The Heart's Game (The Kelly Brothers, Book 4) Read online

  Chapter Three

  Dan pulled his BMW into the empty driveway of a lakeside house and double checked the address. It matched the one his former college roommate had given him. Whatever Paul was doing, it was paying well, judging by the size and location of the Craftsman-style home. Dan grabbed his bag of dice and jogged to the front door, his step lighter than usual despite the busy week at his new practice. For the first time in years, he was going to enjoy a good afternoon of gaming.

  His friend opened the door before Dan had a chance to knock and greeted him with the special combination handshake/high five/chest bump they’d created their freshman year at Northwestern. “Good to see you again.”

  “Same here.” He made a quick perusal of the entryway of the house. “Impressive, man.”

  “Please.” Paul waved him off. “I saw the house you grew up in. This is a shack compared to that.”

  “It’s better than the place I’m renting.” The surgery group he’d joined wanted him to start as soon as he was credentialed, leaving him very little time to find a place and settle in after finishing his residency. He’d started seeing patients the day after he returned from Comic-Con two weeks ago, and his apartment still was lined with boxes.

  “For now, Dr. Kelly.” Paul laughed and motioned for him to come upstairs. “The game room is this way.”

  He climbed two flights of stairs to an open loft space that had breathtaking views of the early afternoon sun glittering off Lake Sammamish. A large table dominated the center of the room, and at the end of it stood a full-scale replica of the Iron Throne from the Game of Thrones TV series.

  Dan let out a low whistle and ran his hand over back, noting how it was made of fiberglass and not real metal. “Impressive.”

  “Yeah, you wouldn’t believe how much my bank account whined when I ordered it.” Paul settled into his throne. “But it suits me, right?”

  Dan laughed. “Indeed. I suppose I should start calling you Joffrey now, huh?”

  Paul wrinkled his nose. “Only if you want to lose your head.”

  The door opened downstairs, and three more people filed into the room, all in costume. Paul introduced them as friends and co-workers, but Dan immediately began sizing them up. A stocky guy and his wife were both wearing studded leather jerkins over green shirts, which he suspected made them more of a ranger or druid type. The other member of the game wore a long cloak and was as long and lanky as the wizard’s staff he carried.

  Dan rubbed his palms on his button-down shirt. “I didn’t know I was supposed to dress up for this.”

  The jolly ranger, Derek, chuckled. “You’re still new.”

  “Besides,” his wife, Jessie, added, “we love getting dressed up for gaming. It’s one of the things we look forward to every weekend.”

  And on the weekends he wasn’t on call, he’d be looking forward to them too. Thankfully, he had several boxes of costumes to choose from.

  Two more gamers arrived—a woman in a flowing medieval style gown and a guy in chainmail—but it wasn’t until the sixth player arrived that his mouth went dry and his body froze with recognition.

  It was the Sailor Scout from Comic-Con.

  Only now, she was dressed head to toe in solid black with a pair of daggers on her belt and another peeking out from the top of her boot. Her long black hair hung in a thick braid over her shoulder, Lara Croft style.

  The overwhelming urge to strip her out of her costume layer by layer filled him. He clenched his hands into fists to keep from stripping off those tight leather pants and plunging into her.

  Her eyes widened when she saw him, and her greeting to the rest of the room halted mid-sentence. He caught the slightest shake of her head before Paul moved in to intercede. His old friend wrapped his arm around Jenny’s waist, and a bout of nausea kicked him in the gut.

  “Dan, this is one of my co-workers, Jenny.” He gave her a jostling half-hug that shook away her shock. “Jenny, this is one of my good friends, Dan.”

  She gave him a tense smile and offered her hand. “So good to finally meet you, Dan. Paul’s been anxious to add you to our game.”

  So that’s how she wants to play it. Pretend like we’re perfect strangers. And why not, especially since she and Paul were obviously a couple. He returned her smile and took her hand, squeezing it a bit harder than necessary. “Nice to meet you, too,” he replied, fighting hard to keep his voice level. If there was one thing he couldn’t stand, it was a cheating woman.

  Paul glanced between them, his brows furrowed in worry. “Am I missing something here?”

  The silent plea she sent him was enough for him to keep quiet. For now, anyway. “You know how I feel about rogue types.” He gestured to her costume. “Am I wrong about the class of the character you’ll be playing?”

  Her grin widened to crinkle her almond shaped eyes, and the muscles in her forearm went lax. He could almost hear her silent thanks as she said, “Not at all.”

  “Jenny always plays rogues.” Paul gave her one more hug before returning to his throne.

  Dan stayed where he was, his gaze locked with Jenny’s like they were two gunfighters in an old Western, and he was the one wearing the white hat. “Funny. I usually play paladins.”

  “Then this should prove interesting.” Her expression remained wary as she moved to the empty chair between Jessie and the wizard boy.

  Dan took the remaining chair across the table, studying her as they passed around character sheets and rolled the dice for ability scores. Paul talked about the characters and explained the world he’d created for this campaign, but Dan only half-listened. He was still trying to wrap his head around running into Jenny again.

  Awkward didn’t begin to describe it.

  And judging by the way she refused to look at him, she was feeling the same way.

  Time to set her on her heels. Normally, he chose to play a member of the warrior class that upheld the law and fought evil, but maybe it was time for a change. When it came time for him to declare his class, he stared directly at her and said, “Rogue.”

  Her lips parted, but her eyes glittered from the challenge. “There’s usually only room for one rogue in our band.”

  “Then we can either work together or weed each other out.”

  Paul snickered from behind his DM board and scribbled something on his notepad. “I’m going to love this.”

  Dan crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, hoping it concealed the rapid pounding of his heart. His D&D characters were lawful-good to a fault, and no doubt, Paul had created a campaign with some challenges fit for a paladin. Now he was going outside his comfort zone, but he still wasn’t quite sure why. Part of him liked the idea of working closely with Jenny while another part of him was still recoiling from the possibility that she could be involved with his friend.

  And if she was, would he be able to tell Paul about what happened at Comic-Con? After all, Paul had been the one who’d revealed Cait’s infidelity.

  Of course, Paul hadn’t been the one who’d slept with Cait.

  The tension started to ease as the game got underway. Everyone at the table was a skilled table-top player, each getting into character without venturing into the annoying territory most n00bs did. As the hours progressed, he could actually imagine himself going on a quest with them. Their skills complemented each other, and the feeling of camaraderie enveloped him as they accepted him as member of their group.

  But every now and then, he caught himself watching Jenny. As soon as the game was over, he wanted answers.

  Unfortunately, she dashed out of the room during the first break, and Paul intercepted him when he got up to follow her.

  “Having fun, Dan?”

  “Definitely.” He glanced over Paul’s shoulder one more time before giving up on going after her. “Do you mind if I ask you a question about Jenny?”

  “She’s not seeing anyone as far as I know, if that was what you were about to ask.”

  He released the b
reath he’d been holding. “So you two aren’t…?”

  Paul laughed and clapped him on the back. “Me and Jenny? No way! I know better than to date a co-worker, especially one of the most brilliant minds on my team.” He dropped his voice and nodded to the woman in the gown. “Besides, I have my own thing going on with Gretchen.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Yeah, but keep it quiet, okay? I don’t want the others to accuse me of giving her special treatment.”

  “You mean the manticore you charged at her character wasn’t your way of telling her you love her?” Dan teased. Learning Jenny was available gave him a whole different outlook on this game.

  “Shut up.” Paul’s expression sobered as Jenny came back into the room, her face pale. “But if you’re interested in her, don’t treat her like your previous girlfriends.”

  Dan’s spine stiffened. “Meaning?”

  “I know your track record since Cait, and I don’t want you doing the same to her. Jenny’s a nice girl. Very shy. Maybe even a little innocent.”

  Dan resisted a contradictory snort. The woman he met at Comic-Con was anything but innocent. Seductress was a better word. A memory from that night flashed through his mind, and the blood rushed to his dick.

  God help him, he still wanted her.

  But judging by the looks she was giving him, she wanted him as far away as possible.

  It tempered his desire. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  The game resumed, and he lost himself in the world of magic and mayhem Paul created. One thing he hadn’t expected were the witty exchanges between him and Jenny. When she slipped into character, she became a whole other person. Fun. Flirty. Fearless. Far more like the woman he’d met two weeks ago than the shy girl Paul thought she was. If this was going to be their in-play dynamic, then he was definitely looking forward to each week’s game.

  He just wondered what it would be like if he asked her out after the game.

  By the time the sun had set, his stomach was grumbling for something other than Cheetos and Mountain Dew. A glance around the table told him he wasn’t the only one ready to call it a night. They all waited until Paul snapped his laptop shut and announced, “Till next week, adventurers.”

  Dan rose from the table and stretched, his attention so focused on Jenny that he didn’t notice Paul coming up to him until his friend said his name.

  “We usually head over to a local restaurant for dinner. Want to join us?”

  “Sure.” He watched Jenny out of the corner of his eye as she chatted with Gretchen and Jessie. “Where?”

  Paul gave him the name of the place as he pushed him toward the door. “You can catch a ride with me.”

  He fought the urge to dig his heels in. If he was going to catch a ride with anyone, he wanted it to be her. “I don’t want to be a nuisance.”

  “You won’t be.”

  When they got downstairs, however, he noticed Jenny wasn’t in their group. Dan turned around. “I think I left something upstairs. Go on without me.”

  “Fine, I’ll see you there.” He didn’t miss the narrow-eyed look of warning Paul shot him before closing the door.

  Dan found Jenny in the same place he’d left her beside the table. Her breath caught when she saw him, and her fingers blanched as they tightened around her dice bag. “What happens at Comic-Con, stays at Comic-Con,” she said in a tense whisper.

  “Maybe for most people, but this isn’t that.”

  “No shit.” She lowered her eyes and swiped her notes from the table. “We should get to the restaurant before the others worry about us.”

  He caught her by the wrist as she passed and pulled her against him. She was even more tempting than he remembered, and before he could stop himself, his lips were on hers.

  She started at first, her back stiffening. A smothered cry of surprise rose from her throat. But a second later, the crash of dice rattled across the wooden floor, and her arms were around his neck. She teased the corners of his mouth with her tongue, begging him to deepen the kiss.

  He opened his mouth to her and tasted the sweet remnants of the watermelon Jolly Ranchers she’d been eating all afternoon. The kiss was every bit as explosive as their first kiss two weeks ago. All traces of common sense fled his mind as the blood rushed to his dick. With their lips still devouring each other, he backed her up against the table, noting the small thrill when her legs wrapped around his waist. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her, so he was surprised when she planted her hands on his chest and pushed him away.

  “We can’t.”

  “Why not?” he asked before drawing the soft flesh at the bottom of her ear between his teeth.

  “We could get caught.” Despite her protests, she tilted her head back, exposing more of her neck for him to taste.

  “They’ve all left.”

  “We shouldn’t.” Her arguments became as weak as the whimper in her voice.

  He trailed his mouth along her neck toward her shoulder. Time to convince her they should. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”

  A shiver rippled through her, and she gathered his shirt into her fists, pulling it out of his jeans. “I can’t.”

  Objective unlocked! He cupped his hands around her warm leather-clad ass and pulled her even tighter against him. Her hips ground against him in a tantalizing rhythm. God, he couldn’t wait to get inside her again.

  There was just one small hitch. He lifted his head and asked, “Do you have a condom?”

  She shook her head, and desperate disappointment filled her dark eyes. “Do you?”

  “No.” The word came out as a frustrated growl, and he let her go. The throbbing in his dick refused to ease, though. He refused to trust the condom hidden in the back of his wallet again. There had to be condoms somewhere in this house. “Wait right here. I’ll be back.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but he took off down the stairs to the middle floor before she had a chance to refuse him. If Paul had something going on with Gretchen, then he’d have condoms stashed somewhere. Thankfully, he found one in the nightstand and ran back upstairs, holding it up like it was the One Ring.

  His jaw dropped when he saw Jenny. She’d stripped out of her costume and was sitting on the Iron Throne like a seductive queen with one slender leg draped over the armrest. She beckoned him closer and licked her lips nervously. “I hope you don’t mind. It’s a little fantasy of mine.”

  Damn! Could she be any more of my dream girl?

  His mouth went dry. “Not at all.”

  “Then don’t keep me waiting.”

  Dan shed his clothes in record time and fell to his knees in front of her like a worshipping subject. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her breasts seemed darker and fuller than before, rising and falling with each quick breath she took. Her skin was soft and silky under his hands as he explored her naked flesh. Her full lips practically begged him to kiss her again.

  He’d never wanted a woman this badly.

  But after being burned before, it was going to be on his terms.

  He rolled the condom on and pulled closer until she was barely seated on the throne before grabbing her ankles and lifting them up to rest on his shoulders. If she wanted to be fucked on a throne, then he was going to enjoy it. He watched his cock slide into her, savoring every inch of her tightness.

  Jenny gripped the arms of the throne and sucked in a tight breath through her teeth. “More.”

  He chuckled and took a moment to brace himself. She felt so good, he almost came right there. Combined with the visual of his dick firmly seated inside her, he was going to have a hard time lasting long enough to make her come if he didn’t engage in some serious willpower.

  He focused on establishing a tempo she enjoyed, varying the speed and depths of his thrusts until he was rewarded by the sweet sounds of her pleasure. Watching her enjoy him was a feast for the eyes. Jenny held nothing back. Her eyes were half closed, her lips parted and murmuring his name
with every thrust. She arched her back so her breasts were inches from his lips, and he took the opportunity to nip one of her brown nipples, earning another moan of delight.

  The pressure built up at the base of his cock too soon. He wanted to draw this out, to make her come again and again, but the warning bells in the back of his mind cautioned that if he didn’t do something soon, he’d come before she did. He went deeper, harder, faster. Sweat beaded along his forehead and slickened his palms, but he was close.

  So. Very. God. Damn. Close.

  Her inner walls clamped around him, sending him over the edge as spasms of ecstasy started within her and flowed into him. Molten lava coursed through his veins as he came. He released her ankles as the strength fled from his muscles and he collapsed against her, burying his face between her breasts. The sated exhaustion that followed left him drained. He’d come hundreds of times before, but never quite like this.

  Jenny combed her fingers through his damp hair. “We shouldn’t have done this.”

  “Are you saying you didn’t enjoy it?” He lifted his eyes high enough to gauge her response.

  She gave him a sad smile. “I did. That’s the problem.”

  “How is great sex a problem?”

  “It can become addictive, and nothing’s changed since Comic-Con. I can’t get involved with anyone right now.” She tried to push him off of her so she could stand, but he clasped her hands in his and held her prisoner.

  Shit. He’d gotten so used to women chasing after him that he’d forgotten what it was like to have one push him away.

  And he wanted Jenny.

  Badly.

  “Give me one good reason why we can’t.”

  “For starters, it would throw off the whole game dynamic.” She wrestled her hands free and continued to push him away.

  “That’s a bullshit reason, and you know it.”

  She managed to slip by him and began getting dressed. “And I hardly know you.”

  “That didn’t stop you at Comic-Con.”

  “Comic-Con was an exception.” She tugged her leather pants on, hiding her perfectly shaped ass from his view. “I’m not usually this type of girl, and I never expected to see you again.”