Read The Player's Club: Lincoln for Free Online Page A

care.
    God, the taste of her jolted through his system like a lightning strike. She tasted of cherries and rich Cabernet, sweet and subtle and sophisticated and sensual. He went with his impulses and tugged her onto his lap, letting her straddle him as he buried his hands in her hair and held her firmly against his plundering mouth. His usual finesse had fled in the face of a desire that frankly staggered him. He heard her squeak of surprise, just before a low, shuddering moan escaped her.
    She was adaptable, he thought, just before her returning onslaught struck.
    Her hands gripped his shoulders as his hands stroked down her silky dress, tugging her hips down, grinding her against his erection. He shuddered at the pressure of her. He could feel her breasts, crushed against his chest. His tongue moved forward, tangling with hers in a wild mating of pleasure.
    This was not what he’d intended, some small voice in his head cried, struggling for sanity. This wasn’t supposed to happen. And he’d stop…in a minute.
    He nipped at her lower lip, gratified by her gasp and ragged sigh. She ground her hips against him. He released her, suckling softly on her neck, just below her jawline.
    “Lincoln,” she breathed.
    It was her saying his name that finally jolted him back to consciousness. Taking a deep breath to get a hold of himself, he gently nudged her back. She looked shocked and a little hurt.
    “I don’t play games,” he said. His body ached, especially one part of him, but he wasn’t going to have sex with a woman he didn’t trust…no matter how much he wanted her physically.
    She blinked at him as though he was an alien creature. Then she swallowed hard. “If that wasn’t a game, what the hell was it?”
    He sighed. “That was…an aberration,” he said. “I apologize.”
    “You apologize?” That seemed to shock her even more.
    He shook his head. “There is something very dangerous about you, Juliana,” he said. “And I’ll admit—I don’t trust you. But if you really want to change your life, then you’re right, the club’s a place you can do it.”
    She still looked baffled, but nodded. “So, you’ll let me in?”
    He took a deep breath. This still didn’t seem like a good idea. He was going to be her mentor. That meant a lot of time together with her, depending on her challenges.
    He wasn’t sure what more time, especially alone together, was going to do to him.
    Her eyes were huge and luminous, and he clenched his jaw.
    “We’ll see,” he said. “If you really want to get into the club, then we’re going to a meeting.”
    “Thank you,” she said, with a little bounce. “Thank you! When do we go?”
    He glanced at his watch. “Right now.” He looked over at her, pleased to see her stunned expression. “And you might want to wear something warmer.”

4
    JULIANA WASN’T SURE what she’d expected of her first Player’s Club meeting, but whatever she had been expecting, it wasn’t this.
    She’d grinned when Lincoln had blindfolded her in the car. In fact, she’d hoped that he’d take advantage of her blindfolded state, and maybe lay another kiss on her like the one they’d shared on her couch. Her skin still tingled at the mere memory of it. She’d been right; his mouth had been incredible. The searing white-hot passion simmering just below the surface of that cold-steel resolve made Lincoln that much more intriguing.
    Still, his cold facade was locked tightly in place by the time he’d gotten her to the Player’s Club location. He evaded her questions as he’d driven, but he had mentioned that the club had no headquarters or permanent location—it helped with the secrecy, he’d explained. You’d think the guy was part of the CIA with the whole secrecy thing, but she also guessed that was part of the allure. Gamely, she’d followed him blindly, enjoying the feel of his arm around her as he guided her to the meeting spot. Then he’d removed her blindfold, and she’d