The Game of Love: (BWWM Romance)

by K. Alex Walker

  “How long did you date?”

  “I don’t know, around a year or so.”

  Eleven months, ten days. His thoughts infiltrated, surprising him that he’d even remembered the end of their relationship so precisely.

  “So, it took you a year to realize that you two were incompatible?”

  “No, it took me a year to realize that I was fooling myself by thinking that I…,” he bit his tongue before the L-word slipped out, “…had feelings for her. Don’t women always say that men have one-track minds? Well, all I focused on was her looks, not that she was selfish, irresponsible and dishonest.”

  She spun the bottle around in her hands. “So, you broke up with her once you found out that she was?”

  “Sommer,” he groaned. “Let’s talk about something else. Anything else.”

  She didn’t reply.

  “Let’s talk about us.”

  He searched his mind for a way to reveal his feelings for her that would still matter even after injecting Jessica into their conversation.

  “I need to stand,” she pleaded. “My leg’s falling asleep.”

  Although he knew that she was lying, he let her go, and she walked to one of the pavilion posts and leaned back against it.

  “Sommer,” he began, his pulse quickening. Suddenly, a flash of Jessica’s face cut across his thoughts.

  “Yes?”

  Sommer, none of that matters because I’m in love with you, his thoughts answered, but as he tried for the words a second time, Jessica’s face appeared once again. Sommer was standing across from him. Looking at her, he was completely certain that he loved her. So, it made no sense that he couldn’t just come out and say it.

  “I’m sorry,” she suddenly apologized. “I’m ruining the evening.”

  He walked over. “Yes, you are.”

  “Austin!”

  “Well, you were the one who said it,” he said, laughing. “I was just agreeing.”

  Finally, she smiled. “I guess I walked directly into that one.”

  He placed a finger underneath her chin and tipped her face up to his. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind how he felt about this woman, but just like he’d done ten years ago, he’d clammed up. Something was preventing him from saying what he needed to say, and it irked him that he didn’t quite know what that something was.

  Leaning down, he brought his lips to hers and had expected an apologetic brush of the lips, but she wrapped an arm around his neck and deepened the kiss. The beer in his hand all of a sudden became obsolete as he blindly rested the glass bottle on the nearest structure that he could find. Lifting her into the air, he pressed her back against the post and removed the bottle from her hands.

  “I want to go upstairs,” she whispered against his lips.

  “You still upset with me?” His lips grazed her neck and her back reflexively arched.

  “Yes, a little.”

  Austin shifted so that she fell into his arms. “Let me make it up to you.”

  He carried her across the lawn and entered the house through the back door, stealing up the back stairs to avoid interrupting the riveted game he heard carrying on in the main room. Pushing open the door to their room, he tossed Sommer onto the bed before climbing over her and taking her lips again, his passion intensifying with each quiet moan that slipped enticingly from the back of her throat. Slipping his hands beneath her top, he found her breasts and unhooked the clasp at the front of her bra. His groin tightened as he filled his hands with the caramel, creamy mounds.

  His fingers flittered over her eager nipples, and Sommer felt the sensation ripple between her legs, her body arching again in response to his touch. He pulled off her top and tossed it aside, and then bent and took a nipple between his lips.

  “Still mad at me?” he asked, his tongue swirling.

  “Yes,” Sommer managed, barely above a whisper. The ripple between her legs grew to an aching throb, and she moistened with arousal. As Austin’s tongue continued to tease the hardened nub, he used a single hand to slip her skirt and panties down over her hips before sliding his fingers between her thighs.

  Although Austin didn’t think his body could harden anymore, his erection pulsed when he felt the wet of her readiness. It took all of his restraint not to submerge himself into her heat right then and there as he’d already promised that the weekend would be all about her.

  He slipped out of his shirt and found her eyes, now seductive slits, staring back at him. His eyes traveled down the length of her curvy, naked body, and as he reached to remove his belt, she stopped him. Letting his arms fall, he granted her full control.

  Once the belt was undone, he slid out of his shorts and boxers, freeing his erection. Sommer moved forward and wrapped a hand around his length. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back as her hand stroked him from base to tip. When he felt the warmth of her tongue encircle his head, his eyes flung open.

  “I knew you were a bad girl,” he teased. “But this weekend is about you, baby.”

  “But I want to,” she replied, innocently looking up at him and circling her tongue once more.

  And oh, how I want you to, Austin thought. But he knew that if she did, it would be the end of his control. He’d only be able to tolerate so much of the hot caressing of her mouth before he found himself waist deep inside of her.

  He brought his lips down to hers and moved her backwards until he had her hips right where he wanted them. He then used his fingers to part her legs once more, teasing the throbbing organ. When her eyes flitted closed, he moved down her body and replaced his touch with his tongue.

  Her pleasure-filled curse sliced through the air, and her moans matched the intensity with which his tongue played. He licked and gently tugged on her sweet, feminine nub, and she gripped the sheets so vigorously that it sent a few pillows toppling off the side. Slipping a finger inside of her, Austin matched a gentle stroke to the rhythm of his tongue, and Sommer moved her hips in response.

  She felt weightless, uncontrolled. His tongue flicked right where she wanted it, needed it, and her pleasure mounted as he gently pushed her legs farther apart to grant himself more access. As she began to climb, her breaths became shallower and deeper. She felt it coming. Hard. Fast. Strong. No other words came to her except his name, which she cried out several times, letting him know that she was close. That she was there.

  She caught her breath, grabbed his head, and screamed his name as she felt the orgasm erupt throughout her body, shattering her senses.

  “Oh, we’re not done yet,” Austin assured, his tongue slowing as she shuddered. Rising, he situated himself between her legs and waited until the waves of her orgasm had fully washed over her. Then, he placed the tip of his erection against the place that ached for his entry.

  “Are you still mad at me, baby?” he asked, sliding in an inch, holding her steady as her hips instinctively raised to meet him. “Sommer?”

  “Huh?”

  “Are you still mad at me?”

  He slid in more and groaned in pleasure when he felt her body tighten around him.

  “No,” she whispered.

  “I can’t hear you, baby.”

  “No,” she came back a bit louder.

  “Good.”

  Taking hold of her hips, he submerged himself in the heat of her moisture. When he felt her body clench along his hardened length, he realized that he was not completely prepared for the raw need that coursed through him. Her body was unlike anything he’d ever felt, and he tempered his rhythm, savoring the wonderful cavern that tightened around him with each hard stroke. Sommer wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him deeper. She wanted more of him. As much as her body could handle. His girth. His thickness. She wanted every inch of his stroke deep inside of her body.

  “Deeper,” she managed to force out.

  In one movement, Austin flipped her over and entered her from behind, never losing momentum. She cried out again, driving him mad with lust. How was it po
ssible that everything about this woman, every single damn thing he encountered, was so wonderful? Even as he firmly took hold of her soft hips again, his body surged, and he clenched his jaw to keep from releasing himself inside of her too soon. It wasn’t time yet. He wanted her to make her cum again.

  He ran his hands down her spine and over the curve of her bottom. Then pulled her up so that she was pressed back against his chest. He placed kisses against her shoulder and neck, and again found the place between her thighs. When his fingers brushed over the organ designed only for her pleasure, he felt a flood of heat swell along his shaft, threatening to bring him to climax once again.

  “Austin, baby—”

  Her hands went to her breasts, her fingers against her nipples teasing him even closer to the edge. He flicked his tongue against her neck, against the spot he’d found that drove her crazy.

  “Cum for me, Sommer.”

  Sommer didn’t know exactly how he did it, how he turned every single spot on her body into an erogenous zone, but when his tongue found its mark, she did as she was told.

  Crying out, her body arched, and her hips rocked as sated breaths were expelled from her lungs. The feeling of her pleasurable tugs on his length caused Austin’s own orgasm to slam into him, and he surrendered his ecstasy inside of her beautiful body.

  They spent a few moments in breathlessness, and then Austin raised her hand to his lips, kissed her fingers, and lay back on one of the few pillows left on the bed before pulling her down with him.

  “I’m going to miss that,” she said, her body splayed across his chest.

  “What do you mean?”

  “When you leave. I’ll miss it. That was amazing, Austin.”

  “It’s not going anywhere.”

  “I’ve never had a summer fling before,” she went on, ignoring his protest. “It was more than I expected and I enjoyed every moment of it.”

  The word ‘fling’ stung him like a knife. Not for one second did he believe she’d considered their time together to be a fling.

  “It doesn’t have to end this weekend,” he told her, but she immediately shook her head.

  “Come on, Austin, we both know what this was. We were infatuated with each other when we were younger and used this opportunity to see what that could have led to.”

  “Right.”

  “But your life is in Texas and mine is in Yearwood.”

  “And?”

  She eased up. “Don’t do that. You never mentioned that you wanted our affair to go past this summer, so don’t do it now just because you’re still basking in the afterglow of sex.”

  He wanted to argue, but she was right. He’d spent the entire time playing coy and had never mentioned what his intentions were, so he could only imagine how she felt now that, after he’d had her, he was trying to make the claim that he wanted them to continue past that summer. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to dig himself out of a hole he hadn’t even been aware that he was digging.

  She kissed his chest. “I don’t regret anything we’ve done, so don’t feel guilty or think that you’ve used me. I’m happy.”

  The wheels in his head began to turn as he realized that he was probably starting at square one again in terms of getting Sommer to understand how he felt, and what he wanted for them.

  “That’s all I wanted, Sommer. To make you happy.”

  “And you succeeded,” she reassured. “I don’t think I’ll ever be happier in my life than I’ve been in these past few weeks spent with you.”

  The genuineness in her admission warmed his heart.

  He pulled her in for another kiss, which she deepened. When she felt him harden against her stomach, she eased up and slid down onto his erection. Still wet and hot, she moved her hips and rode him with such expertise that his toes threatened to curl. His eyes rolled back into his lids, and her muscles squeezed his length as she alternated between up and down, and back and forth motions.

  This was a woman that he loved, and whatever it was that was preventing him from telling her that he wanted her in his life way past this summer he had to find it and get rid of it. Forever.

  He opened his eyes and smiled. “You don’t know what you’ve started,” he told her, effortlessly flipping her onto her back and sliding inside of her as deep as he could go. Crying out, Sommer dug her fingernails into his shoulders and readily took in every pulsing inch of him.

  *****

  The rest of the weekend went smoothly. Sommer and Austin emerged from their room only during meal times, or at the insistence of the other couples. At the end of the weekend, they said their goodbyes, drove back into town, and talked about everything under the sun, except for what would happen the day Austin had to fly back to Texas.

  Unfortunately, as they sat on the front steps of Caroline Hayes’ two-story bungalow, the day had finally arrived. Austin’s flight was taking off in a few hours and Sommer had opted out of driving with him to the airport, knowing that she would never be able to restrain her tears as she watched him walk through the gate.

  “Preseason is a lot more nerve-wracking than you’d think,” he said, looking down the street. “Even though the starters only play for the first couple of quarters, one misstep can take you out of the season before it even starts.”

  Sommer rested her chin in the crook of her elbow. “Yeah, that does sound nerve-wracking.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes.

  “So, what will you be doing? Working with your mother at the bakery?” he asked.

  “Pretty much.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Me, Mom, Marcie, and Uncle Reese. That and monitoring Mom’s progress.”

  “Oh.” He met her eyes. “This couldn’t be more awkward, Sommer.”

  “I know, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”

  “You know that’s not true.”

  “Austin, I’m sure there’s enough sex in Texas.” She stood. “You won’t have to come back here for it.”

  He reached for her hand. “You know better than to think sex was the only thing I wanted from you, Sommer. Sit down.”

  She remained standing.

  Since she wouldn’t sit, he stood. “Look me in the eyes and tell me that’s what you want. For me to leave and for us never to speak to each other again.”

  She sighed and held his gaze until a yellow Porsche pulling up into her mother’s driveway caught her attention. As the person emerged from the car, she failed to hide the annoyance that washed across her face. Austin turned to see what she was looking at, and then smiled broadly as the person came closer.

  “Kyle Stallworth,” he greeted. “How is it that you don’t show up until the very last day that I’m in town?”

  Kyle lowered his sunglasses and flashed Sommer a pearly white smile before giving his old friend a quick pat. After high school, Kyle had remained in North Carolina to play football for NC State. He was eventually drafted by Miami, where he currently held the team’s single-season record for most interceptions by a safety. The third member of the group, Darrell Morton, had made the switch to basketball and now played in Toronto.

  “I didn’t even know you were here,” Kyle admitted. “I was just passing through to check on Sommer and her mother.”

  His eyes darted to Sommer. “How’s Mama Hayes doing?”

  “She’s fine,” Sommer tersely responded.

  He flashed her another smile and gave her body a quick scan. Then, he turned his attention back to Austin. “It’s good to see you, Riley. Are you heading out today?”

  “I am,” Austin answered.

  “Same here. I’m leaving this afternoon.” Kyle’s eyes landed on Sommer again. “What are you doing out here anyway, Austin? The last I remembered, you and Sommer weren’t exactly the best of friends.”

  Austin stepped closer to Sommer. “We’ve made amends. Sommer and I are good now.”

  “Really?” He clicked his tongue. “That’s interesting. That’s good.”

  Slipping his glasses into
the pocket of his tan blazer, he reached across and removed an imaginary eyelash from Sommer’s cheek, and then let his finger fall slowly, deliberately stroking her jawline in the process. Sommer jerked her head away and he delightfully grinned at her reaction.

  “Hold on, Austin,” Sommer said, moving towards the front door. “I’ll grab my keys. We can take my car to the airport after all.”

  Kyle gestured to his Porsche. “No, it’s okay. I can take him.”

  “I said I’ll do it,” Sommer seethed. “Austin and I spent a lot of time together these past few weeks so the least I can do is see him off.”

  Austin eyed Kyle suspiciously. Even though they played in the same league, it was a rare event for them to run into each other with the exception of when they were opponents on the same field. They would probably rarely run into each other even if they’d lived in the same city, since Kyle was a frequent face in popular nightclubs and Austin was more of a homebody. Before his relationship with Jessica, he was usually out with the guys from the team—mainly Trent and another wide receiver, Cason Allen—at restaurants and volunteer charity events. Now that Trent had married Alexandrina and Cason was engaged, it was mostly just him.

  Sommer reappeared with her purse, tossed her keys towards Austin, and didn’t give Kyle a second glance as she charged towards to the car. As they pulled out of the driveway, Kyle watched until the car disappeared around the corner, and then made his way back to the Porsche.

  *****

  “So, what’s the deal with you and Kyle?” Austin asked once they’d left Yearwood city limits and hit the interstate to head into Wilmington.

  “What do you mean?”

  “There was nothing on your face. He just wanted to touch you.”

  Sommer stretched the muscles in her neck. “I don’t know what his deal is.”

  “His deal is that he likes you,” Austin clarified. “What I want to know is if he’s bothering you because if he is, we can turn this car around and I’ll handle it.”

  She smiled at his defensiveness. “Its fine, Austin. He just stopped by to see Mom. Everyone’s been worried sick about her since word spread about her cancer.”