Play Along (Windy City Series Book 4)

The blues club in the Delmar Loop hosts a contemporary R&B night once a week. It just so happens to fall on Cody’s birthday, and of course the birthday boy knew all about it when planning his own night.

Travis and I attempted to take over coordinating, but Cody insisted, not trusting either of us with the job. I don’t blame him. He is our team planner after all, always having something fun for the boys to do on our days off.

The dark and moody club is packed, but thankfully there’s a roped-off corner for us to have our own space.

That’s where I’ve been all night. Sitting back on a velvet couch with a perfect sightline to watch my wife in the crowd, swaying those pretty hips, a smile plastered on that perfect mouth. She’s dancing with Miller and thanks to my friends and teammates surrounding the two of them, no one has tried to invade her space.

Her safe little bubble to have fun in.

This past week has been torture since Kennedy asked me to touch her. What alternate reality am I living in that my fake wife, who I very much have feelings for, asks me to touch her?

I’ve been tempted to every second of every day for the past week, but she’s been so on guard, so on edge, that nothing about it would feel natural if I did. If she knew I was going to kiss her, she would have done her typical Kennedy thing of overpreparing and overthinking.

She wants to learn so she can be better prepared to date other people.

Fuck that.

She may think I’m okay with that plan. She may believe I’m happy to help her, but she doesn’t need to learn to be comfortable with another man touching her.

The way I see it, no other man ever will.

And to top it all off, when I got out of the shower, she explained the colors of the clothes I picked to wear tonight and pulled out other options for me in case I wanted to choose something else. She’s not even trying to keep me from falling for her.

“Hey, man.” Kai takes the seat next to me, handing me a beer. This is my second and last of the night, seeing as we play tomorrow. “You look happy.”

“I’m always happy.”

“No, you’re not. You may always look happy, but you’re not always happy. Tonight though, you are.”

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.”

Cody slides onto the couch on my other side. “I just made out with the bartender.”

“Okay, birthday boy!”

“He used way too much tongue, but now I’m getting free drinks for the rest of the night.” He pops his shoulders in a shrug as if it’s the most common thing in the world for him.

People love Cody, and Cody equally loves them, but the guy will never settle down with one single person. Says he’s got too much love in him not to share it.

We’ve been the two on the team who have never had a problem with getting attention, but the difference between him and me is that I always knew I’d want to have something serious and lasting one day. I want what my brother has, but the only person I ever had any interest in was engaged to someone else.

Until she wasn’t.

“Hey,” a woman says from the other side of the rope, facing me. “I’m Lacey.”

The music is soft, so I don’t have to scream to be heard the way I typically do when Cody drags us to a nightclub. “Nice to meet you, Lacey.”

I can feel both Kai and Cody watching me out of my periphery, stupid knowing smiles on their faces because we’re all aware this is the first time I’ve gotten hit on since I’ve been married.

“You’ve been on this couch all night. I’ve been waiting for you to come out on the dance floor.”

“What can I say? This couch is exceptionally comfortable.”

She giggles. “Would you please come dance with me?”

My brows shoot up. I don’t know why, but I didn’t expect her to be so direct. I’ve perfected the art of indirect letdowns over the past nine months, and now she’s not giving me the chance to do this subtly.

That’s all right though. I’ve got a black metal band on my finger that’s anything but subtle.

I hold my left hand up to show her. “I’ve already got a dance partner. Sorry, Lacey.”

I’m not sorry about it one bit.

Glancing over her shoulder, back into the crowd, I find Kennedy staring at me and my displayed hand from the dance floor.

I shoot my wife a wink, but she quickly averts her attention back to Miller.

Lacey turns to Kai, and he holds both hands up in surrender, refusing to make eye contact. “I may as well be wearing one of those things.” He nods towards my ring. “And you should probably stop looking at me. My fiancée is kind of scary when she gets jealous.”

She then tries her luck again, turning towards Cody. “Fuck it,” he says, standing from the couch. “Third time’s a charm, huh, Lacey?”

With that, he follows her out to the dance floor.

“You’re fucked,” Kai mutters next to me.

“Shut up. So are you.”

“Yeah, well the difference is that Miller is equally as fucked. Kennedy, on the other hand, is out there planning a move to San Francisco and thinking about all the dudes she’s going to date after she divorces you.”

“She’s not going to be dating anybody. I just need the next few months to inform her of that.”

“You hopeless little shit.” Kai throws his arm over my shoulder. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

“Hey, I need to tell you something, but I can’t really talk about it too much or I’m going to start crying, and I’m not trying to cry in the club tonight.”

I turn to face him, noting the serious tone in his voice and the soft smile on his lips.

“Miller and I are talking about trying for a second.”

“Yeah?” The excitement is evident in my tone.

“Yeah, but um . . .” He clears his throat, the emotion evident. “She’s uh . . . she’s worried about how that’ll make Max feel to have another, and for that one to be biologically hers. She doesn’t want him to grow up feeling like he wasn’t enough or that she needed her own when Max is hers too, you know?”

I could understand that. Max will one day learn that Miller is not his birth mom. But he’ll also learn that though his biological mom didn’t want to be a mother, Miller couldn’t live her life without him.

“Before we start trying, Miller wants to become his mom. Legally, I mean. I just wanted to let you know that Ashley gave up all parental rights and we’re going through the paperwork for Miller to adopt Max.”

My eyes immediately burn. Fuck, I love that kid. I also love that he has the two best parents in the world that want nothing more than to make sure he knows how cherished and chosen he is.

“He’s lucky, you know. To have you two, but yeah, you’re right.” I clear my throat, sounding equally as choked up as him. “We can’t keep talking about this here.”

Kai swallows down a swig of his beer and I concentrate on fixing my shirt that doesn’t need fixing.

Thankfully, Travis interrupts the moment. “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.”

Standing from the couch, he makes his way out to the dark dance floor, but thanks to his height, I’m able to follow him with my eyes. I watch as he finds Miller and snakes a possessive arm around her. I also watch as Cody hands Kennedy a shot and begs her to take it with him. There’s a lime on the rim so I can only assume it’s the same liquor that convinced her it was a good idea to marry me.

She grimaces as it goes down her throat, so I guess the good news is at least she’s not at the point where she thinks it’s water.

The vocals of the lead singer are slow and sensual. The music is smooth and romantic. I could sit here all night, watching Kennedy slowly sway to the rhythm while wearing those tight leather pants and a sweater that’s short and cropped. Her arms and legs are fully covered, including the heeled boots she’s got on, but that sliver of freckled skin peeking out above her belly button every time she moves has been tempting me all fucking night.

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.

When I finally make it to the front where our group is, the guy is gone. My brother is also missing, so I can only assume he took care of that issue for me.

But Kennedy is still here, back to me and auburn hair falling in loose waves. She’s not dancing anymore, her eyes darting around the area frantically, and I allow myself to believe she’s looking for me.

From behind, I wrap my hand around her waist, exactly where someone else’s just was.

She instantly jerks to get away.

“It’s me, Kenny.” I pull her back into my chest, curling down to speak quietly into her ear.

Her body stops fighting me and instead melts back into my touch.

“Are you okay?”

She nods.

“Do you want to leave?”

She shakes her head, her hand reaching up to grip onto my forearm, as if silently telling me to keep my arm right there wrapped around her.

I breathe her in as the music continues, this girl I’ve had to keep my distance from most of the night. There’s a part of me that’s afraid of going too fast, of pushing her too quickly because of how long I’ve wanted this. Whatever we do, she’s going to have to set the pace.

Cody shows up in front of us with a sneaky smile on his lips and another shot in his hand for Kennedy.

“Absolutely not,” I tell him. “Stop trying to get my wife drunk. She’s known to make very poor decisions while drinking tequila.”

“Someone’s got to have fun tonight and we all play tomorrow.”

“She works tomorrow too. What happened to that chick you were dancing with?”

“Lacey? Turns out the third time was definitely not the charm.” Cody throws back the shot of clear liquid. “Don’t tell Monty.”

“Lacey, huh?” Kennedy asks when it’s just the two of us on the crowded dance floor again.

“What about her?”

“Was she the brunette who was hitting on you while you were on the couch?”

A knowing smile sneaks across my lips, but she can’t see it, both of us facing the stage. “I couldn’t tell you what color her hair was, and I caught you over here watching me, wifey.”

“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.

The club is dark. The music is impossible not to move to. Ever so slightly, I rock my hips and Kennedy sways with me, her head on my chest and her hand on my forearm.

I drop my lips to her hair as the music takes over, her body melting into mine.

When she’s prepping and planning, she can’t get out of her own head, overthinking every little contact. But right now, with her guard down, she’s a natural at this.

We continue to sway as my fingers splay wide over her belly, pinky toying with the waistband on her leather pants and thumb dusting the lace fabric of the underside of her bra.

She shudders against me.

“Tell me to stop.”

She shakes her head, her body fully falling into the cradle of my arms.

I run my hand over her stomach, wrapping and curving over her waist and holding her to me.

She stays there, one arm dangling at her side, the other gripping my forearm as if she has no idea what to do from here.

“Do what feels good,” I whisper into the dark space.

Kennedy runs her hand across my forearm that’s holding her, her palm finding the back of my hand before dipping her fingers in the space between mine, lacing our hands as I hold her to me.

“Mmm, I fucking love that.”

“Yeah?” she asks over her shoulder.

I slip my other arm over her waist as well, lips ghosting the shell of her ear as I dance with her. With a bit more confidence, Kennedy lifts her dangling hand from her side, mentally cataloging what she wants to do with it, but instead drops it right back to her thigh, stiff and uncomfortable.

“I’m in my head,” she admits.

I quickly glance around the room. I can’t see too much thanks to the crowd and the darkness, but I find an empty corner in the back.

“Come with me.” I keep our hands intertwined as I bring her to the dark corner.

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.”

Her brows cinch, her eyes almost taking on a glossy sheen, and I don’t know if it’s because she’s embarrassed or what.

No one is watching, everyone’s backs are turned to us as they listen to the live band play in front of them.

Kennedy studies me, researching and trying to figure out the best way to start.

“Don’t overthink, Ken.”

She lifts her hands, but instantly drops them to my knees with a smack.

My chest rumbles.

“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.”

Her brown eyes peek up at me through her lashes. “Really?”

“Promise. Think of this as part of our game.” Going first, I let my hands find her outer thighs, fingers working to pull her closer. “Play along.”

Kennedy steps into me, her palms dragging up my legs, thumbs gliding along the inside seam of my pants.

I’d like to say I’ve got this under control. That I’ve been touched by enough women to handle the fact that my wife’s thumbs are languidly tracing a path straight to my cock, but I’d be lying if I said I were anywhere near calm or collected right now.

“This okay?” she asks, her hands working their way to my upper thighs.

My voice is strained. “More than okay.”

She’s watching her hands as they move over my thighs and I swear to God I know she can see, even through the darkness, that I’m half hard and needy as fuck.

This. This is why I haven’t slept in the bed with her, because she’s innocently touching me and I’m over here getting a hard-on because of it.

As her hands move up my legs, my fingers dig into her hips, gripping onto her for dear life, and when she’s only two inches away from where my body needs her attention the most, she takes her hands away.

My lungs find a bit of oxygen again when she moves to my forearms, working the same path upward. She stops at the bend in my elbow. “Can you take this off?” she asks, referring to my jacket.

“You can take it off for me.”

She attempts to hide her smile by slipping her bottom lip between her teeth, and fuck if I don’t want to get it out of there and slip it between my own.

I’ve been aching for another kiss, a somewhat real one.

Kennedy’s hands press against my shirt, her palms gliding up my chest until her fingers dip under my jacket, pushing it over my shoulders. Her body falls into me as she reaches, but I help her out by slipping my arms out and letting my jacket fall onto the stool.

She doesn’t move, her hips settled into the cradle of mine, our equally pounding chests only inches from each other.

Again, I wait for her. She watches, her eyes roaming over every inch of my body.

The darkness is helping her. The hidden corner and the melodic music too.

Kennedy’s hands find my chest, gliding over my shoulders and the back of my neck, until she falls into me with a hug, her cheek pressed to mine.

Bending, I kiss the top of her shoulder then the soft skin of her neck as my hands wrap around her, fingers tempting and toying with the material of her pants just above her ass.

“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.

My lips are toying with the shell of her ear when I drop my hands and let them glide over her ass, squeezing and kneading.

She hums in my ear, her arms tightening around me.

“You like that, Ken.” I grab her again.

Her breaths are ragged, her body writhing against me. “Yes.”

We could blame the music for the way our bodies are rocking against one another, but we both know it could be dead silent in here and we’d be doing the same damn thing.

This time, when I grab her, I let my fingers dip down to the fold where her ass meets her thighs, and I trace the line with the pads of my fingertips.

Kennedy’s hips roll over me, this delicious friction between the apex of her thighs and my cock.

There’s nothing half hard about me anymore. I’m aching, painfully aching by having this woman on top of me.

With my face hidden in her neck and curtained by her hair, I breathe her in, gripping the underside of one of her legs, situating her bent knee to rest on my thigh. I leave her standing on one foot, but half on top of me.

“Isaiah.”

My lips meet her throat. “You still okay?”

She rolls her hips. “God, that feels good.”

I note the moment her clit gains friction because she’s a shuttering mess against me. I’m two seconds away from grabbing her other thigh to make her straddle me. I’d be able to work her hips and in no time, I’d have her coming, still fully clothed in my lap.

And again, this is why I’m sleeping on the goddamn floor. I can’t help myself with her.

I slow things down a bit, hand curling around her waist to grip her hip and keep her from grinding on me. She pulls back to look at me, confusion plastered on her face, and I can’t fucking help myself any longer.

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.

God, her mouth is soft. Eager too, like she’s been waiting her whole life to kiss someone the way she’s kissing me.

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.

Lips parting, her tongue—her perfect fucking tongue—slides against my own and this time it’s Kennedy moaning into my mouth.

God I’m going to lose it. I’m going to fucking come from a kiss and a leg slung over my lap. But the way her mouth moves, the way her tongue glides, she doesn’t need to be taught anything about kissing, that’s for goddamn sure.

It feels far too sexual for this to simply be a kiss. It feels like we’re fucking each other with our mouths and when Kennedy’s nails scrape against the nape of my neck, when she tugs at the ends of my hair, I have to pull away.

“Fuck, Kenny,” I breathe, forehead falling to hers.

“Was that okay?”

I can’t help but laugh in disbelief. “Shut up.” Pulling her hips into me, I make sure she feels just how hard I am. “You know that was more than fucking okay. It was goddamn perfect.”

“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.

In what world does she think she’s going to start seeing anyone else after this? After me?

Not a chance in hell.

To make sure of it, I lean in, taking her mouth once again. It’s softer this time as my palm runs the column of her spine, up and over her shoulder to glide along her left arm. I stop when I find her hand holding onto the back of my neck.

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.

Someone clears their throat next to us, loud enough for us to stop, but Kennedy is still half on top of me, leg still slung over my hip. I’ve got one arm wrapped around her waist, my other hand still bent back to hold hers.

Her forehead is pressed to mine when we look over to find Kai, Miller, Cody, and Travis watching us with a range of expressions. Kai and Travis have wide, disbelieving eyes. Miller is laughing and the birthday boy is shooting us two thumbs up from the back of the group.

Kennedy straightens, fixing her cropped sweater and readjusting her leather pants.

“Cars are here to take us back to the hotel,” is all Kai says.

Kennedy clears her throat. “Okay.”

My brother looks to me for a response.

“I’ll uh . . . yeah, just give me a couple minutes.”

“Jesus, fuck,” he mutters with a laugh before slinging an arm over Miller and heading towards the exit.

Travis and Cody follow behind, but not before Cody turns back to us with his hand over his heart. “Love this for you guys.”

Kennedy takes a step to follow them, but I hook a hand over her hip to stop her.

“Hey.” I pull her back between my legs, placing another kiss on my wife’s mouth, making sure she knows this doesn’t have to end right now, in this club, confined to a dark corner.

Without thinking about it, she wraps her arms around my shoulders again, eyes bouncing between mine. “Thanks for my first lesson.”

I huff a laugh until she shuts me up with another quick kiss.

I didn’t teach her shit tonight. That was all her. I, on the other hand, have quickly learned that I’m going to be entirely fucked if she’s serious about this thing between us having an expiration date.