Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Diana and Emma did indeed go out to celebrate the win.
They bounced around from club to club, Diana showing her friend the more popular hot spots in town.
At the third place, they’d spotted a few players from the Cardinals—apparently, they were flying out tomorrow instead of tonight and were making good use of their time in downtown Portland.
Diana was so vividly reminded of that evening she’d bumped into Amil and they ended up spending the rest of the night in her hotel room, she convinced Emma they should try the club just up the street.
Where they bumped into Callahan and his girlfriend. The guy looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there.
So, naturally, she and Emma sidled up to them on the dance floor, deciding, in their mildly inebriated states, that they were going to make Callahan feel better.
The action had pissed off his girlfriend—probably the way Emma had wrapped herself around him and started moving to the pulsing beat like they were auditioning for a reboot of Dirty Dancing.
The girlfriend stormed off, but Callahan stayed right where he was. The pained expression was gone from his features, replaced by a look Diana was quite familiar with: lust.
She hovered nearby, letting them have their fun but staying close enough to rescue Emma should the need arise. Emma was a happy-go-lucky girl, and while she didn’t have a family curse like Diana did, she did have her own relationship baggage in the form of a past lover who died.
He was a fellow wildlife photographer, and it had been a freak accident while he was on a shoot. Emma had been in love and was devastated when he died.
She hadn’t dated anyone more than casually since.
Diana had already warned her to stay away from the players, that she didn’t want to mix work and pleasure, but that look Callahan was giving her could be enough to sway a girl.
Except Callahan was, first of all, dating someone else and Emma wasn’t into cheating, and second, he had a history of dating terrible women.
Considering Emma wasn’t a terrible person, they simply would not be a good match.
The girlfriend eventually returned and said she was ready to leave, and Callahan very reluctantly peeled himself away from Emma so he could escort his date home.
The air seemed to leave Emma’s sails after that, and honestly, Diana was ready to go home, too, so they walked back to her condo and hung out on the sidewalk, waiting for Emma’s Uber.
When Diana entered her condo, it was dark—and quiet. Amil’s shoes were resting near the door and his keys were hanging on the hook, so he must already be asleep.
She tiptoed through the kitchen and living room, not daring to glance over at the couch.
She did not trust herself right now. Between meeting his very lovely parents and seeing that look in his eyes when his mom had invited her to dinner—he’d wanted her to say yes—and then watching Callahan and Emma practically have sex on the dance floor, well, Diana was not in a frame of mind to make rational decisions right now.
If she glanced over at that couch, at Amil’s sleeping form, she might do something dumb like walk over there and curl up next to him.
Just to see what would happen.
She stepped into her bedroom. Neither cat was on her bed, nor had they appeared when she arrived. Apparently, sleeping with Amil won over greeting her at the door like Lazlo normally did.
Diana could understand the appeal.
Sighing, she stripped out of her sweat-soaked clothes and considered, just for a moment, climbing into bed and falling asleep.
Except she couldn’t. Between the layer of sweat on her body from dancing and the makeup on her face, she needed a quick bath. She snagged a scrunchie from the little basket on her desk and pulled her hair up into a bun on top of her head and walked into the bathroom.
Where she found Amil, in the bathtub.
His head rested against a rolled up towel, his mess of dark curls damp and unruly. His eyes were closed. His arms were draped over the sides of the tub, all those delicious muscles on display for her viewing pleasure.
There was just enough ambient light coming through the window for her to see that Amil did not take bubble baths. The water was clear.
Very clear.
She sucked in a breath, her inner muscles clenching desperately.
Meow.
She glanced down at the rug, where both cats were curled up together, Lazlo blinking dazedly at her, while Patches continued to sleep away, oblivious.
When she lifted her gaze again, Amil’s eyes were open, feasting on her like a starved man desperate for a meal after far, far too long.
Oh shit. She was naked.
She did not attempt to cover up, although she could feel her cheeks heating to inferno levels. “Um, I thought you were sleeping.”
“I was.”
“I meant out there.” She thrust her thumb over her shoulder.
He glanced down at the water. So did she.
His erection was stiff and proud, bouncing against his abs.
She swallowed thickly.
“When I got home and you weren’t here yet, I figured I’d take advantage of the time and have a soak. My muscles needed it after that pile up in the first quarter.” His voice was gravelly. “I didn’t mean to doze off.”
He continued to eat her up with his eyes. She’d never felt so exposed—and so turned on—in her life.
Not even the first time they’d been together.
“Were you planning to bathe?” he asked after a long pause.
“I-I was. Clubbing. Emma and me. Danced. Got sweaty.” She’d apparently lost the ability to speak in full sentences.
“Did you have fun?”
“We did.”
“I’m glad. Do you want to join me?”
Her entire body flinched. Not because she didn’t want to join him but because…she did.
“There’s plenty of room.”
It was a huge tub. But Amil was huge too. The only available space was on his lap.
Her inner muscles clenched again.
“Or I can get out,” he said, taking her silence as a no. He grasped the sides of the tub, his muscles flexing.
“No,” she said, lifting her hand, palm facing out. “Stay where you are.”
His gaze never leaving her, he relaxed back into the water.
“Just give me a minute.”
He didn’t speak, although his eyes spoke volumes. Lots and lots of hope.
And there was that lust she was so familiar with.
She tried to tell herself this was a terrible idea, except she didn’t really believe that. Why was it so terrible? She and Amil, they’d been good together.
Really good.
Why shouldn’t they take advantage of the heat between them again? What was the harm?
Okay, there was great potential for harm, but she was not going there tonight. There’d be plenty of time later for regrets.
Tonight she wanted to pretend she was just like any other girl. She could sleep with a man twice without catching feelings. She could do this.
She wanted to do this.
She took a step toward the tub. And then another. And another.
Amil offered his hand, his gaze burning into her, heating her from the inside out.
She slid her hand into his, pressed the other one to the edge of the tub, stepped into the lukewarm water.
She stood there between his legs for a heartbeat, then two, three. And finally, she lowered herself into the water, nestled her ass against his erection, leaned back against his chest.
Melted.
His hands clutched the side of the tub like he was waiting for permission.
“I really do need to clean up,” she whispered. “If you’d like to do the honors.”
“I’d love to,” he responded, his chest rumbling against her back.
He curled his arms around her, hugging her to him for a delicious moment before his hands began to wander. He cupped her neck and then dragged his palm over her shoulder, down to her fingers, sliding over to clutch at her hip, his fingers digging into her sensitive flesh.
His other hand dropped to her belly and stroked up until he palmed her breast. She let out a small gasp of pleasure. She felt his lips nibbling, just below her ear, so she canted her head to give him better access.
“This isn’t getting me very clean,” she managed.
Amil chuckled and rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger while his other hand snaked down, between her legs.
“I like it when you’re dirty,” he murmured next to her ear.
She shivered and spread her legs as wide as she could, given the constraints of his thick thighs and the tub.
It was enough. His clever fingers dragged through her arousal, rolling over her clit before plunging into her. She arched and water sloshed, dangerously close to the top of the tub.
The hand between her legs slipped away, and she let out a desperate whimper.
“Hang on,” he murmured against her neck. “I’m going to let some of the water out so we don’t flood the bathroom.”
She heard the drain open over the sound of her own heavy breathing. Her breasts and knees and upper thighs were exposed to the cool air, but nothing could chill the burning heat on her skin right now.
He plugged the drain and then his hand was back, fingers probing.
She lifted one leg and let it drape over the side of the tub, spreading herself wide for him.
He pumped his fingers into her as his thumb pressed against her clit, his other hand massaging her breast. She felt his hips rotate, dragging his cock along the crack of her ass.
“Come for me, Diana,” he whispered a scant moment before he bit her earlobe.
She obeyed his demand.
Oh, did she ever obey.
Her body arched, water lapping against the side of the tub, and she cried out, his name tumbling from her lips on a half sob, half prayer.
He kept pumping into her, his movements slowing as her body relaxed against him again, until he pulled his hand away and cupped her chin, turned her to face him.
His gaze searched her face. She smiled and impulsively kissed his nose.
His answering grin was a sight to behold.
His hand slid around the back of her neck and pulled her to him. His lips crashed into hers, his tongue dancing out, teasing at her until she opened for him.
She tried to roll over so she could straddle him, but he grasped her hip and held her in place as he broke the kiss.
“I want you just like this,” he said. “Are you still on birth control?”
While she knew there were condoms in the cabinet under the sink, that was too far away, and frankly, she trusted Amil.
“I am,” she assured him and then she kissed him, her body half twisted so she could access his lips, while her ass stayed firmly in his lap.
He reached down, adjusted himself so that his cock was between her legs instead of pressing against her ass. She tried to grind against it but was frustrated by the lack of pressure.
Finally, she leaned forward and lifted her hips. Grasping his cock, she notched him to her entrance and sank down as he filled her, stretching her until she groaned.
She rocked against him a few times until he moved easily inside her, and then she leaned back against his chest. One of his hands smoothed down her body to her pelvis, pressing against her while he thrust up, again and again, until the water steadily lapped against the sides and some of it splashed out of the tub despite his earlier efforts to avoid this scenario.
Whatever. They’d clean it up later. She was staying in the moment, enjoying every thrust, every drag of his body against hers, every tingle of her nerve endings as she inched closer and closer to a second orgasm.
The hand on her pelvis moved lower. His fingers grazed her clit, and that was all it took for her to soar over the edge into beautiful oblivion.
He grunted, his movements becoming jerky and desperate until he stiffened and she felt her insides warm as he found his own release. Then he gradually relaxed back into the cooling water.
His arms came around her, hugging her to him, and she felt him bury his face against her hair with a deeply satisfied sigh.
For just this moment, she let herself go, let herself simply enjoy.
Without worrying about the curse.