Playing the Game (The Renegades) (Volume 3) (10 page)

“
Are you kidding me?” The meathead
chuckled while staring at Paige.

“
Do I look like I’m kidding?” She
put her hand on her hip and her eyes turned to slits. “You wanna
try me?”

“
Whatever.” He grabbed the brunette
by the wrist, dragging her behind him as he walked away.

“
Well, that was fun.” Tyler
chuckled.

Paige cleared her throat at the triplets before
waving her hands like she was swatting flies. “Let’s go girls. Move
it.”

The triplets finally dispersed with disapproving
groans and pouty faces.

“
Next time, ladies,” Tyler called
as they walked away.

“
See what happens when I decide to
stop for a drink? I end up having to come to your rescue and avoid
a huge PR nightmare for myself tomorrow morning.”

“
It was all good. He wasn’t going
to hit me.”

Marco shook his head with a sigh.

Paige stood tall at the bar. “You don’t think, Tyler?
You only make things worse for yourself. I thought we talked about
this.” She puffed her chest out as if she wanted to prove she could
stand up to him. Maybe she was tougher than he gave her credit for,
‘cause this chick was not backing down.

“
Oh yeah? And what are you going to
do about it, sweetie?” His head was starting to spin as the alcohol
took over his already arrogant attitude. Tyler stood to full
height, towering over her.

“
Me? I came in for a drink. But
while I enjoy that drink, I’m going to stand right here and make
sure you don’t make a complete ass out of yourself. After all, that
is my job.” Waving her hand to the bartender, she ordered a Corona
and tossed a few beer nuts in her mouth.

Shoving her dark blonde hair out of her face, she ran
her hand through it. God, that was sexy. Paige was small in
stature, but damn, she looked good in a skirt. She was still all
dolled up from the game in a sexy business type skirt that seemed
to cup her round little ass. The heels and dress shirt added to the
sexy hands-off vibe she gave out.

He normally didn’t go for girls like her. She was
smart and had fire, and she wasn’t falling all over herself to get
close to him. His recent conquests were simple, and very willing.
And never did he let one touch his heart.

But now Paige stood before him, staring at him with
determined eyes, and something definitely twisted in his chest. As
she took a long sip of her beer, he wondered what it would feel
like to kiss her pretty, delicate lips. Which led to him wondering
what they would look like around his cock, and just the thought
made him hard. She swallowed and he couldn’t take his eyes off the
soft curve of her throat, as he stared at the place his lips wanted
to be.

She put her drink back on the bar. He could see her
arms were sculpted. She obviously worked out, and he liked that. A
woman who understood the demands of grueling training.

His eyes slid over the rest of her. Every gorgeous
curve looked toned and perfect. He focused on her, trying to get a
glimpse of her breasts straining against that stuffy shirt. He
wouldn’t mind helping her out of that suit, that’s for damn
sure.

“
Up here,” she said after clearing
her throat. His eyes moved back to her face. Her voice was serious,
but her blue eyes sparkled. She was mad, but really trying hard to
keep it professional. That was cute. “No one told me my job also
included babysitting. I should charge extra. I wonder what the
going rate is.”

The bartender chuckled until Tyler shot him a glare,
then he quickly turned away. Everyone in this place knew better
than to tussle with Tyler, except that jealous guy, so why was she
so hell bent on being a bitch? He thought they got to know each
other the other day, and despite her refusing to go out with him,
they’d ended the lunch on good terms. What had changed? “I’m pretty
sure you’re off the clock, and I don’t need a babysitter. So you
can go home now.”

She had him rattled. His head was still spinning, but
he was pretty sure it was from her and not the beer. He’d enjoyed
spending time with her at their meeting, and she’d surprised him
with her sensitivity. She also had spunk and she was as sexy as
hell. If she didn’t work for the team, he’d be trying harder to get
a piece of her. But it wasn’t a good idea to mix pleasure with
business.

Marco had since disappeared, and his bottle was
empty. “Ahem! I need more beer down here!” He shouted to anyone
behind the bar who would listen. “I told you, keep ‘em coming.”

“
Over here too, please. Put it on
Tyler’s bill. Thanks.”

Damn, this girl had balls
. And for some reason
he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She glanced back at him,
smirking. But he noticed the flush rising up her neck. Could it be
that he was getting under her skin as well?

CHAPTER 10

She’d crushed on Tyler Kidd for a while before
landing the job with the Renegades. But now that she was in charge
of him and his teammates, there was no time for such schoolgirl
feelings. Plus, from what she’d seen, he didn’t go for girls like
her; he preferred his women obvious and easy.
But what was all
that flirting about? And why did she like it so much?

She wished Rylee hadn’t flaked on her tonight. They
were supposed to meet up after the game, but Gram hadn’t been
feeling the best, so Rylee decided to stay in with her instead.

Being this close to Tyler made Paige’s body run hot,
and she could’ve used a buddy to keep her mind off him. Her hands
shook, and her heels felt way too high at the moment, but this
wasn’t anything another beer or two couldn’t fix.

Tyler was much more handsome in person. No picture
could do justice to the way his unruly hair curled around his hazel
eyes. But she wasn’t here to admire him, or even to flirt with him.
She was in charge of the team’s publicity and had no intention of
letting him making a scene tonight—not on her watch.

A fist fight with that huge mountain of muscles
would’ve made front page news, and she would’ve needed some fancy
footwork to get him out of that. He didn’t need that. Besides, she
was here on the spot, so there was no reason not to stop it from
happening. He was right though. Not technically on the clock, she
could look the other way and leave. Call her crazy, but she just
couldn’t do that.

He was busy berating the bartender for not keeping up
on refilling his beer. While his attention was away from her, she
couldn’t resist scanning his body. With every movement, his muscles
rippled under his tight t-shirt and jeans, making her warm right
between her legs. She wasn’t sure why he didn’t have the usual
post-game suit on, but right now she didn’t much care.

This was a bad situation. She’d seen the way he’d
looked at her body, the pure lust in his eyes, and if she offered
herself she didn’t think he would refuse. But she could only
imagine how awkward things would be at work if she became Tyler’s
next conquest.

She wasn’t naive and knew how he used girls, but
saving him from himself wasn’t part of her job description. Saving
face for the franchise, now
that
was her job. Dealing with
him as part of the team was easy. He never even made eye contact
with her. But now… Now he was staring her down with those intense
hazel eyes. She swore she could see into his soul, and all she
could see was need.

Enough of that
. Now that his attention was
back on her, she sighed and flipped her hair out of her eyes before
taking a long drink of beer. The alcohol raced through her, and it
was a welcome relief. She would drink just enough to relax her and
get her stomach to stop doing weird flutters. She smoothed her
skirt.

Tyler cleared his throat. “Now that you tossed out my
entertainment for the evening, I need to see what other potential
is out there.” He tipped his head around her to scan the bar.

“
Am I in your way?” She was laying
it on kind of thick, but had to make it believable that there was
no attraction here. His breathing was deep and heavy while his eyes
raked over her like she was the tastiest thing he’d ever seen, and
it made every molecule of her existence tingle with delight. With
every beer, she reminded herself she couldn’t give in to those
feelings.
I should just listen to him and leave; I’m no
babysitter
.

“
Nope.” Tyler continued to stare
her down as he drained another bottle of beer. His large, imposing
frame started to sway before grabbing on to the bar to steady
himself. His eyes, becoming glassier, never left her. Even in his
not so sober state, he had a devastating presence, the way he
carried himself and never showed an ounce of self-doubt. It
terrified her.

She wasn’t used to this. It was almost as if he was
challenging her, and she never backed down from a challenge. The
alcohol was making her mind a bit fuzzy, and his dark stares were
starting to make her toes curl.
Why is he even wasting his time
on me
? She raised her hand to the bartender; he wasn’t fast
enough with the beers and she needed anything that would numb her
attraction to this guy.

An idea came to her, and she scanned the room. “Okay
then. What about the girl about to go into the restroom? You could
proposition her on her way out.” Paige held her breath, waiting for
his reply. She was only joking, but what if he decided to do it?
And why did the thought of that cause an ache in her?

He smiled and shot a look in the direction of the
girl. “Nah. She’s too tall. I like my girls more petite.”

Huh. Petite? That’s not the type he was letting hang
all over him when she got here. She breathed a sigh of relief, and
couldn’t stop the little smile that lit her face. When she glanced
at him, his eyes found hers with a sexy smirk. Her heart raced to
see the unspoken words in his look.

She tapped her lip with her finger and looked around
again. “Well then, how about the blonde in the back corner? She’s
been looking over here. She’s probably willing.”

He laughed. “Not my type. I like my blondes natural.”
His eyes slid over Paige’s hair, making the blood in her veins flow
hot.

“
Um, I have highlights put in my
hair.”
Why the hell did I tell him that?

“
It’s beautiful.”

She cleared her throat. “What about that girl at the
table behind us? The one with the dark hair?”

He glanced over his shoulder at where she nodded.
“Nah. Hair’s too short. I like longer hair so I can wrap it around
my fist.”

Paige’s heart thumped in her chest. She took a quick
swig of her drink. The thought of Ty’s hands clenched in her hair
while she knelt…
Oops.
She took a deep breath and shook the
thought out of her mind. Her thoughts couldn’t go there, and he was
getting too flirty. She was in very dangerous territory.

“
Dance with me.” His words slurred,
but she understood every one.

As he moved closer, his body leaned into hers. The
heat coming off of him was too much. She held up her hand and shook
her head, and then gulped another drink.

With every beer she drank her resistance weakened.
She just seemed more drawn to him, and the way he was looking at
her now made the warmth flood between her legs.
Remember this
can’t happen
.

Grabbing for her purse, she stood up. “Well, you’re
not acting like a total ass tonight and I accomplished keeping you
out of any fights, so my job is done. I’ve been in your way long
enough. I’m sure you’ll find some woman here to your liking, so
have at it.” She turned away from him. “See you at the arena.”

Before she could walk away, his strong hand closed
around her arm and he pulled her to him. She landed with a thud
against his hard chest and gasped. “What—”

Before she could ask what he was doing, his mouth
crashed down onto hers. His lips tasted like beer, his breath was
fiery as he kissed her with maddening skill. Unable to move, she
was pretty sure her feet were glued to the floor. Every wisp of his
warm tongue against her lips ignited a fire in her stomach, and he
parted her lips with such precision, taking over her mouth as his
own until she was breathless. Every movement, she returned with
equal passion, her heart drumming against her chest.

Finally pulling back, a seductive smile curved at his
lips. “There
is
a woman here to my liking.”

Why wasn’t she running
? Because if she had any
sense, she would run away as fast as she could. Maybe it was the
alcohol, or maybe it was that kiss, but the bar had faded out like
no one else was around. There was just her and him, and this
moment. No job, no team, just them.

“
I don’t want those girls, Paige. I
want you,” Tyler said, with such smoothness in his voice. His hand
on her hip braced her against him.

It had to be the alcohol. Sober she would never
consider this. If her client even tried this, he’d be stinging from
a smack across the face or a hard left hook.

But she couldn’t move. The question was there in his
eyes, and she knew he wasn’t nearly as cocky and confident as he
made everyone think. His hazel eyes, still dark and lonely, never
left hers. Her blood was pounding in her ears as she gave a little
nod.

He slid money across the bar and led her to the
door.

In her mind she questioned why she was following
along like a little puppy dog and why she wasn’t saying
no
.
But her body had taken over and was leading her to a night she knew
she’d never forget.

Tyler’s smile spread across his face as they got to
his sports car. Desire dripped from his grin as his eyes raked over
her, eager and hungry. Shoving her against the driver’s door, his
hard body pressed against hers. He pushed her skirt up, and his
hard-on strained against his jeans, teasing at her center, clearing
all concerned thoughts away.