Seductively: Playing for Hearts Book 2 (Crimson Romance) (15 page)

She nodded. “I know. You’re part of the team.”

Something was wrong. He rubbed his jaw. Maybe he wasn’t close enough. He leaned over the counter, bracing his elbows on the glass. He was going to have to kick it up a notch. “What time do you get off work?”

She ducked her chin. “I’m sorry. I don’t date the customers.”

He straightened in surprise. “Really?”

Diana’s laughter behind him caused him to flinch. He turned around, feeling guilty. Yet under the guilt, the confusion of what was happening left him wondering if he’d been hit in the head during the game and was experiencing an out of body experience.

“Did I really catch you asking another woman out, while I’m living with you?” She planted her fists on her hips and tried to appear stern. She failed. There was no mistaking the laughter lighting her eyes.

He hurried over to her, grabbed her hand, and hustled her out of the door. Outside, he stopped. “Did you see that?”

“Yep.”

“She blew me off,” he said. “Not even a flicker of excitement over talking with me, Dominic Chekovsky.”

“She treated you like road dust, baby.” She grinned.

“Shit.” He let her go of her and shoved both of his hands in his hair, while walking around in a circle. “You did it. You solved all my problems. I can’t believe it. The women are ignoring me.”

“In less than two weeks too.” She shrugged. “You paid for the best, and I am pretty damn good, don’t you think?”

He stopped pacing and stared. “Yes. You’re brilliant.”

Before now, he never gave a thought of the expense he’d paid to have her help him. Maybe because he knew deep down in his soul, asking her to live with him for two weeks was an excuse to get to know her better. Had she pretended her attraction to him was real to get the money?

The thought that the money came first to her left him chilled. “I don’t quite know what to say. Thank you doesn’t seem to express what I’m feeling right now.”

“It’s a shock, I know. You might not even like how boring your life could become when you’re not running away or hiding from everyone.” She dropped her gaze. “You might even wish that you never hired me and want your old world back.”

He blew out his cheeks and let the air out slowly. His chest constricted. Everything was happening too fast. He had to slow things down and get a good grasp of what was going on with them. With him. With her.

She’d turned the women off him. He was free. No one would bother him and yet, something wasn’t right. He should be more excited. She’d helped him save his career, his happiness. Maybe it’d take time to understand how huge this change was. Right now, all he could think about was Diana and what this meant for her staying with him.

“Let’s go home.” He held out his hand.

She clasped his fingers and squeezed. “Can I drive?”

“Yeah, you can drive the Porsche,” he said.

Right now, she could have whatever he had. He glanced down at her, taking in the wrinkled brow. He wasn’t imagining something going on between them. Diana’s determination to come to Julia’s Bar seemed like a last minute decision. But she’d been hot for him in the car. So why would she need to come out with the guys? Why was she pulling away from him now when they should be celebrating their success?

Dominic’s arm hung over Diana’s shoulder. She opened the garage door leading into the condominium, while he talked on his cell phone. Inside the kitchen, she motioned to her room. He nodded in acknowledgement, and kept talking to the assistant coach.

She stripped out of Dominic’s Sharks sweatshirt, entered her bedroom, and shut the door. Maybe a shower would snap her out of the doldrums that plagued her on the car ride home. She should be happy. Everything worked out perfectly.

Solving all of Dominic’s problems before the deadline was what she wanted. Now she could go back to Cottage Grove and purchase the Ferriday house. She turned on the water in the shower, stripped out of the rest of her clothes. But there was a definite funk in the car on the way back to his place.

There was definitely unfinished business between them. She could not go home without experiencing being with Dominic completely. No longer concerned about her place in his life, she wanted all of him. Maybe then she could go back home and not regret how stubborn she’d been with keeping her distance. All because she was afraid of getting hurt. She was going to hurt regardless if they slept together or not.

The warm water steamed the room, and she stepped under the spray. She hung her head, letting the muscles in her neck stretch. They should be celebrating, and she was in here soothing away her sadness.

What started out as getting Dominic to leave her alone and earning money to move on with her life had turned out to be the best time of her life. Not only had Dominic turned into her friend, she genuinely liked him. Their rapport exceeded any physical attraction and that was saying a lot, because more than anything she wanted to be closer than two people could get. She wanted to be a part of every aspect of his life, and if she left without having sex with him, she’d always wonder and regret it the missed opportunity.

She soaped her body, rinsed off, and stepped out of the shower. After wrapping a towel around herself, she squeezed the ends of her hair semi-dry. She wanted to pout or call Shauna and Kate and bitch about how much she hated her life right now.

She never should have taken the job offer. Underneath all the attitude and denial toward Dominic, she knew he had the capability to break her heart from the moment he first asked her out on a date in Cottage Grove. She’d told him as much the other day and yet she’d continued going further with him.

“Hey, Diana?” Dominic rapped on the door. “Can you come back out?”

“Yeah. Give me a second.” She searched her room looking for something to wear, and spotted his hockey jersey.

It was a sign.

She dropped her towel.

If there was one thing she was positive about it was that nothing came free. She’d have to go after what she wanted, and the man standing outside her bedroom was everything she dreamed about.

The cool mesh material slid over her naked body. She shivered in anticipation. If the phone rang, she’d throw it across the room. If someone knocked on the door, she’d make it impossible for Dominic to get up to answer it. If his coach demanded he come to practice, she’d … she’d go with him and screw Dominic on the ice while everyone watched.

But she wasn’t going to allow it to go that far. Tonight was her night, dammit.

She swung open the door. Dominic raised his gaze. She stepped into his arms and kissed him. There was no more fooling around.

Hot, hard, aggressive, she showed him exactly how she expected their night to end. He slid his hand underneath her curls and cupped her head as he crashed against the wall. She melted as he pressed her lower back tight against him. Heat rolled off his body, warming hers.

“Damn — ” he kissed her again “ — sweetheart. I want you — ” he palmed her ass “ — now.”

“Yes.” She wiggled away from him, and dragged him to his bedroom.

He picked her up and fell on the bed with her in his arms, holding her against him. Touching, kissing, stripping his clothes off, she flailed beside him in her rush. “Hurry.”

“I am.” He pushed his jeans off his hips and kicked his legs, sending his pants to the floor.

She nibbled her way across his chest, over the taut muscles. Her nails dug into his shoulders. Dominic laughed and as she peered into his face, realizing the egotistical and serious Dominic was gone. He’d learned to smile and laugh during their time together.

She wanted to tell him her thoughts. “Dominic, I — ”

“I know. Me too.” Once again, his hand went to her hair. He pushed his fingers through the mass, then lowered his head and touched his lips to her mouth.

His body pressed against hers. She felt his lips on her cheek, her neck, and her hand weaved around his ribs, his waist, drawing him closer. She absorbed every hard angle and plane. The muscles in his back flexed beneath her fingertips. His erection pressed against her.

He sucked on her earlobe, the sound of his breath rasped in her ear. Her eyelids drifted shut as need made her melt. Her heart was at stake here. If she went through with having sex with him, she’d belong completely to him. There would be no denying she was falling in love, but what was going on in his mind?

His hands moved in front of her, sliding between the material of the jersey and her bare skin. The warmth of his body seeped into her skin, and her ambiguity disappeared.

His thumbs brushed her nipples and he whispered, “I’ve wanted you for so long. To be here, touching you.”

He skimmed his thumbnail over the hard tip. She gasped. Jolts of pleasure pinged throughout her body. Desire built, expanded, and demanded more. She touched him, hesitatingly at first, then stroking him more confidently.

His breath grew harsh and fast. She squirmed against him, until he guided her on top of him, and he settled below her. “We’re going too fast, sweetheart. I need to slow down.”

She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and clamped down. A moan escaped and she wanted to rush and meet him at the finish line before something happened to stop them. “No. We need to hurry.”

He spread his hands on her hips. “Shh. Listen.”

She blinked, forcing herself to hear past their ragged breaths, past the soft rustle of her knees rubbing against the comforter on his bed, and she found it impossible to sit still when his warm body pressed between her thighs. Beyond them, silence filled the room.

“Nothing is going to stop us.” He gazed up into her eyes, his mouth softening.

She shuddered at the huskiness in his voice. Her fists clenched on his chest. Oh, God.

“Condoms,” she hissed, throwing her leg off him and jumping from the bed.

“What?” He propped himself on his elbows, watching her.

She raised her hand and pulled a fistful of hair. How could she be so stupid?

“I don’t have any condoms. I wasn’t planning on having sex with you when I left Cottage Grove.” She scrunched her nose. “I can’t believe this. All this time, going back and forth, should I or shouldn’t I, will he or won’t he, and all the craziness with the women and the police, your coach. I don’t even have one measly condom.”

She paced the room. “Unbelievable. I planned everything. I even have emergency money stashed in my purse in case I’m ever stuck away from home, but did I think of safe sex? No. Why not? Because you’re driving me crazy, that’s why.”

“Diana?”

“I’ve ruined everything. When I get back to Cottage Grove, I’m going to buy every freakin’ box of condoms at Sal’s Pharmacy,” she said, turning and walking toward the other side of the room.

“Diana?”

“When Kate and Shauna hear about this, I’ll never be able to forget about it. They warned me against you. Kate even made me promise to use a condom.” She waved her hand in the air. “But did I listen? No.”

“Sweetheart?”

“What?” she snapped.

Dominic held a foil package in his hand. “I’ve got things covered. Or, I will, once you come over here and stop talking to yourself.”

Her shoulders sagged in relief. “Pure genius.”

She joined him on the bed. His knuckles brushed her cheekbone and he smiled. “Can I make love to you now?”

The air sizzled. The question felt like warm honey dribbled over her skin on a summer day. She took the condom from him and rolled it over his hard length. He ran his palm up the inside of her leg. She couldn’t speak at the slow torture of him almost touching, but not quite, in the area that she wanted him to be in. He nudged her knees apart, lifted her leg, and helped her back on top of him.

Even as they positioned themselves, he never stopped watching her. He cupped her, rubbed her, and her breathing grew shallow and rapid. He slid his finger along her wetness. She gasped and braced herself on his chest.

“Don’t move,” he whispered.

He shifted his finger forward and rubbed the very spot she needed him to touch. She squeezed her eyes shut. “Oh, Dom … ”

“Look at me, sweetheart.”

She hadn’t expected that he would take his time, to romance her with words, or to see her own excitement reflected back to her in his eyes. His callused finger slid inside of her. He understood, and he continued pleasuring her, until she shattered into a million pieces.

He stroked her thighs, letting her recover. She blinked away the moisture gathering in her vision. “Dom,” she murmured. “That was, oh God, that was freaking wonderful.”

“I know.” He rolled her over, until he was on top of her, settled between her legs. “But I’m not done with you yet.”

She saw the exact moment the ice melted from his eyes and he succumbed to what was happening between them. She reached between their bodies, placed him inside her, and hooked her legs around the back of his thighs.

He began moving slowly. She could feel the tension coiled in his shoulders. Inch by inch, he plunged inside until they were fully connected. He hissed. She cupped his face, and arched her back.

She reveled in his shudder, in the fact that she brought a man his size, his strength, his determination to a level that he trembled in her arms. She felt delirious.

“You feel so good.” He moved back and forth, sliding, caressing her from the inside out.

She gave a throaty moan as his thrust sped up. His arms shook in the effort it took to restrain himself. She raised her hips, meeting him halfway as her body rejuvenated below him. She needed more. He deserved more. She locked her ankles behind his back, wrapped her arms around his neck.

Her body tensed, strained, reached. He drove home, and as he fully possessed her, she gazed up into his eyes. The depth of her love for him brought her to a crazy finish. She clutched him as waves of pleasure coursed through her body, and he shuddered his release.

He went down to his elbows, bracing his weight off her, but staying inside of her. She swallowed. Hard.

Emotional and spent, she allowed him to roll her to her side, curling her against him as he pulled the cover over them both. She laid her head against his bare chest. His heart raced against her ear. Only then did she squeeze her eyes closed.
I will not cry. I will not cry.