Changing the Play

by Julia Blake

  They were making out in the middle of an empty ballpark. The whole thing was completely surreal, but Nick had already proven he could surprise her in so many ways.

  He broke away abruptly, his lips instead finding their way to her neck. She hummed in satisfaction as he murmured into her skin, “We should stop.”

  “That’s a terrible idea,” she said, practically shaking.

  “Joe is around here somewhere.”

  “I think Joe would understand.”

  She could feel his smile spread against her neck. “Rachel Pollard, breaking rules.”

  “As though you aren’t enjoying it just as much as I am,” she said.

  He pulled back, his eyes dark and hooded. But before he could say a word, lightning lit up the sky, cracking right over the stadium’s Pepsi sign. A peal of thunder split their ears, and the heavens opened as though some angry god had sliced the clouds. Rain fell in sheets all at once, drenching the two of them almost immediately.

  Nick was up like a shot, gathering the bags, while she bundled up the already wet blankets. They sprinted up the concrete steps two by two and into the shelter of the covered concourse. Out of the rain, Rachel turned to Nick, laughing as she said, “Proof that the perfect date can’t protect against New York weather.”

  He dropped the bags in a pile on the ground and reached for her blankets. He cast them aside and wrapped her up in his arms. “Perfect date, huh?”

  She tipped her head to look up at him, little rivers of water running down the back of her neck. “It’s been pretty good so far.”

  “So far?” he asked with a chuckle. “You mean there’s still time for me to screw this up?”

  When he pulled her closer, the wet silk of her dress clung to her skin, and she huddled into his warmth. “I think you’re doing okay for yourself, Nick Ruben.”

  He kissed her again, his tongue sliding along her lips, but then he stepped away. “Come on. I’ll take you home so you can change into dry clothes.”

  He slipped his hand into hers. But it wasn’t until they were sprinting across the parking lot, still linked together, that Rachel realized he’d promised to take her home. He’d never said anything about leaving her there alone.

  Chapter 13

  Rachel’s body was as taut as a rubber band stretched dangerously close to its breaking point. Getting back to Manhattan felt like an eternity even though they only hit light traffic. It didn’t help that Nick drove with one hand on her knee, stroking over the thin silk of her dress and making her clit throb. Common sense said she should probably be talking herself out of bringing him home—that it wasn’t in the evening’s plan even if he had won her over—but by the time they hit York Avenue, the only thing she could think was that he damn well better move that hand a foot higher soon.

  By some stroke of luck, they found a spot half a block from her building—practically an omen in the Upper East Side. They climbed out in silence, and Nick placed his hand on the small of her back just like he’d done earlier that night while guiding her through the stadium gate. But if that had made her skin spark, this time his touch sent full-on bolts of electricity jolting through her.

  He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I know how you feel.”

  Am I really that easy to read?

  She hazarded a glance at Nick, his eyes focused and his breath almost too measured, as though he was reminding himself to breathe. Yeah, she was that easy to read. And so was he.

  In the lobby of her building, she nodded at Ernie, who couldn’t quite hide the smile on his face when they made for the elevator. Nick pressed the button for her floor, and his hand slid down a little to rest just above the curve of her ass. He stroked his thumb down, finding the lace of her underwear through her still-wet dress and skimming it with the pad of his finger over and over again. He was pure concentration and control, a man prepared to wait for what he wanted.

  But even patient men have their breaking point.

  As soon as the doors closed Nick had her up against one of the elevator walls. His hands glided over her hips before coming to rest on either side of the steel bar that edged the elevator.

  “I want to kiss you so badly, but if I do, I know we’ll never leave this elevator,” Nick whispered.

  A purr reverberated in her throat when he stroked two fingers down the long slope of her neck.

  “There are security cameras in here,” she murmured.

  He toyed with the strap of her dress but left it securely on her shoulders. “I don’t want to share you with anyone. Tonight you’re all mine.”

  Mine.

  It was such a possessive word, and one she would never have thought would turn her on. She’d never gotten off on men who’d tried to dominate her before, but Nick’s words sounded like a promise. So long as she was in his hands, he’d take care of her. Suddenly the woman who took care of everyone else’s messes understood the appeal of letting go of the reins she usually held tight in her grasp.

  The elevator dinged at her floor. Nick’s hand slid down her arm to link with hers. She looked down at their hands and smiled a little.

  Enjoy this moment. You don’t know how long it’ll last with a guy like Nick.

  Inside her apartment, she turned the dimmer up to half strength and dropped her keys and purse on the table in the foyer. She sighed when Nick wrapped his arms around her waist so that her back pressed along his front. Being a tall woman, she slotted right against him perfectly.

  His lips dropped to her neck to plant a slow-burning kiss just below her ear. It was a miracle she didn’t slide to the floor right then and there.

  “Do you want something to drink?” she managed to gasp out.

  Nick spun her around in his arms and walked her until her calves hit the cool hallway wall just like in the elevator. This time there were no cameras to stop them. His gaze raked over her, his eyes hungry enough to devour her on the spot.

  “Everything I want is right here,” he said.

  “Then what are you waiting for?”

  Nick fell on her like a starved man. He claimed her mouth without apology as he nudged her legs open to press his hard length against her sex. He kept his big hands planted on the wall, but his hips pinned her so there was no mistaking his intentions. Her body screamed out for more. More friction. More pressure. More Nick.

  Rachel’s hands tangled in his hair, pulling him to her as she met his fervor. She opened her mouth to let his tongue tease hers. She tugged at his hair and was rewarded by a grunt of pain and pleasure. His knee went higher, pushing her aching clit against him and making her gasp out.

  “That’s what you get,” he murmured before dropping his lips to the soft, sensitive skin of her neck.

  “That’s not exactly the best way to make me stop,” she said.

  “Why would I want you to stop?”

  She trailed her hands down his arms to trace the muscles she’d only just begun to explore before dinner. These were the arms that would soon be bracing her bed, gripping her headboard as he buried himself in her. Yes. He’d hold her down, take her, use her, be used by her.

  It wasn’t enough that he had her pinned against the wall. She needed to know what he sounded like when he came, what his back damp with sweat would feel like under her fingers, how he tasted. God, she wanted him on her tongue. She tore her lips away and dropped a kiss to the spot where his shirt gaped at the throat. Her tongue darted out to lick him, the lightest hint of salt lingering. Good. He tasted good. Again she licked over the heated skin before sliding her lips up to suck on a spot right where his neck and collarbone met.

  A strangled moan escaped his lips as she nibbled his earlobe. “Rachel—you’re killing me.”

  She lifted her chin and shot him a wicked grin. “That’s the plan.”

  His greedy hands gathered both of her wrists, holding them high above her head a
s he claimed her mouth again. Hot and raw and fast. That was how this was going to be, and she had zero complaints so long as she had him in the end.

  He switched his grip to leave one of his hands free to glide down her curves. Her body stretched over the cold, hard wall but in front was all warm, pulsing Nick with dark eyes—bedroom eyes.

  His breath came in short pants, a little pained as he struggled to control himself. She could see the outline of his cock strain hard against the fabric of the gray dress pants he’d worn on their date. She struggled against his grip, wanting to cover his erection with her hand and give him a bit of relief, but he held her back.

  “You’re used to being in charge, aren’t you?” he asked, before tracing the lobe of her ear with his tongue.

  “What makes you think that?”

  He chuckled. “I think you get off on bossing reporters around and watching us scramble.”

  She smiled. “Only you.”

  That earned her a nip to her collarbone followed by a swift kiss on the same spot. She shivered, the tension building in her body, a teetering tower that could topple at any moment.

  “Then I’m one lucky man,” he said.

  Her heart skipped a beat. He tossed it out like an offhanded comment, and yet it somehow also seemed indisputable. It was, she realized, something a boyfriend might say. But before she could process that, Nick was playing the tip of his tongue around the shell of her ear, and her mind went blank.

  Using the wall for leverage, she rocked her hips against his erection, spreading her legs wide to try to find more friction.

  Nick hissed a breath. “Jesus, Rachel.”

  Her laugh came low and thick with arousal. “Now that you’re paying attention, I want you to unzip my dress.”

  His next breath was ragged, but his words were unmistakable. “If my hostess insists.”

  His free hand searched for the side zipper on her dress. When he found the tab, he pulled inch by little inch just to torment her. She whimpered in frustration and caught the amusement flashing in his eyes. He was loving this.

  The fabric sagged open just a little to reveal the light pink of her bra against her skin. Nick slipped his hand inside the dress and splayed his fingers across her stomach. His touch skimmed the lace top of her underwear, sending a shock of shivers through her.

  “We aren’t naked enough,” she told him when he sank to his knees and kissed the exposed curve at her side.

  “Patience,” he murmured against her skin.

  His hands undid the small hook and eye at the top of the zipper. Her right strap fell down her shoulder, and the material pooled at her feet.

  Nick broke away long enough to cast a very appreciative look over her nearly naked body while the cool air of her apartment prickled her skin. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

  This is what it could be like with Nick—not just the promise and excitement of sex, but the care. Somehow, without even realizing it, her image of Nick the playboy had fallen away. She knew this wasn’t just a quick hit-and-run for him. He’d convinced her in words and actions. This was him showing her he could challenge her and worship her.

  That’s not what I want, she reminded herself. She needed Nick for the physical. The raw.

  Seduction. Sex. Satisfaction. She wasn’t going to give up her chance to have all three.

  “Take me to bed,” she said.

  “Here.” His voice came out in a low growl.

  But rather than stripping her underwear off as she expected, he rose. Gently he tilted her chin up with one finger so their eyes met. There was no escaping the serious set of his sensual mouth and the smolder of his gaze.

  “This might be the first time, Rachel, but I don’t want it to be the last. If that doesn’t work for you, then I should go right now.”

  Oh.

  Her body was so wound up she worried she might come just with the right brush of his fingertips, but he wanted a leap of faith. He was demanding a part of her before she was ready to give it.

  In a split second, she’d closed the gap between them and kissed him—hard.

  “Strip,” she whispered against his lips, hoping he wouldn’t notice that she wasn’t really addressing what he wanted from her. “Now.”

  Nick shucked off his clothes in record time. His belt clattered on the floor as he tossed it aside. Boxer briefs and thin wool pants fell off in one fell stroke. When he straightened, she couldn’t help her sharp intake of breath. His long, thick cock was ready for her. He was power, sex, and desire standing before her.

  Lifting her hands to her bra, she toyed with the edge of one of the cups. “Do you want me to take this off?”

  “No.”

  Her hands stopped, waiting for his order.

  A naked Nick knelt down again and skimmed his lips over the soft skin of her stomach, jolting her nerves to life. Yearning coursed through her when slowly he drew his kisses over the top of her stomach, then down and around. Sensation danced with his touch, each kiss sending darts of pleasure deep within her. By the time he circled back, her knees threatened to give. Yet it wasn’t until he kissed her inner thigh that she thought it might actually be possible to come just from a promise.

  As though sensing her precarious grasp on gravity, those big arms wrapped around her legs and locked her into place. With his hands firmly on the swell of her ass, she could finally let go. Her head fell back against the wall as Nick ran that tantalizing tongue of his up her thigh and then blew a stream of cool air over it, chilling the wet skin in a slow, sensual seduction.

  She was gasping for breath by the time he finally reached the top of her legs. He nudged them apart a little further slowly—why wouldn’t he hurry up?—and used his fingers to open her lips.

  Then he dipped his head between her legs and tasted her.

  The flick of his tongue over her folds sent shock waves through her body. A shameless, brazen moan escaped her lips. It had been too long since anyone had done this, and even longer since she’d been this aroused. His warm tongue lapped over her, teasing her slit and stroking inside. She moaned. His fingers dug into her thighs. It was so good. It wasn’t enough.

  Unrelenting, Nick sucked and stroked her as her hips moved with him. When finally he grazed her clit, the heat stirring between her legs intensified as her body sought release. It was close, within reach if only he’d keep . . .

  He sucked at her clit. A moan tore from her throat. Her hands flew to his shoulder, nails digging into his skin as she gave herself over to the sensation. Every lick, suck, and bite coaxed her closer. She closed her eyes and reached out for it, speechless but willing Nick on with every tremble of her body. Then—almost without warning—she shattered. Her hips bucked. Nails dug deeper. Her orgasm crashed over her again and again until her breath was ragged and her limbs limp.

  Completely spent, all she could do was brace her hands on his shoulders. He rested his cheek against her hip, his arms crossing around her back to hold them both up.

  She didn’t know how long they remained like that. All she knew was that when her legs finally stopped trembling, he gathered her in his arms and carried her to bed.

  Chapter 14

  Nick navigated the unfamiliar terrain of Rachel’s darkened home as carefully as he could. Banging her into something would shatter the mood, and the mood was so, so good.

  She practically purred in his arms, and not for the first time that night he thought about how he was the luckiest bastard in the world.

  She still didn’t trust him. She didn’t have to say it for him to know it was true. He had too much of a reputation for one night to wipe away all he’d done—and that wasn’t even getting into the past they shared. Still, he could see a sliver of light through the crack in the door. He’d edge it open one inch at a time until she welcomed him in. Tonight was the first step.

  Her room wa
s dim, but he didn’t want to waste any time hunting for a light switch. His main goal at the moment was to lay her on her bed and retrace every sweet curve of her body with his mouth before he finally slid into her and—

  “Shit!” she yelped, covering her face with her hands.

  She began to shake in his arms, and panic gripped him. Fuck. Fuck! He’d screwed this up in the thirty steps it took to get from her entryway to her bedroom. That had to be a record.

  He let her slip to the floor and wrapped her in his arms, praying she’d stop crying long enough to tell him how to fix it. “What is it, Rachel? What did I do?”

  But when she lifted her head, her eyes sparkled. She wasn’t crying. She was laughing.

  “So this isn’t exactly the romantic moment I was going for,” he said.

  “Sorry”—she gasped for air—“I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at me.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck and tried not to look like a total schmuck standing naked and confused in the middle of her bedroom. “I’m not sure that makes me feel a lot better.”

  “Nick, take a look around,” she said as she turned on a nightstand lamp.

  Fact: there was a very naked, very sexy woman in front of him.

  Fact: he was standing on a pink dress.

  Fact: the dress had friends. Lots of them.

  The room was chaos. Garments lay strewn across the bed. The contents of a purse spilled out over a low table. Jewelry covered a black wood dresser. It was, well, exactly the opposite of what he’d expected to find in Rachel Pollard’s apartment.

  Still gasping out laughs, she sat down on the edge of the bed and rested her chin in her hand. “This isn’t what my apartment normally looks like.”