Defensive Zone (The Dartmouth Cobras #2) (35 page)

"That's good." She thanked him for the water
and patted the cushion beside her. When he sat, she leaned against
his side. "I'm glad you asked me to come."

"I'm glad you agreed to." He kissed her hair
and took a few gulps from his bottle, enjoying her presence and the
companionable silence. But he only allowed himself a few moments.
He still had to meet with the team and he didn't want to waste the
short time they had alone. "So, you were saying . . . ?"

She laughed and shrugged. "Oh, it was nothing
really. I'm glad you made me read that book though, it—"

"I didn't make you."

"Whatever. The point is, I like it. Seeing
that side of a player's life is interesting. And it's very well
written. I used to think all jocks were stupid—no offense, but some
seem like there's nothing more to them besides what they put into
the game. This makes them seem more like normal people."

Dean shook his head and brought a handful of
her hair to his lips. Her fruity shampoo scent had faded, but he
could smell her, fresh and sweet, an essence that was hers alone.
"I'm sure there are prejudices about pretty blond actresses."

"A few." She shrugged again. "But most of
them are true when it comes to me. I dropped out of high school.
I'm not that smart. And you'd be disgusted by some of the things
I've done to get ahead in my career."

He frowned and tugged at her hair until she
was forced to look up at him. "No. I'm disgusted that you were left
in a position where you felt you had to do those things. You're a
very intelligent and creative woman, Silver. I used to think you
were stubborn, but most of that is determination."

Her face broke into a wide smile and her wide
eyes glistened. "Thank you. That means a lot, coming from you."

His chest tightened as she glowed with his
approval. Damn it, for such a confident woman, she was so insecure.
She knew she was beautiful. She knew men wanted her. But she didn't
expect to be appreciated for more than what people could see.

"You know how good it makes me feel that my
opinion matters to you, love?" He took her face in his hands and
pulled her up so he could kiss her. She melted into him and he
gathered her into his arms, settling her on his lap. "We might not
always agree, but I like that you challenge me and force me to
accept that I'm not always right. I've been with many submissive
women, and most, no matter how intelligent, how independent, are
happy to take my lead. And I thought that was what I wanted until I
met you."

"Really?" She pulled out his tie and traced
her finger along the blue and green pattern. "Should I remind you
of that the next time you tell me no?"

"Absolutely." He kissed her again and
smoothed his hands down her back. She looked nice in her tailored
skirt suit, but for the rest of their conversation, he needed her
less buttoned up. "Now, why don't you go slip into something
comfortable? I don't have much time before the team gets together,
but I'd like to cuddle for a bit."

She unfolded from his lap and stood, but
hesitated in front of him. "Shouldn't I come too?"

"I'll leave that up to you, but honestly, I
think it would be better if you don't come to every meeting. You'll
get a reputation as an intrusive owner and that's never good. The
media feeds off things like that and the fans will start to blame
you for everything that goes wrong with the team. It hasn't gotten
out that I'm a partial owner and I'd like to keep it that way. As
the GM, I'll take most of the heat and that's how it should be. I
promise to discuss my decisions with you, but that's between us. As
far as the press is concerned, all my decisions are made on my
experience. They may question my every move, but not as much as
they would if it came from you."

"Okay, I can handle that." She pulled the
pins from her hair and grinned as she shook it free. "I had a
director like that. If we made suggestion for changes in dialogue,
he'd act like it was all him. Some of the actors didn't like it,
but I got what he was doing. If it was him calling the shots, it
was considered his 'style'. If it was us, we were difficult to work
with and any fallout could ruin us. Fine, he took all the credit,
but he took all the risks too. And he was a good guy. If we made
things better, he shared the spotlight."

He caught her hand before she could slip
away. And studied her face as he spoke. "Do you miss it? The life
you led in Hollywood is very different from the life you have
now."

Her forehead creased as she turned her hand
and laced her fingers with his. "Sometimes I do, but . . . I like
this. I never felt real with all the cameras and the spotlight. All
I had to do was smile pretty and read my lines. You expect more
from me and . . . and it makes me want more from myself. On set I
was someone who could be replaced. Here I'm not."

"No. You're not." But damn, if she missed it,
how long before an opportunity came up that would tempt her to go
back? "I wish I could tell you to forget that part of your life,
but you can't, can you? You still have an agent looking out for the
right part, and if he or she finds one, you'll want to go."

She stared down at their clasped hands and
shook her head. "I don't know if I could. I'd want to, but for the
first time, leaving would be hard."

"Silver, if you're afraid to leave me, don't
be. I'll always be here when you come back."

"So you'd let me go?"

He already felt her pulling away. Maybe she'd
gotten an offer and hadn't taken it because of him. Or because of
the team. It was good that she knew they needed her, but he
wouldn't let anything hold her back. His little dragonfly, always
skimming the surface of the pond. Damage her wings and she'd
drown.

"I'd let you go." He released her hand to
prove his point. "Just swear to me you won't forget what's waiting
for you."

"I swear." She stared down at her hand,
looking a little lost. "But . . . well, I haven't decided anything
yet. So how about we not start saying goodbye. It's kinda
depressing."

Dean chuckled. "It is, isn't it?"

"Yep." She put her hands on his knees and
dipped down to kiss him. "Stay put. I'm going to get changed."

After she disappeared into the bedroom, he
rose from the sofa and stepped up to the window to look out at the
glowing city skyline. He couldn't remember the last time he'd taken
a trip for longer than a day or two for meetings with the GMs from
other teams. It had probably been with his wife, who had insisted
on at least four vacations a year and always complained when it was
time to go home. She'd never been the domestic type, but he made
enough money to hire a nanny and housekeeper so she didn't have to
be. He'd done everything in his power to give her the freedom she'd
obviously, desperately needed, but it hadn't been enough.

He wouldn't make that same mistake with
Silver.

"I wish you didn't have to go." Silver came
up behind him and hugged his waist. "I was looking forward to—"

"I won't be long." He turned and angled her
chin up with a finger. "But there is one thing I need from you
before I leave."

She gave him a sly smile. "Yes?"

"The truth. You wanted to speak to me about
Bower, didn't you?" He frowned when she pulled away and shook her
head. "Maybe I shouldn't go. I won't tolerate lies and making that
clear is more important than anything I need to discuss with the
team."

"Not talking isn't lying."

"And you think not talking is an option?"
Without waiting for her answer, he hooked his arm around her waist
and dragged her to the sofa. He sat with his thighs spread and
pulled her between them, using his feet to open her legs wide.
"Lace your fingers behind your neck, pet."

She quickly obeyed, which shocked the hell
out of him. Chest rising and falling with her quick little breaths,
she leaned into him and whispered, "I thought you had to go?"

"I do, but Tim can start without me." He slid
one hand around her throat and dipped the other down the front of
her bright pink boxer briefs to cup her pussy. "Talk to me,
Silver."

"There's nothing to—Oh!" Her pussy clamped
around his finger as he thrust it in deep. She fought to close her
thighs as he forced them further apart. "What are you doing?"

"Interrogating my naughty little sub." He
slicked her moisture over her clit, rubbing the little nub until
the tip swelled from its tiny hood. Her hips jutted forward and he
tightened his grip on her throat until she gasped and went
perfectly still. "Let's start with an easier question. Was Asher
and Cedric your first ménage relationship?"

"My first . . . ? Ah! No!" She trembled as he
gently massaged either side of her clit with his fingers. "I've
only been in one monogamous relationship—when I was in High School.
With a teacher."

Dean swallowed back the urge to curse.
Reacting to her confession was no way to get her to share more. His
tone remained surprisingly level. "What happened?"

"He was possessive. He hated it when I talked
to boys my age. I felt smothered. I didn't want to leave him, but .
. . ." She made a mewling sound as his fingers glided down and
curled into her. "But I needed to be able to make the choice!"

The choice.
Yes, he could see that.
Sometimes Silver needed her choices taken away from her, needed to
be forced to surrender to her own desires—to actually
feel
something beyond shallow pleasure. But if she felt something for
another man, being denied the opportunity to explore that would
smother her.

And right now, he had a feeling she was
getting in the way of her own happiness. He had a feeling he knew
who she would choose—if she let herself.

Might as well be blunt. "Do you want
Landon?"

"Landon? No!" She shook her head and
whimpered as he slid his fingers up and over her clit. "We were
friends. I didn't want to be more. I don't have many—okay,
any
friends, And I wanted to keep him."

"So what changed?"

"You know what changed." She tried to close
her thighs and huffed. "Uck! Please, Dean! You're killing me!"

What he saw between Silver and Landon didn't
look like friendship to him, but maybe he was wrong. Either way,
she did need Landon in her life. He pinched her clit hard and
whispered in her ear. "I may have an idea, but I will hear it from
you. You have exactly fifteen minutes."

Lifting her head, she stared at the clock on
the desk across the room. "What happens in fifteen minutes?"

"I leave and you will stay here, unsatisfied
until I return."

"I'm quite capable of satisfying myself."

He let out a gruff laugh as he slowly filled
her with two fingers. "I'm sure you are, but you won't. Every time
you touch yourself, you'll think of how it could be me, touching
you, fucking you—"

"You said you wouldn't fuck me." She
whimpered as he stroked her, her juices spilling around his fingers
as he found the spot that would give her a fierce orgasm, fully
aware that he wouldn't let her come until she gave him what he
wanted. "Dean—Ah!"

Slipping out again, he toyed with her clit.
Her cunt radiated heat and he hardened as he thought about how it
would feel wrapped around him. His jaw clenched as he tamped down
his urges and focused on teasing her to the brink, over and
over.

"I wouldn't fuck you when you still believe
that was all I wanted from you." He pressed lightly on her
windpipe, right under her chin. "But you know better now, don't
you?"

"Yes, but . . . ."

"I could be fucking you now." He thrust in
and out until her muscles rippled, telling him she was almost
there. And stopped. "But I won't. And you only have five minutes
left to decide whether or not I will leave you hanging."

She groaned and dropped her head back onto
his shoulder. "All right, you bastard, I'll tell you. Just please
let me come!"

"Oh no, that's not how this game works, my
love." He fisted his hand in her hair and let out a low growl
against her throat before biting down. Her hips bucked as he
stabbed his fingers into her. "You'll come after you tell me what I
want to hear."

* * * *

Silver shook her head and twisted her body,
desperately seeking what she'd been denied. The way Dean held her
made it impossible to move enough to find relief. She was
powerless. At his mercy. And fuck, being tortured by him was
hot.

Part of her wanted to tell him to go to hell.
She had all kinds of toys and she didn't need him. But damn it, she
could already picture herself trying and getting nowhere. She did
need him. And, more importantly, she'd wanted to tell him anyway.
This way made it easier because she didn't have a choice.

"I'll tell you!" She sobbed as his fingers
left her, needing to get off so bad it hurt. And thinking of Landon
hurt just as much—no worse, because pleasure wouldn't make that
pain go away. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she forced the words
out. "He hurt me! He just walked away . . . I don't even want to
think about it! I know it's fucking pathetic, but I can't deal with
him right now! I know I'll have to, eventually, but for now I just
want him to leave me alone! I don't want to! Please don't make
me!"

"Oh, sweetheart. Shh . . . it's okay. I won't
make you." Dean's grip on her hair loosened and his kissed her
cheek. "Fuck, I didn't realize—I wouldn't have—"

"Don't apologize!" She pressed her eyes shut
and focused on the dwindling heat between her thighs. She'd told
him. It was over. She just wanted her fucking reward. "Just finish
it!"

His fingers plunged in and his thumb pressed
down on her clit. Her core erupted and she bit down on her tongue
to hold back a scream. White flashed across her vision as her body
shuddered uncontrollably and only his arms around her kept her from
collapsing to the floor in a boneless mass.