Dare To Love Series: Daring to Chance It (Kindle Worlds Novella) (4 page)

Well, she was done with men. All of them, in any size, shape, or age, except for business. Maybe she’d get a dog. They were a lot more faithful and didn’t try to get over on you. Or a cat. Yes, a cat would fit better into her crazy schedule with the Thunder. Yes, that was what she’d do, at the first opportunity.

For the next couple of hours, she buried herself in the stack of contracts she was reviewing. Her admin, Jenny, brought her lunch from the facility dining room. She ate with one hand while she made notes with the other. She paid no attention to the time until Jenny came in to remind her of the press conference.

“I’m going to peek if I can.” She grinned. “I hear he’s a real hunk.”

“Whatever.”

Sarah couldn’t help wondering who it was. There had been a lot of very high-profile players available as free agents this year. Even Beau Perini, her very hot one-night stand. The jackass who had walked away without even so much as a good-bye. Or a thank you. No, it wouldn’t be him. Fate wouldn’t play that kind of joke on her. Would it? No, her luck could not possibly be that bad. Stop driving yourself crazy, she told herself sternly. She’d find out who the new golden boy was when she walked into the room where the conference was being held.

“Meeting room on the second floor,” Jenny told her. “Have fun.”

Fun. Right. Watching people fawn over another overgrown jock, totally full of himself.
She loved the game, but history made her lump the majority of players in the same category as Beau Perini. They were great on the field and lousy on the relationship stage. Sure, a lot of them were married, some of them even happily. But, to her, those were the exceptions.

She smiled and nodded as she joined the flow of people heading to the press conference.

“Glad you could join us for this, Sarah.”

Rod Dematteo, Director of Football Operations, walked up beside her, shrugging into his sport jacket.

“Yes. Me, too. Do you know who it is?”

“Sure. It’s— Oh, here he comes now, with Ian.” He pointed. “Over there.”

Sarah looked…and froze. No, no, no. Life could not be playing such a cruel joke on her. Why, oh why was this happening to her? It wasn’t possible.

But apparently it was because, walking between Ian Dare and another man she had not met yet, was the phantom of her erotic dreams, the man who haunted her fantasies, the one she cursed with steady regularity.

Beau Perini, in the too, too, too very real flesh.

He looked over and spotted her at the same moment and stopped in midstride, staring.

“Sarah?” He blinked as if unable to believe his eyes.

She certainly knew how he felt because she had the same feeling. For a long moment, she couldn’t breathe, and she was sure her heart had stopped beating. Oh, my god.
This
was the Thunder’s hot new star running back?

Yes, indeed. It certainly was. And as gorgeous as ever. A little older, a little more muscular, and looking better than he had a right to. She had to stifle the urge to run back to her office, lock the door, and hide. How on earth would she ever get through this? She felt hot then cold then hot again as the familiar feelings from six years ago smacked right back at her.

Ian looked from one to the other. “Do you two know each other?” He grinned. “Great. That’s great. Sarah is the new in-house counsel for the Miami Thunder.”

*****

Beau was surprised he could put one foot in front of the other, much less form a halfway coherent thought. He was glad his agent, Dan Leventhal, had his fingers clamped firmly around Beau’s elbow, guiding him. And that he, Beau, himself had done enough public kiss-ass things he could flip his switch to automatic. He smiled, nodding to people as they walked the rest of the way to the room where the event was being held.

And all the while, one thought kept running through his brain.

Fuck! Sarah York here? Right here in Miami?

He blinked for a moment, wondering if he’d conjured her up, since she’d been on his brain every night for the past six years. But, no, when he glanced at her, crowded against one wall with some of the staff, he saw people chatting with her, shaking her hand. She was real. Definitely real.

She had blossomed into a mature woman who quite simply blew him away. Her thick auburn hair that he remembered felt like fine silk when he sifted his fingers through it. Same creamy complexion, same brilliant green eyes. The tailored slacks and blouse she wore outlined the richness of her figure. His hands twitched as he remembered cupping those nicely rounded breasts and that firm ass. That—

Jesus, Beau! Get your brain out of bed and back in the game.

“—will have a big impact on our running game,” Ian was saying. “Right, Beau?”

He pulled out his professional smile and nodded. “Right. Absolutely.” The whole conversation had slipped right by him. He hoped he hadn’t somehow agreed to play without a salary.

He thanked the discipline he’d learned on the field for helping him through the afternoon. Ian showed off a replica of his new jersey. The merchandising manager passed out various souvenirs to the media. Over the course of the next couple of hours, Beau answered what felt to him like two hundred questions and posed for at least as many pictures and video sound bites. Then Ian wanted to introduce him to all the members of the corporate staff he hadn’t met. They had stayed around to shake his hand, and he was expected to give them a few minutes. By the time he’d made his way through them all, Sarah had disappeared, snuck out while he was doing his mandatory glad-handing.

Damn!

So, she was avoiding him. Well, he could hardly blame her, but he wasn’t about to leave it at that. He’d kicked himself from here to forever for leaving the way he had and not trying to find her again—he got the dumbass of the year prize for that. They were both part of the Miami Thunder. He saw it as an unexpected opportunity to try and mend fences. Somehow, he would prove to her he was a different person now and that he’d regretted every day the way he’d walked out on her. Despite the continuing crisis with Lacey, he was determined to have Sarah back. He had deliberately kept his dating and family life separate, but if ever he could bring a woman into his family circle and trust her with Toby, it was Sarah York.

Finally, everyone left except his agent, Ian, and the coach.

“Good job.” Dan Leventhal slapped him on the back. “As usual.”

“We’re looking forward to a ramped-up running game with Beau on the field,” Coach Carter said. “Everyone’s excited that spring practice is around the corner.”

“Same for me,” Beau said. “Uh, question.” Make it casual, he told himself. “By any chance, was that Sarah York I saw here during the press conference?”

Ian nodded. “It is. I met her on a trip to Chicago. She was looking to make a change, and I needed a new attorney for the team. She came highly recommended, with a plus factor that she’s a huge football fan.” He gave Beau a quizzical look. “I didn’t realize you knew her.”

He shrugged, trying for an air of nonchalance. “We haven’t seen each other for a long time. I’d like to pop in and say hello if you can tell me where to find her.”

“I’ll do better than that. I’ll take you there myself.”

“No, that’s not necessary.” He wasn’t sure he wanted a witness, especially his new boss, to Sarah’s reaction to him after all this time. “I’ll just—”

“No problem. Come on.”

“I’ll check in with you in the morning,” Dan told him as he headed for the elevator.

“So, you know Sarah?” Ian asked.

“I haven’t seen her for years,” Beau told him, trying his best to set the stage for an unwelcome reception. “Maybe she won’t even remember me.”

Ian laughed. “Beau, I hate to give you a swelled head, but you’re a tad unforgettable, especially with the ladies.”

But he didn’t want “ladies,” he wanted Sarah.

“I remember her having a lot on the ball.” And then some.

“She’s already a real asset to us around here. She’s very sharp. We were lucky to get her.” He stopped at an office door. “And here we are.” He led Beau into the reception area where someone was manning the desk. “This is Sarah’s admin,” he said by way of introduction. “Jenny, can you tell Miss York an old friend would like a few minutes of her time, please?”

“I, uh, wouldn’t exactly say we were friends,” Beau put in, but everyone seemed to be ignoring him.

They waited while Jenny buzzed into Sarah’s office and heard her say in a puzzled voice, “Old friend? Uh, sure.” Pause, then, “Of course.”

Okay, so she knew who was waiting to see her and was as edgy about it as he was. Maybe more so, since she hadn’t been the one to screw things up.

“It’s okay,” Ian said. “We’ll go on in.” He walked past her and opened the door to the inner office.

Sarah was rising from behind her desk when they walked in. Beau saw anger and resentment flash across her face before she smoothed it into a polite mask.

He forced a calm he didn’t feel. “Hello, Sarah. It’s been a long time.”

She dipped her head once, her expression giving nothing away. “Yes, it has. I was pretty sure I’d never see you again.”

He pulled out his best Beau Perini smile. “Life has a funny way of arranging things, I guess.”

“Well.” Ian looked from one to the other. “I’ll leave you two to get reacquainted.”

Then he was gone, the door closing softly behind him. Now Beau was left alone with the woman who lived in his dreams constantly. He stared at her, memorizing this new, older, more sophisticated Sarah. More mouthwatering, although the original had been great. The silence between them grew until it was practically a living thing. Why didn’t she say something, even if it was to tell him to go to hell? Finally, he cleared his throat.

“Good to see you again, Sarah.”

“Is it?” Frost dripped from her words. She stood there behind her desk, pinning him with her gaze. “I’m surprised you’re not busy with your fan club. I’ve seen all kinds of pictures of you with your adoring fans clinging to you like leeches.”

“Pictures can be misleading,” he told her. “Anyway, this was a media event. Something different, but you know that, right?” When she didn’t answer, he cleared his throat again and blew out a breath. Just get it out there, he told himself. “I’m sorry, Sarah. I am truly, truly sorry.”

“Oh?” She lifted an eyebrow. “Exactly what is it you’re apologizing for?”

Okay, asshole, put it in words.

He blew out another breath and shoved his hands into his pockets, reaching for a calm he was far from feeling “I’m sorry I was such a jackass when we were together. That I walked out without saying a word. That I didn’t tell you exactly how much the night meant to me.”

“Snuck out is more like it,” she sneered. “Somehow, I’d thought you had more manners than that. More class.”

His cheeks heated. “I did. I do. I mean…. Oh, hell. Go ahead. I deserve whatever you’ve got to say to me.”

She did the staring thing again. Beau wanted to tell her she had a look that could freeze the Pacific Ocean.

“Okay.” He spread his hands out. “I was an asshole. Maybe the biggest one in the world. I spent the best night of my life with an incredible woman, and I snuck out like a thief in the night.” He shook his head. “Call me names. Hit me. Beat me. Whatever you want to do. My mother would tan my hide.” He took two steps closer to the desk. “But you’ve had your revenge, Sarah. Many times over because you have haunted my dreams every single night since then.”

“Not enough for you to get in touch with me,” she pointed out. “In fact, you got married to someone else.”

“Big mistake,” he told her. The sick feeling that always accompanied thoughts of his marriage swept over him, but he beat it back. “Big, huge mistake.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “There hasn’t been a night or a day since that night in New Orleans that I haven’t kicked myself in the ass and called myself all kinds of names. My only excuse, worthless as it is, is that I was young and irresponsible and too dumb to see what was right in front of me. So, my only excuse is no excuse at all.”

“Is that a fact?”

Well, at least she’d said something.

“Yes. It is.” He took two more steps forward, standing right at the desk, only the flat surface of it separating them. “You have no idea how much I want the chance to talk to you, Sarah, even if it’s for nothing more than to apologize again. Could I possibly persuade you to have dinner with me?” When she didn’t say anything, he added, “Lunch? A drink? Anything at all?”

She swiped her tongue over her bottom lip, a gesture he remembered from that night. It had turned him on then, and it turned him on now. He was ready to get down on his knees and beg when she gave a sharp nod of her head.

“All right. I’ll probably regret it, but, yes, I’ll have a drink with you.” She held up a finger. “One drink.”

He blew out a sigh of relief. “I’ll take whatever I can get. How about tonight? Right after work?”

He was babbling, but he didn’t care, as long as he got her to say yes to something.

“Fine. A drink tonight. But that’s all.”

“A drink. Good, that’s good. What time do you get off work?”