Page 18 of Shining Through

Heart pounding, she spun around, brushing his face with her synthetic hair. He stepped back, grinning a little as their gazes locked.

He wasn’t tall, which wasn’t unusual for a skater. But his well-defined upper body, tattooed arms and rock-star eyes made him look tough, cool and confident. She hadn’t a doubt he was good in a fight, and definitely not afraid of one.

Ruslan had joined them too, and though he was more baby-face than bad-ass, it evened the odds should Stained Shirt or his buddy start something. Not that Tabitha wanted that to happen. Fortunately, Stained Shirt didn’t either. “Hey, nobody’s bein’ rude to anybody. We’re just waiting for these fine ladies to finish up their pool game.”

“Which we will, thank you,” said Tabitha, lowering her voice to sound less like herself. She fished out the eight ball and returned it to the table. She threw what she hoped was a sexy look at Daniil. “Want to be on my team?”

“Sure.” He smiled and moved closer to Tabitha. “Which are we, stripes or solids?”

“Either. We made up our own game.” She leaned against the table and slipped into the skin of her “Someone New” program character. She ran her tongue over her white frosted lips. “Whoever gets the most balls wins.”

He smiled slowly, and gave a low chuckle as he gazed into her eyes. “I’ll bet you play very well.”

“Actually, I’m quite new at it. But eager to learn.” She angled herself to show off her body, accented by a fitted black tank, and a red mini-skirt. His admiring gaze took in all her hard work in the gym. In the hot, charged moment, a part of her longed for him to touch her the way Rod had touched Blondie. It seemed as though he might be reading her thoughts. Even as he bent to take his turn at the pool table, his gaze lingered on her until the very last minute.

Pool balls collided with a sharp crack, and the solid-color green one rolled into a pocket at the opposite end. Tabitha licked her lips. “I like your technique. Maybe you could show me a few things.”

“Happy to.” A smile played at the corner of his mouth. “I’m Daniil. And you are?”

She froze, as the fake name she’d concocted suddenly vanished from her mind. And then, as if her thoughts had beamed out a distress signal, her sister suddenly appeared at her side. “Hildegard,” she supplied, answering his question. “Hildegard Snarski. And I’m Samara.”

Daniil tilted his head. “Like the city in Russia?”

“Um, no. Like the demon ghost girl inThe Ring. Ever seen it?”

“Actually it means ‘protected by God.’” Tabitha said. A wise choice on Fiona’s part, as she’d been much too distracted to do it. “It was our grandmother’s name.”

“You’re sisters?”

“Cousins,” offered Xtina, who looked oddly normal with her brown hair pulled back into an Ariana Grande ponytail. She passed her cue stick to Tabitha. “And I’m Christina. Spelled with an X.”

“Hildegard, Samara and Christina with an X. Snarski.” He laughed and turned to Ruslan. “And people think Russian names are strange.” Peering at Tabitha, he followed her around to the other side of the table. The red ball was in line with a corner pocket and she bent low to set up the shot. “It’s funny. You don’t look like a Hildegard,” he said. “I think you look more like a Tabitha.”

Crap!Not only did Tabitha miss the cue ball, she almost dropped the stick. Yep, he was onto her. She could either retreat in shame… or she could play the game. She looked up through her fringe of blue bangs. “Nope. Definitely not Tabitha.”

“I see.” His alluring sideways grin suggested he not only liked the game, he wanted to dial it up a notch. “How long are you in town?”

“What makes you think I’m not from around here?”

“Just a guess. There are lots of people in town for the figure skating competition. Like Ruslan and me. Maybe you are one?”

“I know nothing about figure skating. I’m just your average girl from Chicago.”

“With blue hair and a funny name.” He gave a low chuckle and moved closer, so that his shoulder brushed against her bare arm. His nearness and the aroma of Polo Black filled her senses. “So tell me....Hildegard Snarski... is it true what I’ve heard about American women?”

She felt the familiar adrenaline rush that accompanied a daring leap. Usually it was a leap off the ice, but not this time. She had no idea what he’d heard and was a little afraid to find out. Then again, the “Someone New” girl wouldn’t be afraid. Neither would Samara. Nor would Hildegard Snarski. She twirled the square of blue chalk around the tip of the cue stick and blew away the excess. “Tell me what you’ve heard, and I’ll tell you if it’s true.”

He trailed his fingertip over her arm, whisper soft against her skin. “That they’re after a good time. No expectations, no strings. Just one night, and then goodbye.”

She blinked and her cheeks felt hot. That’s was what tonight was all about. It wasn’t like she could actually date Daniil Andreev! But the way he’d put the question front and center was disconcerting. “Is that what you’re after?”

“When I can get it,” his low voice and warm breath tickled her ear. “Russian women? They always want something from you. But why be tied down when there’s so much beauty to enjoy?”

Did he really believe that, or was he just saying it to see how “Hildegard” reacted? Then again, what did it matter if he was the love ‘em and leave ‘em type? This wasn’t about a relationship. This was about fun. An adventure. If it only lasted one night, so much the better. Her heart was pounding as she looked deep into his darkly lined eyes. “I can’t think of a single reason.”

He took the cue stick from her hand and passed it to Samara. Or maybe it was Ruslan. Tabitha didn’t know, or care. She could only think about how he was moving closer, and the way her lips were tingling, as he leaned in and angled his head. His hand moved from her bare shoulder, over her throat to cup her jaw and he brushed the pad of his thumb over the swell of her bottom lip.

And then his mouth was on hers, hungry and demanding, taking what he wanted. She gripped the edge of the table, as his arm snaked around her, pressing against the small of her back. His tongue probed her mouth, triggering wild spirals of desire that blocked out the sounds of the bar, and awareness of people around them.

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