Hooked Read online

  “What?”

  “You’re not fooling anyone. You are so in love with her.”

  After the call ends, the phone hasn’t lost its foreign quality. Am I in love with Riley?

  Shoving shit into a bag, I think about how I’d been ready to give Gina what amounts to the price of an average car to get to Hawaii today in order to see Riley. Does that spell love?

  Next, I get a car service to take me to the private airport because I don’t want to leave my car there. The jet is ready and waiting with white glove service when I arrive.

  Thank goodness, Gina hasn’t been distracted by Ryder. She does me another solid by sending me Riley’s schedule and hotel information. Something I hadn’t thought of with my one-track mindedness about getting there.

  There’s wifi on the plane, so the next few hours I wrap up some work, prepared to spend all my time with my girl when I arrive.

  Gina also thought ahead when my addled brain could only focus on seeing Riley again. She arranged transportation to the hotel after I landed. It’s early evening on a warm night, and I hope Riley will be in her room when I knock on the door.

  For a few moments, there’s only silence. I start to ponder my next move when I hear footsteps.

  The door opens, and Riley stands there in a silky robe.

  “Is that how you answer the door these days?” I half-tease and half-scowl.

  She’s sexy as fuck, but the idea some other guy could have gotten an eye full stirs the caveman in me.

  “It is when you’re naked, tired, and starving, waiting on room service,” she replies.

  “Hmm.” I reach out and finger the robe. “How does your boyfriend feel about you opening the door dressed like that?”

  She shrugs and then eyes me seductively up and down. “He’s not the jealous type. Besides, he’s not here.”

  When she bites at the corner of her mouth trying to suppress a laugh, I worry at the strength of my fly on the jeans I’m wearing. Fucking hell, she’s beautiful and sexy and everything to me. I’m so sure of that now if I wasn’t already while on the long flight here.

  “Do you think he’d mind if you let me in?”

  Her hair tumbles over her shoulders as she silently says yes. “I don’t think he’d like that very much.”

  “Sounds like quite the guy if you won’t even give me a chance to make it worth your while.”

  “He is. He’s the tall, dark, and handsome type. You know, super sexy and extremely smart, especially when he’s flown all the way out here to surprise me.”

  I step in, and with two fingers under her chin, angle her head so I can show her exactly what we’ve missed over the last few weeks.

  Like a tango dance, we move inside. The door closes behind us, and I let my bag fall so I can use both of my hands to get her naked.

  “God, I missed you,” she whimpers, jumping up and winding her bare legs around me.

  “Where’s the bed?” I growl.

  She points as her mouth fuses to mine. I follow her outstretched finger through a door and toss her onto the thing. I don’t waste time getting my shirt and jeans gone.

  “Commando?” she asks with a salacious grin on her face.

  “I was tired, starving, and waiting for you,” I say, playing off her words from earlier.

  Pouncing, I’m inside her faster than she can gasp out my name. And damn, if one word doesn’t come to mind. Home. It fills my head as I bring us as close as two people can be, moving in tandem, creating delicious friction that will carry us both over the edge.

  With her, time has no end or no beginning when we’re together. The four-letter word I’d feared for so long doesn’t even seem to encompass the feeling that swells in my heart.

  When we run off that cliff together in an orgasm so hard we both shake, it’s more than earth-shattering. It’s eye-opening.

  It takes moments, seconds, hours for us to get our breathing under control.

  “You can surprise me anytime you want,” she murmurs the words while she pants.

  “Anytime.”

  There’s so much to say, but I just stare and memorize her face. It’s as if I’m seeing her for the first time. She bites her lip again, glancing away, acting shyly beneath my scrutiny.

  “I probably look a mess.”

  Her hand comes up to push at hair so sexy, my dick will be on alert in moments if she keeps it up.

  “If messes are stunningly gorgeous,” I say.

  Her face goes all pink, and damn, if she isn’t a picture.

  “I was about to shower,” she says, scooting toward the edge of the bed.

  “Sounds like I am, too.”

  I manage to grab her ass before she gets to her feet, and my touch elicits a squeal from her. Our shower is long and playful. By the time we’re done, we split her now cool meal that was left on the table just inside the door.

  “Do you think they heard us?” she asks between bites.

  “Eagle, I couldn’t care less what they heard. I’m sure they’ve heard far more before.”

  At some point that night, I have to let her sleep. Tomorrow is the first day of the tournament. It’s a struggle to let her up and out of my arms. The cool sheets are nothing compared to her body next to mine. I don’t shower with her because I know I’ll be a distraction. And this isn’t a game. This is her livelihood.

  Later after a quick breakfast, I stand next to Randy, who scowls when he sees me walk up with her. Wisely, he makes no comment, at least in front of Riley. Now she’s at the first tee, and we watch her make the perfect shot to land beautifully in the middle of the fairway.

  “So, you came,” he finally says.

  It’s not a question. And I wait for his disparaging comments that are sure to follow.

  “I did,” I reply.

  “I’ll be honest. Seeing Riley so distracted these last few weeks had me on the edge of declaring I told you so to her about you.”

  I’m about to say something when he holds up a hand.

  “But, you showed when it mattered most. She may have pulled out the last win, but with her state of mind, I didn’t see how she’d win this one. And I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong. She might not have told me, but this old man knows she loves you and you her. And you’re good for her. I approve.”

  He holds out a hand, and for a second I just stare. Then I take it and firmly shake his. The rest of the tournament is like we’re old friends. I forgive him because I know he truly cares about her. No need to hold petty grudges. He didn’t ever come between us because Riley has her own mind.

  By Sunday, my girl is on fire. At the eighteenth hole, we wait for Riley to take her final shot.

  As we do, Randy says to me, “You’re familiar with the foursome event during the Ryder Cup?”

  The Ryder Cup, being a tournament nothing to do with her brother, but a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe versus the United States.

  “Yes, I am.”

  On the first two days of the tournament, there are four four-ball matches and four foursome matches each day.

  Foursomes feature two opposing pairs, each with a single ball they take turns to hit. The team with the fewest strokes wins that hole. In the four-ball matches, each player has his own ball in play, but still plays on teams.

  On the last day, there are twelve single matches, where all team members are required to play.

  He nods. “They are mixing it up this off year and trying out a new event of mixed pairs, meaning a male and female golfer pairing up against another duo for a tourney in New Zealand.”

  “Oh, I haven’t heard about it.”

  “It hasn’t gotten a lot of press until the organizers got more sponsorships to offer a purse no one can refuse. Several of the top golfers joined in recently.”

  “That should be interesting.”

  “It should and,” he rattles off the name of the number one golfer, “after seeing Riley win the last few events wants her for a partner.”
/>   Turning, I stare at him. “She didn’t mention it to me.”

  I hate that it bugs me that he knows more about her life than I do.

  “Of course she didn’t. It’s in a few weeks, right before her brother’s wedding. She said she wasn’t going because she wanted to spend time with you.”

  His words burn a hole in my gut, but we say nothing more as Riley steps up to her ball and the crowd is urged to be quiet. She started this hole with a three-stroke lead, so she would have to really fuck this shot up in order to lose. She’s on the edge of the green, which makes the putt long. But she only has to get it close for a birdie. Concentrating for a few seconds, she finally taps the ball with precision. I hold my breath and so does the crowd as her ball heads directly for the hole. It slows and even if it stops a foot short, it will be a beautiful shot. The ball continues to crawl a little further and a little more, defying the laws of science. When it sinks into the hole, the roar from the crowd, including myself, isn’t surprising. What is, is Randy and I hugging each other while pumping our fists.

  “That’s my Eagle,” I say, more to myself because she just eagled the hole, making the shot two fewer strokes than expected.

  But it's when her eyes glance about until she finds me out of the crowd that I’m more than star-struck, more than a fan. I’m in awe of this woman, and I struggle with just how to tell her and not frighten her away. Having never felt quite like this before, I’m not sure of the rules.

  The sun is still high enough in the sky when the trophy presentation happens. Riley is brought out in front of the crowd and press as speeches are said and the staggering seven figure winning payoff is announced.

  It’s still light out after she changes, so we could eat dinner in the clubhouse. At the bar, she can hardly keep still.

  “We can go somewhere else if you want. You look like you have energy to burn,” I say.

  “Actually, I’m not very hungry.”

  She stares off in the distance where Wade stands with his family.

  “That was nice of you to fly his family out for the weekend.”

  But then, Riley has a charitable heart and a loving spirit.

  Nodding, she says, “I felt bad that I’d kept him away from them so long. I know the feeling.”

  Her eyes are like stardust and twinkle up at me during her confession.

  “Is that why you turned down the New Zealand tournament? For me?”

  Her tongue darts out and slowly licks her lip. She doesn’t mean for it to be sexy. It’s a precursor for her biting her lip, but damn, if I’m not hard in seconds.

  “So, Randy told you?” I nod. She tries to sound casual when she adds, “I’ve been thinking there will be a lot more tournaments.”

  “Not like this one.”

  “You want me to go?”

  “I want you, Riley. But I don’t want you missing out because of me.”

  “Well, I’m not going.”

  Her lip pokes out stubbornly as she lifts her chin. I want to kiss her in this moment, but I refrain.

  “Okay, play me for it.”

  That stops her. “What?”

  “You heard me. Play me for it. The person who wins the first three holes gets to decide if you play in that tournament or not.”

  She pats my shoulder indulgently. “We both know I’ll beat you, so what’s the point?”

  “Maybe, but you’re in a dress, you’ve just played eighteen holes, and I’m a guy.”

  I don’t mean anything sexist about the last part. I only say it to goad her into my game because I know she can beat me and many professional male golfers.

  “You think so?”

  And there’s my competitive girl as she stands straight and crosses her arms over her chest.

  I lift my shoulders. “Go get your clubs and meet me outside.”

  Challenge issued. The question is, will she accept?

  “Fine, but if we are going to do this, I want something more than I was already going to get, because I will win.”

  “What’s that?”

  I’m more than curious what she’s going to offer to sweeten the deal.

  “We’re not just playing golf. It will be strip golf. I want you to walk back to the clubhouse naked.”

  I throw my head back and laugh straight from my belly. Only my girl would dare me to strip golf. But now, the game is on. I have to win because I won’t be the one not wearing clothes.

  “Never going to happen, sweetheart. You’re the one in a dress and heels. And I know for a fact you didn’t wear a bra.”

  “We’ll see, hotshot. Meet you out back in five.”

  She saunters off, and I wonder if my plan will backfire on me. The first hole is a par 4, and it’s not a tough one. I have to win it, or I will have to explain myself to security when we make it back because the next two are tough having watched her play them earlier. Still, I head off to the pro shop, which is closing. I coax the salesperson into selling me the only pair of gloves that will fit my large hands. They’re white, but I’m going to need them. He looks at me like I’m a nut, but I figure if this is strip and I lose, I’ll have one more item to take off.

  When I meet her, she’s got a cart and everything. No one is on the course. It’s closed for the night, but that hasn’t stopped us before. I keep glancing around to make sure we aren’t followed as we head off. And we haven’t been when we stop at the first hole.

  “Those are my clubs you’re using. Their length, weight, angle, shaft, and grip have been custom made for me. You are so going to lose.”

  “Ladies first,” I say.

  Granting me evil eyes, she doesn’t argue. And I’m right. Her balance is off in heels, and her ball ends up just to the right of the fairway in the grass.

  Smirking, I set up my tee. There is a reason why quiet is mandatory when a player is about to make a shot.

  I’m in the middle of the swing when she blurts, “I’m not wearing panties either.”

  I shank the ball so bad in the dwindling light I can’t tell where the damn thing went.

  When I turn to glare at her, she smiles sweetly at me. “I know how you like to have sex in public, and I wanted to be prepared.”

  Pointing at my chest, I say, “Me? I think that’s you, Eagle, who has a fetish for public indecency.”

  “Public indecency?” With nothing in her hand, she slowly lifts the bottom of her dress to show me her bare pussy. “Do you call this indecent?”

  Swallowing a phantom lump in my throat, I’m barely able to utter, “That’s not fair.”

  “We set no rules. But if you want to be a baby about it, go ahead and take another shot.”

  I can’t afford to lose this hole, so I take my mulligan like a man and hit a great shot. My ball lands perfectly on the fairway. In the end, I win the hole. I wait patiently for her to take off that dress. Only she takes off her shoes. Not only am I disappointed I don’t get to admire her breasts, wearing the heels had been a disadvantage for her.

  “Thanks,” she says smartly as she discards them into the cart. “My next tee off should be perfect.”

  And it is. The second hole is disastrous for me. I concede and take off my shoes.

  “I should have taken one off at a time,” I mutter at the third hole when my ball stops at the lip of the hole and doesn’t fall in. I have to lose my shirt.

  “That was close,” she says, grinning like she has nine lives. She slips a finger under my waistband. “Looking good.” I want to hike her up on the seat of the cart and have my way with her. “I have to give it to you. You’re pretty good.”

  “I’m good at a lot of things,” I say, kissing her and holding back from fucking her on the green. Too soon we cart off to hole number four.

  She bends over and wiggles her ass. When she stands, she blows me a kiss.

  “Say goodbye to your pants and a win because I’ve got this. Then we’ll see if you can keep that dick of yours to yourself until we get to the room.”

  She fuckin
g winks at me.

  That does it, I think to myself before striding over to her. I slide my arm around her waist to pull her tight to me. She hides the club behind her back as if to keep it from me. But that’s not what I want. I want to kiss that potty mouth of hers.

  I bend close to her lips and say, “No, you’ve got me.”

  “So you’re conceding the hole,” she says softly, eyes heavy with desire.

  “You’ve won.”

  “I have?”

  “Yes, but not just this. You’ve won me over. And I’m not going to shank this like I did before.”

  “What? You’re giving in on this quest to have me attend that tournament.”

  “No, never that. I should have told you before, but my ego got in the way. When you didn’t ask me to go with you to Singapore, I thought maybe you didn’t want me there.”

  The light in her eyes dims with confusion.

  “That isn’t why. I didn’t want to pressure you. You have a job. Compromise and all that,” she says, waving a free hand in the air.

  “That’s the thing. I didn’t take the job with Rhoades. I decided a while ago to go at it on my own. I’ve been putting everything in place over the last several weeks.”

  “What? You changed your mind? Why?”

  “You. I want to be mobile. I want to go with you to tournaments when I want. And believe me, I may not go with you to every event. But you’re damn sure never flying halfway around the world again without me.”

  I kiss her hard and slide my hand down to the small of her back to tug her closer.

  “You drive me wild, Riley.”

  “I do?” Her smile says she’s pleased with my statement.

  “You do. Ever since you walked into my life, I’ve been running around like a crazy man. But you’ve straightened out my game, made me see what’s important.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Stop playing games.” Because she knows damn well what I mean.

  “I just want to hear you say the words because I feel the same way.”

  “You’re my future,” I admit.

  “I love you, too,” she says, beating me to the punch.

  “It’s more than that. I love you like I’ve never loved another. You’re my forever. Together, Eagle, we’ll never hit a shanked ball again.”