But I thought maybe he’d just had a bad day.
Despite everything, I’d had a pretty great day. I found an apartment to rent and put a few applications in at some nearby restaurants. I didn’t care if I had to wait tables for a while. It felt amazing to be out from under Star’s thumb. I’d find some way to pay her for the dress. God, even the date if I had to. But I wasn’t her punching bag anymore.
Hopefully my brother would understand sometime in the future.
I’d spent the rest of the day looking forward to seeing Hunter.
And then he’d shown up acting like a completely different person. Except his touch had felt the same. Which confused me.
“So, you’re not a reporter then?” Those blue-green eyes of his were warming up. I still wanted to punch him.
“Hunter.” I needed to make myself perfectly clear. “I’m in no place to play games.” I tried not to lose my concentration when he tilted his head toward mine.
I hadn’t imagined that crazy strong attraction. The temperature between us must have shot up at least twenty degrees. I tried to slow my heart when I saw his fingers gripping the edges of the barstool, caging me in.
The room felt smaller and if felt like we were the only two people in the world.
I couldn’t do this with him.
I sat up straight and met his gaze without wavering. “If you have a problem with me, you can’t just assume I’m a mind reader. Ask me. I may be all sorts of things, but the one thing I’m not, is a liar.”
I didn’t want to walk away, but it was probably for the best. Being with him might feel great right now, but where would I be when it all fell apart. Because it would. And I wasn’t sure I’d be able to pick up the pieces.
“I should probably just go.” Before I could jump off this ridiculous barstool again, he lowered his face closer to mine.
“No. Please. I believe you.” He turned his face away from me and sighed. “I’ve been burned. I’m sorry I should have just asked you.” He brought his gaze back to mine. “Please?”
When he’d shown up acting so cold, when he’d cut me with his words, it nearly tore me apart. I’d only known him for one day! What would happen after a week? Or a month?
He was too much.
Too much sexy. Too sweet. Too loveable.
Too good to be true.
But when I looked into his eyes all I saw was sincerity and a little bit of hurt.
I swallowed hard.
“DeLuca?” The host stood in the entrance to the bar with two menus. We’d barely been here five minutes. Maybe it was a sign. A sign that I should give this one more chance.
“Okay?” His fingertips skimmed from my ear to my jaw. I couldn’t fight his touch.
I nodded. “Okay.”
He assisted me off the stool this time and we followed the host to a cozy table near a small fireplace. Warm lights illuminated the room creating an incredibly romantic atmosphere. Although I’d heard of Alesandro’s, I’d never eaten here before.
I felt a little awkward when we sat down. Would we be able to get past this?
A server arrived immediately with the drinks we’d left in the bar. One look at our expressions though, and he said he’d return in a few minutes to tell us about the specials.
Hunter reached across the table and took one of my hands in his. “Can I ask you a few questions?” I felt all shaky inside. Why had he freaked out so much? Maybe he’d explain it to me.
I nodded.
“Last night. Did you intentionally not tell me you worked for Star Montgomery?” His question surprised me. And then I realized. If I’d won the Senator last night, I wouldn’t have told him who I worked for. I’d been sent to trick Senator Flint.
But I shook my head. Maybe if I just told him everything. I took a deep breath. “Working for her was just a temporary thing. I was supposed to get my masters last spring and…” How much could I tell him? “My brother got me the job or I would have quit the first week.”
Hunter watched me patiently.
“I honestly didn’t even think about it.” I wasn’t making much sense. “But if I’d won Senator Flint, Star ordered me not to tell him who I worked for. So, I guess I was there with less than honest intentions.”
“Why didn’t you get your masters?” This question.
My hands shook a little when I grabbed my diet coke and took a sip.
“My roommate,” I began in a shaky voice. He squeezed my hand, encouraging me somehow. “Bernadette. She was also my best friend.”
“Was?”
“I had a four point oh GPA.” I couldn’t tell him everything. “School was my thing. My thesis was already almost finished. My advisor raved about it. School came before everything. I mean, I loved my classes. My field. Thought I was pretty special… top of my class.” I twirled the straw in my glass. I didn’t want to be a downer tonight. We’d already gotten off to such a horrible beginning.
Hunter released my hands, leaned back and narrowed his eyes. “Spill.”
Like he knew there was so much more to the story.
I shook my head but he continued staring at me with those eyes of his. Understanding. Mesmerizing.
Very well then.
“My best friend killed herself.” On March 12th last year, Bernadette texted me. I was in the library and planned on staying till they closed. She said she needed me.
“I knew she’d been having some problems with her boyfriend but… I didn’t have time to listen to her cry about him again. So, I ignored her text.” I remembered how smug I’d been. I’d already had a few job offers for after graduation even. Real jobs. Jobs in my field. Jobs that would utilize my intellect and training. “When I got home I found her in the bathtub. She’d slit her wrists.” The water had been bright red. She’d been cold.
Hunter had leaned forward again and now gripped my hand more tightly than before.
“Don’t feel sorry for me. If I’d answered her text. If I’d come home to listen to her…” And the real kicker. “While she struggled with the decision of whether or not to end her life. My best friend. I was studying for a test on suicide and depression. How to recognize the signs. How to intervene.”
That was enough. I needed to wrap this up before I totally lost it. “I couldn’t study after that. Obviously, I’d gone into the wrong field. So, I came home. Started working for Star. And that’s pretty much how I ended up at the Worthington last night.”
I pinched my lips together. This was way more than he wanted to hear. So much for a fun date with a cute boy.
Just then our waiter showed up with several shot glasses on his tray. “The owner is buying rounds of Ouzos for everyone, on the house!” He set two of them on the table and then moved along to other customers.
Hunter picked up the short glass and held it out. “To Bernadette?” Empathy warmed his gaze.
“To Bernadette.” I almost choked on the toast. We both slammed the licorice flavored liquid in one swallow. Not as bad as I thought it would taste. It warmed my throat, my chest, my stomach. “Thank you.”
In the next half hour, he asked me questions everybody else sort of danced around. How long had Bernadette and I been friends, her major, stuff about her boyfriend. It surprised me that he cared to listen to all this. Nobody close to me brought her name up anymore.
We ordered, did another shot, and by the time our food arrived, things seemed comfortable between us again. “I don’t tell people about this. I didn’t mean to…” I tried to apologize but he stopped me.
“I asked.” He stared into my eyes intently. And then he smiled ruefully. “So, not a reporter then?”
“Not a reporter.” I confirmed. God, what a pair.
“How’s your gyros?” He’d ordered a Greek salad. He’d mentioned he has to watch what he eats. I loved gyros’ and couldn’t bring myself to order anything else.
“So. Good,” I answered. “But I’ll never finish it all.” I tore a piece off and handed it across the table. Instead o
f taking it from me with his hands, he leaned forward and took it with his teeth.
My fingers grazed his lips and I swallowed hard at the wicked look in his gaze. I didn’t pull them away though. No, I slowly traced a line to the edge of his mouth. Moist, smooth, warm.
By the time I drew my hand back, I could hardly think beyond the way he made me feel. I pressed my thighs together and dropped my gaze.
In the course of ten seconds my body had come to life again. His eyes skimmed to my chest. I was breathing hard, and of course, my nipples got all perky giving all my secrets away.
He leaned back and stretched his legs beneath the table. When I realized he was playing footsy with me, I couldn’t help but grin. He’d slipped one of his feet out of his shoes and settled it on top of mine.
This night had definitely taken a turn for the better.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Hunter
When she smiled like that she might just as well have reached her hand into my pants and wrapped it around my cock. Or my heart.
I wasn’t’ sure which she affected more. Or why.
I did know I owed her one hell of an apology.
I’d slid both my feet under the table, slipped off one shoe, and was caressing her ankle with the sole of my foot. This was new for me. I just wanted to keep touching her.
“I’m glad you stayed.” I meant it. She could have left. I’d given her every reason to. “I was an ass.” I swallowed around a lump in my throat. I’d tried and convicted her at the first sign of trouble. “I’m sorry.”
“You were.” But she didn’t look angry. “But you’re forgiven.” She tucked a curl behind one ear. “Do you hate all reporters?”
And then she tore off another piece of her sandwich and held it out to me. This time when I leaned forward, I intentionally scraped her fingers with my teeth. I’d never feel the same about the Greek sandwich again.
I finished the bite before answering. “I get paid a lot of money to play baseball. A game. Something I’ve loved all my life. And a part of my job is to be something of a public figure.” She took a drink of her soda, watching me over the top of her glass. “I get that. You know? I always give interviews after games. The last thing in the world I wanted last September was talk into a microphone about that last pitch, but I did it. It’s part of my job.” She nodded and for a second I got lost in the caramelly warmth of her eyes. “It’s the reporters that want to find something where nothing exists and then feed it to their viewers that I can’t stand.”
“That sounds like Star.” She grimaced. “It’s happened to you before?”
“At the risk of getting all serious again?” I frowned. “Yeah.”
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Except she’d told me about her roommate. And some buried part of me wanted her to understand why I’d been so upset.
“I got divorced a few years ago.” Her eyebrows rose. “The whole thing, the marriage, was a mistake to begin with. It didn’t take long for both of us to realize it. We didn’t fight. But we ended up being a horrible fit. She’s what some people consider southern royalty. Filthy rich father. Atlanta socialite.”
“But a few reporters wanted a better story than that,” she guessed.
“Yep. I’ve been pretty… guarded since then.”
She looked down at her plate. “If I’d won Senator Flint I would have been a part of something like that.”
“That Klapper woman’s got a hold of him though. One way or another the Senator is screwed.” I laughed. “I didn’t want you to lose your job, I mean, I felt bad for you. But I was so relieved when she passed on your trade.”
“Except Star has you now!” Her eyes went wide. “I’m sorry Hunter!”
It felt good to laugh about this now. “I’ll live.”
The waiter chose that moment to remove our plates and ask about desert. I wanted to take her to one of the ice cream parlors in the neighborhood and declined for both of us. After he took my card, I leaned forward. “What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?”
She licked her lips while watching my mouth. “Strawberry?”
Fuck yes.
By the time we left the restaurant the sun had set and the temperature had dropped quite a bit. Since she’d brought my warm up jacket, I insisted she wear it again as we meandered down the sidewalk. I kept an arm around her though and she didn’t seem to mind.
Holding her like this felt right. Like my arms had been waiting for her all along. It didn’t matter that we’d only met yesterday. Maybe that was why I freaked out so much when I thought she’d lied. And I’d almost fucked the whole thing up.
I pulled her closer and buried my head in her hair. “You smell so good.”
The sound of her sigh drifted up to me. “I have a confession to make.” Ominous words, but the smile she flashed was flirtatious. “I slept with your jacket.”
“Because you were cold?” I teased her.
“Because it smelled like you.” The blush creeping up her neck made her even prettier. Before she could say another word, I’d backed her up against a large oak tree beside us.
Both hands at her waist, I couldn’t wait a second longer to kiss her again. I craved this. I craved her.
The scent of ouzo, spices and woman assaulted my senses when my mouth settled over hers. I rocked my hips against her and delicate arms crept around my neck.
When a car drove by and the driver laid on his horn, Holly jumped. I released her mouth and buried my face in her neck. “I have ice cream at home.”
“Strawberry?” She asked.
I didn’t.
I think I had Chocolate fudge and Pralines and Cream. I’d bought the few quarts a few months ago when my nephews stopped by.
“Do you have a second favorite?”
“I don’t know, Hunter.” And then she laughed. “I was pretty set on strawberry.”
I moaned.
“I’ll stop on the way home.” I vowed.
But she took hold of my face and pressed her lips against mine again. “I’m kidding.” She spoke the words into my mouth. “I’m full anyway.”
“Good girl.”
She hesitated at those words. “Can we watch a movie?”
Anything just to be alone with her. “Whatever you want babe.”
“Except strawberry ice cream.” She laughed again.
“We’ll see.”
Before our decision to detour, I’d been walking both of us toward where I remembered the ice cream parlor was. When I finally got myself under control, keeping my hand around her waist, I stepped back and tried to find my bearings.
Where the fuck had I parked?
Other side of the restaurant. South of the restaurant. We’d been walking east. I paused and reconsidered. Or had I parked north of the restaurant?
Shit balls.
I needed to get us back to Alesandro’s. I’d remember once we got back there. I roughed a hand through my hair and she laughed.
“I think your car is this way.” She tugged at my arm.
“You sure of that?”
“Pretty much.” She giggled. I don’t think I’d heard her giggle before. I liked the sound, low and uninhibited. I let her drag me for a block before I realized she was right. The streets started looking more familiar. “You really were mad when you got here tonight. Someone should make an app for people like you. A ‘find my car’ app.”
I mock growled at her. It gave me another excuse to put my lips on her throat. “Think you’re pretty funny?” She slowed her steps a little and we both almost got lost again.
She may have twisted me up emotionally, which I hated to admit. But fuck that, the chemistry between us was crazy. Maybe once I’d been inside of her a few times… or more… it would make more sense.
I was good with physical. I could handle physical.
We carried on like this for the next five blocks, walking, making out a little… walking some more.
It only took us forty-five mi
nutes to find my car.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Holly
After laughing and kissing, and chatting about silly things while looking for his car, we both were quiet when we finally climbed in. He started the engine and glanced at me sideways. “Were you getting worried?” And then his hand dropped onto my leg.
“A little.” I couldn’t believe how much fun this date had become. And after all our serious talk too. Talking about Bernadette usually wore me out, but I felt cleansed tonight.
He’d raised his shot of ouzo and made a toast to her. Like he recognized she’d been my best friend. He hadn’t blamed her. He hadn’t made excuses for me.
We’d drank a shot of ouzo in her memory.
And then moved onto other stuff.
I’d said yes to his apartment. And oh Merci, I’d meant it.
But now, sitting a few feet away from him, the cogs of my brain started turning again.
He put the car in gear and carefully pulled into the little dark street.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Uh oh. That sounds serious.” His thumb continued drawing slow circles on the bare skin of my thigh. “Shoot.”
“Are you a player?” I clenched my teeth after asking. I shouldn’t ask a question that I didn’t want to hear an honest answer for. I mean, he’s a fricking professional athlete. Who’d been auctioned off for charity last night.
“Hmm…” He cleared his throat. “A few people would probably say yes to that.”
“People, as in women people?” I just wanted to know where I stood. Except I was probably ruining the mood of this date again. Maybe I should have him drop me off at home. Kiss him again and just say goodbye.
Cause if I went back to his apartment I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t sleep with him.
Which would be fine. I’m an adult. I ought to be able to enjoy something physical and go on with my life.
I ought to be. I just wasn’t sure that I was.
“Yeah. Women people.” He finally answered. “Does that bother you?”
The Mile High Madness Page 7
