Playing Dirty (A Bad Boy Sports Romance) (9 page)

When we arrived, she looked at me. Her face was very pale, almost white. “What are you going to say?”

I set my lips in a thin line. “She’s going to know she can’t fuck with us,” I growled. “And she’s going to apologize to you.”

I thought I saw a hint of a smile on Kate’s face as she climbed out of the car, but by the time she was standing by my side, she looked solemn once again.

“Here we go,” I muttered under my breath. “Hannah, you nasty creature, just wait until I’m through with you...”

Chapter Ten

Kate

I couldn’t help but feel intimidated as Jay led me into a giant complex of buildings. When I’d first seen the Manchester Evening News site, I’d assumed it was kind of a small, local affair, but these offices were gigantic and obviously open all night. There was a stunning redheaded receptionist sitting at the front desk in the lobby, and as she watched us approach, she scowled at me and let her eyes hang all over Jay.

“Hi, Jay,” she said in a chirpy, flirty tone. “I haven’t seen you around here in a while.”

“It’s been too long, love,” Jay said with a roguish grin and a wink. “How have you been doing?”

As we stepped closer, I realized he was using his charms on her. Part of me bristled at that, and I immediately felt a weird mix of guilt and shame rush through my body. Why the hell was I feeling like I had any kind of a claim on Jay? I obviously didn’t—I barely knew him. Even though he’d spilled that information about his past, I didn’t think it meant we were in any sort of relationship. He was obviously used to talking with strange girls, because he was with a different one all the time, and soon that was all I’d be. Just a strange girl who got tangled up in a mess with his ex-girlfriend.

“We’re here to see Hannah Joyce,” Jay said. He leaned over the counter and winked at the receptionist. She was practically drooling, and I had to look away or else I thought I’d be sick.

“I don’t know…” she said slowly. “If you don’t have an appointment, I really shouldn’t let you back there.”

“Come on,” Jay pleaded. “You know me.”

The girl giggled. “Well I don’t
really
know you,” she said, flushing bright red. “I mean, I know who you are. I’d be daft if I didn’t!”

Jay leaned a little closer to the girl. “We just need to talk to Hannah for a few minutes. It’s late, so I know she’s probably not working on anything important. I promise we’re not going to stay very long.”

The girl pouted. “Fine,” she said. “But can you sign this?” She held up a Manchester United mug that had been sitting on her desk. As Jay signed his name in a flourish with a permanent marker, I suppressed a smile. Was there anyone his charms didn’t work on?

“Thanks!” the girl said.

“You’re welcome,” Jay replied with a wink. “And thanks again for letting us through.”

I shifted from foot to foot as I waited for Jay to rejoin me, and as soon as he was by my side, he apologized.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said under his breath. “But she wasn’t going to let us back.”

I bit my lip, already nervous about going into the main offices. Even though I normally didn’t feel self-conscious about the way I looked, I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the thought of seeing Jay’s ex-girlfriend. Jay was the hottest guy I’d ever seen in the flesh, so I assumed that Hannah, whoever she was, had to be gorgeous.

Jay led me down a back hallway, and I couldn’t help thinking of all the times he’d walked the passages of the Manchester Evening News by himself, excited about seeing his girlfriend. I shivered.
Stop thinking like that
, I ordered myself.
You know nothing good is going to come from pitting yourself up against some random woman. And besides, isn’t that against everything you preach? Talk about being a hypocrite!

Every time we passed an attractive woman, I tensed and waited for Jay to greet her. But that didn’t happen, and soon we were in front of a door with ‘Hannah Joyce’ printed on the front in pink script. There was a photo of a cute blonde with the whole Manchester United team, grinning on the field after a win.

“Hannah,” Jay said in a sharp voice as he rapped on the door. “I know you’re in there. Find anything interesting at Lizzy Romero’s apartment earlier?”

The door slowly opened and I saw the same blonde from the photo. She was the same height as me, but that was where the similarities ended. Her long hair was pin-straight and flowed over shoulders, and she had sky blue eyes and pouty red lips. When she saw Jay, she broke into a charming smile.

“Jay, so nice to see your cute bum,” she said in a sing-song tone. “What can I do for you today?”

Jay ignored her and strode into her office, and he was so large that he crossed from one side to the other in a mere two paces. The walls were adorned with sports kitsch—lots of Manchester United scarves and banners—and photos of Hannah with various athletes.

“Jay, I’m hurt,” Hannah said. She looked at me and pouted. “And who is this? The flavor of the week? Or should I say, flavor of the hour?”

The comment stung, but I didn’t say anything. Jay narrowed his eyes and rounded on her.

“Apologize,” he said in a low, throaty growl. The sound of his voice sent tremors of lust down my spine. “Apologize to Kate. Right now.”

Hannah turned to me with a sour expression on her face. “Sorry,” she said in a sarcastic tone. Turning back to Jay, she leaned back against her desk and fixed him with a flirtatious grin. “So what can I do for you, Jay?”

“You know why we’re here, Hannah,” Jay said sharply. “You broke into Kate’s sister’s apartment.”

“What? No I didn’t,” Hannah said. “But if you’re trying to get me interested in something juicy, it’s working. You have anything you want to confess?”

Taking a pad and pen from the desk she leaned back and crossed her spray-tanned legs at the ankle. “I’m always ready for a new story.”

“Stop it,” Jay growled. “Trust me, Hannah, you don’t want to deal with me when I get angry. I don’t give a shit if you try to ruin my life, but don’t go dragging other people into your rubbish. Don’t be such a jealous little twat!”

Hannah paled but showed no other sign of surprise. “I don’t know why you’re attacking me like this,” she said in a casual voice. “You know I wouldn’t ever do anything illegal.”

“I think breaking and entering is illegal,” I snapped. “And you put my sister in danger!”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “Your latest one is dramatic, isn’t she?” She looked at Jay for confirmation. “What’s the deal with her, anyway?”

“Her name is Kate,” Jay said through gritted teeth. “And you know who she is, because you wrote a nasty piece about her, and then you managed to track down where she was staying and broke in.”

I couldn’t lie, watching him angry at Hannah was turning me on more than I ever would have expected, and as he crossed the room to stare her down, I felt a shiver of lust trickle down my spine.

“I still have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, crossing her arms.

“You do, because we all know you did it, and you’re never going to do it again,” Jay continued. “And you’ll treat Kate with the respect she deserves.”

“Or at least stop breaking into my sister’s apartment,” I said. “I don’t care what you do the rest of the time. But leave me alone.”

Hannah laughed. “For the last time, I didn’t do it,” she said. “God, I’m insulted you’d even pin such a petty, stupid crime on me!”

“Cut the shit, Hannah,” Jay said. “I smelled that horrific perfume you love so much. It was still wafting around when the cops showed up.”

“They can’t arrest me based on my perfume,” Hannah said in an airy tone.

“I wish they could, it’s bloody awful,” Jay muttered, and I tried to hold back a snicker, knowing that right now really wasn’t an appropriate moment to laugh.

Hannah narrowed her eyes, finally cutting off her nice act. “Get out. Both of you.”

“Not until you admit what you did,” Jay said, his eyes flashing. “Should we get your boss and ask him or her to weigh in on this situation?”

Hannah rolled her eyes and dropped her shoulders dramatically. “Okay! Fine, I did it, I broke in. I didn’t mean any harm by it.” She eyed me up and down. “I just wanted to see what kind of slut you’ve decided to bang nowadays. After all, you normally have a type—blonde and thin. But she doesn’t really live up to that, does she?”

A hot flush of anger broke out across my cheeks. Just as I was about to get in Hannah’s face and do something I’d likely regret, Jay stepped in front of me and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“I just recorded this whole conversation, and I’m sure you don’t want anyone hearing it. So you damn well better leave Kate alone,” he hissed. “You’ll leave me alone too. You’ll go about your shady bullshit business and leave the two of us out of it, got that?”

Hannah visibly blanched, but she quickly regained her composure and sniffed. “What makes you think I’m even still interested now that I’ve seen all there is to see of her?” She eyed me again and I felt the same hot flash of anger through my body. “After all, she seems pretty ordinary.”

Jay clenched his teeth. “Just stop it, Hannah. Stop it or I’ll go to the editor right now and give him this recording. Your name will be mud and you’ll never get another job in journalism ever again. Got it?”

Hannah smiled, and she walked behind her desk and sat down with her knees primly pressed together. She
was
pretty, I couldn’t deny that, but there was such an air of dissatisfaction around her that I couldn’t imagine she got a lot of men to flock around her. She seemed so smug and superior.

“Got that?” Jay’s voice rang out loudly in the small office as he repeated himself.

Hannah nodded, obviously knowing she was defeated. The recording Jay had made could see her out of a job, not to mention in some pretty hot water with the police. “Ten-four, boss,” she said with a smirk on her face. “Anything else?”

Jay turned to me. “Ready to go? Or do you have something to say to Hannah too?”

I bit my lip. “I don’t want to stoop to her level,” I said, loudly enough for Hannah to hear me. Tossing my hair over my shoulder, I stalked out of the small office.

As soon as we were in the hallway with the door shut behind us, I practically collapsed onto Jay, adrenaline pumping wildly through my body.

“Are you okay?” he asked, looking at me. His eyes were filled with a mixture of anger and concern. “She was really nasty to you.”

I shrugged. “Well, I didn’t expect her to be friendly,” I said with a wry smile. “And god, her perfume! You were right. It’s horrible! It makes me think of mothballs mixed with peach schnapps and bitterness.”

Jay smirked. “Told you so,” he said. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Are you sure she’s going to stop?” I looked up at his handsome, rugged face. He was incredibly intimidating when he wanted to be, but Hannah seemed to have a hidden agenda of her own.

“If she knows what’s good for her,” Jay replied. He looked at me with his forehead creased in concern. “I think she just wanted attention. And she got that, didn’t she?”

“I don’t know,” I mused. “You really don’t think she’ll try anything else?”

Jay shook his head. “Her bark is much, much worse than her bite,” he said. “She’s already afraid of losing her job. She used to be a sports columnist but they demoted her to celebrity gossip because she was chasing too many athletes.” He rolled his eyes. “She’s not a great journalist, and she makes shit up all the time. So she’s perfect for celebrity coverage.”

I snorted. “Back home, all the celebrity gossip columnists I knew were pretty smart,” I said. “If they pulled that shit, they’d have gotten fired in an instant.”

Jay laughed. “Well, she’s smart, even though she doesn’t seem like it. But I really think she gets away with anything because men like her.” He raised his eyebrows. “Sorry if that was uncomfortable for you.”

I shook my head. It had been, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. As we stepped outside into the cool night air, I shivered, and he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close.

“Where do you want to go? Home?”

I looked up at him, and the lust and desire came rushing back tenfold as I pulled Jay to me and pressed my lips to his. He growled and wrapped his arms around me, tangling his hands in my hair and pressing his hard, taut body against mine, and I shuddered with pleasure. The kiss deepened and I moaned softly into his mouth as I felt one of his muscular thighs nudge my legs apart and grind against my crotch. His spicy, masculine scent invaded my senses, and I closed my eyes, feeling bliss in every cell of my body.

“Get the car,” I whispered hotly into Jay’s ear. “And I’ll tell you where I want to go then...”

Chapter Eleven

Jay

My cock sprang to life as Kate pressed her soft body against mine and kissed me deeply. All I could think about was getting her alone, tearing off her clothes and making her scream all night.

As we broke apart, I searched the street frantically for my car. In the haze of lust that had swept over me the second Kate’s lips scorched mine, I’d totally forgotten where we parked. Finally, I spotted it across the road, and I groaned as I saw that the wheel had been clamped. I’d accidentally parked in a reserved spot, and even though it was technically after hours, it was still illegal to park there.

“Oh, crap,” Kate said, following my gaze.

I waved my hand. “Forget it. It can wait. We’ll get a cab.”

One slowed at the raise of my arm, and Kate and I rushed into the backseat, still clinging to each other.

“I want to go to your place,” Kate said softly.

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied with a grin. I gave the cabbie the address of my flat, and as soon as he started to drive, I pulled Kate close to me. She gave me a warning look and I held my finger over my lips. Very quietly, I said: “Be quiet, okay?”

She bit her plump lower lip and nodded, and I grinned as I reached over her shoulder and pulled her body close to mine in the backseat. The cabbie showed no sign of awareness, but if he was anything like most cabbies I’d ridden with, this was the kind of thing he’d seen a million times before anyway. Kate shuddered with pleasure as I slid my hand down her back and around the curve of her waist. Her thigh was pressing against mine and I could feel her breath coming in hot, damp bursts against my neck.

“What are you doing?” she whispered in my ear. I turned to her with a finger over my lips again.

“Nothing,” I said in a normal voice. “Just shifting. Relax, Kate. Enjoy the ride.”

I grinned at her and watched a deep red blush color her beautiful face. In the dark of the cab, I slipped my hand between her legs and gently stroked my nails down the inside of her thigh, and she jumped into the air and squealed, then clapped a hand over her mouth, looking at me with big, apologetic eyes.

I locked my gaze with her, and as I stared her down, I felt her slowly inch her legs apart. She licked her lips and winked at me, and primal, carnal lust flooded my body; I was half tempted to pick her up and throw her down in the seat of the cab, taking her as my own for everyone to see. But no, that’s now how we were going to play, not this time.

Kate sucked in her breath as I slipped my hand between her legs once more until my knuckles were grazing her crotch. She shuddered and let out a small gasp, spreading her legs and letting me rub her clit through the layers of fabric. The cab lurched to one side and she spilled into my lap, breathing hard as she struggled to stay upright.

“We’re here,” the cabbie said in a rough voice. He looked at me with a roguish grin in the rearview mirror as I passed him a wad of bills.

“Keep the change,” I said.

Kate’s body was wrapped around mine before the cab had even pulled away, and she closed her eyes and leaned in for a passionate kiss, moaning softly as I slipped my tongue between her soft lips. She tasted like vanilla and strawberries and the sweet musk of a woman, and I groaned as my cock stiffened in my pants.

“We better get you inside,” I whispered into her ear. “Or I’ll bring you off right here in the street.”

“I almost wish you would,” she replied softly. I grinned. I couldn’t believe the change in her; she’d gone from a meek, well-behaved girl into a complete sex kitten.

As she wrapped her arms around my neck, I grabbed her thighs and wrapped them around my waist. I carried her into the building and shoved her roughly against the wall, and as we were waiting for the lift, she pressed her mouth to mine once again and gently began to suck and nibble on my lower lip. Arousal exploded in my lower belly and I growled, tangling my hands in her soft hair and grinding against her. Kate moaned, and her legs tightened their grip around my waist. She dug her fingernails into the back of my neck and kissed me softly, nuzzling me with her face, and just as I was about to shove my face into her cleavage, the doors to the lift dinged open.

“Jay!” The operator greeted me. He was somewhat a friend of mine, used to seeing me come and go at all hours with lots of different women. “Having a fun night, I see!”

Kate jumped away from me as though she’d been scalded. She glanced down at the ground with a burning flush in her cheeks, and I could tell she was embarrassed.

“I’m sorry,” I mouthed to her as we entered the lift. “He doesn’t care.”

She still looked mortified, and she didn’t talk the rest of the way up. It felt like an excruciatingly long ride—the operator, Andrew, was jabbering in my ear the whole time. Finally, we reached the top floor.

Andrew saluted us as we exited the lift. “Penthouse is the best,” he said, winking at me again. I rolled my eyes. Normally, I liked Andrew’s cheerful banter, but right now, it was getting on my nerves.

Kate looked around the hallway with an obvious trace of admiration. “This is a beautiful floor,” she said. “Have you been here long?”

I shook my head. “Less than a year,” I told her. “It’s nice, but it gets lonely sometimes. I’m about to go barmy, talking to myself all day.”

Kate smiled, her eyes crinkling around the sides with amusement. I unlocked the door and pushed it open, following her into my dark apartment, and she paused, letting her eyes adjust. The view from the main picture window was incredible, and I knew she’d love seeing Manchester twinkle below us.

She turned to me with lust sparkling in her eyes.

“I can’t believe I’m here, I can’t believe I’m doing this with you,” she said softly as she slipped into my arms. “This isn’t like me, this isn’t the kind of thing I normally do.”

I flashed her a teasing grin. “Yes, you said that the other day…after you kissed me.”

“I know, I just…oh, screw it…”

Her voice trailed off as her eager, hungry lips met mine. As we kissed, she moaned softly, and she pressed her curves against me and wrapped her arms around my neck. Her soft hands stroked the sensitive skin on the back of my neck and I shuddered. Christ, she was sexy.

“I want you naked,” I growled, slipping my hands up Kate’s top and lifting it over her head.

She blushed as she held her arms up, but when she was standing in front of me clad only in a bra and her jeans, she gave me a seductive smile. It made me smile to see her coming out of her shell like this, and I watched with fascination as she reached around behind her and unclasped her bra. She pushed her arms together and my mouth went dry as she revealed inch after inch of smooth skin. Her nipples were perfectly pink and erect.

Stepping closer, I pulled Kate closer and lowered my head to her chest. She moaned as I fastened my mouth over one of her nipples and sucked. She tasted tangy and creamy, and I closed my eyes in bliss as Kate moaned. I could feel her arching her back. With my other hand, I stroked her bare stomach and slipped my fingers into the waistband of her jeans. I could feel thin, lace panties and my cock bulged uncomfortably in my pants.

Kate gently pushed me away. “I want to go to bed,” she said softly. There was a twinkle of lust in her eye. “Can we do that, Jay?”

The way she said my name sent shivers down my spine. “Take a guess,” I said with a roguish wink.

Without warning, I scooped her up in my arms and threw her weight over my shoulder, and she squealed as I ran into the bedroom, depositing her on the soft bed. She looked up at me and reached out for me, pulling me down on top of her, and at once, our bodies were pressed together, working in a frenzied rhythm. Kate’s lips found my own, which were beginning to feel chapped and raw, and she yanked my shirt over my head and tossed it on the ground, mumbling with admiration as she slipped her hands over the hard muscles of my bare chest. I groaned. I’d missed a real woman’s touch, especially one as amazing as Kate. The others I’d been with recently were really just girls—vapid and shallow, and they couldn’t care less about me as a person. They’d only wanted the thrill of hooking up with a famous footballer.

But Kate wasn’t like that. I could tell she was still worried that she was nothing more to me than a casual fling, and I could tell that she’d been wondering if I told all the other girls the same stuff I’d told her, but she didn’t need to worry. She was the only one I’d ever told anything, because she was the only woman I’d met who I felt I could trust, even though we’d barely known each other for more than a few days.

I guess that old saying was right—when you know, you know.

Kate slipped her hands into the waistband of my pants, and then she fumbled with the snap and tugged the material down over my hips. I looked down to see my erection straining the front of my briefs, and Kate gasped when she saw how big and hard I was. When I chuckled under my breath, she blushed.

“Been a while?” I raised my eyebrows.

Kate shook her head defiantly, obviously wanting to shake off her usually-uptight image. “Not exactly,” she said softly. “You’re just so handsome.”

A strange feeling came over me. I’d been with a metric fuck-ton of women, but none of them had ever called me anything but ‘hot’ or ‘sexy’. Somehow, it meant something coming from Kate.

“And you’re a goddess,” I whispered as I lowered my body on top of hers.

Kate groaned and wrapped her legs around my waist, and I moved my hips against hers, teasing her until she was crying out. With little effort, I rolled onto my back, pulling Kate on top of me, and I unfastened her jeans and tugged them down her hips. She was wearing a lacy thong, and my mouth watered at the sight of the deep purple lace disappearing between the rounded, juicy curves of her ass.

“You look good enough to eat,” I murmured, sliding my hands inside her thong and tugging it down. Kate moaned softly in response, and I spread her legs with my hands and traced the tips of my fingers over the insides of her thighs. She shuddered and buried her face in my neck, and I could feel her breath coming hot and fast as I slid my fingers over her smooth thighs, going dangerously close to the most sensitive area of her body.

She threw her head back, and my mouth went to the soft hollow of her throat. I flicked my tongue out and traced the long length of her neck, making her quiver, and she raked her fingers through my hair as I pressed my nose to her skin. I drew in a sharp breath at her scent. “You smell so fucking good,” I said.

I sank lower on the bed, and she gasped when my mouth found her nipple. “Oh, yes,” she murmured and arched into me. I licked lightly and splayed my hands over her abdomen, the warmth of her skin burning through me.

I drew her nipple deeper into her mouth, and she gasped as my fingers found her clit. I brushed lightly, delicately, and her hips came off the bed, seeking more. “Oh, god,” she cried out and grabbed my shoulders.

My mouth left her breasts and I slid even further downward, positioning myself between her legs. I lifted my chin to meet her eyes, and I caught the intense look on her face as I widened her thighs even more. The heat in her eyes licked over my body in ways that made me aware of how much she wanted me—just as much as I wanted her.

I lowered my head, and Kate’s breaths grew shallow at that first sweet touch of my tongue. The heat from her perfect pussy drove me wild as the wet tip of my tongue skated across the seam of her lower lips, and I trailed it all the way from the bottom to the top. Sparks shot through my body at her sweet taste, and she reached down and gripped my shoulders again. “Yes…Jay…” she murmured, her nails digging into my skin.

I licked slowly, softly, and Kate lifted her hips to hurry me along. But I pressed my hand to her stomach, pushing her into the mattress to still her. As my mouth did delicious things, I inserted one finger, and I could feel her muscles rippling around me. “Christ,” I murmured, easing my finger in and out of her in long, sensuous strokes that had her panting and begging for me.

I moved my buried finger, and I could feel the tension rising in Kate as she grew slicker. She moved her hands away from me and gripped the bed sheets instead, and my tongue found her clit as I inserted another finger, taking her higher and higher.

“You taste so good,” I murmured from between her legs. I made another slow pass with my tongue, and she became seemingly feverish with need. She writhed beneath me, her body shaking as I worked her into a state of aroused euphoria.

“Jay, please…”

I smiled and thumbed her clit, using slow, torturous circles that damn near drove her mad until soft quakes began at her core. I could feel them; feel every inch of her inner muscles beginning to contract around me. My fingers plunged deeper, harder, and Kate tossed her head from side to side, reveling in the pleasure I was giving her.

As if knowing she couldn’t take any more, my mouth closed over her clit, my teeth ever-so-gently scraping over the engorged nub. She let out a ragged gasp, her body reacting to the increased pressure, and her hips came off the bed again. Her muscles clenched around my fingers again, and then a shudder ripped through her as an orgasm hit hard. I stayed between her legs until she stopped quaking, and then I climbed back up her body.

With a sigh of contentment, Kate stared up at me with those luminous green eyes of hers. In the low light, I could tell she had a sensual grin spread on her face. “Do you have a condom?” she asked.