Page 55 of The Girlfriend Card (Vegas Sin #4)

Dakota and Ottavia

Three years later.

O ttavia squirmed in the backseat of the limousine. A ball of anxiety sat in the pit of her stomach, and as they neared their destination, it only grew.

“How do you feel?” Dakota asked, gently squeezing her thigh.

“Nervous,” she said, croaking the words out. “What if it sucks?!”

“It won’t suck.” Dakota chuckled. “But hell, even if it does suck? It won’t be your fault. Because I know you killed it, babe.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks …”

“But it won’t suck,” he reassured her with a wink.

She smiled at him, biting her lip. The green-eyed hunk was so easy on the eyes, and so dashing in his slim fit suit, one look at him could quell her nerves.

Nearing his thirtieth birthday, fine lines had begun to be etched around his eyes, the first sign of him growing older.

She thought it suited him just fine; he was like a fine wine, only getting better with time.

“Yo, Flo!” Dakota shouted to the driver. “How much further?”

“Ten more minutes,” Florin answered.

Florin had apologized for the role he’d played in relaying Ottavia’s movements to her father.

She’d forgiven him. With a wife and children at home, the driver had a family to feed, and he was only doing what Mr. Capuano had asked him to do.

Had he been unwilling to follow her dad’s orders, he would’ve been out of a good job.

Though she may have forgiven Florin, the truth was, she didn’t have much need for a driver these days.

Ottavia derived a great deal of joy in driving herself everywhere, no matter how hectic or busy her schedule was.

(And these days, her schedule was certainly packed.) The sense of freedom she got when she was behind the wheel never seemed to wear off.

Tonight, however, was a special occasion. Tonight, she’d needed a driver, and it seemed only right to ask Florin to do the honors, since he’d driven her everywhere from the beginning.

It was Dakota’s idea, actually. Dakota! Can you believe it? The man who’d harbored suspicions that Florin was a spy from the very beginning—rightly, as it turned out. The man who still erroneously referred to the driver as “Fluoride”— intentionally , Ottavia rightly believed.

But if Ottavia had learned anything over the past three years, it was that Dakota had a very big heart.

Sure, the cocky athlete loved to puff up his chest and talk a big game.

And no one could deny that he was a force to be reckoned with on the ice—he’d more than lived up to his nickname as The Golden Son, and not in the ironic way the media used the nickname against him.

But deep down, Dakota was a total softie at heart. He was understanding, forgiving, and always willing to give people a second chance. That feature was what she’d come to admire and love about him most.

Dakota’s forgiving nature went a long way towards helping Ottavia work on patching up her relationship with her father, too.

When Ottavia told Dakota she wanted to take up her dad’s offer of therapy, Dakota didn’t stand in her way.

Instead, he encouraged her and agreed it was a good idea, even though he knew it wouldn’t be easy.

He could’ve easily harbored a grudge against Sal for the rest of their lives—many lesser men would’ve, she knew—but he still believed people were capable of change.

After all, he’d gone through an incredible transformation himself.

The limo glided to a stop outside the iconic theater in Hollywood. Florin hopped out, rushing to open the back seat door. Ottavia still felt a playful urge to beat Florin to the punch and pop the door open herself—but this time, she resisted.

It’d look kind of ridiculous, after all.

Florin pulled the door open. “Thank you, Miss Ottavia,” he whispered, his eyes filled with gratitude that she’d finally let him do his job.

Amid the glittering lights and the buzz of excitement, Ottavia and Dakota slid out of the limo. Their figures were bathed in the soft glow of camera flashes as they stepped foot on the red carpet. Fans and photographers, taking notice, shouted her name:

“Ottavia! Ottavia!”

“Your dress is amazing!”

“You’re so beautiful!”

Usually, Dakota was the star when they went out—but here, at the movie premiere, the cameras were aimed at Ottavia, their shutters furiously clicking as the couple walked the length of the red carpet.

Her return to acting started a year and a half ago.

After learning the ins and outs of owning a sports team—and winning a Stanley Cup, of course—Ottavia felt like the organization was in a good place.

She found herself with more free time than she knew what to do with—a frustrating, listless feeling that was always worse when Dakota and the boys were on the road.

It was then that she started to get the acting bug again.

She’d enrolled in some local acting classes, just to keep her skills sharp.

But Dakota didn’t think she needed any more classes—what she needed was to get an agent and put herself out there, he insisted.

She thought he was crazy. But after he finally convinced her that she had nothing to lose, and she should just try , Ottavia finally hired an agent and began to attend some auditions.

Her hard work paid off a few months later when she landed her first role in a major Hollywood feature. It wasn’t the starring role, of course, but it was a significant step forward in her journey nonetheless.

With graceful poise, Ottavia and Dakota paused and turned, granting the photographers a moment to snap their pictures. Ottavia’s radiant smile complemented Dakota’s confident grin as they struck a pose, their loving connection evident in the way they leaned into each other.

An eagle eye in the crowd noticed the gleaming rock on her finger.

“Ottavia! Did Dakota propose?!”

He’d proposed recently, when the hockey season came to an end and he whisked Ottavia to Hawaii for a vacation to unwind.

On the second night of their trip, they were talking a walk on the beach to watch the sunset, when Dakota shocked her by dropping to one knee and asking if she’d make him the luckiest man alive.

She hadn’t seen it coming at all. She jumped into his arms, screaming, “Yes!”

“He sure did!” Ottavia giggled and raised her hand for the cameras, which erupted with a frenzy of flashes.

“Awww!”

“You’re a lucky man, Dakota!” someone else shouted.

“Don’t I know it,” he replied, turning his smile to the love of his life.

Dakota had gone to Sal to ask permission to marry Ottavia.

Sal, who had come to respect Dakota a great deal ever since their rocky start, replied, “It’s about damned time!

” and quickly wrapped the hockey player up in a bear hug.

“I appreciate you asking me, son,” he said, his lips curling with a wry smile.

“But I’m curious; what would you have done if I’d said no? ”

Dakota laughed and said, “What do you think I’d do, Sal? I would’ve told you to get bent and done it anyway.”

Sal let out a booming laugh. “You’ve got big, brassy balls, kid. And that’s what I love about ya.”

Of course, some things never change—and now that they’re engaged to be married, Sal the family man has already moved on to asking when Ottavia is going to make him a grandfather. Jokingly, of course … wink, wink.

Stepping into the grand theater, the couple found a moment of respite from the media’s gaze. As they moved further away from the press, Dakota’s big hand found its place on the small of Ottavia’s back. With a tender and loving touch, he steered her in the wrong direction.

“What are you doing?!” she squealed with laughter. “The theater is that way.”

“I know it is,” he said discreetly as he pulled her into a private corner where they were out of sight. He stapled her to the wall with his hips, his lips melding against hers with a passionate fire.

“I’m so fucking proud of you, O,” he growled.

A thrill raced in her heart as people walked right past them, totally unaware that the hockey player necked her, his hands contouring her curves.

“Wow, somebody’s excited,” she whispered.

“Can you blame me?” He leaned back, his eyes sweeping up and down her sexy, gleaming dress. “You’re such a hottie. I can’t wait to peel you out of that dress.”

She giggled. “C’mon now. I don’t wanna miss anything.”

“Okay. Fine.” He grumbled, but he agreed—it wasn’t the time or the place to get frisky. As they walked to the theater, he leaned closer and whispered, his breath hot and ragged on her ear, “But just so you know, I’m really gonna take my time with you when we get home.”

Her insides stirred, a clenching between her thighs.

“Is that a promise?” she asked, her voice lilting.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head. “God, I love you so much, Ottavia.”

“I love you too,” she whispered back.

THE END.