Page 87 of Dirty Player

“Yeah. Or it’s all going to fail and I’m going to fall flat on my face.”

She’d mentioned her concerns. One night in her bed, she’d trailed a finger down the center of my chest, through my chest hair down to the waistband of my shorts. I’d gone hard at her languid touch while she’d told me all about how, for so much of her life, she’d been so focused on helping Beaux succeed that she’d never had time to achieve anything of her own. She’d bounced from office job to office job after college, spending most of her free time at night selling her jewelry and working to increase that dream she’d started in college.

“I think it’s brave,” I said and slid a hand to her thighs.

She jumped from the contact, and I wrapped my hand around her. She was so small compared to me. My hand easily covered her leg and slid to the sides where I tightened my grip.

“I think you have more drive and more ambition than most people I’ve met in my life, Shannon. You won’t fail. You don’t have it in you.”

She laughed softly. Nervously. “It’s just jewelry. Silly little bracelets and baubles and charms and earrings.”

“You make women feel beautiful and happy and excited. You’re selling yourself short.”

“Yeah,” she huffed and looked out the window. “I’ve learned recently that I have a habit of doing that. I’m working on it.”

“You’ll succeed at that too. I have faith in you.” I did. The statement rolled off my tongue so easily it didn’t even surprise me. Based on the way she gaped at me, it surprised the hell out of her, though.

It just reminded me I had one more thing to do this weekend—show her exactly how much she was beginning to mean to me.

I pulled off the road and into my driveway, noticing how her breath hitched when we were finally at my house. We hadn’t been back since the first night, when we’d had to leave earlier than I wanted. Now, we had an entire thirty-six hours to spend together before I had to get to the game on Sunday.

She was nervous as hell.

I was excited as fuck.

I pulled up to the garage and pulled in, leaving the door open behind us.

I knew that Shannon was expecting me to take her somewhere and fuck her right away. I wanted it. But more than feeling her cunt spasm around me as she came and feeling like she was sucking the life out of me through my dick, I wanted to show her something else.

Me. Who I really was. No hiding, no walls…I wanted to be completely transparent with her, and I’d planned an entire weekend of how to do it.

I met her at the back of my car, popping the trunk and reaching in to grab a shopping bag for her. I’d bought the boots earlier in the week, before she’d agreed to spend the weekend with me, I wanted her to have her own, something she could wear here.

“Here,” I said and handed the bag to her.

Her eyes jumped wide as she gingerly reached out and took the handles from me.

I slammed the trunk closed and her brows furrowed.

“Don’t we need to take those inside?”

“No. We’ll get them later. I have something else planned first. Now open your present.”

I flashed her a wicked grin as I said the word, knowing exactly what she’d be thinking of.

“I’m not sure I’m ready for another one of your presents.” She gave me a timid grin before she peered into the bag like I’d loaded it with rattlesnakes. Then those brown eyes popped open and her grin widened.

“Boots?”

“Yup.” I nodded and took the box out of the bag for her. I’d also made sure to include thick socks so she didn’t get blisters on her soft feet. “These are yours, for when you’re here with me. I need to run inside and grab mine while you put them on, and then we’re going for a ride.”

“On the horses?” she gasped, clearly surprised.

I smirked. “I could ride you another way, but I thought you’d like the horses first.”

She bobbed her head energetically. “I do. I want that. The horses.” Her cheeks burned hot pink and she winked. “Then later, it’s going to be me riding you.”

We’d see about that. The thought made my dick come to life in my pants, though, so it wasn’t an altogether bad idea. I bent down and wrapped an arm around her back, pulling her to me. Her fingers instantly entwined behind my neck when I tilted my head. My lips brushed against hers and I slid my tongue inside her parted lips, tasting her slowly. She responded immediately, letting me take control the way I enjoyed it. She tasted like heaven and mint, soft and sweet in my arms. God. I was falling fast for this woman. “Get your boots on,” I said when I pulled away. I smacked her ass before I stepped back and grinned. “I’ll be right back.”

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