“Shit,” he muttered, dropping his hand before Mia had time to take it, then stepped back, putting space between himself and the car.
“Savage,” a few of the guys said in unison. Then Tierney asked, “Where you been, man?”
Before he could answer, Mia stepped out.
All five guys slowed, their gazes a mix of suspicion and you-dirty-dog. Then shared looks to confirm they all believed the same thing—that he and Mia were getting it on.
“Oh, hi, guys,” Mia said easily, as if she didn’t notice. “Where are you headed?”
“We’re going to meet Tate and a few other guys over at Sweet,” Hendrix said, a wicked smile growing on his face. “We’d ask you to join us, but it looks like you already have a private little party—”
“Ty,” Mia cut him off with a don’t-start attitude. “Knock it off or I’ll give Kimberly a call, and she’ll knock it off for you as soon as you get home.”
A couple of the other guys laughed and shoved Ty’s shoulder.
“Lighten up,” Isaac said. “I was just kidding.”
“No, you were being a prick,” Rafe told him. “And if you want to win the Cup, you won’t shoot your mouth off about something you know nothing about to Tate and fuck up the balance we’ve got going.”
That wiped the smile off everyone’s face.
The guys continued on their way, with Isaac offering, “Don’t stay up too late, kids.”
“And you guys stay out of trouble,” Mia said. “You know I’ll hear about it if you don’t. And you know all your wives and girlfriends like me better than they like any of you.”
That brought a little joviality back to the group, and Rafe followed Mia into the lobby. “You are so damn sassy.”
She shot a half smile over her shoulder. “They’ll be so glad when they find out I’m going to be across the country.”
At the elevator, Rafe stepped up close behind Mia and leaned forward to press the button, purposely brushing his body with hers. He slid his hands into his pants pockets but stayed so close at her back, their heat mingled. Their magnetic fields pushed and pulled.
“You know this whole team has the deepest respect for you, right?” he said, his voice low. “The way you call them on their shit. They may not like it, but they respect you for it.”
“Some do. Some don’t. Either way, I don’t care. They can say what they want when I’m not around, but no one’s going to pull that shit to my face. Ty’s a privileged young brat, born with talent. He’ll be a whole different person once he’s had an injury and faced his hockey mortality.”
She glanced up at him. “Besides, Kimberly really does love me, and she’s way too good for him. What do you want to bet he apologizes to me before the next game?”
The elevator doors opened, and Mia walked in. Rafe followed, keeping his back to the doors as he tapped the button for Mia’s floor. “I love wagers. But I can’t wait thirty-six hours for the outcome of a bet I want to win right now.”
The doors closed, and they were alone. He’d wanted to be alone with her for what felt like for-fucking-ever. He took one step to close the distance between them and pressed his hands to the bar running along the wall behind Mia. He bent his head until his mouth was millimeters from hers, and when her lips parted and her eyes sparked, a thrill coursed straight through his body. This woman could do so much to him with so little effort.
“Want to make another bet with me? One that we could resolve, say, in the next thirty to sixty seconds?”
“Depends. What kind of outcome were you hoping to get right now, Mr. Savage?”
“You,” he said without hesitation. “All you. All naked. All night.”
Her breath hitched, and another thrill shot straight through his cock.
“I love that I can make your breath catch like that. And the bet is that you’re dripping wet by the time we reach your door.”
“We’re almost to my floor. And you should be exhausted after the game you played tonight.”
“The thought of getting you naked gives me all kinds of energy.” He eased his lower body against hers, groaning at the delicious feel of counterpressure to his aching erection. “I want to be in your bed tonight, Mia. Deep inside you all night.”
Mia scraped in an audible breath and pushed out a lust-filled “Rafe…”
“Yes. I want you saying my name just like that. Over and over.” Fire flashed through his veins. “I want you to moan it. And scream it. And beg it.” He lowered his mouth as if he were going to kiss her, and used every ounce of restraint he had to let his lips hover over hers. “Are you wet for me, Mia? Because I am so hard for you.”