TRIPLE PLAY: AN UNRATED PREQUEL Read online

  Memories flooded through her. They’d been in the water, standing and facing each other, when the faint strains of a slow tune had wafted to their ears. Rand had jokingly asked her to dance. The joke had been on him, because she’d leapt at the chance to be in his arms. They’d rocked together, standing waist-deep in cool water, swaying to the faint music they could barely make out over the night breeze. Their wet young bodies had been pressed together, from neck to knee. Even before Rand had kissed her, she had noticed his body’s reaction, that long, powerful bulge in his swim trunks, and had understood what it meant.

  “I remember,” she murmured, unable to pretend she wasn’t experiencing the same magnetic pull she’d always felt around Rand. Long before he’d been rich and famous, long before he’d become a sex symbol, he had appealed to the very core of her being the way no one had, before or since. She’d wanted him from the moment they’d met.

  “I remember everything about that summer,” he said.

  “Like what?”

  “Like the day Seth and I picked you up at the airport when you first arrived. You had your hair in a high ponytail and you were carrying a backpack full of Hollywood tourist guides and movie-star tell-alls.”

  “You offered to carry it.”

  “And the weight of it nearly pulled my arm out of my socket,” he teased.

  “Remember my first In-N-Out burger experience?”

  “When you licked every bit of sauce off your fingers and then wiped what was left off the wrapper and licked that up, too?”

  “Man, I loved those things. Grandfather almost never let me eat fast food.”

  “How is the old guy?”

  She smiled. “He’s fine. Still very protective.”

  She supposed that was no wonder, considering the way Emily’s own parents had dragged her to another country, putting hers and Seth’s lives at risk as they tried to cover up their crimes. After getting Seth and Emily back home, her elderly grandfather had never stopped wanting to keep them safe from harm, especially Emily.

  “You know what I remember most?” he said.

  She almost hated to ask. “What?”

  The pool? My birthday? The scene with Seth?

  “I most remember holding your hand all day at Disneyland.”

  She sucked in a breath, taken by surprise.

  “Really?”

  He gazed down at her, tenderness etched into his face. “Really. I’d never done that before. I’d had girlfriends, but I’d never just walked hand in hand through a theme park with anyone.”

  The memory meant something to him, she could tell. His stare was intense, so filled with...what was it? Longing? A yearning for a time when life had been so simple that he could experience pure pleasure by holding a girl’s hand?

  She had catalogued all the ways Rand’s life had changed since she’d known him, but she’d only ever tallied the positives. The fame, the money, the travel, the fun, the thrill of the game. She hadn’t considered the downsides. It would be impossible for Rand to go to a theme park and just enjoy himself now. Such simple pleasures were completely denied to people at his level of fame, and she had to wonder if the price he paid for such soaring success was one he regretted having to pay.

  “That was a good day,” she said softly.

  “So, are you going to talk to me now? Let me explain why I came here?”

  “I think it’s pretty clear.”

  “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “I’m not offended—not really. Surprised, I guess.”

  “I just wanted to see you. I’ve never been able to forget the time we spent together, and the way things ended with us. I wanted to know how your life turned out.”

  “You could have sent a thinking-of-you card.”

  “Would you have replied?”

  “Probably not.”

  “So you see why I had to come.”

  No, she didn’t. It was crazy to believe he’d come here, as he said, to finish what they’d started. He could have a different sex partner every day for a year—or ten—if he wanted to. Yet she couldn’t imagine anything else they’d started that long-ago summer that a man as rich, powerful and successful as Rand might be anxious to finish. It wasn’t as if their teenage summer fling constituted some big, unfinished business.

  But maybe, like that simple day in a theme park with a girl, he was longing for a lifestyle he could no longer have. Maybe he wanted to grasp one last memory of the Rand he’d been before he’d become the sexiest athlete in the world.

  Emily had never been one to hide from the truth of a situation or bury her head in the sand. Being here with Rand, being held by him, inhaling his essence, feeling the strength of him, was making her crazy and she needed to be sure of where she stood. So she had to ask him.

  “Did you really come here planning to have sex with me?”

  He gazed at her, not appearing shocked by the bluntness of her question. “Would it surprise you if I said yes?”

  “Are you saying yes?”

  “Yes.”

  She froze, almost stumbling. He kept her upright, locked in his strong arms. Shaking her head hard, not sure whether she was having some kind of surreal dream, she asked, “Why me?”

  “You’re beautiful.”

  “There are a hundred more beautiful women in this room, much less in the entire world. You could have any of them. So, I repeat, why me?”

  He was quiet for a moment, staring searchingly at her face, as if debating how to answer. Finally, he said, “Lots of reasons, but, I guess the most important one is that the curiosity has been eating at me since the last time I saw you.”

  Curious about what sex would have been like between them? Well, it wasn’t the most flattering explanation—he hadn’t claimed to have been pining away from her for seven years—but she appreciated it. Because it was honest. And because, if pressed, she would have to admit she’d been just as curious, for just as long.

  They’d come so close to being lovers once. Like a kid denied the one present she’d wanted every Christmas of her childhood, Emily had to wonder if the thing she hadn’t gotten might have been the greatest gift ever.

  “Are you offended? Because you shouldn’t be. I didn’t come here assuming it would be easy to seduce you.”

  “Does that mean you’re giving up?”

  “It means I’m going to try harder.”

  She laughed softly. So did he.

  “The truth is, I wasn’t taking this for granted,” he said, intent, earnest. “I wasn’t even sure if you were married or in a committed relationship, or if I’d come face-to-face with you and find that the chemistry was gone.”

  “I’m not.” She swallowed hard and added, “It’s not.”

  Chemistry. Heat. Attraction. They’d both felt all of the above from the day they’d met, not just after that night in the pool. She’d once believed it had been one-sided until that heated encounter, but now, looking back at those weeks through a woman’s eyes and remembering everything he’d said and done, she knew it hadn’t been.

  He’d been playing the gentleman—she understood that now. Holding her at arm’s length, teasing her, treating her like a kid sister, all because he’d been more interested in her than he wanted to be. Definitely more than Seth had wanted him to be.

  It didn’t explain why he’d never responded to her afterward, but some of her questions about how he’d felt when they’d been together had finally been answered. Those answers were enough to lessen the humiliation of what had happened. They also made her more confident in herself, in her sex appeal, in the torch she’d once carried for him.

  So, could she do it? Could she take what she hadn’t gotten back then? Was it even possible for her to be the kind of woman who casually hooked up with a guy? A guy who’d traveled ac
ross the country to take her to bed just because he’d been wondering what it would be like for so many years?

  “Yes,” she whispered, talking to herself, not to him.

  “Yes what?”

  She stopped dancing and looked up at him, noting the warmth in those green eyes and the intensity of his interest. She saw the desire she’d dreamed of recognizing on his handsome face, and she believed it was genuine.

  She could do it, and not have one regret.

  Emily wasn’t the reckless type. She’d never had a one-night stand. Maybe this would be her first—maybe tonight was all they’d have, all he was interested in. She felt a stab of sadness at the thought, but it was outweighed by pure excitement. She’d been waiting so long—far too long. She’d lost her virginity to the wrong man and had known nothing but wrong men ever since. Even if she only had him for one night, she was ready to finally have the right man.

  Decision made. She was going to take what she could get and not regret it later. It was time to be the wild, impulsive girl she’d been on her eighteenth birthday. She would have the man she wanted, store up as many memories as her heart could hold, and treasure them forever.

  Starting right now.

  “Em? What are you saying?”

  She took a deep breath, waiting for her heart to flutter with indecision, or her tongue to tangle up within her mouth.

  But her heartbeat was strong and steady, and the words came so very easily.

  “I’m saying yes, Rand. Just yes.”

  5

  RAND WASN’T SURE who he spoke to, thanked or acknowledged as he left the crowded fund-raiser. He’d been planning to stay until after midnight, but as soon as he’d looked into Emily’s face and heard what she was really saying, he’d been able to do nothing but head for the exit.

  Emily had stopped him, asking him to let her go out first, since it wouldn’t be seemly for a hotel employee to leave with the guest of honor. He’d done as she asked, watching her leave and following her two minutes later.

  She was waiting for him outside the ballroom, in a side corridor.

  “That was the longest two minutes in history,” he said, grabbing her and pulling her into his arms. He thrust his hands in her hair and covered her mouth with his, kissing her hungrily. She kissed him back, just as hungry, just as desperate.

  They finally broke apart, and he forced himself to remember that, even though she was no longer on duty, since it was after eleven, this was still her place of employment.

  “Let’s get upstairs,” he told her, “I don’t want to get you into trouble.”

  “This job’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” she said, a naughty smile quirking her lips.

  That was good. Because, if Rand had his way, she wouldn’t have her job for long. One night was never going to be enough, not now that he knew all the feelings and desires he’d carried around for Emily for seven years were still alive and strong. He had every intention of talking her into coming with him when he left here to return to L.A.

  But that was for tomorrow, when he finally told her the rest of the story. That he’d really come here because he wanted a whole lot more from her than sex. She hadn’t been ready to hear it earlier, and probably wouldn’t have believed it.

  Sex, though—hot, steamy, wild sex—well, they’d both been waiting for that for long enough.

  On the way down the corridor, they practically mowed over another couple who’d just entered from outside, bringing in some cold Chicago night air along with them. The guy wore an Army uniform and had a possessive arm draped around the pretty, thirty-ish woman’s waist. Emily seemed to know her. Or, at least, the woman knew Emily.

  “Hello. Miss Crowder, isn’t it?”

  Emily paused, half tripping Rand with the sudden stop. “Hi, Dr. Blake. I guess you made it home for the holidays. I heard you almost got stuck in New York because of that crazy blizzard last week.”

  The other woman laughed softly, exchanging a glance with her escort, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her. “Fortunately, I was able to hitch a ride with an excellent driver.”

  The tall, dark-haired man spoke. “We have a soft spot for this event, and wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  Rand extended a hand to the Army officer. “Happy New Year, and thank you for your service.”

  The other man shook it. “Are you who I think you are?”

  “Yeah,” Rand said with a noncommittal shrug.

  “You’re taking your life in your hands coming to Cubs country.”

  The two men laughed. “Hey, some things are worth the risk,” Rand replied, eyeing Emily.

  “Don’t I know it.”

  “Well, nice running into you,” the pretty female doctor said, amusement in her eyes, as if she was aware that Emily and Rand were racing out of here to be alone together. “Happy New Year.”

  “Same to you,” Emily replied.

  The other couple departed, and Emily explained, “She’s my cat’s vet, Ellie Blake. She’s a major supporter of tonight’s event.”

  “The fund-raiser was a big success.”

  “I’m glad. It’s a great cause.”

  “I know. One of my biggest regrets about being on the road so much is that I can’t have a dog. So I try to support as many homeless pets as possible.”

  She gave him a melting look, as if touched or surprised by something he considered as natural as breathing. Maybe it seemed a little strange, but Rand wasn’t ashamed to admit he was a softie when it came to anything involving kids or animals

  “You did a good thing by coming here.”

  Yeah. He intended to do a lot more good things, too. This trip up to his room was taking far too long for his liking.

  Funny that they could make small talk as they hurried across the lobby, as if they weren’t both desperate and dizzy with excitement to be alone together. He hoped seven years of waiting wouldn’t make him so anxious that he shot off like an inexperienced kid.

  They crossed paths with a few more people as they worked their way toward the opposite tower, which housed the only elevator that accessed the penthouse. He managed to smile and nod when he had to, but didn’t let anybody slow them down or impede their progress. Maybe he was being rude, but, frankly, he’d been waiting seven years and he couldn’t stand to wait another seven minutes.

  Passing the front desk, Emily paused to speak to the night manager, the one who’d called him masturbation-bait—and God, hadn’t that been awkward to walk up on—to tell her she was going off duty. The woman gave them both a broad smile, and Emily a not-so-surreptitious thumbs-up.

  Finally, though, they reached the elevators.

  “I probably should go to my office and...”

  “No. You should get up to that penthouse with me. Now.”

  She grinned. “You really are impatient, aren’t you?”

  Considering that he was ready to howl with frustration because the elevator was taking too long, he’d cop to that.

  “You’re lucky I worked the three-to-eleven shift.”

  “Even if you had to work until morning, I’d have stalked you through the hotel until I found a closet to drag you into.”

  He smiled as he felt a slow shiver roll through her slight body, realizing that she was every bit as excited and eager as he was. Standing beside her, his fingers on the small of her back, stroking the tiny protrusion of her spine, breathing in her sweetly spicy scent, the tension within him ratcheted up even higher. He had no idea how he was going to keep his hands off her once they were alone in the elevator. Heaven help him if anybody else boarded it with them.

  The doors opened and he didn’t even wait to see if anyone came out. He simply put an arm around Emily’s waist and ushered her in. Fortunately, it was empty. Equally as fortunately, no one else called
for them to wait.

  The second the doors closed with a whoosh, Rand eased her into the corner, wrapped her in his arms and hauled her up against his body. He caught her mouth in a hot, wet kiss that held nothing back, loving the slide of her small, sweet tongue and the heat of every breath she exhaled into his mouth.

  They tilted their heads, angling deeper, and he groaned as she wrapped one slim leg around his and arched into him. He was unable to resist his body’s demand to thrust and claim, and rocked into the apex of her thighs.

  “Oh, yes, Rand, you feel so good,” she groaned, straining against his rock-hard erection.

  He buried his face in her throat. “I hate that there are cameras in here.”

  “They’re only for show,” she said, her tone wickedly sultry. “The system has some glitches because the hotel’s so new. The cameras don’t work yet.”

  Possibilities filled his head as he tried to remember just how long it took the elevator to reach the penthouse. Not long enough for what he most wanted to do. But long enough to tide them over.

  He reached for her skirt, lifting it up to reveal the tops of those crazy-sexy stockings. “I have been fantasizing about these things all day.”

  “About taking them off me?”

  “Oh, hell, no.”

  “I see.”

  “You will be leaving them on.” Not a request. A demand.

  “Bossy,” she said.

  She didn’t say anything more, her voice failing her when he slid his hand between her warm thighs and cupped her mound. Her panties were damp, even more than they’d been earlier, and his blood coursed harder through his veins. She might have handcuffed him and walked out the door with a firm proclamation that she wasn’t interested. But her body had told him seven years ago that she most definitely was, and things hadn’t changed one bit.

  “Have you been wet for me all evening?”

  She dropped her hand to cup his cock. “Have you been hard for me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then I guess we’re even.”

  He imagined they were.

  “I’ve gotta taste you, Em.”