Pleasure at Midnight ; His Pick for Passion Read online

  “I should have listened to you instead of kicking you out.” Geneviève reached out, and slowly caressed his cheek with her palm. “I let my emotions get the best of me, and I’m sorry.”

  “You’re not the only one to blame for our argument,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I should have been honest with you about the promotion and my desire to transfer to the LA office, but it never occurred to me we’d hit it off, let alone fall in love, yet that’s exactly what happened.”

  Her face lit up. “You love me?”

  “Of course I love you. You’re smart, witty and ridiculously funny and I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. You’re it for me, Gigi, and I love you with all my heart.”

  To prove it, Roderick kissed her tenderly on the lips. A finger jabbed his shoulder, over and over again, and he cranked his head to the right. His dad flashed a thumbs-up, but his mom was giving him the stink eye, and Roderick knew she was upset.

  “Son, enough,” she scolded in a shrill voice. “You know better than that. You’ll have plenty of time to romance your beautiful girlfriend later.” Viola adjusted the neckline of her gold sequined dress, then swept a hand toward the great room with dramatic flair. “Geneviève is a guest in our home, and you will treat her with the utmost respect. Get her a glass of champagne, show her around our estate and introduce her to the rest of the family.”

  “With pleasure,” he answered, wearing a broad smile. “I’d love nothing more.”

  “And I love you, Roderick Miles Drake.”

  “Of course you do. There’s a lot to love!”

  Geneviève laughed, and it was music to his ears.

  “I don’t know what the future holds, but I love you and want to be with you for the rest of my life.”

  “Roderick, I feel the same way. You’re everything I could ever want in a man, and I’m proud to be your girl.” Closing her eyes, Geneviève pressed her mouth against his. Cheers, whistles and applause exploded around the room, and Roderick knew his friends and family were still watching them. It didn’t matter. He was 100 percent focused on pleasing Geneviève, and he wasn’t letting her go until he had his fill of her, and there wasn’t anything his mom could do about it.

  Deepening the kiss, Roderick inclined his head and held her close to his chest. Joy flooded his body, making him feel like the happiest man alive, and love filled his heart to the brim. He’d found his soul mate, the woman of his dreams, and as they stood in the foyer gazing longingly at each other, there was no doubt in his mind that they’d make beautiful music together.

  * * *

  His Pick for Passion

  Synithia Williams

  “What are you doing?” she asked. Her hands gripped his strong arms.

  “Hugging you.” His voice was a sexy whisper. His head lowered. His lips stopped right before they touched hers.

  Erin’s heart hammered. The tips of her breasts tightened against the planes of his chest. Excitement simmered in her veins. The heat in his eyes could have melted iron.

  “Kissing you?”

  She could pull back now, and he’d let her go. He’d say goodbye, walk away and never bring up what happened again. Will was a ladies’ man, but he wasn’t a jerk. If she didn’t want his kiss, he’d accept that.

  She knew what she wanted. It wasn’t due to the fun of the night, the look in his eye or two glasses of wine. The soft plea in his voice when he’d asked. The smallest hint that he was just as eager for their lips to touch as she was. That was what busted her defenses. Erin lifted on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

  Synithia Williams has loved romance novels since reading her first one at the age of thirteen. It was only natural that she would one day write her own romance. She is a 2017 RITA® Award finalist and a 2018 African American Literary Awards romance nominee. When she isn’t writing, Synithia works on water quality issues in the Midlands of South Carolina while taking care of her supportive husband and two sons.

  Books by Synithia Williams

  Harlequin Kimani Romance

  A New York Kind of Love

  A Malibu Kind of Romance

  Full Court Seduction

  Overtime for Love

  Guarding His Heart

  His Pick for Passion

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

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  To my husband and best friend, Eric. I love you.

  Dear Reader,

  This is the last book in my Scoring for Love series. If you’ve been here since the start, thank you for taking this journey with me. If this is your first book in the series, I hope you enjoy it and decide to check out the other books. There are many layers to friendship, and you never know what can tip the balance in a friendship. In His Pick for Passion, I explore what happens when a platonic friendship becomes romantic and how that can affect relationships with others. I got the idea for this story after an after-hours conversation with coworkers. Which proves inspiration can come from anywhere. I hope you enjoy Will and Erin’s road to happily-ever-after. Be sure to sign up on my website, www.synithiawilliams.com, to get updates on the next steps in my writer’s journey.

  XOXO,

  Synithia W.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 1

  “She’s the only woman who’s ever told you no. That’s why you’re being difficult.”

  Will Hampton paused in the middle of putting the diamond Cartier watch on his wrist while holding his cell phone between his right ear and shoulder. He was ready for a night out in Chicago after his team, the Jacksonville Gators, won their basketball game the night before. The team headed back to Jacksonville afterward, but he’d stayed in town to attend a party and hopefully hook up with supermodel Vanessa Collum.

  Or at least, those were his plans before his sister called him with this nonsense.

  Will clasped his watch closed and straightened, holding his cell phone in his hand. “Kelly, what are you talking about?”

  “You don’t want to do me this one favor because Erin is the only woman who doesn’t fall over in a dead faint when you smile at her,” his sister continued in her accusatory tone. “Come on, Will. She just moved to Chicago six months ago, and I know she doesn’t know anyone. She’s sitting at home, alone, on a Friday night, bored to tears and wishing she’d worked up the nerve to ask out the guy in her office.”

  Will snorted. “I can’t imagine Erin asking out any guy.” Not that his sister’s longtime best friend would be afraid to ask a guy out, but more that she’d be too focused on doing her own thing to chase after a man who wasn’t confident enough to ask her out. He’d overheard enough of her conversations with his sister about how she wanted a man who wasn’t afraid to approach her.

  “Erin’s trying to come into the new millennium,” Kelly said with a bit of a laugh. “This guy is interested, but he’s hesitating because they work together. Or at least that’s what I’ve gathered from what she’s told me about
him. Regardless of him, she’s relatively new in town, alone and most likely bored. You’re there and it’ll only take you two minutes to drop in and make sure she’s okay. Then you can run off with that supermodel you’re trying to hook up with and be on your merry way.”

  “I can guarantee you Erin doesn’t want to see me. She doesn’t like me that much.”

  Something he’d accepted a long time ago. Erin liked men who were serious. Dependable. He’d recognized early on he wasn’t that guy.

  “She likes you.” He could hear the but in Kelly’s voice. “She just doesn’t think you’re very...datable.”

  “Which means she doesn’t like me.”

  Datable, though. Did that mean Erin had considered dating him? The thought brought a small smile to his lips.

  “Does it matter? She likes you well enough. She’s my best friend, and you two could always talk about basketball. Come on, Will, just go check on her. She sounded a little down when I talked to her earlier. I want to make sure she’s okay.”

  Will sighed heavily, though it was mostly for show, and checked his watch. “Where does she stay?” He could swing through real quick just to do his sister this favor. Erin was her best friend, and even though he doubted Erin would want to see him, it would ease Kelly’s mind.

  He hadn’t seen Erin since she’d visited their family last Christmas. They’d talked a little about the Gators’ season but that was the extent of their conversation. Erin never lingered when it came to talking to him. He never pressed for more of her time.

  “Thank you, Will!” Kelly’s appreciation oozed through the phone. “I’ll text you her address. She’s going to be happy to see you.”

  “No, she’s not. She’s going to cut her eyes at me. Look at me like I’m lacking something, then send me on my way.”

  Erin wasn’t mean, but she was no-nonsense. Always focused on her next step for success. He sometimes felt as if he weren’t working hard enough when she was around. That his accomplishments on the basketball court were trivial, even though Erin, a former athlete, loved basketball as much as he did.

  Kelly laughed. “Dang, Will, must every woman you know fall at your feet? Aren’t you getting enough play from professional basketball groupies? Does my best friend have to drool when you walk in a room, too?”

  Will tugged on the collar of his shirt. “I ain’t saying all that.”

  “But you do love the attention of the ladies. Erin is cool. She just never fell for your lines.”

  Will checked his reflection in the mirror and ran a hand over his newly trimmed beard. “That’s because I’ve never tried them on her,” he teased.

  His sister’s deep belly laugh smacked the smile right off his face. “Oh my God! You’ve got me crying.” She hiccupped and giggled some more. “Seriously, don’t embarrass yourself. Just check on Erin. Let me know she’s okay and then move on to one of the other women who fall for your silly lines. Call me after you see her, okay?” Another chuckle. “Never tried them on her. Boy, bye.”

  The end of the call cut off his sister’s merriment. Will stared at the phone for several seconds. His words hadn’t been that funny.

  His phone vibrated, and a text from his sister popped up with Erin’s address. According to the map feature on his phone she didn’t live too far from his hotel. He texted his friend who was throwing the party Vanessa was attending and told her he’d be a few minutes late, then headed out of his hotel room to the driver waiting for him downstairs.

  On the way through the lobby, his sister’s laughter nagged him. He frowned and avoided eye contact with the people in the hotel who may have tried to stop him and ask for an autograph or a quick picture. He didn’t typically shun the attention he got as a professional athlete. He loved being in the league. Loved being at the top of his game and especially loved the fans.

  Fans cheered if the team was winning or losing. They sent emails of encouragement, tagged him and his teammates in pictures on social media of them rocking their Gators gear, and met the team at 3:00 a.m. after a win on the road to support them. But at the moment, he was too distracted by the way his sister outright laughed at him.

  He slipped inside the car waiting for him in front of the hotel. Sure he’d never tried to hit on Erin, but that was because he’d always assumed Erin wouldn’t entertain his interest. He was used to landing on his feet. Erin had the ability to knock him on his ass the same way she’d done in that one pickup game they’d played when they were ten years old. She’d demand more of him, and as Will’s father liked to point out, he was a one-trick pony. Outside of basketball, there wasn’t much people expected out of him.

  What if he was wrong? What would happen if he let Erin get a glimpse of what he’d considered off and on over the years? If he showed her he was interested in her as more than the girl he’d played ball with as a kid or his sister’s best friend?

  Man, don’t get any bright ideas. Stick to what you know. Women like Vanessa. Easy. No expectations.

  Will arrived at Erin’s apartment complex and asked the driver to wait. He’d check in on her, call Kelly and let her know Erin was okay, then make his way to the party. No foolish ideas of hitting on Erin.

  He knocked on her door, then shoved back his sleeve to check the time. He had another twenty minutes to get to the party if he hoped to convince Vanessa to leave with him and see the hit show Slam! playing in town.

  The door to Erin’s apartment flew open. The annoyed twist to Erin’s full lips meant she wasn’t surprised to see him.

  “I knew it!” she said. “I told Kelly I didn’t need to be checked on.”

  Will stood frozen. His brain forgetting how to breathe. Since when had Erin gotten all of those...those curves?

  Okay, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t noticed Erin was stacked. He was a man, and a curvaceous woman could inadvertently trigger the male radar, but he’d never seen Erin’s curves on display. His sister’s introverted best friend was opinionated, confident and occasionally funny, but she tended to be reserved with the way she dressed. The woman before him did not look like the reserved lady he was used to.

  The dress she wore fit her ample breasts like a glove; the snug waistline accentuated her hips, then flared out to stop midthigh. Her thick dark hair fell in deep waves to her shoulders. She’d always been cute. When he caught her smiling—usually at someone else—he’d occasionally wondered what her soft body would feel like beneath his hands. Okay, more than occasionally. But she’d never stopped him cold like this.

  Erin lifted her arm and snapped her fingers. Not quite in his face; she was too short for that. Five six or so, average height, but compared to his six-foot-six-inch body she was tiny.

  “Hello! Earth to Will. Are you done with your inspection?”

  The direct question spoken with a hint of amusement broke the spell faster than her snapping fingers. “Where are you going?”

  The question came out more demanding than he’d wanted. The hint of humor in her face quickly evaporated to the irritation she threw his way more often than not.

  That’s what made him always think twice before hitting on Erin. He didn’t understand why he seemed to get on her nerves quicker than anyone else. He treated her with the same level of respect he did with Kelly. Hell, he’d even stepped in and been her date to the high school military ball when her jerk of a “boyfriend” had canceled at the last minute. Yet she still treated him like there was an invisible wall between them.

  “Out,” she snapped back. “Why?”

  “I came to check on you.”

  She waved a hand. “No need. Like I told your sister, I’m good.”

  She was more than good. She was fine as hell. His eyes lowered and automatically his gaze swept over her. The V neckline of the sexy black dress she wore gave a peek at the swell of plump breasts. His crotch stirred.

  Will shifted uncomfortably. What the hel
l? Was he actually reacting to Erin?

  “I’m here, so can I at least come in?”

  He had a few questions. He was here, so he might as well do his job and check in to make sure she was okay. That she wasn’t seeing anyone not worth her time and all that.

  Yeah, that’s the reason.

  Erin huffed and rolled her eyes, but she stepped back so he could enter. Damn she smelled good. Lush and fruity. His mouth watered.

  “You going out?” he asked.

  “That is what I just said.” She closed the door, then led him farther into her place.

  Her apartment was nice, an open floor plan with plenty of space and a view overlooking downtown Chicago. The furniture was modern in style—no extra cushions or overstuffed couches for Erin. Everything in perfect alignment and order, but her space still felt welcoming. The pictures of her family on various shelves and colorful abstract art on the wall balanced the sharp lines of the furniture.

  “I’m meeting a coworker at this new bar with a few other people.”

  He heard the trace of nervousness in her voice and saw the spark of excitement in her eyes. She was looking forward to going out. “So, who is this guy?”

  She glanced at him over her shoulder as she led him to the kitchen. “Who said there was a guy involved?”

  “Who do you think?”

  She snapped her fingers and wrinkled her nose. “Dang, Kelly!” She pointed to the fridge. “Want some wine?”

  Will laughed and leaned against the counter next to her. “Sure. So, who’s the guy?”

  She pulled out a bottle of pinot grigio. She put the bottle next to him on the counter and pushed his hip. “Why?”

  Will fought to ignore the flash of heat her playful touch ignited as he slid out of her way. “Because I’m checking on you like my sister asked. Is this guy worth your time?”