Playing the Game: Playing the Game Duet Book 1

by Gina Drayer

  He licked his lips, heat flashing in his eyes at my confession. “I promise you’ll enjoy it.” His fingers traced up the inside of my thigh, sending pulses of pleasure straight to my clit. “If you want me to stop, I will.”

  “No. Don’t stop,” I said in a breathy sigh that sounded foreign to my own ears.

  “Hold on to the counter.”

  He cocked a smile and grabbed both sides of my hips. Licking me gently, he continued to tease my clit with his tongue. I moaned, surprised by the sensation. The wet heat of his mouth. The firm but soft pressure of his tongue. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt.

  I was on the verge of coming already. It was almost embarrassing the way my body had responded to him.

  He slipped two thick fingers inside of me while his mouth continued to devour me and I lost all sense of time. My knees buckled as pleasure rippling up my spine, and I swear I saw stars. I gripped the counter, trying to hold myself up, but with my brace, I was failing miserably.

  Without stopping, Cooper caught my right leg and draped it over his shoulder. He grasped my thigh to steady us both and then sucked my clit hard. I let go of the counter and laced my hands through his hair, grabbing fistfuls to keep my balance.

  "Cooper. Oh, God," I gasped, as my world shattered.

  He gentled his touch; his tongue coaxing me through the climax. My entire body shook with the power of it, and I collapsed backward. Thankfully, the counter was there to hold me upright.

  Before I caught my breath, he stood and captured my mouth. His kiss was filled with more passion than I’ve ever felt before, so raw and honest, it stole my breath. I moaned against his lips, still shaky, feeling spent and deliciously wrecked.

  When he finally released me, I was even more breathless than before.

  “Even better,” he said with a shake of his head. “I’ve got to work on my imagination.”

  His cock was hard and straining against his pants. I wasn’t sure what to do now. Was I supposed to reciprocate? My etiquette training ended before we got to oral sex in the kitchen. I felt inadequate when it came to sex. My experiences were boring, run of the mill. My eyes flicked down to the bulge again. I should do it.

  His fingers ghosted along my neck and back up to my chin, pulling my attention upwards. “That wasn’t what this was about,” he said.

  “We could go upstairs,” I offered.

  “As tempted as I am, I came down here to make you lunch. We’ll have time for that later,” he said, shoving my crutch at me. “Now take that sweet ass of yours into the other room before I change my mind.”

  “Fine,” I said, biting my lower lip.

  As I passed him by, he smacked my left ass cheek and hummed appreciatively under his breath. Any other guy, I would have been turned off, but for some reason, Cooper’s blatant appreciation of my ass made me blush.

  I’m positive I fell down a rabbit hole last night. I only hope I never find my way back.

  25

  Cooper

  When I left Emily’s bed this morning, I had one goal: convince her to let me stay. Stay in her bed. Stay in her life.

  I knew in order to do that, I had to prove to her that I was boyfriend material. However, I knew nothing about what it takes to be a good boyfriend.

  I thought lunch was a good start. Even though I would have been more than happy to spend the rest of the day in bed with her, that wasn’t the plan. Neither was having her come on my tongue in the kitchen. But when I was around her, all my good intentions flew out the door.

  I carried the salad to the table, determined to stay hands off. At least through the meal. She got up to get us drinks, but I stopped her before she reached the kitchen and sent her back to the table. While I was serving, she got up again to get the salad dressing. I caught her around the waist and pulled her back into my lap.

  “Oh, my God. You’re exhausting, woman. Let me wait on you.”

  “I can—”

  I kissed her hard on the lips. “I know you can. You take care of so many people. Today, I want to take care of you.”

  After that, she sat through the meal without any argument. She even asked me to refill her tea. It was all very domestic. And I liked it.

  “What’s with all the rocks?” I asked, picking up a smooth river stone from the bowl on the table. They each had a number that looked like a date etched on one side. “This looks like the one you dropped in the back of the limo.”

  “My parents owned a lake house. Every year they went, even before I was born, they’d pick a rock on their last day there and etched the date on the back.” Emily picked up one of the stones and fingered the numbers. “We used to spend hours by the shore, looking for the perfect one.”

  “And the one you carry?”

  “It was our last trip together. After I turned eighteen, I went up to our old place and spread their ashes at the shore.”

  “I’m sorry.” I took her hand and squeezed it.

  She looked up, eyes watery, and sighed. “No. Don’t. We’re not going to sit here and talk about my sad past. Tell me about your family. Not the interview ‘my mom worked two jobs’ story. Tell me about them really.”

  “I’ve got a pretty typical family. My sister’s married with two kids. They live in Portland. My mom’s retired. She wanted to be close to her grandkids, so I bought her a house in Portland a few years ago. That’s where I’m going for Thanksgiving.”

  “It must be hard having your family on the other side of the country,” she said, fingering the rock she’d picked up.

  “It’s not too bad. I travel so much with the team, it really doesn’t matter where they live. I can just hop on a plane and see them whenever I’m free. Actually, that’s a great idea. I can still get a ticket for you tomorrow. Why don’t you can come with me.”

  “What? No,” I said shaking my head. “That’s a terrible idea.”

  “You don’t have any family, and my mom would love to meet you.”

  “Don’t you think we should go out on a real date before we do the whole meet the family thing?”

  “I don’t want you to spend Thanksgiving alone.”

  She laughs and shakes her head. “I’m not going to be alone. There’s a big dinner at the shelter, and then I spend the evening with Tony’s family. Lisa makes a vegetarian lasagna every year, and we play Pictionary. Besides, what would your mom think? How many women have you brought to Thanksgiving?”

  “None.” She had a point. Mom would probably have a stroke if I brought home a woman. She’d be convinced I knocked the woman up or something. “Okay, but I want to see you as soon as I get back. I don’t have a lot of time to convince you to fall in love with me.”

  I made her sit while I cleared the dishes. Overall, I think my first effort at wooing Emily was a success. But it was going to be a whole week before I saw her again, and I wasn’t ready to leave just yet.

  “Now what? I’m yours for the entire day. We talked about going to the movies. Do you feel up to going out?”

  “Can we just stay in? Maybe watch a movie. Have you seen Thor?”

  “I haven’t.”

  “Then you’re in luck. I have all three movies.”

  We settle in for a six-hour movie marathon. She was so enthusiastic, I couldn’t help but like the movies. The best part was her snuggled beside me on the sofa. And by the time Surtur attacked Asgard, she was fast asleep.

  After the final credits scrolled across the screen, I picked her up and headed to the stairs, feeling like everything had changed. She buried her head in the crook of my neck and sighed.

  “I know you have to leave in the morning, but can you stay the night? I want to wake up next to you.”

  How could I refuse an offer like that? My flight wasn’t until three tomorrow, so I shed my clothes and crawled into bed beside her. This wasn’t that hard.

  26

  Cooper

  Teasing fingers.

  Warm breath caressing my skin.

  Wet, hot lips kissing,
tasting…

  A moan started deep in my chest as I lose myself to the pleasure, but there’s a disconnect in my brain. The sensations were too vivid, too solid to be a dream. My eyes shot open, and I was greeted with a smiling Emily inching my boxers off.

  She glanced up at me through hooded eyes and flashes me a sexy smile. “Good morning.”

  “Yes, it is,” I say and shift my hips to help her remove the last of my clothes.

  I was already rock hard, but then she crawled back up to my cock licking her lips, and I almost came right there. She lowered her mouth to my cock and slid her tongue along the shaft. I watched as she opened her mouth wide and took the first few inches, pulled back, and then swallowed more.

  Fuck, her mouth was heaven. I groaned as she continued to suck and tease. I buried my hands in her hair and guided her movement. It took all my self-control not to ram into her mouth.

  “Your mouth is going to kill me.” My words were strained. She sucked me deeper, and I let out another groan. “Fuck, Baby, I’m gonna come.”

  I pumped my hips a few more times, cursing as I found my release. I collapsed back on the bed, trying to catch my breath. She slid up next to me and wrapped an arm around my chest.

  “I could wake up like that every morning. Just give me a sec, and I’ll be ready to go.”

  She leaned up on her elbow and kissed my lips. “What was it you said yesterday? That’s not what this was about. I need to get to work, and you’ve got a plane to catch. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t forget about me.”

  I grabbed her and pulled her on top of me, kissing her hard on the lips. “There’s no way I’d forget about you.”

  While she got ready, I started a pot of coffee, itching for a run. Next time I came over, I needed to pack a bag. Next time. Those words still sounded weird. Sure, I’d dated women more than once, but it wasn’t a planned thing. If I was looking for a date, I’d flip through my phone and pick someone I had a good time with. But I was genuinely looking forward to seeing Emily again. As a matter of fact, a week away seemed like an eternity.

  She came downstairs thirty minutes later, ready for work. She looked professional, but comfortable, in a long, grey, wool skirt and a fitted, powder blue sweater that showed off her perfect tits. With a book tucked under one arm, she was giving off a naughty librarian vibe. My dick got hard thinking about flipping up that skirt and spanking that ass of hers over the back of the sofa.

  “I know you’re on a tight schedule today, but can I get you to help me bring in this box of books that was donated?”

  “What?” I shook my head, drawing my attention back to the conversation.

  “The books? I can’t manage them with the crutch.” She looked back at the box and chewed her bottom lip. “You know what? Never mind. I’ll just have Tony stop by tomorrow and pick them up.”

  “Of course, I’ll help you. It’s probably the only exercise I’ll get today.” I crossed the living room and picked up the box just as my phone dinged, letting me know the driver was here. Perfect timing. I headed for the door. “Is there a park around here I can run in? Two days and already, I feel like I’m out of practice. Maybe we could go together.”

  She hobbled behind me, laughing. “Do I look like I run? As you recall, I have a hard enough time with walking.”

  “Maybe yoga, then. I’ve been told it helps with balance.”

  “I’ll stick to my stationary bike. Less chance of injury.”

  On the ride in, we made plans for our next date. The weekend was over, and we were back to real life. And I was beginning to understand how complicated this relationship was going to be. I had my training schedule, appearances, and interviews, and between now and the new year, and the Christmas market and budget meetings occupied much of Emily’s time. We finally agreed on a late dinner on Wednesday and another sleepover.

  The driver pulled up outside a nondescript three-story building. There were a few people sitting on a bench outside smoking and a preschooler scribbling on the concrete with chalk.

  “Thankfully, the older kids have left for school. And,” she checked her watch, “the job training classes have already started. It should be relatively quiet.”

  She opened the door and slid out. I followed, my curiosity about the shelter piqued.

  “Classes? You teach classes here? I thought this was just a place for people to stay so they wouldn’t have to sleep on the streets.”

  “It started that way,” she said, punching in a code to unlock the front door. “When Marie was here, she started teaching some of the other women to cook. A few of them got jobs. A lot of people come here after a job loss. Set those over there.”

  She pointed to a long table. There was a large calendar hanging above it and a number of clipboards with signup sheets that were titled things like Advanced Excel and Managing a Budget.

  “I realized then that it wasn’t enough to just provide shelter. I had to help them rebuild their lives. So the classes.” She waved to the calendar. I noticed the dates were color-coded to match the clipboard.

  “You teach all these classes?”

  “I don’t teach them. But I do spend a lot of time finding professionals who are willing to donate time. I have a couple of chefs from the area that were willing to teach a few cooking classes. I met an NYC professor a few years ago at a fundraiser. He agreed to help and now a couple of his grad students teach a computer skills class every couple of months. I even talked my accountant into doing a bookkeeping class.”

  I was genuinely impressed. I caught her waist and pulled her in for a kiss. “Have I told you how amazing you are,” I whispered against her lips. “I’m convinced you can persuade anyone to donate.”

  “See, I told you it was him,” a loud whisper came from the end of the hall.

  “What is he doing kissing Miss Emily?” another voice replied.

  I looked up and saw two kids sitting on the floor, peeking around the corner. “I think we’ve been caught kissing in the hall.”

  Emily stepped away and touched up her lipstick. She looked away, her cheeks bright red. and smoothed down the front of her dress. “Mica why aren’t you in school?” she asked in a firm voice.

  “Alisha’s sick and mamma says I needed to stay home and watch her.”

  Emily sighed and rubbed her temples. “We have people that can help look after your sister. Your only job is to get good grades at school.”

  “I’m trying out for my school's baseball team,” Mica said, ignoring Emily’s scolding. “Do you think you could help me practice? Donny says you’re one of the best hitters in the league.”

  Emily put her hand on my shoulder and shot me an apologetic smile. “Mica, Mr. Reynolds is very busy. I can ask one of the older boys—”

  “It’s okay. I can find some time for a budding baseball superstar,” I said, shooting Emily a wink. She didn’t smile back. As a matter of fact, she frowned. “I’m leaving on a trip, but when I get back, I’ll stop by. What time do you get home from school?”

  “Three-fifteen,” Mica said with a hopeful lilt to his voice.

  “Alright then, I’ll be here next Monday at three-fifteen.”

  Emily’s frown deepened, confusing the hell out of me. “Cooper, I don’t think—”

  “Oh, man,” Mica said and jumped up off the floor. “I can’t wait to tell the other kids. They’re never going to believe it.”

  The boy grabbed his sister’s hand, and they both went running off down the hall.

  “Cooper…” Emily said with a sigh.

  “What? I thought you’d approve.”

  “I’m glad you want to help, but you’ve got to be very careful with these kids. You can’t overpromise.”

  “It’s just a little ball practice. Actually, the other day, I was just thinking about how much I missed tossing around the ball in the yard.” I looked up and caught the time. “Shit. If I’m going to make my flight, I’ve really got to go.” I pulled her back in for another quick kiss. “I’l
l call you this week, and we can talk about it. It’s going to be fine.”

  27

  Emily

  I spent the rest of the day in kind of a fog. Here in the harsh realities of Monday morning, the weekend felt like a drug-induced fantasy. If it weren’t for the constant texts Cooper kept sending me all day, I’d almost think I’d imagined the whole thing.

  Cooper: I miss you already.

  Emily: You literally just left. I think I can still see the car on the street.

  Cooper: Next week you should stay the night over here. Your dress would look great on my floor.

  Cooper: Scratch that. I meant to say I’d love to show you my apartment.

  Emily: My dress would probably look good on your floor. But not as good I would in your bed.

  I can’t believe I just typed that.

  Cooper: Do you know how hard I am right now?

  Cooper: When I close my eyes, I can still taste you on my lips.

  Sexting had never been my thing. I wanted to reply but didn’t know what to say. Three dots popped up as he typed another message. I held my breath, waiting to see what he’d say next.

  Cooper: Are you sure you can’t come with me and join the mile high club?

  Emily: I’m not coming.

  Cooper: Give me a chance. I bet I can make you come. ;)

  Cooper: I still have an hour before I need to leave. Maybe you can come over? And we can talk about you coming.

  Emily: I’m busy and you have a flight to catch. See you in a week.

  Cooper: Cold shower it is. :(

  Cooper: Made it to the airport. Still thinking about making you come.

  Cooper: Seriously. Can’t stop thinking about this morning.