by Joanne Rock
“So sue me for being honest.” She leaned back on the sofa, but Nico guessed her stance had more to do with putting space between them than making herself comfortable.
“Actually, I can appreciate honesty since all I ever heard from my last girlfriend’s mouth was lies, apparently. But you can’t just toss out a comment like that—” Something niggled at his brain. “Wait a minute. You’re saying all that stuff about dragging me into bed is you being honest?”
Lightbulbs went off in his head. Not just lightbulbs, mammoth neon signs started flashing through his consciousness. And they all spelled out messages that the opportunity for great sex loomed nearby.
“Honest but shortsighted, I realize.” She stared down at her nails as if contemplating a new manicure, but he knew damn well she was just avoiding eye contact. He knew how much it sucked to feel vulnerable.
Carefully adjusting the three rings on her right hand so that the stones sat in perfect alignment with her knuckles, she continued. “I’ve learned not to act on my every impulse, but when temptation comes along, sometimes it’s difficult to remember my ultimate goals.”
“You care to share these goals with me since they seem to be tripping me up at every turn?” Frustration itched at him, but it couldn’t block the hunger for her. He’d slowly grown obsessed with this woman who was so fiercely independent that she didn’t need him. Didn’t even recognize his NHL connection until he’d spelled it out for her. Maybe after years of having women purposely seek him out because of his fame, he just wanted to experience the thrill of the chase again.
And not just that. He wanted to deliberately do the picking and choosing. He’d had the opportunity to see Lainie in action without her knowing, to watch her manage Club Paradise with finesse and intelligence. She was so much different from Ashley or any other woman he’d been with.
“I want to maintain the best property on the strip.” She leaned forward now, obviously not afraid to get close to him when it came to spelling out her all-important goals. “I want to make back every penny I lost in my divorce from a cheating liar—not because I need that money, but just to show the world that I can. I want to be strong and self-sufficient, and I don’t ever want to deceive myself into a bad situation again just because it looks nice from the outside.”
They were so close he could almost feel the force of her conviction. Her rich, complex scent teased his nose. He spied a tiny scar on her forehead he’d never seen before. The delicate white line reminded him that no matter how much she talked a big game, Lainie Reynolds had been hurt before.
“You don’t want much, do you?” His hand reached for her forehead and that narrow jagged line before he could stop himself. Smoothing the soft skin with his thumb, he eased over the old wound and wished it could be that simple to absorb the hurt that went with it.
“On the contrary, Slick, I want a whole hell of a lot.” Her voice dropped to a throaty note. “But I’ve learned the hard way that some of the things I want aren’t necessarily good for me.”
“True enough.” His fingers sifted through her hair, tracking along the back of her scalp and then down to her neck. The smooth column of her throat. “But did it ever occur to you that maybe you’re looking too much at the long-term goals and not enough at the short term?”
A shot in the dark, perhaps, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And Nico got the impression that Lainie could be swayed if only he found the right way for her to justify going after what she wanted.
“I don’t understand.” She frowned. “I have all my goals broken down into manageable, achievable parcels. There’s a six-month scale, a yearly plan, a five-year plan…I’ve been very thorough.”
“What about a short-term goal for saving your sanity while you work on the never-ending ‘to do’ lists? Have you ever considered maybe you need to reward yourself throughout the journey in order to make it more fun?”
“Fun?” She raised a skeptical brow.
“That’s a radical concept for you?” Maybe there was a small place in her life for him after all. She needed him without even realizing it.
“I just fail to see how it’s going to further my big-picture ambitions.”
“Maybe it can save you from burning out before you reach those ambitions of yours. What good are the plans and the goals divvied up into tidy package deals if they make you want to tear your hair out before you can achieve them because all you’re doing is working nonstop?” His older brother Vito had once given him the very same lecture when Nico had been working his ass off toward achieving a spot with the Panthers. He’d changed his position four times in a season because he kept hearing different things about what the Miami hockey team might be scouting for.
Funny how the lecture made a hell of a lot more sense when giving than receiving. Nico had ended up in a huge fight with the oldest Cesare and they hadn’t spoken for nearly a week—a time frame roughly equivalent to forever in a household filled with talk.
“So you’re saying that I shouldn’t look at sex as a potential obstacle to trip me up, but an outlet for fun that will inspire me to continue on my quest.”
“I guess so, but I hope you won’t be offended if I say that my words sounded a hell of a lot more eloquent than yours.” He’d been rather proud of his spiel until she’d boiled it down to the most basic terms possible.
“It’s called cutting through the BS, and it’s invaluable when practicing law or dealing with agenda-driven men. But you know what?” She smiled. A no-holds-barred, undiluted grin that he’d never seen before.
“What?” He stared at this new side of The Diva. He couldn’t be sure, but there was a distinct possibility his heart skipped a beat.
“I think I like this plan of yours.”
LAINIE HAD ACQUIRED plenty of negotiating skills in law school, skills she’d honed to razor-sharp perfection while a practicing corporate attorney. But one of the most important and overlooked areas of expertise in negotiation was knowing when to say enough is enough and simply close the deal.
Based on a wealth of experience, therefore, she knew this was the time to just shut up and seal the bargain. She slid forward on the dark leather couch.
“You do?” Nico sounded as if he didn’t believe her. And who could blame him when she’d purposely removed her emotions from their discussion today?
Or at least, she’d removed them enough so the untrained eye could never see them. But that didn’t mean they weren’t there, coloring her decisions no matter how hard she tried to ignore them.
“I do.” Her heart slugged hard against her chest. Half scared and half thrilled to have made up her mind to pursue some fun, even if the justification rated as flimsy at best, Lainie thought maybe the best way to explain what she wanted would be a demonstration Nico couldn’t misunderstand. “You said it yourself. If we do this, it’s going to be for the sake of fun, right?”
She reached for the button of her jacket on instinct. Nico’s eyes had strayed to the lace peeking above her jacket more than once today, making her hope he’d like to see more. The black teddy she wore underneath was imported silk and lace, a decidedly feminine piece that helped give new life to her conservative suit. It was the kind of undergarment that deserved to be seen.
She leaned forward to edge her way out of the sleeves when Nico made a croaking sound.
His eyes riveted to her breasts, he whispered under his breath. “Slow down, lady. I’ve been fantasizing about this ever since you wore those black leather pants the day you turned in your ex to the police.”
Not exactly a happy memory for her, but she could overlook his odd sense of timing for the sake of the new information it uncovered. Letting her jacket slide down her shoulders with painstaking deliberation, Lainie watched him carefully.
“You’ve been thinking about me since then?” She had barely registered his presence that day other than to tell him off when she thought he might be in cahoots with Robert.
And all this time, he’d been
remembering her.
“Ass-kicking never looked so good.” He ran a finger along one lace strap of her exposed teddy. “You dethroned every last one of Charlie’s Angels—past and present.”
Shivers of anticipation danced over her skin. She’d never been any man’s fantasy before. Maybe—just in the spirit of fun, of course—she could be this man’s.
Inspired by the movie scene they’d watched earlier, she decided now was as good a time as any to go for the gusto. She ran her hand down his chest and hooked a finger in his belt before giving the leather a tug.
“Then load your weapon, Slick. You can come along for the ride on my next adventure if you’ve got what it takes.”
7
HER WORDS SET OFF A FIRESTORM.
Nico’s hands were streaking down her back, curving around her waist and sliding over her belly, her ribs and oooh…her breasts. His musky scent filled her nostrils along with the heated aroma of her perfume. The two fragrances melded and merged the way their bodies would soon, blending until they became one.
His lips descended on hers, sparking a chain reaction of liquid warmth throughout her whole body. His kiss was chemistry in motion, firing away her defenses and leaving her a simmering mass of need.
She slid forward on the couch, and Nico pulled her up into his lap where he sat on the wooden chest that served as her coffee table. She ended up crossways against him, her shoulder to his chest, one hip tucked against the hard length of his erection. His hands continued to map her body, surveying the curves and dips with hard palms and questing fingers.
Desire rolled over her, too fast and too furious to tamp down. Feminine sexual energy charged to life with frightening intensity. Her hormones roared and surged as she clung to Nico’s shoulders, desperate for more. Soon. Now.
His fingers found her nipple through the black-lace teddy she wore. He tweaked the taut crest and sent a jolt of longing deep inside her. She unbuttoned his shirt and then hitched her fingers around the straps of her outfit, ready for skin-to-skin contact.
“Wait.” He stopped her before she could bare so much as a shoulder. “I want to be able to really see you.”
And she wanted to be able to really feel him. But she couldn’t have formed words right then if she tried. She merely moved to the buckle on his belt until he rose, hauling her and her out-of-control desire across the room.
Where? She blinked, confused as he bypassed the door to her bedroom and strode to the terrace of her fourth-floor apartment.
“Are you okay with us going outside?” Nico had already toed the sliding-glass door open with his foot. “I want to see you and I don’t think a table lamp can compare to the Florida sun.”
As if she could deny him anything now when her thighs itched to wrap around his waist and her sex ached to have him deep inside her. She unglued her tongue from the roof of her mouth. “Outside is good. I don’t have any condoms, though.”
She hadn’t even thought about sex in a year. Okay, maybe she’d thought about it a time or two. But she sure hadn’t planned on having it. She hadn’t realized how much animal lust she’d been storing away all this time.
“I’ve got one.” He angled them through the terrace door and into the relentless Florida sunshine. “I can go out later for more.”
“Good idea.” She plunged her fingers underneath his shirt and skimmed her hands across his bare chest.
“We’ll need a case at least.” He set her down in one of two wooden deck loungers strewn with blue-and-white striped cushions, then stripped off his shirt. He stared down at her with dark, smoldering eyes. “Damn but you’re hot.”
She reached out for him, waggling her fingers impatiently. “How would you know when you’re not even close enough to touch?”
He fell on her with a speed that must have done his sport proud. God knows it pleased her to no end. He stretched out next to her on the lounger, the heavy Adirondack furnishing one of many incongruities in her mismatched suite.
Right now, however, she was damn grateful to have it. She couldn’t imagine why Nico needed this much light to see her. She was practically blinded by the afternoon sun despite the healthy overhang of roof providing some shade on the terrace.
He molded his body to hers as they lay on their sides, facing one another. His hand tugged down the zipper on her skirt. “How about this? Is this close enough?”
“Not nearly, and you know it.” She wriggled her hips to ease the zipper down all the faster. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”
Steering the skirt over her hips and down her thighs, he stared into her eyes as if he could see every secret hidden inside her. “Don’t you worry about me finishing. I’m just going to make damn sure it’s you who finishes first.” He stared down at her body clad only in her teddy. “You’re beautiful.”
Her heart caught awkwardly in her chest at the compliment. She’d been okay when he told her she was hot. She was not okay with “you’re beautiful.” It was a loaded sentiment, an intimate compliment.
She didn’t want to feel beautiful when she was with Nico. She simply needed to be desired. Wanted. Lusted over.
But Nico’s gaze lingered on her. Ate her up. Lavished silent compliments on her that were a sure path to heartache if she was foolish enough to listen.
Redirect. Redirect.
She lifted her fingers to the V of her cleavage and trickled them down the center of her body, over her ribs. She flattened her palm out over her belly, touching herself with a hand that trembled just a little. Pausing as her fingers grazed the top of her lace-covered mound she stared up at him to gauge his reaction.
On target.
Nico’s eyes went almost black as he stared at the progress of her hand. Then, levering himself up on one elbow beside her, he yanked her lace outfit off her shoulder.
His mouth found her breast while she eased off the remaining shoulder of the teddy. And then his mouth sought her other breast, circling the tightened nipple until she cried out.
The sultry breeze off the ocean carried away the sound, but even if the terrace beneath them had been full of hotel guests, Lainie wouldn’t have cared. No one could see them with the thick stucco wall sheltering their lounge chair. And there were no buildings close enough to provide a view of their activities. Only a handful of potted hibiscus plants stood sentinel to Nico’s feast and her near nakedness.
She couldn’t get enough of him. Her hands tugged and unzipped their way into his pants, freeing the bulge that had been jabbing her hip. Reaching into his boxers, she stroked the velvety hard length of him as he kissed and sucked her breasts.
So good.
Her finger circled the tip of his cock and the wetness she found there. She slicked over the top of him and felt her womb contract in hungry answer.
“You’re moving at hyperspeed, lady.” Nico groaned as she touched him, his body growing impossibly longer, harder in her hands.
“Once I make up my mind about something—ooh…” She sighed out her satisfaction as he palmed her breast and shoved the black lace to her waist. “I tend to move forward with decisive action.”
Skimming her hand down the lace, she urged the fabric lower. She wanted nothing more than to lie skin to skin with him, to absorb the heat and restless male energy of him through her skin.
“Decisive is good.” He dragged the garment down her legs and flung it over the lounger. “But next time we take things slower.” He sketched featherlight touches up the inside of her thigh, sending pulses of pleasure through her veins. “That way I can take in all the nuances.”
“Next time.” She made the promise mindlessly. Later she would worry about next time. Decide if there should be a next time. God, she hoped so. “I can’t wait now. It’s been too long.”
She peered up at him long enough to see his gaze soften, his eyes light with empathy. Damn it, she didn’t want his compassion. Just the passion part, please. She couldn’t deal with emotions now.
To emphasize the point,
she stroked the length of him, curving her hand around the erection she wanted inside her.
His focus dimmed, glazed for satisfying seconds. “Understood.”
He shoved boxers, trousers and belt down his legs. Off the end of the lounger. And then he was on top of her, pressing her more deeply into the cotton broad-cloth of the lounger cushions, his body aligned with hers.
The sunlight glared against her closed eyelids for a moment before Nico’s shadow descended over her, his body blocking the sun. His presence next to her blocking out all other thoughts except connecting to him in the most elemental way.
“Please, please, please.” She chanted the words as his cock rubbed up against her thigh, the velvety length of him sending spasms of pleasure coursing through her. Heat built deep inside her.
“Soon.” His low growl thrummed in the air around them, his breath fanning over her skin and raising goose bumps. “I don’t want you to be so decisive you miss out on the best parts of this.”
He reached between her thighs, plucked the feminine flesh and she nearly came out of her skin. A moan ripped from her throat, a rusty cry that hadn’t been called from her lips since—hell, since ever. She’d never had this much hot lust screaming through her, demanding release. Tension coiled high inside her and for a fleeting instant she wondered—worried—what Nico would think of her wild response. But she couldn’t spare it any more thought now, not with the heat beating down on her skin, Nico spreading her wide with powerful legs and his fingers touching the most sensitive part of her.
