Game for Trouble

by Karen Erickson

  “Nice panties,” he murmured, curling his fingers around the waistband and tugging them down. “I think you wear this sort of thing just to drive me crazy.”

  “You’re rather observant, aren’t you?” Amusement laced her voice, and he smiled in response, even though she couldn’t see him.

  “Mmm, hmm.” Grabbing the condom he’d slipped into the front pocket of his jeans earlier, he hurriedly undid the snap and slid down the zipper, pushing his pants off along with his underwear.

  He talked of taking his time, but he was a damn liar. Excitement rushed through him as he slipped the condom on and bent his knees, nudging at her hot, wet center. She spread her legs farther without him having to say a word and then he was sliding inside her welcoming body. Engulfed completely in Willow, he closed his eyes and breathed deep, pressing his face to her fragrant hair.

  “Are you watching everyone, darlin’? Think they know what we’re doing?” he whispered against her hair.

  She slowly shook her head. “They don’t notice us.”

  “Do you want them to notice us?” He started to move, slow at first, letting her get used to the position, and he pressed at her lower back, adjusting her so she could take him better. “Does it turn you on, knowing anyone could look up at this very moment and figure out pretty quickly that I’m fucking you?”

  “Oh God.” She moaned, and he swore he felt a flood of wetness surround his cock at his words.

  Will always liked the dirty talk.

  “You cold?” She was shivering, shaking her head in answer as he increased his pace, thrusting deeper. Harder. Faster. Taking her brutally with his cock, dropping soft kisses on her neck to ease his forcefulness.

  But she never protested. More like she encouraged with her little moans, how wet she was, her soft, dirty words of encouragement. How she wanted him to fuck her harder and make her scream. Make her come.

  “You’re a fucking dirty girl, you know that?” He licked her, sucking on her skin, wanting to leave a mark. Mark her as his so no other jackass would bother looking in her direction again.

  She belonged to him.

  His woman just didn’t know it yet. They were so damn good together, how could she deny that they were meant to be? He felt it. She had to have felt it. And if she didn’t?

  He’d make Willow fall in love with him.

  And as she came around his cock with those sexy little cries that sent him spiraling straight over the edge, he clutched at her hair, pulling her to him, kissing her so fiercely he hoped like hell she knew and understood the depth of emotion he felt for this woman.

  Hell. His life had just taken a turn for the scary and unknown.

  Again. Just like the last time.

  Chapter Eleven

  “How’s the dating going?”

  Willow focused on the tedious task of peeling off yet another label and sticking it on yet another container. “What dating?” she asked innocently.

  Sheridan laughed. “Come on, you recruit me to do this super boring job and you’re not even going to give me any gossip?”

  “There’s nothing to tell.” She lied like a dog.

  “You’re a liar.” And her best friend always knew when she lied like a dog, too.

  “Fine.” Willow pushed aside the stack of containers she’d already labeled. She was about to create a bunch of new cotton candy flavors, basing them on some of the fun taffy flavors she’d tasted when she and Nick were at Fisherman’s Wharf a few nights ago, so she needed the containers ready to go so she could package them. Her Internet sales had taken off over the last few months, and she could barely keep up the supply with the demand. “We went on our fourth date last week.”

  “Ooh, halfway there.” Sheridan smirked, slapping a label on crookedly. “How was it?”

  Willow grimaced. “Terrible. I hate him.” She should’ve done this on her own, since she wasn’t in the mood for an interrogation. “I’m lying. It was…fun. We uh, hung out at the Wharf.”

  Where he fucked her for all the world to see, gave her an orgasm so intense, her legs had shaken the entire walk back to the car, and then he’d taken her back to her place.

  And proceeded to have sex with her all night long.

  She wasn’t protesting, but come on. They weren’t really dating. They were hooking up more often than not. They were truly each other’s booty call, pretty much what she accused him of that first night he’d showed up unexpectedly.

  It was shameful, how badly she wanted him. He’d stood on her front porch the last time he came over—which was last night, and they both agreed it didn’t count as one of their official dates, more like a meeting, he called it—smelling like the outdoors, his hair windblown, his hooded sweatshirt sprinkled with raindrops. The wind howled angrily, the night sky seemingly darker with foreboding clouds as a light smattering of rain fell.

  Willow had taken one look at him, handsome as sin, flashing that devil’s smile that told her everything he wanted to do to her without saying a word. She’d greeted him at the door wearing a robe then proceeded to untie the sash and let it fall to the floor…

  Revealing that she wore absolutely nothing.

  He’d whistled low, his gaze locked on her chest as he pushed his way into her place—where he proceeded to fuck her against the wall next to the door, the wind whipping against the house, the rain beating an angry rhythm on her roof.

  What a particularly hot night that had been.

  God, being with Nick was like the most thrilling, exciting ride of her life.

  “You look completely dopey eyed,” Sheridan said.

  Willow shook herself. “Sorry, um. Thinking about my last date with Nick.” She winced. Why did she go and say that? Now Sheridan would have her all figured out.

  “Must’ve been a doozy to put that dreamy look on your face. What happened to my cynical friend? She’s been replaced by some girl who has stars in her eyes and pines for her boyfriend.” Sheridan laughed when Willow sent her a death glare.

  “Please. I pine for no one.” She was offended Sheridan even suggested it.

  “Trust me, you’ve got it bad for him. I can see it written all over your face. And you know what?” Sheridan pointed at her. “It’s okay to feel that way. I know exactly what you’re going through. At first, I wanted to keep my distance from Jared. After a while, I realized I was totally hot for him. And then a little bit later, I knew I was falling for him. That I had fallen completely in love with him.”

  “I am not in love with Nick Hamilton,” Willow said vehemently.

  “I never said that. But it’s okay to admit you’re falling for him, that you care about him. I know it’s scary,” Sheridan said in a rush, as if she knew Willow was going to interrupt and defend herself—which had been her plan. “Trust me, I was scared to death, especially when I thought it was completely one sided. But you know what I learned?”

  “What?” Willow asked, pushing the still unlabeled containers away from her. Forget the monotonous task. She needed some advice.

  “I discovered that despite feeling rather alone in my so-called relationship, I wasn’t alone at all. He was standing right there next to me, going through the same conflicting emotions as I was. That’s what got me through it all. Realizing Jared was feeling the same things I was.”

  “I doubt Nick feels much of anything for me beyond being a good lay. And that he’s forcing me to date him. So romantic, you know. I’m not at all sure what he wants from me.” Ack, she couldn’t believe she just admitted that, but it needed to be said. That was all they had between them.

  Good sex. Nothing more, nothing less.

  “Hmm, don’t be too sure about that,” Sheridan said.

  “What do you know?”

  “I know nothing.”

  Willow rolled her eyes. “Give me a break. What’s Nick telling Jared now?”

  “I’m telling you the truth. We know nothing. Nick’s been pretty quiet lately,” Sheridan said.

  “Really?”
/>   Sheridan nodded, grabbing a stack of labels and a stack of containers, starting all over again. At least her labels were a little straighter this go-around. “Yeah, which is totally unlike him, according to my husband. Nick usually has no problems singing the blues about his lacking love life or whatever to Jared. The time he’s been spending with you? He’s pretty much warned everyone on the team he doesn’t want to talk about it. He hasn’t even mentioned your name to anyone.”

  “Huh.” Well. That was…odd. And irritating. Was he embarrassed to be with her?

  The mere thought both infuriated her and hurt her feelings.

  “Don’t huh me. You realize what that means, right?”

  “I haven’t a clue.” Willow shrugged. She felt like they were talking in circles.

  “It means that you mean something more to him than an easy lay, as you so eloquently put it. When men don’t want to talk about it, it’s usually because they need to process.” Sheridan offered a gentle smile and the sight of it struck fear right in the center of Willow’s heart. “I think he’s falling for you, Willow. And he might be feeling pretty alone in this. You know you’re not one to easily express your emotions.”

  Willow went completely still. No way could Nick be falling for her. Blackmailing her for sex? Yes. Having outrageous, mutually satisfying sex on a semi-regular basis? Indeed, they definitely were.

  Falling for each other? Letting emotions and feelings come into play? They couldn’t be. That was breaking the rules. And Willow wasn’t one to break the rules. Neither was Nick. He played a game for a living, for the love of God. He was all about sticking to the rules.

  “What you’re suggesting is crazy,” Willow said, exhaling loudly. “No way could he be falling for me.” She thought of their night at the Wharf. How they talked as if they were people who actually liked and respected each other versus being forced to go out with each other because of a blackmail deal.

  Sheridan merely lifted a brow and kept on labeling.

  “And I am definitely not falling for him.” Was she saying that to convince Sheridan? Or convince herself?

  “When do you see him next?”

  “I don’t know. We don’t make plans until the last minute.” And wasn’t that the number one sign of a typical booty call? It had to be.

  “I know he’s been busy. Spending a lot of time with the new publicist.” Sheridan dropped that bit of information so nonchalantly Willow knew something was up.

  “Who’s the new publicist?”

  “Oh, Nick didn’t tell you? Her name is Aubrey. She’s young, just out of college. She’s been specifically assigned Nick and Flynn Foley, so she’s been working extra close with them lately. Especially Nick.” Sheridan smiled serenely. “His image has taken a small hit ever since his smile and good mood has seemingly disappeared when he’s out on the football field. Supposedly the fans are feeling troubled because he looks so troubled. Which I don’t get if the two of you are getting naked all the time.”

  Willow kept all her focus on labeling a gob of containers. No way would she feel guilty about Nick’s crappy on-the-field attitude. He kept talking like he expected more from her but what could he really want? A relationship? She didn’t believe it.

  Not really.

  Okay, fine she hoped he might want that, but she wouldn’t allow herself to hope too long because that was flat out foolish. He was a man who could have anyone he wanted. He’d already had her once and dumped her. Why would he want her again?

  It made no sense. Yet here he was, whispering in her ear how much he wanted her, needed her, just before he slipped deep inside her body. His behavior was confusing, to say the least. Was it wrong she sort of liked it when he bossed her around?

  Her heart skipped a beat. She loved it when he was aggressive. Bossy, telling her what to do and when she could do it. She’d never been into any sort of BDSM-type stuff, but she loved it when Nick got all growly and demanding. Her panties were a soaked mess most of the time, especially when he didn’t ask for anything. He just took. Commanded. Possessed.

  Her.

  “…so Jared thinks Aubrey might have something for Flynn, but rumor has it Aubrey might have something for Nick too. Who knows.” Sheridan shook her head.

  “Wait a minute.” She hadn’t been paying attention to what her friend said but that last remark got her listening. “Who’s Aubrey?”

  Sheridan rolled her eyes. “The new publicist. The one who’s handling your man. An attractive woman comes to work for the team and next thing you know, she wants to date them all. Including your man. I think you need to make your claim.”

  “Okay, that is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. First of all, you sound like we’re living in a soap opera, which we so aren’t. And second, Nick doesn’t need to go out with anyone. He has me.” Didn’t that sound rather possessive of her? She didn’t even bother correcting herself in front of Sheridan. “And what do you mean, make my claim?”

  “He hasn’t told anyone he has you. You’ve been kept completely separate from his regular life,” Sheridan pointed out. Again.

  Willow frowned. Why? Was he ashamed of her? Of course, not like she brought him into her life, either. They were so on the down low, they really were like a soap opera.

  Booty call.

  Damn, she hated that phrase.

  …

  “The holidays are coming up.” Harvey grinned at Nick as he handed him a bottle of water.

  “Thanksgiving’s already passed. That’s the only holiday that matters,” Nick said after he’d taken a long sip.

  Harvey settled in the seat across from him. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those, Hamilton.”

  “One of those what?” He was sick of the publicity pow-wows they kept having lately. He didn’t understand them. Didn’t understand Harvey and Aubrey’s sudden keen interest in him. What had he done to garner their heavy attention besides display a bit of crankiness on the field? Something he’d moved past, he might add. Last game he played, he’d been back to his chipper self.

  They’d written an article about it in Sports Illustrated and everything.

  Ridiculous.

  “The type who beat up Christmas for being too commercial. All about the gift buying and nothing about Jesus’s birthday.” Harvey smirked.

  “Well…that’s exactly what’s it turned into. It’s all about spending money and nothing else.” Huh. He wanted to spend money on Willow, but how? What could he get her that didn’t scream serious? Jewelry? So serious. A vacation for just the two of them like he’d mentioned to her the night at the Wharf? Extremely serious.

  He was in a no-win situation.

  “That’s great and all but I wanted to talk to you about your Christmas plans.” Harvey leaned forward. “You going back home as usual?”

  “Yep.” Nick nodded, slouched in his chair. Practice was done. He’d texted Willow not thirty minutes ago asking if she was ready for date number five.

  She’d sent back a reply in all caps, an enthusiastic: YES.

  So why was he still here listening to Harvey’s bullshit when he could be in a woman’s bed, her warm, willing body wrapped all around him?

  “Going back alone?”

  What was Harvey getting at? “I usually do.”

  “Gonna see your mama and your dad and your sister?” Harvey prodded, slipping into a mangled Texan accent.

  “I sure am. Might poke around the dusty fields and go cow tippin’ too. Is that what you want to hear? Me slip into my full-on accent and give you some real Texan?” Nick wanted to kick the leg out from Harvey’s chair and watch him fall to the ground. Now that would be a sight.

  “I have an idea that I think will drive the female fans wild about you. With Jared attached, you’ve become the next big thing. All the ladies love you, but you’ve been such a grumpy bastard lately, you’re losing traction.” Harvey shook his head. “That’s why we think you need an attitude adjustment.”

  “Didn’t we already have this conversati
on? And didn’t Sports Illustrated just mention how I’m back to my normal self?”

  “That was before I had a plan. I have an excellent one now. I think you should go on home and see your mom and dad for the holiday and I think you need to take your new girlfriend with you.”

  Oh shit, they found out about Willow. How the hell was he going to approach her with this? He didn’t mind the idea—hell, he’d been contemplating taking Willow to his mama on his own—but he didn’t want to handle it like this. Turn the entire thing into a giant media circus. That would only piss his mama off.

  Oh yeah, and Willow too.

  “And I think Aubrey is the perfect candidate to play the role of your newfound girlfriend,” Harvey finished.

  “What?” Nick shook his head. “You can’t be serious. This here sounds like some Jared and Sheridan shit going down, you know.”’

  “Right! And look how well that turned out for them?”

  Brought them a lot of misery and heartache before they found their happily ever after, but oh yeah, they were peachy keen right now. “Why would my having a girlfriend help my female fan base? That makes no damn sense. And what the hell does Aubrey think about this?”

  “She is willing to do whatever it takes to get the negative publicity off your back. We’re trying to go big with you, Nick. Make you a higher profile player, and it’s not working with you so sad all the time.”

  “I’m not sad anymore,” Nick said through gritted teeth.

  Harvey waved his hand, dismissing his protest. “You need a woman in your life to keep you happy. At the very least, you need to pretend that you’re happy because a sad Nick is a pitiful Nick.” He tilted his head, contemplating him. “So if that means Aubrey needs to pretend to be your significant other, she has no problem with it,” Harvey said with complete assurance.

  “I’ve never been the target for any of your schemes but I gotta say—that was such a fucking crazy suggestion, I can’t believe you had the balls to bring it up to me. Seriously.” Nick shook his head.

  “You have a better idea?” Harvey threw up his hands, clearly frustrated.