Chapter Four

Romilly’s leg jiggled nervously under the table as she waited for Kaiden to show up. She half convinced herself he was going to stand her up. What could he possibly see in her? He was Adonis and she was just … ordinary.

She picked up her Shirley Temple and took a sip just as Kaiden walked into the restaurant. He looked around and she raised her hand to get his attention. A blinding smile lit up his face and he joined her at the table, leaning over to kiss her cheek before sitting down.

“I hope you haven’t been waiting too long.”

“No, not long.”

He held up his hand and almost immediately a server came over.

“Hello,” he said. “I’d like an iced tea, please.”

“Um, sure,” the young woman said. “You wouldn’t happen to be Ka i— ”

“No,” Kaiden answered immediately. “But I get that a lot. I guess I have one of those faces.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry. Let me get your drink.”

Romilly watched the woman hurry away before tilting her head to the side. “That’s the second weird thing that’s happened around you. Care to explain?”

Resignation flashed through his eyes. “Before I do that, let me ask you if you watch football.”

“English football or American?”

A smile tugged the corner of his mouth. “American.”

“Not really. Why?”

The server came back and delivered his drink. “Would you like to order?”

“Uh, we haven’t decided,” Romilly said. “I’m sorry, can you come back in five minutes?”

“Of course,” she said and left them alone once more.

Romilly handed him the extra menu. “Let’s figure what we’re going to eat first and then we can talk.”

“Sure,” he said.

They perused the menus so when the server came back, they placed their orders. The dim lighting in the restaurant, along with the flickering LED candle flame, gave them an intimate setting.

“So, back to the whole football thing,” he said. “I only asked because that’s what I do. I’m a tight end.”

She blinked. “I don’t think you’re talking about your butt, right?”

Her laughed. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you, I promise. The question was completely unexpected and unbelievably charming. No, a tight end is a position in football. That’s my job.”

It took a moment for her to realize what he was saying. “Oh. You’re a football player?”

“Yes.”

“That’s cool. Are you good at being a tight end?”

He continued to smile. “Yes, I am.”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it. It’s the only thing I ever wanted to do.”

“That’s good,” she said softly. “It’s important to do something you love.”

“What do you do?”

“Oh, I draw and paint. I have my own Etsy shop, plus I take commissions for portraits. Believe it or not, most of my clients hire me to paint their pets.”

“I believe it. The wife of one of my teammates has this ankle-biter dog and she puts a diaper on it. It’s like her damn baby or something. My turn to ask if you’re good at it.”

“I do all right,” she said with a shrug. “I’m able to pay my bills and I have a nest egg to fall back on if anything happens.”

“And it’s something you love, right?”

“Very much.” She debated if it was okay to delve further into her answer, then decided to jump in with both feet. “My parents died in a car accident when I was ten and I was sent to live with my father’s sister. She wasn’t really the greatest person to take care of a kid and I was left alone a lot of the time. Needless to say, I was severely depressed. Even thought about joining my parents a few times. Then one day I was flipping through channels and saw this show teaching people how to draw and I thought it looked interesting. From that day on, I lived and breathed art. It saved my life.”

“You’re very strong to have survived that,” he murmured. “My parents got divorced a little over a year ago. I know it shouldn’t have bothered me, because I’m a grown-ass man, but I just never thought it would ever be my parents.”

He frowned, and she got the impression he had more to say, but she didn’t want to pry. It was his story to tell, not hers to take. Instead, she reached out and touched his hand, letting him know she supported him. His parents may not have died like hers, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel alone. He flipped his hand over to grasp hers, and they stared at one another. Something played out in his eyes. Something conflicted. Just as she went to ask him about it, the food arrived and she pulled back so the server could lay down their plates. The aroma of cheese and spice made her mouth water. Kaiden had ordered steak enchiladas smothered in salsa verde. He took a bite and gave an appreciative noise.

“You’re right, this is really good,” he said.

“Yep, I love this place.” She took a bite of her quesadilla and munched happily. “If you’re looking for some awesome Italian food, you have to check out The Hill.”

“Yeah? Maybe you should take me so I pick the best restaurant.”

It thrilled her that he wanted to spend more time with her.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, trying hard to sound casual.

“Do you go to the dog park every day?” he asked, once they were finished with dinner.

“I try,” she replied. “I couldn’t stand to hear Toby whining so my neighbor lets me dog-walk.”

“Toby isn’t your dog?”

She shook her head. “No, but sometimes I feel like he is. He’s neglected a lot, and I guess he kind of reminds me of myself. Sometimes I wonder if I should just keep him because I bet my neighbor wouldn’t even realize he was gone. I really hate it when people get a pet and then can’t take care of it properly.”

“I agree.” He took a deep sigh. “Listen, I think I need to tell you something because I know you’re going to Google me as soon as you get home.”

“I wasn’t, because I don’t even know your last name.”

He gave her a wry grin. “Demay. My name is Kaiden Demay. And you are?” “Romilly Pike.” She held out her hand and he reached over to shake it. “Nice to meet you.”

He pulled his hand back and then leaned on his forearms. “This past year I’ve, um, been messing up. A lot, apparently.”

She tilted her head. “From your parents divorcing?”

“Partly. It’s screwed up my head and led me to make some extremely poor choices. I don’t want you to form an opinion about me by the videos you’ll see on the web or on gossip television.”

“What kind of videos am I going to see?”

“You’re going to see a man bombed out of his mind. An asshole. A man who got fucked up so much, it led me to being let go from my football contract.”

That wasn’t at all what she expected to hear. “You were fired?”

“That’s one way to put it. I was sent here to attend a tryout period with the quarterback, to see if we mesh well together. It’s a, well, a last-ditch effort to salvage my career.”

Her heart went out to him. “That has to be scary.”

“Yeah. Growing up, I played football a lot with my father. He was my first coach, really. Was captain through my high school years. All I’ve ever wanted was to play the game. Knowing it might slip through my fingers is…”

As his voice trailed off, his gaze unfocused as he got lost in his head. It broke her heart to see the fear flittering over his features.

“Kaiden,” she said to grab his attention. He blinked, as if coming out of a trance. “We all do things we’re not proud of, and unfortunately you have an untenable position because of who you are. Don’t kick yourself when you’re down. The past is over so don’t let it ruin your future.”

For a long moment, he didn’t say anything, and she thought she might have overstepped. Then he sucked a deep breath into his lungs, as if he hadn’t taken a breath in ages. The tension eased from the lines on his face.

“I start training on Monday. I don’t know what I’m going to do if I don’t make the team.”

“I believe in you.”

He stared at her, his eyes roaming over her face. “You do?”

She nodded. “I may not know you, but I see the passion you have. The love. I know you’re going to rise above whatever is hurting your heart and be the best tight end you can be.”

“Do you even know what a tight end’s job is?”

“Have no clue, but I’m positive you’re gonna be the best.”

He grinned. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Lots of things. This date. The promise of another. You don’t even know me but you believe in me. That’s … humbling.” He leaned forward and took her hand to kiss the back of it. “I think I was extremely lucky I bumped into you.”

“Pretty sure I bumped into you.”

“Promise me you won’t believe everything you read or see about me. Okay? Let me explain whenever you have questions or doubts.”

“Okay,” she promised.

The bill came but before she could grab it, he snatched it up. She tried to halve it with him, but he refused, stating he asked her for the date.

“Fine,” she said. “But how about I treat you to some ooey-gooey butter cake at the Soulard Farmers Market tomorrow?”

“I’ve never had that before.”

“It will forever change your world view on desserts.”

“All right,” he said with a laugh. “Amaze me.”

He pulled out his wallet and grabbed some money. Beckoning to the server, she came over immediately.

“Here,” he said. “The rest is for you.”

The woman’s eyes widened. “Thank you so much.”

Kaiden gave her an impersonal smile and stood, holding his hand out to Romilly. She allowed him to help her stand and then escorted her toward the exit, linking his fingers with hers. Warm tingles danced across her skin and up her arm. Never had she felt such an electric sensation, and had thought such a thing existed only in romance novels. Apparently, she was wrong.

Once outside, he turned to look at her. “Did you drive?”

“No, I walked.”

“May I drive you home?”

She bit her lip, wanting so much to say yes, but she didn’t want to be that stupid woman who got into a car with someone she barely knew and ended up dead. He must have read her mind because he smiled and took a step back, letting go of her hand.

“I understand,” he said. “Stranger danger.”

Now, she felt silly. Kaiden snapped his fingers and pulled out his cell phone. He typed something and then handed it to her. Romilly saw it was an article about him. It painted a very unflattering picture of Kaiden.

“I don’t understand,” she said, looking at him. “I thought you wanted to alleviate my doubts.”

“That article makes me sound like a selfish asshole,” he replied softly. “I could’ve called a dozen people who would tell you I’m a great guy, but I don’t think that would’ve swayed your opinion. The only thing I have is honesty, and that night I received a call that made me extremely angry.” He shook his head. “There was all this energy inside, just burning me up, and I had to do something. So, I took a baseball bat to the tree outside and beat the hell out of it. My neighbor called the cops. Said he feared for his life. Of course, the paparazzi monitored that shit and caught me sitting in the back of a police cruiser. I would never have harmed that man. I wouldn’t harm anyone.”

She cocked her head and stared at him, and she saw the honesty in his eyes. On his face. She held out his phone, not bothering to read the article. Kaiden took it and slipped it into his pocket. A sort of resigned look settled on his face.

“I live three blocks away.”

Shock gave way to a smile that was downright sinful. Once again, he took hold of her hand, linking their fingers as they strolled. For the first time in her life, she was that girl. The one who got the handsome hero at the end of a romance. The cool night air wrapped around them, but she wasn’t cold. Not with his body heat pressing against her. Every step had her heart racing. Excitement mixed with anticipation.

“Thank you for having dinner with me,” he murmured, squeezing her hand gently. “And thank you for letting me walk you home.”

“I had fun.”

“Me too. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

She glanced up at him. “So am I.”

They fell silent, but it wasn’t awkward. All too soon they reached her apartment complex, much to her disappointment. She wanted the easy comfort to last.

“This is me,” she said.

He stopped and looked around, then he led her to a darkened section where the streetlight faded. Kaiden brought her hand up so she could kiss the back of it. Even in the muted light, his eyes burned with dark promises, and that spark between them that existed just under the surface bloomed with a carnal craving.

“May I kiss you?” he asked, his voice a little ragged.

Unable to form words, she nodded. It was all the invitation he needed, and any hesitation disappeared from one blink to the next. Kaiden gently rubbed his knuckles on her cheek, then slid his hand under her hair to the back of her neck. At first, he pressed his lips to hers almost reverently. One of his arms wrapped around her tenderly, pulling her into his body. The kiss turned white-hot in an instant.

A surging tide of desire took over and she gripped his shirt as she sank into his heat, clinging to him as the only solid thing in a swirling world. Wild tremors rippled across her skin as his tongue slid into her mouth, tangling with hers, and a moan vibrated between them. She had no idea if it was from him or her. She’d never had a kiss like his, potent and all-consuming. Her heart raced so hard, she thought it would burst out of her chest. When they finally parted to gulp in some air, he traced her swollen lips with his thumb.

“Damn,” he whispered.

“Damn good or bad?”

He gave a soft chuckle. “Definitely good. So, so good.”

Bending his head again, he captured her lips for another soul-searing kiss. One of his hands reached behind her to grab an ass cheek to pull her in closer. The hard ridge of his cock pressed against her, igniting an inferno inside. How could one man, with one kiss, make her panties wet? With a low groan, he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.

“I have to get out of here before I beg you to let me fuck you,” he muttered.

“Would that be a bad thing?”

“Oh, baby. Don’t tempt me. I want to do this right.”

“What does that mean?”

He pulled back to cup her face. “I want to do this properly. I don’t want to be that man in those videos anymore. I don’t want to fuck this up.”

That melted her heart.

“Okay,” she murmured. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.”

He kissed her once more on her head before reaching down to hold her hand. She caught him adjusting himself in his jeans out of the corner of her eye and smirked. At her door, he kissed the back of her hand, and then waited until she was safely inside.

Her racing heart tripped over her amazement that she’d had such a hot and heavy make out session with Kaiden. That he found her attractive. It was an awesome boost to her confidence, and she couldn’t wait for tomorrow.