Huddle With Me Tonight (17 page)

“This has to be Ms. Turner’s dish,” Theo called from the judge’s table. “You can’t convince me that Torrian cooked this.” A flurry of chuckles sounded around the studio.

The judges sampled her dish next, and Paige couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety. Despite the change in her relationship with Torrian, this was still a competition, and with the news about her dad this morning, Paige was even more determined to raise money for the Artist Medical Fund. As a retired jazz musician, her dad had no health insurance until he turned 65 and could apply for Medicare. Paige knew having to play around with various combinations of medicines to control his high blood pressure was draining her parents’ finances, even though neither would admit it.

The judges finished their sampling and jotted their decisions on the score sheets.

“We will have the results of this round after the commercial break,” the anchor announced.

“We’re out. Back in three,” the producer said.

Theo left the judging table and headed straight for them. “What’s up, Wood?” he greeted Torrian, slapping hands and pulling him in for a half hug. He quickly turned to Paige and held out his hand to her. “Good morning. I’m Theo.”

“No introduction needed,” Paige answered, accepting his hand. “Especially to a Sabers fanatic.”

“I’ve become a Paige Turner fanatic,” he said. “I’m hooked on your blog.”

“No fair,” Torrian called. “We’ve got some favoritism going on here.”

“Stop whining,” Theo said. “Believe it or not, I had a hard time choosing. You sure your sister didn’t come in and make that dish earlier this morning?” he asked, eyeing Torrian suspiciously.

“Didn’t know I could throw down like that in the kitchen, did you?”

Theo pointed his thumb at Torrian. “How do you put up with this nonsense?”

“It’s not easy,” Paige answered.

“I heard there was some drama on the flight home from the San Diego game,” Torrian said, changing the subject.

“Oh, yeah, you won’t believe what Cedric did this time.”

Torrian rolled his eyes.

“Thirty seconds,” the producer called.

“I’ll tell you when we’re done,” Theo said, and dashed back to the judges’ table.

“I knew it,” Paige said.

“What?”

“That guys gossip just as much as women do.”

He snorted. “Women don’t have a thing on men, especially when it comes to the Sabers’ locker room.”

“You think there’s any gossip about us?” Paige asked.

But before he could answer, the anchor said, “And we’re back.”

Each judge discussed the merit of each dish, but in the end, Torrian’s veal cutlets won out.

“Remember to tune in for the all-important dessert competition,” the anchor finished, then the camera switched back to the news desk.

“Congratulations,” Paige said.

“No hard feelings now that I’m up two to one?”

“I don’t know about that,” she said. “I really wanted to win this week.”

“Maybe we can practice this weekend. I’ll make sure to bring a little extra chocolate.”

“That sounds…um…nice,” she answered.

“It’s going to be a whole lot better than just nice,” Torrian answered.

Tiny shivers cascaded down Paige’s spine. Just behind them, a throat cleared. Paige and Torrian jumped back and turned.

Theo stood a few feet away. “Before I go back to my place for a cold shower,” Theo said. “I wanted to know if you wanted me to wait for you.”

Oh, my God.
Paige’s heart stuttered to a stop.

“Don’t worry about it,” Theo said. He hooked his thumb in Torrian’s direction. “He’s the only one I would tell your secret to anyway.”

“Give me a minute,” Torrian said to his teammate.

Theo nudged his head toward a door. “Might want to find a broom closet if you don’t want anyone else barging in on your little discussion.”

Paige let out a deep breath. “Great,” she said.

“Don’t worry about Theo. He knows how to be discreet,” Torrian assured her. “Go back to your apartment and pack your things. I’m picking you up at two this afternoon. We should be in the Hamptons before four.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said, but Paige refused to give in to the urge to kiss him. They had to be more careful. Although, the harder she fell for Torrian, the fuzzier her reasons for hiding became.

Chapter 14

P
aige stuffed the yellow-and-green bikini in her bag and immediately snatched it out. The barely there bikini would send the wrong message. It just screamed
Rip me off
. She shouldn’t be so blatant.

“Face it, you know you’re going to sleep with him,” she said to her reflection in her bedroom mirror.

Paige knew exactly what she was saying yes to when she’d accepted Torrian’s invitation to spend the weekend. Maybe if there wasn’t this surge of sexual tension radiating between them every time they were together, she could at least pretend to be clueless about what would occur at his home in the Hamptons.

“Still, you don’t have to advertise it.” She stuffed her more sedate brown swimsuit in with the bikini. “There,” Paige said. “Leave a bit to the man’s imagination.”

Paige felt another slight thrill that he’d invited her to join him. Besides being one of the sexiest, most alluring men on the planet, Torrian was actually fun to be with. She’d erroneously believed he’d have a jock personality, but nothing could be farther from the truth. It was both surprising and refreshing.

Paige’s cell phone rang. She went back into her bedroom to retrieve it from where she’d tossed it on the bed. Torrian’s cell number illuminated the screen.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Are you almost ready?”

“Almost,” Paige said. “I hope you have enough room in your trunk for all my bags.”

“We’re going for only a couple of days,” he said.

“I’m just joking,” Paige laughed. “I packed extremely light.”

“That sounds promising,” he said after a pause, his voice an entire octave lower. “I’ll pick you up in less than ten minutes.”

“I’ll be at the curb with my bags.”

Paige gave a last check around the apartment to make sure she’d turned off everything and unplugged most of the appliances. When she exited her building and walked a half block down, a black BMW was waiting at the curb on 17th Street. The passenger-side window lowered. Paige poked her head in.

“Leave your bag on the curb, I’ll get it.”

“Don’t be silly, Torrian. Just pop the trunk and I’ll throw my bag in.”

Paige could sense his gallant and sensible sides warring with each other. Sensible won out. He popped open the trunk. She placed her bag next to a black leather duffle. Torrian had already opened the passenger-side door from the inside. Paige slipped into the car and was greeted with a deep kiss.

“You look amazing.”

“In a skirt and flip-flops?”

“In anything.”

This man was way too smooth for her peace of mind. Paige knew he would have her out of her panties in record time. Pinpricks of anticipation skittered along her skin. Now that she’d decided to give in to the desire to sleep with him, she couldn’t wait for it.

“How long until we get to your place?” Paige asked.

“If traffic cooperates we should be there by four. We’ll have to stop at a grocery store to stock up on supplies for the weekend. I used to have a housekeeper on standby, but since I rarely use the house, it wasn’t practical to keep her on.”

She was curious, “Why don’t you use the house more often?”

He shrugged with the arm that was expertly guiding the sleek automobile through traffic, “I’m not really a beach person.”

“Which begs the question…”

“Why have a house at the beach.” He laughed, then shrugged. “I succumbed to the status game. Back when I bought it, having a home in the Hamptons meant you’d reached some invisible rung on the ladder of success.”

“It sounds as if that doesn’t matter to you anymore.”

Another shrug. “It took me a while to realize it, but I finally figured out that money isn’t everything.”

“It is nice to have, though,” Paige felt the need to point out.

He looked over at her, his eyes crinkling at the edges. “Yes, it is nice to have, but not for the reasons I used to believe. It used to be all about showing what I could buy. If one of my teammates bought a car, I bought a bigger one. A house on the beach? I had to get one, too.” He shook his head. “None of that stuff is important. As long as my sister and nephew are taken care of, it’s all good.”

She stared at him for a few moments, ruminating over all she’d learned about him over the past few weeks. “I pegged you all wrong,” Paige said. “You’re the complete opposite of a self-centered jerk.”

He laughed. “So that’s what you thought of me?”

“Most definitely,” she admitted. “In my book you fell into the category of pompous, professional athletes who used your God-given talent to get rich and become a jerk.”

“Ouch. Just a bit harsh.”

“It is. You’ve opened my eyes, though.”

He reached over and covered the hand in her lap. “I’m happy you gave me the chance to.”

The drive from Manhattan to the eastern edge of Long Island was a nice change from her usual view on the subway. As they sailed along the Long Island Expressway, Paige allowed the soothing jazz streaming through the BMW’s speaker system to lull her to sleep. After what felt like only a few minutes, she heard in her ear, “Wake up, sleepy head.”

Paige blinked rapidly several times. She looked out the window, her eyes zeroing in on a gorgeous wooden home with huge windows.

“We’re here already?”

“Actually, it took longer than expected. We ran into a bit of traffic, but you slept through it.”

Torrian exited the car and came over to her side, opening the door for her.

“I’m sorry,” Paige said, accepting the hand he offered.

“No apology necessary. Your top kinda got twisted up there. I had a good view the entire drive.”

“Pervert.” Paige laughed, adjusting her top. “What about the groceries?”

“I figured I could go back out once we got here. You can take the time to nap.”

“I feel awful for falling asleep. I just had so much work to do after this morning’s show, and I wanted to finish it so I wouldn’t have to do any while we’re out here.”

“Good, because I don’t want to share you with work.”

They entered the house and Paige took a swift intake of breath. It was exactly the way a house at the beach should be decorated, with soft cool colors of blue, green and sandy brown. The wide-open space was sprinkled with several sets of seating areas instead of a formal living room. The area was made for mingling.

“This is lovely.”

He stopped and looked around for a moment as if he was just really seeing the place. “I guess it is.”

“You really need to take the time to enjoy some of the luxuries you’ve been blessed with.”

His eyes traveled the length of her body. “I plan to,” he said, his voice low, seductive.

A flush of heat swarmed over Paige’s body. She knew the instant blush was evident on her skin. She had a feeling she’d be doing a lot of that this weekend.

“So do I,” she said. She was just as excited at the prospect of enjoying his body, and was woman enough to let him know it. She’d told him early on that when they decided to make love, it would be a mutual decision. She was not going to play games.

Torrian blew out a deep breath. “Do you want to see the rest of the place?”

“Or.”

His brow hitched.

“We can do this,” Paige said. She brought her hand up and grabbed hold of his neck, pulling his head down to her. She heard the thud of the duffle bag he’d brought in from the car falling at their feet. Torrian’s hands found their way to the small of her back, then lower, cupping her backside and pulling her in close contact with his hardening body.

Paige moaned as intense pleasure cascaded through her veins. His mouth was decadent, the feel of his body pressed up against hers: pure sin.

She explored his mouth with her tongue, tasting the chocolate he must have consumed on the drive over. It was the absolute best-tasting chocolate ever.

Torrian wrenched his mouth from hers and went for her throat, laving at her skin with his skillful tongue. “God, you taste good,” he breathed. He got a firmer grip on her butt, then slid one hand down the underside of her thigh, hooking it behind her knee and pulling her leg up.

Paige gasped as her core came in direct contact with his erection, their clothes the only thing separating them from ultimate pleasure.

“I want you naked,” Torrian whispered in her ear.

Paige nodded. She couldn’t speak actual words to save her life.

Torrian lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Paige could feel his muscles bulging underneath his shirt. She ran her hands along his back, her own body shivering in expectation of what his barely contained power could do to her once it was unleashed.

Torrian carried her down a hallway into a huge, airy bedroom with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a wide expanse of beach. He deposited her onto the bed, pulling his shirt over his head and flinging it across the room.

“Wait,” Paige said. “We’re not going to do this in front of all these windows, are we?” She wasn’t a complete prude, but she was no exhibitionist either.

A grin formed on Torrian’s lips. He walked over to the far wall and flipped a switch. Rattan window shades descended from a narrow slit in the ceiling, covering the windows and leaving a warm glow of light.

“Is that better?” he asked, working free the buckle at his waist as he strolled back to the bed.

“Much,” Paige answered. She scooted up, bracing her back against the mountain of pillows.

Torrian nodded toward her. “You want to take off that top, or do you want me to do it?”

Paige didn’t feel an ounce of self-consciousness as she reached for the hem of her sleeveless top and pulled it over her head. She tossed it next to where he’d deposited his shirt on the floor and settled back against the pillows.

“Your turn,” she said.

His brows rose with a surprised grin. “Oh, is that what we’re doing here? You want a little striptease.”