Closing The Gap (Dangerous Pasts, #1) (8 page)

Lake tentatively skated on her own to the right side of the blue line and came in a couple of feet.  He slid the puck in her direction so she could prepare herself.  It caressed the ice and slid to a stop a foot in front of her outstretched stick.

“What do you say we make this interesting?” 

“Huh?” 

“I propose a bet to commemorate your first true regulation shot.  We’ll leave the net open, so imagine that your team is losing by one in the last seconds and you need another skater from the bench.  The coach has pulled your goalie.  You pump up and fire a huge slap shot from the point.  If you make it, I’ll match your donation to Hope for Hounds of five thousand dollars.  If you don’t make it, I get a ... kiss.”  He kept smiling, praying and waiting for the possible shut down.

She moistened her lips and then pulled her bottom lip underneath her top teeth.  What a sexy look that was.  He wondered if she ever wore that one in the bedroom.  Or the couch, or the shower, or the kitchen table.  A haze of innocence surrounded her and he knew the move was genuine and suffered no machinations of trying too hard.  The sexiest women were always the ones without a clue of their seductive power.

“Hmm ... sounds dangerous, but exciting with very high stakes.”  She hesitated for a few seconds but pressed forward, saying the words that would change the course of both their lives.

“You’re on.” 

Her confident voice echoed through the arena with the answer he’d secretly hoped for but hadn’t expected. 
Damn
, she’d become pleasantly full of surprises.

Scrutinizing the net, Lake lined up her shot.  Josh noted her seriousness.  Her body wavered back and forth as she tried to decide which angle gave her the best opportunity to put the puck in the net.  With that kind of laser focus, he wouldn’t be shocked if she broke out a measuring tape and a rifle scope.  This was a woman that gave her all to everything she did.  Like a right hook to the gut, he realized her actions would help her avoid his kiss.  With that tenacity, he might never get one. 

He shuddered to consider the thoughts that might be running through her head as she stared at the net.  Probably, that she wouldn’t kiss his nasty ass come hell or high water.  Was she contemplating if he had a venereal disease?  His reputation had preceded him since high school.  He had never regretted his checkered past until this very moment.  A date with John the Baptist wouldn’t be enough to make him clean and worthy of Lake Harrison.

Enough already
, he shook his head from side to side and flung the negative thoughts from his mind.  He’d put forth a valiant effort making her comfortable and now it was okay to take part of that comfort away and just let her sweat it out.  In spite of her obvious distaste at his idea, his own excitement rose volumes by the prospect of tasting those sensuous, pink lips.  He started chanting, silently, hoping she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

Miss! Miss! Miss! Miss!

Would those full lips move under his own?  How did she taste?  Long, passionate kisses weren’t normally his favorite thing.  They were too intimate and gave women false hope of a relationship that wasn’t there, at least on his end.  He preferred the main event but tonight, he wanted to kiss Lake with a desperation he’d never known before. 
Dear God, please let this woman miss.
  He didn’t want one regret after this date.  What would one little kiss hurt?  He just had to taste her and this bet made it spontaneous taking that normal first date pressure away.

Lake yanked her wrists towards her body with everything she had.  Josh stared with rapt fascination as if the scene appeared on a slow motion replay in a cheesy sports movie.  The stick flew back; her aim true.  Was that slight indigestion or butterflies in his stomach?  This might not go his way.  If she put enough on it, it looked like it was going to be a shot on goal.

Shit.

The stick rushed forward.  A look of sheer concentration and focus remained planted on her face.  Damn, he had never seen a woman look hotter than Lake Harrison did in that moment holding her hockey stick with silver steeled determination flashing in her green eyes.  What happened next he’d never have believed if he hadn’t fucking seen it with his own eyes.  At the last moment, she brought the stick down to the left and deliberately shot the puck into the left-hand boards.

“Oops.”

W
hat in heaven’s name had possessed her to do that?  She’d intended to take her shot.  It must be the devil. 
Yeah, the black haired devil with eyes like the bluest, clearest ocean
.  It couldn’t have been worse if she’d just turned her face up to him and begged him to ravish her.  Why did he cause her to act so out of character like a wanton harlot?  Maybe an external force had taken over her arms and made the shot for her.  Well, at least Summer would be delighted by her actions.  Gleeful, would be the only word to describe her reaction when this story was relayed in full.  Lake turned her lips up in a grin at the shocked look on his face as he watched the puck sail left.  He snapped his head back towards her, not expecting this sudden turn of events.

Good, you can see how it feels to be completely out of your element and uncomfortable.
  Lake had felt that way since she’d first clapped eyes on him last night and he could join the party.  She couldn’t deny his befuddled reaction made her feel powerful.  She didn’t recall ever enjoying such influence in the past, as though she were the siren who called the man forward to meet his death on the jagged rocks too overcome with sheer lust to save himself.  No, she usually crashed and burned.  This fantastic chain reaction swam with potential.

As Josh cleared his head with a slight shake and begin to glide towards her, Lake decided to savor every last moment and tuck it away in her memory bank to be replayed multiple times.  There might never be a moment as perfect as this one with humor, lust, anticipation and trust rolled up into one complete package.

In the blink of an eye, he stood before her and gazed at her lips with his blue eyes smoldering.  Bemused, she noticed they’d changed color.  No longer a smooth lagoon; they’d become a tempest.  The tables had turned again.  Lake saw her short lived power over the moment fading away.  Doubt bubbled to the surface.  What if she couldn’t go through with this?  What if she had forgotten what she was doing and he found her lacking?  He had kissed hundreds if not thousands of women.  What if he gave her a quick peck and then pulled away in disappointment and disgust?

His body leaned into hers and her nostrils picked up the scent of his cologne.  He smelled sublime.  It caused her pulse to quicken and her eyelids to flutter.  If he never came a millimeter further, she could stand stock still for an eternity and snort him like crack.  She knew that action would cease to be enough.  She would want more.  Her body was on fire with wanting.

The raw anticipation of what kind of kiss this would be set her nerves on edge.  The fact that he allowed the moment to linger made it that much more delicious, albeit confusing. 
Don’t you want to kiss me?  You made this crazy bet!
  Just when she thought she couldn’t live through another moment of the oppressive stillness, he reached up and slid those strong hands on either side of her jaw bone as he tilted her face up to meet his eyes.  She didn’t know if she could withstand the overpowering sensations of smelling, feeling and tasting him at the same time and her breath hitched in her throat. 

It was natural for Lake to let her eyes drift closed as his face leaned downwards towards her own.  Mesmerized by his scent and the feel of his light but sure touch on her face, she beseeched her knees to continue to support her.  She couldn’t fall at his feet now in an unflattering heap of instability.  She wanted, no she
needed
, to savor this moment.  By God it was happening.  She felt something again.  A luscious sensation took complete hold of her body.

The first light brush of his lips against hers felt like the barest of whispers, as gentle as butterfly wings.  Josh held back but Lake sensed the pent up energy in his firm touch like a trapped animal waiting to be released into the wild.  He deepened the kiss slightly, slanting his head to the side for a better angle.  Amid the rioting sensations, her brain registered that he tasted of cinnamon Red Hots.  It suited him, with his fiery nature, and Lake had never known anything as appetizing as this man’s lips pressed against hers.  This one kiss had robbed her of breath, and thought and sanity.  He nibbled at her bottom lip and of their own accord, her arms lifted.  She stretched her body against his as she reached to place her hands at the nape of his neck.  Then, she did the only thing she could do.  She let go and surrendered.

****

B
ackfire!

It was the only word that Josh held in his consciousness.  When did he allow this situation to twist helplessly out of his control?  Was this really his idea?  Sweet Jesus, she smelled like tart cherries and tasted like nirvana.  Was that delectable scent her shampoo or her lotion?  Her lips were liquid silk and he yearned to devour them but didn’t want to unleash the full onslaught of his passion.  Yet.  Josh barely held himself in check.  Every nerve ending drove straight south.  His entire body burned with desire and he sported an erection that had immediately swelled to its full length without mercy at the first touch of her full lips.  It seemed the errant organ had a mind of its own with Lake Harrison in the vicinity.  Keeping her slanted away from his body provided an inch or two of air between them.  He didn’t want to scare the living shit out of her.  He’d never relished a kiss more and realized he didn’t want to break the spell with this abnormal inability to control his own lust.

Josh savored the exact moment that Lake surrendered to his kiss. 
She’s warming to me
.  He deepened their kiss and started taking tiny bites of her bottom lip to encourage her to open her mouth for further intimate exploration.  He about lost it when she reached up and touched his neck as she pressed her full breasts against his chest as far as her tiny stature could take her.  He wondered if she felt the same white hot longing that he did.  Was she wet for him?  If he could just run his hands along her back and push her against him now, it would be spectacular.  He wondered what it would be like if he could sink into that blazing hot core over and over.

What the hell ...

I’ve a clock that won’t work

And an old telephone

A broken umbrella, a rusty trombone

And I am delighted to call them my own!

I love them because they’re trash

Oh, I love trash!

Anything dirty or dingy or dusty

Anything ragged or rotten or rusty

Yes, I love, I love, I love trash!

****

L
ake jerked her lips away startled at the sound of the loud music.  Her eyes searched his and noticed the preoccupied expression on his face.  Was that Oscar the Grouch?  Like a scene out of a children’s movie blaring at ten decibels, the Sesame Street favorite belted out the unofficial Josh Adams NHL theme song, I Love Trash.  She sympathized with the Muppet.  It appeared that Trash was an easy thing to love.  Getting to spend a few minutes in his company made that fact glaringly obvious.  She’d do well to hold on to her body parts and keep her heart under lock and key.  Lake remembered United playing the song every time he scored a goal or stopped the opposing team the few times she’d attended games there.

A male voice teased over the speakers.  “Seriously, Trash, keep it clean down there.  The crew’s coming in to prepare the ice for tomorrow night’s skating exhibition.  They don’t want to see that X-rated shit.”

In spite of legs that wavered as though they were boneless, Lake found the humor in the scene and a giggle escaped her swollen lips.  It had played out like a bad You Tube video that found itself going viral.  It couldn’t have been better if it had been orchestrated for a controversial moment on reality television.  Once she started, she couldn’t stop and pretty soon, she gasped for air while she wiped the tears out of the corners of her eyes. 

“I hope you’re laughing with me and not at me.  I have to say that gut wrenching laughter is not the normal reaction of someone I’ve just kissed.  Let alone, someone who’s just lost a bet to me.”

“Maybe it should be.  As I’m told by my sister daily, life’s too short not to see the fun and laughter in it.”

“I guess that’s our cue to leave.  I’m glad I’m not the only comedian in our midst.  Come on, Lucille Ball, it’s time to stomp the grapes.”

“A
ntoine will be your server this evening, Mr. Adams and Ms. Harrison.  Please enjoy yourselves and let us know right away if you need anything.”  Lake noticed how the middle aged hostess ran her eyes along the length of Josh’s body in an appreciative way.  With that blatant appraisal, Lake remembered why she never dated men this gorgeous. 

Since it was early on a Saturday evening, the restaurant and adjoining bar were packed.  As the hostess escorted them to their table, a romantic and private booth for two by the windows, Lake spotted her favorite waiter, Antoine.  He gave her a wave and a smile.  With Antoine, Lake knew everything from the food and drink to the pace of the evening would be perfect.  Lake felt grateful Josh had selected this restaurant, one of her local favorites.

The hostess pulled her chair out for her and placed a black napkin in her lap so her pants wouldn’t be covered in white lint.  Besides the wonderful food, the staff’s attention to detail impressed Lake every time she dined there.  It had class without pretentiousness.