Playing for Keeps

by Shiloh Walker

  Despite herself, Dana had to smile. Shaking her head, she tugged her hand back and said, “I can handle this, Cissy. I’m a big girl, remember?”

  Cissy frowned. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m good. You head on out. You’ve got an early flight, don’t you? Whatever that association thing is in Columbus.”

  Rolling her eyes, the other woman said, “Oh, gee, thanks for reminding me.” She blew out a breath and then sent Mason another glance. “You sure you don’t want me to hang?”

  “Nah. I’m good.”

  Besides, as much as she adored Cissy, the woman had a flair for drama and Dana was too damn tired for drama right now.

  Which pretty much meant she was too tired for Mason, too. But he didn’t seem in any hurry to leave, so she gathered up her gear and headed out into the hallway with Cissy. They parted ways at the door, Cissy heading to the locker room and Dana turning to face Mason.

  He looked—different. It looked like he had lost some weight, but it was more than that. It was the look on his face—that out-of-place intensity that just didn’t fit with the Mason she knew. Hefting her gym bag over her shoulder, she moved out of the way of the people flowing around them and made her way to the bench where Mason stood.

  “Hi.”

  He didn’t say anything at first, just stared at her, the intensity in his gaze slowly bleeding into something all too familiar. Heat. Hunger. And something else—something as foreign as the intensity. Something that made her stomach churn.

  “I miss you.”

  Arching a brow, Dana said, “Don’t take this wrong, but that’s kind of surprising. You were looking a little green around the gills the last time I saw you.”

  He grimaced. “I didn’t handle that well. Believe me, I get that…and…” His voice trailed off and he reached up, rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, and not just because I hurt your feelings. Gotta tell ya, though, that’s kept me awake at night, more than once.”

  She believed him. He didn’t look like he’d been sleeping well at all. Oh, he was still so damn easy on the eyes and damn hard on the female state of mind, rumpled blond hair and that pale green, dreamy gaze. His body was a toned work of male perfection, the product of many a night spent at the gym. That was how they’d met, here in this gym a little over a year ago, a casual flirtation that progressed up to him asking her out about this time last summer.

  Blowing a breath, she reached up and pulled the scrunchy from her ponytail. “Is that what this about? You feel some need to apologize?”

  His eyes glazed over as she combed her fingers through sweat-dampened curls and self-consciously, she stopped, tucking the scrunchy into one of the side pockets of her gym bag. His lids drooped over his eyes as he looked back at her. In a voice gone low and rough, he murmured, “Yes…but that’s not all. I didn’t handle things well, and I am sorry.”

  Dana nodded. “Fine. You’re sorry—and I forgive you. I know this wasn’t exactly expected.”

  “Doesn’t matter that it wasn’t expected.” He scowled. “I still didn’t need to act like such a bastard.”

  Softening, she smiled. “It’s okay, Mason. It’s over. It’s done.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I’ve got to get, okay? It’s been a long day…”

  He reached up and caught her wrist, wrapping his fingers around, stroking the sensitive flesh with his thumb. “I miss you.”

  “You already said that,” she said softly. Gently, she tugged on her wrist. Averting her gaze, she stared through the glass into the classroom. The instructor for the next class was in there, talking with some of her students as they set up for class.

  She didn’t hear him move, didn’t even see him, but she sensed the movement and fell back just as he reached up to touch her cheek. His features tightened and his hand fell to his side, closing into a fist. “I’m forgiven…but still out of your life, right?”

  “I’m sorry, Mason. Look, you and me both know what we had wasn’t anything that would last. It was just…fun.”

  “I fell in love with you.”

  Eyes going wide, she gaped at him. “What?”

  Jamming his hands in his pockets, he turned away. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against the floor-to-ceiling glass separating the classroom from the hall. “I fell in love with you and I didn’t even realize it until I’d already fucked up. It’s too late now, isn’t it?”

  “Well…not exactly.”

  His gaze flew to hers but before he could reach for her, she held up a hand and stepped back. “Mason, too late implies there was ever a chance of anything lasting between us…and for me, there just wasn’t. I’m sorry, but I don’t love you.”

  “Things change.” A muscle jerked in his cheek.

  She shook her head. “This won’t.”

  She hadn’t thought about it before that moment. But as she stood there in front of him, she knew why she’d been so convinced things wouldn’t last between them…because she didn’t want them to last. Not with him.

  Jake…she wanted things to last with Jake. She’d always loved him—even when she drifted away, she always went back. Quietly, she said, “I’m in love with Jake…and I don’t see that changing.”

  “Lucky bastard.” His shoulders slumped and his gaze fell away.

  Seconds ticked by before he lifted his head. This time, he wasn’t looking at her. He stared just over her shoulder and with a derisive smile, said, “You win.”

  Automatically, Dana turned. When she saw Jake behind her, her heart slammed into her ribcage and the oxygen in her lungs seem to disappear. Somehow, she had a feeling he’d been standing there for a few minutes. Watching. Listening. He stared at her, that intense look in his eyes.

  Mason stepped beside her and paused, reached up and touched her cheek.

  She couldn’t look at him, though. Not even when he leaned in and brushed his lips against her cheek. “You be happy, Dana.”

  Even as he walked away, she couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t see anything but Jake. She felt like she was drowning the depths of his midnight-blue gaze. The gym bag slipped from her shoulder and fell to the floor as he reached up, caught her face in his hands. He stroked his thumb over her lower lip. Slow. Back and forth.

  His lips moved, she could see him talking, but she barely understood his words.

  “What?”

  A faint grin tugged at his lips and he repeated, “What were you saying just now?”

  “Ahhh…” She licked her lips, cleared a throat gone bone dry. What…what had she been saying?

  Oh. Yeah. Yeah, she remembered now. “I think I told Mason that I love you.”

  Jake shook his head. “No, that wasn’t what you said. At least not exactly.”

  “Pretty close…” She smiled and stepped in closer, sliding her arms around his waist. “I think maybe my exact words were I’m in love with Jake.”

  “Yeah, that sounds right.” He pushed a hand into her hair, fisted it in her damp, tangled curls. “Telling Mason that—maybe you think you should tell me?”

  Shrugging, Dana murmured, “I think I’ve told you before that I love you.”

  “There’s love…then there’s in love. As in for keeps. You’ve never been much on playing for keeps, Dana. You just want to enjoy things while they last…or has that changed?”

  Vaguely, she was aware of the fact that they were still surrounded by a crowd of people. The occasional glance slid their way, then moved on. Standing in the middle of the gym on a Wednesday night definitely wasn’t conducive to any kind of privacy. She slid her hands up his chest, absently smoothing the rumpled polo he wore, taking a few seconds to steady her thoughts, to try and think, try to give him the answer he was looking for. It wasn’t as simple as just a yes or no, she realized. But it wasn’t complicated either. Things changed—and somewhere along the way, Dana had changed.

  “I like to play. I like just having fun and enjoying the moment,” she said, keeping her voice low. She stared at her hands,
watched her fingers trailing over the faded, smoky blue of his shirt. It was easier to do that than look up into his intense gaze, because when she did that, her heart started beating all crazy, her hands started to sweat and her tongue got tied up in knots.

  But she needed to look at him. For this, especially. She shifted her gaze and stared at him through the veil of her lashes. “But not everything’s a game. Not everything’s meant to just be enjoyed for the moment…some things are supposed to last. Some things, you play for keeps. Forever. I’m starting to see that you’re one of them.”

  It wasn’t a straight-up answer, Jake knew. It wasn’t a plain and simple, Yes, I’m in love with you and that’s all there is to it. But Dana didn’t do plain and simple. Tugging on her hair, he arched her head back. Their gazes locked and he felt the knot inside his chest loosen. She meant it. It was there—finally, he saw something in her eyes that he’d been waiting to see for…well, for forever.

  Shaken, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. “For keeps.”

  Some things are for keeps. I’m starting to see that you’re one of them.

  Jake followed Dana into her house, her gym bag slung over his shoulder. The drive from the gym had taken too damn long. He needed to touch her, had to touch her—as he kicked the door closed behind him, that was all he could think about.

  Touching her.

  He dropped the bag to the floor and reached for her when she would have headed deeper into the house. She came to his arms but smiled self-consciously. “I need a shower.”

  “I need you.” He stripped away the clothes she wore, the tank top, the tight-fitting sports bra and the cotton drawstring pants she’d taken to wearing over the past few weeks. Her belly was a firm, soft little mound and when he went to his knees, the first thing he did was kiss her and whisper, “Mine.”

  Her. The baby. All his. His for keeps—

  Her hands slid through his hair as he kissed his way down to the curls of her sex. She tugged as he licked her, tasting salty flesh, sweet woman. “I need to shower,” she said again.

  “No…fuck, you taste perfect. So damn hot, so damn good.” Groaning, he buried his face against her pussy and fucked her with his tongue until she was shuddering and shaking and rocking her hips against him. Then he lifted his head—but only long enough to urge her to the ground and push her legs into the air. “I love going down on you—I could lick this pussy all day, all night…”

  She was wet, slick with her sweet rain already. With his tongue, he traced her entrance, teased her clit. Pushing two fingers inside her snug sheath, he started to pump. She rode his hand, rocking up to meet him, her own hands fisted in his hair and pressing him close. “Please…Jake, damn it, please…”

  He went to lift his head, pausing long enough to give her slit one more slow, lingering caress. “Please what?”

  “Make love to me,” she demanded, reaching for him.

  Levering up onto his knees, he tore his shirt away and fought with the zipper of his jeans. His hands had gone stiff, clumsy with need and by the time he had lowered the zipper over his rigid dick, he was so painfully hard, even the light touch of air was too much. Wrapping his hand around his cock, he stroked it and stared at Dana.

  “Tell me you love me.”

  She stared at his face, then down. As she watched his hand pump up and down, she shuddered and licked her lips. “Jake, please…”

  He crawled up her body, but didn’t enter her. Instead, he cuddled his cock against her belly and held still. He didn’t even allow himself to rock against the silken skin of her tummy. Instead, he hooked his arms under hers and cradled her head in his hands. Pressing his brow to hers, he whispered, “I need to hear it, Dana. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting…”

  “I love you.” She closed the scant distance between their mouth, kissing him hard and quick. Against his lips, she muttered, “I love you. Now damn it, Jake, please fuck me.”

  “Love you. I want to love you,” he rasped.

  “Then love me…”

  So that was what he did, making love to her slow, easy, even when the need, the greed and the hunger tore through him with vicious claws. Slow, lazy strokes and gentle caresses that made her breath catch in her throat before slipping past her lips in a broken sigh.

  “Love you,” he repeated as she came the first time. The second time.

  “Love you…” they whispered it at the same time when they both finally came together.

  Dana rolled out of bed two hours before dawn with a full bladder and an empty stomach. She took care of the first, trying to be as quiet as possible but by the time she was halfway done making a sandwich to fix the rumbling in her belly, she could hear Jake moving around upstairs. Without waiting for him to appear, she started making a second sandwich and by the time he padded into the kitchen—naked—she had two sandwiches done and waiting on the island.

  Mouth dry, she stared at him, the long, golden lines of his body, the faint ribbon of hair that started just below his pecs and traveled down his toned abdomen. His cock was soft, hanging between his thighs but as she stared at him, it started to lengthen and thicken.

  His lids drooped low over his eyes and he reached out, cupped his hand over the back of her neck and hauled her close. “You’re wearing clothes,” he muttered, tugging at the tank top she’d pulled on before slipping out of her room.

  “Sorry…I wasn’t going to parade around nekkid.”

  Grunting, he dipped his head, brushed aside the strap of her tank top so he could kiss her shoulder. “Don’t know why not.”

  She stilled as his hand trailed down her arm, over her hip. When he cupped her butt in his hand, she shivered and leaned forward, the hunger rumbling through her belly paling as a different hunger flared to life. Sandwiches could wait, right?

  Instead of doing something, he squeezed her butt then settled down on one of the padded bar stools. Sulking, she sat down next to him. “Teasing me like that, maybe I won’t give you one of my sandwiches.”

  All Jake did was reach over and grab the one she’d made for him—sans cheese and mayo but loaded with spicy mustard, lettuce, tomatoes and roast beef. “I need food if you expect me to follow through with the teasing.” Sliding her a look from under his lashes, he added, “We never got around to having dinner. You’re wearing me out…keep it up.”

  They ate in companionable silence. As she picked up a sliver of tomato that had fallen off her sandwich, she glanced up. For some reason, she found herself staring at the window that dominated the main wall of her living room. It faced out towards the street. “You know, you’ll give people an eyeful if you walk around naked like that too often.”

  Jake shrugged. “Barely four a.m. Who’s up? Besides, the only house that can see in here from this angle is mine—and I’ve seen my own dick before.”

  Dana shifted on the bar stool and reached down, closing her fingers around him. “Good point.”

  His breath hissed out between his teeth as she stroked down, then up, tightening her grip just below the head and then easing it on the downstroke. Once. Twice. Three…four…then on the fifth, she let go and hopped off her chair, grinning as he swore. “Now who’s teasing?”

  Shooting him a look over her shoulder, she said, “Fair’s fair.”

  She left the kitchen, heading towards the hall but once more found herself stopping to stare outside.

  Jake came up behind her, covering her belly with his hand and pressing her back against him. “That exhibitionist streak of yours isn’t going to get satisfied that way, baby. Nobody’s awake…” He dipped his head and raked his teeth down her neck. “Not that I really want to let anybody else see you anyway. Mine.”

  Her heart did a slow, lazy flip inside her chest while her knees melted. Mine—something about that word, the way he said it just made her melt inside. Covering his hand with hers, she sighed and tilted her head to the side, shuddering as he bit her gently. “I’m not looking to be seen…I’m looking at y
our house.”

  He stilled, glanced up. From the corner of her eye, she could see the curious frown on his face. “My house? Why?”

  “It’s just sitting there.”

  “Yeah…and it’s just been sitting there for a good forty something years. Just like yours.”

  “No…not just like mine. I live in mine. You practically live in mine…” Unable to believe she was getting ready to say it, she turned in the circle of his arms and stared up at him. “Maybe…well, maybe you should move in here. Rent your house out or something.”

  “Move in.” He said the words slowly, as thought he wasn’t entirely certain he’d understood her. “As in move in here…with you…on a permanent basis?”

  Nervous, Dana nodded. “It just seems silly, having the house sit there, you keeping half your stuff there, the rest of it here…” letting her words trail off, she shook her head, “… Never mind. Forget it. Dumb idea.”

  She wiggled out of his arms, but only made it two steps before he caught up with her and hauled her back against him.

  Her mouth went dry as she felt the heat pouring off him—hell, he hadn’t been that hot a few seconds ago, had he? His cock that hard? It burned against the curve of her backside, a hard, heavy length and she instinctively clenched her legs together against the ache in her pussy.

  “Not a dumb idea. Good idea,” he muttered, herding her out of the living room, but once they were in the hallway, he stopped moving and turned her around, backing her up against the wall. “Good idea…let’s do it today.”

  Dana giggled, then gasped as he braced her against the wall and then caught her legs, pushing inside her. Catching her breath, she tipped her head back to stare at him. “We have to…work…”

  “Fuck work.”

  “Hmmm… Yeah. Another good idea.”

  He pulled out, surged back inside, cleaving through tight, swollen tissues, the head of his cock rasping over the bed of nerves high inside her pussy. “Better idea—fuck you.”