Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80943 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80943 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
It was a damn good thing he was Brody Croft, though. Even better that Ward Dalton, the owner of the lounge, claimed to be his number-one fan and turned a blind eye to Brody’s casual attire when he and Hayden arrived.
Dalton led them across the black marble floor to a secluded table in the corner of the room, practically hidden from view by two enormous stone pots containing leafy indoor palms. A waiter clad in black pants and a white button-down appeared soon after, taking their drink orders before unobtrusively moving away.
Brody didn’t miss the baffled look on Hayden’s gorgeous face. “Something wrong?” he asked.
“No. I’m just…surprised. When you said we were going for a drink, I thought…” Her cheeks turned an appealing shade of pink. “Forget it.”
“You thought I’d drive you right back to your hotel and pick up where we left off?”
“Pretty much.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
She bristled at the teasing lilt of his voice. “I’m not disappointed. In fact, I’m glad. Like I said, I’m not interested in getting involved.”
He didn’t like the finality of her tone. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why Hayden didn’t want a repeat performance of last night. They’d been so good together.
He also couldn’t decide whether she’d known who he was all along. Her father was Presley Houston, for chrissake. She didn’t need to like hockey to know who the players were, especially the players on her own father’s team. And yet, the shock on her face when she’d bumped into him outside the locker room hadn’t seemed contrived. He’d glimpsed authentic surprise. Not to mention a flicker of dismay.
No, she couldn’t have known. It wouldn’t bother her this much if she had.
He appreciated that she liked the man and not the hockey player, but that only raised another question. What was holding her back from getting involved with him? Was it the fact that he played pro hockey, or was it something else? Someone else?
His jaw tightened at the thought. “What exactly is stopping you from pursuing this?” he asked in a low voice. “It’s more than Presley’s current problems, isn’t it?”
The way she stared at the silk cocktail napkin on the table as if it were the most fascinating item on the planet deepened Brody’s suspicions.
He narrowed his eyes. “Is there a husband waiting for you in California?”
Her gaze flew up to meet his. “Of course not.”
Some of the suspicion thawed, but not entirely. “A fiancé?” She shook her head.
“A boyfriend?”
The blush on her cheeks deepened. “No. I mean, yes. Well, kind of. I was seeing someone in San Francisco, but we’re currently on a break.”
“The kind of break where you can sleep with other people?”
“As I keep telling you, my life is complicated,” she said pointedly. “I’m in the process of making some serious decisions, figuring out what my future looks like.”
He opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by the waiter, who returned with their drinks. The waiter set down Brody’s gin and tonic and Hayden’s glass of white wine, then left without delay, as if sensing something was brewing between them.
“And this boyfriend,” Brody said thoughtfully. “Do you see him in your future?”
“I don’t know.”
Her tentative answer and confused frown were all he needed. He wasn’t an asshole; if Hayden had expressed deep love for the other man in her life, Brody would’ve backed off. But the fact that she hadn’t answered a definite yes to his question told him this was fair game.
And nothing got him going more than a healthy bout of competition.
He lifted his gin and tonic to his lips and took a sip, eyeing her over the rim of his glass. Fuck, despite the modest outfit, she looked unbelievably hot. He could see the outline of her bra beneath the white silk of her shirt, and the memory of what lay beneath it sent a jolt of electricity to his groin.
“We’re not doing it again,” she said between gritted teeth, obviously sensing the train of thought his mind had taken.
He laughed. “Sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself of that.”
Frustration creased her features. “We had sex, Brody. That’s all.” She took a sip of wine. “It was amazing, sure, but it was only sex. It’s not like the damn earth moved.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He pushed his chair closer, so that they were no longer across from each other, but side by side. He saw her hands shake at his nearness. Her cheeks flushed again, her lips parting. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see she was aroused. And, damn, but he liked knowing his mere proximity could get this woman going.
“It was more than sex.” He dipped his head and brushed his lips over her ear. She shivered. “It was a sexual hurricane. Intense. Consuming.” He flicked his tongue against her earlobe. “I’ve never been that hard in my life. And you’ve never been wetter.”