Destiny's Whisper (36 page)

It took a supreme effort, but Dani finally pulled her gaze from his and returned her attention to Sergei and Chloe on the ice. She felt her insides begin to hum as she watched the move they had just worked on with Dee play out on the ice in sheer sensual abandon.

“Jesus.” Hunter’s deep voice intoned huskily, his eyes drawn to the pair who exuded enough sexual heat that the ice beneath their feet should have been a lake long before now. Mesmerized, he watched as they swayed together, their eyes glazed, their faces flushed, their mouths slightly parted, as their breathing grew labored.

“I’ve never seen them skate like this before,” Dani whispered, unable to tear her gaze from the sensual dance going on before her.

“Do all pairs skate like this?” Hunter asked quietly, his body tightening as he watched Sergei’s hands skim down the outside of Chloe’s thighs before he lifted her high into the air.

“No other pair’s ever skated like this; they’re on fire!”

“They’re not the only ones,” Hunter mumbled, then coughed as Dani’s questioning gaze met his.

The music pulsed toward its conclusion, pushing Sergei and Chloe’s endurance both physically and emotionally, as they both felt ready to explode with sexual desire. Each touch of Sergei’s hands on her body caused her blood to burn hotter, making her dizzy with need and want. Chloe’s body brushing repeatedly against Sergei’s had him fighting for control, and at the same time, ready to simply tear her clothes off and ravish her on the icy ground. Chloe’s glazed eyes and dazed expression told him she wouldn’t have objected.

The final strains of the music faded as they assumed their final position. Sergei was on his knees, his left arm wrapped around Chloe’s left leg as she extended it slightly to the side and behind her, his head resting against her thigh, his right hand splayed on her right hip. Chloe’s arms stretched languorously over her head, one arm bent and holding her other elbow, her head thrown back in abandon. Chests heaved in harsh breathing as Sergei and Chloe held their positions, waiting for Dee’s signal to release.

“My God! Did you see that? Please, tell me you got that, Dani?” Dee yelled.

Dani pressed the stop button on the video camera and gave Dee a
thumbs up
motion.

Clapping her hands together, Dee called for Sergei and Chloe to relax, and smiled as Sergei took Chloe’s offer for a hand-up. She also noticed how he stepped away from Chloe as soon as he got to his feet. “If that wasn’t a gold medal performance, then I know absolutely nothing about skating!” Dee stated excitedly as she made her way toward the pair. “It’s a good thing you did that on the ice, because if you performed that way on a floor, you’d be charged with arson. That was hot enough to start a fire!” Dee laughed wickedly. “So, how did it feel? Were the new moves tolerably comfortable?” Dee asked innocently.

Sergei looked at Chloe; his chest rose and fell with his labored breathing, his heart pounded heavily and his body screamed in pent-up frustration. The dark look he sent Chloe had her heart skipping a beat; he looked ready to eat her up in a single bite. “It has a way to go before it’s comfortable, but it was tolerable,” he answered huskily.

“Chloe?” Dee looked at her.

“We’ll get it,” she whispered, her jerky breaths drawing Sergei’s heated gaze to her breasts and causing her nipples to pebble in response to his knowing look; she could almost feel his hands on her.

“You ‘get it’ any better and the we’ll have to tone it down so the judges don’t disqualify us for unbecoming conduct!” Dee laughed.

“What’s everyone standing around for? Isn’t there a competition in two weeks?” Whittaker suddenly bellowed as he walked into the building.

“As usual, you missed a gold medal performance,” Dee yelled back.

“As usual, you’re exaggerating!” Whittaker countered.

“Not this time. We’ve got it on tape, and I tell you, it’s going to knock you on your butt when you see the program these two just skated!” Dee bragged.

Whittaker looked at Sergei and Chloe skeptically, frowned at the tension that emanated from the two and scratched his head. “You two hit the showers,” he directed Sergei and Chloe. “Dani, I want to watch that video tape and see what Dee’s raving about.”

Dani handed Whittaker the videotape and watched as the two coaches headed toward the office to watch Sergei and Chloe’s program, Dee’s voice excitedly describing what had just happened.

Suddenly Dani and Hunter found themselves alone in the huge room.

“Looks like we’ve been abandoned,” Hunter stated obviously.

“Hardly the first time,” Dani sighed and twisted around so her long legs now hung over the wall on the floor side. “God only knows how long Dee and Whittaker will be looking at that tape.”

“What does that mean?”

“That means I can take a closer look at that cinnamon roll that’s calling my name!” Dani laughed, a dazzling smile lighting up her face and making her green eyes sparkle.

“You know, there’s more than one cinnamon roll in that bag?” Hunter hedged.

“Just looks like one big one to me,” Dani answered with a small shrug, crossed one-foot over her knee and began to unlace her skates.

“I can’t believe that you would eat that entire box of cinnamon rolls all by yourself,” Hunter argued.

“Want to watch me do it?” Dani teased.

“No, I want one for myself!”

“All the grease you ate for lunch wasn’t enough for you?” Dani questioned, switching legs and unlacing her other skate.

“As a matter of fact, no!” Hunter growled, grabbing the bag of rolls off the short wall, “Now, do I get one of these or do I get them all?” he asked dangerously, holding the bag just out of her reach.

“Those are mine!” Dani protested, making a grab for the bag and finding herself leaning too far forward and suddenly falling off the wall.

Hunter grabbed her around the waist with one arm and hauled her up against the steel of his chest, the warmth of her breasts radiating through his golf shirt. Chloe’s arms automatically wrapped around his neck and she found herself nearly nose to nose with the man, her stocking covered feet dangling almost a foot off the ground.

Hunter felt his heart pick up its pace as the subtle scent of her flowery perfume washed over him and he found himself mesmerized by the emerald green of her eyes. “Are you going to share or do you lose the whole prize?” He asked softly, his gaze moving to Dani’s

mouth as she chewed on her lower lip and pondered his question.

“I get to pick which one you get,” she stated flatly.

“All right.”

“You have to put me down.”

“Oh, yeah,” Hunter mumbled and set her gently on her feet.

“Could you grab my skates for me, please,” Dani asked pleasantly, her tone vastly different from the mischievous glow that entered her eyes.

“Sure,” Hunter said, looking around, only to find the bag of rolls suddenly pulled from his hand and, the next thing he knew, Dani’s bright laughter was taunting him as she ran on winged feet toward the doors and out into the garden.

Standing alone in the ice house, he found himself holding Dani’s skates, one in each hand, and wondering how his world had spun out of control. This time his question wasn’t a silent one in his mind. “Marcus, what the hell did you get me into?”

His question echoed in the still, cold air and no answer was forthcoming.

With a small shrug, the only thing he knew for a fact, was the chance of actually finagling a cinnamon roll out of Dani bordered somewhere between slim and none.

CHAPTER 20 

C
hloe wistfully watched Sergei as he slid his rubber guards into place, without even drying his blades, and made a beeline for the exit doors of the ice house without so much as a
see you later
. Was it really only a matter of a few minutes ago that they had been close to eating each other alive, and now? Well, now, she wasn’t sure of anything except the fact she felt ready to burst into a thousand little pieces. As she sat there removing her skates, she tried to figure out how everything had gotten so topsy-turvy. Her mind spun crazily, and the blood rushed through her body as she remembered the sensations Sergei’s hands had evoked as they had held her; caressed her, while they had skated their program. The overwhelming need to see Sergei had her rising to her feet, her skates securely in the bag draped over her shoulder.

Pushing through the doors and into the garden, she tried to find some sort of peace and calmness as she meandered through Jordan’s lush garden of flowers, and singing birds, but her eyes only saw Sergei’s dark eyes; her ears only heard his deep voice. Quickly she cut through the back gate, and jogged across the wide expanse of lawn as she made her way toward the building that housed the gym, and the showers.

Opening the door, she found only silence and shadows, the soft light of the afternoon entered through high, narrow windows that ran just below the ceiling. Dropping her bag by the door, she called Sergei’s name.

No answer.

She tried again.

Still, no answer.

A sad little sigh escaped her lips and she closed her eyes as emotions ran rampant and tears suddenly threatened. Walking toward the back of the room, she headed for the ladies side of the locker room and pushed through the door. Jordan had designed the ladies locker room, and every time Chloe entered it, it cheered her because she might as well have been stepping into a rain forest. The entire back section of the room was a huge terrarium. The walls were covered in shining tiles in varying shades of green, and then glass took over from about shoulder high and curved into the roof, allowing the sun to cast its rays through the room. Filled with lush greenery and tropical flowers, a gentle misting rain fell lightly, a small waterfall splashed into a stream that meandered over smooth rocks and slid into a small fishpond. Without even thinking, she grabbed a pinch of fish food and dropped it into the small pond, a little smile curved her lips as she watched the goldfish greedily scarf down the bits of food.

There were three huge showers, encased in clear glass and rigged out with brass fixtures. Chloe chose the one in the far back, that allowed her a view of the beautiful orchids that grew only a few feet away and turned the water on, giving it time to heat.

Slowly she peeled the snug skating dress off her body, then the tights that didn’t seem to want to come off her still sweaty legs. A glance in the mirror reflected a lean, yet curvaceous figure, with high, full breasts. It was the sad, haunted look in her blue eyes that had her turn abruptly away as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

Steam started to fill the shower stall, and she reached in to adjust the temperature, then slipped beneath the hot spray of water, hoping it would soothe her tense muscles enough to relax her and allow her to figure out what was suddenly so different between she and Sergei. Closing her eyes, she let the water rush over the top of her head and sluice down her shoulders and back; allowed the heat and pressure of the water to massage her tired body. A sigh of contentment escaped her lips and she endeavored to let her mind go blank.

Soft music began to play, at least it sounded like music, but it was hard to tell with her ears filled with water. Shaking her head to clear the water from her ears, she paused, and distinctly heard music, in fact it was the music Dani had been raving about during their warm up, NSYNC at their most mellow. Despite wishing it otherwise, she found herself once again caught up in the romantic words.

When the visions around you, bring tears to your eyes. And all that surrounds you, are secrets and lies. I’ll be your strength, I’ll give you hope, keeping your faith when it’s gone. The one you should call, was standing here all along…

“Dani, turn off the music please. I’m never going to get that song out of my head now!” Chloe called, closing her eyes and sliding her head back under the spray to try to block out the words that seemed to speak to her personally. Bracing her hands against the tile, she tried to ignore the fact that the water running over her body felt like a lover’s caress.

Chloe suddenly felt herself pulled out of the water and against the heated, muscular body she recognized immediately and knew so well. “The music has nothing to do with Dani,” Sergei’s deep voice vibrated against her ear, one arm wrapping around her ribs, his forearm brushing against the under curve of her full breasts as he pulled her against his chest, the fullness of his masculinity a heated sword against her bottom. His other hand traced a gentle path up and down her hip and thigh.

“What are you doing here?” Chloe managed to gasp.

“Whittaker told us to hit the showers,” he answered simply, placing a gentle line of kisses from her shoulder, up her neck, and then to the ultra-sensitive spot behind her ear, pulling her closer when she seemed to melt a little.

“I don’t think this is what he had in mind,” she mumbled, her mind swirling dizzily, coherent thought slipping away.

“I can leave,” Sergei whispered against her shoulder, his breath a heated caress against her skin.

“No!” she gasped; her head dropping back against his shoulder as his hand left her hip, and drew light circles around her bellybutton.

The music continued its romantic spell.
I’ve loved you forever, in lifetimes before. And I promise you never, will hurt anymore. I give you my word, I give you my heart, this is a battle we’ve won. And with this vow, forever has now begun.

“If it makes you feel any better, we’ll do as Whittaker asked and take our showers,” Sergei offered, stepping away from Chloe and reaching for the bottle of liquid soap that was always kept on the shelf in the corner of each shower. Squeezing a liberal amount of the moisturizing soap into his hand, he rubbed his hands together, and then slid them slowly over her shoulders and down her arms, his fingers lacing with hers, before making a return trip up her arms and then across her narrow back.

Lowering himself, he sat on his heels, his hands tracing a soapy, sensual path down her bottom, gently squeezing the firm muscles before moving downward and caressing every inch of her shapely thighs and calves. As he returned to his feet, his fingertips ran a torturous return path up the back of her legs, her bottom, her back before gently massaging the tense muscles in her neck.

Sergei’s touch and the music scattered Chloe’s thoughts and she felt herself floating away.
Just close your eyes each lovin’ day, and know that this feeling won’t go away. ‘Til the day my life is through, this I promise you.

Chloe’s hands lifted of their own free will, she felt out of control, nothing but a mass of nerves; each screaming for release, and she reached for Sergei’s wrists, guiding his hands to her breasts and sighing as the heat of his touch on her skin scorched her. “Oh, God,” she whispered reverently.

Over and over I fall, when I hear you call. Without you in my life, baby, I just wouldn’t be living at all…

Chloe’s skin was like warm silk, glowing with a translucence that reminded him of fine pearls. The soap made tiny trails down her stomach and Sergei’s hands followed them, as his touch set fire to her.

Chloe’s hands reached behind her, and slid along his hips, the rough texture of the hair that covered his legs making her fingers tingle and she trembled as her desire grew. Her hands ran a heated path over the steely muscles of his bottom, kneading the firm skin beneath her fingers as she pushed her bottom back against his groin. His low growl of pleasure had her smiling a siren’s smile and slowly drawing her hands around to the source of his heat and strength.

His control was close to snapping and her nimble, searching fingers had Sergei stepping away from her. He knew if he didn’t put a little space between them, even if for only a moment, things might end before they really began and that was the last thing he wanted.

Pushing her back beneath the spray, he rinsed the soap clean and envied the paths the water took as it skimmed over her body and slid along places he longed to explore.

Chloe turned to face him, the water pulsating against her back and had her first look at Sergei in all his glory–and couldn’t breathe. He was gorgeous! His shoulders, which she had always adored, looked wider and more muscular than she had ever seen them. His chest was broad, his muscles defined and clearly visible beneath the softly curling, wet, dark hair that covered his chest and traced a ‘v’ down to his manhood, which now stood proud and beckoning. His waist and hips narrow; his thighs and legs gorgeously muscled, but not obscenely so.

Chloe was overwhelmed! “My God, you’re gorgeous,” she whispered, the fingertips of one hand lightly running a path across his chest as if seeing for herself this beautiful creature was real.

“Chloe…” Sergei whispered huskily, catching her hand and bringing it to his mouth, kissing the palm of her hand before placing it against the center of his chest. “Can you feel what you do to me?” He asked, his dark gaze holding hers captive.

His heart pounded heavily beneath her hand and she felt herself quiver at the heat she saw in his ebony eyes; at the heat that radiated from his body only inches away. “I want to be a part of you Sergei, I want to feel you inside me,” Chloe whispered and took a step forward, pressing herself against his body and groaning at the electricity she felt spark between them as their bodies met.

Sergei’s hands delved into her wet hair, strands weaving around his fingers as he held her head while his mouth devoured hers in a kiss that was purely carnal and blatantly evocative; Chloe’s gasp of pleasure was swallowed beneath the onslaught of Sergei’s kiss. Rising up on to her toes, she pressed her breasts against the wall of his chest, his hair teased her nipples and made her breasts ache as she pressed herself against that wall of granite. A whimper of need sounded deep in her throat; Sergei answered that need by abruptly ending the kiss.

Chloe’s breath caught in her throat as Sergei’s mouth descended upon her sensitive breasts; his teeth and tongue creating total havoc as he lathered attention upon her heaving flesh. Her hands flexed upon his beautiful shoulders as waves of rapture washed over her and threatened to dissolve the muscles in her legs.

“Sergei…” Chloe gasped, pulling his mouth back to hers for another heated kiss and pushing her hips against his as she felt heat and energy gather in her center.

“I want this to last forever,” Sergei moaned against her mouth, his body swelling almost painfully at her frantic motion.

“I can’t wait anymore, don’t make me wait anymore,” Chloe pleaded, her hands wrapping around the source of her torment; her touch gentle yet filled with fire.

“Oh, God, Chloe…” Sergei growled, biting the sensitive place where her shoulder met her neck, her face turning toward his, their cheeks meeting and caressing; rough stubble and flushed satin. “We’ve got to take care of things first,” he whispered, stepping away from her.

Chloe watched as he pulled a small plastic container from the same shelf he’d retrieved the liquid soap from, popped the top open and offered her a variety of condoms to choose from. Her look of surprise was priceless.

The next time you want to know what type of condom I prefer, ask me,” he teased, holding the container toward her.

Chloe’s cheeks turned a bright pink and she chewed her lower lip as she thoughtfully looked at the variety of condoms before her. Sergei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, it was taking her so long to make a choice. “I don’t know which one to pick,” she finally answered in a small voice.

“It doesn’t matter, baby. Just pick one. Nothing happens until we take care of things,” he answered calmly, feeling anything but calm.

Chloe closed her eyes, and picked one, holding it up triumphantly for his inspection.

“That’ll work!” he growled, ripping the package open with his teeth as she held it in her hand. With patience he didn’t know he had, he instructed her how to put it on him, breathing deeply as her tentative touch left him shaking and nearly out of control.

After what seemed an eternity, Chloe stepped back from him, a wide smile lighting up her face. “Ta-da,” she sang, holding her hands out as if showing someone a beautiful package that was all wrapped up in beautiful paper and colorful ribbons. And as far as she was concerned, he was a gorgeous package, just waiting to be torn apart.

“Chloe, you’re going to kill me yet!” Sergei growled deeply in his throat. His hands wrapped around her bottom, pulling her against his turgid length, her heat radiated in waves, beckoning him. She lifted one leg, trying to press closer to his heat and his hand wrapped around her thigh, pulling her closer, his manhood caressing the entrance to her center.

Chloe’s head dropped back, her balance shifted and Sergei’s solid stance was the only thing that kept her from falling. Water sprayed over them, lukewarm and pulsating, adding yet another sensation to the myriad of sensations that already threatened to overwhelm them. Chloe’s gasp had Sergei simply lifting her and spinning her into the corner of the shower, away from the water, and pressing her back against the cold tiles at the same time the heat of his manhood penetrated her warmth.