Playing with Desire (The Players Club Book 6)

by Erika Wilde

  By the time Declan returned from his shower, his hair a damp, rumpled mess around his head and wearing a shirt and cargo shorts, she had two plates sitting on the counter filled with food—his piled much higher than her own.

  “Where is Rick?” he asked, glancing around the kitchen area.

  “He said he had a golf game scheduled,” she replied, and turned around to find Declan closing the distance between them, his eyes on her chest—or rather, the breasts outlined beneath his T-shirt and the nipples that furled tight at his heated gaze.

  “Damn, you look good in my shirt,” he murmured, a seductive smile curving his lips as he slid his arms around her waist and added in a low, husky voice, “Hooah.”

  She grinned as he read the words stamped across her chest. “I thought at first the T-shirt said hoo-ha, which is a term for a woman’s nether region.”

  His brows shot up in genuine amusement. “As in, a woman’s pussy?”

  Biting her bottom lip in embarrassment, she nodded. “Yes. Clearly, I read it wrong.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, being a pussy is not the army’s slogan.”

  She placed her hands on his chest, enjoying being in Declan’s strong embrace. “What does hooah mean?”

  “It’s like a military battle cry to signify determination and army spirit.”

  “Ahhh, that makes sense,” she said, finally understanding, then reluctantly stepped out of his arms because she didn’t want their food to get cold. “Breakfast is ready. Let’s go eat.”

  While she took their plates and forks to the table, he poured them each a glass of chilled orange juice, then seated himself beside her and dug into his meal like a man used to fueling his body.

  “What do you want to do today?” she asked him after a few bites of her eggs, wondering if he had anything specific in mind.

  “I thought it might be fun to go to Seaport Village,” he said of the waterfront plaza located in downtown San Diego that hosted retail shops, restaurants, and attractions. “We can walk around, listen to the live music they play on Sundays, and have an early dinner at Harbor House.”

  “I like that idea.” It had been a while since she’d been to the trendy, artsy locale, and she agreed that it sounded like a carefree, relaxing way to spend the day together. No pressure or expectations. “I’ll need to go by my apartment to change my clothes.”

  “Or you can stay in my shirt all day,” he suggested, grinning wickedly.

  “Only if I can put on a bra when I get to my place,” she said, not opposed to wearing the garment. In fact, she decided it would look cute tied off at the waist and paired with jean shorts. “If I go like this, every guy is going to be staring at my breasts and nipples.”

  He frowned, zeroing in on where she’d just mentioned and realizing how thin the material actually was. “Definitely wear a bra while we’re out in public. I don’t want to have to gouge anyone’s eyes out.”

  She laughed, leaned over, and kissed his cheek. “You’re adorable.”

  He grunted in response, but his eyes sparkled with humor, belying his attempt to act sullen.

  A little over an hour later, they were strolling through Seaport Village on an amazingly sunny, warm, pleasant Sunday afternoon. Her heart did a little flip-flop in her chest when he slid his hand into hers, holding it for most of the day as they enjoyed the sights, the music, and overall atmosphere. There were no heavy discussions, just a day of lighthearted, flirty conversation that had them both smiling and laughing as they wandered through the numerous artisan shops and ate amazing food.

  For Summer, it felt like another date that wasn’t a date.

  They watched the sunset sitting on a bench near the harbor, with his arm around her shoulders while she cuddled into his side, and by the time he drove her back to her small studio apartment, it was after seven in the evening. And after the weekend she’d had as a whole, she was admittedly very tired.

  Still, when they reached her door, she couldn’t help but invite Declan inside, because she didn’t want their time together to end. “Do you want to come in for a bit?”

  He exhaled a deep breath and framed her face in his warm hands. “Silly question, kitten,” he said affectionately while one of his thumbs swept across her bottom lip. “Hell yeah, I want to come in, but that will lead to me keeping you up all night long doing dirty, filthy things to you, and I know you have to work in the morning.”

  “You’re such a gentleman,” she murmured, teasing him.

  “I’m trying to be,” he said gruffly, and she actually liked that he was battling to restrain himself.

  “How about I pick you up for lunch tomorrow?” he suggested.

  She smiled. “I’d like that very much. I’ll text you the address of the shop.”

  He kissed her good-night . . . and this time it was an incredibly slow, sweet, and sensual melding of lips and tongue. Romantic, even, which wasn’t a term she’d thought she’d ever use to describe Declan.

  After seducing her senses and leaving her with a slight sensual buzz coursing through her veins, he waited for her to unlock her door and get safely inside her apartment before finally leaving. Dropping her purse on the small eating table right next to the equally tiny kitchen, she headed toward the Murphy bed she kept opened and out in her living room since she rarely had guests and flopped back onto the mattress, a dreamy smile on her lips.

  Despite any lecture she could give herself, Summer already felt herself falling for Declan and all the different nuances of his personality she’d seen over the course of the past twenty-four hours. In three weeks, there was no doubt in her mind that she was going to be completely in over her head with this man.

  She swallowed hard, because she also knew there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to protect her emotions from that free fall straight into heartbreak.

  Chapter Seven

  “Someone is a smitten kitten,” Stephanie said, as their group of girls met for breakfast Monday morning as planned.

  Sitting at a table surrounded by Kendall, Paige, Raina, Stephanie, and Jillian, Summer could feel all their eyes on her, curious and speculating about her evening at The Players Club Saturday night. “Is it that obvious?” she murmured, her cheeks warming with her friend’s teasing comment.

  “Judging by the radiant glow on your face, the sparkle in your eyes, and the smile of contentment on your lips, I’d say yes, it’s obvious,” Jillian said, just as their server came to their table to pour a refill on their coffees while they waited for their breakfast orders to arrive.

  Once she was gone, Stephanie arched an inquisitive brow at Summer and leaned closer. “But the real question is, are you once or twice smitten?” she asked, clearly alluding to her encounter with Rick and Declan.

  “Oh, my God!” Paige exclaimed, eyes widening in shock as she realized what Stephanie was insinuating. “You mean to tell me you hooked up with two guys your first night ever at the club?”

  Since Kendall and Paige had also left their table in the VIP lounge before Summer had made her interest in the two men known, they stared at her just as incredulously. But before she could reply, Jillian beat her to it.

  “Not just any two guys,” her friend said with a grin. “Rick and his extremely hot stepbrother, Declan, who is home on leave from the military for a few weeks. Declan was the dark-blond-haired guy with Rick at Stephanie’s birthday party.”

  “Oh,” Kendall said in realization. “We all saw him there. We just didn’t know who he was.”

  “Well, now you do,” Stephanie said playfully. “And I’m assuming that Summer now knows both men very intimately.”

  As the other women digested this new bit of info, their waitress delivered their breakfast orders. Summer only had the chance to take one bite of her cheese omelet before the questions started coming her way.

  “So, what happened?” Paige asked impatiently as she buttered a pancake.

  “Yes, tell us,” Raina added, taking a bite of her bacon. “We need to know so we all
can live vicariously through you, because none of us has had an actual threesome.”

  For some reason, that surprised Summer, because all of these women seemed so experienced. “Well, the evening started out with both of the guys, with us in a private playroom, and yeah, we did . . . things,” she said, knowing she was being much too vague, but how did she put into words the dirty, filthy fantasies she’d indulged in?

  “Three-way things?” Kendall said, prompting her to elaborate.

  “Yes, a few of them.” She ate a piece of her toast before giving more details. “At first, we all picked something from the cabinet in the room that is stocked with the toys.”

  “What naughty thing did you choose?” Stephanie asked, eyes twinkling eagerly.

  Summer lowered her voice as a couple were seated at a nearby table. “I picked a crop and nipple clamps.”

  “Umm, nice, arousing choices,” Raina said approvingly, since she owned an adult boutique in town and had probably tried every sex toy imaginable with her husband, Logan.

  “What about the boys?” Jillian asked, her voice filled with anticipation. “What did they select?”

  “Rick chose a blindfold and something to prepare me to take the both of them,” she said in a quiet tone, not wanting to blurt out the word butt plug at the breakfast table with customers around. “And Declan picked restraints that buckled around my thighs, and wrist cuffs that attached to them so my arms were unable to move while they . . .” Her face flushed as all the erotic memories of what happened next flooded her mind.

  “While they worshipped and pleasured your body like the goddess you are?” Stephanie suggested, seemingly understanding Summer’s inability to provide more specific and intimate details.

  “Yes, that.” Summer nodded and laughed, grateful for Stephanie’s help. “Everything about that night was amazing and better than I could have imagined, but when the three of us were done playing, Declan told Rick that he wanted to spend time with me exclusively for the next three weeks, until he has to leave again.”

  “And how do you feel about Declan making that decision for you?” Paige asked, eyeing her curiously over the rim of her mug as she took a drink of coffee.

  “I’ve always been attracted to Rick,” Summer admitted, placing her fork down on her plate. “But I feel a stronger connection with Declan, even though he’s a bit more reserved and harder to read at times.”

  Jillian nodded in understanding. “Most military guys don’t like to show or acknowledge all those emotions and vulnerabilities because they’re used to putting on a brave front all the time. Dean was the same way for years, until I forced him to be more open with me.”

  “Same with Mac,” Stephanie added. “All our men have gruff, dominant tendencies, but as we all can attest to, it just takes the right woman to coax them to let down that guard. If it works out between you and Declan—”

  “It won’t,” Summer said, immediately cutting her off since she already knew this affair came with an end date. “When he returns to the military, the two of us will go our separate ways.” She swallowed hard, because just saying the words out loud made her chest ache.

  Kendall frowned at her. “That’s a bit pessimistic.”

  “No, it’s the reality of our situation.” Summer gave a shrug that felt anything but nonchalant. “He proposed an affair while he’s home, then cutting all ties when he leaves because he doesn’t do commitment or promises, and he doesn’t want me waiting for him when what he does in the military is so dangerous and life-threatening.”

  Stephanie, who was sitting next to Summer at the table, placed her hand over hers, concern in her eyes. “You’re okay with that arrangement?”

  “I’m good with it. I wouldn’t have said yes otherwise.” That much was true. “I’m not the first woman to have a casual affair with a guy, and it’s three weeks of amazing, dirty sex, which is more than I’ve gotten in the past two years.” She toyed with the napkin in her lap and grew more serious. “And at least Declan has been up-front and honest with me on what to expect, so it’s not as though he’s leading me on.”

  “Fair enough,” Stephanie said.

  Paige, who was Summer’s boss and knew her best, appeared more skeptical. “Just be careful and guard your heart and emotions.”

  Summer feared it was already too late for that, but she told her friend what she wanted to hear. “I will.”

  Stephanie smiled at Summer. “So, on a lighter note, I guess he’ll be your plus-one at the wedding, then?”

  “Yes, as long as that’s okay?” she asked tentatively, since Declan hadn’t originally been on Stephanie and Mac’s wedding guest list and she didn’t want to be presumptuous.

  “Of course it is. And I’ll have Mac invite him along to his bachelor party next weekend.” Stephanie glanced at her cellphone to check the time, then looked back up. “Jillian and I need to get going. We’ve got a new client we’re meeting to discuss ideas for a fantasy-themed bedroom.”

  Kendall grabbed her purse, too, to help pay the bill the waitress left on the table. “And I have a boudoir shoot happening in about an hour,” she said of her business, Pure Bliss Boudoir Photography, where she took sexy, erotic pictures of women and couples in seductive, bedroom-type settings.

  When the tab was covered, along with a generous tip, they all walked outside together. Before dispersing, Stephanie turned to face the group.

  “Between work and last-minute running around for the wedding, my schedule for the next two weeks is absolutely insane, so I’ll see everyone at my bachelorette party next weekend?”

  They all agreed enthusiastically that they’d be there. All of them were looking forward to the fun evening together and watching Stephanie let loose one last time before she tied the knot to Mac.

  After goodbyes, the group parted ways, with Summer meeting up with Paige at her shop, Couture Corsets, to open for the day. Even though Summer had a busy morning helping Paige to sew prototypes of a new corset design, she was already counting down the minutes until noon, when Declan would arrive to pick her up for lunch.

  The address Declan had typed into the GPS on his phone directed him to Couture Corsets in downtown San Diego, where Summer had told him she worked. After spending the morning impatiently waiting for the clock to strike twelve so he could finally see Summer again, he parked his truck—the one he left in the garage while he was on duty and used when he was on leave—in the lot next to the shop, then strolled toward the boutique. When he opened the door, a bell tinkled above his head, alerting anyone inside that someone had walked in.

  At first glance around, the shop was empty, except for the multitude of racks of lingerie filling the showroom floor and mannequins wearing seductive corsets and intimate apparel. The feminine undergarments ranged from sweet and innocent separates to more provocative and alluring designs meant to tease and tantalizing a man’s senses.

  Declan wasn’t immune to all the sexy visual stimulation, and he couldn’t stop his mind from conjuring visions of what Summer’s curves would look like cinched into one of those satin and lace bustiers. He touched the soft, silky material and delicate lace, imagining the way the drawstrings, when tightened, would accentuate her lush hips and the provocative swell of her breasts. He nearly groaned at the tantalizing image that popped into his head.

  “Well, hello there,” a feminine voice greeted him.

  Declan turned toward the sound, finding a pretty woman with long, dark hair, bright eyes, and a body as curvaceous as Summer’s walking toward him. She blatantly looked him up and down, as if sizing him up and trying to decide if she liked him or not.

  “Hi,” he replied amicably, gracing her with a friendly smile.

  She wrinkled her nose at him, seemingly not swayed by his attempt at being affable when she wasn’t done judging him, though he had no clue why. “You must be Declan.”

  “I am,” he said with a nod.

  “I remember seeing you in the VIP lounge at The Players Club on Saturday, not th
at I knew who you were at the time.” She cracked a small smile. “I’m Paige, by the way.”

  “Sawyer’s wife,” he said, remembering the other man pointing her out at the club when introductions had been made that evening.

  She suddenly beamed at him, as if he’d just earned himself some brownie points for remembering the connection. “Yes, I am.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Same,” she said, her tone sincere and her body language relaxing. “Summer will be out in a few minutes. She’s right in the middle of sewing a new design together and wants to finish it up before she leaves for lunch. Feel free to look around.”

  “I will.” He continued perusing the different racks of lingerie, while Paige straightened a thin, sheer looking negligee on a mannequin.

  “I take it you don’t get a lot of men wandering in here?” he asked.

  “Surprisingly, we do.” She smiled at him from over her shoulder. “At least the more confident ones who aren’t afraid to be seen in a shop filled with women’s intimate apparel while they pick out something for their significant other. There’s nothing hotter or sexier than a man who knows what he wants to see his woman wearing for him. And for the record, we women love when our men surprise us with sexy lingerie.” She winked saucily at him.

  “I’ll have to remember that,” he said, enjoying this sassier side to Paige, which reminded him of Summer’s feistier moments, too.

  “Let me go check on Summer for you,” Paige said.

  She headed to the back of the shop and walked through a curtained area that separated the boutique from what appeared to be a workspace. Declan glanced through the fabric draping across the doorway, seeing a huge table dominating the room, which was strewn with sewing items, patterns, and scraps of different textiles. A few sewing machines lined the far wall, and Summer sat at one of them as Paige approached her. Her head was down, and she was biting her lower lip as she concentrated on the panel of lace she was attaching to a wide piece of rich red material.