The Heart's Game (The Kelly Brothers, Book 4) (6 page)

When they got downstairs, however, he noticed Jenny wasn’t in their group. Dan turned around. “I think I left something upstairs. Go on without me.”

“Fine, I’ll see you there.” He didn’t miss the narrow-eyed look of warning Paul shot him before closing the door.

Dan found Jenny in the same place he’d left her beside the table. Her breath caught when she saw him, and her fingers blanched as they tightened around her dice bag. “What happens at Comic-Con, stays at Comic-Con,” she said in a tense whisper.

“Maybe for most people, but this isn’t that.”

“No shit.” She lowered her eyes and swiped her notes from the table. “We should get to the restaurant before the others worry about us.”

He caught her by the wrist as she passed and pulled her against him. She was even more tempting than he remembered, and before he could stop himself, his lips were on hers.

She started at first, her back stiffening. A smothered cry of surprise rose from her throat. But a second later, the crash of dice rattled across the wooden floor, and her arms were around his neck. She teased the corners of his mouth with her tongue, begging him to deepen the kiss.

He opened his mouth to her and tasted the sweet remnants of the watermelon Jolly Ranchers she’d been eating all afternoon. The kiss was every bit as explosive as their first kiss two weeks ago. All traces of common sense fled his mind as the blood rushed to his dick. With their lips still devouring each other, he backed her up against the table, noting the small thrill when her legs wrapped around his waist. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her, so he was surprised when she planted her hands on his chest and pushed him away.

“We can’t.”

“Why not?” he asked before drawing the soft flesh at the bottom of her ear between his teeth.

“We could get caught.” Despite her protests, she tilted her head back, exposing more of her neck for him to taste.

“They’ve all left.”

“We shouldn’t.” Her arguments became as weak as the whimper in her voice.

He trailed his mouth along her neck toward her shoulder. Time to convince her they should. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”

A shiver rippled through her, and she gathered his shirt into her fists, pulling it out of his jeans. “I can’t.”

Objective unlocked!
He cupped his hands around her warm leather-clad ass and pulled her even tighter against him. Her hips ground against him in a tantalizing rhythm. God, he couldn’t wait to get inside her again.

There was just one small hitch. He lifted his head and asked, “Do you have a condom?”

She shook her head, and desperate disappointment filled her dark eyes. “Do you?”

“No.” The word came out as a frustrated growl, and he let her go. The throbbing in his dick refused to ease, though. He refused to trust the condom hidden in the back of his wallet again. There had to be condoms somewhere in this house. “Wait right here. I’ll be back.”

She opened her mouth to say something, but he took off down the stairs to the middle floor before she had a chance to refuse him. If Paul had something going on with Gretchen, then he’d have condoms stashed somewhere. Thankfully, he found one in the nightstand and ran back upstairs, holding it up like it was the One Ring.

His jaw dropped when he saw Jenny. She’d stripped out of her costume and was sitting on the Iron Throne like a seductive queen with one slender leg draped over the armrest. She beckoned him closer and licked her lips nervously. “I hope you don’t mind. It’s a little fantasy of mine.”

Damn! Could she be any more of my dream girl?

His mouth went dry. “Not at all.”

“Then don’t keep me waiting.”

Dan shed his clothes in record time and fell to his knees in front of her like a worshipping subject. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her breasts seemed darker and fuller than before, rising and falling with each quick breath she took. Her skin was soft and silky under his hands as he explored her naked flesh. Her full lips practically begged him to kiss her again.

He’d never wanted a woman this badly.

But after being burned before, it was going to be on his terms.

He rolled the condom on and pulled closer until she was barely seated on the throne before grabbing her ankles and lifting them up to rest on his shoulders. If she wanted to be fucked on a throne, then he was going to enjoy it. He watched his cock slide into her, savoring every inch of her tightness.

Jenny gripped the arms of the throne and sucked in a tight breath through her teeth. “More.”

He chuckled and took a moment to brace himself. She felt so good, he almost came right there. Combined with the visual of his dick firmly seated inside her, he was going to have a hard time lasting long enough to make her come if he didn’t engage in some serious willpower.

He focused on establishing a tempo she enjoyed, varying the speed and depths of his thrusts until he was rewarded by the sweet sounds of her pleasure. Watching her enjoy him was a feast for the eyes. Jenny held nothing back. Her eyes were half closed, her lips parted and murmuring his name with every thrust. She arched her back so her breasts were inches from his lips, and he took the opportunity to nip one of her brown nipples, earning another moan of delight.

The pressure built up at the base of his cock too soon. He wanted to draw this out, to make her come again and again, but the warning bells in the back of his mind cautioned that if he didn’t do something soon, he’d come before she did. He went deeper, harder, faster. Sweat beaded along his forehead and slickened his palms, but he was close.

So. Very. God. Damn. Close.

Her inner walls clamped around him, sending him over the edge as spasms of ecstasy started within her and flowed into him. Molten lava coursed through his veins as he came. He released her ankles as the strength fled from his muscles and he collapsed against her, burying his face between her breasts. The sated exhaustion that followed left him drained. He’d come hundreds of times before, but never quite like this.

Jenny combed her fingers through his damp hair. “We shouldn’t have done this.”

“Are you saying you didn’t enjoy it?” He lifted his eyes high enough to gauge her response.

She gave him a sad smile. “I did. That’s the problem.”

“How is great sex a problem?”

“It can become addictive, and nothing’s changed since Comic-Con. I can’t get involved with anyone right now.” She tried to push him off of her so she could stand, but he clasped her hands in his and held her prisoner.

Shit
. He’d gotten so used to women chasing after him that he’d forgotten what it was like to have one push him away.

And he wanted Jenny.

Badly.

“Give me one good reason why we can’t.”

“For starters, it would throw off the whole game dynamic.” She wrestled her hands free and continued to push him away.

“That’s a bullshit reason, and you know it.”

She managed to slip by him and began getting dressed. “And I hardly know you.”

“That didn’t stop you at Comic-Con.”

“Comic-Con was an exception.” She tugged her leather pants on, hiding her perfectly shaped ass from his view. “I’m not usually this type of girl, and I never expected to see you again.”

“You’re giving some of the lamest excuses I’ve ever heard.” He rose from the floor, his legs still rubbery, and moved beside her. “What’s the real reason you’re pushing me away?”

Her whole body drew up like she was trying to hold back a stream of tears. “Please, Dan, don’t keep asking me why. I just can’t.”

“Yeah, it’s
complicated
. I know.”

“There’s no need to be sarcastic. If things were different, I would get involved with you, but…” Her voice broke, and she stared at the ceiling, blinking rapidly. “It’s just that right now, the timing sucks.”

No shit
. He snatched his jeans off the floor and shook them out. He didn’t dare ask when the timing wouldn’t suck or if he should hold out any hope her life would become less complicated any time soon. He’d used the same lines enough to know she just wanted sex. Only now, he was on the receiving end of them, and it left a bitterness in his soul that called for a bottle of Jameson.

They finished dressing, neither one of them looking the other in the eye, and headed downstairs. Jenny got into her red Altima and took off without another word. Dan climbed into his BMW and drummed on the steering wheel, replaying what had happened upstairs. All he could think about was how awkward dinner would be with her there.

He pulled out his lucky die and asked, “Did I make a mistake hooking up with her? High, yes. Low, no.”

Five
.

Better than the ambivalent ten I got last time
. He picked it up and said, “High, I should leave her alone and see how this plays out. Low, I should chase after her and demand answers.”

Twenty
.

Well, that’s fucking clear
.

He swapped the die for his phone and dialed Paul’s number. “Hey, I’m feeling a bit worn out after this week and—”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to bail on us, too? Jenny just called and said she had a family emergency, so she won’t be coming.”

That’s because she’s already come
. The image of her on the Iron Throne lost in her own ecstasy flashed through his mind, and he grew hard. He rubbed his eyes to erase the memories before he did something stupid like ask Paul for her phone number or address.

At least that solved one problem—he wouldn’t have to pretend like nothing happened over dinner. “No, it’s just that my mind blanked on me, and I forgot the name of the restaurant.”

Once he got that info from Paul, Dan entered it into his GPS and followed the directions along the lake road.

It was probably a good thing she didn’t want to get involved. Now he wouldn’t feel tempted to break his own rule about never getting seriously involved with a woman, especially a fellow gamer. But the hollowness in his chest made him wonder if Jenny would be the one girl worth breaking the rules for.

Chapter Four

Shit! He’s here
.

Jenny popped a watermelon Jolly Rancher in her mouth to quell the rising surge of nausea that formed when she spotted Dan’s car in Paul’s driveway. Of course he would be there. They’d added him to their game. Worse, he was battling her for the team rogue.

She took a deep breath and blew it out through her nostrils. Combined with the hard candy, it usually seemed to quiet the morning sickness that had been hitting her with a vengeance. Thankfully, she’d only puked twice that week. The queasiness subsided, and she got out of the car.

Awkward or not, she wasn’t going to let Dan keep her from enjoying a game she’d been a part of for the last five years. He was the newbie, not her.

After exchanging greetings with everyone, she settled into her chair across the table from him. Dan’s eyes flickered to Paul’s Iron Throne, and her cheeks immediately burned. She must have been suffering from pregnancy induced insanity last week. But as the heat in her cheek settled lower, the craving to have him again took over. She’d had a taste of great sex, and now she wanted more.

God, I’m like a friggin’ junkie. I refuse to make the same mistake again
.

Dan leaned back in his chair and gave her a smirk that told her he knew how much she wanted him.

Conceited prick.

But well earned
. She turned away before she climbed across the table and propositioned him.
I refuse to make the same mistake again
.

The game got underway, and before long, she was presented with an opportunity to let her rogue skills shine.

“In the center of the room is a jeweled chest that is locked,” Paul announced to the group.

“Jewels? As in treasure?” she asked. “Let me at that bad boy.”

“I’d be careful if I were you,” Dan replied.

“What kind of rogue are you?” she shot back, sinking into character. “It’s free money, and I have just the set of lock picks to open it.”

“And I still say you should proceed with caution.” Dan leaned forward, his elbows on the table, locking his gaze with hers. “Don’t you think it’s a bit odd that someone would leave a treasure like this unguarded?”

Her head swam, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the game. She’d never realized how blue his eyes were. They rivaled the clear summer sky and sparkling lake outside, and she could easily get lost in them.

Of course, neither comparison helped ease her desire to get naked, damn it.

I refuse to make the same mistake again
.

It took the equivalent of level twenty strength to turn away from him and ask Derek, “Do you think you can cast a ‘Detect Magic’ on the trunk?”

Derek’s ranger character did, and Paul revealed that the spell produced a moderate aura. Next to play was Sage, the group’s wizard, who took it one step further and cast a spell that determined the spell was death magic.

Dan’s grin turned smug, and he crossed his arms before leaning back in his chair. “Aren’t you glad you didn’t start picking the lock?”