Playing for Hearts (39 page)

“There you go.” He left his hand on her knee. “You're ready for sock hockey.”

“What in the world is that?” She pushed off the floor and stood.

“It's how I learned to play hockey.” He grabbed the extra pair of socks and pushed himself to a standing position. “Back in Russia, when I was little, my father would take me down to the basement where he'd cleared out the whole room. He'd hand me an old stick, usually a broken broom, that he'd taped a book onto the end — ” He held up the rolled pair of socks. “Then we'd use a taped ball made out of old socks as the puck. It was in that basement where I spent my childhood, playing hockey against my father.”

“Oh,” she whispered.

His mouth softened. “My mother would sit on the stairs and keep score. Sometimes, she'd make us sosika … um, hotdogs, and splurge on kvas, which is like your soda. She liked to make a big show of me winning.”

“It's a happy memory for you.” She smiled. He'd lapsed back into a thick accent.

“Very much so. A time in my life I bury deep in my heart, because my parents were my life and I keep those times hidden and untouched.” He shrugged. “I usually never talk about my childhood to others.”

“Why not?”

He inhaled deeply and breathed out his nose. “It's a memory for me alone. My family brings me comfort, and I keep them to myself so no one can ruin my happiness.”

“Why did you share it with me?”

He leaned over and kissed her lips. “Because I wanted to.”

She blinked rapidly. Touched that he thought so much of her to share a part of him he kept heavily guarded from others, she cleared her throat. “You miss them.”

He nodded. “Yes, but I don't want to go home. I love America, and I get to help my family more if I am playing hockey here. That's important to me.”

“You send them money?” She waved her hand in the air. “Never mind. That's none of my business.”

“It's okay for you to ask me anything. Yes, I give them money, but that only brings me comfort in knowing I'm making their lives more enjoyable. The real reason I stay here and play is that it brings pride to my family name for them to have a successful son. It's how they become the richest family in our village. It's not about money, but that I have succeeded in America that brings honor to them,” he said.

“That's why you hired me, so you can be happy here while making sure your family stays proud of you.” She pushed the sleeve of the jersey higher.

He nodded. “Yes.”

Everything about Dominic made sense. His reluctance to have a meaningful relationship in the crazy life he found in America. His hatred for the disturbances from all the women who threatened his livelihood, and in a way, his family. She blinked away the moisture gathering in her vision. He really did need her. He wasn't lying.

“Okay. Let's get playing then.” She clapped her hands together and shook off the sentimental feelings welling in her chest. “What are the rules?”

He walked over and picked up the hockey sticks, handed her one, and dropped the makeshift puck on the floor. She eyed the plastic casing on the bottom of the stick, glad to see something along the edge. She wouldn't want to mar his wood floors.

“If I get the puck to the hallway, I get a point.” He hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “You must get past me and have the puck hit the couch for you to score.”

She eyed the playing field. “That's easy enough.”

He laughed and shook his head. She crossed her arms. Hockey might not be her sport, not that she had one to call her own, but she knew how to play against men.

“You're so going down,” she said.

“Keep your stick low to the floor. We don't want your legs getting bruises.” He dropped the bundle of socks, and pushed it into the middle of the room. “Besides those rules, anything goes.”

“Anything?” She grinned.

He arched his brow. “Bring it on, sweetcheeks.”

A challenge. She posed with her stick beside the puck the same way she'd seen him do it many times during practice and games. He might have a skill and be bigger than she was, but she wasn't without tricks of her own.

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

He hit the sock between her spread feet, moved around her, and hit a long shot into the hallway. She remained in position, gazing over her shoulder. He was fast. She'd give him that much.

Chekovsky 1, Spenner 0. He grinned.

“I wasn't ready.” She pulled the front of the jersey away from her body and leaned over when he returned. Without looking, she knew her shirt hung low and open. If he wanted, he could look straight down her body.

She stayed bent over at the waist and peered up at him. “This is fun.”

His gaze dropped. She almost laughed. It was too easy.

“Three, two, one,” she blurted, hitting the puck to the left.

He hesitated and she beat him to the bundle of socks. She squealed as he bore down on her and lost control of where the puck went. He swung and she watched the white blob sail into the hallway as he made another goal.

She'd have to step up her game. It was time for operation sexy.

Without missing a move, she stretched her arms over her head, holding the stick in the air. She twisted side to side at her waist. The material of the jersey skimmed her butt, and going by Dominic's state of hypnosis, he got a peek of her underwear.

“Go!” She lowered her arms, flicked the sock to the right, and swung. The puck bounced off the couch. “Score!”

She stuck the stick between her thighs, held out her arms, and performed the chomp, chomp, chomp. To rub it in, she then danced around in a circle.

Dominic groaned and pointed to the floor in front of him. “You want to play tough, let's make the stakes higher. I get the next point … I get to kiss you.”

“Fine.” She tossed her hair. “And what do I get if I win?”

He winked. “Anything you want.”

“Deal.” She widened her stance, positioned her stick, and wiggled her ass. “Do it.”

He dropped the puck.

A clattering of wood against wood commenced as they dueled with their hockey sticks. She laughed, gasping when he nudged her back with his hip. She wrapped one arm around his waist without giving up. Her breath came in pants through her laughter.

Dominic shifted and hugged her face first into his chest. Blinded, she dropped her stick. She stepped on top of his feet, and he walked the length of the room with her riding along and hit the puck down the hallway.

“I win.” He dropped his stick and tilted her face toward him. “Pucker up, sweetheart.”

She stared at his mouth, at his lips, and realized she'd thought about kissing him again at least a hundred times since the last time they touched. In an instant, everything fell away, including her socks that slipped down her legs and puddled around her ankles.

He captured her lips, pulling her body to him. My God, he was delicious. Powerful, endearing, and satisfying.

He nudged her mouth open, slipped his tongue inside, and turned her knees to putty. Deep down, she knew that Dominic would give her pleasure no matter what they were doing.

All she wanted to do was immerse herself in him. Let the sensations whipping through her body carry her wherever he wanted her to go. For tonight, for their brief time together. Then she could go on with her life and remember this moment.

She'd hold on tight to the man who'd danced with her when it was obvious he had no idea what he was doing. She'd remember the boy who recreated the game of sock hockey to share his family with her. She'd never forget him, no matter what happened tomorrow.

Then when her time with Dominic ended, she'd learn how to be strong again and go after her own dream that much richer for knowing such a wonderful man.

For now, she was lost and there was no stopping. He lifted her closer, moving with her, the hard length of his erection pressed firmly against her.

“So sweet,” he whispered as he nibbled her bottom lip. His teeth tugged, his tongue licked over the gentle bite as she wiggled against him, wanting him to touch her all over.

She sought his kiss again, her head tilting, her tongue licking at his lips. A moan shuddered from her chest as he gave her what she asked. Hot and determined, he ravaged her.

Oh God, she was going to embarrass herself by throwing him to the floor and pouncing on him. How had she lasted this long living with him right across the hallway without ending up in his bed?

He picked her up without taking his mouth off her. She circled her arms around his neck, making sure he wouldn't stop or let her go.

Halfway down the hallway, the doorbell rang. She pulled her mouth away and groaned. “Please, make them go away.”

He kept walking to his room, through the door, and placed her on the bed. The doorbell rang again. Dominic paused. She closed her eyes and sighed. Freaking … unbelievable.

“Go. Just go.” She rolled over and hugged his pillow to her chest. Even to her own ear, she heard the pathetic sound of failure coming from inside of her.

Diana stood against the wall outside the locker room at the arena, her arms folded, her eyes on the floor, and her mind fleeting from her thoughts about Dominic to her life when she goes back to Cottage Grove. She couldn't make sense of anything. All her nerves were bundled and tight. She couldn't focus. If she held her hand up in the air, she was sure it would be shaking.

The effects of not having sex and being highly turned on were starting to wear her down.

Last night, Officer Patrickson had returned and after taking a statement, he'd cajoled three tickets for today's game out of Dominic for more of his friends to attend the sellout game between the Sharks and the New York Rangers.

By the time he came to bed, she'd fallen asleep. The big idiot didn't wake her, but crawled in beside her and held her all night. She hated herself for not noticing or waking up. She'd slept like a baby, and woke up late, wanting Dominic in the worst way.

During the ride to the game, they barely kept their hands off each other but they were running late, because they both overslept. In addition, the game lasted freaking hours, plus two overtimes. Time they could've been using in other ways. Once she made up her mind to sleep with him, she became impatient. They could be at the condominium making love right now.

Waiting for him to shower and exit the locker room had her complaining with the other girlfriends and wives that waited for their husbands or boyfriends. She sighed heavily. Five more minutes, and she was going to walk into the showers and drag Dominic out.

Stephanie studied her from the other side of the hallway. She'd tried to ignore the other woman. When that didn't work, she walked over and joined her. “Good game, huh?”

“Yep. They'll be celebrating tonight. Are you coming over to Julia's?” Stephanie shifted her purse to the other arm. “Everyone's coming. I bet the guys would like if their captain showed up.”

“Does he usually?”

Stephanie nodded. “At least before you moved in with him, he did.”

It wasn't only her life tipped upside down when she'd agreed to Dominic's job offer. He'd rearranged his life too.

“We might go. I'd have to ask Dominic first. Sounds fun.” She tried not to sound flippant, but a night surrounded by the other women was not on her list of things to do during her stay.

Stephanie laughed. “Don't worry. The talk around the arena is everyone has dropped their lust filled crushes on your boyfriend.”

“Huh?” She stood straighter. “What's that mean?”

“You didn't notice that no one paid him any attention tonight?” Stephanie shrugged. “He's taken.”

“Wait.” She turned and faced her directly. “You're telling me that no one is going to hit on Dominic anymore? We're free to go out in public without being mobbed?”

“Yeah. Who wants a guy who is in love with another woman? I don't. No woman does.” Stephanie pushed off the wall. “He's all yours.”

She stared after Stephanie. When did all that happen? Last night, even the women in his gated community had come over to try to gain a moment of private time with Dominic. She gazed around at the others. Tonight, no one spared her a glance.

No glares. No evil eye aimed her way. No hostile takeover. No mental plots to plan her demise.

She smiled.
We did it.

Their plan to pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend worked exactly the way Dominic wished. She bent her knee and tapped the heel of her shoe against the wall. He'd be thrilled with the changes in his life, and she'd go on to be the owner of the new bed and breakfast in Cottage Grove.

Pleased and satisfied with their accomplishment, she couldn't wait to tell him. She wouldn't even have to spend the last week with him. She stilled. Her stomach knotted, and she let her head fall back against the wall. Their time together would end. She'd have to leave him.

The thought of never seeing him again, or worse, seeing him every time he flew into Cottage Grove to visit Grayson and knowing he wasn't coming to be with her, pained her. She couldn't handle seeing him, knowing he was going away again and there would be a woman waiting for him whenever he lifted a finger.

She had no doubt that the mass hysteria that followed him everywhere might end, but she'd bet the half million dollars Dominic was paying her that he wouldn't stay alone for long. He was the whole package and some woman would see through his ego to the real man inside.

He had more money in the bank than he could spend. She swallowed. For God's sake, he sent money home to his parents. What kind of man did that? It went against everything her father drilled into her head. She was responsible for her own success, no one else, yet Dominic shared his security with others. That fact alone amazed her.

He remained positive even when life treated him roughly. She rubbed her arms. He put socks on their feet and played hockey in the living room with her. He'd gone overboard to make sure he made up for her disappointments and in return, endeared her to him.