To Love a Player (17 page)

I smiled tenderly at him and he pulled me to him as he sat up. He brought his free hand up to my face, caressing my cheek gently. There was an unreadable expression in his eyes as he looked conflicted about something, almost as if he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure if he should. I touched his cheek and asked, "What?"

His gaze steadied and said, "I know that you may think that this is too early to say this, but I can't hold back anymore. Mollie, I've fallen for you and it's scaring the shit out of me."

"I know that you may think that this is too early to say this, but I can't hold back anymore. Mollie, I've fallen for you and it's scaring the shit out of me," I told her as I waited with bated breath for her response. I had to tell her and even if she didn't feel the same, I needed her to know. I had never opened up to anyone before, never let them see the real me that sat hidden beneath the one that was on display for everyone else. Even my closest friends didn't know everything that I had just told her.

I carefully watched her face and her eyes for signs that she thought I was nuts. I closed my eyes, letting out the breath I had been holding and soon felt her lips brush against mine softly. Her tongue traced along my lower lip and I opened my mouth slightly, letting her in. My hands went into her hair as she deepened the kiss. I pulled her onto me as I lowered back onto the blanket, letting her stretch out to the length of my body as our mouths continued to explore each other.

My hands trailed down her sides until they lingered at the edge of her shirt. I longed to feel her skin under my hands, so I pulled out of the kiss, letting my eyes ask for permission and she gave a slight nod as she lowered her mouth back down to mine. We both let out a soft gasp as I ran my hands under her shirt and up her back. My fingers trailed slowly up her spine, causing her to arch her body into me and she let out a small breathy moan.

I carefully flipped us over so that I was resting on my elbows, hovering above her. Her eyes were dark and filled with curiosity as I looked down at her. I swallowed as I sighed, shaking my head of the thoughts that were filling it. One of those was that I wanted to see what her body would look like under the moonlight as I slowly took off her clothes, but then again that wouldn't be taking it slow like I originally wanted to. I leaned down and kissed her with such passion, I felt it deep in my bones.

She whimpered as I pulled out of the kiss and I heard my voice, huskily admit, "I want you so bad right now, you have no idea how much its killing me."

"What's stopping you?" she asked softly as her hand went to my cheek, stroking it lightly with her thumb. I could see the lust and want in her eyes as they sparkled in the moon above. I allowed myself to get lost in her eyes and my voice seemed far away as it said, "I don't want to rush this. I've never in my life felt anything so real and so right like I do when I'm with you."

She gently stroked my face as her eyes gave me a soft, inquisitive look as she asked, "What happened to that cocky ass jerk that I first met?"

I smiled down at her softly and gently lowered myself down to her lips. I kissed her softly before pulling back to look in her eyes and said, "He met this amazing girl that made him want to be someone she could fall in love with and be a better man because of it."

"Hmm," she murmured, her face displayed a thoughtful smile, "it worked because I can't hold on anymore either and I know that I have completely fallen in love with you."

I smiled and honestly said, "I love you too, Mollie."

She smiled tenderly up at me and I felt liberated by telling her that. I planned on taking things slow, but I wanted so badly to tell her how I really felt. It didn't matter anymore what happened after this, I just wanted to be with her.

He loved me, he LOVED me! I felt like screaming it into the night air. I could not believe that this amazing guy loved me and how not so long ago, I couldn't stand him. It felt so surreal, but I was okay with that. There was something there since the beginning that was hard to deny, even then. I just felt this magnetic pull towards him that had gotten hard to fight, so last week, I just stopped and we had gotten so much closer because of it. Hearing him say the words was incredible and he was so sweet at allowing himself to be completely vulnerable with me.

Callen slowly stood up, pulling me up along with him. He kissed the back of my hand before he led me down the dock to a canoe that was tied there. I looked at him like he was crazy and asked, "We're not getting in that, are we?"

He nodded and slowly eased in, holding my hand as he helped me in. I was shaking as images of the canoe tipping over in the middle of the dark lake flashed in my mind. I held a tight grip on the edges of the canoe as he rowed us out to the middle of the lake. Callen laughed softly as he said, "Relax, Mollie, I promise that I won't let you fall in."

I tried to give him a relaxed smile, but I knew I was failing miserably. Every shake he made as he rowed the canoe, made me grip the sides harder. He laughed openly at me and I splashed water at him. When we got to the middle, he stopped rowing and let the canoe just float. My heart leaped in my throat when it shook as he stood up, holding out his hand. He smiled softly as he said, "Dance with me."

I let out a nervous laugh as I gave him a look like I thought he was crazy and asked, "In this canoe? Right now?"

"Yeah, why not?" he asked and I gave him a look of disbelief. I snorted, "I could think of a million reasons why not."

He laughed softly as he tugged on my hand and gave me a serious look as he pleaded, "Just trust me, please."

It was the sound of his voice that caused me to sigh in defeat. I gave him a warning smile as I said, "Okay, but if I fall in, you're coming with me."

He steadied us after pulling me up and held me close. He gave my forehead a gentle kiss as we stood there, letting the canoe float us around in a dance in the gentle waves. I heard him start to hum a song that I couldn't quite figure out at first, but then I realized that it was the one that I sang to Jace on Friday to get him to sleep. I pulled back slightly and asked, "You heard me?"

Callen nodded, his eyes sparkling in the bright moonlight. He pulled me back to him as he continued to hum and I joined him, only singing the words quietly. It was by far the best first date I ever had and I also knew then that it would be my last.

We walked back to the house after our date down by the lake and I was feeling like I could fly. I had this amazing girl at my side who loved me and it really couldn't get any better than this. It was going to suck having to leave her in the morning, but I had Lacey's word that she would give her my surprise tomorrow when she went over to watch the kids.

We got to the house and I unlocked the door while I kissed her on the doorstep. We got inside and I wasn't nearly ready to let her go. This sharing the same roof in two separate rooms was going to change tonight. I cupped her beautiful face in my hands and said, "You are staying in my room from now on."

Her eyebrows rose as she asked, "Oh is that so?"

"Yep," I replied. She pretended to think about it as she said, "Well, maybe just for tonight."

I shook my head, it wasn't good enough."Nope, forever."

"You're leaving tomorrow morning, remember?" she asked with a hint of sadness in her teasing tone. Sighing, I wrapped my arms tight around her and nodded. We stood in silence for a while, each lost in our own thoughts. I pulled back slightly and tilted her chin up to look in her eyes as I said, "Then I guess you can sleep in my room tonight and once I get home, then it will be forever."

She let out a soft laugh as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me as she nodded. She pushed away from me and said, "Then I better go change and I'll meet you in your room in a few minutes."

I raised my eyebrows suggestively as she walked away. I watched her door close and I smiled to myself. I put the picnic stuff away and went into my room, getting the bed ready for her. It occurred to me that I had never wondered what she wore to bed. I had only seen her in running clothes or this morning when she was already dressed.

There was a soft knock at my door and I looked up to see Mollie, fresh-faced with her hair in a messy bun. What caught my breath was the long t-shirt she was wearing that barely covered her thighs, no girl in the world looked sexier than she did as she leaned up against my doorframe.

I pulled her towards the bed and we slipped beneath the covers. I cupped her face in my hands as I kissed her, feeling her lengthen her body along mine, letting our legs tangle together. I pulled out of the kiss, listening to her whimper in protest.

Damn you, New York!

20

Mollie

I woke up the next morning to the sound of an alarm clock that sounded nothing like my own. I stretched my arm out to turn it off, waving around my hand in the empty space of where my alarm clock should have been. I sat up slightly and remembered that I was in Callen's bed and it was his alarm that was going off on his side of the bed. After crawling over to shut it off, I laid my head back against his pillow, I heard something crackle beside me and felt a soft stick poking in my hair.

Looking over, I spotted a folded up note and one of the stems of the flowers he had gotten me the night before. Smiling giddily, I inhaled the scent of the flower, twirling it gently under my nose as I unfolded the note and read:

Mollie,

I really wish that I could be there with you when you woke up this morning, however by the time the alarm goes off, I'll be landing in New York. You have no idea how much I'm going to miss you while I'm gone and it sucks that it has to be this way. It just makes seeing you again that much better, right? Thank you for the most amazing first date that I've ever had. I can't wait to see you again! Anyway, I have to go meet Eli and get on a plane.

I love you,

Cal

Smiling, I leaned against his pillow, inhaling the light traces of his scent, enticing me to stay in here until he got back. I would love to say that something actually happened, but it didn't. We kissed and talked for what seemed like hours before finally going to sleep. I vaguely remembered his gentle lips pressing against my cheek as he left early this morning. It was by far, one of the best nights I had in a long time. The alarm rang a second time, telling me that it really time to get up for the day. I gave it a scowl while shutting it off and quickly made his bed.

Leaving his room, I padded across the open living room to my room. I tucked the note against my mirror as I placed the tiny flower stem in my water glass. I couldn't believe how quiet the house was without him around with our morning routine. Usually I could hear him whistling as he was getting us breakfast while I secretly drooled over him as he walked around in his business suit. It was a strange feeling being alone in the house without him; I couldn't wait for him to get back.

After taking a shower and getting dressed, I headed up to the house and found Lacey looking like she was about to have a nervous breakdown. She was pacing the kitchen, wringing her hands and muttering to herself. Her tired, worried eyes met mine after I walked in the door. My first thought was that something happened to the kids.

"What's wrong?" I asked, touching her arm. She swallowed as she took a deep breath, displaying a nervous smile. She shook her head and said, "Nothing, it's nothing."

"Lace, something has you upset," I said, placing my hands on her shoulders so she would look at me. "Is it the kids?"

"Goodness, no they are fine," she said as she shook her head and sighed, blinking slowly. I could see that the tears in her eyes were threatening to spill out with each blink. Her voice was shaky as she sighed, "I'm just freaking out because my caterer for the New York show just called and cancelled, so now I'm left without any food for the reception after the show that's in three weeks."

A light bulb went off in my head, but I began to wonder how that would work out if I offered Callen to cook for her. He was in New York already, but could he swing both cooking for Lacey and leading the Acquisition Team? Would he be mad that I suggested him? I'm sure that he wouldn't mind helping out his sister, right?

"Um," I started, feeling my nerves getting the best of me, "how about Callen?"

"Callen?" she asks, tilting her head in confusion, "as in my brother?"

I nodded and she gave me a thoughtful look as she stepped away from me, this time pacing while tapping her fingers against her chin. She stopped and a slow smile crossed her face as she said, "He is an amazing cook and I remember that he used to want to be a chef. Do you think he'd do it?"

I wanted to shrug with uncertainty, but I squelched it and said, "I think so, if you ask him."

I could see the wheels turning in her mind as hope lightened up her face. I hated to throw a little doubt on it, so I winced as I said, "He's in New York already working on the Toller project so I'm not sure how that would work."

Lacey's face fell slightly, but then she breathed in a deep breath, perking it back up as she said, "I will get it worked out. My brother has a talent and it sucks that I got to pursue mine while he was forced to do something else, so I will just have to pull a miracle, but I will get it so that he can do both."

"A miracle?" I asked slowly, not understanding what she was talking about. Lacey nodded as she smiled, "I'm going to go see my father today and see if I can give Cal a little leeway. Eli mentioned that it was an easy takeover so Cal will have time to experiment with certain food samples."

I smiled, remembering the caviar dish he made for my date and said, "Make sure he includes the caviar dish that he made for our date. That was fabulous!"

"Speaking of date," Lacey said, her face breaking into a wide, excited grin, "how was it?"

"Hands down, the best date I have ever been on," I gushed. Lacey grabbed two cups, filling each of them with coffee as she said, "Sit down and spill. I want to hear the details!"

My heart pounded with each step I took towards the unfamiliar boardroom. In that room, there were people that I had to gently break the news to that by the end of the week, they may or may not have a job. Eli prepped me on what to say, how to deliver the news, and how to brace myself for the yelling that I would endure. As soon as the door opened, I felt like I was going to vomit. I had to pause to take a deep breath before I followed Eli into the room. As I looked at all of the faces in the room, I wondered what thoughts were going through their head as someone, at least twenty maybe thirty years younger than them, announced their possible departure.

We hadn't had time to go through all of the personnel files to see who would be staying with the company and who would have to find work elsewhere in this struggling economy. Grey Enterprises offered an excellent severance package, but that really gave little solace to those who would be losing their daily routine. I swallowed nervously while trying to look calm and collected. My eyes settled on an intriguing pair of hazel eyes in the back of the small room. I couldn't see the face they belonged to, but something about them made me feel secure.

"Good morning, ladies and gentleman," I started, feeling my purebred confidence kick in, "my name is Callen Grey and this is my partner, Elliot Kingham."

My eyes left the hazel ones for a brief moment as I made eye contact with several people in the room. I gave a charming smile as I said, "As you know, Grey Enterprises has taken over the Toller Building and we gladly offer our services as we move through this transition to our system. Unfortunately, that means that we will be suffering some losses as we will have to let some employees go."

A gasp was heard throughout the room and I could hear the sounds of people begin to grumble. I looked over at Eli, who nodded for me to continue. I took a deep breath and said, "We will be talking with employees one on one to determine who has the best skills for Grey Enterprises."

I looked around the room and settled back on the hazel eyes again as I asked, "Are there any questions?"

Just about all of the hands in the room shot up and, between Eli and me, we managed to get all of them answered. There wasn't a lot we could tell them in the group setting, but we tried our best. We dismissed the meeting and I tried not to take to heart all of the daggers shooting out of some of their eyes. Eli clapped me on the back and said, "Great job, kid! You handled that perfectly!"

I tried to smile as I responded with, "Thanks, but now what?"

Lacey was practically beaming at me when I finished telling her about my date. Watching her wipe away some tears that had fallen, I touched her hand as I asked, "What's wrong?"

Shaking her head, she gave me a sweet smile as she replied, "Nothing's wrong. I'm just very happy for you and Callen. He has needed someone like you for a long time and I'm just glad that you didn't let your first impression of him stick with you."

She reached over and gave me a gentle squeeze on my hand. It struck me at how much of a big sister she had become to me. It made me miss my own. I made a mental note to call Maggie later and catch up with what was going on in her life.

Lacey raised the coffee cup up to her mouth and then suddenly placed it back down as she said, "Oh my goodness, I almost forgot."

She stood up from the table and rummaged through a stack of mail before pulling out an envelope. She handed it to me and said, "Here, this is for you."

Looking at the blank envelope in my hands, I saw my name written in Callen's handwriting. I gave Lacey a curious look as she raised her eyebrows in expectation. I slowly opened it up, gasping when I saw the first-class airplane tickets attached to a note from Callen:

Mollie,

Surprise! I can't wait to see you in New York this weekend! Lacey has the details. I can't wait, so I'll be counting the days.

Love,

Callen

Looking over the tickets, I noticed that my departure would be Friday morning. I opened my mouth and heard Lacey quickly say, "You have Friday through Monday off. Once you land in New York, you will have a car waiting for you to take you to a spa where you will be pampered. Once that is done, my assistant will be waiting for you to try on some dresses for a dinner that you will be attending Friday night with my brother."

She took a deep breath. I sat in awe, my mouth was hanging open and I swear, I could cry any minute. I felt my heart melting as I looked at her. I felt as if I was Cinderella and she was my Fairy Godmother. Lacey grinned as she continued, "When you are finished with that, then you will be whisked away to the hottest salon for hair and make-up. From there, you will be picked up and taken to the penthouse, where my brother is staying, to get ready and then my brother will pick you up when you are ready."

"This is crazy!" I whispered, excitedly. My cheeks were wet and it was then that I realized that I had been crying. I wiped my eyes, looking down at the tickets and then back to Lacey, who was biting back an overly excited grin. Her clear blue eyes were questioning as she asked nervously, "What's wrong?"

Shaking my head, I let out a soft laugh. There was nothing wrong. I mean it wasn't every day that my boyfriend of a day surprises me with first class tickets to New York City and then proceeds to add a day of pampering on top of it, I mean, what was wrong with that? I sighed, wiping my eyes again and said, "Nothing is wrong. I'm just speechless, in shock, feel like I'm in a dream; you know, take your pick."

Lacey smiled at me as she reached over to caress my face as she said, "In the short time that you've been here, you have done so much. The kids love you, I love you, and my brother clearly loves you. I honestly knew that the moment Cal opened the door that day that you interviewed that he was hooked. I had never seen him look at anyone like he does when he looks at you and this was before you two started hanging out."

I flashed her a soft smile while running my fingers over the tickets, suddenly wishing that today was Friday. Knowing this was coming up was going to make my week seem longer.

It had been a tiring morning. So far, I had been cursed at, cried on, yelled at, and almost punched—if it weren't for our burly looking security guard my dad hired just in case. If I was teetering on the line of not wanting the company before, I was sure as hell that this was definitely not the path I wanted for the rest of my life. I knew that I would see this project through and then face my father with my decision. I knew that there would be some sort of consequence for walking away, but I didn't care. I looked the part, but I definitely didn't fit well in my father's shoes.

Sighing, I poured what was my tenth tiny cup of coffee from the coffee pot in the little kitchenette sitting outside of the office that I was using. Right as I was about to bring my small cup to my mouth, I heard a sweet voice ask, "How's it going?"

Looking down, I connected with a familiar pair of hazel eyes. I almost dropped my coffee when I realized who it was. "Sarah?"