Page 58 of Playoff
It was up to her. She wasn’t a risk-taker, but there was something under there that might just agree…
“I didn’t wear anything sexy.”
I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath till it whooshed out after those words. “Naked is sexy.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything when I looked up hotels on the GPS. Hotels with valet parking.
“Do we need a valet?” she asked as I punched in my choice.
“I don’t want to freeze my balls off.”
“I don’t want you to either.”
Five minutes later I pulled up in front of the closest hotel and a valet hopped out. I passed over my keys and a twenty, then grabbed Jess’s hand and pulled her inside with me.
She crossed over to look at one of the generic hotel-style paintings, studiously not watching as I booked a room. I claimed we’d lost our luggage. Pretty sure they didn’t believe me, but I didn’t care. I got the room key, and with it and Jess, I had all I needed.
The ride up the elevator seemed to take forever. Finally, I flashed the key at the door to our room and opened it when it turned green. I stood back so Jess could go first.
She walked past the bathroom and stood just inside the bedroom.
“Two beds?”
“It’s what they had. And I’m not planning to sleep.”
She dropped her coat and purse on the foot of the closest bed. “Dibs on this one.” Leaning a hand on it, she took off her boots.
I came up behind her and wrapped my hands around her waist. “I’m calling dibs on both of them. And everything else in here.” I pressed a kiss under her ear and she shivered.
Then she turned in my arms and slid her hands behind my neck. “I’m in here. What are you going to do about it, oh dibs master?”
I pulled her tightly against me. “This.” And I kissed her.
Chapter 25
Worth taking time
Jess
* * *
It was stupid and reckless, and for tonight I wasn’t going to care. We weren’t even in Toronto, so I could pretend Alek was just a guy—someone I’d met, was going to have fantastic sex with. And then later, when I was home, I could push my own wants aside again and do the right thing.
Just for tonight. Because even if Alek had been someone else, I still owed my brother and needed him to be himself again before I took care of me.
For I don’t know how long, we just kissed. His hair was too short for my hands to grip, but I could tug down his head with my palms on the scratchy stubble to get him closer. He responded by sliding his hands lower, to my ass, pulling me tight. And the whole time our mouths were fused together. He tasted me, a little growl in the back of his throat, and then I chased his tongue into his mouth and growled back.
He finally pulled away. “Bed.”
“Which one?”
“What’s closest?”
“Mine.” Then strong arms lifted me and dropped me on the bed I’d claimed dibs on.
I waited for Alek to drop down beside me—either to continue kissing or to get to the naked portion of the event. After that kiss, I’d been expecting torn clothing and being taken against the wall, and I was good with that. But for a moment he just stood. His chest lifted as he pulled in long breaths and his gazed focused on me.
I lifted up on my elbows, letting my eyes fall from his broad shoulders to his waistline, pausing at the bulge I could see behind his zipper. “Well?”
