“I was never in danger of being turned on.” I look at him up and down. He’s well dressed in gray pants and a light blue shirt. His hair’s a little long, but the curls make him look youthful. Yeah, this guy turns me on, but he’ll never know it. If I was into white guys, he’d be my type. Tamron finally answers my text and tells me she’s on her way. He inches closer, and I take a step away.
“Let’s see what it could be.” He purses his lips and pretends to be deep in thought. “Me bein’ a basketball player was strike one. That was obvious from the way you pretended not to know who I am.” I arch an eyebrow at his smug arrogance.
“As if I’m supposed to know who you are?”
“Everyone in this city knows who I am. I’ve brought you four championships.”
“You alone? I might not understand the rules of the game, but I’m pretty sure it’s a team effort. I guess it’s good to know you takeallthe credit.” I turn from him and head in the opposite direction. I don’t make it two steps before he’s standing in front of me, blocking my path.
“Don’t try and distract me. Let’s see. Where was I? I was still in the game despite bein’ an athlete, but then your sister let it drop that I have a son. When you learned that you rolled your eyes, and I was out. Am I on the right track?”
“Not even close.” Astute bastard. “Nothing about that exchange with my sister was about you. Check your enormous ego.”
“I think someone is lyin’.”
“What possible reason would I have to lie to you?” I let out an undignified snort. He takes a small step closer, and I’m forced to look up at him.
“You want to prove you’re not interested.” He leans down close to my ear, and I want to take a step back, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he’s affecting me. “That temptin’ mouth of yours says one thing, but your body tells me something else.” He stands straight and steps away, and I do my best to control my rapid breathing. Just the feel of his breath along the shell of my ear has sent my entire body on fire.
“Except I have nothing to prove, especially not to someone I’ve known for five minutes.” I look around for my sister only to find her in the corner dancing with Ethan. “Enjoy your evening, Cole.”
I take a step, but he stands in front of me, once again blocking my path. I arch an eyebrow and wait for him to move. Only he doesn’t. All he does is smile that devilishly sexy smile.
“It’s Colt, darlin’, but you already knew that too. Everyone knows it.”
“I told you, it’s Victoria, not darlin’. And is that a southern twang I hear?”
He steps closer, crowding me a bit, but I refuse to step back.
“Alabama boy, born and bred. A true southern gentleman.”
I cock my head to the side. “Alabama? You don’t say.” That’s a definite hell no.
“Is that strike three? Do you have problems with Alabama boys too?”
“Not yet.” If someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on me, it couldn’t have done a better job of turning me off than this little revelation. I probably would have learned this if I paid any attention to those stupid basketball games I torture myself with just to spend time with my father.
“Good. In that case, do you want to dance? My daddy used to tell me to always ask a pretty lady to dance.” He smiles, making him look playful and boyish. For a second, I imagine dragging him to a far corner of the club for a slow dance, but I think better of it. He’s a friend of my sister’s man, and I don’t think Ethan is going anywhere anytime soon, if ever. He’s an athlete and judging from the people taking pictures and videos of this interaction, he’s a popular one. I like my quiet life, and I remind myself, when I’m ready for a relationship, I’m all about the black love.
“No, I don’t.” I try to step around him, but he continues to block me. “There are lots of pretty ladies for you to dance with.”
“How about another drink?” he asks, ignoring my comment about finding someone else.
“I’ve had my fill, but I’m sure anyone of them would love to join you. Maybe you can order yourself another water with lime.” I point to a group of ogling women a few feet away before giving the water in his hand the side eye.
“I’m not a drinker. Never have been.” He looks down at me, particularly at my breasts, and licks those full lips of his. He inches closer, and I have no choice but to take a step back. Only, it’s not just a step; it’s a jump, and I resent the smug smile he gives me. “And I don’t want any of them,” he whispers before feasting his eyes on my cleavage. He inches closer. “I only want you, despite how judgmental you are.”
“We always want what we can’t have, don’t we? I wonder why humans are wired that way. Huh? I guess we’ll never know.” I shrug and give him my back as I walk away.
He surprises me when he throws a casual arm around me. “Let’s discuss. Though, that’s not really a difficult question, darlin’,” he exaggerates the word, “but I’ll go with the most obvious answer. It’s to fulfill a fantasy. Do you have any fantasies I can help you fulfill?” His accent gets thicker with each word. It’s almost musical.
I stop walking and he stops too. I crane my neck to look up at him, and even in my five-inch heels, I feel like an ant next to him.
“Those are two separate questions, Cole. Let me break them down for you.”
His eyes light up and he says, “Please do.”
“Do I have any fantasies? Yes, lots. Can you help me fulfill any of them?” I look up at him and get on my tippy toes, cursing at the fact that he’s so damn tall. I lower my voice and whisper, “Not a single one.” I tap his shoulder and resume my walking, but he walks along with me. Not close enough to touch, but close enough for me to feel the heat emanating from his body.
