Love of the Game - The Complete Collection (Box Set) Page 5

  He cradled her carefully, his heart clenching in agony when she felt embarrassed about being weak and hurting. Seeing her in the hospital bed, too vulnerable, had clawed at him. It made his heart ache for her.

  Anastasia met his eyes and he knew she saw it, read his love for her daughter. She gave him a great gift: the opportunity to capture her little girl’s heart once and for all without sacrificing her pride or sense of independence.

  Nikolai didn’t plan to waste it.

  Claire stopped at his door on her way out and gave him a key to their room. She feigned innocence as she asked him to keep an eye on Demi for her.

  Already showered and changed, he didn’t wait. He went over immediately, refusing to leave her alone when she was hurt. He let himself into their suite quietly.

  Demi was asleep on the couch, on her side. The bruises on her back were visible around the tiny straps of her tank top. He sat quietly, watching her, making sure she was safe.

  After she was sick, he carried her from the bathroom but couldn’t bring himself to put her down. He wasn’t ready.

  That she didn’t seem to mind that he sat with her on his lap made his heart feel bigger.

  He held her, nowhere to go…nothing to do. All he had to do was hold her and listen to her breathe as he watched her drift in and out of sleep. He didn’t like her sleeping so much with a concussion so he nudged her awake once in a while. Twice she sighed his name and he smiled. There would be no more running from one another.

  He intended to keep her, to love her, for the rest of his life.

  Eventually, Nikolai slid further down on the couch so he could tilt her more comfortably. Demitria’s unbruised cheek lay against his pectoral, her soft breath warming his skin through his t-shirt. Her bent knees drew up along his side and he dropped his arm over them.

  He wrapped a huge hand around one ankle to steady her. Her long hair drifted over his arm, supported by the padded arm of the couch. As he pulled a light blanket over her, she snuggled in closer, and Nikolai let his eyes drift shut, relaxed in a way he’d never been.

  That was how Claire and Demi’s parents found them a couple of hours later.

  Mikhail watched his daughter sleep curled in the lap of the only man outside their family he would ever trust with her. Anastasia and Claire smiled.

  Nikolai’s head rested on the back of the couch, Demi’s hands folded against his chest.

  They went into the small suite kitchen and moved around conspicuously, making a little noise to let the sleeping couple know they were no longer alone.

  Nikolai woke at the sound of people talking softly in the kitchen. Demitria’s eyes opened carefully and she startled when she realized she was sleeping on top of him.

  “I…I’m going to be sick,” she groaned in humiliation.

  Nikolai stood with her in his arms in one smooth move and carried her into the bathroom. Claire rushed to follow but didn’t go into the small room. He set her on the floor in front of the toilet and held her hair back as she heaved repeatedly. There was nothing in her stomach.

  He spoke soothingly and rubbed her back until it stopped and then lifted her so she could wash her face at the sink. When she finished brushing her teeth again on principle, she turned into him and laid her face on his chest. He smiled and slipped his arms around her shoulders.

  “I think I need to drink something. My stomach hurts.”

  “Claire is back with your medicine, Demitria. Come. Let us get you some water. Maybe crackers or bread? We will try a couple of bland things first.” He picked her up gently.

  “I can walk, Nikolai.”

  “Yes but then I could not carry you and I find I enjoy that very much. Let me pamper you while you are sick, Demitria. You will be back on your feet and not need my help soon enough.” Then he kissed her forehead and left the bathroom.

  In the kitchen, he paused at the sight of her parents.

  “Hi, Nikki, how’s our darling doing?” Anastasia asked softly. She approached and stroked Demi’s hair away from her eyes.

  “Hi, Mom.” Her voice was scratchy and almost inaudible.

  “We came to check on you, to bring you some bland foods, but see you’re in very good, very strong hands with Nikki.” Claire brought two pills and Anastasia held them out to Demi with a glass of room temperature ginger ale. “Take these. They’ll help your stomach and the pain in your head.”

  Still in Nikolai’s arms, she sat up and swallowed the pills. The ginger ale was wonderful on her parched throat. “Nikolai, I’m not light. You can put me down.”

  “Compared to me, you weigh nothing. I will put you down when you are ready to sleep.”

  Her eyes were already drowsy as she settled back against him. His arms tightened around her when she murmured, “I love your accent, Nikolai. I don’t think I’ve ever told you that.” She yawned. “Mom, Dad, I don’t want to chance food right now. I just want to close my eyes against the light.”

  “Go, we’ll see you in the morning.” Her father leaned close to kiss her temple and glanced up at the biggest man, and one of the kindest, in his organization. “You’re very good with her, Nikolai. Thank you.” He nodded and Mikhail smiled.

  A few minutes later, they were gone. Claire closed and locked the door behind them. “Nikki, I’ll be in my room if you need anything. It has been an exhausting day and you have a match tomorrow. Why don’t you tuck her in and get some sleep?”

  With that, she disappeared into one bedroom and Nikolai carried Demi into the other. Claire had turned down her bed and he laid her in it before pulling the covers up to her shoulders. He moved to step back and she grabbed his hand.

  “Stay?” He went still. “We’re grownups. Please stay, Nikolai.”

  With a single nod, he turned on the bathroom light and turned off the rest of the lamps in the room. Nikolai toed off his sneakers and went around the bed to sit on the other side. As he laid back on the pillows, Demi tugged at his arm until he stretched out fully next to her on top of the blankets.

  Then she snuggled closer, under his arm, and put her head on his shoulder. The feel of her arm over his stomach was so much better than such a simple gesture had the right to be.

  He was more than willing to wrap his arm around her. His hand rubbed lightly over her bare arm, careful to avoid the bruising on her back. She was quiet for so long he thought she’d fallen asleep. Then, into the dim room, she asked him to tell her about his childhood. He did and occasionally she would nod or ask him a question.

  When she asked about his mother, he gave her updates and mentioned that she loved the books Demitria sent her.

  Half asleep, she murmured groggily, “That was a secret. I found a copy of Jane Eyre in Russian. She loves the classics like me. I’d like to meet her one day.”

  Nikolai’s voice was rough when he told her, “You will. Very soon, I think.”

  That made her smile and she drifted off to sleep. He didn’t realize when he followed shortly after.

  In the middle of the night, she stirred against him. “I can’t believe you’re here, Nikolai…I have loved you forever.”

  His heart nearly exploded from his chest and he held her as tightly as he dared. “I love you, Demitria. Very much.”

  She snorted softly. “Like an annoying little sister.”

  Shaking his head, he replied fiercely, “Not even close to a sister, Demitria. Not like a sister at all.”

  Then she was asleep again and he spoke to her for a long time in Russian, telling her all the things he thought about her, felt about her.

  He’d say the words again…in English…when she was ready to hear them.

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning, Demitria opened her eyes and was thankful she was neither dizzy nor nauseous.

  The discovery that she was lying in bed with Nikolai was the most surreal experience of her life. She watched him sleeping, strangely fascinated by the beard stubble that darkened his cheek.

  He had the longest lashes
she’d ever seen on a man, black and slightly curled. His brows were thick and black, arching over his eyes dramatically. He had a strong jaw, thick neck, and massive everything else. His longish hair spread over the pillow and she lifted her hand to run her fingers through it.

  My god, it is so soft.

  His eyes opened and she couldn’t pull her gaze away. “Good morning, Nikolai. Thank you for staying.”

  “You are very welcome, Demitria.” He rolled on his side to look at her. “You are even beautiful when you first wake up.” He stroked his fingers through her hair. “How are you feeling, baby?”

  Nikolai calling her baby caused all kinds of feminine flutters through her body. Demi gave her internal teenager a strong bitch-slap and cleared her throat. She needed to be certain she wasn’t interpreting the signals she was getting incorrectly simply because she wanted him.

  I think I dreamed him telling me he loved me.

  “Much better actually.” Her stomach growled and she laughed. “Lots of energy going out yesterday and I’m apparently starving.”

  “Understood. We must feed you.” She shifted and winced sharply. He told her he had natural muscle cream for her back and she should use a little for the bruising on her cheek. “Claire can help you with it, Demitria.”

  Go big or go home.

  She took a deep breath. “I don’t think so. You can help me, Nikolai.” The implications of the statement, asking him to rub cream into the muscles of her bare back, could not be lost on him.

  He changed the subject. “You always use my full name. No one else does. Why?” His voice was low and deeper than usual.

  She shrugged, resigned to the fact that he simply didn’t think about her the way she wanted him to. With an effort, she blanked her expression. “I love your name. Nik or Nikki is very…American, I guess. Nikolai speaks to who you are, where you come from. Besides, you rarely call me Demi. You call me Demitria unless I annoy you.”

  “Demitria has elegance to it that Demi does not. Demi is fun, carefree while Demitria is the name of a woman sure of herself, confident in her beauty, aware of her sensual power but does not use it as she could to get what she wants.”

  He leaned close and lightly kissed her lips. Pulling back but not far, he whispered, “Demitria…”

  Nikolai saying her name in his accent, his voice rough from sleep, had to be the sexiest thing Demi had ever heard. She shivered.

  She wrapped her arm around his side, tugged herself closer, and deepened the kiss. The arm she was laying on tightened carefully around her back while his other hand went around her waist.

  The touch of his lips made her open for him instantly and his tongue slipped inside. The first stroke along her own caused her to moan. They kissed for a long time, exploring one another with their lips, tongues, and teeth gently and thoroughly.

  They pulled away a little to look at one another. Demi stroked her fingers down his cheek and along his jaw. “I knew you’d be a great kisser, Nikolai.”

  He groaned and cupped the back of her head, brought her back to him so he could devour her mouth, breathe her in, and take her into his soul.

  When his hand stroked over her hip, she moved closer. Her low belly came up against an erection one truly had to feel to believe and she rolled her lower body against it, eliciting a deep groan from Nikolai. His fingers dug into her hip and he broke the kiss.

  “Demitria, I do not have what it will take to withstand that right now. You have a concussion and have not eaten in far too long. First things first. Behave.”

  He didn’t move away from her and Demi smiled.

  “I have had extreme control since I was seventeen years old. You are testing it. You are the only woman able to do this. I cannot make love to you when you are hurt, Demitria, though I do not think I have ever wanted something more in my life. I will care for you and when you are better, I will take my time to learn your body, to love you.”

  He kissed her possessively and her toes curled.

  “What if I were to tell you I feel better by the moment?” she asked slyly.

  “Demitria.” She scraped her nails over his nipples through his t-shirt and he clenched his jaw, sucking air sharply between his teeth. “You are a…painful temptation.”

  Nikolai grabbed her hands and held them between their bodies to halt her seduction. The last thing he wished to do. The hungry look in Demitria’s eyes would have been his undoing if Claire hadn’t chosen that moment to knock.

  “Demi, how are you feeling? Do you want me to cancel the morning? I already cancelled the SELF photo shoot. With the bruising, I knew it wouldn’t work. They said call them the instant you’re better. Girl, they want you in a bikini!” There was a pause. “You awake?”

  Without breaking eye contact with him, Demi called, “I’m awake. I’m feeling better. What do I have this morning?”

  “ESPN with Nikolai. I’ll give his room a call…”

  “I’ll call him.” With a grin, Demi murmured, “Nikolai…” He kissed her lightly, stroked his lips along her jaw and down her neck. “What time is ESPN, Claire?”

  “Two hours. We have the meet-and-greet before with the new wrestlers. I know you like to be there, introduce yourself.” There was a low chuckle. “Also, your dad likes to make sure they know you’re off limits before visions of you naked start dancing in their heads.”

  “Too late,” Nikolai growled in her ear.

  “And that is…what time?”

  “In less than an hour. I was trying to let you sleep as long as I could. This is the new group from camp, so they’ll have their first matches tonight. You know half of them will probably throw up. We have to make nice.”

  There was no response because Nikolai claimed her lips. The silence dragged out and finally Claire cleared her throat. “Um, Demi? Is, uh, Nikolai in there with you? You never avoid opening the door this long.”

  “Yes he is. I’m trying to schedule time for him to ravish me since I’m feeling better. Timing is shit today. Fix things for me, Claire.”

  Her lips traced Nikolai’s neck and he groaned. She bit the muscle between his neck and shoulder. With a low moan, his body hardened even more against her. “Find me time. Coordinate the schedules.”

  “I am happy to, Demi. We’ll, uh, talk when you come out.”

  They heard her move away from the door and their eyes locked. “Demitria, I am having a hard time right now. A very hard time. If I do not move off this bed, we will likely be unavailable for two days. When do we head back to Seattle?”

  “Four days and then I’ll be taking vacation time. I suggest you do, too.”

  “Four days. How will I keep my hands off you until then? Hmm…I have a thought.”

  He released her hands and moved down to the hem of her tank top, nudging underneath. He scraped his blunt nails over the skin of her belly and she tightened everywhere.

  He went back to kissing her and traced the waistband of her soft sleep pants. She trembled under his touch. He stroked one finger just under the fabric, his knuckle rasping over her bare skin.

  “Your skin is so soft but the muscle underneath is very hard. I love the feel of you. So warm. I need to touch you, Demitria. I will not make love to you now. When I do, I want time. That takes time, patience. Still, I need to touch you, to please you, and that will please me…very much.”

  With that, his palm flattened against her stomach and slipped under her pants. He stroked her lower abdomen slowly and Demi panted softly. Using his nails, he traced the line of her panties, palming her damp mound through them.

  “You are so warm. I can feel you are wet for me through your panties, Demitria.” Slipping beneath the band of silk, his fingers stroked over her and glanced up from her neck. “You are bare.”

  “I model…I can’t be worried about…Nikolai.”

  His middle finger slid through the crease of her labia, pressing lightly. He did this twice more until he was steadily stroking her from her clit to her pussy.

 
; As he rimmed the entrance of her, he growled, “Demitria, you are so wet. So ready.”

  He set a rhythm, stroked up to circle her clit, then down to circle the weeping entrance of her body, then dipped inside shallowly. His finger went deeper with each pass.

  “My body is on fire, Nikolai.”

  She lightly circled her hips to meet his thrusts. She pulled her wrists free and buried her fingers in his hair, alternately stroking and tugging.

  Finally, his finger sank fully in her pussy and she rocked into his hand. He felt when she was about to come. Her body tightened, her breath was rapid, and she sighed his name.

  He claimed her mouth and she exploded against his hand, clenching her thighs together hard and fisting her fingers in his hair, her gasps and moans flowing into Nikolai. He brought her down gently with kisses and soft strokes.

  As her body lowered to the bed, she said softly, “I get it now, Nikolai.” He held her hard. “How is it that I’m still fully dressed and feeling better than I ever have naked?”

  “Demitria, you will feel better when I have you naked. No one has taken the time to…to appreciate you. I will take a long time to do so.”

  He petted her twice more and pulled his hand from beneath her clothes, taking his finger into his mouth to suck her essence from his skin. His eyes darkened with hunger.

  “You are delicious. I will enjoy tasting you, gliding my lips and tongue along your sweet, sweet pussy.” Nikolai watched her eyes glaze over and her thighs lock together as she trembled against him. “Did you just come for me again?”

  She nodded dazedly and he groaned from his chest. “To come from me talking to you, I think it will be easy to bring you pleasure.” He kissed her hard and tugged her to his chest, his hand stroking her hip before grabbing the taut globe of her ass and squeezing.

  “Nikolai…I…I need you.” Demi hummed against his neck as her hands moved over his shoulders and torso. Her palm drifted over his stomach and he moaned, moving to stop her from going any further.