Forbidden Knight (4 page)

Although he was getting kind of fond of that smile again after all these years. Shit! There it was again, he shook his head, he needed to get laid and get Eva off his mind. She had made sure that wasn't happening tonight, though!

Justus turned to the waist high bar table and sipped his beer. He was going to slow it down. But not because she said so. He had been planning to take it easy anyway. It had nothing to do with her. He was almost convinced.
 

Eva glanced at the panel on the jukebox and made her selections. She knew he was watching her and she thanked her lucky stars for all the skating she had done as a kid, and all the hip thrusters she had done in the last 6 months. That Brett the butt guy knew what he was talking about when it came to firming up your ass. She was pretty proud of her butt. She felt like Justus was enjoying it too.

She ran her fingernail down the selections and punched the buttons. So old-fashioned, this jukebox that took quarters, but kind of cool. Eva turned to head back to the table where Justus was as the music started. She reached for his hand and tugged him toward her, pulling him to his feet.

Justus tried to beg off, he pulled back toward the table, but she wasn't having it. Lainey was circling like a shark and he didn't want to end up with her either. Ungraciously he headed toward the dance floor. Might as well go for it, no sense in making a scene. Not yet anyway.

She'd had no idea the guy could dance, but damn if he couldn't. Justus took her hand and started to boot-scoot boogie, spinning her this way and that. It was all she could do to keep up, but she managed. Other people joined them, crowding the little bar floor, and some stood back and watched. She felt like Cinderella at the ball, with him twirling her left, then right, stepping behind her and putting his hand at her hip. He leaned in as they quick stepped around the floor, and she smelled his cologne, and beer and fresh clean laundry scent, and she was dizzy with it. Or maybe it was the dancing?
 

At the end, he finished by setting her on his knee with a flourish and some people clapped. She turned to him with a big smile on her face.
 

"Thank you. You learned a few things since you were 16."

"No problem, darlin'. And yes, yes I have," he winked.
 
"You ready for another beer?"

"I hate to do this, but we need to get back on the bus. Really. I thought we should dance so it wouldn't look so much like your new fiancee dragged you out by your leash, but that's exactly what I'm here to do."

She saw a shadow pass momentarily over his eyes and caught herself. She hadn't meant to imply that she was only there to babysit.

"It was fun, really, it's just, we need to get back."

"Right, right you are," he said as he drained his beer and took her arm to leave.
 

He was all business now, and she felt bad about that. It had been some unexpected fun. But she had a job to do and she was damned if him being hot as hell, and bad news for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that they used to be related, was going to derail her. And now, she had to go sleep, as in only sleep, with him and keep her hands to herself.

**************************************************************

Eva stared at the ceiling as the bus carried them to toward their home arena, and Justus's home. Justus was squished in next to her, so she was facing the wall. After using the teeny tiny bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, again, she had slipped back into her tracksuit. So, in addition to being squished into the bunk, she was warm and uncomfortable.
 

She had no idea how he was sleeping. But he was, she knew it was true because he was snoring in her ear. His arm was draped around her middle and she was afraid if she moved it, that would wake him. Or shift it to less safe places on her body.
 
And being awake with him snugged tight against her ass would be way worse than having him sleeping there.
 

It actually felt kind of good, it had been a long time since she had slept with someone cuddled in tight. Greg had traveled all the time, (and now she knew why!) and so even when they were a couple, they were hardly ever in the same bed at night.

The novelty of having this amazingly hot guy snugged in close was pretty much entire offset by the knowledge that--
 

1. She was doing a J.O.B.
 

2. They had once been step-siblings, even if it was for a very short time.

3. Well, there was no 3, the whole J.O.B. thing was really all that needed to be said.

Eva took a deep breath and gently tried to slide her pants down. Sleeping in such close quarters while wearing anything at all was nuts. This tracksuit was feeling like her own personal sauna.

She carefully reached down and snagged the waistband of her pants, and slowly, slowly inched them down her legs. His breathing didn't change and so she slid the pants down further. They had fallen asleep with no covers on because it was so warm, so all she had to do was inch them down to her ankles then kick them off. One more tug, almost there...

"What are you doing? Can't wait to get your pants off when you're near me? Is that it?" Justus whispered in her ear.

"No. God! I'm too warm."

"Maybe it's because I'm so hot?"

"Stop being annoying," Eva hissed. "I just needed to be able to take these off. I'm sorry if I woke you."

"Let me help," he said. Justus slid his hand along her hip until he found her waistband. His fingers were warm and soft and everywhere they touched she felt heat. He was taking his sweet time, but she didn't want to say anything. Whether it was because she was afraid he would stop, or afraid he would keep going, she didn't know for sure.
 

Eva shivered at his touch and her desire for him washed over her. He ran his hand very slowly down her leg and she couldn't believe how good his hand felt. She had to stop thinking about those hands other places
 
She gritted her teeth and pressed her legs close together so that her turn-coat lady parts would maybe go back to sleep and stop wanting him so much.

He inched her pants down the last bit and scooped them over her feet. Eva kicked them to the edge of the bunk and tried to move closer to the wall.

"Is that better?"

"Yes," Eva said through her still clenched teeth.
 

"Why are you talking like that?"

"I'm whispering, we're surrounded, I'm trying to be polite."

"No, you're gritting your teeth," he said as he pulled her onto her back and leaned up on one elbow to gaze down at her face.

"This is hard, isn't it?"

"What's hard?" she asked suspiciously.

"This," he waved his free hand. "All this proximity."

"No," she lied. "No, it's fine. I have no problem being so close to you."

"Really?"
 

She noticed that his face seemed softer in the glow of the nightlight on the bus. She felt like she had to give him something, she could admit this was hard, right? That wouldn't be a problem.

"Okay, yes, a little."

"Me too," he said simply, and then he lay back down.

Well, that was unsatisfying, she thought, as she rolled back toward the wall of the bus. Justus snugged in close to her and she felt him against her ass. She had to keep herself from wiggling her butt into his crotch. Some professional. She pretended to be asleep, hoping real sleep would come.

************************

When Eva woke up she rolled onto her back and opened one eye slightly. Staring at the ceiling she tried to recall where she was. It definitely wasn't the ceiling from her mom's house, and not her place with Greg. Then it all came flooding back in a rush and she flopped her hand to the side, realizing that Justus was gone. Eva leaned over and parted the curtain for the bunk and peered out.

Coffee. She definitely smelled coffee. Patting her hair down she reached for her track pants and pulled them on. She turned to the side and slid out of the bunk, hitting the cold bus floor with a thunk. They were still moving, so she figured it was pretty early. Swaying gently from side to side, she made her way to the front section of the bus where she found several coffee makers. Selecting a pod from the box, she slid it into the coffee maker, put a styrofoam cup under the spout and pushed the button. She was met with the satisfying gurgle of one cup, brewed just for her. Eva creamed and sugared her breakfast and slid into a booth.

There were a couple of guys lounging around in their underwear on the couches and chairs, mostly reading or texting on their phones. They nodded in her direction, but no one spoke, which was fine with her. Talking to her before coffee wasn't safe for anyone.

Idly she wondered where Justus had gotten to, but no sooner did she think it than he appeared at her side, freshly showered and smelling of soap and shampoo. And half naked. Oh God, he looked good half naked. Look away from the abs, she instructed herself as her heart began to pound and her southerly regions began to warm up. And maybe throb a bit. Stop! She commanded her body.

"Good morning, roomie."

Eva looked up and caught his eye. She held up her hand, "Shhhhh, coffee. Gotta have my coffee."
 

"Oh, right," Justus nodded, "making sure you have your coffee is good for the safety of the team," and went to get himself a cup.
 

Eva was faced with avoiding looking at his ass instead of avoiding looking at his abs.
 

She stared down into her cup of coffee instead. Why, she wondered, why was she so taken with this guy? Was it just the body? Was it...oh hell, She knew, she'd had a crush on him since forever so that was half of it. Or more than half. But this was just a crush, she was sure. She had to get through the next few weeks and then she'd be home free. Crush-less and on her own in her little tiny homey RV.

"We'll be home early tonight. Then nothing but practice until the game on Friday night. Where are you staying?"

Eva blinked at him. "With you, I'm staying with you."

Justus rolled his eyes, "Really? I mean really? It's practice week, we'll be on the ice all the time. I don't need a sitter at home."

"You don't think you need a minder at all. But yeah, really, as in for real, as in I'm your new roomie."

"God dammit, I need some privacy, woman."

"Well you should have thought of that when you were busy making a name for yourself as a drinking partying machine, and then you wouldn't have this problem."

"The only problem here is you!" Justus stormed off to the back of the bus, leaving her alone chewing on the coffee stirrer.
 

"Well that went well," Nate said.

"Yeah, exceptionally," Eva looked up as he slid into the opposite side of the booth. Nate was tall and darkly handsome. Kind of the opposite of Justus, where Justus was beefy and well muscled, Nate was slender and well muscled. So, opposites except for the muscles.
 
And the whole bus was full of great skating toned, solid muscular butts. Eva felt a little like a kid in a candy store as she looked around.
 

"He's not a bad guy, you know that, right?"

"Oh, I know him better than you think," Eva smiled.
 

"All women think that about all men. Y'all think you know us better than we know ourselves."

"Well, I really do know him pretty well. But so do you, you guys are roommates on travel, right?"

"Yep, since I got drafted by the team, they assigned me to him and it's been the two of us together ever since."

"So, what can you tell me? As his pretend fiancée, what do you think I should know?"

"That's a tough one," Nate smiled, "that he loves kids and dogs, he's not really the party rocker the press has made him out to be, or he'd never get any skating done, and that he's definitely not ready for a real life fiancée."

Eva looked up quickly, "Well I'm not really ready to have him as a real life intended either. He's not my type."

"Oh, really," Nate smiled, "and what is your type, Kitten?" he said as he placed his hand over hers.
 

"Well for starters, I prefer a man who likes me." Eva smiled withdrawing her hand from Nate's grasp. "And I'm nobodies Kitten. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get dressed and ready to accompany my future pretend husband home."

Kitten? Really? Eva thought to herself. Was that his way of hitting on her or annoying her? Maybe both, like in third grade on the playground. And she had thought Justus was irritating.
 

Eventually, the bus pulled up to the arena. The guys tumbled out of the bus and began to pick out their belongings.
 

Eva descended the stairs and stretched, glancing around looking for

Justus. Just look up for the blond head, she thought to herself. He really was quite imposing. She found him near the baggage compartment, unloading his belongings. She just had her backpack, and a purse, she had left most of her stuff at her apartment before she left Greg. It occurred to her she was going to need to do something about that, but she pushed it to the back of her mind.

She hadn't been home to their small town in a long time, and she smiled to herself and took a deep breath, it smelled the same. Her family no longer lived there. Her father hadn't been around really ever, so there wouldn't be anyone expecting her to stop by.

"Is that all you've got?" Justus gestured to her small pack.

"Yep, traveling light. I need to hit up a store or two, actually, this won't really cut it for more than a weeks worth of clothes."

Justus nodded, "You can do that later, no problem. We'll head home first."
 

"Where is your place?"

"C'mon, I'll show you." Justus took her arm and lead her to his car, it was some big SUV thing and she had to practically climb inside.
 

"Nice car," she said as she breathed in the leather smell from the seats.
 

"Yeah, thanks. I'm not much for spending my money on myself, but this was important. With the weather here, and in case I ever had to travel on my own. Well," he was blushing, "I just didn't want you to think I was spending just to show off."