Seductively: Playing for Hearts Book 2 (Crimson Romance) by Debra Kayn Page A

not?”
    “Because you have the ability to break my heart, and that’s the last thing I want.” She stepped around him.
    “Diana … ”
    She shook her head without turning around and walked straight to her room.
    Behind the shut door, she sank to the floor, burying her face in her hands.
I’m such a fool. He’s a sports star. I’d be just another nameless woman in his past, and he’ll forget about me as soon as I go home.

Chapter Eleven
    Standing in the reserved box with the other players’ family and girlfriends at the Sharks arena, Diana watched the seventeen-foot shark head come down from the rafters in the middle of the rink. Metallica’s song “Search and Destroy” blared over the PA system. She leaned forward, and peered around the crowd at the ice. Never having been to a hockey game, Dominic had explained what to expect on the way to the arena.
    The conversation gave them something to talk about without discussing the real reason she’d kept her distance from him today. She preferred using the time at his condominium to catch up on her own life to keep the focus off her obsessive attraction to Dominic.
    She’d called a realtor and made plans to walk through the Ferriday house again upon her return, and tallied how much it would cost her to redo each bedroom and update the kitchen to industrial size. For how much she wanted to forget Dominic wasn’t around, she was highly aware that he paced in the living room, staying close to her the whole day without pressuring her.
    The shark hit the ice, fog rolled out of its mouth, and then Dominic skated through the shark’s mouth to the cheers of the crowd. She clapped, excitement taking her to the tips of her toes so she wouldn’t miss a second. Warmth and pride filled her chest. She had no right to think he was hers to claim, but she was living with him and since he had no family in attendance, she’d do everything to let the fans know he had someone. Even if she was only pretending to be his girlfriend.
    The music changed to the
Jaws
tune. The woman beside her nudged her arm and yelled for her to chomp. She straightened her arms out in front of her and clapped her hands in an imitation shark chomp. Laughing, she gazed over the heads of the dozen women pressed against the board and spotted Dominic.
    Dominic ignored the women waving their arms to gain his attention and smiled at her. The grin on her face grew. He mouthed “chomp, chomp” back to her. She shrugged over getting caught in the excitement, never missing a beat. She couldn’t help laughing. The enthusiasm in the arena was contagious. It was her first professional hockey game and she had no idea it would be this fun.
    The music died away. The giant shark head went back to the ceiling of the arena, and the crowd found their seats. The woman beside her elbowed her again.
    “Who are you rooting for?” The woman wrapped her scarf around her neck and slipped on a pair of mittens.
    “Sharks,” she said.
    “No. I mean which player are you here with?”
    “Dominic Chek — ”
    The woman grabbed Diana’s arm and hugged it to her chest. “Please, please, please, introduce me to him. Please.”
    She pulled free of the woman. “I don’t think so. He’s mine.”
    “You’re his girlfriend?”
    “Yes. We’re deeply in love, and I’m living with him.” She lifted her chin higher. “I’m also very possessive and a martial arts master.”
    The woman squinted and appraised her. She glared back, not giving an inch. Tonight was as good a night as any to get the rumors started.
    Finally, the woman sagged against the back of her seat. “I’m Stephanie. Bradley Keir, number fifty one, is my boyfriend.”
    “If you’ve got a boyfriend, why did you want mine?” Diana pulled the stocking cap down over her ears.
    “You’re joking, right?” Stephanie shook her head. “I love Bradley, but Dominic is the whole package.” She sighed. “I don’t have to tell you that. One look from him, maybe a