Hart of the Matter (A Love of the Game Novella) (7 page)

Lifting away, he slid his palm along the back of her neck and stared into the prettiest brown eyes he’d ever seen.  She looked wary, as if any moment, he’d put on the brakes. 

He’d done that to her.
 

Wanted and teased her, ultimately rejecting her like a coward instead of being the man she needed.  The man she deserved.  The man she
loved
.

How many years he’d wasted.  How much pain he’d caused. 

“I won’t hurt you again, Bailey.”

She didn’t say anything so he kissed her again, taking full control, devouring her mouth as she ground her hips against him. 

Bailey was meant to be his.  He didn’t know why he ignored that message for so long.  Every cell in his body was tuned to her as it had
always
been and he finally listened. 

To his mind, his body, and his heart. 

He led her from the dance floor and out of the club.  They held hands as they returned to the restaurant where they’d left Hart’s SUV.  It was shocking how good such innocent contact felt. 

Holding out her palm, he placed the keys in it and opened her door.  She climbed in and he enjoyed the glimpse of her smooth thighs while she adjusted the seat with a sigh. 

“I have to move the seat forward like a foot.”

“You’re short, Bailey.”  He dropped a light kiss on her lips, closed her door, and went around to the passenger side.  She stared through the windshield for a long moment. 

“Are you sure, Hart?”  She was giving him an escape route…
again
.

Chapter Eleven

Tugging her lip between her teeth, Bailey nodded and put the truck in gear. 

They were a block from the restaurant when Hart started touching her.  He leaned over the console, rested his head on her shoulder, while his rough fingertips lightly stroked her knee, up her bare thigh, and back again.  Each slow stroke up, he moved closer to her short skirt.  It made her insane. 

Still miles from his house, she whispered, “Please God, don’t let me crash this truck.” 

Hart chuckled and moved to her other thigh.  Clenching the steering wheel so tight her knuckles were white, she tried to control her response to him.  His fingertips slipped under the hem of her top and he caressed the skin of her belly along the line of her skirt. 

“Your skin is always so warm, Bailey, like you’ve been in the sun.  You’re so soft.” 

One side of her waist to the other, he touched her, circling her belly button before tracing the bottom edge of her bra along her ribcage. 

“Remember the summer before you went into high school when you went away to see family in Costa Rica?”

“Yes.  I’d never been away from all of you for so long.  That was a rough summer.”

“You went away as another little sister to me.  You came back as Bailey, fucking beautiful and tough as nails.  The two of you were inseparable and you were usually in a bikini.”

Bailey pointedly ignored the comment about her being beautiful.  Hart didn’t need to give her compliments.  She wanted him too much. 

“Your house felt more like home than mine.”

Hart kissed her bare shoulder.  “Mom and Dad loved having you at our place, especially when you and Harley made dinner.  She’d come home from the office and there’s tons of food laid out on the island, the house spotless.  You guys made her cry more than once.”

“I have a
huge
family but my parents travel.  My brothers and sisters are so much older than I am; most of them were already adults when I was born.  I was alone all the time.  Hanging out at your place meant not eating dinner by myself.  I loved being there.”  Bailey’s voice was quiet.

“I didn’t know you ate alone.  I hate eating alone.  When I moved out here, the guys and I would get together when we were all in town, but too many nights I found myself in a really quiet house.  It’s better since Harley and Lexie came to live with me.”

“Moving here was really good for them, Hart.”  His large hand spanned the skin of her stomach, simply resting there.  “Harley looks better than she has since she was a teenager.”  She sighed.  “All of us are under less stress these days.”

“Bailey, have I ever told you how proud I was of the way you backed Harley through everything?  You were better to her than all of us put together.”

“Harley isn’t hardened like me.  She’s tough on the outside and gentle on the inside, she hurts easily.”  She shrugged.  “I’m the opposite.  It’s why we’re such good friends.”

Hart lifted his head to look at her profile.  “What do you mean you’re the opposite?”

“I couldn’t do a chin-lift or sink a basket if my life truly depended on it.  I’ve never run more than three miles at once and have no desire to.  Pilates and yoga are the extent of my athleticism.”  She took the exit off the highway and waited at the light. 

Glancing at him, she smiled.  “I can’t play sports and know nothing about any sport but basketball.  However, I could be an ESPN anchor for that.”  He laughed.  “I went to all of Harley’s games and stuff because I adore her and wanted to support her.  Usually I had my MP3 going and a book in my hand.” 

The light turned and she went through the intersection.  “I like to shop and will not tolerate split ends or a broken nail.  I wouldn’t have survived half the physical pain she’s been through in her life.  If I ever have kids, I will be high as a kite.” 

Taking the turn into his neighborhood, she chuckled.  “Mentally though?  I am one tough as nails bitch.  I’m rather good at making
other
people cry.  I’m pushy, demanding…I like my own way and will fight dirty to get it.  I make no apologies for who I am.”

“You shouldn’t.  I like the person you are.”  It was the truth.

“Thanks.  You know, Lexie is the only child who has ever liked me, which is still shocking, and she has me wrapped around her finger.  Other than that, I have few weaknesses and the ones I do have frustrate me to no end.”

“I’m dying to know your weaknesses, Bailey.” 

She turned down the road that led to his house and quipped, “Upper body strength…”  

“Seriously, tell me.”  His voice was serious but so familiar.

Sighing softly, she told him, “Late night charity commercials kill me.  I see pictures of starving kids and give them what I make in a week.  Which has put me on the list of every charity in the world.  It got so bad at one point that I had to ban myself from television.”

Hart laughed.  “That old guy in that little hovel of a village gets me, too.  Jesus, it is
brutal
.  My accountant was floored when I gave him my receipts last year.”  Bailey grinned.  “What else?  There has to be more than little Powwow in Eastern Timbuktu that gets to you.”

“Ice cream, I fucking love it.  I could eat it for dinner and I have.  Of course, I punish myself the next day but at the time, it is
so
worth it.”  She moaned and Hart kissed her shoulder.

“Any others…?” he asked her.

“Not many.  We’re here alive, woot woot.” 

She put the truck in park and handed him the keys.  He took them, got out, and came around to open her door while she grabbed her phone and wallet from his console. 

Swinging her legs around, he lifted her off the seat.  Bailey thought he’d set her down and when he didn’t, she wrapped her legs around his waist. 

With a big smile, he shut the truck door and carried her up the front steps.  Inside, he locked up, armed the security system, and carried her in the direction of his bedroom. 

“I need to shower, Hart.”  He snorted and she quirked her brow.  “I’m dead serious.”

“Hmm…you
are
girly, aren’t you?”

“Hell yes!  I just danced for hours.  I’m gross.”

“Bailey, you could
never
be gross.  Okay, but I’m joining you.”  With that, he walked into the bedroom that was considered hers for her visits.  “I know you need your
stuff
.”

In the connected bathroom, Hart leaned into the large shower stall and turned on the water.  Setting her on her feet, he dropped to one knee and took off her heels.  Kissing her thigh, he stood up and smiled at how much shorter she was. 

“You are so itty bitty feminine, Bailey.” 

She stuck out her tongue and pulled her tank top over her head.  That wiped the smile right off his face.  Tossing it to the bathroom counter, she unzipped her skirt and tossed it as well.  Pulling the clips from her hair, it fell forward over her shoulders.  Wearing a gold lace bra and matching panty, she was positively stunning. 

* * *

When she removed them, Hart stopped breathing.  Hands on her hips, wearing nothing but a delicate gold anklet, she stared at him.

Her skin was like honey all over.  Other than the luxurious fall of dark chocolate locks that fell to her mid-back, there was not a hair on her body.  Full breasts with pebbled dark pink nipples, flared hips, firm but not cut, and curvy in all the right places. 

“Would you like me to turn?”  Bailey gave him a sarcastic half-smile.

“Oh lord,
would
you?”

She snickered and turned in a circle for him.  Bailey’s ass was a firm little bubble leading to tight thighs and calves.  His hands itched to explore every inch of her. 

As she turned to face him again, she tried to hide the fact that she was a little self-conscious.  He saw it anyway because he’d spent a lifetime watching this woman.

“I’m getting in.  It takes
forever
to wash my hair.  Join me whenever, Hart.” 

With that, she walked past him and paused for a kiss.  He slid his hand along her neck and into her hair, kissing her more deeply than she expected. 

She lightly bit his lower lip as he pulled back.

Hart watched as she let the water soak her hair and body.  He gave her time to wash the long tresses before his hands went to the buttons of his shirt.  Stripping slowly, never taking his eyes off her, she returned his gaze as she rinsed away the conditioner. 

When he was naked, he put his hands on his hips and waited as she looked him over.  She licked her lips and he asked jokingly if
he
should turn. 

“God, yes.”

He did, gave her time to absorb the view, and then stepped into the shower.  He positioned his body behind her, pushed her hair to the side, and kissed her neck.  A soft sigh escaped her lips and she leaned back into him. 

Running his hands down her arms, he lifted her hands and placed them against the tile. 

“Stay right there, Bailey.” 

Squirting her body wash in his palm, he soaped her entire body from behind, slicking over her arms, shoulders, breasts, stomach, moving to her back and ass, down her legs and feet, coming back up her legs to her pussy and the cleft of her ass. 

She was shaking.

As he pulled her under the water, he roamed his hands over her to make sure all the soap was rinsed away, paying special attention to her breasts and mound. 

Once he was satisfied, he turned her to his chest and stroked over the back of her body in the same manner, squeezing and separating the globes of her ass in his huge hands. 

He set her back against the wall away from him while he grabbed a bar of soap and washed his body.  When he realized she was following his hand he smiled hungrily. 

“Bailey, you look positively enthralled.  Are you wet?”  She nodded her head.  “I’m so fucking hard I’m starting to hurt.” 

Staring at his cock, she whispered, “You should stroke off so I can watch, Hart.”  The instant the words left her lips, her eyes went wide in embarrassment, and she pulled her lip between her teeth. 

Tossing the soap in the dish, Hart boxed her against the tile with his hands on either side of her.  His voice was rough.  “You want to
watch
me stroke my dick, Bailey?” 

Her golden skin pinked lightly and he knew she considered changing her request, laughing it off, or even outright denying what she wanted.

She took a deep breath, which did beautiful things to her breasts.  “I want that more than I can possibly tell you, Hart.”  Swallowing hard, she asked, “No one has ever asked you to do that?”  He shook his head slowly and pressed the front of his body to hers. 

“I’ve always been curious.  I’ve accidentally seen you naked but I never caught you stroking yourself.”  Her hand slid down his side and between them to trace her fingertips along his length. 

Her soft fingers on his bare cock scrambled his brain for a moment. 

She ducked under his arm and sat on the bench.  Spreading her knees so he could step between them, he was enthralled by the caramel folds of her pussy. 

Hart moved to her slowly, his shaft jutting powerfully from his body, and when he was within touching distance, Bailey leaned forward and took the head between her lips. 

His palms slapped loudly against the tile above her and he gritted his teeth to keep from coming. 

“I want to watch your hand move up and down your cock even more than I want to suck you right now.”  Her brown eyes lifted to his.  “I admit that I
really
want that as well.”

Chapter Twelve

Without taking his eyes off her face, Hart wrapped his fist around his length and began a slow stroking rhythm.  Bailey’s eyes tracked the movement.  Her lips parted and her nipples pebbled even further. 

“Play with your nipples, Bailey.  You have gorgeous breasts.”  Shaking hands lifted to cup the firm mounds and her fingers brushed over the dark pink tips.  “Just like that…roll your nipples between your fingers.” 

When she reacted instantly, he felt as if the back of his head might explode. 
The entire experience was surreal.
  He wanted everything at the same time.  To consume her and make her his.

“I want to taste you, Bailey.”  She pulled her eyes from his dick in surprise.  “You’re wet, aren’t you?”  She nodded.  “Show me.  Let me taste you.” 

One hand slid down her body and she settled her fingers over her folds almost shyly.