Authors: Desiree Holt
“I just don’t want you to—”
He touched the tip of a finger to
her lips. “Don’t you want to have lunch with me? I think my feelings are hurt.”
He looked so cute with his fake
pout she couldn’t help smiling.
“Of course I want to. You pick the
restaurant. I don’t care who sees us or not.”
He took her to a restaurant called
Morrie’s. Although the place bustled with the lunchtime crowd, the hostess took
time to greet Max.
“Hey, handsome.” She turned her
cheek to his for a light peck. “You always brighten up this place when you come
in.”
“Thanks, Gwen.” He pulled Stacy
forward. “Meet Stacy Halligan.”
Gwen gave her a practiced smile.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Got our table ready?” Max asked.
The woman eyed Stacy with blatant
interest but nodded.
“I do. Just follow me.”
Stacy had never been there before
so, as they made their way to a table in the corner, she took in all the
details. She noted the quiet ambience, muted conversation, the understated
elegance of tables draped in white linen, the carved wainscoting on the walls,
and the recessed lights.
“Very nice,” she said when they
were seated.
“I like it. The food’s great, and
it’s quiet enough to have a decent conversation.”
She scanned the room, curious. “Is
Morrie’s one of your usual hangouts?”
Max laughed. “I don’t have
hangouts, Stacy. Unless you consider my townhouse. Just places I like to go.”
A few other customers spotted him,
nodded, and smiled. “People know you here. Aren’t you worried they might
misconstrue you being with me?”
“I don’t care who sees us.” He
reached for one of her hands. “Do you?”
“No. Of course not. I only meant—”
“Quit worrying. I have a plan and
I’m sticking to it. Now.” He released her hand and opened his menu. “Let me
tell you what’s really good here.”
Max insisted on ordering a glass of
wine for her. She was wound so tight, he feared she might release like a
spring.
“One glass,” he coaxed. “Your
favorite.”
He desperately wanted one himself
only he couldn’t afford to make a careless mistake. Too much depended on what
happened going forward. A good field general had his wits about him at all
times.
So far, his plan was right on
track. He’d shocked the hell out of her with the hot kiss in her office. And
telling himself it was all for show was a big fat lie. A good quarterback had
to be able to read the field and know when certain plays were called for.
Besides, he’d wanted to make sure the electric sizzle from the night before
hadn’t been a mistake. Or his imagination.
Seeing her in her work environment,
desk stacked with projects, gave him a better picture of her. Especially her
coworkers’ stunned expressions when he swept in, gave her a kiss to sizzle the
air, and hauled her off to lunch. He was not one of those athletes who gorged
on his celebrity , but if he could use it to make Stacy’s life more exciting,
maybe, along the way, he’d show her they belonged together. The candy that
morning had already started the gossips buzzing. He hoped his appearance at her
office ramped it up. And not just because she deserved it.
Had her total immersion in her job
blunted her ability to make smart choices where men were concerned? If so,
fine, because it gave him the opening he’d been waiting for.
When she’d first moved in next door
and figured out who he was, he’d waited for the usual reactions. It stunned him
when she didn’t try to get her picture taken with him, wasn’t jonesing to meet
the other players, and actually liked to talk football with him. Stacy offered
a refreshing change from the women who gravitated to him.
Okay, friends, he’d thought. Good.
Someone he could relax around. Bitch about stuff to. He even ignored his
initial reaction to her because he liked hanging out with her in a no-pressure
situation.
Max couldn’t have said exactly when
he realized, at least for him, what they were doing had turned into a whole lot
more. It was so easy to be with her—he didn’t have to be anyone but
himself—that his attitude changed before he even realized it. He made sure he
didn’t give her any hint of his feelings. She was always hot after these
metrosexual losers, and he felt her pain as one after the other of the
so-called relationships turned out to be duds.
Then, one day, he realized he had a
much harder time concealing his feelings for her. He wanted her, physically and
emotionally. They fit. However, he still had no idea how to convince her of that
without ruining what they already shared. Fate had dropped an opportunity into
his lap, though, and he planned to make the most of it.
Electricity crackled between them
if she’d only give it half a chance. Those incendiary kisses really blew his
mind. Man, the woman had a hot mouth and a tongue like velvet. So pretty, sexy,
funny, the complete package. The men in this town must have their heads up
their asses if they didn’t appreciate her.
But good for me, or I might
never have been able to make this happen. And I’m not just in it for show.
He had two weeks to prove to her
they were good together, and he planned to pull out all the stops. The night
before, when he kissed her, his body stood up and begged for more. Not even in
his dreams had he realized how explosive kissing Stacy Halligan would be. Now
he wanted more. Of her. In his bed. And in his life.
The problem would be convincing
her, since their big romance was supposed to be nothing more than an act.
Think of it like a football game
and put a plan together, with lots of option plays. Maybe even an end around.
He chuckled to himself at that.
“This is very nice of you.”
Stacy’s voice jerked him out of his
thoughts. She smiled at him, her plump lips begging for him to take a taste. He
wanted to lick every inch of them. He could still feel the aftereffects of
their kiss. Both kisses, as a matter of fact.
Easy, boy. You’re in a public
place.
“I’m having fun.” He winked.
“What’s not to enjoy? A great lunch with a beautiful, sexy lady? I’ll bet every
man in here would pay to change places with me.”
She tilted her head. “You really
think that?”
He frowned. “Think what?”
“That I’m beautiful? Sexy? You
know, those things.”
The waiter had cleared their
plates, so Max reached across the table and took one of her hands in both of
his. He rubbed his thumb casually back and forth across her palm.
“Of course, I do. I always have.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Always?”
He nodded.
“Max, you only ever see me in
sloppy clothes, with no makeup. And half the time in a bad mood.”
“And still,” he teased, “I think
you’re beautiful and sexy.”
She started to reply again when the
waiter appeared bearing a plated chocolate heart.
“Our red velvet cake heart for
two,” he explained, setting the plate between them. “A pre-Valentine special.
And two forks, for sharing.” He positioned the utensils precisely then bowed
away.
“Valentine’s Day again,” she
sighed. “When everyone has a Valentine except me.”
“Uh uh uh.” He waggled his finger
at her. “You aren’t complaining, are you? This year you’ll be celebrating in
style. With me. We’ll show the asshole and every other jerk who doesn’t treat
you right exactly what they lost.”
“We will?” She wasn’t so sure of
that.
“Yeah. Not to mention how jealous
everyone at the magazine will be,” he went on. “I’ll bet every woman there
would give her entire wardrobe of bikini panties to be romanced by a hotshot
quarterback. And I chose you. Keep that in mind.”
“But
we’ll
know it’s nothing
but a part of my image campaign, right?” she asked.
“Maybe.” He gave her a slow
seductive grin. “Then again, maybe you won’t be able to resist my incredible
charms. Come on, Stace. Loosen up. We’ll have fun whatever we’re doing.” He
lifted her hand, leaned across the table, and placed a kiss in the center of
her palm.
As if a switch clicked on inside
her, her face lit up in a smile, even though tension still ran through her
body. He wanted to pull her across the table and into his lap. This tension
radiating from her would not do. He needed to get her to unwind.
“You’re right. Fun. To show Kurt
and all the others what they lost.”
“Right,” he repeated.
We’re going to have fun, all
right. I don’t give a shit about Kurt. My campaign is all about making Stacy
realize how special she is to me. And what we could have going. Maybe already
do.
Her smile faded, as if she wasn’t quite
sure she knew how to play this game, and his heart ached for her.
“Right now what I want is to share
this red velvet heart-shaped cake with you.” She picked up one of the forks,
cut off a small piece of the heart, and slid it into her mouth.
Watching her lips close over the
confection and the tip of her tongue lick the residual frosting nearly gave his
cock a heart attack. Then she sliced off another piece and held out the fork to
him. When he slid his mouth over the utensil, he was positive he could still
feel the lingering touch of her lips. The cake was rich and creamy and, for a
shocking moment, he visualized rubbing it on her luscious body and slowly
licking off every bit of it.
Jesus, Max! In a minute, you’ll
come in your pants like a horny teenager.
She took another bite for herself,
and he stared at the play of muscles in her jaw as she chewed. One tiny piece
of frosting clung to her lips, tantalizing him. He reached over with his thumb
to blot it then put the thumb in his mouth to suck it clean. Would her nipples
taste as good as the cake, or even better? And if her pussy was as sweet as—
She glanced at him from beneath
those insanely long lashes. “You aren’t eating your share. Don’t you like it?”
Oh, he wanted to eat his share all
right. Only his mouth didn’t water for the dessert in front of him. The thought
of how good every bit of her body would taste was what drove him crazy. He
needed to do something. Now.
A thought jumped into his head. If
he could make it work, they’d both have an afternoon to remember. And the start
of what he hoped would be the relationship he longed for.
“I have an idea,” he said slowly.
“Can you be spur of the moment? Impulsive?”
She frowned. “Not usually. Why?”
“I want to take you someplace.
Right now.”
“Now?” She stared at him. “I have
to go back to work. Lunch was really nice, Max, only—”
“Yes, it was great. And I don’t
want the afternoon to end.” He grinned at her. “Come on, Stacy. Break the mold.
Be spontaneous.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “You never know what you’ll find if
you do.”
“Coal in my stocking for
Christmas?” she asked.
“Maybe a whole new view of life.
Let’s get out of here.” He put his napkin on the table and signaled for the
waiter.
Stacy blinked at him, startled.
“What? Wait. We didn’t finish our dessert.”
“We can take it with us.” He gave
orders to the waiter to box it up as he handed over his credit card. “You might
find a surprise you enjoy even more.”
He forced himself to take a deep
breath before he leaped across the table and ripped off her clothes. Some
things should be done in private. “Call your office and tell them you won’t be
back for the rest of the day.”
She frowned at him. “Max, what’s
going on here? What crazy idea are you cooking up?”
“I’m cooking up fun. You know,
crazy can be fun. Spontaneous can be fun.” He winked. “And I think it’s time
you had some fun.”
“Doing what?”
“You’ll see. Call your office,” he
urged. “Go on. Live dangerously.”
“I’m probably nuts, but okay.” She
picked up her phone. “Be right back.”
If only he didn’t worry so much
that his plan would backfire on him. As she headed for the restroom, he took
out his cell and punched in a number.
“Are you crazy?” his friend Arnie
asked. “I need more than five minutes to prepare for what you want.”
“Pretend I’m helping you prepare for
the Valentine’s Day thing you always do. Don’t you need some practice?”
“No,” Arnie snapped. “Not as long
as we’ve been doing it.”
“Then it should be easy,” Max told
him. “I have faith, my man. Just ask Josie to help.”
Arnie laughed. “My wife will do it
if only to get a peek at a woman who has you obviously outside your comfort
zone.”
“Whatever. As long as you get it
done. Okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“Did you call your office?” he
asked when they were back in his car.
“Yes. When I went to the ladies
room.” She gave an unsteady little laugh. “They think I’m crazy. I never take
off in the middle of the day.”
“Then maybe it’s time you did. If
none of those idiots you hung out with talked you into it, then they really are
assholes.”
“They have obligations,” she
protested. “The same as I do.”
“Your obligation today is to
yourself.”
He reached for one of her hands and
folded his around it. The campaign had changed in tenor, becoming more about
winning her for himself than making others jealous. Yes, he wanted her to feel
special. Because she
was
special. To him. And he was finally having to
admit what he’d kept hidden all this time. That he wanted something strong with
her. Something in the forever category.
He definitely had his work cut out
for him.
“Where are we going?” She stared
out the windshield as he turned off the highway onto a country road.
“You’ll see. It’s a surprise.”
Surprisingly, she didn’t pull her
hand away from his. Instead, she let him continue holding it all the way down
the road. It felt so good against his skin. It would feel even better wrapped
around his cock. Maybe stroking up and down.