by April Cronin
Harmony was at a loss. She couldn't even begin to comprehend what had just happened. Peter had so easily seduced her just then, but why? Clearly, he was angry, and if not with her, then who? And what point had he proven by making her want him as he did? What sick enjoyment did he get from that? Because, yes, oh yes, he had enjoyed it. Even if his anger hadn't dissipated any, he had thoroughly enjoyed what he'd done to Harmony.
And just like that, she was angry again.
Just who did Peter think he was to play with her like that?
Stunned by his lack of apathy, and her foolishness Harmony reached into her purse then, pulling out the paper Andre had given to her a few weeks back, and holding it out to him. “I can see it was a mistake to come here. I'm sure you'll want this back.”
Peter snatched the paper away from her, throwing it on the bed behind him. “What is it?” he demanded, not caring to look at it for himself.
“Your test results.”
He glowered at her, his fists clenching visibly. Without even knowing what she'd done, Harmony had effectively channeled all his anger onto her. And the look of rage he sent her, the ice that shot like daggers from his eyes, chilled her to the bone.
“So you know?” He seethed. “Is this why you are here? You could not believe me on your own, but now that Andre has given you the proof, you can come to me?”
He said his friends name with such venom, that Harmony wasn't sure to be scared or pleased. He was so angry, much more than before, and as she had already witnessed, could be cruel in his attentions, Harmony backed up a couple of steps instinctively, but Peter quickly filled the gap.
“What was it that convinced you? Is because they did not find any of my DNA? Or maybe that she had used a pencil to mark her leg?”
He had her backed up against the wall now, close enough that she could practically feel the intensity of his rage as it rolled off him in waves. What would Peter do? Would this beautiful Adonis strike her? No, she didn't think so.
Her fear of this man wasn't in a physical sense, she knew that. Peter wouldn't dare hurt her, not that way. But her heart, as it hammered in her chest, threatened to break into a thousand little pieces as he continued to rant at her, she felt surely he could hurt her in that way.
Harmony reached out for him then, she braced both hands against his chest, his heart was beating wildly, and his eyes seemed to darken as he looked at the contact between them.
What would Peter do? The thought crossed her mind again. But she didn't have near enough time to think about it.
Peter's mouth found hers in an instant. His kiss was hard and punishing at first, but as Harmony gripped the front of his shirt in her hands, as she kissed him back with all she had, Peter groaned and slowly pulled away. “I do not care Harmony.” He said, his lips capturing hers again as his tongue explored every inch of the inside of her mouth. Pulling away again, he whispered into her ear, “As long as you know I did not do it, I do not care.” Then he plundered the side of her neck, his teeth biting gently at one sensitive earlobe before he sucked at the hollow between her neck and ear.
Harmony moaned, her hands reaching up under his shirt, her fingers digging into his dampened back and the muscles that rippled and quivered under her fingers.
Peter had her pants off before she even knew what was happening, and with one quick movement, he pulled his down just far enough and used his hands to lift her bottom, her legs wrapping around him as he pushed into her.
With the wall at her back, Peter pounded his body against hers, lost in the savage desire to have her, to claim her body, to mark her as his own. It had been too long since the last time, and with the pain that boiled within him, the pressure coiling so tightly inside him, he could not prevent himself from taking her in such an animalistic way.
But as his body rubbed against hers, as his flesh branded and seared, as their souls melded together, Harmony did not feel pain. The way he kissed her, the way he cradled her head with one hand and held steadfast to her bottom with the other, his fingers sinking into her flesh, Harmony felt more alive than was possible. Her body buzzed with electricity. The current so strong she was sure she was headed for a meltdown of epic proportions.
In all her life she had never known a passion as great as this.
And when the dam broke, when the fire sizzled so far out of control, she buried her face in his chest, clung for dear life to his back, and let the world collapse around her. Her back arched as her body spiraled out of control, as the orgasm took her with such force that she could not stop it, did not want to stop it.
Peter felt her body tighten around his, her cries of ecstasy filling his head as she came, and with one final thrust, he emptied into her.
The moment the fever raging within him died down, he was ashamed of himself.
Never in his life had Peter been so callous or rough with a woman. Never had he taken advantage of one. Here he was trying to convince the woman he loved that he was in fact not a brute, and yet he took her with such force that it scared even him.
Peter backed away from her, picking up her discarded clothes and handing them to her before righting his jeans and crossing the room to sit down on the bed. With his face in his hands, his shoulders heaved in what must have looked like a sob, because without a care for her current state of dress, Harmony rushed to his side.
“What is it Peter? What's wrong?”
He shook his head, he dared not look at her now. “I was too rough. How can you forgive me now?” He said into his palms.
Touched by his words, and the amount of concern he showed for her, Harmony thought back on something Andre had once said to her, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder she threw his words back at him, fake Russian accent and all! “Do not think badly of what we have done. It was beautiful.”
Peter's head lifted slowly, and though the embarrassment of his actions still lingered in his too cold eyes, a smile stretched across his face.
It was the only warning Harmony, who stood half naked beside him, received before Peter reached out and snagged her about the waist, pulling her on top of him and laying her across his lap, where he proceeded to plunder her once more.
Chapter 22
A new Season
A few hours later, both sated and exhausted, Harmony rose up on her elbow to peer down into Peter's angelic face. Despite the dark circles he carried under his eyes to match her own, he was still the most beautiful man she had ever seen. With his unruly blonde hair, curling against his forehead, and his piercingly blue eyes, those full lips half parted as he watched her through his impossibly dark lashes, and that subtle bit of scruff on his chin, surely she had died and gone to heaven.
“What is it Harmony?” Peter asked, made nervous by her intense examination of his face.
She shook her head. She wanted to stay this way forever. Forget about all the crazy thoughts in her head, forget about the problems they had faced in the past. Just lying there next to him, the heat of his naked body against hers, was enough happiness to last a lifetime.
But she knew that was the coward’s way out. Worrying her lip now, she turned away from him, not sure how to say what she had come to tell him. She just knew it needed to be said. Especially now when they were so close to really having a life together.
“I never read the results Peter.” she admitted, turning her face into his chest as he rolled towards her.
“I am sorry?”
“The paper I gave you earlier, the one Andre gave me, I never looked at it.”
“And yet you did still believe me?”
“Yes.”
He sighed, “then I am very sorry for how I have acted.” Peter sat up, pulling Harmony up against him and stroking her smooth silky locks. “You must say that you forgive me Harmony.”
“Of course. If you can forgive me.”
“For what?”
“For not telling you sooner how I felt. For not supporting you when you needed me most. And for staying away from you for so
long.” Snuggling closer, Harmony could hear the strong beat of his heart against her ears, a heart that beat for her, and she smiled, knowing she hadn't missed her chance after all. “I'm so sorry Peter. So sorry.”
With his arms wrapped around her, Peter hugged her close, inhaled the scent of her, and sighed in such absolute contentment. One that did not last as he thought of his newest predicament. If he did not want to lose Harmony again, he'd have to tell her.
“There is something else.” he said quietly.
She pulled away, not far enough to break contact, but enough so that she could see his face, and the pain that crept into his forlorn expression. “What? What is it? You can tell me.”
With a last sigh of resignation, Peter told her about his conversation with Donovan just hours ago. He told her about the story that girl was going to write, and the emails he had already sent off to Jean and his lawyer when she had first come into his room. He didn't want to burden Harmony with these things, and he could only imagine what this article would do to him, and their new found relationship, but she deserved to know what she was getting into.
Perhaps if he had been honest in the first place they wouldn't have had to spend the last month without each other. But even though he loved her, he wondered if she would stand by him this time, or if he was destined to lose her forever.
“Oh Peter.” she had said when he finished.
“Will you leave me now?” he dared to ask, afraid of what the answer might be.
Harmony cocked her head to one side, studying him as he threw his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his discarded clothes. “Why would you think that?” she asked, pulling the sheet closer to her chest as he turned to look at her, her cheeks flushing with color when he noticed her misplaced modesty.
“Was not my problem the reason we have not talked? Would not this make it harder for you? For us?”
“Oh Peter.”
He flinched slightly as she reached out for him, running a hand down his backside, his skin smooth beneath her fingers, desire beginning to build within each of them.
“Peter,” she said again, her voice husky, yet dripping with confusion and concern as he looked at her over his shoulder. “I have some issues of my own, this wasn't all your fault, and I won't have you thinking that it was.”
“I am afraid I do not understand.”
“I have trust issues Peter,” she explained with a sigh, “I probably wouldn't have believed you at first even if you had come clean, and I'm sorry for that, I'm ashamed of myself for that. But it didn't help any that you couldn't trust me with your problems. I love you Peter, and I want to help you when you need it, you don't have to go through these things on your own.”
“You love me?” Peter asked tentatively, bypassing nearly everything else she had said and latching onto that one simple admission. Though there was surely nothing simple about it, and Peter knew he felt the same way, but to hear her say it!
Smiling now, she nodded, “of course, I think I have from the moment I met you.” Looking down, she continued. “I wasn't sure I believed in such things, love at first sight is for fairy tales you know. But then someone told me about their own forbidden love, and I knew that's what I felt for you.”
“My Harmony.” he gasped, pulling her against him and smothering her in a kiss like none before. “I have waited for an eternity to hear you say those words.” Peter groaned between kisses, “I have such love for you, it hurts. I was so scared you did not love me too.” His lips pressed gently to virtually every part of her face before he finally finished and let her go, looking down into those deep blue eyes, his smile so sincere.
“About that story.” Harmony managed, lying in his lap, feeling the hardness of his growing desire beneath her, and knowing if they didn't talk about this now, they probably never would. “I think I can help.”
“And how is this?”
“Well, with freedom of the press what it is, there's not much we can do legally, but perhaps that friend of Donovan's would be interested in a story of her own.”
The Cheshire cat like grin that spread the width of her face, both stunned and amused him, and brushing the hair away that had fallen in her face, Peter's love and blossoming desire for this woman continued to grow as he listened carefully to her plan. His Harmony was truly a remarkable woman, and when she was finished talking, which really could be several hours yet, he was going to show her how much he thoroughly appreciated her.
Amanda couldn't believe it! Sitting on her crappy couch, in her shitty little apartment as Cassie flipped through channels next to her, she fumed. Slamming her cell phone on the floor and watching in disgust as the battery popped out of it.
Everything had gone to hell! Not only had she gotten fired from work once her boss, who happened to be a man had heard the rumors, but now the reporter she had been working with had called to tell her the deal was off! What else could possibly go wrong?
At this rate, she'd probably end up flipping burgers at a fast food joint! Which was probably no less than she deserved at this point. She should have listened to Cassie. Of course, she'd never admit that now. For Cassie, who still had a job, and a sterling reputation, not that any hot guy would think of sleeping with her lard ass anyways, sat smugly on the couch next to her, having overheard the conversation she'd just had with the slimeball reporter.
At least she still had her looks! Not that it mattered now, she snorted to herself. She'd have to consider moving away from Savannah if she ever wanted another guy to look at her without seeing a money grubbing whore! Damn it! She was smarter than this, how had she let this happen? Why hadn't she thought this through a little better before putting the plan into action? Because you saw an opportunity and you took it dumb ass! She scolded herself. Well, she'd be smarter next time.
Right, like there would be a next time. She'd just stick to seducing men for fun. Get a new job, maybe move back to Atlanta with her folks and get as far away from all the no good son of a bitch hockey players as she could! It just wasn't worth it. Her job, her friends, her reputation, and all for what? She wasn't getting anything out of it! Peter had won. Somehow he'd been smarter than her!
And now she had nothing. Peter wasn't going to pay her, the magazine wasn't going to pay her, and Peter's bitch of a lawyer had threatened her with a harassment suit if she ever dared contact Peter or her office again. Great.
Well, she thought to herself again, at least I still have my looks.
In the week that followed the Chatham County DA announced that the claim against Mr. Petrovsky Petrovic, one that was rife with reasonable doubt, would be dismissed, and the case closed.
Reporters stopped hounding Peter, staking the outside of his home, and publishing unwanted articles about him once the statement was made, and the NHL concluded their own investigation, one in which they declared that Peter had done nothing wrong.
The magazine article Donovan had warned him about was never published. Nor was the one that Harmony had so brilliantly suggested. Star magazine chomped at the bit to publish one or both of them. But when Donovan's reporter friend threatened to discredit the other reporter's article with one of her own, one that would garner far more attention for that matter, the cowardly reporter had backed down immediately, and that was the end of that.
Peter allowed for a brief interview the day before the opening game, in which he made no comments about the girl or her accusations, saying he only wanted to move forward with his life, and refusing to answer any more questions unless they directly related to the Slashers upcoming season.
The preseason had ended with no drastic roster changes, but left the Slashers in a prime position to repeat for the Stanley Cup. Unless of course the Chicago Blackhawks, who were looking for their fifth cup in nine seasons, had anything to say about that.
Which they did.
Both teams were eager for the season to get underway, especially since the Slashers would open their cup defending season against the Blackhawks, who
were more than willing to put a damper on their banner raising ceremony and celebration.
Harmony and Peter had spent every night of the last week together. Either at her place or his, it didn't seem to matter, though they did rotate to appease their dogs, as long as they were together they were content no matter the location. Of course, they were already looking at a place of their own, and Harmony's father, along with his new live-in girlfriend, Chelsea, had agreed to watch the dogs whenever she went out of town for games with Peter.
And of course, with Harmony's job being as flexible as it was, she had figured she'd be able to make it work around Peter's, joining Abby as often as she could in the family club section at the games. Abby, who sported the smallest of baby bumps and had, at sixteen weeks found out they were having a little boy.
As for Lacy, she took to her new job as part of the Slashers medical team, and was going to relish the time she spent both home and away with Donovan, even if they did fight like cats and dogs! The preseason had already prepared her for what life with the Slashers organization was going to be like, and with Donovan to keep her on her toes, she was looking forward to the season ahead!
After a quick prayer, in which they asked God to give them the ability to kick the ever loving crap out of the Blackhawks, without getting injured in the process of course, the players went about their pre-game routines.
Some of the guys played soccer out in the hall, others stretched and taped up their sticks, and still more of them did various cardio and other exercises. Wives wished their men well, as if they were truly going out to the battlefields, and the coaches went over plays and rotations with each other.
All of it, the players, the atmosphere, it simply fascinated Harmony, who sat on a bench in the middle of the locker room across from Peter in his stall, where he wolfed down a power bar and set to taping up a couple of sticks in the event that one broke.