Candy poked her head inside the door. "Can I get you some more coffee?" She asked.
“No.” I shook my head "I think I've had plenty of coffee for one morning. Another cup and I might have to sprint around here.”
“All right. If you need something let me know. And by the way, Isaac Price is here to see you."
My heart fluttered and my stomach flipped. "He is?" Was he here because he was the one? Had Steve appointed him as my fiancé?
Candy nodded. "Yes, he said you to had set up a meeting for this morning. That you wanted to go over some player issues together."
I felt disappointed. I remembered we had scheduled another meeting. "Oh. Ok send him in.”
At least the meeting gave me a reason to stop pacing like a caged tiger. And then there was last night. I had imagined him touching me, licking me, staring at my naked body. I felt the heat course between my legs. I had to get a grip.
I looked up when he entered the room. He looked different than yesterday. More gorgeous if that was possible. I could smell his cologne. And his hair still looked wet as if he had just stepped from the shower.
“Good morning.” I smiled.
“Good morning, Vanessa. Are you ready for our meeting? I brought player notes. It’s all in one place instead of all the guys bombarding you throughout the day.”
I nodded my head. I wasn't ready for anything. I knew there was a sudden sadness inside me, knowing he was here only to talk business. It was silly. I was supposed to be a businesswoman now. I was the owner of a multibillion-dollar franchise. I was powerful and in command. But all I felt was scared and vulnerable. I didn't know what I was doing. Being near Isaac even for a brief second made me feel safe and protected. As if I could siphon off some of his strength and confidence. He was the kind of man who knew what he wanted. And this was his world. He loved football. He lived it and breathed it. It practically seeped from his pores.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“I just didn't get much sleep last night,” I explained. I wasn’t about to go into the details of my fantasy with Dylan.
“Would it have anything to do with Steve Drucker’s campaign?”
I felt the horror of my embarrassment. My eyes flashed to his. “You know about that?”
He nodded. “Don't worry. I signed an NDA. All the guys did.”
“All?”
“Yeah. There were a group of us who were candidates. I guess that's what you would call us. The unmarried unattached guys.”
I reached for the corner of my desk to steady myself, but I missed. Instead I ended up tumbling forward and landing in Isaac’s arms. I looked up into his eyes as his hands wrapped around my waist. I felt tiny and small. I didn't want to move. I wanted to say there while he held me as the warmth of his hands spread through the fabric of my silky thin shirt.
“Gotcha.”
“I-I can't believe that happened. I’m mortified. How many? How many of the players were there?” I hadn’t thought about how I would feel if other people knew the plan. It was worse than I could have imagined. What had Steve gotten me into? My reputation as a professional woman was ruined with these guys.
Isaac didn't let me go. In fact, his grip grew tighter. His fingers circled around my waist, winding until they locked at the small of my back.
“Don’t worry about the number.”
I shook my head. “I’m so humiliated.”
“Don’t be,” he whispered.
I was lost in the dark smolder of his eyes. I should protest. I should demand he release me.
“What are you doing?” I asked without much force. I was content to be wrapped against him. It felt good. He felt good.
His lips parted. I realized I had been too focused on his eyes. His lips were firm and shaped like a bow. They suddenly looked completely edible.
“There is something I want before I watch you be engaged to another man for the entire season.”
“There is?” I asked softly.
“Hell yes.”
I didn't ask him what it was. I didn’t have a chance. Isaac’s lips crashed into mine, taking complete control of my mouth.
I’d never fallen into a kiss like this. His tongue twisted along mine, sliding and grinding, claiming my lips and my mouth. I felt the roughness of his stubble graze over my skin as he pressed harder, burning my lips with pressure and delicious possession. His hand slid along my chin, turning my face upward. I groaned as he bit tenderly on my lower lip.
The flames started to kindle in my core. I could feel them smoldering between my legs as his lips moved along my throat. He kissed my neck. Behind my ear. His hands coasted over my body, grazing my breasts through my blouse. I sighed when he cupped my bottom with a rough squeeze before working his way back up my spine.
He found my lips again. This time his tongue plunged in my mouth with hunger. I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t breathe. All I could do was inhale this man. A man who was everything masculine and strong. A man who could hold me and kiss me until I was senseless. Until I forgot I was ownership. Until I forgot he was a player. My player.
My eyes opened.
“Why? Why did you do that?” I blinked, trying to catch my breath. My heart pounded. My veins pulsed with electricity. My lips burned.
“What do you mean?” Isaac smiled. He didn't look like he regretted a single second of that kiss.
“Why do you think you have the right to kiss me? You can't do that. That’s not appropriate work place behavior.” I stumbled for words to make me sound like I had an ounce of authority.
“I can’t kiss you? You're getting ready to take on a fake fiancé. I don't think you're the one who should be handing out moral codes,” he mocked.
I was irritated. Annoyed that I liked the kiss so much, and furious that I wanted another one. I wanted to lock the door and pretend I didn’t have a mountain of problems waiting for me on the other side.
“Well, it can't happen again. There are boundaries. And you can't cross that one.”
Isaac crossed his arms, his biceps bulging. “I got the message. I also got what I wanted.”
“Maybe we should cancel our meeting,” I suggested. I was rattled and heated at the same time. The tingling in my core hadn’t evaporated.
I wanted to hide behind my desk. I wanted to shrink behind the computer. I was embarrassed that he knew so much about the engagement, and he knew how much I enjoyed his lips melting into mine.
He shook his head. “Oh no. We need to have this meeting. There's a lot at stake for the team. I promised them I would bring their concerns to you. I’m not the kind of man to go back on my word. Besides, I think you'll like your fiancé.”
My eyes lifted to his. “Does that mean you know who he is?”
He nodded. “I do.”
“Are you going to tell me?”
He shrugged his massive shoulders. “It depends. Are you going to cancel the meeting, Vanessa?”
I thought about the options. I thought about how dangerous it was having Isaac in my office. The nearness of him drove me crazy. But my curiosity was at an all-time high.
“Just tell me. Tell me who it is.” I exhaled, grimacing at the shameless way I begged for information.
“It’s Dylan.”
Oh my God. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe him. Was he messing with me? Was he trying to get a reaction from me?
“Dylan James? You can't be serious.”
“I am. He's yours for the rest of the season. Or maybe it's the other way around.”
My eyes cut quickly. “What does that mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Which way is it?” He folded his arms and watched me.
“I can’t believe you would ask me that. I have no idea how this is going to work. But I don't belong to anyone, Isaac.” I felt the fire in my stare. I wasn’t property.
“Got it. I’ll stay out of it. I got what I wanted.” He smirked. It was annoying how much sexier he was now that I knew all the things his tongue coul
d do.
“The kiss?”
“I wanted to taste you. I wanted to hear how you would moan.”
There was an undeniable quiver in my belly. I was afraid my knees would give way.
He leaned in closer. I could feel the heat of his breath over my cheek. “I don't care how fake the relationship is, I’m not going to help you cheat on my best friend. If you belong to him then you're off-limits to me.”
“I just finished telling you that I don't belong to anyone.” I realized I was making the argument that I was available. That somehow he shouldn't worry about the arrangement with Dylan. The kiss had me upside down.
“I live by a code, Vanessa. I’m not going to break it.”
My chest heaved. Did the fact that he was telling me there would be no more kisses make me want more? I wanted to grab his hands and put them on my ass. I wanted to press my body into him. I wanted to feel his tongue again.
“And that kiss was within the code?” I was trying to understand.
He rubbed the scruff on his jaw. “Your engagement hasn’t been announced. I figured I had a little time until you were someone else’s woman.” He winked.
I didn’t know whether to be furious or grateful. Whether to throw him out of my office or ask him to throw me on the desk.
I also didn’t know how I was going to make it through this meeting without thinking about all of that. Isaac Price was dangerous.
12
Dylan
It all came down to an auction. The woman had fallen into my hands. I had to be the luckiest mother fucker there was on the team.
Isaac was with her now. He said they had a scheduled meeting. I figured he would break the news to her before Steve had a chance to talk to her about what happened last night. As long as Rocks wasn’t the one who ended up with her, I think we all could agree it was the best outcome for her.
And I got to fuck her this season.
I stood in the lobby, waiting for Candy to tell me I could be seen.
Isaac strolled down the hall.
“Hey brother, you headed in?” he asked.
I nodded. “Thought I should get the details worked out.”
“I told her.”
“How did it go?”
Isaac looked off to the side. Candy was listening to us eagerly. “Let’s go in here for a second.” I followed him into an empty conference room.
The Warriors logo was faded on the wall. I wondered what it was like to attend meetings here thirty years ago when the place wasn’t falling apart. I didn't think anybody was left from those days. McCade had done a pretty good job of running everyone off.
Sure, playing for the Warriors was a way to get in the door for the AFA. That's what the trainers told me. The sports docs. It was something they could put on their resumes. A job with a professional team, working with incredible athletes. But they had no intention of staying.
“What’s up? How was the meeting? What did she say when you told her?” I knew I sounded like a guy on prom night. Sex was only hours away and the tux and corsage were just a pretty package on the way to the inevitable.
Isaac leaned against the wall. “Look, I kissed her.”
“What the fuck, man?”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I won’t touch her once the engagement begins. I figured it was my last chance,” he admitted. “I didn’t do it to piss you off.”
The instinct to be mad vanished. I didn’t have a real claim on Vanessa. It was all fake. All for publicity. And I wasn’t the faithful type. Commitment didn’t mean anything to me. I wasn’t pissed at Isaac. It just surprised me coming from him.
I laughed. “I can’t blame you, she’s fucking gorgeous.”
“Yeah. Those eyes.” He looked down at his boots. “And you have her for the entire season. I didn’t think a kiss would matter. But I wanted to be upfront about it. It was the right thing to do.”
“And you always do the right thing,” I joked. Isaac was so honorable it wasn’t funny. His time with the Navy Seals was imprinted on his soul. There was no way to separate it from his character.
I tried to remember a time when he and I had ever been with the same girl. Or if we had ever fought over one. Not that that was the case now. We knew there was a brotherly code between us that wouldn’t be broken. Especially not by a woman. I trusted him.
“But she's okay with the whole thing?” I realize how fucking stupid I sounded. Like the nervous prom date.
Isaac slapped me on the shoulder. “I think she's in over her head. She doesn't know anything about the business, or running the team. It’s clear that Steve pushed her into this. I kind of feel bad for her.”
“Then I promise to take really good care of her.” I smiled. I knew there were a lot of ways I could take care of Vanessa McCade. One of them was in my bed.
“I’m sure you will. Hey, I'm going to head down to the locker room. I've got drills in 30 minutes. You do too,” he warned. Isaac always had to be early.
“I’ll see you down there. I want to talk to Vanessa before practice starts.”
I left Isaac in the elevator, while I went in search of Vanessa. She was behind her desk again, her head buried in her hands.
“Is this a bad time?”
I startled her. She knocked a stack of folders onto the floor.
“Shit,” she mumbled.
“Sorry.”
I walked toward her, stooping to help her with the folders. My hand brushed over the warm silkiness of her wrist. Damn, there was something about this woman that drove me wild. It shouldn't be like this. This was all part of the game. Part of the season. Part of my job to keep the team going. But I couldn't help it, I was fucking drawn to her.
“Thank you.” She smiled. “Isaac told me there was an auction last night.”
“Yeah, I'm pretty good at bidding.”
“This is awkward. I don't even know what to say.”
“Don't be nervous, darlin’. I’ve got this under control. Let me handle Steve and everything else.” I saw the tenseness ease from her shoulders as the words left my mouth.
“Really?”
I didn't know what I was saying. I had committed to more than a fake relationship.
“Yeah, really. You look a little overwhelmed, darlin’. Did you ever think to ask for help?”
Her eyes fell to the floor. “I did, a little. I just met with Isaac. I wanted to get the players’ perspective on what's happening with the team transition. I know everyone is worried about the money and the salary negotiations.
We rose from the floor and she restocked the pile of folders on the corner of her desk.
“Right. The Isaac meeting.” I broadened my shoulders.
I couldn't help it. There was something damn territorial ripping through me. It had taken hold of the lining of my muscles. I knew my best friend’s lips had been on hers. That he had felt her under his hands. I didn't know if it turned me on, or made me want to claim her as my own. My palm pressed into the desk as I cupped her cheek. Her eyes lifted to mine.
“I know he kissed you.”
“You do?”
I nodded. “So it’s my turn to try something.”
I didn't give her a chance to respond. I pressed my lips against hers, pushing my tongue inside her mouth.
“Oh God,” she mewed into my lips.
My tongue flicked along hers. I sucked her soft lips. It was like holding innocence and sweetness in my arms. It had been so long since I had touched a woman who felt pure. My cock throbbed. It was a turn-on I had forgotten about. I brushed the hair from her face.
What the fuck was happening? I had tried to sear my lips into hers. To wipe the taste of Isaac off her mouth. But I fucking loved it.
I took a step back, watching her try to catch her breath.
“I guess we get to do that and a lot more this season.” I knew my voice was dark and husky. It was the one I reserved for bed. When women begged for me to say their name in the dark. When the sheets were tangle
d around us and they were coming hard on my cock.
Vanessa made me feel primal. She made me feel animalistic. I wanted to pick her up, lay her across the desk, and show her what a warrior could do for her.
“I-I don't know what to say. Dylan, I need time to think. To process this. I know it's all a game to you and Isaac. My grandfather just died and I'm dealing with so much right now. I don't know if the engagement is a good idea. And all the kissing…the kissing is confusing.”
Fuck. I had gone overboard. Done too much. Pressed too hard. Too fast.
“Come on, darlin’. Don't say that. I'll be the best damn fiancé Austin has ever seen. I promise you that.”
She twirled in her chair, dropping her face into her palms. “It's just too much. All of it.”
I was a bastard. A damn bastard for taking advantage of her in this situation.
“I’m sorry, Vanessa.” I raised my hands in the air. “From here on out, I'll be a perfect gentleman. I swear.”
Her head rose from her hands. “I don't know if I can believe that. I've read a lot about you. The infamous Dylan James isn’t exactly known as a gentleman.” I thought I heard teasing tone in her voice.
“Is that so?”
I sat on the corner of her desk, facing her. If anyone walked in the office now they would think something was going on. But I didn't give a shit. The switch had flipped. I realized Vanessa needed something more than a quick fuck.
“I know a lot about you. My grandfather used to talk about you, you know.”
“He did?”
“You and Luke. Always causing trouble for him.” The corners of her pouty lips turned up. Damn, she had the most beautiful kissable lips.
“I didn’t know that, I’m sorry I caused your grandfather any trouble.”
“You’ve caused a lot of trouble for this team, haven’t you?”
I felt my cock twitch, straining in my jeans. I wanted to touch her again. I wanted to run my hands over her entire body. I wanted to do things to her no man had ever done.
“I think you're proud of your reputation.” She settled into her seat, crossing her arms. “You think it's some kind of badge of honor, don’t you?”
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