Guarding Sophie (9 page)

“Thanks.” She hopped off, picked up her water bottle, and took a long swallow. He was watching her, but he was trying to pretend he wasn't. She wondered what he was thinking. Then again, her short acquaintance with Seth had already proven he would have blurted it out. “It's late, and I should go. Are you staying?”

“Hell yeah.”

“Would you please lock up when you're done?” She gathered up the DVD case and the water bottle and picked up her purse (and tote bag full of office clothes) off the floor by the television set.

“I'll do that.”

Jillian took a few more steps toward the door. She wasn't sure what to say to him. Finally, she turned toward him once more. “Thank you, Seth. It was nice to meet you.”

He lifted an eyebrow and nodded once at her. “It was nice to meet you too. Maybe I'll see you around.” He gave her a big grin.

“That . . . that would be great,” she stammered and smiled in return.

“Have a nice evening. Drive safely,” he said. He gave her another nod.

He punched the “Power” button on the sound system. AC/DC blasted over the speakers. He jumped onto the treadmill she'd been using minutes before, hit “Start,” and began to run.

A
NOTHER
F
RIDAY NIGHT
, but Jillian's date remained the same. As always, a puffball of ginger fur named Crème Brulee, or CB for short, curled up next to her on the couch. She'd gotten Crème Brulee from someone giving away kittens in front of the grocery store a couple of months ago. Her apartment was cozier with the cat. Plus, she'd always wanted a kitten. It was beyond Jillian why this should be different from any other Friday night, but somehow, it felt like it should be. Everything was somewhat normal for her. Well, except for the part where she'd met the most gorgeous guy to have spoken to her in years. Maybe she'd see him again on Monday when she went to work. Surely he was just being polite when he told her he'd see her around. He couldn't really mean it, right?

She let out a groan and covered her face with her hands, though, when she remembered that he knew how much she weighed. She'd awoken the puffball with an unexpected noise. CB batted at her with one small paw.

CB let out an injured mew, hopped off the couch, and scampered away. Jillian knew she'd find the kitten asleep on her pillow later.

She hurried over to the laptop on the little desk in the kitchen, pulled up Google, and searched on Seth's name. She sank into a chair while she read. He was six-foot-four, and she weighed practically as much as he did. Well, not quite, but still . . . She let out a long sigh. He was two years younger than she was. It also seemed Seth had been busy. He was single. “Very single,” according to one of the most recent fan websites she looked at. In Google Images, she found a series of photos of him with multiple tall, dark-haired women, each more gorgeous than the last.

Irritated, Jillian shut the laptop lid with a click, got up from her chair, and hurried into the bathroom. She'd stood in front of a full-length mirror so many times, but it always showed her the same thing. She wasn't unattractive, but she could use a little more self-confidence and a lot more toning. She wasn't asking for physical perfection, but she'd like to make some changes. If she made a plan, started slowly, and kept at it, she'd see a difference. The biggest changes needed to start on the inside, though. Maybe if she got out a little more, she might meet a guy who was interested in her. Seth was gorgeous, but he wasn't really in her universe. Jillian went into the kitchen, grabbed a frozen low-calorie dinner out of the freezer, ripped off the cardboard lid, and shoved it into the microwave. Dinner would taste a whole lot better if it was accompanied by half a bag of chips and some ranch dip. But that wasn't an option right now. She opened the refrigerator door to look for some type of fresh vegetable.

She pushed the fridge door shut after a fruitless search and rummaged around in her apartment's tiny pantry. She located a can of peas. Peas were good. Plus, there weren't many calories in peas. Maybe she could fill up on them if the diet dinner didn't cut it.

Jillian's love/hate relationship with her body and food had started when she was little. Most of the time, there wasn't enough to eat. She ended up in a foster home at three years old after her mother died in a car wreck, and she was moved a few times before she entered elementary school. Things got a little better for Jillian when she was placed in a more permanent foster home, but she was still so hungry. No matter how much she ate, she wanted more. When she was old enough to make her own money, she made sure there was more than enough food, and that's when the problems began. Even more than a diet or a new workout regime, she needed to focus on the great things in her life. She'd build a healthier lifestyle as a result. Change from the inside would last a lot longer. She wanted to build on the goals she'd already achieved and reach out for more of the things she wanted in life: A husband. A family. To belong.

S
ETH FELL INTO
bed later in his new house, tossing and turning for a few minutes as he waited to fall asleep. It had been a long and frustrating day. He could only imagine what waited for him on voice mail from Kim. If he'd made her so unhappy, maybe she should be relieved to be rid of him, but he knew she'd never see it that way.

He'd rummaged around in the storage room at the team headquarters a little before he'd left; he found an Under Armour T-shirt and shorts that looked like they would fit Jillian. She had some cross-trainers, but she'd need better ones. He wasn't sure why he even gave a shit. But his actions showed he did.

The women in his world were physically perfect. They were all beautiful, long-legged, and willing to do just about anything to spend time with a pro athlete. The older he got, though, the more he realized the party was over, at least for him. Kim was the third woman in four years who had looked great from the outside but turned out to be a nightmare when he'd looked any deeper. If he was truthful, he'd say she was a placeholder, which made him a real asshole too. He knew he didn't want to marry her. He should have ended things a long time ago. It was an excuse, but he didn't want to be alone. He'd jumped at the opportunity to be traded to Seattle. He'd enjoyed San Diego, but it was time to leave. Seattle offered opportunities he'd never get there: a championship. More money. A different atmosphere. His agents had put out the lure; Seattle bit, and here he was.

He'd told Jillian he'd see her around. Mostly, he wanted to find out if she was as funny and sweet as she seemed. Something about her touched something inside of him too. She was different than the women with whom he typically spent time, and he was curious. Maybe he could arrange to run into her on Monday at the facility.

Minutes later, Seth was dreaming about Jillian. Actually, he was dreaming of her eyes: big, as blue as the forget-me-nots his mom had in her garden, and flashing with irritation. He'd seen tears in those eyes too and sincere amusement when she smiled at him. He wondered what he'd see in her eyes if he stripped her clothes off and laid her down in his bed. Were her nipples the same shade of pink as the subtle flush that spread over her cheeks when she was embarrassed? What did she taste like? She'd probably knee him or something if he came on to her. Then again, in his dream, she slowly took his clothes off and pushed him down instead. She climbed on top of him, and she unhurriedly sank onto him. She felt so good. She was tight and hot, and she was saying his name . . .

“Seth. Seth. What the hell is going on?”

He awoke with a start. His kid sister, Lauren, was standing over him. He'd had the house for a week, but he'd been dumb enough to give her a key. He thought the drop-ins would slow down when she finally moved into her sorority house at the University of Washington—apparently not.

“You were groaning. Did you just get home?” she said.

“Huh?” He wanted to go back to sleep, but Lauren wasn't letting that happen, at least not right now.

“I came over here because you didn't answer your freaking cell phone.”

“It's broken. What the hell do you want?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay. I'll leave.”

“No.” He sat up. Even in the darkness, he grabbed a pillow to put over his crotch. Shit. What a dream. He'd have to spend some time later figuring out why he was dreaming about a woman he'd just met, but there wasn't time to delve into the depths of his psyche (or his hard dick) right now. “Did you want to talk to me or something?”

“I'm fine. I wanted to get out of the sorority house for a little while, so it wasn't all bad.” Lauren threw herself down on the corner of the bed. “Mom called. She thought you'd been eaten by wolves.”

He saw her swallow hard in the illumination filtering into his room from the hallway light and watched her fingers pluck at the fabric of the comforter on his bed. Lauren and his mom had panicked. He stifled a long sigh. He wondered how many years it would be before any member of his family wouldn't imagine the worst every time he wasn't immediately reachable.

He worried about them too, despite pretending that he didn't.

He attempted to sound irritated. “What time is it?” he said.

“A little after ten. Don't tell me you're getting old, Seth. You're in bed and asleep at this time on a Friday night? That's tragic.”

“You should try it.” He sat up a bit more and surreptitiously adjusted himself beneath the pillow.

“Yeah, right.” Lauren reached out to flip on the bedside lamp. “Have you eaten?”

“Hours ago. Are you hungry?”

“A little.” She fiddled with the base of the lamp for some unknown reason.

He suppressed a groan and got out of bed. “Pizza?”

“Okay.” She scampered after him. “Vegetarian?”

“Fine.”

A Love and Football Novel

All's fair in Love and Football . . .

Emily Hamilton doesn't trust men. She's much more comfortable playing the romantic lead in front of a packed house onstage than in her own life. So when NFL star and alluring ladies' man Brandon McKenna acts as her personal white knight, she has no illusions that he'll stick around. However, a misunderstanding with the press throws them together in a fake engagement that yields unexpected (and breathtaking) benefits.

Every time Brandon calls her Sugar, Emily almost believes he's playing for keeps—not just to score. Can she let down her defenses and get her own happily-ever-after?

A Love and Football Novel

For Amy Hamilton, only three Fs matter: family, football, and flowers.

It might be nice to find someone to share forever with too, but right now she's working double overtime while she gets her flower shop off the ground. The last thing she needs or wants is a distraction . . . or help, for that matter. Especially in the form of gorgeous and aggravatingly arrogant ex-NFL star Matt Stephens.

Matt lives by a playbook—his playbook. He never thought his toughest opponent would come in the form of a stunning florist with a stubborn streak to match his own. Since meeting her in the bar after her sister's wedding, he's known there's something between them. When she refuses, again and again, to go out with him, Matt will do anything to win her heart . . . But will Amy, who has everything to lose, let the clock run out on the one-yard line?

A Love and Football Novel

Star sports reporter Cameron Ondine has one firm rule: she does not date football players. Ever. She tangled with one years ago, and it did not end well. Been there, done that.

But when Cameron comes face-to-face with the very man who shattered her heart—on camera, no less—her world is upended for a second time by recklessly handsome Seattle Shark Zach Anderson.

Zach has never been able to forget the gorgeous blonde who stole his breath away when he was still just a rookie. They've managed to give each other a wide berth for years, but when their jobs suddenly bring them together again and again, he knows he has to face his past once and for all.

Because as they spend more time together, he becomes less focused on the action on the field and more concerned with catching Cameron.

A Love and Football Novel

Kendall Tracy, general manager of the San Francisco Miners, is not one for rash decisions or one-night stands. But when she finds herself alone in a hotel room with a heart-stoppingly gorgeous man—who looks oddly familiar—Kendall throws her own rules out the window . . . and they blow right back into her face.

Drew McCoy should look familiar; he's a star player for her team's archrival, the Seattle Sharks. Which would basically make Drew and Kendall the Romeo and Juliet of professional football . . . well, without all the dying.

Not that it's an issue. They agree to pretend their encounter never happened. Nothing good can come of it anyway, right?

Drew's not so sure. Kendall may be all wrong for him, but he can't stop thinking about her, and he finds that some risks are worth taking. Because the stakes are always highest when you're playing for keeps.

A Love and Football Novella

Holly Reynolds has a secret. Make that two. The first involves upholding her grandmother's hobby answering Dear Santa letters from dozens of local schoolchildren. The second . . . well, he just came strolling in the door.

For the past two years, Holly has not been able to stop thinking about gorgeous Seattle Shark Derrick Collins. His on-field exploits induce nightmares in quarterbacks across the NFL, but she knows he has a heart of gold.

Derrick has never met a woman he wants to bring home to meet his family, mostly because he keeps picking the wrong ones—until he runs into sweet, shy Holly Reynolds. She's different from anyone he's ever known, and Derrick realizes she might just be everything he needs.

When he discovers her holiday letter writing, he is determined to play Santa too. And as the pair team up to bring joy to one little boy very much in need, they discover the most precious Christmas gift of all: love.