by Jaci Burton
He tapped his temple. “Like I told you. It’s burned into my head.” He pulled her phone across the table and noted the time. “I’ve got forty-five minutes. But yeah, I hate to eat and run.”
She pushed her chair back. “Don’t be ridiculous. You have a job to do. That has to be your primary focus.”
She walked him to the door and he pulled her against him, burying his face in her vanilla-scented hair. “You make this way too easy on me.”
“You don’t need some woman holding you down. Concentrate on the waves.”
He inhaled, sighed, then tipped her chin back to take a taste of her. Sweet, sensual, he could get lost in her. He could lose the whole day in her. But she was right. It was time to get in the water. “I had fun.”
She smiled. “Me, too. I’ll be on the beach cheering for you.”
“Thanks.”
After she shut the door, he made his way to the elevator, more relaxed than he’d been when he first hit the waves this morning.
Tori was exactly what he needed throughout this competition. A woman who knew what she wanted, who enjoyed sex, and who put no strings on him.
Damn, he was a lucky guy.
He hit the beach, watching the waves as he made the walk to the competition area. Adrenaline started flowing as he spotted the boards in the water. He stopped just as Matt rolled onto a wave and dropped down under it.
Whether it was him or someone else, watching someone shoot a tube never failed to spark him up and make him crave being out there. At thirty-five, he was a veteran rider. He wondered how many more years of competition he’d have before he’d have to yield to some of the younger boarders. He was already starting to feel the effects of years of surfing. You didn’t do what he did without suffering some injuries, and the body started to notice after a while.
He was wavering between thinking about what the next step in his career would be to still feeling that longing to be out in the water every day. It still surged in his blood and gave him a reason to get up in the morning. He couldn’t think of anything he loved more—or what the hell he was going to do when he didn’t have surfing in his life anymore.
But he knew that time was winding down, and he had to be realistic about it. A smart surfer didn’t push his limits forever.
And he’d always been smart about his career.
He saw Ben at the ropes to the competition tents, so he went over.
“Where’ve you been?” Ben asked.
“I had some free time between heats, so I took advantage of it.”
Ben nodded. The one thing he liked about his friend, manager, and promoter was that he never asked questions.
“Okay. Time to get set, though. Your gear is stowed in my tent.”
“Great. I’ll get ready.”
Ben clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You prepared for this? You feel good?”
Alex grinned at him. “It’s in the bag. We’re going to win.”
“That’s what I like to hear. I feel good about this one. These are your kind of waves.”
Alex looked out over the water, the surge of excitement so strong he could barely contain the desire to dive headfirst into the water right now. “You’re right. They are.”
SEVEN
Victoria hung out on the beach with Ben and the rest of his team all afternoon to watch Alex and the others during the practice rounds. She was learning a lot about surfing competitions. It was fascinating. She’d always thought of surfing as rather laid-back, except of course when she did it. Then it was hard. The learning curve for her had been difficult, but she had chalked it up to being a skill that had not come naturally to her. After all, she was a city girl, not born and bred to the ocean.
She was realizing it was hard for everyone, and it took an awesome amount of skill, strength, and practice to perfect. The waves she surfed were miniscule compared to the monsters these professionals rode.
After spending hours watching every one of the competitors, it was obvious how good Alex was. No wonder he was a champion. He caught the top of many of the waves, dropped down underneath them, which made her breath catch, and rode it out until the wave disappeared. There was only one occasion when the wave seemed to swallow him up, and her heart lodged in her throat when that happened. She’d seen that with several of the surfers, and feared for their safety each time, though they all swam out from under it, seemingly good-natured and ready to catch the next wave that came their way.
Ben told her none of the rides they took today counted anyway, and semifinals were tomorrow, which was when official scoring would begin.
She was already getting nervous for Alex, who didn’t seem anxious at all as he hung out and laughed with the other competitors. She really liked his body language, the way he carried himself with such a laid-back demeanor, leaning on his sand-jammed board while he casually chatted with the other surfers.
He occasionally caught her eye and glanced her way. Ben had invited her to spend the afternoon in the shaded promoter’s tent with him, a blissful relief from the baking sand and sun. It also meant Alex knew where to find her, though he’d stayed with the crowd of other surfers. But he’d look over at her and smile, and she’d get these ridiculous butterflies in her stomach remembering the amazing sex they’d shared earlier in the day.
By the time the heats were over, she needed a nap.
“How about a drink?” Ben asked as he gathered up his paperwork.
He’d been an amazing host, explaining every part of the practice process to her.
“I’m exhausted. I need some rest.”
His lips curved into a knowing smile. “Alex hard to keep up with?”
She lifted her chin. “I think I can manage, despite my advanced age.”
He laughed. “I wasn’t making a crack about you and Alex having sex. He’s just pretty high energy and always on the go. He wears me the hell out. You should make a run for it now before he finds you and wants to drag you into the ocean for surfing. He could go all day. I’m thinking of disappearing myself before he wants to take me out to a bar, or surf with him.”
Leave it to her to assume the wrong thing. “Yet you two room together.”
He stuffed some papers into a backpack. “Yeah.”
“Or is that more for business, so you can keep an eye on your investment?”
“Alex doesn’t need a babysitter. He’s an adult and can manage his life just fine without me. We travel all the time together, and we’ve grown close over the years. We’re friends. We often share a suite during competition.”
Well, hell. She’d heard her own voice snapping at him and she didn’t like it. “I didn’t mean anything by that.”
He tilted his head her way, his smile genuine. “No offense taken, Victoria.”
She really did need a nap. She was reading things into her conversation with Ben that obviously weren’t there. “I think I’ll head out. If you see Alex, tell him I’ll be back tonight for the party.”
“Will do.”
Several hours later, she had rested, showered, and had even treated herself to a massage at the spa. Now she felt immensely better. And also much worse about being so defensive with Ben earlier. He’d been generous and kind and she’d done nothing but accuse him of age discrimination and running roughshod over Alex.
She owed him an apology.
She put on a sundress, slipped on her sandals, and walked down toward the beach. It was dark, so the tiki torches were lit and a bonfire was going strong. The competition area was crowded with people, some she recognized as the surfing competitors, some as the advertisers and promoters, and some she didn’t know at all. There were a lot more people there tonight than had been around the day before.
Once she got past security with her badge, she wended her way through the crowd in search of either Alex or Ben.
She found Ben in the
middle of a group of men. He smiled and waved her over, introduced her to several guys all in the business of promoting their own competitors in the contest.
He put his arm around her. “This is Victoria Baldwin.”
One of them, a tall African American man wearing a white-and-red flowered shirt, narrowed his gaze. “Aren’t you a sports agent?”
“I am. And you are . . .”
He held out his hand. “Sorry. Larry Banders.”
The name sounded familiar. Why couldn’t she place it? “Nice to meet you, Larry.”
“You represent Malcolm King, the basketball player from San Antonio.”
“Yes, I do.”
“He’s married to my sister, Cynthia.”
Now she knew why the name had rung a bell. She smiled. “Of course. I love Cynthia. She’s so supportive of Malcolm’s career.”
“Yeah, she loves basketball. Played some herself in high school and college.”
“Yes. We’ve had several conversations about that. I tried to recruit her for the WNBA, but she refused to listen to my grand plans for her career.”
Larry laughed. “Yeah, she wants to concentrate on my two nephews. I told her the same thing. I would have promoted the hell out of her if she’d let me. But she said babies first, career later. And now she wants to be a teacher.”
Tori shrugged. “Not everyone wants the career of an athlete. What are you going to do?”
“Nothing. I love those kids, so if she’s happy, then I’m happy. In the meantime, I put my label on everyone else. Like my kid here. In fact, I see him now, so excuse me. Nice meeting you, Victoria.”
“You, too, Larry.”
Ben led her away from the crowd. “Do you always run into people you know?”
“It happens sometimes. Indirectly or directly, I usually find someone in the business.” As they headed through the crowd, she tilted her gaze up to his. The firelight highlighted the stunning features of his face and the utter sexiness of his eyes, something she tried not to notice. She was failing miserably. “Surely you have the same problem, since you’re in the athlete business.”
“True. I used to work with a lot of athletes, though I don’t brand as many as I used to.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged. “For one thing, I’ve made a lot of money over the years.”
“There’s always more money to make, you know.”
“True. But I’m not looking to become richer than I need to be. I just want to live comfortably, and I do. Chasing money requires a lot of work and hustle and time, and I’m just not interested in putting that much time into it anymore. And second, I’m pretty selective about who wears my brand. Plus, I like surfing. It’s still my passion, so limiting the chase for a higher income allows me to follow the waves. At least vicariously.”
She smiled. “It’s good that you still get to do what you love, even in this way.”
“Having enough money has its benefits.”
She wondered if she’d ever get to that point where it would be enough for her. She loved her career, adored her clients, and it was still an adrenaline rush for her. “I don’t think I’ve reached the slow-down phase of my career yet.”
“You’ll know it when you get there.”
She turned to face him. “Before Alex gets here, I want to apologize for earlier today.”
He frowned. “What about earlier today?”
“I was tired and cranky and bit your head off about some things.”
He stepped in closer and swept his hand over her hair. “I didn’t even notice. Don’t worry about it.”
She shivered at his touch. “Well, thanks for being kind about it, but I’m pretty good at knowing when I’m being a bitch.”
He laughed. “It’s a good trait to have, but honestly, it takes a lot to piss me off.”
“Also a good trait to have, Ben.”
“I think you live longer that way. How about we find you a drink and you can really relax?”
“That sounds like a great idea. Is Alex here?”
“I saw him around earlier with some of the other surfers. I’m sure we’ll run into him.”
He led her to the drink station—an entire bar set up under one of the tents.
“What would you like?”
“Something hard. I’m in the mood to drink tonight.”
He cocked his head to the side and gave her a grin. “My kind of woman. Two Jack Daniels—neat. And make them doubles.”
He handed her the glass.
She looked down at the amber liquid, then back at him. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
“Maybe.” He clinked his glass against hers and downed his drink in one swallow.
She wouldn’t dare do that, though she was good at holding her liquor. After countless years having cocktails with team owners and athletes who outweighed her by hundreds of pounds, she had learned to either pace herself or drink with them. She took a couple of sips, letting the liquid burn its way down her throat.
Mmm, smooth. She finished the rest in two swallows, then asked the bartender for water.
Ben motioned to the bartender, who handed over a bottle of water, and two more shots.
Victoria turned to Ben. “You are trying to get me drunk.”
“Something tells me you can hold your own with a shot of whiskey.”
She smiled over the rim of the shot glass. “Maybe.”
She downed the drink. This one went down smoother than the first one. She handed the glass back to the bartender and opened her bottle of water to take a couple swallows, already feeling the warm mellowness of the whiskey making its way through her body.
It was getting crowded. The music had started up and everyone was headed toward the beach.
“Let’s go find Alex,” Ben said, sliding his hand into hers to guide her through the tight groups.
She liked his strong hand in hers, was still fascinated by the zing of attraction she felt for him. Her belly tumbled from the simple connection of their hands together. What was up with that? It certainly wasn’t lack of sex, because Alex was taking good care of her in that department.
Maybe it was because they were closer in age, or maybe it was because they had similar types of careers. She’d felt a kindred spirit in Ben. But she had no idea what the reason was and wasn’t about to take valuable vacation time dissecting it when this was her time to relax and enjoy herself.
He wound them through undulating bodies, where they found Alex talking to a couple girls. He turned to her and grinned.
“Hey, there you are.” He waved off the girls, then swept her into his arms and planted a hot kiss on her lips. “I’ve been wondering when you’d show up.”
“I’m starving,” Ben said. “Are you two up for some food?”
“I know I am,” Victoria said, looking at Alex.
“Sure. Let’s grab some grub and a table before all the food’s gone.”
They went to the tent where a feast of food had been set out. Victoria filled her plate and sat between Alex and Ben.
“You looked great out there today. Are you ready for tomorrow?” she asked Alex.
“Thanks. I’m stoked. I can’t wait for the competition to start. All this prep shit just makes me crazy. I want to get out there and score some points.”
“He always gets like this,” Ben said. “Nervous energy. A lot of the surfers hate the preliminaries. It’s the real competition that gets their juices flowing.”
Alex filled his mouth with a bite of chicken, and nodded, washing it down with a drink. “Fun is always in competition. You remember what it’s like, Ben.”
“Like it was yesterday.”
She loved listening to the two of them talk about surfing. They launched into a discussion about tomorrow’s event. She ate and listened while they went over t
he parameters of the competition. By the time she had emptied her plate, Ben had gotten up to talk to one of the judges, and Alex had finished off two plates.
“How do you stay so lean when you eat so much?” she asked as he tossed their plates in the trash.
“Surfing burns off a lot of calories.” He leaned in close. “So does sex.”
She shook her head, but smiled. “I would think you’d need to focus on the competition, not on sex.”
“Honey, I’m never too busy to think about sex. It relaxes me, and when I’m relaxed, I compete better.”
“Is that a line you give to all the women?”
He stopped, looked at her. “No. But is it working?”
She laughed. “Maybe.”
They made their way back down the beach. Alex stopped and talked to . . . everyone. He was extremely popular. He signed several autographs, visited with a few people he knew, and was extremely gracious and friendly with everyone. She liked that about him. He didn’t seem to have an ego and never brushed anyone off. By the time he extricated himself from the crowd, he took her hand.
“Sorry about that.”
“Don’t apologize for being nice to your fans. It’s good that you take the opportunity to do that. I know a lot of professional athletes who don’t. Once they have a little success, it goes to their heads and they forget the people who helped make them a success. They’re total assholes.”
“Hey, our sport struggles as it is. We have to give thanks to the people who love to watch us surf. That’s the fans as well as the sponsors. Without them, we’re just a bunch of penniless dicks sitting on surfboards.”
“So true.” She liked him more and more.
“Hey, the music’s starting up,” he said, grabbing her hand and leading her toward the crowd of people dancing.
After his busy day today, she thought he’d be exhausted. And yet here he was, ready to party it up with everyone. “You want to dance?”
“Hell, yeah.” They found Ben along the way and Alex signaled to him. Ben came over and Alex gave him a report about one of the guys he’d spoken with in the crowd earlier who wanted to interview Alex.
