The Player Next Door (17 page)

She’d never seen anything more stunningly primal. And she wanted to be mated with him as surely as if she were a cavewoman in need of superior children. Because he was clearly a superior man.

She wet her lips and wanted to say something. But there were no words, only desire. And when he turned back to her, his fingers slipping between her legs, she was arching to meet him in every way she could.

“Are you still ready, Tori?”

She nodded.

Then he crouched down over her. All fours surrounding her. He nudged her legs apart with his knees and thrust into her. Not far. Just the tip, so she moved to him. She spread herself and angled her pelvis for the deepest penetration possible. And she waited.

And waited.

And…

Yes.

He pushed in steadily. Slowly. He was always large, but this seemed to stretch her more than usual. His penetration was like being split apart. And with the drum beats in the background, she felt a pounding in her mind and body
—
a thrumming that gloried in this possession. And soon he was fully seated.

And still.

He just stopped there. Deep inside her, splitting her wide without moving more. And while she panted from the possession, he began to stroke her. First her arms and her shoulders. He pulled her hair to the side and pressed kisses into her neck and back. Then his hands found her breasts again. Everything he did inflamed her more. And everything he touched sizzled beneath his stroke.

His hands slid to her hips. He gripped her there, lifting her up high enough for him to move. Small pulses of movement at first. A tiny withdrawal, a thick push.

She wanted to squirm, wanted to take him deeper, but he didn’t let her. He held her hips just where he wanted, and he took his time.

Further withdrawal, harder thrust.

Again.

Again.

She could hear his ragged breath, and knew he would soon piston in earnest. The impact was growing harder, the movement longer. Better.

“Touch yourself, Tori,” he gasped.

She hadn’t the focus to do it, but he had such a grip on her mind and body that she couldn’t disobey. Less than an hour ago, she’d resolved to be a modern, independent woman. She would not bow to any man’s whims. But here she was, spread wide, possessed, and touching herself because he wanted it.

She reached down between her legs, but she didn’t find herself. She found him, thick and hard as he slid in and out of her. Hot. Wet. She stretched even further back and found his sack.

He slammed into her and held. She lifted his sac and squeezed. He groaned, the sound muffled against her skin. And when she did it again, he bit her shoulder hard enough to make her body shudder. Sharp pain up high, thick invasion below, and the feel of him around her, both supporting and caging her.

“Now, Tori,” he said as he pushed her more fully forward. She had to support herself on one hand because he guided her other to her clit. “Rub yourself.”

She pressed hard onto her throbbing bundle of nerves, but she didn’t stroke. She was too busy feeling his hands grip her hip bones, adjusting her to the right angle. And then
—
at last
—
he began to pound into her.

Hot and hard.

And with each movement, her finger was driven against her clit.

Bam.

Bam.

Her belly tightened. Her breath caught. She wanted to move, but he held her still as he worked in and out of her.

Again.

Again.

Oh God. She couldn’t even say the word aloud.

Oh…

Oh…

Detonation.

Her body convulsed, her insides gripped him over and over, and while she was crying out in pleasure, he slammed into her one last time.

Yes!

Release. Or possession. Either one didn’t matter.

She loved it, and she loved him.

So when he finally collapsed forward, his belly to her back, she put strength into her arms. She could hold him up, though she didn’t need to. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, he pressed his lips to her back, and then he toppled them over.

Soon she was lying on her back on top of him. He was still inside her and she was stretched out as if flying.

“I’m going to touch you again,” he said. “Just as soon as I catch my breath.”

“Mike—”

“Shhh…” He lifted his knees, forcing her legs to the outside such that she was spread open again. “Just relax and enjoy the ride. Remember, this is my fantasy. You’re doing me a favor.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

She closed her eyes and surrendered everything to him.

Chapter Fourteen

Mike was going to blow off his morning run and linger in bed with Tori, but she’d kicked him out with the words: “Go on. You’re hot when you’re sweaty.”

It took a minute to figure out what she meant by that. It was early in the morning and he wasn’t fully awake. Neither was she, he realized, since she’d burrowed back under the covers. Two minutes later, she was snoring. His woman was not a morning person.

He waited to be freaked out by that thought. Tori as his woman. But the panic didn’t come. She wasn’t putting any pressure on him. She knew he was going back to New York in a little over a month. Though it stung that she was happy to let him go, he knew it was the best all around. So he pulled on his running shoes and headed down the stairs to the kitchen.

They were at his place this time because late last night Tori had wanted to try the Ketchums’ hot air fryer. The remains of a really badly done chicken were littered over the counter. Another assortment of eclectic beer bottles were gathered in the recycling bin.

He smiled as he saw them, as pleased by the memories of Tori recounting her PhD difficulties as he was by the mind-blowing sex. He liked talking to her and that made for a happy summer.

He grabbed one of his green smoothies, downing it quickly while he started to stretch. Minutes later, he was out the door already thinking of the ways he was going to wake Tori when he came back all hot and sweaty.

He ran for an hour, but every step was about her. About what he intended to do to her later today. About what they could do together tonight. About what she might want to do…

His feet slowed as he headed back down the street to his house. There was Edward leaning on Tori’s doorbell, a look of worry on his face.

Mike thought about turning around and going the other way, but just as he slowed to pivot, Edward started banging on the door. “Come on, Tori,” Edward whined. “Wake up.”

Jesus. How long had he been there? Couldn’t be long. The man didn’t have the patience to stand there without making more noise.

Mike was still trying to decide exactly what he was going to do when Edward spotted him. “Mike! I’m glad you’re up! I can’t get a hold of Tori.”

Might as well deal with the guy now. He slowed to a walk and made it to the base of Tori’s driveway. From this angle, he could see that the man had a bag of bagels and two coffees from the cheapo place down the street.

“Do you think she’s hurt herself?” Edward asked, his voice tight with anxiety.

“I think she’s asleep.”

Edward rolled his eyes. “Of course she’s sleeping. The woman likes her zzzzzs. But she isn’t answering her phone and she’s—”

“Maybe she’s sleeping somewhere else.”

Edward’s face paled. He’d thought the man pasty-faced already, but one suggestion that Tori had someone else and the guy went whiter than a ghost. Mike had the urge to tell him to stick his head between his knees. Then Edward ruined all sense of sympathy by opening his mouth.

“You were supposed to call me if she found someone else.”

“You were supposed to give her some space and not bang on her door at seven a.m. And I told you, I’m not keeping track of her dates.”

“I have been giving her space! I am giving— Mike, tell me the truth. Is she seeing someone else?”

No way. Not a prayer he was going to give this dick more information. “You have got to let her look around some. Once she sees her options, maybe she’ll see how wonderful you are.” He almost choked on the words, but forced them through anyway. Anything to get this jerk out of Tori’s life. “And maybe you can look around, too. Maybe there’s someone other—”

“No!” Edward rubbed a distracted hand over his face. “I have been looking around, I’ve even gone on some dates but…I thought letting Tori come here would show her… That she’d learn… Oh hell…” The man was practically babbling in his misery.

Mike reluctantly took a few steps forward. “Calm down. You’re going to wake the entire neighborhood.”

Edward took a deep breath, then turned his tortured gaze to Mike. “I didn’t realize how much I need her. I didn’t think she was so essential to me. I…I… You have no idea what the last few weeks have been like.” He lifted his hands in a defeated gesture. “I miss her every minute of every day. My work has suffered. I’ve gained seven pounds, and yesterday, I couldn’t even play Civilization without crying.”

Oh shit. The guy really was a basket case. That shouldn’t make a difference to Mike, but it did. He felt an unwelcome twinge of sympathy because how awful would it be to have had years with Tori and screw it up? To realize too late just what you’d lost.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Start with a phone call. Leave her a message. See if she’ll…I don’t know…go to lunch with you.” After all, the man wasn’t going to be having breakfast bagels with her.

Edward shook his head. “I tried that. I’ve been calling for days.”

Really? “And?”

“She ignores them. She ignores me.” That was obviously a shock to the guy.

Mike sighed. He really ought to put the man out of his misery. “Look, there’s no easy way to say this, but she’s met someone.”

Edward leaned heavily against the cracked siding. “Who is it? Is he…you know…attractive?”

Mike barely restrained his grin. Might as well admit the truth. “Yeah. He’s ripped.”

“But is he smart? Tori would see through a dumb guy in a heartbeat.”

Mike shrugged. “Don’t know. Doesn’t matter. She’s with him now.”

Edward straightened, his expression turning almost fierce. “It does matter because I’m not done. I’m going to marry her, you know. I just have to…” He gestured up toward the house. “I just have to get her to see me.”

There it was. The face of true love, at least as it looked on Edward. The guy really had it bad for Tori, and Mike hadn’t the heart to crush him. Worse, he knew just the right advice to give the guy. And though the words actually hurt going through his mouth, he said them anyway.

“The guy isn’t hanging around. Five weeks and he’s gone.”

“He’s a summer fling?”

Mike winced even though that was exactly what he was. “Yeah. Wait until the fall. Let her…” Was he really going to say this? “Let her get him out of her system. Then when he’s gone
—
”

“I can console her. I can be the big man who then gives her what she’s always wanted.”

Mike looked up. “And what’s that?”

“A ring. A house. You know, two-point-five kids and a white picket fence.”

He frowned, thinking about that. Tori already had the house and she could install the white picket fence if she really wanted it. But the husband and kids… Well, that was something that required a man. Someone who shared her lifestyle and her goals. Like Edward, who was an academic like her. Not someone who was on the road half the year and whose only goal was to keep scoring baskets until they dragged his crippled body off the court.

In terms of staying power, clearly Edward was the better choice
—
though not by much. And it’s not like Tori had the choice of just the two of them. There were lots of other academics in the world who weren’t douchebags. Someone else could give her everything she deserved.

He looked back at his house and pictured his woman snoring into his pillow. “Just wait until fall,” he said softly. “You’ll only piss her off if you badger her now.”

He looked back to where Edward was clearly thinking hard. “But maybe I should stick around? You know, give her the coffee and the bagels? Maybe I’ll find something out about this guy.”

“Trust me,” Mike said, “you don’t want to know. Physically, he’s a god.”

“Really? In Evanston?”

“People work out, Edward. Even people who live in the burbs.” He looked at the guy’s thin legs. “You should try it sometime. You’re going to have to compete against this guy in bed.”

Edward waved his hand in dismissal. “All those steroid dicks are flabby in bed. I assure you, I can compete.”

Having never taken a steroid in his life, he couldn’t speak to that. Though he certainly knew that Edward hadn’t been remotely adequate in bed. In fact, Mike had just decided to spend the rest of his summer making sure no one ever came close to his prowess in that area. And certainly not this lightweight.

Meanwhile, he gestured to the food. “You should go. I’ll make sure she gets these.”

Edward hesitated, clearly undecided. So Mike pushed him over the edge.

“You don’t want to stand next to this man. Physically, man, you just don’t measure up.”

Edward stiffened. “There’re other assets beyond a physique. Things that I have in abundance. I have a good job that pays me well.”

So did Mike. Millions every year. But eventually his playing years would be over, whereas Edward probably had tenure. He’d be employed for decades, well after Mike was a crippled old geezer. And as if Edward could read his mind, he kept talking, rubbing salt into the wound.

“Tori and I understand each other’s fields. We can talk about our professional lives.”

Crap. Tori had certainly been studying basketball, but what the hell did he know about comparative religion? In this particular case, Edward had it over him in spades.

“Plus she likes my friends. And they like her.”

Mike winced, thinking of what she would think of his friends. That they were all big dumb jocks, probably. And crude as well. And though his sisters were well on their way to higher degrees, their background was vastly different from Tori’s ivory tower life. Hell, he didn’t even know his real father. Hers came over for sushi and pie.