He liked her. She had a sexy laugh, flashing golden brown eyes and hair he wanted to bury his hands in.
More than anything, he flat-out wanted her. Wanted to take her somewhere, anywhere, and just…be with her. Alone. Kiss her, touch her, strip her naked, search her soft skin with his hands and lips…
“Should I have another glass of wine? Probably not, huh.” She leaned into him, her mouth close to his ear, her breasts nestled against his side, and he closed his eyes for the briefest moment. Fought the urge to haul her into him and crush her mouth with his.
“I’m positive you’ve had enough.” His voice was strained, as was the front of his jeans. He looked at her, the scent of her wrapped around him, fragrant and sweet, and he breathed deep, savoring it.
She nodded, her gaze dropping to his mouth. Looking at him like she wanted to kiss him. “I should probably go.”
He glanced at his watch. It was past eleven. They’d talked for two hours and it felt like fifteen minutes. “Want me to take you back to your car?” She’d admitted she walked over from the convention center, which he didn’t like one bit. It was dark, late, and not the best part of town. He could’ve given her a ride but she’d blown him off earlier, claiming she had to gather up all her supplies and load them in her car first.
But now he was thankful for the chance. This way, he got to spend more time with her.
If this were any other woman, he would’ve had her understanding exactly what he wanted from her by now. He was a straight shooter, always had been. Since the scandal broke out, though, he was trying to be more cautious. Smarter. Most women were trouble. At least, the ones he encountered were.
Something about this particular woman made him want to throw caution right out the window.
“That would be great,” she said, her voice soft, her eyes glowing.
With a quickness he usually saved for the field, he slid out of the booth, grabbed Sheridan’s hand, and hurried her out of the dingy bar. The cool air relieved his heated skin as they emerged, and he turned to steer her toward his shiny black SUV parked in the bar’s small lot. She stumbled on her feet, those damn sexy pink shoes most likely too high, and he gripped her arm, making sure she didn’t fall.
“Thanks.” She offered him a sultry smile, leaning into him a little bit. “Too much alcohol and these shoes don’t mix.”
He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. “I think the shoes are hot.” They were. Almost as hot as the woman wearing them.
She stared up at him, her hands settling on his chest, her mouth dropping open when she slowly ran her fingers down his front. “You are so…hard.”
Okay, that did it. Sliding his hand over the dip of her waist, the flare of her hip, he murmured, “And you are so…soft.”
“Damn it!”
The shrill curse caused them to spring away from each other. Jared turned to find a woman standing in the farthest corner of the bar’s parking lot, kicking at her car’s flat tire. The look of distress on her face, even at that distance, was unmistakable.
“I should help her,” he muttered, glancing at Sheridan, who nodded solemnly in answer. Jared raised his voice. “Hey, you all right?”
The woman glanced up and shook her head. “Flat tire.”
Grabbing Sheridan’s hand, he approached the woman’s car. Her eyes went wide when she looked at him. “Got a spare in the trunk?” he asked.
The woman shrugged, looking a little star struck. “You’re that football player, right? You grew up in Monterey.”
“Yep.” He pointed at her trunk. “Why don’t you pop it and let me see what you have in there.”
Luckily enough, the woman, Linda, did have a full-sized tire in the trunk and a jack. And boy, Linda knew how to talk. She chattered the entire time he changed her tire, marveling over the famous football player helping her. Claiming none of her friends would believe this story.
He couldn’t leave a woman stranded in the middle of a parking lot late at night, but damn, this was a total mood killer. For all he knew, Sheridan would bail the minute Linda drove away.
And he really, really didn’t want Sheridan to bail.
“You are the best,” Linda said when he finished. “Like a true hero.”
He shrugged, slamming the trunk closed. “It’s no big deal.”
“Ha! It’s a huge deal.” Linda paused, her gaze going from Jared to Sheridan. “Do you mind taking a picture of us? So I can prove to my
friends this really happened?”
Jared slipped his arm around Linda’s shoulders and they posed for a few pictures, Linda giving him a big hug before she slipped into her car and fired up the engine.