Playing to Win Read online

Page 15

  Author: Jaci Burton

  “And I said no. ”

  “It would have been inappropriate for me to ignore you. We work together. ”

  “No one needed to know that. ”

  “You hardly need to shove me in a closet, Cole. ”

  He lifted his head and looked around. She squeezed his hand to grab his attention. “What you and I do together is between us. I didn’t say anything to your family that you need to worry about. ”

  He gave her a terse nod.

  “Though I don’t think you need to be ashamed of it. ”

  “I’m not ashamed of anything I do. ”

  “Are you sure? Why do you feel the need to hide me away like I’m some deep, dark secret?”

  “I told you. I like to keep my personal life separate from my professional life. ”

  “It seems to work out just fine for your cousin. Look at all the friends Gavin has here at his wedding. So many from his team. ”

  “That’s his deal, not mine. ”

  “Maybe it should be your deal. If you make friends with your teammates, it makes for better game play—”

  “There’s nothing wrong with the way I play. ”

  “May I finish?”

  He clamped his lips together.

  “It makes for better game play and fosters a sense of team camaraderie. Surely you know this from playing organized sports since you were a kid, through high school and then again in college. A team needs to be a cohesive unit in order to operate at prime efficiency. If one cog in the wheel is broken, the entire team suffers. ”

  “I line up where I’m supposed to, and I catch the ball like I’m supposed to. My stats speak for themselves. ”

  He looked away. She squeezed his hand again to get his attention.

  “So does your behavior and the fact that no team has bent over backward to keep you in the entire time you’ve been with the NFL. That speaks volumes. ”

  “I didn’t come here to work tonight, Savannah. ”

  Frustrated at where this conversation was going, she let go of his hand. “You know what, you’re right. Neither did I. Relax and enjoy your cousin’s wedding. ”

  SHIT.

  Cole watched Savannah walk away. He’d hurt her feelings.

  Then again, maybe he hadn’t. She was cold and precise and doing her job, no matter what she told him about being invited to the wedding.

  She might look beautiful in a black dress that showed off her curves and her amazing legs, but she’d come here tonight for one reason and one reason only—to keep an eye on him, to monitor his behavior and report to the team.

  She was his worst goddamn nightmare, and just as bad as the media stalking him.

  A tap on his shoulder made him turn away from Savannah’s retreating form.

  It was Elizabeth, dancing with Gavin.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he said, replacing his sour expression with a grin. “And you look nice, too, Liz. ”

  Gavin snorted. “You can have my bride for a few since you’re standing in the middle of the dance floor with no partner. I need to talk to the photographer. ”

  “Glad to. ” He took Elizabeth in his arms and swept her around the floor.

  Liz laughed. “Lose your dance partner?”

  “She needed to…uh…take a break. ”

  “Uh-huh. ”

  He twirled her around, hoping they weren’t going to discuss Savannah.

  Liz’s arched a brow. “Aren’t you smooth. ”

  “All football players are, honey. ”

  “Yeah, yeah. That’s what they all tell me. So how’s it going with Savannah? I saw the two of you dancing. ”

  “It’s going just great. ”

  “From the tight set of your jaw I’m thinking you’re lying to me. ”

  He met her curious gaze. “It’s your wedding day. Let’s not get into this. ”

  “Oh, let’s do. Tell me what’s going on. ”

  He blew out a frustrated breath. “Look, I’ll put up with her invading my work life, but she had no business being here tonight. I don’t like her butting into my personal life. ”

  She laughed. “Your ego never fails to amaze me. She’s here tonight because I invited her. Yes, she’s someone I recommend to players, but she’s also a good friend to me and has been for years. ”

  “Huh. ”

  Liz rolled her eyes. “You are such a dumbass. You thought, what? That she was stalking you or something?”

  “Or something. ”

  “I don’t think you’re that important to her. You’re just a job, Cole. Quit acting like such a douchebag. And believe me when I tell you this, because you’re family now. Otherwise I wouldn’t bother because you’re already a pain in my ass. ”

  He looked down at her, caught the sparkle and grin, and laughed. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll fix this. ”

  “You do that. I’m going to go find my sexy husband. Oh, god. I have a husband now. Maybe I need a shot of tequila first. ” She lifted up, kissed his cheek, and wandered off.

  Yeah, so he was an asshole. And overly sensitive like Savannah had told him. He grabbed a beer and found Savannah at her table nursing a glass of wine. He pulled up a chair.

  “Okay, so I was wrong. Again. ”

  She smiled at him, obviously not hurt or upset. “I’m amazed you didn’t choke getting those words out. ”

  “Hey, I know how to apologize when I’m wrong. ”

  “Then we’re taking a step in the right direction, aren’t we?”

  “We as in you and me, or me as in my…image?”

  She lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip. “I thought we already established that I wasn’t here to work tonight. ”

  He leaned back in the chair and took a long swallow of beer. “So you’re here solo tonight?”

  “Yes. ”

  “Dating anyone?”

  “Not at the moment. ”

  “I imagine someone as beautiful as you has a pretty active social life. ”

  She frowned. “Cole, you’re not by any chance hitting on me, are you?”

  He smiled at her. “Nope. Just trying to get to know you. If we’re going to work together, this should be a two-way street. I figure I should find out a little more about you, too. ”

  “I don’t think that includes discovering anything about my dating life. ”

  “Why not? You get to know all about mine. ”

  “You don’t have one. ”

  It irked him that she seemed so confident in that statement. “I could have a girlfriend. ”

  “But you don’t. ”

  He cocked a brow. “How do you know?”

  “That’s part of my job. ”

  He leaned forward. “You know all about me, but I don’t know nearly enough about you. I’ll be more comfortable working with you if I get to know you. ”

  She swirled her drink around the glass. “Nice try. ”

  “So you have secrets. ”

  “No, I don’t. ”

  “Everyone does, Savannah. ”

  “I have nothing to hide. I just don’t think my personal life is any of your business. ”

  He enjoyed this sassy side of her, but he wasn’t sure if she really wanted him to mind his own business, or if this was her way of coy flirting. Only one way to find out. “Now see, when you say that it makes you mysterious, like you have juicy skeletons in your closet. ”

  Especially when she gave him that cold Southern stare.

  “Maybe an ex-husband, or some scandal?”

  She covered it up with a salty smile. “Remember, Cole, this is all about you. Not me. ” She stood and grabbed her bag.

  “You’re leaving?”

  “Yes. ”

  “Party’s not over. ”

  “It is for me. ”

  “So you’re a coward. ”

  She stilled. “I am not. ”

  “Then why are you running as soon as I try to dig into your personal life?”

  She laid her bag down on the table. “That has nothing to do with my life. I thought you were more content to avoid me tonight. Didn’t you want me out of the way?”

  “I want you out of my personal life. ”

  “That’s not going to be possible. So make up your mind what you want. ”

  What he wanted was her stripped naked and in his bed. He supposed that was as personal as it got. But he could also separate her from the rest of his life. If he could manage that and do what he wanted to do with her, then he’d be satisfied.

  When a slow song played, he held out his hand. “Let’s take another shot at that dance. ”

  She looked up at him. “You weren’t so good at it the first time. ”

  “Now I’m insulted. I need to redeem myself. ” He took her hand and led her onto the dance floor, pulled her against him, and wrapped an arm firmly around her back.

  Her gaze met his, and like always when he was close to her, he breathed her in. The smell of peaches surrounded him. She felt good in his arms, like she fit. Her skin was soft, and it was a little bit perfect in the way their bodies nestled against each other. She didn’t grind against him or run her hands all over him like the girls at the club did. Instead, she let him lead, content to just “be” in his arms.

  He had to admit he liked that, too. There was no frenzy involved in this, even though he had a lot of dirty thoughts running through his head at the moment.

  “I’m being honest with you now, Savannah. I’d really like to get to know you. We spend a lot of time talking about me. Tell me about you. ”

  For a flicker of a second, he saw wariness in her eyes before she masked it. “Not much to tell. I was raised in Georgia, went to school there. Right after college graduation I got my first job in PR, which evolved into my current career as an image consultant. I’ve been doing that ever since. ”

  “That’s a brief bio. ”

  “I’m very good at being concise. I can work with you on that. You might find it useful in interviews since you tend to run at the mouth. ”

  She was good at deflecting. “I like talking about myself. Obviously more than you do, which leads me to believe you have something to hide. ”

  Again the wariness crossed her face before she carefully shuttered it behind a smile. “I’m just not an egomaniac like some people. ”

  “That was subtle. ” He turned her around as the tempo increased.

  “I’m never subtle. ”

  “Then tell me what’s on your mind. ”

  Her gaze was direct. “You wanted me to stay because you think you can get me into bed. ”

  He arched a brow. “And?”

  “Not a chance. ”

  That made him smile. “You want to know what I think?”

  “Would it matter if I didn’t?”

  “Probably not. ”

  He caught the slight curve of her lips. “Then go right ahead. ”

  “I think not only do you have secrets, but you’re sexually repressed. That’s why you have this job helping other people. Focus on someone else so you don’t have to deal with your own issues—whatever the hell they are. ”

  She let out a soft laugh. “I can guarantee you I’m not sexually repressed. I know exactly what to do with a man in the bedroom, and am given multiple opportunities to do so. But thank you for offering to save me, Cole. Unfortunately, I’m in no need of saving. ”

  She started to pull away, but he held her tight. “I’m not throwing you a line, Savannah. I’m attracted to you. And I know you’re attracted to me. What I want to know is why you fight so hard to deny what’s between us. ”

  “Because we work together. A line has to be drawn. ”

  But she hadn’t denied the attraction. That was progress. -->