Dare to Stay (Dare Nation 4)

Her eyes flew to his and glazed over in a look he remembered well. One that told him the desire he was feeling wasn’t one-sided.

Taking advantage, he slid his hand around the back of her neck, pulled her close, and kissed her cheek. “Night, Willow,” he whispered into her ear, then stepped back.

Her body trembled and she glanced down, immediately fumbling inside her bag for her keys. Satisfied with her reaction, he waited for her to unlock her car and slide into the driver’s seat.

“Thanks for dinner, Braden. Good night,” she said, her voice huskier than he’d heard it since his return.

He closed the door, hearing the click of the lock, and he waited until she pulled out before walking to his vehicle.

She might try and go back to professional Willow tomorrow, but he had the satisfaction of knowing he’d broken through her reserve.

Chapter Three

Willow had a bag she kept packed for away games. One stuffed with toiletries, extra black leggings, and anything else she always needed. It paid to have double and never forget anything. Now she added more items for the weekend into her carry-on. She’d learned at a young age to stay packed in case a social worker arrived to announce she was leaving and going to another family, and since she’d had very few possessions, traveling light came naturally to her. You couldn’t fit much in a black trash bag.

Pushing her childhood to the back of her mind, she focused on the weekend ahead, running through her players, injuries, and who’d need pregame preparation. During all of this, she did her best not to think about her dinner with Braden earlier in the week.

Here it was Saturday and she couldn’t shake him. He invaded her thoughts constantly. The heat of his body beside hers at the table. The husky tone of his voice. The way he’d twirled her hair like old times, then leaned into her, his cologne a complete turn-on. Her breath had caught as she’d prepared herself for a kiss, only to end up with his lips on her cheek and his gruff voice in her ear.

She shivered at the memory, her nipples tightening as they had that night. Ignoring the sensations wasn’t easy, but she did her best, zipping her suitcase and getting ready for work.

She headed to the stadium, where she would join the team on the bus to the airport. A private jet would carry everyone to Denver, and then the rush would begin.

As she walked inside, dragging her bag behind her, Cole caught up with her, jogging from the parking lot. “Hey!” he said, coming up beside her. “Ready to go, I see.”

She nodded.

“I’m sitting this one out,” he said, and she was unable to read his feelings on the matter. “I promised Joel Clarkson I’d take another look at his knee before you go, so I’m here today anyway.”

Having seen the list of doctors who would be at the game, she already knew he was staying behind and wondered if Braden had made that call on purpose. To keep them apart. If so, it was ridiculous. She was all business on these trips.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure you’ll go to the next one.” She didn’t know what else to say.

He shrugged. “Braden seems fair. He took who he needed. I’m fine.”

She did her best not to wince, because she wasn’t certain that was true. She now realized that at some point she was going to have to reveal her history with Braden. It was only fair Cole knew what he might be up against with his new boss. First she’d see what information she could get out of Braden, like whether he’d deliberately left Cole home, and try and make sure he didn’t pull that kind of maneuver again.

“I’ll miss you. We haven’t gotten together in a while outside of a rushed lunch here and there,” Cole said, walking her to her office.

“I know. It’s been crazy busy.” But she knew that was an excuse.

She couldn’t put off taking that next step with him much longer, and if she’d been waffling on whether or not to sleep with him before Braden’s return, she knew for sure she didn’t want to now. Not that she’d be diving into bed with Braden any time soon, but the difference in her feelings for the men was obvious. Which told her that, as hard as she’d tried, she couldn’t see herself developing deeper feelings for Cole, and she would have to tell him that soon. But not the day she was leaving for a long weekend.

She reached her office, unlocked the door, and Cole joined her inside. She tucked her carry-on against the wall and was about to sit down at her desk when he grasped her hands.

“So promise me you’ll make time for us when you get back?”