by Alison Kent
“I paid a visit to my stepmother today,” she said.
She filled him in on the details, leaving her conversation with Doug for the end. Brody’s jaw tensed at the mention of Doug’s name, but as he’d promised her that night they’d skated at the arena, he didn’t freak out about it. When she’d finished, he set his wineglass on the wide rail ringing the deck and gently caressed her shoulders.
“You didn’t have to tell him about us,” he said.
The remark surprised her. “Of course I did. I told you about him. Doesn’t he deserve the same courtesy?” She lifted her glass to her lips.
“You’re right.” He paused. “So it’s over between you and Doug?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “He hung up on me, which is very uncharacteristic of him. I don’t think he’s happy with me at the moment.”
When Brody didn’t answer, she put down her wine and reached up to cup his strong chin with her hands. “You’re not happy with me, either, are you?”
He looked her in the eye and said, “I am happy, babe.”
“You are?”
“I love being with you, Hayden.” He blew out a ragged breath. “And I’m glad it’s over with Doug. It was frustrating sometimes, knowing there was another man in your life. And not just any man, but a man who works in your field, who shares your passion for art and is probably much better at those intellectual conversations you’re always trying to have with me. I feel like a dumb oaf in comparison.”
A pained look flashed across his handsome face, and it took her a moment to realize it wasn’t really pain she saw in his eyes, but vulnerability. The idea that Brody Croft, the most masculine man she’d ever met, could be vulnerable stole the breath from her lungs. God, did he actually feel inadequate? Had she made him feel that way?
Her heart squeezed at the thought and she found herself reaching for him. She twined her arms around his strong, corded neck and brushed her lips over his. “You’re not a dumb oaf,” she murmured, running her fingers over the damp hair curling at the nape of his neck.
“Then you won’t mind if I make an intelligent, rational point about how difficult you’re being.”
She raised her chin. “And what on earth am I being difficult about?”
Brody let out a breath. “Come on, Hayden, you think I don’t see that look in your eyes whenever I have a plane to catch? Every time I left town this week you withdrew from me. I felt it.”
Discomfort coiled inside her belly, causing her to drop her arms from his neck. Why was he bringing this up?
“See, you’re doing it again,” he pointed out, smiling faintly.
“I just…” She inhaled slowly. “I don’t see why it’s an issue.”
“If it keeps you from entering into a relationship with me, then it is an issue.”
A tiny spark of panic lit up inside her. “We agreed to keep things casual.”
“You agreed to keep an open mind.”
“Trust me, my mind is very open.”
“Your heart isn’t.” His tone was so gentle she felt like crying.
She drifted over to the railing, curling her fingers over the cool steel. Brody moved so they were standing side by side, but she couldn’t look at him. She knew exactly where this conversation was going, and she had no idea how to proceed.
“I think we have something really good here,” he said quietly, resting his hand on hers and slowly stroking her knuckles. “You’ve got to admit we’re good together, Hayden. Sexually, sure, but in other areas, as well. We never run out of things to talk about, we enjoy each other’s company, we make each other laugh.”
She finally turned her head and met his eyes. “I know we’re good together, okay?”
It was incredibly hard admitting it, but it was the truth. Brody made her body sing, he made her heart soar, and she couldn’t imagine any other man doing that. But she also couldn’t imagine them ever having a stable life together.
“But I want someone I can build a home with.” Tears pricked her eyelids. “I want to have kids, and a white picket fence, a dog. I did the whole hockey-lifestyle as a kid. I don’t want to be sitting on airplanes for half the year, and when I have children, I don’t want to be home alone with them while their father is gone.”
He was silent for a moment. “I won’t play hockey forever,” he said finally.
“Do you plan on retiring soon?”
After a beat of hesitation, he said, “No.”
Disappointment thundered inside her, but really, what was she expecting? That he’d throw his arms around her and say, Yes, Hayden, I’ll retire! Tomorrow! Now! Let’s build a life together!
It wasn’t fair to ask him to give up a career he obviously loved, but she also wasn’t willing to give up her own goals and dreams. She knew what she wanted from a relationship, and no matter how much she loved being with Brody, he couldn’t give that to her.
“I wish you’d reconsider,” he murmured. He shifted her around and moved closer so that his body was flush against hers. “Damn, we fit so well together.”
She rubbed her pelvis against his. They did fit. Even though he was a head taller, their bodies seemed to mesh in the most basic way, and when he was inside her…God, when he was inside her she’d never felt more complete.
A soft moan escaped her lips at the delicious image of Brody’s hardness filling her, and suddenly the tension of the day drained from her body and dissolved into a pool of warmth between her legs. Suddenly everything they’d just been talking about didn’t seem to matter. Brody’s job, her need for stability—it all faded away the moment he pressed his body to hers.
“Let’s not talk anymore,” she whispered. “Please, Brody, no more talking.”
Her arousal must have been written all over her face because he ran his hands down her back and squeezed her buttocks. “You’ve got a one-track mind,” he grumbled.
“Says the man who’s fondling my ass,” she murmured, relieved that the tension had eased. The heavy weight of the painful revelations they’d just shared floated away like a feather.
Brody bent his head and covered her mouth with his. The kiss took her breath away, made her sag into his rock-hard chest as his greedy tongue explored the crevices of her mouth. Keeping one hand on her ass, he moved the other one to the front of her slacks, deftly popped open the button and tugged at the thin material.
Pulling back, he pushed her slacks off her body, waited for her to step out of them, then tossed them aside. Goose bumps rose on her thighs the second the night air hit her skin. She wore a pair of black bikini panties that Brody quickly disposed of.
“Your neighbors can see us,” she protested when he reached for her blouse.
“Not where we’re going.” He quickly removed her shirt and bra, then lifted her into his arms and headed for the steps of the deck.
She wriggled in his embrace, self-conscious about her naked body being carried around in his backyard, but he kept a tight grip on her. Quickening his strides, he moved across the grass toward the gazebo, ascended the small set of stairs leading into it and set her on her feet.
Her heels made a clicking noise as they connected with the cedar floor of the little structure. She looked around the gazebo, admiring the intricate woodwork and plush white love seat tucked in the corner. When she turned back to Brody, he was as naked as she was.
She laughed. “Let me guess, sex in the gazebo is one of your fantasies?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve wanted to do this since the moment this damn thing was built.”
“What, none of your hockey groupies ever wanted to do it in the wilderness of your backyard?” she teased.
“I’ve never brought a woman home before.”
She forced her jaw to stay closed. He’d never brought a woman home before? The implications of that statement troubled her, but she didn’t feel like dwelling on them now. As she’d said, no more talking.
At the moment, all she wanted to do was fulfill this gorgeous man’s fantasy.
11
HE’D STARTLED HER with his admission. He’d seen it in Hayden’s eyes the moment he’d confessed to never having brought a woman home, but fortunately that flicker of wariness had faded. Her eyes now glimmered with passion, and he loved that she wasn’t complaining about the way he’d stripped her naked and carried her out to the gazebo.
Lord, she turned him on in the fiercest way. He’d sensed the untamed passion in her the moment they’d met, experienced it that first night when he’d made love to her on the hallway floor, reveled in it the night she’d tied him up to her bed and devoured his body. She was full of surprises, and he couldn’t get enough of her. He loved her sass and her intelligence and her dry humor, the way she challenged him and aroused him and made him feel like more than just a hockey player.
“So what does the fantasy involve?” she asked, resting her hands on her bare hips.
He swept his gaze over her curvy body, trying to put his needs into words. He had no idea how the fantasy played out, only that his hands tingled with the urge to fondle her full, perky breasts and slip between her shapely legs.
The night breeze grew stronger, snaking into the gazebo and making his cock swell and thicken as the warm air caressed it. The wind also succeeded in hardening Hayden’s small, pink nipples, which were now standing up as if demanding his attention.
But instead of reaching out to touch her, he cleared his throat and said, “Lie down on the love seat.”
There was no objection. Her heels clacked against the floor as she walked over to the small couch and draped herself over the cushions. When she reached for the clasp on her right shoe he held up his hand. “Leave them on,” he ordered.
“Why do men always get turned-on by a naked woman in high heels?”
“Because it’s damn hot,” he replied with a roll of his eyes.
“So are you just going to stand there and watch me, or do you plan to join me?”
“Eventually.”
They were the same words they’d spoken to each other the night she’d admitted her taste for bondage, only this time he was the one in charge. He leaned against the railing of the gazebo and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve gotta give me some incentive, babe.”
“Hmm. Like this kind of incentive?” She slid her hands to her breasts.
His breath hitched when she squeezed the lush mounds with her palms, the motion making her tits look bigger, fuller. With an impish smile, she stroked the underside of each breast, circling her nipples with her fingers and then dragging her thumbs over each hard bud.
He almost fell over backward at the sight of Hayden fondling her own breasts. His mouth was so dry he could barely swallow. He allowed her to play for a bit, then narrowed his eyes and muttered, “Spread your legs.”
She did, and his breath caught in his throat again. From where he stood he could see every tantalizing inch of her glistening sex. He wanted to lick those smooth pink folds, shove his tongue inside that sweet paradise and make Hayden scream with pleasure, but he held back. His erection throbbed as he curled his fingers over his shaft.
Making slow, lazy strokes to his cock, he gave her a heavy-lidded look and said, “Touch yourself.”
“Sure you don’t want to do that for me?” Her voice came out throaty, so full of unbridled lust he almost came on the spot.
“Humor me,” he squeezed out.
“It’s your fantasy.” She shrugged, grinned, and promptly lowered her hand between her legs.
Oh, man, this woman was incredible. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as she dragged her index finger down her slick folds and rubbed her swollen sex.
“That’s it,” he said hoarsely. “Get yourself nice and hot, Hayden.”
She replied with a soft whimper. Her cheeks grew flushed the more she kept stroking herself. The hazy look in her eyes told him she was close, but her fingers continued to avoid the one place he knew would drive her over the edge.
She lifted her hand. “Brody,” she murmured anxiously.
He chuckled. “Uh-uh. You won’t be getting any help from me.”
Agitation flickered in her eyes but still he remained on the other side of the gazebo. After a moment she gave a strangled groan and her hand returned between her thighs.
And then she came.
His hand froze over his erection. He was one dangerous stroke from a release he wasn’t ready for, but for the life of him he couldn’t tear his eyes from the gorgeous woman climaxing in front of him. Arching her back, Hayden cried out, moan after moan filling the warm night. Any neighbor by an open window could’ve heard her, but she didn’t seem to care, and neither did Brody. He was a professional hockey player; his neighbors probably expected female moans of ecstasy to drift out of his house.
He leaned back against the rail and relished every moment, from the contented sighs that slipped out of her throat to the way she’d spread her legs even wider, her heels still strapped to her feet.
When she finally grew still, he crooked his finger at her. Despite the sluggishly sated look in her eyes, she stumbled from the love seat and made her way over to him.
“Has anyone ever told you you’re the sexiest woman on the planet?” he murmured before dropping a kiss on her lips.
She responded with a lethargic smile. The remnants of orgasm he saw flashing across her delicate face only made him harder. Suddenly impatient, he bent down and grabbed a condom from the pocket of his jeans, then smoothed it over his throbbing shaft. Without giving her time to recover, he gripped her hips with both hands, maneuvered her around so her ass was pressed against his hard-on and drove his unbelievably stiff cock inside her damp sex.
She moaned, leaning forward and clutching at the railing with her hands. The move caused her bottom to raise, allowing him even better access. He withdrew slowly, rotated his hips the way he knew she liked, then plunged right back in to the hilt.
“This is going to be fast,” he warned, his voice sounding gruff and apologetic to his ears. He wanted to make it last for her, but the way his cock kept pulsating, he knew it wouldn’t be long before he toppled over that cliff into oblivion.
“I love everything you do to me. Fast, slow, hard, I don’t care. Just make love to me.”
The whispered reply brought a smile to his lips, but it was the phrase make love that caused his chest to tighten. It was the first time she’d referred to what they were doing as making love, and hearing the words brought a rush of pleasure so great his knees almost buckled.
He suddenly felt the primal need to claim this woman. Quickening his pace, he thrust into her, again and again, until his orgasm slithered down his spine, clutched at his balls, and the world in front of him fragmented in shards of light. He shuddered, palming a sweet breast with one hand while stroking the small of Hayden’s back with the other, wanting to hold on to her for as long as possible.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck, inhaling the scent of her vanilla and lavender body lotion. She gave a breathy sigh and murmured, “Your fantasies are almost as good as mine.”
“Almost as good?” He laughed. “Wait until I tie you up. Then we’ll see who has the hottest fantasy.”
She disentangled herself from his embrace and turned to kiss him. Then she drifted to the entrance of the gazebo. “Think any of your neighbors will see me streaking through the yard?”
“Now you’re self-conscious?”
She offered a rueful look. “I guess you’re right. The whole neighborhood probably heard me, huh?”
“You are kinda loud…”
He bent down and grabbed his wool trousers, pulling them up his hips. Finding his shirt and jacket, he tucked them under his arm, walked over to Hayden and extended his arm. “Shall I walk the unclothed lady to the house?”
“You could at least let me wear your shirt.”
“Nope. I want to experience the splendor of your body during this evening stroll.”
“Screw strolling. I’m running.�
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Before he could blink she bounded down the gazebo’s steps and tore across the yard, her firm ass pale in the moonlight. Laughing, he took off after her, hoping to keep her naked just a little bit longer, but she was already slipping her sweater over her head when he reached the deck.
“Spoilsport,” he grumbled.
She put on her panties and slacks, then gestured to the back door. “You still have to give me a tour of the upstairs,” she reminded him.
“Any room in particular you’d like to see?”
“Definitely one that features a bed. Or a removable showerhead.”
With a grin, he grabbed their wineglasses from the railing and followed her inside. “Do you want more wine?” he asked.
“No, thanks.”
She suddenly went quiet as he placed the glasses in the sink, and when he turned to look at her he saw her expression had grown somber.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” She let out a breath. “I was thinking about my dad.”
Brody made a face. “We just had mind-blowing sex and you’re thinking about your dad?”
“It’s just…the wine.” She gestured to the bottle still sitting on the cedar counter. “It made me think about what Sheila told me today. You know, about my dad’s drinking…” Her voice trailed, the distress in her eyes unmistakable.
“Are you going to talk to him about it?”
“Yes. No.” She exhaled again. “I don’t want to confront him right now, not when he’s smack in the middle of this scandal.”
“We’re all in the middle of it now. We were told today that the investigation is under way. All the players are being interviewed this week.”
Her green eyes glimmered with distress. “What kind of questions will you be asked?”
Brody shrugged. “They’ll probably ask us what we know about the allegations, try to coax confessions out of us, quiz us about whether we know if another player was involved.”
“Are they going to ask about my dad?”
He nodded.
Resting her hands against the counter, she went silent for a moment, her pretty features shadowed by worry. He could tell she was upset by all of this, especially with everything she was learning about her father, and though he had no intention of making her feel worse, he unwittingly did so with his next statement.