Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
She changed dresses three times before she settled on her favorite sparkly pink cocktail dress. She paired it with a silver clutch and her second favorite pair of strappy silver stilettos.
Taking a last look at herself in the mirror, she smoothed her hand down the front of the dress.
She curled her hair and left it down, save for the pink and silver barrette in the shape of a leaf in her hair, the dark-pink gems accenting the pink of the dress.
The elevator dinged, and she jumped, taking a deep breath while walking over to the bar. She grabbed her clutch and made sure her house keys were in it before she set it down to grab the silver blazer she always wore over it.
Straightening the jacket, she grabbed the small purse and headed for the door, a knock echoing through the apartment to signal her date’s arrival.
She grabbed the handle and pulled open the door, her jaw dropping as she got a look at the man behind it.
Reese stood dressed to the nines in a three-piece suit. He paired the black pants he wore with a tailored white dress shirt, the star of his outfit a charcoal-gray jacquard dinner jacket.
“I think I’m a little underdressed,” she said.
He laughed with a shake of his head. “You look beautiful.”
She looked down, suddenly self-conscious. “I can go change if I need to.”
He grabbed her hands. “Stop. You look perfect. Don’t worry.” He leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek. “Happy birthday.”
Warmth flooded her cheeks. “Thank you.”
“Come on,” he said, gently tugging her from the doorway.
She stepped out into the hallway and turned to lock her front door, thrilling at the little squeeze he gave her before they headed for the elevator.
“So,” she asked, stepping on to the elevator, “where are we going?”
He offered a sly smile and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “I’m not telling you.”
“Why not?”
“I want it to be a surprise,” he replied.
She pouted a little but left it alone.
The elevator ding announced their arrival in the lobby, and he motioned for her to step off first, not letting go of her hand the entire way to the Tahoe.
The car ride wasn’t too long, but when they finally arrived, Sutton was confused by the location.
“Isn’t this an apartment building?” she asked, looking up at the high rise.
“Yes,” he replied, getting out of the car to come around to open her door for her. He helped her from the Tahoe. “It’s my apartment.”
Her eyes widened. “Your apartment?”
Desire raced through her, and she did the best she could to hide it. She had been so turned on the last couple of days because of the encounter in the locker room that if they got anywhere near a bed, she would probably jump him.
“Is that all right?” he asked. “We can go somewhere else.”
Sutton shook her head. “It’s okay. I don’t want to ruin your plan.”
He smiled, and she ignored the spike of desire that slithered to her belly. “Great.”
The doorman held open the door for them, and they headed into the building.
“It’s gorgeous in here,” she said, looking around. There was beautiful light-wood paneling everywhere, to match the light-marble flooring.
“Welcome back, Mr. Vaughn,” the receptionist said. “Is this a guest who will be staying for the evening?”
She hid her laugh behind her hand at the red flush covering his face.
“We’ll say yes for now, but it could change,” he said as he leaned over the counter.
She gave Sutton a grin. “It’s all set up and ready for you two.”
Excitement fluttered in Sutton’s belly. “What’s ready?”
Reese held his finger up to his mouth, indicating the receptionist not to say anything.
She laughed. “Don’t worry, Mr. Vaughn.” She turned to Sutton. “I’ll need your ID, though, please.”
She dug it out of the clutch and handed it over, waiting for her to scan it and hand it back to her.
“Security is thorough here,” she quipped, tucking her ID back into the purse as she followed him to the elevators.
“They are,” he said, motioning for her to get on as the elevators dinged their arrival. “Since there are quite a few celebrity and athlete tenants, they take extra precautions.”
Reese hit the button for his floor as the doors closed, nerves settling in her stomach.
“So,” he said, leaning against the wall, “did you get that flower situation from this morning straightened out?”
When she arrived in the office this morning, Carrie let her know that the florist for the ball called and left a message with her to call them back.
When Sutton reached out, they told her there would be a problem getting the flowers there on time, and the order had accidentally been cancelled in the system.
“They tried to upcharge me for the order, since it would have to be a rush. Since I didn’t cancel the order, I told them we wouldn’t pay the extra charges for the flowers themselves.
” She leaned back against the elevator, putting her hands on the skinny bar behind her.
“I did agree to pay the extra shipping cost for them to arrive tomorrow, so they could be arranged and delivered to the venue Wednesday. That way we can get them set up without issue on Thursday for the ball.”
He wore a grin when she looked over at him, his arms crossed. “What?”
“I love how passionate you are about your work,” he said, crossing the short distance of the elevator. “It’s really hot.”
He put his hands next to hers on the bar and leaned in, pressing his body to hers.
“Thank you,” she replied. “It’s hot when you talk about your work, too. You’re so excited about the game, and the kids, that it’s hard to not admire it.”
“Damn, Cooke, you’ve outdone me in compliments,” he said. “What should I do to make it up to you?”
“I can think of a few things,” she whispered, grabbing the back of his head to bring his lips down to hers.
His groan echoed through the elevator as he crushed her against the wall, slipping his hand between them to undo her blazer.
The ding broke them apart, and she stared at him as he struggled to breathe, her pink lipstick staining his lips.
“You have lipstick on you again,” she whispered, reminding him of the night they met.
His laugh was harsh as he replied, “That seems to be a trend lately.” He leaned in, bringing his face a breath away from hers. “But I only want your lipstick on me.”
She melted at his words, sinking back against the wall with a sigh. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”
He angled his body away from hers to look into her eyes. “Why not?”
“Because,” she said, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze. “It’s not real.” She motioned between them. “Yes, this is hot, but when you say something like that, it makes me feel like you want more than you do.”
Shock raced through her when he asked, “What if I do?”
Her throat went dry, and she croaked out, “What?”
“What if I want more?”
Silence stretched between them as she stared at him.
“You’re serious?”
His face shifted, the look there revealing how serious he was.
“I am.”
“But what about the game? You said you didn’t want any distractions.”
He shrugged. “I changed my mind. Besides, I can confidently say that I am fully distracted now. Don’t you remember what I said in the locker room?”
“You haunt my dreams every night,” he said, “You make me so hard that I wake up and need to immediately relieve myself.”
She had been so caught up in her desire that she hadn’t really been listening.
He changed his mind. Just like that? How is that even possible?
Her face must have displayed her disbelief because he asked, “Do you think I can’t change my mind?”
Her eyes rounded. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” he asked, stepping away from her.
“Read my mind like that.” She watched him fight the grin that was trying to appear.
“I can’t promise I won’t read your mind again,” he said, crossing his arms. “But I can promise you this, Sutton. I do want more.”
He pressed the door button and when it opened, he held out his hand. “Come on.”
Excitement rushed through her, and she realized that she was ready to see where they would go.
Even if it ends in disaster.
She took his hand, and he led her off the elevator, the walk to his apartment a short one. He unlocked the front door and pulled it open for her, her jaw dropping at the scene in front of her.
His apartment was huge, with an open concept probably bigger than her entire floor plan. The door opened into the living room, and a white carpet of rose petals directed them toward their destination.
A table for two covered in a white tablecloth sat in the middle of the room—tall, white, tapered candles shining on each side with a small vase of white roses set in the middle. Her eyes widened when she looked to the left and saw a giant bouquet of pink peonies placed on the chair.
“Reese, this is—” Her words ended on a gasp when she saw golden balloons that spelled out ‘Happy Birthday’ floating nearby; the balloons were attached to a makeshift wall draped in white fabric, soft-white lights adding to the romantic atmosphere.
She turned to him and placed her hands on his cheeks to kiss him.
When she pulled away, he asked, “So, I guess you like it?”
“It’s amazing, thank you.”
He motioned for her to head for the table, and a gentleman appeared to take the flowers from her seat.
Reese moved behind her chair to pull it out for her, helping her get settled before taking his own seat.
He grabbed the champagne from a bucket next to the table and stood, popping the cork away from them before he grabbed the flutes to pour.
Tucking the bottle back in its frigid home, he held his glass out to her.
“Cheers.”
She tapped hers against his and took a sip, setting the glass down when the same gentleman appeared again, this time with their appetizers.
A beautiful crab salad with cucumber sat on the plate, the faint aroma of the citrusy dressing reaching her nose.
“This smells divine,” she said, taking a bite. “And tastes even better.”