Page 19 of The Games We Play (Balance of Power #3)

NAOMI

I ’m still kicking and screaming as I hang over his shoulder when he pushes the entrance doors open and exits out of Afterburn.

He doesn’t stop, or appear to be struggling, as he carries me around like a zero gravity duffle bag. Making his way down the front steps, he turns toward the parking lot, then continues walking past my car.

“Where are we going?” I ask, louder than necessary.

No response.

“Are you going to say anything or just continue to establish your dominance by sheer force?”

No response, again. Instead, he slaps my ass.

I squeal moan, surprised at the slap, and I feel it in more places than just my ass.

“You really are a caveman, you know?” I smack his ass right back, being that I’m only inches from it.

I hear the click of a door handle, then my body’s momentum changes and I fall back into a seat. His large truck is slightly lifted, so gravity doesn’t change much when he places me down and moves my legs inside the truck .

“Wait, I drove here,” I said, pointing at my car.

“I’ll bring you back later.” He shuts the car door and I watch him as he walks around the front of the truck. He side-eyes me as he passes by. His pupils are blown out—desperate with desire, but there’s a playful threat behind them, and I can’t help but want to challenge both.

He gets in the truck, starts it, then reverses out of the parking spot. As he pulls onto the freeway, I finally ask, “Okay, so where are we going?”

Shocking, no response.

Apparently, he only speaks if he deems it necessary. Great. I’m next door neighbors with a partial mute who watches me do yoga every morning. Oh, and apparently pleases himself while I do it.

My cheeks flush at the feeling of when he told me that. I knew he had been watching, but I had no idea that was going on. I find myself shifting in my seat at the vision.

“What are you thinking about?” I jump, because…well, he spoke.

“Nothing,” I snip back quickly.

He glances down at my hips, then back up to my face. A slight smirk crosses his face.

Hiding my internal eye roll, I realize I need to maintain some power here.

The heat is on low, but it is still warm enough for me to take a layer or two off.

Leaning forward, I take off my jacket, folding it in my lap.

I skim over the outfit I chose to wear today; it’s the least sexiest outfit to strip out of, ever.

Leggings, an oversized, baggy shirt that hangs over my shoulder, with leg warmers and heels.

Nothing about this outfit screams sex.

Oh, fuck it. I have a tank top on .

I strip off the oversized shirt, pulling it over my head and folding it on top of the jacket that still lays on my lap.

Seamus’s eyes flicker my way for a split second before returning to the road.

Hm…Got his attention.

Without the extra layers, it’s much colder and my thin bra does nothing for support or protection from puckering.

Giving myself another once over as I shift in my seat, I can’t help but notice my taut, erect nipples peeking through my top.

I pull on the fabric, giving it a bit more friction and add to their pert demeanor.

I lift my chin and tilt slightly toward him. His eyes flicker to my face, down at my chest, then back to the road. His hand grips the steering wheel with white knuckle force as he blows out a steadying breath.

As he turns into the cul-de-sac that I know so well, he parks in my driveway and my face falls in confusion.

He gets out urgently, slamming the door behind him, and I can barely turn to follow his movements when my door flies open and he grabs me the same exact caveman way he did at the club.

He takes the clothes I held in my lap, then I yelp as he flips me over his shoulder again.

“Seamus, what are you doing?” He stops, glances around again, then heads to the side yard gate between our houses. He kicks it open, breaking the clasp.

“You savage animal! You didn’t have to break it, you could have just flipped the latch.”

“I’ll fix it.”

So, not only does he act like a caveman, he sounds like one, too.

Walking through the side yard, he turns into the open backyard and passes by my yoga mat that’s still laid out on the patio.

I was in a rush this morning and left it out.

My sweater and jogger pants are draped over the patio furniture, and I blush again with both arousal and a little embarrassment that he’s had his vantage point on my life that I don’t typically share with anyone.

He tosses my jacket and shirt that haphazardly lands on top of the left over clothes already there, as one tumbles over itself onto the ground.

I feel myself falling back again as he leans down and places my feet on the ground. Before I can turn around, he presses his body against mine, caging me in between his extended arms, and I’m backed up against the oak tree in my own yard.

Memories flash behind my eyelids of a younger Seamus, standing like a fortress in front of me, attempting to shelter me from the watching eyes of campers.

He stood so strong and so proud until I begged him to touch me, and then he completely fell apart.

I want that Seamus.

“Why did you bring me here?” I tilt up my chin in a bit of defiance.

“I owe you an orgasm.”

My eyes widen at his response. “Here?”

“The girl I knew was always up for a challenge.”

Oh, he is baiting me right now.

“If it turns out anything like the first time, it won’t really be a challenge,” I bait him right back with a smile.

That slow, sexy smile returns, like what I said was the equivalent to shaking a red flag in front of a bull.

He leans into me, completely engulfing his body over mine. The tip of his nose trails over my jawline and down my neck. His breath is hot against my skin, and even though he’s hardly touching me, I feel him everywhere.

“Can I touch you?” he whispers over the shell of my ear.

Apparently, I’m up for no challenge and he’s already won since, I nod without a second thought .

“And…Is this okay?” His fingertip moves up my arm, around my collarbone, and trails down the peak of my breast with a barely there graze over my pebbled nipple.

“Yes,” I breathe out.

“Can I kiss you here?” His lips explore my skin again, this time planting kisses along my collarbone.

I nod again, tilting my head back, exposing more of my body to him.

His fingers tuck into the strap of my tank top, pulling it down, exposing my nipple to the frigid air, making it harden even more.

“And what about here?” Leaning down further, he wraps his lips around the peak, pulling my nipple into the warmth of his mouth.

“Oh, God. Yes.” Jesus, I’m already a puddle.

I can hear his smile in the moan he releases. It infuriates me, but not enough to make him stop.

My hand reaches around the back of his head, and I grip his hair between my fingertips, holding him in place as his tongue circles around my nipple. His hand trails up my other arm until he finds the strap and pulls it down, exposing me fully.

He moves freely between both nipples, giving them shared attention. Goosebumps break out all over my body when he leaves one for the other as the crisp air coats the sensitive tips, giving me a secondary sensation my body is completely unsure of.

I moan, tossing my head back and close my eyes as he teases me, and I realize he’s completely undone in a matter of a minute.

Bracing myself, I hold one hand against his arm while the other has a white knuckle grip on his hair.

The bumpy tree bark scrapes my skin as my body presses into it, but nothing can overpower the feeling of his mouth on my body.

His tongue feels like magic against my skin and his hands hold me like I’m his sole source of air .

It’s been so long since I’ve felt a connection, something deeper than just the physical sensation. It’s like he knows exactly what I need and he’s spent a lifetime studying for it.

Every touch is sensual.

Every kiss is personal.

Every look is pleasurable agony.

I squeeze my eyes closed, attempting to hide the emotions that rip through my body. His passion, his desire, the desperate need is adding to my sensual state and I question my emotional wellbeing.

Changing pace, he grabs my wrists, yanking them over my head, and presses me hard against the tree.

My breath hitches as my eyes snap open, and I panic. My body bucks in dispute, as I look up at his hands holding me in place. My chest heaves as my breath quickens, and I’m unable to hide my fear.

He squints as he appraises my expression, looking up at where his hands are covering mine then back down at my face. He lets go immediately, taking a step back, tilting his head, giving me a look of uncertainty and confusion.

He goes to take another step back, but I reach out and grab his hand, placing them on my hips.

I’m not scared of him. I don’t want him to stop. In fact, I want him more than I can admit. But he can’t do that , not here. I don’t know how to tell him or if I ever want to, so before he can ask I pull him in flush against my body.

“What was that, Mimi?” he asks anyway.

“Touch me,” I say, ignoring him.

His questioning eyes inspect me with concern.

“Please,” I beg, pulling him closer. “It’s been a really long time for me,” I embarrassingly confess.

He growls and leans back into me.

I tuck my hands underneath his shirt and run my hands over his body. I can feel the hard ridges of his muscular torso and I lose count of how many abdominal muscles my fingers roam over.

I push my hips into his, feeling the length of his hard erection behind his jeans.

Sucking in a breath between clenched teeth, his hips roll into mine, and I can’t help but moan at the sensation, at the idea that he’s losing a bit of that control he holds onto so tight.

Releasing my hip, his hand stretches the waistband of my leggings as he reaches inside. The pads of his fingers swipe through my wet slit and he groans in approval.

A whimper escapes me in response as his finger finds my clit, and he rubs circles around the tip.

My body grinds against his, asking for more—needing more. It’s been so long, too long.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me, Mimi?” His lips graze my ear.

“Parading your body out here every morning, fighting with myself to stop watching you. Begging myself to step away from that goddamn window.” He nips at the lobe.

“And every morning, I lose all the willpower I spent my life building, because you strip it away like it was nothing. Like I didn’t spend years practicing, giving up everything, sacrificing everything. Yet somehow, one look from you and it’s ripped to fucking shreds.”

“Oh God,” I whimper as my body begins to tremble.

For someone who has barely said a full sentence since he came back into my life, that was saying something. I never really figured out what my love language is, but based on what he said and how I’m feeling, maybe it’s words of affirmation.

“I’m so close,” I confess as my hands grip tightly against his body. I bite my bottom lip, attempting to smother any confessions.

“That’s my good girl. Fall apart for me like I do for you. ”

Yup, I’m officially a words of affirmation girl, because I erupt instantly.

I toss my head against the tree and I gasp through explosive orgasm. I feel myself practically trying to climb away from him as his fingers continue to wring it out of me. I’m desperate for him to stop, but somehow still begging for more.

A minute goes by, an hour, God who knows how long before my breath finally evens out. His forehead is leaning against mine as he pulls the straps of my top back over my shoulders, it covers my chest, but my shoulders and arms are cold to touch and covered in goosebumps.

He kisses my temple before stepping away, and I instantly feel the emptiness.

The cold air wraps around my body and my eyes shoot open to see him walking away toward the side yard entrance.

That same sensation I felt that night overwhelms me.

Seeing his back as he walked away, feeling on top of the world just to never see him again.

And never realizing it was the last time I was ever going to see him.

Pain bites my back as I fall to the ground, the husk of the tree scraping my skin as it trails over the bark. My head falls into my palms, ashamed of myself, disappointed that I repeated this again. Then a strange sensation of fear blankets me as the memories after flood in.

I lift my head and look around. My head turns frantically to the left and right, behind me, and I can’t help but look around.

I’m in my backyard. I’m in my backyard.

I coax myself, wrapping my arms around my bent knees and rocking into myself.

It’s okay. No one is here.

“Mimi?” Seamus’ voice rips me from my thoughts as my head snaps in the direction of my name. My old name. His tone is laced with so much worry and concern.

Seamus stands a couple feet away, frozen, with my shirt in one hand and jacket in the other .

He wasn’t leaving, he was grabbing my clothes.

“What’s going on?” he asks.

His questioning look gives his concern away as I attempt to gather myself.

“That’s not my name. I haven’t gone by that name in years.” I stand up, running my hands down the front of my body before wrapping my arms over each other, contradicting my lifted chin in a fake confidence.

“That’s not what’s bothering you,” he deadpans. As if he knows, because he does. I swear he’s a goddamn mind reader or something. That’s what he must have spent the last ten years doing.

“I have to get ready. I have a class.” Without meeting his gaze, I step forward grabbing both items of clothing from his hands, then sidestep to move around him. He catches my arms softly with his hand and dips his head in front of mine, searching for my eyes.

I look in the other direction, avoiding him.

“Mimi…”

My neck whiplashes back in his direction. “I’m not Mimi anymore,” I spit out as he releases my arm.

He flinches at my tone, but steps back, allowing me space to move around him. “Okay, sunshine. You win.”

I pass by him and walk into my house through the sliding door, leaving him in my backyard.

I wish I could call that a win.