Play Along (Windy City, #4)

by Liz Tomforde

She dusts a finger over her mouth as if to remember what it felt like when we kissed only moments ago, and I’m over here knowing I’ll never be able to forget.

She chews on her lower lip, eyes nervously finding mine, with a voice so quiet I’m certain I mishear her when she says, “Will you teach me?”

He grins to himself. “I have this place in mind. Real nice. Might be hard to get a table on a Friday night, but let’s try.” * * * “Chili’s.” My voice holds no inflection as I slide into the booth across from Isaiah. “The real nice place you had in mind is Chili’s.”

Lmao

“Is this the part where you tell me to order anything I want and it’s on you?” He scoffs. “Absolutely not. What do you think? That I’m made of money? You can order off the two-for-twenty menu, and if you’re a good girl and eat all your dinner, maybe I’ll splurge and get you a molten chocolate cake for dessert.”

It’s dangerous. That smile. That face.

Isaiah is good like that. Always knowing how to soothe the tension or ease an uncomfortable situation with a smile and a joke. Sometimes even at his own expense.

His cheeks tinge pink at the question. It’s got to be illegal for cocky Isaiah Rhodes to be this cute when he’s shy.

I shrug. “Everything.” He immediately chokes on the club soda he’s attempting to swallow. “Fuck me,” he says, dipping his head. “For my sanity, I need to know if we have different definitions of ‘everything.’”

“Fuck my life.” Head falling back, he eyes the ceiling, Adam’s apple prominent against his throat. I have this insane urge to press my lips to it, maybe lick or bite it, which only solidifies the fact that Isaiah is the right person for this job. I’m undeniably attracted to the man.

He circles his temples with his fingers. “Please don’t say ‘thrust’ right now, Kenny.”

His jaw hardens, the tendons in his neck flexing. “If you stop worrying about unworthy men, maybe you’ll begin to realize that you’re not the problem.”

“But you didn’t ask to be in another unwanted marriage. Well…” He bobs his head from side to side. “You definitely did ask. Multiple times. Begged me, really.” I stifle a laugh. “Shut up.” His lips lift in a smirk at the sound. Like he’s proud of himself for making me laugh.

You’d have to be blind not to find my husband attractive, but more importantly, he’s experienced. Very experienced. Experienced in a way that I know his little crush on me isn’t anything serious.

There’s a huge part of me that longs for the romantic parts of life. To be grabbed and kissed. For my hand to be held like someone’s lifeline. To be flaunted because someone loves me for me, and not for the monetary gain that comes with me.

And then he does. “Are you asking me to fuck you, Kenny?” Oh. “Because I don’t know if I can handle that. Fucking you so you’re better prepared to fuck someone else.”

“Excuse me.” “What?” I ask. “We’re married. What’s yours is mine.” He playfully scoffs. “I want to share my life with you, Kenny, not my food.” With that, he reaches over and steals a forkful of my mashed potatoes.

I strategically arrange my fries under the bun as he watches with horror on his face. “What? It gives it some crunch. Leave me alone.” “Remind me again why I married you.”

“Because you’re obsessed with me. Remember?” I know our wedding song is playing on a loop in his mind the way it is in mine. That becomes evident thanks to the knowing smile he wears as he watches me scarf down my food.

The door opens behind me while I’m in my pose and I look through my legs to find Isaiah leaning against the doorframe of our hotel room, arms crossed over his chest, cheeky smirk on his lips, and eyes on my ass.

But still I don’t break my pose. Instead, I stretch further, ass on display as much as I can make it, because for the first time since I’ve known him, I want to tempt my husband. Isaiah chuckles under his breath, muttering, “Fuck my life,” quietly enough his nephew can’t hear him.

“There’s my boy.” Kai charges right at his son, playfully tackling him, wrestling with him on the ground and covering his cheek with kisses. He reaches over, hooking an arm over Miller’s shoulders and pulling her into their pile. “And my girl.”

I look back to Isaiah, expecting to find him watching his family, but instead his eyes are glued on me. “What?” I ask. He shakes his head.

“So, you’re going out with me tonight. Willingly, might I add.” “It’s Cody’s birthday.” “Cody, my best friend.” He takes a step closer, into the room, and I don’t move from my spot. “And Miller is in town.” “My sister-in-law.” Another step in my direction.

“You really need to make this about yourself, huh?” “Of course I do.” That timely smirk makes its appearance. “Put me out of my misery, Kenny, and tell me you’re coming for me.”

I crane my neck to look up at him. He’s invading my space, my chest almost to his stomach. Isaiah softly moves my hair behind my ears, cupping my jaw, his thumbs slowly stroking over my cheekbones. His sparkling brown eyes bounce over my entire face, taking me in. The pads of his fingers grip the back of my neck. His breath dusts over my skin.

He finishes that with a chaste kiss on the pounding pulse point under my ear, and I’m left panting for this man.

“Eyes are up here, wifey.”

“I’m a doctor, Rhodes. Aced anatomy, in fact. I know where your eyes are located. I just don’t care right now.”

He brings my hands to his body, pressing my palms to his stomach, and as soon as we make contact, he sucks in a sharp inhale. “Sorry, cold hands.” I attempt to pull away, but he keeps me connected to him. “Perfect hands.”

He doesn’t laugh at my joke. “That’s perfectly fine by me. I’d rather be hanging out with you all night, anyway.” Isaiah presses his lips to the top of my head. “But now I need to go take a very long and very cold shower after having your hands all over me, so thanks for that.”

I find my favorite redhead in the crowd with plenty of space around her. She seems like she’s out of her head for once tonight, and that alone brings a smile to my face. “I think you’re right about that.”

“And you should probably stop looking at me. My fiancée is kind of scary when she gets jealous.”

“This guy just tried to dance with Miller, and she told him that if he touches her again, she’s going to knee him in the balls.” A smile spreads on Kai’s face. “That’s my girl.”

And just as I’m staring at her waist, watching the way it moves to the music, a hand that’s not hers or mine slides against her pale stomach, fingers splaying wide over her entire midsection. My vision goes blurry as I discard my beer, flying off the couch to jump the barrier rope, dodging the crowd and finding my way to her.

“I happened to look over there at that exact moment, is all. She was cute.” “She’s not you.” I can feel Kennedy roll her eyes, but still she drops her head back to my chest.

There’s a barstool waiting, so I take a seat, pulling her to stand between my spread legs. We’re almost eye to eye at this height, and I stare right at her when I tell her, “Touch me however you want to.”

“Don’t laugh at me.” “I’m not laughing at you, baby.” Moving her hair away from her face, I tuck it behind her ears. “I just find it funny that you’re so in your head right now, while I’m over here desperate for you to touch me and knowing there’s nothing you could do that I’m not going to like.”

Going first, I let my hands find her outer thighs, fingers working to pull her closer. “Play along.”

“You still doing okay?” I whisper. She nods against me. “I like touching you.” “Yeah?” I let my hands drop a bit further south. “And I’d like it if you touched me too, Isaiah.” Fuck. Me.

Other hand cupping her cheek, I pull her in until my mouth collides with hers. She moans into me, and unlike last time, I set the pace. It’s frantic and needy.

While my fingers tangle into that auburn hair, Kennedy’s tongue ever so slightly licks my bottom lip, and the needy groan that leaves my throat might be the most desperate sound I’ve ever made. She smiles into me, my wife who has no idea how fucking badly I’ve wanted this. Wished for this. Dreamed of this.

“I like kissing you.” “Mmm, how did those words feel coming off your tongue?” She smiles against my lips. “Like acid.” I’m so fucked.

I cover hers with mine, toying with the ring on her left hand as we kiss in the back corner of the dark nightclub. She wants intimacy? This feels intimate as fuck.

Kissing Isaiah wasn’t supposed to be like that.

“You get it, huh?” My lips tilt in amusement. “You got a thing for my husband, Cody?” “Isaiah?” He barks a laugh. “Fuck no. Isaiah is too pretty for my tastes. I like them a little more rugged. I meant that I understand if your opinion of him has changed now that you’re getting to know him. He’s my best friend for a reason. On the surface, he comes off like this arrogant little shit, but deep down, he has a heart of gold and maybe you’re starting to see that.”

I ignore the rest of Cody’s statement. “He is pretty, isn’t he?” “Who’s pretty?” My attention snaps up to find Isaiah standing behind Cody, only wearing a backwards hat and a pair of shorts, holding a paper cup in his hand.

Cody’s head falls back in laughter, muttering “Lovesick, motherfucker” as he leaves the training room. “Shithead.” Isaiah’s scowl turns into a smile as he turns back to face me. “There’s the Mrs.”

“No.” He takes a sip of whatever is in his cup. “I lay awake at night thinking about those noises you made while I was kissing you and wondering how much louder you’d be if instead of your mouth, my tongue was on your⁠—” “Isaiah Rhodes!”

He gasps. “Kennedy Rhodes!” His smile is all mischief as he hooks a foot around my calf, pulling me to stand between his legs. “Hi.” I shoot him a glare. “Hi.”

“Mm-hmm,” he hums, nodding towards my feet where I’m wearing the shoes we got married in. “Nice shoes.” I motion to his bare chest. “Nice shirt.” “Nice ass.”