Bad Business

by Nicole Edwards

  “Thank you for doing this today,” I say. “I really think it went well.”

  “I had a good time.”

  I shift so that I can face him. “Stone, you’re a natural at this. The way you entertained those kids…That’s part of it, right? Not only being out on the field, but spending time with the fans, letting them see the real you. If you retire, you won’t have that.”

  “I get that, Savannah. I do.” He clearly doesn’t want to talk about this.

  “But there are other things to consider?” I probe, wanting him to open up.

  “Yeah,” he says with a huff. “Things like Luke Devereaux and the bullshit that comes along with being in the public eye.”

  “Fuck Luke Devereaux,” I snap. “He doesn’t get to take this away from you. Did you like hanging out with the kids?”

  “I did. I’ve never had a problem with these things,” he admits.

  For some reason, I don’t think he’s necessarily talking about the kids or the event. Rather than make an assumption, I wait for him to continue.

  Unfortunately, he doesn’t, which leaves an awkward silence lingering between us.

  When he pulls the SUV into Texas Roadhouse, I smile to myself. I like that we’re on the same page when it comes to restaurants. In fact, I like that we have so much in common.

  I meet him at the front of the Escalade, and once again he stuns me when he takes my hand and leads me into the restaurant. My first instinct is to pull away because I don’t want to take the chance that someone might see us. But I don’t pull away because, truthfully, I want him to touch me more than I care what other people might see or think.

  Unless, of course, those people include my father and brothers. I really need to give them an update on what’s going on. And I need to find a way to tell them the truth.

  The waitress seats us quickly, placing us in a booth in the back. We’ve got a little privacy for now, but that’ll likely change as the dinner crowd arrives.

  “Did you tell your mom about today’s event?” I ask, trying to make small talk after the waitress takes our order and delivers our drinks.

  “I did,” he says.

  “Next time, you should invite her out. She’s more than welcome to come to any of the events.”

  One dark eyebrow slowly lifts. “She would like that.”

  “Good. Then, I’ll make sure I get her a pass or an invite.”

  “Are you planning more?”

  I detect a hint of concern in his voice.

  “I was thinking about it.” I offer a small smile. “Why?”

  He meets my gaze. “Right now, I need to focus on the game, Savannah. With the playoffs coming up, I can’t divide myself like that.”

  I nod, understanding. “Okay.”

  Stone shakes his head slightly, then glances away from me. “It’s not that I don’t want to do them, but I really don’t have time for anything more.”

  Now I’m curious as to whether he’s talking merely about press interactions or if this has something to do with us.

  I reach for his hand, unable to help myself. I know what this looks like on the outside, but I can’t bring myself to care. Although I know we both agreed—maybe not officially—that we didn’t want anything serious, I can’t help but think this is going in that direction.

  “Does that mean we need to take a break?”

  When Stone meets my gaze again, I can tell he’s thinking hard about something. “No. That’s not…no.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.” His response is too quick, too clipped for me to believe him.

  “Did I do something?”

  Stone’s eyes soften and he shakes his head. “I’m just…” He shrugs.

  I give his hand a slight squeeze, then let go. “I didn’t mean to make this about us. I mean…I’m not assuming there is an us. Just that…”

  The smile that curls the side of his mouth is both sexy and sweet. “Oh, there’s an us.”

  I can’t help but stare at him, completely intrigued by the heat in his gaze. I don’t know where this thing is going, but I’m happy to see we’re on the same page.

  “Definitely an us,” he clarifies.

  “Good.” I sit up straight, exhaling. I know I need to lighten things up before we get too immersed in something that doesn’t need to be hashed out right now. “Then what d’ya say we eat dinner, then maybe go do somethin’ else after.”

  “Like what?”

  It’s my turn to shrug. “I’ll let you pick. Whatever you want.”

  “Whatever I want, huh?”

  The way he says it has my body heating. The glimmer in his dark eyes doesn’t help to cool me off either. I give a slight nod.

  “All right then.”

  “So, what are we gonna do?”

  He shakes his head. “Not telling you yet. You’ll find out after dinner.”

  “Does it involve a cheerleader outfit?” I say it teasingly, but I can’t help but wonder if the man is going to eventually convince me to dress up for him. The idea isn’t completely absurd. In fact, it’s kind of hot.

  Stone’s dark gaze lingers on mine for a second.

  Great. And now the man has me coiled in suspense. It’ll be a wonder if I can eat anything at all.

  Then again, knowing Stone, I should eat everything. I’ll probably need the energy.

  I hope.

  Chapter 24

  Stone

  “Miniature golf?” Savannah’s snarky tone makes me laugh.

  “You have a problem with it?” I tease as I take her hand and lead her across the parking lot toward the building. “Plus, they’ve got laser tag and go-karts.”

  “And this is your idea of a date?”

  My eyes snap down to hers as her hand comes up and covers her own mouth. She’s so damn cute.

  “A date, huh?” I like that she considers this a date. That means I’m not the only one who’s anticipating this thing moving forward.

  I mean, yeah, we’ve had some incredible sex, but it’s hard for me to know where I stand with her when she doesn’t talk to me for several days at a time.

  Turning so that I’m facing her, I plant my hands on her hips and pull her closer to me. Her head tilts back as she stares up at me.

  “Sorry, I didn’t—”

  I shut her up by lowering my mouth to hers. Savannah’s slight inhale makes it hard for me to want to go inside. I’d rather take her back to my place and pick up where we left off last weekend. Then again, spending time with her in any capacity does strange things to me, so I’m happy that she has agreed to tonight.

  “So, are you any good at miniature golf?” she asks when I pull back.

  “A little.” It’s a lie. I’m pretty good at it. My mother took me and my brother all the time when we were kids. There was a small place down the street from our house that didn’t charge an arm and a leg for admission, so we spent plenty of Saturday nights there. Of course, as I got older, I stopped spending much time there, but from time to time, Jeremy and I will take my mother because we know she enjoys it.

  “Well, how ’bout a wager then?” she says playfully.

  “A wager?” I like where this is going. Keeping my hands on her hips, I hold her close to me as I stare down into her face. “What did you have in mind?”

  She shrugs one shoulder. “I don’t know. What are you willin’ to give up?”

  I like that her drawl is thicker tonight. It’s sexy as hell, if I’m being honest. Plus, I’ve come to realize that it means I’m affecting her in some way.

  “How about the loser has to serve breakfast in bed to the winner tomorrow?”

  “Breakfast.” Her eyes light up.

  “Yeah. Naked. Bre
akfast has to be served naked.”

  Her eyes slowly travel down to my chest and then back up. I can tell she’s picturing me naked and my dick’s quite happy with that.

  “Okay. Loser serves the winner breakfast naked.”

  I’m not sure who’s the loser in this whole deal. Sounds to me like it’s a win-win, no matter what. Especially considering it means I’m going to have Savannah in my bed tonight.

  Savannah steps back and holds out her hand. I shake it before putting my arm over her shoulders and leading her into the building.

  * * *

  —

  Three hours later, we’re on our third round of golf. It’s down to the best of three. She won one, I won one, and neither of us won by a landslide, so it’s actually getting rather interesting. And Savannah is taking this very seriously. Granted, she’s been needling me along the way.

  “All right, hotshot,” Savannah says. “Last hole. You have to make it in one to win.”

  As competitive as I am, as much as I would love to see Savannah naked, serving me breakfast in bed, I’m not sure how I want to play this. And yes, I can make the hole in one, probably with my eyes closed, but honestly, I want to see Savannah’s face light up when she wins. Hell, I’d do pretty much anything to make that woman smile.

  “You gonna stand there all night?” she asks.

  I glare her way, then grin. “Maybe.”

  “Quit stallin’.”

  I set the ball on the starting mark, then stand up, eyeing the hole that I have to hit.

  “Are you scared?” Savannah mocks.

  I’m scared of a lot of things, but not whether or not I’ll get the ball in the hole. No, I’m more worried that the more time I spend with this woman, the more I’m going to fall for her.

  Because no matter how much I want to pretend otherwise, I can no longer deny that I’m falling hard for Savannah Andrews.

  Hard.

  And fast.

  Savannah

  Even as I watch Stone take the putt, I know he’s not going to miss the hole. I also know he’s a whole lot better at this than he has pretended to be. The guy could’ve very easily creamed me at this game. Sure, I’m not the worst in the world, but I could tell from the beginning that he was holding back.

  Not that I mind.

  I don’t even care if I win. I simply want to enjoy the carefree time we have together. Ever since we arrived, nothing else has mattered but being here. There has been no more discussion of work or reporters or today’s event. It’s been rather peaceful, nice.

  The ball rolls toward the hole, and I find myself holding my breath.

  Is he going to do it?

  Am I going to be serving him breakfast naked?

  I’m not even sure which way I hope this goes.

  The ball rolls until finally…

  Stone’s eyes snap over to me, and a huge grin lights up his entire face.

  “You sneaky, sneaky man.” I laugh because I can’t help it. I honestly thought he was going to give me this one, and I would get to see this fine specimen of man serving me breakfast in bed. Naked.

  When he moves toward me, I’m once again holding my breath, my grin threatening to split my face. Jason Stone makes me so freaking happy, and I’m not even sure why that is.

  “I won,” he says, his tone soft, not at all cocky.

  But there’s a heated glimmer in his eyes that says, I’m going to enjoy tonight for sure.

  “Well, I guess you did,” I tell him, putting my hands on his waist and gripping his T-shirt. “I guess that means I’ll be naked in the mornin’.”

  “Oh, you’ll be naked before then,” he says, his voice rough. “Long before then.”

  “Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep,” I tease.

  “Trust me. That’s one promise I fully intend to keep.”

  He takes my hand and leads me toward the building.

  “Where are we going?” I laugh.

  “Back to my place,” he states, his voice still rough with what I can only assume is desire. “Right now.”

  * * *

  —

  Forty-five minutes later, we are at his house.

  In front, parked in the huge circle drive.

  We didn’t even make it out of the SUV before I was pretty much trying to climb him like a jungle gym. And that’s how we ended up right here, with me straddling him in the front seat. He was kind enough to push the seat all the way back and tilt the steering wheel upward, which has given me just enough room to be pressed up against him fully.

  Breaking the kiss, I sit up straight and stare down at him. Stone’s hair is mussed more than usual, but that’s all thanks to my hands. I can’t seem to stop touching him, needing to be closer to him.

  “Where’re you goin’?” he drawls, his tone rough and raspy and oh so sexy.

  “I was thinkin’ you wanted me naked.”

  He lifts his head and peers out the window.

  There’s no one out there that I can tell. His house is set back from the street, and the large security gate pretty much ensures our privacy. At least, that’s what I’m hoping because I have the sudden urge to have him inside me right here and now. I don’t want to wait any longer.

  Granted, sex in any vehicle sounds much sexier than it actually is. It’s not like I can remove my clothes while I’m pressed up against him, so I have to pause for a moment as I plop over into the passenger seat and kick off my shoes and strip out of my leggings. Stone clearly knows what I’m aiming for because he deftly forces his jeans down to his thighs, then sheathes himself with a condom before I rejoin him in the driver’s seat.

  “Do you know how fucking hot you are?” he rasps, pulling my head closer to his.

  I shake my head.

  “God, Savannah…”

  He pulls my mouth down to his as I guide his rock-hard cock between my legs. I don’t pause before pressing the head against my entrance and sinking down on him.

  I groan into his mouth as he fills me, stretching me in a way that makes me gasp.

  “Jason…” God, he feels so good, so perfect. I never thought I’d crave sex like this. It’s never been an important factor in any of my previous relationships, but with Stone, I can’t seem to get enough.

  Hence the reason we’re now fucking in the front seat of his Escalade.

  Within minutes, we’re both breathing hard and the temperature has risen. The windows are fogged over, but I hardly notice because I’m too focused on the incredible way he makes me feel. His hand snaking beneath my sweater, his fingers pinching my nipples through my bra. I want more, but there’s no room for us to move, so I have to settle for what he’s giving me.

  “Oh, fuck…” He hisses as he grips my hips and jerks me down on him. He repeats the move over and over until I’m panting and moaning, clinging to the razor-sharp edge of a release that is likely going to blow my head off my shoulders.

  When he slams into me again and again, my fragile grip slips and I’m floating as my climax tears through me.

  “Fucking beautiful.” He groans as he pulls my hips forward and back, his cock driving deep with every shift until he’s groaning my name as he comes.

  Only then do I breathe, collapsing onto him, laughing as I come down from the incredible high.

  Stone chuckles. “I have to say, that’s a first for me.”

  “What is? Car sex?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  I lift my head and stare down at him. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Well, that’s a first for me, too.”

  His smile widens. “I’m wondering what other firsts we can accomplish.”

  “In one night?” I can’t contain the hopeful note in my voice.


  “Damn, woman.” He lifts his head and kisses me quickly. “I didn’t even think it was possible to like you more than I do.”

  And that statement…

  I’m not even sure Stone knows what he said, or how those simple words have me hovering on the cliff, ready to dive headfirst into something I didn’t even think I was ready for.

  But that’s exactly where I find myself.

  Chapter 25

  Stone

  My eyes open and I’m instantly greeted by the delicious scent of…

  I’m pretty sure that’s bacon I smell, and then it all comes to me. The wager from last night’s miniature golf, fucking Savannah in the front seat of my Escalade, leading her inside the house and then ravishing her once more on my bed before we both passed out cold.

  I glance over at the clock. It’s only five-thirty, but that’s not a bad thing because I have to be at practice by seven. Which means I don’t have much time before I need to drag my lazy ass out of bed. For the first time in a long time, I don’t want to move from where I am.

  Usually I’m up in an instant, ready for what the day has in store.

  Right now, I’m ready for something else entirely.

  I hear footsteps in the hall and I peer over at the door just in time to…

  “Holy fuck.”

  Savannah is carrying a small tray and yes, she’s wearing nothing more than her birthday suit. Her perfect tits are hidden by the items on the tray, but my imagination fills in the blank spots for me. Of course, then I let my gaze drop south, admiring her trim hips and the smooth skin between her toned thighs.

  “I figured you had practice this morning, so I thought I’d get an early start. Are you hungry?”

  Oh, yeah. I’m starving. But I have no interest in bacon or eggs or orange juice. I want the delicious woman who’s bringing me food.

  I don’t move, still eyeing her as she sets the tray on the nightstand before she turns to face me.

  “Look your fill,” she says in that seductive tone that makes my dick harder than it already was. “After all, you did win the bet.”