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“It has been quite a journey, and just so you know, I really did think you hated me. For a long time, actually. It hurt because although I didn’t like you, I was still so damn fascinated with you.”
“Well, I got rid of Frank to make it up to you. So that’s got to count for something, right?”
“I think the fact that I can make you come like a freight train makes us even.”
A flush of heat spread across my cheeks, but I wasn’t just going to let the challenge slip through my fingers. So I slowly moved my hand down his back and onto his ass. He hissed in a breath as I squeezed down, and his cock throbbed against my stomach.
“Careful…”
“You should be careful because my hands are still as magical as they were in the beginning. See?” I pulled him against me. “A simple squeeze can bring you to attention.”
“You’re not the only one with magical powers. I know exactly which buttons you like to have pushed.” He slipped his hand between us and fondled my breast. “With a single flick, I can make your legs tremble.”
“And I can…” I moved my hand to the front and cupped his erection, “…use a simple stroke to make you drip with desire.”
“Look who’s talking.”
Trace’s fingers lingered at the hem of my dress, proving his point. My pussy was dripping wet, begging for his touch, but I wasn’t ready to give in to that desire just yet. The night was going so well, and with each tease, the chemistry between us grew stronger. It had escalated so quickly that I was sure anyone who entered our space would be just as turned on as we were.
“Do you think I deserve to get laid? I mean, we’re going to the playoffs, but I still got injured.”
“It sounds like you climbed all the way to the front of that sympathy train. And I don’t think any amount of self-loathing deserves any kind of reward.”
“So you’d be happier if I were made of steel? Like a robot boyfriend?”
“Since when are you my boyfriend?”
Trace grazed his lips over mine, sending a shiver down my spine, but the moment was interrupted when the door swung open. Penny tried to sneak in wearing a hoodie, but there was no way she would get past the guys. Thanks to me, they’d started watching reporters like hawks.
“Donovan!” Malik said just as she was about to relax. “Dakota was welcomed into our fold, but that doesn’t give you unlimited access. What do you want?”
Penny cursed under her breath and pushed the hood off her head. “I’m not here for you people. In case you missed it, I run the paper now, so I’m not running after players like they mean something anymore.”
“Yeah, we figured, since this one has been doing your job,” Trace said, pulling me closer.
“Geez, you really need to get your egos in check,” she said. “I’m dropping off a few early presses of tomorrow’s paper. That’s all.”
The guys jumped up and quickly surrounded her, but Penny refused to let go of the stack of papers in her hand. Lucas tried pulling them away, and Malik gave her puppy eyes, but she was more of a bulldog than I could be on my best day.
“Having an attitude will get you nowhere,” she said, looking like the snob she was. “Now you can wait like everyone else.”
“Oh, come on, Pen. We’re not that bad,” Ethan said, turning on the charm.
“Fine.”
With a huff, Penny tossed a small stack of early editions onto the center of the table.
And there it was. My name, my article. Front page news.
Once the guys had what they wanted, they finally released her, watching as she slapped a copy down on the bar and began seeding the random tables like she was planting landmines.
I couldn’t move. I could barely breathe. For months, this investigation had lived in the dark corners of my laptop and the back of my mind. Now, it was physical. It was ink and paper, and it was sitting right under the hands of the people it protected. And the person it could still destroy if we were unlucky enough.
The room seemed to shrink as Lucas reached out, his fingers brushing the newsprint before he gripped the edges. He cleared his throat, the sound cutting through the bar’s chatter.
“Frank Delaney’s a scumbag shark who has no place in college football,” he read out loud.
The silence that followed was deafening. The truth was out. The hunt was over.
