“It’s not me I’m worried about,” I bit out. Who the hell acted like that? I’d never met her ex, but I already hated him. Cheating was the ultimate betrayal, hurting someone you loved for purely selfish reasons.Even before my ex ran off with someone else, it had been a major trigger for me, watching it too often with my parents growing up. They were both gone now, but the image of my mother weeping over my father’s infidelity was permanently marked on my soul. “It’s his fucking loss.” My words took on a harsh tone, one I rarely used. “You deserve better than a cheating man-child.”
Brianna nodded, not bothering to turn in my direction. Her jaw tensed, not trusting my words. It wasn’t my problem.Briannawasn’t my problem. There was no reason for my pulse to quicken, wanting to find out everything about her ex so I could track him down and make him eat his words.
I pulled out into the hotel parking lot, staring out over the steering wheel. “Do you see any open spots?”
“Nope,” Brianna said. “You can drop me off if you want, then head back out to meet the team. I don’t want to disrupt your night any more than I have.”
Searching the lot, I found no open spots. As much as I hated the idea of parking out on the side streets—I hated the idea of her walking alone more. I pulled my car out of the garage and into one of the empty spots on the side of the street then turned off the engine. When I stepped out and moved to the passenger-side door, Brianna stared up at me. “What are you doing?”
“Walking you inside.”
Her eyes flared to life, but it seemed more like fear than fight. “If you think?—”
“I’m not presuming anything, Bri. Like I said, I just want to make sure you get inside safely.” I reached over and held my hand out to hers. “If you’re worried about me trying anything, don’t. I’m a little terrified of Ollie and what she would do to me if I’m not on my bestbehavior.”
That made Brianna smile. She took my hand and climbed out of the car. It took everything in me to act like the gentleman I promised, but I couldn’t help staring at her long legs as they peeked out from the bottom of her slinky black dress. For a moment, the image of her thighs wrapped around my ears flashed in my mind. Shit, I really needed to get laid.
I expected Brianna to scurry off down the street, considering that, all evening, she had seemed nervous in my presence. I didn’t take it personally—between my stature and my reputation, many people had the wrong idea. But the idea of making Brianna nervous didn’t sit right, especially with the limited information she shared about her ex-husband.
Instead, she stood in front of me, waffling on her heels like she was holding her words back. I shifted a little closer to her and pushed the door closed. Her hazel eyes tracked my movements, scanning my body when she thought I wasn’t paying attention.
When I leaned back, her lips quirked into a slight smile. “And if I didn’t want you to behave?”
Fuck.The words shot straight to my dick, unable to stop it from thickening at her tone. Brianna’s innocent eyes flared to life, and for a moment, I considered what it would be like to cross that line, what it would be like to worship her. If she were anyone else, I wouldn’t have hesitated, but Brianna wasn’t a random woman I met at the bar. My team connected us, and our paths would cross, at least for the rest of the season. And I also wasn’t joking about being terrified of Ollie. I’d watched her step up to grown men triple her size because they insulted Parker. No way did I want to faceher wrath.
“You’ve been drinking, Brianna,” I said, my words tight in my throat.
Her eyes darted down to her toes, and her sudden burst of confidence drained by my rejection. Fuck, now I was the biggest asshole in the world. All common sense fled me as she bit her lower lip, a dejected look crossing her features. My body acted on impulse, and I moved closer to her, reaching down to trace her jaw with the back of my fingers. She sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes darted up to meet mine. “If you were anyone else, I’d already have you upstairs, naked and begging for my cock. But you’re Ollie’s friend, Cam’s friend. I don’t do strings, Bri, and you’re covered in them.”
The corner of Brianna’s lip quirked up. “And if I wanted something with none?”
SEVEN
As soon as the words left my lips, I wanted to take them back. Damien’s eyes flashed with fire when he stared down at me with an unfamiliar expression. I’d love to blame the alcohol, but most of it seemed to flee my system when I climbed into Damien’s car. The drive, along with the mounting tension, was enough to sober me up.
No, these words were all mine, emboldened by my early conversation with my friends and the ache between my legs. Damien was powerful—alluring. His mere presence was enough to rock me out of my carefully laid plans, wanting to experience what it would be like to be at his mercy.
Damien sucked in a sharp breath, his hands almost shaking as he skimmed his fingers along my bare skin. God, I wanted him to touch me everywhere, to bring my body back to life after so many years of slumber. “Don’t look at me like that, Brianna.”
Fuck it.Playing it safe hadn’t gotten me anywhere, stuck with an expensive divorce bill and living with a roommate again in my thirties. I placed my hands on his chest, and his pulse thunderedunderneath my touch. It flooded me, making me feel powerful in a way I hadn’t in a long time. As I tilted my head up, my eyes darted to his lips, wishing more than anything that he’d bring his mouth to mine.
“Are you sure you want me to stop?”
Damien groaned, the sound so manly and wanting, it made my knees shake. His thumb brushed along my bottom lip, his calluses gliding along the smooth skin. “Fuck, Brianna. Who knew you were such a temptress?”
Not me, that’s for sure. I wasn’t this girl, not the woman who propositioned men on the side of the road, panting with the need for their touch. I took a sharp inhale, tightening my fingers so they ran along the smooth cotton of his shirt.
“Apparently not.” Damien’s brow furrowed as the words left my mouth. “You’re resisting me.”
Damien took a step forward, pressing my back up against the smooth lines of his car. His hips bucked against me, my core flush with his hardened length. His spare hand brushed through my hair, pushing it back until he could whisper in my ear. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Brianna. I’m trying to be the good guy here, trying to hold back from fucking you like I’m dying to. You’re not a stranger, not someone I can have one night with and walk away.” His fingers tightened in my hair, exposing my neck to him. I gasped as his nose ran along the skin, stopping to nip at the shell of my ear. “But if you keep testing me, I’m going to show you exactly what you do to me.”
This was the moment—the one when I should run back to my safe and comfortable life. I was in over my head with Damien. Just one look into his darkening eyes was enough to tell me we played in drastically different leagues, but I refused to back down—refused to give in to the fear that pulsed in my veins. Because for the first time, I was less afraid of the consequences than the regrets. Damien’s eyes tracked my movements, analyzing each step for any sign of reluctance. I stared back at him, trying to keep my spine straight as I muttered, “Show me, Damien. Ruin me. I want to know exactly what it’s like when you come undone.”
His fingers tightened on my skin, as if it hurt him to hold back. It was overwhelming, being the subject of his unwavering attention. If his eyes were a pyre, I wanted to climb inside and let his warmth consume me.
With a sudden tug, we were moving, Damien pulling me toward the entrance of the hotel, leaving behind the humid Dallas heat. We entered the lobby, still hand in hand, not wasting a moment on the other occupants watching as we walked by. With the all-star game in town, seeing baseball players wasn’t unusual, but Damien drew people in without effort. He did it to me. The moment we reached the elevator, he pushed me up against the sleek chrome surface, his hips anchoring mine in place.
As his hand pushed my hair over my shoulders, he shifted, leaning closer to speak into my ear. “Are you sure? Or is this just the alcohol talking?”
