Chapter 10 #2
The sound of her fork against the plate causes me to glance over my shoulder, and my suspicions rise even more as she pushes food all the way to the edges of it.
The cabinet under the TV squeaks as I force it open and begin removing board games.
The first game I pull out is Monopoly, and I instantly toss it into the empty fireplace.
“Not a fan?” Savvy snickers.
“No.”
The next is the game of Life. Fucking hell. Who chose these things? The box shifts in my hands, but it makes no sound, so I carefully lift the cover to find it empty.
Not Life then.
Guess Who and Checkers are also empty.
Pictionary has the board, but no cards.
Uno is filled with flashcards for division.
“What the hell?”
Savvy laughs, and I realize she’s standing behind me, looking over my shoulder. “I bet Moose’s grandchildren are responsible for this.”
“Animals.”
“Oh, come on. Like you always put the pieces away correctly when you were a kid?”
I must flinch, because Savvy’s gaze softens.
“There were consequences in my father’s house, so I never even took the games out to begin with. Once I moved in with Brax and Ace, I felt such relief, and…gratitude, that I vowed to always take care of my belongings.”
Silence cloaks the room with uncomfortable tension. Fuck. Once again, I’ve lost control of my mouth around her.
Fabric shifts behind me, and I imagine her moving even closer to me, so I drop my head inside the cabinet, desperately searching for another game.
An uncharacteristic snort escapes me as I lift the last remaining box.
“Twister.” Savvy laughs, and it’s a magical incantation that diffuses the tension of a moment ago. “That is not in your wheelhouse.”
My shoulders stiffen, and the unhealthy competitive streak I inherited from my father rears its ugly head as I lift the lid and quickly scan the contents. Of course this would be the one game with all its pieces.
“Who says?” I ask without facing her. I need to get a handle on my reactions and keep a cool head. After all, this is meant to be a distraction so she’ll eat the food that’s quickly getting cold.
“Oh, come on, Grey. You’re seriously telling me you’ve ever played Twister before? That would require you to remove your tie and, gasp, get on the floor.”
The fabric of my T-shirt feels tight around my biceps. When I glance down at the sleeve, I find I’m flexing, but not to show off. No, my muscles react this way because Savvy has the ability to get under my skin, causing my body to react as though it’s being attacked.
We played tons of games all the time with Sage growing up. He’s been my main priority for more than half my life, but there’s not a chance in hell I’ll tell her that.
“I’m not wearing a tie now.” My voice is ten octaves too low, but when her nipples pebble beneath her T-shirt at the sound, I bookmark the tone in my mind for future use.
“I’m surprised. You’re always wearing a tie.” Her gaze drops to my lips, and energy buzzes through my bloodstream.
One step, that’s all it takes for me to be in her sphere. “There’s a lot you can do with a tie, Monroe. Perhaps I just like having options.”
“You get a lot of girls willing to be tied up for your kinky fantasies?” Her mouth snaps shut with an audible clashing of teeth.
She doesn’t want to hear about other women any more than I want to hear about her with other men.
Before this can go off the rails, I give her a sliver of truth.
“No, Monroe. That would open me up to a potential scandal. But just because I haven’t done it doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about it…
” I allow myself to slowly scan the length of her figure, my cock responding with each inch discovered.
“Perhaps I’ve just been waiting for the right person to trust with my… needs.”
Her gulp is loud in the quiet room. I might even be able to hear her heart beating. Or maybe that’s mine.
“You said this…” She attempts to wave her hand between us, but there’s not enough room. Her fingertips brush against my chest, and even my ass muscles clench at the contact. “Us. You said our physical relationship was over.”
Savvy’s lips spread into a knowing grin that has the hair on my forearms standing on end.
“You also waxed poetically about how much self-control you have.” Her confidence grows with each word that tumbles from her pillowy lips. “And what did you say? Oh, right, it’s over because you said it was over.”
The corner of the game box stabs into my palm as I clench my fingers around it, reminding me of my objective in the first place—distract her enough that she’ll eat something more than part of a piece of pasta.
“I didn’t say we were going to fuck, Monroe.” Who am I kidding? “I said we were going to play a game.”
She narrows her eyes and presses her body into mine. Minx. The contact short-circuits the pathways to my brain.
“What are the stakes?” Sultry seduction. That’s what she sounds like.
Hmm…there are so many ways this could go, and in my head, all of them end up with her having a full belly while naked and riding my cock.
Damn it. I should have kept my big mouth shut. Me and my goddamn self-control. Is throat-punching your past self a thing? If not, I’d like to start the movement now.
“If I win, you beg me to fuck you.” Well, shit. There goes my self-control and maybe a little of my pride.
Her hand falls to my shoulder as she holds herself up while laughing so hard tears slide down her cheek.
She’s a pain in my ass.
“And—” She gasps for air. “And if I win?”
“What do you want?” I sound like an aggravated teenager, but it appears to sober her, and she drops her hand away from my shoulder. Cold slithers onto my skin in its place.
“If I win, you admit that you made a mistake.”
I rear back. Surely, she’s joking. “A mistake about what?”
Something sparkles in her eyes—something I can’t read but sure as hell want to.
“About ending our physical relationship. You may have restraint, but not enough to deny the chemistry of us forever.”
She’s right, but I won’t admit that.
“Rules,” I snap. “I’m starving, and our food is getting cold.
So here’s what we’re going to do.” Her eyes widen as I drop the box to the floor and begin spreading out the plastic sheet full of colored circles.
“Before each move, you must feed the other person a bite of pasta. If you can’t get the food into their mouth, you lose. ”
“Your plan is faulty.” Goddamn. Her tone ignites fire in my balls.
“How so?” Grabbing her plate, I dump all its contents onto mine, then set the plate and one fork on the edge of the mat.
“You’ll have to feed me in order to advance in the game. You didn’t say anything about me having to make it easy for you. What if I just keep pulling my head out of your reach?”
Unable to control myself, I leap to my feet and wrap my hand around her waist, pulling her against me. Hard. Hard enough to knock a shocked gasp from her lungs. My free hand knots in her hair at the base of her neck.
“I think you’re underestimating just how far my reach extends when I want something badly enough.”
“And I think you’re underestimating just how stubborn I can be when I’m right.”
Lowering my face until my cheek rests against hers, I breathe in the sweet scent of her skin with a deep inhale that has her shuddering in my arms.
Peace. It happens here in these stolen moments with her. The realization nearly knocks me on my ass, but I’m on a mission and need to focus.
“Game on, Monroe,” I whisper darkly. “Remember this when you’re begging me to fuck you later—I never lose. Especially when it comes to something…” With a hand splayed to her lower back, I press her into my hard length. “I can’t stop thinking about.”
“What…” Warm, moist air brushes my neck with her heavy breaths. “What is it you think you want here, Grey?”
You.
That one word screams in my head as though it’s the only truth worth telling, but I don’t say it—I can’t.
“I want to win, Savvy. I always want to win.”
Her shoulders sag, and her eyes flash with disappointment, but there’s nothing I can do about that right now.
I don’t know how to trust her anymore, and without trust, we have nothing—even if my body and soul are already begging for hers.