Las Vegas Sidewinders: Dominic (9 page)

As he expected, Tatiana had
called back twice already, but he ignored the incoming call notifications as he
stayed on the line with the police. He could hear the click as the dead bolt
was finally turned and he shook his head in frustration—he was definitely
having better locks installed! He could hear the chair scraping across the
floor as someone pushed until the door began to open.

Toli whispered into the
phone that the burglars had picked his lock and were now pushing against the
chain. As the dispatcher told him to hide and that the police were only a
minute or so away, he made his way into the kitchen and picked up one of the
metal pans Suze had bought for him.

“You need to be able to boil
water for pasta and make a scrambled egg,” she’d insisted, giving him two fancy
pans he would probably never use. “Even a bachelor has to cook a few things!”

Now he held the frying pan
in his hand, trying to decide if it was hard enough to knock someone out or if
he should take the chance of firing the gun. Though he wouldn’t hesitate to do
it if it meant saving his life, he knew it would cause him all sorts of problems
and bring bad publicity to the team he wanted to play for next season. Taking a
deep breath, he put his phone back in his pocket and raised the metal pan in
the air. Someone put their full weight on the door, finally breaking the chain
and pushing the chair across the room. The door swung open and someone stepped
inside. Toli brought the frying pan down on the man’s head, rendering him
unconscious. Someone shouted and Toli yelled, “Police are on the way—enter at
your own risk!”

“This is the police,”
someone yelled back. “You need to cease and desist! Drop your weapon and put
your hands in the air.”

“Not a chance in hell,” Toli
yelled back. “When the police I called on 911 arrive, then I will
cease and
desist
.” He enunciated the words sarcastically, knowing that this had to be
Tim or his friends.

He could hear muttering,
whispered voices, and then the sound of footsteps in the hall.

“You will get out of my
house,” Toli called back. “I will defend myself.”

“This is a police matter and
you need to step back.”

“Do you have a warrant?” he
asked.

There was more silence as
someone whispered something to someone else. “There have been reports of
violence on this floor and we’re searching for a battered woman. We’re
searching all the apartments on this floor.”

“There is no woman in my
apartment—I’m home alone.” Toli could hear sirens outside and let out a sigh of
relief.

After that, everything
happened in a blur. Police swarmed the apartment, with a lot of whispered
voices and people searching each room. He watched as they looked under the beds
and in all the closets.

“Who else lives here?” the
man in charge asked him abruptly.

“That would be my friend,
Molly McCarran, who is the wife of the police officer I believe sent these men
here—Tim McCarran. She recently filed for divorce and has been trying to stay
away from him.” Toli didn’t hesitate to look at each of the men in the room
carefully. Although he often downplayed his command of English by talking in
third person and using grammatically incorrect phrasing because it didn’t
require as much concentration, he’d been speaking English most of his life. He
had no difficulty leaving behind his class-clown persona and going head-to-head
with a room full of dirty cops. He wasn’t playing around with these guys and he
wasn’t going to let them think he was some dumb jock.

“You broke into my home
without a warrant. There is no possible way anyone heard any kind of problems
coming from this apartment because Molly has been out of town with a girlfriend
for a couple of days,” he lied, folding his arms across his chest.

“How, exactly, did a Russian
national who’s only been in the country a few weeks become friends with Mrs.
McCarran?” one of the policemen asked.

“She’s a hockey fan; I’m a
hockey player.” He arched an eyebrow. “She asked me for an autograph at a
restaurant and, after a pleasant conversation, I asked her if she could help me
find a place to live. I need someone to take care of my place when I’m on the
road, and we decided it would be a perfect arrangement since she was currently
without a place to live.”

“So you invited a total
stranger to live in your home?” the man asked dubiously.

“She’s hot,” Toli said with
a telling shrug. “Who wouldn’t want a good-looking woman living in his house?”
He hated making her sound so cheap, but the policeman was right in questioning
his letting a total stranger move in with him, and the only way for that to
make sense was to hint that they had some kind of relationship.

“We’re going to need to
follow up with Mrs. McCarran to make sure she’s all right,” the policeman said.

“My understanding is that
she will only deal with the police through her lawyer,” Toli shrugged. “I don’t
know much about her divorce, but I know she doesn’t trust any of you.”

The man in charge narrowed
his eyes slightly. “That’s a serious accusation.”

“So is a group of off-duty
policemen breaking into my home late at night without a warrant.” He cocked his
head and glanced at the man’s nameplate. “You do not want this kind of trouble
on your record, Officer Valdez. I have plenty of money to spend on making the
lives of bad cops miserable. Harassing me will not end well for any of you.” He
focused on the man on the floor who was finally coming to, making sure he
understood he was talking to him. “And you should tell your friend Tim that
Molly wants to be left alone. Otherwise, we’re going to spend a lot of time in
court, and I’d be willing to bet I have more money to waste than any of you.”

There were more questions
and forms to be signed, but by midnight they were gone and Toli was left to
shove another chair under the door handle until he could get it repaired in the
morning. Exhausted but unable to sleep, he stared at the TV for a long time. As
crazy as all of this was, it seemed a hell of a lot better than what he’d left
behind in Russia, which made no sense at all.

With the passing of the NHL
entry and expansion drafts, Cody, Dom and Toli had more time to relax. Most of
the players would not be arriving in Las Vegas for at least another month, so
now they could focus on vacations and enjoying their time off. Dom and Toli
both signed contracts on the first of July, and because of the July 4
^th
holiday, they agreed to go on vacation to celebrate.

“San Diego,” Dom told Molly.
“The Hotel Del Coronado is incredible. I think you’ll love it.”

“I’m sure I’m going to love
anywhere we go, since I’ve never been anywhere!”

“You should go shopping.” He
pulled some cash from of his wallet.

“What? No, I have what I
need. You shouldn’t—”

“Shut. Up.” He moved closer
to her and pressed the bills into her hand. “You’re going on your very first
vacation. With me.” His eyes met hers meaningfully. “Buy a pretty
dress—something you can wear at night, slow dancing by the ocean. Buy a sexy
pair of heels so that I can look at your legs. Buy something pretty to sleep
in—because we’re sharing a room and although I will never do anything you don’t
want to do, I seem to remember making you a promise.”

Molly swallowed hard,
knowing exactly what he was talking about and feeling her stomach doing flips
at the very thought of making love with him.

“Dom, you’re too young for
me.”

“Says who?” He gently lifted
her chin and looked into the green eyes he’d been mesmerized by since the
moment he’d met her. “And what difference does it make?”

“It makes a lot of
difference—men like you don’t date women like me.”

“What kind of women is it
that I don’t date? Beautiful ones? Divorced? Green-eyed?”

“Old,” she said tiredly.
“You’re young and have your whole life ahead of you. One day you’re going to
want children—and I probably can’t give them to you.”

 “Would you stop
over-thinking everything? I have no idea if I want kids, and we both know life
is too short to think about that stuff. Just go shopping. Please?”

“Fine.” She felt a jolt of
excitement as he bent his head and lightly brushed his lips across hers.

Driving across San Diego Bay
on the bridge that led to Coronado, Molly stared in fascination at the fabulous
and historical hotel. She’d looked it up before they’d left, and discovered it
was built in 1888 and was the second largest wooden structure in the United
States. Featured in many films over the years, including the Marilyn Monroe
classic, “Some Like It Hot,” Molly was excited to be seeing it in person. She’d
always dreamed of visiting places like this, and now she was actually here. It
was as gorgeous as she’d imagined and she couldn’t wait to explore every inch.

Though the drive was longer
than the drive to Los Angeles, they’d broken it up by stopping in Los Angeles
for lunch. She and Dom were in his car, and Toli was riding with Cody, Suze and
CJ. Dom had taken the week off from therapy and anger management: he was
allowed a vacation and it was a short week anyway due to the holiday.

Molly felt like a teenager
as they drove for miles with their hands linked between them. She knew she was
playing with fire, risking a broken heart, but she couldn’t help herself. After
what had happened at Toli’s apartment, she had no doubt Tim would be coming for
her. Although she wouldn’t go down without a fight, she also wouldn’t risk her
friends’ lives. If he found her, she would go with him before allowing him to
hurt anyone. That meant her time with these wonderful people was possibly
coming to an end, so she was going to savor every moment of it. Though Dom
promised her that he wouldn’t let Tim get to her, she knew that he would
eventually find her and there was no way of knowing whether Dom could protect
her.

Not today, though,
she
thought as they pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. It was just as
beautiful in person as in the movies, and she snapped a picture with her phone.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Dom said
as he pulled their suitcase out of the SUV.

“Can I go swimming?” CJ was
already asking.

“In a little while,” Suze
promised him. “We have to check in and then get your bathing suit on. You can
go for a quick swim before dinner, okay?”

“Okay!” CJ happily ran in
circles in the parking lot.

Walking into the hotel, they
checked in and then separated. Dom and Molly were going to relax a little
before dinner. Suze and Cody were taking CJ to the beach, and Toli said he had
a few phone calls to make.

Opening the door to their
suite, the bellman pointed out the various amenities. Dom slipped a bill into
his hand and the man disappeared. Molly went to the double doors that opened to
a view of the beach and sighed with delight.

“I’ve died and gone to
heaven,” she announced, leaning back against Dom as he came up behind her.

“You like it?” He placed a
kiss on her neck that sent shivers down her spine.

“Yes.” She turned to face
him, her green eyes sparkling with excitement. “It’s absolutely beautiful.
Thank you for bringing me here!” Throwing her arms around his neck, she leaned
up and kissed him. But instead of letting her go, his arms tightened and his
lips slowly parted hers. Her mouth responded without hesitation, and he
deepened the kiss, his tongue finding hers. He stroked it gently, caressing her
as he felt her coming alive under him.

She’d never been kissed like
this and her heart hammered against her ribs as he continued to kiss her, hands
slowly traveling across her back and settling in her hair.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he
whispered. “I could do this all night.”

“I want you to,” she
whispered back, tugging at his t-shirt so that she could run her hands along
the skin of his beautiful, hard chest and gloriously flat stomach. She’d never
seen anything quite like him, and she had to admit it was heady. He was
absolute perfection, and when he pulled off his shirt she sighed happily.
Touching him was like an out of body experience, and she traced a line with her
finger along the tattoo of a hawk that spread across his chest, up to his
shoulder and over to his right bicep. When he kissed the spot behind her neck,
she shivered against him longingly.

He pulled her to the bed,
where he fell back and brought her down so that she was resting on top of him.
His mouth found hers again and she could feel his erection growing against her
thigh. A whimper of need escaped her as he unbuttoned her shorts and slipped
his hand inside to explore the curve of her hip.

“Is this okay?” he asked
softly.

“Yes,” she breathed against
him. “It’s wonderful. You’re wonderful.”

He kissed her again, easing
off her shorts and slowly running his fingers along her soft, smooth skin. He
knew she was nervous, but he intended to make this a trip to remember. He was
determined to convince her they were a good match. He understood her
reservations, but he wasn’t worried about the age difference. He’d never met
anyone like her before, and in the month they’d been together, he’d learned so
much about himself.  Mostly that he didn’t want to live in the past
anymore; he wanted to move forward and he wanted Molly to be with him. He’d
never really believed in love at first sight, but he’d known the moment he saw
her in that parking garage that she was going to change his life.

Focusing on her now, he
pulled away long enough to look up at her enraptured face.

“What’s wrong?” Her eyes
opened in surprise.

“Nothing.” He rubbed his
knuckles across her cheek and smiled. “You’re just driving me crazy.”

“Is that good crazy or bad
crazy?” she smiled back.

“Oh, it’s good.” He found
her mouth again and slowly ran his hands along the indentation of her waist.
She was curvy but far from fat, and he was enjoying the hell out of touching
her. When he slipped her panties off, his big hands slid down her thighs, the
swell of her ass and the warm mound between her legs. He felt her jump slightly
as he moved his hand there, and he stroked her slowly. “It’s okay,” he
whispered. “Trust me, Molly.”

“I feel like a virgin
again,” she said in a whisper. “It’s always been so… uncomfortable.”

“We can stop any time you
want,” he said, brushing kisses across her neck.

She nodded, but put her
hands on the back of his head and brought his mouth back to hers. This time
when he slipped his hand between her legs, she moved against him, completely
immersed in his touch and the way he made her feel. She yearned for him to make
her feel like the women she read about in romance novels; she’d never found
pleasure in Tim’s lovemaking but something told her Dom would be very
different.

“You okay, baby?” he asked,
as she shivered.

“Yes,” she closed her eyes
as he slowly explored her body. She’d never felt sexy before, and her
nervousness was slowly replaced with desire. Every stroke was pure magic, and
she’d never been wet like this. When he slipped one finger inside of her she
was sure nothing had ever felt so good. A tiny moan escaped her as he moved,
finding the rhythm that made her sigh with pleasure. Using his finger, he found
her clit and her eyes popped open in surprise.

“Is that the spot?” he asked
with a small grin.

“Oh, yes!” Moving against
his hand, she couldn’t believe how incredible this was. Her body was on fire,
and he was only using his fingers. She hadn’t been sure she even had a clitoris
because Tim had certainly never found it, but Dom knew exactly where it was.
She felt an unfamiliar fluttering between her legs that made her arch towards
him. “Oh! Dom! Don’t stop…” Her voice faded as he sped up, bringing her over
the edge with a cry of delight. “Dom!” His mouth devoured hers as she had her
first orgasm against his hand.

“That’s it, baby.” He
laughed gently as she gasped and clung to him, the ripples making her shudder.

“Oh my God.” She looked at
him in amazement. “That felt so good.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
He kissed her again, less urgently this time, relaxing against the bed as he
brought her against his chest.

“Don’t you want to…” Her
voice trailed off as she ran her hand along his bulging erection.

“Not right now,” he said.
“I’ll wait until later. I want the first time I make love to you to be romantic
and special, not hurried or distracted because we have dinner plans. I just
wanted to give you a taste, so you would think about what it felt like when I
give you an orgasm.”

“I’m going to be thinking
about it all night!” she giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“You’ll be doing more than
thinking about it,” he chuckled, kissing the tip of her nose.

Dinner was a casual affair,
outside on the terrace where CJ could run around while the adults shared a
bottle of wine. Wearing a new sundress that was as green as the ocean with pink
accents, and nude high-heeled wedges, Molly felt sexier than she’d ever felt in
her life. Both Cody and Toli had told her she looked beautiful, but Dom had come
to her when she’d come out of the bathroom after getting dressed and whispered
all the ways he was going to touch her after dinner. She could feel the heat
rushing to her cheeks just thinking about it and forced herself to take a sip
of wine.

Conversation turned to
hockey, and Molly listened intently, trying to follow a subject she knew so
little about. She knew the basics of the game and the teams, but she really had
no idea about the inner workings of an organization, or who the best players
were.

“I think Karl is going to be
an amazing back-up,” Cody said, referring to a goalie they’d signed.

“Karl Martensson?” Suze
asked, her eyes twinkling.

“Yeah, why?” Cody eyed her.

“Because he’s also going to
bring
girls
to the game,” she chuckled. Glancing at Molly, she said,
“He’s this big Swedish kid—hotter than hell. And single! Every unattached woman
in Vegas is going to be coming to games just to try to catch his eye.”

“How do you know he is
single?” Toli asked, frowning at her.

“Are you kidding? All wives
in the NHL know the relationship statuses of the hot players, because we all
have single friends who might be interested.”

Dom rolled his eyes.
“Really?”

“Well, yeah. You’d rather he
go out with a puck bunny?”

“Drake Riser is going to be
hot this season,” Dom said, changing the subject as he casually slipped his arm
around the back of Molly’s chair. “Did you see him during the playoffs last
season? I think he’s hit his stride and I’m really excited to play with him.”

“Me too,” Cody nodded. He
glanced at Suze. “Is
he
single?”

“Last I heard, he hasn’t
seriously dated since his divorce.”

“Do you know everything
about
everyone
in the NHL?” Cody asked.

“Not everyone.” She glanced
at Dom and Molly. “But almost.”

They laughed as the guys
continued talking about the other players on the team. Molly finally excused
herself to go to the restroom, and Suze hurried after her. As they washed their
hands, Suze pounced.