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  He sure as hell wasn't going to go to that extreme--at least not this early in the games. But it would be a great kickoff to the games.

  He circled around and found Amber. "You ready to let loose before we all have to settle in and go for those medals?"

  She lifted her gaze to his. He loved her eyes. Her lashes were so long they brushed the top of her brow. "I'm game for whatever you have in mind tonight."

  He felt that gut punch of desire. He was going to have to decide soon whether to take her to bed or turn her down, because he knew it wasn't fair to leave her hanging. And he sure as hell wasn't going to leave his balls in a twist when he had hockey to focus on.

  "Then let's hit it," he said.

  "Yes. Let's."

  They all went to one of the restaurants and grabbed something to eat, everyone talking over each other about the games officially beginning tomorrow. It obviously wasn't just Amber who was psyched about competitions beginning. All the athletes were more than ready to compete, and she loved listening to them talk about how they were going to win.

  It was kind of sad that everyone couldn't win, but that was the nature of competition. This wasn't a place where you got a participation trophy. You fought hard, and you either won or you lost. And everyone here knew that. Some would go home winners. Many of them would go home empty-handed.

  That part was awful, because everyone here was loaded with talent.

  "You've been quiet," Will said.

  She had finished her dinner of filet of sole and asparagus, so she emptied her glass of water and nodded. "I was thinking about all these amazing athletes, and how many of them will go home without a medal."

  Will scanned the restaurant. "Yeah. I've lost plenty of games. It sucks. And especially here, where you prepare for so long, and you gotta have that level of confidence, positive you're gonna be the one to win a medal."

  She nodded. "We're all here to compete. It's the highest level, you know? Everyone is talented and prepared. And yet some of the best athletes in the world will still go home with nothing."

  He put his arm around her, using his thumb to caress her jaw. "I don't know about nothing, Amber. The experience, the people you meet, the memories, the opportunity to say you were here. Those aren't a pile of nothings."

  She lifted her gaze to his and offered a faint smile. "Oh, come on, Will. If your team doesn't medal, will you be satisfied to go home with just great memories?"

  He paused a few beats before answering her. "Hell, no."

  "That's my point. I just feel bad about so many people being disappointed."

  "Nothing you can do about that."

  "I suppose you're right."

  "And besides, when you're out there on the ice doing your thing, are you worried about all those other skaters you're going to leave in the dust?"

  Her lips curved. "No."

  "You want to kick the shit out of them, don't you?"

  "Figuratively, of course."

  He grinned. "Of course."

  "Yes."

  "Then don't worry about it. We all know the risks we're taking. And we all intend to be standing on that podium."

  He was right. She absolutely planned to be standing on the podium. In the center. Wearing gold around her neck.

  After they ate, Amber followed the group that went to one of the luger's apartments. She'd heard of Claude. Everyone knew about Claude's parties. They were renowned, tended to go all night and no one on either side of Claude's apartment ever complained. Some thought he paid them off, or they got standing invitations and free booze, or maybe Claude invited them to Germany for vacations. Even the stories that weren't about the parties themselves were legendary.

  Either way, Amber had heard the parties were always no-holds-barred fun.

  But she'd never attended one. Lisa had invited her last time she was at the games, but it had been the night before her long program and there'd been no way she was going to a party when she had to skate the next day.

  When they arrived at Claude's apartment, she could already hear the loud music. It was as noisy as being at the club, which had to be insane for his neighbors and everyone on the floor.

  Then again, maybe everyone on the floor--as well as above and below--were in the apartment, because the place was packed, people spilling out into the hallway.

  "You're here! Welcome!" A tall, very lean, bald dude wearing a sleeveless T-shirt and loose white pants came out of the apartment and pulled Will into a bear hug, and then proceeded to hug everyone else, including Amber.

  His hugs were fierce. He had a German accent and an effusive, welcoming smile.

  "Claude, this is Amber," Will said.

  "Of course you are," Claude said. "You're beautiful, honey." He kissed Amber on the cheek, then nudged Will. "Food and booze are inside. Have a great time."

  Claude was clearly a force of nature Amber noted as he turned his back on them and exuberantly hugged the next group of arrivals.

  It was an interesting mix of partygoers, too. Some people had on the standard athlete outfit: track pants and jacket with the logo from the games. Some wore shorts and tank tops, and there was a guy dressed only in a long-sleeved button-down shirt and his underwear, dancing with a girl in her bra and panties. Then again she also sported a tiara. They were getting down to a hard-driving dance beat in the hall.

  Amber couldn't help but gawk. It wasn't even ten p.m. yet. A few of these people were utterly toasted.

  She sure hoped they wouldn't be competing tomorrow. Then again, who was she to judge? Maybe those were the types of people who did their best competing hungover.

  She just wasn't that type of person.

  "Come on," Will said, grabbing her hand. "Let's go inside."

  The noise was earsplitting. She leaned into Will. "Why doesn't anyone complain about the noise?"

  "Everyone loves Claude. He invites all his neighbors to come visit him at his villa in Italy. He provides free alcohol and food. Plus, his apartment has an open-door policy. Who doesn't love that?"

  "Someone who might want to sleep?"

  Will squeezed her hand. "You need to get into the party mindset, Amber. It's all good."

  She supposed if no one was complaining, she shouldn't care. Though if it was the night before her performance and this was her apartment building, she would definitely care.

  "There are certain people who ask to be in Claude's building," Will said. "So, trust me, no one who's staying nearby will complain."

  "Oh, I see. The party types."

  Will nodded. "So don't worry about athletes losing sleep. Chances are, they wouldn't be sleeping much anyway, or they're the types that would sleep through all this."

  The bass was so loud it thrummed along with her heartbeat.

  She shook her head. "I could not sleep through this."

  "You like quiet, huh? Or maybe some noise machine to lull you to sleep?"

  She nudged him with her shoulder. "I'm not that bad, asshole. I just enjoy a full night's sleep, especially before a performance. That doesn't make me a party killer."

  He slung his arm around her. "You need to lighten up and learn to take teasing."

  They made their way to the well-stocked bar, where there were two gorgeous women serving. Amber opted for a vodka with cranberry juice that she requested they fill with a lot more cranberry than vodka. Will asked for a beer. They walked around and it was obvious that Will already knew a lot of people from the waves and shouts he got.

  No surprise there. She already knew from her last visit to the games that Will was a popular guy. Then again, he was outgoing and friendly, always stopping to talk to someone or introduce himself to people. But he never left her out of the conversation, making sure to introduce her to everyone he visited with.

  She'd never remember all these people's names, and she was shocked that Will did. She felt so out of her element. The only crowds she was ever comfortable with were the ones cheering her on at the skating rink. There, she felt she was inter
acting with them via her skating, through the music and her performance.

  Here, she had to speak to people, interact on a social level. While it was easy enough in a large group, one-on-one interactions still made her uncomfortable.

  And suddenly she realized that Will had disappeared and she was alone, and some guy was making his way over to her.

  Shit.

  Then she realized it was Blake, that hot skier Lisa had hung out with the other night.

  "What's up?" he said, offering her a friendly smile.

  "Oh, uh, nothing. What's up with you?" She took a long swallow of her drink, blinking back tears as she realized the drink had a lot more vodka in it than she'd anticipated.

  "I'm Blake."

  "Amber."

  "What do you do, Amber?"

  "Figure skater. And you're a skier, right?"

  He cocked his head to the side. "That's right. Alpine skier. How did you know that?"

  "I'm Lisa's roommate."

  "Oh, right. She told me about you. She said you're an amazing skater."

  "Lisa's very kind."

  "Lisa's very honest."

  She felt the tinge of embarrassment from his compliment. "Thank you. So tell me about skiing. That must be so exciting."

  "It is. I've been doing it as long as I could stand up. I love it. How about you?"

  "Same. Only figure skating. Not skiing. Obviously, since I'm not a skier. I'm a figure skater. Which you already knew." She fought the cringe of embarrassment. She knew she was totally fumbling this conversation. Blake was incredibly attractive, with beautifully thick blond hair and a sweet crinkle to his green eyes when he smiled. Which he was doing right now.

  "So, you're from the States?"

  "I am. How about you, Blake?"

  "Right here in Vancouver."

  That was probably why he and Lisa had hooked up. "Oh, it must be so thrilling for you to have the games here."

  He smiled at her. He had a great smile. She could see why Lisa would like him. "Pretty much. Hey, have you seen Lisa? She said she was gonna be here."

  Oh, thank God. An out. "I haven't, but we came in together so I know she's here. How about we go look for her together?"

  "Sure."

  Relieved she now had something to do, Amber grabbed his hand and tugged him through the packed-in crowd. Lisa was always easy to find because she was typically surrounded by a group of people. She found her sitting by the sliding glass doors with the group of snowboarders they'd come over with.

  "Here she is."

  Blake let go of her hand, then kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, Amber. It was good to meet you."

  "You, too, Blake."

  Blake made his way toward Lisa, and Amber backed away.

  Okay, maybe that one-on-one wasn't as horrible as she'd thought.

  "You aren't picking up another guy, are you?"

  She pivoted to see Will standing there. Whereas Blake had been attractive, Will simply took her breath away. There was something about his eyes, the way he gave her all of his attention when he looked at her. It made her feel as if there was no one else in the crowded room.

  "Oh. No, of course not. Blake was looking for Lisa and I helped him find her."

  He swept his hand from her wrist up her arm, bringing her forward toward his chest.

  Her heart started pounding erratically as it always did whenever she got close to Will. "I'm glad to hear that. I thought maybe you got tired of waiting for me and had decided to hunt down some other guy to take you to bed."

  She arched a brow. "I mentioned I was picky when it came to men, right?"

  He cupped her neck, bringing her closer, their lips almost touching. She wasn't sure she was still breathing. His thumb brushed the artery in her neck, teasing back and forth and making her crazy with lust. She felt the thump, thump, thump of her heartbeat against his thumb, each pulse firing up her desire for him more and more.

  "Yeah. I like that you're picky. You should be, because you're worth it."

  She had to get out of here. She needed to get him out of here, where she could touch him and do all the things with him that she'd been thinking about.

  "Will."

  "Yeah?"

  "What are we doing here?"

  "I thought you wanted to come to the party."

  She shook her head. "I want to be alone with you."

  She waited for his reaction, hoping he wouldn't walk away. If he walked away, she was going to be devastated and disappointed.

  His gaze roamed her face as if he was searching for the honesty in her words. Then he gave her a quick nod. "Consider it done."

  She barely had time to grab the parka she'd dropped in the massive pile at the front door before Will dragged her out.

  Okay, then. Enthusiasm. She liked that a lot.

  As soon as the elevator doors closed, Will backed her into the wall and covered her mouth with his. She whimpered against his lips, sucking on his tongue as soon as it invaded her mouth. She'd never felt so hungry, so desperately needy about a kiss.

  Just a kiss.

  But it was more than just a kiss, and when he unzipped her parka and his hand roamed over her breasts, she wanted to cry tears of desperation and need.

  She grasped his wrist and jerked her gaze to his. "Don't."

  He stilled and started to back away, but she held a death grip on his hand.

  "Don't. Stop," she said.

  He rubbed his lips against hers, then pulled away. She saw the raging passion in his eyes.

  "Elevator doors opened."

  She sighed. "Damn."

  "Yeah."

  She sucked in a breath and tried to clear the hazy fog of sexual need from her brain as Will took her hand and led her from the elevator.

  It was a short walk to his apartment building. She waited for the hesitation to sink in, for her to change her mind. It didn't come. All she felt was impatience and the driving need to get Will naked.

  They stepped into an elevator again, and she had thoughts of pushing him against the wall this time. But she was afraid once they started up again, there'd be no stopping.

  She really hoped there'd be no stopping next time. Will pulled out his phone and sent a text, then slipped his phone back in his pocket.

  "I sent a text to Elias, my roommate," he said, slanting a smoldering look that nearly melted her boots to the elevator floor. "I let him know I need the apartment for the night. He said he's already got other plans."

  She could barely breathe, the anticipation filling her chest. "I'm really glad to hear that."

  The elevator pulled open on the second floor. Will once again grasped her hand in his and they walked the short distance to his apartment. He put his key card in, opened the door and she walked inside. He shut and double locked the door.

  Amber unzipped her parka and laid it over the chair in the living room, then turned to face Will, who'd already shed his coat. He came toward her, giving her that look, the one that made her feel like delicious prey.

  He kissed her again, this time with more force, more passion, more of everything she wanted.

  She was so happy they were alone and locked in for the night. She'd waited so long for this, and nothing was going to get in her way.

  TWELVE

  WILL COULDN'T GET ENOUGH OF KISSING AMBER. OR of putting his hands on her. Or breathing in whatever that amazing scent was that seemed to be all over her skin. What the hell was that, anyway? Something sultry, for sure, and it made him want to lick every inch of her, from behind her earlobe all the way down to her toes, and everywhere in between.

  Right now he had ahold of her rib cage just under her breasts and her heart beat so fast he wasn't sure how she wasn't hyperventilating. He pulled his mouth from hers.

  "You okay?"

  She licked her lips. "I'm great. How about you?"

  His lips curved. "Couldn't be better. But your heart is beating superfast. I was concerned."

  "Kissing you and touching you does that to me.
Trust me, I'm more than fine." She moved into him and grasped his forearms. "In fact, I'd really like it if we could get my heart rate up even higher."

  "I just want to make sure you're really ready for this. It's a big step."

  She moved into him and trailed her fingernail up and down his arm, causing his heart rate to jump. It wasn't just Amber who was into this. He was way into it, into her, in ways he didn't expect. But this was her night and he wanted to make this special for her.

  "Will, it's just sex. We're not in love, and we're not in a relationship. I have no expectations other than you giving me a few outstanding orgasms. You can do that, can't you?"

  She talked a good game about how this wasn't a big deal. He knew better. Hell, even his first time had been a big deal.

  He tugged her close and cupped her butt, drawing her against his hard-on, to let her know what she did to him. "I can give you more than a couple."

  Her body quivered in reaction. "I'll just bet you can. How about now?"

  "Now? You mean right now? While you're standing in the living room?"

  "Well, I meant we could move into the bedroom."

  He curved his palm over her hip and squeezed, then teased his fingers inside the waistband of her pants. "I need to educate you about sex, Amber. It's not just for bedrooms. Let me show you."

  Amber fought for breath as he sat her on the plush, wide chair. He kneeled between her legs and took off her boots and socks, then reached for her pants and drew them down her legs. She shivered when he swept his hands over her calves, taking the time to circle his fingers over her knees.

  Oh, wow, that was amazing. Who knew that touching her knees would be such a turn-on? But when he touched her thighs, she quivered all over, especially when he kissed her inner thighs.

  "These are pretty," he said, teasing his thumb over her pale pink panties, inching closer and closer to her sex. And when he rubbed his fingers over her clit, she arched and gasped and dampened and quivered and oh, God, it was everything.

  She wished she could separate from her body and watch what was happening to her while at the same time still be inside of herself to feel all these amazing sensations. It was too, too good.

  He reached up and drew her shirt off, and with deft fingers unhooked her bra, drawing the straps down her arms. He took her panties off, too, leaving her naked in the chair. Her breathing went more rapid and all she could think about was coming, coming fast and coming hard. And having Will do it for her. She knew it was going to be so, so good. Monumentally good.