CHAPTER TEN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

H er heart lodged in her throat as the puck dropped. She sat dumbstruck for several minutes as the truth registered. Luka was a professional hockey player like her ex. Her mind raced trying to comprehend how she’d missed that major detail. As their conversations replayed, she realized he’d never told her what he did for a living. She’d filled in the blanks with her own imagination.

This knowledge should have changed her opinion of him, but it didn’t. She didn’t care he’d kept that fact to himself. The excitement at seeing him overshadowed all other emotions.

As the game unfolded, she found herself rooting for him. Luka punished Terry’s teammates and had his sights on her ex. There was no doubt in her mind he’d recognized Terry last night. The league wasn’t that big, and Terry had been playing for over a decade. His face was instantly recognizable.

It was wrong for her to smile as Luka slammed Terry into the boards, but he deserved a beating after his actions that morning. She took great joy in watching Terry crumble. Over and over again.

Winnipeg marched down the ice like a well-oiled machine, passing and pummeling Kristoff in the net. After the first period, they were up by two. Their defense took over, killing any momentum her guys attempted to create. It forced Montreal to take more risks. In turn, make more mistakes. They didn’t play like a team starved for the Cup.

Terry looked exhausted by the third. Sweat poured down his face as he yelled and encouraged his team. It was too little too late. Winnipeg scored again, adding to their lead. The arena erupted and chanted for their heroes. Despite their best efforts, Terry’s team lost with a score of three to nothing.

The adrenaline in the place transferred as she stood with the crowd. She knew exactly where to find Luka. He might have been able to avoid her calls, but she was determined to make sure he had all the facts before dismissing her. She wasn’t ready to give up on him yet.

“I’m hitting the after party,” Rianne stated, surprising her.

“Um, I guess I’ll come with you. This will be fun,” she replied, looking at her mom. Fans spilled down the aisle celebrating their game one victory.

“Oh, yeah. You two go and have fun,” she answered, wrapping her arms around the young ones. “I’ll take the boys back to the hotel. Maybe grab a snack and hit the pool.”

Wayne and TJ looked as defeated as their father. The mention of pool changed Wayne’s frown into a smile. “Cool.”

She said goodbye to the hotel bound crew. “I guess we’ll meet up with them later,” she said to Rianne as they climbed the stairs after them.

Her daughter stopped and tucked down a row of empty seats. “Actually, I kind of want to hit the streets on my own.” She chewed her lip and stared at her feet. “Without you.”

“Rianne, I’m not sure I feel comfortable with this. There’s a lot of—”

“Predators out there. Thugs and evil doers. Yeah, I know. I’m not an idiot, and I’m not going to do anything stupid.” Their eyes met. “Either you trust me, or you don’t?”

Every bone in her body screamed to hold on to her baby and never let her out of her sight, but she trusted her. She’d raised a smart and capable young woman. “Have fun,” she said, pulling her in for a large, mamma bear hug. She didn’t care that Rianne didn’t hug her back. Her daughter knew she was loved.

Moving aside, she watched her daughter’s head disappear into the crowd. The place emptied quickly, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She wanted to see Luka. There was a good chance he’d refuse to speak with her. That was a risk she was willing to take.

She used her connections and waited by the exit. Each time the door opened her throat dried and her heart beat faster. Nearly every player had come and gone. Then he stepped out. Alone. She clutched the wall for support.

His hair was wet from a shower and his suit jacket was open. He looked stunning and fierce, like a predator. She hoped to be his prey.

Either he didn’t see her, or he meant to ignore her because he marched past her. His long stride created a distance between them. She refused to be invisible.

“Luka,” she yelled, stopping him mid step.

He pivoted and faced her. The ferociousness of his stare was hot enough to burn down the arena. Her cheeks heated under the scrutiny and she exhaled. She hadn’t planned this out very well and uncertainty wriggled its way into her brain. This was a bad idea.

He stood his ground, forcing her to move. She took one hesitant step towards him. When he didn’t leave, she closed the gap.

“You must have questions.” She inhaled his masculine aroma and her mouth watered. “Um, I wanted to explain.”

Damn, she’d missed him. Their eyes remained locked. The desire to touch him was too much to resist. With her heart on her sleeve, she gambled and took his hands.

He huffed but didn’t pull away. Her heart exploded with relief. They had a chance.

“Talk to me. Please,” she begged. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

His brows furrowed. “Why are you here?”

She ran her thumbs over his knuckles, drawing heat from the contact. “To see you. Talk to you. Make you listen to me.”

Luka shook his head. A drop of water dripped down his cheek. “You are something else. Of all the tricks, this takes the prize.”

Her eyes searched his, but she couldn’t understand. “What?”

“You were sent to get in my head,” he said, lifting their joined hands to his head. He tapped her fingers against his forehead with enough force to bruise his skin. “Instead you took it further and messed with my heart.” He lowered their hands and pressed them over his chest.

The fast thumping of his heart matched hers. “Your heart,” she repeated. “What are you implying?”

“You used me,” he stated. His voice lacked emotion which wasn’t like him. Passion rolled off Luka like waves in the ocean, but he stood there like a statue. A very pissed off statue. “Or you tried to.”

“That’s ridiculous. I didn’t use you.” She pushed against his chest, smacking the stone facade. “Walk me through your train of thought because you’re not making any sense.” She raced to connect the dots and couldn’t.

He laughed. The sound was hollow and cold. “You’re a good actress. I know who your man is. I double checked his profile online the second after I saw you. Married. Not single. You are Terry Fucking Manor’s wife.” His voice rose and filled the empty halls. “Was this part of some game to help them win? Did he ask you to find me?”

Her eyes widened. Rage boiled to the surface. He thought Terry had sent her to distract him. As if she were some whore to be pimped around. Unreal. She slapped his cheek with as much force as she could muster. His face hardly moved, but her hand stung.

The fine line between love and hate broke, leaving her in limbo. She clutched her hand against her chest and stepped away from him.

“How dare you!” The first tear slipped from her eye. “I’m not a sexual decoy, sent to fuck you and fuck up your hockey game. Why would you jump to that conclusion? Is that why you didn’t answer my calls?” Her voice shook like the rest of her.

He gripped her arms and pressed his forehead against hers. “I threw my phone against the wall after I caught the woman I loved with her husband.”

Love hung in the air like a cloud. She’d known she was falling for Luka but had refused to admit the truth. Now, it rained down like a storm she couldn’t stop, flooding her senses.

“Ex-husband,” she yelled. The sound echoed around them. “We are separated. He hasn’t been my husband in over a year.”

His grip on her arms lessened. “Oh,” he breathed.

Instead of slapping or pushing him away, she gripped his face and kissed him. Her mouth pressed against his. She initiated the kiss, but he took over. Luka forced his way inside her mouth and their tongues fought. His big hands engulfed her head, holding her against him.

The kiss was angry and demanding. It sought the answers to questions they had yet to ask.

Her back hit the wall with enough force to wind her. Luka swallowed her breath and consumed every inch of her lips. Her hands roamed his back, digging her nails into his muscles.

She wanted to be with him, but she wasn’t sure they should be together. It had been so long since she’d been in a new relationship, she’d forgotten how volatile and fragile they could be. One misinterpreted word or action caused disaster. A war waged between her need to be taken right there and then, and the need to protect her heart.

Jill bit his lip and he moaned scoring a point for team desire. “I want you. Only you, Luka,” she said, scratching along his spine.

“Jill, you drive me crazy. I…” his lips finished where his words left off.

An urge to convince him he was the only man she wanted pulsed through her veins. Luka had her heart, and he deserved to know she loved him too. She grappled with her feelings and let it all out in their kiss.

“You and Manor are no longer?” he asked as he kissed along her jaw. The heat of his breath sent shivers racing over her chest, hardening her nipples. “Tell me who you belong to.” His whiskers scratched against her neck as he nibbled on her ear.

“I’m not with him anymore. It’s only you. I’m yours,” she panted into his hair.

A deep low groan followed as if her words turned him on. They sure worked for her. Giving herself to this man and declaring it out loud had an instant effect on her panties. They were soaked.

“Then why were you touching him?” He tugged her lobe between his teeth. “I’m not a man who shares.”

“Luka, you… ahhh,” she moaned when his hand covered her breast and squeezed. “I missed you. He… oh, man. We need to get out of here.” If he kept touching her like that, she was liable to rip his clothes off any second.

He turned her thoughts into a jumbled mess as his hand moved against her skin and he pinched her nipple. The peak pebbled against his fingers, seeking and responding to his touch. Her body was on fire.

Footsteps sounded down the corridor behind him. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, but never took her hands off him. She buried them under his jacket, seeking a closer connection. They continued groping one another as if they were alone. He covered her with his huge body while his fingers tugged at her tip. A shock wave of longing ended at her core. She rubbed her thighs together wishing for more.

“Tell me why,” he demanded, pressing the steel column of his erection against her. “Make me understand.”

She didn’t have a good answer. Despite everything Terry had done wrong, she loved him. The love had changed into something different. She no longer looked at him the way a husband deserved. His touch failed to ignite the fires that burned inside her now. Yet when Terry reached for her and asked for help, she couldn’t say no. He was like a bad habit. An old addiction she was trying to break.

“Does it matter? He’s my past,” she stuttered as he pulled extra hard on her nipple. “You are the man I want.”

“It matters.” He licked behind her ear and down her neck. “Everything you do matters to me.”

“We can’t do this here.” She couldn’t think with his hands, his lips and tongue on her. Moreover, she didn’t have an answer. She loved Luka. He had a big piece of her heart, but he deserved a woman who wasn’t confused. A woman who could give him everything.

“Give me the truth,” he commanded as he feasted on her neck. Sucking hard enough to leave a mark.

Doubt crept in and took over. She dropped her hands from his body. “This is a bad idea. Maybe I… I should go.”

One second, she was being consumed by him, and the next she was hoisted in the air with her feet dangling. His need for answers forced her to rethink everything. Her life was complicated. The situation with her ex and the kids didn’t have an easy explanation.

As she bounced down the hall over Luka’s shoulder, her craving for him doubled. She loved that he wasn’t letting her off the hook. She loved him period.