“Iz, relax. We have plenty of time. We’re actually in a holding pattern right now.”
She patted herself down. “But what about me? I’m a mess!”
As usual, she couldn’t have been more wrong. She was gorgeous as always. Her pants had nary a wrinkle in them, her tailored blouse sat on her frame as if it was scared of retaliation if it went one centimeter out of line, and her hair looked like she’d just stepped out of a salon. “Seriously, Izzy? You look fabulous, as always.”
I knew more than one of the guys would be looking her way.
“You always say that.”
“Fine. I have things under control here. You go freshen up.”
“Thank you!” She ran out of the room like the hounds of hell were on her heels, leaving me alone.
I was at loose ends. It was strange being in someone else’s house whom you’d only met a few times for business purposes. Not only had I made myself at home in O’Dell’s place, I had become intimate with his kitchen while cooking the Thanksgiving dinner. I’d rifled through his cabinets searching for china, silverware, serving dishes, and glasses. Not to mention the journey I’d taken through various closets looking for a tablecloth or two—not that I ever found any.
Izzy bounded back into the room. Her spirits were high, so I had to assume that whatever she did to herself had made her feel like she was a new woman. “They’re here!” She rushed around, filling the wine glasses on the bar. “What should I say to them?”
“Uh, how about ‘good game’? ‘Happy Thanksgiving’? Or you could go all out and say ‘hi!’” I knew she didn’t appreciate my sarcasm, and she wasn’t used to being around these guys like I was, but they were just ordinary people who were great athletes and happened to make a ton of money.
“Yeah, I can see how any of those things could work. I don’t know why I’m so nervous about meeting these guys. It’s not like I haven’t been around sports people most of my life. Maybe I’m still getting used to the fact that you’re dating Magnus. I’ll be on my best behavior. Promise.”
I wasn’t worried about her behavior. She was an adult. She could behave any way she wished. Besides, I knew she’d be fine after the initial introductions.
O’Dell was the first to enter. “Hi, ladies.” He walked over and kissed my cheek. “It smells incredible in here. Thank you so much for doing this for us.” He stuck his hand out to Izzy. “I’m Riordan, but call me Rio. It’s nice to meet you.”
I turned around to look for Magnus and ran into his solid chest. “Oof.” His arms steadied me before he leaned in for a kiss. “Wait. Let me see that eye.” I traced the angry black-and-blue bruise marring his beautiful face. “I hate Smitty.”
“I’m not a big fan either. That hurt.” His arms wrapped around my waist, holding me tight. “Thank you for all of this.” His gaze took in our surroundings. The table was set for eight, with two additional place settings at the high-top bar.
“You’re welcome.”
Magnus’ arms left me and I felt bare, but he snatched my hand in his, tugging me along. “Come with me a sec.”
I happily followed. When we reached the relative privacy of a darkened hallway, he turned and kissed me in earnest. I’d never get enough of his lips. They were soft and hard at the same time. Rough and gentle. Giving, yet demanding. My hands rested on his chest as his went to my hips before they drifted down to grip my bottom.
“I love this ass.” His lips left mine to give attention to my neck and the hollow at the base of my throat. Magnus’ kisses were drugging. My body went tight in anticipation when he continued to move his hot, wet mouth over my skin. When I felt his tongue slip between my breasts, I jumped. I had to have him soon.
“Aw, come on, guys. Get a room.” Magnus hadn’t heard O’Dell come walking up to us, of course, so I lifted his head up. He wasn’t embarrassed in the least. I was pretty sure my face was three shades of red.
“Hey, Rio.”
Riordan smiled and continued down the hall, shaking his head.
Mags pulled me to him again, but I pushed him back. I had things to do, and as much as I enjoyed being mauled by him in the hallway, it wasn’t the best place to do so.
I managed to extricate myself from Mags’ grabby hands and get back to the kitchen where I was pleased to see Izzy comfortably talking to the guys and their girls, who had shown up while Mags and I were making out like teenagers.
After all of the introductions were done and drinks filled every hand, Izzy left to pick up her grandfather for our meal.
Rio’s girlfriend, Elise, and Derrick’s wife, Lucinda, wandered into the kitchen. “What can we do to help?” Elise asked.
“Nothing, really. Everything’s done. I’m just putting the casseroles and potatoes in the oven. We’ll be ready to eat in about an hour.”
“Great.” Elise slipped her arm through mine. “Then how about you come out to the living room and relax a while with the rest of us. Besides, we’re getting tired of watching Mags look like a lost puppy when you’re not in the room.”
“I’m sure he’s not that bad.” Of course that wasn’t an awful thing to hear. “Is he?”
They both laughed and Lucinda nodded her head. “He has it bad, Jennie. Don’t doubt it.”
“I’ll tell you girls a secret. I have it pretty bad too. Magnus is great. I can’t believe I get to be with him.”
“I think you guys are adorable together. Now how about Izzy? I was thinking maybe she and Mitch?” Lucinda had set up Elise and Rio. Matchmaking was a hobby of hers, apparently.
“I thought about him for her too. Izzy doesn’t have a whole lot of self-esteem, though. She’s a tough one.”
Both Elise and Lucinda looked surprised. “The Izzy we just met? The same girl who came bounding over to us and introduced herself? She certainly didn’t seem to be lacking any self-esteem.”
Elise agreed with Lucinda’s assessment. “Seriously. My first impression was of a confident woman who really had her shit together.” She put a finger to her lips in thought. “Interesting.”
“Interesting is a good word for my Izzy. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a fantastic friend. Heart of gold and all that, she just has a few quirks.” I didn’t want them to get the wrong idea. Any one of the guys would be lucky as hell if Izzy gave them the time of day.
I needn’t have worried. Elise smiled and said, “Don’t we all.”
***
Dinner was a noisy affair with ten people enjoying several different conversations. Izzy and her grandfather had sat at the bar top a little away from the crowd. Thankfully, Pop was having a good day, but too much stimulation could throw him out of whack. He refused to put his now signed hockey cards away for the meal, and they sat on the bar all around him. The guys had made Pop’s day. Hell, probably his year.
“Are you ever going to stop cleaning? You know Rio’s having a crew come tomorrow to do this.” Magnus had walked up behind me at the sink and wrapped his arms around me once again. I shook the soap off my hands to answer him since he couldn’t see my mouth.
I know, but I can’t leave dirty dishes in the sink.
“Yes you can. Come on. You’ve done enough. Grab a glass of wine and join us. You’re making the rest of us look bad.”
He had a point. I had done enough. Cleaning up after dinner was just something I did. Always. But the food was all packed away, the dishwasher was running its first load of the night, and I really didn’t feel like hand-washing the rest of them. The cleaning people could do the rest tomorrow. Who was I to argue? It wasn’t even my house.
I turned in his arms. “Okay. I would like to get off my feet.” And on my back, come to think about it. That was all I thought of when Magnus had me in an embrace.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur. Before I knew it, it was nearing midnight and my yawns were getting bigger and longer. I was beat.
Izzy had taken Pop home hours ago. She had been my ride to Rio’s, so that left Magnus with the task of seeing me home.
Even though I could barely keep my eyes open, I was going to do my damndest to lure him inside so I could seduce him properly. I knew he wanted me, but what I didn’t know was what he was waiting for.
Rio walked us to the door, thanking me again for cooking. “Dinner was great, Jennie. As good as Mom’s, but I’ll deny that if you tell her.”
Elise drew me in for a hug. “Let’s get together soon. Maybe grab Lucinda and Izzy and have a girls’ day.”
“I would love that. A girls’ day sounds like just what I need. We could do some Christmas shopping or something.”
Rio groaned. “Don’t say the C-word. It’s still Thanksgiving.”
I looked at my watch. “Only for another five minutes. Sorry, but I’m a Christmas fanatic. My tree goes up tomorrow.”
Mags draped my coat over my shoulders. “I missed a lot of that. You better not have been talking about me.”
He was kidding, I knew, but I hated that he missed some conversations. It was difficult to keep him in the loop with several people speaking. I wondered if Magnus had ever thought about that for himself. I always had one foot in the medical world from the time I understood what being deaf meant. There were new procedures every day that could possibly give someone their hearing back.
Only good things. I let out another unladylike yawn.
“Come on, Jennie. Let’s get you home.”
I fell asleep on the short drive home, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get Magnus to come inside to take advantage of me. If he was trying to build up the sexual tension for our first time, he was doing a bang-up job. At this rate, I would be so tightly wound that I’d probably go off before he even got me naked.
Chapter 11
Magnus
I had almost caved last night when I dropped Jennie off. Without directly saying the words, she asked me to go inside and make love to her half a dozen ways. By the time I got home, I was aching, but I had a plan to end both our suffering.
I knew how much Jennie loved Christmas. Thanksgiving was more than a day to give thanks for her. It was the official kick-off of the Christmas season.
My mother went nuts for the holiday too. Our house boasted not one, not two, but three decorated trees each year—all inside. The love of all things red and green had not trickled down to me. I didn’t not like the holiday; I simply couldn’t get into all the decorating. But this year was going to be different.
I spent the morning hours shopping for ornaments and other Christmas-type things. Now all I had to do was set the scene.
I made the bed with new, freshly laundered red sheets. They’d cost me a small fortune, but I wanted the softest sheets I could get for Jennie to lie on. The air smelled of pine, courtesy of the Yankee Candle Company, and the curtains had delicate silver and gold ornaments hanging from them. I’d even strung up twinkling white lights.
Last, but certainly not least, I’d downloaded a few traditional Christmas CDs onto my tablet to play softly in the background. Now all I had to do was wait until Jennie arrived. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be for hours since she was busy putting up her own decorations at her place.
“Come on, Eight Ball. Let’s go for a walk.” I grabbed my cat’s leash and she came running. Sometimes she acted more like a dog than a cat, but even so, I knew we wouldn’t be out long. Eight Ball loved to get outdoors, but this time of year it was a bit cold for her, and I drew the line at buying one of those kitty sweaters. It would be a short walk.
The wind hit us hard as soon as I opened the door. Sunlight had greeted me when I’d gone out earlier, but the bright sky I’d enjoyed before was now replaced with dark storm clouds and buffeting winds. “Maybe no walk today.”
She agreed wholeheartedly and hightailed it back inside, making me laugh. Time for plan B.
“Come here, cat.” Eight Ball took her time walking back over to me with the leash dragging behind her. I took it off, and she immediately ran for the comfort of her bed in the living room. I followed her and flipped on the switch to the fireplace. Plan B was looking better all the time.
Still having at least two hours to kill, I popped in one of my favorite movies, Gran Torino. I’d watch Clint Eastwood read the phone book. His westerns were my number one choice, but there was something so very entertaining about the character’s political incorrectness in Torino and the way his neighbors gave it right back to him.
After an hour and a half, I gave up on my movie. I couldn’t concentrate. My hand rested on my phone to make sure I felt it vibrate when the doorbell rang. Anticipation for the night to come filled me to the point of bursting.
My phone finally vibrated as I did a final check of my bedroom. Everything was in place. All I needed was a naked Jennie beneath me. Or above me—I wasn’t about to be picky.
My footsteps were hurried as I hastened to the door. If I didn’t see it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed how my hands shook when I reached for the handle. I needed to get ahold of my lustful thoughts, or it wasn’t going to be much of a memorable experience. All hopes of that died with my first glimpse of Jennie. She was obviously not going to take no for an answer any longer.
“Hi, Mags.”
Hi, Mags? She looked like that and greeted me with a simple “Hi, Mags”? No words would come to my lips, so I simply gestured her inside.
I would have taken her coat if she were wearing one. By the looks of the diamond points on her breasts, she was one, not wearing a bra and two, very cold.
Her racy, red dress was dangerously low cut in the front and looked to be painted on her. The hem ended about three inches above her knees and did great things for her hips and ass. “Jesus, Jennie. You’re not taking any prisoners, are you?”
Her whole being was filled with wanting. The raw desire was right there in her heated gaze. There would be no denying her tonight—not that I had any wish to. “You look incredible.”
Her hands came up to land on her hips. “Thank you. Now are you ready to take me to bed?”
I didn’t bother answering her. The bag she was carrying hit the floor when I picked her up and kicked the door closed. I took the small flight of stairs two at a time while Jennie laughed in delight.
A picture crashed off the wall when her heel caught it as I took the corner into my bedroom too fast. I didn’t care. I’d caught a glimpse of a black garter belt with red flowers on it when her dress rode up from the hold I had on her. That was all my scrambled brain could process.
Jennie’s tongue and lips on my neck were maddening in the best possible way. I squeezed her tight before I set her down. “I want to make this good for you, Jennie. You have to slow down. I want you too much. If you keep touching me, it’s going to be over before it gets started, and I don’t want that for you.”
I ambled over to my tablet, giving myself a minute to slow my erratic heartbeat, and turned on the Christmas music I’d downloaded for her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jennie’s hands fly up to her ears. She was laughing as she signed to me. The volume is ear splitting, Mags. Turn it down, please?”
I laughed at myself. Sound not being a consideration for me, I never thought to look at the amplification level. It was a good moment. A tension breaker. I gestured for her to come tune it to a soothing volume. She did so and then turned to me after she took in the ambience of the room. Her finger caressed my brow and then ran down to the slight dimple in my chin. “You did all of this for me?”
“I did. Jennie, I’ve wanted you from the very first time I saw you in our locker room. I didn’t want to want you—that chip on my shoulder when it came to reporters kept me away—but I was so wrong about you. And then I made myself wait, because I wanted to know you better. You deserve my undivided attention and my every thought to your pleasure.”
Her eyes shone. “I didn’t know what to think. I knew you were attracted to me, but you kept leaving.” She put her head down to avoid my eyes, but I wouldn’t have it. With my finger under her chin, I met her stare.
“I’
m sorry, sweetheart. I just wanted this night to be special.”
“Thank you. And I know it will be, but for this very first time, could you just fuck me? Hard and fast, because I can’t wait another second for you to be inside me. I’m mad with wanting you.”
Jesus. What did a man say to that? He said nothing.
My lips crashed onto hers with a fury I didn’t know I possessed. Our teeth smacked together as her hands ripped at my shirt, scattering buttons in their wake. My chest was bare to her touch. She wasted no time in running her hands down my chest and right over my cock. I rocked into her touch, begging her silently to free me.
Her urgent hands undid the button and zipper on my jeans, giving me second thoughts. I pulled away from her before she got her hands on my cock. I needed a minute. “God, Jennie. Stop. Please.”
Her look was more angry than surprised. “What? Why?”
I held my hands up with my eyes cast downward. I just need a minute. You’re too…everything. God, you are everything. I was seconds away from messing up our first time. Please. Let me take the lead here.
Okay, but don’t you think you’re getting out of this. Oh, but I liked Jennie when she was demanding.
Take off your dress. Please. I didn’t trust her to keep her hands to herself to get closer in order to undress her myself. She’d touch me again and my resolve would flee.
Knowing the effect she had on me, her hands skimmed over her belly and up to her breasts, pausing to tweak her ridged nipples. Stop teasing me and take it off.
Through all of Jennie’s bluster, her hands shook as she peeled the dress away from her glorious skin. She wore no bra, and I watched with parted lips as the silky material dropped, stopping at her hips.
I took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, running goalie save percentages through my head to gain some semblance of control back. Push it down. All the way off.
Don’t you want to help me? She asked this as she put her foot on the end rail of the bed, running her hand all the way down to the pointed four-inch heels.
You know what you do to me, don’t you? I cupped myself over my low-rise briefs and ran the palm of my hand over my erection.
Silent Defender (Boardwalk Breakers Book 1) Page 9