Page 17 of Wicked Games We Play

“You have tasted me, remember?” she quipped. Her tone had a hint of attitude, but she couldn’t mask the way her lips parted and breathing changed. She was thinking about the time I tasted her in the dark hallway of Andromeda.

“That was months ago, Flower. I’m starting to forget your flavor.”

Lie.

There was no way I would ever forget anything from that night. The way she tasted, the sounds she made, the way her entire body melted into my mouth as she came.

She looked up at me through her lashes, a smirk playing on her full pink lips. “Alright, mister, let’s say you win this round of our game and I give in. What’s the prize?”

“The orgasm you’ll spend days coming down from.”

“Cocky much?”

“Have you forgotten my abilities?” I crowded her space, stepping forward so that our bodies were tight against each other and our noses brushed. My lips hovered above hers, so close I was inhaling her breath as she inhaled mine.

Suddenly I felt the power shift. No longer was I the one in control. I had relinquished it without even realizing.

“Tell me what you want, Lils,” I whispered. Using my thumb, I pulled her lower lip down, before gliding my hand down her neck and into the valley between her breasts. She shivered and leaned into my touch.

“I want you to take me. We’ve both waited so long.”

“You’re sure that’s you want?” I questioned, brow arched. When she nodded her head, I left no time for her to change her mind and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go,” I said, leading her to the bedroom. I was throbbing in my pants, desperate to finallyfullymake her mine.

“What’s wrong with right here?” She used her free hand to gesture to the living room space that we were currently moving through. She dug her heels into the floor to slow my movements and I stopped, turning to face her.

“I’m not going to just fuck you against the wall or on the couch, Lily. This is our first time together. I’m going to make love to you, in a bed. Inmybed.” Did she really think I would just treat her like a cheap lay? Haven’t I proven time and time again that she meant something to me?

“Making love is for people who catch feelings and say the L word, Noah. That’s not the game we’re playing.”

Thesegames. These fucking games.

A growl tore through my body, irritation coursing through as I stepped toward her, reaching for her hand again. “Too late for that, Flower. We caught feelings many, many years ago.”

“No.” She tugged her wrist from my grasp. “Just fuck me here, Noah. Don’t overcomplicate this. No extra feelings. No strings.”

I was beginning to see red, exasperated from the constant volleying of emotions and the draining feeling of being more into her than she was into me. The thing was, though, Iknewif she just gave us a chance, I would be everything she ever wanted and more.

“Don’t you think we’re a little past that point? Why can’t I show you that my feelings for you are deeper than the surface? Stop keeping me at arm’s length and let this—” I waved my hand between us, “—progress. Stop fighting us, Lily. Please.”

Great, now I was begging.

She blew out an exasperated groan, throwing her small hands into the air. “We keep going in circles, Noah. You know I need my time and my space. I want my chance to live without the weight of a relationship bearing down on me.”

“When are you going to learn that giving you space has literally been the theme of our entire lives, Lily? I know you need some time, but how much? Truly, tell me how much more time you need.” I fisted my hair, anger and sadness rolling like a wave through my body. I hated these feelings. This woman was infuriating and absolutely delusional if she thought I wouldn’t sit here and continue to fight for her.

“I don’t know!” she shrieked. “When are you going to realize that? I have no idea how much time I’ll need. It could be two weeks or two years. I don’t know. I just know that I need it.”

The air escaped my lungs, feeling like I had been sucker punched in the stomach.Two years?Absolutely fucking not. It had already been over ten.

I bit my tongue, drawing blood. It was the only way to stop myself from saying everything that I was dying to say, but now wasn’t the time. Through narrowed eyes, I could see her shaking her head.

“Maybe I should just go.” She sighed, gliding around the room to collect her things. The mood was ruined and I couldn’t help but agree with her; I needed time to process the fact that I just went from about to get laid to having my heart stomped on.

I slipped into my hardened mask, the one I had spent years perfecting, not allowing her to see any glimpse of how her decisions were affecting me. Inside, I was shattering. An unfamiliar stinging in my eyes had me moving away from her and taking a seat on the couch. “Maybe that’s for the best.”

Lily hovered near the door, shifting her weight from leg to leg as she waited for me to make the next move, but what she didn’t see was that the ball was already in her court. Twisting my head to face her, I arched a brow, silently baiting her to say something or to change her mind.

“Goodnight, Noah,” she said, slipping through the door, walking out with an even bigger chunk of my heart inside of her shiny Kate Spade purse. When the telltale click of the door engaging behind her sounded, I picked up the remote control that sat next to me and hurled it against the wall. It shattered and fell to the floor, leaving a black scuff on the white wall.

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