Playing His Game (The Reynolds Brothers)

by Justine Elvira

  "You're ruining how fucking awesome this is, Billy. Why can't you ride?"

  Autumn looks over to me for help but I shake my head and shrug my shoulders. She's on her own.

  "Unless you give me a good reason I’m going to pick you up and carry you to the ride. It'll be fun, babe."

  "I- um- I," she stutters, trying to come up with something to say but fails. "I can't ride the ride because the sign says so." She points over to the sign next to the height requirements.

  Jared looks annoyed and jogs over to read it. "Bullshit, " he mutters under his breath.

  "All this sign says is that you should be in good health, free from high blood pressure and some other bullshit," he yells as he continues to read the sign. "Avoid if you have back or neck problems. Expectant mothers should-"

  He stops reading and turns around to look at my sister. "You're p-p-pregnant?"

  She smiles up at him, nodding. "Yes."

  The smile that comes over Jared's face is nothing I've ever seen before. His grin stretches so far that I know his mouth is going to hurt in the morning.

  "I'm going to be a dad? I'm going to be a dad!"

  He runs over to Autumn and then sweeps her off her feet, twirling her in circles and celebrating the news.

  "You've got to stop spinning us, babe. I'm starting to feel sick."

  He abruptly stops at Autumn's words and then lets her down easily. His eyes trace up and down her body over and over again in disbelief and pure happiness at what he's just found out.

  "Have you seen a doctor? What if you're doing too much? You should be in bed right now, shouldn't you?" Jared keeps shouting out question after question and I can't keep up with him so I know Autumn's head must be spinning.

  "We should give them some privacy," Scott whispers from behind me.

  I turn to face him. "Let's ride without him."

  Scott nods in agreement and we walk in the entrance to ride Space Mountain.

  A few minutes later my entire body is shaking and Scott is holding me in a tight embrace. Space Mountain is scary as shit. I had no idea it was a rollercoaster you ride in the pitch black. Small children are allowed to ride it. That's just not right.

  When I've finally calmed down Scott lets go of me and reaches out to hold my hand. "Do you want to ride something a little less scary next?"

  "Yes, please. I'm thinking something with my favorite Disney character that even toddlers are allowed to go on. No more scary rollercoasters for me."

  He laughs and brings our hands up to his mouth so he can kiss the back of my hand. "Deal. No more scary rollercoasters."

  We spend the next few hours riding every other ride in the park. Scott even convinces me to ride the few rides meant for older kids. By the time the four of us are back in the truck and heading home, I'm exhausted from the best birthday I've ever had.

  We drop Autumn and Jared off at their home and congratulate them again before driving another twenty minutes to Malibu. Sinatra greets us when we walk in the door and Scott lets her out back for a few minutes before we head to bed.

  I snuggle up to him under the covers until as much of my bare skin is touching his. This is my favorite part of the evening. When we come together as one at night. I could have the shittiest day and Scott's presence at night makes me feel so much better.

  He wraps his arms around me as I lie back in his embrace.

  "Did you want to come with me to tomorrow's session? I thought it could be nice if you came and then we could go out to lunch afterwards," Scott whispers against my neck.

  He's been going to a few outpatient sessions every week to help him fight his gambling addiction. While Jared thought it would be better for Scott to enter treatment full-time, Scott couldn't imagine being separated from me for that long. He said the best cure for his addiction was the reality that he'd lose me if he started gambling again. It was a sobering thought for him.

  Instead, he goes to treatment a few times a week and we talk it through if he's ever having a really hard day. The hard days seem to be getting fewer and fewer and that's a good thing.

  "I'd love to come with you if you want me there. I'll just let Autumn know I'm taking the day off."

  He gently squeezes me from behind before starting to slowly caress my stomach with the palms of his hands.

  "I love you so much, beauty. I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

  I turn over in his arms and lean up, pecking him quickly on the lips. "I love you, too."

  Turning back around I back myself into his embrace as he wraps his arms around me again, spooning me. I slide the palm of my hand over the back of his hand that's flat on my stomach. I take his hand with mine, dragging it down my body and to the space between my legs. He starts to move his fingers against me so I let go, bringing my hand back up and resting it behind me on his thigh.

  "You know what I'm in the mood for now?" I ask, moaning out half of the question.

  "What's that?" he asks huskily.

  "A snugglefuck. A really good snugglefuck. What do you think?"

  He cups me between my legs and pulls me tighter against him so the length of his thick, long erection is cradled between my ass cheeks.

  "I think you've just read my mind."

  We spend the next hour having a very intense snugglefuck, making this the most incredible birthday ever. I have no idea how Scott will top it next year.

  The End

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  Books by Justine Elvira

  The Road To Price (Price #1)

  The Road To Forgiveness (Price #2)

  Lawful Overdose

  Rough To Ride

  Changing His Game

  Playing His Game

  Turn the page for information on Justine Elvira's next book and a sneak peek of In a Heartbeat by Liz King.

  Coming this Fall from Justine Elvira...

  Lane One: Temptation

  Do you see that guy? The guy standing behind the chrome, 3-tier towel rack, staring out at the long length of the lap pool like a creeper or pedophile? That dumb shit is me. Over the past year I've gone from being one of the most handsome, rich, eligible bachelors in the Chicagoland area to a dwindling, pathetic version of that man.

  I hate the man I've become. I'd beat the shit out of me if I could.

  I'm a wealthy businessman who works hard during the day and plays hard at night. She's the frumpy, overweight mystery woman from my health club who swims laps every morning in lane one.

  At first I was intrigued. I wanted to know more about her. But intrigue turned to fascination and then soon she became an obsession.

  I can't learn enough about her.

  I'm used to getting what I want... and I want her.

  Add Lane One: Temptation to your TBR List!

  In a Heartbeat

  Liz King

  Chapter One

  Eight Years later...

  Ugh! This headache is killing me! I hate pollen season! My eyes get all puffy and my contacts drive me insane! I already get a lot of eyestrain looking at our monitors in the dark of the procedure labs, and the contacts just add to it. Oh well, I guess it’s glasses for me again today. It’s not like I’m trying to impress anyone. I don’t date, even though the girls at work think I should. They don’t think it’s normal for a 23 year old to not want anything to do with a social life. It’s just easier to block out the past if I keep to myself.

  I’m a registered nurse at Mercy General, working in a cardiac procedure lab. I love my job. In the lab, we study the heart and its rhythms. I love the control that I can have over the heart rhythm with the stimulator. I know all too well how life
can change in a heartbeat.

  I always wanted to be a nurse, ever since I was a little girl. In nursing school, I dedicated myself completely to my studies. I finished with my Associates Degree in only seven semesters. I didn’t even take the summers off. This being said, I graduated at the age of twenty. Yes, I know, it was funny to me too that I could administer narcotics, but I couldn’t legally buy alcohol.

  It’s already 5:15 am, I guess I need to get out of this bed and get ready to head into work. I hop in the shower, take care of business and pull my long dark brown hair up into a bun at the back of my head. It’s too long to fuss with this early in the morning, and it just gets in my way when I’m tending to my patients. Mascara and Chapstick are the extent of my makeup for work. I throw my clothes on, grab my favorite pair of Danskos, the pink and black zebra print, and head out the door. Out of bed, showered, and dressed in less than thirty minutes. Not bad.

  My mind wanders as I drive down the interstate towards the hospital. It’s Friday, so I know the girls are going to try to talk me into heading out with them again. I always decline, stating that I’m too tired, or that I have things to do. Cleaning and organizing my already immaculate apartment is something to do.

  I look down at my phone sitting in the cup holder. I know that Sly’s in the central time zone, so it's really only 5 am there, but he’s an early riser, so I decide to call him anyway. Sly, short for Sylvester, is my best friend. We've been best friends since he tried to get me to play some game with him on the bus when I was eleven and he was thirteen. Some stupid dinosaur something or another, I don’t even remember. I just laughed in his face and we've been inseparable ever since. Sly is the only man, besides Daddy, that I’ve let get and stay close to me.

  “Hiya, sweet cheeks.” Sly answers on the first ring.

  I love how he's as much of a morning person as I am. “Hey, baby doll! I’m headed into work, what’s your lazy ass doing today?” I ask as I change lanes. I enjoy our banter. We sometimes act like an old married couple. Sly and I never really tried dating. One time we did come close to kissing, but as our lips were about to touch, we both burst out laughing and knew that it wasn’t meant to be. He's the brother I never had, and I'm like a sister to him. Sly knows almost everything there is to know about me.

  Sly chuckles on the other end of the line. “You know it's my 48 hours off, I’m not doing a damn thing. I may head out to the lake today, chill out on the boat, but nothing else. You wanna drive down here this weekend? It’s Labor Day weekend, so you have Monday off, right?” he asks. Sly is a firefighter, so he works twenty-four hours on and forty-eight hours off.

  “Maybe, I’ll see what time I get out of the lab. You know Fridays we are always slammed. Doctor Morrison is always adding cases on. He's been on call all week, so I know he’s got something up his sleeve,” I tell him. Doctor Travis Morrison is my favorite doctor to work with. He’s a great physician, funny as hell, and is like a second father to me.

  Sly sighs. “Okay, babe. I know that this time of year is hard for you. Just know that I’m here. I can switch my shifts around if you want to come up tomorrow and stay through Monday.”

  I didn’t even think about it being close to the anniversary of my mother’s death. I've been studying so much for a certification exam and learning the new equipment we got at work that it totally slipped my mind. Momma has been gone for four years next week. She passed away after the beginning of my senior year in high school from breast cancer. We were very close, I told Momma everything. Well, I told Momma almost everything.

  “Thanks, doll, I’ll text you this afternoon and let you know what my plans are. I may just end up hanging out here, and go see Daddy,” I say, and hang up. When I moved to Charleston for college, Daddy sold the house and came out here too. I don’t think he wanted to be in that big house all by himself.

  I turn my radio back on and let the music help clear my mind. Everyone picks on me for my very eclectic taste in music. The playlist on my iPod will go from Elvis, to REO Speedwagon and Aerosmith to Linkin Park or Eminem. I can listen to just about anything. There's something soothing about losing yourself in the lyrics of a song. I can listen to the same song on different days and get a different meaning out of it, depending on my mood.

  ~

  I let my mind wander off as I make my way into the parking garage. Sometimes I worry myself wondering how in the hell I make it from point A to point B. I have no recollection of driving the past thirty minutes, but thank heavens the car and I make it there in one piece, and we apparently didn’t have any incidents along the way.

  Walking into the hospital, I make my usual greetings to the patient transporters and various employees I see every morning on my way in. This is my safe place. I can come in, do my job, and blend in. I can focus on helping heal others and it makes me feel like I have accomplished something worthwhile. I make it up to my floor, stash my belongings in my locker, change into these hideous hospital scrubs and make my way into the lab.

  “Nae Nae!” I hear as soon as I walk in the doors. Great, Michelle seems to have stopped for Starbucks on her way in this morning. She is probably the only other person as wide awake as I am in the mornings, but give that girl caffeine and watch out. She's ball of energy on Red Bull!

  I grab my scrub jacket from the back of the chair; it’s freezing in here even though it’s the middle of summer. I look at Michelle. She’s my best girlfriend. I met Michelle in nursing school, and we decided we had to work together no matter where we ended up. We’ve helped each other study, pass finals, and we sat for our licensure exams together. I don’t know what I would do without her in my life, especially since Sly stayed back home in Birmingham.

  “Hey, Michelle, where’s mine?” I ask, knowing she wouldn’t deprive me of the nectar of the gods that is coffee if she was going to get some for herself.

  Michelle smiles her devious smile that means she's up to something. “I’ll let you have it on one condition.” She holds up her hand as I open my mouth to say something. “You are going out with me and Gabbi tonight. There's this new band that is supposed to be really hot playing at Metro tonight, and you are going, Nae Nae!”

  Sweet Jesus! I really have no clue where in the hell Michelle came up with the Nae Nae thing. It drives me batshit crazy, but because I love her, I won’t stop her. Some of the doctors tried to call me that, but they got my death glare, and learned quickly not to push that button.

  “Come on, Michelle, you know that clubs really aren’t my scene. Just give me my damn coffee, woman!” I reach out for my cup as she pulls away, giving me that look that tells me I’m not getting out of this that easily. I don’t want to go. Being in a crowd like that makes me uncomfortable; I don’t want to be in a dark enclosed space, it brings back too many memories. A chance to lose myself in some new music for a few hours does appeal to me though.

  Gabbi walks in from behind me and Michelle looks over my shoulder. Gabbi fit into our friendship seamlessly. She was in hospital orientation with us and we immediately hit it off. “Gabbi, tell Nae Nae that she is going to Metro with us tonight, and we aren’t taking ‘no’ for an answer. She has blown us off way too many times.” She pouts, looking from Gabbi to me.

  Even when Michelle and I were in nursing school, I never went out to parties or anything. I didn’t feel like I could let my guard down to get to know anybody else, especially men. Every man I met reminded me of him. I was content to stay home, study, and maybe talk on the phone with Sly for a few hours. It had been years since I wanted to actually go out on the social scene. I only went to my senior prom because Sly came to the door and dragged my ass upstairs and made me get dressed in a dress I didn’t know Daddy had gone out and purchased for me with Sly’s help.

  “Fine! I’ll go, will you please just give me the damn coffee!” I sigh, turning my head to look at Gabbi, who was resting her chin on my shoulder. Gabbi lets out this annoying girly squeal then holds up a brown bag for me. As I grab it and look inside, I real
ized that resistance was going to be futile. If they didn’t talk me into going by holding my coffee hostage, Gabbi was holding my number one weakness in her hand. She handed over a large bag of gummy bears. I will do just about anything for gummy bears.

  I snatch my coffee and bag of candy, and walk the rest of the way into the lab to look at the schedule board. Only three procedures are scheduled for today, so hopefully it won’t be that bad of a Friday. I notice that Dr. Morrison hadn’t added any additional procedures on yet. Fingers crossed he won’t.

  Michelle and Gabbi skip in behind me and start getting the supplies we needed to get our day started. Right before Michelle goes into to procedure room, she turns to me and says, “Lynae Michaels, you will be coming over to my apartment after work this afternoon, and we will be doing your hair and makeup. This messy bun, geek chic thing works for the hospital, but we are going to show off that rocking body that I just know is under those scrubs, missy!”

  Great! This is going to be a long night! What did I agree to? I just need to remember that I’m going out for a night with my girls, I can drown myself in the beat of the music and just be me. I shoot a quick text off to Sly, telling him I’ve been roped into going to a club with Michelle and Gabbi and I won’t be heading back home tonight. His response makes me smile.

  Sly: Have fun, sweet cheeks! Shake that ass for me!

  In A Heartbeat by Liz King is available now!!!

  www.authorlizking.com

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  www.twitter.com/Rom_Addiction

  About The Author

  Justine Elvira is a best selling author at multiple retailers. She is also a mother and the Queen of Procrastination. Writing is her form of therapy and helps her escape reality for a little while.