Head Over Heels (17 page)

“How?”

Kari turned around. She had to look up to stare him. “You were in need.”

He closed into her personal space. “I still am.” Thane dropped his gaze for a moment before reconnecting with her again. “I appreciate your tenacity to get my business.”

“I saw you reviewed my contract.” Kari nodded toward the living room area. “I would protect your interests. I could make sure to set you up for the rest of your life.”

“That’s a big promise to make. I’m not sure if I’m the right”—he paused as he sought his words carefully—“client for you.”

She nodded. “Thanks for dinner. Most athletes would have stood me up and not felt sorry about it.” Maybe she meant some men, or rather her child’s father.

Kari approached Thane, stood on tip toes to kiss his cheek. She didn’t know what had come over her to do that instead of shaking his hand. After the night they’d had, she wanted to show him that she had listened to him. She understood the pain he felt right now with the loss of his mother. She appreciated the way he cared for her.

Her lips brushed against his stubbly face. The tiny, prickly hairs tickled her sensitive flesh. When she pulled back from the kiss, she made the mistake of connecting her gaze to his. A strong magnetic pull forced her to plant another kiss on his other cheek. Pure selfishness ruled her senses. She’d wanted to bond with him again, take in his manly scent, touch him.

Kari lowered herself while still maintaining her close proximity to his body. Before she knew what happened, Thane swept her hair away from her face. Then he framed her face in his hands, pulled her in close, and pressed his lips against hers.

Kari’s breath caught in her throat at the idea that Thane Wells had her in his hotel room. His kiss made her feel lightheaded and grounded all at once, like a fantasy that became realized.

She dropped her purse to the floor with a thud and put her hands on his chest. His muscles flexed under her touch. In turn, he lowered his hands to her waist and pulled her against his body. When he slipped his tongue into her mouth, she accepted it. She wanted it. She wanted him. Everything about this connection felt right, like they should be together. Kari imagined where this passionate moment would take them.

Maybe he would ease her back to the door and have his way with her there, ripping off clothes and imprinting himself in her mind and on her body. Or maybe, like last night, he’ll lift her into his massive arms and carry her to his bed.

As he kissed her, letting his tongue touch and tease hers, she imagined the sex. She pressed her body against his harder. She didn’t have to dream about the size of his penis. His erection pushed against the zipper of his jeans and her stomach.

Juices oozed from her core into the red panties she’d worn specifically for Thane, even though she hadn’t thought there would be an opportunity for him to see her undergarments. Wearing them gave her a sense of sexiness and the confidence she needed to deal with this A-list athlete.

Like she had imagined, Thane eased her back so that her back hit the door. He moved his mouth over her jaw and toward her ear. The tickling sensation had her curling her toes in her shoes.

“Don’t go,” he whispered.

Kari wanted to stay in the room with him. She wanted to see where this moment would take them. If she stayed, would that mean he would sign with her? If he did, would she want him as a client, knowing why he’d signed? Would he accept Michael?

Michael. The thought of her child sobered her to the situation. She hadn’t mentioned him at all to Thane because she didn’t want her clients involved in her personal life. Kind of hard for her to support that rationale when this man had his tongue in her mouth. She pushed him back as hard as she could.

“We can’t do this.” She shook her head and secured her coat around her body.

“Why not? You felt it last night, didn’t you? We have chemistry?” He put his hand to her chin and lifted it so that she would look at him. “I haven’t felt this way since—” He stopped. “Stay.”

She stared at him. Besides thinking about her son, she also recalled the stories about Thane. His love-em-and-leave-em tales had become stuff of legends. Although he’d refuted them last night, the thoughts lingered in her mind. Did he want her, or did he need someone warm next to him to ease his ache. She wouldn’t allow herself to be a pacifier, a placebo for love.

Kari shook her head again. “No.” She knelt down to get her purse. “I’m not going to be a notch on your headboard.”

The comment had Thane taking a step back. His eyebrows furrowed. “What did you say?”

“It’s no secret that you love the ladies. I think even Leonardo DiCaprio feels inferior to you when it comes to the women you’ve bedded.” She hung her purse from her shoulder.

When she stared at Thane, she got a return glare that felt like he’d punched her in the gut. He took a few more steps back from her.

“I told you the truth last night. I know we haven’t spent a lot of time together, but have you ever gotten the impression from me that I would treat any woman like that?”

Deep down, Kari knew what he’d said held some genuineness. He’d damn near begged her to call the police on him for actions he hadn’t remember doing. He opened doors for her. He pulled out chairs for her. When she stood, he jumped up to his feet. All those gentlemanly traits seemed perfect, but Kari had been fooled in the past by men who promised her the world and treated her like a queen until they got what they wanted.

Kari took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for falling asleep here. I didn’t mean for you to take care of me. I should have gone home sooner.”

Thane dropped his gaze to the floor and shook his head. “I can’t catch a break, can I?”

She gripped her purse strap and attempted to regain her professional countenance. “I’d still like to represent your interests.”

He snickered. “Of course. You have standards. I’m a young baseball player you want to do business with. That’s a cocktail for disaster for anything else, right?”

Kari didn’t respond. She didn’t know what she could say to salvage the moment.

“Did you ever think that you’re not the only one who might be afraid of all this?” He moved in close to her only to grip the doorknob and open the door for her. “Good day, Ms. Meyers.” Thane wouldn’t look her. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a lot to take care of before I leave for Florida.”

Damn. She’d lost him. Frank would be pissed. She saw her chances at getting made a full agent going right out the door with her.

Kari walked by him into the main hotel hallway. The slam of Thane’s door behind her expressed his anger. What could she have done in that moment? Slept with him? Kari wouldn’t have been able to look herself in a mirror, let alone be a role model to her son.

After this gigantic stumble, she would have to do some serious regrouping if she hoped to still get his business. She couldn’t give up, not when she had gotten so close to getting her man.

* * * *

Thane hung his head under the streaming water in the shower as he allowed the last few minutes to roll around in his head. He’d been determined not to get close to Kari. She’d wowed him when she’d spouted his stats. He never thought he would meet a woman he’d have so much in common with so quickly.

It didn’t help that she smelled so good and looked even better. Had dear Queen Elizabeth been alive, she would have popped him on the back of his head had she caught him looking at her luscious backside. Even in her somewhat conservative pantsuit, he’d seen the hellcat lurking underneath.

When she kissed his cheek and he felt her body brushing against his, his will had shattered. He hadn’t had a full connection like that in months. The bond went beyond the sexual chemistry. He’d enjoyed talking to her, until she’d accused him of being a player.

Thane had heard the stories about himself before. Then he hadn’t minded being known as a lover boy. Hearing it from Kari snapped him into reality. He didn’t want to be that guy. Right now he didn’t have time to do any damage control. Thane had to get back to what he knew.

After his shower, he dried himself off and secured a towel around his waist. He’d learned his lesson from the last time he paraded around naked. Before he did anything, he called his coach.

“Hey, man.” Jermaine spoke in a low and slow tone as though he had to talk Thane off a ledge.

To bring his head coach back around to business, Thane made sure to talk like he wanted to come back to work. “Hey, Jay. I’m going to tie up some loose ends here. I should be back down for training by this weekend.” He glanced at his watch.

Thane would need to go back to Sharp to pack up some personal items he wanted to keep, then he would arrange for his flight back to work.

“Are you sure you’re ready to come back? If you need more time to—”

“No, I’m ready.” Thane paced. “Didn’t mean to interrupt you. I’m ready to get my mind on something else.”

“Yeah, I can understand. We want you back.”

That same strange tickle crept up the back of Thane’s neck. “But?”

Jermaine sighed. “We want to make sure you’re ready. You’re dealing with a lot right now. First your mom, and now switching agents.”

Damn, did everyone know Thane’s business? “Work will get me back into the game, pun intended.”

“Cool. Besides your mom, we know about your other issues.”

Thane rubbed his hand over his stomach. So far, he hadn’t felt any pains yet. The day had only begun.

Jermaine continued. “If you’re not ready, we have Witt waiting in the wings.”

Thane gritted his teeth. He knew about the young player groomed to take over the pitching spot when Thane couldn’t perform. This wouldn’t be Witt’s moment. Thane had to get back. If he didn’t, he could spend his upcoming season riding the bench.

“I’m fine. I’m ready. See you this weekend.” Thane disconnected the call.

He would have to figure out what to do with Sharp. He needed an ally. The best person for that would be Gideon. Always the peacemaker, he would be able to sway Gunnar to see things his way.

Now dressed, Thane left his room and drove to Sharp. On the way, he called Gideon.

After the third ring, his brother answered. “What? Did you oversleep again?”

Thane felt a knot bunching between his shoulders. “What are you talking about this time?”

“Christ, really? Yesterday, before you left the attorney’s office, you said you were going to come over to Mom’s for dinner with us. We didn’t hear from you at all.”

Thane pulled into the Sharp parking lot and parked his rental. “No, I said maybe. Something else came up.”

“Really?” Doubt filled Gideon’s voice. “Was it another woman, or were you on a bender?”

“I went to Sharp and came across some pictures and stuff.” Thane covered his eyes with his hand. “It was a lot, you know.”

A pause lingered before Gideon spoke. “Where are you now?”

“Here at Sharp. I’m going to pack up some stuff.” Thane stopped before admitting what he had planned. He still needed Gideon to be on his side.

“You’re close enough to my house. Why don’t you come by for lunch? I should be done with physical therapy by then.” Gideon’s voice lightened. He started to sound like the protective older brother Thane remembered.

“I don’t want you to rush on my account. How about dinner?” Thane suspected that after the events of that morning, he wouldn’t be seeing Kari again. “I promise I have nothing else on my agenda. I really need to talk to you.”

“Seven sharp. If you’re late or don’t call, I’ll come find you and beat your ass.” Gideon completed the threat with a chuckle.

“Duly noted. See you later.” Thane disconnected the call.

His mind immediately went to Kari and what she must be thinking now. Did she really believe he had bedded countless women? Hell, even his brothers believed it.

Brothers. It had been a while since Thane had truly thought of them that way, especially Gunnar. He would keep that secret buried deep, at least until he could get out from under his familial obligations, the business, and the house he had yet to see.

Thane entered the boutique again and locked the door behind him without glancing around. Despite his brothers’ wishes, he wouldn’t be reopening the place.

He stepped into the office, and found an empty box in the corner. Had he truly been prepared, he would have brought one with him. He knew his plan.

He slammed the box on the desk, which blew some stray papers around and onto the floor. Until then, he hadn’t noticed the flashing red light on an answering machine next to the desk phone. He had to laugh at his mother’s reliance on an old-fashioned machine. Thank goodness she had. He wouldn’t have known her voicemail password.

Thane hovered his finger over the
play
button and stopped. If he listened to the message, he would be investing time and energy into the business, more than he’d planned. What if he could hear his mother’s voice again? Queen used to call herself all the time to leave herself reminders.

Curiosity got the better of him and he punched the silver button.

“Three new messages,” the female computerized voice said in a monotone fashion.

“Queen, make sure you order those silk fabrics for the dance season.”

Thane smiled as soon as he heard his mother’s voice. He took a seat as he absorbed each word. She sounded so strong, so healthy. He wanted to remember her that way always.

Elizabeth continued her message. “Call the boys to get them over for Christmas.”

The smile slipped down Thane’s face. He had no idea his mother even came to the business during the holiday season after she closed it for the year. His heart stopped when he realized how wrong he’d been to avoid his mother, especially during the holidays. Actually, he hadn’t been dodging seeing her. He hadn’t wanted to chance confronting his brothers. He’d done a great job of steering clear of them. By doing that, he also missed a lot of time with Queen.

He balled his hand into a fist and pounded it on the desk. So many mistakes.

“Message two.”

Thane directed his attention to the small, rectangular machine.

“Hey, Ma.”

The sound of Gunnar’s voice bristled Thane. He scooted the black box closer to him to find a way to skip the recording.