This is War (Checkmate Duet 1)

“I think we both did,” I tell him honestly. “Hating you was the only way I could deal. It hurt too much.”

“Plus, you’re too damn pretty to be so fucking mad all the time.” His lips curl up into a grin. The way he’s looking at me right now, saying all the words I’ve waited desperately to hear for years, is all so overwhelming.

“Years of practice,” I quip, shrugging.

He looks down at me, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me into his chest. His other hand reaches up and cradles my neck, pressing his lips gently against mine. “Viola,” he whispers and slightly pulls away so he can look into my eyes. His fingers slide down the side of my arm and small bumps form on my skin. With his other hand, he traces my bottom lip that’s still swollen from being with him earlier. “You said I didn’t want you.” Before he speaks again, he pulls my bottom lip between his teeth and tugs. I gasp and he lets go. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say. ” His lips press against mine and a small moan escapes from my mouth, begging him to never let me go again.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

TRAVIS

I wrap both arms around her, pulling her up until her legs wrap around me. I tighten my grip and kiss her senseless, until I feel her relax and she kisses me back in the same heated passion. I walk us out of the kitchen and down the hall to my bedroom. Before I open the door, I get a bright idea and walk back to Drew’s room.

“What are you doing?” she asks, breathing heavily. “I’m not doing it in my brother’s bed,” she states with a serious expression. “Or anywhere inside his bedroom.”

I laugh and set her on top of Drew’s old desk. “Just making a pit-stop.”

I feel her eyes watching my every move as I dig through her bags. Once I find what I’m looking for, I palm it and walk back to Viola.

She eyes it, not looking amused. “Are you serious?”

I smirk, glancing back down at the vibrator I once found in the shower. “One-hundred-percent.”

I take her back into my room, wasting no time stripping her down, and showing her exactly what I’ve been dreaming about with her naughty little vibrator.

I wake up sometime in the middle of the night with Viola asleep peacefully in my arms. Fuck, I wouldn’t be surprised if she sleeps until Friday, with the way her body was begging for it over and over again. I’m exhausted, but I can’t sleep. The adrenaline high is too good to sleep through, and now looking over at her makes me want to relive it all over again. No matter what, I can’t seem to get enough of her.

As carefully as possible, I slip my arm out from under her and slide out of the bed. I pull my boxer shorts up and look back down at her. I smile before covering her up and tiptoe to the door. If I didn’t have to piss so damn bad, I’d never let her go.

Just as I’m washing my hands, I hear the front door slam shut. What the hell?

Would she leave? Sneak out like a regretful one-night stand?

But where the hell would she go?

Thoughts are running through my head as I walk back into the hallway and toward the front of the house. I turn on a lamp and do a double-take when I see Drew standing there.

Oh, shit.

“Hey, man!” he calls out, taking a step forward to give me a side-hug. “Sorry to wake you.”

“No, it’s—” I cough to clear my throat, needing to buy time to think fast. “Fine. I was just grabbing something to drink.”

He releases me, and I take note of his bags on the floor next to his feet. “You’re back early.” I try to sound indifferent, but my heart is hammering in my chest as I think about Viola down the hall, wrapped in my sheets.

He squeezes the back of his neck, and I see the tense look in his eyes. “Yeah, change of plans.”

Looking up at me, I see it on his face. “What happened?” I ask, walking toward the kitchen, needing to keep the distance between him and who’s currently sleeping naked in my bed.

“Mia kicked me out. One minute she was all over me, and the next?” He inhales deeply. “Fuck, I don’t know.”

I fill a glass with water and hand it to him.

“Did you two get into a fight or something?”

He takes a large gulp and sets the glass down on the counter. He shrugs casually. “When aren’t we fighting?”

“Well, more than usual then?” I inquire, grabbing a glass for myself.

“Yeah, I mean, I guess. She started getting all weird and when I called her out on it, she called me an insensitive asshole and told me to leave. It usually blows over in an hour, but tonight she threw all my shit out and told me to get the hell out.”