Throb (13 page)

“What?” Eventually I take the bait.

“I didn’t realize you played for the other team.”

Cute. Really cute. I’ll show you what team I play for.
“No. I don’t play for the other team. I actually just met someone.”

She tosses her cards on the table, folding for the third time in a row.

“Looks like your luck really is running low,” I say. “You know what, guys, I have an early morning tomorrow. What do you say we make next hand the last hand?” She knows exactly what I’m doing. Yet I don’t have a damn clue what she’s up to. For all I know, she can be playing us all. Folding three hands in a row and taking my mind off the game.

“You have those diamond four-leaf clover cufflinks your old man used to wear? I’d love to get my hands on them in a last-hand pot,” Frank says.

“No. Wish I did. He lost them in a game. He swore it was the reason his luck changed.” Kate’s face saddens.

“Sorry, kid.”

She forces a conciliatory smile.

Frank rakes in the final pot of chips for the night and everyone digs for their final ante. Frank tosses in a business card holder with my initials on it. I haven’t seen that thing in ten years. Carl tosses in Frank’s high school ring, and I throw a custom Montblanc platinum pen engraved with Ben’s initials into the mix. Kate is busy in her purse.

Just like the first time we met, she tears a piece of paper. Grinning, she picks out the fifteen-hundred-dollar pen from the pot and scribbles something, her hand covering the content like a schoolgirl writing a note. She folds it a few times, concealing what she’s offering to the winner.

Frank chuckles. “You know I already have your phone number?”

“Maybe it’s not my phone number,” she says cryptically, smiling at Frank fondly. But her eyes blaze when they turn to me.

Carl’s the first one out. He hisses and pushes back from the table.

I eye the stack of chips in front of Kate and dig into my pocket. My eyes never leave hers when I toss a wad of hundreds into the pile—Tiffany money clip and all.

Frank bows out. “Too rich for my blood with the crap cards I got.”

And then there’s just the two of us again.

Kate and I stand off, her eyes gyrating through an assessment I’ve become familiar with. First she squints, looking deep into my eyes, then her eyes relax again. Her gaze drops to my lips and then slowly makes its way back to my eyes. An ever-so-slight uptick on the right side of her mouth is the only indication that she thinks she’s got me.

She pushes all of her chips in.

I take a deep breath and turn over my cards.

Three kings.

And two tens. I haven’t had a full house this high since, well … ever.

The guys whistle.

Kate’s eyes sparkle. I hold my breath as her eyes drop down to read my cards and then quickly return to mine. She throws her cards into the pot. Face down. Defeated.

Laughter erupts in the room. Carl stands, grabbing his jacket. “Damn. That was intense. Nice job, Coop. Glad one of us didn’t get beat by a girl. It was a pleasure, though,” he says to Kate. Then he nods to Frank. “Come on, I’ll help clean this up.”

“Go ahead, guys. I got it.”

“You sure, Coop?”

“No problem. Have a good night, gentlemen.”

Frank slaps me on the back as he leaves. “If I can’t have your old man around, you’re the next best thing. You turned out good, kid. You turned out good.”

The room goes quiet as the two men exit. Neither Kate nor I have moved from our seats. We stare intently at each other. I watch as her pupils dilate and the rise and fall of her chest seems to grow deeper with each breath. And then something happens. It hits me. And I realize playing the game really is all about reading people. So I reach into the ante pile and my hand hovers over the folded-up paper for a long count. Then I veer slightly to the left and flip over her cards.

Four of a kind.

Beats my full house by a mile.

Kate grins and arches an eyebrow. I don’t bother to clean up. She grabs my hand and we head for the door, leaving her folded-up bet that reads
One Night
unopened.

“I’ll follow you,” I say as we reach the warm summer air outside.

“No. I’ll drive you.”

“But I need my car to go home later.”

“You aren’t going home tonight.”

“But …”

Cooper stops in place. He takes my face into his hands and speaks. “I won one night. I get the full night.”

“I don’t have any clothes.”

“You won’t be needing them.” He opens the door to his car and leads me in.

“But what about my toothbrush?” I grasp at something. I know it was my decision, but I need a minute to think about the consequences of what I’ve just done.

“You can use mine.”

“But …”

He interrupts me. “Buckle up.”

I pull the seatbelt on and the engine roars to life. I give it one last college try. “I need …”

Cooper cuts me off. Again. “I’m not giving you a chance to change your mind.”

“How do you know I’ll change my mind?”

“Because you already are.”

“I’m n …” I trail off.

He removes his hand from the gear shifter and turns to me. “Look at me.”

“Bossy,” I say under my breath, but he hears it.

“You haven’t even begun to see bossy yet. Tonight I’m going to tell you to do things, and you’re going to do them. When I tell you to open wider, or take my cock deeper, you’re going to listen. You know why? Because since the moment we met, all I’ve wanted to do is make you feel good. Hell, I don’t even need to get off physically. Because I’m going to get off watching you every minute. So, yeah, I’m going to be bossy. Now let’s put the rest of this behind us. Do you want to be with me tonight?”

After that prelude, I nod my head fast. I’m no fool. Who wouldn’t?

The short drive is enough to make me flip-flop twenty times. I’ve never wanted to be with another man more than I want to be with Cooper right now. But I’m being selfish—risking losing—a prize my family needs. With each elimination ceremony, my odds increase. I’m fooling myself by thinking tonight won’t tilt the odds in the other direction. I could get caught. How will I look into the eyes of another man after giving another piece of myself to Cooper tonight? I know this is a bad idea. But then I look over at Cooper and my resolve weakens.

One night … it’s just one night. I can do this.
We
can do this.

Arriving at his sleek high-rise, Cooper nods to the doorman and whisks me past. His hand at the small of my back, he quickly steers me inside a waiting elevator.

I stare up at the numbers slowly lighting as the elevator painstakingly climbs the floors. Cooper stands quietly behind me, close but not touching—although I can still feel him. Panic sets in as the floors move to double-digit numbers. What the hell am I doing? I take a deep breath and speak low. “This isn’t going to work, you know?”

He’s quiet for a moment before he answers. “Why not?” His hand snakes around my hip, gripping it tightly.

“Because you’re not the type of man who gives in easily.”

He grips my hip tighter. “I’m not giving in.”

The elevator slides to an abrupt stop and the doors slide open. An older couple smiles pleasantly and begins to step toward the car. Cooper says brusquely, “We’re going up.”

“That’s okay. We’ll take the ride up.”

“If you don’t mind, could you wait for the next one?” He pushes the button to the top floor, even though it’s already lit.

“That was rude,” I say as the doors slide closed on the confused couple.

Cooper turns me, searching my face. He ignores my comment, still completely focused on our conversation before the elevator dinged. “Is that what you think I’m doing? Giving in?”

In the dim, confined space, the green in his eyes look almost grey. The intensity of his stare scares me a little, but sucks me in at the same time. “You want more than one night, but you agreed to tonight only.”

“That’s not giving in, Kate.”

“It’s not?” I’m almost afraid to ask.

He shakes his head slowly. A sinister smile quirks at his sexy lips. His know-it-all attitude pisses me off, yet turns me on. But it’s the pisses-me-off part that flows from my mouth. “You asked me out. I said no. We agreed to one night. Isn’t that giving in?”

“No.”

I take an exaggerated, frustrated breath and roll my eyes. “Okay then. Enlighten me. What do you call it?”

His eyes darken and his face lowers to align with mine. “This isn’t giving in. This is staking my claim. I’ll send you back to him tomorrow if that’s what you want. But you won’t be able to sit without thinking of me for a week. Every time your sexy ass touches down, you’ll be reminded of what it feels like with me buried deep inside you. Your bones will ache from the relentless pounding I plan to deliver.”

Despite my irritation at how full of himself he is, my mouth drops open and body buzzes at the visual he’s planted in my head. Cocky arrogance or not, the man has a way of setting my body on fire.

“I’d rather not send you back tomorrow. But get one thing straight right now, Kate. I’m not giving in. I’m meeting you halfway. And you can be damn straight agreeing to one night won’t stop me from trying to take the rest of what you don’t give tonight.”

The elevator car glides to a stop, reaching the top floor. The ease of his manners is so starkly different from the seduction of his voice. “Shall we?” The doors slide open and he leisurely extends his arm to the looming double doors marked
Penthouse.
I get the feeling that I’m about to step through the wardrobe. And the lion is right behind me.

“Would you like a drink?”

“A glass of wine would be good.”
Perhaps a bottle to calm my nerves.

He nods and gestures toward the bar stools on the other side of the kitchen island. The floor to ceiling windows in the adjoining living room catch my attention. Perched high on a cliff, the apartment’s view of the sparkling lights of downtown LA almost appear fantasy like. It’s amazing how a little distance between things can sometimes make you see a very different picture than the reality of being up close. “That’s some view.”

Cooper fills two crystal glasses and offers me one. He follows where my attention is fixed. “I don’t think I’ve noticed it in years.”

“Really?” I’m utterly perplexed at his statement. But he’s serious. “Why?”

“I’m not here much.”

“Where are you normally?”

“The office. The gym. A lot of work-related functions.”

“What’s your typical day like?” I sip my wine.

“Up at five. Gym at five thirty. Office by seven. Home by ten.”

“Ten?”

“I work late a lot.”

“Where do you eat?”

“At the office usually. Or at a function. I do a lot of business over meals.”

“Sounds like you need to stop and look around every once in a while.”

“You’re right. I do.” Cooper sips his wine, his eyes no longer admiring the view. Instead they’re focused intently on me.

“Can we go out on the balcony?” I ask, not turning in his direction.

“Are you stalling?”

I smile at how astute he is in reading me. He’s already figured me out better than the last guy I dated for six months. “Maybe. Is that a problem?”

“Not at all.”

He leads me to the balcony. It’s a beautiful night. Warm, breezy air wafts a hint of saltwater from off in the distance. The sky is so clear, not even the massive light pollution of LA can dim the twinkling stars. Standing behind me, one hand on either side of the railing, we quietly take in the view. Then his arm wraps around my waist and he buries his nose in my hair with a deep inhale. With his hard chest pressed tightly against my back and strong arms holding me, it’s easy to let my head loll back and relax.

“This is nice,” I say, exhaling a long cleansing breath that washes away some of my fears.

“It is.”

We stay silent for long minutes, enjoying the view and relaxing. I probably should have stayed that way, but sometimes my mind wanders and pushes out words past my filter. “It’s one night. Does that mean you’ll be dating someone else by next week?”

“Will you?” he asks in a curt voice. Of course I will—he knows that. I’m going back to dating another man tomorrow. And possibly heading for an overnight date pretty soon.