Draft pick season i, p.4
Draft Pick Season I, page 4
That was another thing she found disconcerting. The way he held his arm around her made it seem like they were much closer than she thought they were in school. It also sent her insides tumbling in awkward confusion. As far as she knew, in the past, she’d never given any indication that she was attracted to Carver in the least. She’d freely acknowledged his appeal whenever Mary Beth brought up his physical appearance, but she’d stopped short of displaying anything resembling desire to know him as more than a friendly acquaintance.
After all, he was dating her best—former best friend. Alyssa would never break that bond over a guy. No matter how fine he was. But…Carver and Mary Beth split barely five months after they graduated. Also, Alyssa and Mary Beth were no longer friends.
She didn’t owe her any loyalty. Not that Carver was offering her anything at the moment. He could very well be super excited to see someone from home. Although, they technically weren’t from the same home town—just the same state. She was actually surprised he was so happy to see her. In solidarity with her friend, she’d cut off the limited contact she had with him after the two split. His excitement was a paradox.
“What do you say, Bit? I don’t want to take over whatever plans you have tonight, but I’d really like for us to catch up. That’s if you have some time to spare.”
Realizing she had gotten lost in her thoughts and tuned out of the conversation, Alyssa’s face heated with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, what?”
Apparently unbothered that she’d checked out on him, Carver replied. “I was just saying to Kevin and Jasper that since we were done for the night you and I could catch up.”
“I’m sorry, what?” A line appeared between Alyssa’s eyebrows as she tried to make sense of the words coming out of Carver’s mouth.
Dipping his head closer to her, he gifted her with a lopsided grin. “I haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays and I haven’t seen anyone from home other than my family in almost as long. I thought maybe we could go somewhere and talk. You’re bundled up like you’re heading out, are you not staying here at The Drake?”
“Oh… No. I’m not. I met someone for dinner. I was just leaving to go back to my hotel.”
“Well, I have a suite upstairs. We could head up and you can tell me what you’ve been up to.”
What could it hurt? The thought drifted across her mind. Carver had never been anything but kind to her when they knew each other before. And, he apparently wasn’t holding her cutting off contact with him against her.
“Sure. Okay. I can’t stay long. I have an early flight tomorrow morning.”
The sun was out in full force bathing Alyssa in its glow when Carver smiled at her agreement to join him in his suite. As a group, they moved through the lobby to the bank of elevators. Trying to keep her nerves at bay, Alyssa looked everywhere but at Carver or his small entourage for the entire ride.
Present
“Bit, we’re here.”
Carver’s nudge at her lower back prompted her forward motion to exit the elevator to a part of the hotel she was surprised to learn didn’t require special key card access. When he opened the door and ushered her inside, her eyes rounded. She’d admit to being slightly awed at the elegant display of wealth.
“Would you like something to drink?” Carver asked as he strode to the bar which sat to the right of an actual pool table.
Uncertain if alcohol would dull her senses or make her even more aware of the low throb that had invaded her center the moment he looked into her eyes, she declined the drink. She did however request water to combat the dryness she experienced when she considered the potential topics of conversation beyond how she ended up on a date with a guy who pretended to lose his wallet as a test of her character.
After he poured two fingers of whiskey into a tumbler for himself, he grabbed a bottle of water from the small fridge tucked beneath the bar for her. Softly thanking him when he passed it to her, she followed him past the spiral staircase to enter a sitting room with a plush sectional, an armchair and a big screen television mounted on the wall.
Extending one arm, he offered her a seat on the U-shaped sectional. Once she’d chosen a spot in one corner, he took the seat far enough away as not to crowd her, but close enough for her to feel the heat wafting off his body. Wishing she could put more space between them without being obvious, she fixed her eyes on the view of the city just beyond the windows which made up the entirety of one wall.
“So, wanna tell me what’s up with you and that guy? Since he’s not your boyfriend.” Carver’s question brought her attention back to him instead of the bright lights of the city.
“Not really.”
Honesty is always the best policy, but from the look Carver leveled on her when she responded honestly, he wasn’t a fan of her particular brand of honesty. Rather than give voice to his displeasure, he simply stared at her until she shifted uncomfortably on the sofa.
“Fine. We’ve been seeing each other for the past six months. Not exclusive. Nothing serious. Tonight was the first time he spoke to me that way and it will be the last.”
Nodding, he took a sip from the tumbler as he watched her over the top of the glass. “Y’all were… as you say it ‘seeing’ each other for six months and you weren’t ready to be exclusive? What’s wrong with him? Besides the obvious asshole behavior I witnessed tonight. You said that was the first time, so that couldn’t be the reason.”
“Who says anything is wrong with him? Tonight excluded. It could be me.”
“Nah…There’s no way a man with half a brain, who got you to go out with him for six consecutive months, wouldn’t try to make sure you knew you belonged to him.” Leaning back, he threw an arm across the back of the couch, his fingertips grazing her shoulders sending a shiver down her spine.
“I don’t.” Gathering herself, Alyssa cleared her throat. “I don’t belong to anyone. No one talks like that anymore.”
“Sure they do, Bit. Most of them are just too chicken to say it aloud.” The words unsaid between them twinkled in his eyes.
“If you say so.”
“Oh…I say so, Bit.”
“Can you please stop calling me that?” The nickname was too intimate. It implied a closer relationship than she thought they ever had. Well…except for that night in Chicago. And, that night didn’t really count.
“No.” His single word response sent a different type of shiver through her.
“Since when are you so mean? And pushy?”
“Mean? What have I done that’s mean? Or pushy?”
“Carver, you picked a man up by his throat in a crowded restaurant. You call that being nice?”
“Considering what I really wanted to do, that was downright charitable.”
“Wow…” She really had no words in response to that one. This Carver looked like the guy she knew, but she didn’t remember this intense side of him.
“Bit, I know it’s been a long time, but you can’t possibly have forgotten how I feel about bullies. That guy was a bully—even if tonight was the first time he showed you that side of himself.”
She was well aware of how he felt about bullies. The one serious argument she remembered between he and Mary Beth before they called it quits was due to the way he’d witnessed her treating another young woman on campus. In his view, Mary Beth’s behavior was classic bullying and he was ready to break things off with her.
It took a lot of crying, cajoling and promises to do better for them to come to an agreement. Mary Beth never did anything similar again—at least not that Alyssa knew about. What Carver didn’t know was that Mary Beth’s behavior was a direct result of her jealousy.
The girl was in one of Carver’s classes and had allowed him to borrow her notes. Mary Beth was convinced the girl was trying to steal him away and couldn’t be persuaded otherwise. She’d never accuse Carver, so she took her anger out on his classmate.
“I remember, but you’re also being more than a little bossy. Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate your willingness to stand up for me, but don’t you think you’re taking this a little too far? I didn’t have to come up here. I could’ve just gone home. We were never close enough for all this intensity you’re giving off right now.”
Placing the tumbler on the coffee table, he turned to face her fully. “We weren’t close? Is that what you just said?”
The fire blazing in his eyes made her want to snatch the words back, but they were out there. They couldn’t be recalled. Besides, it was true. At least her version of the truth.
Leaning closer to her, he captured her gaze. “If we weren’t close, how do I know what it feels like to be inside of you? What you taste like on my tongue? How wet you get when I suck your nipples. If we weren’t close, why do I know what sounds you make when you cum?”
Attempting to avoid the heat of his stare, Alyssa’s eyes dropped to her lap. “That was one night, Carver. Ten years ago. It was just—”
“If you say it was just sex, me and you are gonna have a problem.” His voice took on a deep, gravely quality as if the words were scraping across his vocal cords as he pushed them past his lips.
“Look at me, Bit.” He waited for her to comply. Compelled by the steel underneath the demand, she lifted her gaze to his. “Are you seriously sitting here trying to convince me that we’re little more than strangers with no real connection to each other? Is that the lie you told yourself to make you feel better for ghosting me?”
Alyssa had no idea how to respond to the revelation that Carver had held on to their one night in his suite at The Drake. He was one of the most sought-after bachelors in the country at the time. Heck, he probably still was. She’d told herself it was best for her to leave before he woke up.
After all, she had an early flight she couldn’t afford to miss. Besides, with all the women throwing themselves at him everywhere he went, there was no way he was looking for something serious. She convinced herself he probably had one-night-stands regularly. Now, it seems their night together was imprinted on his memory as much as it was hers.
What in the world was she supposed to do with this new knowledge? Ones and zeros. Algorithms and macros. Those she could handle with her eyes closed. This. Whatever this is with Carver. It was unchartered territory.
Chapter Four
DON’T TRY TO RUN FROM ME, BIT
Carver still couldn’t believe his luck. Less than forty-eight hours after landing in Vegas he’d run into Alyssa Ripley. In the years that had passed from the last time he’d seen her, he’d told himself he was putting too much stock into one night. Even if it was a night like none he’d had before or since.
Silence stretched between them as he waited for the impact of his words to resonate with her. He knew her much better than she thought he did. He could practically see the wheels turning in her mind as she replayed his statements in her beautiful analytical brain. To him, her intelligence was almost as sexy as the rest of her. Carver appreciated the female form in general, and Alyssa’s form specifically.
Her beautiful medium brown skin glowed with such richness, his fingers curled with desire to touch it to verify it was a supple as it looked. The dress she wore accentuated the bountiful globes of the breast he longed to have in his hands again. It hugged her hips displaying her round ass and thick thighs to perfection. Sitting next to her and not touching her was pure torture, but he kept his eager digits to himself. Things couldn’t go the way they did the last time. He wouldn’t allow it.
Ten years ago – The Drake Hotel
The entire ride up on the elevator, Carver’s nerves jangled. It took herculean effort for him to appear cool, calm, and collected. Of all places, he’d found Alyssa again in Chicago. After things went south with he and Mary Beth, of course Alyssa stood with her friend. He didn’t blame her for breaking off what little contact they had with one another, but he missed her something fierce.
He hadn’t realized how much until he saw her face, in profile, walking toward the exit. Breaking off his conversation with Kevin and Jasper mid-sentence, he called out to her. When she didn’t immediately ignore him, he banked on her not wanting to cause a scene when he suggested she come up to the suite. He was so happy to see someone familiar and having that someone be his Bit, he momentarily forgot how their association ended. Thinking of Mary Beth put a sour taste in his mouth, so he pushed those thoughts away.
The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened with a ding. Stepping off, he guided Alyssa towards his suite with his fingertips pressing lightly at the small of her back. Kevin and Jasper followed a few steps before Kevin broke off to go to his own room. Jasper continued on with Carver.
If his presence bothered Alyssa, she didn’t say so. But, Carver didn’t think she would say anything even if it did. He’d learned early on that she was polite to a fault. When pressed further or too far past her comfort zone, then she’d say something. Otherwise, she watched and assessed the situation. Besides, he was certain she had figured out Jasper was his bodyguard and not just a friend.
Once he opened the door, Jasper swept the suite before excusing himself through the adjoining door to his connected room. Giving Carver a pointed look, he left them alone. He didn’t consider Alyssa a threat, but his eyes told Carver not to leave the room without him. As much as it stuck in his craw to need a protection detail, Carver nodded in silent understanding. He was too well known to go off by himself, especially in such a large city.
When the door closed behind Jasper’s hulkish frame, Carver went to where Alyssa stood at the window. Stopping behind her, he placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Let me help you with this.”
Reaching around, he tugged at the lapels until she released them and allowed him to help her off with the calf-length peacoat and knit scarf. Beneath the coat, she wore dark slacks and a pale blouse which did nothing to hide the generous swell of her breasts. Their eyes locked in the reflection from the window. The corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile.
“Come sit down, Bit.” Walking away, he draped her coat across the back of a chair. “Do you want something to drink? I’m sure there’s something cool in the fridge.”
“I’ll have a water, if you have it.”
Her soft voice still held a tinge of what he called proper Southern. She didn’t drop consonants like most southerners. Her words were crisp, but you could still hear the slight drawl in her speech.
“Coming right up.”
Smiling like fetching her a bottle of water was the highlight of his day, he quick-stepped to the small fridge. Snagging two bottles, he walked back to the sofa and sat. Not close enough to touch, but close enough for the scent of her perfume to waft his way.
“I almost didn’t believe my eyes when I saw you downstairs. Until you responded, I thought I’d embarrassed myself by yelling out to a stranger.” Shifting in his seat, he angled his body towards her. “Tell me, Bit. What brings you to Chicago?”
Tugging at one of her springy curls, she cut her dark amber eyes at him. “I’m here for a job interview.”
“At night?” Carver’s hackles rose protectively. He’d never heard of a nighttime interview for the kind of work he assumed Alyssa would do based on her major. She was a programmer, not an entertainer. Was some perv trying to take advantage of her?
“No. Well, yes.”
“Which one is it, Bit?” He winced internally at how harsh the question came out. He had no excuse other than his immediate concern for her safety.
“The interview was earlier today. Tonight was more of a wooing situation. They brought a group of their younger programmers and engineers out for me to get to know them in more of a social setting.”
“Oh. Ok.” Still slightly suspicious, he didn’t like the idea of her being out in a strange city alone at night. Although, it was technically early evening at barely eight p.m. It wasn’t like they kept her out until midnight and didn’t see her back to her hotel safely.
“They didn’t have someone to escort you?”
“They did, but it’s been so long since I’ve been to Chicago. I’ve never been to The Drake, I wanted to look around. I convinced them I’d be fine alone. I’m a big girl. I can handle myself. Besides, they have this new rideshare service that’ll drive me anywhere I need to go.”
“I don’t like the sound of that, Bit. Jasper and I will take you back to your hotel when you’re ready to go. No need for you to get into the car with some rando.” Carver had heard of those rideshare things. He didn’t trust them for himself. He definitely didn’t trust them for her.
“Carver…Thank you, but it’s not necessary.”
“I’ll decide what’s necessary, Bit.” Her eyes widened at the assertiveness in his tone, but he didn’t try to soften his declaration. He was coming on strong as hell, but he couldn’t pull it back.
Shifting gears, he shared his reasons for being in the Windy City. Time flew as they caught up on each other’s lives since they’d last seen one another. Because his life was more in the spotlight than hers, he asked a lot of questions. A lot.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to get the elephant out of the room. As loyal as Alyssa was, there was no way she would stay in his suite as long as she had if she and Mary Beth were still friends.
Over the course of their conversation, the space between them had shrank until she was less than an arm-length away from him. Stroking her shoulder, he broached the subject.
“Bit, what happened with you and Mary Beth?”
“What makes you think anything happened?”
Dipping his head, he peered at her through his lashes. “You forgot who you’re talking to. I know you’re a loyal friend. My name was mud to her after we ended things. Which means it was mud to you by proxy. You wouldn’t be here all cozy with me, catching up like old friends if the two of you were still on good terms.”
With her hands clasped together in her lap, she remained silent so long, he thought she wouldn’t answer. Flicking him a closed off look, she finally broke the quiet.
