The Final Score

by Jaci Burton

She was going to have to figure it all out soon.

  THIRTY

  NATHAN HAD PUT ALL HIS FRUSTRATIONS AND ANXIETIES into the game against Tampa, which worked in their favor. They'd won the game twenty-eight to seven, which meant they were two wins up in the preseason, and his confidence level was rising. In that department, at least, he was feeling pretty good.

  He'd played a little more in the game. Getting more reps was important and he looked forward to the next home game this weekend against Kansas City.

  Right now, though, he was glad to be home and to have a day off. The first thing he wanted to do was see Mia. She'd dashed out of the restaurant after dinner last weekend, and she'd claimed she was swamped with work after that, so he hadn't been able to talk to her or see her. Her text replies had been pretty much one-line answers and he realized she was busy so he didn't want to bother her.

  But he also knew she was avoiding him. So he drove to her office and parked in the garage, then took the elevator to her floor.

  He'd purposely waited until close to the end of the workday. That way, maybe most of her business would be finished, the office would be virtually empty, and he could talk her into going out for a drink so they could talk.

  The elevator doors opened and there was a slam of people hustling back and forth past the front desk.

  What the hell were all these people doing at four thirty on a Monday? Didn't they ever wind down? Didn't anyone cut out early? Christ.

  "Hi, can I help you?"

  He noticed the young, sharply dressed woman at the front desk had directed the question at him, so he walked forward.

  "I'm here to see Mia Cassidy."

  She smiled at him. "Do you have an appointment?"

  "No, I don't. Can you tell her Nathan Riley is here to see her?"

  The woman blinked. "You're the Nathan Riley? The quarterback?"

  His lips curved. That was the first time he'd heard that one, since the "the" part was usually reserved for his dad. "Just Nathan Riley."

  She picked up her phone. "I'll ring Ms. Cassidy and let her know you're here. Please, take a seat."

  "Okay, thanks."

  He grabbed a chair and took out his phone to answer a few text messages and e-mails.

  "Would you like something to drink, Mr. Riley?" the receptionist asked.

  He looked up from his phone. "No, thanks, I'm good."

  Mia walked out, looking gorgeous in a purple dress that hugged her body. The dress had tiny white buttons down the front and all he could think about was undoing those buttons one by one and unveiling what she wore underneath.

  Yeah, probably not a good thing to think about. Or the fact that she wore sky-high heels that accentuated her beautiful legs.

  He stood and cleared his throat.

  "Nathan. What are you doing here?"

  "I was in the neighborhood. Thought I'd drop by and see your office. But if you're busy, I can come back some other time."

  "Of course not. Come on, I'll give you a tour."

  He followed her as she turned right.

  "To the right here is the conference room," Mia said. "For example, if you were interested in working with MHC, we'd do a presentation to you here."

  The conference room was big, with glass walls on one side, windows on the other and several oversized comfy chairs. A long table centered the room. There was a projection screen on one side of the room and a whiteboard on the other.

  "Over here is where our tech staff is housed," she said. "They handle making sure everything's in working order in the conference room so our presentations go off without a hitch. They're in charge of all our software as well as our hardware, so we kind of worship them."

  Nathan's lips curved. "Understandable."

  She made a turn around the corner. "Lunchroom is over here."

  He stuck his head in the lunchroom. Of course Mia would make sure they had a good-sized spot for everyone to kick back and relax, with a full-sized refrigerator, microwave and even a stove, along with several tables, chairs and a sofa.

  They made their way down the hall. "Individual offices here and there for our finance and marketing staff, along with mini conference rooms for department meetings."

  He could see this office had been well thought out and planned for everyone's needs.

  They turned the corner. "Marketing and PR is in this section. They, too, have their own small conference room over here for meetings."

  She led the way to the other side of the office.

  "This is administration, where my staff is housed."

  They walked past a few other offices. "Monique is in here."

  Monique was on the phone and waved at Nathan as they walked by.

  Finally they made their way to the end of the hall.

  "And this is my office."

  It was a big office, nicely painted in a soft gray with a large white desk, a couple of chairs, and a sofa nestled against the far wall. The decor was definitely Mia. Bookshelves, an antique clock, and a few watercolor paintings. Colorful, but not ostentatious.

  "I like it."

  She closed the door behind them. "Would you like a water or a soft drink?"

  "Water would be good."

  She went to the mini fridge and pulled out a couple of cold waters, handing him one and opening one for herself.

  "I'm sorry I've been unavailable," she said as she took a seat on the sofa.

  Nathan sat next to her. "I figured you were avoiding me."

  Her eyes widened. "I was not avoiding you. We had a couple of very complex presentations the past week or so and it's occupied all my time. I think I told you I was busy."

  He leaned against the back of the sofa and stretched out his legs. "Busy could mean a lot of things, Mia. Including 'I don't want to talk to you.' "

  "Nathan. If I didn't want to see you or talk to you, I'd just tell you that. You should know me well enough by now to know I don't play those kinds of games."

  "Okay, fine. But it sure felt like a brush-off, especially after last home game when we went out to eat. You practically ran out of there before we could talk."

  She took a sip of water and laid the bottle on the table. "That night was confusing for me. I'll admit I retreated."

  "What confused you?"

  "You. Me. My feelings about what was happening between us."

  He leaned forward. "Talk to me about how you feel. What's bothering you?"

  She shook her head, then looked down at her hands. "I don't know."

  "Is it us?"

  Her head shot up. "No. It's not that at all. I think I was just in a weird mood that night. I'm sorry. A lot of it is the job. There's so much pressure, you know?"

  He smoothed his hand down her arm. "Babe, I know. I'm sorry you're feeling that way, but you know you can talk to me about anything."

  "I know. Thank you. That means a lot."

  She was staring down at her hands and he could tell there was something more on her mind. He wished he could get her to open up to him. She'd always told him what she was thinking, what was bothering her. So what had changed between them that she couldn't talk to him now?

  He reached over and grasped her hand. "Mia."

  She lifted her head and looked over at him. "Nothing's wrong, Nathan. Actually, things between us are fine. It really is just work that has me tense."

  He wasn't sure that was true, but if she didn't want to talk about the two of them, he wouldn't push her on it. "What's going on with work?"

  "Women in Business magazine wants to do a profile interview on me."

  His lips curved. "Really? That's not a bad thing, is it?"

  "Well, no. But it's giving me the worst anxiety."

  "Come on, Mia. You'll sail right through that interview. You know your business inside and out, and you can sell it with a smile and confidence."

  She inhaled, then let it out. "Maybe you can do it for me. With a smile and confidence."

  He laughed. "Not my area. But I'll be happy to be the pr
actice interviewer for you. When are they coming?"

  "Wednesday. Which means I have two days to prepare for it."

  "Okay. So tell me why you decided to start up a sports management company, Ms. Cassidy."

  She arched a brow. "Oh, we're doing this now?"

  "Why not?"

  She placed her hands in her lap. "I've always loved sports. My family is a dynasty of professional athletes, including my father. I know everything there is to know about sports."

  "Is that right? Who won the football championship the year you were born?"

  "That's easy. Dallas."

  His lips curved. "Somehow I knew you'd know that. Okay, who won the year after that?"

  "Dallas. Again."

  "Oh, you're good, Ms. Cassidy."

  "Thank you."

  He questioned her for about forty-five minutes on all kinds of trivia, from baseball to basketball to hockey and even on golf and the Olympics. Her knowledge was impressive. Of course, they'd always talked sports in college so he was aware of her knowledge, but he quizzed her as if he didn't know her, asking her how she had prepared to launch a start-up, what her goals were. She did well.

  He finally took a break and finished off his water. "I think you've got this. You come off knowledgeable and passionate, but not arrogant. It's clear you love what you do and you care about athletes and their careers."

  "I hope so."

  "Then relax."

  She stood, smoothing her hands down her skirt. "Easier said than done."

  "Maybe you need a drink, ease some of that tension."

  She walked over to her desk. "And maybe you're just trying to get me drunk so you can get into my pants."

  "Ha. You're not wearing pants. And I really did come by today just to talk. Which we've been doing."

  "I appreciate you coming by. And I was happy to show you the office. You know I've wanted to do that ever since we opened."

  "You've done great for yourself, Mia. I'm impressed as hell."

  Her smile was like a beam of sunlight. It always made him happy when she smiled like that.

  "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

  "Now let's go get a drink. Drag some of your coworkers with us."

  "Okay. Hang on."

  She left the office, so he got up and looked out her windows. It was well after office hours, so he looked down at the street level. There were still a lot of people rushing to BART or buses or just walking somewhere. Downtown was always busy this time of day. One of his favorite things to do as a kid had always been to watch people, to wonder where they were headed. He'd always loved going into the city. The noise and rush of people had always energized him.

  Maybe that's why he loved standing in the center of a filled-to-capacity football stadium. He drew strength from that crush of a noisy stadium. It fueled him.

  "So . . . the office is empty."

  He turned to see Mia leaning against the doorway.

  "Is that right?"

  "Yes. I checked everywhere and no one's here. I guess everyone left for the day. I hadn't realized it was after six."

  "It was nearly five when I showed up here."

  "Really. Time got away from me today. I told you we've been busy."

  He got up and closed her door, then pushed the button to lock it. "You need some relaxation time. Maybe you should consider putting in a spa."

  She laughed. "Oh, right. That's exactly what we need in here."

  He shrugged. "Might as well. You have everything else."

  He took her by the hands and led her over to her desk, leaning her butt up against it. "So while we've been in here, I've been thinking about having you on your desk."

  "And by having me, you mean fucking me on my desk?"

  Just hearing her say the words made his dick harden. "Yeah."

  "You have a dirty mind, Nathan Riley."

  "I know. That's why you like me."

  "No, that's not why I like you."

  When he gave her a direct look, she said, "Okay, it's not the only reason I like you."

  He closed her laptop and shifted it to the side of her desk, along with a few pens and her planner. Then he stepped in between her legs, wrapping his arm around her.

  "You can't deny it'd be hot to fuck on your desk. Then, every time you're sitting here at work, you'd think about us having sex here."

  She kicked off her shoes and wrapped a leg around his hip. "That could be a distraction. I'm not sure I need any distractions."

  He cupped the side of her neck, coming in closer to brush his lips across hers. "This is a good distraction."

  As he talked to her, he listened to the way her breathing changed, going from even breathing to short gasps, signaling her desire. Yeah, she wanted this as much as he did. Her leg was wrapped around him and her pelvis hitched up against his cock so she could rub her pussy against him. He was already hard as steel and he wanted nothing more than to release his cock and plunge inside of her. The scent of sex filled the air around them.

  "So is that a yes?" he asked.

  She tilted her head back, and raw desire was reflected in her beautiful blue eyes.

  "Put your cock where your words are, Nathan, and fuck me. Right here on the desk."

  He laid her back on her desk and lifted her dress, revealing hot purple underwear that matched her dress.

  "You are so fucking sexy, Mia."

  He pulled her underwear down and off, laying it on her office chair, then dragged her forward so her butt rested on the edge of her desk. Then he pulled a condom out of his pocket.

  Mia eyed the condom, then turned her attention to him. "Did you come in here today with plans to seduce me?"

  He unzipped his jeans and shoved them, along with his boxer briefs, over his hips. "I always have plans to seduce you." He put the condom on and stepped between her legs, lifting them as he fit himself inside of her. Damn it felt good to ease into her, to feel the way they fit together. It was always perfect.

  "After being caught in the coat closet together without a condom, I swore that was never going to happen again."

  Her lips curved and she arched upward against him. "I'm glad you were prepared today."

  "Me, too. Because I needed to be inside of you, to feel your pussy tightening around my cock and to listen to those sounds you make when I move inside of you."

  She made those sounds as he thrust, the sweetest moans and gasps that made his cock spasm.

  Not yet. Not when those little white buttons on her dress needed to be undone.

  "When I first came into the office and saw you, these things caught my attention."

  He leaned over and laid one palm on the desk, still moving inside of her while he used the other hand to pop the first button on her dress.

  She watched him, her breathing deep and fast.

  "You wanna know what I was thinking?" he asked.

  "What?"

  "That I wanted to undo every one of these buttons to find out what you were wearing underneath this dress." He undid the second button, then the third.

  "Is that right?"

  "Yeah." The fourth and fifth button went next, and he made his way down all the buttons until he pulled the dress apart to reveal the sexy matching purple bra. He decided right then that purple was his favorite color.

  "This is pretty." He skimmed his fingers over the swells of her breasts, then flipped the front clasp to open the bra, releasing her breasts. He used his thumbs to draw circles around her nipples.

  Mia gasped and he felt the tightening around his cock.

  "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" he asked. "What it does to me seeing you half-naked and sprawled on your desk with my cock buried inside of you?"

  Mia reached out and skimmed her nails over his forearms. "I can feel what you're doing to me, feel your cock swelling inside of me, grinding against me every time you thrust. It makes me want to come."

  She moved her hand to her sex and began to rub her fingers back and forth.

 
Hell, he was going to come so hard if she kept doing that. Just watching her work her body, the scent of sex filling the air around them, and watching his dick pumping in and out of her pussy, it was all he could do not to come. It was taking every bit of restraint he had to hold on.

  But he would, because he was waiting for Mia to come first.

  "That's it," he said, needing to coax that orgasm out of her. He gripped her hip and drove deeper. "Make yourself come. I love watching you touch yourself."

  "I'm going to come, Nathan."

  "Fuck yeah. Do it." He felt her pussy tighten around his cock, felt the spasms grow stronger.

  And when she began to buck against him, when she cried out with her orgasm, he cupped his hand around her butt to draw her close. He leaned over her to kiss her, to take her mouth in a deep kiss as he came, too, groaning against her lips and shuddering with his own orgasm.

  He softened the kiss, taking them both down from that euphoric high. His fingers were cramping under her butt so he eased them out and raised Mia from the desk.

  She blinked, then traced her fingers over his jaw. "That was . . . exceptional."

  He grinned. "I thought so, too."

  She had a restroom connected to her office, so they went in there to clean up. Mia glanced over at him and smiled as she buttoned up her dress.

  "What?" he asked.

  "Who knew little white buttons were such a turn-on for you?"

  He shrugged. "What can I say?"

  "I'm filing that away for future reference."

  He laughed, then pulled her against him for a deep kiss. When he let her go, he said, "I'm hungry. How about you?"

  "Ravenous."

  "Good. Let's have dinner."

  He waited while Mia packed up her things into her bag, then they headed out.

  "You want to talk about what was bothering you earlier?"

  She looked over at him while they waited for the elevator. "Nope. Not at all."

  "Okay, then."

  But at some point, they were going to talk. Mia had something on her mind, and it had to do with him. And he was going to make sure they discussed it.

  THIRTY-ONE

  MIA SWALLOWED PAST THE GIANT LUMP IN HER THROAT and tried her best to appear calm, even though she was anything but.

  "You look like you're about to attend an execution," Monique said.

  "I do?"

  "Yes. And you're pale. Their makeup team did a stellar job on you, and you still look like you have the flu. Here, let me touch you up a little."

  They were in Monique's office while the magazine team set up in Mia's office for the interview and photo shoot. Mia would have preferred to just dive in and get this over with, but apparently these things took time. And while she waited, she grew more and more nervous.