The Next Play: Part Three Read online

  The Next Play: Part Three

  the play series | book 1 | part 3

  Rhyannon Byrd

  *This eBook is meant for readers 18+ due to mature content.

  All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook cannot be re-sold or given away to others. No parts of this eBook may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without the express, written consent of the author.

  Copyright © 2017 by Rhyannon Byrd

  This eBook is a work of fiction. Any references to actual events, persons, or locales are used fictitiously. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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  Contents

  Other Titles in the PLAY Series

  A Special Note to My Readers

  About the Story

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Next in the PLAY Series

  Triple Play

  A Thank You from Rhyannon

  About the Author

  Also by Rhyannon Byrd

  Other Titles in the PLAY Series

  Triple Play

  The Next Play: Part One

  The Next Play: Part Two

  A Special Note to My Readers

  Dear Reader,

  In the beginning, I had planned to break Jonah and Jocelyn’s romance into three sections because I knew their love story was going to be an epic one. What I hadn’t realized was just how wild and tumultuous their road to a happily-ever-after would become! I could have crunched everything together into this third installment, but as I kept writing toward the end, it became clear that the story was going to suffer for it, and I didn’t want to see that happen. So I’m going to expand the ending and write a Part Four, because that’s what these characters deserve. I hope this will make you guys happy, since it means you’ll be getting more of Jonah and Jace in all their adorable sexiness as they fall madly in love with each other. And it will give the mystery element of their story the chance to play out as it should.

  The final installment is almost ready, and I will put it up for sale the second it’s good to go. So for those of you who are eager to see how this all ends, I promise it won’t be a long wait.

  Best wishes—and thanks so much for taking this journey with me!

  ~Rhy

  About the Story

  HOW LONG?

  Just when the future Jonah wants is so close he can taste it—everything his for the taking—the past he’d hoped to leave behind digs its claws into him deeper than ever. Determined to hold on to Jocelyn as tightly as he can, he begins a desperate search for the person working to destroy all that’s good in his world. But as painful truths are shoved between them, time and again, he fears how long he’ll be able to keep Jocelyn in his life.

  The clock is ticking, and his enemy’s final play is looming in the distance.

  If their relationship is going to survive it, Jonah will have to earn the two things that Jocelyn is terrified of giving him: her trust…and her heart.

  Warning: This story contains a gorgeous alpha with a deliciously filthy mouth, sheet-clawing sex, and a touch of kink. It must be read in sequential order, so please start with The Next Play: Part One and The Next Play: Part Two.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Because she was already falling in love with him…

  As she walked into the Atlas building on Monday afternoon, Jocelyn couldn’t get that stunning realization out of her head. She was falling in love with Jonah Cartwright. Falling head-over-heels for a gorgeous, notorious playboy who had the wickedest reputation of any man she’d ever known or even read about.

  God, it was crazy!

  And yet, she couldn’t deny that it felt unbelievably right—as if falling for the sinful, hard-bodied alpha was exactly what she was meant to do. As if being in his arms was precisely where she was meant to be.

  When she’d run out of this building on Friday morning, never in a million years would she have imagined that she’d be coming back on Monday for the sole purpose of seeing him. Well, seeing him…and finally confessing about the strange texts that she’d received.

  They’d talked about so much since he’d shown up at her apartment on Friday night, and yet, it felt like there were still a thousand important things that they needed to discuss. And at the top of that list was Jonah’s past, as well as the two messages some anonymous asshole had sent to her. The same ones she’d asked Denny and Gabriel not to tell him about, which she didn’t see going down all that well. She knew Jonah was going to be pissed that she’d kept the texts to herself, and even more irritated by the fact that she’d basically asked his best friend to keep them a secret as well.

  But while they needed to talk and work this out, Jocelyn also just wanted to be close to him, because after the surreal weekend they’d spent together, she freaking missed him. She couldn’t wait to hear his deep, black magic voice rumbling dirty things in her ear. Couldn’t wait to soak in the sight of his tall, broad-shouldered body, and stare up into those sky-blue eyes that were framed by thick lashes such a deep, dark red they looked black. See one of those crooked, sin-drenched smiles on his beautiful mouth, before he pulled her into his arms and kissed the ever-loving hell out of her.

  She’d taken special care with her appearance, making her hair all curly, the way he liked it, her lips slicked in a shiny gloss, and dressing in a little pink baby doll dress that she hadn’t worn in years. Since even before Davey was born.

  Glancing down at herself, she bit her lip, hoping he liked how she looked. The dress was a bit more formfitting through the bodice, and short in the hem, than what she would normally wear into the office—or anywhere, for that matter, seeing as how she’d never managed to lose that last ten or so pounds of the baby weight she’d put on while carrying Davey—but she wanted to look sexy for her new boyfriend. Plus, it was her day off, so she wasn’t here on business.

  And even though she and Jonah hadn’t officially had sex yet—they’d gone down on each other, which had been awesome, but a far cry from actually doing the dirty—she still felt like she’d experienced some sort of sensual awakening that had driven her to choose this particular piece from her closet. Especially after last night, when she’d dragged him into her tiny guest bathroom, dropped down on her knees, and literally gotten a mouthful of his massive, magnificent cock.

  Yeah, it was embarrassing that she’d given him head in her bathroom, like they were in some raunchy high school TV drama. But they’d needed privacy, in case Davey woke up and came looking for her, and she honestly hadn’t trusted herself to take Jonah into her bedroom again. She was too desperate for him, her need for the sexy beast like a physical thing she could feel in her body, thrumming beneath her skin. Every single thing about Jonah Cartwright, aside from his sordid reputation, turned her on, and she was going crazy with want for him.

  And he’d been so damn sweet that weekend, she could hardly believe it. Treating her and Davey to the zoo, and then playing with her little guy when they were just hanging out at her apartment yesterday. Taking them out for the best pancakes she’d ever had in her life two days in a row, and telling her, more than once, that he wanted her. That he wanted a relations
hip with her. Wanted her to be his girlfriend. For them to be a couple.

  Then, that morning, he’d had nearly two hundred dollars’ worth of groceries delivered to her apartment from Whole Foods, the text he sent her just after the delivery had been made saying that he’d wanted to restock her kitchen after eating all her food over the weekend. The groceries had arrived right in the middle of her attempt to explain everything that was going on between them to her best friend, Rey Douglas.

  Understandably, Rey was torn between happiness over the fact that Jocelyn was finally dating after what seemed like an eternity of being single, and concern that she was already so emotionally invested in Jonah she could damn well end up with a broken heart. But the groceries had tipped the scales a bit more in Jonah’s favor in Rey’s eyes, since it showed that he was thinking about her and Davey’s welfare, and not just getting into her pants. Though the next text he’d sent her had made it clear that getting inside them was definitely one of his highest priorities.

  Jonah: Can’t stop thinking about how incredible you tasted in my mouth. How soft and wet and sweet you are between those beautiful thighs. When you’re ready, fucking you is going to be the best goddamn moment of my entire life.

  She hadn’t shared that message with Rey, but from the pink in her cheeks, her bestie had easily guessed that it was sexual in nature, and enjoyed teasing the hell out of her. As well as encouraging her. According to Rey, the sooner Jocelyn got laid, the better. And, yeah, five years was a long time to go without. But as badly as she wanted Jonah, she still wasn’t ready to take that final leap.

  And the amazing thing was that he wasn’t pushing her. He’d made it clear that he wanted her—but he’d also made sure that she knew he wanted to wait until she was ready. He’d told her himself that he wanted it to be “perfect” for her…and, God, had that melted her down. Made her fall for him even more, when she was already so far gone for him she couldn’t think straight half the time.

  Sure, she was terrified, because this all seemed way too good to be true, and it was happening at warp speed. But she wasn’t going to let her fear hold her back. Not this time. Not with Jonah. Because if the risk paid off and she got him—really and truly got him—then every moment of uncertainty she’d gone through would have been worth it.

  Her stomach was in knots over the conversation they were about to have, but her lips were still curved in a smile, and she knew she probably looked as love-struck as she felt. But there wasn’t any help for it. She was even walking differently, her pace quicker than usual, since she was so eager to see him, and she nearly plowed right into a stunning brunette as she stepped around a corner.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, quickly moving out of the woman’s way.

  “No prob—” the brunette started to respond, only to stop and scowl when she finally looked down at Jocelyn. From the woman’s weird reaction, she felt like maybe they knew each other, but couldn’t place her. And the way the woman was staring at her, her look bordering on disgust, started to give her the willies.

  Or am I just being dramatic? she wondered, quickly walking away.

  Ever since she’d received the text about the threesome Jonah had had with Denny and Gabriel, Jocelyn knew she’d become more watchful on her days at Atlas. She paid closer attention to the faces she didn’t recognize now, and even to those that she did, wondering who was behind the message. Wondering if it was someone she knew, or a complete stranger who was simply looking to cause her distress. Because she didn’t believe for a second that it was someone trying to offer her some helpful advice. No, this person was looking to cause trouble, and she finally glanced back over her shoulder, curious to see if the scowling woman was still standing there.

  “Hi Jocelyn. Are you okay, dear?”

  She looked forward again and saw Julie Havers, Nic’s longtime assistant, standing in front of her. In her sixties and still gorgeous, with a sharp wit and awesome personality, Julie was one of Jocelyn’s favorite people at Atlas, and she immediately smiled at the older woman.

  “Hey, Julie.” Gesturing behind her, she asked, “Do you know who that woman was?”

  Julie frowned. “I don’t. She was standing in the hallway when I came out of Nic’s office a moment ago, and I was going to ask her who she was here to see, but she took off the moment I reached my desk.”

  “Weird.”

  “I think I’ll call down and have a word with Charles.” Charles Croft was the Head of Security and had been with the company for years. “I’ve noticed that some of the new security guards he’s hired aren’t as vigilant about checking visitor’s credentials as they should be.”

  “I’ve seen some of that too.” And Jocelyn had heard that one of the new guards had apparently let one of Nic’s jilted lovers onto the owners’ floor by mistake a few months ago. The woman had stormed into his office and tried to attack him, and while that particular event was a good example of a significant lapse in security, she didn’t mention it to Julie. Nic’s longtime assistant was the one who had grabbed the girl by the hair and dragged her down to the lobby, so Julie was obviously aware of what had happened.

  “Anyway, that’s enough of that,” Julie said, clapping her elegant hands together as she gave her a friendly smile. “Jonah’s in his office, so you don’t have to wait for him.”

  She had a feeling, given the way Julie was grinning at her, that he’d already shared their news with the lovely woman, and it was impossible to keep her cheeks from turning pink as she gave Julie a dorky little wave and headed down the hallway. But as she turned into the corridor that led to Jonah’s, Gabriel’s, and Lucas’s offices, she came to a stop so quickly she nearly tripped.

  Jonah was standing just outside of his office door, dressed in a sexy blue suit, looking too freaking gorgeous for his own good, his dark auburn hair gleaming beneath the burnished glow of the overhead lights. He was a sleekly muscled, golden-skinned, broad-shouldered giant—and at the moment his attention was focused on the beautiful brunette standing in front of him, one of her hands pressed against his upper arm as she said something Jocelyn couldn’t quite make out. But she didn’t need to hear the words to know that the woman was flirting with him, and the heat in her face immediately cooled, her heart dropping into her belly with a thud.

  For one panicked moment, she thought about turning around and fleeing, though she was pretty sure it wasn’t the right thing to do. But then neither was kicking this lady in her shin, so she kind of just stood there frozen for a painful moment, her eyes wide as she watched Jonah take a strategic step back that caused the woman’s hand to slip away from his arm. And then, when she tried to step closer, he sidestepped her, making it clear that he wasn’t flirting back. It should have eased Jocelyn’s tension, but there was something about the way the chick was looking at him that kept her on edge. A kind of womanly knowledge that said she knew things about the beautiful male that no casual acquaintance would ever be aware of, and she knew there was a tight look on her face when Jonah turned his head and finally caught sight of her.

  “Jocelyn!” he said with a warm, sexy smile, his long legs already eating up the space between them as he immediately headed toward her, leaving the pretty brunette behind.

  Denny’s a pretty brunette, she suddenly thought, unable to get the worrisome thought out of her head. Maybe that’s what he likes.

  She frowned, knowing she was being dramatic. But, damn it, this visit was already going to be stressful enough as it was. She didn’t need anything else piled on top of what she was already dealing with.

  He looked like he was about to pull her into his arms, but she stopped him with a little shake of her head. He seemed taken aback for a moment, until he glanced around and realized where they were. They’d agreed that they would tell their close friends, and apparently Julie, but would wait a bit before broadcasting their relationship to the entire company. She loved her job at Atlas and didn’t want to leave—but she also didn’t want to deal with all the office go
ssip she knew would surround them once their relationship went public. At least not when they were already dealing with so many other potentially complicated issues.

  Seeming desperate to be able to hold her, Jonah turned and quickly headed back to his office door, while Jocelyn followed, and she was grateful to see that the woman he’d been talking to was gone. They went inside, and as soon as he’d shut the door behind them, he locked his dark gaze with hers. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she said, needing a moment to work up to her reason for being there. Forcing a small smile onto her lips, she added, “If I look a bit stunned, it’s only because it just kinda hit me that I have a boyfriend, and he’s freaking hot.”

  “Well, my girlfriend is fucking beautiful,” he shot back in a sexy rumble, walking over to her and pulling her into his arms. He lowered his head and nuzzled the soft skin behind her ear, his big hands stroking down her back to cup her ass in an unmistakable appreciative, possessive hold. “God, I’ve missed you.”

  “You just saw me last night,” she said with a light laugh.

  “Yeah,” he groaned, “but it feels like fucking forever ago.”

  “I missed you too,” she whispered, unable to stop running her palms over his hard, broad shoulders.

  He lifted his head and grinned down at her. “Is that why you’ve come to see me?”