Defending Dani Page 5

  Sergei snorted out a laugh. “Thanks.”

  “So, what’s the problem? Obviously you’re not going to replace Tatiana, but she’s gone and you’re still alive. You’re only thirty-three. You can’t make me believe you want to be alone.”

  “No.” Sergei fidgeted. “It’s just, you know, guilt.”

  “You didn’t kill her. She put herself in front of that bullet to protect you and Nikolai. I refuse to believe she did that so you would spend the rest of your life alone, mourning her and feeling guilty for wanting to start living again.”

  “No. That’s not who she was.” Sergei sighed. “I know it’s time, I’ve just forgotten how.”

  “No, you haven’t.” Toli grinned. “It’s just like a one-night stand, except with a woman you like and maybe no sex the first night.”

  They laughed together.

  “You think there are single women in Anchorage?”

  “There have to be, no?”

  “I hope so.”

  7

  The whole way to Anchorage, Dani kept wondering if she was dreaming. Everything had happened so fast, she still wasn’t sure what she was doing. Toli and Sergei had approached her with the idea of taking care of Niko and helping Sergei set up a new house over the summer. He needed help and it would be the perfect opportunity for her to make some money without having to work in the Sidewinders’ sales office. He’d promised she would have ample time and opportunity to work out so she wouldn’t have to worry about staying in shape, and though the salary he offered wasn’t huge, he’d added incentives like paying her car insurance, gas, and either moving or storage expenses when she left for Colorado.

  Which brought her here. They were currently driving through a small town in Alaska she’d never heard of. They’d made it a mini-vacation, stopping in a lot of great places like Salt Lake City, Idaho Falls, Helena, Calgary, and then all sorts of little towns. She’d taken hundreds of pictures, coaxing Sergei into relaxing and both of them having a better time than either of them had anticipated. Though Niko was a little tired of being in the car, they’d spread it out over ten days instead of six, so they could sightsee a little and give him time to run around. Sergei had been quiet at first, almost cold. Dani had quickly realized he was nervous for some reason, and she went out of her way to make him feel more relaxed.

  She didn’t know much about dating since she hadn’t done it a lot, but she had more male friends than female, so she was comfortable hanging out, and their mutual love of hockey made it easy to find things in common. By the third day they were talking and joking like old friends, and while she still found him a little bit full of himself, she liked him more and more. His arrogance was more an act he put on, part of his hockey persona, and she saw glimpses of a kinder, gentler man when he was with Niko or when he talked about his family.

  “You sure you’re okay driving another ninety miles?” he asked as the sun got lower in the sky.

  “I’m fine.” She smiled over at him. “Although I’ll be glad to sleep somewhere that’s not a hotel.”

  “Being in my apartment the first couple nights won’t be much better,” he admitted. “Even if I give you my room, the bed isn’t great, and I think the couch is worse.”

  “We’ll need to look at the house right away,” she said, “so you can decide if you want it. Then we go shopping for essentials.”

  “I already ordered a bed for myself.” He chuckled. “It’s on hold until I can give them an address for delivery. Aaron said he’s fine with me having them deliver it to the house before we close, but I want to see the place first.”

  “How exciting,” she mused, staring off at the endless expanse of highway. “Getting to decorate a new house, buy all new furniture…”

  “You know that’s a guy’s nightmare, right? Especially a single one.”

  “I’m happy to be your pretend wife in that regard. I love that kind of thing. Especially since I’ve never bought new furniture or anything.”

  “Never?”

  “In college I lived in the dorms, which already had furniture, and then I moved into Zakk’s already-furnished guest room. The most I got to buy for my dorm was a cool rug and new sheets.”

  He made a face. “Well, you can shop to your heart’s content for me. As long as we agree on a color scheme, I don’t really care.”

  “What was your old color scheme?” she asked.

  “Oh, uh…” He paused. “Honestly, we didn’t have a lot of color outside of Niko’s room. Tanya—that’s what I called Tatiana—liked everything really sleek and modern, so it was all shades of black, white, and gray, with lots of glass and metal.”

  “Glass and metal? With a toddler?”

  “We had to get rid of the coffee table but she wouldn’t part with the dining room set. After she died, I sold everything except personal items and Niko’s bedroom set.”

  Dani wasn’t sure what to say at first but smoothly transitioned into her next question, since the last thing she wanted to do was criticize his late wife. “Well, what colors do you like?”

  “You know, I’ve been thinking about it. I think I’d like something in the red family for my bedroom. Masculine, and not too bright of course, but a deep, rich maroon with hints of copper and maybe mahogany.”

  “Red’s my favorite color,” she said. “This is gonna be fun!”

  “If you say so.”

  The smile he gave her made her heart skip a beat; he was so damn hot, she hated looking at him sometimes. It was only times like these she wished she wasn’t so strong and muscular. She was proud of her body and how hard she worked to be the athlete she was, but once in a while she yearned to be long and willowy, with slender legs and bigger breasts. Less of an athlete and more of a woman.

  “Whatcha thinkin’ about?” he asked a moment later.

  “Oh, um, just decorating stuff.”

  “I don’t think that’s true,” he teased. “Your cheeks are kind of pink, like you’re thinking about something naughty.”

  She hurriedly shook her head. “Oh… No. I don’t do naughty.”

  “Why not?” he asked curiously.

  Dani was momentarily thoughtful and decided honesty was best. Sergei certainly wasn’t interested in her romantically or even sexually, so if she told him about her issues it might make conversations like this less awkward.

  “Look at me!” She forced a laugh. “I’m kind of like a guy.”

  “Like a…guy? What the hell are you talking about? You look like a woman to me.”

  “I do?” She managed a quick glance at him. “I mean, sure, my face is pretty enough, but have you seen my muscles? I was the unofficial arm wrestling champion of my graduating class—not including the football team. Guys see how much I can lift in a heavy squat and think I’m kind of a freak.”

  Sergei raised his eyebrows. “How much?”

  She hesitated. “A little over three hundred.”

  “Seriously?” He briefly met her eyes since she quickly looked back at the road. “That’s hardcore amazing, Dani, but…is that supposed to be some kind of turn-off to guys?”

  “It was when it came to me. Guys would get a look at my thighs and kind of back away slowly.”

  “You obviously dated the wrong ones.”

  “Obviously, but my point was just that I don’t do the naughty-flirting-with-cute-guys thing. For one thing, it doesn’t do me any good, and for another, you’re basically my boss for the summer, so that wouldn’t be cool.”

  “You think I’m cute?” He chuckled, nudging her with his elbow.

  “I’d be willing to bet you’ve heard that more than once in your life.”

  “Maybe twice.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  “Dani, I’m not in a position to date you and I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I want you to know I think you’re beautiful. Your strength and athleticism are turn-ons, not turn-offs. Like you said, I’m your boss for all intents and purposes, so I’m not trying to make you
uncomfortable, but any guy who thinks you’re too strong or muscular or something is a fool. Take it from a guy who loves women’s bodies—yours is very, very sexy.”

  For some strange reason, his compliment warmed her from head to toe. “Thank you,” she murmured softly. “That’s sweet of you to say.”

  “It’s true. You’ll see when you get to the Olympics. Those guys will be all over you.”

  “One can only hope,” she quipped.

  “The guys on the men’s hockey team didn’t find you attractive?” he asked after a moment.

  “I’m not sure, to be honest… Well, when I was a freshman, Zakk was a senior so he pretty much beat them off me and let them know he was only a flight away if anyone messed with me after he graduated. And I’m sure you’ve heard the story about how Zakk witnessed one of his professors commit a hit-and-run but didn’t tell anyone because Zakk was drunk and afraid he’d get into trouble? Well, that professor’s in jail now and his son played on the team so there was a lot of animosity starting in my junior year.”

  “That sucks.”

  “Yeah, so anyway, it’s not a big deal. I’m just not one of those girls who’s always flirting and acting all cutesy. I don’t even think I know how.”

  “Stick with me, kid—I’ll give you some pointers.”

  Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Was he flirting with her or genuinely trying to act in a big-brother capacity to help her game with men? This sucked, because she didn’t know, and that made it difficult to respond. Luckily, Niko’s whine from the back seat interrupted them.

  “I’m hungry!”

  “We ate two hours ago,” Sergei protested mildly.

  “Hungry.” Niko stuck out his lower lip.

  “Bored,” Dani said softly.

  Sergei nodded. “A little while longer, buddy, and we’ll stop for the night, okay? You want to go for a swim? There’s a pool at the hotel.”

  “Yay!” Niko instantly cheered up and began talking about swimming in Uncle Toli’s pool and his new water pistol.

  * * *

  They rolled into Anchorage just after five o’clock the next day, starving and road-weary. Sergei was behind the wheel and Dani had been dozing but jerked awake when he pulled up in front of the Sheraton in downtown Anchorage.

  “Go on and pull together what you’ll need for a couple of nights,” he said gently. “You’re staying here with Niko tonight while I get his stuff out of storage, and tomorrow you’re spending the day at the spa.”

  “What? No.” She shook her head. “I’m here to work. I don’t need a day at a spa or—”

  “Says the girl who doesn’t flirt.” He gave her a look. “Girls like spa days.”

  “Not all girls,” she protested.

  “Already paid for it. It’ll go to waste. Now get your stuff while I wrangle all of Niko’s things.”

  She hesitated. “You didn’t have to do this, Sergei.”

  “It was a long trip and it’s going to be a busy few weeks getting settled. I wanted to.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He watched the smile she was trying to hide and hid one of his own. She was adorable. Not in a sexy kind of way, but in—oh, who was he kidding? She was sexier than sin and had absolutely no idea, which was hotter than anything he’d seen in a long time. He was going to be beating off the men with a stick to keep them away from her, especially since the ratio of men to women in Alaska was off the charts in her favor. It occurred to him he had no business keeping her away from interested men, especially after what she’d told him, but the strange need to protect her was impossible to ignore. Probably because of how close she was to Toli. What else could it be? She definitely wasn’t his type. She was far too innocent for him; he liked his women with a taste for the wicked and a hunger for everything carnal. His sexual appetite was voracious when he was in a relationship, and Dani definitely wasn’t that kind of girl.

  Was she?

  Shaking off thoughts that were too personal, he focused on getting Niko and a small bag of essentials out of the SUV. They had so much laundry, so many suitcases, and so much stuff—he couldn’t wait to unload it all. He was almost ready to buy Aaron’s house sight unseen, just to have a place to put everything. Dani’s hockey equipment had taken up a good portion of the trunk, but that stuff hadn’t been optional, and they’d had to squeeze in everything else. Toli was shipping two boxes of toys and things Niko had collected while living in Las Vegas because they simply had no room left in the SUV.

  “You coming up?” Dani was asking him.

  “Yeah, I’ll help you guys get settled but then we’re going to eat.”

  “I’m so tired of eating out,” she groaned. “I can’t wait to go grocery shopping.”

  “That’s a phrase you will never hear come out of my mouth.”

  “Normally, I would agree with you, but I need protein powder, eggs, some fruit…and fish. We’ve had nothing but steak and chicken lately.”

  “First thing tomorrow, I’m going to look at the house,” Sergei promised.

  “Oh, I’m going, too,” she said firmly. “I want to see it so we can start thinking about everything you’ll need to furnish it.”

  “Thanks. That means a lot.” Sergei was strangely pleased she was that excited to decorate the house. Tatiana had hated house-hunting and liked furniture shopping even less. She’d hired a decorator for everything except their bed and the furnishings for the nursery. Tatiana had been a physician and after so many years of school, she didn’t have the patience for tasks like choosing a couch or accompanying accessories. They’d had fun with the nursery, though, and for a moment he was lost in the memory. Their relationship had been complicated, but he’d loved her more than life itself at one time. It was a little disconcerting to realize that while he still missed her, he didn’t feel that mind-numbing pain he’d felt when she’d first died. Now it was more of a hollowness, as though something that had once been full had turned into a bottomless chasm. The emptiness had become more and more prominent, and it wasn’t until this minute that he realized why: he was lonely.

  Toli, the older brother who’d always looked out for him, had known this instinctively even though he hadn’t said the words. That was why he’d all but insisted Dani come to Alaska with him and Niko. He’d known Sergei needed company, a friend, someone to help him transition to this new life in a new city on a new team. The time he’d spent here at the end of the season had been like an extended business trip, living in a temporary home, without Niko or their belongings. Now it was real and that same hollowness that had been slowly working its way out of his subconscious might have become overwhelming without something, someone, to keep him busy. Someone beautiful, smart, athletic, and wonderful with Niko.

  Jesus fucking Christ. The whole lot of them had been playing matchmaker. Toli and Tessa, Vlad and his wife, Rachel, and Zakk and Tiff. Even Zakk, who should’ve known better than to offer up his younger sister to a broken, grieving man like Sergei. Yet here they were, and after ten days on the road—something else that had been Toli’s idea—he liked her more than he’d thought he would. She was gorgeous and had impressed him with her on-ice abilities, but more than anything she was sweet and kind. She had so much patience with Niko, laughing and distracting him no matter how cranky he got. They played together like the best of friends, but then she morphed into a maternal role, making sure he ate right, went to bed on time, napped when he was supposed to, and didn’t do anything too dangerous. She was the perfect nanny.

  “Sergei?” Dani was staring at him and he snapped back to the present.

  “Let’s go,” he said gruffly, hoping she didn’t see his mushy thoughts mirrored in his eyes.

  8

  The house was perfect. Sergei, Niko and Dani had stepped inside, taken one look around, looked at each other and the two adults simultaneously nodded. It was spacious, with high ceilings and an open floor plan. The glass and chrome gas fireplace in the center of the living room was breathtaki
ng and the stone pedestal upon which it sat was a work of art. The bedrooms were large and the master bathroom had the kind of tub Sergei could stretch out in when he was sore. Niko’s room had lots of closet space and the perfect bay window for a reading nook, and the kitchen was sleek and modern. The screened-in portion of the patio held the hot tub while the rest had plenty of room for a grill and a table and chairs. Best of all, Aaron was leaving the appliances, window treatments, and a lot of the furniture, including the bed in the guest room.

  “It’s been used twice, when my mom came to visit,” Aaron had said. “No need for you to buy something new.”

  There was also a huge leather couch, a dining room table with eight chairs and a matching china cabinet, bar stools for the island in the kitchen and a few random pieces of furniture that Sergei didn’t bother to ask about. He wrote him a separate check for the furniture and immediately headed home to pack. Aaron had said they could move in before they actually closed, so he’d wanted to get started packing while Dani enjoyed her afternoon at the spa. With Niko playing in front of the television, he threw his clothes into suitcases and packed up the few things he’d accumulated since he’d been here, he called to reserve a U-Haul truck. He didn’t have to do it himself, but if he waited to find reputable movers, Niko might be without his bedroom furniture and other things for weeks. There was nothing in storage he couldn’t move or carry, and if there was anything that was too heavy or bulky, he would call Aaron.

  When his phone rang he didn’t recognize the number, but it was local, so he answered in case it was Dani calling from the hotel. “Hello?”

  “Sergei, it’s Gage Caldwell.”

  “Oh, hello, Mr. Caldwell.” Sergei had only met the man once before.

  “I heard you’d arrived in town and wanted to take a moment to officially welcome you to Anchorage. I know you were here in February, but now you’re here for good and I hope you feel at home.”

  “Not yet,” Sergei admitted, “but I’m sure that will change once the season starts.”