Page 45 of The Girlfriend Card (Vegas Sin #4)

Make Up

Dakota

T he glow of candlelight cast dancing shadows across the walls of the bedroom, and the air was hot and thick with erotic aroma. The mattress creaked rhythmically, our bodies pushing apart and coming together in perfect harmony.

“Ottavia …” I growled, gripping two handfuls of her round ass.

“Oh, Dakota. ” Ottavia’s intoxicating moans filled the air, coaxing me closer to the edge of climax. I clamped down and slowed my pace so I could last longer—but Ottavia looked over her shoulder at me and cried, “Don’t stop!”

I thrust harder, faster, my hips clapping against her plump rear, our pleasured grunts and groans reaching a crescendo.

“I’m coming!” she yelled, her voice a sexy falsetto. “I love you!”

Her body quaked as she surrendered to orgasm. And with her pussy quivering, clenching and fluttering its grip on my solid length, I didn’t stand a chance of lasting a moment longer .

“I fucking love you, too!” I roared, a surge of pressure shooting up my shaft. “I’m coming!”

I buried myself to the hilt and shot my seed deep inside her, groaning with each powerful spasm.

When it was over, we ended up lying on our backs, staring at the ceiling and panting for air.

“Wowwww,” she giggled. “So that’s what makeup sex is, huh?”

I laughed, too. “Nice, right?”

“ Very nice,” she purred. “No wonder everyone always raves about it.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty much the best ever.”

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “But I’d also be okay with foregoing it for the rest of my life, because that’d mean we never had another bad fight.”

“Oof. Man. Tough call. I dunno, Ottavia. Makeup sex is so good.”

“And I agree! But wouldn’t you give up makeup sex if it meant we never had another big fight again?”

I sighed, pondering a painful dilemma. I tried to find a way out. “Why not both?”

She squealed with laughter. “You can’t have both!”

“Sure, you can! What if, every few months, I’ll invent some fake drama for us to fight over? That way we can make up and squeeze in an angry bone from time to time.”

“That won’t work! It has to be real,” she said, and we broke into a fit of laughter. “And P.S., don’t you dare start any drama with me—real or fake. Got it?”

I sheepishly agreed. “Yes.”

“Lord knows, we’ll have enough drama in our lives because of my dad.”

“True …”

The mere mention of Sal immediately put a damper on the mood. Our smiles faded and our bodies stiffened. Ottavia noticed.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought him up,” she said.

“No, no.” I reassured her, giving her a gentle squeeze. “We can’t avoid talking about him forever. Like it or not, he’s a big part of your life.”

“And your life, too.”

“Yeah, true,” I said.

“So … what are you going to do, Dakota?” she asked curiously.

I fell silent while I thought it over.

“There’s not much I can do,” I said at last. “Like I said, I’m not going to hide from him. We’ve got day two of training camp tomorrow. I guess I’ll break the news to him then. See if he’s serious about ending my career.”

She drew an anxious breath. “Can he actually do that—end your career?”

I explained what Sal could do with my contract. Trade, buy-out, waive—those were all options, but they effectively got me out from under his thumb.

“But Sal said he doesn’t want to give up control of my contract,” I said. “He wants to sit me out.”

I told Ottavia the rest of what Sal had planned for me; how he wanted to sit me out for five years and let me languish at home.

“And that would effectively end my career, yes,” I said. “If he’s serious about paying me to not play hockey, that is. To me, that seems like a massive waste of money. And the one thing I know about these team owners is that, despite being billionaires, they’re all cheap as fuck.”

She giggled. “Yeah, I have a hard time seeing him do that, too. I think he was just trying to scare you off.”

“I hope so. But if not?” I shrugged. “If not, well, at least I’ll have you.”

“Awww.” She rolled on top of me and planted a juicy kiss on my lips. “You’re so sweet, Dakota.”

“Will you still love me?” I asked, a rawness in my voice. “Even if I’m not a professional athlete anymore?”

“Of course!” She bobbed her head enthusiastically.

“You’re so much more than a professional athlete to me.

You’re sweet and funny and so kind.” The way she looked at me made, her eyes glimmering, made me feel so cherished and loved.

I knew she fully meant those words. “I don’t care what you do in life, Dakota, as long as you’re always a sweet and caring man. ”

I couldn’t help but wear a devilish grin, though. “But will you still love me when I’m not jacked anymore because I was forced to stop playing hockey? And now I’m moping at home all day long and getting fat on ice cream?”

“Ummm … jeez.” A puzzled laugh escaped her. “I’d sure hope you’d find some thing else to do with your time besides sitting at home and getting fat. And that’s true whether your career ends tomorrow or ten years from now.”

I laughed, too, pretending to be scandalized. “Wow! So clearly, you’re only in this for my hot, ripped bod! Aren’t you?!”

“Don’t forget the jawline,” she teased, tracing her finger along my jaw. “What about me? Will you still love me if I’m not a billionaire casino heiress?”

“Huh.” I leaned away from her, looking her up and down, as if I were seeing her in a new light. I stroked my chin, pretending that I needed to think it over. “That’s weird.”

“What’s weird??” she asked, her brow furrowing, and I knew I had her hook, line and sinker.

“I never realized until now how much I dig the ‘I’m banging a billionaire’ thing.”

“ Dakota! ” Her jaw unhinged and she hopped off me, scooting across the mattress and instantly putting several feet of space between us. “I can’t believe you!”

Laughing, I prowled after her, trying to pull her back to my side. “Come back to me.”

“No!” she protested. “You were after my money all along, weren’t you?!”

“I was kidding!”

“I don’t believe you,” she said, sticking her nose in the air.

Since she wouldn’t come to me, I went to her, fighting through a flurry of swats and kicks. Climbing atop her, I restrained her by the wrists and pinned her arms over her head.

“Of course I’ll still love you,” I whispered, our lips meeting with a fire. “I’d still love you even if you didn’t have a penny to your name.”

“You swear it?” she demanded to know, locking her legs tightly around my back.

“I swear it,” I growled, sinking my thickness into her tight and sopping-wet grip.

“Oh, God, ” she whimpered, her breath hot on my neck. “You feel so good inside me.”

I couldn’t help but agree, groaning as I pumped in and out of her tight walls. I thrust harder, faster, her moans rising as I widened her.

Once we’d caught our breath afterward, I turned to her with a smile.

“See? A little manufactured drama’s not so bad, is it?” I teased.

She giggled. “Don’t think for a second that I didn’t know what you were doing, by the way.”

“Pft. Yeah, right. You totally bought it. You really believed I was after your money!”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Did too,” I insisted.

“Well, clearly, you bought that I bought it.” She proudly buffed her nails. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You’re such an actress,” I said, grinning.

“Well, yeah! Trying to be, anyway.”

Whatever the case, we knew tomorrow would bring some very real drama—but at least for now, we enjoyed our time together.

After all, we didn’t know when we’d see each other next.

We made the most of our time together, talking and laughing and making love until, at last, we fell asleep in each other’s arms.