“I suppose,” he conceded.
“Definitely,” Darcy said. “Injuries can decimate a team. How can I be expected to make a trade and replace one of our players if none of the other general managers will take my call?”
“Point taken,” McClain said with a sigh.
“No more sticking your head up your backside?” Darcy asked. “You’ll think first and leave the fisticuffs to someone else.”
“No one says fisticuffs outside an old movie,” McClain grumbled. “However, I understand what you mean. I will bite my tongue and sit on my hands. Whatever needs to be done.”
Nodding, Darcy turned to leave. She stopped, realizing she’d left something unsaid. Something important.
“I don’t want or need anyone to fight my battles. Never have, never will.” Keeping her back to him, she continued. “Just once, it was nice to have someone offer.” She paused. “Thank you, Joshua.”
Darcy crossed the hall to her room. With a nod, she signaled to Steve she was in for the night, scanned her key card, and closed the door behind her. She slipped out of her shoes and curled her bare toes into the thick carpet.
Reaching to unbutton her blouse, Darcy jumped a foot at the sound of a fist pounding on the door.
“Let me in.”
Darcy didn’t ask who it was. She would have recognized McClain’s gruff voice in her sleep. Her hand hovered over the doorknob, uncertain. The smart thing would be to tell him to leave—and she always did the smart thing. Until now.
Cracking open the door, she peered at McClain with one wary eye.
“What?” she asked.
“Let me in.” McClain cleared his throat.
“We’ll talk in the morning,” Darcy said. Far away from the intimacy of a hotel room and the bed located only a few steps away.
“Please?”
Please? Really? Feeling her resolve waver, Darcy sighed. Why, for the first time in her memory, did he use the magic word? And look so sweet yet sexy in the process.
“Just for a minute,” she said, standing back so he could enter the room.
Without her shoes, she was forced to tip her head at an angle to look McClain in the face. The intensity in his gaze took her breath away.
“What’s so important you couldn’t wait for a few hours to tell me?”
“You called me Joshua.”
“Did I?” Darcy asked, her heart racing. “Are you certain?”
“Yes,” he said as he took one step closer.
Every instinct told Darcy to run. The bathroom was an easy solution. She could lock the door and wait until he gave up and left. Whether brave or foolhardy, she held her ground.
“I know you prefer Mac. Or Josh.” Darcy gave a casual shrug. “I promise, my slip of the tongue won’t happen again.”
The way he stared at her, eyes a dark, intense green, made her knees weak. She reached behind her and grasped the doorknob for support.
“You always, always, call me Mr. McClain. Or just McClain when you’re royally pissed off.”
Do something to make me angry, Darcy pleaded, though she kept the words to herself. Stop looking at me as though I’m the only other person in the world. Stop making me want the impossible. Just stop.
“You should go.”
Darcy pivoted but before she could turn the knob, McClain placed a hand on the door. His arm was inches from her face, his body so close she could feel the heat radiating off his skin. He didn’t touch her, but if he took one more step, if she leaned back ever so slightly, she would feel the length of him pressed against her.
“Turn around,” he whispered.
His breath brushed her ear. Darcy shivered.
“I’ll step away if you ask. Just say the word and I’ll leave.” His voice was low and naturally seductive. “Please, don’t say the word. Turn around.”
Darcy knew there were a million reasons not to give in to what she wanted. Her mind a blank, she couldn’t think of one. He put the decision in her hands. She was in control.
Taking his hand, she placed his arm around her waist before she turned to face him.
“Joshua?”
“Yes?” He gasped the word, heat flaring in his emerald-colored eyes.
“Kiss me.” Darcy cleared her throat before echoing his plea. “Kiss me. Please. One kiss.”
“Just one?” McClain asked, brushing her cheek with his finger. “Will one be enough?”
“Depends,” Darcy countered, daring him with her eyes, her words. “Can you make me want two?”
“Oh, Darcy.” He chuckled. “Always a challenge. Never surrender. Why isn’t anything simple with you?”
“I could ask you the same question, Mr. McClain.” When he grinned, Darcy returned his smile. ‘If you want simple and easygoing, look somewhere else.”
“I’m exactly where I want to be,” he said. “You’re exactly who I want to be with.”
As McClain lowered his head, Darcy braced herself for a burst of passion, a whirlwind of need. She should have known better. He was the master of the unexpected. He knew how to keep her off-balance, never knowing what to expect. Why should their first kiss be an exception?
Soft as a sigh, his mouth brushed hers. Darcy gasped as she licked her bottom lip. To her frustration, she only tasted herself. Shifting his weight, McClain settled his body onto hers, his weight causing her back to flatten against the door.
One hand cushioned the back of her head, took the clip from her hair before tipping her chin to the angle of his liking. McClain paused, looking deep into Darcy’s eyes as if telling her to see only him.
Who else? Darcy’s mind was clear, focused, and totally engaged. She refused to fall into a fog, to wake the next morning, and lay the blame on a case of dizzying desire. She’d made her choice. Freewill was a beautiful thing. And so was Joshua McClain.
Darcy threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth to hers. The hell with letting him take the lead. They were in this together. Give and take went both ways.
McClain groaned. Darcy felt the vibration across her lips, making her smile.
“Good?” he asked. He tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth. “Need more?”
“I’ll tell you when to stop,” Darcy said, standing on tiptoe until her body was flush with his. “Maybe in a week. Or two.”
“If there’s anything better than a woman who knows what she wants, I can’t tell you what it is.”
“You know what I want?” Darcy asked.
“Name it,” McClain said as his lips trailed along the line of her jaw.
“Less talk.” Darcy gave him a long, lingering kiss. “More action.”
“Mm.” McClain nodded. “Words are highly overrated.”
Cupping the back of her neck, McClain angled his head and covered her mouth with his. Sweet and teasing turned hot and steamy in a flash. Backing her into the room, his arm anchored her close. Legs brushed legs, her sensitive breasts pressed to his chest, feeling every move, every sway. Hard and fast, his heart raced, barely keeping pace with hers.
“Lose the shirt,” Darcy said against his mouth.
“You’re the boss.” Grinning, McClain pulled his t-shirt over his head. “Happy?”
For the first time, Darcy had an up-close and personal view of McClain’s beautifully muscled torso. Warm to her touch, hard yet soft. She liked his shoulder. Mm. Yum.
“Happy?” Darcy sighed. “You have no idea.”
“I might get an inkling of how you feel,” he said as he toyed with the top button of her blouse. “If you returned the favor.”
With a wicked smile, Darcy did as McClain asked—slowly. Deliberately. One button came loose, then the next. Curious to see the play of muscles on his back, her gaze flicked from his to the mirror on the wall.
Darcy froze, a gasp caught in her throat. Frowning, McClain followed the path of her eyes.
“What the fuck?”
On the mirror, were
the words DIE BITCH, written in bleeding red.
Darcy’s blood turned cold. She pushed aside McClain’s arms and picked up her phone.
“Steve,” she said when her bodyguard answered on the first ring. “Get over here. Now.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
MAC WONDERED IF he was crazy. He had the right to be upset. Didn’t he? Angry and offended, he crossed his arms over his chest as he stared out the window of his office.
“They should have told me. I had the right to know that some psychotic whack job is harassing my—” Mac caught himself before he called Darcy his. “The team’s general manager.”
Sitting opposite Mac’s desk, Sean McBride stretched out his long legs, crossing them at the ankles. He rolled his head in a slow circle and sighed.
“I stopped by for a quick visit, not to be grilled.”
“Can’t you do both?” Mac asked with a smirk. “Ever heard of multi-tasking?
“Funny,” Sean said without cracking a smile. “I understand your beef, Mac. However, Riley stands by her judgment call. Darcy wanted to keep the information under the radar. If news leaked that she had a stalker, she was afraid people would accuse her of playing the victim card.”
“When you say people, I assume that I’m included? Darcy believed I would give her a hard time, didn’t she?” Mac’s jaw tightened. “What a load of bullshit. She should have known better.”
“Because you were first to throw a party when you heard she’d been hired as your boss?” Sarcasm dripped from each of Sean’s words. “Be honest, Mac. Darcy had every reason to keep quiet.”
“At first, maybe,” Mac conceded. “But our relationship has evolved since the day we were introduced.”
“Evolved. Interesting word for a caveman to use.” Sean grinned when Mac shot him a warning look. “You hated the idea of a woman general manager. Why the change of heart?”
“Because Darcy didn’t give me a choice,” Mac said, smiling despite himself.
The daily meetings. Phone calls. Emails. The woman was relentless. Without realizing what had happened, Darcy burrowed under his skin. Professionally, she’d earned his respect with her knowledge of football and her insights into what needed to be done to make the Knights a great team for years to come.
“We don’t agree on everything and our styles are different as night and day.”
“Different is an understatement. Darcy is a high-performance luxury automobile,” Sean said.
“And what am I?” Mac asked.
“A bulldozer. Chugging along. Knocking over anyone who dares stand in your way. The two of you were bound to clash.” Shaking his head, Sean chuckled. “Riley believes your differences can become a strength.”
“What do you think?”
“One of the reasons my wife is a successful businesswoman is because she knows people. Understands what makes them tick.” Sean’s face lit up. “Lord, I love that woman.”
Mac stared at Sean as he wondered how a man who used to be a prowling tiger, the biggest lady’s man he’d ever known, had transformed into a happily domesticated pussy cat.
Perhaps the key was to find the right person. Quickly, Mac dismissed the idea. A good woman could only do so much if the man was a worthless piece of crap. He should know. Where lost causes were concerned, Mac’s father topped the list. His mother learned the truth the hard way. Years of trying to fix the unfixable turned her into a bitter alcoholic who neglected her children in favor of chasing her husband from one bar to another.
“Hey, are you okay?” Sean asked with a worried frown. “You zoned out on me.”
“Wandering thoughts,” Mac said with a shrug. “Unimportant. We strayed from the topic. Darcy’s stalker.”
“The police in Indianapolis sent all the pertinent information to the detective on the case here in Seattle. The security camera showed a person entering the hotel room. Unfortunately, the scumbag kept his face turned the other way.” The expression on Sean’s face darkened. “He had a keycard. I shudder to think what would have happened if Darcy had come back early. Or the creep had decided to wait for her.”
Mac clenched his teeth as his fists curled into two tights balls.
“What about her bodyguard? Why didn’t he check the room before leaving Darcy alone for the night?”
“No excuse,” Sean said.
“Fire his ass.”
“Darcy wanted to give Steve another chance.” Sean scoffed at the idea. “Riley wasn’t as charitable. She hired someone new.”
What if new guy number two was as unreliable as no-neck Steve? Mac wasn’t happy, but he supposed a half-assed bodyguard was better than none.
“Now that I know what’s going on, I’ll keep both eyes open,” he said determined to keep Darcy safe.
“From what I understand, you started watching out for her in Indianapolis,” Sean said with a cryptic smile.
Uncertain what Sean meant, Mac frowned. Then a light went off in his head and he thanked the heavens that he was not the type to blush.
“Oh… I… Um…”
Mac groaned. Blushing, no. Stammering, no problem.
“Why were you in Darcy’s hotel room when she found the message on the mirror?” Sean asked with a knowing look. “Kind of late for a business meeting.”
“Because she called me Joshua,” Mac muttered.
How was he supposed to control his desire for the woman when she said his name at such an unexpected moment?
“Excuse me?” Sean cupped the back of his ear. “Repeat, please.”
“Need a hearing aid, old man?” Mac taunted. “All I said was, with the draft less than two months away, there’s no such thing as downtime.”
Mac hoped his excuse would hold water long enough for his friend to forget or move on to another subject. He should have known better. The leaks in his story were too big, too obvious, especially to an ex-reprobate like Sean McBride.
“Darcy is different than your usual type,” Sean said.
“She isn’t a type,” Mac countered. Without thinking, he added, “Darcy’s an original. Not that I’m interested.”
“Of course not,” Sean scoffed. “Why would you be? After all, bright, beautiful, original women come along every day. Wait a lifetime, or two, and you might, if you’re lucky, meet someone equally as special. Unlikely, but possible.”
“Getting involved with Darcy Stratham would be a huge mistake.” Something Mac had told himself more times than he could count. “As you and every person I know—including Darcy—likes to point out, she’s my boss.”
“A fact that used to stick in your craw.” Sean gave him a speculative look. “Not so much any longer. Am I right?”
“I guess.” Mac shrugged. Though he trusted Darcy to run the team, he considered himself a reluctant convert. “Knowing the game of football isn’t enough when you’re a general manager. You need to be tough. Immovable. Someone who can go toe-to-toe with men who have been in the business for decades.”
“And you didn’t think Darcy was that person.” Sean nodded. “I understand. Makes sense. She’s young.”
“Forget her age, she looks like she walked out of a painting,” Mac said. “A GM should not be picture perfect. And yet—”
“Darcy has defied your expectations.”
“You understand what I mean?” Mac asked.
“Have you seen my wife?” Sean grinned. “She wasn’t thirty years old when she took over ownership of the Knights. She stumbled a few times, as anyone would. But she flourished, as did the team. Which is why I trusted her to know what she was doing when she hired someone with little experience.”
“Riley believed in Darcy,” Mac agreed.
“I meant you,” Sean said with a chuckle. “I was worried you wouldn’t be able to adjust. Maybe you won’t. Your biggest tests are still to come. However, the fact that you’ve opened your mind to Darcy is a good start.”
“She
makes doubting her difficult. Though at times, I still try my best.” Mac smiled. “You can only teach a new dog so many tricks at a time.”
“I can see why you would fall for Darcy.”
The proclamation was made in such a casual, unexpected manner that Mac feel as though Sean had sucker-punched him right in the gut.
“Fall? For Darcy?” Mac gasped the words. “Who fell? Not me.”
“Would you prefer if I used a different tense?” Sean asked. “Not fall. Or fell. You, my friend, are falling.”
“Bullshit,” Mac said.
“Denial is the first stage,” Sean assured him. “As someone who’s been in your shoes, I know how freaking scary the descent can be.”
Mac opened his mouth to protest further but nothing came out but a gust of air.
“Stay calm,” Sean said. “Love isn’t a dirty word.”
Love? Was the man crazy?
“Where are you going,” Mac demanded when Sean rolled to his feet. “You can’t drop a load of crap on me and then just leave. I have things to say.”
“And I have a plane to catch,” Sean told him. “Movie star stuff.”
“Movie star,” Mac said with a snort as he followed Sean to the door. “All you do is stand in front of the camera and look pretty.”
“And get the shit beaten out of me. Though I still look pretty.” Sean sent Mac a good-natured wink. “Can I give you a piece of advice before I go?”
“Do I have a choice,” Mac asked.
“The choice is whether you choose to follow along, or not.” Sean laid a hand on Mac’s shoulder and squeezed. “When you decide to pull your head out of your backside and admit how you feel, don’t go rushing at Darcy like a bull in a china shop.”
“Meaning?”
“Take things slow and steady,” Sean explained. “You need time to adjust, but so does she. And whatever you do, don’t let misunderstandings trip you up. The most important thing you can do is talk to each other. Air your differences before they grow into insurmountable problems.”
“Sheesh.” Mac shook his head. “If the whole movie star thing falls through, you should consider a career writing words of wisdom for fortune cookies.”
The Devil Wears Blue Jeans (One Pass Away: A New Season Book 1) Page 11
