Game Player

by B. J. Harvey

  “Mia?” he asks, his smile growing bigger, deeper and downright sexier.

  “Aren’t I allowed just one freak-out at the mere size of your parents’ house?”

  He chuckles and gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “No freak-outs.”

  “Not even a little one?” I ask, my voice going quieter but more high-pitched.

  He leans in and like a puppet on a string, I copy him. “A teeny, tiny, itty-bitty one?” I whisper, our noses touching, one hand twisted in his, my other hand curling over his shoulder. My fingers toy with his hair. Just like that, my anxiety eases, and my stomach becomes a little more relaxed.

  “Not even a teeny, tiny, itty-bitty one, Mia. You’ve got nothing to worry about.” He brushes his lips against mine, then rests them there, his tongue doing a slow languid sweep in my mouth. Unable to resist the seductive charm that he forever uses to his advantage, I open my mouth and touch the tip of my tongue to his.

  He groans and hooks his hand around my neck, pulling me that last inch toward him and deepens the kiss, putting all of my worries and insecurities to the back of my mind. The only thing I can focus on in that moment is his mouth on mine, his hand holding me close, and the surge of heat coursing through my entire body, setting all of my nerves on fire.

  As if right on cue, there’s a loud knock on the driver’s side window, and in slow motion, we pull apart and turn our heads like possessed demons toward the sound, coming face to face with a grinning Noah and a laughing Zoe.

  “Shit,” Matt curses before turning back to me, kissing my nose and whispering, “We’ll continue that conversation later.”

  “What conversation?” I reply. “We were kissing and it was getting hot.”

  “Exactly.” He winks at me and gets out of the truck, muttering something to Noah that I can’t make out before the door shuts, and moments later, mine opens. “Let’s get you inside and put a drink in your hand. Then you might relax without me having to make out with you all night.”

  “Are you complaining about that course of action?” I ask, with a raised brow.

  “It’s a sacrifice one must make when faced with likely freak-outs,” he replies.

  Fucking smartass. “I’ll try to keep the freak-outs to a minimum.”

  “Are you two done with the verbal foreplay over there?” Noah asks. “Because I’m hungry and Zoe’s dying for a drink, so unless you two are gonna start going at it outside Mom and Dad’s house, can we get a move on?”

  “Settle petal,” I reply, as Matt wraps his arm around my waist and we walk around the hood of the car toward Noah and Zoe. “Your brother was just helping me out of his truck.”

  “I bet he was,” Zoe says with a giggle, before turning toward Noah. “Is that what the young kids are calling it these days?”

  “Hey, I’m older than you,” Matt retorts.

  “Zoe, we’re surrounded by old men tonight. I wonder if we can pick up some fresh meat inside,” I tease, not missing the narrowing of Noah’s eyes on me as he claims his wife in a similar hold to the one Matt has on me.

  Matt growls and moves his mouth down to my ear. “You even look at another guy, I’ll follow through on my promise to fuck you right then and there, putting on more entertainment than my parents probably bargained for.”

  Now it’s my turn to giggle, all nervousness and awkward tension gone.

  “There she is. Let’s keep this happy, smiley, sex-on-a-stick Mia for the night. I like her . . . a lot.”

  “I like this cheeky, sexy, gentleman version of you too.”

  “Good, because you should know by now that this is a part of me that only those important to me get to see.”

  Thud. There goes my heart stopping dead in my chest.

  I decide two can play at this game. I put my hand on his chest and lean up on my toes to run my lips along his jaw to his ear. “Just so you know, if you keep saying things like that I’ll be forced to take matters into my own hands during the party.”

  His hand drifts down to my ass and tightens, a groan vibrating against my temple. “You’re not helping my public display of erection right now.”

  “Good, because if girls were as obvious as guys, I’d be in the same predicament. Instead, just know that I’m soaked . . .” I rake my teeth against his earlobe and whisper, “drenched . . .”

  “You two coming or not?” Zoe asks from in front of us.

  “Any fucking longer and I would’ve been,” Matt mutters, and I snigger as I move away. He pulls me tight into his side and when my eyes meet my sister’s, she nods at the two of us, as if giving her approval.

  I didn’t need it, but I feel relieved I have it all the same. Zander may be a problem, but considering I haven’t heard from him yet, I’m thinking Kate hasn’t shared the news with him or he’s too busy planning Matt’s demise to ream me out.

  We walk through the front door and the immaculately designed entranceway, past the living area and out the concertina glass sliding doors to a huge backyard, decorated in streamers and paper lanterns.

  “Wow,” I whisper.

  Matt chuckles beside me. “My Mom has a flair for going all out when it comes to parties. Just wait till her Fourth of July party. That is wow.”

  I remember Zoe telling me about the Independence Day party she came to with Noah. The same party when she had a verbal smackdown with the mega slut who had been leading Noah around by his dick for years. Part of me thinks it would be funny to have a repeat performance of that. At least then I would be on hand to see the floor show first-hand as well as provide back-up for my sister if she needed.

  Matt moves away slightly, grabbing my hand and leading me over to his parents. I recognize them from Noah and Zoe’s wedding and although I’ve met them before, my nerves return.

  Meeting the parents is a game-changer. Meeting Matt’s parents after telling him I’m giving him—us—a chance is just plain terrifying.

  Matt’s mom, Meredith, smiles brightly at the two of us when she sees us approaching her. His dad, Harry, grins at me with a knowing glint in his eye. Those Taylor genes must be strong because it’s the same look both Noah and Matt have, and I can tell that back in his day, Meredith wouldn’t have stood a chance at resisting his charm.

  Matt lets go of my hand and steps up to Meredith, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek. “Hey, Mom.”

  “So glad you brought her,” she stage-whispers, looking at me as she says it.

  “I had to bring someone home eventually, didn’t I?” he jokes, releasing her and shaking hands with his father. “Dad . . .”

  “Did my advice help you get the girl?” Harry asks, and my head snaps to Matt, my eyes bugging out of my head when he bursts out laughing. He talked to his dad about me?

  “Something like that,” he murmurs, stepping back to claim me again.

  “I’m so happy you’re here, Mia,” Meredith says, holding her hand out and wrapping her fingers around mine, squeezing gently. “And Harry tells me you’ve tied my boy up in knots.”

  “Oh shit . . . I mean . . .” I stutter, my cheeks blazing.

  She gives me another squeeze and lets me go, laughing quietly. God, this is awkward. Imagine meeting the parents of your boyfriend when you already know them. They know me as their daughter-in-law’s sister and their grandson’s nanny, not the woman sleeping with their son. And I’m the first woman he’s brought home.

  “I need to um . . . go find Zoe . . .” I say quietly, completely not the strong-willed, confident woman I normally am. It’s the parent factor; it’s like kryptonite for my sass. I need to retreat, regroup, and then contemplate reengaging.

  “Oh look, there are the Winters. We’ll talk more later. You two go get drinks and mingle.” I breathe an inward sigh of relief, but know I suck at hiding it when Matt turns so we’re chest to chest. Resting his elbows on my shoulders, he lowers his forehead to lean against mine.

  “Breathe, Legs. My parents know you and loved you before, now they’re probably heralding you
as the woman who broke me from my notch-collecting spree.”

  I giggle, my body melting into his and for a moment, forgetting that we’re standing in the middle of a party.

  “You okay now?”

  “Yeah,” I reply, giving him a wry smile.

  “Good.” His voice is soft and low. “By the way,” he says, leading me over to the table where Noah, Zoe, Mac and Daniel sit. “I think it’s hilarious that tough-as-nails Mia Roberts turns to a nervous wreck when meeting my parents.”

  “Shh.”

  “It’s funny as fuck and cute as hell.” His voice is laced with amusement.

  “Shhh,” I repeat, louder this time.

  “Let’s go get a drink and sit down with the gang.” He tilts his chin and kisses me with a closed mouth, but it’s still full of meaning. When he pulls back, I see how happy and relaxed he is, and it fills me with a warmth I didn’t realize I craved.

  I didn’t have a drink at home before coming here because I wanted to keep a clear head for meeting his parents. Now that’s done, I’m definitely in need of some alcoholic sustenance of some description.

  Things shifted tonight between us, and I can honestly admit that I’m happy with the move my relationship with Matt has taken.

  I know I still have reservations, but they’re my crosses to bear and deal with. All I can do is live in the now, be happy, work on making Matt that way, and go from there.

  “If you wanted to make it clear Mia wasn’t another hook-up, you definitely succeeded, little bro,” Noah says, as I pull out Mia’s chair and take a seat next to her. “Short of pissing on her leg, of course.”

  “Yeah, smooth move, Matt,” Mac adds with a huge smile. “Who would’ve thought you were so suave?”

  Mia giggles and I relax. For some reason, I’ve been on eggshells ever since I picked her up tonight. She made my night before we’d even left her place, but it’s fucking exhausting being on edge as I wait for the inevitable shoe to drop because this is Mia we’re talking about and if she’s shown me anything over the past few weeks, it’s that nothing is ever clear cut with her.

  She’s one of the most complicated women I’ve ever met. It’s part of my attraction to her. It was definitely a deciding factor, that’s for sure. Easy is easy, complicated is intriguing. She’s like a puzzle I want to solve but have to be strategic in doing so. My strategy of being persistent and not giving her the chance to back off has worked so far, but that’s not to say it won’t eventually blow up in my face. I just have to be ready for when that happens so that I can instigate damage control and ride out the aftermath through to the other side.

  “So this is the official coming out party?” Noah muses, taking a swig from his beer as he does it.

  “Noah, stop giving them shit. It’s nice to see you both here, together,” Zoe adds.

  “It didn’t take long for news to spread, did it?” Mia says, “Not that I expected any different.” She leans forward and pours a glass of water, earning a raised eyebrow from Mac.

  “Mia, you do know that’s water, right?” Mac pipes up.

  “Yes,” Mia replies in a “duh” tone.

  “Right,” Mac retorts with a huge grin. “Nervous about meeting the parents then?”

  “Yep,” I answer, earning narrowed eyes from my woman” Totally no point in denying that. Mac’s propensity for freak-outs is the same as Mia’s—unpredictable and often. I can’t help but grin when Mia promptly downs her water then picks up a nearby wine bottle from the table and pours herself a glass.

  “Should’ve seen me the first time Superman took me to meet the Winters. I was a mess.”

  “You were cute,” Daniel muses, leaning in to kiss her temple.

  “Did you hear Mom’s coming up next weekend, Zo?” Mia says to her sister.

  “Yeah, she called me after talking to you. She’s missing her grandchildren, it seems.”

  “I wish she’d move back here. She’s so far away from all of us.” Mia reaches over and puts her hand on my thigh casually, not realizing that such a little gesture is saying a lot to the people around us. My brother, her sister, and their closest friends don’t miss it, and when I look to Noah his eyes widen, but then he nods approvingly at me.

  “She likes it in Indiana. She’s settled, comfortable,” Mia adds.

  “Maybe now that Dani is living here, she’ll consider it,” Noah adds.

  “You just want a ready-made babysitter,” Mac jokes.

  “We already have that with Mia,” Zoe says with a huge grin. “Heard from Zander today, Mia?”

  “No,” Mia replies nonchalantly. “Should I have?” She flexes her fingers against my leg, and just her touch has my cock reevaluating its exhibitionist tendencies.

  “Kate told me he’s brooding.” Zoe looks at Mia across the table, and they both burst out laughing.

  “What?” I ask, looking between them.

  “Zander broods when he doesn’t know what to do with any of us. Brooding is a step up from him losing his shit.”

  “I can’t imagine having three younger sisters to deal with,” Daniel says, entering the conversation. “I have two older ones, and they still try and mother-hen me. If I was Zander with you two and Danika, I’d have lost the plot a long time ago.”

  “Our brother is a very patient man.”

  “Or he’s just deep in denial that his sisters have sex, let alone two of them hooking up with the Taylor brothers,” Mac says, making us all laugh.

  After a while, Dad catches my attention and waves me over.

  I lean over and kiss Mia’s temple. “I’ve just got to go talk to Dad. He’s calling me over.”

  “Okay,” she replies with a smile. Her eyes are bright and she looks happy—genuinely happy—to be here, and be here with me.

  When I make it over to Dad, I see Lucy Waterman standing next to him, shooting a seductive smile my way. She’s far from unattractive but since she’s the same age as my mom, I’ve never even give her a second thought. Still, it wouldn’t matter how up for it she was—or has been in the past—I made out with her daughter Dana years ago, and the mother/daughter combo has never been on my radar.

  “Matt,” she says warmly. “I was just saying to Harry here that we’re looking at doing some extensions and we want a quote from Taylor & Son for the work.”

  “Sounds good,” I reply, putting my professional hat on and shooting her a big smile. “I’m swamped with an office rebuild right now, but I’m sure I can send someone over to have a look.”

  “Great, Matt. I’ll give you my number and you can call me to arrange a time?” she says, reaching into her purse and pulling out a business card, then reaching over to slide it into my pants pocket. What is it about cougars and going after what they want?

  I take a step back to put distance between us and open my mouth to thank her, but catch Mia storming toward us out of the corner of my eye. One look at her furious gaze and I know the axe is about to fall. There was a reason part of me has been uneasy all night and right now, the perpetual bomb is about to explode.

  “You motherfucking asshole. I saw you. I saw you take her number. You’re here”—she swings an arm wide to the crowd—”at your parents’ fucking anniversary party, with me, and not only did you let this skank put her hands on you”—Lucy gasps in horror as Mia continues—”and you fucking took her number?”

  The crowd falls silent but that’s not what has my attention. I’ve never seen her look so incensed before. Her eyes are filled with unveiled anger, her mouth curled up in disgust. “Hours, Matt, fucking hours and you couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Her fists pound into my chest, and I have to take a step back to brace myself.

  “Mia,” I growl. “Get a handle on it and let me fucking explain.” I grab hold of her wrists to control her but she continues to fight me.

  “Oh no,” she snarls. “There is no way you can talk yourself out of this. We all saw it. I defended you. Guess that makes me the chump for actually thinking you were serious a
bout starting something with me outside of the bedroom.” Tears welling in her eyes, breaking through the anger. Her shoulders slump, and I feel the fight leave her.

  The hairs on the back of my neck subside and the crowd starts murmuring again as they move on to other topics of conversation that don’t involve the very public implosion of my already tentative relationship. Mark that one off the bucket list.

  “Son,” Dad says, sidling up beside us. “You two need to talk. Why don’t you go upstairs?”

  “Sorry for the scene, Dad, but I think it’s best we leave.” I turn to Lucy, “please accept my apologies for my girlfriend’s outburst. I’ll send Jase over this week to measure up the extensions you want.” I wrap my arm around Mia’s shoulders, and her body stiffens when she hears my explanation. Oh yes, Legs. You fucked up and fucked up good.

  “Okay. Drive safely, alright?” Dad says, and I lift my chin in response.

  I look over to where my mom watches us with concern. Nodding to her with a reassuring smile, I walk back to the table where our family is and snatch up Mia’s purse. Noah’s eyes are narrowed at Mia, and Zoe’s eyes are wide and full of concern. With a jerk of my hand and without another word, we leave the group, and I lead Mia out to my truck.

  It’s not until halfway back to her place that the tightness in my chest starts to subside and the veins have stopped trying to pop out of my head. Still not trusting myself to say anything I’ll later regret, I stay silent until I pull up to the curb outside her apartment building.

  She doesn’t even flinch when I turn the truck off, and just continues to stare out the window, not even acknowledging me.

  “Why did you go off half-cocked like that, Mia?” I ask, but she doesn’t say a word. I push on. “Why would you even think for a minute that I’d be the type of guy to go after another woman when I was perfectly fucking happy—over the moon, in fact—with the one I introduced my parents to?”