Seductively: Playing for Hearts Book 2 (Crimson Romance) (7 page)

The waitress sighed. “I get off in an hour. Will you still be here?”

Dominic’s mouth opened, and before he could say anything, Diana stood and separated the woman from her pretend boyfriend. “Let’s get something straight. That’s my man. Hands off, or things will get ugly real fast, chica. Got it? Oh, and before you leave, you might want to spread the news to everyone. I’m in a bad mood tonight, and it isn’t going to take much for me to go crazy on someone interrupting my night.”

The woman frowned. “I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be ready.” She hitched up her dress, and remained standing while the woman left.

When it was safe to let down her guard, she returned to the table. Dominic stared. She shrugged self-consciously.

“Don’t get any wild ideas that my rushing to your defense meant anything.” She glanced at him below her lashes. “This is all an act. I kind of got caught up in playing the badass.”

“That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered.

She laughed, relaxing. Hot or not, it was fun to pretend she was tougher than she normally was.

To be on the safe side, she slipped his jacket back on. Then she double checked her dress and exhaled in relief when she stayed covered. If she had to use her muscles to get rid of the waitress when she returned, she’d be ready.

The song changed below them. She turned and leaned over the railing. The atmosphere infectious, she danced in her seat enjoying the music.

“Do you want to dance?”

She shook her head. “Not yet, unless you want to go down there with everyone.”

“I’m good.” He pointed. “See the guy in the black shirt next to the blonde with the dark blue dress?”

Next to the bar, she spotted the couple. He had his arm around the woman and she hung on to him as if she’d had too many drinks. “I see them.”

“That’s Craig Fresnick. Our goalie.” Dominic scooted his chair closer to the railing.

“His girlfriend’s pretty.”

He chuckled. “It’s not his girlfriend.”

“Oh.”

Growing up in Cottage Grove with Grayson, and him being a former Wimbledon champion, she should’ve known that. He’d paraded models and movie stars around everywhere before Shauna came back to town. She glanced at Dominic. He watched the couple with an unreadable expression.

Why did it bother her to think in two weeks when she went back to real life, Dominic would be down there with his arm around any female he wanted? He had his pick of choices, any one of them more beautiful than the next.

Movement caught her eye and she turned. At least a dozen women followed the waitress into their private room. They surrounded Dominic before she could prepare for what was guaranteed to come.

“Hey, back off.” She stood, glad for the jacket making her look bigger.

They ignored her. Dominic closed his eyes briefly and held his hands in front of him. She pushed her way around the table and grabbed arms, yanking the women away. Stickier than rubber glue, they only wiggled their way back between her and Dominic.

They were outnumbered. She planted her hands on her hips, staring between the bodies at Dominic, who now stood pressed against the railing. This was crazy. She had to do something.

She stuck two fingers in her mouth and blew. Her whistle would deafen anyone in a five-foot radius. Every head turned her way. Using a woman’s shoulder for balance, she stepped up onto Dominic’s vacant chair.

“Back. Off. Now.” She glared at the crowd, while pointing at Dominic. “He’s mine.”

The women glanced between her and back to their eye candy. She whistled again, grabbing their attention. “Out, before I pull those pretty hair extensions and get you all thrown out of here. Trust me, girls. You do not want me to go there.”

Slowly, the women shuffled away from Dom and headed toward the door. Dominic lifted their drinks out of the server’s hands before she made her exit and set them on the table. Diana leaned over and gave him a high five.

The last woman, a tall one even without her heels, reached over, plucked Dominic’s hair, and seemed to study the few strands pinched between her fingers. Diana hopped down and scooped the hair out of her hand. “I don’t think so, bitch.”

“I’m from Nomora. I’d like a few — ”

“Absolutely not.” She stalked the women out of the room, shut the door, and locked her and Dominic inside. Brushing her hands off, she returned to her pretend date. He handed her glass to her.

“To the best girlfriend I’ve ever had.” He held up his beer.

She clinked her glass against his. The lust in Dominic’s gaze told her the date was going a little too well. She’d have to bring him back down to earth. “Lucky for you, she’s well worth the money.”

“I think you should get a restraining order against Nomora. Stealing your hair is a crime, or should be.” In the last hour, Diana had moved her chair closer to his. “The more I think about it, the company is getting desperate. Sending a woman in to do their dirty work, getting physical and expecting you to be okay with it because you’re a male, well that’s disgusting.”

“The police department will only laugh at me. I’ve contacted them before, more than once, to have them escort the women away from the arena and my condominium,” he said. “Although, I’ve never had one pull my hair to get a sample without asking first.”

To Dominic’s surprise, the night passed in continual play back and forth between him and Diana. The music shifted to slower songs, and the noise dimmed the later the hour grew. They’d achieved nothing they’d come to the club for, but he’d gained so much more.

The spirit inside Diana caught him unaware. Her positive outlook on life, including her love of her friends, family, and town had him missing Russia in a good way. He counted his blessings rather than dwell on the difficulties he faced in the United States.

“Do you want another drink?” He’d waited upstairs while she’d retrieved them both another order from the bar earlier, but she seemed in no hurry to grab more.

“Two is a good limit.”

He grinned. “I’m still driving home.”

She patted his hand. “Please?”

“Next time.” He caught her fingers and pulled her closer.

They both leaned toward each other. He stroked the back of her hand with this thumb. Dainty and smooth, she seemed fragile but he knew differently after seeing her in action defending him against the other women.

“Thanks for coming with me tonight.” He spread her fingers, linking his hand with hers.

“I’ve had fun,” she whispered. “More than I imagined I would.”

He lifted his gaze. “Me too.”

All during his career playing hockey, he’d experienced many highs. Goals made, penalty shots that’d won the game, but her confession went right to his soul. He never wanted the night to end. His voice grew husky. “Dance with me.”

“Down there?” She glanced over the railing. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea after what happened.”

He shook his head. “Here. Just you and me.”

“Okay.”

As if they had all the time in the world, they slowly stood, hands still linked together, and moved to the center of the room. So intent on watching her, he simply stood in front of her. Whether it was from the dim light behind her or the prospect of them going to hold each other, her blue eyes darkened.

She wet her lips with her tongue, staring into his eyes. The move snapped him into action, and he pulled her toward him, wrapping his arm around the back of her waist, while holding her other hand to his chest. Her smoldering gaze slid to his, and a fierce need to protect her came over him.

Unaccustomed to dancing, he took his cue from Diana and swayed to the music. She laid her head against his chest. His breath quickened in response, and her body relaxed against his. Together they fell into a rhythm.

The music changed, but neither one of them seemed to be ready to stop. He closed his eyes, confident that his feet could continue moving without him watching.

Stomach to chest, thigh to leg, pressed together tighter than a perfectly fit puzzle piece, he simply held her. Inhaling the sweet scent of jasmine from her curls, he let go of worrying about how he was doing on their date. He forgot about their agreement, and even that she was only pretending to be his girlfriend. Never had he had the chance to enjoy a woman on his terms, in his own time.

Best of all, he wasn’t alone. He was so damn tired of being alone.

With Diana, there was no rush, no pawing, and no desire to explain why they were dancing. He could enjoy their time together and experience all the emotions that came with something new. Already highly addicted to what he had with Diana, he knew no other woman in his life had every brought him this much contentment to enjoy the situation.

Being comfortable with her, and losing time they shared together beat the hell out of the fast pace of fighting women off and taking a one-night stand when he gave up on fighting.

He lowered his hand on her back, until his fingers moved over the slight curve of her butt. There he held her tight against him, luxuriating in the way they molded with one another.

“You fascinate me,” he whispered.

She tilted her head. “Then we’re even, because you’re confusing me.”

“I’m not a complicated man.” He inhaled deeply. “I enjoy playing hockey. On Sundays I read the paper in bed. I call my family a couple of times a month and I appreciate the friends I have in my life. I’m also learning that I have a deep desire to get to know more about a woman who enjoys driving my car, has a solid dream she’s determined to go after, and can go up against a room full of women without breaking a sweat.”

“Dom … ” She dropped her forehead against his chest.

He lifted her chin, until he could look into her eyes. “Most of all, I want to kiss you in the worst way.”

“I-I can’t.”

She stepped back, but he pulled her closer. “Yes, you can.”

“Please.” She pushed against him.

He let her go, chilled from the loss of her heat and her regression. She wasn’t stopping because of something he’d done or didn’t do. They were having fun, getting to know each other, and she was right there with him when they danced. Whatever kept her from him came from something inside her.

“Can you tell me why?”

She slipped on his jacket, wrapping the front around her and hugging her middle. She appeared so uncertain and wary, he wanted to wrap her in his arms and never let go.

“It’s … not important. I just can’t.” She shook her head, regret burning in her eyes.

He slipped his hands deep into his front pockets and rocked back on the heels of his shoes. Failure sat heavy on his shoulders. “It’s late. We should probably go home.”

She nodded. He held out his hand. Her attempt at a smile as she slipped her fingers between his broke his heart.

“I’m not going to let you run away from me without explaining. I will find out why you won’t allow yourself to get closer to me before our time is up. That’s a promise.”

“Let it go,” she said.

“I can’t do that,” he muttered. “For a change, I’m the one who seems to be out of control when it comes to you.”

Together, they unlocked the door, walked down the stairs, and exited the empty downstairs. As the left through the back door, a flash exploded. He pulled Diana into his side, and curled her away from the paparazzi.

“Enough. You’ve got your picture, leave us alone.” He held his hand in front of the camera and ushered Diana across the parking lot. “I hadn’t realized how late we’d stayed. I think we closed the club.” He held the door open as she slid into the passenger seat. “At least we got our picture taken, so we accomplished our goal.”

She smiled sadly at him without answering.

He stroked her cheek. “It’ll be okay.”

“Will it?” she whispered.

“Yeah.” He kissed her forehead. “I promise. You just have to trust me.”

Rounding the back of the Porsche, he cussed under his breath. Frustrated with the inability to move things forward with Diana, he didn’t have a clue what he was supposed to do to fix the situation. Couldn’t she tell he liked her?

Hell, he was a walking hard-on since he’d met her. He paused outside his door, and laid his hands on the top of the car. They were both grown adults. What caused her to pull away from him?

What did she see in him that other women were blind to? It was as if life was playing a joke on him, and he couldn’t have the one person he wanted. He wasn’t learning a damn thing about how to fix his life, and he was taking penalty hit after hit with Diana. Life sucked.

After a silent ride home, Diana mumbled good night to Dominic and closed herself into her room. Exhausted and emotionally drained, she took off Dominic’s jacket, stripped out of her dress, and stood naked, eyeing his blazer.

Without letting herself think about what she was doing, she slipped his jacket back on, covering her nakedness, and lay down on the bed. She closed her eyes, wanting to forget the fact that Dominic was close enough for her to kiss.

He’d wanted her. The hungry glaze over his eyes showed her how much he wanted to kiss her. She wanted it too, but she couldn’t allow herself to go that far. She knew deep down if she kissed him, she wouldn’t want to stop.

Besides, he could have anyone he wanted. All he had to do is pick one woman from the club, and he’d be having sex in his bed right now. No one ever told him no. He was a player, and he’d played her right into his arms. The whole night while they danced, she’d let herself pretend they were on a real date. She’d let herself believe that something was happening between them, that his attempt at asking her out on a date all the time and not giving up, meant something.

Everything he’d done gave her a secure feeling that he only had eyes for her tonight. Even when the other women were dressed more scantily and more beautiful than she was, he’d focused on her. She sighed. He’d done everything right. There was not one thing she could cling to that proved Dominic as a player off the rink.

God, she was in trouble.

Once she’d stopped thinking about him as a big jock, she’d seen a side of him that she found impossible to ignore. He was down to earth, easygoing, and he had an almost innocent quality about him that mystified her. A man who had women fighting over him could not possibly come away without a long track record with the ladies. All jocks were the same, and she’d been made a fool of before. Even though she’d never loved her college boyfriend in the true-adult sense, his betrayal stung her self-esteem. She rather not put herself in that same position again.