"I'm glad we met too. Um, I just—"
Alex's lips grazed hers. They felt warm and gentle and generated absolutely no spark at all. It was… well, flat. Like a bottle of champagne that sat out overnight, uncorked. No fizz, no bubbles.
His fingertips gingerly crept under her shirt, the pads like ice frosting her bare skin. She drew in a deep breath; his musky scent made her stomach roll. It wasn't like Chris's heady, rich essence, the one to which she'd instantly become addicted. With each passing second, her body grew more and more numb under his demanding touch, rejecting any semblance of passion. Here was a guy who wanted to give her and Chloe everything they'd been missing for so long. But could he be the one to fill the emptiness in her heart and in her life?
CHAPTER THREE
CHRIS ROLLED OVER AND SLAMMED THE alarm. Sunlight streamed into the room. He squinted at the clock. Nine-thirty already?
"Mmm, what time is it?"
Dammit.
Things had gotten a little out of hand at the club. Okay, maybe more than a little. What had started as an innocent night out with the guys had turned into something significantly more X-rated. He squeezed his eyes shut, recounting the events. Bachelorette party, wild group of girls, way too much vodka. It was the normal sequence of events for a night out but it had almost felt… old. Wait, who the fuck was he, having these crazy thoughts?
He glanced at the blonde sprawled next to him, recalling their salacious night of pretty much anything goes. What was her name again?
His iPhone buzzed on the nightstand with another text from James.
Where the hell are you?
She opened her vibrant blue eyes and trailed her fingertips down his abdomen. "So… last night was… awesome."
It had been awesome. But there was a problem. He couldn't get Mia's smiling face out of his head. "It was pretty crazy." Why did it feel like he was missing something?
"Maybe we can do it again?" Her hand crept up his leg with a mischievous smile.
"That would be great, but I have to get to the office. I've got a meeting in about half an hour."
A look of disappointment flitted over her features. "Oh, well how about later tonight?"
"Tonight's not good, either. I have a work event." He tried in vain to recall her name. Come on, think! Kammie, Kara, Kayla? "I'll give you a call."
Her face lit up. "Perfect," she purred, slithering closer. With catlike motion, she stretched one long tanned leg over his torso, straddling him. Her plump pink lips turned up in a provocative smile. "I can't wait."
She arched her back, her ample breasts swelling against him. But her efforts were wasted. Nailing the naked girl who still remained nameless was the last thing on his mind. "Do I have your number?"
She hopped off him and jutted out her hip. "Give me your phone." After snapping a selfie, she typed something. With a flip of her bleached waves, she tossed the phone back and shimmied into her dress. "See you soon."
A moment later, the front door slammed.
He smirked and looked down at the phone. Kate. That was it. Not that he had any intention of calling, regardless of what went on the night before. No, someone else had managed to creep under his skin. He'd only met Mia twice, barely had more than a few snippets of conversation with her, but she permeated his thoughts more frequently than he cared to admit. He covered his face with his hands and groaned. "Enough! Since when do I let a girl get to me like this?"
Maybe he was finally bored with the chase.
He picked up the phone and glanced at Kate's selfie.
Maybe there was more to life than hot random sex and fake boobs.
"COME ON, CAN'T YOU move any faster?" Mia spun around and grinned at Jana, who flashed the evil eye in return.
"You're such a bitch. I'm going as fast as I can. These hills suck."
"I'm just teasing. Relax. We're still a little early."
"Early, huh? Like, for the first time in your life?" Jana took a swig of her water as they passed the crowded picnic area at Saw Mill Park. She swiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Who's playing basketball today? All your work peeps?"
"Some. Alison invited me the other day. The girl never plays a second of a game, but she's always front and center to admire the sweaty eye candy."
"Hmm, eye candy, huh? Now I get it."
"Stop. I thought it would be a good idea to network a little." Mia tightened her ponytail. "It's just a pick-up game."
"Don't show them all up, or they'll never invite you back. Have fun. I'm heading down there." She yawned and pointed to a grassy knoll overlooking the bay. "I need some sun and a nap. I was up so late last night, messing around with some new designs."
"Sweet dreams." Mia jogged in the opposite direction, shielding her eyes from the bright sun. As she neared the court, one lone figure stood at the foul line, poised to shoot.
Swish!
The ball landed cleanly in the net. Her breath caught when he scooped up the ball and fired it toward the basket again.
Chris Camden. Lord, he was such a beautiful specimen of a man.
A quick look around confirmed they were the first to arrive. Okay, no big deal. Just go over and say hi. But her heart refused to beat in time with her mind.
"Hey!" Chris's face lit up. "I didn't know you'd be here today."
"Yeah, Alison invited me. Said you guys need to learn a thing or two about jump shots."
A sexy grin appeared. "I'd gladly sign up for any instruction you're willing to provide."
Jesus, the guy was ridiculously forward. The hairs on her arms stood at attention under his appraising gaze. She cocked her head to one side. "Tsk-tsk. Do you really think I'll fall for that line?"
"If that one doesn't work, I can try another."
She laughed and slapped the basketball away from him. "Don't waste your breath. Come on, we've got some time before everyone else shows up. Let's see what you've got."
"Oh, so this is how it is. You need to be the one in control." He snickered as he ran after her. "That's cool. I love it when the ladies grab the reins. It's hot."
"Are you always this brazen? Especially with business associates?"
"Are you always this high-strung? Especially with business associates?" His smile made her toes curl and inspired very naughty thoughts about how much more inappropriate she'd like him to be.
"Relax, I'm just kidding around. I'm sorry if I offended you. I promise to behave myself now." He nodded toward the net. "Go ahead, take the shot."
She narrowed her eyes and trotted toward the basket, gaining speed as she approached. With a gravity-defying leap, she slammed the ball through the net. Her feet hit the concrete, and she let out a satisfied sigh. God, it felt so good every time she did that.
"Nice. Now, watch what I can do." He grabbed the ball and took off toward the opposite end of the court, taunting her. "Come on, don't you have any moves left to show off?"
She gritted her teeth and ran after him. A swift block caught him off-guard but not enough to drop the ball.
"Wow! Girl's aggressive!" He swung around, faking a shot. "Don't get mad. Here, try again."
He held out the ball and snatched it away. She grunted and slapped at it, but his grip was too tight.
"I don't think you're trying hard enough."
"You're about to foul me." And, oh Lord, she couldn't wait.
"Is that going to be a problem?"
Her eyes popped open wide. He laughed and rushed past her, running backward toward the net.
"Try to catch me now! You know you want—" He spun around, ready to shoot.
Crash!
Mia gasped. Chris slammed face-first against the metal pole. So much for his layup. With a loud groan, he fell to the ground. "Dammit!"
She ran over. "Oh my God! Are you okay?"
"My nose. Christ, that fucking hurt!"
"Let me see."
He uncovered his face and flashed a sheepish grin. "Am I still pretty?"
"You're just fine. How do
you feel? Is your head okay?"
"Yeah." He staggered to his feet. "Real smooth, huh?"
"You've definitely got game, Camden."
He winced and covered his nose again. "I hope it's not broken."
"I don't think it's broken, but you're bleeding."
"What?" He pulled his hand away, eyes wide. "Shit."
"It's not stopping. Do you have a towel or a shirt or something? It's getting worse."
He held his head and swayed backward. "Ohhh."
"What's the matter?"
"I can't handle the sight of blood."
"Even your own?"
"Especially my own." He moaned and clutched his stomach, unsteady on his feet. "I think I'm gonna—"
"Oh!" His body went limp, and she caught him right before he hit the ground. Having his body plastered against hers had been a lot hotter in her fantasies. "Chris!" She tapped his cheeks. "Come on, wake up!"
His hazel eyes fluttered open a second later, and she let out an exasperated sigh. "Seriously?"
"Look, I'm not perfect. Sorry to disappoint you." He touched his nose and grimaced. "It's still bleeding, isn't it?"
"Yes, badly. Just don't look, okay? I can't drag your dead weight to the EMS station." She pulled off her hoodie. "Take this."
"Pink, huh? Are sweats the only things you buy from Victoria's Secret?"
"You're making me want to leave you here so when your friends show up they see what a big baby you are."
"Okay, okay. I'll keep quiet. Will you give me a hand?"
She grunted as she hoisted him. "Can't you help at all?"
He looked down at the sweatshirt, and his eyes widened. "Uhhhh…"
"Oh no. Not again. You better hold it together." She snaked an arm around his waist. "Let's go. The EMS station isn't that far."
He clutched the sweatshirt to his face. "I'm keeping my eyes closed."
"Great. I'll just do all the work."
"I'll reserve my comment so you don't drop me."
His innuendos made her insides tingle. Her mind knew she was playing with fire, but her body was about ready to explode.
The EMS office was empty and stark. An overwhelming antiseptic scent filled her nostrils. At least it was clean. "Hello? Is anyone here?"
A young guy walked into the waiting room. "Whoa, what happened?"
"My friend crashed into a pole, and his nose won't stop bleeding. He needs some ice before it swells."
"Please make it stop." Chris wobbled a little and collapsed onto the couch.
The EMT smiled. "Why don't you stay there for a few minutes? I'll get an icepack."
Mia dropped next to him, a playful smile on her lips. "You're going to be fine. But you might reconsider playing basketball today. Wouldn't want to have a relapse in front of the crowds."
"Let's see how that nose looks." The EMT pulled the sweatshirt away. "Great, the bleeding has slowed. Just relax here for a little bit, and we'll see how you feel."
Chris looked up at Mia. "Am I a disaster?"
"Yes, but you look halfway decent, all things considered. After you get cleaned up, you'll be as good as new."
"Thanks for not leaving me unconscious on the court."
"You're welcome."
Their eyes locked, and the sound of a cell phone broke the spell.
He yanked it from his pocket, but it slipped from his fingers and launched across the floor. The image in the screen made her throat constrict. Holy shit. Kate. Ridiculously hot body. Insanely huge boobs. Was that his… girlfriend?
She lifted an eyebrow and handed him the phone between two fingers. "One of your cheerleaders?"
He glanced at the screen, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "Nah."
That was it? Ugh, what did it matter anyway?
"How's the bleeding?" She toyed with the end of her ponytail, trying to rid her mind of Kate's pornographic selfie.
He pulled the icepack away. "Looks like it finally stopped."
"Are you okay? I should probably get going."
"Oh, yeah, sure." He stood, clutching the arm of the couch.
"Do you want a ride home?"
"Nope, I can drive, but thanks." He flashed a sheepish smile as they walked outside. "I feel bad about ruining your sweatshirt."
"Don't worry about it. I'm just sorry you were too busy showing off when you should have been paying closer attention to that pole."
"That was really cold."
She giggled. "You're a good sport. A lot of guys would have been mortified about fainting in front of a girl."
"Mia!" Jana struggled up the hill, a look of alarm on her face. "What the hell happened to you? I went back to the court, but nobody was there. And I saw blood all over the place!"
"I'm fine." She pointed to Chris. "He, on the other hand, had a little um… accident. But he's good now."
"Jesus, that's a lot of blood."
He laughed. "Yeah, well, when I do something, I really go all the way."
"Uh-huh." Jana looked at Mia, a wicked gleam in her eye. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"
Mia felt a hot flush color her cheeks. How utterly convenient. "This is Chris Camden. We work together."
"I'm Mia's sister-in-law, Jana. It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise. I'll let you ladies get back to your afternoon. I think I'm going to take off before I smash into anything else." He held up the sweatshirt. "I owe you a new one."
"It's really fine." Mia shifted under Jana's curious stare. "I'll, um, see you soon."
"Definitely. Thanks again. Nice meeting you, Jana." With one final panty-melting grin, he walked toward the parking lot.
Jana folded her arms. "So."
"Yeah?"
"Alex doesn't stand a chance against this guy, does he?"
"What? You're crazy. I mean, yes, he's gorgeous, but believe me, there's nothing underneath it all." Nope, not with good old Kate and who knows how many others warming his bed at night?
"Maybe not, but who the hell cares? I'm not saying you have to marry him."
"We're colleagues. That's it. I helped him out. And I don't need to remind you that I have—"
"Alex. Yes, vanilla-flavored, simple syrupy Alex. I hear you. Too bad, though. You need someone like Chris to shake things up."
"Thanks, but I'm just fine." Mia pointed to the teams assembling on the basketball court. She wiped the beads of perspiration from her forehead. Funny, it wasn't warm at all where they were standing. "Can we please drop this? It's almost tip off."
CHAPTER FOUR
CHRIS GRABBED THE BUZZING IPHONE, JOLTED from thoughts of Mia in those just-tight-enough basketball shorts. "What's up, Jay?"
"Hey, Alison just called with details for the kickoff… in San Francisco."
"What the hell does that guy have against conference rooms?"
"Emerson marches to the beat of his own drummer. Have you forgotten about our pitch meeting already?"
Stanford Golf Course. Ugh. Not exactly his favorite pastime. "Where is he dragging us this time?"
"He's the keynote speaker at LaunchFest, so I guess he wants to kill two birds with one stone. We're meeting at the wharf."
"Can't wait to see what he's got in store for us." His mind wandered back to Mia's legs, certain he could come up with a variety of options, none of which involved work, James, Paul, or San Francisco.
"Paul's full of surprises, so who knows? What did you do last night? Or should I say whom?"
"Don't be so judgmental. I don't critique your choices."
"My choices? Like wanting to settle down with a great girl who makes me happier than I've ever been?"
"Exactly. We've got different objectives." Since when did said objectives include making a complete ass of himself? Maybe the crash had done more damage than he'd thought. Those not-so-subtle comments didn't just slip out on their own. And the half-naked selfie of… whatever the hell her name was certainly didn't help his cause.
"Fine. Do whatever makes you happy."
&nbs
p; "Trust me, it makes me extremely happy. Anyway, I can't get tied down now. I'm too busy trying to make LazerShark a household name." It sounded good in theory.
"Great, why don't you get your ass to the office so we can figure out how to make that happen? There's a lot to do before we meet tonight."
Chris rolled his eyes and hung up the phone. The thought of seeing Mia made his lower region spring to life. Only a few short hours until they met again. He'd replaced the bloody sweatshirt, although there were plenty of other things in Victoria's Secret he'd rather see her wearing, if only for a short time. Salacious thoughts swarmed his mind much more frequently than he'd like to admit. The fullness of those breasts, the curve of her slim hips, the roundness of that—
He smacked his hand to his forehead. Why did she have to be so fucking perfect?
MIA HURRIED AFTER PAUL later that evening, phone in hand. "Alison, can you let them know Paul's presentation ran late? We'll be at the wharf in twenty."
She struggled to keep up with his gait, cursing her heels with every scorching step, wishing for her beloved Nikes. "The car's waiting for us right over there."
Paul pulled out his iPhone and slid into the back seat. Mia flashed an apologetic smile at the driver as she climbed in next to him. "You have the address, right?"
The driver nodded. "It'll be a quick trip."
"I called Alison to let her know we're running behind." She dropped her bag on the seat and let out a deep sigh.
"Relax. They're not going anywhere without us." Paul focused his penetrating blue-eyed gaze on her. "Here's the deal on LazerShark. These guys have done a tremendous job building their business model. Investors are clamoring for a piece of the pie, but we need to make sure their strategy is tight as a drum to entice the highest bidders. Callahan is brilliant. He graduated top of his class at MIT. This is the third company he's built. His first one was a project for NASA. He also built a killer video game app while he was at school and sold it for a hefty sum, which he used to fund a portion of LazerShark. He knows the gaming industry inside and out. Selling the company isn't his objective."
"Got it. Not selling."
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