Love Game

It wasn’t an ace—Brad returned it with a ferocious, determined grunt. Kai hit back—hard—and looked as if he were aiming for Brad’s face. Brad got his racket up and his shot went straight up in the air.

“This is it,” Jason intoned, clutching my hand in his right, Antonia’s in his left. “Come on, no messing around, Kai.”

But Kai being Kai, he ran at the lob, leaped into the air and—like one of Michael Jordan’s slam dunks—made a spread-eagle as he and slammed the ball home.

“Game, set, match, Mr. Solomon.”

Fifteen thousand people were on their feet, and a roar rolled through them as Sikai Solomon came back from a five-point deficit to win the Australian Open in his hometown.

Somewhere behind him, Brad

smashed his racket on the ground, denting it beyond repair. But my eyes were locked on Kai who was racing to the box.

He climbed up into the box and hugged his mom who kissed him on both cheeks, tears staining her own. “Your dad is so proud of you,” she said around the roars of the crowd and amid a sea of cameramen who’d suddenly surrounded us. “Right now. This moment. He is watching and he is so proud.”

Tears streamed down my own cheeks to see Kai’s dark brown eyes shine as he hugged his mom tight. He moved on to Jason, and the two men locked eyes for a moment. Jason’s hand came up to pat Kai on the cheek and then I nearly lost it as Kai gritted out, “Thank you. Thank you, Jase. For everything.”

Then it was my turn. Kai turned to me, grabbed me in a hug that lifted me off my feet, and held me close. Kai’s body was hot and sweaty, and I clutched him tight until he set me down to kiss me. The crowd’s applause swelled, but he put his forehead to mine and we somehow shut the world out.

“You did it,” I said. “How…? I just can’t imagine the pressure of being down 5-1.”

“Don’t remind me,” he said, laughing. “It was the rally. That long, seventeen-shot bastard of a rally.” He shrugged. “I started having fun.”

I laughed and kissed him and when he pulled away, his expression was serious, his eyes boring into mine. “And I had you.”

“You have me,” I said. “You also have a big shiny trophy to collect.”

He grinned and the mischievous glint in his eye returned. “Bloody right, I do.”

Daisy

The ceremony was beautiful. Brad scowled and grudgingly told the crowd that Kai played excellent tennis. “He showed us all that when he wants to take it seriously, he can win.”

“Passive-aggressive, much?” I muttered to Jason from the stands.

Jason chuckled. “He’s not wrong.”

But Kai was graceful in victory. He congratulated Brad on giving his hometown some great tennis, and then he lifted the giant silver cup and kissed it while the cameras flashed.

There were more interviews, a dinner, photo-ops, a party with ATP officials, and sponsors—who suddenly flocked to Kai like seagulls. Finally, after what seemed like ages, he and I were alone in his suite at the five-star hotel near the stadium.

Without so much as a word, we fell into each other’s arms, the thrill of his victory adding to the electric need that crashed us together.

Kai’s mouth devoured mine in a series of savage kisses that left me breathless and dizzy with want. We tore fruitlessly and frantically at each other’s clothing until we fell backward into the room. Kai sat on the bed and hauled me onto his lap, straddling him.

“God, Daisy,” he breathed, his mouth trailing kisses between my breasts. “I’ve never wanted a woman so bad in my life. I’m going to fucking die if I don’t have you right now.”

“I want this,” I whispered, kissing him between words. “I want this so bad, but I don’t know what will happen if I lay down with you over me…”

“You don’t have to,” he breathed. “Stay right here.” He ground up against me and a deep ache of pleasure rolled through me. “Right here.”

“Yes. God, yes.”

I rolled my hips down on him. The hard heat of him strained against his dress pants, against my panties, wanting to get in. My fingernails dug into his neck at the sweet pressure, needing more and wanting more for the first time in a long time.

Kai’s hands slid up my dress, over my thighs as I bent to kiss him. His tongue explored my mouth in demanding swipes, while our bodies moved as if he were already inside me, my hips undulating and his rising to meet them. His fingers pulled at the edges of my panties with frustrated tugs.

“Do something about these before I tear them to shreds…”