Bring The Heat: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Bad Boys of Summer Book 1) (19 page)

I was hooked. Big time.

As I made my way downtown with my presentation materials carefully loaded in the backseat, I forced my thoughts off of Cody and back onto my speech. I ran through it three times over the course of the drive and when I found a parking spot in the downtown garage, I slipped the car into park with a smile on my face.

I was going to kill it.

“They’re gonna be throwing money at you by the end of it, you watch and see, sugar.”
Cody’s words—his pep talk—passed through my mind and I hurried inside before my bubble of confidence could get popped by the doubts and anxiety that were corralled in the back of my mind.

An hour later, I walked back out of the building, my smile even wider. I got to the car, repacked the presentation board and marketing materials, and then hopped behind the wheel. I dialed Cody’s cell and waited for him to pick up.

“There’s my sexy woman!” he growled, bringing a hot rush over my skin.

“Hey, handsome.”

“So? Don’t make me wait, baby! Spill!”

I laughed. “I crushed it!”

He let out a loud whoop and I giggled, imagining him in the middle of practice and throwing a victory party that no one else was invited to. The rest of his teammates would probably think he’d lost it. Not that he’d care. The opinions of others seemed unable to penetrate his defenses. “Damn, baby! I knew it. I told you!”

“I know. You were right! They loved it and are giving me another three weeks to perfect everything for the launch. They even agreed to throw more money behind the launch to make it a big splash!”

“You deserve it, baby girl. You’ve been busting your ass on that game. Congrats.”

I smiled at my reflection in the rearview mirror.
Happy looks good on you, Chelsea Brooks.

“Thank you. So, where are we going?” Cody had been keeping our celebration dinner—he refused to leave room for failure—a big secret. I hadn’t bugged him too much about the details, mainly because my brain was so overwhelmed with the last minute push. It was nice to have him take the lead and make plans without my input. But now that it was here, my impatience and curiosity burst forth.

“You’re going to have to wait and see, darlin’,” he drawled. “Go home and put something sexy on and I’ll be there at two o’clock. I just have a few things to wrap up here at the facility.”

“I don’t know how sexy I can get for a late lunch, but I’ll do my best.”

“You’re crazy, girl. You look fuckin’ sexy as hell in blue jeans and a crop top.”

“Is that a hint on your preference?”

“Maybe so.”

I giggled, feeling sexy and powerful and wanted. Cody was a miracle for my confidence. “Okay, handsome. I’ll see ya at two.”

We hung up and I hurried to get back home so I could freshen up my makeup and take my hair from boardroom chic to tousled waves that were a perfect fit for Cody Wright’s sex kitten. I laughed as I combed my fingers through my hair. The nickname had become something of a joke and could get me riled up in three seconds flat. Especially when he flashed that half-cocked smile at me while he said it.

Damn. He was making me lose my mind.

And I loved every minute of the insanity he’d infused into my life.

At two o’clock on the dot, a knock sounded at the door. I adjusted my soft pink crop top to show off a sliver more of my stomach and opened the door with a sweet smile.

“Damn, woman. I don’t think we’re going to make our reservations,” he growled, stepping inside, immediately wrapping me in his arms.

I giggled, my waves tossing halfway down my back as I arched against him. “As fun as that sounds, I’m starving! I couldn’t eat this morning. I was way too nervous.”

Cody laughed. “All right. Well, I need you to have your full strength for my pre-road trip sendoff, so I suppose we’ll get you nice and carb loaded.”

“I do love carbs,” I said, my eyes sparkling up at him.

“Is this the part where I remind you that you’re pretty fond of sausage too?” he asked, winking at me.

I rolled my eyes and smacked his arms. “Cody Wright!”

He laughed. “Oh you like it. Don’t lie, girl. You like me dirty.”

“Come on. Tell me where we’re going,” I begged, wriggling up against him.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Ugh!”

He wrapped an arm around my waist and herded me out the door and over to where he’d parked his truck in front of my single garage stall. I peppered him for clues the whole ride downtown but he wouldn’t crack. He was a stubborn man. Not that it was a newsflash.

We came to a stop downtown in front of a fancy hotel that I’d driven past a million times but had never been inside before. The price for a room was probably more than a week’s worth of the royalties that I raked in from the sale of my game. Cody hopped out and a valet approached the car to open my door. I stepped out and Cody dropped his keys in the man’s hands.

“What are we doing here?” I asked, craning to look all the way up the length of the high rise.

“You’ll see.”

I glanced down at my jeans and casual crop top. The hotel was so glittery and posh, even in the middle of the afternoon. I already felt underdressed and we hadn’t even stepped inside yet. As I feared, the inside was even more ornate and beautiful. Crystal chandeliers—yes, plural—gold filigree, antique furniture, all dark woods and handcrafted, a custom marble floor, and breathtaking artwork. Original pieces no doubt. It wasn’t the type of hotel that ordered the furniture and accessories out of some corporate catalog, that was for sure.

“What are we—” I started to hiss to Cody.

He interjected, “Relax, baby girl.”

Cody held me tight and led me to a bank of elevators. Once inside, he clicked the button for the penthouse suite and my mouth dropped open. What was he planning? We couldn’t stay the night. He had a plane to catch in three hours.

“The penthouse?” I said, once the elevator lurched into motion.

Cody grinned at me. “We’ve been hanging out at your place all this time. I figured it was time to bring you into my world for the afternoon.”

The elevator buzzed and Cody ushered me off into a short hallway. Penthouse one and two. One on either side. He took me through the door for penthouse one after swiping a card and typing in a code. My mouth dropped as soon as we stepped inside and inched a little lower to the ground with every room he took me through for the brief tour. The suite was two stories with every detail as pristine and perfect as the lobby had been. There were multiple bedrooms, even more bathrooms, a full kitchen, dining room, sitting room, and something that was like a small library. My favorite part was the massive pool that jet out over the skyline below. The far wall of the pool was glass, making it look like the water should be flowing down the side of the building like a cascading waterfall.

“Good grief. This place is like a palace!” I turned to him. “Why on earth do you need such a fancy room when you’re all by yourself.”

He grinned at me. “I’m not all by myself right now.”

I sighed. “You know what I mean. This thing must cost a small fortune…”

He chuckled. “You let me worry about all that, baby girl. Your job right now is to get naked so we can take advantage of the sun shining off the water.” He jerked his chin in the direction of the pool.

“Cody…”

“No one can see us.” He tugged his shirt off and was working on his belt buckle when a soft buzz triggered from somewhere over his shoulder. “Aha. That will be the feast.”

He jogged over to answer the door. Minutes later, the dining room was laid out with trays of fresh fruit, pastries, gourmet salads, and sandwiches that looked way too pretty to eat. There was also a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of chilled champagne. Very expensive champagne.

“Cody, this is too much,” I whispered, marveling at the spread.

He came up behind me and tucked his chin against my shoulder. His hands dropped to my waist, casually looping his thumbs through my belt loops. I relaxed back against him, letting his warmth and the steady beat of his heart calm me. “It’s not too much, baby. You deserve the best. We’ll have a little food. Go skinny dipping. Then…” he paused to nibble my bare shoulder blade. “I’m gonna fuck you till this whole damn hotel can hear you screaming my name.”

I smiled and pressed into him, a bolt of heat hitting me right between my thighs. “That does sound like the perfect afternoon…”

He sighed into my hair, breathing in the soft scent. “That’s what I thought.”

He dropped a kiss to my cheek and backed away. “Now come on, dig in. I’m getting impatient to get you out of those jeans, baby.”

Cody

“Damn, baby, it’s only been three days and I’m losing it without you.”

Chelsea smiled sadly. “I know. LA seems so far away.”

I laughed. “Tell me about it. It’s like a whole nother world out here.”

“I bet. I’ve been a few times, for work stuff, and it does feel like that.”

“What kind of work stuff?” I asked, sitting forward on the edge of my hotel room bed. I’d just finished up a long practice. The game was the following night, so we flew into town that morning, got in practice, and then were dismissed with the strict orders to keep our shit together and not do anything stupid. Apparently LA is a hot spot for getting wild and out of control.

Oddly enough, the only thing on my mind during practice was how much I couldn’t wait to get back to my room and call Chelsea.

What the hell was happening to me? I was losing all my chill for this girl.

I grinned to myself, knowing I wouldn’t stop it even if I could. Falling for Chelsea was the most fun I’d had in my entire life. It was cheesy as hell, but she was the perfect counterbalance to my crazy.

A tall order.

“For the meetings in LA? Those were when I was still shopping the pitch for my first game. I had a few different venture capitalist firms on the line for it. So, they would fly me out, hear my pitch, and if they liked it, they’d do the wining and dining stuff.”

I nodded. “And tell me, baby, what would you be wearing for these meetings? I gotta say, the idea of you strutting that perky little ass of yours into a room full of rich windbags makes me all kinds of hot and bothered.”

She laughed and I leaned back on the bed, letting the soft, musical sound wash over me. Damn it, I needed her in my arms. I wanted to see that smile on her lips. To watch her eyes light up and roll back in her head every damn time I said something she thought was cheesy.

The image of Chelsea in my mind would be enough to get me through till I could see her again, but I ached for the real flesh and blood woman.

“A business suit, usually.”

“With slutty panties on underneath?” I prompted.

“Cody, you know what I’d do if I was there right now…”

“Do tell.”

“I’d kick you in the balls.” She laughed. “Seriously! You’re always right back to turning me into a hoochie!”

I chuckled. “I can’t help it, baby. When I think about you, you’re usually wearing something hot. Or nothing at all…commando under some tight ass business suit. Yow!”

Chelsea laughed harder and I could just picture her cheeks turn pink. Kind of like the way they do after I get done blowing her mind with my face between those pretty thighs. “You’re too much, Mr. Wright.”

“You love it.” I grinned and pushed off the bed. “That’s why you miss me so much.”

“Hmm. Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Maybe I’m just using you for your body.”

I laughed. “Baby, you can do whatever the hell you want to my body.”

“I know. You’ve mentioned that on a few occasions.”

“Chels, you’re killing me. I want to see you. Let’s get this video chat thing fired up. What’dya say? We don’t have to do anything kinky.”

Chelsea sighed. “All right. But I’m not getting naked on camera.”

“Fair enough.”

After a few minutes of suffering through technology glitches, we got connected, and Chelsea’s big, beautiful eyes were looking back in mine. She looked like she was in for the night. Her hair was wavy and damp, like she’d just got out of the shower. Her face didn’t have a trace of makeup on. But, damn, she looked better without it! A fact I’d tried to tell her multiple times, but she never listened.

“You look hot, baby. Can I get the full body shot?”

Chelsea rolled her eyes the way I knew she would, and my heart pounded.

She backed up from the computer and did a cute little spin. She was wearing a form-fitted black tank top that made her tits look amazing, and a pair of little white shorts that hugged her ass cheeks to perfection.

“Fuck,” I groaned. “Maybe video was a bad idea. Now I got a stiffy and you won’t play with me on camera.”

Chelsea laughed. “Sorry. You can’t say that I didn’t warn you.”

I waved her off. “How’s the game coming along?”

“Good. Paris is mad at me because I’ve been barricaded in my office for a few days, but she’ll get over it. She always gets extra clingy when Robby is out of town for these long stretches.”

“What about you? Are you getting
clingy
?” I asked, pulling a half-cocked smile.

“If clingy is your not-so-subtle code for horny, then no, I’m not.” She tugged her lower lip in between her teeth and I almost came undone.

“Now, now, baby, you know you’re a terrible liar.”

She broke out laughing. “Okay,
fine!
Maybe I’m just a little…
frisky
.”

“I passed frisky days ago,” I replied, laughing with her.

“Not a surprise. I’m pretty sure you pass the point of frisky within a couple of minutes of coming.”

I grinned at her, no sense in denying the truth. Chelsea had me pegged. And damn it, I wanted to peg her down and have my way with her. She looked too damn sexy.

“Four more days. Then you’re all mine, baby.”

Chelsea nodded. “I can’t wait.”

“How did this happen?” I asked, marveling at her sweet smile, and thinking about the way it made my heart jump around like the bubbles in a glass of champagne.

“What do you mean?” She furrowed her brow.

“You and me, baby.”

She laughed softly. “Well, it certainly had a fairy tale beginning. I think I called you an asshole and you liked it.”