Once Upon a Power Play

by Jennifer Bonds

  Two hours later when he cornered her under the mistletoe and demanded a kiss, she was putty in his very capable hands.

  Chapter Sixteen

  A little voice in the back of Chloe’s head chastised her for going home with Ryan—again—but she shut that bitch down, refusing to give her the satisfaction. It was Christmas and she wasn’t going to spend the evening alone. Besides, after spending the day watching Ryan sneak cookies to the kids and then save her ass pinch hitting for Santa? Damn the man was hot.

  I’m taking a spin on the North Pole.

  I need it. And I deserve it. I don’t care if I end up on the naughty list.

  It was a bad idea. But it didn’t have to mean anything.

  Woah.

  She threw the e-brake on that train wreck of a thought and gave herself a mental face palm. It didn’t mean anything. He was Ryan-freaking-Douglas, NHL playmaker and sex god extraordinaire. Of course, he was also an actual honest-to-God, real-life, living breathing nice guy, the kind of man she firmly believed was an endangered species. Not that it mattered. Based on what little she knew of his ex-girlfriend, she was the polar opposite of everything he wanted in a woman. So, yeah, whatever it was they were doing, it had an expiration date.

  “Close your eyes,” Ryan ordered, covering her eyes and leaving her no choice but to comply. With a hand pressed to her back, he guided her down the hall to what her semi-functional sense of direction said was the living room. A slow flush crept over her, heating her cheeks as she remembered the last time she’d visited his apartment on a whim. Whatever he had in mind, she could rest assured they’d be alone tonight. Probably.

  “Keep them closed,” he instructed, withdrawing his hand. There was a quiet rustle from across the room. The scent of pine teased her nose. And damn if she didn’t want to peek. Just one teensy, tiny little looksee. He’d never know, right? What the hell was he up to anyway?

  Before she could even crack an eyelid, Ryan’s hand returned to the small of her back, resting there as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  “You’d better not be peeking,” he said, brushing his lips across her ear. His tongue darted out, sliding down her earlobe and teasing her in the most erotic of caresses.

  “And if I am?” she asked, a grin lifting the corners of her mouth as she squeezed her eyes tighter and pushed all thoughts of expiration dates from her head. “Will you put me on the naughty list, Santa?”

  “I’d rather put you on the nice list,” he whispered, swatting her bottom. The sting of his open palm roused an insatiable need that only he could satisfy. “Open your eyes.”

  Desperate to see what he’d been up to, Chloe blinked her eyes open. The soft glow of twinkling Christmas lights washed over her, illuminating the darkened room. Before her stood the most amazing tree in the city. It wasn’t some impeccably planned designer tree. It was the real deal, the kind with mismatched, homemade ornaments dangling from the branches and no rhyme or reason to the placement, although she had no doubt each had been hung with love. It was the kind of tree she hadn’t seen since her childhood—nine feet tall with a gold star on top that even Ryan would have needed a stool to put in place.

  It was perfect.

  “Oh my God. Ryan, I love it.” She turned to him, placing a hand on the hard muscles of his chest. “When on earth did you have time to do this?”

  “Last night,” he admitted, scratching the back of his head and looking entirely boyish in the process. “My mom couldn’t stand the thought of me spending the holidays alone with no tree, so she packed up all the ornaments from my tree back home and shipped them here.”

  “That’s incredibly sweet.” Turning to the tree, she brushed her fingers over a pair of crisscrossed hockey sticks made from popsicle sticks. It wasn’t hard to imagine a much younger Ryan sitting at the kitchen table painting them. “Did you make all of these yourself?”

  Ryan stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her, a wicked gleam in his eye. “If I say yes, does that improve the chances of you staying the night?”

  “If you want to improve those chances, take a shower.” She flashed him a taunting grin. “You smell like one of those little green tree air fresheners.”

  A crease formed between his brows. “Just one problem.” The wicked gleam in his eye shifted, spreading to the dangerous curve of his mouth as he advanced, stalking her like a lion stalks its prey. “I hate to shower alone.”

  Chloe lunged right, but he was too fast, scooping her up and swinging her over his shoulder. She squealed, trying to wiggle from his grip, but it was pointless. The man was twice her size. When those strong arms of his locked around the back of her knees, she was toast.

  “What are you going to do with me?” she asked, enjoying the warmth of his hard body against hers. Lust pooled in her belly as she contemplated her fate.

  Ryan chuckled. “Princess, what you should be asking is what won’t I do with you?”

  He carried her down the hall and into the bathroom. Stopping in front of the shower, he opened the door. Although she couldn’t see what he was doing, she heard him twist the knob, releasing a fast and furious spray of water that pelted the tile. When he finally set her feet on the floor again, steam was beginning to fill the room.

  Instead of removing his own clothes, he went to work on hers, wordlessly unbuttoning her blouse with painfully slow movements. Chloe shifted her weight from one foot to the other, anxious for what was to follow. The fact that he smelled like a used car was suddenly the least of her concerns. The need to mold her body to Ryan’s and feel him sink deep inside her was the only thing that mattered.

  Stretching up on her toes, she grabbed the back of his neck and brought his mouth to hers, fusing their lips together as desire crashed through her body, rocking it to the core. Ryan’s tongue parted her lips, probing and thrusting with delicious precision. She barely recognized the sensual moan his touch elicited from her. Moving with greater urgency, he pushed the blouse from her shoulders, running his calloused hands down her arms. When the shirt fell away and their hands met, he laced his fingers with hers, locking them together. A shiver ran down her spine.

  Ryan’s mouth left hers, burning a trail of kisses down her chin, along her neck and over her collarbone. Delicious, sensual kisses that consumed all rational thought. Chloe unbuttoned her jeans and kicked them off. Shifting her attention to Ryan’s clothes, she grabbed the bottom of his Henley and pulled it over his head, revealing the well-muscled abs that frequented her dreams on a pretty regular basis. Then she leaned down and licked those damn abs, digging her fingers into the cut muscles of his hips and thighs as she worked her way down the length of his body. He groaned.

  She eyed the shower. Figured. Her entire apartment would fit in the spa-like oasis. It was the most divine thing she’d ever seen in her life. How had she missed this on her last visit? Made of a neutral gray stone, it was big enough to fit the entire damn hockey team and had one, two, three… six shower heads. She nearly came on the spot.

  If it meant she got to take advantage of that shower, she was more than happy to indulge in whatever steamy fantasy he had planned. Leaning one shoulder into the tiled wall, he watched appreciatively as she stripped off her bra and underwear, foregoing any attempt at a striptease to get into that orgasmic shower.

  “See something you like?” he asked with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Do you?” she returned, refusing to let him bait her. Instead, she stepped into the shower, leaving him behind. She stood in the center of the tiled oasis, letting the hot spray massage her body from every angle. Closing her eyes, she tipped her head back, letting the tension ease from her muscles. “Oh my God,” she moaned. “This is even better than I imagined.”

  When she opened her eyes, Ryan stood before her looking deliciously perfect. And naked. The powerful shoulders that had carried her just minutes ago were bare, revealing the taught muscles that supported her as if she were light as air. And his
abs. The well-defined eight pack spoke to countless hours in the gym. They should’ve been on the cover of a romance novel. They really were that lickable. Unable to stop herself, she continued the full body scan, taking in his thick erection before returning to his face.

  “Princess, if this is the stuff your fantasies are made of,” he said, nodding at the showerheads, “you need a better imagination.”

  He wasn’t wrong. She couldn’t dream this up if she tried. Her mouth felt as if it had been stuffed with a hundred cotton balls. Silently, she watched as Ryan filled his palm with a sea green shower gel. He rubbed his hands together, working up a good lather. When he finally reached for her, he spun her around so she couldn’t see what he was up to. Standing with her back to him, waiting for him to touch her again, she was in hell. It felt like an eternity passed before he lowered his palms to her shoulders and began massaging them, his fingers digging deep as he worked the soft tissue.

  Chloe groaned. The man had good hands. There was no doubt about it. He worked his way down her back, his hands slipping around her belly, sliding lower and lower, stroking lazy circles across her slick skin. The ache between her legs reached a fever pitch as she stretched up on her tip toes, trying to force his hands lower still. When he found her center, he teased her opening, running a single finger back and forth with agonizing precision. She clenched her legs, desperate for him to take her. Their bodies slick from the shower gel, he rubbed his erection against the cleft of her ass.

  Turned out, the man also had inhuman self-control. Not that she was complaining, exactly. Not when he grabbed one of those shower heads and lowered it to the V between her legs, letting the water pressure do glorious things to her body. Bracing her hands against the wall of the shower, she rode the wave of pleasure, her body tensing for release. Ryan rotated the shower head, angling it up. She nearly lost her mind from the change in pressure.

  “Oh, Ryan,” she panted, twisting around to face him, her back pinned to the wall of the shower. “If you keep that up, I’m not going to need you.”

  “Wrong answer,” he growled, replacing the showerhead. Sliding his hands under her ass, he lifted her up. Then his lips were on her, his kisses consuming her every thought as he teased her opening with his erection. She bit her lip, her body preparing for another reality altering orgasm. His mouth moved down the length of her neck and across her collarbone. When his lips closed over her nipple, he sucked with such ferocity that her back bowed, the tip of his penis slipping inside of her.

  He groaned, freezing in place. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that,” he said, lowering his forehead to hers. “Fuck. You feel so good.”

  She caressed his cheek, hardly able to believe the words about to come out of her mouth. “It’s okay. I’m on the pill.” She could feel her cheeks heating up. “And I’m clean. I mean, I’ve been checked, so, yeah, I’m good. I mean, if you are.”

  “Me, too,” he said, clenching his jaw as his hips shifted and he slid deeper inside of her. “Regular physicals are kind of a job requirement.” He studied her with eyes so serious she’d have sworn they could see right through to her soul. “Are you sure?”

  Chloe weighed her response, knowing he was giving her an out, an opportunity to change her mind. But she wouldn’t take it. She trusted him. “I’m sure.”

  The mood in the shower shifted. Chloe ignored the niggling voice in the back of her head that said this was a stupid move, the one that said this felt like a hell of a lot more than two adults giving one another pleasure. Ryan must’ve felt it, too. His kisses became deeper, harder, as he wound his fingers through her hair, thrusting deep and hard. Gripping his shoulders, Chloe held him tight as he rocked his hips against hers, driving them both toward the explosive finale. And she knew it would be explosive. Making lo—having sex with nothing separating their bodies meant a new level of trust. For the first time, they were truly joined. Everything felt more intense, like it was their first time again.

  Ryan’s grip on her hips tightened, and she knew he was close. They were going to come together. What could be more perfect than that? The tension in her belly coiled tight, exploding from her center and sending a torrent of pleasure crashing through her body. Ryan stiffened as he gave a final thrust, driving deep, their bodies molded together. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight as his body sagged against hers, the tiled wall providing support for both of them.

  Afterward, as Ryan washed her body again, his fingers gently working a soapy lather over her limbs, she wondered if they’d gone too far. Crossed a line, perhaps? Did it matter? Even if they had, she couldn’t—wouldn’t—bring herself to regret it.

  Ryan flipped through the channels on the television, looking for something—anything—to take his mind off the thoughts that had been circling his brain all day. With Chloe curled up next to him wearing nothing but a sheet, it was impossible to ignore the obvious. Somewhere between all the bickering and the scorching hot sex, they’d become… something more. Or did he just want something more? Either way, it scared the hell out of him. After everything he’d gone through with Kelsey, the idea of taking that risk again wasn’t exactly appealing. But Chloe wasn’t Kelsey. She was different, something she’d shown him in so many small ways over the last couple of weeks. What they could have—if she’d give him the chance—had to be worth the risk. For both of them.

  Catching the theme song for Gremlins, he stopped on Spike TV. Perfect. Nothing like little green monsters on Christmas to occupy the mind, right?

  Chloe propped herself on one elbow, her nose scrunched up. “Of all the Christmas movies on TV, this is the one you’re going to watch?”

  “No,” he said, pulling her close and covering her body with the sheet. “This is the one we are going to watch. What do you have against Gremlins anyway?”

  He could practically see her eyes rolling when she responded. “Aside from the fact that they’re murderous little beasts? The whole thing is depraved. I mean, that one chick’s dad gets stuck in the chimney and dies on Christmas Eve. I swear I was terrified growing up that Santa was going to get stuck in my chimney.”

  “You had a chimney in the city?” he asked, knowing the odds were nil.

  “Not the point,” she replied with a sniff.

  “Let me make sure I’ve got this right. No Star Wars. No Star Trek. Now no Gremlins?” He groaned. “We really need to work on your cinematic education. Starting right now. Gremlins is the best anti-Christmas holiday movie ever. It’s a classic. The animatronics in this film were cutting edge back in the eighties. If they remade it today, it would be all CGI and it would completely bastardize the whole thing.”

  “On second thought.” She snickered, snaking her arms across his belly and grabbing the remote. “Less geek talk, more Gremlins. I do love me some Gizmo.”

  “What’s not to love?” he agreed. Reaching under the nightstand, he pulled out the box he’d wrapped earlier in the day. The woman had crap taste in movies, but it didn’t change anything. It was now or never. He laid the box on her lap, hoping like hell she would understand the significance of the gesture. “Merry Christmas, Chloe.”

  “What’s this?” Holding the sheet to her breasts, she sat up again. “You got me a present?” She licked her lips and tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing the tips of her ears had turned bright red. “I didn’t get you anything.”

  The look of dejection on her face was like a punch to the gut. His hand shot out instinctively, lifting her chin and forcing her to meet his eyes. “Yes, you did, Chloe. Maybe it didn’t come wrapped up in a box with a shiny bow on top, but you gave me something better, something so genuine and unexpected. Something I will never forget.”

  She studied him with curious eyes, chewing on her bottom lip.

  “You believed in me when I needed it most, when you didn’t have any reason to, and when a hell of a lot of other people didn’t. Your support, the support you gave so freely, meant more than you can possibly know.”

  �
�I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t say anything,” he said, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. Leaning into his touch, she closed her eyes and slid her hand over the top of his. “Why don’t you open the box?”

  She nodded and pulled the bow loose, taking her sweet time opening the gift that had his heart in his throat, beating wildly. Hell, if she didn’t pick up the pace, he might choke on it. Finally, she tore the paper from the box and shook it open. When she folded the tissue paper back to reveal the contents, her eyes grew wide.

  “Is this your jersey?” she asked, pulling it from the box and spreading it over her lap. Her fingers traced the letters of his name almost reverently.

  “It’s from my first season with the Rangers,” he explained, suddenly at a loss for words despite practicing them in his head a hundred times as he’d wrapped the gift. “I want you to have it.”

  “Why?”

  Talk about a loaded question. Stalling, he raked his hands through his hair as he grasped for the right words. While Chloe preferred the direct approach, he was pretty sure “I want to be more than fuck buddies” was a little too insensitive for what he had in mind. “You’re my girl and I want the entire world to know it. I want you to know it. What we have? It’s good, but it can be so much better.”

  An eternity passed while he waited for her to say something. Anything. His gut churned with unease as he wondered if he’d fucked everything up.

  “I’m not sure what to say,” she finally admitted, wrinkling her brow. Not exactly the reaction he was hoping for. “Won’t a relationship ruin everything? Seriously. As soon as we get invested, it will all go to hell. Trust me, I’m the expert on breakups, remember? Happens every time. Besides, things are going so well. Why screw it up?”