End Zone: Texas Titans 2 (8 page)

“No, of course not.” She smiled as she
pulled out one of the chairs at the table set for two in the middle of the
spacious room. “Who better than you to know what’s good?”

He helped her get settled before sitting
across from her. Before he could tell her how lovely she looked, Kimberly was
back with their wine. “Come in,” he said when she knocked.

Kimberly walked in, still clearly nervous
to be waiting on her boss and his date. “I have your wine, sir.”

Matt frowned as Kristen’s lips twitched.
She could tell he felt uncomfortable when people kowtowed to him. “Great,
thanks.”

He watched Kimberly fumble to open the
bottle, and he barely suppressed a sigh. He hoped nerves were getting the best
of her and she wasn’t that inept when serving their customers. The managers in
each restaurant were responsible for hiring their own staff, and he suspected
Toby hired Kimberly because of her looks instead of her experience.

“I’m sorry,” she said, blushing furiously.
“I think I’ve got it now.”

Kristen gave the young woman a warm smile.
“It’s no problem. Take your time.”

Matt’s respect for Kristen heightened. It
was important for him to feel good about the way the lady in his life treated
people. After Robin’s blatant disrespect for his employees, and all service
people for that matter, he vowed he would look for the warning signs before he
got sucked into a similar relationship.

Kimberly gave Kristen a grateful smile as
she splashed some merlot into Matt’s glass, inviting him to sample it.

He swirled it before taking a sip and
nodding. “Good, thank you.”

Kimberly poured some into each of their
glasses before setting the bottle on the table. “Your appetizers should be
ready in a few minutes.” She backed out of the room.

“Perfect, thanks.” Matt reached for
Kristen’s hand. When he heard the door close with a soft click, he said, “You
were very sweet to her.”

Kristen smiled and set her napkin in her
lap with her free hand. “I was that girl not so long ago, waiting tables and
counting down the hours ‘til my shift ended.” She shrugged. “After my dad left,
he paid for essentials like tuition, but I had to work to pay for books and
parking.”

He sensed her father’s abandonment was
still a big deal for her, but he didn’t want to get into that yet. “Did the
gallery deliver your piece today?”

“Yes, they delivered it to my office this
morning. Thank you again. It’s incredible.” She laughed a little
self-consciously. “Sometimes I find myself just staring at it when I should be
working. I’ve always wished I could do something creative like that. You know,
create something beautiful from little more than an idea.”

His mother had instilled appreciation for
art in him at an early age, and it had only grown with time. “That must be the
reason we both love antiques. There’s something about the workmanship. What
those furniture makers were able to do with a piece of wood and a little
imagination was nothing short of brilliant, if you ask me.”

“I think so too. I have to admit, I was
pleasantly surprised to see your home. It was nothing like what I expected.”

“Really? What did you expect, something big
and ostentatious?” He knew he’d hit the nail on the head when she blushed and
reached for her glass. “I’ve grown up with money, but that doesn’t mean the
world has to know how deep my pockets are.” Matt liked nice things as much as
the next person, but he’d never felt the need to have the biggest house, most
expensive car, or flashiest jewelry. The people impressed by those things
weren’t worth trying to impress. The people who liked him in spite of his
wealth, not because of it, were the ones he was interested in getting to know
better.

“I admire that.” She seemed to consider her
next statement carefully. “In my line of work, I meet a lot of wealthy men, but
not many who feel the way you do.”

He could only imagine how hard some of
those rich guys would work to impress a woman like Kristen, and it concerned
him a little. “It doesn’t take long to figure out what’s important in life.” He
smiled. “Especially with parents like mine.”

“What does that mean?” She leaned back as
though she was settling in to enjoy his life story.

“My mother is the quintessential artist, as
I’m sure you could probably tell. Give her a brightly lit room, paints,
brushes, and a blank canvas, and she’s content. That’s all she really needs to
be happy, and she instilled that in me from an early age. Material possessions
can’t make you happy. At best, they temporarily fill a void for people who
can’t figure out what they want.”

Kristen’s face lit up. “I love that. I’ve
always felt the same way. Doing what I love is the reward for me.” She appeared
a little self-conscious about her enthusiastic response. “Sure, it’s nice that
I don’t have to worry about paying bills now that my business has taken off,
and it’s nice to be recognized and appreciated for what I do, but the truth is,
I’d do it for free.”

He squeezed her hand and smiled at her
enthusiasm for her work. Being surrounded by professional athletes and business
men at the top of their game, he realized how rare it was for people to feel
the kind of passion Kristen did for her vocation. “We’ll keep that our little
secret. We wouldn’t want word to get out that you’d work for free. I can only
imagine how many people would expect it.”

She withdrew her hand to reach for her wine
glass. “Let’s drink to loving what you do and being lucky enough to do what you
love.”

He touched his glass to hers, his eyes
trained on the fire sparkling in her blue eyes. “Cheers.” If he hadn’t been so
enthralled, he would have thought to make the toast sooner. Kristen had always
had that effect on him, leaving him tongue-tied while he scrambled for
something witty to say.

“Tell me about your father,” she said
before taking another sip of wine. “Is he anything like your mother, because I
have to say, she seems wonderful.”

Kristen’s assessment couldn’t have been
more accurate. His mother was the warmest, most loving woman Matt had ever
known. “Not really. He’s the pragmatic one. He has a rather large accounting
firm downtown.” Matt grinned. “Yes, he does fit the stereotype.”

“So that’s where you got your affinity for
numbers?” She arched an eyebrow. “I should have known.”

“I suppose so.” His father had always
taught his sons the importance of doing well in school. Matt, unlike his
younger brother, has taken his father’s advice to heart. “He’s definitely the
practical one in the family. He doesn’t believe in taking risks, which was why
he was so concerned when we decided to start High Rollers. Dad thought going
into business with friends would be a disaster.”

“Obviously he was wrong.”

“Yeah.” Matt smiled. “It feels good to
prove him wrong every once in a while. The old man still thinks he knows it
all.”

“But you’re close?” Kristen brought her
glass to her mouth but held it instead of taking a sip.

“Very. I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am
without my parents. No way will I ever forget that.”

Kristen appeared satisfied by his response.
She set her glass down, and her eyes softened as she reached for his hand.
“You’re a good man.”

Feeling uncomfortable with the praise,
especially since he knew he was a far cry from being considered for sainthood,
he brought her hand to his lips. “As long as you think so. Your opinion is
important to me. Very important.”

A tap on the door made Matt groan inwardly.
He wanted to hear Kristen’s every thought. “Come in, Kimberly.”

“I have your appetizers,” she said,
standing in the doorway with a tray.

“Great.” He waited for her to set down the
seafood platter and bread basket. “Thank you, it looks delicious.”

“Just let me know if you need anything
else.” She refilled their wine glasses before leaving.

“It must be difficult for you.” Kristen
reached for a piece of grilled calamari and a shrimp. “Knowing when women are
interested in you for you instead of”—she gestured to the velvet window
treatments, mahogany paneling, and Persian rug—“this.”

“My father taught me a good lesson early
on.” He filled his plate with an assortment of fresh seafood. “He bought me a
Porsche when I was in college.”

Looking amused, Kristen asked, “How that
was supposed to teach you a lesson?”

“He knew girls would look at me differently
when they realized my family had money, and he was right.” He dipped a piece of
lobster in warm butter. “It was like I wasn’t the same guy just ‘cause I had a
fancy set of wheels.”

“So you learned how to read people?” Taking
a bite of lobster off the fork he offered, she closed her eyes, savoring it.

“I’d like to say yes, but I went on to make
a colossal mistake with Robin.” He didn’t want to think about his ex-wife, but
it was important for Kristen to understand that he knew how it felt to be
betrayed. He thought the shared experience may help her open up to him and
bring them closer. “She was interested in me for one reason only, and it sure
as hell wasn’t love.”

“Then she was a fool,” Kristen said,
sounding indignant on his behalf. “If she didn’t realize how amazing you are in
spite of your big bank account, not because of it, then she didn’t deserve
you.”

Matt fell just a little bit harder, and
that scared and thrilled him. “You’re right. But it took me a long time and a
lot of heartache before I realized that.”

“I guess we all have to endure a little
heartache before we find
the one
, huh?”

The room fell silent as their eyes trapped
each other’s, and Matt knew they were wondering if it was possible they’d
finally found who they’d been looking for.

Kristen never wanted the night to end.
When Matt’s driver pulled up in front of her condo building, she heard herself
say, “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?”

Matt grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Talking to Matt was so effortless, the way
it had always been. Even though they’d never dated, she always thought he was
sweet and charming. He wore confidence like a custom suit, and she couldn’t
deny she was wildly attracted to him. They waited for the driver to open the
door before stepping out on to the curb.

“I’ll text you when I’m ready, Lawrence,”
Matt said.

“Take your time, sir. I’ll just be at the
coffee shop ‘round the corner playing Angry Birds.”

Kristen laughed at the image of the
distinguished-looking fifty-something driver playing the game.

Lawrence smiled when she covered her mouth.
“My teenagers got me hooked on it. I have to admit, it helps pass the time.”

She imagined his job could be boring
without some form of entertainment. “I blame my assistant for getting me
hooked,” she said in a stage whisper. “We’ll have to match skills sometime, but
I’ll warn you, I’m pretty good.”

Looking utterly charmed, Lawrence said, “As
am I, madam. It would be my pleasure.”

Matt chuckled and led Kristen into her
building. He waited until they were on the elevator heading to the eighth floor
before he said, “I love that you still have that way of making people feel at
ease.”

Kristen had always been a people person,
which was the reason she’d gotten into event planning. By far, her favorite
events were weddings and anniversary parties. Being able to share in moments happy
couples and their loved ones would never forget was special. “It’s not always
so easy. Some people are more difficult to deal with than others. But I’m sure
I don’t have to tell you that. In your line of work, you must meet maddening
people all the time.”

“I try not to let them get to me.” He
wrapped his hands around the railing behind him and studied her. “I learned
that if someone is having a bad day, I don’t have to let that define mine.”

She loved how positive he was and how
fearless he seemed. She could use a few pointers in that area. “I’ll have to
keep that in mind next time I’m dealing with an irate client or negligent
supplier.”

They stepped off the elevator, and Matt
reached for her keys. Looking up at him, she was struck by the fact that he had
everything she’d ever been looking for in a life partner. He was handsome,
considerate, charming, successful, intelligent, compassionate…

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he
asked, pausing at her door.

“I was just thinking how glad I am that you
walked back into my life.” She wasn’t usually so forward, but she felt at ease
with him in a way she never had with another man.

“I’d like to say it was by chance, but we
both know I’d be lying.” He unlocked her door and ushered her inside. “I sought
you out after I saw that magazine article.”

Kristen couldn’t deny the little thrill his
admission gave her. Matt could have his choice of women and he’d chosen her.
She may have been a fool not to acknowledge his crush when they were kids.
“Why?”

“Because I wanted to see you again.” He
skimmed his hand down her cheek. “I wanted to know if it would still be there.”

“If what would?” she asked, feeling short
of breath.

“The exhilaration, the excitement…” He
smiled and curled his hand around her cheek. “Every time I caught a glimpse of
you in the hall, I’d get butterflies in my stomach.” He chuckled softly. “I
can’t even believe I’m telling you that.”

“I’m glad you are.” Kristen moved a
fraction of an inch closer, close enough to let him know it still wasn’t close
enough. She had a sudden and powerful vision of having him as close as two
people could be. She wanted to experience that more than she’d wanted anything
in a long time. “Do you still feel that way about me?”

His eyes traveled over her face. “I was
just a kid then. A kid with a crush on the most popular girl in school.”

Kristen held her breath, waiting for him to
continue. She prayed his words wouldn’t send her crashing down from the cloud
she was floating on.

“I’m a man now. A man who knows what love
means and how easy it is to get your heart broken when you’re not careful about
who you give it to. But something tells me you’re not the kind of woman who
would make a promise you don’t intend to keep.” He grazed her mouth with his,
leaving her wanting more. “If you told me you loved me… If you told me you
wanted to be with me forever, I know I’d be able to count on that.”

Love? Forever?
Like a bucket of ice water, those words woke Kristen from her
fantasy. Clearing her throat delicately, she stepped back. “Can I get you
something to drink?”

His brows creased as he reached for her
hand. “I’m sorry. Did I overstep?”

“No, nothing like that.” She hoped she
sounded convincing. “It’s just that… well…”

She didn’t know what was wrong with her.
Matt was the most incredible man she’d met, yet the little voice in her head
warned her to proceed with caution. She couldn’t figure out why. Matt didn’t
seem like the kind of guy with skeletons buried in his closet, but neither did
Robert. The problem was she no longer trusted her instincts.

“I’m sorry, I guess I just need to take
this slow.” She feared he wouldn’t be willing to wait for her to come around to
his way of thinking. Men like Matt were rarely asked to wait while a girl made
up her mind, and she couldn’t blame him for feeling frustrated and confused.
She reached for his hand. “I think you’re amazing. I hope you know that.”

The fine lines fanning out from his eyes
deepened with his smile. “The feeling is definitely mutual.”

“I want to keep seeing you…”
More than
anything.
“But I can’t help wanting to be cautious about getting too
serious right away.”

When he looked taken aback, Kristen cursed
herself for assuming he was thinking along those lines. Maybe she was the only
one looking toward the future. Maybe he was content to enjoy their relationship
moment to moment.

“I’m sorry.” Withdrawing her hand, she
turned away and made a beeline for the kitchen. She hoped he would give her a
moment to collect herself, but the sound of his footsteps behind her told her
that was not his intent.

“Don’t do that.” Turning her to face him,
he whispered, “Don’t you know you can say anything to me? Whatever you’re
thinking, whatever you’re feeling, I want to know.”

She was relieved that he didn’t seem put
off by her outburst. “I appreciate that, but I think we should save this
conversation for another day. We’ve had a wonderful evening. Let’s not spoil
it, okay?”

“How would talking about our feelings spoil
anything? Unless we’re not on the same page?”

She saw the uncertainty in his eyes and
hated that she’d put it there. Matt’s ex had obviously put him through the
emotional wringer, and the last thing she wanted was to be accused of doing the
same. “I’m crazy about you.” She was rewarded for her honesty when his face lit
up like a kid opening a coveted birthday present.

His mellow baritone was laced with control
when he said, “Good, then we’re on the same page. I’m crazy about you too,
Kris.”

For once, Kristen was tempted to let go. To
give herself to a man without thinking about the consequences or assuming the
worst. Since her father’s betrayal, she had always secretly assumed every man
would break her heart. But Matt had done nothing to deserve her distrust.

“Now that we’ve established that,” she
said, barely recognizing the sound of her own voice, “what do you suggest we do
about it?” She expected a glib response triggered by his hormones.

“You know, I think subconsciously, I may
have done all this just to become the man I thought you deserved.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s no secret I had a crush on you in
high school, but I didn’t ask you out because I knew you’d be embarrassed to be
seen with me.”

“Don’t say that.” She flattened her hand
against his solid chest. She hated to think that she had been so shallow she
wouldn’t have seen his obvious appeal no matter what he looked like. “I would
have gone out with you—”

“I know you would have. You were sweet and
kind, and you wouldn’t have wanted to hurt my feelings. But that’s not the way
I wanted it to be.” His eyes gripped hers, analyzing her reaction. “I wanted
you to be proud to be with me, like you were tonight.”

She couldn’t deny she loved walking through
his crowded bar while holding his hand and watching every head turn. Women had
been envious that she was the one lucky enough to leave with him.

“I won’t pretend I had this planned, seeing
you again. I didn’t. But feeling the way I did about myself and the way I felt
about you made me realize that wasn’t the man I wanted to be. So I changed, and
I liked my reflection more and more every day. Not just because of the way I
looked, but because of the way I felt. I was proud of myself, proud of my
accomplishments, and that made me walk a little taller.”

Kristen knew that confession couldn’t be
easy for him, but she was glad he’d told her that. It gave her more insight
into the man she was falling in love with. That realization should have
startled her, but it didn’t. It felt too right to be wrong.

“Eventually I got to a place where I
realized other people’s opinions didn’t matter anymore. The only person I had to
impress was myself,” he said.

“For what it’s worth, you’ve impressed me
too. A lot.” Tilting her head, she hoped he would take the hint and kiss her.

“It’s worth a lot.” His body barely touched
hers, yet she felt the connection from the crown of her head to her toes. “More
than you know.”

“I said before that I wanted to take things
slow,” she said, still wondering if putting herself out there would be as
traumatic as she feared. “Maybe I was wrong about that.” His expression didn’t
change or give her a hint about his thoughts, so she forced herself to
continue. “Maybe overthinking things, being too cautious, is the mistake I’ve
always made. Maybe just this once, I should act on impulse.”

“What’s your gut telling you?”

He seemed determined to torture her, to
make her spell it out for him. “It’s telling me to take what I want for once
without thinking about tomorrow.”

Before he could ask her what she wanted,
she decided to show him. Curling her hand around the back of his neck, she
brought his head down, pausing only a brief second before their mouths
collided.

***

Matt couldn’t remember a time when he’d
been more turned on or more desperate to find a bed. Hell, any flat surface
would do. He and Kristen were already tearing at each other’s clothes, kissing deeply
as she walked him backward down the hall to her bedroom. A thousand times in
his fantasies, he’d lived that moment. He almost feared the real event could
never live up to those dreams, but somehow he knew it would.

He kicked the door closed, barely noticing
the small, feminine bedroom. Pink was the only color he saw because it covered
the queen-sized bed dominating the room. If he’d had his way, he would have
taken her back to his place so they could make love in his big antique bed, but
anywhere would do as long as she had no regrets in the morning. He didn’t know
where that thought came from. It forced him to pull back, drawing his lips from
hers.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, barely able to
force her eyes open.

“You’re sure this is what you want?” He gripped
her shoulders, desperate for her to see
him
, to acknowledge that their
night together was more than just a moment of abandon. “Because once we make
love, there’s no going back, and I don’t want to.” He was trying to tell her
that it was the start of a relationship he hoped would last for a long time,
maybe forever.

“I know that.” She gave him a reassuring
smile. “I love that you care enough to ask whether I’m having second thoughts.
Most men wouldn’t.”

“I’m not most men.” When he was in, he was
all in. No reservations. No holding back.

“I can see that.” Her eyes toured his
chest, settling on his defined abs. “I’ve only seen a body like yours in ads.”

“I’m serious.” He shook her shoulders just
enough to draw her attention back to his face. “I want you to want me because
being with me makes you feel good, because I make you laugh even when you’re
having a bad day. I want you to need me because you can’t imagine your life
without me.” Her last relationship had left her jaded, and he needed
confirmation he wasn’t even sure he had the right to ask for.

She stroked his face, looking a little
reverent as she got lost in his eyes. “I know it hasn’t been long, but it’s
been long enough for me to realize you make me feel things I’ve never felt
before.”

He loved that he was making her life
better, because she was definitely taking his to new levels of ecstasy. They
hadn’t even made love yet. “I just had to be sure.”