Golden sunlight kissed me awake, and I stretched luxuriously out on the infinitely comfortable bed. He must have spent thousands on this, I thought blissfully. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, a delirious smile already playing around my lips.

I turned toward where I expected him to be, only to find his side of the bed empty. Curious and lazy, my gaze roamed around the spacious bedroom for a clock. The one on the bedside table said 8:16, which was better than I had expected.

“Mm, good sleep,” I murmured as I stretched again. “Now, where did he say the bathroom was?”

I padded around naked, opening doors. There should be a bathroom attached to this bedroom, shouldn’t there? I found the closet first, just as a door opened behind me.

“Looking for something?” Dante’s voice asked, hard and suspicious.

“Just the bathroom,” I said breezily, still too happy from last night’s adventure to get defensive.

Dante pointed at the third door in the room, and I thanked him. I gave him an extra little wiggle as I walked into the bathroom, hoping I could convince him to give me a repeat performance. There was nothing like a bit of horizontal cardio to start the day off right.

But when I returned, he was already fully dressed, looking bored and a little impatient. He had my clothes in his hand, and he shoved them at me as I approached.

“Oh…um, thanks,” I said, confused by the sudden change in his demeanor.

“Yep.”

“I had a great time last night,” I said, watching his face to gauge his reaction.

He smiled briefly, absently scanning the room. Confusion was beginning to pound into some sickening mix of shame and fury in my chest, and I turned my back on him to dress in peace.

“Hope you got enough for your story,” he said with an oddly gloating tone.

“I have enough to get me started, at least.” Dressed and composed, I turned back to him. “Did I do something to piss you off?” I asked bluntly.

Surprise finally broke through the detached look on his face.

“Not at all,” he said. “You got what you wanted; I got what I wanted. It was a satisfying transaction.”

“Transaction,” I repeated bitterly.

He just shrugged casually and glanced at the door as if he were impatient for me to leave. I shoved my feet into my shoes, clenched my trembling hands into fists, and found my purse.

“I’ll just forget about that dancing date you invited me on, I suppose?” I asked with acid in my tone.

Half a dozen expressions brushed his face, none of which solidified. His only answer was a nonchalant shrug.

“I see.”

I was seething. With all of my things on my person and in hand, I stormed to the door and yanked it open. I was halfway down the hall when I realized he was behind me.

“I can see myself out,” I snapped.

“I have no doubt,” he said, but didn’t leave my side.

“What is wrong with you? Are you actually two people, or do you just like screwing with women?”

“There’s nothing wrong with me. I like to win, and I know what it takes to win. Don’t take it personally.”

“Don’t take it personally!? How the hell else am I supposed to take it?” I demanded, whirling on him.

“Look, darlin’,” he said, setting his hands on my shoulders as if I were a child on the brink of a meltdown. “You’ve got your own game to win. Keep your eyes on the prize. You got what you came for, didn’t you?”

More than what I came for, really, I thought. I raised my chin defiantly.

“You need help,” I told him. “Normal people don’t change their whole personalities overnight.”

“I didn’t.” He shrugged, letting his arms drop. “I’m a competitive person. You knew this before you talked to me. You’re just missing one tiny detail.”

“Which is?” I demanded, my hand on the front doorknob.

Dante smirked, an expression which should have made him less attractive, but somehow didn’t.

“Palmer and I aren’t just competing on the ice,” he said. “And goals aren’t the only things we’re scoring.”

Every nerve in my body fired and I froze. He didn’t mean…?

“Quit speaking in code.”

“Really? I thought a writer would understand subtlety. Ah, well. Palmer and I are competing to see how many women we can bed before the end of the season. Thanks to you, I’m winning.” His smirk grew wider, making him look almost menacing.

I hated myself for the sudden twist of arousal deep inside of me. With my heart pounding fit to burst, I suppressed the urge to claw his eyes out. Composure regained, I looked up at him, meeting his smoldering eyes with shards of ice.

“You know, last night I was impressed at how mature and sophisticated you were for a jock,” I spat. “I thought you would be above these stupid, immature, childish games. Clearly I was wrong.”

I didn’t wait for him to answer before I stormed out, slamming the door behind me. I cursed him all the way down the hallway, into the elevator, and out the lobby. Once outside, I realized I didn’t have my car, and cursed him again. Shivering with rage as much as cold, I called a cab.