To Win Her Trust (5 page)

Damn it, this was nuts. What was he doing here?
I’m here because the phrase “love at first sight” suddenly doesn’t seem so far-fetched.
A cold chill raced down his spine, and his stomach muscles clenched painfully. He scrubbed a shaking hand down his face.

The knife in Gracie’s hand clattered to the counter at her hip. “Tuck, you’re scaring me.”

A mirthless laugh shuddered through his clenched teeth. “You should see things from my perspective. I think I might have just shit my pants.”

Her helpless chuckle was short-lived. Worry darkened her eyes. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or aren’t you?”

He chose his words carefully, delaying the inevitable. He’d doled out more than his share of trash talk over Jake’s meteoric fall for the lovely blogger and knew from experience, payback was a bitch. “How did you know Jake was the one?”

“The one what?”

“You know.
The
one.”

Her blank stare held for a good five seconds. Then she flattened her lips in a disapproving line and turned to pick up her knife. She returned to her dicing. “You’re an ass, you know that? I thought you were sick or something!”

He propped a hip against the counter and lowered his head to meet her gaze. “Gracie, I’m asking you about
the
one. You don’t think that qualifies as sick in my book?”

She blinked. “Wait. You’re serious?”

Pushing straight, he jammed the fingers of both hands through his hair. “Hell, I don’t know.” He shook his head to clear it. “Jesus, maybe I
am
sick.” He jerked his chin toward her ever-present laptop on the table. “Google brain tumors, will you? See if a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream can cause an otherwise sane man to start thinking crazy thoughts.”

She started to laugh. Hoots of glee echoed through the large room. Disgusted, with both himself
and
her, he stalked to the refrigerator for a beer. When he turned back, she’d set aside the knife and slowed to a snicker.

“Kevin Tucker, master of the three-day relationship, is asking about
the
one?” A scoffing sniff escaped her nose and off she went again into gales of laughter.

He pinned her with the steely-eyed stare that made even the meanest defensive linemen take notice. She laughed harder.

He scowled. “I didn’t say I’d found
the
one. I was just asking out of curiosity.”

She fanned her face with one hand and was only partially successful at controlling her mirth. “Uh-huh.” She continued to snicker. “Who is she?”

He brought the beer bottle to his lips for a long slug. “Her name is CC.”

“And?”

“And she’s blond.” Butterscotch curls framed the classic lines of her face. “Green eyes. Serious and a little shy.” Even widened in panic, a man could gaze into those Irish green orbs and forget what he’d been about to say. He held the bottle level with his collarbone. “About five four.” Slim and sleek with several very nice exceptions. The memory of a plump breast spilling over his palm made him smile for the first time in hours. “And built.”

Gracie smirked. “Of course she’s built.
Who
is she?”

“I have no idea.”

She turned to the fridge, grabbed a beer for herself, and shoved him toward the table. After pushing him into a chair, she sat across from him. “Okay. Details.”

He spared nothing. A survivor of New York City’s housing authority, Gracie recognized bullshit when she heard it and wasn’t afraid to say so. Besides, she understood him better than he did himself, most of the time, and, at the moment, he needed all the understanding he could get.

She got a kick out of the Beantown Gigolo remark and at learning Murphy had eaten Lisa’s telephone number when Tuck borrowed him for a romp in the park last weekend. She rolled her eyes upon hearing how he’d waited for CC outside the coffee shop and laughed outright when he detailed how he and the built blonde ended up on their asses in front of the morning rush hour crowd.

“A panic attack?”

A shrug lifted one shoulder and he sipped his beer. “Sure seemed like it to me.” At least at first. Whatever the cause of the attack, she hadn’t looked panicked by the time he’d finished kissing her. She’d looked flustered, a little embarrassed, but there was no missing the pleasure in her incredible eyes.

“When are you seeing her again?”

He sighed. “I have to find her first.”

“Find her? As in you didn’t get her number?” Gracie widened her eyes. “What? She wasn’t bowled over by your golden boy charm? You must be losing your touch.” She sprawled back and grinned. “I guess there
is
a first time for everything.”

He sniffed in offense. “My failure to get her number has nothing to do with losing my touch.” He rose to toss his bottle in the trash and retrieve another. “She was justifiably embarrassed, and she’d just watched me trying to make a date with the coffee clerk.” Dropping back into his chair, he frowned. “She wasn’t impressed when I switched targets.”

The bottle stilled inches from his mouth. Of course! The sudden explanation for his confusion of the last few hours loosened the noose strangling his windpipe. Though others might disagree with the notion, he didn’t consider himself particularly vain where it came to the fairer sex. Women simply came easily to him. Always had. A smile, a little conversation, and he was in.

Not so with CC Calhoun. He’d never had a woman shut him down as casually and completely as she had, and the rejection stung. No wonder his thought processes were fucked up. When bruised, the male ego acted irrationally.

“Can you blame her?” Gracie tipped the lip of her beer bottle his way. “Karma, baby. That trail of broken hearts you’ve left behind has come back to bite you in the ass.”

He grunted. Karma or not, he
would
see CC Calhoun again. He didn’t have a choice. Staring into her panicked eyes, he’d been rocked by the gut-deep impression that the moment
and
the woman were more important than any other he’d faced in the past. Now that he was thinking more clearly, he was inclined to chalk the bizarre notion up to his irrational ego, but he had to be sure.

He knew women. Knew when one was playing hard to get and when one didn’t want to be bothered. CC fell in the latter category, and yet her reaction to his kiss said the opposite. There’d been definite interest in her haunting eyes, despite the fact she didn’t seem to have a clue who he was. Oh, yeah. He’d see CC again, whether she liked it or not.

He’d never had to resort to stalker tactics to find feminine companionship, but to disprove the whole love at first sight
theory? What the hell? Gracie was right. There was a first time for everything.

He eyed Murphy, sitting like a perfect gentleman at Gracie’s feet. A slow smile pulled at the corner of his lips as the germ of an idea formed. “A smart man makes his own karma. What’s the name of that dog finishing school?”

Chapter 4

Tuck trotted down the steps of city hall with an easy whistle. It paid to have contacts in the halls of power. Especially wine snobs with an obsession for rare vintages. He grinned and patted the front pocket of his jeans where the slip of paper with CC’s address rested. Best two hundred bucks he’d spent in a long time.

Tracking her down had proven ridiculously easy. How hard could it be to convince her to spend some time with him? Last night, he’d had a really dirty dream about her, and while he appreciated his mind’s ability to fill in the little details he’d been fantasizing about since meeting her, he preferred waking up to the real thing instead of sweaty and uncomfortable. He meant to get his hands on her for more than just an accidental touch. Then, once he’d had his fill, he’d finally be able to exercise the sexy little blonde from his mind.

The ball cap, pulled low on his forehead, did its job of disguising him from the occasional fan looking for an autograph. He hailed a cab, winking at a passing pair of matronly women out for a stroll on a warm summer morning. One of the old girls winked back, and he threw back his head and laughed. He was still chuckling when he climbed into the battered vehicle. Damn, he was pitiful, grinning like a teenager who’d gotten the homecoming queen’s number, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

With training camp less than a month away, his time was his own, and he meant to use it wisely. He couldn’t think of a better way to fill that time than seducing CC Calhoun.

Anticipation thrummed through his veins. As much as he enjoyed the grueling schedule of the football season, the long hours didn’t leave much time for extra-curricular activities. Consequently, the type of women he normally saw didn’t exactly play hard to get. One-night stands and friends with benefits were fine with him, but a man appreciated a challenge now and then. If CC’s reluctance the other day was any indication of what he faced, he’d have his work cut out for him, which suited him fine. It had been far too long since he’d experienced the thrill of an actual chase.

He directed the cabbie toward the lower east side. Five minutes later, the cab pulled to the curb in front of CC’s building. He tipped the man and stepped out to eye the well-tended brownstone. Though Gracie scoffed when he’d detailed his intentions, the plan he had in mind would work. The overpriced certificate in his pocket gave him the excuse he needed for showing up at CC’s door. After all, what woman would pass up a week of free obedience training when she had to deal with an exuberant Rottweiler every day?

He owed the mutt a thank-you. Her dog had presented the perfect opportunity to approach CC outside the coffee shop. As he’d watched the oversized pup dancing around the group of teenage girls, he was reminded of the day he’d met Murphy, and the echo of remembered pain contracted his balls. A wise man would have taken the discomfort as an omen and stayed clear of the potential carnage, but he couldn’t regret stepping in to save CC.

He grinned. Landing on his ass had never been sweeter.

As chance would have it, providence offered him an unfettered moment to appreciate the target of his seductive plans. CC’s door opened, and dragged by her dog, she stumbled onto the wide front stoop.

“Damn it, Walter. Stop!”

Tuck grinned. For such a small woman, she made quite an impression. The other day’s faded jeans had cupped a sweetheart ass that made his mouth water. The short sundress, flowing over her slim form, might have robbed him of the tantalizing view of her sweet backside, but the length of exposed leg more than made up for the loss.

Toned and shapely, her calves and lower thighs made his fingers itch to ride the smooth columns up and over the rounded globes he remembered. The fantasy had the same effect as when he’d cradled her in his lap, and he slammed the mental door shut on the image. From her behavior the other day, she wasn’t going to be happy to see him. The last thing he needed was to show up on her doorstep with a boner tenting the zipper of his jeans.

For a little added insurance, he adjusted his step to a slow, stilted gait and hobbled up the walkway toward her. When she looked up and saw him, she stiffened. Disbelief flashed in her eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Walter nearly wrenched her arm from the socket. The leash snapped taught as he bolted forward. His body wriggled in happy welcome.

Tuck offered her his most winning smile. “I was in the neighborhood?”

“Nice try.” Walter attempted another lunge. She held him fast. “Let me rephrase that. What are you doing in
my
neighborhood?”

“Looking for you.”

He chuckled at her suspicious scowl. Yep, he had his work cut out for him. First things first. Time to play the guilt card. He moved a little closer, increasing the limp he’d affected, and hoped he wasn’t overplaying it.

Her gaze dropped to his legs. “You’re limping.”

“Yeah, I am.” He blasted her with a wicked smile. “I had a little accident the other day.”

Her scowl immediately became defensive. “I didn’t ask you to jump into the middle of things. If you’re hurt, it’s your own fault.”

The vehemence of her response surprised him. He raised a brow and glanced at Walter. The dog’s rear end wagged so vigorously he was amazed the animal managed to remain on his feet.

“I’ll tell you what.” He met her gaze and kept his smile in place. “I promise not to sue, if you
promise—”

“Ha! Try it, pal. I’ll countersue you for public molestation.”

He chuckled. She had a point, and wouldn’t that spectacle go over well with the league front office? “You didn’t let me finish.”

Suspicion darkened those eyes he’d stared into in his dirty dream, but she didn’t interrupt again.

“I promise not to sue, if
you
promise to accept my gift.”

Long, dark blond lashes fluttered when she blinked. “What gift?”

He tucked a hand in his back pocket, retrieved the small envelope, and held it out. “Go ahead. Take it.” When she refused, he dipped his head closer. “Did I mention I have a really good lawyer?”