Author: Jaci Burton

“I don’t think you like being told what to do, and that’s exactly what my job entails.”

“So you’re already setting me up for failure before I even start?”

“I didn’t say that. Maybe this is the problem you have with the media, Cole. You’re contentious and see things that aren’t there.”

He pushed off the trunk and bridged the gap between them. “I never see things that aren’t there. I’m pretty smart for a dumb football player. I think you like to challenge me.”

“I don’t think you’re dumb. And I’m not challenging you. I’m preparing you.”

He picked up a lock of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers, his gaze holding steady on her face. “I’m ready for you, Peaches. Bring it on.”

Was he deliberately being seductive, or did it just come naturally to him without his even realizing what he was doing? This had to be a practiced move. It was a good one, too, because her breasts swelled, her nipples tightened, and she was ready to fall into his arms and take a nibble out of his lower lip.

Lord have mercy but the man was tempting. Tall, with a rock-hard sexy body, and there was something about his neck she found so enticing. He smelled good, his eyes mesmerized her, and he was clearly the devil in blue jeans and a tight black T-shirt. She needed to stay far, far away from him.

She took a step back. “May I have my keys?”

He dangled them in front of her. She snatched them and unlocked the door, then slid in.

He shut the door, then leaned his arms against it, so close she could count his eyelashes and inhale his scent.

Get a grip, Savannah. She turned to face him.

“I’ll call you in the morning.”

“Sure. Good night, Savannah.”

His face was inches from hers. If he dipped his head in just a little bit, he’d kiss her. If she tilted her face up a little…

No. What was she thinking? After the night at the wedding, she’d vowed that wouldn’t happen again. She’d been so close to giving in, and that would have been a disaster. If they hadn’t been outside in a public place when he’d kissed her that night, she’d have been naked and he’d have been inside her in minutes.

And she wouldn’t have objected.

“Good night.” She started up the car and put it in gear. He paused for a second, then pulled away. She backed out of the driveway and finally released the breath she’d held for what had seemed like an eternity.

What was wrong with her anyway? She needed to gain control of her runaway libido. This was going to be a very tough assignment. She’d never been attracted to one of her clients before.

And she was determined to fight the attraction to Cole. She was stronger than this, rigid in her dedication to her job.

Work had always come first, and it always would.

COLE SMILED AS HE WATCHED SAVANNAH DRIVE OFF.

There were a lot of things he didn’t know about, but there were things he knew a lot about. One of those things was women.

Savannah had wanted him to kiss her. It had been written all over her blushing face. The intent had been in her eyes and in the way she positioned her head. He could read signals clearly. It was part of his job as a wide receiver. Body language was everything. If she’d leaned forward a fraction of an inch he would have had his mouth on hers in an instant.

But she hesitated. He could have initiated, of course, and he doubted she would have balked, but this was her game to play, at least for now. He had no problem simultaneously working and playing with her, but obviously she did.

He’d wear her down.

Grinning, he pivoted and headed back into his parents’ house.

TEN

COLE’S PHONE RANG AT SIX GODDAMNED O’CLOCK. HE picked it up and growled at it, then looked at the display.

It was Savannah. He punched the button.

“What?”

“Your schedule says you have team practice this morning.”

“Yeah. So?”

“I’ll be on the field to watch.”

“So you called just to tell me that?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. See you there.” He hung up and flung the phone on the bed, diving back under his pillow. Practice wasn’t for three more hours, which meant he could sleep two more hours.

Or not.

Shit. He tried, but he couldn’t go back to sleep, so he got up, took a shower, and fixed himself eggs and bacon for breakfast, then headed to the practice facility to do a workout before drills.

The offense was there, including his competition—Jamarcus, Lon, and the new kid, Kenny Lawton, a hotshot rookie out of Texas who’d been covered nonstop by the media. According to the press, the kid was a future star wide receiver. He’d run a 4:32 in the forty-yard dash at camp before the draft, and everyone wanted him. The Traders were lucky to pick him up.

And now Cole, at twenty-nine years old, was going to have to compete with a twenty-one-year-old who was younger and faster.

Even worse, the kid was polite as hell with no obvious skeletons in his closet.

Cole had a lot to prove. So maybe it was a good idea to have Savannah on board.

He nodded to the other guys as he moved from the workout room outside to the practice field and started doing warm-ups. Bill, the athletic trainer, came out to work with the players. Since Jamarcus and Lon were returning veterans to the team, Bill got them set up on some reps, then came over to work with Cole.

“Let’s see what you’ve got today,” Bill said, putting Cole through warm-ups, then conditioning drills to test his endurance and skill set.

After an hour, Cole was dripping with sweat, his breath sawing in and out from running one end of the field to the other.

And Cole thought Mario was the devil? Bill was a tough trainer.

He didn’t know when Savannah had shown up. Dressed casually today in capri pants, tennis shoes, and a short-sleeved top with her hair in a ponytail, she was on the sidelines in conversation with Coach Tallarino. Coach had his clipboard and whistle and, despite needing to run his team, he was having an intense conversation with Savannah. Occasionally, he’d look over at Cole and nod while she talked.

“That your girlfriend talking to Coach?” Jamarcus pulled up next to him.

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Who is she?” Lon asked, stopping short after a long run.

“She’s my…assistant.”

“Yeah? They let your assistant come on the field during practice? And, dude, that’s one hell of a good-looking assistant. How come she gets to talk to Coach?”

“They know each other.”

“How do they know each other?”

He was digging the hole deeper and deeper with every lie. “I don’t know. By marriage or somebody’s cousin or something. I didn’t get the details. I just know she knows his family or something.”

“Huh.” Jamarcus studied her. “She’s talking to him for a long time. They must be close.”

“Who’s the pretty girl?” Kenny asked, not even winded from his drills.

Bastard.

“Riley’s assistant,” Lon said.

“No kidding. Someday maybe I’ll be important enough to have an assistant. Hope she’s as good-looking as yours, Riley.”

Kenny ran off to do more drills. Before he got himself into even more trouble, Cole headed toward the sidelines.

“I was just talking to Savannah. She said the two of you have already gotten started,” Coach said.

“We have.”

“Good. I have high expectations of you this year, Riley. Don’t fuck this up.”

“I don’t intend to, Coach.”

Coach wandered off, leaving him with Savannah.

“Looks like you were playing nice with your teammates this morning.”

“They asked about you.”

“Did they? And what did you tell them?”

“That you were my assistant.”

She arched a brow. “Really. Would you like me to fetch you a drink to really sell it?”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

She went over to the table where cups were set up. “I insist.”

She handed him a drink. “I’d hate anyone to find out my real job here. I know how that worries you, so I’ll stay stealthy for you.”

He rolled his eyes at her, but took the cup from her hand and downed it in two swallows. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

She lifted her warm gaze to his.

“So what were you talking with Coach about?” he asked.

“The team in general. His plans for the season.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he shared all that with you.”

“You might be surprised what he shares with me.”

He wanted to ask her what they’d talked about in reference to him, but he wouldn’t. “I need to get back to work.”

“Go ahead. Play nice with the other kids.”

He headed back onto the field. He worked with the other receivers on the designated plays he’d learned, watching the other guys at wide receiver to size up his competition.

Kenny was good, but he was green. He was fast, but he had a lot to learn. He wasn’t going to be competition for a year or two yet. Jamarcus and Lon, however, were seasoned, fit well with the team. Blockers respected them, they were in sync with Grant Cassidy, the quarterback, and their timing was good.

They were going to be his fiercest competitors. He’d have to watch out for those two, make sure he could beat them so he’d end up the number one receiver on the team.

When it was time for the tight ends to do their drills, he headed over to the sidelines to get another drink while Jamarcus and Lon huddled up with Kenny.

“You keep yourself separate from your teammates.”

He downed one drink, reached for another, then turned to Savannah. “Huh?”

“Look on the field. The other wide receivers are together and talking. You’re over here.”

“I was thirsty.”

“You need to hang out with them.”

“No. Why should I?”

She sighed. “Because you’re part of a team. That’s what you do. When practice is over you rehash with the other players in your position.”

He shrugged. “That’s not how I do it.”

She took his arm and led him away from the other guys. “Maybe not in the past, but it’s how you need to do it now. Part of your image needs to be that of a team player. We alter your image—the one everyone’s had negative issues with—by showing you’ve changed since coming to the Traders, that you’re more willing to play ball, so to speak.”

“I’m not going to change who I am, Peaches.”

“That’s exactly what you’re going to do. That’s why Elizabeth and the Traders brought me in. To change who you are, at least on the outside. Who you are in here”—she laid her hand on his chest—“that doesn’t change.”

Tension coiled up inside him. “I don’t see any reason why I have to be friendly with those guys. They’re my competition. We’re all after the same thing—the ball. Playing nice with them doesn’t gain me anything.”

She took a deep breath and let it out. “You need to become friendly with everyone on this team. From the quarterback to the offensive line to every player on the defense and special teams, you’re all after the same thing—that big trophy on the last game of the season and a Super Bowl ring on your finger. The only way to get those is to work as a cohesive unit. The way you’ve gone about it in the past is all wrong. You on one side and everyone else on the other is only going to guarantee two things. One, you don’t get the ball in your hands as much as you want, and two, the potential for your team to lose is greater because of inner turmoil. Is that what you want?”