AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m not a simple bra size!”
He reached out and covered her hand on the table, smoothing his thumb over the back of her palm. Anything to avoid further arousal by her fingertips on a damn glass. “You’re right. I got to know the person beyond the teenage boy’s fantasy, and you scared the hell out of me.”
“I did?”
The look in her eyes was so earnest, it was all he could do not to lean in and capture her lips.
Instead, he nodded. “I started out a little intrigued and a whole lot bored when I was assigned as your partner in economics. But then I got near you, and the hormones kicked in. A few study sessions staring into your eyes, and I was toast. You were nice, smart and interesting.”
“I had a crush on you even before we were paired up to do an assignment,” she admitted.
“All it took was some casual contact, and I was hooked.”
“I didn’t need a whole lot of convincing to ditch the books in favor of getting closer to you.” They had progressed from kissing to more the next time they were together. And then after a few encounters, they’d really gotten intimate...
“But I bet I’m the first girl who got you involved with a theater department prop.”
“I’ll never forget that velvet sofa.” As a scholarship student, Marisa had had a part-time job helping the custodial department clean the school, so she’d had access to a very convenient set of keys.
“They still have it.”
He raised his brows. “Then you’ll have to give me a tour when I’m at the school.”
She parted her lips, but didn’t take the bait, so he slid back his hand.
He angled his head, contemplating her. “You wanted me as badly as I wanted you, so I was surprised when it turned out to be your first time. Why did you do it?”
She shrugged. “I was hungry for affection and attention. I wanted to fit in.”
“You were a virgin. You’d gotten under my skin and seen beyond the prankster and the jock. It was too heavy for me, so I did the only logical thing for an eighteen-year-old guy. I avoided you.”
“Right, I recall,” she said drily.
“You were the first woman to proposition me.”
“But not the last.”
“For professional athletes, propositioning usually goes with the territory.”
“So women like Vicki the Vixen are always throwing themselves at you in bars?”
He bit back a smile at the moniker he was sure Vicki wouldn’t appreciate. “I’m not a hockey player anymore. These days I’m a CEO...and Pershing School’s knight in shining armor.”
The waiter arrived with their food, and they dropped their conversation while plates were set before them and they exchanged polite niceties with their server. Then Marisa tucked daintily into her Cobb salad while Cole mentally shrugged and dug into his filet mignon and potatoes au gratin.
After several moments Marisa took a sip of her wine. “You called yourself Pershing’s knight in shining armor.” She paused. “And I, uh, have another way for you to shine.”
He searched her face, and she cleared her throat.
“I have students who would enjoy a field trip to the Razors’ arena as part of Career Week.”
He sat back in his chair, his lips twisting with amusement. “It’s one request after another with you.”
“Since you seem to be more approachable these days, I figured I had nothing to lose.”
“I don’t come cheap.”
“I know. Last time you got a construction contract out of the bargain.”
