Player's Challenge Read online

  Around seven-thirty, the limousine pulled up in front of her flat. With one last check at the hall mirror, she stepped outside. “I’m leaving now,” she said, locking both the front door and setting the home alarm. Halfway up the front walk, she heard Devin’s wolf whistle. He stood on the other side of the gate, tongue practically hanging out of his mouth. Coming alive under his admiration, she stopped short and pivoted slowly.

  “You look amazing,” he said as he helped her into the hired sedan.

  “You’re not half bad yourself, mate.” Her compliment was an understatement. He’d tamed his blond locks into a brush-back style with side part. His black suit reeked of money, and he smelled heavenly.

  The moment she sat back, Devin scooted closer. He slung one arm around her shoulders, the other settled on her knee. He ran his fingertips over her skin, instantly igniting her libido.

  “You’re squirming,” he whispered. His warm breath tickled her ear, causing her to squirm some more.

  Gasping, Gemma arched against him. “I can’t help it.”

  “I’m in the same boat. We’ve been separated only a few hours and I couldn’t wait to get you in my arms. Why’d your boss order this devilish limo?”

  Mentioning Yvonne, reminded Gemma of Devin’s odd reaction to his contract.

  “We need to talk.” Knowing that would be impossible with his hands on her, she slipped from under his arm.

  “Can’t it wait?” The hand on her knee moved higher.

  Gemma picked his hand up and placed it in his lap.

  Devin’s smile wavered. “This doesn’t look promising,” he grumbled.

  “Depends solely on your reaction.”

  Devin threaded his fingers together in his lap and sat back. “I’m all ears.”

  “Your reaction to your offer from Edmonton was less than enthusiastic.”

  He took so long to answer Gemma assumed he didn’t hear her.

  “I got cold feet,” he finally muttered. “I’ve been with Croydon my entire career. I guess…I sort of feel disloyal by looking at another team’s offer. Plus, it’s a ton of money, and no human being is worth that much to catch a ball.”

  Gemma silently agreed. No ball player was worth the astronomical contracts they earned, but it was the way the industry worked. Moreover, Devin’s contract would put food on her table, Jimmy Choos in her closet and pay off her student loan.

  “First, you haven’t signed on the dotted line. We can always hold out for Croydon’s offer. Second, you’re a first tier player and you bang up your body more than the average Joe. You deserve that money, Devin.”

  “What if I don’t pan out?” His green eyes searched hers and she took one of his hands in hers.

  “Nothing in life is guaranteed, but at least you’re getting well paid for an unsure bet.” She ran her fingertips over the back of his hand. “You’re a great player, Devin, and another zero on your paycheck isn’t going to change that.”

  “I love how you always have my back. I’ll wait to see what Croydon has to offer.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, but he didn’t immediately pull away. He slid his nose along her temple and inhaled. “You smell like heaven. Want to take the long way to the restaurant?”

  Gemma’s pulse leaped. “Don’t even think about it.”

  Devin turned his attention to the driver. “Hey, mate, there’s a big tip in it for you, if you take the long way to our destination.”

  The driver looked at them through the rear view mirror. From his expression, he didn’t seem shocked by the request. “Throw in a couple of tickets to a match and I think I can wrestle up a twenty-five minute detour.”

  “We can’t do what you’re thinking of doing here.” Gemma jumped up, intending to change her seat to the opposite bench. She didn’t get far. Devin grabbed her around the waist at the same time he hit the privacy button.

  Chapter Twelve

  Any further protests died against Devin’s lips. Straddling him, Gemma gripped his shoulders and deepened the kiss. She nibbled on his full bottom lip, drew on his tongue and sucked. He made the most erotic sound that rattled her from her scalp to the tips of her toes.

  “Hurry up and put a condom on,” she rasped, while rocking her hips against him, stroking her sex with the hard length of his shaft. She couldn’t wait to have him inside her. Hungry for him, she made quick work of his zipper.

  “I wish I could eat you properly, but time is of the essence,” he said as he reached inside his trouser pocket and pulled out a green prophylactic.

  “I’ll hold you to that later.” Gemma eased back slightly giving him room to roll the rubber down his thick cock. Once he was sheathed, he slid his hands beneath her skirt and lifted the material. His fingers touched her sex and Gemma bit down on her bottom lip.

  “You’re already wet for me,” he whispered, the passing street lights glittering in his green eyes. He pressed his index finger against her panties, pushing inside her, groaning when she squeezed him. “I hope I’ll always have this kind of effect on you.”

  His earnest tone spurred Gemma’s desire. Clutching his shoulder with one hand, she moved her skirts aside along with her panties with the other, and then positioned herself over him.

  He smoothed his hands over her back, along her arms, causing goose bumps.

  “You don’t have to take your time,” he rasped, his face flush with lust. “In fact, I want you to fuck me fast and hard.”

  The rawness of his words made Gemma shiver with anticipation. Eager, she eased down, lowering her hips. They groaned in unison as he slid home.

  Devin’s eyes shuttered closed. Tension furrowed his brow. “Damn…it’s always so good between us.” His whispered words were laced with wonder.

  Gemma agreed. Each time they came together was better than the last. Unbelievably wet, she lifted her hips sliding up a fraction. He pressed his back into the seat, his neck arching as if frustrated with the tempo she set.

  “Fuck me, Gemma…Fuck me,” he urged, his eyes heavy-lidded with passion. Not waiting for her to comply, he gripped her thighs and slammed her back down on his lap.

  Gemma groaned as he pushed deep, seating himself to the root. She rolled her hips relishing the feel of him, swelling thick and hard inside her. Gaze locked with his, she rose up on her knees until he almost slipped out of her and then seated herself again.

  “Yes,” he hissed, “just like that.” He flattened his palm against her belly and she sucked in a breath. He pressed his thumb against her clit, and a ball of tension knotted in her belly and she squeezed him tighter.

  “Damn.” He gritted his teeth. “I swear you’re going to be the death of me.”

  Not if he killed her first. The expert timing of his fingers on her cleft was slowly but surely driving her toward climax. Hot and wet, she rode him with ease. Over and over, she withdrew partway and then slid back down, working his cock and generating an exquisite buzz.

  “You’re about to come.” He gripped the back of her neck, holding her steady.

  His prediction proved deadly accurate, as an indicative pressure curdled in her lungs. Panting and deliriously lightheaded, she clung to him.

  “Let go, babe. Come for me.”

  With the next downward stroke, Gemma came apart, splintering as an orgasm exploded through her. Her world rocked, completely turned upside down, she held on to him and rode out the mind-bending wave of sensations.

  “That’s my girl,” Devin cooed. Arms still banded around her, he continued to rock her against him. With each stroke, he swelled and lengthened inside her. Gemma groaned. Her body was responding to him. Lungs on fire, blood pounding through her veins, she moved her hips meeting his thrusts.

  “And I’m insatiable.” Chuckling, he chomped down on her earlobe. Her ear must’ve become a go-between to her brain and sex because another climax clawed up her spine. Fingers digging into the material of his jacket, she moved with a desperation that could only be assuaged with his help.

  “Help me,�
�� she implored, her movements frantic.

  He gripped her hips, and lifted her slightly. He shifted, changing the angle of his cock, and plunged deeper. “Tell me you need this,” he growled, ramming his cock a little deeper.

  “This…isn’t…the…time…for…games.”

  “Tell me, or I’ll stop.” He started to withdraw.

  “Alright!” she conceded, breathless in the throes of passion, her imminent release hovering, mounting. “I need this…I need you.”

  He reseated himself to the hilt, completely filling her. “Better now?” He softly inquired. Heavy with desire, his eyelids dropped to half-mast. The flash of passing street lights illuminated his beautiful features now contorted in a mask of misery. He sounded so self-assured but his expression bared another reality.

  “Is it better for you?” Curious, Gemma swiveled her hips in rapid succession one after the other. She smiled in triumph when Devin’s deep, approving groan echoed around them.

  “With you it’s always better,” his eyes lifted to meet hers, “the best in fact.”

  His mouth covered hers in a fierce kiss. He was pulsing, throbbing, driving into her body mimicking the same rhythm of his tongue. In a matter of seconds, Gemma was dizzy with the force of it. Finally reaching its limit, her body wrested control from her brain. Spine arching, head thrown back, she cried out. She wasn’t alone. Whispering incoherently and shaking like a leaf, Devin buried his nose in the crook of her neck and held onto her so tightly she thought she might break.

  Unwilling to break their connection, they clung to each other. His hands caressed her every available inch of her body. His lips brushed against her temple leaving behind kisses so gentle they felt like butterfly wings.

  “We need to tell your boss about us.”

  A bucket of ice couldn’t have put a bigger damper on her mood. Gemma planted her hands on his shoulders and pushed backward. “Have you lost your mind?”

  “I’m tired of hiding our relationship,” he retorted, his voice was tinged with frustration. “Whenever we go anywhere together, you pretend it’s in a strictly professional capacity. I can’t even hold your hand in public.”

  “So this is about not being able to hold my hand,” Gemma huffed, rolling off him.

  With angry, jerky movements, Devin pulled out a handkerchief to clean himself. “It’s about more than that and you know it.” He fisted his hands in his lap. “I want the world to know about us. The timing couldn’t be more perfect with the contract you just negotiated. It’s a testament to your ability as an agent. She’d be an idiot to let you go.”

  “A few deals amount for nothing when I’ve broken the terms of my contract. If you do this, then you’re being selfish.”

  “I’m selfish?” Devin exploded. “I’ve done my best to make you happy, to keep you. I wanted you so much I thought it was worth all the deception and secrecy. I can’t take it anymore.”

  “For what purpose? Why is it so important everyone knows who you’re sleeping with?”

  Devin jerked away from her as if her words stung. “You know you mean more to me than just some shag.”

  “If you tell Yvonne about us, then what? She’ll fire me and where does that leave me? You do realize prospective employers will ask questions regarding my departure? And when they do, what should I tell them? Well sir, I couldn’t keep my hands to myself around all that beefcake so, I shagged my star client.”

  “Is it just your job standing between us? Or is it something more, like our past?”

  Gemma couldn’t deny their past weighed heavily on her decision to keep their affair a secret. Who could blame her? The way their relationship ended had a profound impact on her life and pretty much influenced who she was today. And when they said their goodbyes this time, when his desire for her waned, she’d end up the loser in more ways than one.

  Devin leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. “You have to let the past go. I’ve changed. I’m not the same person.”

  He said it now, but what about a year or two down the road. Would he still want to be with her? He’d dropped her for a development team. He’d do the same when some fresh-faced supermodel came along and caught his fancy.

  “If you weren’t my agent, would you agree to have a relationship with me?”

  Temporarily stumped, Gemma wasn’t quite sure how to answer him. The solution seemed simple enough, but even if Devin were no longer on her client roster and they continued their affair, there wasn’t any guarantee her boss wouldn’t fire her after learning the truth.

  Gemma twisted her hands in her lap. If only she could trust him to stand by his word. She’d been down that road once. He’d promised her the world, then walked away with nary a backward glance.

  “Devin, I think—”

  She didn’t get to finish because the limousine door opened. They’d arrive at their destination.

  ***

  Yvonne waved them over to a table overlooking a private garden. With high-back padded benches and a bamboo wood table, the VIP section was elegant yet cozy. As they picked their way through the maze of tables, whispers followed them. A goal keeper in the Premier League and a member of the national team, Devin never failed to attract attention.

  “Did you two get caught in traffic?” Yvonne jumped on them the minute they sat down. Beside her, Paolo uttered a ‘hello’ while maintaining a magnanimous smile which made him look like he was always secretly amused about something.

  Heart jack hammering in her chest, Gemma lowered her gaze. Had he seen through their ruse? Had he taken into account Devin’s rosy cheeks and the sheen of perspiration still misting Gemma’s forehead and put two and two together?

  “We ran into a snarl around Marylebone,” Devin supplied coolly. If he shared any of her anxiety, he didn’t show it.

  As she took a sip of wine, Yvonne looked thoughtful. Gemma held her breath, waiting for the axe to fall.

  “Must have been nasty. Paolo and I have been sitting here waiting for you for more than thirty minutes.”

  “We’ve been waiting for less than twenty,” her husband corrected. Attired in a khaki linen suit that offset his tanned skin to perfection, the footballer was almost as gorgeous as Devin. “And you barely noticed with all the business calls you’ve taken. Now our guests are here, turn off your cell.”

  “Bully,” Yvonne muttered, but she followed orders. Her boss might be a ball buster, but Paolo wore the pants in the family.

  “It’s my fault.” Gemma resisted the urge to stomp on Devin’s foot when he covered a suspect cough with his hand. “I think I tried on about six dresses before I settled on this one.”

  “You chose well. Don’t you think so, Devin?”

  “She looks beautiful, but that’s nothing new.” Devin’s eyes raked over her in a slow perusal. His green eyes glittered with the usual fire she’d come to expect whenever he looked at her. One would have to be a fool to miss the lust reflected in them. And yet, Yvonne appeared oblivious as she sipped at her wine. Deciding to follow suit, Gemma picked up her wine glass and downed the contents. Almost instantly, the crisp, chardonnay helped to calm her jittery nerves.

  “So…” Yvonne steepled her manicured fingers and rested her chin on them, “Besides this insane deal on the table, are you two working well together?”

  Thank goodness she’d already swallowed! Gemma doubted her boss and her husband would appreciate her backwash spewed all over them. Still, the question left Gemma tongue tied with guilt.

  “I think we’re great together.” Devin wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Not far removed from their all too recent romp in the limo, her body responded instantly. An electric jolt zipped down her spine, straight to her clit. “Like two peas in a pod or two pigs in a blanket. She’s the best I’ve ever had. If you’re looking for a partner, you don’t have to look far.”

  Acutely aware of his touch—the warmth of his palm against her shoulder, the casual brush of his fingers over her skin—little anticipatory tremor
s quivered deep inside her. Gemma clamped her thighs together. Even with the threat of her no-fraternizing clause hanging over her head and her boss sitting across the table from them, he had her wanting him so badly she could barely stand it. Of their own volition, he eyes searched out the nearest bathroom.

  “Ha, ha…very funny.”

  A curious smile curled Yvonne’s lips. “I knew you two were a great match.”

  “You know, I totally agree.” Instead of letting her go or at least maintain some distance between them, Devin pressed his body against hers intimately. “After all, she’s going to make me thirty million euros richer.”

  “She’s our little dynamo,” Yvonne agreed. “That’s why I’m sending you to Algiers.”

  “Algiers?” Devin and Gemma said in unison.

  Yvonne’s gaze ping-ponged between them then finally settled on Gemma. “I’m keen on signing Amir Gerges. And, I think you’re the one to close the deal. He lives in Algiers during the offseason, so we need to get to him before all the madness begins.”

  Devin stiffened. “Are you replacing Gemma as my agent?”

  “There’s no way I would bust you two up.” Yvonne brushed aside his insinuation with a snort. “You’ll remain on Gemma’s client roster.” Her boss’s expression turned serious. “Unless you want a new agent, Devin.”

  In spite of his casual demeanor, and her present state of paranoia, Gemma could sense the wheels spinning in his head. “As hard as I’ve labored to procure the best possible deal for him,” she said, feigning outrage and beating him to the punch, “He’d better not want another agent.” She flavored her protest with just the right amount of sarcasm, and earned herself some chuckles even from Devin.

  “No worries. Once I’ve been with Gemma how could I want anyone else.”

  Devin slipped his arm from around hershoulders and sat back. He didn’t completely let her go. He snaked his hand beneath the table and settled it on her thigh. Gemma nearly choked as her pulse raced and images of them fucking in the limo flashed in her head. Fuck me, he’d demanded. Fuck me, hard and fast.