Luke
For as nervousas Dani was a mere hour ago, she’s handling our interview with ease. She effortlessly slips into her author role as Charlotte Ann and completely charms Cara Bretz and her crew. Before I know it, we’ve revealed how we met and how I came to the rescue last weekend when her personal assistant came down with the flu.
Cara’s been interviewing players on the team for years, so not much surprises her. But she nearly loses it when Dani shakes her head and plainly states, “I had no idea who Luke was.”
“Seriously?” Cara asks, her pitch rising. She looks to me, and all I can do is shrug in defense.
“I told her my name, and that I worked for the Rainier Renegades. It’s not my fault she didn’t put two and two together.”
Dani shakes her head and laughs at the memory. “Seriously, Luke showed up to my house one afternoon to surprise me, while my brothers were visiting. At first, I thought their reaction to him was just typical brother stuff. You know, eyes bugging out over the fact I had company, never leaving the room, and staring like I’d never had a man over to the house. It was beyond ridiculous. It got to the point where I was about to rip my brothers a new one, for acting like idiots. I hadn’t even had the chance to introduce them, and their reaction was completely obnoxious.” She laughs it off and lowers her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “I’m sure you know how brothers can be. I have three, and each are extremely protective.”
Cara nods in agreement. “I sure do. It doesn’t matter how old I get, they always think they have a say in my life.”
“Exactly!” Dani exclaims as if it should be obvious. “Well, that’s what I thought they were doing. But boy, was I wrong.”
“What do you mean?” Cara prompts, and I shake my head at the embarrassing memory. I mean, seriously, I’m no one special.
Dani continues, laughter close to emerging, “It wasn’t until my brother asked what ‘Luke Leighton’ was doing in our living room, that I caught on tothis guy,” She points to me and winks. “Was more than what he let on.”
“You’re kidding?” Cara clarifies. “You had no idea you were dating the youngest coach in the league, not to mention, the most eligible bachelor in Tacoma.”
Christ.She really had to go there?This is getting beyond ridiculous. I dismiss her statement the best I can by waving a hand and shaking it off, while forcing myself not to roll my eyes. Damn, it’s so fucking hard not letting my instincts come into play. But, if I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s important not to react to ridiculous hype. This is beyond infuriating. In an attempt to divert the attention off me, I suggest, “There’s plenty of eligible bachelors in Tacoma. I’m nothing to get this worked up about. Besides, the tables were turned when we were in front of her fans at the book signing. Hardly anyone even recognized me for most of the day.”
“Oh, Luke,” Cara says in the same tone my mama would bless my heart. It’s not missed on me, that she doesn’t believe the line I’m feeding her. “But they did notice you, or I wouldn’t have the privilege of meeting with you today.”
“You could say that again,” Dani spews but then covers her mouth as if she hadn’t meant to say her thought aloud. Her cheeks flash crimson as she quickly schools her features, to make it appear as if she’d meant to drop that bomb.Damn, she’s adorable. Though she’d be shit at poker.
Thank God, Cara moves this interview in another direction. “So… Charlotte, I have to admit, I’m a huge fan of your work. I was excited to get to do this interview with you because not only am I a fan of Luke’s, but I’ve read every one of your books. I’m dying for your next release to hit the shelves soon. Anything you want share with your superfans like me, to give them a sneak peek?”
In a well-practiced speech I’ve heard dozens of times over the weekend, Dani excitedly tells Cara how this may be the best book she’s written. She claims, if she goes into too many details, she’ll spoil the experience. But she continues to win Cara over when she ends with, “Trust me, you’re going to want to read this for yourself.”
“I have no doubt I will.” Cara reaches out and pats Danika on the arm. Then she turns her laser-focused attention on me. “So… Luke, any predictions for the season? You’re off to a great start, but will you be able to bring the Rainier Renegades back to reclaim the championship title?”
“That’s the goal, Cara. But for now, we’ll just focus on one game at a time. We have some great momentum going. Our focus is continuing to make improvements each week and do our best to outplay the other team. That’s all I can ask for from the team and so far, each week, they’ve risen to the challenge.”
When I leave little room for discussion, Cara thanks us once again for allowing her this exclusive interview. She wishes us the best of luck and lets us know it will likely air on this evening’s news.
As Cara and her crew leave the office, I see Danika visibly deflate, as if a huge weight has been lifted. When the door clicks shut, she looks to me with hopeful eyes. “Did I do okay?”
“You were fantastic, Danika.” I pull her close and hug her fiercely. “I’m so proud of you. I know you were nervous, but I think we nailed it.” I take in a deep breath and let myself relax into her. My mouth waters, she smells almost edible. A subtle vanilla mixed with amber, yet something entirely all Danika, too.
“I sure hope so. I’ve never been on the evening news or in any interview of this caliber. I should probably warn my parents. They do watch the news on a regular basis.”
I slowly exhale again, knowing the realization is true. “Yeah, you might want to do that.” I squeeze her tight once more.
“I still can’t believe we’re making headlines.”
“You and me both. I had no idea this would blow up so big. But enough about that. What do you say we grab some lunch?”
* * *
After letting Dani take my car back to my loft, I return to my office to get some work done, before I must be at the special teams meeting in an hour. Sure, I managed to do some things this morning out of necessity, but the interview hadn’t been far from my mind. My stress level’s decreased, especially since I plan to spend the evening with Dani, before she heads back to the island for a few days.
Walking into my office, I practically jump out of my fucking skin when the lights flicker on. There standing near my desk is a life-sized dark figure. Dark hair, blue eyes, and half-dressed. My heart pounds in my throat as I take a breath to steady myself. Thank God, it’s not real, or I would’ve swung a punch out of instinct, in defense.
Fuck. They got me good.
From the corner of my eye, I spot more over by my conference table.What the actual fuck?There’re at least ten life-sized cardboard cutouts throughout my office. Each have my face, but the shirtless body of the model from Dani’s latest book, with abs fully on display. Someone did one hell of a Photoshop job. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was me, holding Dani’s latest book, the one with the model’s face cut off just above the mouth.
