Slamdunked By Love (One on One #2) (3 page)

“That sounds great, but I can’t take you up on that offer,” he said to Elise.

“Why not?” she cooed.

“Because…” He had to let her down gently. She was the owner’s daughter after all. A splash of color behind Elise caught his eye. He stepped around her and curled a hand around Caitlin’s small waist, drawing her to his side. “I already have a date. Elise, please meet my girlfriend, Caitlin.”

Chapter Two

W
ait. What?

Caitlin froze. Had Brady said what she thought he said? She opened her mouth to say,
“Have you lost your mind? Get off me!”
when he stepped in front of her, his back to the woman who looked like she was contemplating the best way to skin Caitlin alive. His eyes pleaded with her. She pressed her lips together, steeling herself against the ploy. Damn it—why did she keep finding herself involuntarily drawn into his orbit? She knew better. This was
not
why she’d come here tonight. To get involved with some athlete’s drama. She had her own drama to deal with, thank you very much.

She opened her mouth again to tell him she wanted no part of whatever he was up to. Only to have his mouth land on hers. He lingered only for a second, but that small taste was enough to scramble her senses. To send a wave of arousal crashing through her.

“Please go along with this. Please,” he whispered in her ear. “Sweetheart, I’ve been looking for you,” he said in a louder voice.

Which brought her right back to the real world.

“Well,
sweetheart
, here I am,” she answered, her tone as dry as unsweetened chocolate cake.

He sent her a look of censure before turning back to the other woman. “Caitlin, this is Elise.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Elise said. Considering the way she said it, like the words tasted like vinegar, Caitlin very much doubted the truthfulness of the statement.

“Likewise,” Caitlin said as pleasantly as she could.

“How did you and Brady meet?” Elise asked. “He’s only been with the team a few weeks, and I’d remember if you were at his press conference.”

“Elise is the team’s assistant GM,” Brady said.

No time like the present to tell the truth. “My car broke down, and Brady pulled over to help,” Caitlin said cheerfully.

Elise’s lips curved into a stiff smile. “It was your lucky day.”

“Indeed it was.” Caitlin wrapped her arm around Brady’s waist and pinched him as hard as she could through his jacket. Too bad he didn’t react.

“Hmm. Well, I don’t want to keep you two. I’ll be seeing you, Brady. You, too, Caitlin.” Elise patted Brady on the forearm, lingering far too long considering his “girlfriend” was standing less than twelve inches away. She swanned through the crowd on the sharpest stilettos Caitlin had ever seen, her head held high.

Caitlin lifted an eyebrow at Brady.

He had the decency to look embarrassed at least. “Don’t say anything. Not yet.”

Grabbing her hand, he scanned the room and headed toward an exit. Since he outweighed her by Lord-only-knew-how-much, she was wearing shoes that weren’t known for their traction, and she was, you know, nosy, she chose not to pull away.

They escaped through a side door into a brightly lit corridor devoid of people. Down the hall, dishes rattled. They’d come through a service entrance. He let go of her hand. Ignoring the way it still tingled, she crossed her arms across her chest and tapped her foot. “Would you care to explain what that was about,
sweetheart
?”

“Remember how you said you owed me?” His lips had the nerve to stretch into a wide, self-satisfied grin. “I’m calling it in.”

Her mouth dropped open. “You do realize you can’t just
call it in
, right?”

“Oh, I believe I can, and I am.” His tone dared her to turn him down. Dared her to argue that going out with him wasn’t her most-desired wish.

Now this was the arrogant Brady Hudson who dominated the headlines. She could either order his cocky ass out of her way and leave him hanging or try to figure out what was going on. Her inherent curiosity led her to stop imagining kicking him in the shin and to choose door number two. She directed a no-nonsense look at him. “I need you to back up. What’s going on?”

He cleared his throat. “Elise has made her interest in me known. Getting involved with the owner’s daughter is not a good idea. I needed a reason to turn her down, and you were there.”

Caitlin covered her mouth with her hand to hide a snicker. “Poor Brady. So irresistible. But why would she come on to you?”

He shot her a narrowed-eyed glance. “You are so good for my ego.”

She shrugged, still struggling to hold back her laughter. “I have a feeling women have been good for your ego since before you were born. You have to admit it’s strange. It can’t be good for her professional reputation to date a player.”

“I don’t think she gives a damn.” He scrubbed his face with a hand. “I can’t have this happen again.”

Again? Caitlin sobered in an instant. “What’s going on?”

Brady let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders drooping. “Look, my last girlfriend danced for my old team, and I didn’t realize what a big deal it was until the shit hit the fan. People thought I was getting special treatment and resented me for it. Breaking team rules was the excuse the team used to trade me. Dating or even looking like I’m thinking about dating someone who works for the team is the last thing I need. I
need
things to go right here.” He lifted his head and wiggled his shoulders like he was shaking off the moment of vulnerability. “So will you do it?”

She cocked her head to the side. “Do what exactly?”

“Pretend to be my girlfriend for a week or two.”

Shock reverberated through her, causing her to stumble back a step. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.” A self-satisfied grin broke across his too-handsome face like he’d just solved all the world’s problems.

“No.” Not in a million years. She wanted to get involved with an athlete like she wanted Hans to never get well again.

“Come to a game or two,” he continued like she hadn’t spoken. “You like basketball. It won’t be a hardship.”

She threw her hands up. “Which part of ‘no’ do you not understand?”

“All of it. You don’t get anywhere in life by believing you can’t succeed.”

“Well, it’s time to start learning. Besides, you barely know me.”

“I know you’re not a stage-five clinger. If you were, you’d be jumping at this opportunity.”

She would not laugh. “How do I know
you’re
not a clinger? If we look at the current situation…”

He went all huffy, arrogant male. “I’m Brady Hudson. I don’t cling.”

“Except when you’re trying to escape a woman’s evil clutches.”

“It’ll be fun,” he said, ignoring the fact that she’d delivered a grade-A comeback.

Again, she jerked back in surprise. “How do you figure that?”

“You get to hang out with me. It’ll be our little secret. We’ll have fun. Be a little bad. Come on. You know you wanna.” A cocky grin accompanied the declaration.

“I do?” She would not return the smile. She would not get sucked in by a pretty face. By a man who had charm for days.

“Please.” The cockiness disappeared, replaced again by the vulnerability she was sure he hated to reveal. “I can’t flat-out reject her. This will save me a lot of problems. I’m the new guy, and I want my time here to go well. I don’t want people drawing comparisons to what happened in New York. This is the easiest way, and I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

Caitlin sighed, her defenses collapsing like an undercooked soufflé. Man, she was the biggest sap. “I tell you what. I’ll do this for you tonight
only
.”

Just like that, the arrogance was back. “I’ll take it, but don’t be surprised if I change your mind.”

“Not going to happen. I’m stubborn. Let’s go.” Despite the distraction named Brady, she hadn’t forgotten the real reason she was here.

After reentering the ballroom, she kept her eyes peeled out for her prey. The room was crowded with fans, players, team staff, and event staff. The night was certainly a success from a fundraiser point of view. As they made their way around the room, people—fans mostly—kept coming up to Brady, one after another, to let him know they were thrilled to have him on the team. While he signed autographs and took photos, she did her part, smiling and playing the doting girlfriend, all the while scoping the room for one particular face.

Behind her, Brady said, “Hey, how are you? It’s good to see you.” She turned in time to see him shake the hand of the Stampede head coach. Brady drew her close to his side. “Coach, I’d like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Caitlin. Caitlin, the one and only Mack Jameson, the best point guard to ever play the game and the man who’s going to lead the Stampede to a championship.”

Mack slapped him on the back. “You work fast, Hudson. You’ve only been in town a few weeks. It’s nice to meet you, young lady.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Somehow, she managed to speak normally. She didn’t know how.

After all, she’d just spoken to her father for the first time in her life.

Now was the chance she’d been waiting for since she found the get-lost letter Mack had written her mother so many years ago. The chance to tell him what a coward he was for abandoning her mom and never acknowledging his kids. The chance to embarrass him in front of his colleagues like he so deserved. She opened her mouth to do just that, but the words refused to come out.

B
rady studied Caitlin. Ever since they’d talked to Mack, she’d gone unnaturally quiet. Not that he could claim to know her well, but her smile, as sarcastic as it could be, had disappeared. So had the spark in her pretty eyes.

“Want to play blackjack?” he asked.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Sure.”

“I’ll try to go easy on you.”

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance like he’d known they would. “No need. I think I know how to count to twenty-one and how to play the odds. Let’s go.” She strode away without waiting for him. He followed, holding back a smile. They arrived at the nearest blackjack table as another couple was leaving.

“Perfect,” she said.

“Yep, perfect for your decimation.”

She sniffed. “Not going to happen.”

They played hard and fast, only stopping a few times when fans and a few teammates came up to the table. Losing wasn’t in his DNA, but it didn’t matter. What Caitlin lacked in skill, she more than made up in moxie, outfoxing him more than once on sheer daring alone. Finally, he held up his hands in defeat. “Caitlin, you’re killing me.”

“I know,” she said with a wicked smile. He sucked in a breath, her shining eyes drawing him in. It took a hard slap landing on his back to jolt him out of his trance.

“How’s my newest player?” boomed the Stampede’s team owner, Dale Templeton. By the time the man stepped in front of Brady, Brady had pushed his lips into a smile. Dale wasn’t a bad guy. He’d had the good sense to approve a trade for Brady after all, but he apparently believed they were best friends and never failed to talk Brady up in the media, even when there was no reason for it. Which only made his teammates more suspicious that he was a me-guy.

Brady offered his hand. “Good, Mr. Templeton. This is a great party.”

Dale’s hearty handshake matched his stout figure. His walnut complexion and curly black hair he wore in a close cap around his head matched those of his daughter. “It is, isn’t it? The Stampede only put on the best events.” He shook his finger at Brady. “But hey, I’ve told you a million times to call me Dale.”

Brady nodded, contrite. “You’re right. My apologies.”

“No worries. Why don’t you introduce me to your date?”

“Of course.” Brady drew Caitlin closer at the waist, ignoring the way his hand felt right at home. “Dale, I’d like you to meet Caitlin.”

“Nice to meet you, Caitlin. You must be something if Brady brought you.”

“I don’t know about all that, but I do my best,” Caitlin said.

“Daddy, there you are,” a new voice joined in. Elise. “Oh, hi, Brady, I didn’t see you there. Caitlin.”

Caitlin, to her credit, didn’t wilt under the paltry greeting, merely offering up a polite smile. “Elise, hi. I was just about to tell your father I’ve always wanted to meet the man who saved the Stampede from being the league’s laughingstock.”

Seemed his date came to impress. Year after year, the team had found itself in last place in its division. Until Dale bought the team a few years ago with the millions he’d earned with his chain of soul food restaurants. He’d invested in the team by hiring Mack and spending the money to bring in a higher quality of player, risks that had paid off. Except in one area. The team hadn’t won a championship yet. But they would if Brady had anything to say about it.

“Thank you,” Dale said before turning to Brady with a nod of approval. “You hang on to this one, Hudson. She knows her stuff and how to give a compliment without sounding like a complete suck-up.”

Brady and Caitlin joined the owner in companionable laughter. Elise could only offer up a pained smile.

“I have to mingle.” Dale slapped him on the back again. “Come with me. Let me introduce you to some of our season ticketholders.”

Brady found himself sandwiched between Dale and Elise, who wasted no time pressing herself against his side. He glanced behind him and mouthed, “Help me.” Caitlin hid her laugh with her hand and offered up a shrug. He faced forward again and immediately wished he hadn’t. A few feet away, Maguire met his gaze, doing little to hide his disgust. Brady lifted his chin, refusing to break eye contact until Dale tugged on his sleeve.

He pushed aside all thoughts of Maguire and turned his attention to greeting fans. A few minutes later, after the group dispersed, he made his way back to Caitlin. “Sorry about that.”

She waved a hand. “No worries. I understand your adoring public awaits.”

He studied his pretend date, struggling
again
not to laugh. “You’re not going to cut me any slack, are you?”

She shook her head in mock remorse. “No.”

Brady couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer. He placed his hand over his heart. “You’re so kind.”

She nodded solemnly, her eyes twinkling. “I know.”

“Since you’re so wise, what do you think about getting a drink?”

“I think that’s a great idea.”

They hadn’t gotten far when someone else slapped him on the back.

Ryan Tillerson, one of the few teammates who’d been welcoming to him, stepped into Brady’s line of sight. “Brady, my man, you got here. With a date,” he added, eyeing Caitlin.