Slam Dunk: Black & White Collection (9 page)

“Dammit,” she said, through gritted teeth.

Trey didn’t respond to her word. It was apparent he was taking his cues from her body, which seemed to be embracing this forbidden touch. Her pussy was clenching in need, begging to be filled, and her hips were gyrating wildly, seeking out some source of relief.

“Tell me you like it.” He didn’t stop thrusting inside, but she appreciated his concern. Trey never failed to offer her compassion, caring.

“I love it.” The words flew from her lips and even without her sight, she could imagine the smile that covered his face.

“Good.” He removed his finger and she felt him crawl forward, covering her body. He pulled away the blindfold and she blinked at the sudden brightness. Trey remained above her, studying her face.

Once her vision returned to normal, she raised her hand and caressed his beloved face. “I want you.”

He grinned. Reaching for a condom, he donned it quickly. Then, as always, he gave her her heart’s desire.

Pushing in slowly but steadily, he brought her to orgasm three times before seeking his own powerful release.

As they lay on the blanket, resting in the aftermath, Ellie realized he’d managed to melt more than ice in her body. The hard shell surrounding her wounded heart had started to give way as well. This wasn’t good.

“How about a bath?” Trey looked at Ellie as she lay on the quilt. No doubt she was sticky from the chocolate and whipped cream. Besides, he’d planned two parts to the evening. The kink and the romance.

“A bath sounds great.”

He stood. “Stay there. Just like that. I’ll go run the water and call you when it’s ready.”

She waved her assent and he chuckled at the sated exhaustion on her face. She was one of the most passionate women he’d ever met and he loved pulling that side of her out of the dark and into the light. Her sensuality seemed to surprise her at times. No doubt, she’d chosen some lousy lovers in the past. Men who didn’t see all that she had to offer.

He grinned as he climbed the stairs to the bathroom. Tough luck for them. He didn’t intend to make the same mistake.

He’d set up the bathroom earlier, so it only took him a few minutes to create the atmosphere he wanted. Turning on the water, he poured some of the bubble bath he’d borrowed from Grace. She’d teased him relentlessly for his too-sweet request, then she’d helped him create the perfect atmosphere in the bathroom. He lit the candles Grace had scattered around and turned on soft music. It was perfect.

Returning to the top the stairs, he yelled down for Ellie. “Hey, Hottie,” he teased. “You still awake?”

He could hear her tidying the kitchen despite the fact he’d told her to relax. She appeared at the bottom of the stairs wrapped in the quilt from the floor. She looked tousled and sexy as hell.

“You ready?”

She nodded and climbed the stairs. He let her lead the way into the bathroom, enjoying the way her eyes widened when she saw what he’d done. She turned to look at him. “So is the plan for this romantic or kinky?”

He laughed. “We’ve now entered the romance portion of the evening.”

She dropped the quilt and it was Trey’s turn to go wide-eyed. He’d seen her naked plenty of times since Christmas, but the image never failed to provoke a hungry—he glanced at his cock—and hard response.

She giggled, grasping his hard-on, rather than his hand, and leading him to the bathtub. It was an old-fashioned clawfoot tub and Trey was grateful for the extra room. He wasn’t exactly a small guy and he figured even with the bigger tub, it would be a tight fit. He climbed in first, reclining against one end, then lifting his hand to help her in.

She sat between his spread legs, her back resting comfortably against his chest. She sighed contentedly and he shared the sentiment. For several minutes, they merely relaxed, listening to the soft music. Being with Ellie was easy. She didn’t feel the need to fill every moment with mindless chatter. Some of their best times together were spent just like this—the two of them holding each other, lost in their own blissful thoughts.

He wrapped his arms around her chest, cupping her breasts casually. He loved being able to touch her like this—almost possessively. She was his and he never wanted to let her go.

“This was the most perfect Valentine’s Day ever.”

He smiled at her compliment. “Even though we didn’t go out?”

“Going out is overrated.” She turned slightly to look at him over her shoulder. “Thank you.”

He placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “You’re easy to please. I love you, Ellie.”

She bit her lower lip at his confession. He’d felt the emotion for weeks, but he hadn’t spoken the words aloud. A tiny part of him feared she’d freak out if he shared his feelings.

“You do?”

He nodded, relieved and a bit annoyed, when a mischievous glimmer appeared in her eyes. He’d sensed her holding back a part of herself in their relationship, trying to maintain an almost casual air to their dating.

However, he was getting tired of pretending their relationship didn’t mean something to him. He was sick of hiding his feelings. No doubt she’d try to diminish the importance of his revelation with a joke.

“Well,” she said, “you’re not so bad yourself. I mean, I’m sort of into you too.”

Yep. She’d gone there. “Sort of?”

“Sort of, kind of, pretty much.”

The devil made him push her, though he knew he’d be wiser to let it go for now. “Say it, Ellie. It’ll make you feel better.”

“You think so?”

He sensed she wanted to say the words, but her tone told him exactly how scared she was. Clearly it was too soon for her. He decided to give her an out. There was plenty of time. “I know so. Why don’t you just admit the truth? You fell for me because of my ball handling and game strategy.”

She laughed and his heart ached to see the sudden relief on her face. Perhaps he truly was the only one whose feelings were engaged.

“Actually,” she said, turning to straddle his lap, “I think it was your slam dunk that really won me over.”

She placed his cock at the entrance to her body and pushed down until he was buried to the hilt inside. They groaned in unison at the pleasure of her possession. Trey had never felt anything more incredible. Then he realized why.

“Fuck,” he muttered when she started to move. “Condom.”

She froze for a moment. “I’m on birth control.”

They studied each other’s faces, and then Trey grinned. “Hold on.”

He sat up and tugged at her legs until they were wrapped around his waist. They were chest to chest with Trey buried balls-deep inside her. She kissed him.

“How are we supposed to move?”

“Sometimes motion’s overrated.”

He proved his point by seducing her with subtlety. Each kiss, each touch increased her arousal. They trembled together when her inner muscles clenched against him. Without the power and speed, every slow increment of movement in her body was amplified. Trey reached down and rubbed her clit. She sucked on the tight nub of his nipple. His fingers squeezed her ass, pushing him even deeper inside her wet heat. They were connected everywhere.

When they came, it wasn’t a mind-blowing experience—rather it was perfect beauty—and for the first time, Trey knew the true meaning of making love.

If only he could open Ellie’s eyes to it as well.

Chapter Seven

Time Out

Ellie fidgeted in the stands and tried to enjoy the sunshine. Preston was playing against Harper’s Ridge and she and Trey had come to cheer on Jamie’s softball team. It was unseasonably warm for late April. She should be soaking up the rays and relaxing. Instead she felt wound up tighter than a spring.

Her mind kept flashing back to that morning. She’d woken up with Trey just like she had a hundred times in the past few months.

“I’m pretty sure there’s nothing I hate worse than alarm clocks,” Trey had mumbled, his voice husky from sleep. His comment forced her to stir. She’d been trying to ignore the annoying buzzing.

“We’re going to have to get a handle on these impromptu mid-week sleepovers,” she joked. “We could both sleep in an extra half hour if I didn’t have to drive home to get ready for work.”

“Or you could just move in here.” The words flowed smoothly from his lips, but the impact of them left her reeling in the wake.

She pushed herself upright and rubbed her eyes. “It’s almost summer. Soon we won’t be a slave to the alarm.”

“Nice dodge.”

She shot him a dirty look. “I need to leave. I have to get a shower and some fresh clothes before I go to work.”

“And now the escape.”

His sarcasm tweaked her temper…and her conscience. “Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine in the morning?”

“I want you to move in with me, Ellie.”

She’d continued to skirt the issue and avoid answering. Trey’s face told her he wasn’t happy about her evasion. He’d simply gotten out of bed and stormed to the shower. She hadn’t seen him since then.

She knew he was upset, but she didn’t know how to solve that. She couldn’t live with him. Christ, for months she’d convinced herself their relationship was simple, easy. She’d chalked up his profession of love to the romance of Valentine’s Day and mercifully he hadn’t offered those words again.

For months, she’d dismissed them, convincing herself Trey was a player. What the hell did he know about love? She’d been a hundred times the fool and now she was right back where she’d started from. How could she have fucked up so badly?

Why couldn’t Trey leave well enough alone? They had a good thing going. She’d learned from her painful experience that moving in together was only one step away from definite heartbreak. She refused to let herself get sucked into another relationship with a man well known for his inability to commit. The familiar saying
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…
came to mind.

She wasn’t going to play the fool for another man. Wasn’t going to start dreaming of white weddings and babies and forever only to come home one day to find some skanky bitch in Trey’s bed.

Trey hadn’t said more than three words to her since the first pitch was thrown. They’d made plans to meet here for the game yesterday. She’d wanted to bail, but she’d promised two of her students who were on the team she’d attend. She hated to disappoint them. Now she was sitting in the stands with an angry boyfriend and no way to make him happy again. She simply couldn’t give him what he wanted.

Grace reached over and placed a hand on her knee. “You’re shaking the bleachers with that bouncing leg of yours, Ellie. Neither one of these teams is headed for the playoffs, so there’s no reason to be nervous.”

Whenever she was anxious, her leg bounced a mile a minute. Most of the time she didn’t even realize she was doing it. Like now. “Sorry. I think it’s just the rivalry between Preston and Harper’s Ridge getting to me,” she lied. She didn’t give a shit who won the ballgame.

Trey snorted quietly, but the sound let her know he didn’t buy her words. It also told her he was still pissed off.

“I’m going to go get a bottle of water.” She needed to walk off some of her nervous energy. She’d just reached the bottom of the bleachers when she felt a hand on her lower back.

“Ellie.”

Trey had followed her. Her temper flared. She wasn’t ready to have this discussion and she sure as hell wasn’t going to have it at a girls’ softball game.

If he wanted to be mad at her, fine. Two could play that game.

“What?” she snapped, wincing at her harsh tone.

Trey scowled. “You’re coming out of your skin. Don’t you think we should talk about it?”

She shrugged. “Don’t be silly. I’m fine. I’ve just—”

“Don’t,” he said darkly. “Don’t make up some bullshit excuse. I know what’s wrong with you and I know why you’re pissed off.”

“Well, that’s great. Saves me from having to spell it out for you.” She turned, hoping he’d take the hint and leave her alone. She wasn’t proud of her actions or her tone, but she didn’t seem capable of reining it in.

“Perfect solution, Ellie. Things get a little tense so you run. Nice to see you reverting to character here.”

She spun around, furious. “Let me tell you something, Donovan. I’m not the one who’s running. I’m being practical. I’m proceeding with caution. You’re the one constantly rushing to the next part.”

Trey glanced around and she flushed. They were in a very public place surrounded by colleagues and students. Christ, she really was back where she started. The idea of losing another job she loved paralyzed her for a moment. Her voice seized up.

Oh my God. What have I done?

“Ellie,” he said, his voice quieter. “We shouldn’t do this here.”

She nodded once in agreement, but her body felt so tense, she feared even that slight movement would shatter her into a million pieces.

He took a step closer. “Just tell me exactly what it is we’re doing, Ellie. Are you breaking things off?”

Her breath caught. Was she? She hadn’t thought that far. Hell, she hadn’t thought at all. Ellie’s mind whirled as she felt the past few months come crashing down on top of her. “Trey, I—”

“Ellie?”

She turned, surprised by the familiar voice behind her. The second she saw her ex-boyfriend’s face, her journey to complete panic attack was complete. “Joel.”

Trey stiffened behind her.

Joel smiled widely and for a brief moment, she remembered his appeal. He was an extraordinarily handsome man. Pity his beauty was only skin deep. “I thought that was you. How have you been?”

She took a deep breath. She’d managed to avoid seeing the man, not laying eyes on him since her last day at Harper’s Ridge. She’d enjoyed the break and was sorry it hadn’t lasted longer. She pasted on a fake smile. She could do this. Just a few minutes more and she could escape. Get the hell out of here and get herself together. “Just fine.” Her voice sounded hollow, empty.

Trey cleared his throat.

“Oh,” she said, turning, forcing herself to play the part. “Joel Roberts, this is Trey Donovan. Trey, this is Joel.” She didn’t add more. While Joel had no idea who Trey was, she found it was really only Trey’s response she cared about.