Closing The Gap (Dangerous Pasts, #1)

by Colleen Charles

  ****

  Lake stood in front of her fire pit, naked as the day she was born. Josh reveled in her bravery and confidence in her own skin. She’d come a long way, his tiny person. He’d already peeled every article of clothing from her body as he admired every inch of the skin he exposed with his fingers, lips and tongue. They’d decided to move their lovemaking outside in honor of their first night together in this very place. Both had a compelling urge to finish what they’d started.

  “Have I told you yet tonight, how beautiful you are and how much I love you?”

  “Yes, but I never get tired of hearing it. Better yet, I love it when you show me. Josh, show me now, please.”

  Holy shit. His body exploded into raging flames whenever she peppered him with those little entreaties that ended with the word ‘please’. He felt like a hero when he made her so hot with desire for him. As he ran his fingers through her silky hair, he came across the scar behind her ear and the one that remained from when Buck’s bullet had grazed her temple. Josh brought his lips down upon its raised edge and licked it as he inhaled her cherry scent again.

  “I’m so sorry about what happened to you, Lake.”

  “Don’t ever apologize. You were there to protect me like no one else ever has. I hate to bring Ryan into the bedroom with us but I would be remiss if I didn’t give him credit as well. If that hadn’t happened, I would never have known my darkest hour. The challenging times make us who we are and show us what we’re made of. I’m impressed by what you’re made of. You are a man to admire and I do, with every beat of my heart.” She took his face in her hands and pulled him towards her for a searing kiss. “I remember three words you used that night, so long ago and they’re still appropriate.”

  He couldn’t think straight with her hands all over him. “Hmm?”

  “Too – many – clothes! Not mine, I might add.”

  “Agreed.” While she worked on the buttons of his shirt, he ripped off his belt and unzipped his pants. He shoved them down his legs and stepped right out of them. He’d already lost his socks, shoes and suit coat somewhere in the house, near the living room.

  “Not good enough, Adams.”

  “Deal with it, woman. Do I have to do everything for you?”

  “Sounds like a challenge to me.” With a tug, she sent the boxer briefs to join the pile of clothes flung next to the outdoor sofa.

  “Wait, I might have spoken too soon. If I remember correctly, this didn’t go well for me the last time I let you take control.”

  “Too late, you already made a verbal agreement. A gentleman would not renege.”

  “Who the hell ever insinuated I was a gentleman? I am The Trashman!”

  “Joshua, as your father would so eloquently say, ‘Were you born in a barn?’”

  Christ almighty, if it wasn’t bad enough that the name Ryan had flown past her lips in this intimate moment, now his dad crashed the party too? One eyebrow rose as he considered the possibility. A pregnant pause elapsed before he grinned and fell backwards onto the red sofa where Lake had first lain prone in the same position. He stacked his hands under his head and purred like a cat, naked and unabashed. “I’m yours for the taking, gorgeous. The gauntlet’s been thrown and I accept the challenge.”

  ****

  Lake couldn’t wait to get her hands and mouth on him. He possessed such glorious heat and strength, a perfect complement to her fragility. A smile played across her mouth at the thought of how she could pleasure him and how much she wanted to. She’d dreamt about it every night in her lonely bed until she couldn’t help but touch herself to provide relief.

  “You look seductive when you’re plotting. It’s like the old Lake is coming back to me in bits and pieces. You don’t know how much I’ve missed those sexy looks, the ones that you want to hide but you can’t because your thoughts are more pleasantly engaged on what you’re thinking about doing to me. What are you thinking about doing to me?”

  She didn’t even attempt to hide how deeply she desired him and set her hands to his chest as she marveled at his body. Lake loved the thick corded muscles and the light spattering of dark chest hair that led a path straight to where she wanted to touch him most of all. So he wanted to play dirty again, did he? As she grew in confidence due to her love for him, she glanced at the ring on her finger. He was hers, forever. Thankfully, payback was a bitch and she had a lifetime.

  “First, I want to run my fingers all over your body and trace every hard, inch of you. Then, I want to replace my fingers with my mouth until you’re writhing so hard, you can’t take another moment. Only then, will I touch you where you really want me to. Where you’re craving it. Watch it all happen, if you dare.”

  “Lake Harrison, you do not fight fair. Are you sure you weren’t an enforcer in the NHL? I want you to close the gap between your mouth and my body.”

  Lake giggled at his reference to her interview with Kevin as she settled herself on her knees between his legs, and ran her hands up and down, massaging him as she went. She leaned forward and placed her mouth on his chest to rain tiny kisses and nips everywhere as she let her long hair fall all over him. She knew that drove him wild. He flinched as she continued the exquisite torture, just enough to almost drive him mad with longing. She knew he wanted her touch to be firmer but he’d started this game.

  “Lake, how wet are you?”

  “I haven’t noticed.” The white lie flew past her lips. “Why don’t you check that out?”

  Josh grabbed her by her waist, lifted her as if she was a feather and placed her right on top of him. “Ah, that is so much better.”

  “You are so naughty. I knew you couldn’t last.” Lake laughed as she swatted him across the chest in a playful way. “Remind me never to believe any promises you make in the bedroom.”

  “What about the promises I make outside of the bedroom?”

  “That’s different. I trust you, Josh. I love you more than anything.”

  “Lake, I have a confession to make. This is the longest I have gone without sex in my entire life, since high school. Of course, I could not last. This full on seduction is going to have to wait, maybe until eternity.”

  “I understand.” With those words, she began to rub her hot, dripping wet core against his massive erection. On fire with need, she didn’t complain about his lack of control tonight. “Josh, I want you inside me. I can’t wait any longer.”

  “Then don’t.”

  Lake lifted her bottom and then slid down on top of him with one single, delicious thrust until he was sheathed in his entirety. The fullness exquisite, it made her feel complete. She let him slide out until just the tip remained and then started the torture all over again. It didn’t take her long to find the rhythm that hit her in just the right place and her inner muscles started to clench. He lifted her breasts in his hands and molded them to his palms, his fingers finding her already taught nipples and pinching and rolling them to even greater hardness.

  “Josh, are you close?”

  “Oh, sweetheart, I’ve been close since July. I’m just waiting for you.”

  “Touch me, please.” She grabbed his hand and placed it the hot juncture of their entwined bodies telling him without further words, exactly what she needed.

  Josh rubbed her in slow, steady circles. He started to increase his speed when he noticed her breath starting to come in those sexy little pants that he knew so well.

  “That’s it, baby. Let go. Open your eyes so I can see you.”

  Her eyes flew open at his words and that sent her straight over the edge into an orgasm so intense she cried out into the clear, Arizona night air. He wasn’t far behind her. As she basked in the afterglow, Lake laid in a prone position on top of Josh so she could listen to his heartbeat. Her story had ended in an amazing way and she marveled at her good fortune. She’d always said she didn’t believe in fairy tales. Then again, maybe now, she did.

  Only in hindsight, Lake, will the miracles become obvious, will you se
e you were guided, and will you find there was order all along.

  "Otherwise," as you once said, a long, long time ago, "it would all be too easy..."

  We agreed~

  The Universe

  Epilogue

  Josh let the puck skitter ever so close to where Lake stood on the blue line of the ice at the community center where he coached youth hockey. His kids had trickled out after practice while they gave him shit since he’d admitted his wife would be coming to skate with him. They were alone tonight. He’d paid for private ice time. Even the Zamboni driver and maintenance had left the building. Nothing, outside of serious injury or death, could interrupt this moment.

  Excited to see she was far more stable on her skates since the first time this scene had played out, Josh gave himself the credit. It must be due to his exceptional tutelage. They’d been married over a year and spent their first anniversary in Las Vegas at the Bellagio in the exact suite where they’d made love for the first time. It wasn’t anybody’s business that they hadn’t left that suite for three days and nights. Only room service and his casino host needed to know that information. Roberts probably guessed but he’d gradually improved at keeping his trap shut. Who could argue with the depth of love that Lake and he shared? Their connection was undeniable. It tended to make a smart ass into a mute.

  It hadn’t taken long for Josh to realize that he couldn’t bear to be apart from Lake for extended periods to keep up with his hectic broadcasting schedule. His first road trip had required several dates with his right hand. After the end of that agonizing season, he’d struck a bargain with the Blackhawks to become a guest commentator after games and during intermissions. They knew how much the Chicago fans adored him so graciously allowed him to perform from a television studio located right here in Scottsdale. He now spent the rest of his time coaching his Bantam youth hockey kids. It meant a lot to him to help the ones with potential make it on to traveling teams or reach whatever their personal goals might be. He and Lake had skated here multiple times before, due to their bargain. If he had to ride a horse, she had to ice skate. Now, they loved both those activities because they did them together.

  A bark rang out so he looked over to the visitor’s bench where Alfred sat lovingly licking and sniffing his new friend. Josh had wanted to adopt his own dog and he was thrilled with his Golden Retriever mix, that he’d named Defense. Alfred seemed to love her just as much. He didn’t even care that his girlfriend outweighed him by fifty pounds.

  “I’m sorry it took so long for you to get your shot, babe.”

  “I’m just happy I’m finally getting one.”

  “How about we make this interesting?” He just couldn’t help himself.

  “Really, Adams? Didn’t that backfire on you the last time?” Lake couldn’t keep the incredulity out of her voice as she stared him down as if she wanted to shoot the puck straight for his head.

  “Actually, I’m pretty happy with the way that all turned out. How about this? If you make it, you can pick our vacation destination this winter. If you don’t, you have to indulge any sexual fantasy of my choosing.”

  “I thought I had already indulged all of your sexual fantasies?”

  “No, there’s one left, I haven’t told you about. Even Roberts knows about it.”

  “That does not make me happy. How come RSquared knows about this fantasy and I don’t? I certainly hope it doesn’t involve him and his damn threesomes? I will not share.”

  “It’s not that sinister. He cajoled it out of me one night during a drunken bender on our Scotland trip. Too much Springbank, neat.”

  “I’ll need to hear about this fantasy in more detail before I decide if I can afford to take that bet.”

  “If you make your shot, you get to pick our vacation destination this winter. If I win, you have to rip my pants off at the United Center and go down on me in the press box.”

  “For the love of God!” Josh graced Lake with his most charming smile. She looked so sexy when she was flustered, all glowing skin and heaving breasts. No one could say there was a lack of emotions splayed across her face right now. “What if someone saw us? Aren’t there security cameras in there?”

  “Probably. The lure of being caught is what makes it so appealing as my forbidden fantasy.” He rose his eyebrows up twice. Even though she blustered in feigned outrage, Josh knew she loved his wicked words and wicked ways and he wasn’t going to stop. Even when they were both old and wrinkled.

  ****

  “Obviously, you excel at corruption of the innocent or I wouldn’t be your wife, reprobate. As long as you promise that Ryan, Summer, Lance, your dad and my mom will never see it on a YouTube video, you’re on. We’re too old to survive the sex tape scandal unscathed.”

  “I had originally planned on blasting the music of that green son of a bitch, Oscar the Grouch as a distraction in this very moment, but I really wanted you to finally get your shot. I’m not even going to try to block it. You can have an open net just to prove this is fair. Come on Trashette! Hit it with your best shot, fire away ...!”

  Was he singing? It sounded god-awful. He should keep his day job.

  With laser focus, she lined up the puck with the net. She knew she’d need perfect aim and the right trajectory to make it the sixty four feet to score. They’d debated about an Alaskan cruise for their winter trip. Lake wanted to see polar bears and penguins and try her hand at dog sledding. Josh wanted to lay in the sun in Hawaii and bronze his perfect body. Let him sweat it out. He might need to buy a new parka. She pulled her stick back, then let it fly forward with every single thing she had in her.

  Of course, she’d deliberately aimed wide and the puck sailed cleanly into the right-hand boards. She heard Josh’s laughter loud and clear from where she stood, stick in hand.

  “I was so hoping that would happen.”

  “You know me so well.”

  “I love you so much. United Center, here we come. This will probably require technical expertise to pull off. What happens if we need Roberts to help? He is one hell of a look out. Did he ever tell you about the time we were at the Pink Monkey, and ...”

  “That will never happen! You truly believe he wouldn’t feel compelled to watch us or bust through the door saying God knows what?”

  “You’re right, Mrs. Adams. He’s a sick bastard. I’ll call Kevin. He’s still so proud of how he helped us get together the last time, he would never turn down another chance to shine.”

  “Good move.” Lake trailed her fingers down his chest to rest atop the buttons of his jeans and gazed up into the blue eyes that she couldn’t get enough of. “How about if we have a little preview of that fantasy right here? There’s something to be said for the penalty box.”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  # # #

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  Chapter headings provided by the incomparable Mike Dooley: Notes From The Universe

  Cover Design Copyright © 2014 by Designed By D

  Lyrics in the Prologue provided by the supremely talented Franky Perez

  Closing The Gap by Colleen Charles ©2014 All Rights Reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Colleen Charles loves reading and writing stories that entertain and sweep the reader away from their everyday life.

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  Colleen Charles, Closing The Gap (Dangerous Pasts, #1)