Misconduct (Hot Ice series Book 6) (17 page)

My heart sank. Perhaps he didn’t want me around at all. I’d
monumentally fucked up by fucking him. Running the team was never going to be
the same for me as it had been for Dad. Not now I’d screwed the goaltender and
made him regret breathing the same air as me. I wasn’t really welcome here.
There was too much baggage already.

I felt my smile fade, the heat drain from my cheeks and a
heavy weight settle in my chest.

I should go.

Dustin stood, stripped off his next layer and dropped it on
the bench behind him. It landed in a crumpled heap over his pads, forgotten,
and then he straightened, squared his shoulders and tilted his chin.

My traitorous body perked up at the sight of him stripped to
just his pants and his leg padding. All big and dangerous, hard and angry. I
knew I shouldn’t want him, but I did. The desire was a reflex, much like my
feelings for him. It simply was.

He walked toward me, elbowing Ramrod and Brick out of the
way, his path straight and determined. His face was grim, he didn’t blink, just
narrowed his eyes as he got nearer.

Nervously, I glanced at the door, wondering if I could slip
past a few players and make it out before he got to me. But thinking about
escape had been a mistake—as always, he was quick.

Just before he walked through me he stopped. He was
breathing fast, though I knew he was super-fit and had recovered from the game
so I wasn’t sure why he was out of breath, but there was no denying I felt a
little short on oxygen too.

For a moment he just stared down at me, then, “Hey there,
sweet cheeks.” He’d spoken so quietly I’d lip-read the words.

“Hey,” I managed as the rest of the room faded, the noise,
the people, the heat from other bodies. It was only Dustin that I could
concentrate on. Just him, looming before me, taking over my world. Was he about
to order me out? Tell me he didn’t want my drug anymore?

“Out there.” He jerked his head in the direction of the
rink. “I kept thinking about what you’d said about secrets and not liking
them.”

“You were supposed to be concentrating on the game,” I said,
shifting from one foot to the other. My legs felt weak, my spine a little
juddery.

“I told you before. I can multitask.” His eyes flashed.

“Okay then.” I paused. “What were you thinking?”

“I’ve decided I don’t like them either. Secrets, that is.”
He lowered his head until our noses touched. “Not one fucking bit.”

“Oh…I see.” What the hell was he doing?

“Do you see, really?”

“Yes.”

“So you’ll understand this then.”

His mouth hit down on mine. Not gently but firm and
possessive. It was as if he was staking a claim, showing the world that he
wanted me. His tongue was fast and strong, his breath washed over my cheek and
he held my head in his hands, holding me firm and close. I couldn’t have gotten
away if I’d wanted to.

I didn’t.

For a second I was shocked. Stunned that he’d broken our
rules and let the team in on what we’d had going on. But then all sane thoughts
left me and I opened up and let him kiss me into a daze. I hung on to his
forearms and chased his tongue as the rest of the universe slipped from my
consciousness.

“Dustin,” I managed when he came up for air. “But…?”

He grinned, a big wide smile that creased the corners of his
eyes, stretched his damp lips and erased his somber expression of moments ago.
“I can’t help it,” he said. “I’ve just gotta have you, be with you. You’ve got
under my skin and…” He paused then lifted his head and scanned his gaze around
the silent room. “I…”

I looked around too.

Everyone was staring at us. Mouths were gaping and eyes were
wide. A champagne bottle was leaking its contents onto Ramrod’s hand but he
hadn’t appeared to notice.

Oh shit, now Dustin had really done it.

But I didn’t care. My heart was bursting for the man holding
me as though he was never going to let me go. My breath was still coming hard
and fast from a kiss so passion infused I was surprised I hadn’t orgasmed in
the middle of it. But what did this mean? He didn’t want secrets? He didn’t
care who knew about our affair?

I could only hope that it paved the way for us being
together properly, not just on a paradise island, not just in my dreams, not as
a dirty liaison every now and then, but in real life as a couple.
Unconventional maybe, but still, just us, Dustin and Gina.

“Fuck yeah, go for it, Speed,” Brick said, breaking the
stunned silence. “You lucky bastard.”

Dustin suddenly jolted sideways. Ramrod had whacked him on
the shoulder. “Great catch,” he said, throwing a wink my way.

“Didn’t see that coming, but happy for you,” Price said,
shaking his head and smiling at us both.

Mike raised his glass at me and smiled. “I should have
guessed,” he said. “Can’t get him out of here when you’re around.”

“Dustin,” I said, returning my attention to him and seeing
the heat and desire in his eyes. “I, what does this mean?”

“I can’t walk away from you again without knowing if this
could be something more than just annoying the hell out of each other,” he
said.

“You
do
annoy the hell out of me,” I said, sliding my
hands up to his shoulders. “But you have other skills that more than make up
for that.”

He grinned, cupped the nape of my neck and pulled me closer
still. My body pressed up against the solid padding on his legs and the heat of
his bare chest seeped through my clothes to my breasts. “But,” he said quietly,
“I’m not falling in love with you, sweet cheeks, or anything crazy like that.”

“I’m not falling in love with you either.” My eyes filled
with tears because I knew I was, one hundred percent.

“Liar,” he said onto my lips. “You love me every bit as much
as I love you.”

I nodded and he kissed me again.

“That’s it, show her who’s boss,” Brick shouted, his voice
high and excited.

Several cheers went up and another cork popped.

Dustin paused and pressed his lips to my ear, sending one
hand down to squeeze my ass in a highly inappropriate way for an employee.
“Actually,” he whispered dragging me against his groin. “I kind of like it when
you show
me
who’s boss.”

“So what’s this important thing you want to say to me?” I
grinned at Dustin across the table at our favorite Italian restaurant, Ciao,
and set my cutlery down.

He cleared his throat and the relaxed expression of moments
ago slipped. He’d been telling me about some crackpot dream he’d had the night
before about playing hockey in space. The puck had kept floating around and his
stick drifting into the abyss.

“Well,” he said, also setting his knife and fork on his
plate. “It’s just that…” He chewed on his bottom lip and rubbed at his
smooth-shaven chin.

I laughed, unused to seeing him at a loss for words. “What?
Have you robbed a bank or something and don’t know how to tell me?”

“Nah, it’s more complicated than that.”

I frowned and my smile fell too. It was even more rare for
Dustin to look uncertain or anxious. It just wasn’t part of his makeup. He knew
what he wanted and went for it. Things didn’t faze him or worry him the way
they did me. He was much more black and white and his mantra of worrying about
things he could fix and not the rest of the shit life threw his way saw him
through and kept him balanced.

“It’s just…” he said, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

“Oh, for God’s sake, let it out,” I said with a nervous
smile, taking a sip of wine but not really tasting it.

He reached over and took my free hand. “I can’t go on like
this. Us.”

A weight flooded my abdomen, my legs turned leaden and I had
an urge to shake my head and rid the sound of his words. Bat away their
meaning.

He couldn’t go on?
We
couldn’t go on?

An image of myself desolate and alone flickered in front of
me. I couldn’t be happy without Dustin in my life now. He’d become too
important to me. Too weaved into the structure of my days and my nights, my
hopes and my dreams of the future. It was Gina and Dustin, that was simply how
it was and everyone accepted it. What would it be like if we were no more? It
didn’t bear thinking about.

“Shit, sweet cheeks, don’t go all pale on me,” he said,
squeezing my hand.

“You want to break up?” I asked quietly, trying to tug my
hand away.

“Fuck, no.” He frowned and kept his grip firm. “Shit, why do
I always mess this kind of thing up?”

I tipped my head. “What do you mean then, you can’t go on?”

“Like this. Not being together all the time. I mean, it’s
been six months now, and you’re hanging out like a gooseberry at your dad’s
house with him and Giselle and I’m on my own at my place, wishing you were
there 24/7. I can’t go on like that. I want us to be together properly, not
just boyfriend, girlfriend, or whatever this is, but a couple, committed,
living together.”

“You want me to move in with you?” I’d spoken slowly even as
a rapid stream of thoughts rushed through my head.

“It makes sense. I’m in love with you, desperately so,
you’ve made me happier than I ever thought I would be again and I want, no make
that
need
, to wake up every morning with you in my arms and go to sleep
with you at my side every night.” He took my other hand so that he held them
both within his big palms. “Come to my house, bring your stuff. I’ve had a key
cut. You can have half the wardrobe and a shelf in the bathroom. I need you
there on a permanent basis, not just when we’re hanging out.”

I stared at him as his gush of words sank into my mind. He
really did want to move this up a level. Not that I was complaining. A day
without him or a night apart was like a wasted block of time as far as I was
concerned. I simply counted the hours until we could be together again.

“Say something,” he said after a few moments.

“Half the wardrobe?” I frowned.

“The whole damn wardrobe. Shit, no, you can have a dressing
room, whatever you want for all your pretty stuff. It’ll be your house too,
our
house, please, sweet cheeks…”

I licked my lips and stared into his eyes. They were earnest
and hopeful but also hesitant. Yet he needn’t worry. I knew I’d say yes, it was
the only answer that made sense. And not just because it had been uncomfortable
with Dad and Giselle spending more time at home the last month or so, but
because I was in love with Dustin. A soul-aching, heart-stopping love that had
consumed me more and more as our time together had gone by.

“Our house,” I said. “I like that. The idea of it, I mean.”

“You do?” His expression lightened.

“Yes. It sounds right.” I smiled. “And let’s face it, you’ve
got the room for a permanent lodger.”

“Not lodger, lover.” He squeezed my hands. “You’re mine and
I’m yours. Living together is the way forward for us, and then…”

“And then?”

“And then we’ll see what happens next.” He pressed his lips
together and narrowed his eyes. Some might think he looked intimidating or
frightening when he did that, but I knew he was speaking from the heart when he
gave that look, he was thinking deeply and seriously.

I nodded to acknowledge his statement. Because I also knew
what he’d want if it worked out with us living together. Marriage, children, a
big family. He’d always been open and honest about having that in his future.
And I wasn’t complaining. It was a dream of mine too, and I couldn’t think of
anyone’s children I’d rather have—eventually.

“You’re sure you want me there on a permanent basis. In your
house?” I asked.

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“Well, I think that can be arranged.” I grinned and was
rewarded with his big smile. “It will certainly make the commute to the arena
easier. We can carpool.”

He laughed. A short, deep burst of relief, I guessed. “Ever
practical.” He drew my hands up to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. “So that’s
a yes?”

“Yes, that’s a yes. I want to start and end my days with you
too.”

He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then when he opened
them he stared straight at me. “I’ll make you the happiest woman on the planet,
sweet cheeks, I swear.”

I trembled slightly, the determination and passion in his
eyes searing through me. “I know.”

He tore his gaze from me and looked at my empty plate. “You
finished?”

“Yes.”

“Come on.” He stood and tugged his wallet from his back
pocket. “We need to go.”

“Where?”

“Home.” He dropped a pile of bills on the table and grabbed
my hand. “Thank you, Benita,” he called to the owner of the restaurant. “See
you next week.”

The drive
home
was tense. Dustin gripped the steering
wheel so tight his knuckles whitened and his jaw was set so hard I feared for
his teeth. We seemed to get caught at every set of lights and he cursed under
his breath at each one.

“What’s up?” I asked eventually.

“Can’t you guess?”

“No.”

He glanced at his groin and I followed his line of sight. He
was sporting an impressive package that was hard and solid and straining
against the fly of his jeans.

“Oh,” I said. “I see.”

“This is why I need you with me.” He shook his head and
pulled off the main highway toward his gated community. “I just can’t get
enough of you. I knew from the very first time we fucked, on that outside bed
at the villa, that I was going to need more, but damn.” He paused. “It’s like
feeding an addiction. The more I have you the more I want.”

I rested my hand on his thigh and rubbed up to the angle of
his pelvis. “Good, because you’ve got me.”

He glanced my way then flicked the signal and turned right.
“Not quite where I want you though, not yet.”

“And where is that exactly?” I was enjoying myself. Seeing
him turned-on and hard gave me a thrilling sense of power. I was small and
female and he was big and tough yet still, it was me who had the control, the
power to send him mindless with want. Sometimes when I wasn’t even trying.

“I want you naked, in our bed, and I want us to be laid bare
for each other, no holding back, just us, stripped and raw, satisfying the most
base desires that bring us so close. And I want that to go on for the entire
day and all of the night, pausing only to eat and sleep when we’re exhausted or
need refueling.”

I swallowed. Dustin often came out with detailed dirty talk
and it always sent a delicious quiver right through me. The best bit of it
being, I knew he could deliver the goods. If raw and base was what he wanted
then I knew that’s what I’d get and I wasn’t complaining.

We pulled onto his driveway and he leaned over and popped
the glove compartment. “Here, before I forget.” He handed me a key on a Vipers
key ring. “I had this made for you.”

I took it. “Thanks, I—”

He was out of the car, striding around it at a rapid pace.
He tugged open my door and practically lifted me out. Suddenly I was pressed up
against him, his mouth hovering over mine.

“Welcome home,” he said.

I smiled and touched my lips to his. “I like being home.”

“I like you being here and I want you to stay forever.”

“I will.”

He kissed me as I kissed him and we shared a deep and
profound meeting of mouths that spoke a hundred words of love and commitment.
The infuriating player who insisted on calling me sweet cheeks had become my
world, my reason for being.

“Come on,” he said eventually, “before I fuck you up against
the car and give the neighbors a performance they’ll never forget.”

“Yes, I definitely think indoors would be best.”

We stomped across the gravel and up the steps to his front
door. I slipped my new key into the lock and turned it. The door swung open and
I pulled in a deep breath. Everything felt so right, meant to be. It was hardly
even a big deal to have my own key, to think this was where I’d be heading at
the end of each day. It was just the natural path for us to take, to be
together.

We bypassed the kitchen and headed straight up the stairs.
I’d been here many times, slept over countless nights, I didn’t need to stop
and admire the opulence or Dustin’s great taste in modern art.

As we stepped into the bedroom, a huge, walnut-paneled room
with a black leather sleigh bed and heavy furniture, Dustin stripped off his
t-shirt. He flung it to one side and then kicked off his shoes.

I stood and watched, in awe as his muscles rippled beneath
the surface of his torso. He was breathtakingly beautiful and all mine. I
didn’t think I would ever get used to that.

He was naked within seconds, his cock thick and rigid and
bobbing toward me.

“Why are you still dressed?” he asked, reaching for my top
and undoing the buttons.

“I like watching you strip.”

He smirked and cocked his eyebrows. “I like watching you
strip too, especially that little dance you did for my birthday the other
week.”

I giggled. “I’m not much of a dancer.”

He blew out a breath. “It worked pretty fucking well for
me.”

I touched his cheek and remembered how he’d masturbated as
I’d slowly removed my clothes and done a few shimmies and pirouettes, nothing
fancy, but yes, judging by the way he’d ravished me afterward it had worked
pretty well for him.

When my top was removed, he set to work on my pencil skirt,
unzipping it and sending it on a drift to my feet. I kicked it away and was
glad that I’d worn a new expensive bra and panties set in a pretty pale peach.

“Fuck, you know how to get me going,” he said, kissing down
my neck and onto my chest. “Just when I think I might have some control you
wear something like this beneath your work clothes. I spend half my time
fantasizing about what’s beneath your prim little suits as it is.”

“These old things?”

“Yeah, these old things.” He flicked the clip on my bra and
it pinged open. He made the most of the access, stooped and suckled my left
nipple into his mouth as he cupped my right breast.

I rubbed my hands over his hair. He’d just had it cut so it
was shorter and sharper than usual. I loved it like that, it left a pink blush
on the delicate flesh between my legs if he got busy down below and I clamped
my legs around his head.

“I got you a moving-in present,” he said suddenly, backing
away.

“You did? Before you knew I would say yes?”

“Can’t blame a guy for being prepared.” He pulled open a
bedside drawer. “Besides, it’s for me too.”

Feeling overdressed in my panties when he was gloriously
naked, I slipped them off. When I glanced up at Dustin my breath caught.

He was holding up a strappy leather contraption, like the
one in the villa. A big, dark dildo hung off the front. Facing the ground, it
was clearly weighty and solid.

“You bought me a strap-on as a moving-in present?” I was
surprised but still compelled to walk over and take the shaft in my hands.

He shrugged. “It was fun last time you wore one.” He held
the fake dick out toward me and I let it rest in my palms, then stroked it
admiringly. “And I’ll be honest, it’s a moment I’ve thought about again and
again.”

I’d also thought of it often and wondered if he had the same
heated memories of that wild time as me. “Why? Why do you think of it?”

He shook his head and blew out his cheeks. His cock was
tapping up against his abdomen, the slit wide and a deep pink. He was being
more patient than I thought he’d be when we’d been traveling back in his car.

“Because,” he said, “it was mind-blowingly sexy to let you
inside me rather than the other way ’round. Giving it up for you, a beautiful,
in-control woman was like letting a piece of myself go for a short space of
time and then allowing you to hold me together when I came back to earth. It
was so…freeing if that makes sense.”

God, he really had thought about it. “I loved that you
trusted me so much.”

“I do trust you, with my life.” He touched his nose to mine.
“And I can’t deny I like a little ass play. It hits the spot and makes me come
so hard. Especially when performed so expertly, the way you do it.”