Chapter Six #2
I eat more slowly, just watching her. I never knew my dick could get this hard over watching someone eat.
"What?" she finally asks, wiping her mouth on the corner of her napkin.
"Nothing." I dip my head, focusing on my plate.
We eat in silence for a few moments before I feel compelled to speak again. "Does Kingston know what happened?" I ask.
"No. I never told him."
"Why not?"
"Maybe because I didn't want him to ruin his career over someone who didn't matter?
" she asks, prodding at her pork chop. "Daniel was never going to be on the same level as my brother.
He thought he was that great, but he'll never make it out of the minors.
Watching Kingston break his face would have given me momentary satisfaction, but the satisfaction wouldn't have outlasted the guilt.
The tradeoff just wasn't worth it." She shrugs. "So I didn't tell him."
But she told me. Something about that twists my heart all into knots. She trusted me with the secret she hasn't even told her brother. Fuck yeah, that feels good.
"I promise not to ruin mine over him, either," I say.
Will I tell everyone I know that he's a fucking creep who makes bets about sleeping with women and then publicly shames and humiliates them?
Absolutely. But I'll leave her name out of it.
My teammates and friends on other teams will do what needs to be done.
If he thinks he has a shot of making it to our league, he's fucking dreaming.
It'll never happen once every team in the league refuses to work with him.
Some of these guys may sleep around, but there's a line you don't cross. There's no room in this league for those willing to cross it. I've seen what happens when shit like that is allowed, tolerated, or ignored.
An entire team, the Bucks, was just restructured because their captain, Jamison Peters, was a fucking predatory asshole.
The shit he did to Tye's wife when she was in college is beyond fucked up and unforgivable.
No one wants to be associated with pricks like him and the teammates who let him get away with the shit he did to her.
We don't want to be associated with the Daniel Jordans of the world either. They can rot in hell. I can't undo what he did to Tia, but I can damn sure make sure he doesn't get to win in life after doing it. He'll languish in the minors, and no one will ever even remember his fucking name.
"Maybe I told you so you'd ruin yours, you ever think of that?" Tia asks.
"Liar."
Her lips twitch, her expression soft. God, she's beautiful.
"You told me because you like me."
"Whatever." She rolls her eyes, taking a big bite of her bread, but I know she isn't really annoyed.
The truth is written all over her face. As much as she wants to deny it, she does like me.
I think that's what's fucking her up. She likes me.
And given what she just told me, that scares the shit out of her.
I reach across the table, brushing crumbs from the side of her mouth. She goes still, but doesn't pull away or try to stop me. "For the record, you aren't a bet to me, Tia. That's not what this is."
"This is a business meeting."
"For now." I meet her gaze. "But we both know that's not what I'm after here. I haven't been saving myself for just anyone."
Her fork clatters against her plate, her eyes meeting mine, completely caught off guard. "W-what?"
"You heard me."
"No, I don't think I did," she disagrees, shaking her head.
"I said, I've been saving myself." My thumb brushes across her knuckles again. "My body and my heart. For you. For when you're ready for me."
"Are you…is this…?" She licks her lips nervously. "Briggs, are you saying that you haven't ever…?"
"Yes." I hold her gaze, letting her see the truth for herself. "That's exactly what I'm saying, Tia."
"But you're…"
"What?"
"You," she finally whispers.
"And you're you," I murmur, running my thumb over her bottom lip. "You think I said no at the wedding because I didn't want you? Hell no. I haven't waited this long for you, just to rush it when you'd regret it."
"Briggs," she whispers, a warning and a plea in her shaking voice. "You promised you'd be on your best behavior."
"This is my best behavior, beautiful."
"How is this possibly your best behavior?
" she hisses, her eyes darting around the restaurant.
But we're in the back corner, and everyone else is occupied with their own conversations and lives.
They don't give a shit about me and mine, not here.
I'm persona non grata, just another motherfucker in a suit, enjoying dinner. "You just said…"
"I know what I said," I murmur when she trails off like she can't even repeat the sentence. "You think I'm lying?"
"I…I…"
"Not every hockey player is a Daniel Jordan, Tia. Some of us know what the fuck we want, and we're willing to wait until we find it. You think we all make it this far without a little self-control?" I quirk a brow at her. "I've met your brother. I know you know better."
His sex life is none of my business, but I know his reputation. He didn't fuck around or jump from relationship to relationship. He was never linked with anyone until he met Evie. There are a lot more of us who know how to keep it in our pants than people like to imagine.
"That's not the point," she mutters.
"Then what is the point?"
"The point is…you can't just say things like that!" she cries softly, and then grimaces, slouching down in the booth with a dark glower.
"I was just being honest with you. Figured you might appreciate knowing where I stand, beautiful.
" I want her comfortable with me. I need her to trust me.
And given her history, she needed to know that I'm not the kind of guy willing to turn sleeping with her into some sick game.
When we get there, it'll mean something.
She grumbles wordlessly, reaching for her wine.
I chuckle when she drinks half the glass in one fell swoop, still looking frazzled.
Fuck, I think I like knowing I put that look on her face—the one that says she doesn't know what to make of me.
I like that I'm defying all her expectations and toppling every fucked-up image Daniel Jordan put into her head.
I like that she's seeing me, not some preconceived notion, stereotype, or prick from her past, but me.
"This is a business meeting," she finally says, grasping at the last straw she has like it's a lifeline.
I decide to let her have it, mostly because I don't want to push too far, not yet.
And partly because she's right. This is a business meeting, and I don't want her thinking that I don't take that seriously.
I may have gotten into this with ulterior motives, but that doesn't mean I won't work like a fucking dog to come through for her and the kids her organization supports.
"Then let's talk business," I say, leaning back in the booth.
She eyes me like she thinks I'm up to something, but I just grin, motioning for her to get on with it.
She huffs softly, tossing her head. "An athletic endowment."
"What about it?"
"I think that should be your primary focus."
"And why is that?"
"Um, because you're an athlete?" she retorts. "If you're working to fund an athletic endowment, people will be more likely to listen because they view you as an expert."
My lips twitch. "Is this you telling me that you don't think I'm an education expert?"
"I just think we should use you where you'll do the most good, that's all."
"You know I have a degree in engineering, right?"
"That doesn't— Wait. Really?"