He held up his hand.
“No. Last night was my screw-up, and I need to make it right. I’ll help you get your do-over. I’ll be your dating coach. You can’t swim with the sharks until you swim with guppies, right? Bryce throws his annual black and white party in a few weeks. We’ll go, and I guarantee C.K. will be begging to take you out on a date by the end of the night.”
Skepticism etched into every part of her face.
“Why do you want to help me?”
Her questioning brown eyes watched him closely as he ran his hand over the fresh fade of his haircut. He shrugged.
“It’s the off-season. I have the time, and you need the help. Come on, what do you have to lose?”
Her eyes seemed to take in every bit of his face as she weighed the sincerity of his offer. For the first time since he’d met her, her gaze didn’t unnerve him. He knew there was no ulterior motive behind his suggestion. He was simply a good guy trying to do a good deed. Still, he didn’t exhale until she spoke.
“You can’t breathe a word about this to anyone. Not Quentin—and especially not Caleb.”
“You have my word.”
THREE
Kenadi
IF SOMEONE WOULD have told her twenty-four hours ago that she’d spend a Saturday night setting up dating app profiles with Cash Latham, she would have laughed in their face. But here she was, sitting on her couch in her baggy sweatpants and a tank top, with Cash beside her eating his body weight in slices of extra cheese pizza.
“How about this one?”
She tossed her phone in his lap as she lifted her half empty bottle of beer to her lips. She’d barely gotten a taste before he was shaking his head.
“You want a date, Kenadi. Not a job. Try again.”
“Seriously? You’ve literally hated every picture I’ve suggested.”
“Because you keep suggesting the wrong ones. Here…”
Cash leaned forward, pulled the hairband from her haphazard bun, causing her braids to fall over her nearly bare shoulder, then removed her glasses, setting them aside gently.
“This is it. No manufactured posing. No filters. Just you.”
She started to argue her case for a little face-tuning assistance, but stopped as he held up the phone.
“Just trust me.”
And for some reason, she did.
He was different outside of the parties and away from media clips. Tonight, she saw a softness she hadn’t expected from someone who literally made a career out of smashing into guys when needed.
His jaw flexed under the reddish-brown hair of his beard as he swallowed the rest of his beer. Shifting his weight forward to place the bottle on the coaster she’d insisted he use, his large hand landed on her thigh.
His thumb twitched against her leg, hitting a switch in her brain. Insecurities buzzed in the back of her mind, and she found herself wondering if he was thinking about the softness of her thighs compared to the ones he was used to.
She straightened her legs, pulling them out from under his touch.
He ran a hand carelessly through the longer top section of his hair, letting it fall over his forehead as he leaned back into her couch and looked over at her.
“Did you always know you wanted to play football?”
“For the most part. I don’t think my father would have taken it very well if I wanted to be a gym teacher.”
“Is that what you would’ve chosen for yourself—teaching kids?”
“Maybe. I like kids, and I got my degree, but college was just a formality. My heart belonged to football, so it was the league or bust. Was it the same for Quentin?”
Kenadi shook her head. “No. Quentin only started playing in middle school. Then it pretty much exploded into this crazy life.”
“And you? What is it that you do?”
She laughed easily. “I’m a software developer. All those apps on your phone were made by people like me. My dream is to create my own game, but I’ve got to pay the bills, so I develop and maintain code on a couple app teams.”
He stared at her blankly.
“Geeky, I know. But being a tech nerd is the only place in my life where I’m confident in myself.”
“Geeky? You can make your own video game! You have like the coolest job in the history of jobs!”
Startled by his enthusiasm, Kenadi could only blink as he took hold of her shoulders and shook her. She wondered if he had suddenly forgotten he was paid millions of dollars to play football.
“Oh, can I be in your game?”
“I can’t afford you.”
Cash released her. “We’re friends now. I can give you a discount.”
He leaned forward and grabbed the last slice of pizza from the box. Right before he took a bite, he looked over and gave her his annoyingly charming grin.
To her surprise, it didn’t bother her so much anymore.
CASH
It had taken three attempts before Kenadi actually picked up his Facetime call. Seeing her in a gray t-shirt, baggy cardigan, and glasses with her braids tied back in a colorful scarf was not the image he had anticipated.
“Why aren’t you dressed?”
“I’m dressed! I worked from home today.” She gestured to her unicorn print pajama pants.
“You have a date tonight, remember? You’re meeting him in an hour for drinks.”
She rolled her eyes before scrunching up her nose in displeasure. “Do I have to?”
“Guppies before sharks.” He dangled the reminder like a proverbial carrot. “Unless you changed your mind about C.K.”
“Fine. I’ll throw on some jeans and a clean t-shirt.”
Cash ran a hand over his face. “Can you at least pretend to try, Kenadi?”
She pulled the glasses from her face reluctantly. “You’ll get what you get. Text me the address.”
He could have sworn he heard her mutter something about a dating dictator just before the screen went black.
Cash slid his valet ticket into his pocket, eager to get inside and set up date surveillance. He walked in and stopped short, immediately spotting her at the bar laughing and having what appeared to be an in-depth conversation. Seeing as how he’d had to remind of her date, he hadn’t expected her to be on time.
He also hadn’t expected her to look the way she did.
The girl who was just wearing pajama pants and a coffee-stained t-shirt was now perched on the barstool in tight jeans, heels revealing a perfect pedicure, and a knotted crop top that hugged her full chest.
The hidden memory of her changing out of her wet dress instantly shot to the forefront of his mind. He quickly banished the thought in an attempt to focus on the present.
The self-proclaimed bad dater looked like she was having the time of her life. She didn’t even move away when dating-app-Danny touched her elbow as he leaned in to speak.
It was the oldest trick in the book. Cash used it regularly.
Cash: Meet me by the bathrooms.
He spied her surreptitious glance at her phone.
Kenadi: Why?
Cash: Just hurry.
He watched as she tucked her bag under her arm and excused herself. Her scowl grew with every step she took toward him. She was coming in hot. He quickly found himself doing something he didn’t often do on the field: fumbling. A good reason or explanation would be needed to extinguish her fiery glare—and he had neither.
“What is so important, huh? Things were going good…I think.”
“It went fine. Now, it’s over. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Cash smiled softly as he took her by the elbow, stopping short only when he realized she wasn’t moving.
“You’re the one who made me get all dressed up and now you’re telling me to run out on him?”
“Trust me. I’m doing you a favor. You’re doing just fine, but the guy is a dud. He just keeps looking at you.”
She blinked in confusion.
“Look! It’s not what he did, it’
s how he was doing it.”
Kenadi huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Cash did his best to ignore the way it pushed up her breasts and bared a bit more of her flat midriff. He refocused his eyes on her face where her full lips twisted to the side in frustration.
“Do you know how much I had to pay for valet? And I didn’t even get to finish my drink.”
“I’ll make it up to you. Hey, we can go bowling!”
“Bowling?”
“I know a really nice alley not too far from here. We can hang out and re-strategize for date number two. What do you say?”
• • •
“Another strike for me!”
Kenadi punched the air in victory as she did a little dance around him. He didn’t know why she’d agreed to date-ditch poor old Danny, but he was grateful. It was a relief not to go back to his big empty house.
“You don’t have to announce it every time, you know.”
She pouted in derision. “Oh, is someone a poor sport? You don’t like getting spanked by a girl?”
“Don’t tempt me, girl. Sit down and stop distracting me.”
Kenadi’s laughter was full, rich, and came in contagious waves. He couldn’t stop smiling even as the bowling ball left his hand and immediately veered left into the gutter.
She laughed even harder, causing him to join her.
It felt like an eternity before they were able to look at one another again without dissolving into another fit.
“Is Caleb this bad at bowling too?”
Cash cleared his throat. “I don’t know anything C.K isn’t good at. He’s one of the lucky ones. It’s your turn, by the way.”
Ignoring the waiting frame, she wrapped one of her braids around her finger in thought. “How did you two get to be such good friends?”
He took a long pull of beer. “We were rookies together. Most guys get the first few checks and run out to start buying houses, cars, and jewelry. But Caleb came to me and asked if I wanted to be roommates for the season. We were both new to the state with no family nearby. I’m an only child, and he became like the brother I never had. It was the beginning of our great bromance.”
Kenadi sighed. “He’s great, isn’t he?”
He ran a hand over his beard. “Why do you like him so much?”
“What’s not to like? He’s handsome. Kind. Oh, and humble. I remember seeing an interview where he talked about the relationship he had with his sister, Everleigh. It was so sweet. It made me think about my bond with Quentin and made me like him so much more.”
She turned to face him again. The only thing capable of competing with her long lashes and chocolate drop eyes was her smile. After a long moment, she bumped him with her shoulder.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“How am I looking at you?”
She shrugged. “Like I’m a crazy person telling you things you already know about your best friend.”
Right. His best friend. The guy who deserved the best in life. Cash was becoming increasingly certain it didn’t get much better than Kenadi Russell.
“You know something? This would have been a really great date if we were actually attracted to each other.”
Her eyes were warm and genuine. The way she looked at him filled him with an empty ache he’d never felt before.
“If only.”
If only…
FOUR
Kenadi
“I CAN SEE my house from here.”
Kenadi marveled at the view from the massive windows lining one side of Cash’s living room. She had jumped at his dinner invitation, eager to see his bachelor pad and give her own couch a break.
Cash walked up and handed her a drink. “Food should be here soon.”
The setting sun poured through the windows, washing the entire space in a golden glow—including Cash. His auburn hair looked even redder in the light. Her fingers twitched as she resisted the urge to reach up and push the locks falling onto his forehead out of the way. She wondered how soft his beard was.
“So, we have time to watch some more of our favorite show. You know, for research purposes…”
As she pulled him toward his ginormous couch, he groaned in complaint, though she knew it was mostly an act. The last time he complained about watching the reality dating show, he’d made her pause it so he didn’t miss anything while he’d gone on a snack run.
Barely ten minutes into the newest episode, she interrupted.
“Am I his type?”
Cash didn’t take his eyes off the television. “How would I know? I’ve never met him, Kenadi.”
“Not him. Caleb!”
Cash paused the television and rolled his eyes. “You’ve been thinking again…”
She scrunched up her nose. “Yes, I have. And I’ve never seen him date black girls.”
“Nobody has seen him date anyone.”
She put her beer on the coaster before turning to face him. “But if he did…”
Cash’s confusion filled his eyes as he regarded her. “His sister is half-black.”
“His sister’s identity has no correlation to his dating preferences. Not everyone wants the challenges of an interracial relationship.”
Cash shrugged. “It’s never bothered me.”
Kenadi immediately sat up in her seat. “Wait, you’ve dated a black girl before?”
He stood up. “I’ve dated a few.”
Her brain couldn’t properly process what he was saying because he stretched his arms over his head, distracting her with the low-hanging waistband of his athletic shorts. Those abs…
“You thirsty?”
Parched. “Huh?”
“I asked if you wanted another drink.”
She shook her head, but followed him into the kitchen anyway. “How many is a few?”
“My girlfriend in high school, a couple in college, and a few more recently.”
She wondered just how recently as she leaned against the countertop, picking at her thumbnail. “Any serious relationships?”
“I’ve always tried not to get too attached to anyone. Credit for that bit of baggage goes to my dear old dad.”
Kenadi looked at him. “Care to share?”
Cash opened the bottle and took a swig. “He just could never figure out how to actually be a dad. He had this major career taking up all his time, so there wasn’t really any room in his life for a kid.”
“What about your mom?”
“Cancer.”
Cash didn’t elaborate, and he didn’t need to. She moved closer and touched his arm. “I’m sorry.”
His barely-there smile didn’t cover the hurt in his eyes.
“Anyway, Dad loves two things: football and women. When he wasn’t playing, he was playing. I had a lot of nannies and stepmoms…and nannies who became stepmoms. But none of them stayed. The only way to get his attention was football. The more I made him look good, the more he showed up for games. He got to have his legacy, and I got to pretend I had a dad.”
All Kenadi could picture was a young Cash with a broken heart having to earn love and attention. She wanted to punch Cash’s dad in the face.
She grabbed his beer bottle from him and took a sip before handing it back. “Your dad didn’t give you enough attention, and my mom gave me way too much.”
“Meaning?”
“I think my mom decided who she wanted me to be before I was even born. But despite all her efforts, I turned out to be everything she never wanted in a daughter.”
Cash draped his arm around her and pulled her into a side hug.
“Look at us, functioning despite our dysfunctional parents.”
“Except your functioning has a lot more zeros in the bank account than mine.”
Cash’s genuine grin took over his face just as the buzz of the intercom interrupted.
“Food’s here. Be right back.”
She watched him walk away in a strange sense of awe. Forget a heart of gold, his heart had to be made
of diamond—unique and only beautiful through enduring pressure. She decided she was grateful he’d tackled her.
FIVE
Kenadi
“I HAVEN’T HAD a chance to really talk to you since the other night. What’s been going on?” Quentin questioned, crossing his arms as he leaned against the massive refrigerator.
Glancing out her brother’s massive kitchen window, she caught a glimpse of the pool. Cash’s face instantly popped into her mind. Dinner with Quentin and her future sister-in-law was usually something she looked forward to, but tonight, she was regretting turning down Cash’s offer to go to a concert instead.
“Oh, you know me...”
When it became clear she wasn’t going to elaborate, he chuckled.
“Sounds pleasantly vague.”
“And you sound like my big brother trying to be all up in my business.”
He held up his hands.
“I’m just a concerned sibling making sure my baby sis is actually getting out and having some fun.”
She was getting out all right. Her budding dating life, however, was not on the list of topics she wanted to discuss with him.
“I am. How about you?”
“Candice had a shoot out of town for a couple days, so I occupied my time by working out with a few of the guys this week.”
“How was it?”
Kenadi accepted the glass of sparkling water from Candice, watching the way Candice’s hand squeezed Quentin’s bicep as she passed. The tenderness between them made her heart ache a little.
Ugh. She wanted a man.
“Caleb is awesome to work with and an all-around nice guy anyone would want on their team. I’m hoping we find our rhythm and sync before the preseason.”
She made sure to keep her eyes focused on the bubbling water as she feigned nonchalance.
A change of subject would be good.
“And Cash?”
Quentin’s countenance shifted. “Cash has good instinct. But he walks around under this cloud of unearned hype because of his last name. He’s a bit too cocky if you ask me.”
One More Step Page 33
