Player: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (46 page)

S
o much for
‘until at least Thanksgiving’
I think darkly to myself. I’m sitting in some gorgeous, opulent conference room at the Archer Holdings building with jaw-dropping views of midtown Manhattan and Brooklyn out the big windows. But it’s a view I can’t enjoy, because Logan Dempsey is sitting between me and that view, and he’s got that damned
cocky
grin on his face, and it’s making me squirm in my seat.

The meeting is Logan and I, which would be bad enough, except Bryce and Hudson are also here, which is making me feel like I'm under some sort of microscope. It’s a classic “Telltale Heart” scenario; I’m
sure
they can hear my pulse racing like an engine or can
see
the dirty, dark thoughts about Logan I’m desperately trying to shake from my head clearly across my face.

His lips are hot on mine, kissing me with a fierceness I’ve never felt as his hands explore my body. He’s pulling at my tank top, slipping it up the small of my back as his hands trace the skin there, sending shivers through me core. There’s a fervency and a throbbing need here that I’ve never felt with any man before, and where I’d normally be put off with how quickly his hands are familiarizing themselves with my body, I find myself urging him on, wanting him to touch me.

Wanting him to know all of me.

He’s pushing his hands under my shorts and cupping my ass, grinding me against the hardness pushing in his pants that feels bigger and thicker than anything I’ve ever felt before. And my hands are reaching for him, finding a boldness in their need to touch that I’ve never seen from them before. But he’s pushing my hands away and slipping my shorts and panties down and off my legs, and then he’s touching me, and I’m gasping as he finds me hot and wet and ready for him.

When he pulls me up his body, pulling my sex towards his mouth, the shyness and the awkwardness I know would normally be there slips away, replaced instead with a heady, almost drug-like need to feel him.

I WANT this man; this total stranger.

His tongue slips into my folds, pushing deep against my opening and then curling up to tease at my clit. Hands grab my ass and coax my hips back and forth, back and forth across his magical tongue, urging me further, and higher, and harder until I’m almost screaming as I come and-

Oh,
God
, and now I’m fantasizing about Logan Dempsey in the middle of a business meeting at my
job
.

Something is severely wrong with me.

I glance around, suddenly self conscious about what is I’m sure a bright red blush across my face, but also the fact that my panties are hot and wet beneath the formal business skirt I wear. I shoot a look across the table at the man responsible for these wicked and ill-timed thoughts, hoping to find some sort of counterpoint there; hoping to find him as confused and ill-at-ease looking as I feel.

But,
if
he’s feeling any sort of uncomfortableness, he sure as hell isn’t showing it, that’s for damn sure. It’s just that same stupidly handsome, stupidly
mesmerizingly
cocky grin on his face; that cool, composed look staring right back at me and making my face burn despite my attempts to push him from my thoughts. He’s also staggeringly good looking in a suit, which isn’t helping. I mean to be fair, all three of them are good looking guys and in amazing shape but Logan is just fucking
criminally
good looking, his broad shoulders and chest filling out the suit perfectly as he leans back in that big leather conference room chair and winks at me.

And of course, just to make matters worse, we’re joined in the meeting by Peyton, a young little blonde thing that looks all of twenty years old who also happens to be Logan’s chief affairs manager. She’s also immediately a frosty
bitch
to me for no apparent reason that I can figure out, and on top of that, there’s something about the way she looks at Logan or the way her hand rests a
little
too long on his arm when she speaks to him that has my blood boiling.

Jesus Christ, am I
jealous?

Ugh; it’s a terrible thought, and one that I quickly try to push out of my head.
God
no
; I am
not
jealous of flirty little bouncy-tits Peyton grinning away at Logan, just like I’m
not
going to get bothered by her cutting me off mid-sentence every three seconds throughout the whole stupid meeting either. I’m just uncomfortable with this whole arrangement; the secrets upon secrets, and of course the fact that I’ve barely paid attention this whole first meeting because all I can think about is how the man across the table from looks without that suit on.

This
is going to be a problem.

How on
Earth
did I agree to this? I could blame Andy, my ex the administrative director for being an asshole, or Vicky, for being a job-stealing skank. Or hell, I could blame my sisters for encouraging this whole thing, or Logan for not recognizing me that night. But really I should just blame myself for saying yes.

…To the job, and to
him
, that night.

Finally, it seems like we’re done, and Bryce and Hudson excuse themselves, though
Peyton
sticks around; “So, are we clear, Doctor Archer?”

I frown, realizing I have
zero
idea what little miss blondie is asking me; “Hmm?”

She sighs dramatically; “Are we
clear
, about the schedule for the next few days and the D.C. meeting?”

“Oh, uh, yes?”

She rolls her eyes dramatically at me before shooting Logan a look as she snatches her papers off the conference table and marches out the door.

Logan clears his throat as she walks out, and I swivel back in my chair to look at him; “Well,
she’s
fun.”

“Oh, yeah,” He chuckles, standing from the conference table and walking into his adjoining, office; “She’s a real firecracker.”

I can’t stop the frown that storms across me face as I follow him in, and when he turns and sees it, he grins; “Oh now what are you,
jealous
, Doc?”

“Of missy teeny-bopper back there?
Hardly
.” I roll my eyes as I brush past him into his office; “What is that, some sort of
high school
internship, Logan?”

He smirks at me, “Hey, you know you two may have more in common than you think,” he says with a wink.

I balk and wrinkle my nose; “
Eww
; gross?”

Logan’s grin cracks into a full laugh; “No, I mean you’re both driven, and you both want for this project to work.” He winks at me again; “And hey,
Peyton
wasn’t the one staring at me through that whole meeting.”

“Oh, fuck off, please.”

“Well hey, we’re alone
now
.” He shrugs and arches a brow at his large wooden desk; “I mean we’ve got the room to ourselves, and this great view-”

“Dream on, Logan.”

He shrugs; “Hey we could always just keep things to your place or mine like last-”

“Oh and
enlighten
me why the hell you’re living in my fucking building? Aren’t you a
billionaire
for Christ’s sake?” OK, I’ve got a
great
loft apartment in a
great
building in a
fantastic
location. But Logan’s in the sort of income bracket that keeps a
whole
other level of residences. I narrow my eyes at him, suddenly suspicious of why the hell he’s “slumming it” in an East Village loft with practically zero furniture.

“Oh calm down, Archer,” He growls, rolling his eyes. “I already told you, the penthouse is under construction, so I just decided to crash there.

I narrow my eyes at him; “
You
, a billionaire, just ‘crashing’ at a place with a single piece of furniture and a punching bag?”

Logan grins; “So, you
remember
my single piece of furniture, huh?” He winks, and I know he’s talking about the bed; the bed from
that
night; “You can come by and see if whenever you want, you know.”

I huff my breath out in disgust; “You’re
delusional
if you think that would
ever
happen again.”

“Oh please, keep pretending you haven’t thought about it, cute stuff.” He taps the desk with his knuckle and then looks up at me in this over-the-top suggestive way that brings a flush to my cheeks; “I mean no one would have to know, darlin; might make working together go a little easier.”

I roll my eyes, trying to subdue the grin threatening to spread across my face; “Oh,
very
romantic, Logan.”

“Who said anything about romance?”

I can feel my face getting hotter by the second as I start to lose my hold on my thoughts and as they begin to drift to all the dirty fantasies I’ve been having about him. Suddenly the room itself begins to feel warmer and smaller the longer I spend in it alone with him; “I need to go,” I say, shaking my head and staring towards the door.

“Hey, hang on.” He reaches out and grabs my arm.

I try and ignore the feeling of heat and buzzing electric current on my arm where he’s touching me as he steers me back around; “Are you going to be like this every time we meet, because if so, I’m
done
,” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest.

He grins; “You wouldn’t, not with what it would mean for your research group funding.”

“Try me.”

His grin falters for just a second; “Fine. No, Doc, I won’t be.”

“Good.” I can feel my own smirk on my face, feeling this momentary feeling of triumph.

“Will
you
?” He’s shrugging his jacket off and draping it over the back of his chair.

I frown at him; “Excuse me?”

“Be all moody and clearly sexually frustrated like this every time we need to be together for this project?” Logan starts to casually unbutton his dress shirt, and button after button reveals more and more hard muscled chest and etched lined ink of his tattoos.

“No, I- What are you
doing?
”

He shrugs; “Oh, I have a free hour so I was going to head down to the gym; what?” He’s trying to act like it’s the most natural thing in the world for him to be taking his shirt off in front of me in his damn office. He reaches for his belt-buckle and smirks at me.

Goddamn him.
He’s trying to tease me and get a rise out of me, and I’m pissed because I know it’s kind of
working
. That fucking cocky smirk is right back on his face, and I feel my cool dropping; “Oh
please
fuck off.”

I turn my back as he starts to lower his pants, if only because I feel like I
should
, even if part of me is dying to see Logan in just his boxers.

Get a grip, lady
; I mutter to myself.

“OK, you can
look
now,” He says sarcastically. I turn and find myself almost
disappointed
that he’s actually wearing shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt; “Listen, you know Peyton will probably treat you better if you let her know you can stand up to her.”

“I didn’t come here to play power-games.” I sneer.

“Can I be honest?” He says with that infuriating grin on his face. I shoot him a look, and he rolls his eyes; “Fine, I’m gonna take that as a yes. You’re a pushover, Quinn.”

“I am
not
!” I huff at him, feeling the heat bloom up through my chest.

“Yes you are!” His eyes flash at me and his voice is booming, and I find myself taking a step back from him.

“
Fine
; whatever.”

He smirks at me; “See?”

My lip curls as I glare at him; “Did you just fucking
yell
at me to make a point?”

Logan nods his head at me; “Look, I’m just saying you should stick up for yourself more often; put up more of a fight.”

“You know what,
Logan?
” I sneer out; “Don’t think for one second that just because we- just because of
what happened
, that you know
anything
about me.”

“What, like that you were up for that team leader position at the hospital and you got pushed out by someone far less qualified than you?” I narrow my eyes at him and he grins; “Yeah, I heard that story.”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,
Logan
.”

“Ok, so she sucked his dick for the job; yeah, heard that story too. Look I’m just saying you should be more assertive.”

“What, like I should have blown him too?”

A dark look flashes across his face and his jaw tightens for a second; “Fuck no, I’m saying if you just stood up for yourself a bit more, that shit never would’ve happened to begin with.”

“Says the guy keeping secrets from his best friends and fighting in weird underground boxing matches?”

“Not everything is what it looks like on the outside, you know.”

I force out a harsh laugh; “That’s my Dad’s line, not yours.”

He rolls his eyes; “At some point, you
are
going to get bored of this whole ‘fuck you, Logan’ thing, right? I mean there’s no way it’s healthy to be this much of a bitch all the time, Quinn.”

I narrow my eyes at him, my fists clenching; “You want to see how healthy it is for
you
to call me a bitch again?”

Logan hoots; “Archer! Damn, looks like you
do
have a little fire in you, darlin.”

I huff my breath out and go to push past him, when he grabs me by the wrists and spins me around, and I gasp as I fall against his chest, my heart hammering in my veins. His smell and the heat of his body just
invade
my senses, as well as any sense of keeping my wall up as I find myself speechless and staring up into his eyes with my breath caught on my lips.

“A little fire suits you pretty well, you know.” He growls, his eyes flashing at me.

“You don’t know
what
suits me.” I whisper, swallowing heavily as I find myself unable to look away from those deep eyes of his.

“Well we’ve got that jet to D.C. tomorrow for the meeting,” He says quietly, his voice thick and low; “How about I show you
exactly
what would suit you at 30,000 feet?”

My breath hitches at the thought of Logan Dempsey “showing me exactly what would suit me”, and I’m suddenly slowly leaning forward into him.