Collision (10 page)

“Of course you are,” he assured her. “Think about it. You’re
a successful, professional athlete. You’re smart, beautiful, sophisticated.
Those other girls were…” He struggled to find the word. “Available.”

“Ouch.”

He shrugged. “Sad, but true for the most part.”

“Then why do you sleep with them?”

“I dunno. To blow off steam. To have a good time. Boredom.”

“Wow.” She started to smile. “That’s not the pick-up line
you use, though, right?”

He laughed. “No. I like to think I’m a little smoother than
that.” Running his hands through her hair, he kissed her, and was happy when
she melted into the kiss. Moving his head down, he licked the pink buds of her
nipples, trailing his mouth down the curve of her left breast, along her rib cage,
and up the other side.

“Yeah, you’re pretty smooth,” she agreed.

He smiled against her neck, continuing to rain little kisses
on the swells of her breasts, coaxing her to relax for him once again. He was
still inside her, and was still hard, despite their recent conversation. Hell,
who wouldn’t be, with a woman like Leah underneath them? She excused herself to
go to the bathroom again and Brady climbed out of bed, going to the bag he’d
brought in with him.

Brady smiled as he dropped the bag on the floor. He had a
little surprise for Leah and was hoping like hell it would excite her as much
as it did him. For some reason he had a compulsion to prove to Leah that he
could make her feel better than she had with any other man—he wanted to be the
best she’d ever had, help her to explore the raw sexuality simmering beneath
the surface. Digging through the contents, he extracted a couple lengths of soft
nylon rope and threw them on the bed, smirking. If nothing else it would
surprise her, crack that cultured façade a little more. That would almost make
it worth it by itself. He didn’t have to wait long for her reaction.

She came out of the bathroom and stopped dead. “Um, what’re
those?” she asked, nodding toward the ropes.

“I thought we might play a little game tonight. Rope the
Cowgirl.” He watched her closely to assess her reaction.

She looked wary. “You want to tie me up?” she asked, looking
down at the ropes as if they were a pile of poisonous snakes.

Brady schooled his expression into one of nonchalance. If she
really wasn’t into it he didn’t want her to feel pressured. Much as he wanted
to expose her to all the fun stuff to do in bed he didn’t want to scare her.
“Yeah. I think it’d be real sexy to have you at my mercy so I can spend all the
time I want making your body sing for me.” He lifted a hand to the back of her
neck and rubbed gently. “I would never hurt you. You know that, right?”

Her gaze shifted to his. “Yeah, I do.”

“Do you trust me?” She nodded. “If you really don’t like it
I’ll set you free, but I want you to consider trying it.” His hand continued to
skate across her skin as she looked from him back to the ropes.

“All right. What do you want me to do?”

“Get on the bed on your back.” His cock stirred again as he
watched her pull off her robe, revealing her breasts to his hungry gaze, and
decided he’d start there once he got her tied down. He couldn’t think of many
things more fun than burying his face in her cleavage.

When she lay down in the middle of the bed, which he’d
divested of the comforter and blankets entirely, he separated the lengths of
rope and began the process of securing her wrists and ankles, crooning to her
all the while. He wanted Leah to have fun with this too, and if she was wound
up as tight as a clock that wouldn’t happen. The knots were loose enough that
she could slip her hands out if she really felt threatened, and the rope was
constructed of a material that wouldn’t chafe. He didn’t want to leave angry
red rope burns on her gorgeous body.

He came to her injured ankle and asked, “Do you want me to
leave this one untied?”

She looked down the length of her body and seemed to
consider it. “No, that’s okay. It’s felt pretty good lately. Just don’t make it
too tight or tie it in a weird position.”

“All right. You tell me the second it hurts, though, sugar.”

Brady fastened that ankle to the bed leg as he had with her
other ankle and her wrists, and then stood. Leah was staring at him. He smiled
at her and then leaned down to take a ripe, succulent nipple into his mouth.
She arched at the contact and he marveled yet again at how responsive she was
to his touch. He had no idea what he’d done to get so lucky, but wasn’t about
to question it, not when he had much better things to think about, like how to
make her scream herself hoarse.

Sliding onto the bed, he proceeded to bite, suck and ravage
her nipples as she made little mewing sounds. He suckled hard first on one
breast and then the other. Leah gasped.

“You’re killing me, Brady…”

He grinned at her and then watched as her chest rose and fell
with each labored breath. “Kinda the point of being tied up, baby. You’re at my
mercy.”

“I’m not sure I like this situat—” The rest of her protest
was cut off when he glided a hand down her belly and inserted two fingers right
into her hot, wet core. Both of them moaned. He wandered over her breasts and
stomach with his lips, tongue and teeth as his fingers began to move
rhythmically inside her. “Oh please, Brady, I need you,” she pled. Her breath
was coming in sharp waves and she was beginning to pant. “Please, I need you
inside me.”

“Not yet. I’ve still got a lot of playing to do before I
even consider putting my dick near your pussy again.” Removing his fingers, he
made a show of slowly licking her creamy juices from each one as she followed
the movement with heavy-lidded eyes.

Scooting down to the foot of the bed, he picked up one of
her feet and began to lick up the inside of her calf. Leah shivered and he
glanced back up at her face. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open, and
her cheeks flushed.

Man, I fucking adore this woman.
The thought stopped
him dead in his tracks. Where the hell had that come from? Sure, he was having
a great time with her, but adore?
Eesh, what a sap.

After running his tongue all over her legs, he moved up the
bed and did the same with her arms. She pleaded with him to take her, but he
wouldn’t be rushed. Only when he’d covered every available inch of her skin
with his mouth did he come back to her pussy. It didn’t take long for her to
find her release, and he watched as her legs locked, her back arched, and her
head fell back. He couldn’t stop the little possessive surge in his chest,
knowing he had been the one to do that to her.

When she’d calmed down Brady stood at the end of the bed. Taking
himself in hand, he slowly stroked from root to tip. Leah licked her lips and
he gave her a half-smile. “What’re you thinking about?” He had a pretty good
idea, but loved it when he got her to talk dirty. It was such a turn-on to hear
his upper-class bred, sophisticated woman get raunchy in bed.

“You.”

“What about me?” He continued his glide up and down his
rock-hard shaft and waited for her response.

“About touching you.”

“Touching me where?”

She gave a loud sigh. “Brady, come on…”

“I wanna hear you say it. Touch me where?”

“Your penis.”

“Mmm, I like the sound of that.” Drawing his thumb over the
tip to spread out the drop of pre-cum over his cock head, he said, “What do you
wanna touch my dick with, sugar?”

Her pupils dilated as he grew even longer under his
ministrations. “My mouth. I want you in my mouth. There, are you happy now?”

She sounded so disgruntled that it was hard not to laugh,
but he managed it. “I will be.” He decided to push her a little to see how far
she would go with this. Every time she showed him a little more of the wild
woman lurking inside he felt a little closer to her. “Ask me for my cock.”

“Ask you?”

“Yeah. If you wanna suck it, ask for it real nice and maybe
I’ll let you.”

“This is ridiculous,” she growled.

He shrugged. “It’s a simple request, darlin’.”

“I am
not
going to ask for your permission.” She
pouted prettily and he knew she wasn’t really mad, so he kept going.

“I guess you don’t want it too badly, then.” He reached for
his jeans, wincing as he considered trying to stuff himself back into his pants
and praying she’d stop him.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Her eyes were wild as she watched
him zip back up. He was surprised the zipper didn’t burst. He was hard as a
railroad spike, but for some perverse reason he wanted to see this thing
through. Grabbing the television remote, he sank down in a chair and turned it
on. He figured any minute now he’d see steam coming out of her ears. “Are you
kidding me? You’re going to leave me like this?”

He gave her trembling body a lengthy perusal. “If you don’t
want it bad enough to ask for it then I’ll just wait ’til you do.”

“Brady!” She kicked her heels into the bed. “This isn’t
funny.”

“Did I say it was funny?” He was having a terrible time
keeping a straight face. Leah looked as if she was fit to be, well, tied. “Just
ask, sugar, and you can have whatever you want.”

She let out a noise of pure frustration. Then, through
clenched teeth, she said, “Can I have you in my mouth?”

Yeah, now she was definitely annoyed, but for some perverse
reason he couldn’t stop. “Be specific, babe. How am I supposed to give you what
you want unless you tell me exactly what it is?” Brady rose and then plunged
two fingers into her pussy as he circled her distended clit with his thumb.

“Dammit, Brady! Fine, can I have your penis? I need to taste
it.”

“That’s better. And see? So easy. Though I’d love to hear
you ask to suck my cock, I’m not picky.” Moving to straddle her, he eased the
zipper back down again and his dick popped free, bouncing toward her lips as if
it had a mind of its own. Leaning toward her, he held the back of her head with
one hand while he guided his cock to her lips with the other.

She pulled it into her mouth and took him deep. He let out a
grunt and threw his head back. He felt the very tip butt up against the soft
skin at the back of her throat and nearly lost it right then, but tamped down
on the impending orgasm and pulled back until only the head remained in her
mouth.

“Witch,” he whispered. The look in her eye told him she
wasn’t a bit sorry. Two can play at that game, he thought, plunging back in
until his balls rested on her chin. Her cheeks hollowed but she kept up
suction. Gripping the top of the headboard, he drove into her mouth over and
over, his movements becoming jerkier and jerkier as he got ever closer to climax.
He pushed in all the way again and held himself there, feeling her swallow
around the head of his cock. Right before he lost it he pulled out most of the
way again and then roared as his orgasm hit, sending pulse after pulse up his
dick and spilling his cum into her mouth. She swallowed greedily until he
finally let his now-limp penis slip out of her mouth.

She licked her lips and he groaned again as he rose from the
bed. “You’re killing me, Leah. I wanted to last longer than that. I wanted to
wait to come until I was inside your pussy.”

“Then I guess you should’ve pulled out earlier.”

He laughed as he noticed the expression of pure female
satisfaction on her face. “Feeling pretty good about yourself, huh?”

“I love watching you lose control, knowing I did that to
you.” He only made a noncommittal noise in reply and she laughed. “Own up to
it, Brady. You lost control.”

“Keep talking and I’ll leave you like this,” he warned her,
knowing he wouldn’t. Watching her face as she came apart at his hands was far
too much fun to deprive her of the release she needed.

She shifted and he could see her juices glistening in her
pussy, calling to him like a beacon. Settling himself between her spread legs,
he took one long, torturously slow lick, watching Leah’s face as he did.
Glancing over, he noticed her pulling at the ropes tied around her wrists, each
hand clenched around them as she fought the sensations. “Make me come, Brady,
please.”

He ate at her pussy like a starving man, and soon she was
bucking and straining against the ropes holding her down. She came with a low,
keening moan. When he felt her muscles relax at last he scooted down and undid
her ankle restraints, being careful to massage her injured ankle. Then he
removed the ropes binding her wrists and tucked her into bed.

“Come to bed,” she mumbled, yawning. And he did, feeling
content.

Leah sat in the cab of Brady’s truck, letting loose an
unladylike yawn. She doubted her current companions would notice or even care.
Conner was driving, Brady was almost asleep in the passenger’s seat, and
Jessica was passed out in the back seat with her. After their extracurricular
activities of the night before, Leah had slept like a rock, but it hadn’t been
enough to shake this bone-deep weariness. She was used to travel—even used to
long rides like this since she’d done a couple of bus tours, but she wasn’t
used to all the sex in between. Places on her body she hadn’t known existed
ached, and that said a lot for a professional athlete.

She slid forward toward Conner, leaning her head on her
hands, which she’d curled onto the seat in front of her. “Do you want me to
talk to you?”

Conner turned briefly, throwing her a grin. “I never turn
down the chance to talk to a beautiful woman, sugar.”

Leah gave him a little punch. “You two are something else.”
Brady shifted and grumbled, but they ignored him. “So what do you want to talk
about?”

“You.”

She groaned. “I’m really not very interesting.”

“Okay then. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on between
you and Romeo over there?” He tossed his head in Brady’s direction and she
glanced down briefly. In sleep he looked almost angelic—a far cry from his
usual countenance.

“I don’t really know how you’d label it. I guess you could
say we’re dating, but we don’t really go out anywhere. We haven’t had time. We
did before, in New York, but that was before anything really happened, and
mostly because there wasn’t anyone else around.”

“Ouch. Don’t let him hear you say that. He thinks he charmed
you.”

“I’m sure he does,” Leah retorted. “He wore me down.” She
sighed and Conner laughed. Conner had a great sense of humor. She really liked
him. He was laid-back, much like Brady, but she sensed an intensity just below
the surface. Leah could tell he was a good friend too. She valued that in a
person, especially since she didn’t have any friends to speak of.

She sighed again and Conner glanced over his shoulder at
her. “You all right?”

“Yeah, just thinking about how you and Brady are such good
friends, and how jealous I am.”

“Jealous? Of us?” He sounded incredulous.

“Yes,” she insisted. “You don’t understand what it’s like to
live in my world. I don’t want to sound self-pitying, but my parents frankly
don’t care about me for more than something they can shove in their society
friends’ faces. My closest and only friend is my manager, if you could even
call him a friend since I pay him. How sad is that? And everyone else? Well,
let’s put it this way. There’s a reason I’m called ‘The Ice Queen’, and I admit
that at times I’ve perpetuated the image. People have been jealous of me for my
entire life. In order to tune it out so it didn’t affect my skating I had to
shut down, to turn inside. How do you know who you can trust when you’re
sixteen years old and someone befriends you? That person may be trying to get a
juicy story, or sabotage your costumes, or heaven knows what else.”

“Geez, Leah, I had no idea. I’m sorry.” He reached his hand
over the seat and grasped hers, squeezing.

“Thanks.” She paused for a minute, letting the warmth of
Conner’s hand sink into hers. It was nice to unload on somebody without feeling
as if they had an agenda. “I wasn’t trying to play on your sympathies. I just
wanted you to understand how lucky you and Brady are. True friends don’t come
around that often, and when they do you shouldn’t take them for granted.”

He squeezed again and then put his hand back on the steering
wheel. “I won’t.” They drove for a while in companionable silence. “You know,
you’re good for him.”

“I am?” She knew she sounded skeptical, but this was only a
brief affair. She doubted it would change him in the long run—though she knew
she
wouldn’t be the same. Brady had opened her eyes to a lot of things, and she
intended to make some changes when she got back home, that was for sure.

“Yeah, you are. You see, Brady’s pretty serious when it
comes to bull riding. But he’s not serious about anything else, really. Sure,
he loves his family and his ranch n’ all. That’s not what I’m talking about.
You make him less concerned about himself and his own pleasure, and that’s a
good thing. You make him more mature. I dunno what I’m trying to say here,
Leah, but you’re good for him. I hope he’s good for you too.”

“He is,” she whispered, settling back in her seat. She
turned to stare out the window. Was Conner right? Was she good for Brady? She’d
like to think she made him a better man, but maybe that was foolish girl talk. Leah
pinched the bridge of her nose to stem the oncoming headache as she considered
the past days with Brady and what was still to come. Could this affair turn
into something more? Did she want it to? This upcoming year was her last-ditch
attempt at a championship.

Why was she letting a distraction like Brady get in the way
of everything she’d worked for? She wanted to go out on top—to show everyone
she still had what it took to be the best. Leah knew what people thought. She’d
heard the whispers about how she should hang up her skates, but she was
determined to prove them wrong. Even if it killed her, she would leave the
sport on her own terms. Shaking her head, she scooted over to the window and
laid her head on the glass as her overtired brain continued to swirl with
questions.

They finally arrived in Tulsa after ten that evening and
found an all-night diner to grab a bite. Leah didn’t eat much, over the
objections of both Conner and Brady, who attempted to gang up and bully her
into a big meal. Jessica tried to stand up for her, but they kept railing until
she agreed to eat a little more. Between the arena fare she’d been forced into
eating and all the greasy food in places on the road, she was dying for a good
mesclun salad, but didn’t see one on the horizon anytime soon.

Brady, Conner and Jessica dropped her off at her hotel
before taking the Airstream to the parking lot of the arena. They wanted to be
close by so the guys could check in the next day with little hassle. Leah told
them she’d see them later the next day after she’d had a chance to do a
full-scale workout on her ankle and then she fell into bed, sleeping for nearly
eleven hours straight.

When she finally awakened the next day, her head feeling
clear for the first time in a while, she grabbed an egg-white omelet and coffee
and then went to the fitness center at the hotel. As she worked out, paying
special attention to her ankle exercises, she took time to refocus. She’d let
herself get so caught up in Brady and what was happening between them she’d
started to lose sight of her end goal; another Olympic gold medal. At her age,
she couldn’t afford to take her eyes off the prize for what could only be a
brief affair.

There were figure skaters who were ten years younger and
more technically proficient, and she knew her only means of beating them was by
using her artistry and her experience. The younger girls could do harder jumps
and more complicated spins, but they couldn’t feel and interpret the music the
way Leah could. They couldn’t tell the story to the audience as effectively as
she could. They were also more easily rattled when they made a mistake, which
is something Leah had learned to keep a tight control over. It was how she’d
gotten her nickname, but it had served her well in competition. Ice flowed
through her veins when she was competing.

She finished her workout and went back to her room to
shower. After calling James again she got ready for the sponsor event later
that afternoon. Brady would be there, and she hoped Conner would be too. She
felt closer to him after their talk yesterday and it made traveling with the
group a lot more comfortable.

Dressing in black leggings with her black cowboy boots and
her favorite Versace beaded tunic, she plopped her brand-new black Stetson—a
gift from Brady—on her head and took a quick look at herself in the mirror. If
any of her fellow skaters saw this getup they’d never believe it. Chuckling to
herself, she caught a cab to the arena and asked for directions to the
sponsors’ party.

When she got to the room, her eyes swept the attendees,
automatically searching for Brady. Conner waved to her from where he was
standing talking to a younger man, and she made her way over to them.

Conner let out a low whistle when she got closer and she
blushed. “Damn, girl, you’re lookin’ more and more like a cowgirl every day. I
like it.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek and then stood back, taking her elbow
and turning her toward the other man. “Leah Fitzpatrick, this is MarcoD’Allesandro.
Marco’s one of the newer riders but doing very well.”

Leah held out her hand and Marco shook it. “Pleasure to meet
you, miss,” he told her, giving her a not-so-subtle once-over.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Marco,” she answered, smirking.
What was this guy’s deal? Tilting her head, she said, “I don’t think I’ve seen
you around here.”

“No,” Marco answered, smiling with even, white teeth. “I am
just coming back from injury.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I hope everything is all right
now.”

“Yes, I am well, thank you.” He smiled again and Leah looked
at Conner and raised a brow. Conner just grinned back at her.

“Marco is from Italy,” Conner supplied, and Leah nodded.
She’d recognized his accent right away, having been to Italy several times for
competition or vacation.

“I love Italy,” Leah told him, and his smile turned
dazzling.

“You have been to my homeland?” He picked up her hand and
kissed the back of her knuckles.

“Yes, many times.”

“Leah is a professional figure skater,” Conner explained.
“An Olympic gold medal winning figure skater, actually. She’s traveled all over
the world.”

Marco turned to her again. “You are Olympic gold medalist?”

“A long time ago, yes.”

“Not a long time ago,” Conner argued.

“Three years. At my age in the figure skating world it might
as well be forever.” Leah sighed. “Anyway, Marco, now that you’re back, I wish
you a lot of success.”

“Thank you. I have learned much from watching these guys. I
only hope I can be as good as they are.”

“I’m sure you will be.” She spotted Brady making his way
toward them.

When he arrived he moved next to her and opposite Marco. He
nodded to the man. “Marco, good to have you back. I see you’ve met Leah.” His
arm snaked around Leah’s waist as he leaned in and kissed her neck right below
her ear, and she stiffened. Leah glanced at Conner, who was valiantly fighting
a snicker. What was going on here?

Moving away from Brady, she glared at him. “What’s up,
Brady?”

“Nothing, darlin’,” he gave her a lazy grin, but she didn’t
buy it for a second. Was he feeling threatened by Marco’s presence? Surely he
didn’t think there was anything going on between the two of them? The idea
seemed so preposterous. She’d just met Marco, but after looking at Brady again
and seeing the glower on his face as he assessed the other man that was the
only conclusion she could come to.

“Brady, would you come with me for a moment? I’d like to get
a glass of water.” She looped her arm through his and practically dragged him
away to the bar. Once they got out of hearing distance of the other men, she
hissed, “What was all that about?”

“All what?”

“That caveman act back there. Do you have a problem with
Marco?”

“He irritates me.”

“Obviously, but why?”

“He puts on that whole ‘I’m from another country, I’m so
exotic’, but he’s just an Italian playboy.”

“What does that matter?”

“He’s only here because he’s bored. He doesn’t care about
bull riding. He just wanted something to do that’d piss his dad off.”

“But why do you care?”

“I didn’t like the way he was looking at you.”

Leah shook her head in confusion. “How was he looking at
me?”

“Like you were his next meal,” he retorted.

“You’re imagining things.”

“I didn’t like it. I don’t trust him.”

“You don’t have to like him, but there’s nothing going on,
so calm down. And I thought we were going to be discreet. You coming up to me
in a roomful of people and kissing me on the neck isn’t very subtle.”

“Yeah, well, you trying to follow me into a curtained-off
area of the med room isn’t real subtle either, sweetheart.”

Leah’s face flamed as she remembered the incident. “Point
taken. Just back off the jealousy, all right? There’s nothing going on, so cool
it.”

“Fine. Let’s just get a drink.”

They began to make their way to the bar again but were
waylaid by the CEO of the tour, Aaron Jackson. “Brady! Leah! Good to see you.”
He clapped Brady on the shoulder and gave Leah a warm smile. “I hear you guys
have been a hit. I’m sorry I haven’t been around to help you get acclimated,
Leah. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks around here. We’re bringing in a few
new sponsors next year and we’re trying to get all our ducks in a row.”

“That’s all right. Everything has gone quite smoothly.
David’s made my time here very comfortable.”

“Good, good,” he answered, rubbing his hands together.
“Look, you two, I wanted to approach you about something.” He turned to Leah.
“Would you be willing to be part of the opening ceremonies today? They’re being
televised since this is one of our larger events.”

“Um, sure,” Leah answered. “What would you like me to do?”

Aaron waved a hand around. “Oh, just stand there next to
Brady. We’ll do the rest.”

“All right.” She wasn’t crazy about having so few details
about what was expected of her, but what could she do?

“Great! I’ll have someone come and collect both of you when
we’re ready to go.” With that, he moved off through the crowd.