Jase (7 page)

He reached out a hand to cup her face and gave her a quick smile. Their conversation had been enjoyable, and even more than that, he had loved
holding
her, touching her all night, and wasn’t ready for things to end yet.
He found himself wanting more than these few hours with her, and impulsively told her, “You need to come home with me,” not couching it as a question, but she still shook her head in response.

For the first time all night, there was no smile on her face or in her voice, and he thought she looked sad as she spoke. “I was assigned a hotel suite. They’ll check to make sure I’m where I’m supposed to be…make sure I’m okay, so I need to go
there
tonight. Thanks, though, it’s a…kind offer.”

Kind offer
, he thought with a snort. She wasn’t getting away that easily. He knew he had affected her tonight; her responses to his kisses and touch were real, without artifice. She wanted…him. “Then I’ll go with you,” he countered, slipping his hand around the back of her head, pulling her towards him. “I’d like to spend the night with you, DeeDee. I want to be with you. Are you going to tell me I’m alone in this? Because I
think
I’ll have to call you a liar if you try.”

He moved
closer
, pausing briefly when his mouth was a fraction of an inch
from
hers, the heat of her breath gusting against his lips. “I want you,” he
said
and kissed her. Slanting his mouth over hers, he saw her eyes flutter closed just before his did and drew in a harsh breath through their joined lips when her hand wove into his hair, tugging gently. The kiss waxed and waned, beginning again with every gasp and moan. “I want you,” he repeated in a strained voice, breaking away to rest his forehead against hers, desperately trying to control his breathing. He didn’t
mean
to make too big a fool out of himself if he had completely misread her reactions. “
God
, DeeDee. Let me be with you.”

Her fingers dipped into his back pocket and he heard her whisper, “Admiral. Room seven-twelve, if you’re interested.” She stepped back, dropping her hands, and he immediately missed her touch, wanted his hands on her again. “Seven-twelve,” she repeated, and he reached
back
with his hand, tracing and recognizing the rectangle shape in his pocket as a hotel door key.

“Try and keep me away,” he told her hoarsely, his words drawing an uncertain look to her face. He watched as she smoothed it away, lifting her chin and reclaiming the confidence and courage that so intrigued him when he first met her. He had never
seen
a woman as willing to make her own way as this one seemed determined to do.

She walked away, slim hips swaying as her leather-clad thighs brushed and rubbed against each other, the sound of the soft caress of leather fading slowly into the night. Her departure was noted by
a half-dozen men
standing around, who, with various expressions of relief and disbelief, looked from him to her then back again. He pulled the room key out and flashed it at Hoss, one of the men from Fort Wayne, and the Rebel member gave him a brilliant grin accompanied by a thumbs-up. The rest of the men spread out behind her, not pursuing but escorting, ensuring she was safe as she made her way over to the bike.

Jase watched as she paused and spoke to dozens of people on her way, watching greedily as she greeted each with a smile and a touch, settling into a hug or rising on her toes to kiss a cheek. He would have liked to be able to walk beside her, shown them all she was with him, that she wasn’t walking away from him. It wasn’t what it looked like.
Hoss came over to him, hand out for a forearm grip. “Spencer. You should park in the hotel garage; she’ll put the bike up
near
the elevator. Maybe you can meet her there, keep her from getting cold feet?” He wasn’t sure he
heard
correctly at first, but then it dawned on him this tryst had just been officially approved.

“Okay. Will do,” he said, nodding at the big man. He made to release his grip on Hoss’
arm,
but the man tightened down painfully, holding on and staring Jase in the face with a hard look.

“Do
not
fuck her over,” he growled, scowling. “She deserves to be treated like a lady, deserves to see sweet coming her way. Do not fuck her over, man.”

“No way,” Jase was quick to respond, shaking his head. “No way, Hoss. She’s something special.” Hoss tightened his grip again, nodding before finally releasing his hold. Jase looked up to see Birdy watching them, a guarded look on his face. He nodded at the biker and Hoss twisted to see who he was interacting with, then frowned as he turned back to Jase.

“He’s not one you wanna piss off. Might want to walk softly there.” Clapping a hand on Jase’s shoulder, he said, “Don’t forget she’s ours, man. Treat her right, and there’ll be no problem.” Watching him walk away, he saw Hoss jerk his head at Birdy, and the men faded into the darkness at the edges of the yard.

***

At the hotel, he stood near the elevator, shifting impatiently from foot to foot.
Why isn’t she here yet?
Remembering what happened to her husband, he
had a sudden, near paralyzing fear
that something had occurred along the way. Then he heard a muted roar quickly increasing in volume, and recognized it as the sound of bikes approaching. Bikes, plural…as in more than one. He frowned and then caught his breath as DeeDee rode into view around a corner of the parking garage. She sat the big bike with confidence and skill, hands and feet working in coordination to control the machine.
God, she looks amazing
, he thought.

She pulled in near him, walking the idling bike
backwards
into a parking space before she put down the kickstand and killed the engine. Three other bikes pulled up, but only one moved to park beside her. A couple rode that one, and the women hugged tightly before separating, promises of dinner passing between them. Standing beside the bike, DeeDee turned to him with a quizzical look. He said, “Hey. Hi. Thought we could walk up together.” Feeling unexpectedly insecure, he stood there looking at her, watching as she retrieved a small bag from the bike, cinching the saddlebags tightly closed.

The other bikers offered him the signature chin lift so many used in place of a verbal greeting, and then took off, pipes roaring as they headed to the exit. He found the sudden stillness in their absence as startling as the initial noise had been.
She was quiet as he reached to push the button for the elevator, then silent for their solitary ride to the seventh floor. The door of her room opened into a plush suite complete with a living area and a separate bedroom and bath. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, thumbs in his pockets, looking around. “Nice digs, DeeDee,” he said.

She dropped her jacket in a chair and carried her small bag into the bedroom, beginning to unnerve him with her silence. She had held his hand in the elevator, had readily submitted to his arm around her shoulders, but hadn’t spoken to him since giving him the room information at the party. Was she regretting the invitation? What if she was too
tired,
but was being polite and not turning him out? He eyed the big bed, deciding he would be okay if that
were
the case, as long as he got to spoon with her. Hold her. Soak up how good she felt in his arms.

As she came out of the bedroom in a t-shirt and jeans, he saw she had removed her boots, socks, and leather chaps. Her bare feet were slim and petite, and her toenails were painted a shocking green. For some
reason,
the color made him laugh aloud and she looked up,
asking,
“What?” as she walked across the room to him. Slipping her arms around his waist, she leaned into his embrace and took a deep breath as they touched.
I think she wants
this
after all
, he thought.

The cuddle helped him begin to relax, and now that his hands were back on her, he was more confident. “Love the
pedi
,” he quipped, dipping his head down for a kiss. It was good…sensual, soft, and slow, her mouth moving under his, but she ended it too quickly and tucked her head underneath his chin, cheek resting on his chest.

“My daughter did it,” she said quietly, amusement
evident
in her voice. “She liked the color and wanted to try it, but not on her own nails.”

“Did she?” He didn’t
care,
but now that she started, he wanted to keep her talking.

“Did she what?” She tilted her head up, meeting his eyes with her question.

“Did she like the color?” He traced her cheek with the tip of his nose, drawing her earlobe between his lips and nipping softly at it then pulling back to study her face.

She drew in a sigh, her lips tipping up into a smile. “Yeah, she liked it.”

“Do you like this?” he asked, leaning in to nibble her earlobe again.

Her head moved and nodded as she said, “Yeah, I like this a lot.”

“Mmmm,” he hummed against the side of her head. “I like it a lot, too.” He drew his nose along her jaw, softly kissing the side of her neck. “How about this? Do you like this?”

“Yeah, I like that, too.” This was murmured into his shirt as her neck arched towards him, which had the effect of keeping her lips from his. That wasn’t going to work for him, and he nibbled down and across her collarbone, whispering, “I want your lips.”

She was turning her head when his phone rang and he groaned, recognizing the ringtone. It was Nathan
deWalt
, the team’s manager. He pulled back, digging the phone out as he told her, “I gotta get this, hon. Gimme a minute.”

“Yeah?” he answered, not bothering to disguise his irritation.

“One word, Spencer. Bus. I got two no-shows: you and Daniel. You want to play tomorrow? You want ice time?” Nate didn’t bother with pleasantries. He knew Jase well enough to skip to what he needed to know.

“Shit, what time are you pulling out?” He rubbed his forehead between finger and thumb, feeling the beginnings of a headache. In his pursuit this evening, he had forgotten the team was heading down to Fort Wayne tonight to be rested for the game tomorrow. Looking up as DeeDee walked out of the room, he frowned.
Why did she leave?

“We hit the Skyway ten minutes ago. I have your gear. If I trust you to drive down, will you actually show?” Nate spoke to someone in the background. “Hang on, I’ve got Daniel.” There was silence for a minute and then the line crackled. “Daniel said to meet him at Mica’s at nine in the morning, sharp. He’ll drive you both down.”

“Okay, Nate.
It sounds
like a solution to me. Enjoy the bus trip, old man. See you tomorrow.” Jase grinned. He wasn’t sad to be free of the sardine can that was the team bus, especially the night before a playoff game. The scent of anxiety would be almost as thick as the stench of sweat-soaked hockey equipment in the vehicle. He hung up and tossed the phone onto the countertop behind him, stalking through the suite until he found DeeDee standing in the bathroom. She was staring into the mirror, and he wasn’t sure she noticed him until he pressed up behind her.

“That was the team manager; they’re on their way to your town, because we are playing in Fort Wayne tomorrow night,” he told her, kissing the side of her neck. “Any chance of you coming to the game? I can get you tickets to the team box, or seats on the glass if you’d rather sit there.”

She shook her head. “I’ll be here in Chicago for three nights. That’s what I was told.”

He frowned at her. “You don’t get a say in it? Can’t go back early if you wanted to?”

“There’s a reason for the request,” she assured him. “I simply don’t know everything yet. Is this your last game of the season? I’ve seen your team play a few times this year, when you guys came to the Fort to play the Tridents.”

She likes hockey?
He hadn’t known that and now looked at her
thoughtfully, saying
, “Hopefully not the last game. If we keep winning, we keep going in the playoffs. You came to some of the games? Who’d you root for?”

She turned in his arms and tilted her head, grinning at him. “Sorry, handsome, I’m a
hometown
gal. Tridents got the cheers.”

He leaned into the small space separating them and slid his hands around her hips to her lower back. Pulling her tightly against him, he buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent. “You think I’m handsome? Will I get to hear you cheer for me sometime?”

“Do you need to leave soon?” She dodged his questions and asked her own, even as she tilted her head, giving him greater access for the soft kisses he was pressing to her skin.

“Not until the morning,” he murmured against her. “I’ll set an alarm so I’m up in time to head back to Mica’s by nine; Daniel’s going to drive us down. But right now, I’m with you, absolutely not going anywhere.”

She hummed, turning her head to kiss him softly. Lips only, the contact between them was soft and gentle, tender and sensual. He shifted, guiding her
backwards
to the bedroom. “I’m with you. I’ve thought about you so much…
so
often, DeeDee. I was glad to see you at the party tonight.”

Standing beside the bed, her hands went to his waist, fingers working to unfasten his jeans, her quiet demands quickly removing his clothing. Smiling, he reached out and disassembled her outfit as well, swiftly discarding her shirt and bra before the sight of his hands on her breasts distracted him.

His
broad
, tanned hands covered the pale skin, rough fingertips teasing her nipples into rosy peaks before he cupped and lifted one to his mouth. Working the hard bud with lips and teeth, he soothed the sting of gentle
bites
with soft
sucking
and flicks of his tongue. He asked, “You like that?” Her quiet sighs encouraged him and her hands played in his hair, fingers threading and stroking through again and again, touching and tracing the sides of his face, over his cheekbones and up into his hair.