“Yeah, I’m good.”
Her answering smile was open and excited, so he assumed his didn’t look as bad as he thought. “Did you see my strike?”
“I did. Still not enough to catch up with me.” He pointed to the score.
Danielle rolled her eyes and hit him on the shoulder. “We’re only halfway through the game. And this ain’t the basketball court. I’m only a few points behind. Game time, baby.”
True. If she hit a few more, they’d be neck and neck.
Jacobe had stood and picked up his ball when a thought struck him. He turned back to Danielle. “Do you hate me?”
“What?”
“Do you hate me for not calling you?”
Her smile slowly melted away. Her shoulders straightened and she sat up in the seat. When she met his gaze her eyes were serious. “I don’t know what I expected after that night. Everything happened so quickly. I came to show you I wasn’t afraid of the spark between us. Next thing I know we’re...you know. It was great, but I didn’t think anything too serious would happen afterward. Certainly no expectations for a relationship.”
She sounded so calm. So over it. How could it not have bothered her when it had bothered him occasionally over the years?
He took a step toward her. “If I would have called and asked you to date me, would you have considered it?”
She shrugged and looked at the control board. “I don’t know.”
He had a feeling she was lying. “I’m sorry I never called.”
“Don’t be. I moved on. I wasn’t sitting around campus pining for you.”
“I didn’t think you were.”
She nodded. “Good.”
“Did you start seeing someone else?” Why in the world was he torturing himself with that question?
Her gaze met his. “I did.”
He tried to remember if there’d been a particular guy sniffing around her that year, but came up a blank. “Who?”
She raised a brow. “Does it really matter?”
No, it didn’t, not really. He didn’t want to know her past any more than he wanted her digging into his. “You’re right.”
“Besides, I saw you with Christy afterward and assumed you two were together.”
His shoulders stiffened and he gripped the ball in his hands. “We weren’t that night. I wouldn’t have had sex with you if I’d still been with her.”
The rigid set to Danielle’s posture relaxed and she nodded. “I know.”
That surprised him. “I wouldn’t have believed you thought so highly of me.”
“I did. I was around you enough to know how many women tried to sleep with you, and how you turned each of them down. It was an admirable trait.”
“Just one admirable trait. Are you sure there weren’t others?”
“You had a few, but that’s the one that really struck me as odd. As popular as you were, and as conceited as you were.” He opened his mouth to argue and she held up a finger. “Don’t interrupt, you were.”
Jacobe closed his mouth and motioned with his hand for her to continue. Who was he kidding? He had enough confidence in his game to be considered conceited.
“I expected you to take up every willing female that came your way. Especially since it seemed like every other day you and Christy were arguing.”
That was true. People used to ask him why he stayed with Christy. He’d never felt the need to say anything other than she had his back. He never talked about how his dad’s death was proof cheating wasn’t worth it, or that Christy had been the girl he’d fallen in love with in the middle of his grief. Right before he really became good at ball and women who’d once ignored him were suddenly offering him sex left and right. Danielle deserved more than that simple explanation.
“Christy looked out for me back in high school before I’d really blown up. I was a good player, but after my dad died, I started skipping school, being a smart-ass in class and playing pranks just to frustrate the teachers. One day one of my pranks went too far.”
“What did you do?”
“Stupid, really. My English teacher gave an assignment. Write a paper on the great contributors of American literature. I didn’t like anything we read that year, so my paper was on why English literature was better.”
“That wasn’t the topic.”
“I know. Anyway, he threatened to fail me. I got mad because if I failed I couldn’t play ball. I put some fireworks in his desk and set them off right before class. There was smoke and the fire department was called.”
Danielle’s hand was over her mouth as she laughed. “No.”
He nodded. “Yeah. It was bad. I would have been suspended, maybe expelled.” His laughter died. “Christy said she did it. Took the suspension and everything. When I asked why, she said because she knew I needed another chance before I screwed up my future. I did. After my dad died, I hid the hurt behind smiles, jokes and basketball. Everyone viewed me as this star player or this screw up in class. Christy was the first person to call me on my crap. If she hadn’t said that, I would have ruined my chances. That was the year I really got on the radar of college recruiters. If I’d been expelled, that wouldn’t have happened.”
Dozens of questions swam in her chocolate eyes. He’d revealed too much about himself in that story. Stuff that he didn’t want others to know. He hadn’t even told Christy why he’d stayed with her for so long.
“Why did you come to the party that night?” he asked, before she could start a line of questions he didn’t want to answer.
She shrugged and looked away, but tugged on the front of her sweater. “You made it seem like I didn’t know how to party. That annoyed me. I came to show you I could have fun.”
“You came in a dress that made me want nothing more than to see you out of it. It was a pleasant surprise.”
The memory of that night flooded his mind. Danielle in a sleeveless black dress that hugged every one of her curves. “You wore that dress for me?”
“I wore this dress for myself.”
“Will you take it off for me later?”
Damn that line had been cocky, and corny. She’d rolled her eyes before grinning and walking away. He’d followed her like a dope for the rest of the night.
His eyes met hers. The tip of her tongue ran across her full bottom lip. Her breasts rose as she took a deep breath. He licked his own lips and remembered the sweet taste of her.
“Are you sure you didn’t wear that dress for me?”
Danielle stood abruptly. “Want some nachos?”
He wanted to say no and continue their conversation, but he didn’t want to push. “Sure. Get a pizza, too. Or whatever you want to eat. Tell them you’re with me. It’ll be on the house.”
She nodded then turned toward the concession. Jacobe turned to bowl.
“Jacobe,” she called. He turned to face her. Her full lips were raised in a teasing grin. “I guess you learned I could handle you after all.” She spun away and hurried to the concession.
Jacobe grinned and turned back to bowl. Danielle Stewart was full of surprises.
* * *
He didn’t like talking about himself. Danielle realized that about halfway through their date. Most people would respect that he didn’t share much and move on. Most people hadn’t known him in college and remembered that he’d been cocky and fun loving, but also open and straightforward. Now he was closed off. Still charming, but guarded. The need to get to the bottom of a situation was one of her strongest traits and biggest flaws. Trying to unravel the secrets of a guy like Jacobe could result in her becoming too involved with a man who’d proved he could easily walk away from her.
“I had fun tonight,” Danielle said as they walked to his car. She hadn’t known what to expect before going out with him. She had known she would need to limit the opportunities for him to
suck her into his web of temptation as he’d done earlier that day in her office. Bowling had been perfect. Minimal chances to touch or get lost staring into his eyes.
“Then I’ll have to take you bowling again.”
She turned to walk backward and face him. “I offered one date. No expectations and no strings attached.”
Jacobe took her hand in his and pulled her closer. She was so startled by the movement that she didn’t pull back. “What do I have to do to get you to go out with me again?”
He was so tempting. She’d get wrapped up in Jacobe and lose her heart. It had been easier in college when he’d left because they hadn’t been together long enough for her to fall in love with him. That didn’t mean she didn’t know how much it hurt to have someone she loved leave her behind. She wasn’t going through that again.
“I don’t view first dates as an interview for marriage, but it is a chance for me to decide if I want another date and possibly a serious relationship. I’m looking for a commitment one day. What are you looking for?”
She would not normally be so candid on a first date, but she had to with Jacobe. He might be more guarded, but his flirtatious side hadn’t gone anywhere. She could only imagine the number of women he went out with. He needed to realize she wasn’t interested in being his short-term bedroom playmate.
Jacobe stopped and let go of her hand. “I’m not looking for anything serious right now.”
She wasn’t surprised, but that didn’t stop the small tickle of disappointment in her chest. “That’s cool. I just need you to understand what I’m looking for. If you’re not interested in the same, fine. I’m happy to work with you at the River Watchers, but that has to be it. If my position means you’d rather work for another organization I understand.”
His brows drew together. “I told you helping the River Watchers is about my image, not a sneaky way to get you in bed. Volunteering will show critics I’m not spending my five-game suspension sitting around sulking or starting fights like everyone expects me to.”
The need to know more perked up. “Why do you start fights? In college you were always the life of the party, not a fighter.”
“When you’re really pissed off, it’s easy to take your anger out on other people.”
“About your son?”
His body tensed. “He’s not my son.” Jacobe spit out the words in a hard and tight tone.
Danielle flinched and crossed her arms over her chest. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. She never should have brought that up.
Jacobe stepped closer and used his finger to lift her chin. “I’m sorry. I don’t like talking about that situation.”
“I won’t bring it up again.”
He nodded and dropped his hand. “Right now my goal is to convince people in the league that I’m not the hothead I used to be. I went through some stuff and it overshadowed my game. I can’t let that happen anymore. I’ve got plans. This suspension could hurt those plans.”
“Plans with the Gators?”
“I’m happy to play for the Gators. What we’ve done is phenomenal, but if I get the chance to play for an even better team I won’t turn it down. I’ll do whatever I can to take my career to the next level. If the Gators don’t believe in me anymore, I don’t need other teams to be afraid to sign me. You can understand that much.”
She could. As a Gators fan, she didn’t want him to leave. He was an asset to the team—no one could deny that. As someone who yearned to find someplace where she felt like she belonged, she could understand his ambition to leave. She’d loved her work with the River Watchers until Liberty got on the board and began threatening her job. Not having the full backing of your organization left you feeling lost.
She turned and walked toward his car. Jacobe fell into step beside her, following her to the passenger side. Instead of opening the door, he leaned a hand against the roof and turned to her.
“As for what you said earlier, about wanting a relationship. I hear you.” He reached out to fiddle with the chiffon petals of the flower on her cardigan. “I brought you bowling because I want to get to know Danielle, the woman, instead of just going off the memories of the Danielle who tutored me in biology.”
“You can get to know me as a friend and colleague.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. He stared at his fingers on the flower at her chest. “I’m always open to a friends-with-benefits arrangement.”
He met her eye, slid a few inches closer. For a spit second she was tempted to say yes. Reality and common sense prevailed. “I’m not good at separating sex and feelings.”
His body instantly stilled and his lips pressed into a faint frown. He dropped his hand from her flower and leaned back. “That night, were you...”
She shook her head. “No. I meant what I said about not being mad about the outcome, but our night together did teach me that I’m not good at the love ’em and leave ’em philosophy when it comes to relationships. I’m also not good at having one-night stands.”
His retreat bolstered her confidence. She needed to see this. Needed to be reminded that Jacobe was looking for fun and nothing more. Better to be disappointed now than heartbroken later.
Danielle reached for the door handle. “It’s getting late.”
He stepped back and opened the door. “You’re right. I should get you home.”
Jacobe didn’t say much on the drive to her place. She was dying to know what was going through his head. Was he angry that he’d wasted a date with a woman he wouldn’t easily get into bed? Did he even care enough to be disappointed? An online search quickly revealed he had no shortage of women interested in him and that he was rarely photographed twice with the same woman. Her rejection might be just a minimal blip on his radar when it came to women.
When they arrived at her place, a small ranch-style home that she’d purchased the year before, he came around and opened the door for her. His hand was warm and solid when he placed it on her lower back to walk her to her front door. The porch light flickered, casting the porch in shadows. She’d been meaning to change that bulb.
“Thanks again,” she said, getting her keys out of her purse.
Jacobe took her elbow in his hand and turned her to face him. He stood so close that she had to tilt her head back even farther to meet his gaze. In the unsteady light of the porch, she couldn’t make out the expression in his eyes.
“I respect your honesty, Danielle.” His other hand came up to brush across her chin. “Don’t think this kiss means otherwise.”
Her heart fluttered and anticipation tingled every inch of skin on her body. “Who said you could kiss me?”
His dark eyes met hers and the corner of his mouth tilted up in a smile that would make a nun drop her panties. “Tell me I can’t and I won’t.”
The air crackled around them. Sparks of heat filled her chest. Her eyes lowered to his lips. Full and soft. Based on the smoldering heat in his eyes, desperately wanting to touch hers. A kiss wasn’t sex. It was just a kiss.
“One kiss,” she whispered.
“Good.”
His lips brushed hers before he slowly pulled her lower lip between his. The kiss was a slow tasting. Not one long press of the lips, but several small sexy touches and pulls of his mouth on hers. With each sweep her body heated and tightened with need. Danielle shifted forward, closing the distance between them. Finally, his tongue slipped across her lower lip. Desire pulsed through her midsection. Jacobe’s strong arm slipped around her waist and drew her flush against the hardness of his body.
He was so much taller. She automatically went onto her toes, parting her lips so he could deepen the kiss. The arm around her waist tightened, and a second later Jacobe lifted her off her feet. Her breasts pressed into the firmness of his chest, her arms wrapped around his neck. She shifted and her body rubbed against the growing bulk of his erection. Memo
ries of the full length of him filling her completely flooded her mind. Heat pooled low in her midsection and between her legs.
Jacobe sucked in a breath and broke the kiss. His breathing was just as harsh and heavy as hers in the quiet darkness of her porch. She could feel him pulsing, growing between them. She bit her lower lip to keep from moaning and begging for more.
He slowly lowered her back to her feet and took one determined step backward. He cupped her chin and ran his thumb over her sensitive lower lip. “One kiss,” he said. “I keep my word.” He leaned down and pressed another quick kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, she couldn’t stop herself from leaning forward to prolong the touch.
“Good night, Danielle.”
Jacobe turned, jumped the three steps from her porch to the ground and strode purposefully back to his car. Danielle stood on her porch and watched him drive away until the taillights disappeared.
She pressed a hand to her pounding heart. “Don’t ever kiss him again if you want to keep your sanity,” she whispered.
Chapter 5
“How are you handling the suspension?” Isaiah asked Jacobe.
He, Kevin and Will, were all seated outside next to the full court in the backyard of Jacobe’s riverfront home. Jacobe’s suspension prevented him from going to the stadium, attending practices and doing anything related to the team. He’d expected to be completely ignored by his teammates. To his surprise, Kevin, Will and Isaiah had shown up on their off day to give him an update on what had happened at practice and the plans for their next game.
“I’m going to volunteer with the River Watchers.” He palmed the basketball in his hands. They’d played one game shortly after the guys had arrived. Jacobe and Isaiah had won against Kevin and Will. “And beat Kevin in pickup games.”
Kevin smirked “I’m just trying to make you feel better.”
One More Night Page 19