Collette West's Blog - Posts Tagged "inside-game"

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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24905051-inside-game

I toe out of my shoes and unbuckle my belt, and her eyebrows shoot up to the ceiling. I shouldn't be doing this, but I can't stop now. Her eyes can't help following my every move, and it makes me even more nervous. My hand starts to shake when I undo the top button of my pants, and she lets out an almost inaudible gasp, but I keep going, slowly lowering the zipper. She unconsciously licks her lips, and I feel myself strain against the front of my boxers. She's breathing even heavier now, and the sexy noises she's making spur me on.

I yank my fly down all the way. Just feeling her eyes on me is enough to get me going. I shove my fingers beneath the band of my boxers, giving them a sharp tug until they're riding precariously low on my hips. She gives me a pointed look, telling me with her eyes to stop it right there. But I don't. Instead, I raise my arms and slowly start to remove my shirt, giving her enough time to get a full view of my rock-hard abs, stretching all the way in order to flex my muscles for her.

But by the time I get my shirt over my head, all I'm left with is a lingering trace of her perfume.

She's gone, having vanished to the other side of the suite.

I smirk. That's okay. I got the reaction I’d wanted.

I would have seen her as the enemy if she had stayed and tried to humiliate me by probing me with her stare, acting like I didn't do anything for her, showing her dominance over me.

Because I'm powerless, and she knows it.

Coming July 10, 2015

"I have nothing to make me feel good, except for you. The last thing I want to do is turn you into my new drug of choice."

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24905051.Inside_Game

Coming July 10, 2015

She turns to me, and my breath catches. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Schultz. My name's Eva Sloane."

Her voice is rich and melodic. And if it were anyone else, I'd shove my hands under my arms and refuse to cooperate, but I can't. Not with the way she's looking at me.

I extend my hand to her, and she gives me a firm handshake, one I can respect. There's nothing light or dainty about it, but I hate the fact that she can feel me trembling.

"Hello, Eva," I mumble, looking away.

Her warm, brown eyes are too compassionate. They're full of understanding, not revulsion or pity. Based on the way she's staring at me, it’s clear she sees right through me. I might be fooling everyone else in the room, but not her.

She's remained quiet, taking it all in, like she's trying not to form any snap judgments about me, even if my hostility isn't making it easy for her. But her reticence only makes me more curious as to what's going on inside that head of hers. Just knowing she's here to witness my downfall is really getting under my skin.

I pound my fist and shove myself away from the table. I'm seething inside, so angry that I could spit. But when I turn my head to gauge Eva's reaction, all she does is look back at me, unflinching under the scrutiny of my gaze.

She's not afraid of me.

But she should be.

Coming July 10, 2015

"I told you. I don't do soft and gentle."

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24905051.Inside_Game

Coming July 10, 2015

He's resting his head against the elevator wall. His eyes are closed, and he's seemingly dead on his feet—until he mumbles, "You don't party much. Do you, Eva?"

I decide to cut him some slack and not take it as an insult. "I don't have time," I reply, choosing to be as direct as possible with him.

"Then let me give you some advice." He tilts his head until I'm falling under his heavy-lidded gaze. "All work and no play isn't the key to happiness, either."

I stare at our side-by-side reflection in the elevator door, his posture all dejected, mine stiff as a board.

I watch his eyes watching me. "You're right," I readily admit, refusing to let him get a rise out of me. But my response only seems to infuriate him more.

"Good, because I don't need your help," he huffs, getting off ahead of me as soon as the door opens.

I shake my head. I have to hand it to him. He timed his rebuff perfectly.

Coming July 10, 2015

"So you're saying kissing me back was just a pity thing? Because it sure didn't feel that way to me."

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24905051.Inside_Game

Coming July 10, 2015

"That doesn't make me a good man, Eva. You don't know all the things I've done, the kind of person I really am."

"All I know is the man you are now, and he's someone worth fighting for," she says ardently, latching on to my shirt. "That's why you're here today. To finally say goodbye to that person you once were and to let go of him forever. You're not defined by your past, Drake. Let the choices you make in the future show the world who you really are."

"Life is the sum of all choices, huh?" I quirk up the side of my mouth at her. "But I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than your Cracker Jack philosophy."

"It doesn't have to be," she challenges me. "You could commit to a new path—right here, right now. Tell your mother to go to hell. Be there for Willa and Coco when you get back to New York. Play the game the way it's meant to be played. Rely on your natural talent to carry you through."

"And what about you and me?" I ask.

She drops down off her tiptoes, easing her grip on my shirt. My heart constricts when she slowly backs away from me.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

She pushes her hair away from her face, agitated. "Now is not the time to talk about that."

"And who gets to decide that? You?" I mock her, wishing she had the courage to deal with me the way she deals with everyone else. "You kissed me in my bed back in Tampa, but I guess that means nothing to you, right? You'll just do whatever it takes to get me to go along with you, another ploy that you pull out of your bag of tricks, sacrificing yourself for the greater good."

Coming July 10, 2015

"You need something more from me—something I wasn't able to give you before."

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24905051.Inside_Game

Coming July 10, 2015

I cup her face in my hand and give her a gentle kiss. "Thank you for making me feel alive again."

A hint of red enters her cheeks, making me chuckle.

"What?" I ask her.

"That's why I hope I made the right decision." She pulls my shirt from underneath her, quickly slipping it over her shoulders.

"I'm scared," she whispers. "I don't want to fail you, and if, for some reason, this doesn't work out between us, I don't want to be the cause of you reverting back to your old ways."

"Well, I intend on this working out," I grumble, sometimes wishing she wouldn't be so honest with me. "You're what I need."

Coming July 10, 2015