“I just assumed you had a game since it’s in the middle of the season.”
“Liar, liar, pants on fire. Sure, I can do Saturday. Send me your address.”
Pulling his wallet from his pocket, Austin tossed a crisp hundred-dollar bill on the table before sliding out of the booth and holding out his hand. After a brief hesitation, Kit let him take her hand and guide her out of the booth to stand beside him.
“As your financial advisor, I should tell you that literally throwing cash around isn’t going to help you keep your finances on track, Mr. Barrick.”
“Guess you’ll have your hands full with me, huh?”
His tone was playful. Teasing. But there was an undercurrent that sent a shock of need straight to her pussy, reminding her that she was completely bare beneath her skirt. Bare because he’d asked it of her. Because he’d wanted to touch her, to tease her, in public.
Having her hands full was the least of her worries if he kept this up. She was in way over her head, and that knowledge kept her quiet during the ride back to her office.
To Austin’s credit, he was the perfect gentleman and didn’t even hint at her hidden nakedness as he walked her to her car.
Steeling herself, determined not to let him knock her off balance again, she stopped by her driver’s side door and turned to him with a polite smile. “Thank you for dinner, Mr. Barrick. I’ll see you Saturday?”
She’d been shooting for strong and confident; the kind of statement a woman who never doubted her sexual appeal might make. But even to her own ears it sounded unsure, even a little needy, and she inwardly winced.
If Austin noticed, he didn’t mention it. He didn’t say anything, in fact. He simply lifted his hands to cup her face, sending her heart into overdrive with the simple touch.
His lips brushed against hers, the barest hint of a kiss, and she sighed.
The hands on her face tightened, and for a moment they were frozen in time, neither of them daring to move or so much as breathe. In an instant the kiss changed, and he was taking, claiming, demanding her surrender.
A surrender she was all too willing to give. With a whimper, she opened for him, wrapping her fingers around his wrists, clinging to him to keep herself from drowning under the flood of sensation and need crashing over her.
When it ended, they were both panting, and she wondered if her eyes had the same wild look in them that his did. She certainly felt wild, and a little desperate as she took a step back and willed her frantically beating heart back under control.
Reaching around her, he opened her car door and helped her inside. “Drive safe, kitten. Text me when you get home.”
“Okay.”
“Good girl.”
He closed the door and she forced herself to focus on buckling her seatbelt, checking her mirrors, then carefully backing out of her spot which she somehow managed to do without running him over.
She was halfway home before her breathing evened out again.
In over her head? Snorting out a laugh, she fought back a rising wave of panic. She was fucking lost at sea, with no rescue in sight.
* * *
Austin
Stretchedout on the plush leather couch in his study, Austin tried to focus on the replay of one of last year’s games against Houston, the one where they’d blown a three-point lead in the third inning and ended up losing by eleven runs. At the time, he’d felt like he’d played a damn good game, but he’d been in the game long enough to know there was always room for improvement, especially with Houston coming into town for a three-game series tomorrow.
Problem was, he couldn’t focus. His attention kept drifting back to the phone in his hand, waiting for it to light up with some indication that Kit wasn’t ignoring him. It had been a long time, if ever, since a woman had gotten so deep under his skin. And they’d only been on one date. During the day, they’d texted back and forth a bit, but she hadn’t answered him since she’d let him know she’d made it home from work.
What the hell was it about her? She was sexy and smart and sweet, but he'd been with plenty of women who were all of those things. There was a sort of innocence about her that just begged to be corrupted, and there was no denying it was part of her appeal.
But there was something…more. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on, and apparently he wasn't going to be able to focus until he did.
“Fuck it,” he muttered, jabbing his thumb at the phone to dial her number.
She answered on the third ring, her sultry, smoky voice automatically making his cock ache. “Mr. Barrick.”
“Hey, kitten. How’s it goin’?”