Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
He shrugs and shoots her a lopsided grin. “I enjoy dancing. It’s one of my many talents.”
“What are your others? Besides running, blocking, and tackling.”
“I can bake pies like nobody’s business.”
Katie’s eyes light up, and she hums her approval. “I’ll be saving a dance for you, Mr. Pie Maker.”
I glance at Jillian, and she simply shrugs happily. I have a feeling this won’t be the last I hear of Harlan’s interest in Katie.
In front of three hundred friends, family members, colleagues, and professional athletes in a swank hotel ballroom overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Sierra’s fiancé tells her he’ll love, cherish, and honor her for the rest of his days. A few rows in front of us, Kevin leans in closer to the woman he cheated on Jillian with, and dusts a kiss on her cheek.
I seethe inside. He never deserved Jillian. But I let the anger fade because his actions gave me this chance. Seated next to Jillian, I lean in and speak softly. “You look beautiful tonight. Stunning.”
I tell her because I want her to feel as beautiful as she is. But I need her to know something else, too. Something more important. That there are guys who would never violate her trust. How I’m one of those guys. I want her to know that even though I might’ve started as a player, I’d never do what he did. When the ceremony ends, and the bride and groom walk down the aisle to the wedding march, I grab Jillian’s arm and whisper, “You have to know that even though I might have a past, I would never do what Kevin did.”
She turns her gaze to mine, that vulnerable look I love flashing across her brown irises. “I’d never think you would.”
Even with all these people around us, I can’t stop looking at her. “I need you to know I’m a one-woman kind of guy.”
As the guests clap and cheer, she mouths words just for me. I’m a one-guy kind of woman.
All my instincts tell me to pull her close and seal this moment with a kiss, but once more, I’m painfully aware we can’t. We’re a secret—one-time clandestine lovers attending a mutual acquaintance’s wedding for a quick hit of one another’s company.
I hate that I can’t kiss her in public, or at all.
We’re ushered into the reception room. People chat and snap photos, and I get pulled in a few different directions, posing for shots with fans, with Sierra, and even with Kevin. He yanks Harlan next to him on the other side. I have no doubt Kevin is going to post this picture everywhere. Bumping into two of the Renegades at Sierra’s nuptials. Isn’t he oh-so connected?
“So good to see you two,” his baritone voice booms, and I want to punch him and thank him at the same damn time.
But most of all, I don’t want to be him.
Because I don’t want to lose her.
And I don’t even have her.
After the pictures, I keep trying to snag a private moment with the woman I love, but it’s a fool’s errand since this is a public event. I don’t know why I thought this would be a good idea. I’m running into the same wall everywhere I see her. I can’t talk to her the way I want to. I can’t be with her the way I want to. But I’m relentless, and I don’t stop hunting for an opening, just like I do on the field.
Being the best wingman a guy could ask for, Harlan says, “How about I take the first dance with Jillian, and you take Katie for a whirl. You feel me?” His eyes crinkle at the corners.
“I fucking feel you. And I love you for it.”
He smacks my shoulder. “I know what’s going on, and it’s cool with me. I’ve got your back. I always do.”
“I know, man.”
Harlan holds out an arm and asks Jillian for a dance. They dance as two colleagues do. Nothing more. They maintain a professional distance while I join Katie on the dance floor, her hands chastely on my shoulders.
“You better treat her well,” Katie says, shedding formalities instantly.
My answer is true and honest. “I will.”
But her blue eyes brook no argument. “I mean it. If she goes out on a limb for you, do not let her down. I know that you’re a foot taller than me and probably one-hundred-fifty pounds heavier, but I don’t care. I will kick you in the balls if you hurt her.”
I flinch instinctively, wanting to cup the goods. “Damn.”
Katie isn’t done with me yet. “She is the best person I know, and she tries to live her life with honesty and integrity. If you make a move for her, you better make that play for real. Be prepared to put your whole heart into it.” She pauses, softens her expression, and flashes the biggest smile. “Or you will answer to me and my steel-toed cowboy boots.”