Played (Playing Games Book 2)

by Rebecca Barber

Instead of answering like the meek little mouse she was currently imitating, she tossed off the blanket, tucked her legs under her and reached for a hunk of chocolate, popping it in her mouth. “I don’t even know if he wants a second chance or what that would look like. Did we even have a first chance? We had a hotel hook-up in Melbourne. A city neither of us live in. It could’ve just been a random weekend where we were both looking for some flirty, filthy fun. Sure, it was hot as hell but was it more? I don’t even know.”

  Well fuck me sideways. I hadn’t seen that one coming.

  “Besides, I don’t know what his girlfriend, Madeline, would think.” The offhand comment slaughtered me. How we could be on such completely different wavelengths confused me. Granted, we’d never had a conversation about it. Never exchanged numbers. And hadn’t exactly thought it through, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Now I was questioning if she was suffering from the same affliction.

  “That Madeline thing, it’s all bullshit,” Tash explained quickly. “That was my fault. I got the wrong end of the stick and hit publish before investigating. I was busy…”

  “Yeah, busy getting busy,” I tossed back, needing to lighten the mood a bit.

  “At least one of us was,” Logan countered, the arsehole. He knew exactly where to hit so it hurt.

  “And, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I didn’t follow the lead up. Not properly anyway. All it took was a couple of photos being sent through and I hit go. They’re not together. And from what I’ve found out, they never were.”

  “We never were,” I confirmed, leaving no room for misinterpretation. The last thing I needed was a misunderstanding derailing my future.

  “And on that note, Natasha, take me home,” Logan declared, rising to his feet before extending his hand to haul Tash up.

  “I should head out too,” Hunter added.

  “Ah, am I coming with you?” Sienna asked awkwardly. Obviously, she thought she was but the fact it was even a question was confusing.

  Five minutes later and we were all putting our shoes back on, grabbing coats while the girls stuffed around in the kitchen. When they emerged, Emma was hanging back looking utterly exhausted and adorable at the same time.

  After hugs were exchanged everyone started filing out. I didn’t know what the fuck I was supposed to do. The last thing I wanted to do was leave, but I didn’t think Emma wanted me to stay. Not that I could blame her. But damn it! I wanted to. We had shit to sort out and the last thing I wanted to do was leave all these questions up in the air. Questions that had serious, life changing consequences.

  “You sharing an Uber with us?” Tash invited as I shrugged on my jacket, ignoring the cold, damp collar as it pressed against my neck.

  I couldn’t stop myself if I tried. It was like my head was attached to a swivel machine. It yo-yoed between Emma and Tash and back to Emma.

  “Sounds good. Thanks,” I replied eventually, unable to stand the pathetic silence any longer.

  “See you later, Emma. Thanks for tonight. I had fun. I’ll definitely be calling you soon.” Tash smiled, slipping out the door with Logan hot on her heels.

  “It was good to see you again, Em,” I confessed, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her cheek. It wasn’t the sort of kiss I wanted to leave her with, but I wasn’t sure she’d appreciate being hoisted up by the arse, backed up against the door and tongue-fucked. Or maybe she would. I’d pushed my luck enough for one day, though.

  Taking a resigned step towards the door, I accepted it for what it was. It wasn’t what I wanted but I couldn’t force her. So, when her hand grabbed mine, halting me mid-step, to say I was dumbfounded was the fucking understatement of the century.

  “Or you could stay,” she said simply, and I almost had a coronary, right there in the doorway.

  “Or I could stay,” I repeated, giving her the opportunity to change her mind. Fuck I hope she didn’t. “Are you sure?”

  Emma didn’t answer me. Instead, she stepped past me in her fuzzy socks and out into the hall. “Hey, Tash. Bryce is going to hang out for a bit. Don’t worry about him for the Uber,” Emma confirmed without wavering.

  This chick confused the ever-loving fuck out of me. One minute she was barely a breath away from a meltdown, the next she was declaring I wasn’t going anywhere. It was seriously mind boggling.

  I didn’t have to hear Tash’s reply to know she was laughing at me. Right now, though, I didn’t give a toss. My chest was so puffed out, so much I felt like I was goddamn bullet proof. When Emma stepped back inside and closed the door, taking a moment to lock it before turning back towards me, I realised I was suddenly nervous.

  “So,” I mumbled like an idiot.

  “So,” Emma repeated, a wicked smile sneaking across her face.

  Her arms reached for my neck as she slid my jacket off my shoulders. Shaking my hands, we both watched as the pile of material fell to the floor.

  “As much as I want to fuck you right now, what I want even more is sleep. So, Bryce Masters, feel like snuggling?”

  It felt like a test.

  It sounded like a test.

  But if it was, it was one I was determined to pass with flying colours.

  “Absolutely. On the couch?”

  “Hell no! You’re either in my bed or out the door.” Emma threw down the ultimatum. “I’m sure if you hurry you can still catch Logan and Tash and share that Uber.”

  Leaving me standing there, my mouth gaping open and my head spinning, Emma started flicking off lights, plunging her apartment into darkness. Taking the hint, I toed off my shoes and set them against the wall barely seconds before I too was standing in the dark. Having no clue where I was going, I stepped to the left and bumped straight into a wall before righting myself only to crash into something much softer. Someone much softer. Without thinking, I stuck my hands out and grabbed hold of whatever I could get my hands on. Emma’s curves fit perfectly in my hands.

  Sucking in a deep breath, I tried reciting tonight’s stats and thinking about grandma’s bunions to get my overly excited dick under control. All it took was the scent of Emma and he was prepped and ready for action. Not that I could blame him. She was hot as hell and everything I could ever want. Tonight had just proved it yet again. I had only seen her twice, yet both times she had blown my mind.

  Feeling her fingers run through my hair before tugging on the ends, pulling my head down to her, I was gone. Whatever she wanted right now she was going to get. So, when her soft lips touched mine, I didn’t hesitate. Taking control, I pulled her even closer to me as I plundered. When Emma moaned, all sense of reason and control abandoned me. Snaking my hands down, I gripped her arse, hoisting her up against me. When her legs wound around my waist, I could feel her heat through my thin dress pants.

  Releasing her lips for a second, I trailed wet kisses down her throat. I knew she was loving it when her head dropped backwards, granting me even more access. “Bedroom,” I managed to get out as she pressed down against me, searching for friction which my aching cock was more than willing to provide.

  “Down…the…hall…left…” Emma panted, grabbing my face in her hands and tongue-fucking me. It was hot and erotic, and I never wanted to stop.

  Doing everything I could to avoid dropping her, I wobbled our way down the hall, pausing to pin her against the wall and grind against her because I was so desperate to be inside her; if I didn’t I was going to cum in my pants like a randy teenager. Something Emma made me feel like.

  Rounding the corner, there was enough light filtering through the partially closed blinds that when I tossed her on the bed, I was able to watch her bounce with her eyes closed and her lips parted. As I started unbuttoning my shirt, Emma propped herself up on her elbows.

  “I’m not fucking you tonight,” she said determinedly, and I almost tripped over my own feet.

  The last thing in the world I’d ever do was pressure someone into sleeping with me, but I was almost certain that’s the ex
act track we were on. A track we were speeding along like a locomotive. Apparently, I was wrong. Again.

  “I didn’t think…” I started to lie only for Emma to hold up her hand, cutting me off.

  “Yes, you did. And it’s my fault. I want to. Fuck me do I want to. It’s just…well…”

  “Say it,” I growled. I wanted to blame my Neanderthal ways on the lack of blood flow to my brain.

  “After last time, we need to ah…talk first.”

  What she was saying made sense. It really did. My weeping cock didn’t have to like it, though.

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “You understand?” Emma asked, stunned.

  She looked like the perfect snack the way she was lying there. Something I wanted to devour. Someone I wanted to ravish. But I wasn’t going to fuck this up by letting my dick lead the way. Emma may be giving me a second chance, but I was under no illusions that there’d be a third.

  Reaching out, I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. When she turned her cheek and nuzzled against my hand, I almost changed my mind. “Absolutely. We didn’t have the most conventional first meeting and what happened after, well, let’s just say I screwed that up. I’m over the fucking moon you’re even letting me in your home and your life, let alone in your bed. Now, point me to the bathroom so I can get ready for bed.”

  I could read the indecision written all over her pretty face. Rolling over, she clicked on a lamp beside her bed and I got the first glimpse into the woman Emma really was. She was homey. From the hand-knitted blanket draped over the foot of the bed, to the knickknacks lined up along the windowsill and the photo frames that filled the dresser. But it was the pile of books stacked on her bedside table that shocked me. Stephen King, Daniel Silva and David Baldacci books were piled high. I would’ve sworn Emma was a romance junkie, but it just showed how little I really knew about her.

  “You’re really okay with this?” Emma questioned, straightening her pyjama top and sitting up.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Can we snuggle though?” she asked, biting down on her bottom lip. She was fucking adorable when she was nervous. And I freaking loved that I made her nervous. It meant I wasn’t the only one in the room freaking out.

  Dropping a kiss on her forehead, I squatted down until I was meeting her eye line. “Try and stop me. I love nothing more than a good snuggle,” I promised before turning and making a beeline for the bathroom.

  “I bet I could think of something you’d love more,” Emma called out to my retreating back. This girl was going to be the death of me. But hey, what a way to go.

  After splashing some cold water on my face and getting ready for bed, I stripped down to my boxers, hanging my pants and shirt on the hook on the back of the door. If I was going to have to do the walk of shame in the morning, there was no way I was sleeping in my clothes first.

  Clicking the light off, I stepped back into the bedroom. Confusion hit me like a tonne of bricks. Emma was tucked up in bed, the blankets folded up under her chin and not an inch of skin showing. But on the floor in a discarded pile of temptation was those flannel pyjamas I’d become bewildered by.

  “Need anything?” Emma asked, taking a sip of water from the bottle on the side table.

  Not trusting myself to speak, I skirted around the bed and slipped under the covers on my side. Emma didn’t say a word before she switched off the light and rolled towards me.

  I couldn’t see anything, but I didn’t have to. Lifting my arm, I invited Emma into my space. She didn’t hesitate. A warm smooth leg rubbed against mine before coming to rest on mine. She nuzzled her head against my chest resting it directly over my heart. I had no doubt she could hear the thumping getting quicker and quicker the closer she snuggled. When her arm snaked across my stomach, toying with the band of my boxers, I knew I had to put a stop to this. There was only so much temptation or torment a guy could take, and I was so close to snapping it was borderline ridiculous. Grabbing her hand, I held it in mine, holding her in place.

  “What happened to the pj’s?” I asked, my voice light and teasing.

  “I love them, but I can’t sleep in them. I get too hot. But if this is too much…” I could hear the panic creeping in. The last thing I was suggesting was Emma put more clothes on. From what I could tell, she had tiny shorts on and a thin tank top. I could feel her pointed nipples against my chest, and as much as I tried to ignore it, I couldn’t.

  “Don’t even think about changing. You’re perfect.”

  “Bryce, you’re sweet. But I’m anything but perfect,” Emma confessed into the darkness.

  “Get some sleep, beautiful. Tomorrow’s a big day,” I offered as she yawned again. It was already after one and the last thing I wanted to do was get in an argument about how amazing she was in the middle of the night. It could wait until morning.

  It didn’t take long before Emma was snoring steadily and out like a light. For me, it took a lot longer. For a while I lay there replaying the last twelve hours over and over again. How so much could happen in such a short amount of time still somehow surprised me.

  When my eyes cracked open, I had no idea what time it was but that was the last thing on my mind. Lifting the blankets off, my eyes met a set of the most beautiful and determined eyes. And they would’ve kept me captivated all day. Except for the fact that just below her mesmerising eyes was a set of pouty pink lips wrapped around my aching cock. As Emma took me as far down her throat as she could, I tossed the blankets away. Not only was my blood now boiling, but there was no way I was going to miss even a second of this.

  “Oh fuck,” I groaned as her nails scratched across my balls.

  I knew if I didn’t get myself under control this was going to be over in a hurry and Emma was just too fucking good at sucking dick for me to want this to be over. Pulling off with a pop, she smiled at me wickedly. “Good morning.” Her lips were swollen and shiny with saliva.

  “Go-ood morning,” I rasped as she licked down one side of my shaft before swiping the bead of pre-cum off the head with her finger and popping it in her mouth.

  “I-I-I thought you wanted to talk first?” I stuttered.

  Emma didn’t even bother to answer me. She didn’t give me a chance to do anything or even take another breath before she sucked me down and hummed. The vibration tickled my dick and had my toes curling. Propping myself up on my elbows, there was no way in the world I was about to miss this. Waking up to find my cock halfway down Emma’s throat was undoubtedly my favourite way to wake up. As she worked me over, I noticed her other hand disappearing down her sleep shorts, and somehow it made me even harder.

  On the verge of exploding, I pulled her off. I was not finishing down her throat. Not today.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

  “Ride me,” I demanded.

  “I…I… can’t,” Emma stuttered, looking everywhere but at me.

  I was horny and worked up and I didn’t have the patience for playing games right now. Emma had taken me almost to the edge and I was desperate to plunge over the cliff. But the only way I was going was if I took her with me.

  “Emma, ride me. Now.”

  I don’t know if it was the growl in my voice or my demands, but she was shucking her shorts and sliding up my legs. I could feel her heat, and when her pussy was hovering over my balls, she dripped her own arousal on them.

  “Condom?” I asked, knowing my wallet was too far away right now.

  “Top drawer.”

  Yanking open the drawer enthusiastically, the whole thing came out, dangling in my hand by the handle. “Shit!” I swore as the contents clattered to the ground.

  “Bryce. Hurry!” Emma commanded, reverting my attention.

  Reaching down beside the bed, I caught a glimpse of a hot pink vibrator that only filled me with many questions for a later date. Snagging the strip of condoms, I tore one off and went to suit up only to have it snatched out of my hand.
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br />   Like the skilful, taunting ninja she is, Emma wrapped her hand around my length and squeezed. Not hard enough to hurt but with enough pressure to know she meant business. After a few strokes, she leant down and licked me up one side and down the other before wrapping me up. When she lifted up on her knees, I didn’t know where to look. Her nipples were poking through the thin pink tank top she had on but when she started sinking down on me, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Her perfect pink pussy sucked me in and when she bottomed out, I moaned loudly.

  I don’t know how long she sat there, unmoving, just holding me hostage but I was her willing captive. Then she started to move. Slow, methodical movements at first, but when I reached up and tweaked one of those nipples that were begging for attention, she really got to work.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  EMMA

  Standing in the shower, I let the water beat down on my aching muscles. So much for a relaxing Sunday. It was just after nine and I’d already had the workout of my life. Something super impressive about athletes, something they definitely didn’t promote enough, was stamina. Stamina and flexibility. Sure, I was paying for it now – muscles I didn’t even know I had were complaining – but it was so fucking worth it.

  Tipping my head back, I closed my eyes remembering all the things Bryce had done to my body. Bryce had this stubbornness I’d never seen before. It was raw, honest, and entirely in my favour. I’d never met a guy who was determined to give me three orgasms to his one. Maybe he didn’t consider it a sacrifice considering how easily he wrung them from my body or how quick I was to explode.

  “Someone looks satisfied.”

  Bryce’s voice echoed off the tiles almost giving me a heart attack as I moved too quickly and slipped on the floor.

  “Fuck!” I swore as I finally righted myself, rubbing my elbow where I’d bashed it against the wall.

  “Shit, Em, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. I was just coming to check if you needed help washing your back?” Bryce offered, leaning against the door frame and looking smugly satisfied.