In profile, he was magnificent, his shoulders wide, his waist lean, and his face photogenic. No wonder the media ate him up. He had the longest eyelashes she’d ever seen on a man, and the way his hair curled at the nape of his neck made her itch to slide her fingers into the tendrils and see if it felt as soft and thick as it looked.
He finally spotted her, turned his head and smiled.
He took her breath away.
He was a client, not a date. Not a man she was going to sleep with, so everything on her body that was throbbing could just stop.
“I’m ready.”
“Let me take those.” He grabbed her garment bag and the small bag she’d placed her other things in. She opened the door and they went out and climbed into his SUV.
She watched his hands on the steering wheel as he drove. Strong, confident. He even drove the speed limit, though she wondered if he was on his best behavior because she was with him. She’d read his file—he’d gotten so many speeding tickets she was surprised he still had a driver’s license.
Which made her wonder just where one of those strong, confident hands would be if she were his date, not his image consultant.
Maybe she should have had two orgasms last night instead of just one. She’d been on the road a lot lately, and had nearly doubled her clientele in the past six months. Good for business, bad for her tension level. And none of those clients were of the sexy, fantasy-inducing quality like Cole Riley. He might have issues, but she wanted to devour him like her favorite homemade biscuits, all slathered in butter and honey.
Which got her to thinking about licking honey off Cole’s naked chest, her tongue dipping into the hollow of his oh-so-spectacular naked abs. Then she’d move lower…
“You’re quiet.”
Her gaze shot to his, her body in flames as she pushed the wicked fantasy to the back of her mind. She’d get back to it later. “Just taking in the view.”
He frowned. “We’re on the highway, Savannah. Not much to see but a lot of shopping centers and a blur of lights.”
“True. But I’m always driving. It’s nice to be a passenger for a change and get to take in the sights.”
He shrugged. “Whatever rocks your world.”
Cole, apparently, was rocking her world. In a most inappropriate way. She needed to get her mind back on track. It helped when Cole exited the highway and she had more to look at than the aforementioned shopping centers and lights.
“So, you haven’t bought a house?” she asked after he drove a few miles and pulled into a condominium complex and parked.
He got out and grabbed her stuff, then helped her out of the car.
“No. I’m single, have no pets, and who knows if I’ll end up being traded again. No sense in putting down money on property right now until I see if it works out with the Traders.”
She followed him to his front door and waited while he unlocked it. “That makes sense. Though with your income, I would imagine you’d need some tax breaks.”
He looked at her and smiled. “I have investments.”
“Good to know.”
He opened the door and turned on the lights. She stepped into a place she hadn’t expected. Definitely a bachelor pad, decorated with a lot of black and chrome, with a huge flat-screen television mounted on the wall, along with multiple game equipment. But it was neat and tidy, with leather couches and stellar décor, from lamps to tables and even a few throw pillows and accent rugs.
“This is very nice. You decorate it yourself?”
“Thanks. And no, I don’t have decorating talent. But I do have a sister. She did it for me.”
She followed him down the hall and into one of the bedrooms—she counted three. The master was huge, with a king-size bed, two dressers, and an enviable closet. This place might have more square footage than her house.
The bed had a light brown comforter and about nine pillows, which made her want to dive in and make herself at home.
“I’ll just lay this stuff on the bed. You can change before we go out.”
“That’ll be fine. Thanks.”
He led her into the living room, then turned. “Would you like a drink?”
“Sparkling water if you have it. If not, plain water is fine.”
“Sparkling it is.”
She took a seat on the sofa. “You keep your bar well stocked?”
“Yeah. For all those wild parties I throw.”
She cocked a brow, trying to determine if he was serious or not. “Seems to me you do plenty of public partying.”
He brought her the glass. “I don’t throw wild parties here. The last thing I want is to have a bunch of people at my place trashing it.”
“So you were joking.”
He sat on the loveseat across from the sofa. “You need to work on your sense of humor, Savannah.”
She bristled. “I have a sense of humor.”
“Do you?” He smiled behind his glass.
She decided at that moment that he was mean and she’d no longer have fantasies about him. She was cured.
“So, now what do you do with the rest of your day?”
“Since it’s before the season starts, I might play some video games until it’s time to go out.”
She grabbed her phone. “Too early to go out. So you’ll just hang out and play games?”
He reached over and took a binder from the coffee table. “No. Since I’m with a new team this year I have to learn the playbook. I need to study.”
She gave him a critical look. “Really.”
“Yeah, really. You don’t walk onto the field knowing every play. But if you’d rather play some games…”
“No, by all means. Do whatever it is you do. I have work of my own to do. I won’t get in your way.”
He opened the binder and started reading. She got out her phone and checked her email. After answering several, she pulled out her laptop, typed up some reports and made a few notes. She looked up occasionally to find Cole’s brows furrowed in concentration. He didn’t deviate as he went over page after page of the playbook. Not once, but three times.
She gave him credit for being thorough.
“How long does it take to learn the playbook?” she asked.
He didn’t look up at her. “A while. I need to know every play.”
“And there are a lot.”