The Perfect Play (27 page)

He finally gave up and found them a movie to watch.

“Mick, I’m sorry.”

He muted the TV and gave her his attention. “I’m sorry, too. This thing between Alicia and me tonight was very last-minute. Liz called—”

She held up her hand. “It doesn’t matter. You don’t owe me an explanation.”

He pushed off the sofa and came over to her, dropping to his knees in front of her chair. “Liz called and said this was very last-minute,” he continued, needing her to hear him, telling her the story of how Alicia’s fiancé had fallen sick and she didn’t want to tell the world about her fiancé and her pregnancy without some support. “I was nothing more than a glorified bodyguard to keep the press from knocking her over.”

Tara pulled her knees to her chest. “You were very nice to her. I saw how close you stayed to her. I’m sure she appreciated it.”

“She’s a nice kid. But she’s a kid, Tara. She’s twenty-two.”

Tara’s lips lifted. “Some of the women you’ve dated haven’t been much older than that.”

She was right about that. “I’ve reformed. I like more mature women now.”

She snorted. “Gee, thanks.”

“You know what I mean.” He slid his hands over her knees. “I should have called you and given you a heads-up. I wasn’t even thinking that we were attending the same event as you. I was just operating blind here, assuming I was going to do this good deed and tell you about it tomorrow. I didn’t want to call and bother you with something trivial like this when I knew you were busy with work.”

Tara leaned forward and tangled her fingers in his hair. “I know. And then you ran into me, and I acted like a giant bitch about it all.”

He gave her an impish grin. “I’m going to assume it just means you care about me.”

“If I didn’t, you wouldn’t have seen me act like a giant bitch.”

“So we’re good?”

“We’re good. And I’m really sorry. I acted petty and jealous and I don’t know why. It’s a very ugly side of me, and I don’t like it. Did I mention I was sorry?”

“You don’t need to be. Next time I’ll give you a heads-up when Liz tosses some stunning, sexy young babe at me.”

Tara mimicked a knife stabbing repeatedly into her heart. “You’re killing me here, Mick.”

He laughed and stood, pulling her into his arms. “Just kidding.”

She leaned against him. “No you’re not. It’s likely to happen again. It’s your job to do these promotional things. I need to learn to live with it.”

“No, it won’t happen again. No one needs to be on my arm but you.”

Tara swallowed, her throat gone dry. She tried to say something, but what retort could she come up with for that statement? Instead, she reached up and cupped the back of his neck, drawing his lips to hers. Enough had been said, and they were already headed into dangerous territory. Kissing was a much better idea.

When his lips met hers, the anguish of the night dissolved and she felt settled again. Every time she was in Mick’s arms she felt ... she didn’t know how she felt. She wanted to say
calm
, but that wasn’t it, because whenever he touched her he riled her up and got her excited, so
calm
definitely wasn’t the right word.

Perfect. It felt perfect and right to be with him, and when he wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss, exploring her tongue with his, she sighed, because everything was in balance again.

He broke the kiss and leaned back. “Can you find someone for Nathan to hang out with for a weekend?”

His question made her pause. “What? Why?”

“I bid on and won that private island in the Caribbean. I want to take you there.”

She reached up and laid her hand across her heart. “You do?”

“Yeah. What did you think I was bidding on it for? To take my mother?”

She was in total awe of this man. “Wow. Well, uh, I guess I could ask his coach.”

“Do that. We’ll have to do it soon because once we get into preseason games, my weekends are shot.”

“I’ll ask Coach tomorrow.”

He slid his hands down her back and cupped her butt in his hands. “I’d like to have you to myself for a couple days, where no one bothers us.”

She shivered in his arms, already imagining what that would be like. “I’m already packing.”

“Better make that phone call tomorrow, then. We can go next weekend if you’re free.”

“As a matter of fact, I am free next weekend.”

His eyes crinkled as he gave her a devilish smile. “Then if it’s okay with Nathan’s coach, we’re on. Start packing.”

SIXTEEN

OKAY, SO PRIVATE ISLANDS AND HAVING YOUR OWN butler and wearing very little clothing was as far away from Tara’s normal daily existence as she could get.

She could get used to this kind of lifestyle. She’d thought when the auction item said “private island,” they meant a little slice of an island with a privacy fence.

Uh, no. They’d flown to the Virgin Islands, then taken another flight somewhere. Tara had gotten lost and had no idea where they were. Maybe that was the point. They’d taken a boat to a tiny island that was truly uninhabited by anyone other than the two of them and their butler, who served them meals, took care of their every need, and other than that made himself totally invisible. If they needed something, they picked up a phone and called him. He told them his quarters were off island, so they could be assured of their privacy. Which meant they could walk the island naked if they wanted to.

Tara couldn’t imagine doing that, but it had taken Mick all of an hour to throw off his clothes and sunbathe naked on the sand. Who was she to argue with the primal urge to go native? Soon she was lying on a cozy beach chair with no clothes on, and she’d never felt more decadent in her entire life.

The island—what could she say about this island? A stretch of sand that looked out over turquoise waters with no other land in sight, making her feel totally isolated. Lazy palm trees that bent and swayed in a gentle breeze, providing shade over the sand. Their own two-story home nestled in the forest that overlooked the bay. It was heaven.

The warm breeze sailed across her skin, and she inhaled the salty air, lifting her arms to stretch and roll over. After about an hour in the sun, she’d pushed her chair under a palm tree to soak up some shade, careful not to sunburn her skin. The last thing she’d want is to miss any of this glorious tropical paradise while nursing a burn.

It was too perfect. Warmth, breeze, and utter relaxation. Her eyes drifted closed, but then she felt warm lips against her back, and she smiled as a hand followed, smoothing down her spine to rest at the spot where her lower back met her buttocks.

“Mmmmmmmm,” was all she could manage.

“I like you like this,” Mick said, teasing between her butt cheeks with his fingers. “Your body warm from the sun, every muscle like liquid.”

“I’m pretty much at your mercy right now. You can do whatever you want with me.”

“Is that right. Anything?”

Her limbs felt heavy, and so did her head. She couldn’t even muster the strength to nod, but the other parts of her—the female parts—they were firing up like a roaring engine. “Anything.”

He continued to massage her back with light touches, and it felt so good, especially when he kneaded the small of her back, teasing her by lightly tracing his fingertips over her butt cheeks. From hard pressure on the muscles of her back to the torturous caresses on her butt, it was driving her crazy, making her relaxed and tense at the same time. Her nipples peaked against the chair, and she wanted to rub them against the towel, anything to get some friction. Being naked meant her clit was getting some contact, too, and she felt the urge to reach between her legs and rub the throbbing ache Mick had caused.

But then he spread her legs. She felt the brush of his hair against her thighs and the swipe of his tongue across her pussy lips. She arched, lifting her butt, and his tongue slid across her clit.

Yes, that’s what she wanted. She got up on her knees, and he tucked his head between her legs, licking her pussy in long, delicious swipes.

She couldn’t believe they were outside, naked, right there on the beach, his head between her legs taking her so close to orgasm she was ready to scream, and no one was there to hear her if she did. She felt so free doing this with Mick, so wild and uninhibited. Never before had she given so much to one man.

His tongue was one hot slide across her tortured flesh. She shuddered as he licked around her clit, flicked his tongue there, tucked his finger inside her pussy, and began to pump in a slow, maddening rhythm that took her to the brink, only to withdraw and start over again with his tongue and fingers.

She laid her head in her hands and closed her eyes, attuned to everything he did to her. And when his tongue traveled up her pussy and across her anus, she jerked in response, lifted her head, and turned to him in question and uncertainty.

“Easy, baby. Let me taste all of you.”

She relaxed into it again as he patted her, licked her, took her right to the edge again as he licked every part of her, using his tongue and fingers to drive her crazy. She pictured his head buried between her legs, the warm breeze off the ocean not at all cooling her damp skin as he brought her to the brink time and time again, licking her clit, her pussy, and finally sliding his tongue into the puckered hole in back while he used his fingers on her pussy.

“Mick. Oh, God, Mick. Yes, just like that.” She never knew those kinds of sensations coupled together could make her so crazy, but she was going to come.

He pulled back. “Not yet. I don’t want you to come. Not until I fuck you.”

She drew in a ragged breath, so close to orgasm the pulses undulated within her.

Mick held her there on her knees, his hands on her hips as he pressed against her, his cock sliding between the seam of her buttocks.

“You’re so wet here,” he said, his fingers dancing along her pussy lips, dipping inside to coat her anus. “I’m going to fuck your pussy, Tara. Then I’m going to fuck your ass. And I’m going to make you come, hard.”

“Yes,” she said, her voice hoarse from panting. “Yes. Fuck me.”

She shivered as he swept his hand along her back. He reached into the beach bag on the table. She heard the condom packet as he tore it open, then he slid inside her pussy, pressing against her as he held tight to her hips and rocked back and forth. She gripped him in welcome, pulling him closer as she balanced on the edge of orgasm.

“Not yet, Tara. Hold on for me.”

She gritted her teeth and felt every sweet inch of him expand inside her. “Dammit, Mick. It’s so good.”

He leaned forward, kissing her sweat-soaked neck. “I know it is. It’s going to get better.” He withdrew and shoved in, hard, and she cried out, tossing her hair back and rocking back to meet his thrusts.

His fingers dug into her hips as he continued to power inside her, stopping short every time she drew close to climaxing. He withdrew and poured lube over her anus, using his finger to coat her, tease her opening, dipping his finger inside to open her, prepare her. The sensation was maddening. The pressure was intense, and she was so ready to come. She was past the point of reason, past the point of knowing anything but the orgasm she craved.

She felt his cock at the entrance to her ass.

“I’m going to fuck your ass now, Tara. You ready?”

“Yes. Fuck me. Now.”

He slid his cock head past the tight barrier. She hissed, breathing through the burning pain.

“Relax. Push out when I push in. You’ll take me in easier that way. And then I’ll make you come.”

She did, and he eased inside her. He held still while she waited through the intensity of feeling him there. He was so full, so big in such a small space, and it hurt. But through the hurt was a pulsing wave of such pleasure to be had. Mick leaned over and began to rub her clit in gentle circles, and soon the pain was replaced by that driving need to come again. She pushed his hand away. “Fuck me. I’ll do this.”

He held on to her hips, withdrawing just enough to push back inside her again.

“Oh, shit, oh, God, Mick. Yes. Fuck me like that.”

She massaged her clit harder, faster, while he thrust his cock in her ass, and she spiraled out of control. She rose up, sliding her fingers into her pussy, and continued rubbing her clit with her other hand. The sensations pounded at her as she lost everything but the feel of him inside her. “I can feel it. Yes, fuck me. Faster.”

“You gonna come for me, Tara?” he asked, his voice harsh and dark.

“Yes, Mick. Hurry and fuck me. I’m going to come.”

Nothing was going to stop her now as she felt the blast of orgasm hit her. She rocked back against him, taking his cock fully in her ass as she splintered into a thousand pieces with her climax. She screamed, the sound echoing through the treetops. Mick dug his fingers into her hips and shoved hard against her as he came, and his orgasm only intensified hers. She cried out, she couldn’t breathe, but it was the most intense damn climax she’d ever had. She felt it in every nerve ending, exploding throughout her body, bringing tears to her eyes as the waves pounded her over and over again.

She collapsed on the chair. Mick draped himself over her back, both of them panting like they’d just completed a marathon.

“Care for a dip in the ocean?” Mick asked, sliding his tongue along her neck.

“I think that’s a great idea.”

They swam and played in the water for the better part of the day, then came in, took a shower, and Mick called for Simon, their butler, who appeared within the hour to prepare them an amazing seafood dinner, which meant they actually had to put clothes on. Tara didn’t really mind since she’d brought a few fun sundresses to wear and she hadn’t had the chance to put much on. Mick had thrown on a pair of shorts and a short-sleeved tropical shirt for dinner.