AllFreeNovel
Share Us
1
“What I want isyou.”
Holly locked gazes with Eli, staring into his light brown eyes as she attempted to process what he’d just said.
The cocky expression on his face faded, and the energy that bounced between them changed from sexually charged to something else.
Something...deeper.
Sounds of music and laughter from Hannah’s graduation party, which was in full-swing downstairs, seemed far away as she studied him in the dim light of Callahan’s VIP Bar’s upstairs hallway.
Thanks to the scorching hot kisses they’d shared only moments ago, she almost—almost—believed there might be a double meaning to his words.
Yes, she’d only offered him a kiss to get the information she’d wanted, but...
Eli lifted his hand, brushing his thumb tenderly across her cheek. He studied her face so intently that it literally made her heart skip a beat.
“I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you, Holly.”
The rough timbre of his voice—low and beckoning—stirred up the long-dead feeling of hope she’d clung to back when she was a college student with a massive crush on the sexy defenseman. It came roaring to the surface and took her completely off guard.
Maybe this time he wants more from you than just your body, hope whispered.Maybe this time—
Oh,hellno.
Time to cut hope—that greedy bitch—right off at the knees, and quick. Because she’d heard those exact words from him seven long years ago.
Back then, he’d given her just enough of himself to get her hooked and buy into the promise of more. But “more” hadn’t exactly been Eli’s style back then—and she’d learned that lesson the hard way.
As a professional hockey player with the Las Vegas Kingsnakes, women flocked around him, and not only did he enjoy the attention, but he also reveled in it. Every night of the week, he had a different beauty on his arm.
Still, she knew that “more,” especially when it came to Eli, was nothing but an illusion. An item he pulled from his magic bag of tricks when he wanted to get his way.
Thankfully, she wasn’t the same girl he’d known back in college. Not even fucking close. And she wasn’t falling for this act again.
Not this time.
Holly took two deliberate steps backward, which wasn’t easy in three-inch heels, then ran her too-sweaty hands down over her skirt, pretending to smooth out the wrinkles as she gathered her composure.
“You might want me, Donnelley,” she replied, keeping her voice cool, “but wanting and getting are two entirely different things. And as far as getting me? Well, the odds aren’t in your favor. You should remember that, hockey star.”
Eli bowed his head, then gave it a slow shake. When he glanced at her again, his amused expression had returned.
“Holly, you wanted to know how I got your boss to take down those sexy photos of Brandon and Hannah from theLucky Bounceblog. You could have chosen any number of ways to extract that information from me.”
She crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall. “No, I couldn’t have. You weren’t giving that info up without getting something you wanted in return. You know it, and so do I.”
Eli gave her a slow smile. “You do realize that it didn’t take you more than a minute of contemplation before offering me a kiss in exchange for the information.”
Holly blew her bangs up in the air. “Eli—”
“Hey, I’m just saying.” He gave her an innocent look and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “But Wilkes, I’d argue that someone who dislikes me as much as you say you do wouldn’t want me shoving my tongue down their throat no matter what was at stake. They’d find another way to get what they wanted. You,Holland, did not.”
Holly blinked, and in the time it took for her brain to begin working on a response, an expression of triumph appeared on his face.
Oh,balls.
Tossing a lock of purple hair over her shoulder, she took a step forward. The last thing she wanted was for him to think he’d won this round.
