground or collected on my knit hat and mittens. I was a few blocks from home and I yearned to feel the warmth from the furnace so that my limbs could be defrosted.

My phone began to vibrate in my pocket, and I knew it was Tony checking to see where I was. I had to stay late after class and he tended to worry when I didn't stick to my schedule, especially at night. I rolled my eyes and decided his text could wait until I was out of the cold. With that in mind, I began to scuffle quicker, my UGGs sliding against the icy sidewalks.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed as I lost my balance, but regained it with the help of a pole that I grabbed onto for support. My heart beat quickly in my chest as I tried to regain my composure, quickly checking around to make sure no one had seen that. I was wonderfully alone on the street.

I began to walk again, feeling my phone vibrate multiple times, Tony again, but this time with a call. I groped for the phone, but decided against it since I would have to expose my hand in order to retrieve the phone safely in my grasp. My mittens would send it tumbling towards the ground and snow. Just as quickly as one call ended, another one started, causing me to ground my teeth together in frustration. I was at the end of my street, rounding the corner with caution before I began to scuffle quickly again, ignoring the slippery surface because I was starting to not be able to feel my legs. I looked down the street, seeing a figure next to my house, dressed warmly, and with a hand up to his ear.

"Tony! I'm fine!" I yelled to him, a large, white cloud covering my face as I began to bustle quickly down the sidewalk. He whirled towards me, clicking the end button and ceasing the vibrating in my jacket.

"Brianna, I've been worried sick about you." He yelled back as he jogged carefully towards me, sliding a bit on the sidewalk. I giggled, thinking it was funny that he spent so much time on ice, yet even he would slid against the sidewalk.

We met in the middle, me slamming into him as he tried to keep both of us up right while wrapping me tightly into a warm embrace. He tucked my face into his chest so that his arm was shielding me from the cold wind. He gently rocked me, his cool lips pressing right below my hat, on my cheek bone. I breathed in the smell of his cologne softly, burrowing in deep because I loved moments like this. I loved when he held me like the world would just stop when we were wrapped up in each other.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." He groaned to me, pressing several more kisses to my rosy cheeks. I giggled at him, wrapping my arms around his neck, the cold weather forgotten with the heat that being around Tony brought me.

"You saw me this morning." I reminded him when he slipped from his bed at 6 AM, heading to his morning practice and leaving me snuggled in the warmth he left behind.

"But that was so long ago." He whined softly, pressing his lips against my nose before dipping to press our lips together. My heart paused and then sputtered back to life with just the simple pressure. My eyes slid closed and I pulled him in tighter, our lips fused and our bodies molded against each other. I let out a breathy moan from my parted lips as his tongue slid into my mouth, making want and need pulse inside of me.

"You are just hopeless."

"Hopelessly in love, babe." He insisted with a quick kiss on my nose. "It is freezing, we need to get you inside." His hands wrapped under my thighs, scooping me into his arms as my legs wrapped around his waist.

"Don't you dare slip up that sidewalk, Anthony." I warned him as he gave a large grin.

"I'd make sure you'd fall onto me." He assured me with a wink. A smile tugged the corners of my mouth up as I reached forward to give his mouth a soft kiss. When we pulled apart, Tony sighed very softly. "I don't know how I ever lived without those kisses."

"I don't either." I whispered as I reached back to open the door for us, holding it as Tony stepped through. Who knew walking through a door would be a team effort.

Tony set me down when we were inside the house, the warmth making my cheeks tingle immediately. I began to pull at the zipper on my coat, shaking out my legs as I tried to get the blood flowing again. Our skin was tickled pink from the cold as we hung our coats on the railing at the bottom of the stairs. I grabbed his hand and tugged him into the kitchen where Kara was sitting at the table, Joey next to her, nose pressed into his textbook and a loud snore coming from his limp body.
 
“Studying hard, Joey?” I asked, slapping his head lightly to jolt him awake. He snapped up, wiping the drool from his mouth and rubbing his eyes.
 
“Yep.” He mumbled sleepily as Kara chuckled softly at her boyfriend. “I wasn’t sleeping.”
 
“Sure you weren’t.” I nodded to him, walking to the cupboard and pulling out hot chocolate along with two mugs.
 
“Yum.” Tony murmured from next to me where he was leaning against the counter. I smiled softly and pulled out a medium sized pot, pouring a large amount of milk in before flipping the burner on.
 
“Do you guys have plans for the weekend?” Kara asked, speaking of the one off weekend the Gophers would have in the second half of the season. I looked over at Tony who shrugged his shoulders in response.
 
“Not that I know of, why?” I responded for the two of us as Tony hopped onto the counter before pulling me between his legs.
 
“I was thinking that we could all do something.” She shrugged. “Joey and I were talking about maybe making dinner reservations down town and then staying in a hotel.”
 
“That sounds like fun.” I smiled, thinking of the beautiful hotels and places to go the city had. My eyes turned to Tony who was nodding his head in agreement.
 
“I think we could make that happen.” He assured me, a smile forming as I beamed up at him. I reached up and kissed his lips softly. “Would that make you happy?” He asked with a small smile.
 
“Very.” I mused against his lips, wrapping my hand around his neck and pulling our lips tightly together. His hands ran from my hips up my back, holding me tightly to the counter.
 
“Think of all the fun we could have in our hotel room.” He laughed, nipping at my neck. I yelped and pushed his face away from my skin to prevent an obvious mark.
 
“Sounds more like trouble to me.” I gave him a skeptical look while his face held an innocent expression.

“So I was thinking,” Kara called from the table, her Macbook open in front of her as she fiddled around on it. “We should plan stay at the W Foshay in downtown Minneapolis.”
 
“Nice place?” I asked, pushing away from my boyfriend’s arms and walking to look over her shoulder.
 
“The hotel seems fairly modern and well put together.” Kara shrugged her shoulders, flipping through the photo gallery of the place.
 
“This place looks fantastic.” I smiled at her.
 
“You know what this place looks like to me?” Joey asked, his head tilted towards the two of us. We both looked up and pretended to care what his opinion was. “Expensive.” Kara and I rolled our eyes at him.
 
“Shut up Joey, your preference is not wanted, nor is it appreciated.” I told him as he glared at me across the table before turning to look at Tony.
 
“You wanna pipe up here for the males in the room?” Joey asked.
 
“Nope. What my baby wants, my baby gets.” I beamed as Kara awed, and Joey rolled his eyes.
 
“You’re such a woman, Tony.” He huffed out as Tony crossed the room, smacking Joey upside the head.
 
“Learn how to romance your girlfriend, douche bag.” Tony scowled at him before looking at the hotel prices. He shrugged his shoulders and told Kara to book two rooms next to each other, on his credit card. He pulled out his wallet and threw the card down before smiling at me.
 
“You’re so sweet,” I smiled, kissing his lips softly as he sighed quietly against my skin. He nuzzled his nose in the crook of my neck, making me sigh longingly. “I love you, Ton.” I kissed his temple softly as he turned his face, our green eyes sizzling at the connection.
 
“I love you too.” He told me simply, like he had been thinking it his whole life.
***
“Baby, come look!” I yelled to Tony as I bounced into our suite, looking around at the beautiful room.
 
This place was not like other hotels. It had a distinct modern theme with a desk in the lobby that changed an assortment of bright, vivid colors as you looked at it. The hotel was a good 30 stories with rooms that looked out at the Minneapolis skyline that seemed to be just feet away. I pounced onto the bed as Tony walked in, carrying my bags as he dropped them onto the floor. He grinned at me sprawled out on the bed, carefully climbing on next to me. He scooped me into his arms tightly, nuzzling his nose against the top of my head.
 
“This weekend is going to be great. I just know it.” I insisted, kissing his knuckles as our fingers laced loosely and casually together. He kissed the top of my head in his only agreement, the two of us just cuddling together on the bed. Until there was a loud and rather rude knock on the door.
 
“Let’s get to boozing!” Joey exclaimed, looking around in our mini-fridge for the beverage of his desire.
 
“Joseph.” Kara called with a distinct snap. “Get your head out of there.” Joey pulled away like a wounded dog, retreating to her side with his tail between his legs. I couldn’t help but laugh at the dominance that she asserted over him.

"We need to get going if we're going to make our reservation." Tony insisted, looking at the silver watch on his wrist. "Bri and I are going to change, and we'll meet you two in the lobby."

"More like you two are going to do the nasty." Joey insisted, wrapping an arm around Kara and kissing her neck. Kara's cheeks flamed red as Tony and I gave each other a look before rolling our eyes.

"Get out." Tony insisted, holding the door for them and then shutting it once they had passed through. I laughed at his head shake before grabbing my outfit from my suitcase and walking to the bathroom.

"Last one ready is paying for dinner!" I exclaimed.

When I stepped from the bathroom five minutes later, I frowned to see Tony relaxing on the bed, shoes one, in a button up gray dress shirt with a pair of dark wash jeans. I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose at him.

"Not fair! I get three minutes of courtesy because I'm a girl." I insisted with a hand on my hip. I was fairly positive that Tony didn't even hear what I said.

When his eyes looked towards me, I could see his pupils dilate wide as he took in the sight of me. I had on a black, long sleeved dress that hit to just a little past mid thigh. The dress was a somewhat silky fabric which hung loosely around from the neck to abdomen, but then hugged my thighs just a little bit tighter. I paired them with a pair of red pumps, and diamond earrings, my smokey eye makeup completing the look. Tony could barely breathe as he slowly sat up, eyes ablaze.

"You look... stunning." He whispered to me as I walked across the room, standing between his spread legs. I placed my manicured fingers against his shoulders.

"You think?" I asked with a tilted smile. He nodded up at me, his eyes dewy and his lips pursed. I leaned down, placing our lips together. He very gently pulled my lip into his mouth. I exhaled softly, feeling my knees grow weak as Tony pulled me onto his lap, my legs hanging off of his knee. He dipped me slightly, hand on the base of my head as his tongue worked mine. Every fiber of my body was standing on end as I grasped his shoulders and dug my fingers into his hair. When he dipped me back up and pulled away, I kept my eyes closed, lips slightly parted.

"Are you ready to go?" Tony asked me, gently holding my head with both hands on either side of my head. "Open your eyes baby." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"I swear to god you're going to kill me with sweetness." I groaned as I slid my eyes open to look at him.

"It's only because I love you so much." He smiled sweetly, lifting me into his arms and carrying me to the door. I giggled, wrapping an arm around his neck and kissing his jaw softly.

"I love you too, Tony." I kept my face pressed against his cheek, giving him a few more kisses before pulling away. He set me down once we reached the door, allowing me to open the door. I turned my head, pausing in the doorway as he gave me one more sweet kiss. His hand on my hips pushed me gently into the hallway.

"Finally." Kara insisted as her and Joey pushed away from the door, obviously just getting through with a rather hot make out session. I rolled my eyes at her and Joey before leading the train down to the elevator.

We entered the lobby a few seconds later, crossing the large space to the door of the restaurant within the hotel. Manny's Steak House is one of the best places to eat in the Twin Cities. The food was 100% worth the lavish price. I squealed softly as we entered, looking around at the beautiful decor. The tables were covered with white table clothes while all of the wood was a deep, dark, beautiful cherry oak. The lights were low and the overall setting was intimate.

"It smells amazing." Kara insisted as we sat at in the booth, flipping the menu open. "Whoa. Joey, you're paying." She laughed along with Tony and I. For some reason, Joey didn't find it funny.

"Who picked this place?" Joey mumbled under his breath, shaking his head. Kara reached over, squeezing his hand softly while batting her lashes. Joey turned to goo, shaking his head and smiling at the love of his life.

"The food will make up for the price, thrill." Tony murmured without looking up from the menu. "What sounds good?" He asked me.

"Everything." I murmured, "Oh except the pork chops." I made a face that caused him to laugh softly. "But even though I love steak, that salmon sounds fabulous."

"Interesting choice for you. I'm thinking prime rib."

"I'm stealing some of that." I grinned, shutting my menu and reaching up to kiss his lips gently. I smiled softly against his plump lips, both of us staring into each others eyes until the waitress came to our table.

All four of us ordered our meals, salmon for me, prime rib for tony, a new york strip for Joey and an ahi tuna steak for Kara. We spent most of dinner chatting about various topics, enjoying the light, carefree evening in the middle of the most hectic season of the year. Hockey rarely gave us a time to enjoy the company of our friends with no agenda. Tony couldn't keep his hands off of me whether they were laced together with mine or gently resting against my thighs. his lips had the same problem as he kept kissing any part of my body that I would let him. The sexual tension was beginning to build to the point where I could barely breathe.

When our dinner came, all of us could barely believe the sight of all that delicious looking food. My salmon was so delectable that I had to force myself to put my fork down, so I wouldn't shove it all into my mouth at the same time. I stole several bites of Tony's prime rib. He acted as if he was so upset with each bite I took, but I knew he didn't really care. However, when he tried to take a swipe of my mashed potatoes, I was forced to kiss him in order to grab his fork from his hand.

"Mine." I told him with a playful snap of my teeth. His green eyes shone adorably at me, smiling wide as he laughed.

We finished dinner with a banana split which came in a huge martini glass. Kara and I widened at the large amount of ice cream and bananas, but the boys didn't seem to be phased as they dug right into the deliciousness. Kara and I dug in much more modestly.

"I don't think this is in your guys' diet." Kara insisted as she spooned some of the dessert into her mouth.

"Who cares?" Joey asked, leaning down and sucking a bit off ice cream off her lips. I wrinkled my nose at Tony who leaned down as made sure to kiss me very loudly and obscenely. I laughed at him, pushing at his forehead to make him knock it off. "We need to eat this quickly. Brain freezes for all of us!" Joey insisted as he stated to spoon the ice cream quickly into his mouth. I frowned at him as Kara nodded earnestly. They continued to eat quickly until both of them were holding their foreheads.

"Ouch." Kara complained. "I don't know what hurts more, my stomach or my brain."

"Babe, don't stop." Joey insisted, trying to eat the rest of the dessert. Tony and I just watched with amused smiled. "Shit, all of this for sex." He groaned.

"Okay, why don't you two just go." Tony nodded his head at Joey.

"Thanks man." Joey grinned, pushing Kara from the booth with a quick shove.

"Eep! Joey!" Kara exclaimed.

"Don't talk, just walk." Joey pushed. "Have a nice night guys. Don't rock the bed too much." My mouth dropped open in a large o. Tony snorted under his breath while I tired to slip under the table in embarrassment. I covered my flaming face with my hands as Tony wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Why are we friends with him?" I asked Tony as Kara went bustling from the restaurant with Joey hot on her heels. Joey grabbed at her behind firmly, making a loud squeal erupt from her lips. "They're going to get us kicked out." I frowned.

"We'll just say we don't know them." He winked, kissing my forehead.

Tony ended up paying for all of our meals, or Don depending on how you looked at it, before we went back up to our room. I was so tired after the long day of classes and then the excitement of dinner and such, along with the good food. I yawned as Tony held the door of our room open, stepping through and throwing my purse on the table. I sat on the end of our bed, pulling my pumps off slowly as Tony threw his stuff on the table as well.

"You should keep those on." He told me, walking to the bed and kneeling on the ground. His hands grabbed my right foot, rubbing at the grooves in my skin from my pumps. His lips passed over them too as he kissed his way over the smooth skin of my calf, and then my knee until he reached the edge of my dress. He didn't push any further, just went to my left foot and repeated the same action. I laid down on the bed, closing my eyes and focusing solely on the feel of his lips against my skin.

"Mmm, that feels so good." I breathed softly.

"Are you ready for bed?" He asked. I nodded, my eyes barely open as I looked towards the clock. It was only eleven, but I was exhausted from school and the fact that I hadn't been able to relax in weeks. "Do you want to get up and change, or do you want me to do it?"

"I don't think you could handle it." I smiled sleepily at him, forcing myself to sit up. I kissed his lips softly, cupping his chin in my hand softly. "I love you, Ton."

"I love you too, Bri." He whispered, watching as I stood, grabbing my pajamas from my suitcase. I cleaned my face of my makeup and replaced my contacts with my glasses. I yawned as I stepped from my dress, folding it carefully before pulling on my Pink pants and sweatshirt. When I stepped from the bathroom, Tony was already changed into his glasses and his pajamas, tucked into bed and looking like the perfect snuggle mate.

I slid into bed next to him, immediately curling into the warmth of my chest. My ear rested against the beat of his heart as he flipped through the channels on the TV. We both tried to ignore the sound of the bed next door rocking against the wall to avoid the sexual tension from consuming us. If I hadn't been so tired, maybe something more would have happened. If Tony hadn't turned to TV up louder, maybe we would have stripped each other of our clothes. If I hadn't fallen asleep two minutes from when I got into bed, Tony and I might have finally slept together.

However, nothing but sleep was able to break the sexual tension in the room. Tony fell asleep a few minutes after me, holding me close and telling himself that holding me was enough for now.