Fucking grow a pair and go in already! My knee bounced uncontrollably in the back of the sedan, my driver waiting patiently as I sat and stewed outside Paige’s house. I was already twenty minutes late—exactly the amount of time it had taken me to get to Phantom, walk inside the club and exit out the back entrance. The paparazzi had followed me and hopefully would wait there for me to leave through the front. Paige was clear on her terms when it came to the paps catching us before we knew exactly what we were doing.

Maybe that is why I couldn’t get my ass out of the car. I’d never been nervous to have dinner with a woman. Hell, I didn’t even twitch when a puck bunny had thrown me a curveball and showed up with my name tattooed on her hip.

No, I was a go-with-the-flow kind of man, but Paige was all business and all out of my league. When she made her offer, I thought I’d fallen into one of the many fantasies I’d had about her since the first time Bailey had introduced us. Three months of no-strings-attached sex with the redhead that invaded my dreams so many times I was waking up every day as hard as a teenager again? Hell. Fucking. Yes. And if it cleaned up my image enough to appease coach and keep me on the ice? Then win, win.

So why are you still sitting in the car like a scared little boy?

A deep breath and a mental kick in the balls later, I shoved open the door and told my driver I’d call him. He’d been with me for years and knew the score—sometimes I wanted a quick escape and others I didn’t mind staying the night. I wasn’t sure which tonight would turn into and always liked to be prepared either way.

I gripped the bottle of Merlot between fingers I refused to acknowledge were sweaty. I’d been with so many gorgeous women I couldn’t count, why was Paige getting under my skin?

Because she’s the first woman to see through your bullshit and the first one to ever go after what she wants with the same tenacity as you do on the ice.

Fuck, that was the truth. I’d never been with a woman like Paige, and for good reason. She was smarter than me, stronger than me, and had her whole life mapped out whereas I was simply trying to maintain some semblance of order in mine.

I wrapped my knuckles against her door, swallowing down the nerves that only flared in her presence. Gage would be furious the second he found out we were together—or whatever version of a story she wanted to tell people—but that shit I could handle. It was everything else I was worried about. What would being with a woman like Paige would do to me, even if it were only a few months? What happened if I couldn’t hack it with her?

Or worse...if I fell for her?

The large mahogany door swung open, Paige leaning against the knob in a smooth black dress that rested modestly below her knees but was tight enough to show off her impeccable body. My fingers itched to touch her smooth skin again and my mouth watered with the memory of her taste. She was fucking exquisite.

“I was beginning to think you’d bolt.”

I stepped past her, handing her the bottle of wine. “What?”

She motioned to my driver who reversed onto the street. “You were out there for nearly ten minutes. You afraid I’d bite?”

I tilted my head. “How’d you—”

She closed the door and pointed to the corner of the ceiling behind me. A single camera pointed toward us, covering the entryway of the home.

“Ah,” I said, turning back to her. “I see.” My eyes trailed to her breasts, which peeked through the small V of her dress as she hugged the bottle of wine to her. I cleared my throat. “How many more of those do you have?”

She tapped her fingers against the glass bottle. “The whole house and exterior are covered.” Her heels clicked against the hardwood floor as she moved through the entryway and I followed her into a dining room bigger than the one in my loft.

“Trouble with stalkers?” I joked as she set the bottle on the large wooden table that was set with two places. Candles illuminated the family style feast she had prepared—pasta and salad and fresh garlic bread.

She laughed as she darted into the kitchen that sat just off the dining room and returned with a wine opener. “I only have one stalker that I’m aware of,” she said, eyeing me as she reached for the bottle.

“Let me.” I stopped her, taking both items from her hands and opening the wine. “Do you have a cook?” I asked, more because I wanted to know if we were alone in the huge house or if I had to watch my words around staff.

She shook her head, her soft red waves falling across her shoulders. “Of course not. Do you?”

I poured wine into the available glasses on the table and sat across from her. “No, I just didn’t peg you for a woman who cooks.”

“Ah,” she said, wrapping her fingers around her glass and taking a slow sip. “Because I can’t possibly run a company and be domestic?”

I pursed my lips, hissing. “Hit a nerve, did I?”

She licked her lips and set the glass down. “Maybe.”

I raised my hands in defense. “Not intentional, Red.” Her cheeks flushed the color of the wine, and I smirked. Every time I called her that she blushed. I made a mental note to do it as often as fucking possible.

“Moving on.” She grabbed the wooden serving spoons and made me a plate. “I hope you like Italian.” She handed it to me.

“I assumed as my biggest fan you would know it’s my favorite.” I cocked an eyebrow at her, wondering if we’d already started playing a game.

She laughed again, and my chest filled so much I couldn’t breathe. I rubbed at the spot, squinting as I wondered about the source of the sensation.

“You all right?” she asked, setting her filled plate before her.

“Fine,” I said and dropped my hand.

“Bailey told me.”

“What?”

“Told me this was your favorite.”

I grinned. “I’ve never been on this end of a seduction before.” I took a quick bite, and my eyes rolled back in my head. Damn. I might fucking marry her just to eat like this on the reg. I held up my finger. “Note, just because you made me dinner doesn’t mean I’ll put out.”

Her fork clanked loudly against her plate as she swallowed her bite a little too hard, and my chest puffed out a fraction. I couldn’t help it. I loved it when my mouth surprised her—in more ways than one.

“Well,” she said, dabbing at her red lips with a napkin. “If I would’ve known that I probably wouldn’t have put in all the effort.”

“Ouch,” I teased, taking another bite.

Her stunning green eyes stared at the wine in the glass before her lips a little too long.

“What is it?” I asked, the jokes suddenly drying up in my mouth.

She blinked a few times before taking a gulp. “Are we crazy?”

“You are. Without a doubt.” I smirked. “Anyone who thinks they can put up with me for three entire months has to be.”

She breathed out a sigh. “I think I can handle you.”

“We’ll see.” I took another bite. “Where is your head at?”

“I…” she shook her head and reached for something in the seat next to her. “Here, it’s easier to simply show you.”

I took the folder from her hand, my fingers brushing hers and lighting up like an electric current buzzed between us. Fuck, I might as well be a little girl in a fairytale. The chemistry was unlike any I’d experienced before, and I couldn’t fucking wait to see what would happen once I sank my dick inside her.

After months of fantasizing about it, and last week’s delicious sample, I was having a hard time keeping it in my pants. Especially since she was the one who wanted it so bad. But that was why I had to lock it up. She was used to getting her way. Used to being in control. And I wanted to offer her something she didn’t have any experience in—being at the mercy of the man who wanted to worship her. That meant I called the shots on when I finally pushed her over the edge, and while I was beyond ready to take her there, it would be ten times better if I teased the hell out of her for a few weeks first.

My dick would hate me for it, but it’d be worth it.

I shifted the few pieces of paper inside, glancing over them. “I called it. You made a contract.”

“No need to say I told you so,” she said, taking another drink of wine.

“I know you better than you think I do.” I cocked an eyebrow at her, glancing from the contract to her barely touched food and near empty wine glass. “Eat, Red. Wouldn’t want you drunk for a business deal.”

She grinned and picked up her fork, slowly taking a bite that drew attention to her perfect mouth. I’d never been more turned on watching a woman eat. I was so fucked.

After a few moments, she cleared her throat. “If there is anything not to your liking we can discuss amending it.”

“Seems straight-forward enough,” I said, closing the folder and setting it beside me on the table. “You have a list of items. I help you check them off. In return, you take me to charity events and parties and help me appear more wholesome to the public.”

She nodded. “And…” she shifted in her seat, her clear nervousness over the discussion only making me want her more.

“Am I forgetting something?” I asked.

“You’ll be exclusive…to me for the duration of the agreement.”

A sting sliced at my chest and I resisted the urge to flinch. What the fuck did you expect? She’s seen you operate. Of course she’d think you’d fuck other women while you fucked her.

I pushed back from the table, setting my napkin over my cleaned plate. Her eyes widened as I tugged on the wooden arms of her chair, easily forcing her to face me as I leaned over her. “You think being exclusive will be difficult for me?”

She swallowed roughly, her breasts rising and falling rapidly. My dick grew hard beneath my jeans, but I mentally told him to calm the fuck down. He wasn’t running this show.

“Won’t it be?”

I trailed my eyes up and down her body, tightening my grip on the armrests to keep my hands from slipping beneath her little black dress. “No, Red. Believe it or not, I’ve wanted you since I first saw you. Finally getting to taste you? That’s worth the terms you’ve set.”

She sucked in a breath. “And the fights? You can’t do anything that reckless while we’re together or it will ruin both of us.”

I squinted at her, inhaling as I drew closer to her, taking in her sweet scent. “That will be harder.”

“Impossible?”

“No. It can’t be.” Any more incidents and I’d be off the Sharks. That was the only life I knew—the only life I wanted—and couldn’t lose it. I wouldn’t lose it.

“Right,” she said, her voice breathless. “Not only for the Sharks but for me as well.”

“I read that part. I understand you have an image to uphold.” I shook my head. How the hell had this brilliant flame of a woman allowed herself to be contained in the space of a candle? All she needed was a little oxygen, and she’d burn brighter than any fire if she just gave herself the freedom to breathe.

“What?” She asked, her lips so close to mine it would only take a small tilt, and I could claim her mouth.

“No wonder you need me.”

“We need each other,” she corrected me, and the truth of the statement sucked the air out of my lungs. I froze above her, my eyes boring into hers. I didn’t need anyone. Never had. This was completely new territory, and no one had exactly handed me a map.

“Whatever you say, Red.” I brushed her lips with mine, just a breath of a touch but it was enough to turn my semi into a full hard-on.

“And,” she said, licking her lips as I pulled back an inch. “Once the three months are complete we go our separate ways.”

“Awh, you don’t want to be friends?” I slowly slipped my knee between her legs, teasing her as I leaned closer, something in my chest rebelling at her imposed termination date.

She closed her eyes as I allowed myself to trail one fingertip down her bare arm. “We just can’t fall in love.” Her words froze my motions, and I reclaimed the armrest, gripping it so hard the wood creaked under the pressure. She laughed softly, opening her eyes. “That’ll be the easiest part for you.”

I pursed my lips, nodding. “Right.” I wasn’t a man who fell in love. I dropped panties. I changed women’s lives with body shaking orgasms. Lust was my domain. Lust was all I was capable of. And the girl of my fantasies knew it. That’s why she’d chosen me. So why did the notion make my chest ache—that I wasn’t someone she could possibly see a long-term relationship with when I knew that was exactly the kind of girl she was. But that wasn’t what she wanted from me, so maybe it was time to see exactly what she did. “Do I get to see this list?” I asked, suddenly needing to steer the conversation back to what I was good at—sex.

She shook her head, her eyes teasing.

“Really? How can help you if I don’t know what needs to be done?”

She reached up, running her hands over my chest and down my abs. “I’ll tell you when I’m ready.”

I clucked my tongue at her. “What did I tell you about the control in this…whatever it is we’re doing?”

“Relationship,” she said. “Say it. Because that’s what this is, and that’s what everyone will believe. And where our relationship is going to be very open, the details of our arrangement have to be our secret.”

I slid my tongue across her bottom lip. “Relationship.” The word might as well have been in a foreign language with how familiar I was with it.

“Good,” she said and slipped her hand beneath the waistband of my jeans, her fingers reaching for what raged in my pants.

I hissed and pushed off the chair, putting a few feet of space between us. Her green eyes blazed as she looked at me in shock, and I smirked. “Tell me, am I just someone you chose to complete this list with, or am I on it?”

“Number seven,” she answered instantly. She stood up, stalking toward me with the click of her heels echoing in my head. Damn, the fiery redhead would burn me from the inside out. I backed up until I hit the wall. “And I’m ready for that. Now.”

She reached for me again, and I clasped my hands around her wrists pulling her toward me and spinning her until I pressed her back against the wall. Raising her arms above her head, I held her pinned there. “And who else is on this list of yours?”

“What?” Her eyes flew wide.

“This epic, dirty-girl list you have. If I’m #7, who else is on it?” The thought of tracking them all down and burying their bodies before they could touch Paige flew through my mind. Way to go caveman.

“No one. There’s only you. I only want you.”

I claimed her mouth. She tasted like wine and something a tad sweet, and it made my dick throb so hard I had to push against her.

Only me. I wasn’t a nameless trophy fuck. I was the only one this insanely brilliant woman wanted, the only one she trusted with this list of hers, and I wanted her just as badly.

Gasping between my lips, she hooked her leg around my hip, shamelessly grinding against my dick as she sucked my tongue back into her mouth. “Fuck,” I growled.

I had the woman pinned against the wall, and still she was taking control like no one else ever had. It would be so easy to sink into her—a quick unzip and slide her panties to the side, and she’d be screaming my name.

Holding her hands up with only one of mine, I trailed my free hand down her side until I felt the smooth skin of her bare leg, her dress hiking up to her hip. My fingers met black lace—and not fucking much of it—as I grabbed her ass and hefted her against me. Before she could hop to lock her ankles around my hips, I gently nudged her leg down. Stopping took the effort of a hundred two-a-day practices, but I kissed her one last time and backed away.

The creaminess of her skin was flushed, and her perfect breasts moved up and down as she caught her breath.

“Not tonight,” I said.

She eyed the evidence of just how much I fucking wanted her. “Why?”

Because this is what you think you want, but it’s not what you need.

I stepped closer to her, just enough to touch her chin. “I told you. I’m in control. I’ll give you what you want, but only when you want it most.”

“I want it—”

“No,” I cut her off, smirking. “You think you do. Just wait.” I winked at her and gave her a light kiss on her cheek. “Thanks for dinner,” I whispered before returning to the table to grab the contract. “I’ll sign this and bring it back.” I tapped the folder as I opened her front door.

“When?” She asked, her hands popped onto her hips.

“Soon.” She shut the door behind me as I stepped down her porch and walked slowly to her driveway.

As I waited the ten minutes for my driver to pick me up, I battled the urge to say, “fuck it,” bust back through her door and carry Paige to her bed and sink deep inside her like my body begged.

She wasn’t a woman you fucked quickly to get out of your system. She was the kind you savored. The slow burn that only made the flames brighter the longer you stoked it. Paige was a living, breathing flame. I just hoped I was strong enough to withstand her fire.