Game For Love: All The Right Moves (Kindle Worlds Novella) (9 page)

“So deep,” she moaned.

He kissed the tip of her nose. “So tight.” He palmed her butt and lifted her hips slightly, then thrust home. “How’s that?”

“Do it again.”

Her breast bounced with each of his measured thrusts. She writhed under him, wrapped her legs around his waist, and begged him to go faster. To thrust harder.

Letting go of her butt, he grabbed the headboard and pinned her to the bed with his lower body. Then he began to drive into her so hard that all she
could do was take it and take him. With every thrust, his skin rubbed her swollen clit.

“Touch yourself,” he growled. “I want to watch you come. Want to feel you milk me.”

She didn’t know what to do at first, so unused to someone talking during sex.

“C’mon, sweetness. Show me how you liked to be touched.”

His gravelly words did for her what nothing else could. They gave her the confidence to try. Their skin was slick, as she reached between her thighs. She found her clit and began to rub, firmly. In no time at all, she was spasming helplessly around him.

“Jesus,” he muttered. “
You are not helping my self-control.”

She trailed her hand slowly up her body, circling her nipple.

He let out a curse and pumped furiously inside of her until he came. His head dropped into the pillow and his arms fell from the headboard to pull her to him, as he rolled to one side.

“I put on a condom,” he mumbled. “Right before…”

She smiled sleepily against his chest. “I trust you.”

His hands coasted down her back. “I’ll go clean up in a minute.”

“Take your time,” she said as he slid out of her. She winced a little. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good,” he said. “Cause neither am I.”

The following weeks were
like one big dream to Ashley. She had never felt so loved before, not even with Dean before he abandoned her.

Then again, if he had loved her like he’d claimed, he wouldn’t have moved on without her.

Ryan cupped the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. As soon as they broke apart, Gunner and Bluebelle jumped onto the couch with them.

“My place isn’t as homey as yours,” he said apologetically.

She nodded at the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse. “But the view is way more amazing.”

He touched her face. “I don’t know about that.”

Sighing, she laid her head on his shoulder, and he clicked on the afternoon sports news recap.

“Rumor has it that Ryan Turner, tight end for Atlanta’s very own Avengers, is being courted by Dallas,” the woman said.

Ryan tensed up slightly, but Ashley rubbed his leg. “We can talk later.” She wasn’t worried. If he wanted to go to Dallas, then he would have told her by now. They’d talked about the future often enough. He was always asking her if she’d come up with her next great design. Always asking if she wanted to start up another company.

She frowned.

Ryan was always asking about her future plans. Whenever she tried to broach the subject of his plans, he’d always deflected and brought it back to her.

Not that any of it mattered. Hadn’t she told herself that she was here to enjoy Ryan’s company? Hadn’t she convinced herself that this was nothing more than a fling, a way to get back into the dating game?

Her heart turned over in her chest.

Yes, she had told herself that, but it was before they’d slept together. Before they’d spent more and more time together. Before he’d met her brothers
and parents, and she’d met his sisters and mother. Before they spent every available minute together.

Oh God. They were a couple
, an honest-to-goodness couple, and the thought of him leaving made her want to break down.

She was in love with him.

Inwardly shaking her head, she refused to believe that. There was no way she’d fallen so hard, so quickly. That wasn’t her. It had taken two years for her to tell Dean she loved him.

But
Ryan wasn’t Dean.

She took a deep
breath, and Ryan relaxed against her.

Ryan wasn’t Dean
, she repeated to herself. No matter how she felt about him, he wouldn’t keep something like that from her.

“Do you want to spend the night?” he asked on a yawn.

“Does Bluebelle love to lick Gunner’s eyeball?”

Ryan grimaced. “You have a way with words, Ashley.”

“Thank you.”

“A really awful way with words. I hope that’s not one of your dreams.”

“Ha, ha, Mr. Funnyman. Why don’t you tell me your dreams?”

He pulled her into his lap. “I’d tell you about this fantasy I’ve
wanted to come true.” Even as her heart dropped to her toes, her body heated up, responding to his wickedly talented hands as he told her about some very creative uses for pearls and blindfolds.

“Sound like something you’d be willing to try?” he asked.

She wriggled her bottom against his erection. “Do I get to use the pearls and blindfold on you?”

“
The pearls are for you, but I’m okay with the blindfold.”

“Deal.” He cut off the television
, pulling her to her feet before leading her into his bedroom.

Then
, he made his fantasy a reality.

***

Ryan couldn’t sleep.

The rumors about him going to Dallas were on this side of true. As
in, it was true he was seriously considering it, but J.R. was forcing his hand. The man had signed Dean Clark.

Even if Ryan
weren’t dating Ashley, he would view that move as a deal breaker.

He ran a hand over her back, marveling at the soft, pale skin that glowed in the moonlight. Unlike most redheads, she didn’t have a single freckle on her.

Something he was kind of disappointed about because he would have taken the time to connect the dots with his tongue. She sighed in her sleep and scooted closer to him.

He sat up and then left the b
ed, careful not to disturb her, and made his way to his home office. Booting up his laptop, he switched on a light and sat down.

The email from Dallas practically glowed neon yellow
and then green. He wanted to go. He wanted to say yes. Not only that, he wanted to be honest with Ashley and share what he wanted with her.

But, according to Dean,
one of the reasons why he’d broken up with her was because she had refused to move. She had refused to accept his lifestyle and wanted him to give it all up.

And,
although he didn’t trust Dean as far as he could punt him, he knew Ashley loved living here. She loved being near her family and having Sunday dinners with them. She loved being able to pop over to her brother’s house for supper and host book club meetings for snotty women who finally came around to her way of thinking about romance novels.

He scrubbed his hand across his face.

There had to be truth in there somewhere. Ashley had never given the specifics about her relationship with Dean, but he knew she’d been hurt. He knew she’d loved Dean.

But did she love him? Was he in love with her?

Ryan exhaled.

Those were the
million-dollar questions keeping him up at night, when he should be in bed with Ashley.

Gunner padded to him, laying his big head on Ryan’s knee.

“Hey, boy. What’s the matter?” When Ryan first adopted the pit bull from Second Chances Rescue, Gunner was shy and a bit growly. Not that Ryan could blame the pup. He’d been abused by his former owners. Now, after patience and time—and puppy-parenting classes with Ashley—Gunner had come a long way. He loved to meet people and growled less and less every day.

Gunner whined
, his big, brown eyes pleading as he stared up at Ryan.

“I told you, no sleeping in the bed when Ashley’s here.
There’s not enough room for everyone.”

Gunner blew out air through
his nose, as if to say,
women
.

“Let’s go to bed, buddy.” Ryan turned off his computer and the light, then moved to his bedroom. Gunner was hot on his heels.

When he climbed in, he encountered a warm, wriggly bundle of dog. “Bluebelle,” he whisper-shouted, but she paid him no mind.

“I don’t care, Ryan,” Ashley murmured sleepily. “Tell Gunner to get in bed with us, too.”

Gunner didn’t have to be told twice. He jumped on the bed, circled a spot three times, and promptly fell on one side. Within seconds, the dogs were snoring, Ashley was tugging on his arm, and he was joining her, laying in the smallest amount of bed available.

“A hell of a life,” he muttered with a grin. He would wait for the perfect time to talk to Ashley about Dallas.

No matter what, she’d believe him over anyone else, because she’d made a promise to him.

        
Four days later, Ashley pulled her car into her driveway, frowning at the expensive sports car already sitting there. It couldn’t be Ryan’s; he drove a huge pickup truck. She parked behind the car and got out.

The door
opened, and her world closed in. “Dean?”

“Ash,” Dean said,
moving to her and taking her in his arms before she could shove him away.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, finally pushing away and taking a step back.

“I’ve been traded to Atlanta. I’m their new tight end.”

“But that’s Ryan’s position.”
Oh crap. She shouldn’t have said Ryan’s name. Now, Dean would be suspicious, or worse, figure out they were dating.

“It
was
his position, and now it’s mine.”

“But you play for The Outlaws
. In San Francisco.” Last year, after Dean’s trade to the franchise, her brothers had almost stopped being fans.

Dean shook his head
, and then took her hands in his. “I know you don’t understand sports, Ash, but when players are traded, that means one stays and the other goes. Ryan’s leaving.”

“But no one to
ld me,” she whispered.

“I’m sure he has his reasons.”

Dean knew. Somehow, he knew about her and Ryan. She yanked her hands away. “What are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d stop by and see what you were up to.”

“Now that you’ve seen me, you can leave,” she said, determined to not say another word about Ryan or show how she felt right now.

“You don’t look so good, babe.” He smirked, his green eyes roving over her. “But I guess Ryan likes my leftovers.” Dean glanced at her house. “Oh, look,
it’s the house you always wanted.”

She balled up her hand, thumb resting against her pointer finger. “Dean?” she called softly.

“Yeah, babe?” He turned to face her.

“Get the hell off my property.”
Then, she let her fist fly.

It landed with a satisfactory crunch against his nose. His hands flew
up, as blood went everywhere.

“What’s wrong with you, you crazy bitch?” He leaned his head back, moaning and groaning against his hands.

“Wow, Dean, you don’t look so good.”

His eyes
widened in response.

“Let me help you to your car.” She opened the door,
managing to smack his knee with it.

“Fuck!”

“I’m so sorry, Dean. You remember how clumsy I am.”

“Not really,” he said, folding himself into the driver’s seat.

“Then let me remind you,” she said, swinging the door shut on his leg.

He let out another howl of pain.

Finally, she broke down and let her anger out, “That’s for leaving me on our wedding day, you selfish pig!” She threw her body against the car door, making it bounce off his already hurt leg. “And that’s for assuming you knew what I wanted
without
asking me.”

“I’m sorry,” Dean shouted
. “Jesus, Ashley.
Stop
.”

“You really are sorry, and I hope the Avengers lose every game that you play in,” she said
, dusting off her hands. “Now, unless you want to go another round, I suggest you leave.”

Dean couldn’t shut his door fast enough. His tires smoked and left marks in her
driveway, as he sped out of there.

“God
, that felt good,” she said to herself.

Suddenly,
it hit her. Ryan was leaving, and he hadn’t told her a damn thing about it. Just like Dean.

***

Ryan paid for his purchases and walked the couple of blocks to his apartment building. Tonight, he would ask Ashley to come with him to Dallas. And if she said yes to that, then he was going to ask her to come with him as his wife.