A Game of Hearts

by Tigris Eden

  Did that make me a shallow person just because I knew what I wanted? I’d lived through enough as a kid and saw how hard my parents struggled. I didn’t want that life. It wasn’t like I would quit my job and end up on an episode of Houston Housewives. I just wanted to know that I was secure in everything. And, every once in a while, share a latte with one of the Katy Cult wives.

  Matty didn’t say anything during the ride to the resort. He was quiet, and I could tell he was deep in thought. I just wasn’t sure what it was he thought about. When I was about to ask, the car stopped moving, and then we were ushered into an elegant area where there were tropical drinks as well as fresh fruit and pastries. The other guests pretty much kept to themselves. I looked around at all the opulence and the beautiful art when Antonio cleared his throat. He didn’t have to do it loud, either. His presence commanded a certain kind of attention. You couldn’t help but be pulled in by it. His eyes roamed over the guests, and as his gaze landed on each person, he straightened the cuffs of his shirt before saying, “Welcome to Indulgences Resort. Relax. And, please, make yourselves at home. Mario and Kenderly are here to answer any of your questions.”

  With his parting words, he turned and left.

  “Wow,” another woman voiced out loud. She wasn’t alone, and the gentleman she was with grunted as if he could have welcomed the guests better than Antonio. The owner. This wasn’t the only island he owned, either. He owned a lot of property. I almost let loose a very un-ladylike snort, but thought better of it.

  “This place is beautiful,” I said instead. Matty nodded his head in my direction while walking toward the fresh fruit.

  “Everyone, please feel free to grab some snacks and follow me out to the pool. We can sit and relax there. You’ll be taken to your cabanas shortly, and tomorrow morning, Kenderly will do her consultation with each of you in private,” Mario said cheerfully. I started toward the pool, and motioned for Mateo to follow. He walked next to me with his hand once again on my lower back.

  “You’re gonna keep touching me aren’t you?”

  “Every chance I get, and even when I don’t have a chance, I plan to touch you.” He bent his head and whispered hotly in my ear. His heated words had the desired effect as a shiver ran up my spine. My wayward body had ideas of its own, but I couldn’t let that derail me from my plans.

  “Behave yourself, Matty.”

  “Keep saying that, Zori. Saying it a hundred times a day, every day, won’t change the fact that as of right now, at this very moment, I own you. Mind, body, and soul. You can deny it all you want, but other parts of you says otherwise.”

  “My body says no such thing,” I hissed.

  Instead of answering me, he motioned towards my chest. Dammit. My nipples were hard. I couldn’t even say it was the air conditioning. When I tried to cross my arms over my breasts, Matty chuckled beneath his breath and pulled me into his arms, kissing me on the side of my head. Something he did all the time, I realized. Not only did he kiss me often, but he always found ways to touch me. I’d thought it was harmless. Maybe it wasn’t.

  The aroma in the air was a mixture of sea salt, coconut oil, and some type of flower I hadn’t been able to place yet. This thing with Matty was a phase. It had to be. My body wanted his attention, that couldn’t be denied. My best friend was hot, like beyond hot, and once upon a time, he’d been the entire package for me.

  He wore a black, button-up shirt that was open, showcasing his perfect…everything. From his chest to abs that sported eight indentions instead of six—the tank he wore under the shirt did nothing to hide his masculinity. It enhanced it. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up, exposing his Taino tattoos with the Puerto Rican flag. His skin was a rich tawny, infused with golden highlights, giving way to a warmer shade of brown. He wore dark blue jeans and boots. The jeans were ripped at the knees with small, deconstructed patches on his thighs. As always, he kept his facial hair neatly trimmed, framing his full lips that stayed in a perpetual state of just licked. It was very disconcerting that I noticed all of this now. When I shouldn’t. But you want him. Yeah, I did--but not at the cost of our friendship.

  “Zori,” Mateo growled against the shell of my ear. “I can almost hear your thoughts. Don’t overthink this. Just let it happen.”

  Easy for him to say.

  He wasn’t the one who would end up brokenhearted. I would. Matty had a way of pulling women into his atmosphere. Gravity didn’t have shit on him when he turned up the sexy. I’d seen the results of a Matty breakup, and it wasn’t pretty. His exes ranged from sweet to stage-five clingers. One girl had even gone so far as to flatten all of her tires and have her car towed to the garage where he worked so she could throw herself at him. I was even embarrassed for her, and I’d only witnessed the first five minutes of it. I’d cringed the entire ride into the office.

  I’d slept over the night before. We’d been binge watching American Horror Story, and the next thing I knew, it was seven in the morning. He hadn’t tried anything then. I wasn’t on his radar. All of a sudden, I was lit up like a homing beacon, and he was closing in fast.

  His hand was still around my waist when we made our way to one of the lounge areas by the pool. The gentleman from earlier, the one who’d winked, was there, as well. It didn’t look like he’d come with anyone, but I couldn’t help but notice that he’d been staring at us the entire time. Like the entire time. Mateo didn’t say anything; he just pulled out my chair and took a seat next to me.

  “Matty, that guy’s been staring at me since we got here,” I whispered.

  Matty was about to look over his shoulder when my eyes got big. “No, don’t look. Oh my God, he’s coming over. What the heck, he’s walking this way,” I gasped.

  Sure enough, the guy staring over at us did come over. He introduced himself as Shephard McIntyre.

  “People just call me Mac.” He held out his hand first to Mateo and then me, bending at the waist to kiss the back of my hand. Mateo didn’t say a word. He didn’t even seem bothered by it. Why should he? I was confused. Utterly confused. My body was clearly on board with letting things go further between me and my best friend, but my mind was firmly locked in the friend zone.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mac,” I said wistfully. Okay, I was going to be totally shallow. I’d made it my life’s mission to recognize money when I saw it. It was a flaw. I understood that. But I was honest about my issues and tried to move past them when able. Mac wore a gold Rolex and a Kiton suit. Those suits were never less than ten thousand. He had the flawless looks, too, and an Irish accent. I wanted to say I was on my best behavior and didn’t look to see if he was married, but the devil’s in the details, right? He wasn’t married. At least he wasn’t wearing a ring. And he didn’t have a married look about him. It had never been insta-love for me, but I had experienced insta-lust. Surprisingly, the feeling didn’t come. Was I flattered that he’d come over? Sure. But that was where the attraction ended.

  Mateo’s lips thinned as he ground his back molars. It was a sign he was irritated. But he had yet to say anything as Mac took the chair across from us.

  “What brings you two here to the island?”

  “Anniversary–”

  “Vacation–”

  Mac looked between us and grinned.

  “So, it’s an anniversary vacation?”

  “Something like that,” Mateo said.

  “Well, you two enjoy yourselves, I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”

  Mac left before I could say another word. I was about to ask Mateo what his deal was, but Mario drew our attention, in a Speedo. A ridiculous Speedo, and a wide grin on his face.

  “You two beautiful birds follow me.” When he turned, I swore his thong would get lost in the crack of his ass. Ewww. As he walked, I couldn’t help but notice.

  “You gonna walk around like that all day?” Matty asked.

  Mario turned around, his hair flowing out behind him like the wind purposefully had to caress the
long tresses. The turn was dramatic and full of flair. He was so perfectly polished, and the way he smiled at Mateo as he sauntered in front of us let me know that Mario was very comfortable in his skin.

  “Honey, I’m on an island, and it’s a glorious day out. You gotta learn to live it up, each day is a new day. And today is thong day.”

  “Thong day?”

  “Yes, sir. Thong day. Now, follow me, your luggage has been taken to your room. I can’t wait for you to see it. Oooh, it’s just heavenly.”

  Chapter 6

  Zori

  Mario did not lie. The room was amazing. Open, airy, right on the beach…it was gorgeous. There was only one problem. One problem I hadn’t even thought about. There was one, count it, one large, king-sized bed. When I questioned it, Mario only winked at me and told me to figure out how the sleeping arrangements should go. Mateo said nothing. He leaned his muscled form against one of the walls, his feet crossed in front of him, and his hands in his pockets. He couldn’t sleep on the floor, and the sofa would never accommodate his form. He was too large.

  “This is so messed up.” I sighed.

  Mateo pushed off the wall and walked toward me with a predator’s gait. In four strides, he stood in front of me. His eyes were darker, determined. The air in the room suddenly felt stuffy. Heated.

  “Mateo,” I said with caution. But whatever he had on his mind wasn’t about to be thwarted by my warning. He stood right in front of me now, and I had to look up. Like way up because there was just so much of him.

  “Zori,” he cautioned right back, his face coming closer to mine. Our breaths invaded the other’s space.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I whispered into the space between us.

  His only response was a tilt of his lips before he kissed me.

  Mateo Vargas freaking kissed me!

  My legs trembled, and I didn’t know what to do with my hands, but it seemed they had a mind of their own. I fisted them in his hair and tried to tug him free of my lips. Really, I did. Instead, I pulled him closer, groaned into his mouth, and melted into a puddle of lust right there in his arms. He must have known I was about to drop to the floor because one of his arms banded around my waist and hoisted me up farther so I was no longer on my toes. Mateo dragged his lips from mine to my neck, and then up to my jaw, only to repeat the process over and over again until his tongue plunged into the recesses of my mouth and switched my body from a low-powered hum to a thrum of voltage high enough to have my eyes rolling to the back of my head. I didn’t see stars, I saw the whole fucking universe.

  Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit.

  When had he learned to kiss like this? How come no one had ever, and I mean ever kissed me this way before? He’d always been so nice and gentlemanly when he was around me with his girls. I’d seen him kiss three—maybe four—times, but none of those had been like this.

  My mouth was starved for his attention. Somewhere in between a lip suck and a nibble, I’d started to climb my best friend, and now had my legs wrapped around his waist. His hands held tight to my ass, supporting my weight. I wasn’t a fluffy girl, but I was definitely a curvy one. No other man had been able to handle me and my weight so effortlessly. Except Mateo. Damn. Damn. Double Damn. Something was wrong with this picture, and I knew I should stop what was happening between us, but he wouldn’t let me come up for air.

  Or he would, but I just couldn’t think straight. My brain fuzzed over, and images of his body replayed in my mind. What it would look like towering over me, behind me, in the shower, on the floor, against the wall, on the balcony? Hell, it didn’t matter where, I just knew that whenever and wherever he wanted to get down to the business of giving me his very large—at least from what I could feel—and very aroused penis, I was down. I was so down.

  My body slid down his, and as Mateo rained kisses down my neck and across my shoulder, I stood on my feet. I actually swooned, you know, the swaying swoon where your body follows the pleasure. Yeah, that was me. Swooning. His very large, and very capable hands were on my shoulders now, and I swear it was as if he’d rehearsed this, or planned the entire seduction. Because one-minute I stood there in my maxi dress, and the next, the material pooled at my feet.

  Somehow, I stood in just my sandals and undergarments. And it was like some sort of floodgate had been opened the moment Mateo stepped back and took in my almost naked form.

  “You can’t do this,” I said, my fingertips poised at my moist, and now very plump lips. My voice was not my own. There was no strength behind my words, no conviction. I might as well have screamed “no,” when really what I meant was yes. This is so effed up. So effed up, I chanted in my head, but dammit, it felt glorious. So freaking amazing.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve done this before.”

  “Really?” I screeched. “You don’t say.” I placed a hand on my hip, and immediately realized my mistake when his eyes turned molten, and his nostrils flared. “You’re my—”

  He took the words right out of my mouth when his lips crashed down on mine in a hungry kiss. But he wasn’t just hungry. Hell, no. Mateo Vargas was starved. He growled like an animal as he devoured my mouth, shoved his tongue between my lips and took control. It was wild and unfettered. He grabbed my ass, and I squeaked into the kiss when he brought my mostly naked body flush with his still-clothed form.

  But, honestly, it didn’t matter because I felt everything. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. The muscled wall of his chest, the strength in his arms, the power of his thighs, and the monstrosity of his thing—yes, I called his dick a thing—and in its current hard state, digging into my belly. All of it, and I mean all of it was so amazing, so incredible, that I forgot my first, middle, and last name. Just call me Mateo’s horny plaything.

  * * *

  Mateo

  I wasn’t going to give her time to think. Let alone breathe. Zori was in my arms. And damn if it didn’t feel unbelievable. I whispered against her body, feeding her every image with my words. And, yeah, I did it all in Spanish. It was called a language of love for a reason. I’d waited a long time, but Zori was stubborn and so set in her ways, she didn’t see what was right in front of her. Me. I was the one who could take care of her and make her happy. I’d worked my ass off for years to ensure that I could provide for her and her needs. Both in and out of bed. Every female paled in comparison to her, and even when I’d turned her down, I knew it was because I wanted to be sure. I needed to know that I could be the man she deserved. I was young then, and now I worried I’d taken too long to ensure our stability. But I was stable as fuck now. I might not be swimming in money, but honestly, I didn’t want to be. I wanted Zori to love me for me, not because of what I could or couldn’t buy for her.

  The sound she made against my lips decimated me. I could feel it all the way to my straining erection. It cursed me for not letting it loose. All in due time. Finesse, Vargas. Finesse. I planned to have Zoraida Lemes underneath me, bent over a couch, a table, straddling me on a chair, a bed--hell, anywhere I could get her, bending her body to my will—along with her ridiculous notions on life and the pursuit of happiness.

  My hands went between her legs, slow at first, a caress here, a firm grip there. I’m rewarded when she opens her stance, giving me better access to the heat between her thighs. Her panties were soaked, and what I wanted was to get her sweet and drunk, but not on alcohol, on what I was doing. I wanted to make it so she’d agree to any and everything I asked of her. Gotta use all my talents.

  I deepened the kiss before moving to her jaw. Her taste was warm and sweet, the kiss itself gut wrenching. She was everything I envisioned and more. I skimmed her heated flesh with my lips, trailing lower down to her neck. She tasted of salty air, coconuts, and the unique flavor of her when I nibbled and sucked on her throat. She practically purred. I would ensure I pulled at least three orchestrated cries of pleasure from her that would loop on repeat and echo off the walls as I introduced her to the other part of me. The part that was a bit ro
ugher and less refined when it came to getting what I wanted. There was so much I wanted to do to her body that I had to make myself to slow down.

  Zori’s hands were on my waist, and she tried her best to fight what was happening between us. I eased up on her neck and took a step back. I still had a hold of her waist, even as her body leaned forward as if floating toward me. Her eyes are closed, and her lips were swollen from my kisses.

  “Open your eyes, Zori.”

  They fluttered open, and I’m caught in their depths. They were pools of lust, hunger, and need.

  “Tell me it’s okay.”

  A sigh left her parted lips, and I had to stop myself from attacking again. I was a fool for that sound. Even when she spent the night and I heard them while she slept. I groaned in frustration. The woman drove me crazy.

  “Tell you what’s okay?” She breathed out in a rush. I could see the pulse in her neck beating rapidly, and what was worse, I could smell her need. It was hot and sweet, and slightly musky. I knew she was bare there. The lace of her panties gave everything away. She was so wet, and I wanted nothing more than to feast on her slick flesh.

  “You know what.”

  Her eyes widened. Enough that I could see that her pupils were dilated. Her lashes lowered as she struggled to pull in a breath. I placed my hand between her legs again, right at the center of her heat, and moved my fingers back and forth, making sure that I grazed her clit. The tremble in her thighs let me know she was primed and ready for my attention. But I needed her to acknowledge what was about to happen. I didn’t want her trying to turn this around on me later.