Crossing the Line (The Baltimore Banners Book 1)

by Lisa B. Kamps

  AJ's breathing became harsher, small gasps as her hips met his, rocking against him, thrusting, harder, faster. She leaned further back, resting her hands low on his thighs, twisting the denim of his jeans in her fists as she matched his rhythm.

  Alec felt her muscles tighten around him, felt the first spasm rock through her. She moaned, his name a whisper on her lips as her body closed around him. Alec grabbed her hips, holding her down against him, and drove into her harder, once, twice, and felt her shatter around him, her muscles tightening around him, squeezing him, milking him. He threw his head back, lost in the feel of her wet heat quivering around him, then thrust deeper inside her, his own explosion rocking through him, tearing her name from his lips in a guttural moan.

  ELEVEN

  Alec stood next to the bed, gazing down at AJ's sleeping form. She was curled in the middle of the bed, clinging to the pillow where he had been sleeping just a short while ago. Her tousled hair was fanned around her face. The comforter had fallen from her shoulders, exposing the curve of her bare arm and breast, the soft rise and fall of her chest.

  His groin tightened just at the sight of her sleeping so peacefully in his bed. He was tempted, so tempted, to climb back in with her, to wake her with soft kisses, to sink into her sleepy warmth and feel her come awake, alive, around him.

  Just as he had done barely more than an hour ago, for the third time that night.

  They had slept, tangled together, for a short time after their first frantic encounter. The second time had been just as wild, as if they couldn't get enough of each other.

  The last time...Alec breathed in deeply, the images still burning in his memory. AJ had been curled against him, her head tucked into his shoulder, her hand curled against his chest. He had run his hands over her warm skin, rained gentle kisses along her jaw and lips until she reached for him, welcoming him into her sleepy body.

  And he had made love to her, slowly, gently, drawing out their pleasure until it became exquisite torture, until they found release together. Sweet, warm release. As sweet as the feel of AJ curled against him, her body warm and soft and trusting in sleep.

  Alec took another deep breath then leaned over the bed, gently pulling the comforter up around her shoulders and placing a kiss on her temple. AJ stirred slightly, moving toward him, then settled deeper into the mattress with a soft sigh. He smiled then backed away toward the door, his eyes memorizing the sight of her in his bed.

  Alec grabbed his overnight bag from the floor and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him with a quiet click, already looking forward to returning home after tomorrow afternoon's game.

  **

  AJ came awake slowly, cocooned in the warmth of the fluffy comforter. She stretched, a lazy lengthening of her body as she rolled from her side to her back. The room had a gray cast to the light, giving the impression of early morning, but when she turned her head to look out the balcony doors, she could see it was raining, the sky dark and overcast.

  She stretched again and looked at her watch, surprised to see that it was nearly noon. Knowing she should get up, she closed her eyes instead, wanting nothing more than to return to sleep.

  Alec was gone. She had known that even before coming fully awake. But she had a hazy memory—or maybe it was just wishful thinking—of him leaning over her and kissing her good bye, mere hours after he had so slowly, so expertly, so carefully made love to her.

  That last time had been her undoing. She knew it as certainly as she knew her own name. It had been easier to hold herself back, to keep a piece of herself safe, when the sexual encounters had been wild, frantic...

  Who was she kidding? She had been in trouble long before the sex had even entered the picture. Alec's tender love making had only pushed her over the edge enough for her to admit that...well, that she had been pushed over the edge.

  It was the last thing she should have allowed to happen. Absolutely no good could come from it. None.

  She curled onto her side and reached for Alec's pillow, scooping it closer to her, holding it against her much as she had held him in her sleep. His scent still clung to it, a faint woodsy smell mingled with the slightest spicy hint. AJ closed her eyes and nestled deeper into the mattress, allowing herself the luxury of replaying snippets of the night before in her mind. She would give herself another hour before getting up and getting dressed, another hour to pretend before going back into the guest room and pulling out her laptop to write.

  Another hour to talk herself out of the five-hour drive to Pittsburgh to talk to him.

  Another hour before gathering her things together, to prepare for when Alec returned home after the away game.

  Because there was no doubt in her mind that things would change again after he saw the article tomorrow. And he would see it. Either before or after the game, he would see it, and things would never be the same.

  **

  Alec batted away the practice pucks being hit his way, warming up before the game. He had a good feeling about tonight, about the way the team was gelling together even better than usual. Games against Pittsburgh were always high energy, fueled by the fans' enthusiasm and even by their taunting barbs. It was an age-old classic rivalry, not quite taken in stride by the players from both sides. And it wasn't unusual to have an excessive amount of fights when the two teams met, regardless of whose home ice the game was being played on.

  The energy from the fans was already filling the arena, feeding the players' own energy levels. Alec fended off the last few practice shots then pushed his helmet up and grabbed the water bottle off the back of the net. He took a long swig then pushed away from the net, skating toward the players' bench.

  Alec had just walked into the box and was heading for the hallway when he heard his name called. He turned to see one of the opposing players leaning across the boards, a sly smile on his face.

  "Are you sure you're up to playing tonight, Kolchak?"

  Alec took a step closer, his brows raised in question as another player skated up to the bench. "Against you guys? Bring it on."

  The two laughed and nudged each other, smirking. "Well, considering how warm and sensitive you are, we thought you might sit tonight out. We wouldn't want to be hurting your feelings."

  They laughed again and skated away, leaving Alec staring after them in confusion. Ian Donovan pushed against the door and entered the player's bench, calling a few rude comments to the retreating duo.

  "What the hell was that all about?" Alec asked him as they walked back toward the visiting team's locker room. Ian shook his head and kept walking.

  "Nothing. Don't worry about it." Ian wouldn't look at him, so Alec grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop.

  "Out with it, Donovan. What's up?" Ian sighed and stepped away, suddenly looking everywhere but at Alec, who stepped even closer to him, a threatening look on his face. "What the hell is going on?"

  "Guess you haven't seen today's paper."

  "Paper?" A feeling of dread threatened to drop over Alec but he shoved it away. "What paper?"

  "The newspaper."

  The dread came back, and he was unable to push it away this time. Alec swallowed and tightened his hold on his stick, gripping it so hard he was surprised the graphite didn't shatter in his glove. He clenched his jaw, breathing in deeply, then let the breath out in a rush, staring at Ian with cool eyes.

  "I want to see it."

  "Alec, really, it's not bad—"

  "Now."

  Ian sighed and turned away, motioning for Alec to follow. He swallowed again and loosened his grip on the stick then took off after Ian, dread increasing with each step.

  **

  The house was quiet, eerily so. She hadn't bothered with any lights either upstairs or down, preferring to sit in the dark, with only the reflected harbor lights keeping her company.

  AJ sat in the corner of the leather sofa, dressed in a loose pair of sweat pants and one of Alec's t-shirts. Her legs were curled under her, and she star
ed across the room out the open French doors. Her gaze was locked on the blue neon waves that ringed the aquarium's dolphin pavilion across the harbor, and her mind randomly wandered from thought to thought.

  She glanced at her watch then leaned her head against the back of the sofa, holding the throw pillow in her arms, wondering how much longer before Alec got home.

  That was going to be an encounter she wasn't looking forward to, especially after seeing that afternoon's game. Any slim hope she might have held that he hadn't seen the article shattered before the first period was even half-way over. By the time the full-out brawl broke out at the start of the third period, AJ wanted to do nothing more than get in her car and drive as fast as possible for as far as she could.

  But that would have been running away, and it struck her as being entirely too cowardly.

  An hour later, the thought crossed her mind that being a coward might have been the smartest choice when she heard the door click open in the foyer...and slam shut loud enough to make her jump.

  AJ closed her eyes and told herself to stay still, to remain quiet. Nothing she said now would help anything. She repeated that to herself several times as Alec's footsteps came closer. He stopped several feet away, and she heard the heavy thud of his bag hitting the floor, followed by the sharp clatter of his keys as they hit the table hard enough to let her know that he did more than just casually toss them.

  The silence that had been almost peaceful earlier in the day was now heavy and oppressive, suffocating. AJ opened her eyes and turned her head just the tiniest bit, just enough to catch a glimpse of Alec behind her, standing off to the side. And even though there wasn't any light, she could see him staring down at her. That small look was enough to let her know that any chance of his ire being reduced during the long drive back from the game had never materialized.

  The silence stretched out, painful in its intensity, yet Alec still didn't move. She could feel him standing off to the side behind her, could feel his eyes focused on her, could feel the tension and anger radiating off of him. She shifted, turning on the sofa so she could get a better look at him, feeling vulnerable with him standing behind her the way he was.

  "Did you watch the game?" His voice was quiet, almost harsh, his eyes intense as he looked down at her.

  AJ pulled the pillow closer to her, like a shield, and nodded. "Yeah."

  "Yeah." Alec looked away from her, his hands fisted on his hips. Even with such little light, she could see the flare in his eyes, the muscle twitching in his clenched jaw. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, glanced down at her, looked away again. "And...nothing to say?"

  The question surprised AJ, her mouth opening silently then closing. She had no idea how to respond, no idea what Alec expected her to say. The game had disintegrated rapidly, not completely surprising considering the long-running rivalry between the two teams. But even she had been able to tell, just from watching on the television, that there had been something more going on. She didn't know what, and wasn't entirely sure she could guess—or that she wanted to.

  Then there had been the on-ice brawl...the one that had included both goalies. Yeah, it happened. Maybe once a decade. Alec had drawn two major penalties and a game misconduct, and been ejected from the game—a personal record for him.

  The damage, of course, had been done before all that even happened, with the Banners losing 10-2. Alec had asked if she had anything to say. What was she supposed to say? Did he expect her to apologize? Was he saying the whole afternoon's debacle was her fault?

  AJ shifted again on the sofa, uncurling her legs from beneath her and pulling them against her chest instead. She still held onto the pillow, feeling better with it in her hands, absently picking at the corner trim and shaking her head before answering. "I'm not sure what you expect me to say."

  Alec let out a deep breath then suddenly turned and walked toward the kitchen, the soles of his dress shoes clicking loudly against the hardwood floor. Light from the kitchen filtered into the living room, chasing away the corner shadows and making AJ feel somehow more vulnerable. Part of her was tempted to get up and follow him into the kitchen, another part was still tempted to just get up and run.

  She did neither, just waited until she heard the refrigerator door slam close, waited until Alec walked out of the kitchen, pausing in the doorway of the dining room. He leaned his shoulder against the doorframe and took a long drink from the beer bottle in his hand before staring at her.

  AJ finally looked at him then sucked in her own breath and winced when she saw the marks on his face. There was a cut under his left eye, with a dark bruise under that on his cheekbone. His lip was slightly swollen, and she thought she could see a cut at the corner of his mouth as well. She almost jumped from the sofa and ran over to him, to see if he was okay, to tend his injuries, but something in the way he was standing there stopped her. Suppressed energy and tension radiated from him, filling the entire room, holding her in place.

  "Does it hurt?" It was barely more than a whisper. Alec remained quiet for so long she didn't think he heard her, and she was ready to repeat the question when he pushed away from the doorway, his stride long and angry, his footsteps heavy as he walked into the living room.

  "More than I would have thought." Anger vibrated in his voice as he passed her without a single look on his way to the stairs. AJ flinched when she heard his bedroom door slam shut a minute later, and she couldn't help but think that he hadn't been talking about his injuries.

  TWELVE

  Sharp banging echoed somewhere nearby, startling AJ out of her restless sleep. She pushed up on her elbow and brushed the hair out of her eyes, squinting against the light streaming in through the open doors. The muscles in her neck protested when she looked around, trying to clear her mind of the last remnants of sleep. She untangled her legs from the blanket and slowly sat all the way up with a groan as her stiff muscles protested sleeping on the sofa all night.

  AJ frowned. She didn't remember falling asleep here; she must have dozed off after Alec stormed upstairs last night. So where had the blanket come from?

  Sounds of movement and more banging came from the kitchen. Alec was obviously awake already and fixing something to eat. He must have been the one to cover her with the blanket sometime during the night. AJ thought she should probably go into the kitchen and thank him, but she couldn't bring herself to do more than prop her elbows on her knees and lower her head into her hands.

  "There's coffee if you want some." Alec spoke from the doorway, and AJ briefly wondered how he had known she was awake. It didn't matter. What mattered was that his voice sounded even more distant and chilled than it did last night.

  She bit back a sigh and pushed herself off the sofa then shuffled to the large gourmet kitchen. It didn't matter that one leg of her sweatpants had pushed up to her knee, or that Alec's shirt was twisted around her waist. She focused only on making it to the coffee pot, on pouring the dark brew into a large mug and taking a deep sip. It burned as it slipped past her tongue, the heat hitting her system before the caffeine. She took another sip then cautiously searched out Alec above the rim.

  He was standing by the stove, throwing things into a frying pan, his back to her. There was no doubt he was still mad, not if his clipped motions were any indication. She took a few more sips of the coffee, topped off the mug, then walked over to the center island and pulled out a stool. A newspaper tossed on the counter caught her attention, and she paused before finally taking a seat, her eyes on the bold headline above her byline.

  Under that was a full color picture of Alec in the net, his helmet tipped back, his mouth slightly open as he drank from a water bottle. The picture was a great one, capturing the angles of his face, the depth of his eyes. AJ figured that a large portion of Baltimore's female population were now members of the Alec Kolchak fan club. Not that she had any room to talk, since she qualified as club President.

  She shifted on the stool to get comfortable, hooking
her feet around the legs and reaching out to pull the paper closer. She had read it yesterday, of course, but there was still a small flutter of excitement at seeing it in full color, at the sight of her byline, so prominent and—

  Suddenly pulled from her hands and tossed to the counter by the sink. AJ tucked her chin down and took another sip, not daring to look at Alec. He hadn't said anything since letting her know about the coffee. After ripping the paper out of her hands like he just did, he didn't have to say anything for her to know he was still upset.

  So AJ sat there, sipping her coffee and swinging her foot back and forth, staring at the island countertop as Alec finished cooking. His back was still to her, so she watched as he pulled the pan off the stove and tilted it over a plate.

  Her stomach suddenly grumbled, loud enough that there was no way Alec could have missed hearing it. She ducked her head and pretended to be focused only on drinking her coffee, then jumped in surprise when a plate and silverware were pushed in front of her.

  "Eat."

  AJ looked up, but he had already turned around, giving her his back once more. Which, she guessed, was fair enough, since he had gone back to mixing more things in the frying pan. She sighed and reached for the fork, taking a small bite of the omelet and trying not to groan in satisfaction at the taste.

  "This is good, thank you."

  Her words hung in the air, eliciting zero response from Alec. She took another bite and chewed, staring at his back, willing him to turn around and look at her. Several minutes passed until he tipped the pan over a second plate and slid his own omelet out, then tossed the pan into the sink with a bang. He grabbed his own fork then finally turned around, leaning against the counter to eat, his legs casually crossed, not even looking at her.