She jumped up and took a few steps away, smoothing her skirt and jacket. The blouse remained open at the throat, revealing a wildly beating pulse and the hint of cleavage from a heaving chest. He sighed. Mission accomplished.
She looked more like his Stacia—tousled, sexy, alive. Much better than the prissy dictator that he was stuck with for the next few months. He grinned, enjoying the sight. Her hand flew to her throat and she took a few more steps back.
“We agreed this couldn’t happen again.” Her voice wavered for a moment, but got stronger towards the end of the sentence.
“You agreed. I never did. I just said no one could know. Besides, there’s something here, something between us still.” Something that could complicate his life. Damn. Maybe he should have let them pick his jailer instead of the one woman he wanted.
“It’s just sex,” she retorted. “Nothing more.”
If only it were that easy.
She pulled out her phone and scrolled down a screen. “Okay. We have a lot to do before you join the team. First, we have the press conference in a couple of days, announcing your signing with the Georgia Knights. Then, I convinced some local stations to give you an interview.”
“Absolutely not. No fucking way.”
He jumped up from his chair and stormed into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and studied the almost-bare shelves. She peered over his shoulder and sniffed. He jumped, banging his head against the freezer.
He rubbed his head and glared at her. “Damn it, woman. How can you sneak up on anyone with those spikes on your feet?”
She glanced down at her stilettos and shrugged. “Practice. Now, I wouldn’t recommend the beer, not while we’re working. I’ll take a bottle of water. We can order out for food since you have the typical bachelor fridge.”
He grabbed two bottles of water and closed the door. “What’s in your fridge? A gourmet meal?”
She looked away, consulting her list. Again. “Actually, I’ve been a little busy and haven’t had time to shop.” She perched on a bar stool at the small counter, crossed one long leg over the other and took a deep swallow of her water.
Jason was mesmerized by the muscles in her throat, the long white column, leading down to the still unbuttoned blouse. His cock, which had settled to a dormant state, was definitely aware and perked up. He shifted position and leaned against the counter, downing a quarter of the water, hoping to quench his sudden heat.
“First, the schedule. You have your physical and some team things, so that gives us time to practice your interview skills. In two days, you have the press conference, announcing your signing. That’s at noon, sharp. We’re planning a decent turnout, considering.”
“Considering I’m a washed-up, has-been? A train wreck?” Bitterness burned his throat, choking his words but couldn’t seem to stop.
She froze before clearing her throat and looking at him, sympathy, or maybe pity, in her eyes. “I’m sorry the past year has been awful for you. But it’s time to grow up, get over it. Change your attitude. Change their perceptions. Change your life.”
He tossed the empty water bottle in the sink and pushed off the counter, anger a dull throb at his temples. He advanced on her, then caged her in his arms, hands clenching the edges of the counter. “Do you have any idea what it’s like, hearing lies, rumors, bullshit about your personal life? Having your name dragged through the mud to sell papers? Then, having someone you trusted with your livelihood, your entire financial life, steal from you and disappear? To have the one thing in your life that meant something, ripped away? Do you have any idea how that feels?”
Her hazel eyes calmly looked into his, holding his attention, not backing down. When she spoke, it was quiet, barely above a whisper, but the words cracked across him, sharper than a whip. “I grew up the daughter of a senator. Everything I did, said, wore, was reported on.”
She straightened her shoulders and her words grew stronger. “I would come home from school and our maid would tell me my father was expecting my call to berate me about some report that was probably not even true. Of course, most of the time he couldn’t be bothered to take my call, even when he demanded it.”
Her voice quieted and she looked away. “Then I had to live with my mother’s cancer treatments and her physical reactions plastered across the papers daily, alongside pictures of my father and his latest mistress, oraide, as he called them. I wasn’t even allowed to grieve without it being a photo op. And dating? Well, that was completely off the table, unless it was with someone my father hand-picked.” A deep breath and she finished. “So yes, I know exactly how you’re feeling. And I’m not sitting here whining about it. So get the fuck over it.”
Her words hit him like a splash of cold water, dousing his anger and his ardor in an avalanche of ice. He stepped away, hands falling uselessly to his side. “Shit, Stacia. I’m sorry.”
“Now, if we’re done with that, we have work to do.” She turned back to her phone but not before he could see a glint of tears in her eyes.
You’re a fucking idiot, Friar.
*
Stacia nervously chewedher lower lip until she tasted blood. Only a few days between her introduction to Jason and today, when they would announce his signing and open him and the team up to media questions. In the intervening days, he had ducked her calls and avoided any conversation except to say, “I know how to be a nice guy. Really. Lay off.”
He’d better show. She should have escorted him personally from his house. She should have insisted. Damnit, if he screwed up this job for her, she’d kill him.
The door to the players’ area opened and Jason pushed through the security guards.
“You could have left my name at the desk,” he grumbled.
“It’s about time you got here. It’s almost time to start and I need to prep you on your answers.” She grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hallway, resisting the urge to hug him and smack him at the same time.