Page 10 of Tempting the Player
Bridget laughed, holding her clutch tightly as she peered around him. There were shelves lined with books, so she doubted the not-reading part unless they were there for pure looks. There were also several signed balls and mitts in glass cases hooked to the walls, mixed among encased autographed photos. It was like a baseball hall of fame up in here.
Easing the door shut, Chad nodded toward two doors beyond the staircase. “That leads to a guest bedroom and a bathroom. Upstairs?”
Her stomach flopped like she was sixteen again as she nodded, and they went upstairs. There was another bedroom used for guests, a room she soon dubbed the “white room” due to the walls, ceiling, bed, and carpet all being white. She was half afraid to step into that room.
But then he brushed past her, sliding a hand along her back as he headed down the hall, leaving a trail of hot chills in its wake. She could see down into the living room, but due to a nasty fear of heights, she backed around from the banister.
Chad nudged his bedroom door open with his hip and flipped a switch on the wall. Soft yellow light flowed across polished floors. A bed the size of a pool was in the middle of the room. He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, tossing it carelessly onto the nightstand as if the phone didn’t cost three months’ worth of Bridget’s rent.
Dressers that matched the headboard sat against the opposite wall, identical to the bed stands on either side of the bed. A TV hung from the wall across from the bed and a door opened to a walk-in closet that nearly brought Bridget to her knees.
“Your closet,” she said, making her way to it. “I think it’s the size of my bedroom.”
“Originally, this was all one large room, but the interior designer built this closet and the bathroom.”
The room was larger? Jesus. Her gaze traveled over the arms of dark suits and then polo shirts all color coordinated. On the shelves above, stacks of jeans—designer, no doubt—rested. Her closet at home was an extra bedroom and a bunch of cheap clothing racks. She could live in Chad’s.
Knowing that the longer she stared into the closet, the more envious she’d become, she turned as Chad came up behind her, slipping an arm around her waist.
“I’m glad you said yes,” he said, his warm breath dancing along her cheek. “Actually, I’m thrilled that you said yes.”
Bridget tensed as heat swathed the length of her back. She turned her cheek toward him, biting down on her lower lip as his cheek grazed hers. The question blurted out of her mouth before she could stop it. “Why me?”
“Why you?” Chad pulled back a little and turned her around so that she faced him. He frowned. “I’m not sure I follow your question.”
Her cheeks flushed as she tried to look away, but he caught the edge of her chin in a gentle grasp. Damn the absence of a filter. She cleared her throat. “Why did you want me to come home with you?”
Chad cocked his head to the side. “I think it’s pretty obvious.” His other hand slid to the curve of her hip, and he tugged her forward. She could feel him against her belly, hot and hard. “I can go into more detail if you want.”
“I…I can tell, but you could have any girl at the club. Some of them—”
“I know I can have any woman there.”
Well, he definitely wasn’t lacking in the self-esteem department. “What I’m trying to say is that out of everyone there, you could’ve taken home one of the girls who looked like she stepped off a runway.”
Chad frowned. “I did take home the one I wanted.”
“But—”
“There isn’t a ‘but’ in this.” He cupped her cheek, tilting her head back. When he spoke, his lips brushed hers. “I want you. Bad. Right now. Against the wall. On my bed. The floor and maybe in the bathroom later. I have a shower stall and a Jacuzzi we could put to really good use. I know you’d like it.”
Dear God…
His smile was pure sex. “It doesn’t matter where. I want to fuck you in all those places.” His lips swept across hers in a feather-light brush, and his voice dipped to a sinful whisper. “And I will.”
Bridget’s eyes widened—shocked by how much she enjoyed his vulgar language, but before she could respond, his mouth claimed hers in a deep, searing kiss that sparked a fire within. He pushed her back, fitting his hard body against hers. His hand left her cheek, drifting down her shoulder to the curve of her waist. And he kept kissing her—kissing her in a way a man had never kissed her before, as if he was drinking her in, taking long deep drafts, and her body melted against his. Bridget’s hips tilted into him, and she was rewarded with a deep, throaty growl.
Lifting his head just enough that his lips left hers, he said, “Are you still confused about why I brought you home?”
“No,” she breathed, dazed.
“Because I can keep showing you—actually, I want to show you.” His teeth nipped at her lower lip, and her chest rose against his. “I’ll admit I’m thrown off by this, too.”
Second thoughts? Damn it. “You are?”
Chad nodded as both his hands landed on her hips. “Normally, I’d just get down to business. Get us off at the same time, the way we like it.”
Bridget had no idea what he was talking about or how he knew the way “they liked it.” All she did know was that his hands were making their way down her thighs, inching closer to the hem of her dress. Her head fell back against the wall as the tips of his fingers finally touched her bare skin.
