“Thank you, Sir.” Jami hugged Akira to her side, speaking low as she led her outside. “Damn it, I should have stayed with you. I didn’t think . . .”
Akira stumbled along the sidewalk, heaving as much air into her lungs as she could manage. She almost walked right by Dominik’s SUV, but Jami gently took her hand, guiding her back. The hot metal was wonderfully solid behind her. The gym was almost a block away. And no one was coming out.
But if he did—Jami was here. Jami would stay with her and Dominik would come. They’d protect her. Only . . . her pulse slowed, and she dropped her head back against the window. No one should have to protect her. Fight for her. Any other woman would have turned around and slapped the guy. But not me. I just stood there and let him . . .
“Akira?” Jami unlocked the backseat of Dominik’s SUV, concern shadowing her eyes. “Talk to me, girl. Are you okay?”
“No!” Akira pressed her hand over her mouth. She couldn’t yell at Jami. It wasn’t her fault. “I-I h-hate that I r-reacted like that. I s-should have—”
Jami shook her head as Akira climbed into the backseat, then leaned over to hug her. “Don’t do that to yourself. He caught you off-guard.”
“I shouldn’t have been off-guard! I know what men are like!”
“Not all men. Look how pissed Scott was. And Ford—”
“Ford? Why should he care? He knows I don’t want anything to do with him.” Akira gnashed her teeth. “It’s his fault you got hurt.”
“That’s not true.” Jami bit her bottom lip and crossed her arms over her ribs. “He didn’t know . . . anyway, this isn’t about him. You were doing so good until—”
“Yes, you were.” Dominik came up behind Jami, resting his forearm above the open door. His muscles tensed and relaxed, and his soft lips turned down at the edges, tight with regret. “I’m sorry that happened, Akira, but you need to focus on how far you’ve come. I’ve never seen you so comfortable around a man. What is it about Demyan that had you so relaxed?”
Dominik’s calm steadied her, helped clear her mind. She fiddled with the hem of her shorts, blocking out everything but his question. The way Dominik held her gaze, his eyes warm with approval, made her feel like maybe she’d done something right.
“He’s . . . I don’t know—straightforward?” She wrinkled her nose, not sure that made any sense. Why would a man so overtly flirty be easier to deal with than the men who tried to be nice? “It’s clear what he wants from a woman. And that saying ‘No’ would be okay. He’d just move on.”
The skin around Dominik’s eyes crinkled slightly. “I can see that.” He cocked his head. “But what about the other men? I thought you were coming to see me at first, but then you stopped. Why?”
“The man you were with . . . he made me nervous.” The tattoos. Akira shook her head. What a stupid thing to go on. There were evil men without a mark on their bodies.
“That man was my brother, Cameron. He’s a good guy.”
“He’s working for Ford?” Ugh, why are you bringing him up again?
Brows furrowed, Dominik nodded slowly. “Apparently. My brother wanted to enlist like our eldest brother, Josh, but he was turned down because of bad blood pressure. He came here to stay with me, get in better shape, and then try again.”
Jami laughed. “He looks like he’s in pretty good shape to me.”
“He is. But he failed the medical and thought I could help him work on his endurance. I’m not sure that will help much, but . . .” Dominik shrugged. “Let’s not change the subject. Are you comfortable with me, Akira?”
“Yes.” Akira blinked, surprised that she didn’t even have to think about it. Dominik was safe. His only interest seemed to be making her stronger. Helping her reach her goals. The only woman he wanted was Oriana. And . . . she frowned. “I wanted to ask you how thing were going with you. Is Oriana still—?”
“She’s leaving tonight.” Dominik’s jaw ticked. His smile was forced. “As much as I appreciate your concern, this is still about you. Who else are you comfortable with?”
Akira considered carefully. Something about Dominik had her wanting to be completely honest. “Luke and Sebastian. I can tell they love Jami, and they don’t look at me like . . .”
“Like?” Dominik prompted.
“Like they want me.”
“So the only men who scare you are the ones who show interest?” Dominik stroked his chin, his expression thoughtful. “I could be wrong, but Ford has shown interest. And he doesn’t seem to frighten you.”
He doesn’t scare me. I want to slap him. And . . . And nothing. Whatever she’d felt for Ford had evaporated when he’d kept things from Jami that could have prevented the hell her best friend had gone through. “You’re right. But I don’t want to talk about him.”
“Fair enough.” Dominik slowly lowered his hand to her knee, watching her face as she inhaled sharply. When she didn’t shift away, he brushed his fingers gently over her bare skin. “What happened when that man touched you? Did you freeze up? Panic? Did that happen because it was unexpected, or because you were being touched?”
The answer came automatically, the skin on her belly crawling with the echo of the man’s fingers on her. “A little of both. When I went into the gym, I was thinking that the way I was dressed was asking for trouble. But . . .”
“Yes?”
She blinked fast. No way was she going to cry about this. Nothing had happened. This time. “I wasn’t dressed slutty when I was attacked. I know my clothes don’t matter.”
“Ah. I see.” Rage flashed through Dominik’s eyes. “You do know it wasn’t your fault? Not what happened before, or what happened today?”
“I guess. But . . . maybe if I hadn’t been playing around with Scott, that other man would have left me alone.”
“That other man was Dave Hunt. And he lost a woman he was interested in to Scott.” Dominik held her gaze, his own hard. “But you are not responsible for how anyone else behaves. I don’t believe Hunt would force himself on you, but he still had no right to put his hands on you. Understand?”
No. Akira turned her head and stared at the back of the seat in front of her. In joking around with Scott, she’d given Dave the impression that she was open to more. She hadn’t meant to, but that didn’t matter. A normal woman would have handled it better. But she wasn’t normal.
“Akira, look at me.” Dominik patted her knee, then lifted his hand to cup her cheek. “We still have time to work on this. And you’ve made a lot of progress. Next time, we’ll plan this a little better. Start from where you feel safe and go from there. It’s very encouraging that you’re comfortable with me, because I’ll be with you on the cruise. Scott will be there too. If you don’t mind, I’ll have a chat with him. Which means we’ll both be looking out for you. But . . . I’d like to find a way for you to be able to face men on your own. Maybe a self-defense course? Knowing you can bring a man to his knees with a well-placed kick can be empowering.”
Damn, that would be awesome. A smile crept across her lips. If only she could have done that when Hunt had touched her, she wouldn’t have had to run out like a coward. Wouldn’t have felt like a victim. “I’d like that.”
“Good girl. I think Scott is volunteering at a women’s shelter as part of his new ‘image.’ Letting chicks beat on him. I’ll see if I can get you in.” Dominik brushed her hair away from her face. “Listen to me, little one. You should be proud of yourself. Months ago, just me touching you, or coming too close, would send you into a panic. But you’re okay with it, aren’t you?”
“I am.” Somehow, the warmth of Dominik’s hands on her flesh made her feel bigger. Stronger. She put her hand over his on her cheek. “Thank you. This . . . I needed this.”
“And I needed to give it to you. You said you wanted to help me, and this has. I like being able to focus on things I can change.” Dominik moved closer, smiling as he pressed a light kiss on her forehead. “I don’t know the details, and I don’t need to
unless that’s something you want to share with me. What’s important is you reclaiming what was taken from you. You are a strong, talented young women. You have so much to offer, and I’m more than happy to help you see that.”
After feeling so low, so pathetic, just a few words from Dominik gave her a new perspective. Hunt was just a stupid guy who hadn’t even known the impact his actions would have. The whole ordeal was over, and Dominik had helped her move beyond the little setback.
But there was pain in his eyes, hidden behind his determination to help her. A pain she couldn’t ignore. She slid her hand down over his. “I think I can talk to you, Dominik. Tell you everything. So long as you promise to do the same.”
He smiled, a sad, lonely smile. “I will. I promise. But not today.”
He’d said Oriana was leaving. And he loved the woman so much, it must be impossible to process right now. Tomorrow he would still be here. And so would she. With all he was doing for her, it felt really good to know he’d accept her giving something back.
“You know my number, Sir.” She blushed, not sure if that sounded bad. How socially inept could she be? “I mean—”
“I know what you mean, pet.” Dominik chuckled, then gave her a little hug before stepping back. “And I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
Good. Akira sat back in her seat as Jami and Dominik climbed into the front seats and they headed out. She still felt the echo of a strange man’s hands on her body, but flashes of Scott hitting the man, of Jami and Dominik at her side, of . . . of Ford enraged because he cared about what happened to her . . .
Altogether, it gave her something she’d never had before. She wasn’t dealing with this alone. And she had something to offer.
Dominik had turned out to be exactly what she needed. Maybe she could do the same for him.
Chapter Seven
“I left you alone for not even an hour! You were supposed to show the guys how dedicated you are!”
Laying his swollen hand in his lap, Scott tightened his grip on the steering wheel with the other and bowed his head, trying to look appropriately contrite as Stephan continued his lecture about what had happened at the gym.
The man had called him early that morning, again and again, leaving messages every time, reminding him how precarious his position with the team was. 5:00 a.m. had seemed insane, so Scott had tried to ignore him. But by 5:30 he couldn’t sleep anymore. Couldn’t set aside how badly he’d fucked things up for himself. He’d gotten dressed and snuck out of Zach’s house, leaving a note so the man wouldn’t think he was running out on him and Becky for something better. Because he wouldn’t get better. Didn’t want it if it was out there.
Stephan made sure all his shit was out of Vanek’s place, then dragged him to a bunch of stores the second they were open. Forced him to donate half his clothes to Goodwill, then spent most of the morning lecturing him on how he’d present himself from this point on. Sounded good, but when Stephan had left him at the gym, he’d kinda forgotten everything. Just gone with the flow. The guys had been cool, and Akira was a sweet little thing. Flirting with her had been a nice break, even though he knew nothing would come of it. Becky and Zach were still on his mind, and even as he played loose and relaxed, he couldn’t stop wondering how they’d take the note. Had he said too much? Not enough?
“You’re determined to make this difficult.”
Of-fucking-course.
Scott made a face as he drove himself and Stephan to the new condo the man wanted him to look at. If he wasn’t fucking someone, he was nothing but a goddamn problem. He hated summer. It wasn’t like he had anyone to visit besides his brother. And he’d never see his brother unless he had to. Because their relationship was one-sided. Something he’d accepted a long time ago. Jimmy never called unless he needed something. Which was fine, because Scott hadn’t been able to be there for Jimmy as a kid, no matter how hard he’d tried. They’d been in foster care together, but what good had that done? Scott had gotten all the attention from their foster mother, because he was “prettier” and “eager to please.” And Jimmy had hated him for it.
“I’d have a better life if someone had done for me what she did for you.”
Maybe Jimmy would. Or maybe he’d be even more of a wreck. Scott obviously wasn’t doing all that well, despite his advantages.
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah. I’m an idiot. Something, something, something. I need to do better. Yadda, yadda, yadda.” Scott parked and slouched in his seat. “Oh, yeah. And I shouldn’t be fighting.”
Stephan groaned. “I’m not being paid enough for this. You do realize you’re not a fifteen-year-old boy, do you not? Fighting on the ice is one thing, but it’s ridiculous for you to be brawling with other players in a public gym.”
No shit? “Got it.”
Lips pursed, Stephan regarded him steadily for a few moments. “You never told me why you were fighting with Mr. Hunt.”
Scott snorted. Talking to Stephan reminded him of talking to his principal in high school. “Why can’t you get along with the other children, Mr. Demyan?”
“Because Hunt’s an asshole.”
As Scott got out of the car and headed toward the large, red wood and gold trim double doors of the condominium, Stephan clipped alongside him at a half run, barely able to keep up to his long strides.
“There has to be a reason, Scott.”
“Does there?”
“Yes. And if you tell me, perhaps I can work with it. Put a positive spin on the situation.” Stephan made a sharp, irritated sound. “Was Mr. Hunt doing or saying anything that would justify you attacking him?”
“Yep.”
“Would you care to elaborate?”
I am going to strangle this man. Why the hell couldn’t he let it go? Jaw clenched, Scott stopped short and glared down at his nosy fucking team-appointed babysitter. “Does it sound like I want to elaborate? Can’t you take a fucking hint? I get that I shouldn’t be fighting, and I promise I won’t do it again. Drop it.”
“I’m not here to make this pleasant for you, Scott. Please step aside.” Stephan’s eyes narrowed, and he stared at Scott until Scott let him pass. “I’m here to make sure you don’t lose your job. Which I can’t do if you won’t speak to me when things like this happen. Reporters will hear about this, and without some kind of statement from you, they will assume the worst. And so will Mr. Keane.”
“Let them. I’m not making a statement about this. That poor kid—” Scott scowled and snapped his mouth shut. He avoided Stephan’s expectant look as he stepped into the elevator. “I’ll talk to Keane if you want, but that’s it.”
“And what exactly will you say to him?”
“I’ll tell him why I gave Hunt a black eye.” The satisfying throb in his fist brought a smile to his lips. He clenched and unclenched it, snorting at Stephan’s disapproving frown. “And volunteer to give him another.”
* * * *
“Oh. My. God. That was . . .” Becky stretched, her head heavy as she shielded her eyes and found the clock by the bed. Almost noon. Sleeping in this late felt so deliciously naughty, right up there with sex and Belgian chocolates. She smiled as she leaned up on her elbow to look down at Zach. He slid his hand into her hair and pulled her down for a kiss. She moaned against his lips as her blood caught fire. “You’re corrupting me.”
“Not yet.” He tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth. “But very soon.”
Letting out a low purr, she smoothed her hand over his chest. “Why not now?”
He nodded toward his night table. “Because your phone’s been buzzing for a while—and before you panic, it wasn’t Casey or Patrick. I would have woken you up.”
“Okay . . .” The bed was so comfortable, and she loved being here with him, but she wasn’t sure she liked him choosing not to let her know someone had called. Even though he’d checked to make sure it wasn’t her daughter, it could still be important. She sat up, holding the blanket
to her chest, turning her head so he wouldn’t see her frown. Maybe getting involved with a hockey player wasn’t such a good idea after all. Maybe he didn’t understand that she, unlike him, still had responsibilities year-round.
As she picked up her phone, he rose behind her and caught her wrist. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I need to—”
“A little honesty, pet.” He caught her chin and studied her face. “You’re angry.”
Her lips thinned as she pushed off the bed. “Actually, yes, I am. I enjoyed spending the night, but I have a job. Family. I don’t appreciate you deciding whether or not I need to take a call!”
The room was too dark and cozy. She strode up to the curtains, throwing them open to flood the room with blazing light even as she checked her phone. The number was unfamiliar, but there were several messages.
Listening to them had her even more aggravated. Scott’s image consultant wanted to meet with her to discuss a statement to downplay his “latest public stupidity.” Snapping her fist against her thigh, she spun around to glare at Zach. “Scott’s not here?”
“No. He left early this morning.” Zach stood and pulled on his jeans. While she dressed, he propped his shoulder against the bedroom doorframe, watching her. He didn’t speak again until she moved to walk by him. He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Becky—”
“What is it, Zach? I’m in a bit of a hurry. I can’t very well go represent the team like this.” She gestured to the rumpled jeans and T-shirt, utterly disgusted with herself now. This wasn’t like her. Running late, dressed all wrong, completely frazzled. I’m too old for this!
But then Zach looked at her, with his pale green eyes telling her before he said the words, how sorry he was. “You’re right. I screwed up, and I had no right to make that decision for you. This isn’t how I want things to be between us. I want us to fit into one another’s lives, not complicate them. I’m sorry.”
Damn it. If he’d done the typical man thing, apologizing just to shut her up, she could have walked out that door without looking back. But he meant every single word. She shook her head, fighting to hold back a smile. How could she stay mad at him?
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