DC Power Games Box Set 1

by Ivy Nelson

  Chapter Sixteen

  She tastes so fucking fantastic, Bradley thought as he lost himself in their kiss. The tensions of the night flowed out as they embraced and locked lips. A soft moan escaped her throat as he explored her mouth with his tongue. His hands slid into her hair, and he deepened the kiss.

  “Oh Darci,” he whispered, finally releasing her. Her breathing was heavy, and if he were a betting man, he would put money on the fact that she was just as turned on as he was.

  Every part of him wanted nothing more than to carry her into his bedroom and make love to her right that moment. Something told him she would not have resisted. But they needed to take things slow, and this had been a stressful night. Instead of giving in to his urges, he turned her in his arms, so her back was to him and pushed her toward the couch. “Sit,” he ordered.

  “Bradley, I... This is too...” She was stumbling over her words unable to finish a sentence. It was kind of cute.

  “I said sit,” he repeated, raising one eyebrow as he looked down into her eyes. Darci did as he asked and sank into the couch.

  “Good girl.” He couldn't help but grin when she squirmed.

  “What are you grinning at?” she asked with a pout.

  “You like it when I call you a good girl.” He tapped the end of her nose with his forefinger and settled onto the couch next to her.

  “So what?” she huffed sounding defensive.

  “So? Darci, I think I'm going to win this chase, and when I do, we'll see just how much of a good girl you can be.” She rewarded him with another squirm as her cheeks turned bright red.

  “You're adorable when you blush,” he teased, causing her face to go an even deeper shade of crimson.

  “You're not playing fair.” She was frowning at him, but he could see a twinkle in her eyes.

  “I never said I would,” he teased.

  “What do you have to do tomorrow?” he asked as he tugged her closer to him on the couch.

  “Well, just lunch with you actually,” she said.

  “I want to catch the sunrise with you. If you’re going to insist on turning me into a tourist at least let me show you the one thing you haven’t seen.”

  She crinkled her nose, and he thought she might argue, but then a slow smile crept onto her face. “OK. That’s not a terrible idea. Would you mind if we also went back to my apartment to clean up my files? I’m terrified something is missing.”

  “I don’t like the idea of taking you back there, but if Michael says it’s OK, we can do that.”

  “I’m not keen about going back myself, but I’ll feel better if you’re with me. I just need to protect my clients. I’ll go call him right now.”

  While Darci was on the phone, Bradley selected a bottle of wine and poured them each a glass. When she returned, he asked if she wanted to put on a movie. “We can put it on in the bedroom if you like.”

  “I'm not sleeping with you,” she said. There was no anger in her voice this time. Only playful teasing.

  “Who said anything about sleep?” he replied with a wink.

  She punched him in the shoulder “Bradley! There's a maniac out to get me, and that’s what you're thinking about?”

  “What?” He grinned. “I was just talking about watching a movie. In fact, I was going to be a gentleman and sit in the easy chair and let you curl up in bed. I just want to sit with you while you fall asleep. I promise.”

  “Where will you sleep?”

  He patted the couch. “She's comfortable even with two people as you'll remember.” When he winked, her cheeks grew flush again.

  “I don't want to take your bed. I don’t mind the couch.” Her voice was soft, almost timid.

  “I insist. My mother would kill me if I made a guest sleep on the sofa,” he said dramatically. Darci laughed but agreed to a movie in the bedroom.

  “You don't have to sit in the chair.” She smiled shyly at him and patted the bed next to her as she settled onto the king size bed in Bradley’s bedroom. He started to ask if she was sure but took the victory.

  “I promise to be good.” He winked as he put the DVD into the machine and settled onto the bed.

  “Thank you for rescuing me,” she whispered and laid her head on his shoulder.

  “Shhh, the movie is starting.” He kissed her hair and wrapped his arm around her as the opening credits for the film began.

  It only took her fifteen minutes to fall asleep, but he stayed where he was, enjoying the feel of her laying against him. True to his word, a half hour later he carefully lowered her onto the pillows and covered her with the blanket. After turning off the television, he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek and went to the living room to make himself comfortable on the couch.

  The next morning, he woke before his alarm and poked his head into the bedroom to check on Darci. Her red hair fanned out on the pillow as she slept, and he thought she looked like an angel. It would have been nice to climb into bed and spoon her to him. Instead, he left her to sleep a bit longer and started coffee in the kitchen.

  With two steaming mugs in hand, he made his way into the bedroom. He hated to wake her, but if they were going to make it in time for sunrise, he couldn’t let her sleep anymore. Standing next to the bed, he waved the cup of coffee under her nose and gently nudged her. “Wake up baby. It’s time to go.” Her eyes opened, barely, and she scowled.

  “Too early,” she groaned and closed her eyes again. Quiet laughter shook him as he set the coffee cup on the nightstand. He sat on the bed and nudged her a little harder this time.

  “Come on sleepy head, or I’ll have to get bossy,”

  “Fine, but this better be a damn good sunrise. This sounded like a much better idea last night.”

  “Up,” he commanded.

  “I’m up, I’m up.” Her hair fell into her eyes as she sat up in bed looking none too happy. Brushing it back, she reached for the coffee, took a long drink and groaned. “God that’s good.”

  “You’re welcome. You have fifteen minutes to get dressed and ready to leave.”

  Her nose crinkled and she stuck out her tongue. One eyebrow quirked upward, and he leaned down so he was eye to eye with her. In a calm voice, he said, “You’re lucky you’re cute and that I’m not being bossy right now or you would find yourself over my knee.”

  Those green eyes went wide as she stared at him and he watched her throat work as she swallowed. The apparent nerves faded quickly though, and she took on a defiant tone.

  “You wouldn’t dare because then I would spill hot coffee all over your bed.”

  Without breaking eye contact, he took the coffee cup from her and placed it on the nightstand again.

  “You sure you want to go there right now darlin?”

  With a vigorous shake of her head, she picked up the mug and emptied it with large gulps before scrambling out of bed and going to her suitcase.

  “Good girl.” He chuckled. “I’ll be in the kitchen. Now you only have ten minutes.”

  Something in her eyes told him she was about to stick her tongue out again. When he gave her his patented ‘try me’ look, she quickly changed her mind. Good girl.

  It had been more than fun sparring with her. Usually, he preferred his submissives to be more... well, submissive. But he liked the idea of a challenge. Especially with Darci. He knew from reading about her experiences on her blog, that she could be plenty submissive, but like she told him last night, she wanted him to work for it.

  Nine minutes later, she appeared in the kitchen. She wore jeans and a t-shirt, and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. He sipped his coffee and regarded her coolly. With a glance at his watch he flashed her a wicked grin. “A minute to spare, Miss Sanders. I’m impressed.”

  Her eyes lit up and she beamed at him so much that he swore it lit the room brighter. She liked impressing him, and that was something he could work with.

  Chapter Seventeen

  They had arrived in Arlington with just enough time to park a
nd walk to the Marine Corps War Memorial, known to most as the Iwo Jima Memorial. The sunrise was breathtaking as always, but Bradley thought it was much more spectacular today because he was sharing it with an equally breathtaking woman.

  “Oh Bradley, thank you so much for sharing this with me,” she had said as they stood watching the sun peek above the horizon before filling the sky with beautiful hues of purple and orange.

  They had spent the rest of the morning visiting Arlington National Cemetery and were now on their way to Darci’s promised touristy lunch.

  “This is perhaps one of the best-kept tourist secrets but it’s the most spectacular view of D.C. Especially with the Washington Monument being closed,” she said.

  Bradley had never heard of the Old Post Office Pavilion. It was not an exaggeration when he’d said he had done little in the way of tourism in the city.

  Now they were riding the elevator to the top of a clock tower and he had his arm slung around her shoulders. She was bouncing with excitement and it amused him. He loved seeing her so relaxed and happy. If the elevator hadn’t been packed with tourists though, he may have been tempted to pin her against the wall and stop the bouncing with a few well-placed kisses. His fingers traced shapes along her shoulder and upper arm as the elevator doors slid open.

  Darci wasn’t wrong, the view of the national mall was incredible. Lunch, not so much.

  “You’re making me eat in a food court? I bought you breakfast at Blue Duck and you bring me to Chick-En-Joy?”

  “Hey, not all of us have the expense account for Blue Duck buddy. I told you it would be touristy. Besides, that was a breakup breakfast that was meant for someone else, so I don’t think it counts.” She poked her tongue out at him and he frowned.

  “We’re going to have a talk about that tongue young lady.”

  “You won’t mind so much when I show you what else I can do with my tongue.” He raised an eyebrow at her bold comment and her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my god. I can’t believe I just said that out loud. I’m so embarrassed.”

  Bradley roared with laughter. “No need to be embarrassed baby girl. I have every intention of finding out what you can do with your tongue.”

  “Stop. I’m going to die from embarrassment now.” Her eyes darted to the table, and she picked up her cell phone.

  “Hey.”

  No response.

  “Look at me please.”

  Darci refused to raise her head, so he reached across and plucked her phone from her fingers and slid it into his shirt pocket.

  Her head shot up, and she scowled. “Give it back.”

  “Not until you talk to me. What’s wrong? I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

  “I just shouldn’t have said that. Nothing is wrong,” she said, staring at her lap again.

  “Don’t lie. Look at me Darci.”

  She raised her head and made eye contact.

  “Good girl.” He grinned.

  “Stop that. You don’t play fair. You know what being called a good girl does to me.”

  “Do I?” he asked, feigning innocence. “Why are you embarrassed Darci? You’re a fierce, sexy, open minded woman, but you’re embarrassed about exploring something with me?”

  “I feel like I’m brand new to the scene again when I’m around you. I don’t know why but you make me nervous. Besides, you know we can’t play together. Things are too complicated. Therefore, I shouldn’t have made that joke. It isn’t fair to you.”

  He sighed. Enough was enough. Time to be a little blunter.

  “Every time you bring up my career as a reason we can’t be together, I get the urge to spank you. We can play together, and unless you kick me to the curb, we will. So, let’s be clear, if you give me that lame ass excuse one more time, spank you will be the first thing I do when we play.” He gripped her hands in his as he spoke, locking his gaze on her, daring her to defy him.

  “You’re pretty sure of yourself Mr. Givens. Spanking might be on my hard limits list,” she said as she pulled her hands from his and turned her head.

  “I’ve read your blog, remember?”

  “Damn it. Maybe Michael is right. I put too much up there.” At least she wasn’t hiding from him anymore.

  “Don’t fight me, Darci. You won’t win, so you might as well give in.”

  “I’m not fighting you.” Her voice held a hint of exasperation. Then quietly, she said, “I’m just being careful.”

  “Fair enough. Let’s get you to your apartment to sort out your office. It looks like it’s going to storm.”

  Darci glanced out the window and shuddered.

  “Worried about going back to your place?” he asked as they stood?

  “Not really, I just don’t care for storms.”

  When she didn’t elaborate, he chose not to push.

  Once back at her place, Darci got to work sorting her files. Bradley offered to straighten the living room while she worked. He set about cleaning up broken glass and righting the couch.

  Outside the storm was growing stronger. After one particularly loud crash of thunder, he thought he heard Darci yelp, so he went to check on her.

  “Everything OK in here?” he asked as he entered the room.

  “Fine.” Her voice was clipped. She didn’t look fine.

  “Hey, what is it?”

  “Nothing. I just really don’t like storms.” She was on the floor surrounded by stacks of folders, so he crouched next to her and lifted her chin.

  “You’re safe, baby girl. I finished as best I could in the living room. How do I help take your mind off the storm? I would take you back to my place but it’s bad out there. I would rather wait it out here even though I don’t like being here with a lunatic on the loose.”

  Taking a deep breath, she nodded. Then she surprised him with a grin and asked, “want to play a game?”

  “Oh, I can think of a few games I’d like to play with you,” he said with a wink.

  She smacked him in the arm. “Behave. I’m talking about a card game.”

  “Strip Poker perhaps?” he suggested, trying for an innocent expression. Darci glared at him and it made him laugh.

  “No silly. I was thinking Go Fish or Gin Rummy.”

  “I’m afraid I’ve never played either.” She looked horrified, much the way she had when he had confessed to not having done any of the touristy things in D.C.

  “What kind of horrible childhood did you have? That settles it, we’re playing cards.”

  They moved to her kitchen table and Darci told him where he could find wine if he wanted it. He picked out a bottle, impressed with her small collection. While he opened it, Darci was explaining the rules of Gin Rummy. When he handed her a glass of red, she sipped it and set it aside, still intent on her explanation. Settling into the chair across from her, he studied her. The animated, happy woman he saw now was a far cry from the frightened girl she had been just a bit ago in her office.

  “It’s not polite to stare, Mr. Givens.”

  “I’m merely paying close attention to your excellent instructions, Miss Sanders.”

  “Now you’re mocking me. Staring and mocking. How rude.”

  Leaning forward with a serious expression he asked, “Shall we play? I can assure you I am not mocking you. I was enjoying how happy and carefree you seem right now. I wish you were like this all the time.” With a blush, she huffed and dealt the cards.

  Two hours later they had finished two glasses of wine each, and Darci had beat him at ten rounds of cards. Bradley held his hands up in mock surrender. “You win, Miss Sanders. I know when I’m beat.”

  She beamed. “Thank you for letting me teach you.”

  She looked past him out the window. “The rain has let up out there. I suppose there’s no chance you’ll just go home and let me stay here tonight?”

  He scowled. “That’s correct. No way in hell.”

  “Had to try. I’m going to box up my files. The intruder only touched the top two drawers. The
bottom two seem untouched. I'll have to wait until they return my laptop to do a full inventory but if he took something my guess is, he found it in the second drawer since he didn’t bother dumping the other two.”

  It was sound logic.

  He helped her box up the files and loaded them into his car. On the way home the storm picked up again. Bradley reached over and squeezed her hand as rain bounced off the windshield at a stoplight. He didn’t want to push her, but he was curious about her dislike of storms. A lot of people didn’t like bad weather, but this seemed like a fear.

  Back in his apartment, Darci stifled a yawn.

  “Someone is tired.”

  “It’s been a long wonderful day. I'm glad I got to show you some of the more touristy parts of the city. Your sunrise was pretty great too. Even if it was at an ungodly hour. I just love D.C.”

  “Have you ever thought of moving out of the city?”

  “Never! I’ve always been a city girl,” she said.

  “I grew up in Arkansas, where even the big cities are small town compared to here, but Dad was always traveling to D.C., so I got used to the hustle and bustle. I think sometimes I want to have a quiet place out of town though.”

  “I’ve never been to Arkansas. It sounds... quaint.”

  He laughed. “I’ll take you sometime. It’s not so bad.” He could see that the suggestion of taking her to his parents freaked her out, so he changed the subject.

  “Tell me more about growing up in D.C. Did you go to college in the area?”

  Darci tensed and her face fell.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. We can talk about something else.”

  “No. It’s OK. I went to college in Maryland. It just wasn’t a great time in my life, and I would rather not talk about it right now.”

  “I understand. I won’t pry.”

  She smiled. “Thank you. Can we watch something silly on TV?”