Chapter Nine

Dylan led me into the hotel lobby with one arm still locked around me. I was glad of it. My knees were watery; I didn't quite have control over them. I feared they might give out and I'd crumple to the tiled floor in a heap.

What the hell was Steven thinking? How dare he turn up like that? How dare he threaten to fill the gossip magazines with scandal about me when he knew I cherished privacy?

Theo studied me under the bright lights. "You okay? You're real pale."

"Not really…but I will be." My voice also didn't sound like mine. There was a quiver to it that rarely revealed itself.

"He won't harass you again," Ben said. "Not while we're around."

"Thank you, all of you," I managed and swiped at a tear that had overspilled. It was a tear of anger and frustration more than heartbreak. "I'm so glad you turned up when you did."

"Me, too." A tendon flexed in Eduardo's cheek. "That creep wasn't taking no for an answer."

I recalled the kiss. I'd had no say in it. He'd held me like he'd owned me. How far would he have gone? Was he planning on bundling me into his car and…

Another sob caught in my throat. I was embarrassed by it. I was usually in more control of myself.

"Do you want to go to your room?" Dylan asked.

"B…but it's Ben's…room. I shouldn't even still be here and—"

"It's your room." Ben drew his eyebrows together. "I'll bunk in with Theo again, no problem. It's your room."

I didn't have time to say thank you, because Dylan steered me to the elevator and pressed the button.

While staring at the numbers as they made their way to the ground floor, I was attacked by a full-body tremble. The shock of Steven not being there one moment and then suddenly appearing had induced a large shot of adrenaline.

"Come on." Dylan urged me into the elevator.

The doors closed, and I stared at our reflections in the mirror walls. We were nearly the same height—he was a fraction taller—and he was twice as wide as me, easily. And where my arms were long and lean, his were roped with muscles, as were his shoulders. His eyebrows were heavy and his dark eyes shadowed with a heavy brooding expression. His lips were a tight line, seeming to be holding in words.

"Ask me then," I said.

"What?" he said gruffly.

"Why Steven thinks he can go to the press about me. Why the press would be interested."

"That's none of my goddamn business."

I rubbed my brow. "Seriously?" People were always curious. Always wanting a piece of me.

"Yeah, seriously. I take people at face value 'cause that's what I like them to do with me. I ain't interested in gossip rags and the press. They just tell a load of shit about people."

"You had that happen to you?"

"Once or twice."

I closed my eyes and blew out a breath. An image of Steven reaching for me sprang into my mind. The doors pinged open. I stepped out, pulling my key card from my pocket. Frustration was mounting. Anger was churning inside me. The last thing I wanted was to have that idiot invading my thoughts and sneaking into my dreams. Not that sleep was likely now.

The curtains in the room had been drawn and two chocolates placed on the pillows. The bedside lamps basted the room in a sunset glow.

I toed off my shoes and sank my feet into the deep-pile carpet.

"You going to be okay?" Dylan asked from the doorway.

I didn't answer. On the small occasional table was a magazine. It was the wrong way up, front cover facing downward. And on the back cover was an advert for Annapurna Extreme Clothing.

Steven's perfect, handsome, full-of-adventure image stared up at me.

"Can I not get away from this piece of shit?" I grabbed the magazine, ripped off the back page, and stalked to the window. After dragging open the curtain and slamming the pane wide, I threw the page out. It was caught on the breeze, and I sent a roar of frustration after it.

And then the tears came again. They were thick and furious, a waterfall of fury and destroyed dreams. My strength deserted me, and I dropped to the carpet in a pile of misery. I pressed my palms and forehead onto the soft pile and imagined myself as a balloon that had been popped with a sharp pin.

"Hey, hey."

Dylan was at my side with his wide hand on my back.

"Why couldn't he…just be honest with me?" I gasped.

"Because he's a douchebag with a moral compass that's way off fucking course." He rubbed a circle on my shoulders.

My hair hung forward, and I sobbed some more. There was a dose of self-pity in amongst the frustration and anger. Why couldn't I have been enough?

"Hey, come on." Dylan reached for my upper arms and tugged me up onto my knees. "He's not worth this."

"I know." I sniffed. My vision was blurry with tears, and I dashed at them.

"Here." He handed me a tissue.

Quickly, I wiped my face, stuttering sobs still coming from my throat.

"Can you do anything to stop him going public?" Dylan asked. "You got a lawyer? A PR team?" He studied me.

"I have…" I swallowed and pulled in a deep breath. "Yes, I have a damn good lawyer, and I'll get Trevor onto it tomorrow, first thing."

"Trevor?"

"My agent. Trevor is my agent."

"Good, so you have a plan." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and the right side of his mouth almost tilted into a smile. "I knew you would, you're no quitter. I can tell."

"No, I'm not. I've never quit at anything."

"I can believe that." His eyes sparkled, as though he was seeing right into my soul.

Steven was an asshole, and I never wanted to see him again. But in front of me was a handsome guy who'd just cared for me in a way no one else had before. A man who was looking at me in a way people rarely did. He didn't care about my famous face or my awful predicament, he just saw the real me. And that was beyond a turn-on. That was sexy as fuck.

"Thank you," I said, reaching for his stubbled cheek and cupping it.

"For what?"

"For taking care of me down there and for being here…now." My heart rate picked up again. A shot of lust burst into my system. He really was gorgeous, and I had just the plan to exorcise my ex from my life.

"Happy to help," he said, his voice low and husky. He, too, was thinking of sex, I'd bet on it.

"You wanna help some more?" I bit on my bottom lip. Could I be so brazen? It wasn't my usual MO.

He raised his left eyebrow. "What you thinking?"

"I'm thinking about us fucking. What do you reckon?"

He raised his other eyebrow.

I took that to mean yes and practically threw myself onto him. My mouth connected with his, and I clasped his solid shoulders.

He gave a sharp intake of breath, and for a moment his lips didn't move.

Panic gripped me. Had I read it all wrong? But then his tongue found mine and his arms were around me again, dragging me close.

Through our clothing, my hard nipples pressed up against his chest. Fuck, he was a good kisser. Expert, in fact.

And then he was lifting me to standing as if I were a feather in his arms. His bulk and strength was a treat after Steven's leanness, and I reached for his t-shirt, gripping the base and pulling.

He broke the kiss, his lips damp. "Jesus, are you sure?" He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Yes." I dragged at his t-shirt, exposing a deliciously hair-coated torso. "I've never been surer of anything."

"But you've…" The t-shirt went over his head, and I tossed it aside. "Just split—"

"I know, even more reason for me to have a good time, right?"

He stared at me in that intense way of his.

"Fuck the memory of Steven out of me, Dylan." I paused. "If you think you can, that is."

I'd obviously said the right thing; he was a guy who was always up for a challenge—I knew that much about him already. His eyes seemed to grow darker, and his mouth hit down on mine.

He was breathing hard and so was I. He hoisted me into the air, and the next thing I knew I was flat on the bed with a big horny hockey player lying over me.

Perfect.

"You need me to stop, you change your mind, just say the word."

"I won't change my mind." I ran my hand into his bristly, super-short hair and stared up at his handsome face. "I need this, more than I've ever needed anything."

"Fuck, yeah, okay, I get that," he muttered and kissed over my cheek then down to my neck. "God, you taste good."

I pressed my head into the pillow and arched my back. The scratch of his stubble and the width and weight of his body had my pussy quivering with longing.

His hand cupped my breast and squeezed, not hard but not gentle either.

I moaned and reached for his belt buckle. The sooner he was inside me the better.

He helped me, shoving at his jeans and then started on mine.

Soon we were both naked, and I spread my legs, inviting him in.

"If I had it my way, I'd take my time," he said onto my lips as he settled between my legs. "Savor every moment. We'd orgasm over and over and over again."

"Condom," I gasped. Taking our time was the last thing on my mind.

"What?"

"Condom."

"I hate those fucking things." He hesitated, but then to my relief, he quickly put on a condom and crawled back over me.

"I need it now," I said, canting my hips up to meet him. "I need it real bad. I don't want slow."

His long, thick erection caught between our bodies. He was so damn hard and much bigger than I was used to.

"So promise me one thing." He pushed my hair from my now-damp brow.

"What?"

"Afterward we get to do it my way, so I can explore every inch of you with my mouth."

"I wouldn't complain." I gripped his shoulders and wound my legs around the backs of his. "But now…"

"Now you want this, right?" He reached between us, gripped his cock, and angled it at my entrance.

I swallowed and nodded. Fuck, I hoped he didn't just ram in. I was wet for him, but still…

"You changed your mind?" he asked suddenly.

"No, no…not at all." I clasped his taut butt in both hands. "I…just…"

"You need me to be careful this first bit?"

I nodded.

"I can do that." His lips hovered over mine. "But only till I'm in, then we're gonna fuck, hard, just the way you said you need it."

"Yes, yes, that's what I need."

He eased the tip of his cock into me. So wide and he was so damn determined. Then he stilled for a moment.

I willed myself to relax around him. He kissed me and kept on going. His way was eased by my arousal, but still he stretched me in delicious ways and hit all of my sweet spots.

"Oh fuck," I gasped when he hit full depth. "That's so…"

"Awesome?"

"Yes, awesome." I closed my eyes and felt them roll back. Had I ever been so filled by such a big, gorgeous man?

"Ah fuck," he muttered, "it's been a while, and you feel so damn good, but I'll do my best on the stamina front."

"I'm sure you'll manage." I cupped his nape and encouraged his lips to mine.

He set up a fast but smooth rhythm that rubbed over my clit. I tilted my hips to meet his body on each thrust, and soon the pressure was growing.

Sweat slicked over my skin, and his chest hair scraped against my nipples. I was getting close to coming.

"Oh fuck, that's it…God yes. Yes." I broke the kiss to concentrate on the climb to orgasm.

He locked his arms so he was looking down at where we joined and upped the pace. His body still rubbed over my clit, and his cock was angling at my G-spot perfectly.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." I gripped his forearms and watched as his thick, dark cock hammered in and out of me. Flesh slapped on flesh. My small breasts shunted with each of his powerful lunges.

The sight was so erotic that it was my undoing. I cried out, desperate for the topple into ecstasy.

And then it was there. A blissful moment of no return then white-hot pleasure rushed from my clit and pussy, spasming through my pelvis, my ass, and up through my body.

My toes splayed, and I curled my fingernails into his skin.

"Ah, in the name of…" His features twisted, and he, too, cried out, a throaty, guttural shout of satisfaction. His cock was so deep as it pulsed inside me.

My pussy was gripping and releasing him; more darts of pleasure spun through me. I closed my eyes and was greeted with explosions of white and red, and when I breathed in, his divine cologne was laced with the scent of our bodies together.

He rammed his hips under again, and this time a tremor went down his spine; absolute pleasure was holding him hostage.

I traced his vertebrae to the rise of his butt then ran my finger back up again to smooth over his hair.

"Pip." He lifted his head. "Did I do it?"

"Fuck him out of me?" I giggled, and a host of new emotions flooded me. "Yes, I think so."

"Good." He kissed me again, gentler this time, his tongue a sexy slow dance.

"But," I said, "it wouldn't hurt to make doubly sure?"

He grinned, and it was the first time I'd seen a proper smile. "Give me ten minutes and we'll make doubly sure."