Page 60 of Playing Hard to Get

I took him home with me that night and took control in the bedroom. I tied him to my bed and gave him the kind of attention he showered on me every chance he got. I kissed every inch of his tattooed skin. Milked his cock with my mouth until he spilled his warm seed onto my tongue. Rode him until the sun came up before we both fell into a deep, restful sleep.

But it was the date he took me on more than a week later that stayed with me. It showed me how different the worlds we come from were. He picked me up in his old, beat-up SUV. He drove for an hour without telling me where he was taking me. The lake was to my right, and by the time he came to a stop, the sun was giving the horizon a gentle kiss.

Mitch grabbed something out of the back of the vehicle and came to open my door. He held one hand out to me and kissed my knuckles when I slipped my hand into his. On his arm he carried a battered picnic basket, on his face, a grin. We walked to the water's edge and he laid out a holy blanket on the sand.

In the picnic basket was an amazing spread. Amazing in its simplicity. Amazing in the thought he put into it.

Meat and cheese and crackers. A bowl of grapes and fresh strawberries. Two slices of my favorite apple pie. And a chilled bottle of champagne.

Mitch cursed as he popped open the bottle and it came spilling out onto his jeans. Then he filled two red plastic cups and held up his glass for a toast.

“To us, sweet love,” he said to me, his voice full of emotion.

I could barely speak, my heart was so full. But I managed to touch my glass to his and whisper, “To losing control.”

We took our time eating. Laughed and cuddled together under the starry sky. He insisted I give up a little more control and he dragged me into the chilly lake for a swim. The cool water against my bare skin was chased away by the warmth of his beautiful body. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and we kissed like lovers did. And when we’d had our fun, when our hair was soaked and our breathing ragged from chasing and dunking each other, Mitch laid me on the blanket and made sweet love to me.

That was the feeling I held with me as Mitch traveled with clients throughout the next several weeks. We met up whenever we could. Made love every night we were together. And kept each other company on the phone on those long nights away.

I finally understood what Frankie meant about all the annoying habits of Corey’s that she pushed aside for love. Mitch was a clean freak when it came to the kitchen, but I grew up with someone else taking care of the cooking and cleaning. Washing dishes and putting them away wasn’t my strong suit. And I’d never understand his apathy toward his wardrobe, the way he threw his clothes in a basket instead of putting them away. But none of that, none of our quirks or differences, diminished our love for each other.

Mitch came out of my bathroom wearing nothing but a smile. His dark, messy hair stood on end, finger combed after our shower together. He gave me a devilish smile, stalking after me like a lion after his prey.

“Mitch!” I squealed as I tried to escape him, as his strong arms wrapped around me and he dragged me down onto the bed. “We have to get ready.”

“You expect me to leave you here like this?” Mitch planted a slow kiss on each of my bare breasts. “You know I’d rather be here with you.”

I arched my back as his lips trailed down my stomach. “I know… but Frankie's waiting.”

Mitch stilled, his lips against my flesh below my navel. He looked up at me with pursed lips. “Alright. But we finish this when we get back.”

My lips ticked up in a grin. “As if there was ever any question about that.”

Mitch pulled on a clean pair of blue jeans and a red and white striped t-shirt—looking festive for Frankie's little Independence Day party. His eyes were on me the entire time as I sat naked on my bed, smoothing lotion across my skin, watching him. When he was dressed, when he’d scruffed his hair once more with his fingers, he kissed me hard, a hand at the back of my neck, his hot body just out of reach, making me ache for another round in the sack. He pulled away, grinning. Wicked. Gorgeous. His eyes foretelling of great things to come. He chucked me under the chin, then turned and left.

Frankie's party was supposed to be a small get-together. When I showed up two and a half hours after Mitch left me naked and wanting in my bedroom, I was mildly surprised at the gathering.

I knew some guys from LS Security were going to be there. They had a staff meeting earlier since they were coming to Frankie’s anyway. Mitch, Lee, Cael, and Weston all stood at the far side of the room near the windows. With them were a few others I'd never met, men that had that military look about them. All hard muscle and tattoos. Short-cut hair and posture that was as rigid as it was relaxed.

Then there were the people I wasn’t expecting. Four of Corey's teammates, each with a girl on their arm, stood in the middle of the room, laughing it up as if the party had been in full force for hours. Corey had his arm around his sister, Jen, and by the look on her face, I figured the laughter was at her expense.

Upon seeing Jen, my eyes immediately searched the room. My brother stood nearby, talking with Frankie and several women I'd never laid eyes on before. I saw his practiced smile. Saw the split of his attention between those he was talking with and the one person in the room whom he wanted.

I saw his broken heart.

Squeezing between Vinny and a petite woman whose baby bump took up twice as much room as she did, I pulled him into a hug.

“What's this for?” Vinny whispered into my ear.

Tapping his cheek with my fingers, I gave him a sad smile. No words were needed. Vinny came in for another hug, squeezing me tighter than before, and whispered a quiet word of thanks into my hair.

I mingled. Found the names of the women in front of me. Found the connection between them and the men at the far side of the room. I looped my arm through my brother’s and dragged him to the place I knew he wanted and didn't want to go. I said my hellos to Corey and Jen. To Matt and Ellen, Emily and Ramon. To Jackson and Will and their lovely dates.

I found people I wanted to care about. People I wanted to like and whom I wanted to like me back. People who worked their way into my frigid but melting heart as I tried to approach life the way Mitch did.

With open arms.

An open mind.