Playing for Hearts (36 page)

“You want me.” He swooped in and kissed her. Longer this time. He took the extra couple of seconds to soften his lips against hers. He never gave a thought to where he skated. The rink branded in his head, he could move around the area with his eyes closed and know exactly where he was located.

“This isn't funny, Dom.” She gasped.

He raised his brows and shook his head. “No. It's serious. I want you.”

Before her rebuttal, he caught her with her mouth open. He kissed her again. Wrapping his arms around her back, he kept them moving and held her securely in his arms. The tip of his tongue teased hers, until she was hanging around his neck.

She kissed him back with the passion he knew she had simmering below the surface. He moved his hand upward and buried his fingers in her curls, underneath her cap, securing her head. Nothing could make him stop tasting her. Addictive and exciting, he explored her mouth with the intensity of a new game plan.

Then she demanded her own most amazing thing in a very long, very wet, very demanding way. His balls ached. His head spun, and he gave himself over to her kiss.

She moaned and he swallowed the sound, letting her pleasure fill his chest. He closed his eyes, wanting to remember every mew, nudge, and lick. His body hardened and the pressure built inside of him, threatening to burst.

Then he did burst. Right against the edge of the rink, into the boards. His feet slipped out from under him. With her in his arms, the momentum threw him off his game, and he went down. Hard. On the ice. Whether it was landing flat on his back or the weight of her body pressed on top of him, he lost his breath.

Diana stared into his eyes. Her vision blurred with crazy passion she'd tried so hard to ignore. She wanted him.

All of him. The adorable self-confidence he displayed on the rink. The out of this world ego that made her laugh. The determination. The strength. The funny way he tried to make her laugh with his silly nicknames.

“Please tell me to take you home and make love to you all night long.” He panted underneath her on the ice.

She nodded. “I'll drive.”

It seemed to take forever to get their skates off. Her fingers shook. Dominic was having his own hard time of getting them out the door and home if his constant touching her were any indication. He kissed her outside, kissed her after he helped her into the driver's seat of the Porsche, and kissed her when they'd pulled into the garage at the condominium.

Just when she had all the assurance to make love to a famous athlete, and allowed herself to relax and go with what was happening between them, he pulled back. “You understand what is happening between us, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sex, sweetheart.” Standing in the garage, he held her an arm's length away.

She shuddered at the huskiness in his voice, the warmth in his gaze. “Dom … ”

“We'll be safe.” He stepped forward and nuzzled the sweet spot on her neck. “It'll be good. You'll see.”

“I know.” She sighed and rested her cheek against his chest.

He had no plans for her after tonight. Sure, he wanted her to finish her job, but as a girlfriend? She was just another woman in his list of lovers.

The warmth of his breath heated her skin. She'd had sex before with no strings attached. She could do it again. Besides, he lived a different lifestyle than her, and she had goals of her own that didn't involve traveling around and supporting a hockey player.

She looked up at him and smiled. “I want you too.”

He swept her up and carried her into the house, down the hallway, and into his bedroom. She stretched out on the bed. His knuckles brushed her cheekbone, and brought her back to the moment. She was in bed with him. Clothed, but hopefully naked soon.

He slowly pulled her scarf out from around her neck. She shivered as the soft material skimmed her nape in the most delightful way. How could he not touch her, and have her almost begging for his hands on her body?

She leaned forward, letting him strip the sweatshirt from her. He slipped his hand into the waistband of her jeans and pulled her toward him, kissing her hard and fast. “You make it impossible to go slow.” He paused. “I've wanted you ever since you ignored me in Cottage Grove, and it feels like punishment to take my time. You've been in my head for months, sleeping across the hall for days, and all I can think about is sinking myself inside of you and staying.”

Validation of what they were doing came swiftly. The unsteadiness inside her vanished. “You drive me crazy.”

That was the truth. She hated him for how he made her react to him. It was a constant fight to keep from falling at his feet like all the other women, but she couldn't lower herself to being like all the rest. She had to believe that this was real. There was no denying the air sizzled between them, and the way her body warmed when he was near.

He regarded her thoughtfully. “This is special. You know that, right?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “And if you don't do something right this minute, I'm going to scream.”

He chuckled. “I don't want you screaming … yet.”

His lips brushed hers, but a wayward curl caught in her mouth. She reached to push it back and fell back flat on the mattress. He undid her jeans, and tugged them from her body, along with her panties and socks. Too hot to care about her nudity for the first time in front of Dominic, she undid the front clasp of her bra and wiggled her arms out of the straps.

He stood at the end of the bed. Without taking his eyes off her, he pulled his shirt over his head. The wide expanse of his chest left her sucking in air. Everything about him was big. Big arms, big shoulders, big chest, big thighs — she gazed down — God, those thighs.

“Too many clothes,” she managed, rising on her elbows and propping herself up to watch.

In one move, he took his jeans and boxers off. She rose to her knees. Oh. My. God.

His hardness jutted out below a flat muscled stomach, proud and a little daunting. She sucked in her lower lip and clenched it between her teeth. The whole man package left her vibrating and wanting.

His strong face.

His broad shoulders.

His sculpted stomach.

His thick thighs.

She moistened her lips. His hard cock.

He joined her on the bed, both of them kneeling and facing each other. He cupped her breasts, and she had the senseless need to let her head fall back on her shoulders and close her eyes. The heat from his palms soothed and tormented.

“So beautiful,” he murmured, and then nibbled her neck. “So hot.”

“Yes.” She slipped her arms over his shoulders. “Oh, yes.”

He pushed his finger between her legs and stroked her wet heat. She trembled and sagged against him.

“Hang on, sweetheart,” he whispered.

He withdrew, circled, entered, withdrew again, and gave her another circling that left her arching off the bed. He caught her earlobe between his lips, his breath tickling her senses. She shivered as her core spasmed in pleasure.

She reached down between them, and grasped his hardness with her hand, rounding her fingers and feeling the soft length of steel react to her touch. Empowered and bolder, she stroked him.

They shuddered together, each on the brink of tumbling over the edge of something wonderful.

A loud banging broke them apart. She gasped, staring at him as if he'd dosed her with a glass of ice water. He muttered a curse and jumped off the bed. Her heart raced, but not in the pleasant way it did when Dominic was touching her. Her mind couldn't connect what happened between craving more and the interruption.

She leaned over and grabbed the sweatshirt she wore earlier off the floor. “Who do you think it is?”

“Idiots.” He savagely thrust his legs into his jeans. “Stay here. I'll be back as soon as I can get rid of whoever it is.”

Since Dominic's sweatshirt went to her knees and covered her naked body, she ignored his orders and followed him down the hallway on bare feet. All the banging coming from the front of the condominium sounded as if someone's life was in danger, or the place was on fire and they needed to escape.

Standing behind him, she hugged her middle. He opened the door. She jumped back as two women rushed inside and threw themselves into Dominic's arms. What the … ?

“Oh baby, you played a great game. Now it's time for us to show you how great of a hockey player you are.” A long legged, blonde haired woman wrapped herself around Dominic.

Not to be outdone, the woman with the brassy red hair pushed her extra-large and extra-round boobs against the side of him. “It's time to celebrate your win.”

Every speck of pleasure from moments ago fled and in its place, coldness filled her body. This couldn't be happening. Women really didn't show up uninvited to his house and demand sex with him, did they?

“We've got plans for you.” The blonde put her lips to Dominic's ear, and spoke too low for Diana to overhear.

Disgusted and fuming, Diana planted her hands on her hips. Why wasn't he doing anything?

Not waiting for them to start peeling off his clothes and bumping uglies in front of her, she cleared her throat. The one woman with red hair spared her a glance, and went right back to trying to shut off the blood supply of Dominic's arm by squeezing his bicep between her boobs.

“Excuse me.” She glared.

Dominic turned his head in her direction. Going by the roundness of his eyes, he'd forgotten she lived in his house and was almost having sex with her before the women interrupted. The fact that he looked uncomfortable now pissed her off.

“Get out!” She pulled the back of Ms. Chest's shirt, hoping the pressure would send the saline splattering all over Dominic when she busted a boob.

“Let go of me, bitch.” The woman flailed her arms.

Diana, smaller and faster, dodged the manicured nails and shoved her out the door. Without missing a second, she had the blonde out the door and the lock flipped before Dominic could gain his wits about him.

She stabbed him in the chest with her finger. Twice. “I am not like those women. Do you understand me?”

He nodded. “Diana. I didn't — ”

“Save it for someone who gives a shit.” She marched to her bedroom and slammed the door.

Unable to breathe, she bent over at the waist and grabbed onto the dresser. The pain of almost giving herself to Dominic coupled with the knowledge it was only sex made her physically sick. Her stomach flipped and she moaned. How stupid.

It didn't matter that she'd let herself fall for Dominic. Relationships were a rare thing to him. He'd never be someone she'd be content to stay with long term. Not when he could have his choice of women, any night of the week, at his disposal. She was too good to let someone use her that way. She deserved more.

She stumbled to the bed, and lay down. Why was it when she finally let herself fall for a man, she had to pick one who would never be content with just her?

The next day, Dominic knocked on Diana's bedroom door. “It's almost time for practice. Are you coming?”

He couldn't blame her if she wanted to leave and quit her job. After last night, she deserved to have him hand her a plane ticket so she could go back to Cottage Grove. The situation escalated out of his control faster than he could act. He didn't want the other women. He wanted her.

Diana wrapped him in a sexual fog, not knowing what the hell he was doing at any given time. He rode high from having her beneath his fingers, hot for him. Then extreme lows when she wanted nothing to do with him.

He'd never felt such heart panging withdrawal as when she walked away from him and locked her bedroom door. Not even when he'd left Russia for the first time had he lost all sense of hope, or been this sick with worry. He had no idea how to fix everything.

He knocked again. “Diana. I'm leaving in five minutes.” He paused. “I'll let you drive the Pors — ”

The door opened. She stood in the doorframe, looking sexier than he'd ever seen her.

A sleeveless, lightweight black sweater clung to her curves. Soft curls hung loose around her face. A pair of skinny jeans hugged her slim legs. Black boots gave her the illusion of being much taller.

He ogled, because damned if he hadn't missed her while they slept on opposites sides of the hallway. “Do you need one of my sweatshirts?”

“No.” She stepped around him and spoke while she walked to the door of the garage. “My job is to give the illusion we're dating. Since other women, strange women, aren't allowed inside the arena during practice, I'm going to go shopping while you're occupied. I'll be at the car waiting like a good little girlfriend for all your buddies to see when you come out afterward.”

“Diana, I want to … ” He pushed the garage door opener and walked to the car. “Never mind. Do you want to drive?”

“No, thanks. I'm good.” She slid into the passenger seat.

Oh boy, he'd never seen her polite mad. Arguing mad was one thing. Hell, even ignoring mad was better than the quiet politeness she was giving him.

He climbed in the Porsche, started the engine, and backed out of the garage. Halfway down the driveway, she leaned across him and peered out the window.

“What's your security team doing here?” She'd touched his arm, before noticing and jerked away.

He gazed over at Tanner and Evan standing on the porch, before pushing in the clutch and shifting. “After last night, I called the security team and asked that they guard the house while you are staying with me. I don't want what happened to come between us again.”

“It doesn't matter. Have all the women visitors you want. It's no big deal to me.” She blew out her breath. “Look. I've done a lot of thinking. What happened … almost happened, won't be a problem. It was a mistake.”

“Says who?” He drove out of the gate and pulled onto Doliver Street. “If you want me to believe you weren't right there in bed with me, wanting the same thing I was, then you're lying to yourself. What happened afterward, that's my fault, and I'll take the blame. But it wasn't the women who barged in on us that I wanted. It was you. It's been you since we met.”