Love of the Game - The Complete Collection (Box Set)

by Shayne McClendon

  Her three brothers gazed at one another and seemed to share a silent communication. When all of them nodded, Demi was floored.

  “You mean it?”

  They nodded again with a smile and she hugged them. She had to remind them to go easy on her back and at least one of them growled at her injuries. Everyone had to get a closer look at her face, telling her she hadn’t lost her touch with the makeup.

  It was close to show time when she entered the production booth above the ring. Claire already had her laptop set up. Oscar sat in front of a live feed monitor, evaluating their wrestlers. She sat and put on headphones.

  Her parents’ box seats were just across from the booth. They randomly laughed, talked, and kissed.

  That was what she wanted. She wanted a relationship, a marriage like the one her parents had. Filled with love, respect, and common goals.

  Now she could admit she’d given up hope of ever finding someone who would look at her the way Mikhail had looked at Anastasia every day of her life.

  Nikolai looks at me like that.

  The logical side of her brain reprimanded her sharply. “What the hell…marriage, Demi? You’ve been dating the man for less than one day.”

  She shook her head. No more kidding herself or ignoring her heart. She’d been in love with Nikolai for years. He was the only man she’d ever loved and other men, other relationships, hadn’t changed that.

  With a small sigh, she turned her attention back to the ring.

  The matches progressed as she’d anticipated. Some of their younger fighters lost but they put on a great show and it could have gone either way. Oscar made notes to use in practice over the next few days.

  Shredder very nearly lost his match when Bear rung his bell against the corner. Claire’s hands gripped one another so hard her knuckles were white. Recovering in time to counter a kick while spinning the other man into a figure four, the count was in his favor when the bell rang.

  As Claire released a relieved breath, Demi wondered how the fuck she’d missed the byplay between her best friend and Silas.

  Too wrapped up in my own obsession…and here he comes now.

  Watching as Nikolai entered the arena to Nickleback’s Burn It to the Ground, Demitria’s heart about stopped in her chest.

  He was so fucking beautiful.

  Nikolai walked to the ring wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and Doc Martens. When he pulled the shirt over his head, he looked up at the production booth and saw her staring at him through the glass. He winked at her then wadded up the shirt and threw it out into the crowd. They went wild.

  There were clips of him in different bouts flashing over the huge screen, the last one taken from the day before when he punished Demi’s attacker. It was the first time she’d seen the footage and she was happy to see just how seriously Nikolai pounded the shit out of the guy who’d hit her.

  He went corner to corner in the ring, climbing up to salute the crowd, muscles bulging as he threw his fists in the air.

  The crowds loved Granite from his first public match so many years ago.

  His opponent made his entrance a minute later. Luke Logan always used music from Eminem. He was flashy, wearing a lot of gold and a fur coat. She rolled her eyes as he danced and mugged for the crowd like an idiot.

  Her eyes narrowed when she caught sight of Luke’s little sidekick named Tiffany. That woman liked to fight dirty for her man. Unlike the bigger organizations, their refs didn’t play around with disqualifications but she was one of the best at causing chaos and distractions during a match.

  Oh, hell no.

  Demi stood up and headed to the lower floor. Luke was not stealing a bout from Nikolai. Everyone in the industry knew Granite had one diehard rule: he never, ever competed or defended himself against women. She knew exactly how this was going to play out.

  The match hadn’t started yet when she stepped out. The crowd went insane when her theme song Miss Independent blasted through the sound system. She waved and gave a little shimmy. They screamed, clapped, and shook the building with the stomping of their feet. The ramp trembled as she walked down it in her heels.

  Within twenty feet of the ring, Nikolai slid easily to the floor in front of her. “Demi. Do not even think about this. You should not be out here.”

  A small smile crossed her face at his frustrated use of Demi. “You won’t hit her and I can tell you right now, she will likely need to be hit. You do your thing, I’ll do mine. I’ll just keep an eye on her.” Nodding in Tiffany’s direction, she gave a little snort. “Look at her. She’s all tits, no skill.”

  “Demitria, you have a concussion. You cannot be in that ring.” He stroked her hair.

  She smiled and pulled him down to kiss her, the crowd screaming in encouragement. “Go to work, Nikolai. I’ve got this. Do not get distracted.” She pulled his ear to her mouth. “You can thank me later.” Then she stepped away from him.

  The growl could have been hunger or aggravation. Either way, Nikolai returned to the ring after he gave her a warning look.

  Nikolai dominated the other wrestler without his ace in the hole. For a huge man, he was surprisingly fast and flexible. He thought out each move and executed it precisely.

  At one point, Tiffany moved to slide into the ring and Demi grabbed her by the back of her neck and took her down to the floor in seconds while the crowd cheered. When Nikolai got the three-count soon after, Tiffany jumped up in the ring and so did Demi.

  The younger woman circled Logan who knelt on the mat to catch his breath and she was spitting mad. Demi heard her say, “I don’t move up unless you do. That’s how it works with the women. You need to stop fucking around.”

  Logan slipped away a moment later but Tiffany stayed. Demi kissed Nikolai and kept an eye on the volatile woman.

  When she charged him from behind, Demi grabbed her shoulders, and put her on her back on the mat. “What is it with people taking cheap shots lately? Stay down. You cannot take me.”

  Demi waited as the ref held up Nikolai’s hand to announce his victory. He pulled her to him and dropped a kiss on her lips.

  “Thank you. I can’t wait to show my appreciation.” His music was playing and the crowd was chanting his name.

  Nikolai climbed down and lifted Demi to the floor. It was definitely a first for her. At the top of the ramp, he wrapped his arm around her waist, and signaled the booth to play her music. They waved to the crowds and the spectators ate it up.

  Demi should have known Tiffany wouldn’t let it go.

  They were entering the backstage area when she heard her charging up the ramp. She sighed and quickly used Nikolai as a handhold to take off her heels.

  “Can you hold these?”

  She smiled sweetly and turned to face her would-be opponent. She put the smaller female down fast the first time but Tiffany had spunk. Demi had to give the woman that. She kept coming.

  For the most part, Demi took it easy on her physically. It was her pride that suffered. Several times, she tapped her lightly before dropping her to the floor without pain.

  “Tiffany, I don’t want to hurt you. You’re sweating and I’m not. You aren’t ready to do this. You aren’t trained and you’re going to get yourself hurt.”

  “I hate you! No one will take me seriously because of you.” Tiffany was almost crying and Demi realized there was a lot more going on than she thought originally.

  “No, Tiffany, what I am is a fighter. I’m not a fluff piece. If you don’t want to be a fluff piece then change it. Don’t blame all my hard work for your lack of respect. You go out there barely dressed.” Demi pointed at the bikini top and mini skirt.

  “You shake your ass and fight dirty. What are you doing to earn respect exactly?”

  She charged again and was caught in midair, placed flat on her stomach, and had her arms trapped under Demi’s knees. When the short skirt rode up, she tugged it down for her.

  “Tiffany, I’m losing patience. Behave.” The other woman was still
, her face red, and she was breathing hard. She remembered the first time she’d faced Oscar…then the hundredth.

  It was hard to be taken seriously as a female athlete and someone was giving this young woman poor advice. She was pretty, extremely fit, fast with the potential to be much faster, and graceful. She had something to work with. Demi made a snap decision.

  “Why don’t you think about coming up to Seattle to the Stavos facility? Work out with me for a couple of weeks and let me give you some basic training?”

  “What the…what?”

  “Start training with me. Let’s see if you have the skills to attend camp. You need to learn to control your temper. Dress with a little bit more dignity. You don’t have to show your body for people to know you have one. What do you say?”

  Demi didn’t have any pressure to her hold, just held her still to give her time to calm down and think about what she was being offered.

  “You…you’d train with me?” Tiffany’s voice was very low.

  “Why not? I’m returning to Seattle in a few days and I spar all the time. I’m always looking for partners. If you get yourself under control, I’m happy to have you there.” She patted the smaller woman and rose to her feet, holding out her hand and helping her up.

  “Anything worth having is worth working for Tiffany. If you rely on your looks, where are you going to be in twenty years? Gain the right skills and you’ll always be needed. I don’t compete anymore but I stay sharp. My skill is finding new talent. Let’s figure out where your skills are.”

  Tiffany blushed furiously but nodded. “Th…thank you, Demi. You won’t regret it.”

  “I know.” Demi stepped back into her heels as Tiffany turned and ran to the locker room.

  “Very well done, Demitria. You are a lady. Perhaps you can make her one as well. I know your father is very proud of your ability to spot new talent. So am I.” He pulled her into one of the best hugs she’d ever received in her life.

  The evening hit her and she just wanted to crawl up his body and let him snuggle her for hours while she took a nap.

  “Nikolai?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m starving and I’m a little tired. Can we get out of here?”

  He nodded and lowered his head to kiss her. She pulled the hair at the base of his neck then whispered against his mouth, “Have I mentioned you are absolutely stunning?” One hand was kneading the muscles along his shoulder.

  “We will talk more later, Demitria. I have compliments to pay you as well. First, I need to feed you and I am also starving. I will shower and change. Twenty minutes?” She nodded and they shared another kiss before parting.

  Demi was exhausted but felt so good. Everything seemed surreal. Just yesterday, she’d been touching his photo and wishing…believing nothing would ever happen between them.

  She’d known Nikolai more than half her life. She knew his strengths, weaknesses, character, and how he moved through the world. His knowledge of her was likely as extensive.

  There was no hesitation inside her about the man or the relationship; that in and of itself told her it was right.

  It ended up taking almost an hour to escape the arena. Reporters waited for them and they paused to make nice. Claire left immediately after the last match, complaining of a headache.

  Finally, they slid into the back of the limo and asked Tomas to drive them to the nearest steakhouse.

  Nikolai kissed her and within minutes, they were clutching one another and breathing hard. Demi backed away with a sigh. “I want to touch you.”

  His eyes pulled at her in the semi-darkness and he stroked his hand along her cheek. “Soon, I will touch you and you will touch me. Food first.” He pulled her against him and wrapped his arm around her back. “You fit just right. Just exactly right.”

  Demi almost dozed off with her head on Nikolai’s chest. Everything about his body was warm and wonderful. As he’d said, exactly right.

  When they pulled up in front of the restaurant, she shook herself with a small chuckle. “Your breathing is hypnotic. Add your heart rate and I was falling sleep.”

  “I was asleep, Demitria. I have never felt so relaxed.” They grinned at one another and got out of the car.

  The restaurant wasn’t packed but they were asked for autographs and posed for photos.

  Nikolai picked up a six-year-old girl who thought he was the best thing ever. She was sitting on his arms like a chair and grinning from ear to ear while her parents took pictures with their cell phones.

  One server requested a photo kissing Demi’s cheek and she laughed watching him swoon over his camera afterward.

  They were good to their fans because fans made everything possible. Finally, the manager asked the patrons and staff to leave them in peace while they ate dinner.

  “Men love you, Demitria. They find you so beautiful and fascinating.” The low lighting in the restaurant flickered off her hair and made her eyes bright.

  “Nikolai, they stare at my rack. That isn’t fascination, that’s lust.” She was laughing but it didn’t reach her eyes. “No matter what I told Tiffany, and what I hope, women are seen more as bodies than athletes. You can be the most talented tennis player, soccer player, whatever…you’re still going to end up on some teenage boy’s wall half naked.”

  “You are right. I have posters of your magazine covers in my gym at home. I however, consider you both an outstanding athlete as well as a beautiful woman.”

  Demi’s mouth dropped open. “No, you do not have pictures of me.”

  He leaned closer. “Yes, Demitria. I have a copy of every photo ever published. I asked Claire to keep me supplied in Stavos’ publicity. Funny, I mostly get stuff from her about you. When I get it, I usually have it framed.”

  She was floored. Absolutely floored. “Why?”

  “Because you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever known. I have watched you blossom over the years; grow into your womanhood and your confidence. It is wonderful.” He reached out and cupped her cheek in his giant hand, his fingers on her hair. “A while back, people began to notice, so I put up pictures of many people. There are still more of you.” She leaned into the warmth of his hand, sighing happily.

  Nikolai had the largest steak the place offered plus appetizers, bread, and finishing off what Demi couldn’t. She drank iced tea, concerned about adding alcohol to the pills she’d taken earlier. They sat talking for a long time. When they realized the place was almost empty, they looked around in confusion.

  Motioning their server over, they paid their bill before apologizing to the owner for keeping them so long. He waved them off. “It was too amazing to have you here, both of you. It was no problem. It is the first night my staff didn’t ask to leave early.”

  They handed out cards for the employees to get complimentary tickets then headed outside with applause behind them. Sliding into the limo they barely made it out of the parking lot before both were sound asleep.

  When Tomas opened the door, Nikolai came awake and nudged Demi gently. She snuggled closer before realizing she was still in the car. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she watched as Nikolai got out and reached back for her. Her arms went around his neck and he gathered her to him.

  Eventually they made it upstairs and he took her to his suite. Asking him for a t-shirt, she changed and brushed her teeth with her finger in the bathroom, her body dragging. When she came out, he was in loose sleep pants and almost asleep on the biggest bed she’d ever seen.

  She climbed up beside him, snuggled in with a sigh of complete contentment, and fell asleep within moments with his body wrapped around her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Demitria came awake in the middle of the night with Nikolai’s huge hands moving gently over her body. Stroking her bare hip, he smoothed up her side and cupped her breast. Her moan told him she was very much awake and her own hands roaming over his upper body left him no doubt about what she wanted.

  Nikolai leaned forward,
kissing her slow, making love to her with his mouth until she was pushing her body closer. She wanted to climb inside him and stay there.

  Her long leg went over his hip and she pulled herself tighter to him, grinding against his fierce erection. She wasn’t wearing panties. She’d given the briefest nod to decency by wearing his shirt. Nikolai’s thin sleep pants barely separated him from her and she knew he could feel how wet she was becoming.

  Strong fingers tightened on her, stopped her from stroking her against his raging erection, and she moaned. “Foreplay is overrated. I’m dying for you, Nikolai. We can go slow next time.”

  She was pushing the fabric that kept her away from him, the pants sliding over his hips, freeing his heavy erection to tap against her center. The heat of his cock, sliding against her clit, sent a hard shudder down her spine. He kicked them from his legs with a groan.

  “You’re so hard and I’m ready for you. I have been for eighteen hours. Now, Nikolai.”

  He was pulling the shirt over her head, tossing it away, rolling her to her back as he ate at her mouth. When he slid down her body, taking a nipple in his hot mouth, she jerked with a gasp. His other hand cupped and kneaded the other full breast not being sucked and he tweaked her nipple, tugged it until it was tight and aching.

  When he switched sides, she sighed his name, her hands coming up to fist in his hair. He laved at her nipples, going back and forth, until she was whimpering with need.

  Demitria’s hands clenched tighter, wanting him inside her. He moved between her legs but continued to crawl lower on her body, scooting her diagonally to the upper corner so he could stretch out on the king size bed.

  His plans for her included foreplay whether she wanted it or not. He stroked her, staring for a long time at the slick folds he lightly petted. His cheek rested against her inner thigh and when he leaned in to lick a path along each side of her labia, she moaned.

  Nikolai turned his entire focus on her, on giving her pleasure. He pushed her knees wide apart, settling his massive shoulders between her legs and forced her to open to him completely. He licked and sucked at her outer lips until Demi thought she might crawl out of her own skin.