Flames of Love

by Melissa Foster

  “It’s not that I’m not appreciative, but I have so much more than I could ever spend now.”

  “Yes, but what about when you find the man who makes your toes curl, and you decide to have a family? You come from a big family, don’t you? Security for those children is worth a few dates, is it not?”

  She knew Jewel was pushing her not just for her security, but also because she would earn a hefty fee for solidifying the contract. But she did have a point about children and family. What if she and Cash were married and eventually had children? What if he was injured on the job? Her stomach sank just thinking about it, but it was certainly a valid concern. And she loved children. How much money was enough money to secure a future for a child? She had no idea. And what if she didn’t want to model after she had children? She knew she was reaching, but what if she didn’t want to model and Cash was injured? They’d have to live on her savings. Would that be enough for her children’s futures as well? She felt herself breathing a little harder. When did her life become so complicated?

  “Yes, probably.” It’s a hell of a lot of money. She thought of Cash and her brothers. Oh God. What am I doing?

  Jewel patted her arm. “That’s the way I see it. Be sure to dress to the nines tonight. We want to keep them wowed.” She stood and opened her door. A silent dismissal.

  Siena thanked her as she walked nervously toward the door, her mind swimming in a sea of right and wrong.

  “Oh, and, Siena. Tonight? Let’s kiss with our eyes closed.”

  SIENA SNAPPED A selfie in her black Vera Wang dress that came to midthigh. The silk dress was simple, elegant, and sexy, arching over each breast where it met sheer material that clung to her chest, ending in a high neckline. The same sheer material covered Siena’s arms, ending in wide silk cuffs. She texted the picture to Cash with the message, Thinking of you.

  She’d been thinking about her meeting with Jewel all afternoon, and she decided that she needed to nail down what a few dates really meant. She needed to be frank with Jewel and tell her exactly where she stood with her relationship with Cash. As she waited for Cash’s response, she assessed herself in the mirror again. She saw the shame that Jewel had missed. She felt it to her core. She looked down at her perfectly manicured hands, thanks to an afternoon of pampering at the spa around the corner. Happiness was at her fingertips, and she knew she was playing with fire.

  Her phone vibrated with a text from Cash. How am I supposed to think at all now? You are too hot for words. Can’t you wear a paper bag on your dinner date?

  She laughed and knew exactly how to respond. She wished the whole thing with Jewel could be handled as simply as Cash’s ego. Lucky for u only u will ever see what’s under this dress…or what’s not. Love u. Xox.

  His response only made her feel guiltier. Love u. Trust u. Have fun. C u 2moro after my shift?

  She responded as her doorbell rang. Def. Let’s stay at ur place. I’ll bring my stuff. Ok? She hated the idea of Gunner picking her up at her apartment, and she made a quick decision to stop him at the threshold.

  “Coming,” she called out on the way out of her bedroom. Her heart was beating so fast she had to remind herself to calm down—not for her date with Gunner, but with hopes that Cash responded before she answered the door. A second later his text came through. Bring enough to stay forever.

  Oh God. Oh God. She did a little wiggly dance and texted back, Forever and a day. Can you see my smile from there? I’m sorry but I gotta run. Love u. Xox. She turned off her phone and answered the door. Gunner looked like a movie star rather than a quarterback in his dark suit, perfectly pressed white shirt, and a dozen roses in his hand. Maybe he’ll be easier to stomach tonight. He slid his eyes down Siena’s body; then, as slow as molasses, he worked his way back up. Asshole. Siena bit back the urge to slam the door in his face. She’d dressed up for him? She’d hoped his annoying behavior had been a one-time thing. Now she knew exactly why her brothers were so concerned. Well, she wasn’t allowing even one toe of his into her loft.

  “You look incredible.”

  His eyes finally met hers, and she was sure he could read the displeasure in her eyes. How could he not? The muscles beneath her eyes were practically pulsating. She didn’t even try to force her normal smile.

  “Thank you.” Asshole.

  He took a step toward the door and she pulled it closed a little. “My brother is visiting and he’s sick, so let me grab my coat and we’ll be off.” She left the door open as she tossed the flowers on the table—purposely forgoing putting them in a vase and giving him reason to come inside—grabbed her purse, phone, and coat, and headed out the door.

  On the way to the restaurant, Siena sat with her hands in her lap, clutching her purse tightly, and thinking of ways to expedite the date.

  “Look, I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry I was on my phone the whole time at the bookstore.”

  She looked up at him and, surprisingly, she saw sincerity in his eyes. “It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not, really. I mean, maybe with other women, but not with all that’s riding on these dates.” He ran his hand over his freshly shaven cheeks. “Look, I have to clean up my act to keep my contract, and you need be seen with the best on the field to land whatever contracts you’re after. It probably doesn’t hurt that I help you look less like a goody-goody.”

  He almost had her with his sincerity, but the goody-goody comment threw her off.

  “Goody-goody?”

  “Well, yeah. That’s what my agent said, that you needed to get in the mix a bit, show you can hang with the dirtier crowd. The sports audience is completely different from all other audiences. They’re anything but goody-goody.”

  The way he was studying her face unnerved her.

  “Come on. You didn’t know this? How do you think you ended up with me? They pick a woman who’s never done a damn questionable thing in the press and throw her into the tiger’s den. She’s going to be eaten alive or learn to play.”

  “What does that even mean? Learn to play?”

  “It means they’re seeing how tough you are. Just like they’re seeing if I can pull my shit together enough to convince the public I’ve changed my stripes.” He leaned back and pulled out his phone, scrolling through his texts.

  Really? The phone again?

  “The way I see it, if we both play our cards right, we’ll fool everyone.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

  She had a bone to pick with Jewel. She hated that he had a goddamn point, and she hated that he was blatantly honest, which she couldn’t help but appreciate. But she hated herself a little more for playing the stupid game in the first place.

  When the driver pulled up in front of the restaurant, paparazzi hovered around the car.

  “Looks like our agents did their job and dropped the tip. Now it’s time to play the game.” He got out of the car and reached for Siena’s hand with a perfect smile that reached his eyes. He was almost as good at modeling as she was, which was freaking scary as hell, because Siena knew how easily they could pull this off—and doing so with both of them fully apprised of what was behind the ruse made it feel a little less skeevy.

  An hour and a half later, as he paid the bill, she realized that she’d had an okay time with Gunner, if she could look past his wandering eye. It was rude of him to check out other women while at dinner with her, but he wasn’t really her date. She was just relieved that he wasn’t looking at her like he was envisioning her naked, or scrolling through texts and ignoring her altogether. Stomaching dinner with him tonight was no different from going to dinner with a guy she was acquainted with who wasn’t a friend and whom she had no romantic interest in. Like a business associate, which was exactly what he was.

  He leaned across the table. She was fully aware of the photographers lingering outside, waiting for them to leave.

  “Ready to hit the red carpet again?”

  “Sure.”

  He didn’t pull out her cha
ir for her, which made her think of Cash, who always did the gentlemanly thing, and he didn’t even angle his arm for her to take. He stood beside her, fixed his jacket, and handed her coat to her. Boy, did she ever miss Cash. They walked out side by side, and just as they hit the pavement, he slid his hand to her lower back and leaned in close.

  “Try to look like I’m all you can think about,” he whispered.

  She thought of Cash and knew her eyes would translate the look he was going for. She closed her eyes when he kissed her cheek just before they got into the waiting sedan.

  Inside the car he sighed. “Glad that’s over.”

  “Thanks. Real nice.” She rolled her eyes.

  “No, not the night with you. I actually had a good time. Just the stress of the cameras. You know, making sure I’m not doing all the wrong things.” He rubbed his hands on his slacks. “Tell me it’s not a relief.”

  “It is.” She looked down at her lap. The night hadn’t been painful. It might not have been particularly enjoyable, but for the Track Sports contract, it was worth it.

  “So, you’re a straitlaced girl. Did I do anything wrong in there?” He turned to face her and again she saw sincerity in his eyes.

  “You really want to know, or are you going to get angry if I tell you the truth?”

  “Now you have to tell me the truth. What did I do? I looked you up online, and I tried to talk about things you were interested in and to stay away from sports.”

  “You did all that, and that was nice.” She watched the lights of the city out the window, thinking of how Cash paid full attention to her all the time, whether they were out on a date or sitting at home. Maybe Gunner was trying to change. Maybe he would one day be a good boyfriend for some woman. She couldn’t imagine it, but who was she to judge? Look at what she’d agreed to. “Okay, here’s the thing. When you’re on a dinner date, it’s rude to have a wandering eye. It makes your date feel…I don’t know. Insecure? Unattractive? Bad. It just makes them feel bad.”

  “Did I…In there?” He pulled his head and shoulders back, like he was shocked at the accusation. “Jesus, I didn’t even realize I was doing that.”

  “You were.”

  “That is rude. I’m sorry. I guess I have a long way to go.” He pulled out his phone.

  “That’s rude, too. Even if we’re not on a real date, it’s still rude.”

  He put it slowly back in his pocket. “Point taken. Do all women have such stringent rules?”

  “I have no idea, but I would think that those who care about themselves do. And those who don’t care about themselves? Well, that stuff will only make them feel even worse.”

  He scrubbed his face with his hand. “I think I need dating lessons.”

  Siena laughed.

  “So, do you have a real boyfriend?”

  She felt herself smile as she lifted her eyes to meet his. “Yeah. I do. A really great boyfriend whom I adore.”

  “Adore? Who says that?” He laughed under his breath.

  She shrugged. “Maybe one day someone will say it about you and you’ll find out.”

  The driver stopped in front of her apartment building.

  “Your brother isn’t sick, is he?”

  She hesitated.

  He shook his head. “It’s okay. I kinda figured as much.”

  “Well, you checked me out so long I felt naked.” She opened her door and stepped from the car. “I’m glad I got to know you a little better. Have a nice night, Gunner.”

  He nodded and flashed a broad smile. Siena thought he was going to make a smart-ass comment about hooking up and she moved to close the door.

  He reached a hand out and stopped it from closing. “Thanks for being excruciatingly honest. We don’t get that very often, do we?”

  I do with Cash. “You asked me to.”

  “That I did. I’ll watch my eyes, my phone usage, and…”

  “Open doors for your dates. It helps. Good night, Gunner.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  THE NEXT MORNING, Siena packed a bag with clothes for the next few days. As she packed her shampoo, hair dryer, makeup, body lotions, and other personal items, she wondered if she and Cash would eventually just keep one of everything at each other’s apartments. She looked down at the toothbrush in her hand and wondered what it would feel like to see his hanging next to hers. To see his cologne on the dresser or smell his aftershave in the bathroom every morning. The idea sent a thrill through her, chased by a rush of heat. Her mind drifted to Cash’s body and the feel of his hands as he gripped her hips when they were making love. Oh my God, I’m turning into a nympho.

  She pushed her lustful thoughts away as she left her apartment and picked up the FedEx package that must have been left while she was in the shower. She’d almost forgotten about the pictures from her mother. She went back inside and packed the photo album pages, then headed downstairs to catch a cab. On the way to Cash’s, she revisited the meeting she’d had with Jewel. She still had no idea what she should do, but after her enlightening date with Gunner, she was less apprehensive about spending an occasional hour or two with him—and a little concerned about Jewel’s omission of the rest of the story. So what if I’m squeaky clean? She worked hard to be someone she could be proud of. Someone her father would be proud of.

  And I ruined it pretty quickly.

  No, I didn’t ruin it.

  The memory of her brothers’ faces had her doubting her own ability to read the situation. The only thing she knew for sure as she stepped from the cab and headed inside Cash’s building was that it was something she and Cash had to talk about. This wasn’t a decision she could make alone if he was going to be part of her life.

  CASH HAD THOUGHT about Siena in that sexy black dress all night and could barely think past wondering what she had on—or didn’t—underneath it. She struck every nerve in his body with her feisty comments and sexual innuendos. God, he loved her. When he got home after his shift, he showered. Then he cleared out a drawer in the bedroom, made room in his closet for anything she might want to hang, and emptied a drawer in the bathroom vanity. And each area he freed brought a new and different level of excitement. He was getting way ahead of himself, but with his heart thundering in his chest, he didn’t care. He couldn’t help but think about waking up to her every morning and coming home to her at night. Walking into the living room and finding her snuggled under a blanket on the couch, wearing her baggy sweatpants or one of his gigantic T-shirts. It was almost too much to hope for.

  He pulled the blinds closed in the living room and bedroom and lit a few candles. Then he turned on the stereo and paced. He was being presumptuous, wearing nothing but his turnout pants. Maybe she had other ideas for the morning, but he wanted to be close to her. They were finally free of the Gunner noose, and it was cause for an intimate celebration.

  A knock at the door made every muscle pull tight. What if he’d totally misjudged her playfulness? Shit. He looked around the apartment and debated blowing out the candles. She knocked again.

  Aw, hell.

  He pulled the door open, and Siena’s eyes widened. In the next breath, she dropped her bag and jumped into his arms, running her hands through his hair and kissing his lips, his cheeks, his chin.

  “Oh my God. We are so in sync.” She kissed him again. “It’s crazy.”

  With Siena in his arms, he kicked her bag inside and then threw the door closed, kissing her with the heat of passion that had been building for the last few hours.

  “I missed you.” He kissed her again. “You were so hot in that damn dress.” He nuzzled against her neck and sucked the spot beneath her ear that brought a moan of want to her lips.

  “Did you bring my boots?” She looked into his eyes, and he saw the flirtatious little vixen in her looking right through him.

  “Oh, baby. I brought your boots, but once you get those clothes off, I’m not making any promises about waiting for you to put them on.” He took her in another greedy kiss.r />
  “Thought you were a master at controlling the flames.” She licked her lower lip and he stifled a groan.

  She wiggled out of his arms and began unbuttoning her shirt. “Where are they?”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Hell yes.” She tossed her shirt on the floor. “But if you don’t hurry, I might be the one who’s unable to wait.” She wiggled out of her jeans.

  Christ Almighty. She was standing before him wearing nothing but a tiny blue thong and one of those damn bras that barely covered her nipples, much less the rest of her delicious breasts. He moved toward her, hard and ready. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned from side to side.

  “Boots?”

  “You’re killing me.”

  She looked over his shoulder. “You lit candles.”

  “You noticed.” He was breathing so hard, she had to see the effect she was having on him. He took a step closer and she swallowed hard, then licked her lips.

  “The boots,” she whispered as he grabbed first one hip, then the other. “B-boots.”

  He lowered his mouth to her shoulder and dragged his teeth along the length of it to her neck. His hand slid up her side, his thumb grazing the underside of her breast.

  “Boots,” she whispered in one long breath.

  “By the bedroom door,” he whispered as he moved the cup of her bra and exposed one hard nipple. He took it between his finger and thumb, squeezing just a little before taking it in his mouth and loving her breast with soft strokes of his tongue and gentle sucks that brought her up onto her toes. He dropped his other hand from her hip to between her thighs and rubbed her through the silky fabric.

  “Cash,” she whispered.

  “That’s a lot better than boots,” he said as he moved to love her other breast. He slid his finger beneath the fabric and couldn’t stifle the groan this time. She was so wet, he had to taste her. He looked her in the eyes as he backed her up against the door.