Game Over (On the Wild Side #1)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “That’s all it is, I promise.”

  Seeming satisfied, he kissed the tip of her nose. “Good.” His lips trailed down to her neck. “I’m really glad you’re coming to the game with us this weekend.”

  “Yeah, about that,” she said, flattening her palms against his broad chest. “I should probably get my own room, right?”

  “Of course.” He winked. “Adjoining rooms. That way we’ll have a little privacy after Drew goes down for the night.”

  Oh, she liked the sound of that. But she had to rein it in, pump the brakes, and remind herself she had a long and complicated history with this man. He’d dumped her once before and broke her heart, she didn’t want to be fooled twice.

  Stepping out of his arms, she said, “This isn’t what I expected when I came back to town. You and me.” She walked over to the edge of the balcony, which overlooked an open field that had been slated for a future park, according to the sign.

  He closed her in, resting a hand on either side of her, as he nuzzled her neck. “It’s not what I expected either, but I sure as hell hoped.”

  “You did?” She turned her head to the side, smiling when he dropped a kiss on her cheek.

  “Of course, I did. I heard you were single again.” He curled his big hands around her waist, letting her feel his arousal. “And I prayed you’d give me another chance to make up for the stupid mistake I made all those years ago.”

  “You really think it was a mistake, breaking up with me?”

  His hand drifted over her stomach, resting there. “Biggest one I ever made. If we hadn’t broken up, we’d be married by now. No doubt in my mind about that.” He nipped her earlobe, smiling when her backside curled into him. “We’d have a couple of kids.” His hand rested possessively on her stomach. “Maybe another on the way.”

  A shudder moved through her at the image his words provoked. So many times she’d fantasized about what it would be like to be pregnant with Deke’s baby. It was hard to believe he’d had the same fantasies.

  “You really think so?”

  “I know so,” he whispered. “And God, when I think about the fun we’d have trying to get pregnant.”

  He was killing her and he knew it. Sex with Deke had always been mind-blowing, even with protection, and she knew without that barrier between them, the hot factor would be off the charts.

  “Quit teasing me,” she whispered, sounding breathless.

  “I’m serious.” His voice was husky as he gripped her hips. “You know how much it turns me on thinking about that?”

  She didn’t need to be told. She could tell. “I have some idea.”

  “Could never imagine myself getting married or having a baby with anyone else, Harper. Only you. It’s always been you.”

  She closed her eyes and drew a breath as her heart shattered for all the years they’d lost. She’d once loved this man more than anything. But would she ever be able to love him again… without the fear of losing him dogging her every day? Once the trust was broken in a relationship, it was damn hard to re-build.

  Chapter Eight

  Deke put his nephew to bed over an hour ago and he and Donski were watching their team lose in the ninth inning. But that wasn’t what had him on edge. He kept waiting to hear the sound of footsteps next door, but it was dead quiet.

  “So, you and Harper?” Donski said, grinning.

  “Me and Harper.” Deke couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off his face if he tried, because there was finally a him and Harper to talk about again.

  “Looks like you two are getting pretty close.”

  Deke grunted. “Not close enough.” The kiss they’d shared on the balcony was just a prelude to all that he wanted to do with her, for her, to her.

  “Where’d she rush off to tonight?”

  He grumbled before tipping his longneck back. “Went out for drinks with Paul Alfinore.”

  “No shit?” Donski grinned. “You know Alfie and his fiancée split, right? She was doin’ some dude at the car dealership her old man owns.”

  Deke glared at him. “And you’re telling me this why?” He knew the reason, just to piss him off. With friends like Donski he sure as shit didn’t need any enemies.

  He chuckled. “Just sayin’, buddy. You don’t lock her down soon and you know someone else will.”

  Yeah, that’ll happen over my dead body. “I’m not worried. We’re the real deal, no one else is gonna turn her head.” He may have bouts of jealousy from time to time, but he wasn’t the same insecure kid who’d tortured himself with thoughts of his girlfriend falling in love with someone else. That guy was long gone.

  “You sure about that? She and Alfie were pretty tight back in the day, if I recall.”

  Deke knew his friend was just testing him. He knew what tore them apart when Harper was in college and wanted to see if any of the old doubts still lingered. He supposed Donski was doing it for his own good, putting their relationship to the test before it he got in too deep, but his buddy didn’t need to worry. He had his head screwed on straight this time, and his eye firmly fixed on the very beautiful prize.

  “Yeah, they were.” He stared at the screen, but caught sight of Donski’s grin out of the corner of his eye. “And still she didn’t cheat on me. Wasn’t even tempted, so I guess that says is all, doesn’t it? I was the guy she wanted then, and I’m pretty sure I’m the one she wants again.”

  “You’re pretty sure? You don’t sound too convinced.”

  “Would you gimme a break?” He tried not to take the bait, but his best friend was damn good at fishing. “She just walked back into my life. Haven’t seen the girl in years. She’s gun shy after what that dirtbag did to her. It’s gonna take some time for us to figure things out.” He smiled. “Fortunately, we’ve got time. Plenty of it.”

  Donski smiled. “I’m just bustin’ your chops, bro. Seriously, it’s great to see you two together again. No one does it for you like that girl does, anyone can see that.”

  “Ain’t that the truth?”

  Deke dipped a cracker into the killer spinach dip Harper made before she left. That girl could cook, and bake, like no one he’d ever met. He’d need to hit the treadmill twice as long every day just to stay in shape, but that was a small price to pay for the chance to be pampered by her.

  “So, where do you go from here?” Donski asked, delving into the platter Harper had left for them. “The girl’s babysitting your nephew, living next door…” He raised an eyebrow. “How long before she’s sharing your bed?”

  Couldn’t come soon enough for him, but if Deke had to wait until Harper was ready, he gladly would. Just having her back in his life was enough for now. “I’m in no hurry.”

  He coughed on a mouthful of food, covering his mouth. “I call bullshit. The way your eyes were tracking her, looked like you couldn’t wait to jump her.”

  Donski didn’t miss a thing. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to. Just said I’d be willing to wait, if that’s what Harper needs. I’m not gonna push her, man. Not this time.” Last time, he’d thought about proposing to her before she went away to college, just so he’d be sure she’d come back to him, but when he brought it up she shut him down, claiming she was too young.

  “You’re not getting any younger.”

  “Neither are you, dumbass.”

  They shared a smile before Donski said, “You always said you wanted to get married and have kids someday. Seeing you with Drew, it’s obvious you’d be a great dad.”

  He didn’t know where he was going with this, but he was losing patience. The last thing he needed was someone encouraging him to put pressure on Harper. It took everything in him to hold back with her. “And?”

  “And Harper’s amazing with kids. She’s not only a teacher, but seeing her with Drew—”

  “Enough!” Deke raised his hand, before drawing a deep breath. “You’re not tellin’ me anything I don’t already know. You think I’m not pissed at myself for all the years we wasted? I never
stopped loving that girl, can’t imagine I ever will. And it’s because of my stupidity that she’s not wearing my ring right now. I have to live with that, okay? And let’s just say it’s eatin’ me up inside.”

  He and Donski rarely talked about their feelings. They were guys. But there were times when only someone who’d known him as long as his best friend and understood his history with Harper, would get it.

  “Sorry,” Donski muttered, “didn’t mean to pick the scab.”

  The wound had healed a long time ago, but the scars ran deep. “Look, I know you’re only trying to help.” Deke covered his face with his hands, resting his elbows in his knees. “You don’t wanna see me screw this up again—”

  “I was there the last time, remember? Never thought you’d get over the shit that went between you and Harper.”

  Deke wasn’t sure he had gotten over it. He’d just learned how to deal. To relegate it to the back of his mind, so it wasn’t gnawing at him every day. And when he heard she’d officially moved on, and promised to marry someone else, he’d slowly started to let go of the fantasy that one day she’d come back to their hometown and him.

  “I just never thought I’d get this chance again, ya know? When I heard she was marrying someone else I thought that was it. It was over.” He shook his head. “It’s crazy. It’d been over for years, but it didn’t feel like it was over until I heard she’d set a wedding date.”

  “You know how lucky you are to be getting a second chance with her?” Donski swore softly when the game ended with a loss. “Don’t blow it this time.”

  “I don’t intend to, believe me.”

  Harper was slowly becoming an important part of Drew’s life, the mother-figure he’d always needed. And his kid brother had always loved Harper, so Deke had no doubt he’d be pleased she was spending so much time with his son.

  “Sounds like someone’s home,” Donski said, gesturing to the door between his apartment and Harper’s. “Which is my cue to leave. Thanks for dinner, it was great.” He stood up, stretching. “Anytime Harper wants to cook for me, I’m game.”

  “I grilled the steaks,” Deke grumbled, knowing they paled in comparison to the rest of her spread.

  “Yeah, you guys are a pretty good team,” Donski said, slapping his friend on the back as they walked towards the door. “You wanna grab a beer on Friday night?”

  “Can’t. I’m heading into the city with Drew and Harper to catch a ball game.”

  Donski’s grin spread. “Maybe I was wrong about you movin’ too slow. You spendin’ the night?”

  “Yeah.” He rolled his tongue in his cheek. “Separate rooms.”

  Donski tipped his head, studying Deke. “Why? So you’ll have privacy?”

  Damn. He knew him too well. Deke opened the door and shoved him out into the hall. “I’ll text you when we get back.”

  “You better,” he called over his shoulder as he headed down the hall. “I want details.”

  “In your dreams, man.”

  Deke closed the door softly before glancing towards the other door in the room. It was late. He knew he should let Harper get some rest, but he wouldn’t be human if he wasn’t curious about her evening with… her old friend.

  He tapped on the door gently, promising himself he would only knock once and would head to bed if she didn’t answer. But she did answer… and his mouth started to water when he saw what she was wearing. Short black cotton shorts that barely covered her delectable backside, and a black tank with spaghetti straps, sans bra.

  “Hey.” He tried to stop his eyes from wandering, but couldn’t help himself. There was just so much eye candy he didn’t know where to stop and start.

  “Hey.” She slid her index finger under his chin, forcing him to look into her eyes. Fortunately she was smiling, so he didn’t think she was offended by his blatant perusal.

  “You got changed quick.”

  She looked amused when she said, “Doesn’t take long to change out of a dress with a built-in bra when you’re going commando.”

  He scowled. “Commando? Why the hell—”

  “You’re too easy.” She grabbed his shirt and pulled him into her apartment before locking her arms around his neck. “You’re cute when you’re jealous, by the way. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you that before.”

  “You haven’t.” His hands were wandering, all over her body, but she didn’t seem to mind. “And for the record, I’m not cute. Or jealous.”

  She licked her lips, watching with amusement as he fixated on her mouth. “You are so jealous.”

  She always had his number. “Fine, let’s say I am jealous.” His hands slipped under her tank, caressing her soft skin while skimming the underside of her breasts with his thumb. “Would I have reason to be?”

  She threw her head back and laughed, tempting him to kiss her neck. Which he did. Thoroughly.

  “Uh, no.” A soft sigh escaped her lips as her hands started skimming his ribs, under his shirt. “I spent most of the night talking about you.”

  A grin teased his lips as he continued teasing her. “I like the sound of that.”

  “I thought you might.”

  Their kiss was slow and sensual, like they had years to make up for and endless days to do it. When they finally broke apart her eyes were glazed and her smile soft. “I still love the way you make me feel. Kind of tipsy, like I just downed a really good bottle of wine.”

  He chuckled. He’d never been compared to alcohol before, but if it was Harper drawing the comparison, he’d take it. Especially when she looked up at him, lust-drunk, and heady with arousal.

  “Wine?” He bit his own lip before realizing he’d much rather be nibbling on hers. “I’m thinking of something a bit stronger, more like hundred proof.”

  He slid back into the kiss, taunting her with his tongue, teasing her with his lips, pulling back and diving in, trying to make her chase him for the satisfaction she craved. He loved playing with this woman… in every way.

  A little growl of frustration escaped her lips before she wrapped her legs around his and he boosted her up, holding her ass in his palms while she curled her legs around his waist. They were on a more level playing field now, with her able to give as good as she got. And she was giving so good Deke didn’t trust himself to support her weight and his. It felt like his knees were about to buckle.

  “We need to move this inside,” he said, kicking the door behind him closed with his boot.

  She tore her lips away from his long enough to frown at the closed door. “What if Drew needs us?”

  Us? She was killin’ him. He was about ready to split his jeans and she was worried about his nephew. Just when he thought this girl couldn’t hook him any harder, she found a way.

  “He’ll be fine,” he said, kissing her neck as he moved her strap out of the way so he could lick a path over her shoulder.

  “Wait.” She braced her hands on his shoulders. “Did you have one of those baby monitors when he was little?”

  “Huh?” He couldn’t fathom what the hell she was talking about when he was so hard he could pound nails.

  She shook her head, looking exasperated. “You know, a baby monitor. One of those two-way—”

  “Yeah, sure. But he’s too old for that now. I don’t know what the hell I did with it.” And he wasn’t about to start digging through drawers to find it.

  “Deke,” she said, holding his face between her hands. “Listen to me. We could get a little privacy over here. But I won’t rest unless I know that Drew’s okay.”

  His heart? Yeah, he just lost another little piece of it to her. Pretty soon she’d been holding his heart, and all of him, captive. And he didn’t mind a bit.

  He dropped his head, trying to regulate his breathing. He had no doubt she was about to send him on a fishing expedition, so he had to try and think beyond her… lush lips, soft skin, vanilla sugary scent. Damn. Where the hell was that monitor?

  “Lemme get this straight,” he sa
id, trying to resist the urge to trace the swell of her full breasts with his tongue. “You want me to go looking for some stupid monitor when we could be—”

  She silenced him with a kiss, looking amused. “Look at it this way. If you find the monitor, we could close and lock that door and not have to worry about being interrupted.”

  He did like the sound of that. But what were the odds of finding it? His mind flashed to his front hall closet. There was a box of Drew’s baby things. Maybe it was in there. He hoped so, otherwise he’d find another way to put her mind at ease, because there was no way he was leaving this apartment unless his girl was worn out, with a smile on her face, and his name on her lips.

  “Fine.” He closed his eyes and tried to find the strength to set her down. Set her down, not let her go. He’d made that mistake before and he wasn’t stupid enough to make it again.

  “You’re the best,” she said, rolling forward to brush a kiss across his lips when her feet finally hit the floor.

  “You’ll be saying that in about half an hour, beautiful. I can promise you that.” He winked, thinking about all the ways he intended to remind her that he was the best she’d ever had, ever would have. And the last.

  “I have no doubt.” She grabbed his hand before he could get away. “Deke?”

  “Yeah.” His voice sounded rough, gravelly, like he was on the raw and ragged edge, because he was. Torn between his responsibilities, and the world he wanted to escape to with the only woman he’d ever loved. Where she was the centre of his universe and he was hers.

  “The fact that you’re willing to do this only makes you want me more.”

  And that alone was reason enough to do anything she asked.

  Chapter Nine

  By the time Deke slipped back through her door Harper was ready for him. She’d lit the candles, set the massage oil out, turned on the gas fireplace and had their favorite song drifting through the speaker.