The Sweetest Seduction, Breakaway Hearts (33 page)

He hugged her close, hoping his strength would aid her. “I don’t want to cause you any pain.”

“And you haven’t.” She lifted her head. Her nose and eyes were red from crying, but he caught a glimpse of hope that he hadn’t seen before her confession. “Everything’s been my fault. But I can’t live in the past and let it dictate my future, Ben. All I can do is accept what I have now and treasure it before it’s gone.”

She took his hands and clasped them together between their chests, covering them with her own. “You talk of second chances, but I’m the one who should be asking for a second chance. Please, Ben, give me another chance and help me feel again.”

It was almost too much for him to handle. If she’d been any other woman, he would’ve run away. But something in her plea called to him, reached inside his chest and gave him the courage to accept her challenge. He leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers, waiting to see if that was what she wanted.

“More,” she whispered and pulled him back. Her kiss sought answers, reassurance, a sign that he was willing to reawaken all those emotions she’d suppressed.

Tonight, he’d made love to her until she’d surrendered to him. Now it was his turn to give himself completely to her. He deepened the kiss, and she responded by wrapping her arms around him and giving a low moan. Desire stirred within his veins, and he realized with a start that her need was as much physical as emotional. She had feared intimacy and yet craved the connection forming between them.

He’d said earlier tonight that he refused to let her slip away from him. Now he was being tested in a way he’d never imagined. The stakes were higher than ever, but giving her what she needed seemed easier than he thought it would be. It didn’t make sense. He ended the kiss. “Hailey, what do you want from me?”

“I just want you.” The fear returned to her eyes, and she shrank back. “That is, if you still want me.”

He ran his thumb across her cheek and soaked in the beautiful, complicated woman in front of him. He’d come to Cascade to lick his wounds and mourn the loss of his career, but she’d forced him to pick up the pieces and move forward. And somewhere along the way, he’d fallen for her all over again. “You make me feel alive again, too.”

“Show me.”

His cock stirred to life at her challenge. “Gladly.”

He kissed her again, guiding her to the edge of the shower without breaking contact with her so that he could grab the condom he’d stowed in the drawer beside the sink. A blast of cold ripped through the steam when he opened the glass door. Her nipples hardened against his chest, and he bent down to warm them with his mouth.

She still responded the same way to his touch—with a delicious shiver that turned into a needful moan. He go could on like this forever, teasing her, making her murmur sexy promises, but the ache in his balls demanded release. He rolled the condom on, lifted her up against the wall, and plunged into her.

Hailey cried out his name and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Yes, this. “

His knee felt stronger than ever as he pounded into her again and again. He’d made love to her slowly before and enjoyed every second of it, but this was different. This was raw, primal, savage. He watched her for any signs that he’d gone too far in the other direction, but only saw the ecstasy in her face.

“More,” she ordered, digging her nails into his back. “Harder. Faster.”

God, he loved this. He loved being with her. He loved the fact she was still willing to give herself so completely to him. He loved the growing tightness of her inner walls, the subtle increase in the friction of each stroke, the sharp breaths that all signaled her impending release.

She came with a scream that ignited his own orgasm. It ripped through him like an explosion, tearing down his defenses and blurring his vision. Red lines pulsated along the edge of his vision in time with the pounding of his heart. He clung to her, holding her tightly against him as the aftershocks drained his remaining energy. By the time he came back to earth, he was on his knees, still buried inside her, and was holding her against the wall with her legs around his waist.

The hot water beat across his shoulders and lulled him even closer to sleep, but he didn’t want to move. For this one blessed moment, Hailey was his, and he refused to do anything that would ruin this perfect moment. He buried his nose in the crook of her neck and breathed in her clean scent.

It was Hailey who moved first. She combed her fingers through his wet hair and pressed her lips against his forehead. “Thank you,” she said in a soft, contented voice that wrapped around his chest and made him forget to breathe.

He lifted his face. The glow radiating from her smile made him forget about everything else. He was falling in love with her, and it no longer terrified him.

“Shall we go back to bed?” she asked.

He nodded and finally released her. His knee throbbed when he rose to his feet, but it was worth it. By the time they dried off and crawled back into bed, the pain was a distant memory.

Hailey curled up next to him, her arm thrown across his chest and her thigh draped over his. He gave a wry chuckle as he tightened his arms around her. This was not a woman who was planning on sneaking out of his bed as soon as he closed his eyes.

But was there enough between them to turn this into forever?

Chapter Twelve

The faint scent of Ben’s cologne was the first thing Hailey noticed as the fog cleared from her mind. It was followed by the warmth of his skin next to hers. She stretched and started to roll over, but a strong arm pulled her back against his chest.

“I thought you were going to wake me up before leaving,” he teased.

“Possessive much?” But she didn’t fight him. After they’d crawled out of the shower and into bed, she had fallen into the most peaceful sleep she’d had in years. A huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders, and her heart was urging her to open up to Ben. She finally felt ready to tell him about Zach, but first she wanted to linger in his arms a bit longer.

“I warned you that I wasn’t going to let you slip away.” He trailed his fingers through her hair and along her spine in a slow, easy manner that threatened to lull her back to sleep.

“I’m glad to hear that.” She snuggled closer to him, listening to the steady beat of his heart while she worked up her courage. “Ben, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

His hands continued to run up and down her back in the same leisurely pattern, not revealing any signs of fear or hesitation. “What?”

She took a deep breath. This was it. This was her chance. She opened her mouth, but the distant ringing of her phone silenced her. She popped her head up to find it, but her gaze landed on the alarm clock. 10:47. “Shit! I’m late!”

Ben remained in bed as she ran around the room, searching for her clothes. “I’m hoping the lateness has nothing to do with your periods.”

Her gut wrenched, driving the air from her lungs. He was hoping she wasn’t pregnant, even though they’d just slept together. What would he say if the news about her missed period came nine years after the fact? She slid her panties back on and tried to stay calm. “No. I’m late for a class I’m teaching at the barn.”

“A class?”

“Yeah, well, technically, I don’t have time to coach a team, but I give classes from time to time on shooting and passing.” She’d started it when Zach was old enough to start playing hockey and had continued to do it even after he got sick because he’d asked her to.

She grabbed her phone and called back the last number.

Gus tore into her the minute he answered. “Where are you, Erikson?”

“I overslept.” She pulled her dress over her head. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

A pair of hands beat her to the zipper. “You’re going to play hockey in this?” Ben murmured in her other ear.

She fought the urge to tell Gus she wasn’t coming at all so she could drag Ben back to bed.

“Fine, I’ll work with the kids, but get here as fast as you can. They’re getting antsy.” Gus hung up, and Ben drew her back into his arms.

“He sounded pissed,” he said while he continued to plant tiny kisses along her neck.

“He was.” She turned around to give Ben a quick peck before slipping free from him. “He has a rink full of novice players who are waiting for me to run them through their drills.”

“Need a little help?”

For the second time in as many minutes, he’d rendered her speechless. “You’re offering to help?”

He nodded. “I may not be much in front of the goal, but I remember some things from playing days. And if all else fails, I can offer to sign a few autographs.”

“Oh, I forgot, you’re Mr. NHL superstar,” she said with a laugh. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re enjoying the ice again.”

A grimace crossed his face, but he didn’t say anything as he reached for his jeans.

But he was right about her not being able to play in the dress she’d borrowed from Jen for dinner. “I’ll run home, change, and meet you at the rink.”

She ran out the door before he offered to give her a ride. It was one thing to be sleeping with him. It was another thing if the whole town knew about it. Right now, discretion was her friend, especially while she was still working up the courage to tell him about Zach.

When she drove into the rink’s parking lot, he was waiting for her by the back door with just his skates.

“What? No pads today?” she asked as she grabbed her own gear from the back of the Jeep.

He shook his head. “No, I’m still not a hundred percent.”

“You looked great yesterday.”

“I only went out there yesterday because I wanted a date with you. My knee’s not ready to block shots all morning.” The muscles along his jaw tightened as he went into the barn, and her heart sank. He was still hiding behind his injury.

Hailey laced her skates up in record time and got on the ice with the group of eager seven- to nine-year-olds, but as soon as Gus saw Ben behind her, he said, “Hey, kids, look who Hailey brought with her—Ben Kelly!”

The kids erupted in a cheer and swarmed Ben. His eyes widened in sheer terror, and he gripped the boards as though they were all aiming to take him out. A few crashed into the wall around him, but none hit him. Their high-pitched voices fired off questions faster than a blue line of pucks during a shooting drill.

Can you play with us?

Do you know such-and-such?

Can I have your autograph?

Are you coming back next season?

Ben could barely utter a word before he was bombarded by the next question, but when one of the kids asked about his return, his face paled, and he tripped over his words.

Time for her to rescue him. “Okay, players, that’s enough. You can talk to Mr. Kelly after practice.”

Their grins were priceless as they skated back out to the center of the rink. So like Zach’s grin when he’d met Patrick, one of the Whales players. Did Ben have any idea what his mere presence meant to these kids?

She started them on a series of passing drills and went to check on him. “Sorry about Gus.”

He continued to slowly tie his skates. “It was bound to happen. Besides, I offered to come.”

“I hope they didn’t overwhelm you.”

He shook his head, then paused. “Well, maybe a little. Kids scare me. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve always turned down one of my teammate’s invitations to join him at the children’s hospital.”

A sharp pain stabbed her heart, bringing tears to her eyes. What if he’d accepted that invitation, just once? Would he have met Zach? “You don’t have to stay, you know, especially since kids aren’t your thing.”

She started to skate away, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the boards. “I don’t mean it that way.”

“Then what did you mean when you said kids scare you?”

“They do. They’re so small and hyper and in your face, and I’m scared I’ll stumble over one of them and hurt them.”

“They’re children, not Chihuahuas.”

“Hailey.” He said her name like an apologetic plea and curled her hand up against his chest. “I said something that upset you, didn’t I?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because you look like you’re wavering between slapping me and crying.”

She blinked back her tears. He was beginning to read her too well. But one thing was certain—she couldn’t tell him about Zach right now. He probably would thank his lucky stars that he’d dodged a bullet.

“I have to get back to the lessons, Ben. It’s bad enough I was late. I don’t need to focus all my attention on you when I’m supposed to be here for them.” She unwound her hand from his and went back to the kids, completely ignoring him for the rest of the hour.

But when the lesson ended, Ben was still there. Only instead of hiding in the seats like she’d thought he would, he was out on the ice talking to the three kids who played goalie. He stood behind one of them, saying something quietly as he showed the kid how to use the stick and trapper to block the five-spot. The kid dropped to his knees in a modified butterfly and earned a high five from Ben when he got back up. His grin mirrored the kid’s, and the dark cloud that had hovered over her during practice started to lift.