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“Maybe you can help me with this thing I have in my neck,” she suggested. “Ever since we’ve been in Rio it’s been hurting and I can’t seem to figure out what’s wrong.”
“Sure. I can try to help after dinner.”
“Oh, thanks. That would be amazing. Scott is really good at neck rubs, but I think it’s more than he can handle.” She ribbed him playfully, but he shot back something snarky at Paulo, missing his chance to play the doting husband.
Pierce leaned toward my ear. “My knee could use some more work.” It was more like a growl than a whisper. It shot a tingle down my spine that quivered toward my toes.
“Did you ice it some more?” I spoke out of the side of my mouth.
“I think I forget the routine.”
I almost flipped backward out of my chair when I felt his hand squeeze the top of my knee. I tried to look normal, but I was a bundle of raging hormones that had nowhere to escape.
“Why don’t I come by again?” he asked. “Remind me.”
I quickly scanned the table. No one noticed the exchange. Reyna and Scott were deciding what to order and Paulo and Sergio were flirting with the waitress from the bar.
No one even knew what was happening right in front of them.
“I already said no,” uttered.
“That was then. This is now.”
Pierce Miller wasn’t the kind of guy who accepted no for an answer. He was cocky and arrogant. He was surreal in the looks department. And he had more confidence than was in all of Copacabana beach.
I placed my hand sideways toward my mouth in case someone decided to pay attention.
“That’s a bad idea.”
“And why is that again?”
His hand moved farther up my thigh and slid to widest part, curving to the inside over the denim of my jeans. I resisted closing my eyes.
“Because we represent different countries. We’re on different sides of the court.”
He chuckled and made a slow withdrawal of his palm. “What if we say nine?”
My eyes narrowed. “Do you ever listen?”
“I promise to listen to anything you say tonight.” He winked.
And my stomach flipped. My core flinched. My eyes refused to blink, and my mouth hung open. All the steadfast things I had told myself seemed to disappear. There was no sanity when Pierce was around.
He could use his knee. I could pretend. But we both knew we wanted the same thing—one night together.
Chapter Nine
Pierce
I don’t think I had ever laughed so hard at dinner before in my life. The Italians were insane. Scott and Reyna laughed as much as I did. I looked over at Sierra who had tears in her eyes from the stories they told. It was going to suck tomorrow when we beat the shit out of them in the second set. But that’s what happened on the sand.
We had long since finished the meal and desserts. I didn’t want to overeat, but the food was amazing in Brazil. The candles on the table had melted down to pools of wax. The last wick was about to extinguish.
I saw Reyna tap Scott on the shoulder and he stopped to check his watch. “Looks like we better get going.” She smiled up at him.
Normally a gesture like that would make my stomach turn, but not tonight. I was in a good mood. And the sooner dinner was over, the sooner I’d be in Sierra’s room. For once Reyna was helping me out.
“Oh, I was going to look at your neck,” Sierra mentioned.
