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Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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Going For It
Copyright © 2008 by Elle Kennedy
ISBN: 978-1-60504-258-9
Edited by Laurie Rauch
Cover by Natalie Winters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: November 2008
www.samhainpublishing.com
Going For It
Elle Kennedy
Dedication
To the readers and authors at the Samhain Café, for always providing conversation, support and laughter.
Chapter One
Sam Taylor had only three more items to cross off her to-do list before she left Chicago for good.
One: pack.
Two: meet up with the girls for one final tequila night.
Three: seduce Riley Scott.
Numbers one and two could wait until the end of the weekend, but the third item was one she’d been putting off far too long.
She’d wanted to sleep with Riley since the moment he’d walked into her bar two years ago. Well, he hadn’t so much walked as swaggered. He swaggered into the Diamond in a pair of faded blue jeans that hugged his lean hips and tight ass, a black T-shirt that stretched over his big rippled chest, and a cocky little grin that said ‘I intend to get laid’.
And laid he’d gotten. Just not by her. Ten minutes after the retired Chicago White Sox player swaggered into her establishment, a redhead approached him, bought him a drink, and lured him out of the bar.
Bitch.
After that, Riley made it a habit of visiting the Diamond. Sometimes he left with a woman, sometimes he left alone. Either way, he never left with her. It grated on her ego, especially since she possessed the three B’s Riley seemed to love in a woman—blonde hair, blue eyes and big tits.
But no. The dark-haired sex god had no qualms about flirting up a storm with her, but flirting was as far it went. He’d never propositioned her. Not even once.
So, seeing as she was leaving the city in three days, it was time to proposition him.
Leaning against the chrome bar counter, she scanned the dimly lit room in hopes of catching a glimpse of the object of her sexual affection. No luck. Yet. She knew Riley would show up tonight, and when he did, she’d pounce.
The ice cubes in her glass slid against each other as she lifted her lemonade to her lips and took a long, cooling sip. Not only was she feeling flushed, but her heart pounded erratically against her breasts, the anticipation of finally seducing Riley Scott so strong she could taste it on her lips.
She hadn’t told her best friends, Jane and Callie, about her plans, mostly because she knew they’d try to talk her out of it. Riley’s reputation off the baseball diamond was as legendary as the one the sportscasters still talked about, and she wasn’t naïve enough to think she’d get anything other than sex from him. He was a player through and through, the consummate Casanova, only less romantic and far naughtier.
Oh, she’d heard naughty stories about Riley Scott, all right, many of them directly from his sexy mouth. She and Riley had grown close over the years. Platonic close, of course. She got the feeling he viewed her as a buddy, another one of his baseball player pals with whom he could joke around and talk about his conquests. Well, she was sick of living in buddy territory. After two years of fantasizing about her pal, it was time to stop sitting in the dugout and seek out a starting position in one of those dirty stories he liked to tell.
Her life had been a mess lately. She hadn’t gotten laid in months. She’d been forced to sell the Diamond, the one possession she owned that brought her any pleasure, and now she’d lost her apartment too. Starting new would be good for her. She hoped. But she had no intention of leaving town with regrets, and not jumping Riley’s bones would be the biggest regret of all.
As if a higher power had taken notice, the door of the Diamond swung open and in swaggered the man she planned to screw senseless tonight.
She fought back a smile and watched as he ordered a beer from a passing waitress and walked over to the pool table. A minute later, he’d suckered a college kid into shooting a few rounds. Poor kid. Along with having a delicious ass, Riley was also a first-rate pool player. Sam had seen him hustle dozens of unsuspecting guys.
She stared at him for a moment, feeling like a hawk circling its prey. When her eyes got their fill, she hopped off the bar stool and strolled over to the pool table.
Riley glanced up as the curvy blonde approached. He took a second to sweep his gaze over her tight tank top and hip-hugging jeans, then met her eyes. “Hey, Sam.”
“I need to talk to you,” she said in lieu of a greeting.
He gestured to the pool cue in his hand. “Can it wait?”
“No.”
Riley was instantly intrigued. It wasn’t every day that Sam Taylor, the saucy little owner of the Diamond, made demands of him. With his intrigue, however, came a flicker of trepidation. Though he’d found himself stalling by asking the kid next to him to shoot some pool, he’d come here tonight for the sole purpose of talking to her, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she already knew what he planned to say. Her pale blue eyes had a serious glint to them, her delicate jaw set in a determination that made his palms go damp. Shit. He’d wanted her to hear it from him, but obviously the news had already reached her.
Which meant he now needed to explain to a woman he genuinely liked and respected why he’d bought the Diamond out from under her and unceremoniously fucked up her life.
He glanced at his opponent and said, “I forfeit.” Then he dropped the cue on the felt table and followed Sam to one of the secluded corner booths on the other end of the smoky room. His gaze instantly rested on her tight little ass, his fingers tingling with the urge to squeeze the rounded flesh. He tried to quell the unwanted jolt of desire that sizzled down his spine and grabbed hold of his balls. She always managed to do this to him, send him into a state of mindless lust, and frankly, he had no freaking idea how he’d managed to keep his hands off her for so long.
She’s different.
He smothered a sigh, knowing the little voice in his head was right. Despite what other people might think, he did in fact have a conscience, and two years ago that conscience had told him messing around with Sam Taylor was too sleazy, even for him. Truth was, he liked her. He would’ve liked fucking her too, but like the voice said, she was different. From the moment he’d met her, he’d known she wasn’t someone to toy with. She was too gorgeous, too intelligent and too warm to be treated like a one-night stand. And from him, that’s all Sam would ever get. He wasn’t cut out for relationships, never had been, and once he and Sam had grown closer, developed a platonic friendship he’d never believed himself capable of maintaining, he’d realized fucking her was officially out of the question.
But you’re not above screwing her, are ya?
He seriously wished his conscience would go bury its head in the sand and stop reminding him of his underhanded actions. Yes, he’d screwed Sam by going behind her back and asking her financial manager—who also happened to be a good friend of his
—not to extend her loan. Call him an asshole, but he’d wanted the Diamond. Ever since he’d been forced to retire, he’d been looking for a way to pass his time. When he’d learned about Sam’s financial difficulties, he hadn’t been able to pass up the opportunity of pouncing on the Diamond, and not even his fondness for the current owner could stop him from buying the joint.
Steeling himself for a fight, he slid into the seat across from her and arched one dark brow. “So what’s on your mind?” he asked.
“Sex.”
Huh?
He blinked a couple times. Wondered if he’d heard her right or if the lust he felt for this woman was making him hallucinate.
“Sex,” he repeated, though it was hard to speak when his mouth had become the Sahara Desert.
“Yep.”
Okay. She wanted to talk to him about sex? A confrontation he’d been ready for, but he was in no way prepared to talk about the subject of sex with the one woman he’d always wanted in his bed.
He swallowed, bringing much-needed moisture to his arid throat. His mouth dried out, however, the second Sam leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. His gaze strayed to her tits. Her very perky, very braless tits. Lord, why wasn’t she wearing a bra? The sight of her nipples poking against the thin material of her black tank top nearly caused his eyes to pop out of his head. He’d always liked her breasts, always wondered how they’d feel under his palms, how her nipples would taste when he sucked them between his lips.
“Riley?”
His head jerked up and when he met her gaze he could swear he saw a glimmer of satisfaction flickering in her eyes. What exactly was she up to?
He cleared his throat. “Sorry. You were saying?”
“What I was saying,” she said with a sassy smile, “is that I want to talk about sex. Actually, scratch that. I don’t want to talk about it. I want to do it.”
His cock swiftly sprang up against his fly.
“Got anyone in mind?” he managed.
“You.”
That one little word sucked the oxygen from his lungs and caused all his blood to pool in the southern region of his body. His cock grew even harder, like an uncomfortable slab of marble as it strained against his jeans. He was so stiff he could barely move, let alone talk.
“Is this a joke?” he finally asked.
“No joke.” With another grin, this one more wicked than the first, she added, “I’ve been thinking about this for two years.”
His hand trembled a little as he raked it through his hair. “You’ve been thinking about having sex with me for two years?”
She simply nodded. There was no need for words—the hot look in her blue eyes said it all. So did the way she licked her bottom lip.
“How come you, uh, never mentioned it before?”
“You didn’t seem interested.” She cocked her head curiously. “Are you interested?”
Hell yes, his dick shouted.
Don’t even think about it, his conscience ordered.
Shit.
He had no idea what to say to that and the battle raging in his head wasn’t helping the situation.
So instead of answering her question, he asked one of his own. “I never thought you were the casual type. What suddenly made you decide you wanted a roll in the hay with a playboy like me?”
“So you admit you’re a playboy.”
“Sure.”
“I prefer male slut.”
His mouth lifted in a faint grin. “I’m thirty years old, single, and rich. I’m allowed to be a slut. You, on the other hand, are too good for me. My rough edges would scratch the hell out of you.”
“Sounds kinky.”
His cock twitched, a warning that this conversation was treading into very dangerous territory. She was obviously dead serious about this, and if he wanted to leave this bar with his honorable intentions intact, he really needed to nip this in the bud. Now. Before he did something stupid.
Like fuck her.
“Don’t pretend you don’t want to,” she said, reading his mind. “I can see it in your eyes, Riley. You’re interested.”
She didn’t even know the half of it. But what she also didn’t know what that she’d just propositioned the same man who was about to profit from her financial troubles. He’d been here the night she’d informed her staff she was selling the bar. He’d seen the anger and desperation in her eyes. He knew the Diamond was her entire life, that she’d inherited it from her parents after they’d died in a car accident five years ago. She’d single-handedly run this place for years now, and he felt like a total ass for taking it away from her.
But he couldn’t ignore the reality of the situation either. Sam was broke, the bar was struggling, and even if he hadn’t bought it, she would’ve lost it anyway.
The reality, however, didn’t ease his guilt. He knew he should have talked to her before he made the offer for the Diamond, tried to explain why he was doing it and gotten her blessing before he did. Yet he hadn’t wanted to upset her. No, he hadn’t wanted to lose her. Sam’s friendship was one of the highlights of his empty post-retirement life, and he’d selfishly wanted to hang on to her, something he hadn’t been sure would be possible if he told her the truth about buying the Diamond.
He’d fought not to sleep with her for the same reason, but apparently she wasn’t as worried that sex might ruin their friendship.
“Sam…” He mustered up some willpower and continued, “This isn’t a good idea.”
“I think it’s a great idea.” Something raw and fiery flashed in her gaze. “You’re not going to turn me down, Riley.”
He gulped. “I’m not?”
“Nope.”
She slid out of the booth and got to her feet. The sweet feminine scent of her wafted into his nostrils and he almost shuddered with arousal. Jeez, not now. He’d fought his attraction to her for two years. How was it possible that it only took two damn minutes for all that restraint to dissolve?
“I’m staying in the apartment upstairs,” she said with a sensual arch of an eyebrow.
He inhaled deeply, wondering if there was a way to let her down gently but at the same time wanting nothing more than to follow her upstairs and rip her clothes off.
She sensed his hesitation and frowned. “Don’t make me beg for it.”
And there it was. All it took was one tiny pout and the word “beg” and he officially reached his breaking point. The restraint inside him snapped like a bungee cord. Every remaining drop of blood in his body skyrocketed south, pooling in his groin until he was harder and hotter than ever.
How could he possibly deny this woman something he wanted just as badly? He could practically taste her on his lips. Her sexy scent made him dizzy with lust, her braless breasts taunted him from beneath her cotton tank top. He’d never wanted a woman this much, this fiercely, and the need squeezed at his balls and sucked the oxygen right out of his lungs.
He stumbled to his feet. Screw it. He wasn’t going to fight this anymore. Tomorrow he would tell her that he’d bought the Diamond.
Tonight he would live out the fantasy he’d denied himself for far too long.
Chapter Two
“You coming?” Sam asked, tossing a glance over her shoulder.
“Oh, I intend to,” he replied in a low voice.
A thrill shot through her body as she pulled her gaze away and focused on walking in a straight line. She’d expected a little resistance, but propositioning Riley Scott had turned out to be a lot tougher than she’d anticipated. His reluctance had been written all over his gorgeous face, and yet at the same time, she’d seen the way his eyes had glimmered with passion when she’d asked him to bed. He wanted her, and the knowledge that he returned the attraction made her break out in shivers. It also made her wonder why he’d fought it for so long.
And why he’d looked almost guilty when she’d suggested acting on it.
Ah well. No time to think about any of that now. She finally had Riley exactly whe
re she wanted him, and she wasn’t about to spoil what was bound to be the best night of her life by over-thinking it. She did that a lot, turned things over in her head and analyzed them to death, until she’d sucked the fun right out of them.
Tonight would be different.
Tonight there would be no thinking.
She led him to the dark corridor in the back of the bar, toward the staircase leading up to the second-floor apartment. They climbed the stairs, neither one saying a word. As she paused to unlock the door, she felt Riley’s warm breath on her neck. A second later his hands cupped her butt.
“You’ve got such a sweet ass,” he muttered from behind.
“Wait ’til you see the rest of me.”
Click. The lock unlatched and she pushed the door open. When they got inside, she didn’t turn on the lights. She didn’t want to ruin the moment by shedding light on this barren little apartment. She didn’t want to look at all the boxes full of her possessions or think about the fact that she was sleeping on a mattress in an empty bedroom. She missed her old place. No, she missed her old life, the one she’d led before the bar had been snatched out of her hands and she’d been evicted from the brownstone she’d lived in for years. Hard as she’d tried to turn a profit, her little corner bar simply hadn’t been able to compete with all the new, hip establishments that kept opening up on the block. She’d poured every dime she had into the Diamond, until she was totally and completely broke, unable to pay the phone bill, let alone her rent.
But she forcibly shoved all the ugly thoughts out of her head. At the moment, she didn’t want any of her troubles tainting what was about to happen.
So she left the light off, smiled at the big sexy man in front of her, and squashed any notions of time-consuming pre-sex pleasantries by reaching for the hem of her tank top.
She pulled the material over her head and bared her breasts.
“Are those real?” Riley rasped, his voice thick with desire.