charming. You play that card when you think it will work to your advantage.”
“Is it working?”
“Maybe. I haven’t decided yet,” she said.
He turned so that his body was closer to hers. He wasn’t touching her but it wasn’t that hard to imagine his hands on her shoulders, pulling her closer... Ugh. She needed—him. She needed for once to be in her dad’s world and in control. And Hunter wanted something from her. Why shouldn’t she take something from him?
She lifted her hand, skimmed her fingers along the neat beard on his jaw. His facial hair was soft and smooth to her touch. Cool from the breeze that was wrapping around them. The heat of his skin radiated upward, making her fingers tingle.
“What is going on in that beautiful head of yours?” he asked, his voice a low rumble. She closed her eyes so she could try to make a “wise decision” but her hormones and her gut said too late. That ship had sailed as soon as he’d tried to back out of the date because of what strangers might think of her for eating with him.
She opened her eyes and was unnerved to see he was watching her. That his green-eyed stare was fixed on her. Just waiting.
He’d been judged many times in his life. She understood that from the stillness in his body and in his gaze. He was waiting for her to reject him, walk away. But he wasn’t cowering.
“How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Live with it. Live with the attention and not go nuts.”
“It’s been hard. But the truth is, I’m innocent. That’s what gets me through. That and Kingsley. He and I both know the truth of that night.”
She nodded.
“I’m not sure about letting you have carte blanche with Dad’s videos and files,” she said. “But I don’t want you to walk out of my life. Not yet.”
The side of his mouth lifted in a slight grin. “I’m listening.”
“I want...that sounds so selfish, doesn’t it?”
“Not at all. I told you what I wanted. Why shouldn’t you have what you want?” he asked.
His voice was silky smooth, much the way she imagined the devil must sound when he was leading some poor sinner to her doom. But this didn’t feel like doom. The excitement in her stomach felt more like anticipation. As if she was alive for the first time in a really long time. As though she was living instead of just existing.
And it was too tempting to pass up.
“I want a chance to get to know the man. But if you are just here because of Dad, then tell me now. I think there is a spark between us. I want to explore it but I don’t want to bribe you into dating me by holding Dad’s files out as a carrot.” Instant attraction, falling in love at first sight; she was too practical to believe in those things, but in this moment with the half-moon hanging above them, it felt as though there was magic in the air.
He cupped her face in his hands. They were large and surprisingly smooth against her skin. He tipped her head back slightly so that their eyes met and he looked into hers with an intensity that made her shiver. What was he looking for?
“No bribe needed,” he said, lowering his head and kissing her.
* * *
She smelled of some sweet flowery perfume and the sea. Dinner had been interesting. It had changed something that he didn’t think could ever be changed and now she was being so sweet. Telling him everything he needed to do to get what he wanted.
Just be smooth, he thought. But then he heard his assistant Asia’s voice in his head. Don’t be a douche.
He rubbed his thumb over Ferrin’s bottom lip. Her breath came out in a rush. Tiny trembles coursed through her body, and if he weren’t touching her, standing this close to her, he wouldn’t have known it.
There she was again, the shy woman he’d met at the coach’s house. Not the feisty woman who had boldly gone to dinner with an infamous football player. It was the contradictions that drew him. He knew that.
He hated things that were easy to pigeonhole.
“Are you kissing me or not?” she said.
He laughed.
“I am... I just don’t want to make the wrong move. My conscience—”
“I thought you were a player. I bet you blow through women like they are disposable tissues.”
“You’re not disposable, are you?” he asked. He knew she wasn’t. “You just changed the dynamic between us. You don’t want to bribe me into a relationship and I need to make damned sure I don’t take the easy path. That’s what got me into trouble the last time.”
She took a few steps away from him and began walking back toward the restaurant and her car. He knew he’d screwed up. He had a gift for it.
He took two steps toward her and caught her in his arms, softly, gently, the way he would a pass that was just out of reach. He cradled her softly and spun her, lifting her off her feet.
“What are you doing?”
“Fixing a mistake,” he said.
He had to stop thinking.
Hadn’t Coach been the one to say that the only way to improve his game was to listen to his instincts?
He brought his mouth down on hers, not hard, because he had some self-control left. But softly. He rubbed her lips with his and tasted the coffee she’d drunk after dinner as she opened her mouth.
She twined her arms around his neck and tilted her head to the side, and suddenly he wasn’t worrying about the mistakes he’d made or the reasons why he was kissing her.
He couldn’t not kiss Ferrin. She was everything that he wanted and nothing that he felt he could allow himself to have. For the first time since Stacia...he felt something for a woman. Maybe it was the fact that Kingsley had settled down with Gabi de la Cruz or maybe—God, please—it was that he was close to finding out what had really happened to Stacia.
Maybe it was his usual need to conquer or maybe it was something more. Only time would tell.
Right now he didn’t need to know anything other than how soft and cold Ferrin’s fingers felt against the side of his face. How the way she kept running her fingertip over his light beard sent tingles down his neck and chest and straight to his groin.
How she softened against him and let him take all of her weight as the kiss deepened. He pulled his head back and looked down at her. Her lips were parted, her eyes half-closed, and there was a slight flush on her creamy skin.
He could push a little more right now. It wouldn’t take much for either of them to fall into bed together, but he wanted more than one night. He knew games were won by plays and downs. Ten yards at a time.
Sometimes faking out the other team was the way to gain more yards.
He set her on her feet. Tangled his hands in that thick gorgeous hair of hers and kissed her again even though he had decided not to. But really, what man could resist her, with her swollen lips and her sweet face looking up at him as if she wanted...well, what he wanted.
Damn.
Things just got complicated.
He couldn’t control himself around her.
When the hell had that happened? He’d always been a man of control. But with Ferrin...
He stepped away from her, turned his back to her and stared out at the sea with his hands on his hips. It had been a long six months since he’d had a lover...maybe that was it.
Please let that be it. The reason why he was having a hard time resisting her. A hard time not going back to her and