by Amber Lynn
“Was he extremely drunk? Actually, that doesn’t matter. He seriously considered taking you to his place, and instead spent the night with you? Were there other times? Maybe some hotel rooms involved or something?”
It was hard to tell whether she wanted the last question to be true. Lacey kind of hoped it was. Not the hotel part, just the idea that they’d had more than that one night together. He’d been spending time around the house but hadn’t even kissed her again. Of course, if he went down that road, she’d probably throw herself at him and scare him off quicker than telling him she was pregnant should have.
“It was only the one time, and he wasn’t drunk. I might have been, but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t. He drove us to my place.”
Nina slammed her hand against her forehead and let it slide down her face. She was known for being overdramatic, but this was taking things up to a new level. What was so shocking in anything Lacey had said?
“Are you aware of Ox’s reputation?”
After a short shake of her head, Nina’s eyes refocused on Lacey. Didn’t the other woman invite someone else to watch practice? Lacey hated being the center of attention, even with just one other person. She’d only agreed to come to make sure Vasily didn’t go through the same thing.
“I’m aware he’s been known to take multiple women home and rarely spends more than a week seeing anyone particular.”
“Wrong on both accounts,” Nina said. “He does pick up multiple women, but he doesn’t take them home. He hasn’t taken a woman to his place here ever, and as far as I can tell, has always kept a room at a hotel for any of his late-night fun.”
Since Nina paused, Lacey supposed she wanted some kind of reaction. The only one she had was to let her mouth hang open a little. The news wasn’t really shocking. The fact that Nina some how knew that information was kind of strange, but knowing Nina, it wasn’t earth-shattering.
“So, you think it’s a big deal he seemed to want to take me to my place?”
“Big deal isn’t the right word. It’s completely insane to think he’d agree to take a woman home. If something was wrong with his usual hotel room, he’d ask for another one. If the hotel was being fumigated, he’d find another. If ten hotels were being fumigated, he’d fuck in his car, or at a park, or against any hard surface that wasn’t in or around his apartment. And I’m talking at least five miles away. He does not have sex at his place, nor does he go to a woman’s.”
The whole notion of Nina going overboard earlier in the conversation seemed a little premature. The woman had gone crazy.
“Maybe he decided since I’m sort of attached to the team to make an exception.”
At that point in time, did it really matter? She wasn’t about to tell Nina about his admission of going without sex for the last few months. Lacey still couldn’t believe that.
“I doubt it. When Karlsson’s sister game to visit last season, they were locked in his hotel for a couple of hours.”
A couple of hours? Lacey would’ve thought she’d be jealous to hear about him with someone else, especially someone she knew in a vague sense. Instead of being jealous, she kind of felt sorry for the woman.
“He cooked me eggs and bacon,” Lacey said mindlessly.
“Yeah, that’s not something he does, which leads me to my second thought. A week might as well be a lifetime for Vasily Oxentenko. Two nights is a max for the man. He doesn’t even give the impression he’s playing house, and he sure as hell doesn’t let a condom slip up happen. That man has been known to wrap himself up twice.”
What exactly did Nina think her revelations would do? Was she aware he was throwing around the idea of marriage?
“How do you know any of that?”
Nina was essentially his boss somewhere along the line, but knowing intimate details about his sex life seemed above and beyond what an employer should know.
“As I just told the gentlemen, he’s an investment, and I like to know everything I can about an investment. My only surprise is that my investigator must have taken the night off when you two got together.”
Thank God for small favors. It was bad enough Jake had apparently known the day of. While he knew how to keep his mouth shut, Nina would’ve spread the news to anyone who’d listen.
“The point is,” Nina continued, “I’d tread a fine line when it comes to Ox. I don’t know what game he’s playing, but my investigators claim he hasn’t gone out at night for months. I don’t know if that corresponds with you or not, but there is something wrong with him.”
There was a lot that seemed wrong with Vasily, at least when it came to her. Nina had touched on some of it, but there was so much more. He claimed to want to marry her. How could he even think she’d consider saying yes when she knew the kind of man he was? And why in the world did Nina think she didn’t understand that?
She’d been stupid to not realize things went a little too quickly that night as far as the lack of protection, but she was well-aware Vasily wasn’t for keeping. It didn’t matter if he wanted to play house for a while. Eventually, his libido would call, and his past made it clear she wouldn’t be able to keep up with it.
None of that changed the fact she wanted him. Maybe not as a full-time partner in life. But, she liked the way he made her stomach flutter whenever he was around and how safe she felt around him. The latter was lunacy on her part, but somehow his presence made her feel like he would take on the world for her.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he does honestly seem to want to be involved with the baby. As long as that’s the case, I can’t deny him that much.”
“Hmm. I mean, you could deny him, but it’s so weird that he’s investing himself this way. He got all kerflumpled when he thought I’d cause you even a hint of stress. I thought he was trying to kill me with those laser blue eyes of his.”
Lacey laughed. Nina looked kerflumpled when she made up that word to describe Vasily. Her eyes widened and rolled as her mouth exaggerated the word.
“Like I said, he’s concerned about the baby.”
Nina shrugged. “Maybe, but just before I walked in, I heard him tell Curtis he thought the two of you were getting married and this is probably the first of many kids. Any reason you can think of that he’d say something like that?”
That was a good question, one that made Lacey’s hand drift to her stomach. She knew it was just the flutters the words made activate in her belly. But, it almost felt like the baby was moving.
“I have absolutely no idea where he’d get that idea.”
The words were true, not just a line to get away from the conversation. She hadn’t suspected Vasily to tell other people about his marriage idea. He hadn’t brought it up again, so she’d been sure it was just something he said on a whim. Surely, he’d come to his senses and realize they didn’t have to get married to have the baby. Maybe he was still working up to that realization. It couldn’t be too much longer before he figured it out.
Chapter 18
“You don’t have to come tonight.” Vasily had said the same thing many times in the days leading up to that night.
He meant it more every time he said it. As much as he’d love showing off for her on the ice, her being at the arena would be a distraction. He wouldn’t be able to play without thinking of whether she watched him or her ex-husband on the ice.
Each time he brought up her not coming, Lacey gave him a tense smile and rolled her eyes. He waited for the same response, but she just sighed next to him on the couch. Reaching over, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it before idly running her thumb over his skin.
She had no clue what the touch did to him. How it took his already heightened senses when she was around and elevated them to an inferno. He wanted her more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life, even more than the game that consumed most of his time.
“I have it on good authority, if I’m not there, my ex-husband won’t leave the ice alive.”
Her words were quie
t. The kids were in their rooms, getting ready for hours at the arena, but she clearly didn’t want them to hear. Vasily couldn’t blame her. Kevin probably didn’t want to see his dad dead, but he wouldn’t shy away from talk along those lines. Lacey didn’t know his feelings on the matter, and Vasily didn’t think it was his place to tell her how much her son hated his father.
“You’re assuming,” Vasily started as he lifted their joined hands up to his lips and kissed hers, “that he’d make it out to the ice in the first place.”
The shiver he felt next to him brought a smile to his lips. He’d been careful to keep himself in check until they had a clear understanding of where they stood. They had no such understanding in hand, but the touch of her skin against his lips was too hard to resist.
He’d attempted to bring up the subject of their marriage, but somehow the kids always needed something done the moment he asked. Even when they were at school.
Lacey let out a strangled groan. Or maybe it was a growl.
“I shouldn’t have told you about the fight. After you came running for me at the barbecue, I should’ve known you were the overprotective type.”
“Overprotective type?” Vasily tried not to grit out the words but failed.
Seriously, that’s what she wanted to call him not wanting her anywhere near that abusive asshole. Even if she wasn’t almost four months pregnant with his child, he preferred she wasn’t in the same state as George. With an appointment in just a couple of days to find out whether they were having a boy or a girl, Vasily would’ve preferred George on a different continent.
“Yeah, I guess the barbecue wasn’t my first clue. You tend to stick up for women. I hear strippers feel extremely safe when you’re around.”
He tightened his hold on her hand. As she spoke, she’d loosened her grip and moved to stand. They still had an hour or so before he had to leave for the game, and there was no way in hell she was going to leave that as the end of their conversation as she scooted him out the door.
They hadn’t partaken in any deep conversations about what had led him to meet her son. He knew she was aware of his issues with the law. It just wasn’t something they talked about.
“I don’t know if you’ve gotten the message,” he said as he pulled her over onto his lap, so they faced each other. The move wasn’t smart, given his dick’s propensity to get excited whenever she was near. “But, there’s a big difference between me punching a guy for mistreating a woman I don’t know, and what I want to do to the man who hurt you.”
He’d thought about all the ways to end George’s life. Those thoughts filled the hours he tossed and turned and fought from coming back to Lacey’s at night. He had no idea why he wanted her as badly as he did, or why he fought the urge to take her. There was no sense from her side that she’d fight that, but he was trying to slow things down.
The notion went against everything inside him. He wasn’t known for restraint, which made things even more confusing. He had no idea what power she had over him, but it was clear it existed. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to fully understand that and hadn’t used it to her advantage.
“The difference is growing in my stomach. The baby makes your protective need tick up into hyperdrive.”
Vasily closed his eyes to look away from the subtle accusation in hers. How could she not know the baby was only a small part of things. They talked about the baby more than anything else, since he thought he needed to learn quickly what he needed to prepare for in the months, and years, ahead. He supposed that would make her think the baby was his focus, but it only helped keep him from pushing her down the aisle to cement their future.
“The problem with that idea is that my chest felt like it was on fire when I saw you go down at the barbecue, and I had no clue you were pregnant at the time.”
He opened his eyes and stared into hers as they widened. The idea that she thought it was all nothing more than a game for him was clear in the shock he saw.
She shook her head and looked down. He could feel one of her hands move to caress her stomach. She rarely wasn’t touching the small lump that still slowly grew. He wasn’t any better, both of them anxious for the moment their child moved inside of her.
“No, it’s just because of the baby.”
Her words were soft, barely audible. He wasn’t sure she meant to say them out loud.
“And is what you feel underneath you because of the baby? You think I only want you because you’re pregnant with my child?”
“But you don’t,” her words trailed off.
“I don’t what?”
Before she could answer, he leaned in and captured her lips with his teeth. He knew the second he brought her onto his lap it would happen. He’d played the saint for far too long.
The move was calculated, whether he wanted to admit it or not. With the kids close by and the game looming, he couldn’t get too lost in the whirlwind that was her in his arms.
At least he thought that was the case. The idea held only until she gasped in surprise and opened her mouth a fraction of an inch. It felt like such a small space, but his tongue welcomed it and slipped inside her warm, waiting mouth.
Damn. He remembered the volcano that erupted between them. How could he not? It stayed just behind his conscious thoughts at all times. The memory couldn’t stand up to the feeling of her pushing up, slightly off his lap, and then back down, moaning softly as her body instinctively moved against him.
This was why he hadn’t dared kiss her. They were both fully dressed, but it felt like they were touching skin to skin. Like they were alone in the world.
The thought, or really want, snapped him out of the pull he felt. He had to remember the kids were within hearing distance. At least hearing distance of the screams their mother could make in the throes of passion. As much as they were music to his ears, the kids didn’t need to hear them.
She sounded like a sad kitten mewling as he pulled away and placed small pecks against the edges of her lips. His lips being close made it easy to feel her bottom lip protrude out.
“I don’t what?” he asked, bringing them back to the conversation. “I don’t show you how crazy you drive me?”
Lacey shook her head and didn’t bother answering. Her blue eyes had turned a shade deeper, desire filling them.
“I heard a rumor that you think the only reason I want to get married is because of the baby.”
It wasn’t a rumor, not since the source of it came from the woman in his arms. Nina had told Brady, who in turn told Curtis, who in turn decided to fill Vasily in. It annoyed him to think she thought that way, but he hadn’t given her any good reasons to think otherwise. According to her anyway.
He couldn’t believe she thought he was coming over every day just because of the baby. He took full blame for that, willingly letting her drive their conversation to the topic. She never seemed to want to talk about them, so he had no problem asking and letting her teach him all topics about the baby.
“It was obviously a mistake for me to jump right to the marriage part of things. I know I’ve tried to bring it up again, but if you need proof that I’m not asking just because of the baby, I’m guessing that’s going to take some time. And the way I see it, we have around five months, right?”
He could wait until after the baby was born, but he didn’t see a need for it. If she’d consent, he was ready to marry that moment, or at least after the game. The team owner would probably get a little pissed off if he ran off to try to get married instead of showing up.
She stared at him for a long time. Her face revealed nothing as she studied him. He sat patiently waiting for her to work out whatever her mind had playing through it.
“I know I’ve said it before, but we don’t have to be married to have a baby together. As long as you want to be in the baby’s life, you can be.”
“I understand we aren’t living hundreds of years ago and your father isn’t standing outside with a shotgun demanding we get married. I s
hould eventually meet him and your mom, though, right? Maybe they could come up for a game.”
With her mouth hanging open slightly, Lacey closed her eyes and shook her head. They’d spoken little of their families, outside of Kevin and Rachel, of course. He knew her folks lived in Florida and it had been a while since she’d seen them. She hadn’t mentioned being estranged or anything, so he suspected their paths would eventually cross.
“You want to meet my parents?”
“They’re part of my future wife’s life, whether they’re here every day or not. I think as a husband, I should be on at least speaking terms with them. I may need to call them and ask for help surprising you someday.”
“Shh,” she hissed, not with venom. Her eyes darted towards the stairs behind them. “I’m going to have to tell them about the baby soon, and I have no clue how they’re going to take that. Hearing there’s a chance we’ll be getting married.” She shook her head. “I know we’ve been talking about it for a few minutes, but wife, husband. Kevin doesn’t know what way is up when it comes to his dad.”
Vasily’s lips curved up slightly. She said the word chance, meaning she wasn’t totally shut off to the idea.
At the same time, her words reminded him that she wasn’t the only one he needed to worry about with George. He hadn’t heard anyone mentioning him reuniting with his kids, but knowing what he felt for his unborn child, Vasily had to think George would at some point be in contact. His team had been in town for at least a day, but as far as Vasily knew, there hadn’t even been a phone call.
He could understand why Kevin hated his dad so much. According to the kid, George didn’t bother to check on them other than maybe one call in half a year.
Vasily dreaded the road trips coming up. He’d had two games out of town since the news of the baby, and he’d hated every second of being away. The sensation had thrown him off at first, mainly because he had no idea why he felt his chest tightening and anxiety racing through him. He’d called Lacey to check in, and somehow the feeling, whatever it was, eased slightly.
