“You played awesome tonight. Congratulations on the game-winning shot.”
Her chocolate eyes shining like diamonds behind her glasses, warm delicious curves in his arms and the smile on her face made him never want to let her go. A crazy thought popped into his head. “Would you ever move away with me?”
Her smile changed into a look of confusion. Then she shook her head and grinned. “Stop playing.”
“What if I wasn’t? What if I wanted to move to Canada tomorrow? Would you go with me?”
“What if I wanted to move to Mexico tomorrow? Would you go with me?”
No. The answer was immediate. He wanted her in his life, but things were going the way he wanted. If Danielle left and asked him to uproot everything, he wouldn’t be able to leave this behind.
“Forget I brought it up.” He lowered her back to her feet and took her hand in his. Questions filled her eyes. She looked like she was going to question him more, then shook her head and smiled.
“Let’s go celebrate you making it to the play-offs.” She squeezed his hand.
“That sounds great.”
* * *
Danielle rushed from her office to the copy machine. There were no sounds of paper sliding from the machine. She swore silently. The board meeting was less than thirty minutes away and they were supposed to vote on the written comments Danielle had prepared concerning the Clear Water permit to submit to the county. They were similar to the ones she’d submitted to the state, but since Liberty was on council, she needed to make sure there weren’t any potential problems. She had made copies for each member to approve—or would have if the machine was working.
Lights flashed and something beeped. She pulled out the paper tray on the front, but it was full. Frowning, she looked at the warning.
Out of toner. Seriously? She checked the shelf next to the machine. The toner shelf was empty. Danielle marched down the hall to the receptionist.
“Do we have any more toner?”
She shook her head. “Sorry, we’re out. I just sent one of the interns down to the office-supply store for more.”
“Crap. I need to make copies.”
“You can try the printer in the interns’ office. It might work today.”
“Might is the important word.”
She spun on her heels and marched toward her office. She pressed all the buttons to send the document to the printer in the interns’ office.
“What are you frowning about?” Debra asked from the door.
“The printer is out of toner and I’m sending this document to the interns’ printer.”
“Don’t bother,” Debra said. “It jammed earlier and there was the faintest of burning smells. That’s why I’m here—to get you to sign off on the purchase of a new one.”
“Damn! Does anything work around here?”
“Whoa, what’s all this?” She came farther into Danielle’s office and pushed the door shut. “What gives?”
Danielle let out a long breath and plopped down into the chair behind her desk. “I think I missed a hint or something with Jacobe.”
“How?”
Danielle gave Debra a brief rundown of Jacobe’s question about her moving away with him and her response.
Debra played with the blue-tipped end of her plait and considered Danielle’s story. “Do you think he was serious?”
“I didn’t at the time. I listened to the entire postgame interview later. A reporter asked about him going to Phoenix. Jacobe mentioned when we first reconnected about the opportunity to play for a better team. What if that’s really in the works? What if he asked me that because he wants me to go to Phoenix with him if he relocates?”
“Is this the same interview where he said you two were cool?” Debra made air quotes.
Danielle fought not to flinch. She readjusted her glasses and frowned. “You’re right. I’m reading too much into things.”
She barely saw Jacobe off the court or out of the bedroom. She had expected his schedule to be busy after his suspension ended and even more so when he made the play-offs. What she hadn’t expected was the feeling that she really was in a friends-with-benefits situation instead of a true relationship. He never stayed the night, never asked her to stay with him. She came to the games and cheered for him, but then he told the media that they’re cool. She was falling in love and he thought they were...cool?
“I think your response was perfect. You’re guarding your heart, which is smart with a guy like him. Don’t let him think you’ll drop everything and follow him if he’s not willing to do the same.”
“I wouldn’t drop everything and move away with him. I don’t really expect him to do the same.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I don’t know. I think he was hinting around at that, but I’m frustrated he would even consider that when he just told the world that we’re cool. He’s still guarded with me.”
“I don’t think the issue is if he asked you to move or not. The real issue is how Jacobe feels about you. I like Jacobe a lot, but you’ve got to look out for yourself first. Don’t let him have more of your heart than he deserves.”
Debra was right. Danielle had been in this situation before. She’d thought she and Luke were serious, but when he’d gotten the offer to play in Denver he’d taken it. She didn’t begrudge him for doing so, but it had stung to discover that he hadn’t believed they’re relationship would have survived the move. If Jacobe had hinted around at her going to Phoenix, why? Was it because he cared for her? She needed answers to that before making any decision.
Her desk phone rang before she could reply. Debra reached for the door handle. “Think about what I said.”
Danielle nodded, but didn’t answer. She picked up the phone. “Danielle Stewart, how may I help you?”
“Danielle,” her mom said. “Is it true? Are you dating that Jacobe Jenkins?”
Jacobe may have hedged with the media, but she wouldn’t with her mom. “Yes, I am.”
“Why?” her mom asked. Sounding as disgusted and disbelieving as she would if Danielle had said she didn’t give a damn about doing community service. “He’s not the right guy for you.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’m no sports reporter, but I follow them enough to know he’s a troublemaker in the league. Getting in fights and sleeping around with various women. You can’t trust a guy like that. Plus, what good does he do in the community? You know he’s only interested in the environment because he’s trying to butter you up.”
“Actually, he gives back a lot.” She started to go into the various charities and organizations he donated do, but her mom cut her off.
“Tax write-offs, nothing more. Now, why don’t you call up that sweet guy you dated in college? He was a pillar in the community and much better for you.”
“Mom, you and Dad haven’t come to Jacksonville to see me in over a year. Every time you say you’re going to visit, something more important comes up. When I try to get you to pick a good weekend for me to visit, you’re doing something else and the timing isn’t right. I doubt you know who or what is good for me.”
Her mom sputtered. “Danielle, that’s not fair. We love you.”
“I know you do, but that doesn’t mean I’m a priority for you, either. So please don’t comment on my personal life.” She glanced at the clock. Ten minutes until the board meeting. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later. I love you.”
She hung up without waiting for an answer. Already the guilt for talking to her mother that way crept up her throat. She hadn’t been disrespectful, not really, but she’d never been so blunt with her mom before. She’d hear more about that later.
Her cell phone dinged with a new email. Danielle rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed. She should ignore it—the way this day was going any email was prob
ably bad news. It could also be something important.
She stood and grabbed the items she needed for the meeting. She had emailed the comments to the board earlier so they didn’t really need hard copies. She picked up her phone and opened the email while walking to the door. She froze right before exiting.
Speak of the devil and the devil will rise, she thought.
An email from Luke. He still did a lot of work in the community and occasionally would toss leads for new donors or projects her way. They had moved on. The romantic feelings from college were gone.
Danielle,
I just finished the details for a trip to Malawi with the Water for Kids Foundation. Me and a few other athletes are going as part of their initiative to install wells and water filters to some of the remote villages. They mentioned having a few environmental activists come along with us. When asked who to invite, I immediately thought of you. I know you’ve always admired their work.
Trip is in early summer. Late May or early June. Check your calendar.
Luke
PS: I’ll send the list of athletes later. I know you want to know who’s going.
She scanned the email again, and then a third time. The trip of a lifetime. The Water for Kids Foundation was the same group she’d told Jacobe about that day on the boat. Not only would the trip give her the opportunity to do something she’d always wanted to do, it would probably be highly publicized and would bring greater attention, and donors, to the River Watchers.
Her heart jumped with excitement. But concern made her chew her bottom lip. Leaving the country on a trip with Luke probably wouldn’t go over well with Jacobe.
Maybe Jacobe will want to go.
Luke did say athletes were going. There might be room for one more.
Except Jacobe hadn’t liked the idea of a service trip when they discussed it that day on his yacht.
The office door swung open. Danielle quickly stepped back to avoid being hit.
“Oops, sorry,” Debra said. “We’re ready to start. Wait, what’s wrong now?”
“I don’t have time to say,” she said, meeting Debra’s eyes, “but believe me we will need to be seated, at a bar, with drinks when I tell you.”
Chapter 13
The conversation with Debra was the only thing on Danielle’s mind when Jacobe called and asked if she’d like to have dinner at his house that evening. For her own sanity she needed to find out where they stood. She hated to be in this situation. She’d hoped they were on the road to seriously dating until she’d seen the interview.
She parked her Jeep right outside of the garage of his two-story brick home. His house was surrounded by palm trees and lush greenery. She couldn’t see the river from the front, but combined with the wooded surroundings, his place was a perfect escape from the bustle of the city.
Jacobe met her at the door wearing a blue gingham shirt and gray chinos. “Right on time.”
He took her hand and led her through the house. Soft jazz played in the background and candles were lit throughout the house.
“What’s all this for?”
“All what?” He glanced over his shoulder at her with a teasing smile.
On the back terrace overlooking the river, there was a table set with a white tablecloth, candles and silver-covered platters. Jacobe let go of her hand and crossed to a bottle of champagne chilling next to the table.
Danielle crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “Okay, what’s going on?”
He twisted out the cork in the champagne. “It’s all an effort to bribe you.”
“Bribe me to do what?”
“Come with me to all the away games during the play-offs and, hopefully, the semi-finals and finals.” He poured champagne into two flutes and handed one to Danielle.
Danielle barely kept her jaw from dropping. “What?”
“I want you with me throughout the play-offs. I like having you at the games. I like hearing you cheer for me, and I really like seeing you after all the press stuff is over. I know you have work, and the Clear Water permit stuff going on, but I’m willing to cover the costs of airfare, hotel and whatever Debra needs to let you go with me.”
“I’m surprised you want me to go.”
Jacobe froze in the middle of taking a sip of the champagne. “Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know—maybe because at your press conference you said we were cool. What does that mean?”
“Oh, that.” He turned to put the champagne on the table.
Danielle scowled. “Yes, that.”
“I don’t talk about my personal life with the media. They already knew the answer, so asking was just to try and get more out of me. If I’d said anything else about us then it’s a new headline. There’s a new woman in Jacobe Jenkins’s life. Now everyone wants to know about you. The paparazzi come out, the bloggers start tearing you apart, and people start digging into your personal life.”
She slowly walked over to him at the table. “I guess I can understand that, but did you start to think about how that would sound to me?”
“No,” he said as if it were obvious that he wouldn’t. “You know where we stand.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
He took her hands in his and stared her in the eye. “I trust you, Danielle. More than I’ve trusted another woman in years. When you first mentioned wanting a relationship, my first thought was to step back and leave you alone. That’s what I’ve done for years. Except, I couldn’t.”
So much anticipation swelled up inside of her, and it mingled with a bit of hope that the declaration meant what she wanted it to. That his feelings were just as strong as hers. “Why?”
“Because I walked away from you years ago. I wasn’t going to do that again.”
Her heart beat so hard against her ribs she wondered if it would bruise. She took a step closer to Jacobe. The swell of emotions filling her threatened to explode like a shaken bottle of champagne.
“Jacobe, I—”
“Shhh,” he cut her off with a kiss.
Thank God he had. They were way too early in their relationship for her to blurt out what she was about to say. She was scared that the words had nearly bubbled out of her mouth without forethought simply because he wanted her with him during the play-offs. He pulled back just enough to trace soft kisses across her lips, over her chin and back.
Danielle accepted the distraction. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against the hard heat of his. Her breasts grew heavy and languid heat took over her bloodstream.
“You keep kissing me like this,” Jacobe said, between kisses, “and I’m going to forget about dinner.”
Danielle rose higher on her toes and pulled his lower lip between her teeth. “You kissed me first.”
Jacobe lifted his head. “Are you very hungry right now?”
Danielle shook her head. “I’m far from starving.”
He swept her up into his arms. “Good.”
He quickly took her back through the house and ultimately to his master bathroom. Candles were lit in there already. He set her on her feet, then moved away to turn on the water in his tub.
“You want to take a bath?”
“I want to make love to you in the tub. This was for after dinner.” He picked up a jar of oil and poured some into the rising water. “I’ve thought about you in the tub ever since that first night at your house.” Next he opened bubble bath and put a generous amount into the water.
Danielle’s body heated as she watched him. “The food will get cold.”
He pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the side on the floor. Her breath caught in her chest and her gaze slid over every wonderful inch of his chiseled perfection. “Then let’s eat.”
He moved to walk past her to the door. Danielle hooked her fingers in the belt loop of his pan
ts and pulled him back to her.
“That’s what I thought.” His smile was cocky before he lifted her up for a kiss. Jacobe carried her over to his enormous tub.
He undressed her slowly. His warm lips and wicked tongue flicked over every inch of skin he revealed as he pulled off her cardigan, T-shirt, and knee-length skirt. By the time he removed her underwear, her hands were clutching his shoulders, her breaths shorts pants and her body nearly boneless with desire.
Jacobe held her in his arms again then lowered her into the tub. The tub was so large that the water barely covered her waist.
“It’s not ready yet,” she said.
He eased her backward until she rested against the warm ceramic of the tub. “Shh, just relax.”
He reached for a thick washcloth. After dipping it into the water, he picked up the soaking cloth and let the warm drops trickle over her body. Jacobe repeated the movement, his eyes dark and intense in the candlelight as he teased her. The warm rivulets flowed over her in slow, erotic streams.
“Let me take care of you,” he said in a low, seductive voice.
He used the cloth to gather the suds from the rising waters and grazed the soft material across her parted thighs, up her stomach and around her breasts. He bathed her with slow precision, each stroke increasing her desire. Her head fell back and her legs spread wide. His fingers replaced the cloth, tracing down her neck and chest, swirling around the hard tip of her breast and the sensitive skin of her midsection.
His hand brushed the curls between her legs. Pleasure zipped across her skin. Gasping, Danielle’s eyes opened to slits and she watched him. The smile on his face was all masculine pride. He gently ran his fingers across her core. Teasing and tormenting her. Danielle’s hands gripped the edges of the tub. Her eyes never left his.
One thick finger pushed into her. Her mouth fell open with a silent gasp. His lips curved higher. With deliberateness, he drove her to the brink, holding her captive with his intense gaze. With each wondrous slide of his hand in and out, her thoughts fled and all she wanted was more. To have Jacobe touch her like this and never stop. The erotic pressure built. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth. Her body tightened more and more with pleasure. She exploded with a wave of delicious sensation. Her cry echoed around the bathroom. Her vision blurred and her heart beat frantically in her chest.
One More Night Page 28
