It was difficult to believe that Connor would stay interested in a woman like her for very long. Not when he had beauties throwing themselves at him.
* * * * *
Walking out the front doors of the busy club, Gina wrapped her coat tightly around herself as the wind pelted the rain like little bee stings across her cheeks.
Stopping short a few feet away from him, Gina caught Connor’s penetrating gaze.
Impervious to the rain slapping at him, Connor stood with arms crossed over his impressive chest, leaning beside the open passenger door of his parked car, waiting for her. Taking it for granted that she would pick up the gauntlet he had thrown down and meet him outside.
His taunt rang in her head—I dare you.
She swallowed tightly when he stood up straight and raised an arched brow. Watching her through narrowed eyes, he waited for her to take the final steps separating them.
I dare you.
Was it indecision that had her rooted to the spot or was it fear that tightened like a fist in the pit of her belly because she knew she was going to get into his car?
Instinctively, she knew that Connor wasn’t going to make the next move. Trepidation warring with anticipation, Gina erased the final steps between them. Standing in front of his imposing body, she craned her neck up to meet his infuriated gaze. It was hard to miss the tick jumping in his cheek. All she could say was, “You’re getting wet.”
A sardonic twist of an eyebrow, then he answered, “It’s raining.” With that said, he closed the remaining inches between them, took her arm in a firm grip and ushered her into his car. Gina winced when he shut the passenger door of his sleek sports car with barely controlled anger.
Connor got behind the wheel, but before he started the ignition, his cell rang. Glancing at it in annoyance, he answered with a clipped, “Yes.” He listened to the caller with a frown.
“I’m outside, Alex, getting ready to leave.” A pause, then he asked into the phone, “Which camera?” Nodding, he held out his phone and pressed on a few buttons, bringing up a view of the inside of the club.
Ah, that’s how he knew she was at the bar with Matt. Judging by the image on his screen, he had had a clear view of her through one of the security cameras.
“You’re right, man, take care of it for tonight and we’ll talk tomorrow. Thanks, Alex.”
Without looking in her direction, he ended the call, started the car and pulled out into the busy downtown traffic.
Unsure of what to say, Gina remained quiet, staring out at the raindrops being wiped back and forth across the windshield. It didn’t appear that Connor was in a hurry to interrupt the strained silence either.
It was only when the din of traffic dissipated that she noticed that he’d turned off onto the causeway leading into Stanley Park. The thousands of majestic cedar and fir trees lining the practically empty road created a dark canopy over them, cocooning them in the wet night.
Only the wipers moving over the windshield offered any relief to the growing silence until Connor bit off, “I asked you to wait in the lobby the other night. Imagine my surprise when I came down and found you gone.”
Glancing at him from under hooded lashes, Gina noted the hard clench of his jaw.
Okay, so they were going to talk about that night.
“Asked? Really? It sounded more like a command to me.”
Connor pulled onto a small paved peninsula overlooking the shimmering waters of the Pacific Ocean. The dark, cold night kept others away, leaving them in complete privacy. The sound of the powerful waves crashing against the rocks below them echoed between them.
“Why the games, Gina?” Turning now, he faced her.
Incredulous, Gina turned directly toward him. “Me? You’re accusing me of playing games?”
A humorless laugh escaped his chest. “Yeah, baby, you. One second you’re coming all over my mouth and squeezing my dick dry, then the next you’re taking off without a word.”
Shame at just how accurate his words were caused heat to seep into her face. What could she say to that? From the moment she had met him, she had been attracted to him on an elemental level. All he had to do was look at her and she burned with desire. She hadn’t been able to hide her attraction from either of them.
“I’ve always wondered about that email you sent. The wrong attachment, was that on purpose? Because, baby, if you were looking to get my attention, that was definitely original.”
Dumbfounded by the accusation, Gina could only stare at him in open-mouthed shock.
“Some women have pulled some crazy stunts to get a professional athlete to notice them, but that email—well I gotta say, Gina, that was hot. Tell me, if I hadn’t signed up to make your little wish list come true, who would have been the next punk to accidently receive that email from you?”
Not giving her a chance to respond, he asked mockingly, “Was one man enough to satisfy all of your needs, Gina?”
He continued without pause, “Is that why Matt was getting your special brand of attention tonight, hmm?” His hard look made him look enraged. “Getting ready to introduce him to your little games?”
Her hand shot out and landed squarely on his cheek, leaving a large red palm print on the side of his face.
“Oh my God,” Gina whispered in repugnance. She looked from the stamp of her palm print on Connor’s furious face down to her trembling hand in horror. Shaking her head, she couldn’t believe that she had just hit him! Her, the woman Andrew had accused of being lukewarm and passionless.
Why did this man have the ability to make her lose all sense of reason and control? What was wrong with her?
The last thought had her burning with a different emotion. Rage. The self-directed fury was a bitter pill to swallow. Why did she always allow men to make her feel as though there was something wrong with her? It was this very tendency that had prompted her life makeover to begin with.
Outrage flooding every molecule, Gina grabbed the door handle and jumped out of the car, yelling, “Go to hell!”
“Gina!” she heard Connor bellow as she slammed the door shut behind her.
Immune to the elements, Gina stumbled along the slick road, not caring where she went as long it was away from Connor.
The hard rain and wind howled past her lowered head, red-hot anger fueling her to put as much distance between her and Connor as possible. She screamed when strong arms ensnared her from behind, jerking her off her feet.
“Are you crazy?” Connor snarled. “Where the hell are you going in the dark? Hell, woman, you need a keeper!”
Squirming, Gina kicked back at his legs, trying to dislodge his steel hold. “Get your hands off me!”
Making connection with one of his shins only had Connor tightening his hold further, growling angrily, “Enough! You’re going to hurt yourself more than me.”
The absurdity of the situation suddenly stole the fight out of her, leaving her limp and drained.
She could only image the picture she made, hanging like a rag doll two feet off the ground in this bear of a man’s arms. If anyone came along them right now, they would be sure to call the cops.
That thought had her laughing out loud humorlessly. How in the world would they be able to explain this and keep it out of the gossip headlines?
“You think this is funny? Taking off like that, hell…” he trailed off, squeezing her tighter against his powerful chest. Not giving her a chance to respond, he turned and, still carrying her, made his way back to his car.
Instead of seating her in the passenger seat, Connor opened his door with one hand while keeping the other firmly locked around her waist. With what seemed like practiced movements, he had them both sitting face-to-face in the driver’s side, the seat pushed all the way back and Gina straddling his waist, facing his anger head-on.
Pulling back was impossible. She was effectively trapped between his firm chest and the steering wheel at her back.
Gripping her chin, he wiped a surp
risingly gentle hand along her forehead, moving her wet hair off her face.
“You look like the day we first met.” Connor chuckled softly. “Remember? The day you almost took me out for the rest of the season.”
And so the other shoe drops…
The moment she had been dreading all along was finally here. She had been afraid that Connor would be able to see past her new look and realize that the real Gina wasn’t all that different from that tear-streaked frumpy woman he had first met last year in the boardroom.
Sure, she had put together a rather racy sexual wish list, but that didn’t mean she could maintain a heightened level of sexual enticement to keep a man like Connor coming back for more. Her new look portrayed a confident, trendy, professional woman who went after what she wanted.
But what would happen when Connor lost interest? Because there was no question in her mind that he would—she couldn’t hold on to the attention of a professional athlete who travelled the world meeting sexy, sophisticated women who made a game of throwing themselves at him. After all, isn’t that what he had accused her of?
As if reading her mind, he bit out, “Stop running from me. Stop running from yourself and take what you know you want. You’re so damn busy reinventing yourself that you don’t realize that there was nothing wrong with you to begin with. A bloody haircut and new clothes don’t change what you fundamentally are on the inside. Why the hell can’t you see that?” Anger and disappointment marked his voice in equal measure.
“The question is,” he continued, “are you woman enough to know that you have what you want right in front of you. Do you have the courage to take what you want? Because, baby, make no mistake, we both know you want this as much as I do.”
Stunned by his piercing words, Gina battled within herself. Was she woman enough? That was the question that she had been grappling with since he had confronted her in office about the email she had sent by mistake. Did she have enough courage to have a relationship with someone like Connor?
Connor placed both of his hands on either side of her face, tilting her head back. “I can see those wheels turning.” He shook his head. “And with you, I know that’s not a good thing.”
Wicked intent danced in his eyes. “Nope, with you, Gina, I have to keep you distracted. Not give you too much time to weave excuses in that pretty little head of yours.” With that, he dropped his head to hers, capturing her lips in a kiss.
When she saw his head lowering to hers, she had braced herself for a hard, demanding kiss. But the butter-soft swipes of his tongue along her bottom lip disarmed her.
Connor kissed her with tenderness. Taking his time, sipping at her, slowly dipping his tongue into her mouth, prolonging the caress of his lips on hers.
Gina moved her hands down his chest, finding it impossible to keep her hands off him. Feeling his growing arousal, she wriggled her ass over his muscular thighs, her breath hitching at the instant reaction. She could feel her pussy reacting automatically and tightening in anticipation.
Reluctantly prying his mouth off hers with a groan, his hands gave her hips a tight squeeze, holding her firmly in place. He had to rein in his instant reaction to her body rubbing against his stiff cock. That was the problem with them, Connor acknowledged to himself, they acted on the sexual need that exploded like thunder between them, but they never discussed the implications of their desire.
He had never wanted a woman as much as he wanted Gina. The interesting part was that he wanted her for more than just sex. He wanted to talk to her, spend time with her—admittedly all new territory for him. But she blocked him at every turn. Yeah, she had given him access to her body, but had shut the door firmly in his face when he tried to move their relationship past just sex.
She wasn’t the typical rink bunny, who made it their life’s passion to snag a professional hockey player. Connor was pretty sure she hadn’t been with many partners in the past and it didn’t take a Ph.D in psychology to know that something big had precipitated her little makeover. That list of hers made it clear that she was looking to experiment, flex her sexual wings, so to speak. He was just as determined to be the only man who brought her the satisfaction that she was craving.
He was sick of Gina running away from him. “No way.” Moving his hand to her chin, he forced her to meet his gaze when she would have turned away. “I’m not going to let you distract either of us with this sweet body. I want some answers, Gina.
“Why have you been avoiding me? I thought for sure after our little experiment with the phone sex that things had changed between us, but you’ve dodged my every call and email since then,” he continued, censure clear in his tone.
He was stunned when Gina shrank back from him.
Reading her retreat correctly, he demanded, “What?”
Gina couldn’t help but feel a familiar stab of pain at the memory of hearing a woman’s voice answer his cell when she had called him after their bout of phone sex.
Shaking her head in a failed attempt to dislodge his fingers from her chin as much as the other woman’s voice from her head, Gina clenched her eyes shut.
“I called you later that night, after my date and your last text.”
His hands slipped to the back of her head, gently yanking at her hair, tugging her head back. “Yeah, we’re going to talk about your fucking date, sweet thing.” His body reacted instantly to the thought of her with another man, needing to claim her in such a way that it would leave her spent, too sated to even think about being with another man.
It was time to brand his woman and corral her in!
“You didn’t answer,” she continued, now opening her eyes, wanting to meet the truth head-on, not hide from it as she had in the past.
Confusion laced his words. “I didn’t see a missed call from you, are you sure you had the right number?”
“I had the right number,” she answered, a catch in her voice, her shaky composure threatened even more. “A woman answered your phone.”
Daring him to deny it, Gina kept her eyes locked on his.
Connor’s eyes narrowed in concentration. “Impossible…” His words drifted off. Then a devilish look came over him, making him shout out in laughter.
“You’re laughing at me?” she asked in disbelief.
“You really called me that night?” He lowered his voice in a provocative whisper, “Were you hot, Gina? Did you need my help to relieve some pressure?”
She couldn’t deny that that was the reason she had called him. She had been desperate for him, hoping to have his sexy voice and erotic words ease some of the ache.
Wicked humor still dancing in his gaze, Connor caressed her back. “Let me get this straight. You thought I was sending you erotic texts and making you come over the phone and then I was messing with another woman right after? Damn, you really bought into the whole ‘professional athletes having marathon sex parties while out of town’ bullshit. I didn’t take you for someone who painted people with a generic brush.”
Gina fought to control her anger at his continued laughter at her expense.
As if sensing this, Connor grew serious. “I went down to the hotel pool for a swim to work off some pent-up energy after calling you. After that, I went straight to bed. Alone. Turns out a cleaning lady found my cell phone on a chair by the pool. The hotel returned it to me the next morning. I didn’t realize that you’d called.”
Searching his eyes for any hint of deceit, Gina was hard-pressed to find it. Oddly enough, she believed him. He didn’t have to lie to her. He had never made any promises to her, nor were they officially in a relationship.
“While we’re clearing up ‘misunderstandings’, I really did send the wrong attachment by accident, I wasn’t hitting on you,” Gina mumbled, pride making her want to clear up his earlier misconception.
Connor threw his head back and laughed harder this time. His body shook with amusement. “I know that. I only said that earlier to get a rise out of you. Man, Gina, you should have s
een the look on your face that day in your office when I started reading out your little list.
“I have never seen the color drain out of anyone’s face faster. I thought I was going to have to resuscitate you.” Brushing a finger along her jaw, he continued, “A little mouth-to-mouth to get you breathing again.” His finger dipped into her mouth, running along the edges of her teeth.
Unable to resist, Gina sucked his finger into her mouth.
Connor closed his eyes and moaned, his cock hardening instantly, pressing against her bottom. He moved in a failed attempt to relieve the pressure and inadvertently pressed Gina against the steering wheel. The resulting car horn making them both jump in surprise.
“Ah shit, Gina. Why is it that our timing is always off? The last time I made out in car was in high school. I’m too old for this. We need to find a proper bed.”
“I don’t know, Connor, I think our timing has been just fine, considering you were able to help me check off all five items on my wish list.” Her hand slid seductively down his chest, over his stomach to stop and cup him in her hand. Her building desire making her bold, she squeezed tenderly, with just enough pressure to elicit a groan from him.
“Gina—I’m warning you,” he growled when she teased him with a long, wet kiss.
Grabbing hold of her face again, he pulled her back enough to look her directly in the eye. “No more running away from me, from this. And I swear to God, Gina, I better not see another man’s hands on you…” Shaking his head, his words trailed off threateningly.
Connor leaned down and bit at her lip and with a devilish glint in his eye, asked, “Gina, did you ever consider putting ‘spanking’ on your wish list?” His palm landing with a delicious tingle on her ass, making her jump on his lap.
New Game in Town Page 8
