Chapter 4—Split the Defense

Vi gladly accepted Amelia and Brick’s invitation to an afternoon dinner on the third Sunday in January. She was honored they’d chosen her as their first guest in their new home. They’d moved into the houseboat on Lake Union less than a month ago.

Once Vi got beyond the environmental impacts of such a place, she loved the idea of living in a houseboat, listening to the water lapping against the dock, and perhaps even the gentle roll of being on water rather than land.

Situated at the end of the dock, their two-story houseboat had a wide covered porch that opened onto Lake Union. Vi had grown up in the desert, so water scared her a bit, not to mention she couldn’t swim to save her soul, not that she’d tell anyone. Her friends thought she was a free spirit from Berkeley, California. She’d never said that, just alluded to it, and when they assumed she’d grown up in sunny California she didn’t correct them. Just as she didn’t correct people who thought her father was a college professor and her mother, a nurse. The truth was far from her concocted story—try professional gambler and Vegas showgirl.

Vi despised liars, yet she’d become one out of necessity.

There’d been multiple occasions when she’d almost told Amelia the entire sad story. Amelia’s family wouldn’t win any family of the year prizes, either. She’d understand. Yet Vi held back. To give voice to her past gave it power. She didn’t want to give her past power. She lived in the moment. The past was gone, dead, buried, never to be resurrected. She was a new Vi with a new name and new lease on life. No one needed to know more than that.

Despite her logic, she felt like a fraud.

Pushing away all negative thoughts, she plastered a smile on her face, squared her shoulders, and rapped on the door. Before she could lower her hand, the door swept open, and three munchkins stood on the other side, beaming with childhood joy and in various stages of disarray. They’d been finger painting or something. Macy, Brick’s daughter, grinned up at her. Andy and Joey were here, which meant—

Vi glanced past the kids, unable to stop her eyes from locking on Matt.

Oh, yeah. He was here, and he was frowning at her as if she’d brought a plague of locusts along with her. Vi ignored his penetrating stare, but she felt the heat of it practically melt the clothes off her body. She could work with surliness. Attitude could be channeled into passion and an asset when you’re naked.

She bent down to group-hug the kids. She’d never been one to enjoy hanging with kids, but these three were growing on her. She appreciated their joy and honesty, something she didn’t see from most adults.

“Vi, you wanna see the picture I’m painting?” Joey grinned up at her, a rainbow of colors smeared across his face. Vi wondered if he’d left any paint on the paper.

“Sure.” She allowed herself to be led to the newspaper-covered table, waving at Brick and Amelia sipping drinks in the kitchen area.

“What do you think?” Joey said proudly, pointing at his painting. Vi squinted at the pink elephant with what looked like a huge penis hanging between its legs.

“It’s really nice.” She pointed at the penis and forced a straight face. “What’s that?”

“His leg.”

She couldn’t resist a glance at Matt, who was now in full-blown scowl mode. “Ahhh.” She decided not to point out the elephant had five legs so Matt would let her live.

Vi oohed and ahhed over the other pictures, not much better than Joey’s but less obscene. Macy’s was a multicolored parrot, and Andy’s was a hockey player. No surprise there. Joey appeared to be the only one with an unorthodox mind like Vi’s.

Vi escaped to the adult section and gratefully took the Chardonnay Amelia offered her. Brick winked at her, and Vi winked back. Brick was one of the hottest guys she’d ever laid her eyes on, yet he did nothing for her. Matt was average-looking with a way-beyond-average body. At least, what she’d seen of it. And Matt, for reasons she couldn’t explain, ticked all her boxes. She’d never cared much about a pretty face. She cared about a guy’s body, and more importantly, his soul, but this thing with Matt wasn’t anything but physical. They weren’t soul mates, didn’t even like each other, but they had it going on in spades. And Vi never ignored chemistry. To do so would insult the cosmos.

Matt was a tough one, though. Right now, he was frowning at her as if she’d done her stripper act right here in the kitchen in front of his children.

She ignored his evil eye and sipped her wine. “I love what you’ve done with this place. Very nautical.”

“Thanks.” Amelia beamed with pride. “We wanted a beach cabin feel with a bit of Northwest thrown in.”

“I love it.” Vi nodded appreciatively. Amelia had managed to blend the seashore and Native culture with whites and natural woods, big comfy furniture in browns, and splashes of blue here and there. The cheerfulness of the decor masked the gloominess of a Seattle winter.

“Thank you so much. We’re so glad you could make it tonight. Aren’t we, Brick?”

“Absolutely.” Brick grinned from ear to ear. “Matt, aren’t you thrilled to see Vi?” The rat bastard was baiting Matt, and she ducked her head to hide her amusement.

Matt grimaced. “Yeah, sure. Thrilled.” He leaned his fine ass against the counter, crossed his arms over his chest, and regarded her with displeasure over the rim of his beer glass.

Vi grinned at him. “Good to see you, too, Monsieur LaLa.”

His eyes narrowed to slits, and Brick laughed heartily. “Monsieur LaLa? I love it. Wait until I tell the guys.”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” Matt growled, not taking his eyes off Vi.

His eyes might burn with anger and annoyance, but there was more to it. A lot more. Vi knew what desire looked like. She saw it every night at the club while peeling off her clothes. Only Matt’s desire wasn’t sleazy or dirty. It was raw and needy, just like hers.

“You love it, and you know it,” she shot back, pausing to rake her gaze up and down his buff body encased in a gray Sockeyes sweatshirt and comfortably worn jeans.

He shook his head. “You’re certifiable.”

“Thank you. I’d rather be crazy than older before my years and boring.”

“Are you referring to me?” he shot back.

“Should I be?”

He hesitated, as if he wasn’t sure how to answer that one.

“I could loosen you up,” she purred, and leaned into him.

Matt’s gaze flickered to Amelia and Brick, who were watching the two of them with unabashed delight.

Joey interrupted before Matt could retaliate. “Dad, can I have some more hot chocolate?” He held up a Styrofoam cup, much to Vi’s abject horror.

“You bought Styrofoam?” She shot a questioning look in Amelia’s direction.

Amelia and Brick exchanged one of those glances between couples that meant nothing to anyone else and everything to them. The corners of her friend’s mouth twitched.

“Matt picked up the hot chocolate at Starbucks.” She indicated the thermos on the counter and ignored the presence of the hated Styrofoam.

“Starbucks does not use Styrofoam.”

“I brought them from home.” Matt shrugged.

Vi turned on him, unable to hold back her anger. “You have children. Don’t you care about the environmental legacy we’re leaving them?”

Matt raised a brow and regarded her with irritation. “Of course I care.”

“Then why do you buy Styrofoam?”

“Because it’s thick and the kids won’t burn themselves.”

“Do you realize it takes centuries for that crap to break down? Do you know how toxic the manufacturing process is? Do you realize it contains carcinogens that can leach into whatever your children are drinking?” Her voice rose to a shrill pitch and wiped the smirk off Matt’s face. All three adults pulled back from her as if she were a crazy person about to lose her shit.

“No, I didn’t realize that,” Matt said quietly. His tone might have been calm, but his glare was deadly.

“You should be more aware of the effects your decisions have on the world we live in.” She couldn’t help hammering her point home despite the warning glimmer in his dark eyes.

“I’ll try.” His noncommittal response ruffled her already ruffled feathers.

“Dad,” Joey said in a small voice. “I just want some more hot chocolate.” He sidled as far away from Vi as he could get, as if her particular kind of crazy might be contagious. She wasn’t crazy, just passionate.

Amelia grabbed the offending Styrofoam and pulled a cup out of the cupboard, filling it with hot chocolate. “Here you go, honey.”

“Thanks.” He continued to watch Vi as he backed out of the kitchen.

“Did you really have to make such a big deal out of a cup in front of my boy?” Matt growled.

“I wouldn’t have if you set a better example.”

She was pretty certain the top of Matt’s head was going to blow off any moment.

“Let’s take the kids for a walk on the dock. We have an hour before dinner. It’s a beautiful night outside,” Amelia said quickly, ignoring the heat radiating off her two friends.

“Yeah, the temp in here is intolerable. Let’s cool off.” Brick barked a laugh and called for the kids.

“I’ll go with you,” Matt said quickly, reaching for his coat.

Brick ripped it out of his hand. “Oh, no, you aren’t. You’re staying here and settling your differences with Vi.”

Brick should’ve gone up in flames from the look in Matt’s eyes. Instead, he laughed and helped Amelia wipe paint off the kids and get them into their coats. In few minutes they whisked them out the door. It shut with a soft click, leaving Matt and Vi alone in the sudden silence.

Matt popped open another beer and tossed the bottle cap in the garbage. Vi poured herself another glass of wine.

“Was that really necessary?” Matt said.

“What?” Vi growled back, needing him to clarify.

“The lecture on Styrofoam.”

“Yes, it was.”

He rolled his eyes. She took several steps forward until their bodies were a few feet apart and glared up at him. “Why do you have to be so difficult?”

“Why do you?” he countered.

“You are the most infuriating man I have ever—” Before she could finish her statement, Matt had closed the space between them and backed her against the counter. He put his hands on either side to block her in and lowered his head. She blinked several times, stupefied and rendered silent by his closeness. His mouth came down on hers. She expected hard and demanding. She got soft and gentle.

Oh, God.

She melted into him, kissing him back. Her body was floating, her soul was singing, and her head was spinning. She was off-kilter and wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself. The kiss lasted moments and a lifetime, but it was over too soon. Matt drew back, his lower body still pinning her against the counter.

“Why did you do that?” she said way too breathlessly.

“It was the only thing I could think of to shut you up.”

She nodded, chewing on her lower lip and wanting more, needing more. Her body ached for more. Her vagina begged for more. And her often-absent common sense once more abandoned ship.

Matt must have sensed a shift in the universe and backed away, watching her warily. His eyes flashed with a mixture of lust and regret. She, for one, did not regret kissing him. She wished she’d been the one to take the initiative. She hated him being in control and plotted her next words carefully to throw him off.

“Why are we playing this game?” Vi asked.

“What game?” Matt studied his beer, sloshing it around in the bottle.

“You want to fuck me, and I want you to. Let’s just do it.”

He lifted his gaze to hers. Raw need and animal hunger glowed in his brown eyes. “I’m not sure I can handle you.”

“I’m sure you can. You just did.”

“Maybe I don’t want to.”

“Oh, baby cakes, you want to. You really want to.” Vi slid up to him and put a hand on his crotch. He choked on his beer and removed her hand, gripping it next to his chest.

“We have nothing in common.”

She snorted and blew out an exasperated breath. “Yeah, we do. We each want to get the other naked. That’s enough.”

“Not for me,” he mumbled.

“Are you for real? You keep giving me mixed messages. You kiss me then you go all monk on me. You can’t tell me you’ve never had casual sex.”

“I didn’t say that, but I’m a responsible adult now, a father of two boys I want to raise right, and that includes respecting women, not seeing them as playthings with no regard for their feelings.”

“Like a lot of your teammates do?”

He nodded.

“That’s admirable, but the boys don’t need to know we’re using each other for our bodies.”

“I’d know.” He swallowed hard, as if something distasteful was lodged in his mouth.

“You have women throwing themselves at you all the time.”

He shrugged.

“Are you saying that the last woman you slept with, you were married to?”

He didn’t respond, and Vi’s mouth dropped open.

“Seriously?”

He said nothing, and his lack of an answer was her answer.

Vi was more determined than ever to show this guy a good time. He needed her to set him free from his morality prison. She wrapped her fingers around his biceps and marveled at the power under her fingertips.

“You’re one sexy man,” she said in her best sultry voice. “I wouldn’t expect anything from you but a good time.”

His expression bordered on uncertain, as though he were standing on the edge of an ocean cliff and staring at the swirling water below. He ran his hands through his hair and muttered, “Merde.” His French-Canadian accent came through loud and clear, encouraging her.

“Jump in, Matthew. The water’s warm.”

He blinked several times. “Huh?”

“You’re a hockey player, right?”

He regarded her as if she were crazy. “Yeah.”

“And you’re competitive. You take risks because the rewards far outweigh the risks.”

He crossed his arms protectively over his chest. “I know what you’re getting at. Hockey is different. It’s nothing like—like what you’re talking about.”

“It’s a passion. I’m talking about a different kind of passion—one that makes your body sing, relieves your burdens, and leaves your dick satisfied.”

“I’m not biting.”

“Oh, well, there are plenty of other things we can do.” She’d had enough of this bullshit. She was bringing out the big guns. Her boobs. She moved toward him and pressed her body against his. With his ass against the counter, she had him cornered, and he couldn’t back away.

Vi rubbed her breasts up and down over his chest and slid her hand down his rib cage to his fly. She rested it there, mere inches from his straining erection. If that thing could talk, it’d be begging for mercy even if Matt wasn’t.

“I want you,” she said breathlessly. “You want me.”

She saw the moment his resolve faltered. “The kids could be back anytime.”

“We’re not doing anything bad. Just touching with our clothes on.”

“You’re touching, I’m being squished.”

She threw back her head and laughed. “Matt, you sure know how to flatter a girl.”

“That’s me. The team charmer.”

“Come on. One night. One epic night. Because with you and me, it’ll be epic.”

“I—I need time to think.”

“Fine.” Vi cupped his cheeks and kissed him hard on the mouth, encouraged when he opened to her and his tongue pushed inside. His hands went around her back and cupped her ass, pulling her harder against him. He was hungry, wild, needy, just as she was. She craved more of the animal rawness emerging from his civilized surface. Burying her fingers in his hair, she gave as good as she got—a kiss that made time stand still and the world stop turning.

Just when she was certain he was going to rip off her clothes and take her on the counter, she wriggled from his grasp and backed away several steps. He shook his head and ran a hand over his face, sighing.

“I’m going to find Brick and Amelia.” Grabbing her coat, Vi turned on her heel and headed for the door, opening it. Looking over her shoulder at the shell-shocked man, she pointed at her lips and said, “Think about this.”

And she left. If he didn’t call her after this, he was either gay or insane.

 

* * * *

 

Matt did think about Vi for another torturous week of celibacy. He thought about her hot body rubbing against his painfully hard cock. He thought about how her tongue felt mating with his and how her lips were so soft and pliant. And those awesome breasts. Holy shit. She was heaven and hell and everything in between.

As all-star break approached, he wasn’t looking forward to a weekend without any games. He wasn’t an all-star, never had been. He was a dependable guy, a valuable team player whose contributions didn’t show up in regular stats. He didn’t mind being passed over one more time for the all-stars. There were more deserving guys playing for the Sockeyes, but he did mind spending another weekend alone. Most of his teammates took advantage of the few days off and went home or to the festivities in Las Vegas.

Matt did neither.

Instead, he was home and alone on a Friday night. His mother had taken the boys to Portland for a superhero exhibit at the Children’s Museum. They wouldn’t be back until Sunday. He should’ve gone out with the few guys left in town, but he wasn’t into partying, and his settled-down teammates tended to hang out with other couples. Matt lived in no-man’s land where he didn’t fit in with the partiers or the couples.

Even worse, his finger itched to press the necessary buttons on his phone to invite Vi over for things he shouldn’t want but did with every fiber of his being. He couldn’t get that infuriating woman out of his mind. Fuck, he’d actually come home from dinner last week and gotten rid of all his Styrofoam. She was getting under his skin in more ways than one, and he both hated and liked the way her very presence shook up his world.

Why was it so bad to want what Vi so generously offered? Even his mother told him to get some—which made him shudder—not every woman needed to be marrying material.

His hand and his imagination were a poor replacement for a female’s soft skin, wet mouth, and welcoming body. He’d always been drawn to nice girls, the ones who looked as if they should be in church or helping the PTA. Maybe one who fit better on the back of a Harley would be a welcome reprieve from the fraudulent good girls who weren’t good, unless a person counted good at getting into his head and his wallet. Vi might be different, but she was honest and earnest about her beliefs. At least with Vi, he knew the score and so did she. They were incompatible. Oil and water. But they’d be explosive in bed.

And why wasn’t he taking Vi up on her offer?

His reasons for holding back seemed ridiculous right now considering his current lonely state.

In fact, he wasn’t even sure what they were. He’d done the marriage thing. It’d been a disaster. Where was the harm in having a sexy fling with a deliciously inked woman?

He took a long pull on his craft brew and stared at his iPhone. Finally, with a frustrated growl, he picked up the irritating device and texted the person he couldn’t get out of his mind.

What are you doing?

No response. He waited a few more minutes and put the phone down, attempting to ignore it. He flipped through the channels, watched a little news until the commercials came on. He stared at the silent phone mocking him with its dark screen. He picked it up. Narrowing his eyes, he opened the Messaging app. Yeah, he’d sent the message. Frustrated, he rose to his feet and paced the floor. Back and forth, back and forth. He checked the phone. Paced some more. Checked the phone.

It’d taken him so long to make up his mind about Vi, perhaps she’d had enough of his indecisiveness and moved on. He doubted she lacked for male companionship.

Her response didn’t come until over a half hour later. He’d almost worn the finish off the hardwood floors, and his dick had wilted in disappointment.

Vi: What are you wearing?

Matt grinned and his dick perked up. Oh yeah, she hadn’t given up on him. Not one bit. He scrambled to tap out the response, not nearly as adept at texting as his younger teammates. His fingers were too big for the keys, and his nervousness caused him to fumble even more.

Clothes.

Vi: Is this Monsieur LaLa?

Shouldn’t you have found out who this was before you asked what I was wearing? He used Siri for that response, much too long to type.

Vi: Not necessarily. I like to live on the edge.

Didn’t he know that. Want to straddle that edge with me?

Vi: I want to straddle you and take you over the edge.

His dick twitched and he groaned, muttering some choice swear words in a combination of French and English.

Are you busy?

Vi: Yes. Are you horny?

He ignored that question. The answer was fucking obvious considering he’d texted her after 10:00 p.m.

I have the house to myself all night.

There was a long pause during which he started pacing again.

Vi: I can be there after midnight.

Midnight? What the hell did she do until midnight? He knew very little about her, didn’t know what her college major was. Didn’t know if she worked. Hell, he didn’t know where she lived.

Okay. My place or yours?

Vi: Yours.

I’ll be here.

He waited for a response, but there wasn’t one. Suddenly feeling nervous, he took the stairs two at a time, stripped off his clothes, and hopped in the shower. He wanted to look and smell good for her. Toweling off, he dried his hair, shaved, and dabbed on a small amount of the aftershave his mother had bought him for Christmas.

He had another hour to wait and tried to focus on the recap of the day’s sports on ESPN, but he couldn’t concentrate on anything but getting Vi naked and bucking underneath him. Then he’d let her climb on top. After that, maybe take her doggy-style bent over the counter.

He ran to the master bedroom and dug around in the bathroom for some condoms. It’d been so long, he’d forgotten where he stored them.

Relieved, he found a box in the linen closet and put it in the nightstand drawer.

He returned to the living room to wait.

And pace.