Play With Me

  “Yes!” I clap my hands and turn around to applause and Will looking stupefied.

  “You played me.”

  “You’ll live.” I shrug and wrap my arms around him to hug him.

  “You bowl?” he asks.

  “She is a crazy-good bowler. We used to go all the time back in the day.” Natalie tells him and I smile smugly.

  “Why didn’t you say?” he asks.

  “And spoil the fun of you showing me how to handle the balls? Never.”

  Will’s eyes narrow and he glares down at me and I can’t help the wide smile on my face. Have I ever enjoyed tormenting someone so much? No, I don’t believe I have.

  He leans in and whispers in my ear, “You’re going to pay for that later.”

  “I can’t wait.” I respond and sashay past him to join the girls.

  Caleb is up next and crashes all the pins into a strike. Jeez, he’s so muscular and, well, a little scary. He’s Will’s Navy SEAL brother, and he’s just as big as his brothers; tall, broad, muscular.

  I’m surrounded by a whole lot of hotness. If I wasn’t me, I’d be jealous of me.

  That makes me chuckle to myself.

  “What are you laughing at?” Luke asks me. He has kind eyes. I never noticed that before. Luke Williams is super-hot, and very sweet. And completely in love with his wife and daughter.

  “Nothing, just wondering how I got here.”

  He smiles knowingly.

  “This clan can be a lot to handle.”

  “Everyone is so nice, it’s just…”

  “I get it.” He smiles reassuringly. “I haven’t been a part of them for long, only about a year. It’s pretty overwhelming at first.”

  “Oh, I’m not a part of them, I’m just hanging out with Will.”

  “Right.” He smirks down at me and shakes his head. “Megan, I don’t know you, but I’ve spent some time with Will. Trust me. He’s not just hanging out with you.”

  I watch Will throw the ball down the lane and scowl and cuss when he only knocks eight pins down. My gaze finds Luke’s again.

  “You think?”

  “I know. Be careful. Have fun. He’s a good guy.” And with that, he pats my knee and moves back over to his wife.

  “What was that all about?” Will asks as he takes the seat Luke vacated.

  “Nothing. He was just saying hi. Do you guys really do this regularly?” I ask, trying to distract both of us.

  “We try to. It’s not usually this many of us at once, though.”

  “It’s fun. And cool that you all like to hang out together.”

  “Don’t you like to hang out with your family?” Will asks.

  Fuck, why did I bring up family?

  “Uh…”

  “Hey, Meg, have you heard from Sylvia lately?” Jules asks and takes a swig of her beer.

  God, I wish I could drink some beer right now.

  “No, not for about a year.” I mumble and immediately begin to twist my fingers in my lap. Please don’t ask about Leo.

  Will frowns down at me. “Who’s Sylvia?”

  “Her mom,” Jules states matter-of-factly.

  “You haven’t talked to your mom in a year?” he asks. Everyone has gone quiet now and are listening to this conversation and I just want to die.

  “No. It’s no big deal.”

  Jules snorts. Natalie shifts uncomfortably. Matt, the quiet, but no less attractive, one of the bunch, sits back in his chair and watches me thoughtfully.

  “More margaritas?” Samantha asks brightly.

  “I’ll buy this round.” Caleb and Samantha make a trip to the bar to order the drinks and everyone starts talking about other things, much to my relief.

  “This subject isn’t closed,” Will whispers in my ear.

  “Yes it is.”

  “I love this song!” Jules hops up and pulls Natalie with her, who then pulls me and Brynna up to join them in a spontaneous dance about the lane. Carly Rae Jepson is singing Call Me Maybe. I hate this song.

  And yet, I can’t help but love this song.

  Sam and Caleb return with a fresh batch of drinks, and Sam joins us girls in our dancing frenzy, weaving and bobbing around us. Stacy grips her belly as she giggles at us and sings along to the fun song.

  We are dancing about, being silly girls. I glance over at the guys and they are staring at us, with smirks on their faces.

  “You all have the same taste in music as a thirteen-year-old girl,” Nate taunts us.

  “Every woman in this country loves this song,” Brynna informs him. “It’s a law, I think. Hey, Matt, isn’t it a law?”

  Matt laughs and then purses his lips like he’s thinking really hard about it. “I don’t pay attention to the girly laws,” he finally responds, making Brynna scowl at him.

  “Traitor.”

  When the song ends, another begins, and I cringe. It’s Lonely Soul by Nash.

  As in Leo Nash.

  As in, my Leo.

  He and I wrote this song together right before he left for LA. Leo had been over at my place, hanging out with me and listening to me bitch about school and this guy that I went out with twice and never called me again after I slept with him.

  Hence, the three date rule.

  I could tell that he wanted to track the idiot down and pummel him, but he listened and drank beer with me, made me laugh. It wasn’t like I was crying over the asshole, but venting to the only brother I’d ever known helped to put things in perspective. And he gave me the best advice he’d ever given me that night.

  “Meg-pie,” he said seriously, “we teach people how to treat us. If you don’t put up with shit, and don’t settle for anything less than respect, that’s what you’ll get. But if you let the douchebags walk all over you and treat you like you’re disposable, then that’s what you’ll always get. You’re too good for that.”

  I miss him.

  “I love this song!” Sam exclaims and sings along loudly.

  “This is a great band,” Jules agrees and winks at me.

  I just shrug back at her and sing along in my head.

  It really is a great song.

  * * *

  “Tell me about Sylvia.”

  Will and I are back in his car, heading to his house, and the nerves have kicked in. This is it. Tonight is the night.

  I really, really wish I’d had something to drink.

  “Sylvia doesn’t matter.”

  “She’s your mother.”

  “Trust me, genetics doesn’t make someone a mother.”

  “Tell me.” He looks over at me, his face unreadable and I sigh.

  “Why?”

  “Because we have to talk about something or I’ll pull this car over and take you on the hood. And the date isn’t technically over until I get you inside the house. So talk.”

  “Okay.” I clear my throat. “But can we do the fucking on the hood thing sometime soon?”

  He glares at me and his hands tighten on the steering wheel. He’s not touching me.

  “Yes. Talk.”

  “I was taken away from her when I was twelve.”

  “Why?” he asks, deceptively softly.

  “Because she sucked as a parent. Drugs. A revolving door of men.”

  “Did any of them…?” he can’t finish the sentence.

  “No. She made me go in my room and lock the door when the men were around. Mostly she just neglected me. Forgot to buy food, forgot to send me to school. Eventually a teacher took interest and I was taken away.”

  “What happened then?”

  “I got shuffled around. Ten foster homes in four years.”

  “And then you found a family to stay with until you turned eighteen?” he asks.

  “No, then I got cut loose. The system couldn’t afford me anymore.”

  “You were on your own at sixteen years old?” he asks, shocked and angry.

  “I had Leo. He had already come to Seattle to go to school, so I followed him and stayed with him
. He made me get a job, finish school, enroll in college. He’s really like a brother to me.”

  “How did you meet him?” Will’s voice is softer, but he still doesn’t sound happy.

  “The first foster home. He was there too. We had music in common. He taught me to play the guitar, and he had a job, so he got me a cell phone so I could stay in contact with him.”

  “I’m glad you had him,” he mutters. “Why do you even still talk to your mother?”

  “I send her money every month.” Damn it. I hadn’t meant to say that.

  “What?!” Now he’s really, really angry. “Why the fuck do you send her money?”

  “Because I feel guilty.” I look down at my hands and feel ashamed. “Because she would probably starve without it.”

  “She would have let you starve, Megan.”

  “I don’t need the money. She does.” I shrug. “And if I send her money and keep her in Montana, maybe she won’t ever come here to ask me for anything.”

  The last part is a whisper. I’ve never told anyone this before. Not ever.

  We pull into Will’s drive.

  “What’s the code?” he asks me with a smile.

  “051877,” I respond and he nods happily, inputs the code and drives us to the house and into the garage.

  We climb out of the car and he leads me into the house. The garage enters into a mud room, and then into a gorgeous kitchen. It’s open to a dining space and family living area, with floor-to-ceiling windows covering one whole wall, showing off the Sound.

  “I really love this space,” I murmur and walk over to the windows, taking in the view. It’s dark out. Lights twinkle from homes and businesses on the island across the water.

  “I really love having you in this space.”

  Will’s voice is soft. He’s standing a few feet behind me. I see his reflection in the dark window. His hands are in fists at his sides, and he’s breathing quickly.

  His eyes are running up and down my back. I slip the shrug off my shoulders and let it fall to the floor. The red sundress has spaghetti straps and flows down around my hips to my mid-thigh. His gaze meets mine in the glass and then he closes his eyes tightly and exhales roughly.

  “Will?” I ask as I turn around to look at him. God, he’s so gorgeous. He’s wearing a gray button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms. He’s in black jeans, and he already took his shoes off, so he’s just in black socks.

  His blue eyes are hot on mine.

  “Yes, sweetheart?”

  “Is this date over?” I ask.

  “I believe so, yes.”

  “Thank God.”

  Chapter Nine

  I jump into Will’s arms, wrap my arms around his neck, thrust my fingers into his hair and kiss him like I’m dying. He grips onto my ass as my legs circle his waist and groans.

  “Let’s do this right here, on the kitchen counter,” I mumble and kiss his neck. He chuckles and carries me up the stairs toward his room.

  “No way. My bed first, kitchen later.”

  “Okay,” I agree. I lean back, completely confident that he won’t drop me and unbutton his shirt. He sets me on my feet at the edge of the bed, turns on a sidelight and grabs the hem of my dress and pulls it over my head in one swift move.

  I immediately reach for his shirt but he backs out of my grasp.

  “Come here, I want you naked.”

  “Let me look at you,” he murmurs, bringing me to a stop.

  “No, you’ve seen me. Let me see you, babe. Seriously, I’m gonna die if you don’t get naked like thirty seconds ago.”

  His eyes burn over my body as he quickly shucks off his jeans and shirt, leaving just his tight, white, short boxer briefs.

  I allow myself the luxury of standing and staring at him. Dear God, he’s physically perfect. The muscles in his arms, chest, abs and legs are defined. He’s sporting that sexy V down his hips, disappearing into those sexy as fuck underwear. His body is so well taken care of, it’s almost intimidating.

  “So this is what you do when you’re off training every day.” I realize I must have said that out loud when Will smirks. “You’re just… wow.”

  And cue the self-consciousness. I’m not too fat, not too thin, I’m just an average girl. I’m not terribly toned. I don’t run. I work a demanding job that keeps me on the go, so I don’t work out often.

  I start to cover myself, but Will quickly lifts me in his arms and gently lays me down on his bed, covering me with his large, hard body.

  “No covering up this amazing body, sweetheart.”

  I smirk and try to look away but he grips my chin and forces me to look him in the eye. “You. Are. Amazing. Meg, I love a woman who looks like a woman. I don’t want to be worried that I’ll snap you in half, and when I lay on your stomach, I don’t want your ribs poking me in the face.”

  He braces himself on his elbows at the side of my head, buries his fingers in my hair and kisses the dimple in my cheek and then down to my neck.

  “You smell good. Like fresh air.” His lips travel down my neck to my collar bones and then down my sternum. I brush my hands over his arms and shoulders, up through his soft hair, and then down his shoulders again.

  “Will…”

  “Shh. Let me enjoy you.”

  “You’ve already enjoyed me. It’s my turn,” I whine and he smiles against my stomach.

  “You’ll get a turn, trust me, babe. But first I want to kiss this delicious body all over.”

  I wiggle beneath him, impatient.

  “We’ve waited long enough. Can’t we fuck fast first and then make love after?”

  He moves up me quickly, lowers onto me so I’m cradling his pelvis in my own. His eyes are on fire and he’s panting.

  “We aren’t going to fuck, Meg. Even when it’s hard and fast or a little rough or a lot dirty, I’m not fucking you. In the kitchen, in the bedroom, on my car, or any damn where I want to take you, will not be fucking. Fucking is for strangers or people who don’t give a shit about each other.” He circles his hips, pushing his erection against me, and I bite my lip to stifle a moan.

  “Okay,” I whisper and close my eyes.

  “Open your eyes.” I comply. “You’re not a fast fuck for me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “I think so.”

  “We haven’t spent all this time together, getting to know each other, driving each other crazy, to have a quick fuck and go our separate ways. You need to understand, Megan, once I make love to you, you’re mine.”

  I feel my eyes go wide and jaw drop and I can just stare up at him in shock. Did he just say that?

  And why doesn’t it scare the living hell out of me?

  He’s looking at me, waiting for a reaction, and suddenly, I feel… happy. This is who I want. This is where I’m supposed to be.

  “Say something, darlin’, ‘cause I’m dying here.”

  I run my fingers through his hair and cup his face in my hands, drawing him down to me so I can kiss his lips gently. I brush over them once, twice, my eyes never leaving his.

  “You are so mine.” I whisper and watch with satisfaction as his eyes dilate and the breath he’s holding escapes him.

  “You bet your sweet ass I am,” he growls and takes my mouth again, harder this time, as though he’s branding me. He moves down my body again, paying close attention to each breast, down my stomach and then abruptly flips me over.

  “Hey! I can’t see you from here.”

  “This is an angle I haven’t explored before.” I hear the smile in his voice. “I see the dimple in your cheek isn’t the only dimple you have, babe.”

  “It’s impolite to mention my cellulite the first time we have sex, Will. You haven’t even been inside me yet.”

  He slaps my ass firmly, making me yelp.

  “Hey!”

  “There is no cellulite back here. But you do have the cutest dimples right above your ass.” He kisses and then nibbles each of them, making me rai
se my ass in the air. “You have the sweetest rear-end.” He kisses each cheek, and the next thing I know, he’s parted my cheeks, spreading my labia open, and his mouth is on me.

  “Holy shit!” His large hands pin my hips to the bed and his mouth is going to town on me, sucking, lapping, nibbling, and when he sucks my clit and my metal into his mouth, I come unglued, pushing my pussy against his mouth and screaming into the pillow, my muscles pulsing.

  Finally, he loosens his grip and I flip myself over beneath him, brush my hair off my face, and before I can say anything, he lifts my hips and puts his mouth on me again, harder this time, rhythmically pushing his tongue in and out of me while his nose pushes on my piercing.

  It’s too much.

  “I can’t,” I murmur but he only grunts against me and speeds the movements of his amazing tongue.

  “Will, damn it, I can’t.” He pulls his face away from me and replaces his mouth with fingers, two of them, slowly working my vagina, spreading the wetness around my lips and clit.

  “Yes, you can. I need to get you good and ready, babe, so I don’t hurt you.”

  “You won’t hurt me.”

  “If you’re not ready, I will.”

  “I’m fucking ready already!” I yell in frustration and he laughs.

  “Almost. God, you’re so tight, honey.”

  I look down at him, down his body that is now tense with lust and need, and see his large erection straining against his shorts.

  “Take your underwear off.”

  His eyes narrow on me.

  “Please.” I offer him a sweet smile.

  His hand leaves me long enough to pull the shorts off, and he’s kneeling in front of me, completely naked.

  Holy hell this man is gorgeous!

  Seriously gorgeous.

  “I love this,” he whispers as he brushes his finger across my metal, making me squirm.

  “I’m glad.”

  “It’s fucking sexy.” He leans down and swipes his tongue over it twice and just like that, I wrap his hair in my fingers and come against him.

  Just as I am able to open my eyes again, Will climbs up my body, and nestles his long, hard cock against my center, and leans in and kisses me.

  “Mmm,” I moan and wrap my arms around him, keeping him close to me. “You feel so good.”