by Jamie Wesley
She couldn’t help herself. “Wonder what?”
“If one night wasn’t enough for you, and you want more?” His deep voice caressed the words of the incendiary question.
His scent wrapped around her, making her want to snuggle up to him and kiss that spot on his neck that beckoned to her. Still, she refused to move away. She refused to give in. She refused to show that he was getting to her even though he so was. “You’re projecting. Find another woman.”
The thought of him taking her advice punched her in the gut, but it was the right thing to say. The only thing to say. She didn’t do deep, and this was a man who would require deep. She needed to concentrate on her job. She had no time for anything else.
“You don’t want me to do that,” he said. He slid a finger up her arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. “Not when you’re still thinking about the heat we generated.”
She speared him with her fiercest glare, the one that made even the most confident guy take a step back. “I walked out on you for a reason.”
He looked her directly in the eyes. “I know. You got scared.”
She refused to acknowledge the direct hit. How could he see so much when she worked so hard to make sure no one did? She forced out a scoff. “Wow, you really are conceited. I walked out because I’d had enough. I don’t do repeats. I don’t want you anymore. Got it?”
An arrogant smile spread slowly but surely across his face. “Do you really want me to prove you a liar?”
“As if you could.”
Wrong thing to say. She knew it as soon as the words left her mouth. She’d thrown down the gauntlet, and he was more than happy to pick it up. He inched closer. Like a dummy, she backed away—right into her desk. Christian bracketed her in between his arms. His heat scorched her. He bent his head. She sucked in a breath, waiting for his touch. Craving it. But he didn’t make contact. Instead, he kept his work-of-art lips a hair’s breadth away from her neck.
“Do you want me to kiss you?” he whispered, his breath tickling her skin. “Because I will, but only if you tell me to.”
“I thought you wanted things to remain platonic.”
“At the moment, I’m more interested in proving that I’m right. You want me to kiss you.”
She had to swallow twice before she could speak. “I’m not going to tell you to kiss me. I already told you I didn’t want to go there again.”
“Then why are you shaking? Why are your breaths coming out hard and fast like you’ve been running…or become aroused?”
He was so right. Her limbs were trembling. She could hear her ragged gasps of air, but there didn’t seem to be anything she could do to control their tempo. He did arouse her. Like no other man had ever done before. But there was no way in hell she’d admit that to him. She scowled instead. “Because I’m working overtime to stop myself from punching you.”
He chuckled, his warm breath caressing her neck. “Is that right? Why don’t you give me your best shot?”
“Because I’m not that girl anymore.”
Christian stepped back, concern filling his face. “What? Anymore? You got into fights?”
Damn. Why had she said that? She didn’t talk about her past. Because she wasn’t that angry girl anymore. That girl who couldn’t figure out how to constructively channel her rage at losing her mother. “Don’t worry about it,” she said as dismissively as she could. She slid a finger across his rock-hard jawline, inches away from his tempting mouth. “I thought you were going to kiss me.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Are you trying to distract me?”
“And if I am?”
“I’m not sure I can let you.”
“Of course you can. Kiss me, Christian. You want to. It’s in your eyes.” She continued to court danger by placing her hand over his hard chest. She ignored the tingle that traveled through her arm to every corner of her body. “It’s in your heartbeat.”
He leaned in again. She sucked in a breath, anticipating his mouth on hers. Would it be as amazing as she remembered?
“No, I’m not going to kiss you,” he whispered against her ear. “Not until you ask because you want me to and not as a means to distract me.”
He stepped back and eyed her like he was determined to find out all her secrets.
Elise glared, the only reaction she could muster. She couldn’t rail at him. Using him to forget her past wasn’t the answer even if he had cooperated. Although he’d been goading her earlier, he was correct. She was in control of her ship. Just because her hormones started doing the Snoopy happy dance whenever he was near didn’t mean anything.
Her lips curved. Yes, she was in control of her ship.
Christian was still attracted to her. Big time. He could try to deny it, but she wasn’t the only one supplying the heat in her office. And she wasn’t above using that attraction to make sure the special turned out the way she wanted it to. And there would be a special. Her father had made that perfectly clear in his office. Still, she wasn’t interested in Christian learning the inner workings of her brain. He didn’t need to delve deep. He wouldn’t delve deep. He would only get what she was willing to give. Just enough to give the fans a sense of who she was and her commitment to the team. Just enough to get her dad off her back.
It would only be a few days, and then she’d send him on his way.
Elise straightened to her full height, leaving not an inch of space between them. His heat radiated off him in waves. He smelled so good it should be illegal. She nipped him on the neck, just to get his attention. And okay, because she couldn’t help herself. His quick inhalation of air confirmed her thoughts. Even though he hadn’t kissed her, he wanted her. “You can shoot the piece on me.”
He grinned. “I’m glad you see things my way.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m sure you are. You may have won this battle, but I always win the war.”
“This is war?” he asked, the husky tone sending a shiver down her spine.
“It is when you tangle with me and think you’re going to get away with it.”
“Then I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
Elise bit back a growl. Why wouldn’t he back down? Men always did when she wanted them to. But he was his own man. Confident. The very thing that had attracted her to him in the beginning was going to bite her in the ass if she let it. But she was her father’s daughter. She bowed down to no man or woman. She met his eyes boldly. Licked her lips. Smiled inwardly when he sucked in a breath. “Neither can I.”
Chapter Five
The next day had arrived entirely too soon, as far as Elise was concerned. She fidgeted in her desk chair while Christian pointed a video camera at her. Filming had officially begun. It felt like he was looking into her soul through the camera. A ridiculous notion, of course, but she couldn’t help how she felt. She tossed aside the paper she’d been trying to read. “What are you doing?”
“Recording you,” he said.
“Do you have to be so close?”
“I’m all the way across the room. Where else am I supposed to be?”
“I don’t know.” She waved her hand. “But somewhere else.”
He stepped away from the camera stand to send a come on look her way. “That’s not going to happen, and you know it. What are you doing?”
“I was reading a scouting report on a player.”
“Do you mind if I ask you some questions?”
“Yes, I mind, but you’re going to do it anyway, so go ahead.” She sounded grumpy. She didn’t care. She was grumpy. She didn’t want to do this. She wanted to be left in peace to do her job and not have the sexiest man she’d encountered in far too long recording her every move. Was that asking too much?
A spill of deep laughter reached her from across the room. Damn. Even his laugh was sexy.
“I like your enthusiasm.” Christian returned to his position behind the camera, still chuckling. “When people aren’t talking about you becoming GM, they’re wond
ering about your plan to re-sign your premier free agent Brady Hudson. Are you concerned about signing him?”
Elise stared at the man behind the camera. “Worried about your future brother-in-law?”
“No. Brady is a big boy. He can take care of himself.”
“Very true. To answer your question, no, I’m not worried.”
“Why not? He just won a title. He was the Finals MVP. That makes him a hot commodity. He can go anywhere he wants.”
Her lips pursed of their own accord. “I’m well aware that he can go anywhere he wants.”
That was the peril of not signing Brady to a long-term contract like she’d suggested when they’d traded for him, but her predecessor, Jim Michaels, had wanted to play out the season first. He hadn’t been on board with the trade, which had been her idea in the first place, though he’d certainly taken credit for it when they’d won the championship. He’d retired knowing he couldn’t top that accomplishment.
“What do you say to all those people who don’t think you’ll be able to re-sign him? Rumor has it the Chicago Bulls are set to make a strong push for him.”
She knew that as well. The Bulls weren’t alone. Now that Brady had restored his reputation, every team in the league that hadn’t wanted to touch him with a ten-foot pole a year ago would be sniffing around him like a gigolo in a club full of single women on a Saturday night.
“Those people don’t know what they’re talking about. Brady and I have a great working relationship. He loves playing here, and we love having him.”
“So no doubts that you can get a deal done?”
Although she’d had a couple of good conversations with Brady’s agent, as far as she was concerned, nothing was guaranteed until the player signed a contract. It wasn’t likely that Brady would leave, but crazier things had happened. Still, she’d be damned if she’d reveal that insecurity. Or let it be captured on film to be used against her for all eternity. She spread her lips wide. “No, none whatsoever.”
Christian stepped away from the camera and studied her for a few seconds. She clenched every muscle in her body to stop herself from squirming under the attention. “So what are you concerned about?” he finally asked.
A question she could answer honestly. “We can always get better. There’s no such thing as a perfect team, but I want us to get as close as possible. My job is to figure out how we can re-sign our players along with a few key free agents without going over the salary cap. We want to sign players who will complement Brady and make the team better. Mack has a very specific coaching style and knows what type of player fits best into his system, and I want to be true to his vision.”
At the mention of Mack, Christian’s face went blank. Elise bit her lip. Should she acknowledge the elephant she’d just escorted into the room? Yeah, she had to. Christian was going be shadowing her for the rest of the week. “Is it going to be a problem if I talk about Mack?”
A muscle in his jaw jumped. “No, I’m fine. He means nothing to me.”
She pressed her lips together. It wasn’t her place to challenge him on what he’d said or get involved in his relationship with his father. She’d said plenty the night of the engagement party. “Okay.”
“So what free agents do you have in mind?”
She didn’t answer right away. She’d only talked about their free-agent targets with other people in the front office. Sharing sensitive info with someone who wasn’t part of the team went against everything she knew and understood.
Christian stepped around the camera and made his way to the front of her desk. “You can talk to me. Remember, this is going to air after everything we’re talking about now has come to light. I’m not here to embarrass you. I’m here to get a sense of who you are and how you think.”
He reached out as though to touch her, to offer comfort, but he pulled away before he made contact. She wouldn’t be disappointed. They weren’t dating, and they weren’t going to date. They’d both agreed.
She nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay. I want to go after Drew Newsome.”
He didn’t react visibly. No shrug, no condemnation, no disbelief. Nothing. Others had offered all of those reactions when she’d told them who her main free-agent target was. Drew Newsome was a superstar. He could go to any team he wanted. Why would he choose the Stampede when he could write his own legacy by leading another team, such as his current team, to a championship, and not jump on the bandwagon of a team that had already proved it could win without him?
“How do you think Drew Newsome will make the Stampede better?” Christian asked.
“Everyone knows he’s a great scorer, but what I love about him is that he’s a top-notch defender,” she said, scooting forward on the chair, forgetting to hold her thoughts close to her chest. Forgetting about the camera. There were few things she loved more than talking basketball. Talking strategy. “Yes, we won a title, but, by far, our weakest point was our perimeter defense. Our opponents’ percentage from the three-point line was entirely too high. Next season, if we can defend the three-point line better, that makes the court even smaller for our opponents and makes our players’ jobs easier.”
He nodded in understanding. “Do you think signing him is going to be tough?”
“Tough, but not impossible. Every team wants him, but the Stampede is the best spot for him. I know it, and I plan to convince him of that.”
His eyes narrowed. “I heard some nervousness in your voice. You make a strong case for why he should come here, but I get the sense you don’t think you have this in the bag.”
He’d picked up on her nervousness? She’d made her tone confident, and her body language hadn’t changed, yet he’d noticed. But that was the thing about Christian, the thing that had made her run. He saw so much. Too much. She offered up her most charming smile. “Well, nothing’s in the bag until you’ve double checked the contents and tied the bag with one of those fancy knots they teach you how to make in the Girl Scouts.”
His gaze didn’t waver. “But there’s more to it than that, isn’t there?”
She struggled to not let her smile slip. Why wouldn’t he accept her pat answers? But really, in this case, there wasn’t much harm in revealing the truth, especially since everyone who cared already knew about it. “You’re right. Drew didn’t get drafted by us even though my predecessor basically promised him we would. That happened before my father bought the team, but athletes love holding grudges. Every time he plays us, he makes it his mission to make our lives miserable. I have to convince him to put aside that animosity and join us instead.”
“Do you think you can do it?”
Sure. Every now and then. Once every blue moon. “I know I can. I have no other choice. This is what I signed up for. The challenge is what I love.” The art of the deal. Identifying the team’s wants and needs and finding solutions that would put everyone in the best position to succeed.
Christian sat in the chair opposite her. “Let me know if I can help with signing Drew.”
She squinted. “No offense, but how can you help?”
His gorgeous lips split into a wide smile. “You doubt me?”
She nodded once. “Yes. Yes, I do.”
He laughed, the confident sound once again doing funny things to her insides. “It just so happens I know Drew.”
“Pfft. No, you don’t.”
“Still doubting me, huh?” he asked on a chuckle.
“Yep.”
“I do know him.”
She swiveled in her chair, searching the ceiling and the walls for abnormalities. “Are there cameras I don’t know about recording this? Am I being Punk’d?”
Christian’s laughter got louder. “Hey, 2003 called. It wants its joke back.”
She uttered a low, menacing growl. It didn’t have the desired effect, if his continued laughter was any indication.
“No, you’re not being Punk’d, and yes, I do know him. I went to college with him in California.”
He looke
d at her like he expected her to be impressed with his revelation. Too bad it took more than one outlandish statement to impress her. She did squint harder though. “What do you mean you went to college with him? Lots of people go to college at the same time as people who become famous, but that doesn’t mean they know them.”
Christian tipped his head in acknowledgement. “You’re right. It was a little more than attending the same college at the same time. We were roommates.”
“Are you serious?” Her voice rose on the question. Coincidences happened, but this was a bit much.
“Well, it didn’t start out that way. We lived on the same floor in our dorm freshman year, and I got to know him. He was a cool guy. Sophomore year, we got a place off campus together. He turned pro after that year.”
She relaxed back into her chair. “Wow. Okay, I guess you do know him.”
His lips quirked. “Do you want me to call him? Put in a good word for you?”
She didn’t hesitate to shake her head. “No, that won’t be necessary.”
He peered at her for a second like he was surprised by her answer, then he shrugged. “All right, if that’s how you want to play it.”
“It is.” She wanted to get this deal done on her own without any help from anyone. Maybe that was shortsighted of her, but she had something to prove. Everyone was looking at her, waiting for her to make a mistake. To fail. But she wouldn’t. She’d sign Drew her own way, and no one would doubt her abilities ever again.
A knock sounded on her door. “Come in,” she called out.
Mack walked in. “Hey, Elise, ready for me?” He halted. “Oh. Hi, Christian. I didn’t realize you were here.” His voice came out hesitantly, cautiously optimistic.
Christian didn’t rise from his seat. Once again, his face had turned to stone, all traces of the affability that had been there a moment ago gone in a flash.
“Well, I’m here,” Christian said. He sounded so cold, so uninterested.
