Love and Other Games

by Ana Blaze, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane, Kara Leigh Miller

  Brenna stomped the snow from her boots as she pulled on the heavy, glass door to the building that was her temporary residence. Then she stopped. “Shit,” she mumbled, releasing the door. She’d left her camera at the community center. Now she had to walk all the back across the village to go get it. God, how could she have been so careless? It was Cole’s fault, she decided. If he hadn’t rattled her, she wouldn’t have forgotten to grab it from the corner table she’d set it on.

  Pulling her coat tighter around her neck, she put her head down, and trudged through the frigid air toward the community center. By the time she arrived, her nose felt like an ice cube, and her toes were frozen. It would be a small miracle if she didn’t have frostbite. This is why she lived in the California. She hated snow! Thankfully, the center was empty save for some volunteers, vendors, and some janitors. She walked toward the corner where she’d left her camera only to find it empty.

  She spun around, looking and hoping that maybe she’d checked the wrong corner. Panic slowly crept up her spine. This could not be happening. That was her favorite camera. And it was her personal camera, not property of the studio. It was an expensive camera, too. She’d saved for months for it, and now she’d gone and lost it. “Excuse me. Did you see a camera over there?” Brenna pointed to the table in the corner, and then mimicked taking a picture.

  “Nein, ich will nicht mein Bild gemacht.”

  Oh, great! Of course she’d try to talk to a non-English speaking volunteer. “Danke,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. Brenna plopped down into one of the oversized arm chairs and dropped her head into her hands. What the hell was she going to do now? Yeah, she’d packed another camera, but it wasn’t as good as the one she’d lost, and it wouldn’t capture the action shots she was going to have to take during the game.

  She groaned, and then stood. The chances of her finding anywhere around here that would sell a camera of that magnitude were slim. She had no choice but to make do with the equipment she had. With some fancy lighting and the right angle, it might just work. Taking a deep breath, Brenna prepared herself to once again make the long, cold trek back to her room. The gravity of the situation weighed on her. If she fucked this up, if she didn’t deliver pictures that were of the highest quality, not only would she lose her job, but Frank’s reputation would be ruined beyond repair.

  Brenna’s fingers were like icicles by the time she reached her room, and she fumbled with her key. Just as she managed to get it in the lock, the door swung open. What the … ? She knew she had locked this door before she left. Cautiously, she pushed it open and peered inside. There, lying on her bed was Cole. His back was against the headboard, ankles crossed, one arm tucked behind his head, the other resting on his stomach, and her camera on the bed next to him.

  She slammed the door. He didn’t even flinch. Instead, he simply turned his head, looked at her, and smiled. “What the hell are you doing here?” Brenna was so not in the mood to deal with him tonight; although she was beyond thrilled to see her camera. She wanted to grab it and hug it. “And how did you get in my room?”

  “I came to return your camera,” Cole said, ignoring her other question.

  Brenna took off her coat and tossed it over the back of the chair, which she then sat in to remove her boots. She rubbed her feet in a feeble attempt to get the blood circulating. “Thank you,” she said with a genuine smile. “I thought I’d lost it for good.”

  Cole stood and picked up her camera. “So, what’s it worth to you?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Your camera, what’s it worth to you?” He stood in front of her; her camera gripped tight in his hands.

  She looked up at him under her lashes, a scowl on her face. “About three grand,” she said through clenched teeth.

  He whistled. “Damn!” Then he laughed. “But that’s not what I meant, darlin’, and you know it.”

  Brenna suppressed a groan. Why oh why did he have to go using that southern accent on her like that? She sighed. “It’s been a very long day, Cole. I’m exhausted, so please, I’m asking you nicely to knock it off with the games.”

  Cole hesitated as if he were contemplating what she said. He held up the camera, admiring it, inspecting it. “Want to know what it’s worth to me?”

  “Not really.” She should get up and demand that he leave, but she was frozen in the chair. From exhaustion or morbid curiosity, she had no idea. Maybe it was a little of both.

  He gently set the camera on the desk, and then, before she had a chance to react, he grabbed the arms of the chair making any chance of escape impossible. Cole lowered his head so that his mouth was near her ear. “A kiss,” he whispered.

  His lips tickled her ear when he spoke, and she couldn’t stop the shudder that worked through her body. Damn him! She swallowed the dryness from her throat, unable to think of anything to say to him. The scent of his cologne tickled her nostrils. Her hand twitched, it actually friggin’ twitched with the need to reach up and run her fingers down the length of his torso. “Cole.” Her voice cracked.

  “It’s just one kiss. Surely you can handle that.”

  Her eyes closed of their own volition at the feel of his mouth closing around her earlobe. A soft moan pushed past her lips, and she felt him smile against her skin.

  “C’mon, Brenna, you can’t sit there and tell me you don’t want to kiss me.” He lifted his head and looked at her, his green eyes dark and hungry.

  Her heart thundered in her chest. Think, damn it, think! She took a deep breath and met his gaze. “I don’t.”

  He leaned down a little further so that their lips were a breath’s width apart. “Liar.”

  She stared at him, wanting to be angry with him, but all she felt was overwhelming desire. Would one kiss really hurt? He did find her camera and return it, saving her ass from getting fired and her boss from having his reputation destroyed. That warranted some sort of thank you, didn’t it? No! I absolutely cannot give in to him. Forcing her racing heart to slow down, she said, “Since when do you have to beg a woman to kiss you?”

  Cole’s smile was slow and deliberate. “I’m not begging,” he said, inching even closer. “I’m simply waiting.”

  God damn it, why did he have to be so smooth all the time? So in control and confident? Well, she’d be damned if she was going to let him think he was in control this time. He’d rattled her to the point of confusion. It was time to return the favor. Brenna leaned forward, closing the non-existent distance between them, and pressed her lips to his. Her eyes fluttered closed and she moaned as if his kiss was some decadent dessert she’d been depriving herself from enjoying.

  Without hesitation, Cole’s hands left the arms of the chair and cupped her face, holding her in place, holding her where he wanted her. There was no fight left in her. She succumbed to his kiss; the feel of his soft lips, the taste of his tongue, it was sinful, and she hated how much she liked it. But oh, how she liked it. Cole’s tongue delved into her mouth, expertly exploring it like he’d spent his whole life kissing only her. No wonder women threw themselves at this man. If he kept up like he was, she’d be easily convinced to strip naked and drag him to her bed.

  Brenna lifted her hands from her lap and allowed herself one small indulgence: running her fingers down his chest and back up again. His body was solid muscle, and she briefly wondered what he’d look like naked.

  Cole trembled beneath her caress. “You really shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered against her lips before claiming them once more, deepening the kiss until he stole the breath from her body, making her weak and dizzy. It was a damn good thing she was sitting because if she’d been standing, she would’ve collapsed.

  She mentally smiled at her little victory. Apparently she had the ability to get to him like he got to her. Brenna nipped erotically at his bottom lip, and then broke the kiss. “I think we’re even now,” she said, trying to catch her breath without letting him know that’s what she was doing.

&nbs
p; He straightened and smiled. His tongue darted out to lick over his kiss swollen bottom lip, and Brenna found herself wishing she hadn’t ended the kiss so soon. “We’re not even close to being even yet. Trust me,” he said with a wink before turning on his heel and leaving her room.

  Brenna shook her hands in an attempt to rid the feel of Cole from them. Then she stood; her knees were like Jell-O. “Get a grip,” she muttered as she paced the small room. “It was just a stupid kiss.” Yeah, a kiss that had aroused her beyond comprehension, a kiss that would undoubtedly keep her awake all night fantasizing about him.

  Work! That always helped calm her and take her mind off things. She’d taken hundreds of pictures tonight at the welcome party. The camera’s memory card was close to being full. She could empty it onto her laptop, clear it out so that it was ready to go for tomorrow. But first, a shower and a pair of warm, comfortable pajamas were in order.

  ***

  Brenna emerged half an hour later feeling a little bit better, but she was still frazzled as she sat at the desk and turned on her laptop. Cole’s last words to her bounced around in her mind. We’re not even close to being even yet. Trust me. What the hell did he mean by that? Logging into her email, she quickly scanned through them. There were several from her friends, one from her brother, and one from Frank—which is the only one she bothered to answer. The day was catching up to her, and she was having trouble keeping her eyes open.

  Taking the memory card from the camera, she put it in the laptop and yawned as she waited for the pictures to download. Her thoughts wandered to Cole and that kiss. Instinctively, she put her fingers to her lips, which still tingled, and closed her eyes, losing herself in the memory. Her laptop dinged, indicating the pictures were done downloading. She contemplated just leaving them until tomorrow, but she had to photograph the team’s practice tomorrow morning, which meant she’d have twice the number of pictures to go through.

  She clicked on the first picture and studied it. It was her policy to delete any pictures that were blurry, unidentifiable, or destroyed by someone walking in front of the shot. Unfortunately, there were a lot she had to delete. But that was to be expected at a party when she was just snapping away as opposed to looking for good shots. The photo of Cole signing an autograph for that girl came out beautifully, though, and Brenna saved it in a separate folder.

  By the time she made it to the end, her eyes were heavy, and she couldn’t be sure if the pictures were blurry or if it was just her eyes unable to focus. Then she saw something that snapped her out of her stupor. They were pictures of Cole—naked pictures. There was one of him in an ice rink, completely naked, a hockey stick positioned at just the right angle so that nothing was showing, and a silly grin on his face. Brenna’s jaw hung open. There was another one of him lying on his side on the ice, head propped in one hand and the other holding a hockey puck over his manhood.

  She tilted her head and leaned closer to the screen. Yup, there was definitely some goods shown in that one. Her first thought was: he must be freezing lying on the ice like that. And her second thought: holy hell, her imagination did not do that man’s body any justice. He was built, and the longer she stared at him, at his muscular chest and hard abs, the more aroused she became. Brenna continued to click through the pictures. The last two were of Cole wearing his hockey jersey. In one he was in the classic Marilyn Monroe pose. And in the other he had his back to the camera, looking over his shoulder with his ass pushed out slightly.

  Brenna couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up from her gut. Hot body and great ass aside, Cole was a real piece of work. He stole her camera, took pictures of himself … her laugh faded as the realization set in. No, there was no way he took these pictures by himself. It was impossible, especially with this camera. It had to be held with two hands. Which only meant one thing: somebody else took them. She laughed harder. Who in their right mind would do this for him?

  Sure, she found the pictures amusing, and more than a little enticing, but damn it! He’d stolen her camera. What if he had damaged it beyond repair? Well, Cole was right about one thing. They weren’t close to being even. A smile tugged at her lips as she logged into her Instagram account.

  Chapter Four

  Cole knocked on the door and waited impatiently for Brenna to answer. Finally, the door swung open. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said with a smile. “The ice queen does have a sense of humor.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “This.” He held out his cell phone for her to see. Cole crossed his arms over his chest and leaned up against the door frame, watching as Brenna studied the pictures. “I clearly underestimated you.”

  “Yeah, I get that a lot,” she said.

  Her head was down, gaze focused on his phone, but he noticed her fighting to bite back a smile. Cole took the time to admire her. She was dressed in a pair of jeans, brown boots that came up to her knees, and an oversized sweater with an equally large belt around her waist. A touch of makeup graced her beautiful face, and the sides of her hair were pulled up with a barrette. Wow. She looked fantastic. “Well, I’ll be sure not to do that again.”

  “While you’re at it, try not to steal my camera again.”

  Cole laughed. “It was just harmless fun. Don’t you know that’s how we flirt in the south?”

  “And don’t you know this,” Brenna handed him back the phone, “is how we flirt in Hollywood? I’d say we’re even now.”

  “Those pictures were meant for your eyes only, which means you owe me something again.” His gaze lowered to her lips, and the passion he’d felt from her kiss last night ignited a deep desire within him.

  “Sorry.” She shrugged. “I don’t recall seeing any warning attached to them.” Brenna met his gaze for the first time since he arrived, and the look in her hazel eyes stole his breath.

  God, he wanted to kiss her again. It was a want unlike anything he’d ever felt before. And he wasn’t sure he liked it. He pushed off the wall and stood straight.

  “If it makes you feel any better, your pictures have gotten just as many views as Ty Madsen. And I hear he’s pretty popu … ” She trailed off, a strange look on her face, as if she were coming to some sort of unexpected realization.

  Cole frowned. Being compared to Ty annoyed him, but what bothered him more was that Brenna had the wherewithal to actually take the time to look at Ty’s pictures. Cole had seen them, too. “Yeah, thanks,” he said dryly.

  “You got more views than Ty,” she repeated.

  “Yeah, you said that already.” He watched curiously as her eyes widened and her jaw hung slack. “Brenna?”

  “Omigod!” she gasped, cupping her hand over her mouth, and shaking her head. “No … that wasn’t … Oh, God, Cole. I’m sorry. I thought I’d posted those pictures privately. I didn’t realize they were public. I didn’t mean … “

  He laughed. She looked mortified. He laughed harder. It didn’t bother him one bit that those pictures were public, not really, but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. He could have some real fun with this—and with her.

  Brenna scowled and grabbed a black bag from the desk, putting the strap over her shoulder. “Are you about finished? I have a job to do.”

  Last night she’d kissed him—really kissed him—with a desire that rivaled his own. And now she was back to being an ice queen. He just couldn’t win with her. “Yeah, I’m finished.” Cole moved out of her way so that she could step into the hallway. “For now,” he added before walking away.

  He wanted to scream in frustration. What was it going to take to break through that wall she has up around her? He’d thought he’d gotten through to her last night—apparently not. Well, Cole Campbell was not a man to walk away from a challenge.

  ***

  Brenna stood just outside the ice rink and watched as the team warmed up for practice. Damn, it was cold in here. She’d thought that she’d dressed warm enough, but now she was considering putting her coat on.
That would make it difficult to move around with her camera though, so she sucked it up and dealt with it.

  She caught sight of Cole, and her body temperature spiked. Her face flushed with warmth. She’d almost given in to him this morning when he said she owed him again. If he had pushed the issue, she knew she would’ve opened her lips and invited him in. She had to get her mind off Cole, and the only way she knew how to do that was to drown herself in work.

  Taking her camera from her bag, she brought it up to her face, and looked through the view finder. She scanned the rink looking for a good shot. Cole skated down the ice, skillfully keeping the puck under control and away from his teammates. Brenna knew nothing about this sport, but she was enjoying watching him. He was surprisingly graceful for being so big. They all were. And the control they exhibited was amazing. It definitely took talent—and a whole lot of practice—to do what they did as well as they did it.

  Cole came further down the rink, skating as if he were a speed skater and not a hockey player. Brenna adjusted her hold on the camera, preparing to get a picture of him when he swung to take a shot. Cole didn’t slow down as he brought his stick back and took aim. Brenna snapped the picture and the flash went off. What happened next happened so fast she couldn’t fully process it.

  “Son of a bitch!” the coach shouted as he stormed onto the ice.

  “Dude! Are you okay?” Jason asked, leaving his spot in front of the goal and skating toward Cole, who was flat on his back on the ice.

  Brenna blinked several times in disbelief. The flash had gone off on her camera. It wasn’t supposed to go off. Fear, panic, and embarrassment colored her face. She quickly checked her camera. Sure enough, the settings were all messed up. The flash had been turned on. Slowly, she looked to the ice. Oh my, God! What did I just do? I’m so fucking stupid! Photography 101: always check the settings before taking a picture. She’d made a stupid, careless, rookie mistake—and from the look on Cole’s face, it was a costly mistake.