Every warm-blooded male gawks at her, wants her, and I wish that I could gouge their eyes out and drive my fist through their face for looking at her like they have a chance in hell to ever have her, let alone be in the same room as her. They should be thanking their lucky stars for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, because they don’t deserve it.
I don’t either. But that doesn’t stop me from salivating after her.
“Fuck, she looks so hot,” Seb declares, not caring about the way he stares at her. But I do, and fuck, my heart burns with envy.
I jam my elbow in his ribs, causing him towince as he rubs the spot. “Hey, knock it off, rookie.”
He looks at me, confused, then a huge, smug grin takes over his face, as if he just unlocked the password to my bank account. “You got the hots for our Social Media Manager, Captain?” he teases, gathering the attention of the guys.
I don’t know if I want to thank him for moving their gazes away from her or punch him for putting it on me.
She continues to sing a few pop songs. “Thank you for being such a lovely audience,” she begins with a huge and appreciative grin. “Tonight has been really fun. And I’ll end it with one last song. I hope you like country,” she says with a wink, causing everyone to hoot in excitement.
This time, the beats of the music are soft and slow, like a soothing melody. And she begins singing.
That’s when it happens. As she sings a song about passionate love, yearning, and desperation, she strums a chord inside me, sparking me alive. Waking up, a part of me that had lain dormant for years, closed off from the entire world, afraid of being hurt and used again.
But the moment her sweet but siren-like voicereaches deep inside my soul, tugging at strings I didn’t know existed, her eyes connecting with mine and not straying away for a second, igniting a fire I know I will never let extinguish, I know that I’ll stop at nothing to have her.
I’m acutely aware of the fact that she hates my guts and would rather die than let me touch her, have her, possess her. But I’m a stubborn motherfucker. I’ll die if that’s what it takes to make her mine.
But shewillbe mine.
Twelve
Kaeli
Ican feel the heat of his gaze searing through me as I finish the set and walk off the stage.
Jodi couldn’t arrange for anyone to sing tonight. No one was available at such short notice. She was having a mental breakdown at the prospect of disappointing the guests and our seniors.
Honestly, I wasn’t very far away from having a brain aneurysm either. That’s when Stacy found us in my office, hyperventilating and mourning the loss of our careers after tonight. But then shesuggested that I sing.
For a second, I truly believed that she had lost her mind. And in panic, I did say that out loud. But she just rolled her eyes at my insolence and said, “I’ve heard you sing once. Remember when we had a game in Chicago, and we decided to go to a different bar than the rest of the team because we needed a break. I don’t know if you remember, but you sang your lungs out that night in your inebriated state.”
“But–” I looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights, nearing its demise.
She gave me a stern look. “Kaeli Reed, put on your big girl panties and get on that stage or else…” she trailed off.
My eyes narrowed at her, “Or else what?”
She seemed to think of a viable threat, and the moment her eyes gleamed with bad intentions, I knew she had me by my metaphorical lady balls. “Or else I will partner you up with Sussanne the next time we have an away game.”
Damn, Sussanne.
She’s the massage therapist for the team and the meanest person. For her, other women on the team aren’t colleagues; they’re competition. She’s always trying to put them down, pointingout quirks in their work and flaunting hers. Thinks she’s above everyone else, and is always trying to be the center of attention and flirting with the players. It’s a surprise she still has a job here, really.
I gasped at her cruelty, putting my hand on my chest. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me,” she dared me. And over the years, I’ve learned that it’s always in your best interest not to challenge her. If you do, then it’s your funeral. And I seem to enjoy both my life and my job.
So, with a resigned sigh, I agreed, and that’s how I got Ezra’s eyes stuck to me like a predator eyeing its prey, watching their every move before they lunge and eat them.
Your pussy would like that.
My own eyes widen for a second at that thought as I chide myself for it. Forget about the sexy hunk of a man who has had his eyes stuck on you all night with so much heat behind them. Remember, wehate him.
Liar.
