Page 219 of Well Played

Not anymore.

Mine had more than doubled in value. I’d never have been able to afford it now—even though I had steady work that paid well.

Yasmine sat perched on the edge of the bed looking nervous.

“We don’t have to?—”

She lunged for me.

Our mouths collided as she pushed her hands under my leather jacket and tried to get me out of it.

I obliged by helping her. Since my phone was in the pocket, I let it fall gently to the floor.

She grabbed the hem of my T-shirt.

I yanked it over my head. Next came the button on my jeans, then the zipper and finally yanking them off with my underwear. I’d removed my boots at the door, thank God. And although I normally preferred the idea of being dressed while my partner was naked, I understood Yasmine required a different dynamic.

After a moment, she stepped back. She yanked her sweater over her head, quickly dispensed of her sports bra, then shimmied out of her skinny jeans and underwear. I caught a glimpse of crimson red lace, but she tossed the pile over a chair. Her phone lay on one of the nightstands, plugged into a charger.

I wanted to ask if Kaden had texted, but decided she’d say something if she considered him an issue. She and I had been circling for days now. My desire for her had grown each time I saw her, and now I had her within reach. I held out my hand.

She grasped it.

We moved to the bed.

I yanked the comforter off and pulled the sheets down. The room’s ambient temperature was warm—but not stuffy. Despite the November chill outside, this room was pleasant.

She slid in first, scooting over to make room for me.

I joined her.Is she going to pull the sheets up to cover her beautiful figure or is she going to let me take my fill?

As if reading my mind, she didn’t ease the sheet over from her body, thereby leaving me a view of one of the most glorious women I’d ever seen.

She positioned her hand on her hip, drawing attention to the tattoo normally covered by her costume.

Assuming this was an invitation, I moved in for a closer look. “Is that a gymnast?”

“Yes. And Kaden has one of me on his side.”

“Ah, that’s what it is. I’d spotted in during the routine you do where he’s shirtless, but I’ve never gotten a close look.”

She chuckled. “You didn’t think to get up and close into his personal space?”

“He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would appreciate that level of intrusiveness from another man.”

“Oh, from the right man he’d have no issues.”

I almost asked if I might be therightman.

But I feared the answer. I found Kaden sexy as fuck, but he barely gave me a second glance. Hell, I wasn’t certain he’d ever given me a first glance.

I fingered her tattoo. While Kaden’s took up a substantial part of his side, hers was small. Delicate. But clearly of Kaden, now I had a closer look. “You’re bonded to him.”

She cocked her head. “I guess. I want to think we’re mated for life, but life is such a long time. He might tire of me?—”

“You might tire of him.”

“No.” She offered a small smile. “He’s it for me.”

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