Ryker (Cold Fury Hockey 4)

"I don't have my iPad," she says by way of explanation.

"I'm also thinking that you look perfect right now. I think the most perfect I've ever seen you look."

She snorts and pulls the paper back up to cover the lower part of her face. I can't see the smile I know is there, but I can tell it's there by the way her eyes are squinting just a bit while she reads. "I think that's just the afterglow of an orgasm talking," she says blandly.

"You are so dismissive of romance sometimes," I chide her before taking a sip of my coffee. "And you always do that...rebuff any type of compliment I try to give you."

It's true. If I tell her she looks beautiful, she waves a dismissive hand at me. If I compliment her mind, she blushes. Even an appreciative look from me has her turning shy like a schoolgirl.

When she doesn't respond to me, I continue to poke at her. "Why is that? Why does it embarrass you when I tell you how hot you are?"

Gray pulls the paper down and wrinkles her nose at me. "Because it's weird."

The paper goes back up. I reach across the table and bat at it, causing one side to pull out of her hands and reveal her entire face to me. Now she's glaring. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever known."

I can't help but grin when I see red stain her cheeks.

"You have the most gorgeous body. I take one look at you naked and I can't help but get rock hard."

"Stop it," she blusters, now blushing all the way down her neck.

I change tactics, but I know this will embarrass her just as much. "You are the most amazing woman. You are a role model for all young girls who desire to push past the gender boundaries."

"Okay," she snaps at me as she folds the paper in half and slams it down onto the table. "You've made your point."

Chuckling, I stretch back in my chair and nudge her foot with mine under the table. "You're adorable when you're embarrassed."

She rolls her eyes. "Blushes never look good on redheads."

"Totally disagree. But seriously...why does that stuff embarrass you?"

She shrugs and lowers her gaze, her fingers fiddling with her coffee cup.

"Come on, Gray...spill the beans. What's with the shy act? It doesn't fit with you."

Her foot kicks against mine in a frustrated, playful kind of way as she crosses her arms over her chest defensively. "It's just...I'm not used to that kind of attention, so it's kind of hard to take."

"What kind of attention? Flattery?" I ask, genuinely curious. Because it's hard for me to imagine a woman such as her being ignored by the male species.

Gray blows out a large sigh and looks irritated with me. But she still gives me the scoop, because one thing I've come to learn about her...she doesn't hold back with me. For some reason, it's easy for her to let go with me, no matter how much she pretends it's a burden otherwise. She's never refused me anything I've asked so far.

"Okay, so like you're the first man that isn't intimidated by me," she huffs out, and then looks at me as if that explains everything.

"I don't understand."

She rolls her eyes, which I find to be beyond adorable, and says, "You're the first man that I don't intimidate. All the others...they didn't know how to handle me. Giving me sincere compliments wasn't within their bag of tricks, I guess. They were more worried about how to hold a conversation with me without sounding stupid, or once they realized they were getting in my pants, words weren't exactly necessary."

I wince internally over that because, one, I don't like to think of anyone getting in Gray's pants but me, and two, she clearly never made a connection with anyone she's ever been vertical with. While on some level that pleases me, it also makes me feel sad for her. She's been lonely for a long time, maybe without even realizing it.

Standing up from my chair, I walk around the table and hold my hand out to her. She willingly takes it and stands when I give her a tug. It's a natural move for her, to walk straight into my embrace and press herself against me. I tilt my head and kiss her on her jaw. "It's something you need to get used to...compliments from me. It's never going to stop."

Mmm, she moans in my ear.

"Want to know what else you're going to have to get used to?" I whisper as I kiss my way down her neck.

"What's that?" Her fingers come up, tangle in my hair, and fist tightly.

"My face between your legs...making you come with my tongue. Going to do that right now before I have to leave to go pick up the girls."

"You do dirty talk so good," she says on a breathy sigh. "It makes me blush too."

I pull my lips away from her neck and stare down at her with a grin. "You like my dirty talk, huh?"

She nods exuberantly. "I really do."

Taking her by the hand, I start dragging her through the house toward the bedroom. "Then let's go, baby. I can't wait to fuck you with my tongue."

Gray laughs and then stops abruptly, pulling out of my grasp. "I need to take a shower first really quick."

Tilting my head to the side, I ask, "Why?"

She goes absolutely beet red in the face and stutters. "Well...um...because you spent a lot of time down there already last night and this morning, and...I just..."

"I don't care," I tell her as I reach for her hand.

Gray sidesteps me and puts her hands out to hold me at bay. "Just give me five minutes, okay...to freshen up."

"Fine," I tell her, raising my hands in surrender and turning toward the kitchen. "Five minutes, but if you're not naked in my bed, I'm coming into the shower to get you."

"Where are you going?"

Curious woman. Let's see if I can make her blush again.

I turn toward her but continue walking backward toward the kitchen. "I think I have some whipped cream in the kitchen."

With a pink-cheeked grin, she turns and trots off into my bedroom, and a moment later I hear the shower running. I whistle to myself as I hunt for the whipped cream in the fridge. When I find it, I pull it out, kick the door shut, and then toss the can in the air, where it flips end over end three times before I catch it again.

I'm practically dancing my way back to the bedroom, thinking of about a million dirty things I want do to Gray with what's in my hand, when the doorbell rings. I freeze in place and consider ignoring it, but then it rings again...more insistently, and I know that I can't do that.

At least I'm dressed, for the most part, and hope to God whoever is on the other side of that door doesn't blush over a bare chest. I lay the can on one of the end tables as I walk around the couch, because that would be just a level of awkward I wouldn't want to explain, and make it to the door by the time the bell is ringing for a third time.

When I swing it open, I'm stunned to see Hensley there. She always calls before asking to come see the girls. In fact, I insisted she do that just to avoid this exact scenario...Gray in my house.

I move to block the open doorway and fold my arms across my chest, making it clear there's no admittance. "The girls aren't here. They stayed at Zack and Kate's last night."

"Oh," she says, but she doesn't look disappointed. "Well, I need to talk to you anyway."

"Now isn't a good time," I tell her, and her eyes go round with surprise because I've never denied her entrance before. "Call me later and we can set up something."

"But--" she says, and I have no clue what else would come out of her mouth, because at that same exact moment, Gray calls out from behind me.

"I'm already done with the shower, so I'm ready to see if that mouth can make me blush again."

Her voice gets incrementally closer so I know she's walking out of the bedroom. My body tenses as I wince, because Hensley's eyes narrow until I can just barely see her irises peeping out at me.

"Who is that?" she asks through gritted teeth.

"None of your business," I say as I start to close the door, but Hensley darts right past me into my house. Anger rises quickly that she would dare to come in against my wishes, and absolute dread as to what is getting ready

to go down here.

I don't give a flying fuck if Hensley is pissed I'm with another woman. I'm free to do what I want. But this could just prove to be the disastrous event that we've been trying to avoid.

I turn around and find Gray walking out of my room with a towel wrapped around her damp body, a smile on her face that freezes when she sees Hensley. Hensley's face turns red with fury when she recognizes Gray and then turns to me. "I knew it. I knew there was something going on between you two when she came over to see Ruby."

"It's none of your fucking business, Hensley," I grit out.

"It most certainly is," she seethes, but yet she can't see how ridiculous it is when she says, "because we're still married."

Gray immediately wheels around and slips back into my bedroom, shutting the door behind her. I imagine right now she's scrambling into clothes and my dream of having one more crack at her before I have to leave to pick up the girls dies quickly.

Hensley actually takes a step toward the bedroom like she's going to--what? Confront Gray?

Like fucking hell.

"Oh, no you don't," I growl as I grab her by the arm and pull her back toward the front door. "You just officially wore out your welcome here."

"Let me go," she screeches and squirms to get loose. "I want a word with that home wrecker--"

"For fuck's sake, Hensley," I say as I release her to throw my hands up in frustration. "There is no home to wreck. You and I are done. Have been done a long, long time. Who I see is none of your business, and the only thing you need to ever discuss with me is the welfare of our daughters. Now get the fuck out."

Tears well up in her eyes. Big, fat crocodile tears. Her lip quivers as one slides down her cheek. "But...but...we've got years invested together. Two daughters who deserve to have their parents together."