The Playboy

by Stephanie Julian

  “Not so fast, angel.” His low-pitched voice coaxed her eyes open and she watched with dazed desire as he rose above her.

  “I’ve been dreaming about being back here in your bed for a year and a half. No way in hell am I going to rush this.”

  Her breath caught at the growl in his voice and at his words.

  Had he meant them? Had he truly missed her? Or was he just saying what he thought she wanted to hear?

  On his hands and knees above her, he looked down into her eyes, which she could just see in the faint light leaking in from the front room. What she saw there made her want to hope for so much more.

  But should she?

  “You don’t believe me, do you?” He shook his head. “That’s all right. I’m going to be here a while. I’ll make you believe.”

  You believed in him before. Look where that got you.

  She opened her mouth to say...something, but his lips descended, covering hers and dragging her back into the heat, where only the two of them existed right now.

  Her hands slid down to his waistband, worked the button free then shoved his jeans down as far as she could. Being pinned under his big body limited her movement, but she got his lean butt bared enough to run her hands over the sleek muscle.

  The man had a beautiful body. He had scars all over, nicks and dings, and he probably had black-and-blue marks she hadn’t seen yet. But every muscle was taut and hard, and she wanted to lick him from head to toe.

  Right now, she settled for kissing him back as hard as he was kissing her and caressing his body as worshipfully as he did hers.

  After several long minutes, he groaned and sat back on his heels, but not before kissing his way back down her body, stopping with a kiss just above her mound.

  “Hold that thought, hon.”

  Then he fell on his back next to her and shoved his pants off his long legs. She rolled to her side, head propped on her hand, to watch him. And as soon as he tossed them over the side, she climbed over him.

  Her hair fell down around them like a curtain, and he gathered it into his hands and lifted it over her shoulders. Then he cupped her head in his hands and brought her down to kiss her again.

  His kiss heightened the fervor roiling in her gut and she couldn’t stay still. She had to—

  It was her turn to tease him, running her nose along his stubbled jaw and chin, then settling her mouth over one nipple then the other.

  His rapid intake of breath was music to her ears, and when she bit him, he groaned, making her sex clench, aching to be filled.

  She almost reached her intended target, wanted to take him in her mouth like he had her, but he reached for her jaw a second before she would’ve sucked him in.

  “I fucking hate to say this, but not this time, angel. You suck on my cock and I will come in a split second. Ride me, Leah. I want to come with your pussy wrapped around me.”

  She shuddered at the naked sensuality in this voice and took a second to suck in much-needed air before defying him, if only the tiniest bit.

  Flicking her tongue over the tip of him, she looked up at him, reveling in the way his head punched back in the pillow and he arched with a groan.

  “Leah...”

  She took pity on him, reaching for the drawer in her bedside table for a condom. They hadn’t been using them toward the end of their previous relationship, and she wondered if he’d complain.

  He didn’t say a word, just watched her.

  Taking his cock in her hand, she pulled him back to roll it over him, taking her time and smoothing it into place as his jaw got tighter and tighter. And her smile grew wider.

  “When did you become a tease, angel?’

  Shaking her head, she leaned forward, planting her hands on either side of his head.

  “Maybe I’ve just learned to take what I want.”

  “You don’t have to take it. I’ll give you whatever you ask for.”

  Because it was too close to exactly what she wanted to hear, she sealed her mouth over his and kissed him until they could barely breathe, rubbing her mound over his hard, hot erection.

  Her sex ached but she forced herself to delay, even if it was only a few seconds as the heat built.

  Finally, she couldn’t take any more. Arching her back, she positioned herself to take him inside. He had to help her, one hand on her waist and the other on his erection, holding his cock away from his stomach.

  They both groaned as she sank down, taking him in completely. She paused for several seconds, kissing him and adjusting to the feel of him stretching her wide. It’d been a while since she’d had sex, and even though part of her wanted to take him hard and fast, another part wanted slow, hot, and forever.

  Forever.

  Breaking the kiss, she nuzzled her head into his neck and began to ride him.

  “Jesus, Lee, I’ve missed you so fucking much.”

  His words made her heart flutter, but she shook her head and rode him harder, faster. He felt so good and she didn’t want her brain to go somewhere it shouldn’t. She didn’t want to think about tomorrow or the day after that. She only wanted to focus on here and now.

  Even with all her training, her lungs felt incapable of keeping up. This man had been such a disruption in her life. One she’d embraced wholeheartedly. And paid for when he’d left.

  No. Not thinking about that now.

  Now she only wanted to focus on the pleasure. On how his body fit inside her and around her. How he moved in ways he knew made her crazy. How he whispered in her ear how good she felt around him.

  Every stroke deep inside made her gasp. Every slight tilt of his pelvis made his cock hit a different, sensitive area inside her. Driving her farther into that spiral of desire.

  When she came, it was like a bomb blast, detonating through her body.

  She shuddered in his arms, his arms wrapped tight around her as he groaned and pumped his release into her.

  Then all that remained was the sound of their heavy breathing and the feel of his naked skin against her.

  Chapter Four

  Kyle figured he wasn’t going to get to sleep next to her tonight. He figured she wouldn’t let him.

  Besides, he had practice in the morning that he couldn’t miss and a game the following night. It’d be his first start since coming back and he planned to make it a good one.

  But when she shifted to his side and quietly said, “Stay,” there was no way in hell he was going to say no.

  Which was how he woke up wrapped around her the next morning at six-thirty when her phone rang.

  She groaned a little as she leaned over to grab her phone off the table but then shot straight up as she answered.

  “Char? What’s wrong?”

  He couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation, but it was obvious from Leah’s expression that something was very wrong.

  “I’ll be right there. No, it’s okay. I’ll handle it. It’ll be okay.”

  A second later, she rang off the call then sat there staring at her phone, looking a little dazed. And not in a good way.

  “Leah. Everything okay?”

  She shook her head and sighed. “No. Water pipes burst at the studio. A neighbor noticed water seeping out the front door and called Charlotte, but she’s at her in-laws’ house in Pittsburgh. She’s on her way back but it’ll take her at least four hours and there was snow overnight—”

  “Then we better get over there.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his jeans. “That’s gonna be a mess.”

  He didn’t realize until a few seconds later that Leah still sat on the bed, looking at him like he’d grown a second head.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She blinked. “Don’t you have practice?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah. Not ’til ten. I got a few hours. Let’s go.”

  He wasn’t happy about her disbelieving expression, but he ignored it. She needed help. He’d give it.

  *****

  Th
ree hours later, Kyle wanted to forcibly make Leah take a break.

  They’d worked nonstop since they’d gotten to the studio. He’d taken one look at the damage and realized they were looking at a disaster.

  Yes, the building was still standing, but the pipes had been spraying water all over the main studio for hours, soaking the walls and the floor and seeping out into the changing room and the front desk area.

  Charlotte had called their insurance agent, but ice on the turnpike had turned it into an accident-strewn parking lot and Charlotte was stuck there for what could be hours.

  He and Leah had gotten the water to the building turned off, but the plumber wouldn’t be able to get there for another two hours because of similar problems all over the county.

  And he could tell from Leah’s expression that Charlotte’s response to Leah’s question about the insurance wasn’t good. The adjustor wouldn’t be able to get to the studio until later in the day: same problem as the plumber.

  The studio wasn’t high on anyone’s list. Except it was Charlotte and Leah’s only source of income so it was high on their list.

  Leah’s face showed more stress with every passing minute, and glancing at the clock, he realized he needed to leave for practice in a half hour or he wouldn’t get there in time. If he blew off practice, he wouldn’t start the next game.

  “You need to go. I can handle this.”

  Kyle looked up from where he was gathering water-logged yoga mats to toss them in a pile near the front door. The insurance agent had said they could start cleaning up but not to throw anything away yet. Which meant the mostly undamaged front room looked like a dumpster.

  “You need me.” He shrugged. “I can stay.”

  “Don’t you have to be at practice?”

  “Coach’ll understand.”

  Which he would. He just wouldn’t give Kyle any leeway and he didn’t expect any. But he also wasn’t going to leave her alone with this mess.

  Nibbling on her bottom lip, Leah didn’t look convinced. Hell, she looked downright skeptical.

  “Kyle, you don’t have to—”

  “I know I don’t have to. But I’m staying.”

  She blinked several times and took a deep breath. But she didn’t say anything else. And she went back to work.

  He took a few seconds to text Coach, to explain the situation and to apologize. But he also made it clear he wasn’t going to leave Leah up the creek and that he understood there’d be consequences and that he fully accepted them.

  A few minutes later, he got texts from at least four of the guys on the team, wondering where the hell he was. He answered Nate’s and asked him to tell the others.

  Three hours after that, the insurance guy still wasn’t there, and he and Leah had spent an hour on their phones making calls to everyone who took classes, telling them the studio would be closed for the rest of the week and possibly into next week. Kyle was pretty sure they wouldn’t be open next week either.

  The floor in the studio had to be torn up and replaced. That was going to take time. And money. The drywall needed to be replaced in the studio and the changing room.

  The only good part was that the studio was already scheduled to be closed for five days around Christmas. Still, that wasn’t going to be enough time to find a contractor, tear out the floors and the walls, and make it a usable space again.

  Apparently, Leah had realized the same thing.

  “This is a losing fight.”

  She stood in the doorway to the studio, shaking her head. The defeat in her voice ate at his gut.

  “It just seems like it now. Let’s go get some lunch. We’ll be back before Charlotte gets here. You need a break.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at him, her expression bleak.

  “Sure. A break. I guess I can eat.”

  Since they were walking distance from Penn Avenue and four blocks full of restaurants and cafes, they put on their coats and headed out in the cold. Kyle had spent most of his life in ice rinks. The cold didn’t really get to him anymore.

  Leah shivered in her down coat and he put his arm around her shoulders. She stiffened for a second before he felt her relax against him.

  When they got to Penn Avenue, she automatically turned left, and he followed her lead to a bar he wasn’t sure he’d ever been in before.

  Apparently Leah had, though, because a pretty brunette he didn’t recognize came rushing out from behind bar, heading straight for them.

  “Leah! Derek told me what happened. You need a drink, girlfriend. And some food. And oh, hey, sorry, I’m Sophie.” The woman stuck her hand out at Kyle, which he took with a smile. “You must be Kyle. Derek said you were helping Leah. Come on, you guys sit down and I’ll get you some food. What are you hungry for? Dad made some amazing soups today...”

  Leah was mostly silent during lunch, but Sophie kept up a running stream of conversation that kept the silence from being noticeable. Or awkward.

  But finally they were headed back to the studio, Leah’s head down.

  “You okay?”

  They were stopped on a corner two blocks from the studio, waiting to cross. Leah hadn’t said a word since they’d left the bar. He felt helpless and it sucked.

  After a few seconds, she looked up at him. “Charlotte asked me to become partners with her. A month or so ago. I think she just figured I’d accept.”

  Well, shit. If she bought into the studio, what would happen if he moved up? Or got traded again? He’d been counting on the fact that she wasn’t tied down to ask her to be with him. He knew it was asking a lot, to ask someone to always be ready to move, possibly across the country, maybe to another country. Hell, a lot of guys did a few seasons in Europe. He could be traded tomorrow, or he could be here for a few years. Or he could be sent to Philly, which was the ultimate goal.

  So, yeah, it meant a possibly huge sacrifice on Leah’s end. And he was assuming a hell of a lot considering he’d been back all of a few days and last night had been the first night they’d spent together in more than a year and a half.

  But he’d come back here knowing what he wanted. Knowing who he wanted. Now he had to seriously consider that last night may have been Leah just scratching an itch.

  “Is that what you want?”

  She didn’t answer right away, and his heart thumped hard against his ribs.

  “I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I just...I’ve been thinking about it for a month. If I tell her no now, she’ll think it’s because of this. And it wouldn’t be.”

  “Are you going to tell her no?”

  Leah couldn’t answer Kyle’s question truthfully because she wasn’t sure what the truth was. After last night, she had so much on her mind, she didn’t know which way was up.

  Last night had stirred up all the feelings for Kyle she thought she’d successfully purged.

  One orgasm and she was considering upending her life for this man.

  In his arms, she’d remembered why she’d fallen so hard for him before. He’d been dedicated to her pleasure, more so than any time she could remember. Last night had been different, more intense.

  And this morning, when she’d woken to this absolute mess, he hadn’t left her side. Two years ago, he would’ve made sure she had help, but he would’ve gone to practice and left her in someone else’s capable hands.

  What was she supposed to think? What was she supposed to do?

  With a sigh, she looked both ways and stepped into the empty street, Kyle by her side.

  It felt right.

  You’re deluding yourself. He hasn’t changed.

  “I asked her to give me another week to look over the financials. But it’s not that. I have the money.”

  Actually, she had more than enough money. The trust fund her grandparents had started for her years ago had grown, untouched. She’d gotten a full academic scholarship to college and she’d had a job since she was fifteen.

  The question was, did she want to tie herself d
own?

  “Then what is it?” Kyle asked.

  She shook her head, not ready to go there.

  “Hopefully Charlotte will be back soon, and we can figure out what we need to do next.”

  Kyle didn’t respond immediately, and when she glanced up at him, she could tell he was practically biting his tongue. She knew how hard it was for him not to take over. It’s what he’d always done. It’s what made him a good hockey player. He saw the play developing and figured out how to counter it.

  Two years ago, he would’ve told her what she should do and made sure she followed through. And because she’d loved him, she’d have done it.

  When he’d left, she’d realized just how much she’d relied on his input. How much she’d leaned on him. And she’d sworn she wouldn’t allow herself to get into that rut again, allowing a man to make those decisions for her, no matter how well-meaning he was.

  “Okay. Good. Just let me know what you need, and I’ll be here to help.”

  Damn the man. He made her want to pull him down for a kiss but even though they’d spent last night together, she continued to be wary of him. And that sucked.

  She drew in a breath to say something, anything... and another voice chimed in.

  “So, we heard you might need some help with cleanup.”

  She looked up to find five big, strong men walking across the street toward the studio. Four of the faces were familiar. One was a stranger. All of them hockey players.

  Surprise stopped her in her tracks. Then she looked over at Kyle, ready to ask him if he’d called in reinforcements.

  But she could tell by the look on his face that he’d had no idea. Then she nearly swallowed her tongue at the smile on his face as he walked over to shake their hands.

  “Hey, guys. What’re you doing here?”

  “Coach told me what’s going on.” Derek shrugged, his grin infectious. “And Justin’s dad owns a construction company, so he’s got some actual experience with demolition. I’m just here ’cause destroying shit sounds like more fun than working out at the gym. So, just point us in the right direction and we’ll get started.”

  *****

  Five hours later, the guys had left a few minutes ago, and Leah shut and locked the door behind her and Kyle.