by Debra Kayn
She squee’d. For him to fight for her meant everything.
The door opened. She ran and jumped at Juan. He caught her as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. She kissed him on the cheeks, the forehead, the chin. He’d given her so many firsts in her life, and fighting for her hit the top of the list. She’d never forget this moment.
Finally, she pulled back and cupped his face in her hands. “Thank you.”
He growled, and continued walking. She kissed his mouth as her body fell away. As she bounced on the mattress, Juan followed, softening his landing. Weight pressed between her legs, and she deepened the kiss.
Juan fought with his shirt, barely breaking away from her to toss the offending object to the other side of the room. Then he worked on removing her clothes, all while touching her. His hands were everywhere. His tongue and mouth touched her undressed body in delightful strokes, bites, and determination.
His arm muscles bunched and tensed. She dug her fingers in and held on. Pleasure threw her into a dizzying black hole. She only wanted him to keep going, knowing if he stopped, she’d incinerate.
Juan pulled back, breathing heavy. “I give up.”
“W-what?” She gasped.
“I tried to protect us both. I didn’t want a divorce ruining our lives.” He placed his forehead on hers. “I thought if we kept sex out of our arrangement, an annulment would be easy for us to live with after the Olympics is over. To everyone else, we’d be viewed as never having been married … it wouldn’t be valid. You’d go on to be happy, and forget about our time here. But I can’t take this any longer.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to process that he had the strength to stop now after they were both naked. “A divorce isn’t on my life schedule,” she whispered.
Her eyes burned and she blinked away the moisture. Why did he have to be the responsible one out of the two of them?
“You’re not listening,” he said. “I can’t fight how much I want you any longer. It’s killing me.”
“You’re going to leave me? Now? Before Germany?” Her voice broke.
His mouth softened and he kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m saying, I want you more than anything, and as soon as you tell me it’s okay, I’m going to make love to you all night long … and probably twice a day until we reach Germany. I know this screws up everything, but you’re worth the bullshit we’ll have to face when this is over.”
“Seriously?” She stroked his face. “You’ll ruin your life for me?”
“In a heartbeat, babe.” He nodded. “If you tell me yes.”
“Yes.”
Faster than she could acknowledge, he’d stretched out and opened his nightstand and removed a condom. She propped herself on her elbows and got her first look at him completely naked. Her stomach fluttered in anticipation.
He was gorgeous. All hard, sculpted muscles, broad chest, and narrow hips. She sucked in a breath at the size of him.
The room tilted. Juan paused and smiled down at her.
“I bought condoms the other day, just in case. Then I spent every minute of the day talking myself out of sleeping with you.” He lowered himself back between her legs and braced himself on his elbows. “No one has ever tempted me as much as you have.”
Skin against skin. She was sure she’d die before they ever got around to having sex. Every cell in her body responded to the differences in their bodies. She was softer than Juan, yet they fit together perfectly. From head to toe, they were locked together.
His lips marked a trail from her mouth, down her neck, and lower, as he tasted her breasts. Sucking, licking, devouring.
She clawed at his shoulders when he sucked her to a higher level of passion. His hand wandered over her stomach, over her mound, and found the heat between her legs. She moaned and reached for more of the delightful torment he gave her.
He stroked, teased and promised, but held her back from finding release. She gyrated against his fingers, silently begging him for more. Her thighs clamped around his waist, rocking against him.
He shifted forward, and thrust into her. She gasped on a moan, pleasure shooting through her, holding her as he withdrew, plunged, and stroked her. The feelings consumed her, and she moaned his name as he sped up the rhythm of their bodies dancing.
Back and forth.
In and out.
Dip and sway.
Oh and my God.
With a cry, she shattered in the best freaking orgasm of her life, and a few heartbeats later, Juan followed her with a deep growl of his own satisfaction. Her body shuddered underneath him as pleasure rippled through her. She clung to him, afraid if she let go, he’d change his mind.
She wanted more. She wanted him every day until Germany.
Chapter Thirteen
Juan woke Dana in the most intoxicating way imaginable. She sank her hands into his hair and giggled. After making her come twice before she even opened her eyes, she was definitely awake now. He blew a raspberry on the inside of her thigh. She laughed, rolling to her side as Juan poked his head out from underneath the blanket.
His hair stuck up in all different directions. His face flushed, he grinned at her, looking mighty pleased with himself. She smiled as she trailed her finger along the strip of whiskers under his bottom lip. “Don’t you have to go to practice this morning?”
He flopped onto his back, sweat covering his body. “Not until ten. Coach has a press release this morning, and the snow piled up last night. Maintenance wants to work on the ramp before we use it.”
“That’s good.” She grew quiet.
They hadn’t talked much through the night, and with daylight streaming through their window, she wondered if he’d changed his mind. Maybe he’d discovered she wasn’t worth the trouble of having sex with her.
Although, that was stupid. He was right there with her, enjoying himself. But even she knew there were more important things that came into play. The Olympics.
“What are you thinking?” He rolled to face her.
“Do you regret having sex with me?”
His gaze softened and he brushed her hair back from her face. “No.”
“I’ve been thinking … ”
“When?” He raised his brows. “If you still had time to think through the night, I must not have been doing a proper job of pleasing you.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry. I can’t even remember to breathe when you’re touching me.”
“Good.” He kissed her. “That’s the way I like it.”
“Seriously, Juan. No one needs to know we’ve had sex. When we’re done with the Olympics, we’ll just tell our lawyers that we never consummated our relationship. I can tell mine that you were so busy with practice that I rarely spent any alone time with you. It’ll be our secret.”
“Hell,” he muttered. “I can’t — ”
Bang. Bang. Bang.
She reached for the blanket and covered herself. “Who could that be?”
“I don’t know.” He rolled out of bed and grabbed his jeans off the floor. “Maybe it’s one of the guys or the coach.”
She groaned. “Tell them to go away.”
He leaned over and kissed her again. “I’ll get rid of whoever it is, and be right back.”
“Hey, wait.” She sat up in bed. “Did you apologize to T.T. last night?”
“We’re good. He understands.” He grinned and slipped out of the room.
Five minutes later Juan remained in the other room, so Dana slipped into the shower. The warm water rejuvenated her, and she hurried about her morning routine and got dressed for work. She hated opening late because there was always a crowd waiting for the shop to open.
She opened the bathroom door and almost ran into Juan. “God, you scared me to death. I thought you left the suite.” She kissed him quickly, and stepped around him. “I’m going to go open the shop. There’s probably a line of customers waiting for me.”
“Can you hang on a few minutes?” he asked.
&n
bsp; She glanced at him. Lines marked his forehead and he rubbed his shoulder. She approached him. “What’s wrong?”
“I guess there’s no easy way to break the news … ”
“You’re scaring me,” she whispered.
“It’s nothing bad. With everything going on, I forgot to mention my mom and sister were coming to visit.” He grimaced. “They’re here … in our suite.”
“What?” She slapped her hand to her chest. “Now?”
He nodded. “It gets worse. I didn’t call them and mention I’d gotten married. They heard about it from a neighbor who read about it in the newspaper, so they’re … well, surprised.”
“Oh, shit,” she whispered. “I can’t meet them. Not today or like this.”
“Why not?”
She flailed her hands. “It’s your family. They’ll hate me.”
Then it dawned on her — she had to walk out of Juan’s bedroom and pretend they weren’t sleeping together. “They’ll know we’ve had sex.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Yeah, probably.”
She pushed at his chest and turned her back on him. “Go tell them I’m working, and then take them for a tour of the hotel. Buy them breakfast. Do something to get them out of the suite. I’ll sneak out of here, and go hide in the shop.”
Juan wrapped his arms around her from behind. “What’s the real reason you don’t want to meet my family?”
She sagged against him. “They’re perfect. I’m not. I don’t know a thing about marriage or keeping my husband happy … if this was real, I mean. They’ll see right through our lies, and hate me for ruining your reputation.”
He kissed the side of her head. “Be yourself. What’s gone on between us isn’t any of their business.”
“They’ll know,” she said.
He turned her around, held her by the shoulders, and dipped his head to look into her eyes. “They’ll see a woman who looks at me as if I’m the best thing in her life. They’ll see how you’re always holding my hand, and how when I go too long without talking, you always ask me what I’m thinking. If that isn’t enough to convince them that I’m happy, they’ll know because I’ll tell them how much I adore my wife. That’s not a lie. All they want from me is to know I’m happy, and you do make me happy. Okay?”
“Well, since you put it that way … ” She groaned. “I never expected you to come with a family.”
“Would you not have married me?” He kissed the side of her neck.
She nudged him with her elbow. “Maybe, because I don’t have any experience with a normal family … only dysfunctional ones.”
He held his hand out. “Come on. Let me introduce you to mom and Maria. Then you can go to work while I try to figure out what to do with them. I hope the hotel has an extra room available, because they’re not staying with us. I don’t want anything coming between you and me, because I’m going to make tonight even better than last night.”
“Oh, God,” she said, a thrill sweeping through her.
He laughed. “You’ll be saying ‘oh, God,’ over and over.”
She looked at him in alarm, unable to imagine anything better than what they’d already experienced. He tugged her toward the door and led her to her demise. From everything he’d told her about his family, they were perfect. He’d lost his dad when he was little, and his mom had raised him and his sister in a loving home, supporting him every step of his career.
Juan’s mother clasped her hands in front of her ample breasts when they walked into the front room. When his mom’s gaze swung to Dana, she made the sign of the cross before rushing toward her. A huge smile transformed her round face into a beautiful sign of acceptance.
Dana found herself captured by the five-foot tall, older woman. Dana returned her hug, smiling through her surprise at the joy on Juan’s mom’s face.
“I have another daughter.” Juan’s mother held her at arm’s length and looked her over. “I’m so happy for my Juan. You must call me Ana or Mom, whichever one you’d like.”
“Thank you,” Dana said.
His mother held out her hand to the side. “Come, Maria, meet your new sister. Isn’t she beautiful?”
Petite and beautiful with her long black hair framing her face, Maria grinned, giving Dana a quick hug. “Surprise. Knowing my brother, he gave you no warning that his family stormed the lodge.”
“You’re right,” Dana said, making her escape to stand by Juan. “Although, I’m happy to meet you both. Juan has talked a lot about his family, and I looked forward to meeting you myself.”
“We must hear all about the wedding.” Ana raised her hands in the air. “After the Olympics, I want to throw a huge celebration and invite everyone we know. Did you take pictures?”
Juan laughed. “Slow down, Mom. Dana has to go to work, here at the lodge, but I’ll answer all your questions over breakfast.”
Dana leaned against Juan’s side, at a loss of what to say. “It was very nice to meet you.”
“We’ll eat together. Tonight. After Dana gets done working, and can join us.” Ana reached for her purse. “I’ll make a list, and go shopping.”
“Oh, no, please.” Dana glanced between Ana and Juan. “Spend your time with Juan and catch up. I’ll go shopping and cook us dinner.”
“You will?” Juan asked.
His jaw twitched as if the suggestion that she cook amused him. She straightened her shoulders. Before she’d volunteered, she thought to have the meal catered in, but if Juan’s mom wanted homemade food, she’d damn well cook a meal for her new family.
“I need to go if I’m going to open the shop today.” She stretched and kissed Juan’s cheek.
He chuckled and hooked her neck, holding her balancing on her toes. “My wife better give me a better kiss than that.”
She melted, and let him kiss her. Only when Maria giggled did Juan let her go, and even that he did so reluctantly. She caught her breath and melted.
“Bye,” she whispered.
“Later,” he mouthed.
Warmth flooded her neck, and she hurried out of the room. She jogged to the elevator, and rode down to the first floor. It wasn’t until she took care of the customers waiting for her to open the Reese shop and had a moment to catch her breath that she panicked.
How was she going to impress her new mother in law and Juan’s sister when she even burnt toast on a regular basis?
Chapter Fourteen
Dana wiped the counter in the kitchen and restacked the dishes she’d washed. Juan leaned against the refrigerator and studied her. He’d arrived at the suite this evening with his mom and Maria to find Dana standing in the kitchen with their dinner plates filled.
She’d served them a fabulous lasagna with a side plate of salad. But she hadn’t calmed down all evening, despite the dinner going amazingly well. His mom couldn’t take her eyes off his wife, who played the gracious hostess as if she’d entertained private dinners for years. But all through the meal, Dana had remained quiet and she barely touched any of her food.
Dana wrung out the dishtowel again. “Go join your family, Juan. I’ll be there in a minute. I just want to clean the kitchen so we don’t have a mess in the morning. Then I’ll dish up dessert before your family goes back to their room.”
“That can wait.” He moved over, took the rag out of her hand, and turned her to face him. “What’s going on? Did my family say something to upset you?”
Her gaze snapped to his eyes, and she shook her head. “God, no. They’re wonderful.”
“I’m glad to hear you’re getting along with everyone, but you haven’t relaxed at all tonight.” He pulled her to him and pressed her head to his chest. “Relax. My mom’s in love with you, and my sister told me she thinks you’re awesome.”
“Awesome?” she mumbled against his shirt.
He chuckled. “Yeah.”
Her body shook, and he laughed with her, but when her body continued to tremble, he realized she wasn’t finding the situation am
using, but was crying. He framed her face with his hands. “Babe? Don’t cry. Talk to me.”
“I’m a fake.” She sniffed. “I’m not awesome, and if your mom knew who I really am and what I’ve done to trick you into marriage, she’d hate me. It’s embarrassing, and I want to tell her the truth about how I trapped you — ”
“Stop right there. It was mutual.” He held her gaze. “We both jumped into getting married, so it’s both our faults. We’re dealing with it, right?”
“I’m not good enough for you,” she whispered.
“That’s not true.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb.
“Oh, yeah?” She backed away and opened the oven. “Can you tell me your family will still think I’m good enough for you if they find out what I’ve done?”
He frowned. Either she wasn’t making any sense, or he was more tired than he thought.
Dana stabbed the air, pointing inside the oven. He walked over and leaned down, peering inside.
A foil pan sat on a rack. Before he could ask what he was looking for, she reached inside. He grabbed her wrist. “Don’t. You’ll burn — ”
But he was too late. She’d shoved her other hand inside the oven, removed the aluminum lid without using a potholder, and held the dish up. “Look.”
A sticker with the words “Sally’s Cuisine — We deliver” decorated the top. A bubble of hilarity tickled his throat.
Dana tossed the lid on the counter, whirled around to the fridge, and opened the freezer. “And here’s dessert.”
She held up a gallon of ice cream. “I didn’t even have the courage to pick up some fudge to warm, because I was afraid I’d scorch the chocolate and embarrass you in front of your family. The fact is, I can’t cook. I can’t mix drinks. The only time I do laundry is when I run out of clothes, and lately, when that happens, I wear yours instead.”
“Oh, babe … ” He reached for her.
She backed away. “I’m not good enough to fit into your family, even if it’s for only two more weeks.”
He gazed up at the ceiling. High maintenance or not, he wasn’t letting Dana feel anything but perfect for him. He picked out four bowls, four spoons, handed the silverware to Dana, and grabbed the ice cream, tucking it under his arm, while catching her free hand.