Playing For Love

by J. C. Grant

  At first, then he grumbled, “Don't push it, sweetheart. I'm trying really hard to give you some space.”

  I smirked, and stuck my tongue out at him.

  “You trying to see how far you can push me?” he laughed.

  “Maybe,” I hedged as I pulled on my socks and shoes.

  “Uh-huh.” His half-lidded gaze slowly raked over me again. “Get that ass in the car. Straight to the gym. No side trips.”

  A thrill ran through me at his gruff command.

  Thirty minutes later, I pulled up to the gate, part from lack of traffic, part from enjoying the power of my car. The new gate was much nicer, faster, bigger, and solid. You couldn't even see into the premises now.

  I pulled to the far side of the portico.

  “I'm not going to be here too long today,” I told the guy approaching. He stopped short when he saw me—it was odd behavior.

  I unlocked David's office with the key he'd given me before we left the house. I put my purse on his desk, knowing Chance would take over the couch once he got here. Grabbing a water out of his stash, I headed for the weights.

  David walked in just as I was starting my second circuit. Even here people took notice when he walked in, that primal raw energy of his made the room feel different. I felt that familiar pull as he headed straight for me.

  “You know you're not supposed to be out here when I'm not.” His voice was a hushed fury. “Did you enjoy watching me beat Zach? You enjoy these stitches?”

  I paused as the full meaning of his words sank in. It seemed I had pushed too far.

  “There's no one here.”

  “There are two people here aside from us and the employees.”

  How does he know that?

  “Chance stay.” He looked at him, but pointed at me. When he looked at me, his voice was a warning. “I'll be back, don't fucking move.”

  My breath quickened with a surge of arousal I felt at the bite in his command.

  Fuck, he's overbearing. Why do I love it?

  I was finishing my second circuit when he walked back out.

  “Why am I getting a fitting today?” he asked when he was next to me, his anger from before gone.

  I was accustomed to his ever shifting moods, they were getting easier to read. And I liked not knowing what to expect.

  “For your costume.” I'd set it up yesterday when I was there. I didn't care how sure they were that it would fit him; they hadn't seen his thighs up close.

  “Okay, are you going to tell me what it is?”

  “Nope.”

  He looked at me, a small grin forming on his chiseled face. He shook his head and walked off.

  I focused on my workout. David focused on my workout as well, always staying within view. When I went to the cardio area, Chance in tow, David moved so I was still visible.

  Always watching.

  Forty-five minutes later, I thought I would die. My legs were Jell-O as I walked past David, intent on getting to the office and getting some awkward, embarrassing stretching done in private.

  “Hey, where you going?” David called behind me.

  I pointed in the direction of the office.

  “No. Come here.” His hot hand closed around my upper arm, gently pulling me back. “Come with me.”

  When I turned, he let go, grabbing my hand, pulling me to the back and through the door to the boxing area.

  “Dixon!” David shouted and my adrenaline kicked in.

  I wasn't lying, I didn't know Dixon, but I was fearful of what David was about to do.

  “’Sup?” was Dixon's response as he worked a punching bag.

  “You know this girl?” The way David said it sounded like he didn't know me either.

  “Why?” He stopped, taking a long, appreciative look at me as we approached. Once we were close, he leaned in to me and smirked. “You wanna know me?”

  I could feel my eyes bulge.

  “Back up.” David's voice was hard. “You never met her?”

  “No, but I wouldn't mind.”

  “Back off, Dixon,” David warned. “She's my wife.”

  Dixon's expression was priceless.

  “Then why did you ask me if I wanted her?”

  “I didn't fucking ask if you wanted her. I asked if you knew her.”

  “My bad. You did good though.”

  “Yeah. I found a couple of your tanks when I was unpacking her stuff.”

  “No shit? You bring 'em?”

  It took me a second to understand he thought David meant his actual personal clothing.

  He's a moron.

  “Your promo tanks, Dixon,” David explained, his patience starting to wane.

  “Oh. Okay,” he laughed. “So you're a fan?”

  “No. Just liked the tanks,” I answered honestly.

  Dixon's face conveyed that I was too blunt. David failed miserably at hiding his growing grin.

  “But baseball's as interesting as bowling” —that got the smirk off David's face— “and I still married him.”

  Dixon laughed.

  David's hand tightened, squeezing mine in reprimand.

  “You've gotta appointment to get ready for,” David mentioned. His lifted eyebrow reminded me of what the purpose of the colonic was for.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said automatically as I stepped away, pulling David behind me.

  David went back to his workout after walking me to his office. Chance stayed with me, taking over the couch as I stretched on the floor. I got in the shower and scrubbed down. Extra scrubbing of certain areas since they were going to be on display shortly. I got out and turned on the little thirty-two inch TV—fully pulling a David, I didn't bother with a towel. Watching Supernatural as I towel dried my hair, I dressed in some black, James Perse skinny sweats and a fitted, white V-neck. I left my hair loose so it could finish drying. Grabbing my purse, I left the office, shutting the door behind me, and quickly found David.

  “Hey, I'm leaving,” I said as I neared him. “Chance is in the office.”

  “It's time already?” He looked up at the large digital clock above the doors. “Damn. Okay. Be careful.” He leaned in, kissing me sweetly. “I'll be home before you. Okay?”

  “I'll come straight home today, babe,” I promised him.

  “Hey.” He grabbed my hand when I turned to leave. Pulling me close, he growled, “I fucking love you.”

  “Mmmm… I fucking love you, too.”

  “Good.” He slapped my ass hard enough to sting.

  I yelped, drawing attention to us.

  “Mind your fucking business,” David said loudly to no one in particular, then winked at me.

  “Bye, babe.” I stepped away but he didn't let go. He held on until only our fingers were touching, and then he let me slip away.

  I got into my car and pushed the key fob in, taking a second to enjoy the deep rumble of her engine. Ringing filled the car.

  Seriously?

  “I just left,” I answered.

  “That's what he said.” I heard Elaine's voice.

  “Oh, hey.” I put on my seatbelt and put the car into gear.

  “So, since I have you without David for once, what really happened yesterday?”

  “David told you.” I pulled up to the exit and lowered my window to swipe the card David had given me last week.

  “No mention of reconciling?”

  “No way.” I pulled through the gate and out onto the street. “Ever... Even if David wasn't a factor.”

  “Okay.”

  “A good part of the conversation was about David beating his ass and how he thinks David will do the same to me—not a friendly chat.”

  “Oookay. Gotcha... I have to admit; I was pretty surprised when he said you left without him.”

  “Yeah. I have a colonic appointment and I told him he couldn't go to them with me.”

  “Oh. You do them frequently? I've done them a few times.”

  “He's making me, because he's obsessed with having
anal sex with me.”

  “Yeah. You need to do them then.”

  “No. You don't understand. He's huge. Huge. The lady said the human anus stretches naturally to three quarters of an inch in diameter. David's dick is like two and a quarter inches thick. That thing should not be in my ass.”

  “Oh, fuck.”

  “He's going to destroy my ass—I looked up anal reconstruction.”

  “Oh, shit. Is that a thing?”

  “Yes!”

  “He's obsessed with you,” she tried to reassure me. “Period. He's not going to hurt you. You're his prized possession—no offense.”

  “Yeah, well. His dick is too big for that.”

  “I don't think he'll do that, if it's going to hurt you... And if he does, I'll come up with something to explain your surgery,” she laughed.

  I didn't.

  I stopped by the Coffee Bean and grabbed a Green Tea Dream, then headed over to my appointment. The lady was lovely and went out of her way to make me feel comfortable, as she always did. But after the first appointment with David sitting right next to me, everything was more comfortable.

  Pulling into the driveway at twelve thirty, I didn't think David was going to be home before me, but when the garage came into view, the truck was in its spot.

  “David?” I called, when I entered the house and he wasn't in the great room.

  “In here, sweetheart.” I heard David call from the bedroom.

  I walked in to find my guys in bed watching TV and eating pizza. Again.

  “Tomato Pie, again?”

  “Yeah.” At my expression, his tone shifted to defensive and a little pouty. “I did a full workout today. And you said you loved their pizza.”

  “Not all the time.”

  “Like once a week?” His voice hopeful.

  “Like once every other month. I'm going to get fat.”

  “No. You won't. I won't let you.”

  I gave him my really face as I walked to the closet, slipping off my flip-flops. I stopped short. There were six large bags covering the closet island. “What's all this?”

  “Look,” he said simply.

  I dug through the nearest bag. It was full of tee shirts, at least fifty, an assortment of long sleeve, short sleeve, and tank tops.

  “David, you haven't even brought all my clothes over.”

  “I know, but I want to replace your clothes,” he rumbled behind me, his big body blocking the doorway.

  “Why?”

  “Because I don't want you wearing the same leggings around me you wore around him. I don't want to be fucking you in a dress someone else fucked you in. I don't want to be fingering you in the same shorts he fingered you in,” he explained gruffly. Crudely.

  “David, I've been single for thirteen months,” I tried to reason.

  “Please. Let me do this. Give me this,” he begged.

  Yeah, give you this, give you that, give you my ass.

  When I didn't respond, he went on. “It's just clothes. And sunglasses.”

  I remembered how I felt thinking about Dawn peeling his clothes off.

  “Fine, but I'm not getting rid of anything I bought since Zach.”

  “Fine. Deal.”

  I started pulling the clothes out; LnA, Splendid, and James Perse.

  “I chose the brands based off what I found in your closet,” he explained as I looked at the tags.

  Digging into the other bags, I realized he’d replaced everything—skinny sweats, regular sweats, sweat shorts, yoga pants, leggings, sweatshirts, tees.

  “Hold up.” I pulled several Rails shirts out of the third bag. “My Rails are new.”

  “Fine,” he responded eagerly. “Now you have more.”

  He was being too agreeable.

  I kept pulling out more clothes. There was several of everything. I finally reached the last bag and found twelve pairs of sunglasses, six of which were Oliver Peoples—our preferred choice.

  I looked at him, questioning, “What's going on?”

  “Well, you wear them all the time. I figured bigger ones might be better than hiding your face in my arm pit whenever paparazzi are around.”

  Fuck, if it wasn't embarrassing having that pointed out.

  “So what?” I defended, trying to cover my humiliation.

  “You can do both if it makes you feel better.”

  “It does!”

  “Okay, hide in my pit then,” he laughed.

  I didn't really think I was hiding in his pit. Just under his arm.

  Which is technically his pit... great.

  “When did you have time to do this?” I asked, placing the sunglasses on the island, tossing the bags aside.

  “I didn't. I gave Aaron a list two days ago.”

  That made more sense.

  “Oh, and this.” He pulled two more bags from his side of the closet.

  Opening one, I found two boxes.

  Purses.

  I tore open the box to find a large, black metallic Balenciaga bag.

  “It's big enough to put your laptop in,” David explained. It was more than big enough.

  I opened the second box, another Balenciaga in gray and smaller than the first.

  “I love them!” I gushed. “You knew I'd love them, but why all this at once?”

  He stepped in front of me, gripping my hips. My breath caught as my eyes settled on his chest, the muscles were swollen and more defined from his workout. I had to resist the sudden urge to lick the sweat still glistening between those pecs.

  “Because you're my wife,” he rumbled, drawing my eyes up to his dark gaze. “I've been preoccupied with Zach and all the other shit. I haven't been spoiling you the way I planned. I'm correcting that now.”

  I placed the bag on the island, and ran my fingers down his hard stomach, tucking my fingers inside the top of his shorts. “You spoil me every day. Cooking, cleaning, taking care of me.”

  “This is part of taking care of you.” His voice was low and rough.

  God, everything about this man pulled at something inside me.

  “Thank you, babe.” I leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, then did what I wanted, and licked the valley between those obscene muscles.

  He groaned and his hands moved down, gripping my ass. “You're welcome, sweet girl.” His predatory gaze and low growl made my pussy throb.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Sunday and Monday were perfect—exactly what I thought being married to David would be like. We spent Sunday lounging around the house. Monday was our usual routine. Breakfast, gym, and I sat in the office writing while he did his work.

  This morning had gone much the same, except I drove to the gym separately so I could pick up our costumes. Then David decided he wanted to go see them first. So... I kind of snuck out. Again.

  Now, I was trying to sneak into the house.

  “What is that?” David asked as I walked into the kitchen.

  “I just picked up our Halloween costumes.”

  “You disappeared from the gym.” His tone was hard. “Without a word. Again. Don't fucking do that, Austin.”

  “Didn't think it would matter considering you can track my phone and my car.” I shot back. “Not to mention, Fergus.”

  “Hey, I don't want to use that. I want you to tell me.”

  “You want me to tell you so you can check and see if that's where I'm really going.”

  “Do you wanna fight? Or are you trying to distract me from the fact you didn't want me going with you to get the costumes?”

  “Whatever,” I sighed, resigned and exasperated with his perceptiveness.

  “Show me,” he ordered from behind me as I quickly made my way to the bedroom. “Austin.” His tone let me know he was a little annoyed too, as he grabbed the garment bags from me. “What the fuck did you get? This shit is heavy.”

  “It's perfect for us,” I explained in a pleading voice.

  “Then why do you think I'm not gonna like it? And why didn
't I get to go look with you?” he questioned as he walked into the bedroom, heading for the closet.

  “David,” I tried to think of something that would make him be open to this, because I knew he wouldn't like more than one aspect of it. On the other hand, there were a few things he would love about it. I just had to convince him to let me leave the house in it.

  He hung the garment bags on his side of the closet, unzipping the bigger one before I could come up with anything.

  “What is this?” he asked me over his shoulder.

  “A wolf costume. Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.”

  “Why're the ears missing? And all bloody looking?”

  “Because he got his ass kicked?”

  He looked at me, assessing me. “You wanna kick my ass?”

  I bit my fingernail and looked down while I considered if I should be completely honest or not. I looked back up and answered in a small voice. “Sometimes?”

  He watched me for a moment, then said, “Okay, if this is what you want. Fine. Let me see yours.”

  “It's just an old-style dress and a big red hooded cape,” I quickly explained, hoping he wouldn't take the costume out.

  He unzipped it before I even finished a round of my please don't open it chant in my head. Luckily, he was met with the oversized hooded cape. Then he started moving it aside to see the rest. He caught a glimpse of the top of the corset and looked at me. That's when I realized I was holding my breath.

  “So what'd I do that you want me sweating my balls off all night?”

  “Gross, David.” I hadn't considered that aspect before, but he was right. It was a detailed movie quality werewolf suit, the lower half was mostly foam to achieve the angles of the feet and knees of a wolf—he would be sweating all night. “You're not going to be sweating,” I lied. “And we won't be there all night.”

  I was profoundly relieved he didn't notice my costume. It was going to be a discussion when the night came, but for now, I was good. And I could handle him the night of, just not right now. He was already edgy from my disappearance from the gym. I knew it was a dick move, but I also knew he would've put up a fight if he had seen the costumes first.

  *****