“You were saying?” he teased. She scowled and stuck out her tongue at him.
Derek broke the tension with some fancy footwork and dribbling á la Harlem Globetrotters that left her doubled over with laughter. He was so charming and playful that she almost forgot she was supposed to be competing against him—a dangerous combination.
In the middle of his antics, she saw an opportunity to smack the ball out of his hands and she did.
Changing direction, she sprinted back toward the basket and grit out a mental prayer. “Please let this one go in, please let this one go in.” She was amazed when the ball sailed through, barely moving the net.
“I’m impressed,” said Derek, grabbing the ball after the first bounce. “Luck is definitely with the lady tonight. It’s all tied up now and it’s anyone’s game. You ready?”
Beads of sweat tickled the base of her spine. “I’m always ready,” she huffed delicately, trying to catch her breath.
He circled around her, dribbling the ball, slow and easy. “Well. Just so you think you’re not just another pretty face who thinks she’s got game...”
He passed her the ball, moved behind her and put his arm around her waist.
“Let’s see how you play defense,” he challenged.
Derek’s powerful body moved with hers in a heated battle for possession of the ball. She bit her lip against the desire that stole her breath away.
Inhaling deeply, she bent her legs to gain more traction, but his iron-hard thighs swished against her backside, throwing her off balance, and she struggled to maintain control of the ball and her senses. Finally she broke away and went east–west, weaving around him.
A second later his hands caught her around the waist and he vaulted her up toward the basket. She slammed the ball into the net, and the next thing she knew her feet were on the ground, and her heart was in her throat.
He spun her around to face him, but he didn’t let go of her.
“You win.”
His voice, low and sweet, tented a cloak of intimacy around them, as if she’d just conquered him in the bedroom rather than on the basketball court.
She gulped back a cry of indignation under his mesmerizing gaze. “B-but you helped me make the basket,” she protested.
His gray eyes lit up with an I-play-for-keeps kind of fire.
“We all need a lift now and then. Don’t you agree?”
Natalie nodded, still a little shocked at how comfortable she’d felt in Derek’s arms. He was her client, so officially he was off-limits. That was a good thing. She never let her heart get in the way of her profession, and she wouldn’t start now.
She met his eyes, hoping he couldn’t see the desire that remained in her own. “Um. The game is over. You can let me go now.”
He dropped his hands, reluctantly it seemed, and led her to a row of courtside seats.
“How’d you learn to play ball like that?” he said, tossing her a towel before grabbing one for himself.
She caught it with one hand. “Thanks. It’s a long story,” she murmured and sat, her heart racing.
He wiped the sweat from his face. “I’d like to hear it sometime.”
The smile on his full lips invited her fantasies, and she tried not to stare at his wet, glistening body, so deep and dark with angles and planes. He was all muscle and bone and length.
She knew she could spend a night, or better yet, a lifetime exploring and never satiate her need to discover him. With effort, she tore her eyes away and checked her watch.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
Derek turned and spread his arms wide. “Why not? Look at me, I’m an open book.”
Her face warmed under his watchful eyes, beckoning her lips to smile in response. She longed to talk to someone about other things besides goal-setting and efficient and organized living.
She had a few close girlfriends, but she rarely confided in them. Since she was a life coach and a former psychologist, they naturally expected her to have all the answers to life’s toughest questions. They didn’t realize that she struggled to make sense of things, too.
While Derek seemed sincere, she couldn’t allow herself to get hurt. Although she’d taken a huge risk and played an innocent game of basketball with him, her heart and her bed were out of bounds.
“I doubt that,” Natalie said. She walked back over to the place where she’d left her stuff lying in a heap.
Derek followed her and she felt his eyes on her as she bent to zip up her stiletto boots, ignoring the outstretched arm he offered to help her balance. She slipped on her now-wrinkled suit coat and dropped her panty hose into her purse.
He touched her arm, leaving it pulsating with heat in the wake of his touch. “But what about the rules of engagement?”
Her heart raced anew and she was unnerved that he’d remembered, let alone repeated, something she’d said earlier.
She clutched at her belongings, glad to have something to hold on to. “I’ll meet you at your house at 8:00 a.m. sharp tomorrow.”
He nodded. “It’s a date.”
She didn’t respond. Unconsciously she just wanted to savor the sound of his voice, tantalizing her imagination, hinting at promise and pleasure. In his eyes, she saw unmitigated need and unyielding desire.
As she turned and walked off the practice court, only one thing was on her mind. Could he possibly feel those emotions for her? Or had she only seen herself reflected in his gray eyes?
Chapter 2
The next morning, the taxi taking Natalie to Derek’s Brooklyn apartment snaked through rush-hour traffic. Frustrated drivers honked horns and shouted out car windows. Yet she was so focused on the task before her that she barely heard any of it.
Although her initial research was complete and all of the necessary arrangements had been made, being efficient didn’t erase the knots in her stomach. Convincing Derek to go along with her plan wouldn’t be easy, but she knew it was the only way to help him get his life back on track.
When they finally arrived, her mouth fell open. Derek was sitting on the front stoop reading a newspaper. Waiting for her.
She paid her fare, stepped out of the taxi and slammed the door, half wishing she could jump back in and go home.
He looked up and folded the paper. “You’re late,” he chided.
His eyes tumbled over her body and her face flushed hot with embarrassment. She was never late for a client meeting or anything else for that matter.
She gulped in a breath. “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”
He crossed his arms on his knees, a slight smile upon his lips. “That depends on the excuse.”
She hesitated. The “I got caught in traffic” line wouldn’t fly, especially since she was supposed to be a pro at managing time. But she couldn’t tell him the entire truth, either.
How she’d tossed and turned all night, remembering the feel of his massive body brushing against hers during their playful game of one-on-one. The sensual instant replay had eventually lulled her to sleep.
Yet when she’d woken up, bleary-eyed and aroused, she’d almost called Derek’s manager to tell him to find someone else. All because of a six-letter word that starts