Only Work, No Play (Tough Games Book 1)

by Cora Reilly

  “I can’t wait,” she crooned.

  My chest constricted painfully. Xavier led the girl to the door, let her out, then turned and our eyes met. He frowned. “So what’s on today?”

  He sounded all businesslike. Like my boss. He had never sounded like that before. So that was how it was going to be?

  Good. That would make things easier for me as well.

  “Not much. Training. In the afternoon, I was going to answer your fan mail and update your social media, but I’m doing it from home.”

  “Sure,” Xavier said casually.

  Connor came over in the afternoon to pick me up for a beach run. He was still giving me that badly disguised disappointed look, and it was making me furious.

  We’d been jogging for less than five minutes when I lost my shit on him. “Can you stop the annoying self-righteous bullshit? You weren’t a saint before Fiona either.”

  Connor stopped. “That’s right, but I wasn’t too big of a dickhead to realize when I found someone good.”

  “I slept with Evie once, that’s it.”

  Connor scowled. “So you’re just going to let her walk away? For what? For that Dakota girl whose guts you’re probably hating already? What’s that all about anyway?”

  It took me a second to remember who the fuck Dakota was. “Fuck if I know. And Evie decided to quit. There’s nothing I can do to stop her.”

  “You know what you’d have to do to make her stay.”

  “I don’t date, Connor, and you fucking well know it, and especially not someone like Evie.”

  Connor got in my face. “What’s that supposed to mean? You had no trouble fucking her despite her looks, but she’s not dating material because of it or what?”

  “That’s not it, you stupid asshole,” I growled.

  “Then what is?”

  “Evie’s not interested in media attention, and she’s a good girl. She’s not the girl for me. She needs someone straight-laced, some decent bloke who makes her happy.”

  “You are such an idiot.”

  “I know,” I said regretfully. “But if it makes you happy I’ll dump Dakota tonight. We’re meeting in that new trendy club everyone’s raving about. She probably hopes someone from the press is there as usual.”

  I scanned my emails on my tablet. The recruitment firm I’d contacted to help me find a new assistant for Xavier had asked me for a meeting next week. “Blake asked again if Evie was available,” Connor said from inside the kitchen where I was heading.

  My eyes widened. I didn’t know Blake had asked about me in the first place, but he had always been nice when I saw him. Had he been flirting with me? I’d always been so focused on Xavier that I hadn’t paid much attention to any of his teammates.

  “What did you say?” I asked, barging in before Fiona could say anything. I didn’t like them discussing my love life, or the lack thereof, without me.

  Connor and Fiona turned around as if I’d caught them in the act. Connor rubbed the back of his head, then glanced at my sister like he needed her to stage-whisper the answer.

  “I told him I wasn’t sure.”

  Fiona scowled. “I told you to tell him she was available.”

  “Yeah, well. I wasn’t sure because of…Xavier.”

  “There’s nothing between Xavier and Evie.”

  “Excuse me, I’m here,” I said. “When did Blake ask before?”

  “A couple of weeks ago, around the time when you drove out to Xavier’s family farm with him. I thought…”

  “Thought what?” I asked.

  “I thought it meant Xavier might be interested in you as more than his assistant.”

  “He was interested in more of her and he got it,” Fiona muttered.

  She was right, but so was Connor. I’d also believed it meant something that Xavier had taken me to his family. I hadn’t exactly thought he wanted me as a girlfriend, but I was sure we were friends. But friends didn’t sleep with each other, and they definitely didn’t move on to the next conquest right after.

  “Do you have Blake’s number?” Fiona asked Connor.

  I narrowed my eyes at her. She was meddling again.

  “Sure,” Connor said slowly.

  “Then send him a message that you asked Evie and she’s available.”

  “I never said I was available.”

  “You had your heart broken by a womanizer who’s already out chasing the next skirt. You are available,” Fiona said firmly.

  I bit my lip. Blake was kind of cute. He was nice, pleasant to talk to and he was a sexy rugby player. There was just the little problem that he wasn’t Xavier. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “Why?” Fiona asked almost angrily. “He’s flaunting his latest conquest in your face, and you sit back and cry your eyes out because he snatched your V-card and tossed it into the dirt like an expired coupon.”

  “Wow, ouch,” I muttered.

  Fiona looked apologetic. “Sorry, but it’s true. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Do something to feel good about yourself. And Blake is the right guy for it.”

  Connor glanced between us, his mobile in his hand.

  “Okay, tell him I’m available,” I said finally.

  Fiona grinned and kissed Connor’s cheek as if he’d just won a match. I rolled my eyes. Fiona was a bit too invested in my love life.

  Connor typed a short message, then nodded. “All done.”

  “Maybe he isn’t interested in me anymore. Or maybe he just asked to be polite. Who says he’s even interested in me?” I tugged at my blouse.

  Connor snorted. “Men don’t ask about a girl’s dating status if they’re not interested in getting hot and heavy with her.”

  “Hot and heavy, huh?” I said with a laugh. “The last hot and heavy experience had me sore for two days, so thank you, but no.”

  Connor grimaced. But they had started poking their noses in my business. Now they had to deal with the consequences.

  Fiona leaned beside me against the counter. “Your second time will be better, trust me.”

  “I’ll take that as my clue to leave,” Connor muttered, and slipped out.

  Fiona shook her head with a small smile. “Wimp.”

  My phone beeped with a message. Fiona’s eyes widened. “That’s him.”

  “You don’t know that,” I said, but when I stared down at my cell, I saw that it was indeed from Blake and he was asking me for a date.

  “And what’s he saying?” Fiona asked, twisting her neck to catch a glance at my phone.

  “He’s asking if I would like to go out with him tonight.”

  “Wow, he’s eager. That’s good.”

  It seemed like a good thing, and it was flattering, though I still wasn’t sure if Blake was really interested in me like that. “What do I say?”

  “You say yes, for God’s sake. Go out with him.”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure I’m ready to have my heart broken again.”

  “Then keep your heart out of it.”

  As if it was as easy as that.

  “Evie, do me a favor, and go on a date with Blake. He’s a decent guy despite being a rugby player. He’s never been one for whoring around.”

  I hesitated, but Fiona was begging me with her eyes, and then I remembered that Xavier was supposed to meet Dakota again tonight. Why should I be home alone when he was out having fun?

  I messaged Blake back and agreed to meet him the same evening. He wrote back within a couple of minutes, saying he would pick me up at eight for dinner and a club afterward if I was up for it. I was.

  Fiona clapped her hands. “Okay. Now we need to get ready.”

  “We?”

  “You will look spectacular. Blake will fall over backwards when he sees you.”

  I didn’t protest. Fiona was a woman on a mission, and the last few times she’d helped me get ready had worked out well. Too well in Xavier’s case… But I definitely wasn’t going to sleep with Blake or anyone any time soon.
r />   Blake picked me up at eight, dressed in slacks and a white dress shirt, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. His blue eyes slid over my body. I was still insecure in outfits like this. Tight dark red leather skirt reaching up to my waist to accentuate it, and glittery silk top stuffed into the hem. The outfit accentuated my waist, hips and breasts. Everything it was supposed to, as Fiona put it. With my heels, I was almost eye level with Blake, which was new, since Xavier was almost a head taller than me even with these shoes. Blake was still tall and incredibly muscled.

  “You look beautiful,” Blake said with an easygoing smile, and I quickly pushed Xavier out of my mind. It would have been unfair of me to compare Blake to Xavier.

  “Thank you,” I said with an earnest smile.

  “Ready to go?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a nice fish restaurant close to the harbor. I’ve been there a few times. They serve delicious oysters.”

  Oysters and I didn’t go well together, but I didn’t say anything. “That sounds great.”

  Luckily, they had more than oysters and I ordered a nice tuna steak. Talking to Blake was easy. He was interested in my life in the States and never mentioned my current job. A big plus. When we left the restaurant around eleven, I was relaxed and glad that I’d accepted Blake’s invitation. He was a gentleman like Fiona had said. “Still up for some dancing?” he asked with an inviting grin as we settled in his car.

  “Definitely,” I said. His eyes darted to my lips, and my stomach flopped. I quickly lowered my gaze to my hands resting in my lap, trying to dissuade him from a possible kissing attempt. Blake looked kissable, no question, but I wasn’t ready for that kind of leap yet.

  Dancing seemed like the right kind of distraction. Of course, kissing would still be an option then as well. I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.

  Blake started the car and turned on the radio. “What kind of music do you like?”

  “To be honest, I’m a lazy listener. I always listen to the current charts.”

  “Then this radio station should do the trick.”

  It did, but the lack of conversation also allowed my mind to drift, and as usual it drifted to the one man I shouldn’t be thinking about, the man who was probably banging Dakota right this second.

  There was a long queue in front of the dance club when we walked toward it. Blake had his hand resting on the small of my back as he led me past the queue with self-assured steps.

  He waved at a few fans screaming his name before he shook hands with the bouncers, who nodded at me. They let us through without hesitation. “Do rugby players ever have to stand in line for anything?” I asked with a laugh, remembering how Xavier had gotten into every club or restaurant without waiting.

  Blake chuckled. “Not around here, no.”

  The club was already crowded despite the early hour but most people were still in the bar area, warming up for the dancing part.

  “Drinks?”

  “Yes, please.” We moved toward a free table close to the bar. The tables near the windows with a view of the harbor were already occupied.

  Two mojitos later, I was ready to hit the dance floor. I usually didn’t get tipsy around people I barely knew but I needed to get Xavier out of my head. I wasn’t completely trashed, but a nice buzz had loosened my limbs. Blake took my hand as he led me through the crowd. The bass throbbed through my body and I began moving to the rhythm, swinging my hips like I’d never done before. Blake smiled, a slower, more intimate smile and touched my hips lightly, his eyebrows rising in silent question.

  I put one hand on his shoulder to show him the touch was okay. I wasn’t even worried what he’d think of my softness. Was that because I wasn’t interested in him? Or was it just the alcohol in my system?

  He was a good dancer, and I enjoyed myself tremendously. Blake moved a bit closer and his face moved even nearer. He was going to kiss me. His blue eyes were soft. Would it be so bad to kiss him? He was nice and sexy. Not arrogant, infuriating, self-assured, and an impossible manwhore, and yet it wasn’t his lips I wanted on mine.

  Blake’s mouth was only an inch from mine, and my eyes were about to flutter shut when suddenly Xavier was there, shoving Blake away from me. Blake stumbled a couple of steps back, but caught his balance quickly.

  “Have you lost your mind?” I hissed.

  Xavier glared at Blake, ignoring me. “Hands off.”

  “What’s your problem?” Blake shouted over the bass, stepping up to Xavier.

  “My problem is that you have your fucking hands all over Evie.”

  “Evie is single. She can go out with whoever she wants,” Blake said.

  Xavier took a step toward him and Blake did the same. They looked like two bulls about to lock horns. Men. I noticed a couple of familiar faces watching with rapt attention and taking pictures with their mobiles: the bloodhounds from the tabloids. They weren’t allowed to take their cameras inside the club but of course they found a way to take photos. Damn it. That was the last thing I needed. And if the coach found pics of Blake and Xavier beating each other up in public, they both would sit on the bench in the upcoming game.

  “Let me have a word with Xavier,” I told Blake with an apologetic smile. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  I gripped Xavier’s forearm and began dragging him through the crowd, cringing when I saw more cell cameras turning our way. He followed without protest. I didn’t stop until we were outside in a side alley, away from the blaring beats and curious eyes. I released him and he bent down to kiss me, his lips brushing mine lightly before I shoved him back.

  “What are you doing?” I muttered. I couldn’t believe his nerve.

  He let himself fall backwards against the wall. “I thought this was the beginning of hot make-up sex.”

  “You are impossible,” I said, trying hard not to look at how tightly his shirt hugged his chest, how disheveled his hair looked, how sexy his dark stubble was. God, have mercy. Why did this man have to be so gorgeous? It wasn’t fair. “There won’t be any kind of sex between us.”

  A slow smile spread on Xavier’s face. “I hate unfinished business.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You didn’t come last time.”

  “Stop it,” I said sharply. I didn’t like the way he talked about it. “Where is Dakota?”

  He grimaced. “Inside somewhere. I don’t know. I don’t care.”

  “Maybe you should return to her.”

  He straightened, sighing. “Listen, Evie, I can’t stop thinking about you. I don’t date—”

  “What about Dakota? This is your third date. Don’t you call that dating?”

  He laughed. “No. I’m definitely not dating her. This is a three-night stand and it ends today.”

  “You sure?” I said.

  “Yes, I’m sure. What about you and Blake?” he said almost angrily. He was angry?

  “Blake and I aren’t your business, but if you must know, this is our first date.”

  Xavier stepped closer. “So you haven’t…?”

  “Haven’t what?” I asked.

  “Haven’t slept with him?”

  My eyes widened. “Of course not! I haven’t even kissed him, or anyone else for that matter. I don’t move on as quickly as you do, Xavier.” And I shouldn’t even have agreed to the date with Blake, I realized now. My emotions were too all over the place to drag someone else into the mess.

  Xavier ran a hand through his hair, sighing. “That’s what I was trying to tell you before. I don’t date, you know that, but we could be…”

  “Could be what?” I challenged.

  He didn’t say anything but his eyes moved to my chest, and the look in them sent a sweet tingle through my body.

  I took a step back. “I could be your assistant with benefits? Is that what you have in mind?”

  He frowned as if my vehemence surprised him. Did he really think I would agree to something like that?r />
  “Right. That would work out well for you. I’d still organize your life and you could sleep with me whenever you felt like it, and as an added bonus you wouldn’t even have to be faithful and could keep up the one-night stands.”

  He raised one cocky eyebrow. “You’d get mind-blowing sex out of the arrangement. It could be worse.”

  “You just don’t get it. All that matters to you is the next high, the next conquest. For you it’s all about having fun. But I’m not like that. For me sex is about intimacy, about allowing closeness and about trust. It’s about caring and loving.”

  “If that were true, you wouldn’t have slept with me.”

  Tears gathered in my eyes. My nails dug into my palms in an attempt to hold on to my composure. I had never really cried in front of Xavier, and I never would.

  Xavier’s expression froze. His gray eyes flickered with guilt. “Evie, I don’t…”

  “Date, I know, Xavier,” I snapped, tired of hearing him say it.

  “People expect certain things from me. I have a reputation to uphold. Dating you would—”

  “Ruin your reputation? Heaven forbid Xavier—The Beast—Stevens would be seen with a dumpling.”

  “Dumpling? What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “Don’t pretend you don’t know. I’m too fat to date someone like you.” For the first time tonight I wished I had chosen a different outfit, not one that accentuated my curves like this.

  Xavier stepped closer, engulfing me with his tantalizing scent, making me wish for something that wasn’t going to happen. “You are fucking gorgeous, Evie. Your tits are marvelous and so is your butt and your hips. You are soft in all the right places.”

  I peered up at him, my heart filling with hopeless emotions. He cupped my cheeks and kissed me, soft and passionate. I wanted more, wanted all of him, and that was the problem. I pulled back before I could lose myself. “I can’t. Not like this. Not without commitment. I don’t want to be like all the other girls again.”

  “You are nothing like them,” he murmured, his hands still against my cheeks, warm and gentle.