Play to Win

by Tiffany Snow

  “I knew I had to make the break with you permanent or I’d always be tempted to come back. Pretending to be dead was best solution I could think of. I was forced to leave and start over again somewhere else.”

  “But Chad found you,” Ryker said.

  She nodded. “Unfortunately. And although I didn’t know it, I guess Steven moved on to Jessie while I was gone.”

  “It’s okay,” Ryker said, pulling her into his arms. “I understand. I wish you would’ve trusted me—trusted us—to help you. But I understand why you made the choice you did.”

  Her body relaxed into his. I felt bad for her, I really did. She’d had a tough life, had lied to people she cared about to try and protect herself and her sister. That same sister she’d seen murdered right in front of her just a few days ago. We might not ever be besties, but I could understand why she’d done what she had.

  “I’m tired,” I said to Parker. “Take me home?”

  “You got it.”

  I half expected him to take me to his place, but he drove me to my apartment instead. It felt good to be in my home, though, so I was glad for it. But I didn’t want him to go and wasn’t sure how to approach the topic.

  Parker settled me on my couch. He grabbed a blanket and tucked it around me. Then he started fussing over the blinds and television, getting my trio of remotes and setting them next to me. I grabbed his wrist.

  “Stop.”

  “Stop what?”

  “You’re coddling me.”

  “Maybe I like coddling you,” he said.

  “Sit with me.” I tugged him down onto the couch, then rearranged myself up next to him. “Can you stay a while?”

  “I’ll stay as long as you want.”

  I really hoped he meant that literally.

  We hadn’t talked about “us” since everything had blown up in my face. I realized now that Natalie and he hadn’t been “together” while she was staying with him, though I’d been glad to see her move out.

  I flipped the television to a rerun of Castle and we watched for a few minutes. It felt really good to be in Parker’s arms. I felt safe for the first time in too long.

  “So what do you think about Ryker and Natalie?” I asked.

  “If it’s what he wants, good for him,” he said. “I told you, he’s never gotten over her. And I think she’s finally in a place where maybe they can work things out.”

  “Guess we’ll see.”

  “Yeah.” There was a pause. “What about you and me?”

  I twisted so I could look up at him. “What about us?”

  His fingers trailed through my hair. “You forgive me for not telling you?”

  I nodded. “Lives were at stake.”

  Something close to relief flickered in his eyes. “So we’re good?”

  I smiled. “We’re good.” Stretching up, I went for a kiss and he leaned down until our lips met.

  His mouth was warm and soft as it moved over mine. My eyes drifted closed and I wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him closer. He deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding between my lips, and a mewling sound escaped my throat.

  “No,” he murmured against my lips. “You just got out of the hospital. I’d be the biggest dick alive to make you have sex right now.”

  “You’re not making me do anything,” I said, trailing kisses along his jaw. He smelled good. Mmmm. “And I’ll be the judge of the size of your—”

  “No,” he said again, pulling my questing fingers away from his belt. “You’re not well yet.”

  “I’m well enough.” I squirmed in his lap, gratified to feel that he was as primed for me as I was for him. “It’d be a shame to let a good erection go to waste.”

  He laughed. “I’ll tell you what,” he said. “I can make you feel good, and I’d really like to do that.” He talked as he stood, lifting me in his arms.

  “You always make me feel good.” I nestled against his chest. There was nothing quite like having a man carry you. Maybe it touched something primal from the caveman days, of claiming and being claimed. I could analyze it, I suppose, but whatever the reason behind it…I liked it. I liked it a lot.

  “Not true,” he said, heading down the hall. “Remember that time I got mad because I thought you’d forgotten to amend the Houston file? I got all pissy with you.”

  Now it was my turn to laugh. “That’s right. I still remember the look on your face when you realized you’d deleted it. I had to call IT and have them restore the backup.”

  “I was a dick. Did I even apologize?” He laid me on the bed.

  “You may have grunted something at me,” I said. “I do recall you being very generous on my birthday, which was about two weeks after that little incident.”

  He lay down on top of me, bracing himself on his arms so his weight was supported. “I don’t know how I got along before you,” he said. His fingers pushed into my hair as his hands cradled my head. I felt his thumbs brush my cheeks, but I was captivated by his eyes.

  “I love it when you look at me like that,” I murmured.

  “Like what?”

  “Your eyes are like windows into your soul,” I said. “Everything else about you is hard to read, but your eyes…your eyes are so expressive. When you look at me, they change. Sometimes they burn right through me and I can feel how much you want me. Other times, like now, they’re soft and warm, like you’re thinking of how much you love me.”

  “What an odd coincidence. That’s exactly what I’m thinking.” He kissed the tip of my nose.

  “Great minds think alike,” I quipped.

  “And fools seldom differ,” he finished.

  “Well, that puts a whole different spin on it,” I huffed.

  He smiled, then said, “Enough talking.” His lips moved to my neck and my eyes closed again. His breath was warm against my neck, and the weight of his body covering me was bliss.

  Parker moved down, unbuttoning my shirt and sliding it off my shoulders. He kissed my collarbone and the dip at the base of my neck. I wasn’t wearing a bra and my breasts practically tingled in anticipation of his touch.

  Parker pushed upward so he could look at me. My nipples hardened under his gaze. His blue eyes lifted to meet mine.

  “There’s that look,” I murmured. The searing look sent a jolt through me and told me more than any words how much he wanted me, desired me, had to have me.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said, his lips closing over a nipple.

  The heat of his mouth felt like heaven, and the brush of his tongue like liquid fire. He spent a lavish amount of attention to my breasts, until my clothes were too constricting and my body burned for him.

  “Please,” I begged, tugging at his shirt. He let me pull it off, and the touch of his skin against mine was a relief and further incentive. Time for the belt…

  “No,” he said, pushing my hand away. His tongue dipped into my navel and I forgot to breathe.

  Parker’s fingers hooked into the waistband of the leggings I wore, pulling them over my hips and down my legs. He dragged my panties with it and tossed the whole bundle aside.

  “I’ve missed your taste,” he said, pushing my thighs apart.

  Okay, that was totally hot was my last coherent thought before Parker went about setting a new personal record for how many orgasms I was capable of.

  I was sweating and panting, my fingers clutching his hair, when I knew I couldn’t take any more. I tugged on his hair. Lazily, he lifted his head from between my legs, brushing his lips against my inner thigh, then my hip.

  “That was…” I didn’t know what to say. Amazing? Incredible?

  “Words don’t do me justice, I know.”

  That got a laugh out of me. Parker lay next to me, pulling me close in his arms. I rested my head on his chest.

  “Arrogant, too,” I teased.

  “I prefer confident.”

  I could see that not only was he confident, he was also very aroused. Although I wouldn’t have thought I coul
d do anything more, my body had other ideas. I reached for his belt.

  “I said no; you’re not up to it,” Parker said.

  I pushed his hands away. “If you don’t let me have my way with you right now, you’re going to be on the business end of a hissy fit.” This time I got his belt undone. Jackpot.

  “Are you threatening me?” I could hear the smile in his voice.

  “Absolutely. Now be still.” Button? Check. Zipper? Easy there…got it.

  “For how long?”

  I didn’t answer because I’d managed to bare the part of him I was most interested in at the moment. I closed my mouth over the head of his cock and smiled when I heard his sharply indrawn breath. That should shut him up.

  I planned on paying a great deal of attention to Mr. Happy, so I settled between his legs and got comfortable. Parker was well endowed and it took some practice to handle all of him without embarrassing myself by gagging. I circled the base of his shaft with my hand, squeezing lightly as I moved up and down. He was making encouraging noises as he watched me, which turned me on even more.

  “You know you hold your pinky up when you do that, like you’re having a spot of tea.”

  I burst out laughing, which is really hard to do with a mouth full of Mr. Happy. I turned aside, resting my cheek on his thigh as I giggled.

  “It’s like getting a Downton Abbey blowjob,” he said, adding a British accent for effect.

  I giggled harder. “Now how am I supposed to go back to doing that now that you’ve made me laugh!” I complained.

  “If you can’t laugh during sex, when can you?” he asked with a shrug. Grasping me under the arms, he pulled me up until I was straddling him.

  The feel of his erection between my legs stilled my laughter, though I was still smiling.

  “You make me very happy,” I said.

  “I try,” he replied. “And I think I can try a little harder.” Reaching between our bodies, he adjusted himself and lifted his hips, pushing his cock inside me.

  “Mmmm, yeah, that’ll do it.”

  “Swear you’ll say something if it hurts,” he said.

  “I swear.” The pleasure far outweighed the twinge of discomfort from the stitches pulling a little.

  And this was the reason I spent so much time doing squats and burpees, I thought, moving on top of him. It wouldn’t do to be the first to wear out or succumb to a leg cramp.

  It turned out, I didn’t have to worry about any of those things. Parker could go all night, literally, but took it easy on me today. He waited until I came, yet again, before allowing himself to come, too.

  Our lips were locked, tongues entwined, when he finally had to pull his mouth away to gulp more air, his orgasm wracking his body. I watched him, his beautiful face contorted in pleasure as he gasped my name.

  I rested against him, our bodies slick with sweat, a satisfied smile on my face. This was bliss. This was happiness. Being with the man I loved beyond all reason, and knowing without a doubt that he loved me just as much.

  Parker kissed the top of my head, then turned us, scooting down until we were lying back-to-front spoon style.

  “Get some sleep,” he whispered in my ear.

  “Stay with me?”

  “Always.”

  Chapter Twenty

  It was another week before I could go back to work, but I felt 100 percent better and was in a great mood. Parker and I had stayed over together either at his place or mine each night. He’d gone back to work for KLP and I’d even managed to get him to go easy on yet another new assistant. I was hoping this one would actually last longer than a week.

  “Welcome back!” Carrie greeted me when I walked in. Jumping up from her chair, she rounded the counter to hug me tight. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  “I know, right? More excitement than Cagney & Lacey.”

  “Isn’t that show before your time?” she teased.

  I shrugged. “I grew up with Mom watching that and Magnum, P.I.” I headed for my office and she followed me.

  “Nothing wrong with Tom Selleck,” she said. “A girl’s gotta have standards.”

  I grinned, shrugging out of the light coat I’d worn today. Fall was hitting hard, which was fine with me. Curling up in front of the fire with Parker and a bottle of wine tonight sounded like heaven.

  “Breakfast is on your desk and I’ll grab you some coffee from the Starbucks across the street,” she said.

  “Ooh, is it that pumpkin spice latte time of year yet?”

  “You bet.” She winked. “Extra whip?”

  “You know me well.”

  I sat down at my desk as Carrie disappeared. There was a huge stack of paperwork, and I saw over a hundred e-mails in my inbox, but it felt good to be back at work.

  I was in the middle of digging my way out from under the pile when there was a knock on my open door. I glanced up and saw Charlie standing there.

  “Can I come in?” he asked.

  “Absolutely,” I said with a smile. I was acutely aware that I’d been promoted—someone with much less experience than he—and needed Charlie’s expertise. “I’m glad you came by.”

  He closed the door and took a seat opposite me. “How are you feeling?” The lines on his face were creased in concern.

  “I’m okay,” I said. “It wasn’t an experience I care to repeat but from what I’ve been told, it could’ve been a lot worse.”

  “True,” he said. “You and your dad are very lucky.”

  Something about the way he said that made me frown, but I let it pass. “Charlie, I wanted to talk to you about Dad’s resignation.” I took a deep breath. “I’m sure you expected to be the next CEO—”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “You’re his daughter. It doesn’t surprise me.”

  I smiled, relieved. “Good. I’m glad you’re not upset. I really am going to need you while we transition.”

  “Of course. I’ll be glad to help.” His smile faded. “I got an e-mail this morning from our lawyers, and we need to discuss the collusion investigation.”

  Alarm shot through me. “I thought that had gone away,” I said. “I spoke with them—”

  “Steven may be dead, but once he woke that sleeping giant, it wasn’t just going to go away,” Charlie said. “I’d expect a formal indictment to show up pretty soon.”

  Fuck. Just when I thought fate was smiling on me and life decided to give me a break, it knocked me down and stole my lunch money.

  “I don’t even know how he found out about it,” I mused. That point had bothered me, but I hadn’t spent much time analyzing it. I’d been busy healing from a gunshot wound. “I guess Jessie was the one that broke in here, but she didn’t find the documents. Those were locked in Dad’s office at the time.”

  Charlie didn’t say anything and I glanced at him. “Charlie?”

  Our gazes met and something clicked. I gasped, stricken. “Was it…was it you, Charlie?”

  His lips twisted just a fraction. “You always were smart, Sage.”

  I gaped at him. “You betrayed my father? But…why?”

  He snorted. “I knew the day you showed up that any chance I had of getting this company was down the toilet. It didn’t matter that I’ve worked for him for decades, given my entire adult life to making this company a success and him a millionaire. I’m not blood.”

  “You were his friend,” I said. “You gave confidential information to Steven Shea about this company?”

  “Please,” he said contemptuously. “If that idiot would have been as smart as he was nuts, that would’ve been all he needed.”

  I puzzled over this for a moment, my thoughts spinning. “You,” I breathed. “You were the one in the hospital room with Mom and Dad, on the phone.” At the time, I’d thought it was just another of Steven’s lackeys. But it would have had to be someone who could get that close without arousing suspicion. And Mom wouldn’t have thought twice about Charlie being in there. Charlie had been alone with
my dad a number of times.

  “Was it you?” I asked. “Was it Shea or you that arranged that hit on me and Dad?”

  “Thought I could get rid of you both in one fell swoop,” he said. “Should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was like I was inside a living, breathing nightmare.

  “I’ve known you my whole life,” I said. “And you tried to kill me?”

  “Did your dad ever tell you how we met?” he asked. I shook my head. “But I bet he’s told you about how he was threatened when he first went into the business.”

  “He said that my mom had car trouble one day and that a man had stopped to supposedly help her, but ended up threatening her instead.” When I’d asked Dad what had happened to the man, he’d said I made him understand that messing with me was a bad idea.

  “I was that guy,” Charlie said.

  I stared.

  “Your dad showed up at my house three days later,” he continued, “and he knew everything about me, including the fact that I’d killed a union boss up in Detroit. Your dad’s family, they know people everywhere, and he dug up enough information and witnesses to put me away for life. But he didn’t give it to the cops. Instead, he offered me a deal.”

  “Work for him instead,” I guessed.

  “Yep. I’ve been at his mercy for decades, knowing that at any time he could turn me in. Not only for that, but for the shit I’ve done since.”

  “It wasn’t like that,” I said. “Dad wouldn’t have done that to you.”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m done. And so’s your dad.”

  “You sonofa—!”

  “Ah ah ah,” he interrupted, and it wasn’t so much what he said but the gun in his hand that shut me up. “Let’s keep it down, shall we?”

  I clenched my fists. “What do you want?” I asked, my voice tight but even.

  “Well, I hadn’t intended for this particular cat to get out of the bag, but I should’ve known you’d figure it out. You always did have your mother’s smarts.”

  “What do you want?” I repeated. I was trying very hard not to look at the gun. My entire body had broken out in a cold sweat and I was shaking. The pain from when I’d been shot by Steven was still fresh in my mind, as was the fear and helplessness I’d experienced that night.