I reach out and tag her around the waist, tugging her into me until she’s flush against my body. “Okay, I’ll rephrase. There’s no doubt in my mind you can manage. But in the case you start to struggle, it’s me helping you reel it in.”
“What if I can do it myself?”
“You don’t get it, do you? I know you can do it yourself, but it’s the perfect excuse to wrap my arms around you. Which is exactly where you belong.”
Her breath hitches, and she grips my hips tightly.
“Shaw,” her breathy rasp hits me everywhere.
“Stop,” I force out. “I can’t take it. Six hours. That’s all we have is six hours, then I get you back to myself.”
“Six hours, huh?” her face takes on a whole new expression. One that makes every nerve in my body sizzle.
Her body rubs against mine before she steps back and tips her head, eyes darting between the guys behind us and back to me.
“Shaw Bennett, I’ve been waiting ten years… Six hours is nothing.”
She saunters away, my eyes glued to her ass.
Her perfect, sexy, swaying ass.
I’m buying a boat. My brothers and I have been tossing the idea around for a few years, but we’ve never acted on it. After today, the decision is made. Watching Bizzy’s excitement and hearing her laughter sealed the deal. I’m buying a fucking boat, and I’m taking Bizzy out every chance we get. And next time, I won’t have to share her with anyone. It’ll be just us.
I take a sip of my beer and turn on my phone, noticing several missed calls from a number I don’t recognize. The only message I have is from Mathis, wanting to know if we caught anything. I shoot him a quick text and a picture of the five of us with our catches from the day. Then I Google boat sales in Miami.
“She’s really something, Shaw. You need to hold on to her.” Perry sits next to me and motions with his head to Bizzy.
I look at her, lying on her stomach with her head resting on her hands. Once we started our ride back, she decided to take advantage of the time to work on her tan. When she slipped out of her clothes, exposing her black bikini, I almost jumped out of my skin, my eyes bulging. She gave me a shy smile and laid down, thankfully shielding most of herself. Now, her eyes are closed as she sleeps.
“I don’t plan on letting her go, so don’t get any ideas.”
He gives a little chuckle, shaking his head. “Wouldn’t dream of it. But if she ever gets rid of your ass, I’ll be in line.”
“Afraid you’ll be waiting a long time.”
“Wow, that serious, huh?”
“Absolutely.
“Gotta say, after our meeting, I did my own research on you. Saw that chick you were with at last year’s ESPY awards. She didn’t hold a candle to Bizzy. You traded up.”
I wince at the memory, now thinking of the way Bizzy looked at me when we got in the limo. At the time, I thought she was nervous for Nick since he was presenting and hated public speaking. But now I know better, she was hurt seeing me with a date.
“Yeah, I’d rather not think about that.”
There’s a pause in the conversation as my mind tries to even remember that night. The only thing I can recall is how we partied late, and Bizzy charmed every one of my clients. My date left soon after the event when she realized I wasn’t interested.
“So,” his tone turns serious, pulling me from my thoughts, “I owe you an apology.”
“Done. You apologized to Gail, which means you apologized to me.”
“We really gonna do this? You think you can take me to the next level?”
I notice the same expression I’ve seen endless times on my clients. He wants to be reassured he’s making the right decision.
“On the ice, you’re in charge. Keep doing what you’re doing and kicking ass. Off the ice, stay out of trouble. It’s no secret you’re a hot head; your reputation precedes you. I’m not asking you to change because your reputation is part of who you are. I’m asking you to be aware of your surroundings. You’ve got a lot of people gunning for you, wanting to hit where it hurts.”
“That’s the part of this that sucks. I came out of college only wanting to play. I didn’t think about the rest of this shit. Now, I don’t know who I can trust.”