Winning Ace: A Winning Ace Novel (Book 1)

by Tracie Delaney

  “Come on,” Brad said, sticking out his elbow. “I’ll buy you a coffee while you wait for his highness to finish preening.”

  Despite her inner turmoil, she smiled and linked her arm through Brad’s. She liked him. He had a straight-talking approach that Tally appreciated, and he clearly cared about Cash.

  Brad put a steaming latte in front of her along with a chocolate chip muffin. She accepted the drink but shook her head at the cake. He pushed it towards her anyway.

  “Thanks, but I need to watch my weight.”

  “Rubbish. There’s nothing wrong with you. Now, eat.”

  She broke off a small piece, promising herself that she’d eat a little so as not to hurt his feelings. “Brad, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” Brad said, taking a huge bite out of his own muffin. He brushed at the crumbs that fell on his shirt.

  “What did you mean before when you said for me to keep doing what I’m doing?”

  Brad put his muffin down, wiped his hands on a napkin, and lifted his eyes to hers. “Tally, you don’t know Cash that well yet. He’s extremely… complex. But today, he seemed calmer, more centred than usual. It’s good to see him have a life and be focused on something other than tennis and chasing skirt.”

  Tally blanched at Brad’s raw assessment. She broke eye contact and picked at a stray piece of cuticle on her thumb. Despite Cash’s multiple reassurances, thinking the worst was easier. She could still be “skirt,” just a different variety. Cotton instead of polyester.

  “You’re doing it again.”

  Her head snapped up. “Doing what?”

  “Worrying.” Brad sighed. “Look, I’m no mind reader. I can’t tell you how long Cash’s interest in you will last any more than the next man. But what I can tell you is I’ve never seen him like this.”

  “Like what?” she asked, fishing for any snippet that would go some way towards settling her concerns.

  “Giddy.”

  She laughed. “Giddy is not a word I’d ever use to describe Cash.”

  “Me either.” He shrugged. “Maybe happy is a better word, and if anyone deserves to be happy, it’s Cash. Don’t worry about Kinga. She’s bloody good at her job, and she and Cash are close, but he has zero interest in her sexually. Trust me on that.”

  She nodded and sipped her coffee as another thought nagged at her. “Brad, do you know someone called Gracie?”

  “Not to my knowledge. But in my defence, I was probably drunk.”

  She laughed. “I meant do you know someone called Gracie that Cash knows?”

  Brad’s nose wrinkled. “No, never heard him mention her. Why?”

  “No reason.”

  “Tally, don’t overthink things.”

  “You sound like Cash.”

  “That’s because we’re both smart.”

  Brad waved his arm, and she glanced over her shoulder in time to see Cash heading their way. His hair was still damp from the shower and it flopped over his forehead even though he kept swiping it away. Her stomach fluttered.

  “There you are,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. “Whatever he’s said, ignore him.”

  “That’s a shame,” Brad said. “I was just talking you up.”

  “Of course you were. Ready to go, sweetness?”

  Cash’s tone was clipped, and Tally flashed him a questioning look, but he was giving nothing away. “Yes,” she said, scurrying to her feet.

  He draped an arm around her shoulder, the casual action belying his body language. “Same time tomorrow, Brad. Tell Jamie to call me. We need to get a gym session in later.”

  Cash barely spoke a word on the way to lunch. Desperate to ask about Kinga, but needing to choose her moment, Tally stared out of the window. When he got in one of his moods, she didn’t know how to handle him, but something was definitely off.

  The restaurant he chose was small and cosy. The waiter showed them to a table by a floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked a small park. Tally watched a couple of kids playing on the swings. They were giggling together, their cheeks rosy from the cool wind, as they swung as high as they could.

  “I’ll give you a moment, sir,” the waiter said, placing two menus on the table.

  “No need,” Cash said. “We’re in a hurry.”

  Tally frowned. “Why are we in a hurry?”

  Cash gave her a look, the one that made her knees tremble and butterflies swarm her stomach.

  “Okay.” She gave him a knowing smile. “But I’m telling you now, if anything like octopus or sheep’s head lands in front of me, you’ll be wearing it.”

  Cash grinned, his bad mood momentarily lifting. He buried his head in the menu. “Two portions of the wild pigeon,” he said without looking up at the waiter. “And a bottle of still mineral water.” He lifted his eyes to hers. “Do you want a glass of wine?”

  She shook her head. “No, water is fine, thanks.”

  Cash handed over the menus and reached for her hand, his thumb skating over her knuckles. “I’m sorry today’s been so boring. Unfortunately, until the tournament is over, there are going to be a few more days like this.”

  “I haven’t been bored. I loved watching you practice.”

  “That’s good, because I’m not letting you out of my sight this week. I like the idea of looking across the court and being able to watch you watching me.”

  His gaze was unwavering and intense with undertones of sensuality. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the tips of each one of her fingers. Pleasure rushed through her from both his touch and his words. He really did seem to want her around, and she had to start believing that before her constant questioning of his intentions began to get on his nerves and he decided she wasn’t worth the hassle.

  The waiter poured them each a glass of water, and she took a sip and then a deep breath. “Cash?”

  “Yeah?”

  “What did Kinga want?”

  The warmth in his face evaporated, and his eyes flashed with anger. She’d seen him angry a few times, and when he showed that side of himself, he was fearsome. Dread crept through her, turning her blood cold. Whatever had happened, it wasn’t good. What she didn’t know was whether it was bad for her, or bad for Kinga.

  “Tell me.” She pressed him, unable to stop what she’d started.

  His jaw was clenched tight, and a pulse beat in his cheek. “Drop it.” He picked up his glass of water and downed the whole thing in one go then poured another. Before he could lift the glass to his lips, she clamped her hand over his. His gaze fell to where their hands were joined.

  “No, I won’t drop it. Tell me, or I’m leaving.”

  His head snapped up, surprise showing through his anger. “Don’t.”

  “Then stop hiding things from me. I’m sick of having the same argument.”

  His smile built slowly, but there was a cruelty to the shape of his lips. “Are you sure you want to know?”

  Her heart beat a little faster. Did she? Whatever had happened, she now knew she wasn’t going to like it.

  “Yes.”

  “Kinga kissed me.”

  THIRTY

  Cash sat like a fucking mute, unable to find the words to explain what had really happened, while Natalia made up all sorts of shit in her head. She snatched her hand away from his and fiddled with her napkin.

  When she met his gaze, her face crumpled. “You kissed,” she whispered.

  “She kissed me,” he reiterated.

  “But you let it happen.”

  He clenched his hands. “It wasn’t like that.”

  “Did you enjoy it?” she said, her voice breaking up.

  “No!” He scraped a hand through his hair. “What do you take me for?”

  She reached underneath the table and grabbed her bag, slinging it diagonally over her chest. She pushed back her chair and clambered to her feet.

  “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” He lunged for her arm, but she wrenched her shoulder backwards.


  “I knew there was something going on. She was so… so… territorial.”

  “Sit the fuck down and listen,” he hissed.

  She leaned over the table, palms flat, and glared at him. “Don’t you tell me what to do. I will not be treated like a second-class citizen in this relationship, if that’s even what this is. And I most definitely will not share. Not you. Not anyone.”

  “Just sit down,” he said in a placating tone.

  Fucking Kinga and her fucking baseless obsession with him. He’d be having a serious talk with Kinga as soon as this tournament was over.

  Tally lifted her bag over her shoulder and hung it on the back of her chair. She sat down, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

  “No wonder you never bring women to tournaments,” she said petulantly. “You’ve got everything you need on tap.”

  He dragged a hand through his hair. “That’s not how it is. Jesus! Will you just let me explain properly?”

  She was frustrating the hell out of him, but to be honest, he liked the challenge. His mood suddenly lifted, and he repressed a smile. Rupe would be yelling “pussy-whipped” if he were there. Cash barely recognised himself as the man he’d been a few short weeks earlier, and the most surprising thing of all was that he wouldn’t go back to his life before Natalia. She’d brought excitement and challenge to his shallow existence, and he was happier than he’d ever thought himself capable of.

  Natalia crossed her legs and picked up her glass of water. She took a sip and waved her hand at him. “I’m listening.”

  Cash gave a hard stare to a couple of diners at the next table until he embarrassed them enough that they focused on each other instead of on him and Natalia.

  “Before I start, I’m going to reiterate that Kinga kissed me, not the other way around. And for the record, I didn’t kiss her back, and I most certainly didn’t enjoy the experience.”

  She blinked slowly. “Okay.”

  “You need to understand, I met Kinga right after I won my first Grand Slam. I was twenty years old and naïve as hell. I didn’t understand how winning such a prestigious event would change everything. Kinga was so confident she could turn me into an international star, and not just inside the world of tennis. Over the past eight years, she’s made good on that promise. Most of the money I’ve made hasn’t come from winning tournaments but from the truckload of sponsorship and merchandising deals she’s negotiated over the years on my behalf.”

  He paused and took a sip of water. Natalia leaned slightly forward and rested her chin on her hand. Excellent. She was finally listening.

  “Go on,” she said.

  “When I turned twenty-one, she broke the news she’d got me a huge sponsorship deal with Nike. It was more money than I’d ever dreamt of, and that night, we went out to celebrate. That was the first time she made a pass at me.”

  Air whistled through Natalia’s teeth as she sucked in a breath. “As long ago as that?”

  “Yeah.”

  He paused while the waiter served their food. “Eat,” he said, pointing his knife at Natalia’s plate after the waiter had retreated.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Neither am I. Eat anyway.”

  Reluctantly, she picked up her knife and fork and scraped the skin of the pigeon to one side.

  “That’s the best bit.”

  “Too fatty. Stop procrastinating.”

  He couldn’t help a smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Cash,” she said with a hint of warning in her tone.

  “Okay.” He held his hands up. “I’m going to shortcut this. Since that first time, Kinga has made multiple passes at me, usually when she’s pissed but not always. And I’ve rejected her every single time. Including today.”

  A soft crease appeared in the space between Natalia’s eyebrows. He withheld an urge to lean across the table and kiss it away.

  “So if you’re not interested in her like that, why do you keep her around?”

  Cash shrugged. “Because she’s fucking brilliant at her job. Whatever her faults—and she has enough of them—I can’t deny I owe a lot of my success to her. Financial success at least.”

  “Utter bollocks,” Natalia said, the rare curse making him raise an eyebrow in surprise. “If she hadn’t come along when she did, someone else would have. Don’t you see that?”

  His lips twisted into a half-smile. “Perhaps.”

  “You’re not exactly filling me with confidence by telling me the only reason you keep her around is her financial prowess.”

  He pressed closer. “Look. Kinga is an important person in my life, but you have to believe me when I say I have no interest in fucking her. Not then, not now.” He caressed Natalia’s soft cheek with the back of his hand. “In fact, there’s only one woman I have any interest in fucking, and if she continues being so challenging, I might have to take her in hand.”

  A reddish flush spread across Natalia’s neck and chest, a glow he’d come to understand meant she was aroused. He dropped his hand and leaned back in his chair.

  “Now, finish your meal so we can get out of here,” he said, attacking the pigeon with more enthusiasm than before.

  “That’s it?”

  “If you mean explaining myself, then yes, that’s it. Can we finish eating in peace, please? I don’t know about you, but I’m horny as hell, and all I can think about right now is getting back to the apartment and spending the next several hours in bed screwing you.”

  Astonishment widened her eyes, and then she laughed. “How can I refuse?”

  THIRTY-ONE

  Tally raised herself up on her elbow as Cash collapsed onto his back, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

  “Jesus, I think you’re trying to kill me,” he said.

  His hair was damp from their lovemaking, and Tally reached forward and brushed the strands off his forehead. “Worse ways to go.”

  Cash laughed and rolled onto his side to face her. She treated herself to a quick sweep of his body.

  “I love it when you look at me that way,” he said.

  Her eyes shot to his. “Which way?”

  “Like you want to eat me.”

  A blush crept across her cheeks. “Maybe I do.”

  Cash lay on his back, arms and legs spread wide. “I’m all yours, sweetness.”

  She gave an embarrassed laugh. Even though she’d gone down on him the night before––and she was still having trouble believing she had––none of this came naturally. She needed him to take the lead. She still lacked the confidence required to initiate sex between them.

  “Hey,” he said, leaning over, his arms forming a cage around her. “I know you find this shit difficult, baby, but you have to talk to me about sex. This is a two-way street. I need to know what you like and what you don’t. What turns you on and what turns you off. I’m not a mind reader.” His eyes were steady on hers, and she was the first to look away.

  “It’s just… nobody’s ever asked me. I don’t know how.”

  He clipped her under the chin, and when she looked back at him, his smile was wonderfully supportive. “Let me ask you something. When we have sex, do you lose yourself? I mean, truly free your mind and allow yourself to be led only by what your body is telling you?”

  “Of course.” She frowned as she answered. It wasn’t a question she’d ever asked herself, and it was a definite first for a sexual partner to ask. She hadn’t even had a conversation like this with Em.

  Cash lifted a single eyebrow. “Liar,” he said, dropping a quick kiss on her lips to soften the rebuff. “Your brain is always ticking. I can see it. You’re worried about how you look, whether you’re doing this or that right, what I might be thinking, and that affects how much you let yourself go. You need to learn to let your body take over, to listen to your instincts and go with them.”

  Thoughts of Evan and his parting shot when they broke up flooded her mind. Maybe she was just a frigid little bi
tch after all. “Am I not good enough for you?”

  He gave her a disbelieving stare. “Are you fucking kidding? Jesus, it wasn’t my intention to make you think that. I know you have more to give, but you have to be honest with me. I need you to talk to me about sex. And I need you to do it without thinking too much about it. Otherwise, you get embarrassed and clam up.”

  “I can’t,” she whispered.

  Cash leaned in close, brushing a strand of hair off her face. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes,” she said without hesitation.

  “Then I have an idea that may help.” He climbed off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom.

  Tally rolled onto her side and rested her head on her hand. “What are you up to?” she shouted.

  "Patience," he shouted back.

  She chuckled to herself. After a minute or so, he returned. Her gaze shifted to his hands. He was holding the belt from a dressing gown and an airline mask, probably the same one he’d used in Paris.

  “Do you trust me, Natalia?” he asked again as he knelt on the bed.

  Her gaze collided with his as a wave of panic hit her. “I do, Cash, really but––”

  He cupped her chin and kissed her hard. “I would never do anything to hurt you or scare you. The minute you say it’s over, then it’s over. This isn’t some freaky attempt to lure you into BDSM. That shit does not work for me at all. I just think if you can’t see me or touch me, then you’ll be able to concentrate more on what your body is telling you, and that might make you a little more… vocal.” He smiled.

  She forced a swallow down her throat. She had to admit she was intrigued to see if his idea worked. “Okay,” she said, holding her hands out in front, palms up.

  “Good girl.” Cash took the belt and wrapped it around her wrists. The satin material felt cool and soft against her skin. “I’m going to tie this really loose,” he said, looping the material and fastening it in a double knot. “If you wanted to get out of it, you could, like that.” He snapped his fingers to reiterate the point. He lifted her bound hands over her head and attached the belt to the bed frame. “How’s that?”