Playing to Win

him and swept her hand across his jaw. “It’s okay. I didn’t handle it any better than you. I doubted how you felt about me and I got scared, too. So instead of telling you how I felt, I kicked you out. Instead of opening a dialogue between us, I ran and hid from you.”
    He took her hand in his. “I’m in love with you. I don’t take those words lightly, Peaches. And with love comes commitment. I’ll always be here for you. I’m not going anywhere. I’m never going to leave you.”
    The words sunk in. Her heart blossomed with such an outpouring of emotion she thought she might burst with it. And she realized he needed to hear it from her, too. “I love you, too, Cole. I’ve loved you for a while now. I’m ashamed to admit I was too afraid to tell you, because I didn’t know how you felt about me.”
    His lips lifted. “Well, now you know. Can I say I’m damn happy to hear you say it? I was afraid you didn’t feel the same way, that I was going to tell you I loved you and you were going to pat me on the shoulder and say ‘that’s nice’ and that we’d always be friends.”
    She laughed, then climbed on his lap. “I was hoping you knew how I felt.”
    “I was hoping you knew how I felt.” Now it was his turn to laugh. “Christ, we’re such a mess. I think we need to work on our communication skills.”
    “I think you’re right.”
    “You’ve always been a good teacher. I’ll trust you to help me work on mine. I promise to tell you I love you every day.”
    “And I’ll try harder to always tell you what I’m feeling. I admit I’m pretty good at telling others how to live their lives, but not so good at dealing with my own. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, so I’m going to need your help.”
    “I’ll always be here to help you.”
    She loved hearing that from him. And even better, she believed him, because he had always been there for her.
    She bent and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and laid her on the sofa, deepening the kiss until her head was filled with love and her body was filled with desire. When he reached for her breast, she covered his hand with hers, holding it there, letting him feel the rapid beat of her heart.
    When he lifted his hand, she was out of breath. “Want me to tell you what I’m feeling right now?”
    He raised her skirt and rested his hand on her panties, teasing her sex. “You’re wet. I’m not psychic, but I have a pretty good idea what you’re feeling.”
    She gazed at his face, unable to fathom that this extraordinary man loved her. “What are you going to do about it?”
    He slipped his fingers beneath the silk and rubbed her aching flesh, teasing her until she was panting. “I’m going to make you come, Peaches. And then I’m going to slide my dick in you and make love to you and make you come again.”
    She grinned. “I like this idea.” She arched against his hand. He removed her panties, slid his fingers inside her, and rubbed her clit with his thumb.
    He dropped off the couch and onto his knees, drawing her legs over his shoulders. He put his mouth on her pussy and licked her, the heat and wetness of his tongue taking her right to the edge of madness. She lifted up on her elbows, watching him as he lapped at her with his tongue and sucked her clit. Sensation spiraled withinher until she couldn’t hold back. And when she came, their eyes met and she let him watch her release, arching against him as wave after wave washed over her.
    When the pulses subsided, he stood, licked his lips and smiled down at her, then kicked off his shoes and dropped his pants to the floor. He grabbed a condom and took a seat on the sofa, pulling her on top of him.
    “You are the sexiest woman I’ve ever known,” he said as he lifted her skirt over her hips.
    She rocked her sex against his erection. “You’ve always made me feel sexy.” She took the condom wrapper from his hands and tore it open, then fit the condom onto his rigid cock. “You make me want to do things I’ve never done before.”
    “Like having sex outside my family’s bar?”
    She laughed, then raised up and slid down over his shaft, gasping as he filled her. “Yes, like that.”
    He grabbed her buttocks and spread them as he speared his cock into her, burying himself deep. She unbuttoned her blouse and undid the clasp of her bra, releasing her breasts. His eyes went half-lidded as she grabbed her breasts and teased her nipples while he surged into her.
    “You have no