All In: Playing to Win (Gambling With Love Book 5)

by Hart, Lane

  "Holy shit!" she exclaims, scrambling to her feet that are in pair of sexy white fuck-me heels. "You didn't tell me Zack Bradford was coming over, honey. I would've put on something nice."

  Great, so she is a fan. That should make this easier.

  "Oh baby, the only thing nicer than what you're wearing right now would be nothing at all," I tell her with a cocky grin. Her face flushes and those red lips part on a gasp.

  "Good fucking luck," Jake snorts when he crashes into a chair, rapidly flipping channels on the TV. “She’s colder than ice, man. And quit the act, bitch. He knows you're paid to be here."

  The woman's big amber eyes narrow at the back of Jake's head before she turns them to me again.

  "Addison, right?" I ask, holding out my hand.

  "Sure am. It's really nice to meet you. I'm a huge fan," she says and Jake scoffs loudly. At the same time I think fuck yes, the stupid thought that she probably isn't as big a fan as Natalie comes out of nowhere and hits me. Goddamn that woman.

  "It's nice to meet you too. Really nice," I say, giving her another sweeping head to toe look.

  "Can I get you anything? Maybe a drink?" she asks, biting her plump bottom lip seductively.

  "Rum and coke?" I ask.

  "Coming right up," she says, heavy on the entendre. Too bad it isn’t having any effect on my dick.

  I follow her into the kitchen anyway, watching her move around like she's familiar with where everything is. Guess she's staying here, spying on Jake for Satan and Jerry.

  A minute later she brings me a full liquor glass, standing in my personal space closer than is normally polite. "Wow, you're really…big," she says.

  "You ain't seen nothing yet, baby," I reply, and the flirty words burn my throat on the way out.

  "Is that right?"

  I sip my drink to cool the sting while watching her, swallowing hard to try and keep the liquid down. My mind keeps flashing back to the image of Natalie and another man leaving her place. Would she ride his cock in the front seat of his SUV? Ask him to come up to her apartment and let him fuck her? I clench and unclench my fist. I need a distraction and the perfect one is standing eager and ready, right in front of me. So why does it feel wrong? Because I've become a pussy, that's why.

  "Lead the way and I'll be glad to show you," I tell Addison, sitting my empty glass down on the island counter.

  The sassy, pin-up girl's eyes fill with lust as she walks by me, brushing her curves against the front of my body on the way down the hall. She stops and enters one of the bedrooms, hers I’d guess by the look of all the girly shit sitting around. Crawling up on the bed with her dress and shoes still on she's ready to go.

  I reach for her foot and pull her heel off. "You should get comfortable. We might be here awhile," I tell her and she smiles.

  Once her other shoe is tossed I pull my shirt over my head and then start on my belt buckle. If Addison's having regrets or second thoughts they don't show on her beautiful face. Desire is all that I see staring back at me.

  I strip down to my boxers, leaving them on since my dick hasn't decided to come out and play just yet. Son of a bitch.

  I climb onto the bed and lay down beside her, then my work is done.

  Addison, who I’d just met less than ten minutes earlier, straddles my hips and rubs her hands over my chest and stomach before her mouth comes down to mine.

  Panic threatens to choke me when I start wondering if Natalie is kissing some asshole, or if she's in her bed riding him this way. Why do I fucking care? We were just temporary, a means to an end to make Jerry happy so I could keep my contract. She's not mine and doesn't want to be. I remind myself that she's no different than all the other countless women I've fucked over the years and don't give a shit about.

  But that's a fucking lie.

  I miss her.

  This is about the time I realize Addison's mouth is migrating south and there's still no response from my dick. Great, I can't even fuck the one person I could get away with fucking.

  I don't actually want to fuck this beautiful girl which is...concerning to say the least.

  Rather than embarrass myself when she notices I'm not aroused, I decide to stop being so fucking selfish. I flip our positions, so that I'm on top and in control. My hands push the short dress up her thighs until her white thong is revealed, then I yank the lacy string down her legs and off of her.

  As soon as my tongue touches her clit she screams my name, but it's a hollow sound. All I can think about is that she doesn't taste like Natalie. I can't stop thinking about that woman's goddamn cupcakes.

  "What the fuck?" Jake exclaims from the doorway that Addison hadn't bothered asking me to close.

  Huh, I guess she's an exhibitionist, or she wanted him to see what we're doing. Was she trying to make him jealous? Using me like I'm using her? Well, hell, that made me feel a little better, and like her a little more.

  Even though Jake's probably still watching, I don't let up with my tongue fucking until Addison's body shakes with her release. If my dick was cooperating I'd probably start fucking her, but it isn't. Instead, I flop down on the mattress beside the woman who's still trying to recover. Her arms are thrown above her head and her glistening pussy is still exposed.

  Glancing back to the door, Jake is standing there looking shocked, turned on, and…pissed? Was he jealous? Maybe her plan worked after all. I've always heard there's a thin line between love and hate, and these two clearly hate each other.

  "You're wrong about her being a frigid bitch, Jake. Her pussy is so damn hot, I think she burned my tongue," I taunt him.

  "Fuck you," he says, his eyes never leaving Addison’s exposed lower body. When he licks his lips I’m almost certain he’d give anything to get between her legs.

  A few seconds later Addison rolls on top of me and starts working her way back down my body. Shit. On her hands and knees hovering above my hips she pulls my cock out and tries to inflate it with her mouth.

  When it doesn't work, Jake laughs and moves closer to the bed, probably to get a better view of her still bare ass that’s raised in the air. "Sorry, sweetheart, but it looks like you're shit out of luck. His cock’s broken."

  "Take your peeping Tom ass out of here," Addison says to him. "Maybe he doesn't like having an asshole audience."

  "Oh, darling, you have no idea how many women we've watched each other fuck, and fucked at the same time," Jake tells her. "He just doesn't want you."

  Holy shit that was cold, even for a man I already knew was soulless. At least he left after that parting comment, so I could try to do damage control.

  "Addison, he's full of shit," I tell her. After tucking my limp cock away in my boxer briefs I can’t help but tug on a handful of my own hair in frustration. "You're a beautiful woman, and I…he's right about my cock being broken. I just can't get out of my own head..."

  "Is it that blonde woman? The one you've been seen making out with everywhere?" she asks, climbing up the bed to lay on her stomach next to me. Great, we're going to have a nice girl chat. Maybe that's what I need, a woman to tell me what the fuck is going on with Natalie.

  "The stubborn woman refused to date me, so I pursued her until I convinced her, or basically bribed her to go on a handful of dates with me. Then she fucks me a few times before suddenly kicking me out of her apartment. Oh, and after that I got the whole, 'let's just be friends' spiel. Just now, I gave in to my better judgment and went by her place and saw her leaving on a date with some asshole!"

  "Wow. What's wrong with her?" she asks seriously. "Oh I know, she's blind, right?"

  I scrub my face with my hands. "No, she's not blind."

  "Mentally incompetent?"

  "Nope."

  "Then I have no fucking clue. Except..." she starts and then hesitates. I look over to see her biting that damn lip again.

  "What?"

  "You are known for being a player. Maybe she just doesn't want to be played."

  "I thought I went out of
my way to show her I wasn't trying to play her." Well, I am playing her, but in a way she doesn't know, which is to keep my contract.

  "Sorry, but I have no further advice, and I'm a freaking expert. Psychiatrist," she explains, pointing to herself.

  "I bet Jake keeps you busy with all his psychotic bullshit." I chuckle, even though my chest is aching like never before.

  "You have no idea. I'm starting to think the man might just be pure evil."

  "And yet your dad got you to agree to live with him and date him for several weeks?"

  "I'm using the money he's paying me to start my own practice and get a little publicity. He needed a non-slut. You're not going to…tell anyone about this, are you?" she asks hesitantly.

  "Hell no. I hope you'll keep my problems to yourself, too."

  "Of course, doctor-patient confidentiality," she says with a smile. "Too bad they didn't hook me up to be your fake girlfriend."

  "Yeah," I reply, but it's a complete lie. I don't want anyone to be my girlfriend, real or fake, except for Natalie.

  Chapter Eleven

  Natalie

  My dates with Blake have turned out to be more fun than I imagined. I wasn't even pissed at Rachel anymore.

  The man knows about my past with cancer and still seems interested in me. Even though he is a very fine looking man, smart, funny, successful, and the list could go on and on, I wasn't feeling anything more than friendly toward him. Wasn't that ironic. I told the man who I want so bad it hurts that I just want to be friends, and the guy that I should want I don't feel anything romantic for.

  "These are great seats," Blake says after we settle in at the stadium. We were lower level, but sitting near the top.

  "Yeah, they are pretty sweet, although last week we were on the front row between those goal posts," I tell him, pointing over to the section.

  "No shit? I bet that was amazing!" he exclaims, making me smile since he sounds more excited than a little boy.

  I look out onto the field where the team is warming up. My eyes automatically search out number fourteen. He's tossing passes back and forth with his backup in the middle of the field. Every so often his eyes flit around the stadium like he's looking for someone.

  Stop it! I order my stupid heart. It's so desperate for him it's starting to make up shit like him looking for me in a stadium full of thousands of people.

  "You a big Bradford fan?" Blake asks, and it takes me a minute to recover after I realize I'm wearing his jersey, in pink for the breast cancer awareness halftime event. That's where Blake’s question had come from, not my blatant ogling.

  "Yeah, I guess you could say that. It's sort of a love, hate relationship, though."

  "I know what you mean. After the first three games this season I was so freaking pissed at him for all the interceptions and letting himself get sacked. But then he came through last week with that rushing touchdown and twenty out of twenty-four completed passes."

  "Exactly," I say, even though my feelings have nothing to do with his skills on the field. I'm pissed at him for not calling me, which is dumb since I'm the one who blew him off. I loved spending time with him, but then I ruined everything. I know I'm better off, though. It would've eventually ended badly and I'd hurt even more than I do right now.

  …

  Zack

  I feel like absolute shit. All I think about is Natalie. I miss her so fucking much, and still don't understand why she pushed me away. I'm also worried about what our split means for my job. Nothing has been said yet, but I know it's coming. Still, all week I wasn't willing to put my pride aside and just call her, not after seeing her with someone else.

  During warm ups I looked around the stadium, remembering Bill mentioning that Natalie was coming to today's game. There were some breast cancer events pregame and during halftime, so I figure she's here helping out with both, and promoting the online auction for the foundation. My search was fruitless though, since the stadium is too big and filled with fans.

  Luckily after kickoff our defense was able to get two turnovers, making my job easier in the first half. We were up by fourteen by halftime.

  I walk back out onto the field a few minutes early before the second half starts to try and see her. And there she is.

  Natalie's standing in the middle of the field wearing a pink jersey, my pink jersey, with a group of women. Their close-ups appear on the jumbotron, along with the caption, "Breast Cancer Survivors."

  No, that's impossible. She can't be, she's too young. I'm sure that Natalie's just out there for work. But then when the man on the field presents her with a bouquet of flowers like the ones the other women are holding, it feels like my world turns upside down. Natalie survived cancer? The woman I just met and can’t stop thinking about? When was she sick and why didn't she tell me?

  Oh no.

  This is why. Why she wouldn't let me touch her above the waist. Why she pushed me away. She'd been too...embarrassed, or scared to tell me. She's probably afraid of what I'd say or what I'd think about her losing one or even both her breasts to cancer. God, did she think I was that shallow? Every inch of that woman is incredible, and there's nothing that could ever change my mind about that.

  I don't even realize I'm moving until I'm so close that Natalie looks over and meets my gaze. Even then I can't stop my feet. I head straight for her, and without a word, toss my helmet and wrap her in my arms. My mouth covers her delicious, vanilla lips and I swallow her gasp of surprise. Her arms are around my neck and holding on to me the next second. I feel wetness on my face and I don't know if it's my tears or hers. Maybe a mixture of both.

  Knowing what she's been through only makes me want her more. Not just want her, but need her. The thought of her becoming ill and not catching it in time has me in a panic. I can’t imagine not having her in my life now that I've been given a second chance with her. I was an idiot not to chase her in college, and I sure as hell won't make the same mistake twice.

  I don't care if she's seeing someone else. He better get ready because I'm going to put up a goddamn fight before I let her push me away again.

  I kiss Natalie hard, pouring how I feel about her into it. How I've missed her. How I want her regardless of what insecurities she might have. When we finally pull apart I use my thumbs to wipe the moisture away from her cheeks.

  "Is this the real reason?" I ask her and she nods, looking away while covering her quivering bottom lip with the back of her hand.

  "I'm not a shitty lover and you want to be more than 'just friends'?" I ask.

  She gives me a tearful smile and nods.

  "So I am a shitty lover?"

  "No, of course not," she says, finally raising her misty, jade eyes back to mine. "The real thing is even better than the fantasy."

  "Good," I say in an exhale. "Because being with you is...incredible. There's nothing like it. So just...please give me a real chance, Natalie," I plead with her. After a few seconds she gives me a small nod and then we're being ushered off the field for the second half. "I'll see you after the game," I tell her with one last quick kiss.

  I grab my helmet from where I'd abandoned it and make my way to the sideline. I watch as Natalie heads for the stands, so I'll know where to find her after the game. Section one-twenty-two.

  I still can't wrap my head around this revelation. The beautiful, sweet woman I'm falling for could’ve lost her life to cancer. Oh fuck, what if it comes back? Isn't that more likely if she's had it once before? What if she gets sick again? What if it's worse and she...I can't imagine a world without her in it. She's just too young and too vibrant. I need her too much to lose her. The panic overwhelming me is like nothing I've ever felt before.

  Now I saw her job at the breast cancer center in a different way. Why my being late had upset her personally the other day, because she thought I didn't take her cause seriously. A cause that helps save the lives of women just like her.

  God, I'm such a fool. An arrogant, self-absorbed prick.

&nbs
p; "You all right?" my teammate Jonathan asks.

  "Natalie had breast cancer." Just saying those words make me sick to my stomach.

  "The knockout from the breast cancer auction?" he asks. I don't care much for his compliment, even if it's true.

  "Yeah. We've been seeing each other, and she…she didn't tell me."

  "It's a scary thing. I lost my grandma to breast cancer," he says.

  "I'm sorry, man."

  "Bradford! Get your ass in gear," the quarterback coach yells at me. I needed to get in a few throws because the second half kicked off and now I've completely missed it.

  In that moment, and for the first time in my life, football suddenly seemed…trivial.

  ...

  The Wildcats won, of course. Our lucky charm was sitting in the stadium. I'd played the best game of my NFL career, with thirty-five of thirty-eight completed passes, three hundred and sixty passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and forty yards rushing.

  As soon as I finish shaking hands with the players on the losing team, the San Diego Sharks, I head for section one-twenty-two. I hurdle over the stadium wall and start searching for Natalie. It isn't easy with all the fans talking to me and heading for me, but a gravitational type pull leads my eyes right up to where she's standing at the top of the crowded section. I jog up the steps to catch her before she leaves the stadium.

  Natalie does a double take when she sees me, then stops so abruptly the man behind her runs into her backside. His hands come up around her waist like they're not strangers. Fuck. I didn't even think about her being here with him!

  "Holy shit, it's Zack Bradford!" her man says. Great, he's a fan. Why'd that make me hate him even more?

  "Hey," I say when I'm standing in front of her.

  "Hey," she says, then licks her lips, making me want to do the same. Screw it, she let me kiss her on the field, and had definitely reciprocated.