Chapter 4
~Deacon~
My hand twitches against my thigh as I lean against a column in the lobby, waiting for Daley.
Subconsciously, my thumb rubs over the empty space on my ring finger where my wedding ring used to sit.
When I realize what I’m doing, I cross my arms again, trying to appear calm and relaxed when I feel anything but.
It’s been a long time since I felt this kind of nervous energy off the ice, a mix of excitement and anticipation, as if there are real stakes at play.
On the ice, it’s much more common and it’s part of what keeps me chasing that high so hard, but in my personal life, I honestly can’t even remember the last time something gripped me like this.
Why tonight? Why this woman? Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. Why does lightning strike where it does?
There have been other women since Megan. For a while, I tried to heal my hurt in strangers’ beds, but I quickly realized it provided a temporary fix at best. Alcohol works just as well and is less messy since I don’t have to involve another person with her own feelings and expectations.
That’s not what this is, though. Daley doesn’t appeal to me because I want to forget. For the first time in months, I want to be exactly where I am.
I almost feel like myself again.
I can’t explain it, but I know I don’t want it to end, so when Daley appears from the lounge, her hand clasping her purse as her eyes dart around the room, looking for me, a wave of relief sweeps through me that only serves to drive my anticipation even higher.
She’s nervous too but she’s not letting it stop her and I’m going to do everything in my power to make this worth her while.
“Hi.” She flashes a gorgeous smile at me as she approaches, her relief to find me still there as evident as what I just felt. “You still want to show me around your hotel?”
We can’t actually go wandering around the Venetian. Even if the press doesn’t see us, there are too many people who might recognize me. I don’t want to mislead her about that, so even though I’m pretty sure we’re already on the same page, I state it clearly, just in case.
“To be honest, I kind of had a one-room tour in mind. My room.”
I’m standing close enough to see her pupils dilate, her green irises shrinking as she draws in an unsteady breath. “You don’t beat around the bush, Deacon.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
She holds my gaze for a moment before shaking her head. “Not at all.”
The smile that spreads across my lips feels out of my control, but I don’t mind it. “I thought you might appreciate it, since you told me within a minute of meeting me that you’re old enough to be my mother.”
Her cheeks flush at the reminder, but there’s nothing motherly in the way she’s looking at me now, nor in the thoughts I’m having about her.
“Are you ready to go?”
I slide my hand around her waist and just like before, the feel of her body beneath my hand sends a rush of heat through me. Whatever fuels lust, whatever lights a spark between two people, it’s strong between us, and I stop asking why.
Enjoy it. Live in the moment. Let go.
A taxi sits at the rank outside the hotel, and I give the driver instructions to let us off at one of the rear entrances to the hotel, close to the Sphere. The coach told me about it earlier today in case I wanted to avoid the reporters, and thank fuck for that.
“Have you been to Vegas before?” Daley asks, her eyes fixed on the bright lights streaming by outside the window as the driver navigates the busy Strip.
“A couple of times a year.” I come to play hockey, not for any of the other reasons people usually visit this town, but I don’t volunteer that information. She’s making small talk because she’s nervous; that’s the only reason she’s asking. My answer doesn’t really matter. “You?”
“First time.” She flashes a brief smile over at me that has blood pooling in my groin. A mile has never seemed so far. “So far, it’s exceeded my expectations.”
“Mine too.”
My hand closes over hers again and just like at the bar, electricity seems to pass between us. Daley falls silent, her gaze returning to the window but her hand gently squeezing mine.
The entrance the taxi stops at is mercifully free of press, and I keep hold of Daley’s hand as I pull her through the corridor towards the elevators, keeping my head down.
Thankfully, luck seems to be on our side and we reach the elevator lobby without running into anyone who recognizes me.
I offer a polite smile to the older couple who get into the elevator with us and Daley does the same, neither of us saying a word until we reach my room.
Inside, I don’t stop, taking her straight over to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the suite’s living room that offer a stellar view of the Venetian’s forecourt.
Daley’s lips part as she takes it in. “This is… I don’t even know how to describe it. Stunning? Or maybe surreal?”
I step in close behind her as my arms wrap around her waist. The heat of her body against mine has my cock throbbing even before she leans back, putting enough pressure on it that I have to stifle a groan. “Can’t it be both?”
She leans back further, her head resting against my chest as she tilts her chin up to look at me. “Definitely both.”
Her words are an invitation, mirroring the one I see in her eyes, and I readily accept. Bending down, I capture her lips in a strong, firm kiss, and the sparks that have been building between us burst into flames.
Holy fuck.
My need quickly becomes urgent, and from the way that Daley’s hands claw at my shirt as she twists around to face me, I can tell she feels it too.
My hands leave her long enough to pull the offending shirt over my head, and when her palms connect with my bare chest, blood rushes straight to my cock.
I want to be inside her. I want her hands on me. I want to see her and taste her and make her feel incredible. I want all of it, immediately and all night.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I force myself to take a step back before I make a mess of this.
Daley’s chest heaves in a heavy pant of her own, drawing my attention to her full breasts still concealed within the draping fabric of her shirt.
Catching my gaze, she gives me a half-shy, half-teasing smile and lifts her shirt over her head, the same as I just did.
“Fuck, Daley.” My tongue darts out to lick my lips as I take in the swell of her soft flesh over the silky fabric of her white bra. As lingerie goes, it’s basic, but still somehow one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.
“Don’t overdo it,” she warns with a beguiling mix of confidence and vulnerability. “You don’t have to flatter me. I’m sure you’ve seen a lot better.”
My gaze doesn’t move from her chest. “Honestly? Right now, I don’t remember.”
Her light, musical laugh brings out my smile in return. Fuck, when’s the last time I smiled this much off the ice?
Stepping back into reach, I run my hand over her soft stomach and the other over her collarbone, tracing the line with my thumb.
Daley’s eyes close as I reach behind her to undo her bra, and I lean down to kiss her again as I pull it loose.
While our tongues tangle, my hands cup her breasts, my thumbs running over the nipples that pucker under my touch.
Honestly, I wish I had more than one mouth right now because I don’t want to stop kissing her but I’m dying to take those nipples between my lips and find out how sensitive she is.
The same urgency as before overwhelms me, as though this is a dream that I need to hurry to the end of in case I wake up before the good part.
I don’t want to miss a second of it, but I can’t wait to move on too.
My mind is completely wrapped up in this moment, and it feels so fucking good, I don’t ever want it to end.