She ran her tongue over her dry lips. “So you’re a patient man.”
He tugged on her braid. “In some ways and about some things, yes.” Pulling her braid, he brought her face within millimeters of his. “And in other ways, about other things, not so much.”
He licked at her lips, and she melted into him.
“There you go. Just go with the flow. The rest will work itself out, okay?”
“I’m working on it,” she promised him as much as herself.
He parted his lips for a delicious kiss, one that made her forget every insecurity and issue that had been running through her brain. Until a catcall-like whistle interrupted them.
Dylan turned, and they both glanced up to see Marcus standing there with a grin on his face, making a thumbs-up sign with one hand.
“Busted,” the tight end said with a grin.
Olivia felt herself blush, knowing their secret was out. She wasn’t really worried about anyone knowing; she just wanted her professional reputation intact. But now that Big knew, it wouldn’t be long until the rest of the team did too. Which she had a hunch would give Dylan license to act on public displays of affection. And that didn’t bother her as much as she would have thought.
* * *
Olivia waited in line at the Montelucia Resort and Spa to check in. The airport had been overflowing with visitors excited for the upcoming game, and the hotel was the same, making check-in a nightmare.
Dylan had stayed back with the driver to make sure the bags were tagged appropriately, and she appreciated a break from the constant awareness she felt when he was near. The heat of the desert had nothing on the heat Dylan had generated in the seat next to her.
The four-and-a-half-hour flight had been long, his leg constantly brushing against hers—and staying there. He liked to play with her hair and spent a lot of time idly tugging on her braid, running the ends over her cheek and trailing the long tail under his nose and inhaling her scent.
She waved a hand in front of her face. She told herself the heat coming in from the open lobby was killing her, but she knew better. She’d been thinking about Dylan. Fantasizing, really. It had become a bad habit. But no man had ever been so hyper-focused on her before. He made her the center of his attention, and there was a part of her still starved for affection. That was the part she distrusted, because it led her to do stupid things and ignore important signs.
“Luggage is all taken care of,” Dylan said, joining her and taking her breath away with just a look. From his dark hair to the goatee she so adored to the toned body, thanks to working out at the stadium gym, the man was sex personified.
It didn’t help that he was smart, good at his job, and had a way with the players and upper management, getting what he needed without demanding or bullying. She’d always been a sucker for a smart, handsome guy, and Dylan was the whole package.
“Good. Thanks for handling our bags.”
“Line moving?” he asked.
“A little.” There were still a few people ahead of them.
“Where are the players?” she asked, glancing around but not catching sight of them.
“Signing autographs. One of the benefits of having the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, like we usually do, was more privacy. That changed this year. But they seem to like the attention. Only Maddox and his wife and baby will want more privacy,” he said of their married player, who had arrived earlier today with his family.
She nodded. “He travels with security when his kids are with him. It’ll be fine.”
Her cell rang and she answered. “Hello?”
“Livvy! How’s Arizona?” her younger sister, Avery, asked.
“Beautiful. Hot. And too damned crowded,” she muttered, but the line ahead of her had dwindled to two people, thank goodness.
“How was the flight? Did you give in to Dylan and let him make you a member of the Mile-High Club?” her sister asked.
Olivia glanced at the man in question and took a discreet step away. God forbid he overheard her loud-mouthed sister or read the look of desire on her face at the very thought of what Avery had suggested. “Don’t you have something better to do than to bug me?” she asked, unable not to laugh.
Her sister sighed loudly into the telephone for effect. “Come on. You’re already doing it. Now you’re in a luxury hotel with hot tubs and swimming pools and all the amenities. It’s like … kismet. Fate. At the very least, it’s—”
“Business.” Olivia stated the obvious.
“I was going to say romantic.”
That too. But she wasn’t going to give her sister the satisfaction of agreeing.
“Next!” The man at the front desk signaled for Olivia to step forward.
“I have to go check in,” Olivia said, relieved to be able to disconnect with Avery and the topic of conversation.
“Okay, but remember what the shrink said. You can’t let your past define your future.”
The shrink she’d seen once, when the depth of her grief and despair had been overwhelming. She hadn’t returned because talking about losing the baby she’d finally wrapped her head around wanting seemed futile. Reliving the experience in that sterile office had been too hard. The reality had been painful enough, and she lived with it still.
“Gotta go, Avery,” she said as she stepped forward.
“Let loose! Have fun! At least have more sex!” her sister called out in a rush just as Olivia ended the call.
“Anything important?” Dylan asked, a grin on his handsome face.
“No. Just Avery being Avery.”
They stepped up to the desk.
“How can I help you?” the dark-haired clerk asked.
She leaned on the counter and met his smile with one of her own. “I’m Olivia Dare.”
Dylan eased in beside her. “Dylan Rhodes.” He leaned close and his arm brushed hers.
Electricity shot up her skin.
“So are you two here on vacation?” the clerk asked. “Honeymoon maybe?”
Dylan grasped Olivia’s hand and held it tightly on the counter. Warmth pervaded her system, and she tried unsuccessfully to pull free.
“Unfortunately I haven’t been successful in convincing her to marry me, but I’m not giving up.” He turned to Olivia and treated her to a panty-melting grin. The darned fantasy took hold.
She drew a deep breath, shot him a warning look, and yanked harder, freeing herself from his grip. “He’s kidding. We’re here on business.”
The clerk glanced back and forth between them, obviously confused. “What were the last names again?” he asked.
“Dare and Rhodes,” Dylan said first. “With the Miami Thunder. Corporate reservation,” he said, now all business. “And we’re checking in our players. The whole reservation is under the Miami Thunder organization.”
The other man looked down and began tapping his keyboard. “Ah, yes. I have five suites reserved on the same floor.”
“You mean six. Six suites,” Olivia said.
“Bigsby, Sanders, Flynn, Maddox, and Rhodes,” he said, reading the names off the monitor.
“Maddox is already here, yes?”
The clerk did some more typing and nodded. “Yes. He checked in earlier.”
“Flynn will be here later,” Dylan said. “But you’re missing Dare. Olivia Dare. I confirmed these reservations myself.”
Some more clicking followed. “I’m sorry, but I only have the five. And we’re booked solid.” A concerned and contrite look spread over his face.
“But my team is in this hotel. I need to be here too.”
“Liv, you can have my room.” Dylan placed a hand on her shoulder. The skin-to-skin contact sent her senses soaring, and her anxiety level about being separated from the team sparked even higher.
“Can you find me something in another hotel?” Dylan asked.
She shook her head. He was the travel director. He needed to be here, take care of the scheduling and other important matters. “You can’t switch hotels.” Although she appreciated the offer.
“I really would like to help you out, but most hotels are booked solid for the Pro Bowl. It’s going to be difficult finding you other accommodations,” the clerk said with regret. “I don’t know how this happened.” He went back to his computer and tried to find what Olivia knew would be impossible. An empty room.
“The only thing I can say is that Mr. Rhodes has a suite. Of course, it’s a king-size bed and an outer room with a couch, but we can send up a rollaway.” The young clerk shrugged, clearly uncomfortable.
Join the club, buddy, Olivia thought and pinched the bridge of her nose, well aware a headache was building. It was one thing to have an affair with the man. But without her own room, a place to escape to? No breathing room? Constant togetherness? She didn’t know if she could handle it. She also knew she didn’t have a choice.
“I’ll take the rollaway,” she murmured. “If you don’t mind sharing.”
He shot her a disbelieving look. “We’ll discuss sleeping arrangements later,” Dylan said, then handed his corporate credit card to the clerk.
Olivia pushed out a breath and managed a nod. They both knew once they were alone in that suite, neither of them would end up on the cot.
* * *
A bellman escorted them to the Full Camelback Mountain View Suite. The oversized living room led into a beautiful master bedroom, and the terrace did, indeed, overlook the majestic mountains, giving them a glorious view.
“We can split the drawers,” Dylan said easily. “You go first and choose your space. I’ll put my stuff in the bathroom.”
“Thanks.” Olivia unpacked her things quickly, making sure to leave room for him even if she had to squish all her items together in both the drawers and the closet. His unpacking took a lot less time. And as he hung his last pants and shirts next to her sundresses and evening wear, a pang hit her squarely in her chest. One she couldn’t identify and didn’t want to examine too closely.
She escaped to the bathroom. He’d chosen the left side of the sink with the smaller counter space, leaving her more room. He was a gentleman, one whose sister had taught him what it meant to live with a woman, she thought, appreciating him. As she laid out her toiletries, the intimacy of the situation wasn’t lost on her.
Neither was a truth she hadn’t wanted to face. Since losing both Jeff and her baby, she’d convinced herself life was easier and better alone. Jeff might have been a college boyfriend, but they’d fallen into the habit of sleeping over and leaving their things in each other’s rooms. She’d never let anyone close since. She’d had affairs with men she liked but none she’d call relationships. She already felt more for Dylan than she had for any man in her life, and now they were truly sharing space. She shivered and pushed the thought aside.
She walked out of the bathroom to find Dylan grinning at her from one side of the king-size bed. He’d changed into a pair of swim trunks, his gorgeous chest and muscles on display.
“The bed is comfortable.” He patted the free side of the mattress. “Tell me you aren’t considering calling for the rollaway.”
She wasn’t surprised he asked. She was taken aback by the hint of uncertainty she saw in his gaze. For the first time, she realized it wasn’t all about her.
He
didn’t want to be rejected.
She stepped over to the bed and crawled on, stretching out beside him. “No cot for me. I’m sleeping with you.”
In the blink of an eye, she was flat on her back, Dylan’s big body looming over her. He smelled so good. And just the tease of his strength and the notion that only their clothing kept him from filling her deeply made all other worrisome thoughts flee from her mind.
“I’m glad you chose me over some lumpy cot.” He brushed his lips over hers and rolled off, levering himself to a sitting position, then rose to his feet.
Well, that was a tease, she thought. “What are you doing?”
“We flew in early and have a couple of days to settle, so I’m going to change and head on out to the pool. You coming?”
She nodded. She stood and stepped to the window, looking down at the pool and the many guest chairs beckoning.
She turned and was stopped short by the sight of Dylan’s bare chest as he undid the last button and tossed his shirt onto a chair. She hadn’t forgotten he had a heart-stoppingly gorgeous body, but seeing it again had her wanting to tackle him back onto the bed and roll around until his big, strong body dominated hers.
“Something wrong?” he asked, a knowing grin on his face.
“Not a thing. I just need to get my bathing suit.” Suddenly she knew just how to get back at him for arousing her body and walking away. She swung around and headed to find a bathing suit and cover-up in the chest drawer.
She had a few options to choose from. Knowing she would be poolside with the players and their families, she’d brought mostly bikinis that covered an appropriate amount of skin. But she also had one string bikini she knew she looked good in.
“Hurry up, Liv. The sun waits for no man. Neither do the frozen drinks.”
She fingered the lacy, barely there bikini and grinned before she snatched the skimpy material from the drawer and walked by him to the bathroom, catching a whiff of his sexy cologne as she passed. Her sex clenched in response, but that was okay. She’d have her revenge soon enough.
* * *
Tropical scents filled the air, and the sun beat down on the glorious white sand beaches and swaying palm trees as they walked to the Kasbah pool. Although Dylan would like nothing more than to hit the Oasis (the adults-only pool) with Olivia, he wanted to make sure Nick Maddox and his family had settled in okay. He might have time to relax, but he was always on duty. He had a feeling Liv had forgotten that little fact when he’d rolled off her earlier.
Leaving her in that bed hadn’t been easy, but if he’d given in to the desire to strip her naked, they’d never make it outside. Of course, she was repaying him now with that skimpy bathing suit she’d stridden out of the bathroom wearing. He wasn’t even certain he could call it a bathing suit. More like a few pieces of string holding up tiny triangles that barely covered her gorgeous breasts, her sexy ass, or that pussy he was dying to taste again.
He placed a hand on the small of her back, his fingers gliding over the lace cover-up she’d chosen for their walk to the pool. Too bad he already knew what lay underneath.