Page 31 of King of Players

Even though I had navigated through our unexpected date with perfect grace, I still felt like I was getting mixed signals from her. One moment, her smile told me that she could easily kiss me right then and there, and the next, she seemed doubtful of my intentions.

If this push and pull was part of the game she liked to play, I was willing to learn to enjoy it.

At her doorstep, I lingered, defiantly standing before her and letting her read into my eyes—as challenging as it was in the dark. Wasn’t she going to invite me in?

“Thank you,” she said. “I had a really good time.”

“I should be the one thanking you.”

“Well? There’s no law against that.”

Inching closer, I grazed her lower lip with my thumb. “What are the rules, then? Because the wine sure is getting to my head.”

“Feeling irresponsible?”

“In any other context, that word would’ve sobered me right up.”

Suddenly, her hand sternly held onto mine, fixing it an inch away from her lips. “And now?”

Something about the moment, the look in her eyes, and the unwavering manner in which she fixed my hand in the air made me want to stay. “How about a cup of coffee for the road?”

Letting go of my hand—which was disappointing—she sighed and said, “I don’t know about you, but I have to go to work in the morning.” Turning around to unlock the door, she stood with her back to me, as if to block it.

“Well, I know that you’re the boss and you can afford a late morning once in a while.”

Pushing the door open, she stepped in, and with a resigning tone, said, “Fine. Coffee it is.”

I followed her in and closed the door behind me, while my eyes followed her as she took off her shoes. Barefoot, she stepped into the kitchen and started making coffee. I didn’t know what was starting to take over me. It was lust, desire, but not the kind to which I was accustomed to.

With her graceful figure in the dim lights, moving back and forth between the mug rack and the coffee machine, I wished I could freeze time.

But what truly froze at that moment was my mind. Without further thought, I stepped in, standing between her and the machine that whirred and beeped. Her eyes regarded me with confusion and a little bit of fear. Was I the reason, or was it her own desires?

“What?” she whispered. “Chad, what are you doing?” I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. My tongue was painfully tied. “Okay, you’re scaring me.”

Wordlessly, I began a descent that I hadn’t calculated or planned. I could have been mimicking some scene from a movie, or a video I had once seen eons ago. All I knew was that my hands had gotten a life of their own, taking off my watch as I knelt down at her feet. Soon, my shoes were a foot away on the floor. My belt. My shirt. My phone. Facing her astonished eyes, I was kneeling down with nothing on but my pants.

Answering the nagging call of my impulses, without touching her, I held my hands at level with her bare feet, at either side, and began to run them up in the air. Alongside her ankles, her legs, her thighs. The air between my hands and her dress felt thick, like honey floating in space.

“Chad,” she whispered before slowly descending, until she, too, was on her knees, facing me.

Her eyes met mine, and I felt a rush of gratefulness wash over me. “Can I touch you now?” I asked in a whisper. She quietly nodded. My finger went back to her lower lip, where it had left off outside the door just minutes ago. With a voice that came out hoarse, I asked, “Can I kiss you now?” Once again, she nodded. With my lips on hers, I closed my eyes, attempting to stay attuned to the fine movements and vibrations of her shoulders between my hands. Pulling back, I whispered, “Would you like me to take the lead?”

And with her eyes fixed on mine… she nodded.

I blew out another breath and pulled her to me. Then I ran my hands up and down the sleeves of her long, cream-colored dress. Slowly, and with my eyes never leaving her face, I began to unbutton her dress. When I stopped at the belt at her waist, she went still.

Her dress pooled at her bare feet, and she stepped out of it, her green eyes growing darker with desire. Moments later, she stepped towards me and lifted her hands up on either side of her. Her fingers traced a bath over my bare skin, stopping at the waistband of my boxers.

“I think you have a little bit of a problem here.” She touched me over the fabric and squeezed.

“There’s nothing little about it.” I growled before reaching for her hands. I pressed my fingers to hers, and she melted, every part of her coming alive underneath my fingertips. Abruptly, my hands moved down the length of her back and stopped at her lacy red underwear.

She moaned into the kiss as I hoisted her up. When she hooked her legs around my waist and ground into me, all the blood rushed to my groin. With a growl, I set her down on the marble counter and kicked her legs apart. Once I stepped in between her legs, she threw her head back and whimpered.

“God, you’re so fucking beautiful, Kaira.” I paused and fumbled with the zipper of my jeans. Wordlessly, she let her head fall forward, wavy brown hair covering half of her face. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and reached out. The jeans fell into a puddle at my feet. I wasted no time in kicking them off and cupping the back of her head.

She tasted like vanilla and cherries.

---