“We were having fun at the bar and it looked like you could use some help. You should call your credit cards in before someone jacks them up.”
“I know. I’m on it now.” She took her phone into the bedroom and started dialing.
Phin turned on the TV. Nothing grabbed his interest, so he relaxed and let the tones of Layla’s quiet voice coast over him from the other room. He felt bad that she was going to miss most of her spring break, but he liked the thought of spending a few days with her.
One thing Layla hadn’t thought about when she envisioned his fun life was the loneliness that accompanied him. He couldn’t wait for the tournament in Vegas. The purse on that one would give him enough money to live off of for a while. He’d look for the right place to start his new life. One where he’d have roots, friends, neighbors, a place to call home. Maybe he’d even find a nice girl to settle down with and have a family. Then he’d fill that void that had been swallowing him for the past five years.
Chapter 4
Layla hung up after talking to the fourth company and filing a report. Each one offered to ship a new card overnight, for a fee. She chose one and asked Phin for his address. Unfortunately, with it being Saturday night, the earliest she’d get the card would be Tuesday. At least she’d be able to pay for her car when it was ready. What a complete pain in the ass.
She should’ve waited until after the calls to have sex, because every ounce of relaxation she’d earned had vanished. Back in the living room, Phin remained sprawled on the couch. The hard, lumpy, uncomfortable couch. The beer she’d swiped from him still sat on the table. She took another swig and sat down. He flipped through channels on the TV. Not much of a selection, but he probably wouldn’t invest in satellite since he didn’t plan to stay in town long.
He tossed the remote in her lap. “You can pick something. I don’t watch much TV.”
She scrolled through the channels. Nothing grabbed her either. “You got any cards?”
He just looked at her.
“I thought we could play a game or something.”
Phin sighed and got off the couch. Then he looked back at her. “Strip poker?”
The man was standing in a pair of boxers and wanted to play strip poker. “That wasn’t my plan, but I can do that. The game wouldn’t take long since neither of us is wearing much. How about gin rummy instead? I’ve still got twenty bucks in my pocket.”
He stopped rummaging through a drawer in the kitchen. “Hey, babe, when you’re looking to scam someone, you let him think the game was his idea. You’re too eager, so I know you think you can kick my ass and take my money.”
Busted. “I wasn’t thinking any such thing,” she said, hoping to convey an air of innocence, but he wasn’t buying.
“I told you I grew up with gypsies. I was scamming people before you were even out of diapers.”
“Look at you talking like a grizzled old con artist. You’re not much older than I am. I think we were in diapers at the same time. I potty-trained early.”
“Overachiever?”
“Is there any other way to be?”
He finally found a deck of cards and returned to her side on the couch. Tossing the cards on the table, he said, “Rummy, huh? I haven’t played in a long time. My grandma liked to play.”
“It’ll come back to you. We can play a couple of hands for practice. I’m not totally heartless.” She shuffled the deck. As quickly as he’d beat her at pool, she felt the need to redeem herself.
Layla quickly explained the rules of the game to him, and he nodded.
“Don’t we need to write down the score to keep track?”
She pointed to her chest. “Math major, remember? I can keep track in my head.”
“No offense, but I prefer to see it in black-and-white. You know, just to be sure.”
Her jaw dropped dramatically. “Are you accusing me of being a cheater?”
“You? Never. I’m sure you would never consider doing anything like rubbing up against me or shaking your hips to distract me during my turn.”
She smiled. “That was just to keep you on your toes. I was attempting to level the playing field. You’re a pool shark and I’m a newbie. I wanted a fair chance.”
“Using your feminine wiles is dirty pool.”
“Hmm-mmm.” She dealt the cards and organized her hand.
Phin found a napkin and wrote two columns, putting their names on the top of each. Layla held her cards high, not sure if she had a tell that would give her away. Phin was far too perceptive and she knew it, which was why she didn’t want to play poker with him. She’d lose her pants figuratively and literally.
She schooled her face and focused on the cards. If she watched closely, she’d beat him. She just had to play her cards right. Now she was thinking in clichés. Giving herself a mental shake, she played her first card.
An hour later, Layla and Phin were slapping cards down faster than either could see. It turned out that Phin’s competitive side matched hers. He pushed; she shoved. They trash-talked each other and laughed all the way through. She hadn’t had so much fun playing a card game since she had first learned to count cards as a freshman.
Finally, she sent Phin her best seductive smile and splayed her cards on the table. “Gin,” she said sweetly.
Judging by the stack of cards he held, he wouldn’t be able to catch her.
“You’re better than I expected,” he said, tossing his cards down without adding them up. “How would you like to collect your winnings?”
He crawled across the couch until he had her pressed against the wooden arm. He stared into her eyes, his lips close to touching hers. She smiled again. “Twenty bucks. I’m broke.”
He laughed and put his arms around her, the sound tickling her ear. Phin kissed her neck and ground his hips into hers. The energy between them skyrocketed from playful to sensual in a blink. God, this man was good. She had no problem imagining him as a con artist. His smile and smooth-talking ways drew her to him. And those eyes. They were spooky—laughing one minute and drowning in passion the next—but they never revealed who Phin was.
Her phone rang and Layla moaned. As much fun as she was having, she knew Felicity was calling to rescue her. She shifted to grab the phone, but Phin beat her to it.
Before handing it over, he said, “Stay with me. You have to wait until your car is ready. Stay here.”
She took the phone and answered. “Hey, Felicity, hang on a minute.” She covered the mouthpiece. Looking at Phin, she asked, “Why?”
“Because we’re having fun. Why pay for a hotel when you’re just gonna want to sleep with me anyway?”
“You think you’re all that.”
“Of course, and then some.” To prove his point, he slid a hand between her thighs and massaged her muscles, keeping his hand just south of her mound, making her wetter.
She shifted away from his hand and turned her attention to the phone, but his hand was persistent.
“Hi. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.” Was that her talking all breathlessly?
“Hey, Layla, are you okay? What happened?”
Focus on Felicity, not the pleasure waiting in Phin’s hand. “My car broke down. The transmission needs to be rebuilt. It’s going to take a few days, and then as I was trying to drown my sorrows in a beer, someone stole my wallet. I have twenty bucks to my name.” She stopped and looked at Phin. “Make that forty bucks.”
He chuckled and lowered his head to her neck. He licked a slow, warm trail up to her ear.
“Tell me what you need,” Felicity said. She sounded so far away.
“I have a new credit card being sent. It’ll be here Tuesday. In the meantime, I made a friend. His name is Phin. I sent you his picture. Did you get it?”
“Hell, yeah, I did. He’s hot. Are you with him now?”
Just then, Phin’s hand made it to its destination, and she nearly jumped out of her moist panties. Using his knee, he spread her thighs, which she had
been involuntarily clenching, apart. “Yeah, he’s here.”
“Do you want me to book a hotel for you?”
Layla’s brain clouded. Hotel. She was supposed to go to a hotel. But Phin had told her to stay. The rest of her spring break was likely fucked; why not enjoy a few days of his time? Especially when he made her feel this good. “Uh, no, I’m gonna stay here. Phin has a spot for me.”
She felt his lips curve in a smile against her collarbone. Asshole. But she couldn’t stay mad because her pussy had other ideas. Her breath came faster as he increased the speed of his manipulations, but he had yet to enter her and man, did she want that.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You sound funny.”
“Yep. Great. Reeeeally great. I’ll call you later, okay. Have fun.”
“Oh, you’re getting busy right now, aren’t you?”
Layla giggled.
“Jeez, that’s just wrong. Call me later.” Felicity disconnected, and Layla tossed the phone on the floor.
She lifted her hips and yanked her panties off. In the next breath, she pulled her shirt over her head. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that lying naked on a stranger’s couch should’ve felt weird, but all she could think was now. She needed Phin now.
Phin moved her so she was lying down on the couch and lowered his head to her breasts. As he pulled a nipple roughly into his mouth, he slid two fingers into her. She was so close, but she couldn’t form words to tell him what she needed. Layla grabbed Phin’s hand and forced his palm against her. With the pressure against her clit and his fingers moving in and out, she exploded. Her thighs clenched tightly on his hand and he bit down on her nipple.
Her hand grasped for something, anything, to hold on to. She grabbed his hair, tunneling her fingers all the way to his scalp, and held tight. Layla rode the waves and spasms until she couldn’t move anymore. As she came down from her high, she felt Phin’s rigid cock against her thigh. She reached past his boxers and stroked him.
He groaned and laid his head against her chest, not moving. His hand was still against her, his fingers in her, not moving. In her awkward position, she couldn’t do much for him. She wanted more, wanted to feel him in her again. She pulled his hair, lifted his face from her chest.
She kissed him hard, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. Pulling his head back, she pushed his shoulder with her hand until he moved enough that she was on top of him. He’d removed his fingers from her, and she withheld the moan it caused. She straddled him, making his boxers as wet as he’d made her.
Layla continued to kiss him while she rocked and bounced against him, never freeing him from the constraint of the cotton. Teasing him like this made her feel powerful and she enjoyed it. He grabbed her hips and tried to control the rhythm or move her away, she wasn’t sure which, but she wasn’t giving in.
His fingers dug into the flesh of her ass. “Fuck,” he growled.
She leaned close, lifted her hips away from him, and whispered, “How bad do you want it?”
Layla held her hips inches above him but continued their rhythm, determined to make him feel with his hands what his dick was missing. A sheen of sweat coated him and she liked knowing it was because of her. “I think we need a condom.” Luckily, she had a couple in her bag. She turned and reached into it.
Turning her back on Phin had been a mistake because she lost the upper hand. He growled again and picked her up. The condom flew from her hand and landed on the couch. Phin pushed her down on her stomach, and she heard the wrapper tear. She struggled to push up, but he wrapped his arm around her waist and entered from behind. The sudden shock of him filling her caused a gasp.
Phin released her waist and, using both hands on her hips, pumped into her wildly. She gripped the arm of the couch to gain some balance, but couldn’t hold. He was rough, but careful, and Layla had never been more turned on. Her breath hitched in halting gasps. Phin’s right hand slid around and she felt his chest touch her back.
His rhythm slowed. He pinched her nipple and she was able to rise up on her elbows. He bit down on her shoulder and she ground her hips against him, searching for a second orgasm that he was withholding. He had brought her to the edge and then intentionally slowed.
She took a deep breath, forcing air all the way into her lungs, and then said, “Who’s being a tease now?”
She bit down on her lip and tried moving her hips, but Phin just laughed. His other arm reached around her and he pulled her up on her knees against him. The fingers that had been pinching her left breast had moved to her clit. He flicked at it twice and Layla was spiraling again. Stars burst behind her closed eyes and every muscle in her legs ached. She felt like a noodle, but Phin continued his assault.
He rubbed and caressed and bit her, until each nerve was exposed and exploited. Just when she didn’t think she could handle more, Phin released her, and she flopped forward on the couch. He plunged into her like a rabbit on speed, flesh slapping until he yelled out a guttural expletive and collapsed on her.
Layla’s entire body screamed when she tried to move Phin off her, but she knew without a doubt that she’d just experienced the best sex of her short life. The men she normally dated would definitely have to up their game to compete with this.
Phin disposed of the condom and wobbled back beside her. She rolled partway to her side and accepted the glass of water he offered.
He looked a little concerned. “Are you okay?”
“Hell, yeah, but I think you’ve rendered my body inoperable. Good thing this is my bed.” She handed him the glass and dropped her head to the cushion. Not that there was anything cushiony about it.
“Come sleep in my bed.”
“Unh. Can’t move.” She heard him shuffling around as he headed to bed. She wanted to follow, but her body wouldn’t obey. A chill came over her suddenly, and she realized that she didn’t have a blanket. Shit. She had to move. Groaning, she pushed up and stumbled to Phin’s bed.
“That didn’t take long.”
“Got cold.”
He flipped back the blanket and she climbed in. Without warning, Phin pulled her close, spooning her, warming and soothing her body.
Phin woke with a raging hard-on, but when he looked at Layla, snuggled into his bed, with a bite mark he’d made on her shoulder, he let her sleep. He jumped into the shower and made a pot of coffee. It had been a long time since he’d had someone spend the night. He discovered he didn’t need to be quiet, because Layla slept like the dead. He’d finished two cups of coffee and polished off a couple of doughnuts and she still hadn’t stirred.
He thought about his next move. He’d planned to hit a couple of halls today and make some spending money. While he didn’t care if Layla stayed in his apartment, he wasn’t sure if she’d want to. He had nothing of value, but most people wouldn’t be comfortable in a stranger’s apartment all day. Then again, they weren’t really strangers anymore.
In the bedroom, he set a cup of coffee on the nightstand and jumped on the bed. “Rise and shine, babe.”
“Unh.”
It was the same sleepy grunt she’d given last night after coming a couple of times. She managed to turn him on without even being conscious. Her head turned against his pillow and she sniffed.
“Coffee?”
“I hope black’s okay. The milk is expired and I don’t have sugar. Unless you want to scrape some off the doughnuts.”
She sat up quickly. “You have doughnuts, too? Man, this is better than a hotel. Coffee in bed delivered by a mostly naked, sexy man and free doughnuts.” She stretched across the bed to get the coffee. She inhaled the scent before putting the cup to her lips. “Mmmm . . . this is good.”
“I’m going to leave in a little bit. You can stay here if you want.” He tried to remember if he had a spare key to offer her. Steve probably had one.
“Where are you going?”
“Make some money playing pool.” He pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
“Can
I come?”
The last word called him back to bed and her naked body, but he fought the urge. He leaned over and kissed her. “You’ll be bored.”
And he couldn’t afford the distraction.
“I like to watch you play.” She shot him a grin as she climbed out from under the covers.
He wanted to tell her no, but found himself slapping her ass. “Get going then. Time is money.”
While Layla took a shower, he had another cup of coffee. He’d never had company for a whole day of pool. Part of him cringed at the thought that she’d talk incessantly. The car ride would be bad enough, but what if she talked during the game?
Then again, having her as a distraction would up his game, push him to practice patience.
After a shower and scarfing down a couple of doughnuts, Layla was finally ready to go. Phin tried not to be irritated because she took a lot less time than most women he’d come in contact with, but she threw his schedule off. But one look at her wearing a T-shirt that said MATH GEEKS KNOW ALL THE ANGLES written around a triangle, and he couldn’t be mad.
In the truck, Layla fiddled with the radio. He knocked her hand away. “The dial is temperamental.” He turned the knob to a station that came through clearly.
“Like its owner.” She sat back and crossed her arms.
“What?”
“You’re cranky. Maybe you should’ve slept in like I did. You could use some beauty sleep.”
“I was up late trying to figure out how you cheated at cards last night.”
“I didn’t cheat. I didn’t even use my feminine wiles.”
“The hell you didn’t. You were barely dressed and, every time you moved, your shirt inched higher, revealing a little more thigh, inviting me over.”
She snorted. “Just because you have no self-control does not mean I cheated.”
When he came to a red light, he turned to her. She bit her lower lip. She was a horrible liar. He didn’t even need to comment for her to break.
“Okay, but it wasn’t cheating exactly. Yes, I let my shirt ride up, but that was so you wouldn’t pay attention to my face. I learned how to count cards to win at blackjack. I simply improvised and studied what cards were being played so I could win.”
Her Best Shot Page 4