by Morgan Fox
Sam frowned. “Has he hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No. Just a past mistake I wish to not relive with someone like him. Besides, I’m a game to him.”
“How do you figure?”
She groaned, her face heating with annoyance over how not perfect he was for her. Did anyone see him when he was at the bar, how not available he was? “He’s always surrounded by all these bimbos, proving that he’s no different from the other losers I’ve encountered. All ego. All ‘look at me.’ All ‘I can nail anyone I want.’ I don’t need that kind of flash and self-centered bullshit.”
Sam’s brow rose up high on her forehead. “Then I think you’ll be surprised to find him in the private suite…alone.”
“What?”
“He came in earlier to watch the game and didn’t want anyone to know he was here.”
“He’s here?” Noble’s throat constricted. “He did?”
“Yep. He even asked if Jace would take care of him.”
Her pulse thudded at her temples. Why would he do that? What happened to his band of merry dumb-shits and the trailing line of fake-boobed airheads?
She tried to brush off what Sam told her, trying with all her might to pretend she didn’t want to go into the private suite to see him. “Oh, well, that’s nice.”
Sam smiled. “Yes, I suppose it is. It’s always nice to have a celebrity around to promote business. Too bad he’s not interested in sitting out with everyone else. It would definitely draw in a crowd.”
“Right. Business would be great if he did that.”
Sam patted her on her shoulder and left her with her thoughts. Thoughts that had her wishing she had better control over her feet, brain, and girly bits.
Chapter Three
Noble paced the kitchen, her feet wanting to cut a path to the private suite, but her mind feared the outcome. She was a confused mess. Why? She didn’t want to see him again. He was another football player she didn’t want to get involved with.
Then why am I so caught up over him?
She gritted her teeth, closing her eyes as her hands covered her face. She opened her eyes with a gasp as the sound of breaking glass crashed to the floor behind her. Turning, she saw Layton frozen in place as she stared down at the tray of food she’d been carrying, now covering the floor at her feet.
Jace moved around her and handed Noble a small bar tray with a water and cheese fries. “Take this into the private suite. I’ll help clean this up.”
“No, wait—”
“Are you going to argue with me over helping Layton?” he barked.
She closed her mouth, feeling like an ass. “No.”
“Thank you,” he said, chewing out the words as he moved to assist with the cleanup.
Slowly, Noble turned, sucked in a deep breath, and made her way toward the suite where Finn was waiting. A lead ball of nerves sat in her belly and her heart pounded with each step she took. For a moment, the world around her darkened, closing in on her like a monster emerging from under her bed, preparing to pull her down with it. But then she opened the door and caught sight of him watching the game on the biggest television the bar had to offer. The room was engulfed in color, bright recess lights from overhead as well as the massive screen at the front of the room. At first glance, Finn stole her breath, robbing her of her nervous thoughts.
He looked just like any other man would, sitting there watching a game. He was drinking water, not beer, and he really was alone. Not a single groupie in sight.
Closing the distance between them, she placed his water on the table and then his order of cheese fries. He stared at her, surprise in his eyes. Then he picked up his napkin and placed it on his lap, his attention on the food she’d brought.
He said nothing to her.
She furrowed her brow, unable to shake the one thing Sam had told her. “Why Jace?”
He looked up, his mouth full of fries. “Excuse me?”
She placed her hands on the tray, hugging it to her chest. “Why did you request Jace to wait on you?”
Why was she asking? Did it really matter why he wanted Jace?
No.
Yes.
He swallowed the food and took a sip of water. “I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable with me around,” he said matter-of-factly.
Uncomfortable?
She cringed, his answer sending an unsettling ripple through her. How did my disinterest in him become me being uncomfortable around him?
“I’m not uncomfortable,” she protested. “I never said I was uncomfortable.”
Looking past her, his gaze returned to the television. “If you say so.”
His cold, dismissive tone was like a jab. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He sat straight up in his chair, his gaze locked on her. His eyes flickered with an intensity she’d only see in her own eyes. Usually after someone had pissed her off.
“Woman, you’re giving me whiplash.”
She stiffened at his brusque tone, unsure of what he meant.
“I can’t win with you. I can’t do anything right, no matter what I do.” He pushed back in his chair to stand in front of her. Damn, he was tall. “I asked you out. You said no. Repeatedly. I’m respecting your decision.” He moved closer to her and she held her own, her chin jutting upward. “But you keep throwing these mixed signals at me, and I’m starting to wonder if you’re only interested in teasing me.”
“Me tease you?” She laughed. “Now that’s funny.”
“How is making a man crazed with thoughts of you funny?”
Now that made her take a step back. He was thinking about her? No way.
“I’m not interested in someone who only wants to fuck me,” she said blatantly. “That’s not my thing.”
He took another step toward her, eradicating the distance she’d made. “I never said I only wanted to fuck you.”
She laughed again. “Right. You expect me to believe you don’t have a new chick on your arm and in your bed nightly, weekly even. Whatever.”
“I’m not sure what kind of movies or books you read about men in sports, but it’s not like that for me. I’m not big on the random score.”
She shivered at his choice of words, affected by it more than she should be.
He brushed his fingers over her shoulder, sweeping back her hair. “I prefer the person I spend my nights with to know the real me. Not the one on the cover of magazines or on the football field.”
Why did she want to believe him? Why did the soft sweep of his fingers over her skin make her toes curl and her eyes dip to his mouth?
Because I’m an idiot.
She swallowed hard. “Right.”
He shook his head. “You know what, never mind. I can see whatever I say won’t matter. You’ve got this preconceived notion of who and what I am, so forget it. I won’t bother you anymore.” He grabbed his wallet out of his back pocket and dropped a cluster of bills onto the table. “Make sure Jace gets the tip.”
Noble’s eyes rounded—shock and disappointment flooded through her at a speed that made her dizzy and breathless. Her mouth dried as she watched his ridged body stalk from the room. How was it that, after a brief conversation, she’d become the asshole? Dropping the tray onto the table, she placed her hands behind her head, sure she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life letting him walk away.
* * * *
Finn kicked his foot up against the brick wall behind him, leaned against it, and folded his arms across his chest. Noble infuriated him. Testing him like no other ever had, challenging him to prove he wasn’t some schmuck. Damn, his father would get a rise out of this. Tease him about his tactics with the ladies—or the lack thereof. His old man had lassoed his mother by simply tipping his cowboy hat and saying ‘Howdy.’ Finn shook his head.
If only Noble thought my charms were as on par as my father’s had been for my mother.
The doors beside him burst open. “Finn, wait,” Noble shouted.
; He arched his brow, shifting his gaze in her direction. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes as blue as the sky. Damn, she was beautiful.
“Looking for me?”
Her chest rose and fell with her deep breaths. “I thought you were leaving.”
“I was.”
She moved closer to him, her movements slow and steady, almost nervous and unsure. “Then why didn’t you?”
“I was hopeful,” he admitted.
Another step.
“You were?”
He nodded, his gaze moving from her gorgeous eyes to her supple lips—lips he’d dreamed of tasting since the first time he’d seen her. His heart thudded at his temples as she drew closer. The look in her eyes confused him. Was that desire, uncertainty, or apathy?
She licked her lips and his world spun out of control, that little pink tip teasing him to take a chance. “I have an idea,” he told her, as a ferocious need welled up in him like he’d never felt before—a hunger that was making it hard to breathe.
She eyed him curiously. “What kind of idea?”
Why did it feel like his heart was about to burst right out of his chest? “The kind you can either agree to or disagree. The kind where you leave with me or I leave alone. Either way, it’s all your decision.”
“Stop speaking in code, Finn, and spill it.”
“Kiss me.”
She paused, the blood rushing into her face just like his own blood was rushing toward his cock. Her expression was priceless and all-consuming. He raised his hands in a nonthreatening manner.
“I think a kiss could answer a lot of questions for us,” he added.
“Is that so?” She dug her hands into her hips.
He nodded.
“Like?”
He quirked the corner of his mouth, thrilled that she hadn’t hauled off and struck him for his directness. “Like as in—you like the way I kiss, the way I taste. If you like the way I place my hands on your body, while I hold you against me.” He shoved away from the wall, facing her. “Like if the chemistry I think we have will be as explosive as I imaged it would be.”
Her eyes never moved from his and the moments that passed between them were the longest moments he’d ever experienced. Longer than any last remaining seconds left on the clock during a clincher of a football game where only one point separated the winner from the loser. Father Time was jacking with him and crushing him with its ticking hands. Then he saw it, the twinkle of heat in her eyes that told him she was on board with the idea.
Was he just imagining it?
I hope not.
He moved toward her, his fingers sliding through her blonde hair—hair that draped down her back in a long ponytail and was as soft as silk. Feels so good. He wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck, supporting her head to look up at him. His other hand molded to the small of her back and pulled her against him until their hips touched. Only their clothing separated them.
He lowered his head, his eyes locked on hers as he slowly closed in on her mouth. As much as he wanted to devour her, he was gentle, taming the wild beast inside him that was so overcome by this woman. She was a temptation he couldn’t avoid, and now as his lips touched hers, he knew he’d want more and prayed she did, too. For her, he would make it soft and sweet. He wouldn’t rush her. She was a runner. This was obvious. But he would definitely leave his mark, even if this was the last time his mouth tasted hers.
When her arms circled his waist, he drew his arms around her, rubbing her back and touching as much of her as he could. Testing the waters, he probed his tongue against her lips, and when she responded with a moan, he pressed harder. She opened for him, and in an instant she was matching his tongue stroke for stroke, tasting him as thoroughly as he was tasting her. His cock grew painfully hard, as he was holding her against him, wanting more than just a kiss. But not yet. He would never rush something so delectable, so incredibly different.
Noble was always on his mind and he wouldn’t risk screwing it up by pressuring her. She had to have control. He’d learned that about her. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss. Gazing down at her, he grinned as her eyes remained closed. Please be a good thing. But when her eyes opened and she twisted her face into an awkward expression, he feared he’d over exaggerated his kissing ability.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and patted him on his shoulders. “So there’s that,” she told him.
He didn’t know what to say. Did she like it? Did she hate it? Was she about to give him the ‘that was nice, but’ bullshit? Ah, hell, she was rejecting him. Again. How had he overshot himself?
He studied her for clarity. “There’s that?”
“Yep. Now that that’s over with, we can move on.”
So that’s what being crushed by a boulder feels like.
“All right then,” he said, clearing his throat and lowering his gaze to the space that now separated them. “Can’t say I didn’t try.”
She covered her mouth to hide her amusement, before telling him, “You were right.”
Was she baiting him?
He shook his head, utterly confused by this woman—a woman who was most likely bipolar. If he spent another second with her, things between them could get insanely messy and way too complicated.
But whoever said easy and neat was the best option?
I’ll bite. “What was I right about?”
She moved closer, shoved onto her toes, and kissed him. She hissed as if touching his lips burned. When she eased back, she bit her lower lip. “There’s definitely chemistry.”
Relief exploded within him and he chuckled.
Her expression softened. “I have to confess that I really didn’t want there to be.”
He placed his hands on the place where his jeans hung on his hips. “For a second, I thought you hated it.” He moved closer again, this time to cup her face in his hands. “Does this mean you’ll have coffee—no, wait—tea with me?”
“I’d love some coffee.” She winked.
“Right.” She’d only told him she didn’t like coffee to deflect him from asking her out. “Coffee it is.”
* * * *
Noble opened the door to her favorite coffee house, and the fresh aroma surrounded her within its heavenly cocoon. She closed her eyes for a brief second, inhaling deeply. The euphoric fragrance took her back to a time when she and her father had first shared a cup of coffee together. She was six and too excited to sleep any longer. Her father was up early to go back to work. A project was keeping him away most of the time and seeing him was the highlight of her day, even if just for morning coffee or breakfast. It was a special time in her life—one she missed dearly.
Glancing around the room, she spotted Finn, standing beside a table wearing the sexiest grin she’d ever seen. As she slipped from the fog of her memory, her body stirred.
She exhaled slowly, reminding herself that it was a coffee shop and not his bedroom—a place she imagined was dark, smelled of gym clothes, and was covered with sports magazines and pizza boxes. Something very close to the way things had looked when she slipped into River’s dorm room all those years ago.
Her body welled with jitters. Avoiding Finn, denying her attraction to him had been so much easier than giving him a chance to prove her wrong. She wanted to believe he was different, but there was still a chance that her instincts about football quarterbacks were dead on. Treading lightly was her goal. But staring at him as she approached the table, his soulful eyes and genuine smile, she prayed she had the strength to keep her girly bits under control while her mind figured out his agenda.
“Good morning,” he said, sounding way too cheerful for six in the morning.
“Morning.”
He pulled out a chair for her and she sat down. “May I get you a drink?”
She ordered her usual. “The largest iced coffee I could get would be great. One sweetener. Nonfat milk.”
Smiling, he moved to the counter to order for her. She had a difficult time keeping her eyes
off his perfectly molded and jean-covered ass. His legs were long and muscular. She wondered if his ass was as hard as it looked. Her fingers tingled, responding to an insatiable need to squeeze and explore every inch of his tone, sculpted body.
That was one thing Finn had going for him—he looked like an Adonis, and it was her kryptonite. His eyes and smile only made matters more difficult. She couldn’t stop wanting him to look at her the way he had after she’d kissed him. It felt as if he only ever gave that look to her, shared his lips with her, and saved himself for her. Only her. But that was silly, and again she reminded herself to stop being that naïve girl that had been shamed back in college.
He returned with two cups in his hand—one hot drink and one iced. He placed her drink in front of her and took the seat beside her. The sun was slowly coming out, and a soft gray, morning glow lit the sky.
“So you have practice today?”
He nodded. “Yep. We meet after eight and work until the coach says we can stop.”
“You won your last game, so maybe he’ll go easy on you.”
She sipped her coffee, and his honey-smooth chuckle slipped into her ears. She liked the way he laughed, liked the way the soft lines formed around his eyes when he smiled.
“It’s the other way around for us. Coach thinks when we do well, we need more practice. When we don’t…well, I don’t want to think about when we don’t.”
“Good idea. Keep it positive.”
“What about you? Are you teaching today?”
“I have a nine o’clock class this morning and one this evening.”
“Two classes in one day. That sounds like a lot.”
She smiled, feeling her face warm. “I love it. My parents were fitness freaks. They got me into it. The alternative is the classic couch potato, which I’m not.”
The corner of his mouth curved into a lopsided grin, and she was compelled to lean across the table and kiss him. There was something incredibly sexy and unavoidable about her attraction to him. How had she ever been able to ignore him?
“Why the two jobs?”
“Spin instructor by day. Bartending waitress at night.” She laughed. “I love instructing, but the pay is not great. Bartending, however, pays the bills.”