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“It’s not that I don’t want you,” I said.

“You just want me when I don’t want you back,” she said. “Looks like I called your bluff.”

It was the furthest thing from the truth, but I didn’t know how to explain the fucked-up jumble of emotions I was feeling, so I just watched as she picked up her purse, opened the door and left.

I was no fucking good at this. One night of fucking a woman whose last name I didn’t know was my thing. At least it had been until I got to Chicago. This – being tied up in knots and left with blue balls on a regular basis – was foreign to me.

A hard punch to the door after I closed it was the only release I’d find tonight. My fist burned from the force of it, but it still wasn’t anywhere close to what I needed.

Sadie

I pushed aside hanger after hanger in my closet, searching for a black dress that would be suitable for a stuffy dinner thing.

“I don’t have anything to wear,” I said to Dell, who was on the other end of the phone begging me to attend a fundraiser event for Ryke and Kate’s foundation. “I don’t even have time to buy anything. This is crazy, Dell. I can’t go to this thing if it starts in two hours.”

“Wear that long black dress with the slit,” she said. “You can ride with me and Luke and meet Orion there.”

I groaned and located the dress she was talking about. “This dress is sleeveless and it’s the dead of winter.”

“Wear a wrap over it. We’ll be there at 6:15.”

“Hold on,” I said, flopping onto my bed. “Who is this guy again? He doesn’t think this is a date, does he?”

“No. Orion’s a winger and he’s a really good guy. His girlfriend broke up with him yesterday and he’s a wreck over it.”

“Great,” I said sarcastically.

“It’ll be fine. He wants to skip the fundraiser but it won’t be good for him to just sit at home moping. He needs a platonic date.”

I sighed into the phone deeply. “He knows there’ll be no rebound fuck, right?”

“He’s not even thinking about that, Sade. This woman crushed him. Just get dressed up and we’ll see you at 6:15. We’ll have fun.”

“Okay,” I said, a sulk in my tone.

“Oh, and Niko’s gonna be there. You’ll have to suffer through seeing him in a tux.”

My heart rate stuttered at the thought. “Niko? Wait, Dell, if Niko’s gonna be there with another woman on his arm, I am
not
going.”

“Trust me, you won’t be jealous of his date.”

“You’d be surprised. You’re still forbidden from commenting or telling anyone about it, but I really do like him.”

She laughed lightly. “If anything, his date tonight will make you want him even more. She’s a patient from the Children’s Hospital wing the foundation supports.”

“Seriously?” My heart puddled around my feet.

“Yeah. It’s a make a wish kind of thing. She wanted to get a makeover and Niko is her dream date. Her family has season tickets for our team.”

“Wow.”

“So I have to get ready. See you soon, okay? And thank you so much for jumping in like this.”

“It’s not like I had other plans,” I said, sighing yet again. “See you when you get here.”

I showered, blew my hair out into big waves and put on the dress Dell had suggested. It’d been a while since I’d needed smoky eye makeup and sexy heels for a night out. Even though this wasn’t a date, it was nice to get out of my yoga pants and feel pretty on a Saturday night.

Luke and Dell were a picture-perfect couple. He looked at her with the adoration I’d always wanted her to have from a man. She deserved it. When the valet took the car and we walked into the upscale hotel the event was at, Luke did one better than keep his hand on Dell’s lower back the whole time. His huge palm rested on her ass, sending a message to the entire room that she was his. I considered myself highly independent, but I couldn’t help wishing a certain Russian had his hand resting protectively on my ass.

Orion was waiting for us in the lobby. I’d seen him at the bar the other night, but hadn’t paid much attention to him. He was tall, with a perfectly cut body I’d come to expect from the NHL players I knew. His blond wavy hair was combed back neatly, but his blue eyes were tortured and utterly out of control. Dark circles beneath them were proof he wasn’t sleeping.

“Hey,” he said to Luke, not even looking at me. I breathed a sigh of relief. Dell was right. This guy had zero interest in getting with me tonight.

“Hey, man. This is Sadie,” Luke said. Orion offered me a wave.

“Tell me you haven’t spoken to that bitch,” Dell said sharply to Orion. His face darkened with anger.

“Dell,” Luke said softly, drawing her closer to him.

“What? She’s a bitch. Any woman who cheats on you with your best friend isn’t worthy of you, Orion.”

Luke leaned down, touching his forehead lightly to hers. “We’re here to get her off his mind, baby.”

“You’re right,” she said. “Let’s go get drinks.”

I scanned the room as we made our way to the bar, looking for Niko. I’d downed half a glass of champagne before I finally found him, my knees nearly buckling at the sight of him in a tuxedo.

He was polished perfection. Even his slightly purple eye and the layer of black scruff on his face looked like they belonged with the tailored tuxedo he wore. And the sparkle in his eyes as he leaned down to listen to something the girl on his arm was saying … I had to look at the floor to make sure my panties weren’t down around my feet.

She was a teenager with Down syndrome, dressed like a princess in a pale blue gown. Her grin said more about her happiness than words ever could have.

I wanted Niko. I was past denying it. But he’d made it clear he didn’t want me back when I’d stupidly almost kissed him last night. I still had my pride, and I wasn’t about to let him know how hurt I still was over it.

“So what position do you play?” I asked Orion.

“Right winger,” he mumbled.

“Where are you from?”

“Canada.”

And then, silence. Luke and Dell had slipped off somewhere, and I realized this would be my night. Uncomfortable awkwardness with a brooding, brokenhearted man. Dell seriously owed me for this.

I finished my drink and was about to tell Orion I was heading back to the bar when a hand wrapped around my wrist, pulling me several feet away to a secluded spot near a tall potted tree.

I looked up at the dark figure next to me. Niko.

“What the fuck are you doing with him?” His eyes flashed angrily and my stomach dropped over being the object of his pissed off mood.

“I’m just …” I trailed off, remembering the night before, and advanced a step closer to him. “What the hell do you care, anyway?”

He kept hold of my wrist and led me around a corner, away from the crowd. I pulled away from him and gave him a dirty look.

“He’s got a girlfriend, Sadie,” he hissed. “That may not mean shit to him, but you’re better than that.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. This was rich. Jealousy from the guy who didn’t want me but apparently didn’t want anyone else to have me, either.

“They broke up,” I said, feeling a stab of guilt over not telling him I was only doing Dell a favor.

Niko’s brows knitted together. “When?”

“Last night.”

He leaned closer to me – so near I could feel the heat of his body.

“Then I repeat – what the fuck are you doing here with him? You’re willing to jump into his bed when it’s still warm from her?”

I pressed a palm to his chest and pushed him back an inch. “Watch it. I’ll decide what I’m willing to do, so don’t assume you’ve got it all figured out.”

Niko shook his head and rubbed his jaw, glaring at me. “This is fucking bullshit, Sadie. Last night you’re into me, and tonight you’re into him?”

“Are you jealous?” I said with a note of bitter laughter. “You don’t want me, so why does it matter who I’m here with?”

He turned and advanced on me again, forcing me to back against the wall. He pressed a palm to the wall, leaning his face down to mine. “Is this just to get back at me for last night? This is a stupid, dangerous fucking game you’re playing.”

His eyes were dark, burning me with their intensity. A biting comment about which one of us was playing games rose in my throat, but his mood had me off-kilter.

“No,” I said, unable to hold back the truth. “That’s not what this is.”

“You’re here because you like him?” His voice rose and his eyes narrowed with hurt. “Yeah, Sadie, I’m jealous, alright?”

He stepped back, taking a deep breath and running a hand though his hair.

“Of course I want you,” he said softly. “I have since the moment I saw you. But I really like you now.”

I waited a few seconds, but he just looked at me.

“So …?” I said with a puzzled glance. “This isn’t making sense. If you want me and you like me, what’s the problem?”

He came closer again. Close enough to touch me, but he didn’t.

“It’s two different things. Fucking is how I unwind. It’s not personal. I don’t get to know those women well enough to like them.”

I sighed, realizing I couldn’t win this one. Niko was a professional athlete. He had his pick of sex partners, and he wanted a wide variety of flavors.

He met my eyes, an apology in his. “Look, I have to get back to my … date. Even though it’s not really a—”

“I know what it is,” I said, interrupting. “It’s the same reason I’m here. I’m just doing a favor to Dell. Orion wasn’t coming tonight, because he’s crushed about his girlfriend dumping him. We’ve barely even spoken.”

Niko exhaled loudly and shook his head. “Christ, woman, why didn’t you just say that in the first place?”

“I didn’t think it mattered,” I said, shrugging.

His ominous glare was gone now, and I was a lot less intimidated by frustrated Niko than pissed off Niko.

“It matters,” he said softly. “Come sit at my table.”

“Not until I have a drink,” I said, leading the way down the hallway into the ballroom. “I need alcohol if I’m spending an entire evening with you.”

He slid an arm around my waist, pulling my body against his for just a second. “I’ve got it,” he said softly. “Long Island Iced Tea?”

“Just some vodka and cranberry juice would be great.”

“Hopefully they’ve got some decent vodka in this joint,” he muttered.

Orion saw us and headed toward me.

“There you are.” He glanced down at his phone. “I have to step outside for a bit.”

“Don’t do it,” I cautioned. “I know you want to call her but it’s a bad idea.”

“She called me. I was just gonna check the message.”

I shook my head. “Make her wait. Niko’s about to get us some drinks. We’ll go mingle while we wait.”

Niko leaned down, speaking softly in my ear. “So you approve of playing games? Is that what you’re saying?”

I didn’t know if it was his warm breath on my skin or his low, playful tone, but something sent a shiver of excitement through me. I covered it with a wide smile.

“For now, all you need to know is that I’m thirsty,” I said, turning to look up at his face.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, arching his brows with amusement. “Keep your ass out of reach of all hands in this room, please. I don’t wanna have to brawl at this fundraiser.”

I suppressed a smile. Apparently he wanted to be the only man who ever flirted with me. It surprised me that I actually liked his possessive streak.

He strode across the room and offered his arm to the beaming teenager he’d brought with him. She laced her arm into his, her smile growing even wider. Niko laid his hand over hers and patted it and they headed for the bar together.

There was a tug in my chest as I watched his sweet attentiveness to the girl. She was still on his arm when he returned, a server following with our drinks on a tray.

“Sadie, this is Kelsey,” he said. “Kelsey, this is my friend Sadie.”

His
friend
. My stomach sank at the sound of the innocuous word. I held my hand out and she shook it warmly.

“You look beautiful, Kelsey,” I said, sipping my drink as soon as the server handed it to me.

“Thank you.” Her smile was the brightest in the room.

“That was the one with vodka, right?” Niko asked the server. “Kelsey’s is just cranberry juice?”

“Yes, sir,” the server said.

“Ready to sit down?” Niko asked Kelsey. She nodded and we all took our seats at a table near the front.

I’d never imagined being practically ignored by a man could turn me on so hard. Though I was on his other side, Niko lavished attention on Kelsey. He asked her about school, laughed at her stories and helped her cut her chicken when dinner was served.

This sweet, attentive side of him had me fantasizing about climbing him like a tree. I wanted to get on that, and bland conversation with Orion wasn’t distracting me in the least.

When the speaker for the foundation started his speech after the meal, all eyes turned his way and the room quieted. Niko’s hand slid onto my thigh beneath the table, and my tingle of arousal turned into a tidal wave.

I put my fingers over his, guiding his hand higher on my leg. His sharp intake of breath gave me a sense of satisfaction, though his expression gave nothing away. We both appeared to be completely focused on the doctor at the podium, but I could only think about the way Niko’s thumb stroked my skin through the thin fabric of my dress.

He wanted me, too. I kept replaying his words from earlier in my mind. Was I aggravated or flattered by his gentlemanly behavior toward me? Right now – aggravated. But I was also touched that I meant something to him, and that he didn’t want to ruin our growing friendship with sex.

At the end of the dinner, Kelsey’s mother came in to get her, and Niko posed for several photos with her. He wasn’t playing fair. I’d wanted him before, but now I could hardly keep from getting a room at this hotel so I could jump him.

When Kelsey left, Niko approached with a small smile. “Need a ride home?”

“Uh, sure. Let me find Dell and tell her.” I scanned the room, not seeing her dark red hair. “Maybe I’ll just text her.”

“Sounds good. I’m anxious to … see your place.” Niko’s tone was mischievous, and my heart pounded with anticipation. Whatever he had in mind – our unfinished kiss or something more – I was more than ready.