Page 88 of If You Need Me

HEMI

The two-minute drive is fraught with an exceptional amount of sexual tension. All the time and energy I’ve spent hating Dallas, every time I organized a promo op specifically to torment him the way he used to do to me, now seems callous and vindictive. It feels petty and small. I spent years believing he’d set me up on purpose as a prank meant to entertain his friends.

“You never tried to explain,” I say softly. My throat is tight, and my feelings are on fire.

He nods after a moment. “I realized that until I’d given you a reason to believe I was a different person now, it wasn’t worth bothering with. I was a dick to you for a long time—too worried about the unimportant stuff, when you were always the only thing that mattered.” He reaches for my hand as he pulls into the driveway. “And then more recently, it didn’t seem like you wanted to talk about it. So I tried to communicate in other ways. I wanted to earn the right to be honest.”

Every sweet thing he’s done, every soft moment, every bouquet of flowers, crocheted peach, and coffee left on my desk were meant toshowme the truth. That he cares. That he’s sorry. That he isn’t the asshole I’ve spent my entire life hating.

The walls I built around my heart are falling. The armor I wore dissolving.

He parks in the garage, but instead of passing by the house, he takes my hand and leads me down the path behind it so we don’t get stopped by his mom asking how the reunion went. New energy crackles between us, no longer fueled by anger and vindication. My gaze stays locked on his profile as we navigate the uneven ground.

Low tones of music and laughter reach my ears, as though someone is hosting a lakeside summer party close by.

Dallas opens the door to the cabin, and I step over the threshold, tugging him along with me. As soon as the door closes, I grab his tie and pull his mouth to mine. His arm winds around me, one hand skimming my curves. I slide my fingers into his thick hair, gripping the strands as our tongues battle and tangle.

I can’t get enough of the soft sureness of his lips, of the way his hands are all over my skin. We’re a frenzy of desire as I abandon his hair and shove his suit jacket over his shoulders. I break the kiss long enough to say, “Get me out of this dress.”

“You’re my ultimate fantasy, Wills.” He finds the zipper and tugs it down, a gentle counterpart to the frantic way I’m trying to rid him of his suit.

It’s dark, and while my eyes slowly adjust, I feel my way through his buttons. As if he can read my mind, Dallas reaches behind him and flicks on the light over the sink, bathing us in a soft glow. Shadows dance over his face, and a shiver runs down my spine as his eyes move over me.

The sweet Dallas who stayed by my side all night merges with the alpha hockey player who will do anything to protect the puck. The same guy who doesn’t hesitate to check someone into the boards is also the man who delivered a baby foal and let me dress him up as a clown, even though he hates them. He takes my hands in his and brings them to his lips. His calloused fingertips glide long the length of my arms until he reaches the straps on my shoulders. He hooks his fingers under them and reversesthe motion. My dress falls away, sliding over my hips and pooling at my feet.

“Fuck, Wilhelmina.” His fingertips travel the lace edge of my bra. “The number of times I’ve fantasized about being here with you is embarrassing.”

“You probably shouldn’t have told me that.” I bite back a moan as his thumbs sweep over my nipples through the lace and satin.

His gaze lifts, and a deliciously devilish smile appears. “I hope like hell you make me regret it, Willy.”

I narrow my eyes while I work his tie loose. “You call me that to annoy me, don’t you?”

“It gets your attention, which I always want.”

I pull his tie free. “You mean that, don’t you?”

“This, right now, with you standing here looking like a goddamn goddess, undressing me? It’s my personal heaven.” He takes my face in his hands and slants his mouth over mine.

I’ve never been wanted this way, and it’s a heady, addicting feeling. His hands move to my waist, and one eases lower while the other trails up my spine. He flicks the clasp of my bra open.

This time it’s him who breaks the kiss and me who makes the displeased sound when I try to keep his mouth connected to mine.

He gently grips my chin. “Let me see you.”

I slide my hands down his chest, and my bra drops to the floor. Dallas’s nostrils flare, and he sinks to his knees in front of me. He presses a kiss below my navel and hooks his thumbs into the waistband of my underwear. “Permission to remove these very pretty panties?” he asks.

I run my fingers through his hair. “Permission granted.”

He slides them over my hips and down my thighs, and I brace my hand on his shoulder as I step out of them. His hands go to my hips and his eyes stay on mine as he leans in and kisses just above the apex of my thighs. “I want to worship every inch of your perfect, gorgeous body.”

“You’re definitely starting in a great place.”

He nuzzles into my sex, and I’m struck once again by how awe-inspiring it is to have this huge man on his knees in front of me, his expression and his touch equal parts reverent and greedy.

His tongue sweeps out to taste me, and my knees almost buckle at the deep groan that vibrates over my skin. He rises, hands sliding around to cup my ass as he lifts me. I wrap my arms around his neck and hook my feet behind his back as he carries me the short distance to the bed.

He climbs up onto the mattress and carefully lays me on the comforter, his hips dropping until I can feel him thought his pants, hard and thick against me. He captures my mouth in another searing kiss before he starts his descent.

---