Breakout (A Dallas Demons Hockey Romance) (15 page)

“Now you’re talking crazytalk,” I say firmly. “I don’t want a closet full of Carolina Herrera or Chanel. And I don’t want JP. Or Matt. Or any other hockey player. I want
you.
”

I slide my free hand up to his face, letting his stubble scratch against my palm. I move my hand to the back of his neck, and then I lean up on my tiptoes and sexily place my lips next to his ear.

“And I’m not wearing a surprise underneath these clothes for either of them, Niko,” I whisper teasingly in his ear. “That’s for you to unwrap tonight.”

Niko stands straight up. I see the heat in his eyes. Without a word he takes my Red Cup and walks over to the trash can, pitching both our drinks. He comes back to me, draws me to him, and lowers his lips to my ear.

“I’m taking you to my bed. Right now.”

Chapter 18

The One Online Dating Service Profile Question:
Do you worry if your chemistry will carry over to the bedroom?

My write-in answer:
No with the intensity of a thousand suns . . .

Excitement rips through me as Niko leads me back to his car. He’s taking long strides, walking with purpose, determined to get us out of here and back to his apartment.

As soon as we’re in the car, my whole body is burning in anticipation.

We’re about to make love for the first time.

We don’t talk much on the drive over to Mockingbird Station, where Niko told me he has a loft apartment. His hand is on my thigh, his fingertips suggestively stroking my leg while he drives, and it’s sheer torture to me. I want his hands all over me. I want his skin against mine, to kiss him deeply and with abandon.

I want him in a way I’ve never wanted a man.

We get back to his place, with Niko leading the way and holding my hand as we hurry through the parking garage and to the elevator. He punches the up button a few times, impatient for it to come back down to our level.

“Come on, come on,” Niko snaps in annoyance.

My pulse responds to the urgency in his voice. He wants this moment as much as I do.

The doors finally open, revealing an empty elevator to us. We jump inside, and Niko presses the button for his floor. Then he turns to me and moves me up against the back wall. Niko’s hands are sliding underneath my silk blouse, and the second I feel his warm skin on my body, heat sears through me. He lowers his face toward mine, our lips mere inches apart.

“
Πείτε ότι είστε ορυχείο απόψε
,” he whispers. “Say you’re mine tonight.”

My breath catches in my throat. He’s speaking Greek to me. Something I’ve only heard him do when he was mad.

But now he’s speaking it out of passion.

“I’m yours,” I whisper back. “Don’t stop touching me.”

The elevator chimes. I can feel his breath grow rapid, and I match him. My whole body feels hot and coiled, with the only release being able to make love to him.

As the door opens, he takes my hand, leading me down the hall, to his apartment door. Niko thrusts the key in the lock, opening the door and bringing me inside.

The apartment is dark, with only the lights of the city streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows illuminating it.

The second Niko shuts the door behind him he brings me into his body. His hands cup my face, and then his mouth is on mine. He parts my lips, and he demands more of me, his tongue hot and searching in a desperate kiss. His stubble burns against my face as he moves me backward, pinning me against the exposed brick wall in the living room.

Niko’s hands move underneath my jacket, finding my waist, skimming down over my hips where he locates the bottom of my silk blouse.

“Baby, I need to feel your skin,” he pleads against my mouth.

Jesus.

“Maybe it’s time you unwrap your present,” I whisper back.

He lifts his head. I see nothing but heat flashing in his eyes.

“Start with my boots,” I say.

Niko steps back from me, and I brace myself against the wall and extend my right leg toward him. He yanks off the boot and tosses it aside. Then I hold up my other leg, and he does the same.

Niko then lifts my arms over my head, pinning me against the bricks, and stops short of kissing me, his lips teasingly right in front of me.

“What’s next?” he murmurs sexily.

Every nerve I have is pulsating with need. I swallow before answering.

“My scarf.”

Niko’s hands work the knot out of my scarf, and he drops it to the floor. “My turn for a request.”

If he asks me to take off his jeans, I swear to God I’ll pass out.

“Please undo your hair,” he urges, pressing his forehead against mine as his fingertips stroke the curve of my waist. “I want to feel your hair.”

Niko lifts his head so he can watch me. I move my hands to the band at the bottom of my braid. I work the band loose and pull it out. I run my hands through my hair, loosening the auburn waves.

I watch as Niko’s lips part as I shake my braid free. He quickly lifts his hands to my hair, running his fingers through my long locks, his mouth crushing against mine as he does.

I groan against his hot mouth, my hands skimming down to the bottom of his sweater, desperate to feel his hard body. I frantically begin to push it up as we kiss.

Niko breaks the kiss for a second and rips his sweater over his head. His mouth reclaims mine with intensity.

I slide my hands under his white T-shirt, and I feel nothing but warm skin and cut muscles. Oh, I want this so badly. I want this man and this moment in a way I didn’t even know I could.

Niko’s hands slide up the inside of my leather jacket, and without breaking the kiss I shimmy out of it. I begin moving his shirt upwards. Niko tears his mouth from mine and jerks it off, and I gasp aloud as soon as I see him.

He’s
all
muscle. With ripped abs and sculpted, powerful arms from boxing. His skin is dark and sultry, and I want it pressed against me.

“Take off the rest of my clothes,” I say.

Niko lifts off my blouse, and I’m standing before him in a completely sheer floral lace demi-bra, one that is a deep purple and I know looks amazing with my pale skin and auburn hair. There are embroidered flowers delicately climbing up one of the straps, and the look is both sweet and sexy.

As soon as Niko sees me, his eyes flicker again with desire. He quickly moves in, pressing his hard body to mine. He kisses me passionately, and I match his kiss as my hands explore his powerful arms and shoulders. His hands slide over my breasts, causing me to gasp and arch my back in response.

“You’re so beautiful,” Niko whispers against my lips. “I want you so much.”

I rake my hands through his hair as he kisses my neck, and his tongue flickers slowly down my throat, to my breasts.

“Your skin is so soft,” Niko whispers before placing a kiss between my breasts. “So gorgeous.”

I close my eyes, lost in him and everything I’m feeling right now.

He lifts his head, and my eyes flutter open. Niko traces his fingers over my low-rise jeans and then slowly undoes the button. I feel my breathing grow rapid as he eases my jeans over my hips and off my legs, revealing a sheer dark purple mesh and floral scalloped thong.

“Lexi,” Niko breathes as he traces his fingers along the floral edge of my thong. “You’re so fucking hot, it’s unreal.”

I swear I’m sweating now. I’m panting and sweating and he needs to take me against this wall soon, or I’ll die.

But Niko lowers himself down before me, picking up where he left off, exploring me with his mouth, and begins a trail of kisses from between my breasts right down to the top edge of my thong.

Oh God.

He breathes a sexy kiss right there, a teasing kiss, letting his tongue lightly linger there before standing back up.

“Take me here,” I beg, frantically unbuckling his belt. “
Now
.”

I’m trying to work the button on his jeans but Niko puts his hands over mine and lifts them to his chest.

“Baby, no,” Niko says firmly. “I’m not banging you against a brick wall, that’ll hurt you.”

I gaze into his eyes.
I love you,
I think.
I love you for being the man who cares so much about taking care of me.

“But I am,” Niko says, lifting me up, “going to make love to you right now. And I promise you’ll scream in the way you want to without being hurt.”

I’m wrapped around him as he carries me upstairs, kissing him desperately, feeling his hot skin, raking my hands through his jet-black hair.

Niko places me down on his bed, and I kneel up, determined to get his jeans off him. He kicks off his shoes, and I unbutton his jeans. Niko helps me tug them off, and now he’s before me in black boxer-briefs that leave nothing to the imagination.

Fuck. He’s perfect. Breathtakingly perfect.

Niko moves over to his nightstand and quickly pulls out a condom. Then he moves on top of me, kissing me, caressing me, and we’re both hot and desperate to make love.

I rip my mouth away from his, smiling at him. “You have more than one of those, right?”

Niko grins. “I bought a new box today. I hadn’t needed any for a while.”

“Good. Because I intend for us to use more than one tonight,” I say, running my hands over his gorgeous arms.

“So do I, baby. So do I,” Niko declares, closing his mouth over mine.

As we engage in another sensual kiss, I have no doubt that he’ll keep his word to me tonight.

And I plan to relish every moment of it.

I don’t ever want to get out of this bed.

I lightly trace my fingers over Niko’s tattoo on the inside of his forearm. It’s Monday morning, and we’re still wrapped up in his bed. Niko has me drawn into his chest while he sleeps, one arm underneath me and the other draped over the top. I feel warm and loved and protected all in one.

And nothing has ever felt so right to me in my entire life.

I continue to touch his beautiful olive skin, barely skimming my fingertips across it so I don’t disturb his sleep. In my past, after sleeping with a boyfriend—
ha, not like there’s been that many
—I couldn’t wait to
leave.
I never felt emotional about sex. I would sleep with my boyfriends and enjoy it, but never felt the
connection
afterward.

Those feelings were always experienced by characters in Amelia Thorne’s and Holly Martin’s books. I wondered if they could really exist outside of the words I devoured in my Kindle.

Last night I learned they do.

When we came together last night for the first time, it was powerful. Like Niko was
made
to be with me. Tears prick my eyes again as I think about it, as they did the first time we made love. I finally understood how steamy, hot sex and romantic love could be tied together in the act.

And it’s a glorious combination.

Niko stirs against me. I smile, loving the fact that his warm body is tangled up with mine.

“Baby?” he whispers. “You awake?”

I roll over so I can face him. Mmmm, he’s so dark and sexy-looking against the crisp white sheets. I’d devour him again if we didn’t have to go to work today.

Damn it.

“I am,” I say, smiling at him.

“Morning,” he says, running his hand through my hair. Then he drops a soft kiss on my lips, which makes my heart dance with joy.

“Mmm, morning,” I answer.

“I could get used to waking up to you,” Niko says, kissing me again.

I lift my hand and stroke his stubble. “I don’t know. You’d learn all my unsexy secrets then.”

Niko’s blue eyes dance in response to my teasing. “You could never be anything less than
hot.
I always thought that. Last night confirmed it.”

I feel a blush sweep up my cheeks, overjoyed that Niko has always seen me in a way no other man has.

“I don’t know. I wear stupid pop-culture T-shirts to bed. Could be a huge turn-off for you.”

“You know I love pop culture as much as you do. I’d find it irresistible.”

I burst out laughing, and his whole face lights up in response. He links his hand with mine, and even though I’m exhausted, today is already off to a fantastic start.

“Tell me one of them,” Niko asks.

I wrinkle my nose. “I don’t know if I should.”

“Come on. What am I going to see you in tonight?”

“Oh, so I’m for sure spending the night here tonight, is that what you are saying?”

“Depends on the shirt.”

Oh, I love this man.

“Okay,” I say, cocking an eyebrow. “But you have to promise you can handle it. You can’t claim last night was a hook-up and never see me again if you think it’s weird.”

Niko laughs loudly, and I join him.

“I promise.”

“Do you remember
Saved by the Bell?
”

“Um, yeah. Kelly was
hot.
”

“So I’m in the same league as Kelly? I’m flattered,” I tease.

“Don’t try to back away from the shirt,” Niko redirects.

“Okay. I have . . . a retro
Zach Attack
T-shirt.”

“A what?” Niko asks, roaring with laughter. “As in the
Zach Morris
band
Zach Attack
?”

“You’re scaring me with the detailed knowledge you have of this show,” I quip.

“You can’t claim this was a hook-up because my
Saved by the Bell
knowledge rivals yours,” Niko says. Then he rolls me over and moves on top of me.

“So are you gonna come over and wear this ridiculous shirt to bed tonight?” he asks, gazing down at me.

“Perhaps.”

“With another pair of sexy underwear like you had on yesterday?”

I blush furiously. “Do you want sexy Lexi or normal Lexi?”

“Normal Lexi
is
sexy,” Niko murmurs before kissing me.

I melt into him, savoring his lingering kiss. Niko breaks it and plays with my hair.

“What time do you have to go in today?”

“Around one,” I say, wishing I didn’t have to go at all. “I’m editing highlights for the game tonight.”

“You could go home and get your stuff, and then I could pick you up at work after the game. We’ll both be done around the same time.”