Jaci Burton (28 page)

“Cole.” Her eyes widened and he felt her pulse and tighten. “Make me come.”

He loved hearing the ragged edge to her voice. He balanced on the edge, barely holding on. Much as he wanted this surging torment to last, he couldn’t keep release back—for her or for himself. This was going to go fast.

He rolled his hips, giving her what she needed, and she came with a soft cry, wrapping her hand around his neck to pull his mouth to hers in a thunderous kiss that tore him apart.

He let go then, releasing at the same time, groaning against her lips as his orgasm tore from him. As powerful as the storm, it ripped through his nerve endings.

Fuck. He shook as it took him over. The things this woman did to him always surprised him.

He rolled to his side, taking Savannah with him, refusing to let her go just yet. Dampened from exertion, she held as tight to him as he did to her.

He was done for. His limbs wouldn’t move. He could barely get a breath out, could only feel her heart pounding against his chest, her hand resting limply around his back. He took care of the condom, then drew the covers up, letting exhaustion and the storm lull them both into an exhausted sleep.

SIXTEEN

TRUE TO HER WORD, SAVANNAH STAYED FOR BREAKFAST.

And surprisingly, he’d liked having her in his bed last night. Unlike any other woman he’d ever slept with, he’d always wanted Savannah to stay.

He wasn’t about to try to analyze what the hell that meant, or why he enjoyed seeing her sitting across from him at his kitchen table.

It was too weird to even contemplate.

He was a single guy. He liked dating a lot of women. Hell, he rarely even dated them. Yet he’d single-mindedly pursued the hell out of Savannah. Maybe because she didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

They even enjoyed doing dishes together.

Too goddamned domestic for his liking. Problem was, he did like it.

Shit.

“I have an event for us to go to tonight,” she said as he walked her outside. They’d showered together, and had sex again. He’d definitely liked that part of the morning.

He stopped, realizing what she’d said. “What kind of event?”

“A charity thing.”

He paused. “Uh…what kind of charity thing?”

“It’s an auction. Very snazzy and dressy.”

He laughed. “No, thanks.”

“What do you mean, ‘no, thanks’?”

“I’ve told you before I write checks to charities. I don’t attend fund-raisers.”

“Well, you’re attending this one. It’s good for your image.”

“And again, no.”

“Why are you being so difficult about this?” She stood with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot.

“I told you. I don’t do those events.”

“Perhaps you never used to do those events. Now you do.”

He started to object, but she held up her hand. “There’s no point in continuing to argue. This is part of your image makeover. Charity fund-raisers are a great way to get the media on your side. They make you look good, and frankly they
are
good for you.”

“I give plenty to charities. You can ask my accountant.”

She shook her head. “Not at all the same thing.”

“Charity fund-raisers are boring.”

“Suck it up. We’re going.”

And things had been going so well. “I don’t like taking orders.”

“Too bad. In this case, I’m the boss.”

He moved in. “You didn’t seem to mind me being in charge when we had sex.”

Her eyes widened as she scanned the parking lot, obviously looking for nosy neighbors. She took a step back.

“That’s different,” she said. “And if you’re going to have a problem working with me because we’re…”

“Having sex?”

“Yes. If that’s going to be an issue, then it’ll stop.”

“It would be that easy for you?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know. My work is important.”

“More important than you and me.”

She sighed. “You’re confusing me, Cole. You know what I mean. I was hired to redo your image. You need to make that your priority. Not us having sex.”

“I’d rather have sex with you.”

She looked away. “I knew this wasn’t a good idea.”

He was teasing her, trying to get her to relax. It obviously wasn’t working. Her shoulders had practically swallowed her neck. He wasn’t ready to give up yet. “Sex is always a good idea, Peaches.”

“Not if it interferes with our working together.”

“You have to admit the sex is great.”

“Yes. It is great. But obviously we’re going to have to stop.”

He picked up a lock of her hair and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. “So what you’re saying is, you used me.”

She laid her hand on his arm. “Cole. No. It wasn’t like that. Please. I don’t want you to think—”

He laughed and took a step back. “Relax. My feelings aren’t hurt. If all you were interested in was a couple romps, that’s fine with me. You got your itch scratched. We’ll move on.”

She looked hurt. He felt the gut punch, but he wasn’t going to do anything about it. This was her game to play any way she wanted to. And after everything, she still wasn’t sure about him yet. He got that. He could be patient while she did the wary dance. But he didn’t think they were done yet. “What time is this thing tonight?”

“Eight o’clock. Do you have a tux?”

“Oh, sure. I keep one in my closet for all those times I go to the opera.”

“Okay. No tux. I can take care of that.” She pulled out her phone, punched in a number. She held up her hand when he would
have said something. “Claud, this is Savannah Brooks. I’m wonderful, thank you for asking. Listen, I need a favor. I need to come over with someone who needs a tux for an event this evening. Do you think you could help me out with this? He’s with the Traders.”

She swept her gaze over his body. He liked the way she looked at him.

“About six feet tall, two-fifteen or so.”

She listened, keeping her gaze on Cole. “I owe you one, Claud. Thanks so much. We’ll be right over.” She pressed the button and tucked the phone back in her bag.

“You have some tuxedo fairy on speed dial for emergencies?”

She grinned. “Something like that. Claud will fix you up. Let’s go.”

He wanted to balk. He didn’t want to do this, but he needed her to understand that just because they were having sex didn’t mean he was going to use that to have his own way. Cooperation was part of the deal, so he followed her to the tux shop, where he met Claud, a very tall, skinny dude who looked more like a mortician than a tailor. He was pale and creepy, with long icy-cold fingers. His monotone sent chills down Cole’s spine. And this guy was in the service industry?

Savannah chattered away with him, seemingly unbothered by Lurch. He gave Cole the heebie-jeebies.

Claud, who made Cole stand in front of the mirror and try on different jackets, apparently had a wife and two children, based on the conversation he was having with Savannah. Cole bit back a shudder at the thought of some poor woman having to see Claud’s rail-thin, stark-white body naked.

They got through the fitting and left after Claud promised to have the tux delivered to Cole’s place by five.

“I can’t believe you use that guy,” Cole said after they walked outside.

“Why?”

“He’s like something out of a horror movie.”

Savannah cocked her head to the side. “Really? Claud is one of the finest tailors in town. He’s very sweet, though he’s a little on the shy side. I like to bring him customers.”

“Shy? You think he’s shy?”

“Yes. That’s why he doesn’t talk much. And he has the sweetest wife. Diane has a very bubbly personality. Two adorable little girls, too.”

Adorable? They had to take after their mother, then. He walked Savannah to her car. “Do you want me to pick you up tonight?”

“That would be nice. Thank you.”

Wasn’t she being polite? And distant. “Sure. What time?”

“Six thirty? Cocktail hour is at seven.”

“I’ll be at your place at six thirty, then.”

She got in her car and drove off, leaving Cole standing on the curb.

He didn’t like this wall she constantly shoved up between them. Tonight, he was going to work on that.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER COLE AND SAVANNAH HAD
entered what would surely be the dullest night of his life.

The event was being held at some fancy schmancy gallery in West County. But the benefit was for the American Cancer Society, so he had no problem chunking out some money.

Maybe Savannah would take pity on him since he was in obvious misery. Sure, the tux fit fine, but the shoes were uncomfortable as hell. He was more of a tennis shoes or boots kind of guy, not shiny black pointy shoes. Maybe he could write a big fat check and they could get out of here early.

Though he had to admit, he could stand to spend a couple hours with Savannah. The silver dress that clung to her curves and sparkled in the overhead chandeliers was as much of a work of art as all
the doodads being auctioned off tonight for charity. She’d worn her hair up in some kind of twisty thing, had put diamond studs in her ears, and wore no other jewelry. And she had on sexy silver-and-crystal shoes that made her legs look a mile long. He wanted to be alone with her, have her wear those shoes and nothing else.

He wondered what she wore under the dress. Maybe she could wear the shoes and her underwear.

Yeah, and maybe he needed to get his fantasies under control before his dick got hard.

She threaded her arm through his and pulled him aside, straightening his tie. “Okay, let’s go through this.”

“I got it. Play nice. Don’t insult anyone. Don’t hit anyone. Don’t cuss. I pretty much have the basic manners thing down. You don’t have to worry about me.”

She cocked a pretty blonde brow at him. “It’s my job to worry. Your image is at stake and this is a very high-profile event. In case you haven’t noticed, several sports figures will be at this event tonight, along with the media.”

“I already told you I’d be on my best behavior.”

“Don’t engage the media. If you’re asked a question, be benign.”

Now it was his turn to raise a brow. “How, exactly, does someone act benign?”

“You can answer football questions, or questions related to being with the Traders this season. Behavioral questions you need to avoid.”

“Avoid…how?”

“For example—Cole, do you think the reason Green Bay dumped you is because of your behavior?—how are you going to answer that?”

He scratched the side of his nose. “I don’t suppose you’d let me tell them to fuck off?”

She looked horrified. “Definitely not. You’ll tell them you enjoyed your time with Green Bay, and you think they’re a great
organization, but it wasn’t a good fit for either you or the team. Now your focus is on the upcoming season with St. Louis.”

“So you want me to deflect.”

She nodded and patted his tie, raising her gaze to his. “Exactly. Don’t engage in a pissing match with the media. You’ll never come out ahead. Only give them positive, quotable remarks. Never denigrate your former teams.”

“But—”

She raised her hand. “It doesn’t matter what you really think. State the positive, focus on the Traders and this season. Get the media excited about St. Louis and you. If you’re optimistic, they’ll be optimistic about you.”

“I’ll try.”

“Good. I’ll stick close to you so I can help you out if you need me to.”

“Jesus, Savannah. This isn’t my first time out in public. I think I can handle this. I’ve been handling it, in case you haven’t noticed.”

She gave him a dubious look. And okay, maybe she was right. He hadn’t exactly been a champion with interviews over the past couple years. He and the media weren’t the best of friends. But he’d give it his best shot because it was clear this was important to Savannah.

“Let’s go mingle,” she said, plastering on a bright smile.

But as they wandered through the crowd, he could tell she was nervous. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Savannah nervous. She was always so confident. But she kept glancing his way.

Did she think he was going to pick his nose in public? What kind of backwoods, uncouth redneck did she think he was? He rolled his eyes.