Players

by Rachel Cross

  Jared stared at her for a few seconds before shaking his head and laughing. “I can’t believe you pushed me down.”

  Tasha crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “Believe it. And if you come around making demands of me, or trying to kiss me senseless again, I’m going to do more than that.”

  He stopped laughing and looked at her seriously. “I’m sorry, Tasha. I didn’t mean to try and take advantage of the situation.” She raised an eyebrow, and he rubbed his jaw. “Okay, I did. You’re right. I do want you, badly. And when I want a woman I let her know.”

  His voice rang with sincerity while desire crept into his dark eyes. Some of her anger subsided as her body heated in response. How did he make her go from boiling mad to lustful with just a look?

  Her body relaxed slightly and he took advantage. He grabbed her arm and pulled her down on top of him before she could blink an eye. He didn’t flinch when she landed heavily on top of him.

  “You want me too, Tasha. Don’t you?”

  Get up and tell him that you’ve changed your mind, she thought. But the hardness of his body underneath hers, and the thickness of his erection rising against her stomach, chased that thought out of her head. She wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  “Yes, I want you, Jared, but not like this.”

  He smiled. “I don’t plan to fuck you on the ground in your backyard.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m not talking about on the ground. I need you to stop being Jared the playboy and just be the Jared I see on occasion at the Rec Commission.”

  “I thought you chose me for the playboy side,” he said with a wink.

  “I did, but it’s too much for me. I like the Jared who teases me about being anal with the mentor attendance logs, or the Jared who lets me twist his arm into judging the senior Olympics. I’ve always respected that when we’re together you don’t treat me like one of your playthings. You treated me with respect. That mutual respect was why I chose you. I can’t do this if you keep treating me like another woman off the street.”

  Jared closed his eyes before rolling to his side and lifting her up as he stood. When they were back on their feet, he stepped away from her. “In my life women fit into two distinct categories. The ones I’m fucking and the ones I’m not. I never thought you’d be in the former category, but once you were, a switch went off in my head. This is new to me. I don’t sleep with female friends.”

  “It’s new to me too. Brand new. I need my friend to do this . . . please.”

  She held her breath. He had the look of a toddler who’d just been told they couldn’t have cookies before dinner. He may have known her words made sense, but she doubted he was happy with it.

  “I don’t know if I can do it,” he held up his hand when she started to interrupt, “without ever slipping back into old habits. But I’ll try.” He reached over to hold her hand and pull her against him. “Now that I’ve gotten a taste, I don’t want to mess things up and miss my chance. But if I make you uncomfortable, let me know.”

  Tasha stared into his eyes and her heart melted. He looked so sweet, and tempting as hell. It was easy to see why women fell at his feet.

  “I’ll let you know,” she whispered.

  “Good.” He rubbed his erection against her. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

  She trembled, but shook her head.

  He squeezed her hips. “Good. I came early because I had to kiss you.”

  This was going too far. They felt too familiar, too right. But it was only for one weekend. What would it hurt to indulge herself once? “Then do it.”

  Before the words finished leaving her mouth his lips met hers. It was just like before, an explosion of heat and electricity. She didn’t hesitate to open her lips and grant his tongue entrance. He kissed her until her knees went weak. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, a groan rumbled through his chest. He slowly broke the kiss, but didn’t push her away.

  “We can leave for Charleston, or go inside to your bedroom,” he said. She tried to push away from him, but his arms tightened around her. “I’m only teasing, Tasha. We can leave whenever you’re ready.”

  Heat filled her face but she smiled. “I need to take a shower, then we can go.”

  He nodded and finally let her go. “I’ll wait in your living room.”

  Tasha ignored her disappointment when he didn’t offer to join her. That would have only freaked her out, but she already missed his aggression. It was a definite turn on, but not what she needed. She just needed to get through this weekend with her sanity intact.

  “I’ll put these things up first.” She motioned to her garden tools on the ground.

  “I’ll put them in your shed. You go take the shower. I’m anxious to get out of town.” He winked at her.

  Tasha’s heart sped up. She hoped she could survive this weekend.

  Chapter 10

  While Tasha showered, Jared looked around her house. It could be considered snooping, but he didn’t care. He wanted to know more about the personal side of Tasha. He’d always dealt with her professionally, and had intentionally never hit on her, so he knew little about what she liked outside of work. It was surprising that his professional treatment of her factored into her decision to sleep with him.

  The moment he’d decided to sleep with her he’d begun treating her like any other woman he slept with. How was he to know she would view it as him not respecting her? It was true he had little respect for the women he slept with—they were always throwing themselves at him, going after his money, or were so easy to catch he treated them like the gold diggers they were. The only woman to ever go from lover to friend was Cassandra, and that was because she’d insisted on helping his career once their affair was over. Once she moved to the professional category, he no longer treated her like a conquest. But the sex also stopped, so there was no way to confuse the lines. Tasha asked him to blur his lines. He didn’t respect his lovers, and he didn’t sleep with friends or colleagues. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to respect Tasha’s wishes, but he wanted her enough to try.

  Her home was nicely decorated with a lived-in feel. The things there showed pieces of Tasha. The stack of books on her coffee table told him that she liked reading in front of the TV. A sweatshirt was tossed over the end of her sofa with a pair of reading glasses on them. Pictures of her family were all over the house—one shelf of her bookcase was dedicated to her sister’s wedding and another shelf was filled with pictures of her nieces. Another sign she wanted a family.

  He took his perusal into her kitchen. There was a teacup and saucer in the sink, and mail littered her kitchen table. He smiled when he saw the recycling bin next to the trashcan. Malcolm and Kenyatta would like her just because she recycled and grew her own vegetables.

  Where did that come from? It didn’t matter if his brother and his fiancée liked Tasha. Things wouldn’t go so far she would be introduced to his family.

  Shaking off that thought Jared turned to leave the kitchen and ran right into Tasha. He reached out to steady her but quickly pulled his hands away. Touching her did strange things to his body. If he was going to remember her request, he would have to limit touching her until they got to Charleston.

  “That was a quick shower.” His eyes assessed her. He’d only seen her dressed in Rec Commission uniforms or jeans. But today she wore a white and gold sundress. The thin material hung from her body, clinging to her curves in just the right places and stopped just above her feet. Her hair wasn’t in the usual ponytail. Instead, the curls hung loosely around her shoulders. His groin tightened and he had to fight to breath. She looked beautiful.

  “I didn’t want to linger and give you a reason to come looking for me.”

  He cleared his throat. “Is there anything you needed to do before we leave?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m packed and ready to go.”

  They stood there looking at each other. Jared felt like a teenager on his first date
. He still wanted her, but now that he was respecting her wish to not lump her in the category of the other women he slept with, he wasn’t sure how to proceed.

  Tasha smiled and pushed her hair behind her ears. “I’ll get my bag.” She turned and disappeared down the hall.

  Feeling foolish, Jared ran his hand over his face. This wasn’t a big deal. They were just going to go down to Charleston, sleep together, and come back. He’d taken plenty of women to his condo; this was no different. Except none of those women were virgins and none of those women drove him mad with desire.

  He went into the living room just as Tasha came back down the hall rolling a small duffle bag behind her. It was a good thing she hadn’t packed a lot of clothes because he planned on keeping her naked for most of the weekend. The thought sent his dick from half swollen to rock hard.

  Tasha froze at the end of the hall. He continued to stare as he willed himself not to drag her back down the hall to her bedroom. She looked unsure for a second before dropping the bag and coming over to him. He held his breath as she reached up to pull his head down. Her eyes closed as she pressed her lips against his. Without a second thought, he squeezed her body and took over the kiss. He didn’t know how long they were wrapped in each other, but she was the one to finally break the kiss.

  “You looked as if you didn’t know whether to devour me or run out the door,” she said against his chest. “I thought I’d ease the tension a bit.”

  Jared smiled and kissed the top of her head. “You only created another type of tension.” He pushed her away and walked over to pick up her duffle bag. “Lock up and I’ll meet you at the car.” He walked outside without touching her again.

  Two minutes later Tasha came out. He’d already put her bag in the back of his car and was sitting in the driver’s seat. When she got in, the fresh scent of whatever she’d used in the shower filled his car. Again, he appreciated it more than the fruit- or flower-scented perfumes most women wore. When she fastened her seatbelt, he pulled away from the curb and drove toward the interstate.

  He didn’t start a conversation, and she remained silent. The tension was so thick he was surprised it didn’t smother them. Maybe this was a bad idea. He didn’t know how to treat Tasha like a friend and lover. As much as he wanted to slide himself deep inside of her, he was beginning to doubt if he could do this.

  He gripped the steering wheel and opened his mouth to tell her that when she reached over and punched his arm. “Red Volkswagen,” she said with a smile.

  He’d barely felt her punch, but he rubbed the spot. “You can’t be serious.”

  Tasha laughed and the sound washed over him. He wanted to hear her laugh more. “You bet I am. And if I see another one, I’m gonna hit you again.”

  “Don’t start a game you can’t win. And don’t think that I’ll take it easy on you because you’re a girl.”

  She cut her eyes at him. “Excuse me? I don’t think you understand I hold the championship title in my family. By Sunday you’ll be begging me to quit. I can spot a Volkswagen from a mile away.”

  “You may have held the title, but that was before you challenged me, sweetheart. You see, my brother had to get a sling for his arm after I tore him up on a trip to D.C. when we were kids.”

  Unfazed by his claim Tasha rolled her eyes. “We’ll see who needs the sling.” As if fated, a yellow Beetle glided into traffic. “Yellow!” Tasha reached over and hit his arm again before he could open his mouth.

  Laughing, Jared shook his head. This weekend was going to be more interesting than he thought.

  Chapter 11

  Tasha loved Charleston. The smell of the harbor, the historic buildings, the epitome of Southern lifestyle all combined to make Charleston one of her favorite cities. Even though she was only a ninety-minute drive from the beautiful city, she hardly had time to visit. Charleston was a place for lovers, and being a single virgin made it hard for her to come alone. The last time she’d visited was two years ago for a family reunion. Although she’d loved walking through downtown with her family, she’d still felt a pang of longing as she watched all of the couples in her family hold hands and chase after their kids along those cobbled streets.

  She’d imagined visiting here often when she was married, but never had she expected to be here with a man just to have sex. It was the total opposite of every daydream she’d had about coming here. Charleston wasn’t a place for weekend flings or unattached sex. It wasn’t Las Vegas. But Jared had chosen the city she associated with romance as the place for their encounter. She wasn’t going to tell him how strongly her feelings were attached to the place and make a weird situation worse.

  She’d done all she could to break the tension in the car. Playing travel games was something she’d done as a child to pass the time. It had seemed like the easiest thing to do to take both of their minds off why they were coming, as if that were possible. She didn’t know why, but she could tell her request had rattled him. Jared treated most women as interchangeable playthings—she wasn’t much better since she was using him for sex—but it was her first time and she wanted it to be somewhat special.

  She hadn’t expected him to take her to Motel 6, but she couldn’t hide her surprise when he pulled into a garage for a condominium on Broad Street in Charleston’s French Quarter.

  “You rented a condo?”

  He cut the engine and winked. “I bought this condo last year just for the view of the harbor at sunrise.”

  “I never would have thought you had a romantic streak.”

  His head snapped back. “What’s romantic about that?”

  She laughed. “Don’t get all wrapped up about it. Just the fact that you bought this place so you can watch the sunrise over the harbor is almost poetic.”

  “Well, don’t tell my brother or best friend. If they hear the word poetic and my name in the same sentence I’ll never live it down.”

  They got out of the car and Jared grabbed their bags out of the back. The lobby had an elegant modern décor, with tall ceilings that filled the area with light.

  He punched in a code for the elevator and Tasha’s heart did a tap dance in her chest as they rode to the top floor. It was time. They were finally here. He was going to officially deflower her. Her palms grew sweaty with anxiety and excitement. She did want this, there was no use denying it, but was she really ready for it?

  Jared turned and squeezed her hand. “Let’s go.”

  She nodded stiffly and followed him off the elevator. Her stomach was tied in so many knots she couldn’t appreciate the panoramic views of downtown Charleston and the Cooper River. Her feet carried her through the tastefully furnished living room to the bedroom. A massive king bed sat in the middle of the room facing large windows that overlooked the harbor. She swallowed hard. Another altar for the god of sex where she would be sacrificed. Would he want to do it immediately? The way he’d looked at her at her house, as if he wanted to pounce on her, flashed through her mind. He’d almost sexed her in the middle of her vegetable garden. There was no denying he’d want to do it as soon as possible.

  Her hands trembled and her breath came in short pants. She took a step backward and collided with his chest. Her body jerked and she tried to move away but his hands came up instantly to grab her forearms and pull her against his body. His erection pressed against her buttocks and despite her anxiety, desire languidly slid throughout her. It was time to get it over with. She reached up to the straps of her dress and began to push it off her shoulders.

  Jared’s hands came up to stop her and she stiffened in his arms. Why drag this out? Why increase her anxiety? She wanted to lose her virginity and she wanted to lose it now.

  He moved a hand from her shoulder and placed it against her chest, right above her breasts, before leaning over to kiss her ear. “Your heart is pounding.”

  Still breathing as if she’d run a marathon, Tasha opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out.

  “I’m not going to pounce on
you, Tasha. I told you I wanted to make this special for you and jumping you the minute we enter my condo is not the way to do that.”

  She swallowed loudly and took a few more breaths before she could talk. “Why keep waiting? It’s obvious we both want this, we’re here, the bed’s ready, let’s get it over with.”

  The rumble of his laugh against her back caused her to stiffen. “There are many things I want you to say before we have sex, but let’s get it over with isn’t one of them.” He kissed her ear again before slowly trailing kisses down the side of her neck. When he softly sucked on the sensitive spot where her neck and shoulders met her tension evaporated. His hand slid beneath her dress to cup her breast, which was bare beneath the v-neck. Her knees buckled when he took the nipple between his forefinger and thumb and squeezed gently. His other hand shot around her waist to hold her against him. “This is your weekend, Tasha. You asked me here as a friend, so I’m treating you like a friend and will let you decide when the time is right. If you hadn’t dragged that promise out of me, I’d have you naked and on top of that bed right now. So when you’re ready just tell me. Today or Sunday, it doesn’t matter. Okay?”

  She nodded and he squeezed her breast again. “Right now, I think we should eat,” he said. His hand slowly slid away from her breast and she trembled as his fingers brushed across her nipple. He hesitated only a second before letting her go and turning her to face him. Desire burned hot in his eyes, and she looked for signs that he was upset about her hesitancy. She was the one who’d asked him, and kissed him like a maniac before leaving Columbia, so he had every right to be frustrated with her.