Tangled Web Series Box Set

by Jade C. Jamison

  And they went the rest of the way around the board just buying up more properties. Her piece remained ahead on the board too. Riley didn’t care, really. It was nice seeing her laughing and having fun. He hoped she’d maintain that attitude once the clothes started peeling off. Maybe he should’ve brought some weed to take the edge off. But, for all he knew, being a straight-laced teacher and all, she might’ve kicked his ass back out the door at the suggestion of what his mother would call illicit activities.

  And then he passed Go and landed on Baltic Avenue, a property Erin had just purchased after passing Go herself. His piece nestled up close to hers on the space. “Goddammit,” Riley sputtered, but he had kind of hoped he’d be first. If he took some clothes off before she did, he thought she’d relax a little. He could tell she was a little on edge. She grinned at him but said nothing. He handed her some fake Monopoly money for the rent and then grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head, draping it on the back of the couch. As soon as he released the shirt, she lowered her eyes to the game board. “Hey, I never said you couldn’t look.” She looked in his eyes once more and started chuckling again, but he could tell she was planning to do everything but look. That was okay. He knew the power of peripheral vision, having practiced using it most of his adult life.

  She rolled the dice and landed on the Electric Company, meaning she’d have to divulge information. So after transacting Monopoly business, she said, “All right. I’ll take a cue from you. I’m twenty-five.”

  “When’s your birthday?”

  She grinned. “That’s another secret, isn’t it?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Oh…we’re gonna play that way, are we?” She was teasing him. He liked it. And, as his gaze shifted to the board to scoop up the dice, he saw she was stealing a glance at his pecs and abs. About-goddamn-time. He’d worked hard to make them worth looking at and he’d had plenty of girls on his Facebook page and the band’s website forum talk about his “hot body.” Finally, someone he wanted to check it out was.

  When Erin at last landed on one of his properties, she removed a sandal. But he lost both his shoes (and socks, per his agreement) before she lost another sandal. She was saving her goodies for last…not that he blamed her. And he didn’t mind being teased…as long as it paid off.

  And through those few times around the board, all the properties were purchased and they’d learned a little more about each other by the time the game was done. Erin told him her birthday, a little about her college experiences, and she divulged that she was working on her master’s degree a couple months every summer (and joked that she’d be done by the time she was forty). She also told him she’d had the same best friend since third grade, that she’d grown up in Winchester (like he had), and that her dream job as a kid was to be an actress. And, of course, she also lost her other shoe. He tried not to say too much, because he didn’t feel comfortable telling her a lot about himself, but he’d made the rules and had to stick to them and had to say something, for Christ’s sake. It was almost like an adult version of Truth or Dare. So he told her he had an older brother and a niece and nephew. He also revealed that he’d actually liked English in school and had gotten Bs in every English class. He’d gotten an A in the only Creative Writing class he’d ever taken. He loved Europe, especially France, because he’d visited it on tour one year. And then…how stupid…he told her his parents hadn’t been happy he’d chosen the life of a rock star but seemed to at least accept it now.

  Needless to say, he got up to fill his water glass after admitting that.

  And he cheered up right away when he felt her eyes on his bare back. And it was nice to see the flowers he’d bought for her displayed in the center of her kitchen table.

  The next roll, Erin landed on Virginia Avenue, one of Riley’s properties. Hot damn. She was down to showin’ off the good stuff. He hadn’t thought far enough ahead, but he hoped she wouldn’t back out now. This was one of the moments he’d been waiting for since he’d dreamed up this plan.

  She seemed a little distressed. “Don’t watch,” she said.

  He smiled. “Do you want me to cover my eyes?”

  She grinned back at him, a twinkle in her eye. “Yes.”

  He shook his head but covered his face with his hands. Surely, she had to know he was peeking through a slit in his fingers. She seemed self-conscious, but her fingers wrapped around the bottom of her shirt and slid it up over her head to reveal probably one of the sexiest bras Riley had seen in a long time…and they were covering up a knockout set of tits. He felt his blood rushing to the one place he needed it to avoid for a while. God, this girl had more control over him than she knew. If she had known, he would have been in deep shit.

  Think about war, famine, sewage plants, sick children…anything but those sexy—

  “Okay, you can look now.”

  He swallowed, willing his spirit down. He had to be calm. He managed to make eye contact with her but then he did look…for just an instant so she didn’t think he wasn’t interested. He smiled and picked up the dice but said nothing. He rolled and moved his piece…right onto another piece of her property.

  Fuck…moment of truth. She had no idea how long he’d debated what underwear to put on after toweling off from his shower earlier, anticipating this moment. When he was a kid, he used to wear nothing but tighty-whities, because that was all his mom ever bought him, but then he discovered boxers. He didn’t necessarily like the feel, but the chicks dug ‘em. And then he had a girlfriend tell him she preferred boxer briefs. So he switched back and forth between the two types, but he’d ditched the plain white briefs for good.

  Today, he’d finally settled on a pair of dark blue boxer briefs. It was a daring move, because he knew it would accent what he had. Fortunately, he felt confident about his size, but he always felt nervous the first time a girl checked him out. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He felt nervous when a girl he gave a shit about checked him out. So he stood and unbuttoned his fly and pulled down the zipper. Jesus, Riley, it’s not a stripper show. Pull the goddamned things off.

  So he did. As quickly as possible. And then he sat down again.

  He grinned at her and took a big swig of water. “Happy now?”

  She smiled back and her eyes looked…well, the only word he could think of to describe the way her eyes looked was knowing. He raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Instead, he picked up the dice and handed them to her.

  She rolled and landed on her own property. She laughed. “I hope you’re not too cool over there.”

  He chuckled, refusing to give her the obvious line that would have been so easy, telling her she could warm him up. Instead, he said, “Hey, it was my idea. I can take it.” But when he picked up the dice, he prayed he wouldn’t land on another piece of her property. He wasn’t ready to be totally naked, although, he supposed, that would take all the pressure off.

  But when he rolled, he landed on Free Parking. He breathed a quiet sigh and just smiled. And then he got lucky.

  Erin landed on one of his properties again, and at this point, he didn’t give a shit what she took off. He’d be happy no matter what she removed. She looked up at the ceiling as if cursing her bad luck. He asked, “Do you want me to cover my eyes again?”

  She took a deep breath, and he really liked what that did for her breasts, but he bit the tip of his tongue to keep himself calm and grounded. “No, I think I’m used to it now.” She stood up and unzipped her jean shorts. Goddamn…they were cute and short and tight anyway. Apparently, pretty damn snug. She had to shimmy them off and it drove him damn near crazy. He hoped his eyes stayed in his head.

  They must have because she didn’t act weird when she sat down. He smiled. “How long you wanna play? Till somebody wins?”

  The corners of her mouth turned up playfully. “Why? You afraid you’re going to wind up in the buff first?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve made peace with it.”

  She started laug
hing and leaned forward. “So tell me about this trust game anyway.”

  He shook his head. “Mmm…not yet.” He picked up the long box of Monopoly money and set it on the coffee table beside the playing board. He patted the couch cushion beside him. “Why don’t you come over here?”

  Oh, God, she did. Riley felt his stomach tighten. Of course, every muscle on his body had been growing tight over the last hour. Her knee was touching his, but he planned to touch every part of her very soon. For now, though, he was going to keep his hands to himself. “We were supposed to talk this afternoon, right? And I kind of distracted us from doing that.”

  “Actually, we’ve been talking, and it’s been nice.”

  “Ya think?” He was happy no matter what, but knowing she’d had no expectations about their afternoon together took more pressure off. “Well, I know something last night freaked you out, and whatever that was…well, I’d like to make sure I don’t do it again.”

  She frowned a little. “Riley, it wasn’t you. It’s me.”

  He couldn’t help but sigh. “If I had a dime for every time I heard that line…”

  “You’ve heard that line?”

  “Not used on me…not in a long time. But every guy has heard it used against him more than I’d like to admit.”

  “Well, you didn’t let me finish.”

  He nodded. “Fair enough.”

  She inhaled a deep breath. “I really worked myself up. A lot. And…can I be totally honest with you?”

  He swallowed. “Please.”

  “You’re famous. You can sleep with whatever girl you want. I bet you could walk outside and snap your fingers and have at least ten women begging to be first.”

  He shrugged. “So? Trust me—that’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

  “But don’t you get it? It makes me a cheap commodity.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Oh, no, Erin, you’re not cheap. Not by a long shot. You’re so different from those women who throw themselves at guys like me. Not only are you intelligent and sweet and a million other things the typical woman who throws herself at me is not, you’re hot as hell.” He ventured forward, sliding his fingers just onto her hair, cupping her cheeks in his palms. “If you think you’re not somethin’ special, you’re dead wrong.”

  Riley had managed to say the right things and he knew he had, because she initiated the first kiss that afternoon.

  Chapter Twelve

  SO ERIN WAS going to engage in a one-night stand (or one afternoon, as it turned out) with a rock star, but she felt better about it now that she’d analyzed it. But she couldn’t understand how Riley could alternate between sometimes being the consummate bad boy / part-time asshole and being the perfect gentleman and really sweet guy the rest of the time. Right now, he was being super sweet and had managed to fully seduce her…even if every word out of his mouth turned out to be a lie.

  It didn’t hurt that he had a hot fucking tattoo-licious body that wouldn’t stop, and he’d been parading it around her apartment long enough to get her way too hot and bothered to even try to say no, no matter how well she was able to hide what she was really thinking.

  And undressing for him? Well, that had just upped the ante. Feeling his eyes on her as she’d worked her shorts off had been a turn on too. She saw the look in his eyes when she’d finished peeling them off. So she’d called his bluff. Were they just going to play adult Monopoly all afternoon or what?

  And then his little assurance that she was not just some chick. Truth or not, he was smooth and convincing and she was gonna go for it. So when he’d taken her face in his hands, her lips found his and, she hoped, told him she was ready for wherever he wanted to go.

  No, she hadn’t built his kiss up to be better than she’d remembered. He was a pro. And just one kiss made her body go from being a little excited to ready for lots more. His tongue was warm and smooth and danced with hers as she felt her nipples grow hard. Her hands had been drawing slow unconscious swirls on his chest as she greedily felt his definition. His pecs were as smooth and hard as marble but, unlike marble, warm and bordering on hot. And he smelled so good, wearing that same spicy scent she’d caught a whiff of last night.

  When his lips left hers and moved to her neck, she didn’t stop him this time. Instead, she heard a heavy sigh escape her lips as she tilted her neck to the side. He took the invitation and his ravenous lips nibbled and licked, working their way down. He moved his hands to her back without missing a beat. She leaned back against the arm of the couch and his lips continued their journey down until he kissed the swell of her breast just above the scalloped edge of her bra. She arched her back in anticipation of his further attention but he stopped and brought his face up to hers again. She fluttered her eyes.

  “How about we move to your bedroom and I’ll tell you about our trust game?”

  She felt her eyes widen, but she supposed she was ready…maybe. She’d never played with handcuffs before and didn’t know how comfortable she felt about it, but she really wanted to fuck Riley. Maybe after all the sex he’d had over the years (something she really shouldn’t think about if she wanted to stay in the mood), he needed a little kink to get off. She took a deep breath and nodded, then stood up. He grabbed the handcuffs off the coffee table and joined her. She figured her guess was right when she saw he wasn’t even hard.

  Maybe just a one-time fling was a good idea.

  She walked down the hall to her room, her fingers laced in his, and she opened the door. Her bedroom in this apartment had only seen two other men, both guys that had ruined her opinion of males, probably for good. She had some nice memories of the sex, but the relationships, especially near the end, soured any good feelings she had about those men. Maybe Riley could change all that, particularly if she loved him and left him. And that was the plan.

  Her bedroom was light and airy. The walls and furniture were white, while the comforter and drapes were white with tiny flowers, just a slight accent of color. The carpet was a beige color that matched the door. The window was open, blowing in a soft breeze, ruffling the drapes. And the room smelled sweet, like the remnants of her papaya lotion and the pomegranate-scented candle on the nightstand.

  She stood at the foot of the bed to give an unnecessary introduction. “Well, here it is.” Riley threw the cuffs on the bed and pulled her close up against his body, his hands around her waist. He was acting a little more aggressive as he submerged her in another fiery kiss that left her wanting so much more.

  Then he said, “So…the handcuffs. Have you ever done anything involving bondage before?” She shook her head. “Never?”

  “Never.”

  He glanced over her head. “You have a headboard. Perfect.” He looked down at her again. If any guy she’d ever met had what women referred to as bedroom eyes, it was Riley. His eyes were heavy and sleepy-looking, and it made him look sexier. “If you don’t want to do it, I’m cool with that.” He moved his lips to just below her ear and whispered so she could barely hear. “But here’s my plan.” He kissed her neck, then breathed in her ear, and she felt her nipples turn rock hard again. “I cuff your arms, and then I ravish your body.” His hands, hot, were gliding over her back, achingly slow. “If you’ve never done it before, I gotta tell you…”—he moved so he could see her again, his nose touching hers—“being restrained does something for your orgasm that, shit, I can’t describe.” His dark eyes that bore into hers as he touched her forehead with his flooded her vision and she nearly drowned in his worshipping gaze. “I promise I’ll make you feel better than you have in a long time…maybe ever.”

  Should she trust him? Probably not. But his eyes were beckoning to her and he’d titillated her to the point of no return. She wanted him, and she wanted to give him the chance to fulfill his promise. She guessed, though, that sex with him would be fucking awesome anyway. Her eyes explored his, and she felt in that moment like she could trust him. She nodded. “Okay.”

  His voice was deep when he sa
id, “I promise you won’t regret it.” One thing Erin did know…none of his groupies would have received this kind of attention. And with that thought, she felt herself grow wet, ready to be touched by him. He kissed her again and pressed her into his body. She could feel the stirrings of his hard on against her and that made her want him even more.

  As his lips moved to her neck again, she said, “Uh…just…uh, use a condom, okay?” It was probably the last coherent thought she’d have.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  She hadn’t seen him bring any, but she supposed that was part of the trust thing too. She was going to. She was going to trust him fully and completely, and if he fucked that up, well…she’d make damn sure he regretted it. In the meantime, she was going to let go of all worries, all inhibitions, and let him get on with fulfilling his promise.

  He looked in her eyes again. “Do you know what a safeword is?”

  “I’ve heard of it, but no.”

  “It’s…uh…common in BDSM. Stop just doesn’t mean shit, so you have a safeword that communicates you really do want someone to stop.”

  “So…you mean, like, if I said security, that would mean to stop?”

  “Yeah…you got it.” She nodded. What the fuck was he going to do if she’d have to ask him to stop? He didn’t plan on hurting her, did he? The thought dissipated as Riley cupped both of her ass cheeks in his hand and pushed her up against him while he kissed her again. Her breathing was already ragged and she felt desperate. She wrapped her right leg around his calf and slid her hands up his chest, relishing the feel of his smooth skin and taut muscles. He moved his hand down the thigh of her leg, and his fingers tantalized the tender skin on the underside. He continued a slow but steady barrage of kisses that removed all thought from her head and left only burning desire and pure instinct in their wake.

  Then he slid his hands up her back causing her to gasp with the deliberate slow motion. When his fingers got to her bra strap, he fiddled with it until the clasps released. But rather than take immediate advantage of her breasts’ independence, he slid his hands back down to her thighs while bending a little, then he lifted her up as though she weighed no more than a pillow. He walked over to the side of the bed and then leaned forward and she adjusted so he could sit her on the bed.