“And if you ever change your mind about scratching this itch between us, I promise you’ll like the way I show you how fucking gorgeous I think you are.”
Cold air blasted over me as Callan abruptly pushed away.
I shook with need, my breathing hard and fast. His footsteps disappeared upstairs, and I finally forced myself to open my apartment door. Heart thundering in my chest, I leaned against the closed door and squeezed my eyes shut as lust flushed through my entire body.
The image of Callan moving over me, naked, hard, hot …
Don’t do it, Beth.
I needed a damn cold shower. Having never experienced such sharp, unfulfilled desire, I was surprised by how much my knees shook as I pushed off the door and forced myself to move farther into my apartment.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CALLAN
Striding out of the showers, my mind was still on the match and the fact that Baird had informed me Braden Carmichael had agreed to a meeting. He wouldn’t be able to sit down with us for a few weeks between scheduled meetings and a three-week vacation he had planned with his wife, but the meeting was in the books.
He hadn’t lied to Beth. Or he had and he was only meeting with us now to keep the peace with his daughter. I supposed I’d be able to gauge the truth once I met the bloke.
My teammates were giving one another shit about the game as I wandered through the locker room, but it was all good-natured. We had, in fact, wiped the floor with Roselin in the European tournament. Leg 2 of 2 was ours. Complete annihilation. With success hot in my blood, the meeting in the books, and a fake date with Beth this evening, I was in a fantastic mood.
Although we’d texted, I hadn’t seen Beth since last Sunday. That was only four nights ago, but it felt longer. I tried not to look forward to seeing her tonight, but I couldn’t help myself.
“What is that smirk all about?” John asked as he shrugged on his jeans.
“We just won a game.”
“That wasn’t a game win smirk.”
Baird’s head was suddenly right next to mine as he offered to John, “Keen’s got a date with Beth tonight. He’s well excited.”
“Fuck off,” I said without rancor, though I shoved him out of my space.
My friend laughed as he righted his balance.
John cast an assessing eye over me. “When’s the party she needs you to attend?”
“This Saturday. We’re meeting up tonight to go over our game plan. There will be photographers there, so no doubt we’ll be pictured together.”
“Itisonly fake between you, then?” Baird inquired a bit too loudly. Thankfully, our teammates were making such a ruckus celebrating, I doubted anyone heard.
I eyed him. “Let’s not talk about it here.”
Baird got pulled into the celebrations, so the subject was dropped.
However, it didn’t take much to deflate my mood only a few minutes later.
Walking out of the stadium with the lads toward our car park, Danny the security guard stopped me in my tracks with, “Think your dad wants to see you, Mr. Keen.”
I glanced sharply at him. “What?”
Danny didn’t pick up on my tone. He grinned. “From what I hear, he was in the stands, proud as anything. Kept telling everyone who would listen he was your dad.”
My pulse raced. “Where is he?”
The security guard nodded to where a small crowd of fans were watching the team leave the grounds. And front and center at the security fencing stood Gavin Urquhart.
A crushing sensation weighed on my chest as I abruptly nodded at Danny and strode toward my car.
