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“What’s that?” I inquired.
“What?”
“You look like you’re trying not to laugh at me.”
“You’re very formal.”
I blinked, confused. “This is work. Of course, I’m formal.”
And there he went again—first trying to suppress a smile, then shaking his head. I crossed and uncrossed my legs under the table, opening up a new note on my iPad.
“Okay. So, any types of sponsorships you’d rather not do?”
“I’m open to pretty much everything, but I’d rather not take off my clothes.”
I looked up in surprise. “But you did that for the calendar.”
“That’s a club deal, not an individual one.”
“And you appear shirtless in most of the campaign pictures for Valentina’s Laboratories.”
“You looked those up?”
Apparently Jace was done trying to suppress a laugh. He quirked up the corners of his mouth in a smile I could only describe as... challenging. It threw me off. I blushed but kept eye contact.
“Of course I did. For research.”
“You’re very thorough.” He tilted his head, studying me. “Which one do you like best?”
There was one where he looked particularly delectable, as if he’d just walked out of a shower, but hell would freeze over before I’d admit that.
Instead, I said in a casual tone, “I haven’t looked at them that closely.”
Jace wiggled his eyebrows. Shit. He knew I was bluffing. Before he had a chance to call me out on it, I asked, “But, circling back to our topic, why the sudden change of mind?”
“It’s not that I’ve changed my mind. I’ve always had that rule, but I make exceptions. Valentina’s Laboratories is owned by my sister—Valentina Connor.”
“I didn’t know that,” I exclaimed. “It wasn’t anywhere in the campaign details, and as you mentioned... I’m thorough in my research.”
“Val and I thought it best not to publicize the family ties.”
“Right. I can understand that. And it’s an ongoing campaign, right?”
“Yes. Helps my sister, makes my fans happy. Why not?”
As I made a note of the ongoing nature of the campaign, I barely refrained from asking any personal questions. I wanted to know more about Jace the man than Jace the MVP.
“I think that takes out any underwear ads. Those almost always require you to take off clothes.”
I could understand him not wanting to be objectified, but the thought of billboards of a shirtless Jace was making me very happy indeed. To be honest, he wasn’t any less impressive even with clothes on. His cotton shirt did nothing to hide his muscles—it just showed off how extensively he trained.
“That’s correct. I did turn down three offers.”
“Noted. How do you feel about travel? If any sponsorship opportunities require you to fly to another location for a few days, would you be on board with that?”
“Sure, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the games. I do however have a standing dinner with my family on Friday, so I’d prefer to be here on Fridays. I’m already missing dinners when I’m away for a game.”
“Wow, every Friday, huh? Nice.”
