Pleasure at Midnight ; His Pick for Passion Read online

  “What I can tell you is that last night won’t ever happen again,” she said in an even, fury-filled voice. “You’ve gotten what you wanted. You were able to seduce me with wine and a few lies.”

  The cold fury in her voice was like a knife in his gut. “Those weren’t lies.”

  “Don’t try to smooth this over. I know what you’re about. I knew what I was doing. Part of life is making mistakes and having regrets.”

  “Don’t regret what happened.” He didn’t regret what happened. Couldn’t possibly think of regretting it.

  “Don’t call me anymore, Will,” she said at the same time.

  He felt as if he were trying to grasp smoke in his hands. He could feel her slipping away with every crisply spoken word. “Come on, don’t be that way.”

  “And you don’t pretend as if you want something serious with me. I was foolish enough to fall for your lines last night, but I’m not that foolish today. The only thing I ask is that you don’t tell Kelly. I don’t want anyone to know about last night. I know you’ll lose bragging rights, but maybe you can at least be decent with me on that.”

  “Erin, wait—”

  “Goodbye, Will. Lose my number.”

  She ended the call. Will stared at his phone. He tried to shake off the loss he felt. Tried to reassure himself that he, Will Hampton, ladies’ man and perfect playboy, wasn’t feeling a sharp pain in his chest.

  He shook off the feeling. He’d get her back. This wasn’t the end. It couldn’t be. Not when he’d finally recognized the jewel who’d been sitting right in front of him for years.

  Chapter 5

  Erin arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina, for All-Star Weekend ready to rock. Global Strategies was working with Mountain Brewed, a craft beer company with a large following in the Midwest that wanted more national recognition. She’d worked her magic to get them prime sponsorship spotlights throughout the weekend. Her deal included name placement, an event endorsed after-party and their name as the official sponsor for the slam-dunk contest.

  Her efforts had impressed her boss and the other executives. She was a little impressed with herself. She’d busted her butt over the past several months to broker a deal to snag the sponsorship spots. Her goal had been to prove she had what it took to be promoted to executive, and if the weekend went well, she’d have just that and more.

  She maneuvered her way through the crowd in the back of the Spectrum Center, where all of the contests and games related to the weekend were being held. As she walked through the crowd of sponsors, players and workers she tried not to think about running into Will.

  Seeing him was inevitable. He was the captain of the East Coast team, for crying out loud. What she wasn’t going to let happen was allowing seeing Will to distract her from her ultimate goal: rocking this sponsorship deal. No getting caught up in any sensual spell he tried to pull.

  If he even wanted to try. He’s already proven he could get you in bed.

  She pushed the humiliating thought aside as she spotted the producer for the televised contest and Gary Price, the CEO of Mountain Brewed. She placed her hand on Gary’s shoulder to get his attention.

  “Are you all set?”

  As the sponsor of the contest, Gary was allowed to go out on the court during one of the breaks, wave at the crowd and throw a quick plug for Mountain Brewed.

  Gary nodded and grinned. His family waited just to the left of him. They would get to go out on the court, too, and they practically buzzed with excitement. “All set. I wasn’t sure you’d be able to work out this sponsorship deal, but you did.”

  “All I want is to make Mountain Brewed a household name. After this weekend is over, it will be.”

  Gary beamed. The producer touched his headphone, then pointed toward Gary. “We’re ready. Let’s go out.”

  Erin held back and watched them walk into the arena. She went to one of the televisions mounted on the wall to watch. She preferred being behind the scenes making sure everything went smoothly.

  Once again she hoped this worked out for her career plans. She loved traveling for her job, but a part of her was also ready for the stability that came with being an executive. Sending other reps out to broker the deals while she handled even larger clients through the home office.

  “I was hoping to see you here.”

  The hairs on the back of Erin’s neck stood up. An unwanted shiver went across her body. Her mouth dried out as delicious tingles prickled her most private spots. She looked upward and took a deep breath. She hoped her heavy sigh sounded irritated to him and not like the fortifying breath she needed before seeing him again.

  Crossing her arms beneath her breasts, Erin slowly turned and faced the inevitable. She had to fight to keep her face neutral. The man was too damn good-looking. He was in the east coast colors of blue and white instead of the Gators’ green and gold. Impossibly strong muscled arms and legs on display. His beard neatly trimmed and a seductive spark in his eye.

  “I was hoping to avoid you,” she said in an attempted go-screw-yourself tone of voice.

  Her tone must have been convincing, because some of the cocky spark in his eye vanished. “You’re still mad at me?”

  How could he even think she wasn’t mad at him? “I’m not mad. I just never want to speak to you again, and wouldn’t mind pushing you off a very steep cliff into a river of starving, angry crocodiles below.”

  He cocked a brow. “That sounds pretty angry.”

  “What do you expect when you basically lie to get me into bed with you?”

  Any hint of seduction left his eyes. His gaze was sure and steady as it met hers. “I didn’t lie. Everything I told you that night was true.” He took a step forward. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  Dammit, why did he have to sound sincere and look at her with those perfect brown eyes? Or stand close enough for her body to react to the pull of his? She straightened her back and her shoulders. “Well, I’ve stopped thinking about you.”

  “Give me a chance to explain.”

  “There’s nothing to explain. Kelly told me more than enough.”

  “My conversation with Kelly had nothing to do with what happened that night. I made love to you because I wanted you.” He slid even closer. Blocking out the noise and movement of the other people in the arena. “And you wanted me, too.”

  Had they turned up the heat to incinerate? Because her body felt as if she were standing on the edge of an active volcano. She swallowed hard and narrowed her eyes into the don’t-F-with-me glare she used when people tried to scam her on contract negotiations.

  “What I might have wanted that night doesn’t matter because everything that happened was based on a lie. A bet you had with yourself to see if you could get me in bed. Well, you did. Congratulations.” She reached up and patted his shoulder in a patronizing gesture. His very solid shoulder. She quickly pulled her hand back. “You can move on and quit pretending it meant more to you.”

  She moved to walk away on that high note. Will moved with her. His fingers touched her elbow. They were rough and warm. Sparks of electricity popped across her skin.

  He leaned in. “That night meant more to me than you’ll ever know.”

  He looked genuine. Sounded truthful, almost desperate for her to believe. The yearning in his eyes made it hard for her to breathe. She forced herself to remember the conversation with Kelly. His need to prove he could get her in bed. The hastily written note. The fact that he hadn’t bothered to come see her in the weeks since it happened. Just calls and texts she’d ignored before blocking his number.

  She stepped back so his hand fell away. “If that were the case, you wouldn’t have run out the next morning.”

  “I had an emergency. You heard about what happened with Mike. They called all the team back for that.”

  She had. The Gators had issued a statement.
Something along the lines of the team not condoning violence of any kind and sending prayers for the family of the victim, but none of that had anything to do with what happened between them.

  “And you couldn’t even wake me up and tell me? I open myself to you. We do things some married couples probably don’t do to each other, and you just skip out with a note.”

  For the first time, he looked embarrassed. “I...”

  “Whatever. Save that for someone else.”

  “But Erin—”

  “Hey, Erin, I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  Erin nearly sagged with relief when Jared called her. She quickly turned and smiled brightly as he walked up. He leaned in and kissed her quickly before sliding his arm around her waist. Will frowned and leaned back. Erin tried not to feel weird. She could date whomever she damn well pleased after the stunt Will pulled.

  “I was just finishing up,” she said.

  Jared grinned and held out a hand. “Will Hampton, I’m a big fan. I met your sister earlier today. She’s great. I told Erin that’s pretty cool she grew up knowing you.”

  “Not that cool,” Erin muttered.

  “Yeah...” Will pointed to Jared, then Erin. “You two...dating?”

  She lifted her chin and glared defiantly. “Yes, we are.”

  Jared had called the day after Will left and asked her for a do-over after canceling on her that ill-fated night. Just the two of them. Seeing no reason to deny, she’d agreed. She’d refused to let the pain of Will’s betrayal keep her from living her life.

  Will cocked his head to the side and stared at Erin. “It’s like that?”

  Her cheeks burned. The fact that a hint of guilt tried to creep into her conscience made her want to kick him in the shins. She forced the guilt away. Ignored how much memories of their night together pushed to be released in her brain. Remembered instead the note, Kelly’s words, the fact that Will Hampton wasn’t serious about anything.

  “Yes. It is,” she said simply. “Goodbye, Will. Come on, Jared. Gary should be done now.”

  Jared looked between her and Will, then his arm tightened around her waist and they walked away. She ignored the heat of Will’s gaze boring a hole in her back the entire time.

  Chapter 6

  Will found his sister first thing the next morning thanks to her ever-so-helpful online check-in at one of the brunch spots near her hotel. She wasn’t far from where he and other players participating in the All-Star Weekend were staying, so he dressed and walked the few blocks to meet her. Along the way he stopped occasionally to sign an autograph or take a picture with a fan. Since Kelly was an early riser it wasn’t too crowded on the streets and he wasn’t bombarded.

  When he entered the restaurant, he wondered briefly if Erin was with her. His pulse jumped in anticipation, with a hearty mix of frustration. Their reunion hadn’t gone as he’d expected. He’d hoped time would have cooled her anger and allowed her to listen to his explanation. An explanation he’d left in dozens of voice messages. Guess she didn’t listen to any of those.

  When he spotted Kelly alone at a table near a window, sipping coffee and scrolling through her phone, disappointment made his shoulders slump.

  Will waved at the hostess and walked over to his sister. Kelly looked up from her phone and grinned. “What are you doing here?”

  Her smile was as bright and sunny as the red-and-orange sweater she wore with dark jeans. He didn’t know a time when Kelly didn’t wear bright, happy colors. Not only did the colors suit his sister’s sienna complexion, they were the perfect match to her outgoing personality. The sunshine of the family. That’s what their dad called her.

  Will bent over and hugged her before pulling out the chair opposite her. “Coming to see you.”

  “How did you—”

  “You check in everywhere on social media.” He held up his own cell phone.

  Kelly nodded, then shrugged. “Gotta let people know where I am in case I turn up missing.”

  “Anyone who tries to steal you will return you within the hour.”

  Kelly stuck out her tongue, but laughter sparkled in her eyes. She flipped the long bangs of her chin length bob out of her eyes in a perfect I’m-cute-and-I-know-it arc before meeting his gaze. “What do you want with me? Make it quick, because I’m meeting someone.”

  “Erin?” he asked expectantly.

  Kelly shook her head. “No, she has to work this morning. Getting things ready for the after-party tonight, and I think her group is also sponsoring some other event today.”

  “Good.”

  Kelly raised a brow. “Good? Why is that good? Are you trying to avoid her?”

  “Because I need to talk to you about her.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the white tablecloth. “What’s up with that guy she’s here with?”

  For a second confusion clouded his sister’s dark eyes. Then they cleared up and she cocked her head to the side. “Who, Jared?”

  “Yeah, Jared,” Will said his name as if it were a fatal disease. The guy who’d stood her up that night they’d slept together. The guy who absolutely did not deserve Erin.

  Kelly wagged a manicured finger. “Why are you screwing up your face like that? Jared is a nice guy.”

  “He looks like a chump to me. How long have they been seeing each other?”

  Kelly crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “About a month.”

  “A month? Nah, that can’t be right.” They’d slept together four weeks ago. She’d said she and Jared weren’t serious. She wouldn’t have lied about that.

  “Again. Why do you even care?” Kelly’s eyes widened. She slowly sat up and shook her head. Holding up a hand as if she needed to stop traffic, she glared. “Oh no. Don’t tell me you’re on that crap again.”

  Will shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “What crap?”

  “The ‘I could get with Erin if I wanted to’ crap. Will, she already turned you down once. Are you trying to get embarrassed again? Especially when you are literally in a city with hundreds of women who showed up just to hook up with a famous basketball star.”

  “I don’t care about those women,” Will replied. “And I’m not on any crap, and who says she turned me down?”

  Kelly’s brow furrowed. “She did. She told me you tried to hit on her and she sent you on your way. That is what happened, right?”

  Will looked away and scratched his chin. He’d forgotten Erin didn’t want Kelly to know. He’d called Kelly when Erin shut him down after their night together. Fired up and ready to go off on his sister for telling Erin he’d lied to her, but quickly realized Erin had kept what happened between them a secret. Probably because she didn’t want Kelly to think she’d fallen for a game. When game-playing wasn’t what he was doing.

  He couldn’t get Erin out of his mind. Couldn’t stop thinking about that night. He’d even talked to his dad about how he felt without revealing who the woman was he was thinking of.

  Son, when it hits you it hits you. You’ve just got to figure out if you’re hit because she turned you away, or because you’re really feeling her.

  His dad treated Erin like another daughter. Will was positive his dad would give him a hard time if he knew she was the woman he was thinking about.

  “Wait one damn minute,” Kelly said in a low voice. “Did something happen?”

  He avoided eye contact. “No.”

  Kelly’s napkin hit him in the face. “I can’t believe you. Erin? Of all people you had to go after my best friend?”

  Will tossed the napkin aside. “It wasn’t like that.”

  Again, the manicured finger of accusation pointed between his eyes. “You always say that, but then I end up losing a friend because you move on. Really, Will, why her?” She sounded genuinely hurt.

  “Listen, I’m telling the truth. I went to check
on her that night, and then that Jared guy called and canceled. I just wanted to take her to a show and make her smile, but then one thing led to another and—”

  “You accidentally took your clothes off and screwed my best friend?” She looked as if she wished there was something harder than a napkin she could toss at his face.

  “Nah, not like that. You know I’ve always liked her.”

  “I know you’re attracted to her. You’re attracted to every woman with curves and a cute smile, Will. But you know Erin is my best friend. She’s not like my college roommate or the coworker I just hung out with occasionally. Erin is the person I tell my secrets. My right hand. The one I count on above everyone else outside of my family, and now you’re playing around with her.”

  “I’m not playing around with her. I really like her. What happened with her...well, I can’t stop thinking about her.” He reached across the table and placed his hand over Kelly’s. He took a deep breath and forced out words he never though he’d say. “I think she could be the one.”

  Kelly stared at him for a second, then she jerked her hand back and rolled her eyes. “You are so full of crap, Will. You only want her because she ignored you for weeks and is dating someone else.”

  His face burned with embarrassment. Here he was, revealing to his sister something he’d been scared to think about, and she dismissed him so easily. Was it really that hard to believe he could be serious about what he felt for Erin? “You don’t believe me?”

  “Hell no,” Kelly said with a don’t-play-me-for-a-fool glare. “I don’t believe you because you change your mind about everything about as fast as I blink. You can’t stick to anything outside of basketball. Erin will be fun for you, then you’ll move on to the next woman and I’ll be minus a best friend.” Kelly pounded her fist on the table. “Keep your penis away from my friend, understand?”

  Will drew back. She really thought she could order him to stay away from Erin. He loved Kelly, and he understood her concerns, but what he’d felt with Erin was something he knew was more than a one-night stand. If he didn’t try he’d regret walking away for the rest of his life.