Las Vegas Sidewinders: Dominic (15 page)

“Rescue
her
?” Toli
burst out laughing. “She will snap like twigs.” He grinned at them. “Okay, Toli
will go.” He winked at her and strolled out, shutting the door behind him.

“What did they say?” Dom
asked, reaching for Molly and pulling her close.

She rested her head against
his chest, breathing in his after shave and snuggling close. “It doesn’t
matter,” she said softly. “It was actually a backhanded compliment, that I’m
prettier than she thought I’d be or something.” She tried to chuckle but it sounded
more like a sniffle. “I guess I didn’t think they’d be gossiping about me
before
they even saw us together.”

“Honey, people talk.”

“If people are already
talking, and the media gets hold of it, Tim is going to find me sooner rather
than later.”

“I don’t think we’ve reached
the media with our relationship yet,” he gave her a small grin. “But if one of
the wives heard about you, then Suze or Andra or Tiff told someone they thought
they could trust, and the NHL wives’ pipeline is better than the CIA.”

“Great.” She sat on the edge
of the bed.

“Molly, don’t you trust me?”
He looked uncomfortable standing in front of her and she glanced up at him with
a frown.

“What do you mean?”

“Someone hurt your feelings
and you turned to Toli instead of me. Why?”

“I didn’t turn to Toli!” She
got up quickly and reached for him, hating that he would even consider that
idea. “He saw me leave and followed me when I didn’t come back down. I’m just
trying to protect you—I don’t want you to get into trouble because of me!”

“So you don’t trust me not
to lose my temper.” He was hurt.

“No!” She sighed, taking a
deep breath and then blowing it out. “I’m not explaining myself very well. It’s
just that you’ve done so much for me—I don’t want you to see someone hurting me
and get into trouble by standing up for me. You just got clearance from the
NHL—the last thing you need is to pick a fight with another player because his
wife is immature and doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut. You’re too
important to me.”

He gazed at her steadily,
his dark eyes boring into her bright green ones. He knew she wasn’t afraid of
him, but she was still afraid of what he might do to someone else. He didn’t
know why that bothered him so much, but it did. He’d made so much progress, yet
even the woman he loved didn’t trust him completely.

“Dom, what are you
thinking?” She touched his face. “Tell me.”

“You’re afraid of what I
might do.” He spoke flatly, looking away.

“No! You’re supposed to want
to protect me, aren’t you? Isn’t that what you’ve been telling me? You’ve spent
all summer telling me to trust you to protect me—and I do! But that should go
both ways! I don’t want you to get into trouble over something so trivial! If
it was Tim trying to hurt me, that would be different, but you’ve worked so
hard this summer—I don’t want our love to be the reason you start off on the
wrong foot with your new team.” She paused, practically holding her breath as
he looked back at her.

“
Are
we in love?” he
asked.

“You have to ask?” She was
taken aback. “I mean, I thought we were, but we never actually talked about
it…” Her voice trailed off. “If that’s not how you feel—”

“How
I
feel? I told
you once, and have shown you repeatedly, but you’ve never said it! And you
spend so much time with Toli…” He felt uncertain with a woman for the first
time in his life. “I’m really not sure how you feel, Molly.”

“You’re not?” She asked in a
tiny voice. She ran her hands up his chest and then wrapped them around his
neck. “Really? You can’t tell that I’m crazy about you? That I’m constantly
terrified that I’m going to wake up and find out that you just want to be
friends? That I’m too old for you? That I can’t give you kids? I have nothing
to offer you—but you’re still here. How could I not love you?”

“Then tell me!” he nearly
growled at her, pulling her up against him.

This was going to make
things so much harder, but she couldn’t—wouldn’t—let him think she didn’t love
him. “I’m crazy in love with you,” she said softly.

He bent his head and kissed
her, passionately, until her fingers were tugging at his shirt and he grasped
her by the arms. Her breath escaped in gasps of delight as he covered her with
kisses.

He slowly backed her onto
the bed and she moved her head to the side. “Dom! We can’t do it
now
!”

“Sure we can.” He stood long
enough to lock the door and pull a condom out of his wallet.

“Dom!” She was protesting
even as he pulled down her skirt. “People might hear us!”

“Then I guess you’ll have to
be quiet,” he smirked, yanking off his polo shirt and finding her mouth again.

“They’re going to come
looking for us!” she gasped, giggling as he tugged off her panties.

“They’ll have to wait.” He
kept kissing her, silencing any more protests, and she couldn’t stop a whimper
of delight from escaping.

No matter how often they
made love, she could never get enough. She wanted him all the time, and the
moment he touched her, she couldn’t think straight. It had always seemed so
silly to her, reading about these kinds of lusty romances in novels. She’d
never imagined that it could be real, and that she herself would be the kind of
woman who wanted sex all the time. Dom was so hot, and so good in bed, she
didn’t know if she’d ever be able to sleep with anyone else. It was like
nothing else in the world existed when they were together.

They finished undressing
each other with care, relishing in small touches and whispered endearments.
When they were skin to skin, she dug her fingers into the long hair she loved
so much, her head falling back as he peppered her throat with kisses and gentle
love bites. Running his hands over her possessively, he moved her thighs apart
with his knee.

“Dom?” Her voice was husky
and she gazed at him shyly.

“Yeah, baby?”

“Can I be on top?” Her voice
was barely a whisper.

He captured her mouth with a
kiss that told her she could do anything she wanted. Without breaking their
kiss, he flipped them over so that he was on his back and she was straddling
him.

“You make me want things I
never knew I wanted,” she whispered, placing her palms flat on his chest.

“What do you want?”

“You,” she admitted. “All
the time.”

He chuckled. “You’re a late
bloomer. It’s okay.”

“It makes me feel trashy
sometimes.”

“Trashy?” He reached up to
grip her by the waist and pull her down so that her face was close to his. “
I
love you
. There is nothing trashy about this, or anything we do. Hearing
you call out my name makes me so fucking hard, I feel like a teenager again.
I’ve never reacted to a woman like this, ever, and there is no feeling in the
world like knowing you want me as much as I want you.”

“I love you too,” she
whispered against his mouth. She ran her hands along his face, kissing him as
lovingly as she knew how. Adjusting her position, she sat up and reached down
to find his throbbing dick with her hands. She held him in position so she could
press down, letting him fill her. A tiny groan of pleasure escaped her when she
took him all the way in, a wave of ecstasy washing over her. Her eyelids
fluttered closed and his hands closed around her hips. He lifted her gently,
guiding her until she found her own rhythm. Gradually, she picked up speed,
coming up almost all the way off of him and then sliding back down. Her breath
grew shallow and she felt a familiar tingling low in her belly.

“Dom!” She gripped his
shoulders.

“Just like that, sweetheart,”
he ground out. He was holding back, wanting her to find release first, but she
was so hot and tight he had to take a deep breath to hold on.

“Dom…” Her voice faded to a
whisper as the first waves rocked her, taking her over a cliff that left her
trying to breathe through shuddery bursts of pleasure. She fought valiantly to
keep from screaming out his name, but a shriek burst from her unwittingly.

“That’s it, baby, come for
me!” He thrust up hard when he felt her spasm around him, his own release washing
over them both.

“Oh, don’t stop!” she
begged, her head thrown back.

He continued to move inside
her until she collapsed against his chest. He stroked her back, waiting for his
heart beat to return to normal. She made him feel like the most important man
in the world. He loved watching her sexuality blossom in his arms and he loved
when they touched. He’d known he was falling in love with her, but now he knew
that he loved this woman more than he’d ever thought possible.

Lying on their backs side by
side, Molly glanced over at Dom’s relaxed, satisfied face and smirked at him.

“Now you’re going to have to
sit here and wait for me to get myself put together again!” she chuckled.

“Okay.” He grinned amiably.
“I’ll be right here.”

She managed to get up,
grabbing her clothes from the floor before going into the bathroom. She got
dressed, fixed her makeup and curled her hair again. Finally, looking as
presentable as she figured she was going to get, she opened the door. Dom had
gotten dressed too, and he brushed past her with a quick kiss.

“Give me a sec and we can
go.”

“Okay.” She sank back on the
bed and sighed with pleasure. She didn’t know what was going to happen once
they went downstairs, but she knew he would be with her every step of the way.
Despite all the strangers, she had friends down there too. With Dom and her
friends by her side, she wasn’t afraid of bitchy hockey wives or anyone else.
Sometimes, she wasn’t even afraid of Tim anymore.

He certainly still had the
power to hurt her physically, but he no longer held any power over her
emotions. She had learned so much about herself, and her own strength, she
refused to allow herself to think about what she would do if he found her. She
would fight, or she would die. There would be no going back to that life, not
ever again. She didn’t relish the thought of having to leave Dom and the others
to keep them safe, but she would do whatever she had to because she loved them.

The bathroom door opened and
Dom came out looking as handsome as she’d ever seen him. His long hair was
parted on the side and curled a little at the bottom where it touched his
collar. His red polo shirt showed off his amazing arms and chest, and the
shorts he wore made no mystery of his strong legs and terrific ass. She sighed
with undisguised desire and he arched an eyebrow at her.

“Don’t tell me you want
more?”

“I’m forty,” she said. “They
say we get hornier as we get closer to menopause.”

“Well, then I’d say we’re
just about perfect for each other!” he chuckled, reaching out his hand to help
her up. “Ready to go or you want to spend more time in bed?”

“I’d
much
rather
spend more time in bed!” she laughed.

Walking down the stairs and
joining the party was like a splash of cold water after their recent intimacy.
People were everywhere, music and laughter filled the rooms, and it was fairly
chaotic. Molly glanced up at Dom and noticed he wasn’t particularly relaxed
anymore either. He held her hand, and she felt his strength as he guided her
towards Cody and Suze, where they stood with Drake, Karl and a couple of people
she didn’t know. Molly wanted to hang back, but Dom pulled her along gently,
his eyes meeting hers with a quick wink.

“Hey!” Suze looked up with a
smile. “We wondered where you were.”

Dom put his arm around
Molly’s shoulder and pulled her close, kissing the side of her face. “We just
needed a few minutes of tranquility before we rejoined the masses.”

“Tranquility? Is that what
we’re calling it these days?” Cody smirked.

“Hush!” Suze laughed at her
husband.

“It’s going to be great
playing here,” Drake Riser laughingly changed the subject, his surfer-style
dirty blond hair moving in the wind as he spoke. He was a big guy like Dom,
with an engaging smile and easygoing personality.

“You think?” Karl Martensson
was another big guy, only with white blond hair and blue eyes. The six-foot-four
Swedish backup goalie was a traditional Scandinavian, with pale skin, pale hair
and light eyes, but seemed to have arms a mile long and a sexy smile. He was
another good-looking guy, and Molly had to wonder if all hockey players were
this good looking. Between Dom, Cody, Drake and Karl, they could be Chippendale
dancers or movie stars. She’d always thought hockey players would be burly guys
without any teeth; apparently, she was mistaken.

“Come on, it’s an expansion
team,” Drake said with a grin, taking a pull from his beer. “There is so much
potential here!”

“Potential for the rink
melting in the desert sun and all of us being swallowed into oblivion,” Karl
muttered.

Molly snorted out loud and
then clapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, but that was funny.”

“Thinks he’s a funny guy,”
Cody shook his head. “Listen, you’re not going to be the backup forever. Rousch
is thirty-seven, you’re twenty-six. You’re coming into your own. A couple of
years and this team will be yours.”

“Yeah, I know.” Karl looked
away, his big shoulders slightly slumped.

“It’s better than sitting
behind Price for the rest of your life,” Drake said, referring to Montreal’s
stellar goalie, Carey Price. “You might never have gotten out in front of him.”

Karl shrugged. “I could also
play at home, in Sweden, and actually be a contender.”

“The SHL isn’t the NHL,” Dom
said firmly. “You know this is the best place for you. You’re not going to be
the backup forever.”

“And you’re sure as hell not
going to be anyone’s backup with the girls,” Suze said with a grin.

“That’s for sure,” Molly
nodded. “You’ll have them swarming like bees!”

Karl gave them both a smile.
“Thanks. That is definitely one of the perks of being in Las Vegas.” 

“What’s a perk of Vegas?”
Marco Rousch and his wife joined them unexpectedly. The red-headed starting
goalie was from Switzerland and had a lilting accent.

“The restaurants,” Suze said
sweetly, smiling at him as she diverted the conversation.

Uncomfortable with Marco,
Molly moved away from Dom and looked at Suze. “Let’s go investigate the
chocolate fountain.” Tugging at her arm, Molly pulled her away from the men and
headed into the other room.

The evening felt endless to
Molly. Every time she found Dom, they got separated again. She met one person
after another, and gave up trying to remember their names. Molly was glad to
see Marco not circulating and making everyone as miserable as he seemed to make
his wife. Cassidy spent most of the night with her eyes cast down at the floor
while Marco drank until he was wobbling on his feet. Otherwise, everyone seemed
friendly, if not outright curious about her, but most kept their opinions and
comments to themselves.

Molly was just about to go
looking for Dom when Sergei and Toli flanked her.  Toli had had quite a
few drinks and was grinning broadly.

“Molly!” He gave her a hug.
“Do you like my brother?”

“I haven’t had a chance to
talk to him yet,” She laughed as he swayed slightly on his feet. She’d never
seen him drunk before, but he seemed to have an endless supply of vodka in his
hand tonight. Maybe it was because Tatiana was here, but it was out of
character for him in her opinion. She’d spent a lot of time with him this
summer and had never seen him quite so out of control.

“Now is chance!” Toli winked
at her and headed back to the bar.

“Is he okay?” She glanced at
Sergei. “He seems pretty drunk. I’ve never seen him drink so much before.”

“No?” Sergei smiled and
shook his head. “We’re Russian—we can drink a lot. This is probably the last
time he will do that until after the season is over. He’s very dedicated to the
game—he doesn’t drink much during the season.”

“I guess I don’t know that
much about him as an athlete,” she admitted.

“Yet he’s very fond of you,”
Sergei said, his eyes meeting hers with an unspoken question.

“We’re friends,” she said
for what felt like the hundredth time.

“So he says, but you are
very important to him. Important enough to scare Tatiana into a trip to the
U.S.”

“I think I’m the closest
he’s ever come to getting over her,” she said thoughtfully. “But we both
realized that wasn’t going to happen.”

“Tanya’s a great girl,”
Sergei said after a moment. “But I don’t know if she’ll ever be what he needs.”

“Well, whatever happens won’t
be because of me,” she said firmly. “Dom and I are together.”

“I’ve heard.” He nodded. “I
hope it works out.”

“What does that mean?” She
glanced at him warily.

“Just what I said. I’ve
watched him go through hell, and I don’t want anything to put him back there.”

 “Is that a warning of
some kind?”

“Maybe just a suggestion
that you don’t hurt him? He’s like family to me—and your situation seems
precarious. You’ve managed to catch one of the hottest bachelors in the NHL, as
well as charm my older brother, who’s never looked at another woman in 18
years.”

Molly was speechless,
forcing herself not to glare at him. “I’m not sure what
that’s
supposed
to mean,” she said at last. “But I haven’t ‘caught’ anyone, nor charmed anyone.
I care about these people, and I’m going to assume that you do too, since
you’re being a dick right now.” She turned and huffed away from him, storming
outside to the bar by the pool and getting another drink. The last person she’d
expected to treat her like that was the infamous Sergei, but there it was.

“Hey!” Dom came up behind
her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Sorry, I keep getting caught up in
conversations.”

“It’s okay.” She took a sip
of wine.

“What’s wrong?” He turned
her around so she was facing him.

“Nothing.” She made a motion
with her hand. “Just a little lecture from your buddy Sergei.”

“Oh, hell, what did he say?
Do I need to talk to him?”

“No. But apparently it’s not
just the women who think I’m too old for you!”

“He said that?”

“Of course not.” She sighed.
“Look, I’m going upstairs. I’ve had enough.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“No, this is your job. Stay
and do your thing.”

“Not gonna happen.” He
grasped her hand firmly and pulled her back inside. He scanned the room until
he found Sergei and tugged at her until they were in front of him. “Okay, you
two.” He looked from one to the other. “Whatever it is, let’s have it out in
the open. One of my best friends and my girlfriend are not going to start out
on the wrong foot.”

Molly looked over at Sergei
but said nothing. Sergei looked uncomfortable, staring back at Dom reluctantly.

“We don’t know anything
about her!” Sergei finally said. “First she moved in with you off the street,
then she’s living with my brother and he’s getting arrested by her husband! I
don’t know what the hell is going on and, frankly, it seems like she’s
bewitched the lot of you!”

Dom stared at him for a
moment and then burst out laughing. “Seriously, dude? You’re worried that she’s
using me and Toli?”

“I don’t know what she’s
doing, but you’ve never had a serious girlfriend in all the years I’ve known
you, and Toli’s never looked at anyone but Tatiana. Then suddenly she’s pulling
both of you around by the nose! What am I supposed to think?”

“That’s she’s awesome, and
we both really like her. Except I like her a little bit more.” He pulled her
close to his side. “Look, Sergei, I appreciate your having my back, but Molly’s
one of us. Suze, Cody, Brad and Andra love her too—and you know that wouldn’t
happen if she wasn’t on the up and up.”

Sergei sighed. “I’m sorry,
bro. It’s just kind of hard to watch—I’ve never seen you in love before.”

Dom chuckled. “Well, it was
bound to happen, right?”

“If we’re done, I’m going to
bed.” Molly started to pull away, but Dom gripped her hand.

“Come on, babe, don’t be
mad. He’s just looking out for me—he hasn’t had a chance to get to know you.”

“Lucky me.” Molly was
mentally exhausted. She’d known it would be a different kind of evening,
meeting so many people, but she hadn’t expected the biggest attack to come from
someone that Dom considered family. It hurt, and she wasn’t as forgiving as he
was; she’d been hurt too many times in the past. Tim’s friends had never been
much nicer than Tim, and she hadn’t worked so hard to crawl out of that dark
place to now be in a similar situation with one of Dom’s friends.

“I’m sorry,” Sergei spoke
quietly. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Toli’s been completely different since he
met you—he barely saw his son this summer and he’s never done that before! Our
parents hit the roof when they heard he’d been arrested on a drug charge. I had
to find out what was going on.”

“I understand that, and I’m
sorry for the trouble I’ve caused him.” She felt her control slipping, so she
rose on her toes and kissed Dom’s cheek. “I’ll see you upstairs.” She pulled
her arm free and hurried out of the room.

“Sergei, what the hell did
you do?” Dom glared at his friend. “I
just
got her to start trusting
that I really love her, and you went and scared her. Knock it off—just because
you don’t know her doesn’t mean she’s not good for me!”

“Dom, don’t you realize how
crazy this looks from the outside looking in?”