I bend down to reach her lips and kiss her. What was meant to be a small peck, just to lay claim to her, turns into something more. One taste of her and I can’t stop. My fingers dig into her hips and when she gasps, I deepen the kiss. I plunge my tongue into her mouth and her moan about has me undone. Before I completely lose it, I release her and I’m gasping for breath. Resting my cheek on the top of her head, I give myself time to think about all this.

Seeing her with another man about did me in. I don’t know how it can be when I just met her yesterday, but already I feel this strongly toward her. Luckily, we’re standing behind some lighting and cameras and we haven’t been noticed yet. This is her job and I know I shouldn’t be acting this way. However, after seeing that man so close to her, I had no other plan of action except to show her how I felt. “You okay?” I whisper against her soft red hair.

She nods her head and pulls away from me. “I thought you were mad.”

I don’t know how to explain it to her without being completely honest. “I was mad, but not at you. I’m not stupid enough to believe that other men won’t hit on you. I don’t like it, but I know it will happen. I liked your answer for him, though.”

Her smile lights up her face. “So we are seeing each other then?”

I stare back into her green eyes. “You can call it whatever you want, but just know that I think of you as mine.”

She starts to laugh, but stops when she sees how serious I am. She gulps and tilts her head to the side. “You’re serious?”

“Yep,” I tell her before capturing her lips again. I kiss her lightly because already I can feel myself losing control when it comes to her. When I pull back, I look into her eyes. “You okay with that?”

She nods her head, but that’s not good enough for me. “So, I guess that makes you my girlfriend.”

I can tell she’s happy with my words. Her lips lift in a wistful smile. She bites her lip and I reach out to run my thumb across it soothingly before holding her chin. Her face lights up. “I’m your girlfriend.”

I lean down again and whisper against her lips. “Yes, you are.” I seal it with a kiss and when I say it, it’s like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders. Maybe I knew all along I was coming to claim her today with a poor excuse of returning a shirt. When I pull away, I pull the T-shirt hanging from my back pocket and hold it out to her. “Here’s the shirt from yesterday. I forgot to leave it.”

She shakes her head. “I had imagined you in that shirt, so that’s why I bought it. It’s for you. You can keep it.”

I stick it under my arm and reach for her again. “Imagined me in it, huh? Maybe we should revisit that comment about stalking?”

I start laughing even before I finish saying it and her face turns red as she smacks me across the chest. I know she’s not a stalker, but she’s fun to play with.

I give her one more kiss and promise to pick her up later tonight. I head over to the stadium to hit some balls and hopefully release some of this steam. Tonight can’t come quickly enough.

5

Holly

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that hot as hell kiss from Shawn. I almost talk myself out of everything I’m feeling. In that moment, in his arms, it felt right. I felt like I was the one for him. Now that I’ve had the afternoon to think about it, I’ve talked myself down, wondering if I imagined it all. Maybe he’s not really that into me. But as soon as I hear his knock and open the door, his eyes travel over me like he wants to devour me. I can feel my heart begin to race. I didn’t imagine it. He does want me.

He made reservations at a new steakhouse downtown and we no sooner sit down before he admits to me that it’s hard for him to keep his hands off me.

He moves his chair around the table and sits right next to me. He has me against the wall and although we can see out to the rest of the restaurant, the walls are higher between tables, offering us privacy.

“So, uh, how was your day?” I ask him.

“Fine.” He reaches under the table and his big hand wraps around my thigh. My intake of breath is loud and he smirks at me.

With a shrug of his shoulders, he tells me, “I told you that I can’t keep my hands off of you. Is this okay?”


Tags: Hope Ford Player Loves Curves Romance