by Pamela Yaye
She rolled her eyes and opened the drawer he’d blocked. “Will, you really can stop with the questions. Kelly knows the guy is cool and it’s not like you care.” She pulled out a corkscrew and uncorked the wine.
“Of course I care.” Way more than she’d ever know. “You’re my girl.”
The corner of Erin’s full lips tilted up. She opened the cabinet and pulled out two glasses. “I’m your sister’s girl.”
Will took the glass of wine she handed him. “Come on. Humor me. Is he cool?”
She sighed and tried to hide a smile by taking a sip of her wine. “Yes. He’s cool. This isn’t really a date. More like us hanging out with some friends.”
“Not serious then?” Satisfaction breezed through him like a cool fall wind. He chose not to explore why he liked hearing that so much. “Where are you going? Maybe I can drop you off.”
“No need,” she said. “I’m scheduling for a car to pick me up.”
“So he’s not picking you up?”
“Once again, not a date.”
“Still, if I were hanging out with you for a ‘not date’—” he made air quotes with his fingers “—if I really wanted things to turn into something more, I’d offer to pick you up. Show up with flowers. Open the door for you as you got in my car.”
He’d slid closer to her. He took a sip of the wine and got lost in the dark pools of her soft brown eyes.
Erin sucked in a quick breath. Blinked and looked away. “That’s because you’re good at running game. It’s not about game with Jared.”
Will scowled. Is that all she thought of him? Well, he couldn’t blame her. He was about saying and doing all the right things to get on a woman’s good side.
That wasn’t the way he thought of Erin. Everything he would say and do to be closer to her would be different. She wouldn’t accept anything less. He couldn’t imagine giving her anything less.
Her cell phone rang before he could correct her. She crossed the room and pulled the phone out of a small red handbag.
“Speak of the devil. It’s Jared.” She threw him a happy smile.
Will’s lips stretched with what he hoped looked like encouragement. He sipped his wine and tried not to let his gaze travel over her curves in that sexy dress while she answered.
He could use this as his exit. He’d checked on her and everything was well. She had plans. Technically, his reasons for stopping by were satisfied. Still, he waited.
“Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that.” Erin’s brows drew together.
Will’s ears perked up. That did not sound promising.
Erin shook her head. “It’s no problem... I understand. We’ll get together another time.”
Will put his glass of wine down. Was this jerk really canceling on her? Somebody better be dead because any other excuse wasn’t good enough. If this guy could see her now. In that dress. Then he wouldn’t be canceling this date.
“Call me later,” she said. “Let me know how things turn out... Okay... Bye, Jared.” She ended the call and sighed. “Looks like I don’t have to go out.” She let out a weak laugh.
“I heard. What happened? An accident?”
She ran her fingers through her thick hair. A sign of frustration of hers. “No. He had a leak in his apartment. Something about a pipe under the sink.”
“Oh really?” Sounded like bull to him.
“Really.” She glanced around, then down at her dress. “Guess it’s Netflix for me after all.”
The disappointment in her voice twisted his gut. He pushed away from the counter and crossed over to her. “It doesn’t have to be,” he said. “You can hang with me.”
“Oh no. I’m not going to some crazy Hollywood party.”
“We’re in Chicago. Not Hollywood.” He pointed to the view of the city outside her window.
“Doesn’t matter. Celebrities mean a Hollywood-like party.”
Will thought about the group gathered for the party. Other athletes, supermodels and a few television stars. She had a point. “Okay, no party. I’ve got tickets for the show at the CIBC Theatre. We can do that.”
Her eyes went wide. “Wait a second. You’ve got tickets to Slam!? Those are the hardest tickets in town.”
He felt like he’d just learned he was the only man who could save the planet from attacking aliens. “I do.”
“And you don’t have a date? I don’t believe it.” She propped a hand on her hip.
“I thought about picking up someone at the party.”
She chuckled and cocked her head to the side. “You can just pick up a date that easily?”
He rubbed his chin. “Well, I don’t mean to brag.”
Erin poked him in the chest. “Good grief you’re conceited.”
He wrapped his hand around her slim wrist. “Is that a no?”
Her pulse fluttered against his fingers. She didn’t pull away from his soft grasp. An almost-playful look came to her eye. “It’s a fact.”
Heat simmered between them. Sizzling and popping like corn kernels in hot oil. Will slid closer to her.
Erin shook her head. She cleared her throat, broke eye contact and slid back. “You know what? I stood in line for hours and still didn’t get tickets. I’ll put up with you for a few hours to see that.”
Her words didn’t dampen the pleasure in his chest. He didn’t care about missing the party or the interest of Vanessa. Hanging with Erin seemed a lot more fun.
He held out his arm. “Then let’s go.”
Chapter 2
Erin joined the rest of the theatergoers who jumped to their feet and clapped at the end of the performance. The critically acclaimed show lived up to the hype and more. Will had definitely come through for the win on this.
She hadn’t expected him to enjoy the show as much as her. But he was on his feet clapping just as enthusiastically. Will was the last person she would have guessed to be the one to turn what would have been a depressing night of cookies and Netflix after being stood up into one of the best nights she’d had since moving to Chicago.
Then again, maybe he was exactly the right person. This wasn’t the first time he’d come through for her. Or the first time she’d appreciated him being there.
“People didn’t lie,” Will said as they exited the theater with the crowd. “That show was damn good.”
He directed her away from the crush of theatergoers toward the sleek black car waiting on them. He didn’t touch her, but that didn’t stop her body from being acutely aware of his nearness. The strength and pull of him made her gravitate closer to his side.
“It was,” Erin agreed. “Thank you for taking me. I didn’t mean to spoil your plans to take someone a lot more fun than me.”
“Don’t be silly. I have fun with you.”
Will smiled at her in that way he had of making her feel beautiful and amazing. He didn’t intentionally steal her breath away. Will was like that. A charmer through and through.
A charmer with rich chestnut skin, obsidian eyes brightened by his sparkling personality, and a meticulously cut beard surrounding sensual lips. Will was the guy women fantasized about and men wanted to hang out with.
Erin broke eye contact. “Since when do you have fun with me?”
The cold Chicago air sliced through her coat and up the hem of her dress. She shivered and shoved her hands in her pockets. Will stepped closer and placed his hand on her lower back. Simultaneously blocking the wind and radiating heat.
She started to pull away, but it was cold as crap out there and Will was tall and warm.
“Remember when I took you to the military ball in high school? We had a lot of fun.”
“That was fifteen years ago,” she said. “We haven’t hung out since.”
The driver opened the car door for them. Will’s hand on her back clung to her coat, stoppi
ng her from getting into the car. She met his eyes, and he raised a brow.
“Whose fault is that?” he asked in a low, seductive voice.
A flicker of disappointment and hurt crossed his handsome features. There and gone in a blink of an eye. Erin’s pulse jumped. She wanted to touch him. Press her hand against his chest and ask what the flicker in his gaze meant.
Instead of doing either, she slipped in the car. They both knew the answer to the question. She was the reason they hadn’t hung out since.
Will was too charming. Too handsome. Too easy to fall for if you didn’t know he didn’t take anything seriously including relationships.
Will was two years older than her. That night when her boyfriend had bailed on her, he’d skipped a party to take her to the military ball. By then he was an impressive college player and son of a former league champion who was well on his way to the pros. Yet he’d given up a night in town with his friends to save her from embarrassment.
When he’d walked her to her door at the end of the night he’d wrapped her in his arms and surrounded her in warmth and the seductive cloud of his expensive cologne. She’d been floating on a cloud of joy from the fun they’d had and squeezed him tight, but when he’d pulled back the smile she’d expected wasn’t there. He’d looked at her as if he couldn’t believe he was lucky enough to hold her in his arms. Dark eyes lowered to her lips and she’d known with everything in her that he was going to kiss her. She’d jumped out of his arms as if he’d gone up in flames. She’d grown up watching Will go from girlfriend to girlfriend as quickly as he changed basketball shorts. She’d refused to be another casualty in the William Hampton war on female hearts.
Will slid into the car next to her. Close enough for her to feel the gravitational pull he radiated like the moon, but not close enough to touch. “So, what do you want to do next?”
She wasn’t surprised he’d moved on from the topic of them hanging out. Will didn’t stay on one topic for long.
“I think I’ll just go home.”
“You can’t go home now. The night is still young.” He looked so damn sexy as his brows drew together and his lips pursed in a disapproving frown.
Midnight had come and gone. The night was hardly young, but she wasn’t tired. Her body still buzzed from the excitement of the show.
“I don’t typically hang real late.” Even as she said the words she realized how dull she made herself sound.
It wasn’t as if she was against staying out late; she’d just spent the years since college trying to climb the corporate ladder. Her dreams of playing basketball professionally died with an injury in high school. Now she dreamed of being an executive at Global Strategies, one of the top marketing firms in the country. Her after-midnight activities typically involved drafting proposals and working on client projects.
Will leaned back and stretched his long legs in front of him. “Well, I’m not ready to go back to my hotel and sit around.”
“You could still go to that party.”
He shook his head. “Nah, not in the mood for that, either.” He turned and met her eyes. “Let’s grab something to eat. Then I’ll take you back to your place.”
She was hungry. They hadn’t eaten before the show, and honestly, she really wasn’t ready to go home. “I’m down for that.”
He grinned as if she’d just made his night. Her stomach flipped. She tried to ignore that. She had to ignore her body’s reactions. If she didn’t realize he treated all women like queens she’d begin to think his enthusiasm was just for her.
“I know just the place.”
He took her to a late-night bistro near Mariano Park. Erin had never been there before, and thought they’d need reservations. Will not only knew the best spots in whatever city he traveled to, but was well known enough to get immediate seating.
They were given a private booth in the back, and once they were settled, Will started talking about old times. The days when she and Kelly would torment him during their dance marathons whenever Erin slept over. How they’d played basketball together as kids.
He ordered a bottle of wine with their food. After her second glass she relaxed and forgot about keeping her guard up with Will and just enjoyed his cheerful personality.
“So, this job, you like it? Kelly said you’re only in town for a few months.”
Will had moved closer to her while they talked. He faced her, one arm rested along the back of the booth behind her, and the elbow of his other arm was on the table. His humor-brightened eyes were trained on her the entire time.
“I do like it. I moved to Chicago to work closely with the executive team. I’m trying to make partner, and being here gives me better access to the upcoming projects and puts my work right in front of the other executives. I’ll be in Charlotte in a few weeks for All-Star Weekend because we’re doing several launch parties there.”
Erin had done everything she could to be considered for the partner position. Taken the hardest jobs, traveled wherever they needed her to go and worked extra hours to ensure her projects never got behind schedule.
Basketball had once been her life. After her injury, getting the best grades and finding success in other arenas had taken over. She was competitive by nature, and fighting her way to the top was how she fed that need.
“You travel a lot. Don’t you get tired of that?”
“You travel a lot, too. Do you get tired of that?” she tossed back.
Will rubbed his beard and chuckled. Her eyes dropped to his full lips. The bottom one plumper than the top. His teeth too perfect. She smiled; he’d gotten veneers after losing a tooth his senior year of high school. Knowing about that imperfection reminded her how much she really knew about one of the league’s biggest stars.
“Sometimes,” he admitted surprisingly. “The good thing is knowing I’ve got a place to go back to. My house is my sanctuary.”
“Your sanctuary? I wouldn’t have expected you to use that word.” She lifted the glass of cabernet and took a sip. The full-bodied wine was smooth as it glided over her tongue.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re such an extrovert. I wouldn’t expect you to need a sanctuary.”
Will laughed low and deep. She felt the rumble all through her body. Most definitely in the spots aching for touch. “Everyone needs a sanctuary. But I love what I do. You know that.”
“It’s all you’ve ever wanted to do.” Basketball was the one thing Will was consistent with. The one thing he hadn’t lost interest in over the years.
“Watching my dad in the league only made me want to be just as good as, if not better than, him. I love everything about playing ball, but yeah, occasionally I like to chill at home.”
“Do you chill with anyone in particular?” Well, damn. She hadn’t meant to say that. At least not in the flirty, I’m-digging-for-information way in which the words had come out.
The subtle shift in Will’s eyes from playful to predatory made her stomach clench. He went from friendly best friend’s brother to the man who drew in women with a crook of his lips that she knew he was.
“No one in particular,” he said in that noncommittal way players everywhere perfected. “What about you? Things serious with you and that guy you were going out with?”
Not currently, but she’d hoped they might turn into something. Her coworker Vivien and Kelly had finally boosted Erin up enough to ask Jared out. She’d been crushing on him hard since starting in the Chicago office.
She mimicked his shrug. “Not yet, but I’m excited about seeing where it’ll go.”
The light in his eyes dimmed for a second. He took a sip of his wine, finishing the little bit in the glass before turning to her again. “Oh really? You haven’t changed your mind after he bailed on you tonight?”
Jared’s canceling at the last minute had sucked. That didn’t mean she wasn
’t interested in going out with him again one day. “He mentioned us getting together later this weekend. Besides, I can understand if he had a pipe burst in his apartment that he’d need to take care of that. I like Jared because he’s just as driven as I am. I’ve dated other guys who didn’t understand my commitment to my job. They always wanted me to give up my goals to spend more time with them. Jared isn’t like that. He works just as hard as I do.”
“Sounds...fun,” Will said with a sarcastic twist of his lips.
Erin shook her head. His sarcasm rolled off her easily. “It’s like if you’d only been around women who wanted you to give up basketball, and then you meet a woman who loves the sport as much as you do. I doubt you’d change your mind after one canceled date.”
“I’ve met a few women who really love basketball.” He lifted his hand and took a lock of her thick hair between his fingers. “There’s only one of those women who I’d want a real chance with.”
His eyes locked with hers. His eyes saying a lot of things she wanted to believe. He couldn’t possibly mean her. But the spark of interest and desire in his gaze made her wonder.
“You say that as if you haven’t tried to have a chance with her.”
He continued to play with the ends of her hair. “I haven’t, but maybe I will.” Before she could ask who the woman in question was, Will shifted in the seat. He let go of her hair, bent his elbow and rested his head on his closed fist. “I’ve had fun hanging out with you tonight.”
She let go of the fantasy that he could be talking about her and moved with the subject change. “Yeah, me, too.”
“You never did reply when I asked about why we don’t hang out more often.”
Because my heart’s racing right now just having you this close to me. “Come on, Will. When would we hang out? You’re off playing basketball and partying most of the time. We see each other when I visit your family over the holidays.”
“And?” He sounded like her reasons weren’t legit.
