Getting Played

by Mia Storm

  Carol drops a plate in front of me. “Pace yourself.” She brings the rest of the plates balanced on her arm to the table behind me.

  I devour my burger as Bran serves a large group of guys who just came in, and I’m finishing when I see Addie head down the back hall toward the delivery door in the alley.

  I push off my stool. “Thanks, man,” I say to Bran, tossing a twenty on the bar.

  He shoots me a shit-eating grin as I stride up the hallway on Addie’s heels.

  I slam through the doorway just behind her and she gasps and spins at the noise. In a single bound, I’m on her. I back her up against the cinderblock wall and plant a hand on either side of her head. “Your team misses you.”

  “So this is an official visit?” Her eyes are wide with shock, but there’s just enough sass in her tone to make certain parts of my anatomy take notice.

  I crush her body between mine and the wall and kiss her with everything I have. After a second, her surprise passes and I feel her melt into me. She grasps my shoulders and I twist my hand into her hair, pulling her closer and deepening our kiss. And when I finally draw away, her breathing is shaky and she’s got a fuck me look in her eyes that has my dick standing on end in one second flat.

  “I need more from you than just a few stolen moments,” I whisper against her lips. “Let me take you home.”

  If I’m going to fucking jail, I may as well do something to deserve it.

  She blinks up at me and nods. I take her hand and head across the street to my truck.

  Chapter 20

  Addie

  Despite the cool evening air, I’m sure the scorch in Marcus’s gaze is going to cause me to spontaneously combust.

  I do my best to ignore the charge in the air as he negotiates us through town. I feel like a fugitive, looking out the windows for any sign of someone following us.

  “Pull into the garage,” I say when he rolls to a stop in front of my house.

  He cranks the wheel into my driveway and I jump out and run inside. I hit the button for the garage door and he pulls inside. He hasn’t even stopped when I push the button again to lower it.

  He’s barely out of the truck when I go to him. We stand staring at each other for what feels like an eternity before I press up onto my toes and loop my hands over his shoulders.

  He tugs me to him and crushes my body against his, kissing me hard. This is the most unleashed I’ve ever seen Marcus, and I know it’s because of the beer I taste on his tongue. But if this is my only chance, I’m going to take it.

  I climb up his body like a monkey and he scoops me up by the ass as I hook my knees over his hips. He walks us through the house but hesitates when he gets to the hallway to the bedrooms.

  I take my mouth off his long enough to tell him, “At the end.”

  He carries me down the hall and kicks open the door at the end. But then he hesitates.

  He sets me down and looks around the room, and I suddenly hate Aunt Becky for her decorating choices. Everything is white lace, which makes it feel very girlish. Not how I want Marcus to be thinking of me right now.

  “I can’t do this,” he says, backing away from me.

  I have to make him understand that I need this from him. He’s the only person I’ve ever felt this way about and I want to show him everything he means to me.

  So I lift my hands to his face, hold his jaw, rough with three day’s growth, gently between my palms. I pull him down to kiss me…tip my head to the side, open my mouth wider for him, and pull him deeper into me.

  He groans as his last shred of inhibition falls away and he takes my invitation, threading his fingers through my hair to the nape of my neck. His tongue finds mine, and what starts out a slow dance rapidly becomes a desperate tumble as they roll through each other’s mouths.

  He kicks the door shut and crushes me to his body.

  When I feel the indisputable evidence of how much he wants me pressed against my stomach, it does a somersault. My breath catches and he pulls back for a moment, searching my eyes. But I wrap my hand around the back of his head and urge his mouth back to mine before he can think about what we’re doing. I slide my hands under the hem of his T-shirt and when I run my fingertips over the taut skin of his abs, I feel them contract in response. He tenses more under my hands when I glide my pinkies into the gap between him and the waistband of his jeans. His tongue stops moving in my mouth and for a second I’m afraid I’ve gone too far and broken the spell. But then he slips off my shirt and kisses me as though I’m life itself.

  I’ve never felt so needed. I’ve never felt anything like the current flowing between us. As if he’s electricity and I’m his bulb, I feel myself begin to warm and glow. I melt into him and everything else fades into oblivion. All that exists are his mouth and his hands and his body. I only feel him.

  And I feel him everywhere.

  His electric fingers find their way under the strap of my bra and his thumb caresses my straining nipple.

  As he slips my bra strap down and drops kisses along my shoulder, I lift his T-shirt higher and press my body harder against his, desperate to feel his skin against mine. But I lose all sense of myself when he lifts me right off the ground and crushes my body between the door and his swim-hardened chest. I wrap my legs around him and feel his erection press into the sweet spot between my legs.

  I grind myself against him and his breath catches. For a moment, we stand frozen and I’m sure he’s going to pull away. But then he starts moving to my rhythm. My body first goes electric, then liquid. Every time he presses himself into me I think I’m going to die. Or scream. Maybe both.

  He carries me to the bed and lays me back, then watches my face as he slips my jeans over my hips. He drops butterfly-soft kisses down my belly, then over my panties to the root of my world. He slips them off and his mouth finds me again.

  As my hands fist in his hair of their own accord, never in my life have I felt so out of control. And it’s right now, in this second, that I decide to live. I lay myself totally open to Marcus and let myself feel everything.

  He swirls his tongue over my clit, and I cry out, a sharp, “Oh, God!” His responding growl melts my insides into lava. He grasps my ass and grinds his face hard against me, and all of a sudden there are sounds I’ve never made in my life erupting from my throat. And when he sucks my clit, my fingers twist into his hair so hard I’m sure I come away with most of it in my hand. With one final howl, my whole world crashes down around my ears and I’m left panting, unable to get any air.

  When my moans die down and I stop squirming under him, his mouth travels the length of my body back to my ear. “You drive me fucking insane,” he whispers. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted a woman in my life, but I’ll stop, Addie. All you have to do is tell me.”

  His hot breath ignites flames in my heart that spread like wildfire through my entire body. I pull his face to mine and kiss him with my entire soul. “I want you to love me,” I say, holding his gaze.

  He looks a question into my eyes for several beats of my pounding heart and he must get the answer I’m sending him with every fiber of my being, because he glides his hand between my legs. His touch is tender, but electric all at the same time. He strokes my sensitive clit, then sinks a finger deep inside me and fireworks explode in my belly. I arch with the sensation, holding my breath until the rush settles.

  “God, you feel good,” he mutters against my mouth.

  He kisses me more deeply, then stands and shucks off his jeans.

  When his hard-on springs free from his boxer briefs, the electric rush is intense. He roots in the pocket of his duffel for something, then crawls up my body and settles over me on his elbows.

  “This is really what you want, Addie? Because I will wait for you forever if I need to.”

  I kiss him, just the brush of my lips over his. “I’m ready to live.”

  He smiles softly, but when I reach for his erection and stroke, the smile fades into a mo
an. He’s silk over steel, so hard and hot and another electric rush courses through me at the thought of having this part of him inside me.

  His eyes fix on mine, and I feel his gaze demolish all the walls inside me.

  He tears open the condom and I shake a little watching him roll it on, and when he lays on top of me, his weight feels so amazing. He adjusts himself, getting all our vital parts aligned, and he looks into my eyes again with a question in his. In answer, I roll my hips, pressing harder against him. He presses and I feel him stretch me, and when he slips inside I gasp.

  “Okay?” he asks.

  I nod and grasp his sides tighter.

  He begins to move slowly deeper and when he seats himself fully inside me, the sensation of his firm pressure filling me is enough to make me lightheaded.

  He glides out, then slowly back in and a hot ache spreads through my groin. I do the best I can to keep his rhythm as he moves inside me, but it’s only a matter of minutes before I feel myself losing control of my body again. My breath is coming in gasps and my legs wrap around him of their own volition, pulling him deeper inside me. He pumps against me, a little harder and a little deeper with each thrust. I feel the same pressure build in my core as did when he did those things to me with his mouth, and then I hear myself crying out, but I can’t stop it.

  He plunges into me hard, to the root, and my mouth unhinges, but no sound comes out. My whole body goes electric as another off-the-Richter-scale orgasm rocks my world. And then he goes still.

  “Are you okay?” he breathes.

  “Better.”

  He rolls off me and lies on his side. I turn to face him. He lifts a hand and traces his fingertip along the curve of my lower lip. “You are so fucking incredible, Addie.”

  I nestle into his chest and as he strokes my hair, my eyelids become too heavy to hold open. I sink into contented bliss, and my last coherent thought as I drift into sleep is, This is heaven.

  But I wake up in hell.

  My eyes snap open to the click of heels on the hardwood floor in the hallway outside my door, and I realize somewhere in my dream I heard someone call my name. The rain has stopped, and the gray of an overcast twilight has given way to darkness outside my window. I have no idea what time it is, but it must be late.

  Marcus leaps off the bed and yanks his jeans up his legs. He’s just buttoning them when my bedroom door swings open.

  “Hey, Addie,” Becky says, stepping through the door, “Whose truck is in the gar—oh!”

  I spring to a sitting position and grab a handful of sheets to cover myself when I realize I’m still naked. My heart has clawed its way up my throat, but none of the blood it’s furiously pumping seems to be making it to my brain, because I’m lightheaded and a little dizzy.

  And cold. I’m so cold without Marcus next to me. I start to shiver.

  Marcus grabs his T-shirt and shoots me a panicked glance as he tugs it over his head.

  “I’ll just…wait for you in the living room…when you’re ready,” Becky stammers as she backs toward the door. She pulls it closed, but it’s a few seconds before I hear her footsteps recede toward the living room.

  I hug the sheets closer and feel my heartbeat everywhere. I pull myself to the edge of the bed and lay my forehead on my knees. “She wasn’t supposed to be home until tomorrow.”

  Marcus scoops my clothes up and sits on the edge of the bed next to me. He looks up at the ceiling and grimaces. “Fuck.”

  “It’ll be…” I stop myself from finishing the sentence when I realize I was about to tell him it will be okay. That’s probably a lie. He’s risking everything by being here with me and I can’t even begin to predict what Becky will do.

  I pull on my shirt and then my underwear and jeans. “What do you want to do?”

  He lowers his gaze and I watch the panic dissolve off his face. He replaces it with determination. He gives his head a quick shake, as if trying to shake something loose. “No regrets.”

  “But—”

  He stops my protest with a finger to my lips, and despite his words, I feel the tremor in it. “Are you sorry that this happened?” he asks, with a nudge of his chin at the wrecked bed.

  I shake my head.

  “Me neither. So we deal with the consequences.” His gaze sharpens in intensity as it locks on mine. “Together.”

  “What if the consequences are you getting fired?”

  A grimace slides across his features but is gone just as fast. “I have another job. I’ll be fine.”

  My turn to grimace with the ice pick to my stomach, because what he doesn’t seem to understand is that I’m not worth getting fired over.

  “We need to go talk to your aunt,” he says, standing and holding his hand out to me.

  I take it and let him tow me out the door. He’s still holding it when we get to the family room and find Becky sitting on the couch with her hands folded in her lap. He only lets me go when we sit, me on the couch next to Becky and him in the chair. He leans forward with his elbows on his knees and holds Becky in his unwavering gaze.

  “I know how this looks,” he starts, his voice low and totally in control, betraying none of the shake I felt in his hand. “But the thing you should know is your niece is one of the most incredible people I’ve ever known, and I’m falling in love with her.”

  He said it earlier, just to me, but now it’s out there for the world.

  Becky’s only reaction is a slight widening of her eyes. Mine is my heart falling through the floor, then loop-de-looping over the top of the house on a roller coaster ride back into my chest. I also realize I must have gasped a little when both Marcus’s and Becky’s eyes shift to me.

  “Is this how you feel too, Addie?” she asks, pinning me in her serious gaze.

  I’m scared to peel my eyes away from Becky to look at Marcus. Afraid I’ll see that he’s not serious—that he’s only saying that to save face. But in my peripheral, I see him lean closer, waiting for my response. All I can muster is the hint of a nod.

  “Okay, then,” Becky says, leaning back and releasing me from her scrutiny. “Marcus, you’re twenty…two?”

  “Three,” he corrects.

  She nods. “And I expect you’ve been around the block a few times. You know how important safe sex is. Addie’s too young to have her life turned upside down by an unexpected preg—”

  “Wait…” I cut in, finally finding words and trying to wrap my mind around the direction this conversation is going. “So you’re not going to say anything?”

  Her eyes turn to me. “I didn’t say that, Addie. I’m deciding what needs to happen with your father. But as far as reporting your coach to the school, no. I don’t see what good would come from that.” She glances at Marcus. “…if what you say is true and you’re interested in a relationship with Addie.”

  “I am, but…” He looks at me. “Things are going to be tricky for the next several months.”

  Becky looks at me. “Any thoughts on how your father is going to handle this?” she asks with a flick of her wrist between Marcus and me.

  “Not well.” He already calls Marcus “the pervert.”

  She leans on her hand and taps a finger to her cheekbone. “He will be in a delicate place when he gets home, so it might be better to wait to tell him until he’s on solid footing with his rehab.”

  I nod, thinking the best option is to not tell him at all until January, when I turn eighteen.

  Becky brushes her hands down the front of her slacks, shifting her attention to Marcus. “There’s a significant gap in age and experience between you and Addie, but I know you’re aware of that. I hope you’re mature enough to recognize that it means this relationship will progress differently than one with a woman your own age. I’m taking a huge leap of faith here, and I just pray you’re the person I think you are.”

  “I’d never do anything to hurt her,” he says, and I know what’s coming when he shoots me an apologetic glance, “but you should know that I’
m under investigation for inappropriate contact with one of Addie’s teammates.”

  Panic flashes in Becky’s gaze as it cuts to me.

  “He didn’t do it, Becky,” I interject. “I’ve watched Corinne make moves on Marcus all season, and he’s never touched her.”

  Her eyes narrow and shift back to Marcus. “Then why is she saying you did?”

  He rakes a hand through his hair. “I’ve turned her down more than once, and I’m afraid the last time might have been pretty harsh. I think this is her payback.”

  “Why didn’t you take the problem to administration before it got out of hand?” she asks. Her tone is all accusation and my stomach tightens.

  Marcus leans his elbows on his knees. “The principal knew there were rumors. He asked me to be careful and I have been, but—”

  “I just caught you in my niece’s bed,” Becky cuts in, her voice a blade. “How is that being careful?”

  He takes a breath. “You’re right. There’s no justification for being here with Addie. But I’ve never taken advantage of my position. I’ve never done anything like this before.” He stands. “Totally against my will and in spite of myriad personal reasons why this was a very bad choice, I fell for your niece. It wasn’t something I asked for, but it’s not something I can change either.” He glances down at me. “I’m going to leave now, because I think you and Addie have some things to discuss. After you’ve talked, you can decide what you need to do. If your decision is to report me to the school administration or the police, I understand.”

  He turns for the door and I spring to my feet. “Don’t go!”

  I see his ribs rise and fall with a deep breath, then he turns. “Everything I’ve ever told you is the God’s honest truth, Addie. But I’ve known from the beginning that you were off limits and I crossed that line anyway. Whatever consequences come from that are on me.”

  I swallow back my protest as he pulls the door open and disappears through it. When it closes behind him, I spin on Becky. “He didn’t have to tell you that.”