Author: Jaci Burton

“Men. They’re difficult to understand sometimes. My Fred. Most of the time he’s so warm and loving. And then sometimes I’d like to bash him upside the head with my cast-iron skillet. Of course they’d arrest me if I killed him, so I call him names instead.”

She couldn’t imagine a mean word coming out of the tiny woman, but Savannah laughed. “Well, yes, killing them is illegal.”

Carmen linked her arm with Savannah’s. “They’re all a pain in the ass every now and then and require a lot of patience. But the great sex is worth it.”

Savannah blinked. “I’m sure it is. Thank you again for lunch, Carmen. I’ll just call a taxi.”

“You wait in here, then. It’s hot outside.” Carmen wandered off and Savannah stared after her.

Clearly Savannah had a lot to learn about men and women and relationships. Right now she was happy to be single.

She pulled out her phone when she walked outside, surprised to see Cole parked at the front door. He was leaning against the passenger-side door, his arms crossed in front of him.

“So maybe I do have a temper.”

She slipped her phone in her purse and walked toward him.

“And maybe I can be an asshole.”

She put on her sunglasses and tilted her head back.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “But not everything in your super secret file there is true.”

“Then start proving me wrong instead of proving everything in it is right.”

He clenched his jaw, but then he gave her a quick nod. He moved away and opened the door for her, helped her up, then climbed in on his side.

“Where to now?” he asked.

“I’m yours to command. Take me wherever you’re going.”

He relaxed his shoulders, shot her a grin, and started the car.

At least he didn’t stay angry long. Point in his favor.

FOUR

COLE DROVE SAVANNAH BACK TO HER CAR FIRST AND told her she’d need a change of clothes for later.

Since she intended to shadow him to determine his routine, she told him he might as well follow her to her place, then they could go in one car.

He’d expected her to live in a condo like he did, so he was surprised when she pulled into the driveway of a single-story home. The lawn was well maintained, with a huge tree in the front and a nice porch where two chairs and a table sat. Hanging pottery made it seem…homey.

“Wow. Nice digs. Team footing the bill for this?”

She didn’t answer and instead went to the door and opened it. He followed her inside, where it was also nice. It wasn’t a new home, but it was decorated nicely—all warm colors with overstuffed sofas and pillows and wood tables and flooring.

She laid her briefcase on the table. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Water is good.”

“Help yourself in the kitchen.” She headed toward her bedroom, then stopped at the doorway and turned to face him. “What kind of clothes will I need?”

“Got a party dress?”

“Define party dress.”

“Night club.”

“Yes.”

“Bring that. You can change at my place.”

“All right.” Savannah went to her closet and selected a black and white cocktail dress and a pair of shoes, bagged her makeup and some jewelry, and came back into the kitchen.

Cole had a bottled water in his hand and was standing at her back door, looking out at the lake.

She’d bought the house for the lake view. She liked having the unfenced property, didn’t want the obstruction to mar the beauty of the lake. She liked sitting out back and watching kids play and parents walking them along the path. Occasionally, ducks would frolic in the water. It gave her a sense of peace and allowed her mind to settle.

Her mind was definitely not settled now, not with a stunningly attractive man standing in her kitchen. He’d struck a casual pose and hadn’t yet noticed her, so he was relaxed and unguarded, just peering out at the water.

In profile, he was magnificent, his shoulders wide, his waist lean, and his face photogenic. No wonder the media ate him up. He had the longest eyelashes she’d ever seen on a man, and the way his hair curled at the nape of his neck made her itch to slide her fingers into the tendrils and see if it felt as soft and thick as it looked.

He finally spotted her, turned his head and smiled.

He took her breath away.

He was a client, not a date. Not a man she was going to sleep with, so everything on her body that was throbbing could just stop.

“I’m ready.”

“Let me take those.” He grabbed her garment bag and the small bag she’d placed her other things in. She opened the door and they went out and climbed into his SUV.

She watched his hands on the steering wheel as he drove. Strong, confident. He even drove the speed limit, though she wondered if he was on his best behavior because she was with him. She’d read his file—he’d gotten so many speeding tickets she was surprised he still had a driver’s license.

Which made her wonder just where one of those strong, confident hands would be if she were his date, not his image consultant.

Maybe she should have had two orgasms last night instead of just one. She’d been on the road a lot lately, and had nearly doubled her clientele in the past six months. Good for business, bad for her tension level. And none of those clients were of the sexy, fantasy-inducing quality like Cole Riley. He might have issues, but she wanted to devour him like her favorite homemade biscuits, all slathered in butter and honey.

Which got her to thinking about licking honey off Cole’s naked chest, her tongue dipping into the hollow of his oh-so-spectacular naked abs. Then she’d move lower…

“You’re quiet.”

Her gaze shot to his, her body in flames as she pushed the wicked fantasy to the back of her mind. She’d get back to it later. “Just taking in the view.”

He frowned. “We’re on the highway, Savannah. Not much to see but a lot of shopping centers and a blur of lights.”

“True. But I’m always driving. It’s nice to be a passenger for a change and get to take in the sights.”

He shrugged. “Whatever rocks your world.”

Cole, apparently, was rocking her world. In a most inappropriate way. She needed to get her mind back on track. It helped when Cole exited the highway and she had more to look at than the aforementioned shopping centers and lights.

“So, you haven’t bought a house?” she asked after he drove a few miles and pulled into a condominium complex and parked.

He got out and grabbed her stuff, then helped her out of the car.

“No. I’m single, have no pets, and who knows if I’ll end up being traded again. No sense in putting down money on property right now until I see if it works out with the Traders.”

She followed him to his front door and waited while he unlocked it. “That makes sense. Though with your income, I would imagine you’d need some tax breaks.”

He looked at her and smiled. “I have investments.”

“Good to know.”

He opened the door and turned on the lights. She stepped into a place she hadn’t expected. Definitely a bachelor pad, decorated with a lot of black and chrome, with a huge flat-screen television mounted on the wall, along with multiple game equipment. But it was neat and tidy, with leather couches and stellar décor, from lamps to tables and even a few throw pillows and accent rugs.

“This is very nice. You decorate it yourself?”

“Thanks. And no, I don’t have decorating talent. But I do have a sister. She did it for me.”

She followed him down the hall and into one of the bedrooms—she counted three. The master was huge, with a king-size bed, two dressers, and an enviable closet. This place might have more square footage than her house.

The bed had a light brown comforter and about nine pillows, which made her want to dive in and make herself at home.

“I’ll just lay this stuff on the bed. You can change before we go out.”

“That’ll be fine. Thanks.”

He led her into the living room, then turned. “Would you like a drink?”

“Sparkling water if you have it. If not, plain water is fine.”

“Sparkling it is.”

She took a seat on the sofa. “You keep your bar well stocked?”

“Yeah. For all those wild parties I throw.”

She cocked a brow, trying to determine if he was serious or not. “Seems to me you do plenty of public partying.”

He brought her the glass. “I don’t throw wild parties here. The last thing I want is to have a bunch of people at my place trashing it.”

“So you were joking.”

He sat on the loveseat across from the sofa. “You need to work on your sense of humor, Savannah.”

She bristled. “I have a sense of humor.”

“Do you?” He smiled behind his glass.

She decided at that moment that he was mean and she’d no longer have fantasies about him. She was cured.

“So, now what do you do with the rest of your day?”

“Since it’s before the season starts, I might play some video games until it’s time to go out.”

She grabbed her phone. “Too early to go out. So you’ll just hang out and play games?”

He reached over and took a binder from the coffee table. “No. Since I’m with a new team this year I have to learn the playbook. I need to study.”

She gave him a critical look. “Really.”

“Yeah, really. You don’t walk onto the field knowing every play. But if you’d rather play some games…”

“No, by all means. Do whatever it is you do. I have work of my own to do. I won’t get in your way.”

He opened the binder and started reading. She got out her phone and checked her email. After answering several, she pulled out her laptop, typed up some reports and made a few notes. She looked up occasionally to find Cole’s brows furrowed in concentration. He didn’t deviate as he went over page after page of the playbook. Not once, but three times.

She gave him credit for being thorough.

“How long does it take to learn the playbook?” she asked.

He didn’t look up at her. “A while. I need to know every play.”

“And there are a lot.”

He finally glanced up at her. “Yeah.”

She laid her work down next to her. “You work hard at your job.”

“Yes.”

“You want to be appreciated for what you do.”

“On the field. Not off.”

“Then why is so much attention paid to what you do off the field?”

He laid the book down and focused on her. “Wish I knew the answer to that.”

Interesting. She sensed the frustration in his voice. Maybe there was more to Cole than she thought. But that remained to be seen. They were only in the beginning stages. He was charming, no doubt. Polite enough, but he obviously had serious issues with his temper. She’d glimpsed that earlier, and she barely knew him.

But she knew enough that she wanted to know more. For the time being, she left him alone so he could do his work. She dug into her briefcase and did her own, and a few hours passed before Cole rose and told her it was time to get dressed.

“I figured we’d get something to eat before we went out. It could be a long night.”

He gave her use of his bedroom to change and freshen up her makeup, grabbing his clothes to change in one of the other rooms.

When she came out, he was waiting for her in the living room. Her breath caught. Dressed in black slacks and a black button-down shirt, he looked sexy. Compelling. And utterly dangerous to her already fragile libido.

He smiled at her. “You look sexy, Peaches.”

She couldn’t help the tingle at the nickname. “You should call me Savannah. I’m not your date or your girlfriend.”