by Susan Arden
“It would be the first time we’ve spoken on the phone.” It became clear why women dated instead of skydiving into a relationship. Tonight, she felt out of sorts in a hotel lobby filled with her family and friends.
“Cory, if you want to talk with Brett, just call him.” Gillian smiled. “It took me a long time to learn that with Stephen. You know your brother and he was the one who asked—no, really demanded—that I be upfront with him. Men are just as weird as us women. If he’s into you—which we all know Brett is definitely into you—he’s wondering the same things you are. Only I bet he’s on his way here.” Gillian laughed, almost snorted.
“What’s so funny? I doubt he’s on his way here, or that he’s thinking about what I’m up to.”
“Would you like to make a bet?” Gillian asked, going serious. “Say, just to make it interesting. We could wager taking tickets at my Christmas recital this December?”
“Oh, brother. This is going to be so easy. I’ll bet you—”Cory faltered.
“Heard you were a gambling woman.” Large, warm hands curled over her shoulders, then hauled her back a step. “I’d like to get in on this wager.”
Cory swung her face up and over her shoulder to meet a pair of wickedly enthralling emerald eyes. The ones capable of making her go hot all over. Her heart pounded in her chest. She reached back and pulled on his belt loop. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you tonight.”
“That’s so far from the truth. You don’t believe one word, do you?” He leaned over, and brushed his clean-shaven face along her cheek, and whispered. “I took you at your word and came over. Now.”
The feel of his warm breath on her skin had her relaxing into his arms. She inhaled the scent of him—fresh and an outdoorsy masculine fragrance he could bottle and sell. He turned her in his arms and she melted under his gaze. With his damp hair combed back, his smooth face made his sculpted features more prominent.
She reached up and lightly traced his jaw with her fingers. “You clean up real well.”
Then she remembered and glanced down at her jeans and cowboy boots. She’d dressed without a thought, having pulled on a sweater and done her hair in a messy bun. Oh jeez, she must look like a wreck. Every day of her life, she’d spent hours—except this semester—taking her time to choose her clothes and do her hair and makeup. Of all times to be flitting around, appearing as though she had nothing better to do than go and clean out the stables. Well, she’d never actually done that work…but something difficult that didn’t require a woman to look eye-catching while doing it!
“Are you visiting someone here?” she asked in a small voice.
Brett’s jaw dropped. “Yeah. You.”
Cory twisted her hands together. “I didn’t know if I should call you or what.”
“The text message you sent was perfect.” He let his gaze rove over her body.
She laughed at the memory of sending him a seat-of-her-pants text. “You just up and came over.”
“Hey, if the woman I’m dating wants to see me, I don’t need any further invitation. I will come and find you.” He unleashed his charming smile on her.
“We’re going in to dinner. Are you hungry?” The way his gaze lingered on her mouth, then dipped lower on her body, made her go hungry as her breath came in tight puffs.
“Yeah. I am.” His deep voice held a challenge and she blushed from the heat in his eyes.
She pushed aside her worry and decided that if she was going to leap, now was as good a time as any. “You have any plans for after dinner?”
He leaned in close and whispered against her ear. “So many. And they all involve you and me. Naked.”
CHAPTER 15
Inside the hotel restaurant, a steakhouse known for aged beef, he sat next to Cory and smack in the middle of her family. This time, the reception wasn’t the sharp pincushion he’d experienced earlier. Now, it seemed he was welcomed, or at least accepted. Stephen nodded over to him while Gillian and a few of the others called out a greeting. Mr. McLemore tipped his hat and Brett had gone over to ask about their day. He was surprised when Mrs. McLemore smiled, sharing a picture of the twins.
“You coming out with us tonight?” Stephen leaned forward and spoke over the noise of the restaurant and the people talking up and down the long line of tables pushed together, “The dust has died down and we promise to be civilized.”
“Where are you headed?” He didn’t know what the plan was for the evening as he held Cory’s fingers in his hand, painfully aware that he only wanted to whisk her away to some place private. He still had the hotel room and had hoped, he’d somehow convince her to go back there with him.
Stephen brushed his hand over his fiancée’s shoulder, then whispered something into her ear. Whatever Stephen had said made his fiancée laugh and hug him closer. He imagined those two must have a story to tell about how they’d met. From what he could tell, Stephen, with his tattoos and longer than average hair, wasn’t the typical McLemore rancher. And his soon-to-be wife didn’t fit the mold of a woman interested in sitting and waiting around on a guy. None of Cory’s close family and friends included women who needed a man to define them. He’d heard that Carolina was a large animal vet, and he thought that Cory said something about her other friend being a professional. For a small town, these women weren’t the generic country version that came to mind. Never again would he assume that a tiny Texas town, or any small town, meant small-minded.
Waiting until after the waiter placed the serving of a chocolate volcano in front of Cory, Brett leaned over. “What are your plans after dinner?”
With her spoon in hand, Cory smiled up at him. “I was hoping you’d make good on the plans you mentioned before dinner.” She dipped the spoon into the hot fudge and licked the edge, staring at him. His mind stuttered with one thought of what it would be like to devour her covered in chocolate. “Do you want to do something? Different?” she asked.
“Tease,” he hissed, then, before his brain was burned to a crisp by the images of the dessert he desired, added. “Your brother asked.”
“Oh,” she kept her eyes on him. “What do you usually do on a Saturday night in Dallas? This is your town.”
“Generally, if it’s during the season, there’s a Saturday poker game going on between friends.”
“I know how to play cards. I bet I can win a hand. I suppose playing poker wouldn’t ring your bell with little ole me? Care for a bite?”
She held out her spoon, dripping with chocolate. “It might if it was strip poker,” he whispered, leaning in and letting her feed him.
Her mercurial eyes held him. “I don’t think we can play that with a group.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “That would be a private game between you and me.”
“What about the others?” she asked.
“We could hang out with them for a while, then I was thinking you might accompany me back to my hotel room. I do have the room for another night. And it’s close by.”
She swiped her tongue over her lips, gazed into his eyes and stroked a finger over his palm. “I think those plans sound perfect.”
Incoherently, he groaned in his uncontrollable hunger to taste her. He skimmed his mouth over her lips. Afterwards, he realized he’d kissed the corner of her mouth without thinking twice. When his gaze lifted, he noticed her brother wearing a shit-eating grin, and the man lifted his beer mug. They were in a strange place insofar as dating and her family, and he doubted there were any rules except those others might try to impose.
“You’re in deep,” Stephen said, then ordered three shots of whiskey.
When the shot was set in front of Brett, he looked over to Stephen. “What are we drinking to?”
He held up his glass, and jerked his head down toward his father. “He’s the original badass. Met and married my mother in a week. No one’s beat his record. Yet.”
“To being a badass.” Brett laughed.
&nb
sp; “Enjoy the ride,” Stephen said, and saluted his father. Brett turned and raised his glass to Mr. McLemore. The man smiled and tossed his own drink back. Stephen had finished his and Brett poured the smoky liquor into his mouth, saturating his tongue, and swallowed the smooth, aged Scotch that warmed his stomach.
This wasn’t a night of killer shots that hit an empty stomach and exploded like TNT. His body relaxed and his muscles loosened, even his shoulder felt limber. He longed to lie in bed with Cory and take his time with her. No rush while he explored her from head to foot.
His rambling thoughts were interrupted when Cory tensed under his casually draped arm over her shoulders. He looked upward to find a woman staring daggers at her. Fuck, it was the redhead from the dance club.
“Are you coming to the NFL mixer?” She stood across the table, addressing Cory, but glancing from face-to-face as though assessing if she held the attention of anyone else. “It starts in an hour. The party is at the penthouse of Mike, the man we met the other night.” The woman’s saccharine voice grated on his nerves.
“Ashley, didn’t we already have this discussion? What do you hope to achieve by bugging me again? I clearly told you when you asked earlier, I wasn’t.”
The other woman laughed. “No harm in inquiring again. Just in case, you changed your mind. We might be going to another club. Here’s the name and address.” When Cory’s cousin bent over the table in a low-cut dress, Brett took out his cellphone, and studied the airlines info he’d requested from his travel agent. A flight from L.A. to his upcoming game in San Diego.
“Ashley, my sister isn’t interested,” Stephen said. “But come to think of it, your father would be interested in knowing what you’re up to.”
“Don’t act all high and mighty just because you got reformed,” Ashley snapped. “I answer to no one unless he wears an NFL insignia like Brett.”
Shit. He ignored the reference. Instead, he canted over toward Cory, squeezing her hand. “You know she only wants to see you upset. Breathe. Here’s something for you to consider.” He showed her his game schedule. “Let me know which ones you want to come to.”
Cory nodded, and inhaled deeply, twining her fingers with his. What a cousin—a regular menace and out for blood. He’d seen these moves before in women who dug their talons into a person with the goal of causing an uproar. Only he wasn’t having his ‘someone’ upset for the rest of the evening on account of that woman. It was difficult to sit there without responding. He exchanged looks with Stephen who shook his head.
“At last,” Gillian muttered when the woman stomped off.
He could feel Cory relax as soon as her cousin disappeared from view. She handed his phone back. “She needs help.”
He winked at Cory. “Every family has an oddball.”
“This family has one extreme idiot version. I don’t know why she insists on picking on me.”
“She gets something from butting heads. Might be best to ignore her completely.”
“I’d have to be shot with an elephant tranquilizer to manage that.” Cory grimaced, then shrugged. “You’re right. I’ll try.”
“The trick is to refuse to engage.” He pulled Cory’s chair back.
She rose, tugging on his arm as their bodies brushed and bumped against one another. Each time they came into contact, his awareness tolled a warning bell. They were headed to a popular saloon known for dancing, pool, and cutting loose, not the nearest broom closet or the backseat of his car. Doing a Texas two-step was a fuzzy memory but hell, if he had to, he could muster a few dance steps without tripping over his own two feet. Then Cory stopped short and he ended up colliding with her firm ass. Clenching his jaw, he rethought the idea of being nimble. At this rate, he’d be lucky to walk straight now that he was fully erect and his cock had gotten twisted in his boxers.
Cory slanted a glance over her shoulder, first meeting his eyes, then drifting lower. He was still close to her, even though he’d immediately stepped back, but any farther away and what he sported, straining in his pants, would be painfully noticeable to her and the whole restaurant. This girl had him going, alright—crazy, out of his mind. He reacted to her like some teenager, not a man who got tackled as a profession and had years of experience, learning a thing or two about self-control.
“Darling, can you just keep walking until we clear the restaurant? Then I need to go and adjust myself.”
~~~
His head buzzed after the hours he’d held himself in check. Once inside the hotel, he parked in the garage and took Cory through the back entrance. “Hey, this isn’t the same hotel,” she said.
“No. I called in a favor and had my reservation switched to this hotel. After all our run-ins with family and teammates, I wasn’t going to risk our last night together.”
“That’s right, this is the last one. Tomorrow, Carolina will be discharged from the hospital. My family wants to take off.”
“I’ll drive you back.”
“Back?”
“Heck yeah. I’ll take you back home after dinner tomorrow. I’ve already looked up how far away Annona is from Dallas. You made the cut. I don’t date women who live more than three hours from where I live.”
“And then you’re going to turn around and return to Dallas?”
“What else am I going to do? We play on Sunday. It’s business as usual during the week.”
“Oh, you are so full of it. I know you work hard.” She bit her lip. They stood outside the room he’d reserved, on the top floor this time. “Tell me what it’s like.”
“My typical week? Jesus, it’s more like being caged indoors than you can imagine.” He unlocked the door, then stood back so Cory could enter before him. She waited for him inside, her expression expectant.
“Okay. Fine. But I’ll tell you in bed.” He pulled her into the suite and down the hallway leading into the bedroom.
“Can I use the restroom first?”
“We’ve all night.” Kicking off his shoes, he tugged off his pullover and quickly disrobed down to his boxers. And that would be the last thing he did in a hurry. He intended to take it slow with Cory. He went to the bar and found the bucket of ice and bottle of champagne he’d requested. He popped the cork, poured two glasses, and had stepped back inside the bedroom by the time she’d returned. “Here. I want to celebrate.”
“What are we celebrating?”
“Us. You’re the best thing I almost plowed down. Every time I visit LAX, I’ll be thankful for crowds and flight delays.”
“To LAX and us,” she said and tapped his glass.
He set his glass down and took hold of her. Lifting her sweater, he removed it slowly. “Baby, I want to memorize your body tonight.” He knelt in front of her, kissing her stomach and pressing his face into her abdomen. He skimmed his mouth over to her hip bone and sucked a spot that made her shudder while pulling open her belt. “Give me your foot. We’re gonna need to get these boots off first.”
Brett removed her boots and socks as she leaned over his shoulder, running her hands down his body.
“You sure know what to do in bed,” she murmured, massaging her hands over his back, her tits caressing his skin. “Should I be careful about your shoulder?”
“Touch me all you want. I expect the same skin rights with you.” He tugged on her zipper and pulled on the waist of her jeans, watching them fold down toward the floor. She stepped out of them, wearing only her bra and panties. “Take off the bra for me.”
He sat back on his haunches, captivated as she turned around, slipped off the straps and unhooked the back of her bra, leaning over enough to give him a teasing eyeful of her cleavage. He groaned from his painfully throbbing hard-on inside his boxers. He held his breath in anticipation when Cory swung around and took off her bra.
“What about the panties?” she asked. “On or off?”
“Definitely off.”
“Like this?” Cory shimmied out of her last stitch
of clothing, bending and arduously removing her thong and running her hands down from her waist, all the way down her legs, then back up again. Her curved ass had him drooling.
He wanted her to turn and come back to him. “Baby, face me.”
She lifted her hands and undid her hair, dropping the pins onto the nightstand. She whipped her head around, and made her hair settle gracefully over her shoulders. He’d never had a woman do a striptease like this before. She turned slowly toward him, then made her way to stand directly in front of him. Brett inhaled the scent of her, then straightened and guided her over to the bed. He dropped his boxers, relishing the way her blue eyes darkened as she let her gaze travel down the front of his body.
Once in bed, he turned her over and began rubbing his hands over her supple skin, massaging her neck, and running his fingers through her hair and over her scalp.
“This feels sensational. But you promised. Tell me what your day is like,” she said.
“So stubborn,” he whispered. “I’ve got a few scenarios but the most common is I’m up by six. Breakfast, then out the door. Train the whole day.”
Cory pushed up on her elbows, shaking her head. “Not the abbreviated version. I want details. What do you eat?”
“Lie down and open your legs,” he said. He rubbed hands down her spine, following the dip by her waist, and back up again. He pressed his fingertips over the curves along her back, hovering and massaging at points. He moved, climbing in between her legs, slipping his fingers near the juncture where her thighs met her hips.
“I’m waiting,” she groaned.
“For breakfast,” he inhaled, pushing his palms up and over her ass, taking hold of her by the waist, and pulling her down a few inches to him. He fought from driving his cock into her, and focused on her question. “I have eggs, cereal, protein shake and fruit. Coffee. Black. Strong.”
“Better,” she whispered. “And then?”
