Page 33 of Playing with Forever
“I did. That was amazing!” Andrea fell against my chest, her hands gripping my t-shirt as if to help stabilize herself again. Breathless and exhilarated, she had the biggest smile on her face. “Holy shit! I’ll have to do the real thing!”
I chuckled. “That can be arranged.”
“Yeah?” Andrea looked beyond excited by the prospect of jumping out of an actual airplane.
I nodded. “Sure.”
She looked so elated and carefree, and I had the strongest urge to just kiss her. So, I framed her face in my hands and I gave in to the impulse, reveling in the sweet, surprised gasp that brushed across my lips as our mouths touched, then melded completely.
Austin was now in the skydiving tunnel, making a big scene about it, so Xavier and Tate were focused on him—Tate filming on his phone and Xavier encouraging his antics. I could hear Ford and Violet still bickering behind me, so I couldn’t be sure if they were paying attention to us, or not.
It was a stupid thing to do, to blur the lines like this with a public display of affection. I didn’t want to play with Andrea’s heart or confuse her. But I couldn’t help myself, and honestly, giving into my desire for her was so worth it, just to feel the way her body went slack against mine, the soft little moan of pleasure she made against my mouth, and the dazed, joyful look in her eyes as I pulled back.
“Sorry,” I murmured, not really feeling apologetic at all as I gently brushed stray strands of hair away from her face. My fingers lingered longer than necessary, drawn to her like some magnetic pull I couldn’t seem to fight. “Happiness looks good on you.”
Andrea smiled at me, and for a moment the whole damn world softened around the edges. That smile—bright, genuine,mine— pulled me under like a riptide. I nearly kissed her again, but then she whispered, “It looks good on you, too.”
My heart seemed to knock against my ribs as I stared down at her beautiful face. I had no idea what to do with that—didn’t know how to take something so simple and honest and believe it. Happiness wasn’t something I was accustomed to or wore well. It wasn’t something I trusted to stay beyond a fleeting moment.
The next day, Monday, I sat in one of the security firm’s offices, trying to concentrate on the paperwork I needed to fill out for an upcoming job, but my mind kept drifting back to that exchange between us. Every line I was supposed to fill out blurred with the echo of her words.
It looks good on you, too.
The truth was, she made me want to believe it. And that terrified the hell out of me. Because if happiness did look good on me, it was only because she’d put it there. And I didn’t know if I deserved to keep it.
“Contemplating how you need to call your mother?”
I jolted in my office chair and looked up, watching as my father, Dean Noble, strolled into the room, still seeing him as the larger than life man I’d admired growing up, and still did. “Dad!”
“Hey, kid.” He grinned at me as I stood up and rounded the desk to give him a hug, which he returned, then clapped me on the shoulder as we parted.
“How are you?” I asked, surprised to see him here in Vegas, when he normally spent his time at the original San Diego security firm. “And Idocall Mom, which I’m pretty sure you hear all about.”
“I do,” he said, and laughed. “But you know how it is. You could call your mother every day and it wouldn’t be enough for her. You and Austin are still her boys and she misses you both. How are things?” he asked, his gaze more serious now.
“Everything is good,” I assured him, knowing he still worried about me after learning what had happened during that last mission overseas, before I’d been honorably discharged. My father had also served in the Navy and knew how harrowing things could get, and he also understood how those devastating memories lingered even years after being out of that element.
But my mental well-being was the last thing I wanted to discuss with my father, and I quickly changed the subject to him. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m in town for a few days, just to go over some company changes with Sutton.”
“Is mom with you?” I asked curiously, since she did occasionally accompany him on these quick Vegas trips.
My father arched a brow. “If what you’re really asking is if we’ll be at The Players Club while I’m here and cramp your style, rest assured she is not with me this time.”
I didn’t miss my dad’s smirk, though he’d been the one to gift me with a membership to the club when I’d left the Navy, having sensed that I had the same dominant tendencies that he did. He was also one of the few people who had insight to my PTSD and knew just how therapeutic elements of BDSM could be.
As much as I loved and adored my mother, I couldn’t deny that I was relieved that she wasn’t in town this time. Nothing more awkward than running into your parents at the sex club they owned with Mac, my father’s business partner—with Andrea as my date.
“Her and Stephanie are in talks with the new owners of the Playboy mansion to remodel some of the bedrooms with their fantasy designs,” my father said, the pride in his voice unmistakable. “So, if that deal gets signed, she’ll be busy in LA for quite some time.”
My jaw nearly dropped at the prestigious opportunity. “Holy shit. That’s impressive.”
“Yeah. I’m proud of her.” Dad clapped me affectionately on the shoulder, again. “I’m glad you’re doing okay. And I’ll make sure your mom doesn’t bother you about your love life for at least another month. But you know her, she’d love to see you boys settled down with a good woman, and grandbabies in her future.”
I almost choked at that and avoided my father’s shrewd gaze. When people said I was intimidating, I always told them I learned it from him. But even though I was tempted to tell him about Andrea, I knew it wouldn’t matter because nothing was going to come of it and I didn’t need a lecture about potentially hurting her, and how that might affect the dynamic between my mother and Madison, since they worked together.
I knew my mom worried about me, too, and just wanted both of her sons to be happy. That was just her sweet, caring nature. She and dad were stupidly in love—it was kind of gross as a kid, but now that I was an adult I envied them their strong, loving relationship. Before all the shit had gone down in the Navy, I’d hoped that someday I’d find someone I still loved and was crazy about after all those years together, like my own mother and father.
