Played by Love (New Adult Romance): A #Played Novella by Rachelle Ayala Read Free Book Online Page A

you will.” She dotted her fingertip on his nose. “But this isn’t an athletic competition. I love being with you. Do you think we belong together?”
    “If you say so.” His eyes were closed and his breathing deepened, that of a man well loved.
    “I used to look at the stars on my ceiling and wonder if on the other side of the world, there was little boy staring into the sky. That he’d be meant for me from the beginning of time.”
    His fingers locked in with hers and he sighed. “You think I’m that boy?”
    “Yes, I believe you are.” Her lips angled toward his while her hand slid down his belly and fondled his rising expectations. “Do you want me to be yours?”
    “Yes, ma’am.” Now fully aroused and ready for action, Jaden prowled over her, his muscles glistening in the candlelight. “You’re more than I ever dreamed of. I’m privileged to be your eternal protector.”

Chapter 7
    Ella woke to the beeping of Jaden’s cell phone alarm. She swiped the screen and noted the venue—pre game workout and pep talk. When was that rascal going to come clean and let her know he was the Cal Bears goalkeeper?
    She gave him a shove, put the alarm on snooze and threw the phone on the pillow she’d vacated.
    The Rivendell room was muted in the filtered morning light, almost misty, viewed through the hallowed lens of time. Every detail sprang alive, the guardian angels, their treelike limbs, magical and infused with promise.
    Ella grabbed a towel and dragged her overnighter into the bathroom. While waiting for the shower to heat up, she untangled her spikey hair in front of the mirror.
    Last night she’d discovered the man fated for her. The one she’d dreamed about and yearned for when he was only a nameless, faceless concept. Jaden Song, her eternal protector, guardian and knight, the man who existed solely for her. She’d love him, cherish him, and give her entire self for him.
    Ella and Jaden Song, Ella Song. She rolled their names, the nagging thought that Sloup sounded strange, like a cross between soup and slouch. It had to be Song. That was probably his real name, the one on his birth certificate when he was but a tiny baby in an orphanage in Korea.
    By the time she’d stepped out of the shower and dressed, Jaden was up, pounding on the door.
    “Sorry to rush you, but I need to get out of here.”
    I bet you do.
    “Why?” she said aloud. “Don’t we want to have breakfast and take a walk along the Strip? I want to see the pyramid and the Eiffel tower, maybe go up the Stratosphere and take a panoramic shot.”
    “You can do that after the spa, but I have an all-day session at the sports medicine conference.”
    Liar. She took her time applying her makeup. Jaden jiggled the door. “You know what? Let me leave. Meet me back here after your massage.”
    “To hell I will,” Ella muttered under her breath and yanked the door open.
    “Instead of the spa, I want to attend your sports medicine event,” she announced, stepping out of the bathroom, dressed in a flowing tulip shaped dress with a drop down back.
    “Sports medicine?” Jaden sputtered. “But you’ll enjoy the spa so much more. I ordered the royal treatment: deep tissue massage, aromatherapy, foot scrub, hot stones, facial.”
    Ella slipped her hand in his and rubbed up against him. Time to make him squirm.
    “Now that we’re lovers, I want to learn more about your world—the things that are important to you.”
    Jaden swallowed, his throat bobbling. “L-lovers? When did this happen?”
    She tickled the soft spot under his chin, going in for the kill. “Last night, after we made love, and the moonlight shone over our bed, you said if you were writing the script, Zack Fair and Daenerys Targaryen would be lovers, forever.”
    Jaden drew his fingers through his hair and shook his head. “That was pretend. I was acting, like you do, in character. Last night wasn’t real. None of it.”
    “None?” Ella felt her heart lurch and