Play Me (Brit Boys Sports Romance Book 4)

by J. H. Croix

  Her cheeks flushed, and she reached up to adjust her glasses and brush a random curl out of her eyes. “Liam…” She started to speak, but trailed off after she said my name. I waited, leashing the urge to step to her, lift her onto the table and slide my hands up her legs. She cleared her throat and gave her head a little shake. “How’s the knee feeling?” she asked, her words crisp and clear.

  “Right as rain.” I closed the distance between us, stopping beside the table where her hip rested against it. “I hear from my PT guy that this is my last appointment with you unless I experience a delay in my recovery.” I knew I was standing a tad too close for her comfort, but I wanted to rattle her composure. There was that and this overwhelming need to be as close as possible to her. She was a challenge I wanted to win. I also craved being able to lose myself in the raw need she elicited. It was about the only thing that took my mind off worrying about my professional playing and Coach’s out of the blue comments about losing my mum.

  I looked down at her and before I knew it, I lifted my hand and trailed a fingertip down her cheek. Her skin was like silk, and the soft flush on her cheeks against her creamy complexion sent a blast of heat through me. She reached up and adjusted her glasses again. Once I’d touched her, I couldn’t stop, so my finger trailed down her cheek and along her neck, brushing past the wild flutter of her pulse, which sent a wash of satisfaction through me. “I think we discussed that you didn’t have to worry about me being your patient soon,” I said, my voice coming out low and gruff.

  Olivia’s green eyes slammed into mine as she shook her head. “Liam… We didn’t… We didn’t discuss anything like that. You did, but I didn’t. This isn’t…I can’t…” Her words came in fits and starts, her cheeks flushing deeper by the second.

  I knew it bothered her to have me pursuing her, and not only did I not give a damn, but the naughtier she thought it was, the more I wanted her. I also knew, somewhere deep down inside, that the desire between us was like no other, and I had to experience it.

  “Olivia, don’t go thinking we can’t do this because it’s not proper. It’s perfectly proper. This is my last appointment with you unless I have some complications, so that’s no good excuse. Let’s get this exam over with, so we can move on.” It took every ounce of discipline I had to step back and slide my hips onto the table when I wanted to turn her around, bend her over and sink inside. The only thing that got me through it was knowing the longer I dragged it out, the more she’d want me. It was hard to fathom wanting her more than I already did, but I was bound and determined to make sure she never, ever thought sex with me was boring. That meant this play had to be my A-game all the way and no rushing.

  Olivia took a step back and snatched her computer tablet off the counter. I watched while she clicked through screens. The flush on her cheeks eased, while my cock stayed hard and ready. She barely looked my way as she commented that the latest MRI results looked good and asked a few questions about my physical therapy. Then came the good part. She set down the computer tablet and checked my knee, carefully testing the flexion. Even though her touch was impersonal, I loved having her hands on me. She stepped away and finally met my eyes. I winked, and her cheeks went cherry red again.

  “Are we all done with that, doc?”

  Olivia nodded. “Everything looks good. Unless you have trouble, you should be all set with your physical therapy schedule.” Her words came out raspy.

  I watched her for a minute before sliding off the table. I’d come to know she liked to stand close when I did that, as if she was concerned I’d land wrong on my knee. She quickly stepped to my side and was there when my feet met the floor. Perfect. I slid my hands around her hips and turned, lifting her onto the table. I wasn’t quite sure how I pulled it off, but the angle was just so and I barely had to turn with both of us standing beside the table.

  The little squeak that escaped from her lips was like a whip cracking inside me. I was standing between her knees and gave her hips a little tug, just enough that I could feel the heat of her against my cock. As much as I wanted to grind my hips into her, I didn’t. I wasn’t much for planning when it came to women, but I was when it came to Olivia. I wanted her to want me as badly as I wanted her, and I wanted to show her sex was anything but boring.

  I let my eyes travel up her body, savoring the lush curves of her breasts, which were rising and falling with her rapid breath. Given that my heart was all but pounding its way out of my body, I was a bit relieved she was in a similar state. When my gaze met hers, her eyes were snapping.

  “Liam, what are you doing?” she asked. It sounded as if she was trying to be stern, but it didn’t quite come out that way. Her voice was breathy instead, the sound of it cracking the whip inside me again.

  I reached up and removed her glasses. “I thought I’d give you a taste of something.”

  She bit her lip and damn if that didn’t nearly make me lose control and nudge my cock against the heat of her. I clung to the edge of my control—it took all of my strength not to tumble loose into the desire heavy in the air around us.

  I set her glasses down on the table beside us and reached up to pull one of those curls. Damn, even her curls made me crazy. She was so tidy and professional. I’d bet she had perfect scores in school and always followed the rules. She was wound so tight that those disobedient curls did something to me. A few had escaped from the tight knot she kept them in. I wound one around my finger and dragged it out before letting it loose where it bounced on her cheek. She was silent, her eyes dark, her pulse fluttering under her skin, and her breath coming in short pants. I gave in and nudged my hips into the cradle of hers, almost groaning aloud at the wet heat I could feel through the thin fabric of her panties. It was splendid that she was wearing a skirt, which had conveniently slid up her hips when I lifted her onto the table.

  I gave in and reached one hand down to her ankle, curling around it and sliding up over the bare skin of her leg.

  “Liam…” she said on a breath.

  I dipped my head and dusted kisses along the side of her neck, savoring the feel of her pulse beating wildly there. “Mmm?” I asked in a mumble against her skin.

  I dropped kisses along her collarbone while I slipped my other hand around her hips and pulled her a bit closer. My hand had reached her thigh, and I could feel her trembling. I didn’t stop and kept sliding up over the silk of her skin until I reached the hem of her skirt. For a few beats, I paused and then kept going, letting the fabric bunch over my wrist as I reached the juncture of her thighs. With her trembling under my touch and the feel and scent of her surrounding me, it was a damn miracle I didn’t tear her clothes off and sink into her right then and there. I had a goal and that goal was nothing short of earth shattering pleasure for her. So no rushing, not even a little.

  I dragged my thumb back and forth over her panties, delighted to discover the silk was nearly drenched wet. I dallied there, back and forth, back and forth, coasting over the nub of her desire again and again and again until her hips rolled into my touch. Only then did I lift my head and look at her. I almost lost it. With her cheeks flushed and her eyelids at half-mast, she was so mind-boggling sexy, I could hardly stand it.

  “So tell me Olivia…do you want me to stop?” I asked. I never paused in the slow tease of my fingers over the wet silk between her thighs.

  Her eyes met mine. She was quiet, the moment so taut and heavy with desire, it took everything I had to wait for her response. She finally shook her head, just the tiniest bit. I trailed my thumb over her clit again, lingering for a second, just long enough that her hips arched into my touch. I had to have more. I hooked a finger over the silk and pushed it out of the way. Holy hell. She was dripping wet. A whimper escaped from her when I slid my fingers into her folds. I looked down and could hardly look away. With her knees spread apart, her skirt bunched up and her bottom pulled to the edge of the table, her pink folds, wet and glistening, stood out against the steril
e white paper on the examining table.

  I slid a finger into her channel and groaned at the feel of her clenching around me. I tore my eyes away and looked up. I was going to make her come—right here, right now—and watch every second of her pleasure. She was close, already so close, and I could tell. “Does that feel good?” I asked.

  She moaned and nodded jerkily when I slid another finger inside. Her hips were rolling into my touch as I began to stroke in and out of her channel. Her knees fell further apart, and her breath came in heaving gasps. Her body went taut, her channel throbbing around my fingers. For all that was holy, she nearly brought me to my knees.

  “Olivia,” I said.

  Her eyes came open slowly.

  “Come here,” I ordered as I slid my palm up her spine, exerting a subtle pressure to bring her to me. I needed to have her lips under mine when she came. I had to feel the pleasure in her kiss.

  I kept up the pace with my fingers as she leaned forward. I caught her lips just as I swirled my thumb around her swollen clit. She cried out into our kiss, her channel convulsing around my fingers. I eased away from her mouth and looked down between us. My proper Dr. Bowen had her knees wide with my fingers buried inside of her. A part of me savored the thrill of conquering this layer of her resistance, while another part of me was half-stunned at how it felt to be with her like this. There was a connection with her—burning incandescent and so hot it nearly scalded me.

  I looked to her face to find her eyes, those gorgeous green eyes, looking back at me. She looked beyond surprised, but the usual lines of tension were gone from her face. Latching onto something to keep me from wondering just what it was about her that hit me so hard, I went to the familiar. “So, Olivia, was that boring?”

  She rewarded me by narrowing her eyes and glaring at me. “No,” she replied, her tone slightly defensive.

  There was a knock on the door, and I was thankful for thinking ahead. I’d had the sense to lock the door when I stepped into the room. Olivia didn’t know that though and scrambled back, nearly kicking me out of the way. “Easy, luv. I locked the door.” I placed a hand on her hip to hold her in place.

  “You what?” she asked in a furious whisper, her eyes wide.

  “I locked the door,” I said, enunciating each word and enjoying the flush rising up her neck and cheeks.

  Speaking of her cheeks, she put both hands on them and shook her head. “I can’t believe you.” She took a gulp of air and called out, letting her hands fall as she did. “Be right there.” Her eyes swung to me again, snapping. “You need to move,” she ordered in a stern whisper.

  “Right then.” I reached up to pull her panties back in place before stepping back with a grin.

  She shimmied her hips off the table and straightened her skirt. Walking to the door, she paused beside it, her body radiating tension from the back. After gulping breath, she opened the door.

  A few minutes later, I walked outside into another drizzling afternoon. I was rock hard with need and pleased as punch. I could wait endlessly to bury my cock inside Olivia if I had more interludes like that.

  Chapter 8

  Olivia

  I closed the door to my office and leaned against it with a shaky sigh. It had been a mere hour since Liam had left, and I’d barely recovered. Every step I took, I could feel my thighs rub together and the damp silk between them. He’d brought me to the most explosive orgasm I’d ever had—right here, at work. Of all the stupid things I’d thought I could do, letting some internationally famous soccer star make me lose my mind during an examination was dead last on the list. My body was still reverberating from those heated moments, little shocks of pleasure pinging through me. Just thinking of it now made me wet again. If he walked into this room with me right now, I knew exactly what I wanted—him inside of me. Because he’d only given me a taste of what it could be like with him and it might damn me straight to hell, but I wanted more and I wanted it so badly, I could hardly stand it. My channel throbbed and a flush ran through my body.

  I shoved away from the door and walked to my desk. By some miracle, I’d gotten through my next two appointments. I was relieved to finally have a few minutes to myself. I sank into the chair at my desk and clicked my computer on. Some dry, boring billing notes might get my mind off of Liam. I was a few minutes into typing up a report when my phone vibrated. I slipped it out of my pocket, glanced down at the screen and gasped.

  Hello luv. What kind of complications would I need to have for another appointment with you?

  I didn’t recognize the number, but I knew without a doubt it was Liam. Who else would text me something like that? I had no idea how he’d gotten my personal number and certainly no idea what to do about it. I’d spent much of the afternoon torn between the depth of my desire for him and the need to regain control of my life. My God. I was putting my professional career on the line, all over a man. All I could think about was when I could see him again. I’d spent the last hour swinging between the poles of a raw, burning need I’d never experienced—ever—in my life, and berating myself for throwing my sanity and ethics out the window by giving into the madness he elicited inside. I couldn’t let myself do this. It was insanity, pure and simple.

  There is no need for an appointment with me. You’re in good hands with the PT team.

  Excellent. Let’s have dinner.

  My cheeks were hot and all I could think about was the feel of his fingers inside me. No dinner. We could not do dinner. I couldn’t be around him because he made me completely insane.

  No thank you.

  I forced myself to immediately turn my phone off after that and turned back to writing up my reports for the week. The next few hours were the most inefficient use of time I’d ever experienced. I was like an engine that wouldn’t turn over. I’d try to start writing and get about two or three sentences in and then look down at my phone, it’s screen dark. The urge to turn it back on was beating like a drum, meanwhile I was still wet and could hardly think straight because of it. All these years I’d dismissed sex as a pointless endeavor unless you wanted to have kids. What couldn’t have been more than ten minutes with Liam’s lips and hands on me and my indifference to pleasure had been shattered spectacularly. He’d shaken me to the core.

  I spun in my chair and looked out the windows over the skyline of Seattle. Lights sparkled in the night sky. I took a slow breath and finally gave up on pointlessly working. I’d go home and start fresh tomorrow. Surely by then, I’d get a grip on my body.

  A short while later, I walked into my apartment. I lived a few blocks down the street from the clinic. It had never even crossed my mind to consider living further away. I was so work focused, I simply wanted the convenience. I kicked my shoes off by the door and hung up my dripping raincoat before walking into the kitchen and putting the kettle on for tea. My apartment was in an upper floor of small building with rather quaint apartments. The kitchen wasn’t much more than an alcove off the living room through a small archway. The entire apartment had hardwood floors and tall, arched windows, which let in ample light even on rainy days. That said, I was rarely home during the daytime, except on weekends.

  I padded through the living room to my bedroom, quickly changing into a pair of soft fleece pants and a sweatshirt. It was early autumn in Seattle, which meant chilly weather. The radiators grumbled slightly when I turned up the heat on my way back into the kitchen. I heated leftovers in the microwave and settled on the couch with my laptop and my tea while I absently nibbled on my food. With the television rumbling in the background, I reviewed referrals. One of the luxuries of my job was the option to take or refuse cases. There were only a few exceptions to this. For example, Liam. Under no circumstances would the clinic turn down a high-profile case such as his.

  Even though I experienced pangs of conscience over how much money we charged our patients, one thing I loved at the clinic was that the medical team would refer cases out to other specialists if
they thought the injury in question required expertise we didn’t have. We tended to focus more on joints, while there were a few other specialists nationally who were better suited for spinal injuries.

  After a few chart reviews, I zapped off emails to the referral team regarding the cases in question. I tried to dig into some research we were doing on recovery times for different ACL repair procedures, but my mind kept wandering to Liam. With a sigh, I closed my laptop and started flipping through the channels, hoping to find something to nudge my mind out of its unsettled state. My cozy apartment with its comfy loveseat and ottoman and cheerful purple throw rugs felt lonely just now. It wasn’t that I had no friends. Daisy was my dearest friend, and we had a small circle of friends that occasionally got together. My aunt was the only family I had to speak of, but we rarely saw each other. She lived in a small town roughly an hour outside of Seattle in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. With my nearly relentless work schedule, I had precious time to drive out to visit her.

  I couldn’t pin down what it was, but something about Liam elicited this odd loneliness. I didn’t like it. He made me want things I’d never wanted. For starters, another bone-melting orgasm would be just fine. It wasn’t only that though. He was funny and sly and watching him with Alex let me know he was a good friend. As much as he projected a teasing, devil-may-care attitude, it was clear he had more depth to him than.

  I stood up abruptly, restless with the disquiet I felt inside. I left the TV on because I didn’t want to hear the echoing silence around me and walked into the bathroom to fill the tub. That’s what I’d do. I loved baths. They were one of the few things that helped me unwind when I was tired and stressed. A few minutes later, I sank into the steaming hot water with a sigh. I rested my head against the tile wall and let the heat seep through me. Once I was warm all the way through, I grabbed the soap, quickly sliding it everywhere to wash the day away. When the bar of soap slid between my thighs in the course of cleaning, my mind and body flashed back to the feel of Liam’s fingers working their magic. That was it. All it took was no more than a second, and I was hot all over and my channel throbbed.