Game For Tonight (Entangled Brazen) (Game for It)

by Karen Erickson

  “I’m not tense.” She took a deep breath. She was so tense she could shatter. “Why would you say that?”

  “You get this little line right here.” Reaching out, he drew his calloused finger between her brows, easing the line that was, yep, right there. Tingles raced over her skin at his innocent touch, disappointment filling her when his hand dropped away. “I’ve spent enough time with you to know that look when I see it. Don’t tell me you have bad news, too.”

  “No, nothing like that.” She shook her head. Did that mean Coach Walsh had told him he was going to be traded when the season was over? Maybe he was in a terrible mood now. She hoped that what she was about to tell him wouldn’t seem like bad news. “Can we go somewhere more…private?”

  “Sure. We can head outside.” He nodded toward the open doorway that led onto a terrace.

  “That’ll work.” She released a shuddery breath when he settled his big hand at the small of her back, then guided her through the crowded restaurant. Plenty of people said hello, a few congratulated Flynn, and he smiled obligingly, always friendly, always agreeable.

  Nick sent them a smirk as they passed by, but she ignored him, focused instead on the warmth from Flynn’s hand permeating her skin, even through the fabric of her sweater dress. His scent wrapped around her, clean and masculine, and she felt downright tiny standing next to him, despite her too-high boots.

  She liked that. A lot. His sheer size made her feel petite and protected. She liked even more how he touched her as if she belonged to him, though she knew he didn’t mean it like that. He was just being polite. He had manners. Respect. His mama had taught him well, and Aubrey appreciated that, really she did.

  But she wanted to see Flynn come undone. They flirted sometimes, and she thought she felt that they had a connection. Did he feel it too? She had a feeling he might. She’d seen the way he looked at her when he didn’t think she’d notice. There was interest in his gaze. Undeniable interest.

  Just thinking about those moments she caught him staring sent a shiver down her spine. If given the chance, would he become so consumed with passion that he couldn’t resist her? She wanted him to kiss her until they couldn’t breathe, undress her until she was left a naked, shaky mess and then push inside her until the both of them were coming together with erotic moans.

  “You okay?” He dipped his head, his mouth right at her ear. They were near the doorway that led to the terrace, which was near the crowded and noisy bar.

  She turned to look at him, realizing a little too late how close they were. His gaze was focused on her mouth, making her lips tingle, and she licked them unconsciously, surprised at the sudden energy seeming to bounce between them.

  He lifted his gaze to hers, heat filling their brilliant green depths. Hmm, interesting. “Are you cold?” he asked when she didn’t answer.

  Slowly, she shook her head. More as if she was so hot she wanted to shed her dress and see what he might do when he caught sight of her sheer white lace bra and matching panties for the first time. “I’m fine. Great. Why do you ask?”

  “You shivered.”

  At those two words, she promptly shivered again.

  “Like that.”

  “Well, I’m not cold,” she murmured, wondering if he’d get the hint.

  Silence hung between them, thick with tension. Everything else in the restaurant, the talking, the music, the sound of glasses clinking and silverware scraping against plates, all faded until the noise became a faint buzz. She could focus on only him, and it seemed, for once, he could focus on only her.

  Not that he didn’t give her his full attention when they talked about work stuff, oh no. He just always seemed restless. A little distracted. He’d listen. He’d nod. He’d give her the right answers and then jam back out onto the field. Or head to the locker room. He never wanted his concentration off football. The game was everything to him.

  Well, she wanted to be everything to him. At least for one night…

  Her breath leaving her in a shaky exhale, she pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, desperate to find composure. He still hadn’t spoken, still stood so close she could feel his body heat seeping into her. His hand rested on her back, his thumb stroking a maddeningly slow circle, and she went damp at his subtle caress.

  God. She was in big trouble if the stroke of his thumb on her back aroused her this much. Couldn’t imagine what might happen if he touched her anywhere else…

  “Let’s go outside,” he murmured, surprising her by taking her hand and practically pulling her behind him.

  She willingly obliged and let him drag her out of the restaurant, thrilled at the sudden, aggressive move. The cold night air slapped her in the face, shocking a gasp out of her as Flynn led her to the giant tree that stood on the far end of the terrace. The tree was large, with low, overhanging branches wound with twinkling white lights. The branches were currently bare, but the darkened corner offered plenty of privacy.

  As in, hardly anyone would be able to see them if they stood there. And didn’t that give her a little buzz of hope?

  “What did you want to talk about, Aubrey?” he asked once they stopped under the tree. They turned to face each other, his hand still swallowing hers whole, and she studied him unabashedly.

  He wore a charcoal gray dress shirt, with a single button undone at the neck, and black dress pants, and he looked so hot she almost needed to squeeze her thighs together to stave off the need rushing through her. In his football uniform, in sweats, in low-hanging athletic shorts and nothing else, with sweat running down his chest in rivulets—it didn’t matter. He looked hot. Always.

  “Um.” She licked her lips, her brain short-circuiting. Finally she had him where she wanted him, and she was blanking out. She probably had only a few minutes tops, and she’d already messed it up.

  “Nice dress,” he said, his voice soft, interrupting her wayward thoughts.

  Oh. Aubrey glanced down. The dress was black, clung to her like a second skin, and she’d had a total chicken moment when she’d first slipped it on. Afraid it might look too skanky, as though she was trying too hard. But then she’d put on some black tights and knee-high boots, thrown on a chunky silver necklace, and decided she didn’t look so skanky after all.

  That Flynn complimented her, and that he actually noticed she’d put a little extra effort into her outfit tonight, sent her head spinning.

  Or maybe that was the alcohol. She couldn’t be sure.

  “Thank you,” she said, clearing her throat. She really needed to tell him how she felt. But how? Just blurt it out?

  Flynn, I want to have wild monkey sex with you. You game?

  Aubrey pressed her lips together. Maybe she should take a more subtle approach.

  Want to come back to my place for a drink? And maybe…later…wild monkey sex?

  Crap. She was hopeless. Maybe she should be 100 percent truthful.

  Flynn, there’s something between us. I know you must feel it, because I feel it, too. So let’s go…have wild monkey sex.

  She needed to stop while she was ahead. It wasn’t just about wild monkey sex with Flynn—though she was desperate for that, she couldn’t lie—she also liked him. A lot.

  Maybe too much.

  Fine. On top of her lusty Flynn-filled thoughts, she was feeling down and out. Rejected. Damn Derek—who she hadn’t thought about in months, who she definitely wasn’t in love with anymore—and his stupid engagement picture. After everything she’d learned tonight, she wanted to be reckless. Throw caution to the wind and indulge in Flynn for just one night. Forget the fraternizing rules and just…do what she wanted. When had she ever done exactly what she wanted with no worry over the consequences?

  Never.

  Yeah. That sounded perfect. She needed to focus on the here and now. Grab at what she could, even if it really was for only tonight.

  She’d take what she could get.

  “Your mind is working overtime.” He reached out with his fr
ee hand, easing the frown line between her brows with a gentle stroke of his finger. Again. “You think too much.”

  “I do?” Her voice came out a breathy whisper. The glow in his gaze was unmistakable, and he bent his head, his mouth coming closer. Closer…

  Her heart leaped into her throat. She couldn’t believe it. This was it. The moment she’d been waiting for since she’d started working with him. She’d fought her attraction because they had a business relationship and she hadn’t wanted to risk taking that relationship any further.

  She also hadn’t wanted to risk rejection because…hello…rejection sucked. And she was already feeling pretty low at the moment.

  “Yeah, you do,” he murmured, all low and husky. Oh yes, and sexy. “I do, too.”

  His admission shocked her. “Maybe all that thinking holds us back,” she suggested, leaning into him slightly.

  He backed away, contemplating her, his eyes full of surprise. “You’re probably right.”

  Yes, she probably was. She liked that they were on the same page with this conversation. “Instead of thinking so much, maybe we should relax and just…let things happen.” She also liked the way his curious gaze zeroed in on her lips, making them tingle.

  “Let things happen, huh? Like what?” He smiled, the sight of it short-circuiting her brain. He was looking at her as if he might want to kiss her. This worked. This worked really well. Seeing the heat in his gaze, having him so close, gave her that last burst of courage she needed.

  “Like this,” she whispered. Standing on tiptoe, she braced her hand on his rock-hard chest, aligning their mouths just right. He shifted, she tilted her chin up, and then…their mouths connected.

  And her heart threatened to pound right out of her chest at the first, delicious touch.

  The kiss was sweet, more of a question than a demand. His mouth was hot and soft, his hand moved to skim across her cheek, down the length of her throat until his fingers rested about her nape. He pulled her in closer, a low murmur escaping him when their bodies collided and she parted her lips.

  Letting him in.

  He released her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, his fingers spanning her back, and she murmured his name against his lips. She melted into him, sighing when his tongue rasped against hers and, oh, good Lord, she wondered for a brief moment if she was dreaming.

  But she wasn’t. Finally, she was in Flynn’s arms, and there was no going back.

  …

  Flynn couldn’t believe this was happening. Yeah, he’d been interested in Aubrey from the moment they’d first been introduced, but no way had he been able to act on it. So after a while, he’d put her in the forbidden zone. As in, out of respect for Aubrey, out of wanting to stay professional with the entire publicity team and within the Hawks organization, he’d chosen not to pursue something with her. Hell, he’d stayed away because he didn’t want her to get in his head and screw up his game play while he was in the midst of the play-offs.

  Plus, it was in the handbook. Company policy. No fraternizing with fellow employees. He wasn’t about to risk anything when it came to his career. He followed the rules. He definitely didn’t break them.

  Not that he’d played much so far. Jared Quinn was, once again, the number-one-ranked quarterback in the NFL, and that left Flynn sitting on the bench in his second-string dust.

  And didn’t that just bite his ass?

  So he told himself to resist Aubrey Cooper no matter how much he was drawn to her. She made him want to do every dirty, wicked thing he could imagine—and he wasn’t one to let dirty, wicked thoughts derail him from his goals.

  Just looking at her, thinking about her messed with his game play. So what the hell was he doing right now, kissing her? This had “mistake” written all over it.

  But the magnetic pull between them had been too much to deny. She fit perfectly in his arms. The sweet, honeyed taste of her mouth, how her delicate, wet tongue circled around his, the soft murmuring sounds of pleasure coming from deep in her throat. She’d wound her arms around his neck, her fingers plunged into his short hair, stroking his scalp. Her curvy body was nestled close, and though she wore sexy-as-hell black boots with the highest heels he’d ever seen, he still towered over her.

  Flynn broke the kiss first, staring at Aubrey like he was starstruck. Temptation flashed through him. What would she do if he picked her up, his hands gripping that pert ass, and pushed her against the tree? Would she protest or give in with ease? He could slip his hands under the hem of her dress, though she was wearing black tights. He’d rather encounter bare, soft skin…

  He’d done a lot of things in his life sexually. Not lately, though. When he was younger, yeah, but once he’d gone pro, he’d wanted zero distractions. His focus was razor sharp and always on his career. Always on football. No girlfriends, no side pieces, no one-night stands, no groupies, none of that. They didn’t tempt him. No one tempted him. This was how he kept his virginity intact.

  Yes, his virginity. He’d had blowjobs, he’d fooled around with women, he’d gone down on them, but he’d never done the deed. He’d decided never to go that far so he wasn’t distracted from football, which had become his whole life. The media might’ve even joked about it, that he saved himself for football. Put in bold print, it sounded kind of lame.

  Damn it, though, it was the truth. His focus was all about football. He’d soon started ignoring women completely to focus on the game. He wanted to be the best, and at one point, he’d felt on top of the world.

  Then all focus had swerved away from his playing abilities and on to his virgin status. And then it had become this thing that hung over him, reminded him of what an anomaly he was. How his fellow teammates thought he was some sort of weirdo who didn’t like sex.

  Aubrey cracked open her eyes, studying him like he’d lost his mind. Which he sort of had—over her. He kissed her again before she could say a word, losing himself in her sweet lips, the soft little moans sounding low in her throat.

  He liked sex. And he liked the woman in his arms plenty. So much, that he’d kept her at arm’s length for months for fear of falling hard for her and ruining his concentration. Besides, he wasn’t much of a rule breaker, damn it. If it was against company policy to date a fellow employee, then he wasn’t going to do it.

  But screw it. He felt as if everything was uncertain right now, up in the air, unconfirmed. Walsh wasn’t talking—at least he wasn’t talking enough. The conversation they’d had before Aubrey had interrupted them had been full of nothing but a bunch of crap. Coach had acted downright evasive.

  The vibe he was getting from his coach? He didn’t like it. At all.

  He was tired of worrying about things that were out of his control. What was the big deal if he kissed Aubrey anyway? Maybe he could work her out of his system. Maybe kissing her wouldn’t be all that special and he could walk away from this.

  Ha. Tell that to his overheated, turned-inside-out body.

  Flynn broke away from Aubrey’s lips to catch some air, though really, he wanted to look at her, memorize this moment when he’d first kissed Aubrey. Even in the dim light, he could see her lips were swollen, her cheeks flushed. She opened her eyes, the dazed look in them sending an arrow of arousal shooting straight through him, making his cock twitch. Pride suffused him. He put that look on her face.

  “Flynn.” She pursed her lips, exhaling softly, the sound shaky. “What in the world was that?”

  He smiled. She was a bundle of nerves, his publicist. Always running around, a little manic, a lot frantic, riding his ass to do this, do that. She’d been harder on Hamilton, but that crazy guy needed someone to rein him in most of the time.

  “I thought it was a kiss? Unless I’m doing it wrong…” A chuckle escaped him, and he hoped she was in on the joke.

  “No. You were definitely not doing it wrong.” She blew out a trembling breath, her gaze cautious. “I just want to make sure we’re both on the same page.”

  “We
ll, I’m pretty sure we’re on the same page.” Leaning in, he nuzzled her cheek with his, kissing a soft path along her fragrant skin until his mouth was on hers once more. “A shame you didn’t recognize it.”

  She smiled against his lips, her fingers tightening in his hair. “I just thought…”

  “Thinking gets you nowhere,” he whispered just before he took the kiss deeper, his tongue thrusting, his mouth devouring. She was a thinker, which meant she set her brain to smoking more often than not. And he wanted her feeling, not thinking or worrying.

  He gripped her hips with both hands and pulled her in, wanting her as close as he could get her. This…thing between them had been brewing for a while, torturing him. She’d been by his side almost constantly the past few months, guiding his career, carefully preserving his image.

  Every time he was with her, the scent of her hair drove him wild. The way he caught her looking at him, her gaze hungry, her lips damp, echoed an answering call deep within him.

  When it came to the women from his past, he’d tended to fall hard and fast, so he generally ruled out all women during the regular season. It was easier that way. He didn’t need sex like the majority of his teammates. He loved women, but he wasn’t a dog, didn’t crave that constant attention the groupies were more than willing to provide. He needed to focus on bettering his game, improving his arm, making himself an invaluable player to the team.

  Plus, as weird as it was to admit, the virgin thing brought him a lot of attention. A lot of positive attention, and not just from the female fans. Though they were ever present, dying to help take his virginity in any way they knew how.

  That was sort of embarrassing.

  Funny, how no other women interested him, though. Not like this one, who was all soft and warm in his arms, her full breasts pressed against his chest, her hands sliding down from his neck to grip at his shoulders with an intensity that told him she wanted more.

  Which worked for him because he wanted more, too—plenty more.

  “It’s probably not smart if someone catches us,” she murmured minutes later, when it was her turn to come up for air from another amazing kiss.