Page 54 of King of Players

And I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life getting to know this woman.

Epilogue

New Winter, New Adventure

Kaira

*

Winter rolled around again. This time, I was Mrs. Niles.

Chad knelt down on the floor in front of me, stoking the red and orange flames of the fire. In his blue, knitted sweater, gray sweat pants and winter boots, he looked every inch the handsome man I’d fallen in love with.

And my stomach gave an odd little dip.

When he twisted his head to look at me, his short blonde hair glistening underneath the warm lighting of the room, the butterflies in my stomach erupted. With a smile, he stood up and wandered over to me on the couch. Wordlessly, he removed the blanket on top of me and draped it over the two of us, drawing me closer to him.

He smelled like mint soap.

Outside, snow was falling steadily, blanketing the world in white. Now and again, a car passed, honking into the night before it disappeared. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the flames leap and dance, casting long shadows across the wall and filling the room with the smell of pine and wood.

I sighed and lifted my head up.

Chad pressed his lips to mine, and I shuddered. Then I threw one leg up over him, and the other, so I was straddling him. His hands immediately went to my waist and darted underneath my red, winter dress. He stroked the stockings underneath, moving upwards until he reached my panties.

As soon as he stroked me, I gasped. “Going straight for the kill?”

“I’m a man who knows what he wants,” Chad said, against my mouth.

“I love that.” I wrenched my lips away and ran my fingers up and down his back over his slim, fit physique, my heart hammering against my chest. I whimpered when he pulled my dress up over my head and threw it onto the floor.

Then he removed my boots and set them down on the floor.

I fumbled with his sweater, revealing the long-sleeved shirt underneath. Chad leaned back and pulled it up over his head, revealing taut muscles and tanned skin. My mouth turned dry when he reclaimed it, moving his mouth in slow, even strokes.

Fire burned in the center of my stomach.

Slowly, I ran my fingers over his back, pausing over the jagged scar in the center. “So, when are you going to tell me about your battle wounds?”

“Battle wounds?” Chad pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses down the side of my neck before traveling back up to my face. “You mean my scars?

“Yes.”

“I’ll tell you if you’ve been a good girl this year.” Chad flipped me over, so I was flat on my back on the couch, and he loomed on top of me. “Have you been a good girl this year?”

“I’ve been a very good girl,” I promised, breathlessly, color creeping up my cheeks. “You know that.”

Chad’s hands moved to his pants, and he pulled them down, his erection straining against his boxers. “I think you’ve been a very bad girl.”

My breath hitched in my throat. “Does that mean you’re going to punish me?”

“Do you want me to punish you?” Chad removed his boxers and kicked my legs apart. Slowly, he rolled my stockings down and slid them off my feet. Then he unhooked my bra and removed my panties.

All it took was one look for me to shiver underneath his gaze.

“Are you cold?”

I linked my fingers over his neck and shook my head. “With you? Never.”

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