Desired By The Hockey Captain Alpha

18. Too Close To Temptation

Emily

Any second now. Nothing happens.

I slowly open my eyes again.

He is still hovering above me but he is not kissing me. He is just staring at my face with this strange look in his eyes. Not teasing this time. More like wonder.

Like he is seeing something he does not understand.

Okay that is weird.

I shake my head quickly before my brain gets any more stupid ideas.

“Nope,” I mutter. Then I shove him hard in the chest. “I’ve had enough.”

He rolls off the bed easily and lands on the side with a soft thud.

And then he starts laughing.

I sit up immediately, glaring down at him. “What the f**k s funny?”

He runs a hand through his hair, still grinning like an i***t.

“You act like I’m dangerous or something.”

Well. He kind of is. I mean look at him.

Hot enough to ruin someone’s life. Cocky billionaire hockey god who somehow thinks teasing me is his new favorite hobby.

And being in the same room with him is doing things to my body that I would rather not talk about out loud.

Like the fact that my thighs are pressed together right now because certain parts of me are suddenly very aware of his existence.

Yeah. Let’s not unpack that.

I say nothing and climb off the bed quickly.

The pink panties are still clutched in my hand and I shove them into my drawer quickly.

Please disappear forever.

Behind me Damien pushes himself up from the bed and looks around the room again. “So this is Nicole’s dorm,” he says casually.

“Yeah.”l glance at him “You never visited her,” I add.

“Is there a reason to?” he replies.

I shrug. “I don’t know. You guys are cousins.”

“Barely.” He snorts softly. Then he adds, “And I don’t think she wants me hanging around her dorm.”

That makes me pause.

I kind of want to ask if they are close. But that feels like I am digging into something that is none of my business.

So I keep my mouth shut.

Damien clears his throat suddenly.

His expression shifts again and this time he actually looks serious.

“Seriously though,” he says. “I’m sorry.”

I frown. “About what?”

“Bianca,” he replies immediately. “What she did was f****d up. I should’ve been there to protect you.”

The sincerity in his voice catches me off guard.

I shrug awkwardly. “It’s fine.”

He raises a brow.

“I’m not some delicate flower,” I add quickly. “If it was one on one I would’ve ended her.”

That earns me a slow smile. “I don’t doubt you.”

Then he just stands there looking at me...Intensely.

Sometimes he looks at me like he is trying to solve a puzzle. Other times he looks at me like he is eye-f*****g me.

Right now it is definitely the second one.

I clear my throat and lean my back against the wall. “Anyway,” I say quickly. “Today I wrote a schedule for you.”

He hums softly.

One hand comes up and rests against his jaw while he keeps staring at me with those ridiculously heated eyes.

Why is he still looking at me like that?

It is making my stomach twist into knots..and between my thighs ache.

I glance away before my panties get wet.

“Some of the guys looked pretty pissed when we left earlier,” I say, trying to sound casual.

“Forget them,” he replies easily. “They get sulky sometimes.”

“That’s it?”

“They’ll fall in line,” he says with a shrug. “They always do.”

Okay. That sounds arrogant as hell. But I guess if you are the star player you kind of earn the right to talk like that.

“Alright,” I say slowly. “Then we start properly tomorrow.”

“Training and everything?”

“Yep. I checked the dates earlier. The competition starts next week.”

He hums again. “So we’re doing the first thing on the schedule.”

I blink. “Yeah?”

“Good.” He nods once. Then he grins. “We’re having breakfast together tomorrow.”

I stare at him. “Wait.”

He lifts a brow.

“That’s not on the schedule.”

“Well,” he says calmly, “now it is.”

This guy is giving me a migraine.

I sigh dramatically and wave a hand toward the door. “Alright. Time to leave.”

“So soon?” he asks.

“Yes,” I reply. “I need to shower.”

The second the word shower leaves my mouth his eyes light up.

Oh no.

He starts walking toward me slowly. Each step feels very intentional.

By the time he stops in front of me my back is already pressed against the wall and there is nowhere left to go.

He leans down slightly so his face is close to mine. “Care if I join?” he whispers.

My brain explodes. “Are you f*****g crazy?”

He moves even closer and his scent wraps around me. Clean, sensual, completely mesmerizing.

“No,” he murmurs. “I’m not.” His voice drops lower. “I want to shower with you.”

My legs suddenly feel weak. “Damien,” I mutter.

He leans closer until his lips are only inches from my ear. “I want to know what it feels like,” he says softly, “to be on top of you.”

My heart stutters.

“Naked.”

Oh my God.

“To be inside you.”

My entire body reacts instantly. My stomach tightens and a dangerous wave of heat rushes straight between my thighs.

God help me…I'm about to jump him for real this time.

This is a bad idea.

A really bad idea.

Every second Damien stands this close to me my brain gets dumber and my body gets more traitorous. The heat pooling low in my stomach is proof enough of that.

Nope. Absolutely not happening.

I lift my chin slowly and force myself to look him straight in the eye.

“Damien… stop. Your silly little trick isn’t going to work on me.”

His lips curve slowly like he just heard the most entertaining thing of the day.

“Really?” he says, voice low and amused. “Silly little trick?”

His head tilts slightly while those emerald eyes drag over my face. “Who says I’m playing?”

“Then what are you doing right now?” I shoot back.

“I’m telling you what’s on my mind,” he says easily. “How much I want you.”

My stomach flips.

“I know you feel it too,” he continues calmly.

His eyes darken as he leans closer again, closing the space I just tried to create.

“Me and you on that bed,” he murmurs, nodding toward it. “We could go slow.”

My breath catches.

“Or faster.”

Oh my God.

“Or even harder.”

My entire body shivers and the heat between my thighs deepens embarrassingly fast.

The worst part is he is right.

I want him.

God help me, I want him so badly it is actually ridiculous. I want him to grab my waist, bend me over that bed, and f**k me until I forget my own name.

But that is exactly the problem.

This is not real.

We are not actually dating.

This whole thing started because he needed a fake girlfriend, and I needed money.

“I can see it in your eyes,” he whispers.

My heart skips.

Then he leans closer and his breath brushes the side of my neck. “And I can smell it.”

A breathless sound slips out of me before I can stop it.

What the hell.

What is he doing to me?

Why does my entire body turn into jelly every time he gets this close.

Nope.

This is exactly how girls get their hearts wrecked.

Damien is a playboy. A rich, ridiculously hot playboy who probably has a different woman every week.

Jack is probably right about him.

The thought snaps me back to my senses.

I push myself away from the wall quickly and put distance between us.

“You’re a playboy, Damien,” I say firmly. “I’ve heard a lot about you so don’t try to play with my heart.”

He watches me carefully.

“Play?” he repeats quietly. “I’m not playing.”

“Then what are you doing right now?” I ask, meeting his gaze head on. “I agreed to this because I needed the money. Let’s not cross boundaries, okay?”

For a second he just stares at me.

His expression softens slightly and his lips part like he is about to say something important.

But then he just shakes his head slowly.

“You really don’t know me,” he says.

There is a small smile on his face but it looks different this time.

Almost sad.

“I don’t need to know much to recognize a playboy when I see one,” I reply.

His smile widens for a second.

Then it disappears.

His emerald eyes suddenly darken.

“f**k,” he mutters under his breath.

Before I can even process what is happening he turns and walks quickly to the door.

Actually, no. He does not walk. He practically rushes.

“Damien?” I say, confused. “Are you alright?”

He does not answer.

He yanks the door open and storms out into the hallway like something just lit his ass on fire.

“Wait,” I call after him. “Your jacket!”

But he is already gone.

The hallway goes quiet again.

I stand there for a moment staring at the open doorway.

Okay. What the hell just happened?

I close the door slowly and lean against it.

Did I say something wrong?

Did he suddenly remember some emergency?

His mood changed so fast it gave me whiplash.

I walk back toward the bed, still trying to process the whole thing.

And that is when I see something on the mattress. A small black key fob.

I pick it up and stare at it for a second.

Damien’s keys.

Oh for f**k’s sake.

I grab them and head straight for the door again.

If that i***t ran off without his keys then he is definitely still somewhere around here.

I hurry down the hallway and take the stairs two at a time until I reach the lobby.

Empty.

No tall cocky billionaire in sight.

I step outside and look around the parking lot. Then I spot it.

His bright red sports car is still parked right where he left it.

I frown.

Okay that makes zero sense.

I walk closer to the car and glance around again.

“Hello?” I mutter under my breath.

Nothing. No Damien

I look down at the keys in my hand. Then back at the car.

Then around the parking lot again.

“Where the hell did he go,” I mumble.

Because apparently Damien just vanished into thin air without his car.

And that is weird as hell.