by Jaci Burton
He leaned in, for some reason needing to poke her a little. “Hey. I’ve got it covered.”
She inhaled, then let it out in a heavy sigh. “Fine.”
She slid into her car, her dress riding up her thighs and giving him a glimpse of her smooth silky legs as she climbed in.
Dammit. He was sure she’d done that on purpose.
He shut the door and she drove off.
He walked back inside the house, deciding he needed a minute or two to cool down before he left. He walked outside and stood staring out over the Intracoastal Waterway.
This was going to be rough. He was attracted to Harmony in ways he hadn’t expected. Normally he could fight an attraction, but she was smart and beautiful and hot and sexy and every time he was around her the chemistry between them grew more explosive.
She was also Drake’s little sister, and like it or not, that fact was going to have to stay front and center in his mind.
Six
Barrett was happy to be working out with his teammates. They weren’t officially at camp, but working out together to get in shape for training camp next month. He breathed in the energy of his teammates while he stretched and got down to business.
Barrett and Drake and most of the guys on the defense often got together at the gym during the off-season to work out together. Now it was summer and OTAs were over, so they brought in some of the rookies and free agents to join their daily workout routines. The team facility was always the best place to get a hard workout in and run drills on their own.
They generated a tough sweat as they pushed one another hard for the better part of three hours. Barrett and Drake worked with a few of the defensive rookies, putting them through their paces to see what they had.
It was going to be a good team this year.
“You up for going out tonight?” Drake asked as they made their way back to the lockers.
“What did you have in mind?”
“I know a couple of ladies.”
Barrett laughed and shook his head. His best friend always knew a couple of ladies. He knew more than a couple of ladies. Drake was popular with women. At six foot four and with his dark good looks and the way he smiled, for some reason women were attracted to him.
That man always had a woman on his arm.
A flash of a dark-skinned, dark-haired beauty entered Barrett’s head.
No. Absolutely not. He wouldn’t even entertain the idea of Harmony.
“Sure. Let’s do it.”
“All right,” Drake said, flashing his signature grin. “Let’s meet at Skye at nine.”
“You got it.”
Barrett went home and did some work on his computer, then took a short nap. It had been a long workout day, and he knew going out with Drake meant it would be a long night of partying. If he got lucky, maybe he’d be up all night with a smoking-hot woman.
After he grabbed something to eat, he got dressed and headed over to Club Skye, one of the hottest clubs in Ybor City. The parking lot was jam full of cars, but he and Drake often frequented the club and had VIP status, so he left his keys with the valet and since he knew the folks at the door, he didn’t have to wait in the lines. Drake had texted him that he was already inside at a VIP table, so he found his best friend, unsurprisingly having already accumulated about five women at the table, along with Steve Mittman and Mean Man Taylor.
“What took you so long?” Taylor asked. “You have to stop and get a pedicure?”
Barrett laughed. “Yeah. Make sure I’m all pretty for the ladies.”
One of the women, a cool redhead, slid up and put her hands on his shoulders. “You look pretty enough to me.”
The women here were always forward, anxious to be seen with a football player. Most of the time it suited him just fine. These women knew what they were after, and there were no games involved.
“What’s your name?” Barrett asked.
“Raquel. And you’re Barrett Cassidy. I’m a big fan of the Hawks.”
“Nice to meet you, Raquel.”
Barrett took a seat next to Drake and the guys. Raquel had decided to sit on his lap. He didn’t have much of a problem with that. She wore a short, barely there dress that slid up her perfect thighs, so he rested his hand on her butt while he and the guys talked football.
Tunes were rockin’, the hard liquor was flowing, and it was a good night. They all went out on the dance floor for a while, and Barrett was treated to Raquel’s moves.
She had plenty of them, which included her cupping his crotch and squeezing his dick.
Then she draped her arm around his neck, ground her pussy against his cock and talked dirty in his ear.
And he didn’t have a hard-on. What the hell was up with that? He’d only had one whiskey, so it wasn’t as if alcohol was affecting him.
He could have Raquel either in the private area of the VIP lounge or out in his SUV if he wanted her. He could take her home and he knew they could have a good time together. She’d made herself more than available. But for some reason, she left him cold. Maybe it was because his thoughts kept straying to someone warmer, with liquid amber eyes and curves that kept him up at night.
Try as he might, despite Raquel’s roaming hands and killer body, his mind was firmly on Harmony tonight.
Which was all kinds of wrong, but there it was.
He stayed about two hours, then leaned over and told Drake he was heading out.
Drake frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Got an early meeting with my attorney in the morning, so I can’t be hungover.”
Drake nodded. “I’ll see ya.”
Much to Raquel’s disappointment, he had to tell her he was heading out—alone.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he walked out of the club and to his SUV.
He normally got into the club scene, and while he’d enjoyed hanging out with the guys, the women just weren’t doing it for him tonight.
Maybe because only one woman was doing it for him.
And he had to find a way to get her out of his thoughts so he could go back to life as normal.
Seven
Barrett spent most of Saturday trying to talk himself out of going over to Harmony’s place.
In the end, he couldn’t figure out a legitimate reason why he shouldn’t go that wouldn’t make him look like a total wuss. So he decided he’d suck it up and do it. They could be friends. She was going to be working with him, so this was as good a time as any to get used to being around her.
He got into his SUV, turned up his radio and hit the highway.
He did the grocery shopping first, then drove out to her place. When he’d last come here with Drake, he’d paid no attention to where they were. Now he took the time to notice the community. Pretty nice complex with a good view of the water. He could see why she chose this location.
He parked and grabbed the grocery bags, walking the short distance to her door. He rang the bell and waited.
She didn’t answer.
He frowned and rang the bell again.
She finally opened the door, wearing a yellow and white sundress that was tight on top and full at the bottom and made him notice her body in ways he had no business noticing.
“Hey,” she said with a smile. “I was on the phone. Sorry it took me so long.”
“Not a problem.”
“Come on inside. It’s hot out there.”
He walked in, thankful she had the AC cranked up. “Feels good in here.”
“It’ll feel even better once you have something to drink. You can unload those bags on the counter.” She led him past the small living area.
He stopped and peered into the bathroom.
“Got it painted, I see. The green looks good.”
“Thanks.”
“So, whatever had you upset is out of your system now?”
Her lips quirked. “Yes.”
“Good to know.”
He stepped into the kitchen and laid his bags
on the counter.
“What would you like to drink?”
“A beer would be good.”
“Coming up.” She opened her refrigerator and pulled out a beer, handing it to him.
“Thanks.” He took out the chicken and slid it into her refrigerator, then pulled up a seat at her kitchen island and popped open the beer, taking a couple long swallows.
“Nice place.”
“Thank you.” She smiled. “I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it, and I knew it had to be mine. The view from the bedroom balcony is fantastic. I’ll give you a tour later.”
He wasn’t sure he wanted to be anywhere near her bedroom. She was already too tempting as it was. “That sounds great.”
She took a peek inside the grocery bags. “Interesting.”
His lips curved as he took another swallow of beer. “I’m going to rock your world tonight.”
She swiped her fingertip along the condensation sliding down her glass of iced tea. “I look forward to that.”
Her warm brown eyes melted him when she said those words, and his dick got hard.
Dammit.
“I meant the food, Harmony.”
She blinked an innocent smile. “Of course you did.”
“We discussed the rule.”
She shrugged. “That’s your rule, Barrett. Not mine.”
Damn she was frustrating. “It’s a rule I intend to adhere to.”
She reached across the island and patted his hand. “Whatever you say. So, would you like to see my town house? It’ll give you an idea of my decorating style.”
He got the idea she’d just patronized the hell out of him, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. But he wasn’t about to continue that line of conversation, so the best thing to do was let it drop. “Sure.”
“This is obviously the kitchen. I bought into the town house before it was built, so I chose the countertops, backsplash, cabinets and all the hardware.”
The kitchen was spacious. It had dark maple cabinets with dusky gray quartz counters and stainless steel appliances. The white and gray glass herringbone backsplash seemed to work well with everything else and wasn’t wild or crazy.
She moved around the island. “The flooring is actually a porcelain tile that looks like hardwood. I had it put in throughout the house.”
It was a dark terra cotta color, and really looked like wood flooring. “I like it. I definitely might want to consider it for my house.”
“I thought you might. Easy to clean, holds up much better to our high humidity than wood floors. We’ll talk about it when it comes time to order flooring.”
She led him into a spacious second living area.
“This is the family room, where I spend most of my time because of the view. It has a balcony as well.” She went to the doors and opened them, walking him out onto what was a decent-sized deck.
“I sacrificed backyard for two decks and a view,” she said, as she stepped out next to him.
The view of the water was pretty awesome. “This is nice. But I guess no dog for you, huh?”
She laughed. “Sadly, no. My hours are so erratic I don’t think it would be fair to get a dog anyway.”
He turned to her, leaning an elbow against the wood rail. “I remember when I first met you. You told me that after you graduated college you were going to get your own place because you wanted a puppy and your mom was allergic, so you couldn’t have one at her house.”
She frowned. “I said that? I don’t remember.”
“You told me that the first day we met. You told me a lot of things, because you talked all the time and never shut up, but that’s the one thing that stuck with me the most.”
She laughed. “I did have a tendency to talk a lot, especially when I was nervous.”
He cocked a brow. “I made you nervous?”
“Exceedingly.”
He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help stepping closer, breathing in that sweet, citrusy scent that always seemed to surround her. “You don’t seem nervous now.”
She stepped in as well, her fingertip tracing circles around his forearm. “I am most definitely not nervous around you now, Barrett. Back then I was young and inexperienced and not accustomed to being around extremely attractive men like you.”
This was dangerous territory and he knew better than to court that kind of danger. He should put his defenses up and maintain his distance.
But damn if he wanted to right now. Not when Harmony’s mouth was painted a sweet, kissable shade of plum, and her tongue swept out to lick across her bottom lip, tempting him to lean in and take a taste. Or maybe even a bite.
She leaned in, expecting it. So easy to grab hold of her and take what she offered, what they both wanted.
But then he thought about Drake, and how betrayed his best friend would feel if this happened between Harmony and him.
Nope. Not gonna happen. He took a step back. “So how about I cook us some dinner?”
He read the disappointment on Harmony’s face, but she immediately masked it with a smile. “Sure. I’m anxious to see if you can really cook.”
He moved in beside her as they headed downstairs. “Honey, I never say what I don’t mean.”
She lifted her gaze to his. “I’ll file that comment away for some future date.”
He had no idea what she meant by that, but when they got back into the kitchen, she started unpacking the grocery bags.
“I have no clue what you intend to do with all that stuff, but I’m happy to help.”
He shook his head. “Oh, no. You laid down the challenge and told me men fail you in the kitchen. You just sit there and watch. I’ve got this.”
Harmony had no idea what Barrett was going to cook for her today. He’d asked her if she had an outdoor grill, which she did, so she knew he’d be grilling whatever he cooked, which suited her just fine, since it was hot and she wasn’t keen on the idea of using the oven.
She watched as he used the meat mallet she’d provided for him to pound the hell out of the boneless chicken breasts until they were small rectangles. Then he melted butter in a bowl and added lemon juice and zest and set it aside.
“What are you going to do with that?” she asked.
He looked up at her. “You’ll see.”
He took another bowl and mixed parmesan cheese, fresh basil, garlic and more butter.
Whatever it was he was doing with that concoction, it made her hungry.
He laid the flattened chicken breasts out and filled them with the parmesan mixture, then folded the chicken over and secured each one with a toothpick.
“Oh I see,” she said. “Stuffed chicken breasts.”
“You got it.”
He got out wooden skewers and soaked them in water while he sliced a red, yellow and green bell pepper, a red onion, zucchini and a yellow squash. He mixed up a marinade of olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic, then tossed the vegetables in the marinade.
“We’ll let those sit for a few minutes while I start cooking the chicken.”
He stepped out onto the downstairs balcony where she had her grill.
Huh. Maybe he did know what he was doing after all. If so, he’d be the first man she’d ever known who had.
Typically, when she dated a guy, she did all the cooking while he sat back with a drink in his hand, metaphorically scratching his balls, waiting to be served.
She had no problem with traditional gender roles. She knew how to cook and she did it well. She actually enjoyed it. But she was also a professional career woman and she worked as damn hard as men did. Just once she’d like to date someone who appreciated that, who understood how hard she worked and would surprise her by having dinner on the table when she came home.
Hell, she’d be happy dating a man who would offer to do the dishes.
Her friend Alyssa was right. Harmony knew there were awesome men out there, the kind who could appreciate her. She just hadn’t found one yet.
Though
, focusing her attention back on Barrett, she found a glimmer of hope as she sat back, sipped her tea and watched him prepare the meal.
So unusual. But yet another reason to like this man.
He came back inside, and as he walked by she breathed in the grill scent on him.
Actually kind of an aphrodisiac.
“So where did you learn to cook?” she asked, as he pulled the vegetables from the marinade and laid them on a plate.
“My mom. And surprisingly, from my older brother Flynn. He’s taught me a few new cooking tricks over the past year.”
Her lips ticked up. “Not the typical types of things one hears uttered from the mouth of a big, well-muscled man.”
He laid his hands on her kitchen island. “Now that’s a sexist statement.”
“Probably. But still, you just don’t look like the cooking type.”
“There’s a cooking type? Do you ever watch cooking shows?”
“Frankly, no.”
“Trust me, there’s no cooking type. There are people from all walks of life who enjoy cooking, from kids to women—” He leveled a devastating smile on her. “Even men with muscles.”
She could tell she’d hit a raw nerve. “I’m sticking my foot in my mouth with this conversation, aren’t I?”
“Maybe a little. Which is the only reason I’m here today cooking you dinner.”
She didn’t buy it. “The only reason?”
He picked up the plate of skewered vegetables and made his way to her back door. “Trust me, Harmony. It’s the one and only reason.”
She smiled as she checked out his retreating form.
Only reason her ass. He could have said no, and he didn’t. He was here because he wanted to be here.
“Guy rule” be damned. She intended to take full advantage of their evening alone together.
Eight
Chicken was done, and just in time because the vegetables had a nice grilled edge to them. They looked tender and just about cooked to perfection.
Barrett might not be a master cook, but he’d learned enough from his mom and from Flynn to work his way around a kitchen, and definitely a grill.