She caught the frown and the way his body straightened as he tensed.
“It means in a club atmosphere it’s mostly groups. It wouldn’t be a one-on-one type of situation, so you don’t have to get close to anyone. The so-called date we had tonight was quieter, more time for one-on-one conversation, which allows a woman to ask probing questions, to become more intimately familiar with you.”
“And you’re saying I don’t want that?”
“I don’t know. Do you?”
“Hey, I like intimately familiar.”
“I’m not talking about sex.”
“Neither was I.”
Her lips curved. “Liar. You were, too.”
“Okay, maybe I was.”
They walked across the street to his car. She climbed in and he started the engine.
“So what would be your next move—if this were an actual date?” she asked.
He was silent as he pulled onto the highway and headed west. “I’d take the woman home.”
He did just that, and walked Savannah to her door. She took her keys out of her purse and was about to tell Cole good night.
“And if this were a real date, this is where I’d go in for the kiss.”
Before she could object, he had his arms around her, tugging her close, his mouth coming down on hers.
It wasn’t a forceful, demanding kiss. Instead, he brushed his lips across hers.
Shocked, all she could do was hold on to his arms. She opened her mouth and he slid his tongue inside. Warm pleasure spread throughout her body, wrapping her in a foggy sensation of want and need.
For a minute she forgot all about the purpose of this night. Instead, all she thought about was the way Cole held her, the way he lazily stroked her back when he kissed her. Up close, he smelled like everything she loved about a man—crisp, clean, and sensual. She lost herself in the way his lips moved over hers, the magical way his hands cupped the back of her head and tangled in her hair when he deepened the kiss. And when he pressed her against the door, his body aligning with hers, lord have mercy but she thrilled to the feel of him, all hard angles and planes.
All hard. All over, especially between his legs, where he rocked against her sex, making her wet and quivery.
She’d invite him inside, where he’d pull the zipper down on her dress and fill his hands with her breasts. She could already imagine his mouth on her nipples, his hand inside her panties, coaxing her to the orgasm she so desperately needed.
She whimpered.
“Invite me in, Peaches,” he whispered against her lips.
And then reality set in, and she remembered she wasn’t on an actual date with Cole.
He wasn’t hers to do with as she pleased. And she certainly didn’t belong to him.
She splayed her hands on his chest and gave him slight pressure.
He took a step back.
She swallowed, her body, her senses, still filled with him. She fought for breath, willed her rapidly beating heart to slow down while she made eye contact with Cole and silently begged for understanding.
He straightened, then his lips curved in a hint of a smug smile.
“And that’s what I’d do with a woman I was out on a date with, Peaches. Except it wouldn’t end there.”
He turned and got into his car, started up the engine, and pulled away.
Savannah opened the door, the cold of the air-conditioning inside doing nothing to quell the blast of heat burning inside her body.
No, it definitely wouldn’t have ended here.
Not if they’d been on a real date.
Not if he really belonged to her.
SEVEN
COLE HAD A WORKOUT AT THE TEAM TRAINING FACILITY the next day. It was his first time being with the entire team, to see how the offense would mesh together.
It was mainly drills today and working with the conditioning coaches. There’d be no formations, unfortunately. He was eager to get in a line and take a pass from Cassidy, show the Traders what he was capable of.
This was going to be the year he’d become a star. He was home now and this was the right team. It might not be game time yet, but something was gelling for him. There was a renewed sense of fire in his gut that he hadn’t felt since he was a rookie. And if he had to grind his cleats over all the other wide receivers to show the team how good he was, that’s what he’d do.
He’d noticed Liz and Savannah on the sidelines watching the drills, decided to ignore them both while he worked out with the coaches. No distractions today, not when he was focused on work. He tuned them out until four hours later when he was drenched in sweat and every muscle in his body screamed in pain from the nonstop drills and sprints they’d put him through.
“You’re done,” the trainer said to the wide receivers. “Hit the showers.”
Thank god. He pulled off his helmet and walked to the sideline for a drink.
“You’re huffing and puffing like an old man,” Liz said, leaning her hip against the drink table. “Too tough for you out there?”