Page 96 of Playing the Game
“Wait. Before you go off on the Aiden topic, there was more to it than what his reaction would be.”
I think back. Nothing comes to mind that would add to that.
I shrug with my hands splayed before me. “Then what stopped you? What caused you to pull away from me?”
“The particular day I’m talking about, you were laying out in a bikini. You look hot as fuck. You were sinfully alluring. I wanted you more than I had wanted anyone before. I started wrestling with you.” Jami swallows hard.
That day jumps to the front of my memories. “I remember that. You were about to kiss me.”
“I was, but Aiden pulled me off of you. When you wentinside, he told me your dad saw it happen and was pissed at me for it.”
“Aiden probably said that to keep you away from me.”
“No, he didn’t. I saw your dad watching us from his office window. The look he gave me was one of disgust. I thought he was going to kill me.”
“Why? He never said anything to me about it.” I try to pull forward any conversations my dad had about Jami. My mind goes blank. “Come to think about it, he never said anything about you in front of me.”
“Maybe not, but he made it clear to me he didn’t want me around you.” Jami shifts and grimaces in pain. “Fuck. That hurt.”
I glance at the clock on the wall. “You haven’t taken a painkiller in a few hours. Do you need me to get you one?”
“I can get it myself. You stay here and keep talking.” He rises to his feet and shuffles back into the kitchen.
I stand and start walking down the hall. “They aren’t in there. I took them into your bedroom.”
“In that case, I’ll get us some water and meet you there.”
“Sounds good.” I disappear into his room.
I go to grab the bottle off his nightstand, but I bump it off. The painkillers roll under his bed.
I get on my knees and paw around for them. When I can’t reach them, I stand and peek behind his headboard to see where they are.
Something that looks like a metal hook is bolted into the brick wall. I lean over to get a better view and stretch to feel it. Sure enough, it’s a circular hook that’s level with the mattress.
What a strange place to have a hook.
“What are you doing, temptress?” Jami asks in his deep bedroom voice.
My cheeks heat with both desire and embarrassment.
I jump away from the bed. “I wasn’t snooping.”
His eyes shine my way as he stalks toward me. “No? But you found something, didn’t you?”
My stomach does a thousand somersaults. Our magnetic connection zaps the air around us and sets the room ablaze.
The way he’s looking at me is like I’m about to get a lesson about sneaking around his bedroom when he’s not here. I lower my shoulders and cower to him in a moment of instinctual submission.
His smile creeps across his face. He places our water on his nightstand and steps to me.
He stands a foot before me with the sexual prowess of a porn star emanating off his skin. “Tell me what you found.”
“I don’t know what it was.”
He cocks a brow. “Do you want to know?”
I have no idea why that hook is causing this reaction in Jami, but I’m beginning to think I’m going to find out. My heart flip-flops.
