“And what if it wasn’t fitting?” He asked, his tone soft and yet gruff. “What if I simply hadn’t met someone who I could see a future with?”

I nodded, setting my drink down. “That would make sense.”

He parted his lips, something on the tip of that magical tongue of his but Oliva popped up tableside to ask if we wanted dessert, and he clamped his mouth shut. I denied despite knowing Jeannine would send something regardless.

“Rory?” I asked after his crystal blue eyes had stared at the contents of his glass for far too long. He blinked a few times, a deep breath forcing his perfect chest to move down.

“You should shred the contract.”

“What?” I choked the word out as if he’d stolen the breath from my lungs. I regained my composure and locked eyes with him. “Are you having second thoughts?” My chest clenched at the mere thought. Shit. We hadn’t had sex yet, and already I was mourning his potential loss. I was in too deep, and we hadn’t truly begun.

“Hell no,” he snapped, drowning out my panicked thoughts. “But…”

“I hate that word.” Nothing good ever followed it. Not in business, not in life.

“You’ve got so much to lose, Paige.” The use of my proper name versus his preferred Red had my stomach sinking. He raked his fingers through his blond hair. “You really want to risk it on a fuck up like me?”

I pursed my lips, clucking my tongue at him like he had me before. “Rory, insecurity doesn’t suit you.”

“I’m serious. I’ve got…” he leaned his head closer to me and lowered his voice. “An anger problem.”

I gasped, feigning shock.

“Look, I know it’s not a shock, but you have to know it’s gotten me into trouble more times than I can count. I’d fucking hate myself if I slipped and you lost your dream.”

I reached across the table, laying my hand over his. “I don’t know where this anger stems from…” I eyed him, giving him an opening to explain if he wanted to. He didn’t so I continued. “And I’m a good listener if you ever want to let me in on that little secret, but you have to stop selling yourself so damn short, Rory.”

His eyes widened, glancing from our joined hands and back to me as if he didn’t know how to respond.

“You have to know I’m an investor,” I said, smirking. “I don’t get involved in deals I know will go south. You are a good deal, Rory. Hell, you may be the best contract I’ve ever struck.” A flush danced across my cheeks. “Well, I suppose the determining factor is yet to be…experienced.”

He licked his lips, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. “You’re incredible. You know that, Red?”

I chuckled. “Now you’re just trying to get on my good side.”

“I’d like to be on whatever side you’ll allow me in on.” He licked a stray drop of water off the corner of his lip, and I shifted in my seat.

“Truly?” I asked, wondering if I’d read too much into his words. A single nod had my heart flying with anticipation.

“Can I get you two anything else?” Olivia asked as she approached our table.

“Check.” We both said in unison.

 

 

Chapter 9

 

 

Rory

 

 

Damn it. That annoying tightening in my gut was back as I unlocked the door to my loft and motioned Paige inside. Instinct begged me to strip her of her blazer and dress slacks and fuck her against the island in my kitchen. My mouth watered just thinking about it, but my muscles weren’t working properly. Where I should be jerking her to me the second she set foot inside my place, I was frozen in the entryway, silently hoping she liked it—hoping she liked me.

What the hell, man? You brought her here for one thing! She has practically begged you for it for weeks. If all I had was three months with this girl—hell, less than that now—then I needed to make the best of every single minute.

“This is gorgeous,” she said, popping the bubble of silence that had threatened to steal what little manhood I still possessed. What the fuck was wrong with me?

I glanced down at my dick, giving him a silent pep talk I’d never needed to before. I’d never waited this long to sleep with a woman, or gotten as close as I had to Paige. Maybe that was the problem. I was used to a quick roll in the sheets before I disappeared into the night, leaving the girls with nothing but a smile and a hotter than hell memory. Each of them knew what they were getting into with me—hell, every blog and gossip site had done the dirty work for me, constantly painting me as the Bruce Wayne of the Sharks.

Paige was different. This wouldn’t be one and done. Not even close. And it scared the shit out of me.

“The view is stunning,” she said, slowly slipping out of her blazer and dropping it over the arm of my leather sofa as she passed it. She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she reached the floor to ceiling glass doors that lead out to the balcony of my high-rise, grinning at me. “Being a Shark pays off.”

I chuckled, shoving my hands in my pockets as I only met her halfway, keeping my distance from her as if touching her would burn me. “I overpaid for this place because of that view.” I nodded toward the sparkling lights that lit up the city on the horizon, the night sky black as ink behind it.

She turned toward me. “It must be an instant hit with the bunnies. Bring them up here, take them out there and boom, panties dropped, huh?”

I shook my head. The woman never ceased to surprise me. I never knew what would come out of her mouth and it kept me on my toes more than any chick ever had. “Wouldn’t know.”

“Ah,” she said, pressing her lips together as her eyes trailed my body. “I suppose you wouldn’t need a view like this to get a woman into bed.”

The nerves in my gut twisted. I needed a fucking drink, but I hadn’t had more than one since Coach had ridden me about the game last week. “I’ve never brought another woman up here.”

Paige’s red hair trembled as she laughed like I’d cracked a joke. “Yeah, okay.”

I shrugged. “Unless you count Lettie.”

She glanced around the apartment. “The only woman who has seen your place is Gage’s four-year-old?”