Rookie Moves (A Checkmate Inc. Novel Book 2)

by Shelly Alexander

  “Can you keep a secret?” The corner of her mouth lifts. She lowers her sunglasses and peeks over the rim. Those vivid blue eyes are dimmed with sadness.

  “For you? ‘Course.”

  I kill the engine, but I don’t get out. I look at Ava, wanting to hear her secret. Wanting to gauge her reaction to the familiar setting and the happy childhood I know she and Leo had, which was ripped away so suddenly and so tragically.

  “I pay a landscaper and a cleaning service to keep the place looking nice. I also take the train alone once in a while and stay here overnight. It makes me feel like I’m surrounded by my parents.” She pushes the swanky Ray-Bans up her perfectly shaped nose so her eyes are hidden, but a tremor threads through her words.

  It occurs to me that Ava and I were both abandoned by our parents at a young age, just in different ways. My parents are still alive, but I long to experience the comfort of a close, loving family—something mine never was. Ava’s family had been a Norman Rockwell painting, but they were taken from her far too soon. I’m not sure which is worse.

  “Don’t tell Leo, okay? He’d probably want to start coming with me out of his crazy sense of protectiveness. It’s too painful for him to come back here. I don’t want to put him through that.”

  I don’t like lying to Leo, but I don’t have to mention it either. This is something Ava needs, so I’ll keep her secret. “No one has to know but you and me, Rookie.”

  “Thanks, Dex.” She quickly climbs out of the car, and I swear I hear her sniff.

  The inside surprises me. The furniture and décor are new. She’s obviously had some remodeling done because there’s a fresh coat of paint on the walls and new hardwood floors.

  The house is cold, so Ava turns on the heat. I browse the den where family pictures still line the mantle. Very few of the shots are posed. Most of the pictures are of special impromptu moments: Leo holding a blue ribbon at a chess tournament, Ava learning to ride a bike, all four members of the Foxx clan opening Christmas presents, their parents kissing under a sprig of mistletoe.

  I can’t remember my parents ever kissing or holding hands in front of me. I do remember my parents mocking the mistletoe tradition as “a silly thing to do with a tree parasite.”

  Ava comes back with two open beer bottles and streams music through the flat screen. Soft jazz pipes into the room through a nice surround sound system. “I stock the refrigerator with essentials when I visit.” She hands me a cold one, and we knock bottles.

  We sink into the beige suede sofa and drink our beers.

  “I’ve updated the place.” Ava kicks off her boots and stretches out on the sofa. Her feet brush against my thigh. “I don’t want it to feel like a mausoleum. I want it to be a happy place where I can spend time alone when I want to get out of the city.” She eases her feet into my lap. “But honestly, I don’t usually visit the neighbors or anyone else when I’m here. I like being with the memories of my family.”

  Like it’s second nature, I rub the top of her foot with my free hand.

  “I’m sorry, Rookie.” I run my palm over her foot and encircle her slender ankle. “You should’ve told me. I would’ve come with you more often.”

  Shit. Just what I need. I mean, I don’t want her to be alone here if she doesn’t want to be, but going out of town with her regularly would test any guy’s willpower. Especially the guy that’s been horny for her for the better part of two years.

  I guzzle down a third of my brew.

  “You’re here now, and that’s what counts. I’m ready to share it with someone special, and since Leo isn’t an option yet, you’re first on my list.” She downs more beer without taking her eyes off me.

  My chest swells because I’m first on her Someone Special list, and she’s trusted me with her secret. That’s stupid, I know, but then that’s my brain around Ava.

  She uses a perfectly manicured big toe to stroke circles up my leg until her foot disappears under my jacket. That toe works its way up my abs and across my ribcage.

  God. Damn.

  I hiss out a breath and stare at the pictures on the mantle. Swear to God, Leo is frowning at me in all of them.

  “Want another one?” I ease out of my seat and hope my boner doesn’t pop the button on my jeans.

  “Sure.” Ava’s voice is dreamy, and she twists her long ponytail around a finger.

  Shit, I want to wrap that ponytail around my fist and bend her over the sofa. Getting another round of beers is a better choice, though, and will buy me some time. I head to the kitchen and hope that when I return, things will be back to normal again. We’ll be friends and nothing more.

  But deep down, I know I’m lying to myself. Things with Ava can never be the same again after that kiss at her birthday party.

  Chapter Nine

  I grab two more beers out of the fridge and bring one to Ava. I turn toward the recliner, but she grabs my hand and pushes me toward the seat I just vacated next to her. As soon as my ass connects with the sofa, her sexy-as-fuck foot is on the move again.

  “Thanks for coming with me, Dex.” She sighs like life couldn’t get any better. “I couldn’t have done this reunion alone.”

  Huh. This doesn’t sound like the Ava I know. That Ava can conquer the world with her razor wit, audacious personality, and million-dollar smile.

  “You? The woman who can leap skyscrapers in a single bound. You’re saying a small-town high school reunion is your kryptonite?” I laugh.

  She flattens her foot against my chest and gives me a playful shove. My hand closes around her foot and holds it there. I caress the soft skin on top. She pulls in a sharp, sexy breath, then the most incredible thing happens—her foot burns a path to the aching bulge in my pants.

  My arousal soars to meltdown levels. Chernobyle has nothin’ on me. I’m a fucking inferno ready to incinerate both of us and send the house up in flames too. Maybe even the whole fucking county.

  “I’m not as tough as I pretend to be,” she says all breathy. She slides her beanie off with one hand and tosses it to the floor. “But I do go after the things I want most in life.” She shifts, and before I know it, she’s reversed her position on the sofa. Her legs are stretched out to the side, and she’s leaning over my lap. That full rack that I’d love to see in the buff, brushes against my chest.

  I’m certain her lush tits would fit perfectly in the palm of my hand. After I sucked the pink nipples into hard peaks, they’d feel incredible grazing my bare pecs as she rides me to an earth-moving orgasm. She’d cry out my name, and I’d flip her onto her back and pound into her until she comes again. And all the while, she’d murmur my name so we both know who gave her the first real orgasm of her life.

  She’d be marked as mine forever.

  My grip tightens around the bottle of beer, but the other one seems to have a mind of its own and curls around her hip. If any other pretty woman I was interested in made moves on me like this, I’d already have her undressed and halfway to a screaming orgasm. But this is Ava.

  As badly as I want to screw her brains out, I also don’t want to fuck up our friendship. I bet the gossip rags wouldn’t think I’m such a playboy if they could see me frozen like a scared chess team nerd, unsure of how to handle a woman as gorgeous as Ava, who obviously wants more than friendship at the moment.

  She pries the bottle from my hand and sets both hers and mine aside. Her fingers toy with the neckline of my shirt, the tips tracing the edge of my collarbone. “This is nice, you know?” The light scent of brew smooths over my jaw.

  Yes, I fucking well know. It’s so goddamn nice that I want to peel every stitch of clothing off of you with my teeth.

  “Ava, we shouldn’t start something we can’t finish.”

  “You said you can keep a secret, right?” Her fingers dip inside the neck of my shirt to caress the spot between my pecs.

  I inhale sharp and loud.

  “So can I, Dex. This is between you and me, no one else.”

  I ca
n’t help it. I really fucking can’t. My hand slides under her sweater to stroke up the length of her spine. She arches into me. Her reaction is so fierce, it leaves no doubt in my dirty mind that she’s aroused and ready. No question, she’d respond to my touch if I had all of her clothes off.

  “Your brother is always between us, Ava.” My voice is scratchy and dry, like I’ve been chewing cotton.

  “Bros before hoes, right?” she smarts off.

  My fingers flex into her toned back. “You know that’s not what I mean.”

  She stares at me from under long, silky lashes. “If he’s between us, it’s because you’ve put him there.”

  All the air is sucked from the fucking room when her palm molds around my dick.

  “Fuck, Ava.”

  I don’t know if it’s me saying fuck or me saying it coupled with her name, but her breaths turn quick and shallow. “That’s what I’m hoping for,” she whispers as she leans in and brushes her lips across mine.

  “Ava,” I say again, my voice as hard as my prick.

  “Don’t ruin this, Dex,” she murmurs against my lips.

  I really wish she wouldn’t say my name all sexy and pouty. It makes me want to do exactly what she’s asking of me. Exactly what I shouldn’t want to do.

  “Don’t talk unless you’re going to say you want to fuck me.” Her stare, smoky with desire, anchors to mine. She’s waiting. Waiting for me to say it.

  My gaze drifts over her flawless face. I caress her cheek with the back of my forefinger, then outline her lips with the pad of my thumb. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Ava. Do you know that?”

  “But you don’t want me.” Her tone has gone stony.

  That’s as far from the truth as a politician’s promises during an election year. There’s no woman on earth I find more goddamn sexy. No one I want more. No woman I want to fuck but her.

  “I’m not just Leo’s little sister anymore.” Her voice wobbles, and my chest squeezes.

  “I know that.”

  “Do you? I felt like a pathetic, inexperienced little kid next to Cynthia.”

  “Is that why you were so upset?” I ask. “Because there’s no comparison.” I sigh. “But you are like family, Rookie.”

  “Really?” She gives me a challenging look. The look that always tells me I’m in trouble. “Would a family member do this?” Her arms lace around my neck, and she lays a smokin’ hot kiss on my mouth. It’s fast and fierce and frantic like she’s been holding back a riptide of desire, and now the breaking waves of lust are flowing and crashing into us.

  She tastes like beer and vanilla and sex all rolled into one, and I want her so fucking much it hurts. My arms close around her, tugging her against me. Our breaths are so quick they could break the sound barrier.

  My mind is the only part of my body telling me to stop. The rest of my body wants this to happen. All weekend long.

  I break the kiss to drag my mouth down the length of her neck. Her scent is as fresh as the autumn air outside, and I breathe her in. Heat pounds through my veins from having her in my arms, having my hands and mouth on her. I want to crawl in bed with her scent every night, wake up with it every morning, and shower with it every day. I’m certain I’d never grow tired of it, and each day I’d just want it all the more. Want her all the more because she’s cast a spell on me that can’t be broken.

  I work her soft earlobe with my teeth and tongue, and sexy little moans and gasps slip through her lips. I imagine her making the same sounds, only louder. Much, much louder because it would be her first real orgasm overtaking her, courtesy of yours truly. It is my fucking fantasy so I should be the lucky bastard hovering over her, driving into her until she comes.

  She turns her face into my neck and licks the sensitive skin along my collarbone. I groan and pull her tighter against my dick. She feathers kisses up my neck with soft nips and gentle bites along the way until she reaches my ear.

  “Dex.” Her hot, moist breath against my ear causes a shiver to wash through me. “I’m yours if you want me. I’ll do anything, try anything you want. I’m so wet and ready for you.”

  Jesus fucking Christ. I figure I’m going to hell anyway, but if I teach her the dirty things running through my mind, I’ll probably burn twice. Maybe I’m already dead because resisting Ava is pure torment.

  “Rookie,” I say, and my voice croaks. That’s me living up to the suave playboy image. I try to push her away from me so at least her tits won’t rub against me and cause my brain to short circuit. Maybe my brain is in slow-mo because in a smooth motion, she’s straddling me.

  She grinds against my dick. My eyes close. I let out a groan at the incredible friction against my prick. She sinks both hands into my hair and grinds into my cock again. Swear to God, I could spontaneously combust. Then her lips are on mine again, moving and tasting and drinking me in. Her hips and her mouth start to work in unison, and the world around us melts away.

  My hand slides under her sweater and finds one of her tits. Her head falls back and she arches, pressing further into my palm. They’re as perfect as I knew they would be. I lift the sweater and tug on the low-cut, black satin bra until her breasts plump over the top like a corset.

  Fuck, that’s such a turn on.

  Her nipple is already peaked and straining toward me. I take it between my teeth and bite with just enough pressure for it to sting. She inhales a sharp breath, and her eyes flutter open to look down at me. Our eyes lock as I continue to suck and lick her tender flesh.

  Her fingers move furiously through my hair as she stares down at me from under shuttered lashes. Lust glazes over her deep blue eyes, but she doesn’t look away. She keeps them locked with mine, watching my mouth work her tender flesh with such erotic movements.

  Her hips slide and grind faster. “I’ve wanted to do this since we kissed at my birthday party,” she rasps out.

  When I move to the other breast, and close my hot, wet mouth around the peak, she cries out, “Dex!”

  She rides me faster, exactly the way I imagined she would, sans the clothes.

  I release her pebbled nipple and flick my tongue along the soft skin between her tits.

  “You can fuck them if you want,” she whispers.

  Dear God, kill me now. A rush of high-octane lust reaches my lungs and wrings out every drop of air. When I’m with a woman, I’m usually the dirty talker. So far, Ava’s got me beat by a few time zones.

  My hands fly to her hips. Every time she shifts and grinds, I press her down harder against my throbbing cock.

  Best damn dry hump ever.

  “Is this your favorite position?” she asks against my lips. “Me on top?”

  I want to say so many things. Every position will be better than the last; I’ll make sure of it. We’ll try them all until we find your favorite because it won’t matter to me as long as I’m with you.

  But I don’t say any of those things because I know banging Ava silly will cause problems that I can’t handle right now. I think of Leo. I think of what this could do to our friendship and our partnership. To our company. Most of all, I think of what this could do to Ava’s bond with her brother.

  I grasp her hips firmly to slow her pace. When she finally stills, I say, “Ava.” I pull her bra back in place and lower her sweater. “Let’s slow down a minute.” I lean back, run a set of fingers through my hair, and adjust my glasses.

  Shit, my glasses haven’t fogged up like this since the night I lost my v-card at a college frat party. Being a member of the chess team, I wasn’t a regular, but I happened to land an invitation because I tutored several of the fraternity brothers that semester. It was fucking hot and steamy in the frat house laundry room. Especially since the girl that so generously relieved me of my virginity was sitting on the dryer and it was set to “High.”

  Ava’s forehead wrinkles, and her blue eyes dim to a smoky gray. Then she smiles and slides off my lap. “Well, at least we got a little more comfortable with each other before
tonight. We should have no problem pulling off the lie that we’re a couple.”

  Slowly, I stand, because this boner isn’t going away any time soon unless I have a few minutes alone in the shower. Speaking of…

  “Why don’t we go find the hotel and get settled in,” I say. I don’t care what reservations Ava made; I’m requesting different floors when we check-in. The more distance between us the better.

  “Oh.” Her lips form a circle, and my mind blanks for a sec. Because I can’t help but picture those lips forming the same shape around my cock.

  Goddammit. Get a fucking grip, Moore.

  Yeah, definitely need a long shower and soap to lube up my hand. It’s the only way I’ll be able to step out in public tonight without embarrassing myself.

  “We’re staying here at the house all weekend,” Ava says, and I know I’m fucking doomed.

  Chapter Ten

  Ava uses the master bathroom on the far end of the house to get cleaned up and leaves the bathroom down the hall to me. I turn on the shower so I can get ready for the alumni party where I’ll act as Ava’s date. A dating couple usually holds hands. They touch. They kiss. No way can I manage that with a raging hard-on.

  I let the steam build while I bring up iTunes on my phone and play some rock and roll. Perfect noise for cover. When I jerk off, I’m usually alone in my apartment because porn babes don’t count. But this is different. I’m desperate to do something so I can make it through the night without taking what Ava has offered.

  While Def Leppard sings Pour Some Sugar On Me, I get in the shower and try to dial up the mental image of the last good lay I’ve had. I’m not a douche. Every woman I’m with knows the score right up front—my job comes first, and I’m not ready to settle down. I’ve dated some beautiful women, but no one comes to mind but Ava.