PLAYED: A Small Town Billionaire Romance (Reckless Falls Book 5) Read online

  Finn had returned with a bottle of wine and already opened it and set it out on the table. He must have been off looking for stemware, because he was nowhere in sight, thankfully. I looked down and saw it wasn't the dry Riesling, but I didn't care when Bee looked up at me with those plump lips pursed in thought.

  I grabbed the bottle of wine that sat on the table. Watching her, I lifted it to my lips, checking to see if she was going to object. She was watching me with wide eyes, but it didn't say a word, so I took a swig from the bottle. Fuck, I needed something to steady myself if she was going to keep looking up at me like that.

  And then I set it down and placed the tray in front of her.

  "Oh my God," she said, leaning forward with her eyes shining. "I think I've died and gone to heaven."

  I grinned. "Here, try this first," I told her.

  It was a simple panna cotta with fresh blueberries from one of the local farms. Nothing fancy. I scooped it up, spooning it up into her mouth. She licked her lips, eyeing me warily, but then leaned forward, too interested in tasting the dessert to defy me.

  I swallowed as she closed her eyes. The fork slipped between her lips and I had to suppress a groan when I saw the way they closed tightly around it.

  She held it in her mouth for a moment, licking her lips, and I reached out to swipe a fleck from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes fluttered open and she swallowed.

  "In your professional opinion," I said slowly, and she blushed and reached for the wine bottle, eyeing me. "Tell me what you think."

  She swallowed and licked her lips again. "Your balance is a little off," she said, slightly haughtily. "Two sweet.

  I nodded slowly. "It's true. I like things that are sweet," I told her again. "But not too sweet."

  She grinned. "You should sprinkle the top with Kosher salt," she said, licking her lips again.

  A light bulb went off in my brain. "Brilliant," I said, leaning forward. "You're absolutely brilliant." She blushed even harder now, her whole face red. "Here, try it again to be sure." I reached out with the fork.

  As she leaned forward, I leaned in too, catching the corner of her mouth with mine and brushing a quick kiss past her lips.

  She looked up at me with wide brown eyes, startled, but not moving away.

  I bent down, taking her face into my hands. Then I leaned in and kissed those full, sweet lips.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Bee

  My brain was buzzing, like a live wire. Disbelief and confusion swirled around,

  But above all that, there was excitement.

  Jackson kissed differently from Finn. He was slower, more deliberate, like he wanted to take his time to taste me, while I had been certain Finn wanted to devour me whole. Jackson's fuller lips nibbled along my jawline to whisper against my ear before seeking my mouth again. Slow and sensuous while Finn's kiss had been hard and unyielding.

  My eyes flew open as I suddenly realized what I was doing. Kissing one guy, then another? Comparing them?

  What the hell was I doing?

  Who was I?

  Startled, I pulled back, feeling weak. Jackson watched me with careful eyes as I grabbed the wine bottle and swallowed deeply. He pressed his lips together, licking them once, and then looked troubled as he reached for the bottle to take a swig too. We both looked down at the table.

  "I finally found the glasses," came a voice from beside us.

  We both looked up, and I blushed to see that Finn was standing there. Had he seen? Did he think I was some kind of slut for kissing Jackson? When I had been kissing him only a moment ago?

  What the hell had gotten into me?

  Jackson nodded at Finn's words, and then held out the bottle of wine. "We figured out a workaround," he said, shrugging. Finn looked at it, and then grabbed it and upended it down his throat.

  There was a beat of silence, electricity crackling through the air. I stared at them both and my breath quickened a little. Did they get sexier every single time I looked? Jackson with his dark halo of hair, olive skin, white teeth, beautiful smile. Finn with his golden glow, floppy hair, easy dimpled smile, snapping blue eyes. It was like they were a set. One light and one dark, a matched pair, perfectly composed like one of Jackson's dishes. Two extremes, and me caught in the middle wanting them both.

  Kissing them both.

  "What are we doing?" I breathed.

  And then I suddenly realized I had said that aloud.

  After a long moment, Jackson was the first speak. "You want to be with him," he said, nodding toward Finn. "Don't you? I see how you look at him."

  I swallowed. What else was there to do but tell the truth? But I couldn't seem to make the words come, and instead I only nodded mutely.

  Jackson nodded, his lip curling into something that wasn't a smile, but it wasn't snarl either. He took a quick swig from the wine bottle and then looked at me with through narrowed eyes. "Then kiss him," he said.

  I gasped and swallowed hard. "You're asking me to kiss him... in front of you?

  His voice was hoarse, thick. "Show me how much you want him," he said.

  I looked at Finn, frightened, but excited too. He was standing there with his hands in his pockets and I ached with how badly I wanted him to touch me.

  "You guys are best friends..." I started to say.

  "We're a team," Finn interrupted.

  Jackson's lip curled upward into a smile I didn't quite understand. "We don't compete when it comes to women...,” he said slowly, glancing between Finn and me. "So kiss him."

  I reached over and snagged the bottle, slamming the bright, fruity wine down my throat without tasting it at all. My body hummed with the desire to kiss Finn and the wrongness of doing it in front of Jackson.

  The dangerous, exquisite wrongness.

  I stepped forward, and stood on my tiptoes. Finn's eyes were so blue they resembled sapphires or the deep waters of the ocean. Were they always that dark? Or had they changed? Was I drunk? I had to be because I was straining upward to reach him, my hand snaking around his neck and pulling him down to me.

  When my lips met his, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and sighed, melting against him. He groaned against my lips, freeing his hands from his pockets to let them wander around the small of my back, pulling me closer to him. I gasped against his mouth when I felt his hardness stab into my stomach. Undeniable, unbelievable hardness that had my core clenching in a second. If his hands weren't on me, holding me up, I might have just dropped to the floor in a puddle. His tongue swirled with mine, rough and dominating, devouring my mouth and filling my senses with him. His woodsy smell, the taste of the wine, the feel of his body under his clothes, the heat that rose from his skin and his sounds... His sounds, the muffled noises he made in his throat as he kissed me so hard I thought I might pass out.

  When I pulled back, gasping, spots swam in front of my eyes for a moment. I blinked to see that Finn was staring at me, eyes darting back and forth as he searched my face for a second. I could hear his question hanging in the air, but he didn't ask it. Instead he let his hands drop. Stepping back he lifted his chin. "Kiss Jackson now," he commanded.

  I looked back to see that Jackson had been watching us the whole time. His fists were clenched at his sides, white showing at his knuckles, stark against his olive skin. But his face was calm, almost... intrigued. No not intrigued. Interested.

  Fascinated.

  And deeply turned on.

  I shook my head, starting to protest in spite of myself. This was wrong. This wasn't how things... worked.

  But Finn shook his head — calm, composed and completely in charge. "You want him too," he said, and it wasn't a question. "So kiss him. Make your decision," Finn ordered.

  I turned to see that Jackson was staring at Finn, but his eyes dragged away, landing on mine.

  When he stepped forward, I closed my eyes, waiting for the searing heat of his mouth on mine, and when it came what little was left of me seemed to melt away.
r />   From outside of myself I heard Finn's thick voice rasping orders. "Hold her, Jackson," he commanded. "Kiss her like you mean it."

  Jackson groaned against my mouth, his tongue swirling against mine. I heard the sound of breath hitching, but I didn't know if it was mine or his... or his. "You should see this," Finn said in a voice I barely recognized. "How flushed she is. I bet her toes are curling right now."

  At that, Jackson pulled back. His eyes were dark, so dark there was no more iris left, and his breath was coming quicker. "I want to see that," he said, his voice filled with dangerous promise. He took my arm, spinning me around. "Kiss her again," he told Finn. "Make her toes curl."

  I yelped a little, finding myself passed between them, like this was a game, like this was a fantasy.

  Except it was very real. Dangerously real.

  When Finn took me by the arms, pulling me flush against his body, I gave myself over to his kiss, his different kiss, and wondered what it meant about me that I could to kiss one man while another man's taste still lingered in my mouth.

  And what's more, that I liked it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Finn

  Kissing her was like falling off a cliff and figuring out you could fly all at the same time.

  A fierce possessiveness, like I'd never felt before — a sort of raw, animal desire — burst in my chest. I growled into her mouth, clutching a fistful of her hair and yanking her head back to claim her mouth more deeply. Somewhere outside of myself, I heard another noise, a growl much like my own, and I pulled back, wrenching my lips away from hers and looked over to see Jackson watching, fists balled at his side, his eyes wide and wild.

  I knew what he was feeling, because I could feel it myself. He wanted her.

  I wanted her.

  But what did she want?

  I looked down at her. Her eyes were half lidded, as if she were in a kind of drugged and sleepy stupor. She sagged against me, and the feel her body, soft and compliant in my arms, sparked something inside of me.

  "Kiss him again," I heard myself say.

  Her eyelids fluttered. Was it confusion? Or was it something else? I wasn't certain. I had no idea what I was doing passing her back to Jackson like this other than... Well...

  I liked it.

  When he took her again, pressing his mouth to hers, sliding his hand up around her neck, I could watch her face.

  I couldn't see her face when I kissed her myself.

  But this way, watching them, I could see her wild eyes and the way she let her shoulders fall back. I could see the way her hair brushed her shoulders, the way her hips arched forward in a sinuous line. I could feel her when I kissed her. I could smell her, taste her, hear her.

  But I couldn't see her.

  And somehow, even though I knew this was completely impossible, I wanted it.

  Was impossible?

  Because clearly it wasn't. It was happening right now. I had tasted her, and now I could see her. I could possess her with my mouth, and then devour her with my eyes as I watched her with Jackson.

  It was the most amazing fucking thing I'd ever seen in my life.

  "Kiss her," I said, barely recognizing my voice. "Harder," I told him.

  She let out a whimper, which was answered by Jackson's angry growl. He yanked her hair back, pulling her in closer and sliding his hand down her back. I clenched and unclenched my hands, but they were still trembling as I watched this. My whole body was vibrating with the need for him to...

  To keep going.

  "Put your hands on her," I demanded.

  "Where should I put my hands?" Jackson murmured against her mouth.

  My fists opened and shut, tracing the lines of her body from way over here. "Touch her neck," I told him.

  She gasped as he slid his hand around her soft neck, his hands drifting down to her shoulders. I groaned though my clenched teeth. "Now kiss lower," I said.

  Bee let out a small squeak as he brushed his lips across the pulse that beat at her throat. She sucked in a shaky breath, looking first at Jackson.

  And then she looked at me.

  And then Jackson looked at me.

  And then I knew...

  They were both waiting for me to tell them what happened next.

  Slowly I rose from my perch against the table. I was harder than I'd ever been before, my cock straining against the fabric of my pants, but I didn't care that they could clearly see how aroused I was.

  Bee's parted lips, and Jackson's trembling hands told me they were feeling the same way I was.

  I lifted my chin, sweeping my eyes over Bee. "You're wearing too many clothes," I told her, loving the way her eyes went wide and hooded at the same time. I turned to Jackson. "Take off her shirt."

  Without any hesitation, he yanked her shirt over her head, and slid his hands down her naked skin with a groan. "Fuck," was all he said.

  I sucked air in between my teeth when I saw her for the first time. The soft curve of her freckled shoulder. Her pretty white tummy with the most adorable navel I'd ever seen. And... my eyes swept back up again. "Let me see those tits now," I ordered Jackson.

  The speed and skill at which he unhooked her bra would have made me burst out in laughter at any other time. Now I was only impatient.

  When that lacy fabric fell away, and her full, ripe breasts spilled into view, Jackson and I both made the same sound.

  Her breasts were perfect. Full and heavy, topped with peachy nipples just perfect for sucking.

  Which was a damn good idea, come to think of it. "Suck on them now," I told Jackson. "Gentle. Just get her used to it. Get her liking it."

  Jackson bent his lips to her breasts, and I almost didn't know which one of us had it better. Him touching his lips to those gorgeous mounds, or me who was treated to the sight of her bliss. "Move your lips down," I ordered, my hands shaking. "Lower. Down, kiss her tummy. Kiss that sweet little bellybutton." I paused to let the pulse racing in my ears slow back down enough so that I could hear when I said, "Now. Go lower."

  Jackson growled, hoisting Bee up onto the table. He hooked his fingers into her waistband and yanked her pants down unceremoniously.

  I was watching him, so I didn't realize it at first, but all the while he was undressing her, her eyes were fixed on me. Those big brown eyes were glued to my face. Even as Jackson started kissing up the inside of her thighs. I could see every little thing that he was doing to her, and the whole time her eyes were fixed on me, and it was better than anything I'd ever fantasized. The way her chest flushed, the way her lips parted, the way her eyes widened and then squeezed shut as his tongue found its mark? Watching her fall to pieces, all while I was directing what it was that made her shatter?

  This was unlike anything I had ever even dreamed was possible.

  Bee's breath caught her in her throat. Her full lips fell open, and suddenly I couldn't stand it anymore. I moved to her and my lips came crashing down on hers, and suddenly she was screaming against my mouth as Jackson's tongue pushed her over the edge.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Jackson

  I have never asked for permission for anything in my life.

  I wasn't getting permission from Finn. Hell no. When it came to Bee, I sure as hell didn't need him to tell me what to do next.

  No. I was giving him permission.

  All the secret things that he'd kept bottled up inside of himself, the stuff he would never allow himself to do to Bee?

  Well fuck, I'd do all of them and more, he just needed to tell me what he wanted. I was giving him permission to act out his fantasies without really doing them in real life.

  That was what I told myself, anyway.

  But the strange thing was, hearing him tell me what to do to this trembling, insanely sexy, insanely innocent girl, drowned out some of the noise in my own head. The clamor — of all of the million voices demanding that I do things perfectly — was silenced when all I had to do with Bee was what Finn wanted me to do.

&
nbsp; In a way, it was like our business partnership all over again. He took the lead in making it happen, and I made it genius.

  Maybe it was the wine that had me devouring her pussy while Finn played with her tits. Maybe it was the strangeness of the situation that made it okay that Finn was kissing her as I licked and sucked her clit. Maybe it was all of the stress of dealing with all the restaurant bullshit, but somehow this was all okay. More than okay. We needed this.

  Relief.

  Release.

  Fuck, we'd already agreed we were never going to compete for a girl. Wasn't fucking her at the same time just a logical extension of that agreement?

  Yeah, that made perfect fucking sense. At least in the moment, anyway.

  And besides. We always were better as a team.

  "Put your finger inside of her." Finn's voice came from above. Fucker was getting really bossy now.

  But I did agree that it was a really good idea.

  I drew my finger down that slick wet heat, and slipped inside. She was so fucking wet, it was almost like she was waiting for me. She hissed between her teeth, still kissing Finn as I began to move, hooking my finger to catch that place inside her pussy that make her toes curl.

  She was so hot. She was so sweet. She was so fucking tight. I'd been wanting to do this from the moment I first saw her back by the dumpster. I'd wanted to press her up against the brick wall of the restaurant and plunge my fingers inside of her. I'd wanted to impale her with my cock, pinning her up against the wall and fucking her until her screamed my name. I'd been wondering what her pussy tasted like since the moment she offered me her honey buns with her eyes half-lidded. She'd peered at me through her lashes and flirted in that charmingly unskilled way of hers. All clumsy innuendo and double entendre as we danced around the endgame we both knew we were careening towards.

  My face between her legs, my tongue on her clit and my finger thrusting inside of her.

  She tasted better than I'd hoped. Better than I'd dreamed. She was sweet, but not too sweet.

  Just like I liked it.