Illicit acollection, p.245
Illicit: A Contemporary Romance Collection, page 245
After they gave the hostess their drink orders, Brett met Tina’s gaze. “You mentioned a while ago, you were in school. Which university are you attending?”
“Nova Southeastern. I’ve a year left before I receive my Bachelor’s degree.” Tina shifted in her seat, trying not to leap over the table and kiss Brett’s curved lips or square jaw. “I’m majoring in marketing and public relations. Over the summer, I’m hoping to intern at a firm that specializes in my field.”
“Wow. Good for you.”
Brett sounded as if he was impressed by it, and Tina couldn’t help but beam with pride. “I understand you were recruited after you finished college. That was what, eight years ago?”
Brett nodded, never taking his eyes off her.
Tina eased out a breath, wanting to pray at Mr. Hot Stud Pro Pitcher’s altar, morning, noon, and night. She’d only take a break to eat and shower, so she could return and pray all over again.
“You know I went into baseball for the love of the game,” Brett said, pulling Tina from her thoughts.
She blinked and tried desperately to pay attention to the conversation at hand and not on Brett’s massive shoulders.
“I know I’m very lucky I get paid to do something I enjoy, but my life hasn’t always been easy,” Brett admitted.
Tina froze in her seat. Had she heard him correctly? But before she could ask him what he meant by that latter part, a pretty redhead about the same age as Tina, delivered their beers, wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She wetted her lips and gaped at Brett, like she wanted to eat him whole.
“Oh my God,” the waitress shrieked. “You’re Brett Young. You’re even more handsome in person than you are on TV. Can I get your autograph and a selfie with you?”
Without blinking an eye, Brett offered her a cool smile. “Sure, but not until I’m ready to leave.”
“Oh yeah, no problem.” The waitress took their orders, then left.
Brett shook his head and frowned, and Tina couldn’t help but notice the waitress’ phone number jotted down on a napkin next to Brett’s bottle of beer. It’d be hard, Tina sighed, to be in a relationship with a man like Brett. She would always be wondering if he was cheating on her behind her back, especially when women shoved their numbers at him, like that waitress just did.
“Don’t you ever get tired of people coming up to you all of the time, asking for your autograph?” Tina took a sip of beer and swallowed back the bitter taste in her mouth for she had done the same thing to him.
“Only during moments like this.”
“Like this?” Tina asked, not quite sure what he meant by it.
“Moments like this.” Brett leaned in and grinned. “When I’m out with a beautiful woman.”
Tina was beyond flattered. And what female wouldn’t be when paid a compliment by a famous, hot looking athlete? He had her ego soaring out of the ballpark. Yet, unlike other women, Tina wasn’t about to gush and swoon over Mr. Hot Stud Pro Pitcher, no matter how many MVPs he’d earned, no matter how delicious his biceps looked.
“Listen,” she said, “that line may work on other women, but it won’t on me. I’m sitting here under two inches of dry sweat, with my snarly hair pulled back in a ponytail. So it’s beyond me how you can say I look beautiful when I know I look like a heap of dung. And if I don’t get home and shower soon, I’ll have flies swarming all over me.”
Brett laughed. “It’s not a line. From where I’m sitting, you do look beautiful.”
Oh, he was good. Tina had to grant him that and met his grin with a shake of her head. With charm like that, she could see how those super models, movie stars, and pop singers fell for him. But if she didn’t want to become one of many in his trophy case, then she’d better change the topic fast, or she might easily change her mind and fall for him, too.
***
* * *
The waitress returned and delivered their burgers and stared at Brett, like she was a sex-starved kitten who was beyond eager to purr away in his bed, naked. Yeah, Brett had seen her number written down on a napkin earlier, but the only woman he was interested in was Tina. She was the first woman to reject a compliment and tell him to get real. If she didn’t fall for his charm soon, he’d lose that bet for sure.
Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing—to lose.
There was something about Tina he really liked. They sure had a lot in common more than he had realized.
Tina took a big bite of hamburger and chewed it like it was her last meal. He reached across the table and wiped a dab of ketchup off her left cheek, with a napkin.
“Thank you,” Tina mumbled, still chewing away.
“Glad to help.” Brett shoved a French fry into his mouth, never taking his eyes of Tina. He liked a woman with a curvy body and a healthy appetite. And this one had both. It didn’t matter if she wore a tight fitting uniform or a tight fitting tank top and a hot pair of shorts, she was gorgeous looking, either way, from the top of her head all the way down to her sneakers.
“Before we were interrupted, you were telling me things weren’t always easy for you. What did you mean by that?” Tina plopped an onion ring in her mouth and met his gaze.
For a fleeting second, Brett wished he could’ve been that ring. He would’ve liked her to nip him in all the right places. “I grew up poor living in Michigan. My dad worked for GM and lost his job in a recession years back. My mom was a housewife and raised five kids. It was rough growing up—but we managed. I’m just thankful I’m able to take good care of my parents now and help out my brothers and sister.” Brett took a big bite out of his burger and chewed it quickly. “Mm, this is good.”
Tina swallowed a sip of beer, then rolled her tongue over her lips.
Brett drew a breath, wishing he could penetrate that sensuous mouth of hers, with his tongue, and explore every delicious crevice inside. He imagined Tina tasted sweet as ketchup and hot as a fresh green pepper, making it one hell of a dangerous combination for him. He liked hot women for sure, but he made it his business to stay away from the sweet ones, like Tina. They were the ones who typically lived on the straight and narrow, who wanted to settle down, get married, and have kids. Granted the hot ones tried to rein him in, too, but he knew they were ultimately looking for a quick marriage that would end fast, with a nice big payout.
Air sucked out of his lungs.
Tina was sliding a long French fry into her mouth.
Brett wished he could slide something long in her mouth, too, and it wasn’t a damn fry.
A sudden blast of cold air blew down on them from the A/C vent overhead.
Goose bumps formed on Tina’s arms and her nipples poked through her tank top. He was drowning in a pool of lust. His cock semi-aroused, he took a gulp of beer, trying not to stare at those luscious peaks, but it was hard not to when they looked like they were begging to be sucked. Jeez, Tina had him revving, and he hadn’t even done anything with her yet.
“Tell me.” Brett cleared his throat. “—about your family.”
“There’s not much to tell. My dad died three years ago in a car accident.”
Whoa. That was the last thing Brett had expected to hear and gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Tina shrugged. “Don’t be. He was a mean drunk.”
His sympathy for her was growing stronger, with each passing second. He could only hope nothing worse happened to her since then. “That had to be rough on you and your family.”
“We’re survivors. My mom works at Walmart, and I work part-time on weekends at Mickey’s and go to school full-time. Both my brother and I are lucky we each received scholarships from our schools, or we wouldn’t be able to attend either one of them.”
Admiring Tina’s strength, Brett took a sip of beer, relieved to learn she and her family were doing better than expected.
“I’m must be boring the hell out of you, with my tale of woe.”
Brett shook his head. “Hey, you listened to mine. Don’t be silly.”
Before finishing her burger, Tina gave him a sweet smile that almost sent him over the edge. Man, the woman was blowing him away. Not only did they have similar backgrounds, but she wasn’t coming off like the type who wanted to get something out of him for herself, other than a few pitching tips for her brother. It was refreshing to be with someone like Tina.
“I can’t eat another bite.” Tina pushed her plate off to the side and dabbed the corners of her mouth, with a napkin.
“Would you like dessert?”
“No way,” Tina said, with a laugh. “I can barely breath, I’m so full.”
Too bad. Brett would’ve liked to have covered her in whip topping and fudge.
The waitress not only came back with bill, but she brought the entire kitchen staff, with her, too. “Can we get your autograph now?”
Before Brett could say yes, napkins and small pieces of paper were shoved in his face. Though he was irritated by their rudeness, Brett put on his public happy face and signed his name away while taking a few selfies with them on their phones. When it was all said and done, he shook their hands, then went outside where he found Tina waiting for him under a lamp post. “Hey, I’m really sorry about that.”
“Don’t apologize. I think what you did was very nice. You made several people happy tonight.”
“That’s great, but the only person I want to make happy tonight is you.”
“There you go again, with that charm of yours,” Tina teased. “I can see why women fall for you.”
“You mean it’s starting to work on you?” Brett leaned in close and inhaled her scent of jasmine. At that moment, he wished he could wrap himself around her and not let her go until several weeks later.
“Hey.” Tina pressed a hand against his shoulder, stopping him from moving any closer to her. “Not so fast there, Mr. Hot Stud Pro Pitcher.”
“Well, you can’t blame a guy for trying,” Brett half teased, wishing his magic worked on her for he was falling under her spell. “So where to now?” he asked.
“I think you should take me home. It’s getting late, and I’ve taken up a lot of your time already.”
“What do you mean taken up my time? I was the one who asked you out.”
“Oh, c’mon. I only agreed to go out with you if you agreed to help my brother. I’m sure by now you can’t wait to be rid of me.”
Was she kidding? Brett didn’t want the evening to end. He slipped his hand in hers and led her to the car parked at the curb. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll take you home, but you have to go out with me again.”
She pulled back on his hand and stopped him and stared. “Why would ever want to see me again?”
“Because I haven’t had this much fun on a date in a very long time.”
Tina scoffed, “Teaching how to throw a curve ball and eating a burger is fun to you? Wouldn’t you have much rather been jet-setting off somewhere with a supermodel on your arm instead of hanging out with the likes of me?”
That was exactly why Brett liked Tina. She wasn’t pretentious, and she made him laugh. Staring into her eyes, he cupped her cheeks in his hands, leaned in, and pressed his lips against hers gently, arousing his cock instantly. Kissing her was like kissing a delicious frosted cupcake. One bite and he wouldn’t be satisfied until he ate the whole damn thing, several times over. If he didn’t watch out, he wouldn’t only lose the bet but his heart, too.
Brett broke the kiss. “Say you’ll go out with me.”
Tina stared at him through a haze. “O—kay.”
A grin tugged on his lips. “Good. I’ll pick you up at 7 tomorrow night at your house. Bring your sea legs.”
“Sea legs?” Tina asked wide-eyed. “What are you up to?”
“It’s a surprise.” After Brett helped Tina into the Porsche, he sat behind the wheel, and they rode away together.
On the way to Tina’s, his phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Brett pressed a button and frowned at the number flashing now in the center of the dashboard.
“Boy, someone is sure trying to get a hold of you. Aren’t you going to answer it?” Tina asked in a voice reflecting her curiosity.
“It’s Denny. I’ll call him back later.” The dude was probably checking in on him to find out if he had scored a home run yet. It wouldn’t be tonight—that was for sure. Brett had barely got Tina to agree to go out with him again. Thank God, the kiss won her over. It certainly blew him away.
Arriving at Tina’s townhouse, Brett parked the car and walked her to the front porch and glared at a weathered front door and rusty gutters overhead. Suspecting Tina and her family rented, Brent felt nothing but disgust towards the landlord for failing to spend money to fix up the place. He was probably a real cheap bastard.
Tina inserted the key into the lock, then turned to face him, with only two inches to spare between them. Her lips were plump, and her soft cheeks, a rosy red. Brett let out a frustrated sigh. It was damn tempting to pull her in his arms and whisk her away and spend the rest of the night with her somewhere, but one false move on his part, and it could blow his chances of ever seeing her again, or winning that wager.
“I had a good time tonight,” Tina said softly.
Surprisingly, Brett did, too. “Same here.” He leaned in and stole a kiss. It was sweet, just like her.
“So,” Tina smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow at 7?”
“You bet.” Brett frowned at himself. Why did he have to use the word bet? “G’night.” He watched Tina enter the house safely, then returned to the car and drove off. His phone vibrated again.
He pressed a button on the dashboard, and Denny’s voice filled the inside of the Porsche. “How’s it going, buddy, did you strike out yet?”
“I’m taking her out again.”
Oh, yeah? When?”
“Tomorrow night.”
“So, I guess you’re still stuck on first,” Denny said, with a laugh. “One more strike and you’re out and my pocket is six thousand dollars richer. See you in the morning.”
The phone went dead.
If Brett was going to cash in and collect the ante, he had better up his game, but now, after being with Tina, he wasn’t sure he wanted to win that damn bet.
4
In bare feet, Tina paced back and forth in her bedroom, wringing her hands and shaking her head. According to the clock sitting on the nightstand next to her twin bed, she had about ten minutes left to finish dressing before Brett came to pick her up and take her out.
What in the world ever made her say yes? She was not supposed to see him again. They lived in two separate worlds. He was rich and famous and she was unknown and poor.
It had to have been that kiss.
That sizzling hot kiss.
Just thinking about it made her toes curl and her heart race.
Of course, she’d been kissed before, but nothing like that, and not from a man like Brett who knew how to send tingles down a woman’s spine and in between her upper thighs, who knew how to make her want to strip off his clothes and study every inch of his body under a microscope for months at a time.
If Tina was smart, she would pick up the phone and cancel the date. No way did she want to become another statistic on his scoresheet or jeopardize that internship possibility. There had to be some bullshit excuse she could make-up, like—like what? She couldn’t think of one. As much as logic told her to cancel the date now, before it was too late, her body screamed no.
Slipping her feet into a pair of wedged sandals, Tina glanced at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. Tonight had better be casual, or she’d be in trouble dressed only in a pair of worn blue jeans and a top off the shoulders.
“Hey, sis, Brett’s here,” Pete yelled at the top of lungs from the bottom of the stairs.
Heart pounding, Tina gave her hair a quick brush, then glared at her reflection in the mirror. Okay, he was here, and it was too late to back out now. Left with no choice, she’d go out with him, have fun, and then call it a night and never see him again.
Satisfied with her game plan, Tina left her room and hurried down the stairs into the small living area, determined to cut the date short and return home before midnight.
“You ready to go?” Brett greeted her with a thong-melting-grin, looking absolutely delicious in his short sleeve polo shirt and tight fitting jeans.
Fighting not to stand there like a gawking idiot, Tina managed to find her voice and speak a few words, “I’m ready.”
Whew! Was she was in trouble.
It took everything in her not to grab Brett by the hand and lead him up to her bedroom, where she’d hold him captive for months, having her way with him.
“Take care, Pete.” Brett clapped her brother on the shoulder, then escorted Tina outside down the paved path to his parked Porsche.
Once they were both seated inside the car and on the road, Tina eased herself against the soft black leather and shook her head. She couldn’t believe she was back with Brett again, on a second date, and in less than twenty-eight hours.
“You sure look pretty tonight.” Brett gave her a quick side glance and shifted into fifth gear.
“So do you.” So good, Tina thought, that she would love to unbuckle her safety belt and jump over the console and kiss him.
Brett laughed. “I’ve never been told I look pretty before.”
“I meant handsome.” Tina took a breath and inhaled his spicy cologne. If only she could wrap herself in that manly scent and run her hands all over his massive shoulders and biceps.
Tina bit back a moan and frowned. She had to think about something else, before she lost control and gave into those urges. O-o-h, but it was so hard, when such temptation sat next to her.
Within forty minutes, they were pulling into one of Fort Lauderdale’s most exclusive boat and yacht clubs, The Marina Bay. Tina heard about it from a few of her regulars who came in for drinks every Friday night at Mickey’s. Apparently, the marina was extremely difficult to become a member. The board only accepted individuals who were super rich or super famous, which typically went hand-in-hand, like in Brett’s case.
