Complications on Ice - S.R. Grey

by Grey, S. R.

  Leaning back, I crossed my arms and returned to the topic of Coach and me, instead of why he didn’t want Eliza going out with hockey players.

  “I guess I’m really taking a chance here, then,” I remarked, chuckling.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Well, if your dad finds out about tonight, he could retaliate.”

  “How do you mean?”

  I thought about it. “He could encourage ownership to put me on the trading block.”

  She rolled her eyes. “No way would that ever happen. You’re part of his top line, Benny. He may be overprotective about me, but he’s not crazy.”

  “You have a point there,” I conceded, feeling a little less worried.

  Our dinners arrived then, and that discussion came to a merciful end. Besides, I was too busy devouring the best ziti known to mankind to talk…or worry…or whatever.

  Eliza seemed just as into her carbonara dish.

  “Is it good?” I asked when I came up for air.

  “It’s amazing, Benny.”

  I nodded approvingly. “Best pasta ever, eh?”

  “It may very well be.”

  I was happy Eliza was happy, and that probably meant something. Yeah, like you really like her a lot, idiot.

  “True,” I murmured.

  “What was that?” she asked. “I couldn’t hear you.”

  “Oh, nothing,” I replied.

  Dinner ended as fast as it had begun. The waiter cleared our plates and dropped off a dessert menu. I picked it up before Eliza got to it and noticed immediately there was something on it I just knew Eliza would love.

  “Would it be okay if I ordered our desserts?” I asked as I hid the menu by turning it over.

  Eliza looked uncertain. “Um, yeah, sure, I guess. Can I have a hint of what you have in mind, though?”

  She seemed worried I’d pick something terrible, but this was in the bag.

  “I’d prefer it’d be a surprise, if that’s okay?”

  “What are you up to, Benny?” she asked, smiling.

  I smiled right the hell back and told her, “You’ll see. You’re going to love this.”

  “Would we be able to split whatever it is,” she asked then. “I’m really stuffed from dinner.”

  Whoa, that right there kind of threw me. I wasn’t sure I’d like what I planned to order for Eliza.

  Eh, what the hell.

  When the waiter returned, I discreetly pointed to the third item down on the list of selections.

  He left, but forgot the menu, and Eliza, losing patience, snatched it up.

  “Hey,” I protested.

  “Nope, no way am I not checking.” She scanned down the menu. “I have to know what I’m about to eat. I mean, for all I know, it could be chocolate-covered crickets.”

  She was so endearingly weird. “There are no chocolate covered crickets on the menu, Eliza,” I assured her.

  “Hmm, I see that,” she said, not looking up. “So which dessert did you order for us?”

  I was feeling smug as I declared, “Check out that third one down. It’s the one I ordered. Perfect, eh?”

  Instead of expressing elation, as I fully expected, she mumbled a blah-sounding, “Oh.”

  Maybe she was looking at the wrong dessert? Why else would she look so…grossed out?

  Shit, maybe they do have chocolate-covered crickets on the menu? I could’ve missed them. From the look on Eliza’s face, it seemed a real possibility.

  Worried my surprise was about to blow up in my face, I hastily declared, “I ordered the sweet potato tart. You love sweet potatoes, right?”

  She’d said as much in the grocery store, and if she liked that runny crap in the jars she was sure to love it in tart form. Tarts had sugar, lots of sugar, so it had to be good, right? It was the sole reason why I, the sweet potato hater, was willing to give it a go.

  But that look on her face…

  “Did I get it wrong?” I humbly asked.

  “No, no.” She tried to force a smile. “I’m sure the sweet potato tart will be amazing.”

  “I sure hope it is,” I murmured.

  I was beginning to think chocolate-covered crickets might not have been so bad.

  Dessert arrived, and Eliza and I hacked off bits of the tart at the same time. I raised my fork and said, “Here’s to nothing.”

  Five seconds later, though, I was mumbling from around a surprisingly delectable mouthful of goodness, “Damn, this is really good.”

  Eliza laughed and agreed, “It is delicious. You chose well, Benny.”

  I preened. “And here I was, thinking that jarred baby food slop was disgusting. Based on this tart—”

  “No, no, wait.” Eliza waved her fork in the air. “Trust me when I tell you that the jarred sweet potatoes are nothing like this. I definitely don’t recommend them.”

  Huh?

  Confused, I queried, “I thought you loved sweet potato baby food? That’s what you said in the store.”

  She froze, then composed herself quickly.

  “Oh, yeah, you’re right. I do love those. I just meant the others aren’t good. Like the peas and carrots and stuff.”

  “Okay, Eliza.”

  She was an enigma—contradictory at times, straightforward at others. But damn if I didn’t like her all the more for it.

  That was it. I wanted to see her again, as soon as possible. So I asked, “Do you like to go dancing?”

  I had no idea why I threw that one out. I wasn’t even into dancing all that much. It just sounded like something fun to do, and I thought Eliza might be into it.

  Smiling, she peered over at me, amused. “Is that your roundabout way of asking me out on another date?”

  “Maybe,” I conceded.

  “But this one’s not even finished,” she replied while licking her fork in a way that made my pants feel suddenly tight. “What if it all goes to hell, Benny?”

  I leaned forward. “I guess it could, Eliza, but I’m willing to bet it won’t. Let’s be crazy and take a chance. Let’s plan our next date. Is that forward enough for you?”

  “Yes,” she replied. “And I like the dancing idea. It sounds like fun.”

  “Good, then we’re set.”

  “Honestly, Benny,” Eliza sighed. “Tonight’s been amazing. And I don’t really expect things to go awry. But, at this point, even if they do, I’d still go out with you again.”

  I cocked a brow. “You’d give me a do-over, eh? That’s nice to hear.”

  Suddenly no longer teasing, she said softly, “Do-overs are a must, Benny. And that goes for everyone.”

  Huh, interesting. It was like she was referring more to herself than to me. Nah, that couldn’t be right.

  I whisked that thought away and returned to concentrating on our date. It couldn’t be over yet.

  With dessert cleared and the bill paid, I asked Eliza, “What next, m’lady?”

  She put her hand over mine and said, “I don’t care. I’m up for anything. I just don’t feel like going home yet. Do you?”

  “No, not at all. You have anything in mind?”

  She smiled coyly. “Hmm, actually I do. It might sound kind of crazy, though.”

  I assured her, “Crazy is right up my alley, girl.”

  “Okay, good. Then here’s my idea… Let’s go night swimming.”

  What? Huh? She did know we were in a desert, right?

  “Night swimming,” I murmured.

  “Yes. What do you think?”

  “I think it’s a lot easier said than done, seeing as where we are.”

  I racked my brain to come up with a place to swim at night in the freaking desert.

  I had nothing, but she pressed, “Oh, come on. You must know of some place we could go swim.”

  “I do,” I said, “but it’s not any place around here. If we were back in my hometown, I could find us a dozen fantastic lakes and ponds. But here, it’s more of a challenge.”

  “Your hometown is whe
re again?” she asked.

  “Surrey, BC.”

  “Oh,” she sighed. “I can see where that’d be a bit of a drive.”

  “Yep, it sure would be.”

  “Well…” She blew out a breath. “At this point, any place with water would work.”

  I cocked a brow. “You do know we’re in a very vast desert, yes?”

  She laughed. “True. But there are pools everywhere.”

  “Good point. In fact, there just happens to be a pool in my backyard.”

  “There is, is there?”

  “A heated one, too.”

  “Ooh, no shrinkage.”

  “Eliza!”

  A girl who could shock me was rare, but this one could.

  A sly smile played on her lips, and it held a dozen dirty promises. Little Eliza had a naughty side, and I fucking loved it.

  “Only thing is,” I warned, “my house is a little ways from here.”

  She shrugged. “No problem. I can just follow you there.”

  “That works for me.”

  I laced our hands together and squeezed. We both knew there’d be more than night swimming happening tonight.

  My house was on the outskirts of Vegas, pretty much all by itself, save for a few neighbors and a mall that had recently been built. Even so, that was a mile away.

  So basically it was all desert, baby.

  I liked the privacy, and I really liked the seclusion. But never more had I appreciated those things than when Eliza hopped out of her car and informed me her idea of night swimming had only one major rule—everyone had to take off their clothes.

  “Damn, skinny-dipping?” I said.

  “Yep,” she confirmed.

  I couldn’t get us back to the pool fast enough.

  I Don’t Want to be another Notch on Benny’s Belt

  I liked Benny. I liked him a lot. He was wild and fun, and I needed that in my life. That’s why I’d come up with the whole night-swimming-after-dinner idea. Plus, I really wanted to see Benny naked, hence the skinny-dipping stipulation.

  Once we were back at his pool, I was thrilled I’d called for that no-clothes clause. Benjamin Perry naked was quite a sight to behold. He was just so big everywhere.

  His shoulders were wider than I’d realized, and his broad, muscular chest was nothing short of spectacular, what with all the tats, intricate and beautiful every single one.

  I moved down to his legs, thick with hard muscle. But what caught my eye was what he was packing between his legs. The length and the girth of him matched the rest of the man, making certain parts of me tingle in a way they hadn’t in ages.

  “Eliza, are you stalling?” Benny tilted his head, eyeing me suspiciously, because I was still fully clothed.

  It was just that seeing how perfect Benny’s body was, I’d developed a case of cold feet.

  I mean, come on! How he could stand there so casually, with his arms crossed and completely naked, yet not one bit self-conscious was astounding. I guess all that nudity in the locker room made him immune to modesty.

  Damn it, I can do this, I told myself. It’d been my idea, after all.

  “I’m not stalling,” I said as I was, uh, stalling.

  Brow quirked, Benny mused, “Hmm, maybe I have this all wrong.”

  “Have what wrong?” I asked.

  “Last I heard, skinny-dipping meant all a person’s clothes had to go.” He paused, reflected. “But I don’t know. Maybe the rules have changed.”

  “No, the rules haven’t changed,” I replied.

  His tone softened. “So why aren’t you naked, babe?”

  Why was I hesitating? If Lainey could take off her clothes in a seedy strip club, then surely I could do so in front of one man. Benny was a man I liked, after all.

  But that was the problem.

  I felt self-conscious about showing him my body. I’d lost most of the baby weight, so that wasn’t my concern. Plus—bonus!—my boobs had remained kind of huge. It was just that I knew Benny had seen many women with great and fit bodies. I feared mine would pale in comparison.

  He stepped toward me. “Eliza, if you’ve changed your mind that’s fine. I can run over to the poolhouse”—he gestured to a brick structure, big as a small house, at the back of the pool—“and grab some swim trunks. There are ladies’ swimsuits in there, too. I keep those around for parties. Would swimming in a suit make you feel more comfortable?”

  No, no way. I could do this.

  “I’m good,” I said, not about to let societal pressures and my own insecurities screw up this night.

  I reached around and unzipped my dress. Benny watched, hunger igniting in his smoldering gaze as I peeled down the top part. Since I’d not worn a bra, my boobs jiggled free.

  “Fuck, Eliza,” he groaned.

  Benny was hard instantly. Not that I was focusing on that part of him or anything. Just damn, the thing was difficult to miss.

  My dress fell to my feet, and, stepping forward in just a thong and heels, I narrowed the gap between us.

  Benny rasped, “The shoes and thong have to go, too, babe.”

  I wasn’t stalling now; I was simply enjoying the tease. To hell with all my taking-it-slow proclamations, wild Eliza was back.

  Turning away, I giggled and jumped in the water. Benny was soaked in the resulting splash.

  “Hey, no fair,” he called out after me. “You little vixen, you still have on those shoes and—”

  “No, I don’t,” I interjected as I reached down into the water and pulled off one heel, then the other.

  “There.” I threw my pumps up on the side of the pool. “Everything’s off now.”

  “No, it’s not, you cheater. Your thong’s still on.”

  “So I see, Benny.” I shot him an inviting smile. “Maybe you need to come in and make me take it off.”

  Oh, I was in for it now. And I totally didn’t care.

  Benny jumped in the water so quickly that all I caught was a blur of massive man. He was coming after me, like I wanted him to. Even so, I let out a little squeak as I swam away.

  Laughing my ass off—this was the most reckless fun I’d had in a while—I made my way to the deep water.

  “You wait till I get a hold of you, Eliza,” I heard Benny bellow as he closed in on me.

  “Too late, Benny,” I called back over my shoulder as I reached the side of the pool and started sliding the thong down my legs.

  I was afraid that if I allowed Benny to take it off me, I’d give in to him right there. I still planned to submit to him, but I wanted to buy a little more time.

  Balling my thong up into a soggy ball of silk, I lobbed it in Benny’s direction.

  “Here, catch.” I giggled.

  He was close, only a few feet away, so snatching the garment out of the air was easy for him.

  Lobbing the silk ball from one hand to the other, he said in a low voice, “What do you want to do now, Eliza?”

  Oh, the things I wanted to do…to him…and him to me. He saw it in my eyes, so there was no point in pretending.

  “I want you to do sinful things to me, Benny.”

  “That”—he edged closer and closer—“can be arranged. Whatever sinful things you’re thinking of, I guarantee I can top ’em.”

  “You think so?”

  He laughed. “Oh, I know I can.”

  “Benny…”

  We swam to one another then, like we were in some corny movie. Only this was real life, and it felt anything but corny.

  When his lips crashed down to mine, I savored how right it felt. I’d known since I’d hung that team pic on my wall, way back in the summer, that this day would come.

  Or at least, I hoped it would.

  Benny cupped my ass and lifted me up to him. I straddled his waist and slid down till I could feel all of him.

  “I want you,” I murmured.

  It was the truth. I had to have him, in some way.

  “Fuck, I want you, too,” he growled.

&n
bsp; I was dizzy with lust as we made out in the water. His cock kept bobbing and twitching against my clit as we moved together—rubbing, touching, feeling. I wanted more so I wiggled around until the head of him pushed at my entrance.

  He pulled back. “Whoa, Eliza, hold up.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  Our eyes met. He was giving me a chance to reconsider. In case this was moving too fast. Maybe it was, shit. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do this again, but I couldn’t freaking think straight.

  Lust had taken over, prompting me to ask, “Do you have a condom?”

  I was on birth control, but I hadn’t forgotten Lainey’s warning that Benny was a player. Better safe than sorry. Not to mention, ending up pregnant once had made me a believer in extra protection.

  He jerked his head toward his huge house. “I have a whole box of them in there. I can run in and get some.”

  I liked that he’d said “some.” That meant I’d have him more than once. But I didn’t feel like taking a time-out and have it ruin the mood.

  Plus, maybe we were moving too fast. Now that we weren’t all over each other, I could think more clearly. And I was having second thoughts. I had such a bad habit of getting caught up in the moment. That, of course, hadn’t always worked out so well.

  Is fucking him right away really a good idea?

  We’ve only had this one freaking date.

  Probably not the best move if I want him to take me seriously. He’s already a man used to having women throw themselves at him.

  Slow down, Eliza.

  I looked at the rippling water, moonlit midnight blue in the night.

  Benny, sensing my reticence, asked, “Is something wrong?”

  I was honest. “I just think maybe we’re moving too fast.”

  He sighed. “I understand you feeling that way, Eliza.”

  Could this guy get any sweeter?

  Or sexier, I thought when he lowered the one hand that had been on my ass to touch my pussy.

  “Oh-my-God-Benny,” I murmured as he dipped two fingers inside me. “That feels sooo good.”

  It did. He was so damn skilled.

  “See,” he whispered in my ear, “there are other things we can do. I can fuck you with my fingers like this…”

  He twisted just so, and, fuuuck, he hit that sensitive bundle of nerves.