“That’s not ’til morning. . . .” He kissed her again, long and hungry. His fingers dug into her hips and pulled her close again.
Abby moaned and swayed against him. Every fiber in her body wanted to throw her schedule to the wind and go with him. Go somewhere, anywhere, with him and have wild jungle sex all night long. But that just wasn’t how she did things. With a soft push against his chest, she moved back. “I can’t. Not tonight. I just can’t.”
He nodded as he sighed, letting his forehead drop against hers. Then he smiled and brushed his lips against hers, tender and soft. “Tomorrow’s Friday,” he said. “Go out with me? Dinner? And then . . . maybe more?” He kissed her again and whispered, “I just want to go somewhere and be alone with you. I’m not trying to pressure you. I’m just laying it out openly. I want you, Abby.”
She shivered, knowing damn well she wanted him, too. “I can’t. I’m watching Dylan. I promised him I’d take him to the movies. I mean, you can come with us if you want, but I can’t go out with you. Sorry.”
“I understand. Thanks, but I’ll take a rain check on the movies. So . . . how about after the game on Saturday? Are you free Saturday night?”
“Yes, I am. Fiona’s only working the day shift. I’ll be free . . . all night.”
He whispered into her ear, “Plenty of time for me to make love to you all night, then bring you home on Sunday, don’t you think?”
God, when he talked like that! “You’re killing me,” she whispered back.
“I’m trying . . .” He kissed her again and peered into her eyes. “Tomorrow night, you be the kick-ass auntie that you are. But Saturday night, I want to be with you, Abby. If that’s what you want too.” His hands rubbed up and down her arms. “I’m telling you that flat-out so you can think about what you want. And, you know, write it into your planner. Or onto your clipboard. Whichever makes you feel better.”
She pinched his arm as hard as she could, and he yelped, but they laughed together. “You goddamn smart-ass,” she sputtered.
“Hey, I know you don’t like to fly without a net.” His voice was soft, earnest, making her go still. He smoothed back her hair from her face. “I’m just thinking if I tell you what I’m hoping will happen, giving you prep time to think it over, maybe you’d be more relaxed about it, right?”
She gaped at him. He wasn’t mocking her; he was trying make her feel comfortable with him, doing things her way, letting her make the choice and do some planning. Out of respect for who she was. And, she realized as she looked into his eyes, out of something . . . tender. He didn’t just want to bed her, he really liked her. Her heart squeezed as she moved in to kiss his lips, and whispered against them, “You’re pretty great, you know that?”
“Sometimes. But it’s nice to hear you think so. I wasn’t totally sure.”
“I definitely think so.” She looked into his eyes and let her fingertips play along his cheekbones, his scruffy jaw. “If I decide yes, that I’m . . . staying . . . I’ll bring a toothbrush, and a bag. So either way, I’m leaving you in charge of buying condoms. Okay?”
He grinned, a steamy mixture of reverence and heat in his eyes. “I love when you call the shots. And even when you plan like that.” He nuzzled her neck. “I think it turns me on even more.” With a kiss behind her ear, he whispered, “Does that mean you’ll write me into the planner in red ink? Your red ink drives me wild. . . .”
“Shut up before I change my mind.”
“Shutting up, ma’am.”
Chapter Thirteen
Tess strolled into her sunroom at eleven o’clock the next morning and smiled. “There you both are.” Her younger brother was stretched out on the couch, Bubbles lying by his side as Pierce stroked her fur absently.
“Hi. You playing hooky today?” he asked. Tess hadn’t been in the house when he woke up, and he figured she’d gone to work. She loved her job as the executive director of the Harrison Foundation, the nonprofit charity organization their grandmother had founded.
“I love working from home on Fridays. Perks of the position. I was running a few errands, just got back.” Tess glanced at the soccer game he was watching on the flat screen as she sank into the cushy armchair beside the couch. Bubbles leapt off and sprang into Tess’s arms. She cooed and petted the dog for a minute before asking, “Missing it?”
Pierce glanced at her. “What, football?”
She nodded.
“A little.” His eyes went back to the screen. “I’ll always miss it. I’m always going to love it. I’ll always be interested in it, and I’m always going to watch games.”
“As you should,” Tess said. She watched about thirty seconds’ worth of play with him before asking, “So, when were you going to tell me more about this Abby McCord?”
His eyes flew to his sister’s face in surprise. “How did you . . . ?”
“Amateur.” She chuckled at the look on his face. “You’re seeing each other?”
“Yeah, we are,” he said.
“Wow. You haven’t even been here a month.”
“I know. We started seeing each other a few days after I got here.” He shifted his position to be able to look at her better. “Finding someone here, especially so soon, was the last thing I expected. But you know what? She’s great. And she’s good for me.”
“Really.” Tess cocked her head, studying him. “How so?”
“It’s funny . . . we don’t have a lot in common on the outside. But something in her just . . . connects.” As images of her filled his mind, the corner of his mouth curved up. “Truth? Lately, I think about her all the time. She’s smart, she’s gorgeous, and she’s really . . . sweet.”
“Sweet?” Tess had to laugh. “Since when do you like women who are sweet?”
“Since I met her,” he said, feeling both bashful and proud. “Surprised me too. The only sweet woman I’ve ever known is you, really. Maybe I’m growing up a little.”
Tess stared hard. “You really like her,” she marveled.
“Yeah. I do. She’s . . .” His grin went lopsided and he shrugged, tapping his fingers on his leg as he searched for words. “She’s real. Normal. No agenda, nothing fake. And damn sharp. She calls me on my bullshit. And, bonus, seriously hot.”
“That’s a great combination,” Tess said. “And a nice change of pace from some of the women I’ve seen you with in pictures.” She mock shuddered.
“I know, I know,” Pierce said with a rueful chuckle. “Abby’s totally different. Better. Way better.”
“Wow.” Tess smiled and shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk like this about a woman. You’re head over heels.”
He shrugged and scrubbed a hand over his scruffy chin, feeling exposed and not knowing what to say.
“Does she know you’re this crazy about her?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t know.” He sat up a bit and asked, “Can I ask you something? From a female point of view?”
“Uh-oh,” Tess joked. “Yeah, of course.”
“No, nothing bad.” Pierce whistled to Bubbles, who left Tess’s lap to climb onto his. He stroked her soft, white fur as he tried to formulate his question. “It’s just . . . I want to tread with some caution here. With Abby. She, uh . . . she’s been burned before. Lied to. So she’s wary, and of course, I can’t blame her, with my past. I don’t know if she really trusts me yet. I think she’s getting there, but . . .” His lips pursed as he considered. His eyes flickered away to the windows for a moment. “Most women . . . well, frankly, they’ve always made it very easy for me. Abby’s not easy.” He was quick to add, “I mean that in a good way. She challenges me.”
“That is a good thing. Especially for a guy like you.”
“I guess. But I just . . . I’m not really sure how to—what to—” He looked at his sister and shook his head. “I don’t know.” He puffed out a frustrated air of exasperation. “I don’t even know what I’m asking, exactly. I just really like her, and I don’t wan
t to mess it up.”
With a gentle smile of empathy, Tess said softly, “Give her more reasons to trust, and the time and patience for her to get there. Don’t push her.” Her smile twisted into a rueful smirk. “You may have to work at this for the first time in your life. Women have never made you work for it. Sounds to me like you care about her enough to try. If Abby’s worth it, think how good it can be.”
He stilled at her quiet words and let them sink in. Care about her. He hadn’t even realized it fully until that moment, but he did care. He didn’t just like her, or want to sleep with her; he’d started to have feelings for her. He rolled the words around in his mind. They were foreign to him. He’d never really cared or felt like this before. Maybe that’s why it felt so different—so bloody nerve-racking, but at the same time, so good.
“Pierce?” Tess questioned softly.
He blinked himself back to reality. “Yeah?”
“Have you made any decisions about . . . well, your life?” She offered a grin to show she was asking, not pressuring. “Where you want to live, what you want to do next?”
“Yes and no.” He sat up fully, causing Bubbles to let out a bark before she hopped off the couch and trotted off to another room. “I have no idea what I want to do next, in terms of a career. All I know is, maybe something with soccer in one way or another. American soccer. It’s what I know best, so . . .”
“That’s a fantastic idea,” Tess enthused. Her long, dark curls swayed as she edged forward in her seat. “If you need any help, any at all, please ask me. Seriously. Okay? Promise me.”
He gazed at his sister, so supportive and loving as always. “I will,” he said, smiling. “Thanks. I promise.”
“So if that part’s the ‘no,’ what’s the ‘yes’?” she asked.
“The where-to-live part. Kind of.” He glanced beyond her, out the high, long windows that made up the back wall of the sunroom. The view of the edge of the property leading to the Long Island Sound beyond was magnificent. The morning sun glinted off the water like sparkling diamonds. He looked back at Tess and said, “I’m going to move back to New York.”
She gasped, jumped off the chair, and flung herself at him, squealing with joy as she hugged him tightly. “Yaaay! Oh, I’m so glad. This is wonderful!”
He couldn’t help but chuckle at her enthusiasm as he hugged her back. “Happy to know someone’s glad I’ll be here.”
She pulled back to look into his face. “What? Dane will be. Charles and his kids will be.”
Pierce arched a brow in disbelief. “Charles? No. Don’t think so.”
“I know you two don’t get along, but he would be glad to have you back here,” Tess insisted. “It meant something to him that you want to start seeing the kids, being a good uncle to them. I know you only did it for the kids, but it meant a lot to him, too.”
Pierce hadn’t considered that. If Tess was right, and she usually was when it came to their family, it was an interesting thought.
“And I bet Abby will be glad you’re sticking around,” Tess teased, pinching his cheek like a grandma.
He delicately swatted her hand away and laughed. “Knock it off.”
“Are you going to live on Long Island, or in the city?”
“That, I’m not sure yet either. Is it okay if I stay here another week or two while I figure it out?”
“Of course. You can stay as long as you like, you know that.” Tess smacked a kiss on his cheek and rose from the couch. “Wanna grab lunch somewhere? It’s a nice day.” Her brows arched. “And maybe we can discuss things like what avenues in soccer could be interesting to you, and where we should look for a house for you.”
“A house?” He stood also, stretching his arms above his head. “I don’t need a house. An apartment would be fine for now. Or . . . hell, I don’t know.”
“Then we better decide where you’re moving to,” she said, grinning. She tugged on his arm. “We have a lot to talk about! Lunch is my treat.”
“You’re a pushy lady,” he said, smiling. “But I never turn down an invitation to lunch from a beautiful woman. Especially one who’s so bossy.”
Tess let out a tinkling laugh. “Oh please. Sometimes I think none of my brothers would know what to do without me nudging them when they need nudging.”
Pierce nodded in defeat. “Scary thing is, you’re probably right.”
* * *
On Saturday morning, Abby got to the soccer field early as always. She liked to be there just in case any of the kids showed up early, so they wouldn’t be standing alone.
The sun was bright overhead, the breezes light, and the skies clear. Abby loved the hue of October sky, so pure and crystalline blue. She set the sack of soccer balls and her small cooler on the ground by the corner of the field. As she grabbed a water bottle from her cooler and opened it, she quickly scoured the field. No sign of Pierce yet.
She couldn’t wait to see him.
Thursday night had been so hot, so electric. And the promise of what would follow tonight? Abby blushed just thinking about it. She gulped down some water.
Someone called her name and she turned to see Sofia Rodriguez heading toward her. She waved and recapped the bottle. “Hi, how are you?”
“Fine, thanks,” Sofia said, smiling. Her dark, frizzy hair was in a tight braid today, making Abby reach around to check that her own ponytail was still secure. “Jaguars won last week, which was so great! Think they can do it again?”
“I hope so,” Abby said. “I mean, last week we played the Bears, and they’re a weaker team. Today we’re playing the Rockets, so it could go either way, you know?”
“Yeah. Seems like Pierce Harrison’s coaching made a difference, huh?”
Just the mention of his name made her smile. “Yeah, I guess it did.”
Sofia stared. “God, you’re smitten. Look at you. It’s all over your face.”
Abby’s stomach roiled as her face heated. “Wh-what?” God, was she that obvious? That was not good.
Sofia edged in close and her voice dropped low so no one could hear her. “Abby . . . I’ve known you a long time. You know I care about you. Right?”
Abby only nodded. Her throat had closed from embarrassment.
“That was me in the car Thursday night. I thought I was the last one to leave after practice. But I saw you two.” Sofia’s dark eyes pinned her. “Abby, be careful with him. He’s really hot, and fun, and he’s great with the kids. But . . . he’s a player. You’ve read about him, haven’t you? Seen the stories online?”
Something in Abby burned at that. Something defensive. “You can’t believe everything you read, Sofia.”
“No, of course not. But when there’s that much there, some of it must be true.”
Abby’s stomach did a total flip. Wasn’t that exactly what she’d said to Pierce on their first date? Before her usually sharp brain had turned to a gloopy ball of lustful mush where he was concerned?
“That bad boy image he’s got,” Sofia continued, “got there for a reason. Because he did those things, and he was that way.”
“Was,” Abby said. “He’s changed. He told me so.”
The women looked at each other. That sounded weak, even to Abby’s own ears.
“I can’t persecute him for past sins,” Abby said, ignoring the way her heart was fluttering anxiously in her chest. “I can only judge him based on his present actions. And so far, he’s been nothing but decent with me.”
“I’m sure he is. You’re too upstanding to let a man treat you otherwise.”
Abby cringed at the statement. Yeah, like how she’d let Ewan treat her? Smart women made stupid choices in love, all the time. She was proof of that. “Look, Sofia—”
“No, Abby, I’m sorry. I’m overstepping, and I’m sorry. I just . . .” Sofia sighed. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt. And Pierce Harrison is a man who plays, not one who stays.”
“Thank you for your concern,” Abby said curtly, “but I can make
my own decisions.”
“Of course you can. Again, I’m sorry.” Sofia sighed again, her eyes holding Abby’s for a long beat before she said, “Good luck today. Talk to you later.” She walked away quickly, and Abby watched her retreating back.
Sofia’s words ran through her mind. Oh God. She was already crazy about Pierce. He said he was moving back to New York, that his life had changed, that he wasn’t “that guy” anymore. She drew a shaky breath; she was going home with him tonight to have what would probably be passionate sex all night long, for Chrissakes.
But what if Sofia was right? Was Pierce just toying with her? Once he got her into bed, would he move right on to the next conquest? At the beginning, Abby kept reminding herself Pierce was a skilled player, and to not let her guard down. Then she’d gotten to know him a little, he’d showed her other facets of him, and he seemed sincere . . . but didn’t all charmers seem sincere? That was their game, their way in. She’d lost sight of that.
She didn’t think Pierce was playing her. But even if he was sincere, trying to be the kind of man Abby was looking for and wanted . . . who was to say he’d be able to stick with it? Old habits die hard, right? What if she believed in him enough to take things to a serious level, and he got bored being with just one woman? Or, even worse, he slipped back into being “that guy” again? She didn’t think she could take another major romantic letdown, yet another man disappointing her so deeply and breaking her heart again.
It was only when the water bottle slipped out of her hand onto her foot that she realized her hands were trembling.
* * *
Pierce watched Abby talk with various people after the game. The Jaguars had won again. Parents had crowded around both of them to ask questions, pick up their kids, the usual postgame chaos. She was surrounded by people, and her hands gestured wildly as she spoke, the way they did whenever she was excited or gripped by a moment. He caught her eye for a second, but she looked back to Nicky’s mom. Hmmm.
He wasn’t imagining it. She’d been a little bit . . . distant, maybe? The whole morning. She’d smiled at him, spoke to him, but she had a reserved vibe going on that made him uneasy. Like she’d pulled back. She hadn’t done or said anything specific; he could just feel it.
Someone Like You Page 14
