“I think you're proud of your reputation.” She settled into her seat, crossing her arms. “You think it's some kind of badge of honor, don’t you?”
I shrugged, wondering how much she liked that side of me. Did I turn her on? “I live life to the fullest, darlin'. I like to have a good time.”
“Then why would you sign up for something like this? All eyes are going to be on us this entire season. Is that something you really want? Do you want to be tied to one woman for months?”
Did I do dare tell her the truth? Did I tell her I didn't care about the press or headlines? I cared about the Warriors making money, and I cared about fucking her so the only thing she remembered was me being deep inside her.
“Dylan?”
“I want you this season. That's what I want.” My eyes locked on hers, watching her breasts rise and fall with heavy breath.
She wanted it too. I could see it in her eyes. They glistened and sparkled. A shimmery blue that would take most men to their knees.
She still hadn’t found words. I could tell she was struggling to speak. “Maybe we should have a meeting with Steve.”
“I think we need to leave Steve out of this.”
I placed one foot on the floor and then the other, bringing my body over hers. My hands landed on the armrests of her chair, keeping her between my legs. She looked up, her eyes flickering with desire.
“I think it's time you realize who is gonna make the rules this season.”
“And who is that?” she whispered.
“Me.”
13
Vanessa
I felt desperate. I felt like things were out of control, and I had no way of getting them back to center. Between Isaac and Dylan I didn't have a hold on reality. Owning the Warriors was overwhelming enough. Throwing them into the mix complicated my world to an inexplicable level.
It was late by the time I pulled up to the gate at the ranch. The guard waved me past him, and I drove through the iron gates with the large W for Warriors emblazoned into the center.
If it hadn’t been for Candy I wouldn't have eaten again today. She made another lunch run for me, worried I wouldn't be able to make out of the office between all the meetings.
I wanted a glass of wine and a hot shower. I drove past the fountain, illuminated from below with lights. It was one of my favorite pieces on the property. As I drove past the main house I glanced up at the upstairs bedroom windows. The lights were still on. I made a quick U-turn and parked the car in the circle drive.
Gretchen greeted me at the door. “Hi, Vanessa. Are you here to see your grandmother?”
“I know it’s late, but I saw her light is still on. I think I’ll just go upstairs and say good night.”
My grandparents’ housekeeper closed the door behind me as I marched up the staircase.
It had been several years since I’d lived in the main house. I owned one of the buildings a quarter of a mile from this part of the estate. It was close enough that I was inside the property’s fence line and could enjoy the security perks. But I had my own space and privacy.
“Grammy,” I called, running up the rest of the stairs. “It’s me.”
Her bedroom door opened. She was wearing a set of Warriors PJs.
“What are you doing here so late?”
I sighed. “I’m just getting home from work. I thought I’d stop in.” I gave her a gentle squeeze.
“You were at the office this late?
I nodded. “Yes. I can't seem to get out of all the meetings.”
She shook her head. “This shouldn’t have happened. Never should have happened. It’s not right.”
“I’m fine, Grammy. Really. It’s going to take me a little while to figure everything out. But I’ll get it. Please don't worry about me.”
Her eyebrows rose. “It’s only been two days and you haven’t made it home before 10 o'clock. This is too much for you. I’ve never been happy about this arrangement. The lawyers have no idea what they’re doing.”
I put a hand on her shoulder to try to calm her. She had been worked up ever since Granddad’s death. She was constantly agitated and annoyed. Everything irritated her. I hadn’t seen her shed a single tear. Her grief seemed to surface in bouts of anger.
“I have to do this. Who else is going to run the Warriors?”
I looked to her for an answer. If she had one, I’d take it. Just one suggestion. One idea. One way to get me out of that damn office. There was a reason I wasn't a business major. I’d trade the spreadsheets for a brush in an instant if I could. But we had been round and round with the legal team. The will was explicit. I was listed as the sole heir of the Warriors. So much for being the little sister.
She stood on her tip toes to kiss me on the cheek, as her frail hands wrapped around my shoulders. “Don’t work too hard. And don’t stay in that office this late tomorrow,” she directed. “I’m going to call and check on you.”
“I’ll try better tomorrow,” I promised. “Sleep well. I'm headed home.”
“Vanessa?”
I stopped on the staircase. “What is it?”
“Have you tried to call Danny?”
I knew that was the last shred of hope she was holding out for. As if my older brother was going to swoop in here and suddenly give a shit about anything related to the McCades. He hadn’t bothered in five years.
“No, Grammy. I left him a message about the funeral. He didn’t come. I think we need to accept he’s not coming back to Texas, and certainly not back to Austin.” I didn’t mean to sound so harsh.
“Fine. But I might try him myself.”
I exhaled. I didn’t want her to keep getting her hopes up. He was only going to disappoint her. Hurt her more than she was already hurting. One of these days she would let go of the anger and show us how vulnerable she was without my grandfather.
“Good night.” I waved, descending the rest of the way down the stairs. Gretchen smiled as I walked outside.
Five minutes later, I walked through my house, turning on the lights. I loved my little ranch. Well it was 3000 ft.² but, compared to the main house it was tiny. Zeus ran up to me.
“Hey, boy.” I kneeled to nuzzle in his neck.
“I bet you're hungry.” I walked to the pantry where I kept his food.
I couldn't keep working all day like this, leaving him cooped up inside. He was a ranch dog. Ok, maybe more of an oversized lap dog, but he liked to run. He loved chasing a tennis ball. I felt like I hadn’t spent any time with him lately.
“I promise tomorrow will be better. I promise.”
I kept making promises to people. I was wondering if I could keep any of them.
I was startled when I heard the speaker buzz in the kitchen. I walked to the video screen, and tapped the confirmation button. “Yes?”
“Miss Vanessa, you have a visitor.” It was George at the main gate.
It was nearly 10:30. “A visitor, this late? Who is it?” I asked.
George cleared his throat. “Looks like Isaac Price, Miss Vanessa.”
I felt the sudden thunder rumble through my ribs. Isaac? I nervously tapped the button. “Ok, thanks, George. I forgot we had a team meeting.” Why was I lying about Isaac to the guard? “You can send him to my house,” I instructed.
14
Isaac
I waited in my car like some kind of idiot. I’d never done anything like this. The woman had gotten to me so quickly. She had gotten under my skin. It didn't happen like this for me. I never let it. I didn’t want to be interested in someone. I didn’t want to think about her. But it was there whether I wanted it or not. But what was I doing here?
The guard glanced down at his phone, while we waited for Vanessa to answer his security request. The guy might have been playing a word game. I thought about turning around. My headlights shone straight ahead, making a broken shadow through the entrance of the gates.
Before I shifted into reverse, I heard a voice crackle through the speaker.
The guard nodded, and looked at me. “She said you can go on in.”
“Thanks.”
He pointed. “Her place is past the main house. You just keep driving and you’ll see it.”
“Thanks again.”
“You putting up big numbers this season?” he asked.
I put the car in drive. “Yeah. I’m planning on it.”
“We’re all big fans around here.” He gave me a big toothy grin.
“I would guess so. Good night.” I waved as I moved forward when the gates swung open, allowing me inside the McCade compound.
It was hard to believe I had never been inside this place. I'd heard about it, but I never tried to arrange a meeting here. And the old man didn't exactly invite any of us over.
Part of me expected the property to be as rundown as the Warriors stadium, but it was the exact opposite. It was pristine. It was fucking off the charts. I kept driving, eyeing the mansion as I rolled past it. I hadn’t thought about Vanessa in this context. I didn't picture her here. But her last name was McCade, and I was a damn idiot for thinking that didn’t matter now.
I spotted her house ahead. There were a few lights on downstairs. It wasn’t like she was tucked away in a guest house. Her place was easily as big as my ranch. I parked my truck, and climbed out. The heels of my boots scuffed on the pavement.
Maybe this was a cheap trick. Maybe I was crossing the line I wasn't supposed to cross. I didn’t want to betray my best friend. I never wanted to betray him. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Vanessa. The way she tasted. The way she felt. It was like kissing her had awakened a primal thirst I couldn't stop with just one drop. And I was going to ride the loophole I had as long as the engagement wasn’t official.
I climbed the steps to the front porch. The door swung open.
“Isaac, what are you doing here this late?” She hadn't opened the door all the way.
I rocked back on my boots, shoving my hands in the front pockets of my jeans. I shouldn't be here. But I couldn't think of anywhere else I’d rather be.
“I didn't think we got to properly finish our conversation today,” I answered. It was the truth. I wanted more.
“Oh?”
I pressed my palm into the doorframe. “Can I come in so we could talk some more?”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “I don't know, Isaac.”
“Why don't you know?”
“I don't know if it means something that you showed up on my doorstep at 11 o’clock at night. Does it?”
“Do you want it to? That’s the question you need to answer before you let me in.”
Her eyes fell to the porch floor. She nodded. My finger lifted her chin upward. “Let me inside,” I commanded.
Slowly, she took a step backward, creating a wide gap. I strolled over the threshold, knowing there was no going back. I had one more night. One more night to take something I wanted. Then I'd hand her back over to my best friend. I wouldn't touch her again. I’d keep my word. I always did.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Vanessa asked.
“Sure. What do you have?”
“Wine. I have a lot of wine.”
I didn't like the stuff. I was surprised a Texas girl didn't have a fridge full of beer, but I wouldn't hold that against her tonight. There were other things that mattered more.
“Ok. I guess I'll have a glass of whatever you’re having.”
Vanessa rounded the island, carrying two huge goblets of red wine. She placed one in my hand. “I still can't believe you’re here.” Her eyes lifted to mine. “I’m used to seeing you on TV. Or from the box. But here … it feels surreal to have you in my kitchen.”
“Are you glad I stopped by?” I took a step, concealing how I really felt about the taste of the wine. I gulped it, hoping I felt a buzz quickly.
“I guess I shouldn't be shocked by anything anymore. If the last two weeks have taught me anything, is that I should expect the unexpected.”
“And you are quite the unexpected.” I grinned.
“Me?”
I could feel it. My cock twitched. The sexual energy between us was there. As real and potent as the blood pumping through my veins.
I put my glass on the counter. Cupping her cheek with my palm I traced over her lips with my thumb. I almost growled. I couldn't believe I was this hard just by staring into her eyes. Eyes so blue a man could forget his own name. I leaned down, brushing my mouth over her lips, inhaling the taste of wine from her tongue as I pushed inside her mouth with a ravenous hunger for her. She moaned.
“Isaac.” She breathed my name.
There was no way I was going home before I took her to bed. That sound was everything.
“Yes?” My hands rounded over her ass. It was firm and full. God, I closed my eyes. Every part of her body made me hard.
“I agreed to the engagement today.”
I saw the questions in her eyes.
“It doesn’t change what’s happening right now,” I assured her. “Tomorrow is different. Tonight you’re not engaged. You understand?”
She nodded, offering her lips again. I kissed her, taking my time to explore all the corners of her mouth.
The kiss came to an abrupt halt when the alarm buzzed.
“Miss Vanessa, you there?”
She looked at me. “I have to get it. It’s George again.”
I let her out of my arms. She tapped on the screen. “What is it George?”
“There’s another player here. I guess for that meeting you’re having.”
She looked at me, shaking her head.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It’s like a Warriors parade out here. It’s Dylan James. He just gave me his autograph.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Fuck,” I grumbled.
“What do I do?” She turned to me.
I shook my head. I wasn’t going to hide in a closet in her room or in the bushes outside. I was a bigger man than that. “Just tell him to come up.”
She pushed her finger to the screen. “Thanks, George. Have him come on up to the house.”
“I swear I didn’t know he was on his way here.” She looked frantic.
I grabbed her shoulders. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Vanessa, or to him.”
“But I feel like I do. Like that kiss today. The one we just had … like it means something.”
“And what about Dylan? Did you kiss him?”
I saw the pink creep along her cheeks. “I did.”
My chest rumbled with jealousy. He’d had his hands on her too. His lips. His tongue. Soon, she’d be in his bed.
I fisted my hands in the back of her hair and pulled her to me. My lips crashed against hers. It might be the last time I ever kissed this woman. And like hell, I wanted her to remember every last breath of it.
15
Vanessa
I was dizzy. Drunk. Off my axis. By the time Isaac let me go, I was lost.
“He’s at the door.” He pointed to the foyer.
“Right. Right.” I straightened my shirt. I had been so wrapped up in the kiss I hadn’t heard Dylan knock.
I pulled the lever and he strolled in. “Hey, darlin’.” He leaned to kiss me on the cheek.
I inhaled his cologne and sighed. My instincts were torn. My body was reacting to both of them. This was terrible and wonderful at the same time.
Isaac met him in the kitchen. “Good to see you, brother.”
“What are you doing over here?” Dylan prodded. I didn’t know what his tone meant.
“I wanted to see Vanessa.”
I hung back in the doorway. I was afraid to walk too far into the pit of their conversation. I could feel the testosterone dripping off them.
Dylan nodded. “I thought you said, you’d respect the code.”
“I am. Nothing’s official yet. I haven’t gotten a team alert on my phone. It hasn’t made the news. There’s no fake engageme
nt. She’s free.”
Dylan crossed his arms as his stance widened. “You’re my best friend, you know that?”
“I know it.”
“And when you came back from wherever the hell you were in the Middle East, I was there for you, right? I had your back.”
Isaac closed his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“You never want to talk about it. You never want to talk about anything that isn’t football.”
I crouched closer to the wall. They acted as if I weren’t here. I wasn’t going to interrupt them with a big announcement.
“What’s your point?” Isaac’s eyes flared.
“You’re not being honest with me about Vanessa.”
“I said I’d back off. And I will.” He moved to walk away from Dylan. “I’ll go. I wasn’t here, man. I won’t come back. I give you my word.”
Dylan’s hand clutched Isaac’s elbow. “Stop. Just say what the fuck you mean. Don’t go dark Seal on me. Say something, damn it.”
I held my breath. I remember reading about Isaac’s entry to the team after a military service career, but I didn’t know the details. I could list off his stats with no problem, but I knew nothing about his life before he became a Warrior.
“There’s nothing to say,” Isaac responded.
“That’s not true. I’ve been asking for two damn days. Just say it. Say what you mean.”
I was too afraid to move a muscle. I watched in awe.
“I fucking want her!” Isaac shouted.
I felt the tenseness grip me. He turned toward me. “I’m sorry. I know you’re here. I do. We shouldn’t be having this conversation.” He looked at Dylan. “We’re done with this. I’m gone. I wasn’t here.”
I finally pushed myself off the wall. I couldn’t be the wallflower any longer. I took one step and then another. They were slow deliberate steps. As if each one gave me days to think instead of seconds.
I reached Isaac first and entwined my fingers through his. He looked at me. His dark eyes filled with sadness and confusion. I brought his knuckles to my lips and kissed them.
My Playboy Fiance: A Billionaire Fake Marriage Romance Page 34
