The Love Game

by Emilia Beaumont

  “But Mom claims she’s still in love with him,” Damon continued, guzzling down another beer. “And she can’t understand why I don’t fucking believe her.”

  “But what if she is?” I countered. There were all kinds of emotions haunting his eyes. I saw fear, worry, and concern. “Your father is a grown man. If he believes she is genuine, then you might want to give her a chance, for his sake. The last thing you want to do is alienate your father, right?”

  His eyes searched mine, his expression softening. “You know, you are too smart for your own good, Ginny.”

  I gave him a saucy smile. “Well, I am a bartender. Years of counseling right here in front of you.”

  He took hold of my waist and pulled me even closer. So much so, I could feel his desire for me rise one inch at a time.

  “What about the food?” I asked as he started nuzzling my neck, his lips finding the sensitive spot behind my ear.

  “Fuck the food,” he muttered, his lips tracing a delicious path up to my earlobe, which he grasped gently with his teeth. “I want to eat you.”

  I didn’t argue, my arms sliding up around his neck to give him more access. His hands tugged at the belt around my robe and opened it, the rush of cool air colliding with my naked skin. He looked down at my naked body revealed before him, and I was not ashamed at what he was seeing. I didn’t visit the gym regularly or eat right, but years of bartending and lifting kegs had kept my body in relatively decent shape. And the way Damon was looking at it told me he didn’t care about a regular exercise routine, either.

  “You’re fucking gorgeous. I want a picture of you just like this so I can look at it forever,” he said in a low voice, reaching for his belt buckle. “Turn around for me, Ginny.”

  I did as I was told and slipped the robe off, my heart pounding in my ears. I knew what was coming, and I was wet with anticipation. When I looked at him over my shoulder, he had stripped off his clothes, his cock standing before him, with his hand stroking it gently. I felt my knees go weak as I eyed his hardened arousal. It was scary what he did to me without even touching me.

  With a growl, he dropped his hand and closed the gap between us and spun me around. His hands framed my face. “This is madness,” he whispered, his eyes on mine. “You know that, right? This is madness between us.”

  I nodded, unable to speak. It was madness, delicious, wonderful madness, and I never wanted to let it go. His kiss was tender on my lips, nipping and searching until I opened my mouth and his tongue swept in. I could feel his hard cock against my belly, the tightening of my nipples as they waited for his touch. My entire body was on high alert, and it was all because of him. His hands slid down my body, lightly touching my skin as I arched into his touch, begging for more. I needed more. “The bed,” he said, pulling back. “I want you on my bed now.”

  I forced my feet to move toward the bedroom, feeling Damon hot on my heels. He reached out and stopped me right before I made it to the edge of the bed-frame, spinning me around again to face him. I could see the heat in his eyes, the need clearly written on his face.

  “Let me love you,” Damon said softly, framing my face with his warm hands. I said nothing, instead leaning over to brush my lips against his. Just the mere touch of his lips against mine set my blood on fire as his hands dropped from my face and seemed to be everywhere at once. I moaned against his mouth as his hands found my aching breasts, molding them against his palms. I reached out, blindly touching his chest with my fingers, feeling his rapid heartbeat against my hand. His skin was hot, but I was hotter, nearly on fire for him.

  Damon gave me a little push, and I fell back against the bed, his body covering mine. “I am going to kiss you from head to toe,” he said softly, his lips grazing my forehead. “Starting with your head.” I squirmed, feeling his heavy arousal nestled between my naked thighs. I didn’t want to go slow, I wanted Damon inside me again. But Damon chuckled and continued his kiss assault, placing soft kisses on my eyes, nose, and finally on my mouth. “This is killing you, isn’t it?”

  “Very much so,” I admitted as he moved to my shoulder, nipping at the skin with his teeth. Rather than push him aside and have my way with him, I closed my eyes, allowing the sensation of a guy wanting to take his time with me wash over me.

  When Damon moved down to my breasts, I gasped, not realizing how sensitive my nipples had become. But his mouth was working overtime, and I became extremely wet. I wasn’t going to last much longer. Damon traced a path with his tongue down to my navel, swirling around it and getting ever so close to the very center of me before sliding back up. I sighed in frustration.

  “You’re a horrible tease,” I grumbled as he loomed over me, a grin on his lips.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve decided I can’t wait anymore, but I want you on your knees, Ginny.”

  I moved quickly after that, rising up on my knees with my forearms against the bed covers. He was behind me, and I was wide open, ready for him. He slapped my ass; the sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed around the bedroom. Then he tugged at my cheeks, urging me wider before he drilled into me, taking my breath away. He filled me completely as I arched against him, moaning as I felt him move slow and steady, like he had all the time in the world.

  “You are so fucking wet, you dirty girl,” he said harshly, gripping my hips. I pushed against him harder, crying out as my first orgasm shook my body, my mind exploding into a million stars. Damon growled and increased his pace, sending waves of orgasms in its wake. My hands clenched the sheets as I matched his pace. Sweat slick on my body.

  “Yes,” he said, gritting his teeth, the sound of our bodies slapping together filling the room. “Yes.”

  He stiffened and cried out, pumping into me before I collapsed on the bed, my legs shaking from exertion. Damon’s body landed on top of mine and for a moment we just lay there, our breathing short and fast. “Damn,” he finally said, rolling off me. “You really are going to be the death of me, Ginny.”

  I rolled over and grazed his chest with my nails, an amused smile on my face. “Well, it’s a good way to go.”

  He chuckled and pulled me close. “Damn right it is.”

  I rested my head on his chest, the swell of emotions lodged in my throat. I was in love with Damon Holden.

  18

  Damon

  If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought I was stationed somewhere on cloud fucking nine.

  Ginny was still asleep beside me, a gentle snore coming from her. After the marathon sex until the wee hours of the morning, I didn’t have the heart to wake her. The sun was starting to filter into the room from around the edges of the closed curtains. My alarm had already gone off, and I needed to get up if I was going to make early morning practice, but I didn’t want to move. I could’ve stayed in bed all damn day with her. Yet there was a conflicting notion that also made me want to go out there and show the world what I was made of. I was ready for the day to start, and it was all because of the woman beside me.

  Without waking her, I leaned over and pressed my lips into her hair, inhaling the smell of the hotel shampoo in the process. It was a wonder that she had gotten it all out after I’d surprised her in the shower a few hours ago.

  With a sigh, I climbed out of bed and found my clothes. I pulled on a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt before grabbing my bag and taking one last look at the bed. Derek would kill me if I didn’t show up. I still had matches to win, and now with Ginny here, I would be unstoppable.

  I walked into the kitchen and scribbled a note for her to join me at Wimbledon after my torture on the practice courts was done. A driver was waiting at the curb to take me to the stadium. No doubt courtesy of Derek or Jim.

  Derek was waiting outside the players’ entrance for me as I pulled up, a surprised look on his face. “Damn, man, you are actually early this morning. You’re never early. I was only out here on the off chance you’d turn up.”

  I shrugged, a grin on my face. “Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf
.”

  “Maybe hell is freezing over,” Derek responded, giving me a look, trying to figure out what was going on. “Oh, I see. I take it that your little girlfriend kept you up all night and you haven’t slept any?”

  “She’s not—” I started, a reflex. Girls had come and gone, but I’d never considered any of them as my girlfriends. But thinking of the time that I’d spent with Ginny over the last twelve hours, maybe that needed to change now. I hadn’t thought of her as my actual girlfriend, but it was about damn time. I just needed to convince her to stay on tour with me to make it truly official. I had no intentions of letting her go. “Yeah, OK, maybe she is,” I finally said. “But I did get a few hours’ sleep, and I’m raring to go.”

  We started the walk to the practice courts tucked behind the circular court number one before Derek stopped and turned toward me. “It’s about damn time you found someone special, but don’t let her get in the way of what you have going on here, OK? You’ve got talent, so let’s fucking use it.”

  “Don’t worry,” I said, thinking back to the first day I met Ginny, scolding me for giving up too easily, for wasting my talent. Since that day, I hadn’t been the same, and it was probably for the best. No, it was for the best. “She understands. She totally gets it.”

  Derek looked at me, a curious expression on his face. “This is serious, isn’t it?”

  I swallowed, looking down at the concrete under my feet. How did I answer that? Was it serious between us? I wanted to say it was, but we hadn’t done much talking lately. “Yeah. I think it is.”

  Derek chuckled as he clapped me on the back. “Dude, I’ve been there before. It’s fine. It’s a good place to be… in love, I mean.”

  I straightened, rolled my shoulders, and frowned at the word. Love? Could it be?

  “Enough of my life. Can we just play some damn tennis? I need to work on my serve.”

  The quicker I got this practice over and done with, the quicker I could get back to Ginny. I wanted to show her around London today, to make the most of her time here because I had a match the next day. Plus, after her reaction to the surprises I had lined up in Paris, I knew exactly where to take her in London. We would enjoy the day being tourists and then enjoy each other in the night. I couldn’t wait.

  Derek started toward the courts again. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out immediately. My dad’s number was flashing on the screen. I pressed the button, a lump in my throat.

  “Hey Dad,” I forced out.

  “Hey son,” he replied, his voice sounding tired. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m about to head into practice,” I answered. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” he said with a chuckle. “Do you think I only call you when something is wrong?”

  I let out a breath, relief flooding my body. “No, of course not. What’s up?”

  “I won’t keep you long; I know you’re busy, but it’s your mom,” he said with a sigh.

  “She OK? Did she cancel the wedding?”

  “No, nothing like that. She called me after you two had a bit of a row. I know you haven’t been her biggest fan as of late, but she’s changed, son. She really has. She’s spent tireless hours beside me during these treatments, and without her, I don’t think I could have gotten this far.”

  I sighed, wishing that she hadn’t dragged him into our problems. The last thing my dad needed was added stress in his life. “What do you want me to do?” I asked, wanting to end the call.

  “I want you to give her another chance. Come to the party at least? Show her you are trying. You’ll see that she’s not the same person, Damon. Then decide if you want to come to the wedding.”

  “I already told her I’m coming,” I told him, rubbing a hand over my face. “Are you sure she’s not just playing you for your money?”

  “No,” my dad answered, “I’m not sure, but everyone has to take chances in their life, son. Life’s short. Get it while you can.”

  I thought about Ginny again, how everything just felt so right with her. I was seizing the moment for the first time in my adult life. All the partying, the alcohol, the nameless faces, they didn’t amount to anything in my life.

  “This cancer, it’s made me rethink things,” my dad continued, “and what I would be missing if I didn’t take this opportunity at another chance with your mom. I love your mom; I always have, and I know she loves me too, Damon. You have to trust us on this, all right?”

  “If you say so, then I not going to stop you,” I responded, a small piece of me hoping that it was for real, that they loved each other, and the second time around was going to work. “I’m with you one hundred percent.”

  “And your mom?” he asked.

  “Eventually,” I answered. Maybe it was time to let go of some of the old shit that was dragging me down and focus on new things in my life. Damn, I was turning into a regular sentimental fool.

  “See you at the party then,” he finally said.

  “Love you, Dad,” I answered, surprised at the emotion in my voice. I didn’t know what I would do if I lost him. He’d always been there, rooting for me from the first moment I even considered professional tennis as a career.

  “Come on, Damon. Quit stalling and get your ass on that court!”

  I pocketed my phone, my mouth set in a grim line. It was time to show them what I could do. My dad could die, or Ginny could disappear at any moment, and I wouldn’t have any way to stop it from happening. But at least in Ginny’s case I had a way to show her why she should stay, give her a reason to stay. No more playing around, no more wild on-court antics. I needed to buck up or get out, and now that I had people really depending on me to make something of myself, to prove them right. To make them proud. I wasn’t going to let them down.

  19

  Ginny

  I was happy. The thought struck me as I showered for the second time that day. My body was pleasantly sore from all the positions that Damon had put me into last night. Twisting me up like a bendy-straw.

  For the first time in my life, I was doing something for me, and I couldn’t be happier. In fact, I finally felt like my life was starting to fall into place. It was a great feeling, and I couldn’t wait to see him again. His note was short, but the fact that he wanted me to meet him at the stadium meant more than I could have ever imagined. This was real, not a dream, not a fantasy. I was here and Damon was into me. It was crazy.

  With a happy sigh, I climbed out of the shower and threw on the clothes I’d been wearing the previous day. I pulled my wet hair into a loose bun as I walked through the suite. It was then that I noticed my phone blinking. Cara’s number flashed up on the screen. Pressing the green button, I plopped into a chair with a smile, ready to tell her everything that had happened so far. “Hello?”

  “Oh, Ginny. Thank god,” Cara’s frantic voice filled the air. “I didn’t know if I would get you or not, what with the time difference.”

  “What’s wrong?” I asked immediately, my heart in my throat. The hair on the back of my neck stood to attention, all my happy feelings evaporating. “What is it?”

  “Firstly, I want you to know your mom is fine,” she said. “But, oh god. It’s a mess. Ginny, we need you to come home now. How soon can you be here?”

  I was already on my feet, thinking the worst. But I didn’t dare ask, I already knew it was bad from the sound of her voice. I hurried to the bedroom, located my purse. Thinking ahead, I knew I’d need to make a detour to the hotel I’d booked myself into, to grab the rest of my belongings. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she said before clicking off. My nerves were frazzled, and I hurried out of Damon’s suite. The elevator wasn’t moving fast enough for my liking, but It gave me the time to check the airlines and book myself onto the next flight to Florida. It was leaving soon, and I had no time to waste. Get my stuff, get to the airport. Get home.

  I darted out of Damon’s hotel and into the street to h
ail a black taxicab. One stopped almost immediately, and I climbed in and gave the driver my destination before settling back, clenching my hands tightly together. I was beyond worried about what I might find when I got back home and even more concerned that it was going to derail everything with Damon. Damn it! It wasn’t fair. Just when everything was going right, everything fell apart.

  And Damon. Oh, god. He was going to think the worst of me when I didn’t turn up at the stadium.

  Pulling out my phone, I looked at it and tapped on the contacts app. Dread dropped into my belly as realization set in: I didn’t have his phone number. I had no way of contacting him. “No, no,” I muttered throwing the phone on the seat beside me. Why was this happening to me? Why couldn’t I be just happy for once? But I couldn’t turn back now. I couldn’t make another detour. Time was of the essence, and I’d miss my flight if I went to meet him.

  Thirteen hours later I stood in front of the home I knew, the business that had supported me and my mom for years.

  Well, what was left of it.

  The building was gone. Nothing but smoldering ashes in the pre-dawn light. The smell of charred wood lingered in the air. I felt sick. Practically my whole life had been in that bar, and now it was gone. There was nothing to show for all the years I’d put into it. I was numb on the inside, too shocked and exhausted to do much else but stare. I hadn’t called Cara when I’d landed, too tired and scared of what I might find. I hadn’t expected Friction to be gone.

  “I’m so sorry, Ginny,” Cara said as she suddenly appeared next to me. Her arm wrapped around my waist, presumably because I looked like I was going to fall down at any moment. “I don’t know what happened. I was only gone for thirty minutes, and Luke was here and…”