Page 35 of Played

Mal had been determined to keep River from making another mistake with Riot and had decided to be the wedge between the two. She and Dan had planted themselves at the ranch. River knew damn well it wasn’t Dan wanting to stay in her guest room—it was his wife. The woman needed to get over the mommy complex. She had to think of a way to get them to leave.

“You have company.”

Damn it, what happened to people calling first? The house was in Carmel Valley, not Los Angeles. If someone was coming out here, it wasn’t to have coffee. She needed dogs. At least they would alert her of a car coming up the drive. “Who is it?”

“Me.”

Leaning around the top of her poolside chair to catch a glimpse of her visitor, her eyes swept over Riot. She lowered her sunglasses, appreciating how his jeans hung on his hips and how his T-shirt stretched across a well-toned chest. She wanted to fist her hands in his hair so she could ravage his mouth. Instead she turned back towards the pool to finish tanning. If he needed to speak with her, he could bring his sexy ass over to the pool. She was unwilling to let his presence agitate her, so she turned back to sunbathing. “I already told your secretary no.”

Riot laid out folders on the patio table, grabbed two bottles from the outside fridge, and waited for River to make up her stubborn mind to speak with him. He was too tired for this shit. “Get your sweet ass over here.”

She took her time getting up. Dropping her feet to the sides of the chair, River sat up, deciding whether to put the bikini top back on or go without it. Choices… it was all about choices. Easing out of the chair, she walked over towards him… topless. Riot tossed her cover up at her, and the ball of fabric hit her in the face. She pulled the thing from her head as she heard him laugh. Slipping the little robe on, she was ready for a fight. “What do you want? Besides me.” Yes, she left the slinky robe hanging open.

“I do want you. For my racing team.” The shocked look on her face almost made him laugh. Then it turned into a wounded expression. Then it morphed into one of pure exasperation.

She was tired of people telling her what to feel, how to live, who to fuck… the list went on. She wanted to feel, live, and fuck on her terms, not someone else’s. Especially not Riot’s. Why couldn’t today be a normal day without complications? Was that too much to hope for? Slamming her hands on her hips to help get her point across, River told him point-blank, “I don’t need you to race.”

“No, but you need my money.” That shut her up. Riot hated throwing in her face the simple fact she was barely making it financially. Riot knew sometimes you had to fight your way into someone’s heart. River stood, hands still on her hips, face flushed, eyes on fire. Just the way Riot loved her—flushed and infuriated with him. It was much more fun to take her control away when he had her thrown off-balance. At the moment he wanted to toss her beautiful ass into the pool. The deep end to be precise.

Riot mimicked her stance, pissing her off. God he loved the color red on her. The longer he stood there the redder her face got. “Are you done pouting?” He smiled as River threw her hands in the air. If she started flapping her arms, he swore he would start making bird calls just to send her over the edge. He found it best to go ahead and push her until she lost her mind.

River would start with yelling, then storm off, only to come back and yell some more. At some point the wind would be out of her sails and the tears of anger would well up. That’s when River would listen to reason.

Dark circles marred the soft skin under her eyes letting him know she wasn’t sleeping.

She didn’t explode. It seemed the fight had left her.

“Riot, what game are you here playing?”

“I’m not here to play a game with you.”

Six weeks since they spent the night together, and here he stood telling her no. The little voice in her head reminded her of the fact she told him it was a one-night thing. River was shocked he listened. “If you’re here for another romp, I’m not in the mood for sex.”

“Good, because I’m not looking for it.”

“Like you don’t want me.”

“I always want you, River. I love your body; I love your mind. Woman, I love your god damn mood swings. The problem is you don’t want me to love you. You don’t want love at all, and I do. So there will be no relationship other than a business one.”

“You believe you can be in a relationship with me that’s strictly business?”

“I do. If you don’t believe me, then try me.”

River watched him carefully. Riot was a cunning son of a bitch. She needed to be on her toes if she were going to give this a try. “What’s the business deal?”

Riot kept his face stoic. I last thing he needed would be for her to realize she had just been played. “You come under my sponsorship. I pick a new team for you. A real crew chief, mechanics, drivers, etcetera.”

“I won’t be a privateer?”

“No.”

“Can I think about this?”

“No. We decide right now.”

“What about Mal and Dan?” There would be no deal without them. She didn’t care what Riot promised her.

“What about them?”

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