Playing Hard to Get (The Players)

THE MOMENT I see Joanna in that dress, I swear I almost swallow my tongue.

It’s dark red with long sleeves and covers her almost completely, save for the circle cut-outs on either side, right at rib level, revealing smooth, soft skin. She can’t wear a bra with those cut-outs and my gaze drops to her tits, where I can just make out her nipples straining against the fabric.

Shit.

The skirt is short and she’s wearing boots that hit right below the knee.

Double shit.

“Hi.” Her smile is confident, her gaze sending me a secret message that says, I know I’m destroying you with this dress and that was my plan all along because I’m an evil queen.

“You look…” My brain can’t find the right word to describe her.

“You like the dress?” She turns in a circle, offering me a quick view of her ass and the way the fabric clings to it.

“It’s—hot.” I’m literally breaking out in a sweat the longer I stare at her.

She laughs, and it’s the type of laugh a woman makes when she knows she’s got a man wrapped around her finger.

Does she realize how much she’s got me? I’m whipped. It’s true. I’m one hundred percent whipped for this woman.

“You’re beautiful.” I sling my arm around her waist and pull her into me, depositing a hot kiss to her glossy lips.

“Thank you. You look…amazing.” She rests her hand on my dark gray button-down that I paired with black trousers. “I love that we’re so dressed up.”

We’re usually hanging out at my apartment in sweats or naked, so this is a big change. “I wanted to take you out. You deserve it.”

“And what did I do to deserve this?” Her eyes are dancing and I can’t help myself—I kiss her again.

She exists. That’s why she deserves it. She makes my life a lot brighter, and I’m pretty sure she’s completely unaware of how much she matters to me. I need to show her. Tell her.

Starting tonight.

“Because you’ve been such a big help to me this semester,” I explain, which only counts for like, ten percent of my gratitude for her. “I got an A on my latest paper.”

A giant smile breaks out on her face and she reaches for me, her hands on my cheeks as she delivers a smacking kiss to my lips. “Oh my God, you did? I’m so proud of you.”

She’s helped me so much. I couldn’t get through this class without her.

I squeeze her waist, my fingers sliding through the cut-out, so I can touch her bare skin. “It’s all thanks to you.”

“You’re the one putting in the work.” She wraps her arms around my neck and squeezes me tight, her mouth on my neck, delivering a quick kiss. “I’m so happy for you.”

My chest aches at her words, the way she feels pressed against me. I’m half tempted to walk her back into her bedroom and have my way with her, but our reservation is in fifteen minutes and it’ll take at least ten to drive to the restaurant.

“We should go,” I tell her and she pulls away from me reluctantly.

“Where are you taking me?” she asks once we’re in my car, heading to the restaurant.

“The Vintage. It’s a steakhouse.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of it. Never been though.”

“You’ll like it. We’ve had team dinners there.”

“Fancy.” She smiles.

We arrive at the restaurant just before eight, and when we enter the waiting area, I can feel my chest puffing out, proud to have this beautiful woman by my side. The hostess leads us to our table and I swear men watch her as we walk by, their expressions ones of pure interest.

I scowl at every single one of them, ready to bark out, “Eyes on your plate!” if necessary.

Jesus, she turns me into a possessive nightmare sometimes.

Once we’re settled at the table and contemplating our choices as we scan the tall menus, I can hear Joanna making worrying sounds.

“What’s wrong?” I lower my menu, so I can look at her.

“This place is expensive.”

“I’ve got it. Don’t worry.”

She bites her lower lip, her gaze going back to the menu. “You don’t need to spend so much money on me, Knox.”

“I want to.” The serious tone in my voice has her gaze returning to mine, her eyes glowing in the dim light of the restaurant. Despite the later hour on a weeknight, the place is packed. But I don’t notice anyone else. Just her. “Get whatever you want and don’t worry about the cost, Jo Jo. Let me spoil you.”

Her gaze softens and she returns it to the menu. “The filet mignon does sound delicious.”

“Their steaks are amazing.”

“You know, I tried to be a vegetarian when I was in high school, but it wasn’t working for me. All I would eat were carbs and my mom would get so mad at me because I’d constantly complain about how hungry I was. I’d even fainted from what my doctor told me was a lack of proper nutrition.” Joanna makes an embarrassed face. “Now I realize I was just doing it because my friends were.”

“Are your friends still vegetarians?”

“They are, actually. I guess I wasn’t meant for the vegetarian life.” She shrugs, then resumes scanning the menu.

She’s so adorable. And sweet. Beautiful. Sexy.

I’ve got it so bad.

The server stops by our table and we order drinks and appetizers. I get a beer, but I’m only having one. I’m driving, plus we’re getting closer to the weekend and I don’t like drinking too much as we lead up to game day. Joanna ordered a raspberry lemon drop and when the server dropped it off, along with my beer, Jo immediately whips out her phone and starts taking photos of the drink.

“It’s so pretty,” she says when I chuckle at her. Her gaze meets mine. “Can I take a photo of you and post it on my story?”

It sounds stupid, but this feels like a moment. Outing ourselves publicly with photos on social media is making a statement that we’re together.

“Go for it,” I tell her.

“Okay, smile.” She holds up her phone and I pose for her, my smile automatic as I study her. She’s smiling as she studies the screen. “Oh, it’s such a good photo of you.”

She hands her phone over to me so I can look at it and I can immediately see it in my eyes, how gone I am over her.

Does she see it? Does she know?

“I like it. Can I take one of you?”

“Are we making it official, Maguire?”

I swallow hard, staring at her. “I don’t know. Are we?”

“Have you seen anyone else?”

I shake my head. “No. Have you? When would we have the time?”

My voice is hoarse. She’s all I think about. All I want. Just the idea of her being with some other guy makes me want to murder him with my bare hands and the dude doesn’t even actually exist.

At least he better not.

“There’s no one else.” She tilts her head to the side, and I notice the thin gold hoops in her ears. Damn, those are sexy. “Only you.”

Only you. Those two words keep echoing in my head and I must admit…

I like the way they sound.

“Let’s take a photo together. After dinner,” I suggest. “And we can both post it at the same time.”

“Once we go social media official, that’s it. Your player status is over,” she reminds me.

“I don’t want to play with anyone else but you.” I am dead serious, and she can see it. Sense it.

Her nod is slow, those big brown eyes eating me up. “I’m freaking out right now.”

“Don’t freak out, Jo Jo.” I stretch my hand across the table, palm up and she places her hand in my own. “I like you. A lot.”

I’m falling for her. Probably have already fallen, if I’m being real with myself. And while that is scary and wild and I’m nervous about it, being with Joanna also feels so damn right. There’s nobody else for me.

She’s it.

Our appetizer arrives, breaking up the serious moment, and we don’t talk about it for the rest of dinner, but it’s there. Lingering just beneath the surface.

I can’t wait to get her alone. So I can show her how I really feel.

We’re leaving the restaurant, both of us stuffed, Joanna a little tipsy, thanks to the three raspberry lemon drops she consumed. She stops me in front of the building, her phone in her hand.

“Let’s take our picture.”

I stand as close to her as I can, my arm around her waist, holding her tight. She switches the camera, so it’s facing us, and holds it above her head, getting both of us in it.

“Are you ready?” she asks.

I nod. “Yeah.”

Goddamn, she smells good. Feels good too. I like how she’s leaning her head against mine, her eyes a little hazy, thanks to the alcohol, and I give her waist a squeeze, turning my head at the last second, so I can kiss her temple.

She captures the moment with a few presses of the button. “Oh, that turned out so cute!”

I study the photo, resting my head on top of hers as I do. I look like a lovesick fool and I don’t give a damn.

“Send it to me,” I tell her. “Let’s get in the car and we’ll post together.”

“We are so cheesy.” She laughs, taking my hand as I lead her toward the parking lot.

“I like our brand of cheese.” Joanna laughs even harder and I grab hold of her waist, pressing her against the side of my car. “You making fun of me?”

She slowly shakes her head, her fingers sliding over the buttons of my shirt. “Never.”

“Good.” I slip my fingers beneath her chin, tilting her face up. I drag my thumb across her bottom lip before I softly kiss her. “Are we really doing this?”

Her eyes sparkle with mischief. “If you’re talking about us being exclusive, then yes. We are totally doing this, Knox. You can’t back out now.”

“Good.” I grin, just before I take her lips in another breathless kiss. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I’m still thinking about Joanna days later, when the team and I are on the charter bus, heading back home after our away game. We crushed them, thirty-five to seven and I ran in two of the touchdowns like a fucking beast. Everyone says I’m on fire this season. My coaches, my teammates, my dad, my uncle Drew. They’re all texting or calling, letting me know how proud they are of me, which feels good. Better than good.

It feels fucking fantastic.

My opponents gripe about my solid gameplay, and the various media sites are raving over me too. Joanna keeps me on track by reminding me to go to physical therapy, which is doing wonders for my knee. It barely hurts at all now.

Just having her in my life helps. She’s like a balm to my fucking soul.

Leaning back in my seat, I open up the Audible app on my phone, my AirPods already in my ears, ready to listen to the latest book I’ve been assigned to read for English. I’m still not a huge fan of reading, but listening to the audio version is so much easier.

Not ready to listen just yet, I scroll through the books Jo already has listed on her account, something I haven’t really done before. Some of them look like scary thrillers—interesting—and there are a few with bare-chested dudes on the covers.

Hmm. Even more interesting.

One of the books is titled Make a Play and I open it up, the female narrator’s sultry voice immediately fills my ears, sounding as if it’s halfway through the story already. Like Joanna left off at this spot.

He pushed me down onto the bed and I went without protest, landing on my back, a puff of air leaving my lips. I eat him up with my greedy gaze while he tugs off his T-shirt, revealing his broad chest. His lean torso.

His chiseled abs.

My mouth waters and I can’t stop staring. And when my gaze drops to the noticeable bulge in his jeans, I swallow hard.

Is that all him?

I hit pause.

My girl is into some sexy shit.

Glancing around the bus, I’m trying to see if anyone is paying attention to me, but my teammates seem like they’re all in their own little worlds. Most of them appear to be asleep.

Unpausing the story, I continue listening.

When he starts unbuttoning his jeans, I realize that is definitely all him beneath the fly and down low, I pulse with need. He catches me staring, his hand settling over the front of his boxers, and he grips himself tight, asking me in a rough voice, “You ready for this?”

I nod, scooting up the bed when he approaches it, fear and excitement coursing through my veins. “Oh yeah.”

He rids himself of the jeans and his boxers, until he’s gloriously naked. I stare as if I’ve never seen a naked man before, and while I have, I’ve never seen one like this. With muscles on muscles and the thickest cock I’ve ever laid eyes on.

My gaze jerks to the left. I swear I heard someone say my name, but I think I’m just being paranoid.

This shit is kind of…

Hot.

“Suck it,” he demands, stopping at the foot of the bed.

I move toward him then, positioning myself like the good girl he wants, sitting on my knees, my mouth falling open as I turn wide eyes up to his face. His expression is stern, almost mean, but I see the fire in his gaze.

He wants me as much as I want him.

Slowly, he traces my lips with the head of his cock and I sneak my tongue out to lick at the slit, lapping up pre-cum. He feeds me inch after inch until the head touches the very back of my throat. I calm my breathing, closing my eyes before I suction my lips tightly around him, sucking hard. He groans.

I shift uncomfortably in my seat, readjusting the front of my jeans.

Jesus.

He fucks my mouth steadily. Over and over. And I take it. I take it like a good girl because that’s all I want to be. His good girl.

“So pretty with a mouth full of dick,” he murmurs, his hand coming up to cup the side of my head before he threads his fingers in my hair. “Want me to come all over your sweet little face?”

Moaning, I nod, my fingers circling the base, trying to control his movements, but it’s no use. He takes over completely, fucking my mouth, driving his cock between my lips again and again, his movements fierce, the low, guttural sounds coming from his chest making my body burn with need.

Someone touches my shoulder and I about jump out of my skin, tearing an AirPod out of my ear, wanting to die when I can still hear the narrator’s voice.

“…that’s it, baby. Let me come on your face.”

I frantically hit pause, my gaze lifting to find Cam standing in front of me, giving me a strange look.

“You okay there, bro?”

Taking a deep breath, I press the back of my head into the seat and kick my legs out, going for casual. It’s dark enough on the bus that he can’t see the semi-erection I’m sporting, thanks to that fucking book.

Hopefully.

Goddamn.

“I’m fine,” I finally answer him, grateful my voice is steady.

“You’re kind of red in the face.” He points at me. “Was just heading back to my seat and I noticed you looked a little…overheated. Wanted to make sure you’re not all pissed off or crying or whatever.”

“Why would I be pissed or crying?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “Why are you watching porn on the bus surrounded by all of your teammates?”

My face is on fucking fire thanks to Cam’s casual comment. “I’m not watching porn.”

“Sure sounded like it. Aren’t you getting enough pussy from your girlfriend?” He laughs then shakes his head.

I hate that he referred to Joanna’s pussy so casually, but then again, I kind of like that he called her my girlfriend. I haven’t even referred to her that way yet.

“I was listening to one of her books on her audio app, and it was kind of—”

“Sexual?” Cam finishes for me. “Is that your assigned reading?”

“Hell no.”

Cam is grinning, the asshole. “I’ll let you get back to it then. Enjoy yourself—but not too much.”

I watch him amble down the narrow aisle of the bus, shaking my head.

Then I get back to listening to that damn book, wondering if this is what my girlfriend wants from me. We’re already pretty experimental, but this guy is a real dominant asshole. The woman seems to get off on it though. And all the dirty talking, which I do sometimes, but maybe not enough?

Is that what she likes? Does she want more of it from me? Shit, listening to this stuff is filling me with doubt—something I haven’t experienced sexually since I was a teen.

But I can’t lie, it’s also pretty fucking hot.

Looks like me and Jo Jo are having a conversation when I get home.