Authors: Elizabeth Moynihan
“What?” Dani asked laughingly.
“Forgive my children, Hunter, they’ve both obviously bounced their heads off the ice one-too-many times,” Jordan offered, sending her children chastising looks meant to quell their laughter, but failing miserably.
“There’s nothing to forgive, Mrs. Rocmanov. Since I’m not a very good attorney, perhaps I’ll do better at being a bodyguard.” Hunter stated darkly, directing a pointed look at Whittaker.
“We can only hope,” Whittaker answered sarcastically, and with a yell and clap of his hands, had Sergei and Chloe heading back toward the center of the ice. “Where the hell’s Dee and that damn CD?”
“I’ll go see what’s keeping her,” Aleksei offered and with a quick kiss to his wife’s cheek, left her sitting with Hunter and Dani.
The three sat in silence, their gazes drawn to the pair on the ice, their minds whirling with questions, concerns, and possible scenarios that no one wanted to think about let alone voice.
Jordan couldn’t stand just sitting any longer, the feelings that something was wrong continued to grow stronger and despite her promises to herself to keep a positive attitude, it was getting harder and harder to do so. She felt as if the walls were closing in on her and all she loved and she refused to let anyone or anything destroy their happiness. She might not be able to actually do anything at the moment, but if she was at least up and moving, she felt she was making progress, unlike just sitting in one place, and waiting for disaster to strike. With a final glance toward the ice and a reassuring squeeze to Dani’s hand, she murmured a quick, “I’ll be right back,” and went to find Aleksei.
Dani watched her mother walk exit through the doors of the ice house and shook her head in frustration and anger and even a little fear. She could feel the tension in her mother, it was almost palpable, and she knew her mother didn’t fret over the little stuff. If her mother was freaked, there was a good reason for it. “God, I hate this,” Dani swore, banging the heel of her blade against the rubber covered floor, barely withholding her desire to scream her rage to the high ceiling. Instead, she got to her feet and began easy stretching exercises to warm up.
“It’ll all be over soon,” Hunter stated quietly.
“Before or after the Manning’s screw us over?” she fired hotly, swinging her arms in wide circles.
“What goes around, comes around.”
“Oh, how profound. Tell me, Mr. Attorney, is that a professional commentary?” Dani asked, her tone full of snotty disdain.
“It’s a fact of life. Fuck people over frequently enough and sooner or later it’s going to be your ass over the proverbial barrel!”
“Well, I’ve got news for you, I’ve never been one to be very patient. I’ve always been the kind of person who wants instant gratification. I don’t wait well.” Dani stated quietly, spreading her legs apart and carefully stretching from side to side.
“More of a ‘see it, want it, get it’ girl, huh?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“Christmases must be hell on you.”
“Christmas is the exception; anticipation at Christmas time is the sweetest anticipation there is,” Dani offered softly, almost reverently, her face taking on a soft glow.
“I don’t know if I agree with that statement, or not,” Hunter replied cynically. “I can think of a few things I look forward to with greater anticipation than Christmas.”
“I can just imagine. Let me guess, they’re all blondes, with boobs so big, it’s still a scientific mystery as to why they don’t tip over when they walk? Why, I bet, you’ve even found one all wrapped up in a red ribbon under your own Christmas tree,” Dani stated with a dangerous glint in her eye and a syrupy sweet tone. Whether by design or coincidence, she stretched her arms over her head, her hands together, the movement bringing Hunter’s attention to her firm, rounded breasts.
For a split second, the desire to reach out and touch the firm flesh that was so close was almost overwhelming and he had to fight to keep from doing what his body urged him to do.
She’s only seventeen
, he kept reminding himself, but her curvaceous little body and her very mature attitude made if almost impossible to remember that. “Only once,” Hunter replied casually, enjoying the way Dani’s eyes flashed fire at his words.
“Idiot,” Dani mumbled under her breath, turning away from him and continuing to stretch her long legs as she bent forward and stretched the muscles down the back of her legs as she laid her chest against her knees.
Hunter’s unrestricted view of her shapely bottom had his mouth dropping open in appreciation and fighting for breath at the same time. For several seconds he didn’t trust his voice and so he sat silently, in awe of the beauty before him, watching her innocent stretching and imagining all the things he’d love to do to her luscious body. When he finally spoke, his deep, husky tone had her looking over her shoulder in confusion. “Why should you be concerned who I find wrapped up under my Christmas tree?”
Dani’s deep green eyes took in Hunter’s good looks; the flashing eyes, the slight flaring of his nostrils as he breathed slowly in and out, the gentle parting of his gorgeous mouth. Wide muscle-covered shoulders, and arms, strained against the cashmere sweater he wore, hugging his chest like a second skin, displaying every ridge of muscle beneath. She had to admit, he was a specimen in blatant masculinity that had her wanting to…what? Mindlessly tear off his clothes? Well, that was a good start, she decided. Not that she necessarily knew what to do after that, but still, the image was thought provoking. “You can have anything, or anyone, you want under your own Christmas tree. It doesn’t make any difference to me,” Dani replied nonchalantly, hoping the shrug she added was convincing.
“Bull shit!” Hunter growled.
“Pardon me?”
“You heard me.”
“Yeah, I heard you. So what?”
“For someone who ‘doesn’t care’, you sure were heartily defending me to Whittaker just a few minutes ago.”
Damn. The man had a memory like a steel trap. “So? I defend anyone when Whittaker takes direct aim at someone and fires on them with both barrels.”
“Did I look like I needed defending?” Hunter asked softly, getting to his feet and walking down the two steps and coming to stand before Dani.
She looked at him, even in her skates she was several inches shorter than he, “Fine, next time, I’ll let him grind you into little pieces. See if I care,” she stated breezily, trying to still the rush of emotions that he instilled in her just by being close to her. “If you’ll excuse me? I have to warm up on the ice.”
“We’re not through here,” Hunter stated softly, taking a firm hold on her arm as she tried to walk past him on her way to the ice, turning her to face him, their bodies nearly touching.
“There’s nothing left to say, Hunter. I have to go warm up on the ice.”
Hunter looked down into her upturned face, nearly melted at the conflicting emotions that swirled through her deep green eyes, and found himself mesmerized by the lushness of her full mouth. “Do you have any idea how crazy you make me, Danielle?”
“What? I didn’t say a thing,” she whispered, feeling something from deep within Hunter calling to her.
“Your mouth…” he stated softly.
“My mouth?” she asked, her mind swirling dazedly.
“It mesmerizes me.”
Dani found herself speechless, her blood boiled in her veins and she found herself feeling weightless.
“It beckons me, and teases me and begs to be touched and tasted; devoured. And one day, Danielle Rocmanov, I won’t be able to say no.” Hunter stated dangerously, groaning deeply as he watched her mouth part in surprise at his words.
Hunter stalked away from her, leaving Dani standing in a stunned stupor. Call it cowardice, call it survival, call it what you would. All Hunter knew was that Dani had worked her way into his mind, his heart, his soul and that no matter what he did, he had the feeling she wasn’t going to be leaving anytime soon.
And he wasn’t sure he liked it one damn bit!
T
he oversized stretch-limousine crept slowly toward the back entrance of the skating arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Simply another vehicle, albeit a large one, in a long line of vehicles that drove within a narrow roped-off lane. Bordered on both sides, with enthusiastic fans and harried security guards that sought to keep control of the crowds, the eight occupants of the limo looked out through the heavily tinted windows and shook their heads in disbelief, concern and astonishment.
“I’ve never seen the crowds like this before, not for a skating competition,” Jordan murmured, a worried frown creasing her brow. A quick glance at Aleksei saw he wasn’t any happier about the situation.
“You’d think we were rock stars or something,” Dani offered, peering through the dark windows at the people who pushed and screamed as they tried to see who was inside the limousine, screaming in excitement so that loudly that the they could clearly be heard inside the enclosed vehicle. “Man, they’re loud!”
“Frenzied is more like it,” Sergei stated worriedly, casting his father a concerned look.
Aleksei perused the pulsing crowd outside the limo and shook his head in disgust. “I want everyone on their toes when we finally make it to the back entrance. We stay together, as a group, and ladies, I’d feel a whole lot better if you have a male hand to hang on to when we head inside. I don’t want anyone getting lost between the car and the building,” Aleksei stated firmly, gently taking his wife’s hand and bringing it up to his lips for a soft kiss, his dark eyes reassuring her fearful green ones all would be well.
“Dee’s on her own, I refuse to hold the old witch’s hand,” Whit-taker grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back against the plush, leather seat.
“Like you could protect me anyway!” Dee fired back, a devilish light glowing in her eyes. “With shoulders like Hunter’s, I bet he can protect both Dani and I without even raising a sweat!”
“You’re putting an awful lot of faith in an attorney,” Whittaker growled.
“It’s not the ‘attorney’ I’m trusting, it’s those wide, kick-ass shoulders that have my vote!” Dee stated with a laugh.
Hunter didn’t know what to say, in fact, if he’d had to utter a word, he didn’t think he could have put two together to form a sentence. And to top it all off, he could feel the flush that was surely turning his face red. Once again, he silently cursed Marcus for having put him in this position. “Thanks,” he mumbled, embarrassed, his glance landing on Dani, who sat silently returning his look, a knowing smile just curving the corners of her soft, full lips.
“I don’t care who holds whose hand. My main concern is everyone getting inside as a group,” Aleksei reiterated, casting another dark look toward the noisy crowd.
“Obviously the Manning’s little press conference yesterday turned this competition into a circus. I can’t believe the idiot had the audacity to stand up in front of all those reporters and tell them he had no hard feelings over Sergei stealing his partner,” Whittaker snorted in disgust.
“He did better than that, he wished them luck in the competition. That’s when I thought I was going to lose my lunch!” Dee added, her comment eliciting a laugh from the tense group.
“Regardless of his supposedly sincere sentiments, I want everyone on their guard and no one goes anywhere by themselves. Understood?” Aleksei demanded, looking pointedly at the three youngest in the group.
Heads nodding up and down were his answer.
The limo crept slowly forward, seeming to take forever to reach the front of the line, the noise from the boisterous crowd outside penetrating the plush interior of the limousine. The occupants sat inside, quietly lost in their thoughts, pondering the future.
After what felt like an eternity, the limo slid to a stop, and the driver slipped from the vehicle, walked around the end of the car and opened the back door. The noise of the crowd increased as Aleksei stepped from the vehicle, reached inside and helped Jordan from the car, the two waved in acknowledgment to the crowd and stepped aside as Hunter exited the limo next and then helped Dani out.
“Is it always like this?” Hunter asked Dani loudly, trying to be heard over the noisy crowd.
Dani’s negative shake of her head and worried frown had him looking out at the shifting, yelling crowd. Scanning the surging crowd, he tried to figure out what the hell he was looking for. Perhaps, something that didn’t belong, something not quite right? He didn’t know what the hell he was supposed to be looking for, so he just continued to survey the crowd.
Hunter knew the moment Sergei left the safety of the limo because the noise became deafening and only increased as Chloe slipped into the view of the crowd. Dee followed closely on Chloe’s heels and Whittaker brought up the rear.
“This is fucking nuts!” Whittaker roared over the noise of the crowd. “Inside, now!” he demanded, signaling to Aleksei they were all together and to get moving.
As a group, they moved forward, as quickly as they could between the ever-narrowing ropes as the crowd pushed against the thin barrier, toward the back entrance that was held open by a security guard Aleksei recognized as a regular at the arena.
“Hey, Gus,” Aleksei’s greeting was warm and he smiled as the guard’s beefy hand enclosed his own in a firm grip.
“Good to see you survived the line,” Gus returned, nodding toward the crowd outside.
Blessed quiet enfolded the group, as the door closed behind them, and the security guard checked their names off the appropriate lists for the competitors and issued them the necessary badges and paperwork.
“Just barely. I can’t believe the crowd,” Aleksei countered.
“What can I say? When the Rocmanov’s are involved, everyone comes to see them,” Gus stated with a broad smile.
“So it would seem,” Aleksei mumbled, casting Jordan a dubious look.
“Good luck to you all,” Gus offered with a smile, “I’m assuming you know the way to the dressing rooms.”
“Unless you’ve moved them, we do!” Whittaker growled.
“Ah, Frank, cheerful as ever, I see,” Gus growled back. “No, they’re still in the same spot.”
“Thanks, Gus. We’ll see you around.” Aleksei concluded, and lead the way toward the dressing rooms.
“I see the Rocmanov contingent as arrived,” Manning Senior stated flatly from behind his son, watching the group leave the security area from over his son’s shoulder, until they disappeared from view down the corridor that lead to the dressing rooms. “I trust you realize how precarious our position is should you decide to do something that might be construed as
un-sportsman-like
?”
Andrew cast his father a sly expression over his shoulder, his eyes burning with hatred. “I’m not stupid. You heard me at that press conference, I wish them no ill will.”
“I heard what you said. But I also know you didn’t mean a word of it!” His father’s voice was calm, yet filled with deadly malice.
Andrew cast his father a look of feigned disbelief. “How can you say such a thing? You know how sincere I am?”
“The only thing you’re sincere about is exacting revenge on Chloe; possibly Sergei,” his father stated with a nonchalant shrug.
“There’s no possibly about it, and if I can include Dani in on the fun, then my weekend will truly be a memorable one,” Andrew stated dangerously, his eyes glowing with maniacal delight.
“First things first, you beat them on the ice,” his father stated flatly, his tone brooking no resistance or alternative.
“That’s not even an issue,” Andrew replied slyly, a wicked smile turned his handsome face sinister as he imagined everything he was planning to do.
“Care to give me a hint as to what you have in mind?” The question was asked with morbid curiosity.
“No,” Andrew stated flatly.
Some things were just too delicious to share!
“How’s the ice feel, Dani?” Whittaker yelled across the huge expanse of shining white, his voice echoing in the arena, empty but for a few of the female singles skaters practicing on the unfamiliar ice.
“Hard; like hockey ice. We’re going to have to watch our edges, or we’ll be spending a lot of time on our butts,” she stated, trying different edging moves to see how much harder she was going to have to dig into the ice if she was going to stay on her feet.
From the area where the skaters entered and exited the ice, Whit-taker leaned against the wall, his elbows resting on the top it and watched her. Hunter stood a few feet away, dividing his attention between Dani and scanning the immense arena, and the few people now visible. The feeling they were being watched had been progressively growing stronger over the last half hour, and he didn’t like it, not even a little bit.
Whittaker’s voice called directions to Dani and he watched her push through several back crossovers as she accustomed herself to the ice and prepared for one of her combination spins. Soundlessly she skated over the slick surface, her edges barely scoring the hard ice as Whittaker watched her step into her spin and then watched as her outside edge didn’t hold, slipped and then skidded along the top of the slick surface. Unable to do anything to stop herself, Dani found herself quickly in a heap on the ice.
Dani’s small cry of frustration had Hunter’s attention snapping back to her, a small frown making a crease between his eyes as he watched her pick herself up and rub her bottom. Small particles of ice glittered in the bright lights as she brushed them off her body and they floated back to the shiny surface of the ice.
“How many hours do you have on those blades since they were last sharpened?” Whittaker asked, as she skated to the wall where Whittaker waited.
“Obviously too many for this ice. I’ve probably got about four hours on them, but I may as well be skating on concrete for all my edges are holding,” Dani grumbled, unconsciously running her hand over her aching bottom and drawing Hunter’s gaze to her shapely backside.
“Get your skates off and I’ll sharpen them, but then you’ll have to skate about an hour on the ice to get them so they’re not too sharp,” Whittaker stated.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Dani agreed and exited the ice, walking to the ‘kiss and cry’ area where the skaters would await their scores, and depending upon the judges marks, either kiss their coaches or cry with them.
Gingerly she sat down, grimacing a little as her sore bottom pushed against the seat and glaring at her skates that hadn’t kept her on her feet. She’d been skating for as long as she could remember, and even after a lifetime of falls, it still hurt just as much as it had the first time and she wondered why she couldn’t have chosen a sport that had a lower fall rate and a softer surface. Because she loved the ice, couldn’t get enough of it; couldn’t live without it! What a stupid thought.
“How bad a bruise are you going to have?” Hunter’s deep voice asked from where he knelt before her, loosening the laces of her skates. Dani’s amazed expression and inability to say anything for a few seconds had him chuckling.
“What are you doing?” she finally managed to ask.
“Taking your skates off,” he answered matter-of-factly, pulling the tongue on the skate forward and pulling her skate down from her heel, enabling her foot to slide easily from the skate. Two long fingers quickly whisked the ice from the blade and he handed the skate to Whittaker. Silently, he repeated the procedure with her other foot and handed that one off too.
“Why?” Dani asked puzzled.
“I don’t know a lot about skating, but I can tell you, I’ve never seen a pair of skates being sharpened while they’re on a person’s foot,”
“Oh,” was the only answer Dani seemed able to manage.
“I’ll go sharpen these now, it should only take about fifteen minutes. I’ll be back shortly, and then you can get back on the ice for an hour and break in the edges,” he stated, heading toward the corridor that lead to the locker rooms.
“We’ll be here,” Dani called, shifting gingerly in seat.
Hunter noticed. “You didn’t answer my question,” he asked quietly, sitting down in the chair beside her.
“Yes I did,” Dani hedged.
“No–you didn’t. But since you seem to have forgotten my question, I’ll ask it again. How bad a bruise are you going to have?” he enunciated each word carefully and slowly, as if he were speaking to a recalcitrant child.
Dani bristled at Hunter’s attitude and replied in the same manner, “My ass will probably be one big black and blue blotch. Would you like me to drop my pants and show you?” Her sweet smile belied the frustrated fire that burned in her green eyes.
Hunter’s initial thought was not only
yes–but also hell yes
!Of course, that particular scenario was impossible, but he still had to admit to himself that he wouldn’t have minded seeing that gorgeous bottom of hers bare. Instead, and he’d spend the rest of his days wondering how he managed it, he answered, in a bored tone, “Thanks, but I’ve already seen your bare ass and once was enough.” It was a blatant lie, but he was fighting for his very survival and every moment he was with her, he felt him lose a little more of himself as she insinuated herself into his being.
Dani’s eyes flashed with fire and her fingers flexed, just itching to pop him one in that gorgeous nose of his.