Fourth Down and Dirty: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (23 page)

“Have you?” he
finally asked.

I remained silent.
The truth was I hadn’t given him a real chance. I didn’t think he deserved one.
He must have noticed I was thinking because he offered for us to go speak
somewhere out of sight from everyone. He was being considerate, wanting to
grant me privacy to voice my thoughts. For that reason, I nodded and he led me
across what I now realized was a courtyard.

Just as he was
about to cross the threshold to enter the main living area, the blonde woman
zipped past him and suggested we speak alone in the courtyard before sliding
the glass door shut. The other people inside looked at us, but quickly went on
about their conversations. I watched the blonde woman close the drapes to give
us total privacy. I had never seen a house with this type of floor plan. Had I
not been so upset, I would have realized how impressive it was.

 
“Look,” I started before dropping down onto
one of the cushioned wicker chairs set out on the patio, one leg draped over
the other. “I haven’t given you a chance. You’re absolutely right on that. To
be quite frank, I haven’t given you any sort of real chance because I don’t
think you deserve one.”

“Woo,” Hayden said
as he let out a long breath, lips puckered out as he sighed heavily. He sat on
the chair next to mine and looked up at the night sky. “So you’re really
blaming me for whatever has happened to you.”

It wasn’t a
question, but I felt the need to answer it like one anyway. “Who else would I
blame? You made her, didn’t you? I’m sure you were involved with the marketing.
You weren’t exactly the best listener when we first met.”

“All things which
are true,” Hayden admitted. He sounded genuine. “Another thing that is true is
we don’t know each other. I didn’t steal your identity. I didn’t make Via Mace
with the intention of brining hell down upon you.”

I turned to look
at Hayden and before I knew it I was lost in his light blue eyes. There was so
much honesty behind them and I couldn’t ignore that. I had been so obsessed
with fixing everything while placing the blame on him that I had absolutely no
idea where to go from there. I wasn’t entirely convinced that he could rid
himself of the blame, but I knew if I wanted to get anything done I couldn’t
let the situation become more tense.

As we continued to
talk and I couldn’t help but feel those strong feelings for him creeping up
inside of me again. There was something about his smooth voice and the way he
looked at me with such care and concern that made my body tremble. He looked at
me, talked to me, and touched me like no other man had. To be fair, I suppose I
was like no other woman to him—I was his creation come to life. If this was all
an act to win me over, he was damn good at it. But I didn’t feel like it was.
He truly felt genuine.

After we talked
for a little while longer he took me inside to introduce me to Mila and two
other people. Mila happened to be some sort of stylist. They were there to
dress and get me ready for an exclusive yacht party that was set to start in
less than a couple hours. Not knowing how to deal with it, given it was the
first experience of its kind for me, I was dragged to the guest bedroom by
Mila.

As the fabric of
the emerald green dress rubbed against my soft skin, I knew it was a dress far
more expensive than one I would ever purchase for myself. I wasn’t poor, but I
didn’t have the kind of money Hayden Dunn had. It made me feel out of my
element to say the least. After Mila was done with me, Shiloh the hairstylist
entered to do a quick, but elegant up-do. Then I was handed off to Samira, the
makeup artist, who gave me a full-face of makeup. By the time I was done even I
was impressed with my appearance.

“You look
gorgeous
,” Mila commented, taking in
every inch. “Come, come. Hayden is waiting for you out back with a delicious
glass of wine before you head off.”

I stepped out to
the back, the first thing catching my eye being the pool water glimmering under
the moonlight. Then I looked straight ahead to see Hayden lounging on a couch
tucked between well-kept shrubs elevated off the ground where the pool was. As
soon as he saw me walk outside he stood up with a warm smile. I walked up the
steps carved into the side, paneled with aged wood, and stopped in front of the
couch. The steps continued upward, but I didn’t look to see where they led.

“Wow,” Hayden whispered
as he adjusted the wine glass in his hand. “You look stunning.” I was glad the
backyard wasn’t brightly lit because I was sure my face was bright red from
blushing. I was pretty sure that was the first time he had openly complimented
me. It didn’t make me feel awkward. It made my breath catch inside my throat.

It felt natural
for him to say it, but there was something inside of me that felt annoyed that
it didn’t bother me. I was supposed to be angry with this man. I was supposed
to hate him and demand him to fix my life. I was supposed to be mad
at
him, not mad
for
him. I sank my teeth into my lip until it hurt as I tried to
shake away all the thoughts and emotions racing inside my head.

 
Hayden handed me the glass of wine and I thanked
him before taking a small sip.

“Have a seat,” he
suggested, moving in so I could sit at the edge by the steps. He sat down
beside me, closer than he would have earlier, before leaning forward to grab
his own glass of wine off the small, square table in front of us. “I hope you
can relax a bit this evening and actually enjoy it,” he told me.

I looked into his
eyes and my chest fluttered. This time the feeling wasn’t as subtle or fleeting
as before, nor was it followed up with dread. I was giving into my feelings for
the evening. This man had managed to give me a million different emotions in
the course of a few hours. From the moment I saw him on my computer I had a
searing hatred for him, but somehow he managed to turn that hatred around in a
matter of hours.

Now we were
staring into each other’s eyes and, for a brief moment, I felt an undeniable
connection forming between us. My gaze fell to his lips. I wondered what they
would feel like on me. His touch was so gentle and caring. What would his kiss
feel like? I wasn’t sure which one of us leaned in a little closer, but the
distance between us grew smaller for the briefest of moments. My heart lurched
inside my chest and my stomach turned over. My eyes closed and my tongue ran
across my lips as I drew in a quivered breath.
  

“The driver has
arrived!”

 
I instantly threw myself back and awkwardly
adjusted my hair, trying my best to ignore what had just happened. Hayden’s
eyes lingered on me for just a second longer before we both turned to see who
had called out.

It was Shiloh,
poking his head out from inside, to make the announcement. Samira popped up
behind him and waved us over enthusiastically. I cleared my throat and took one
last sip of the wine before setting it down on the coffee table, looking at
Hayden apologetically for not being able to finish it.

“Don’t worry about
it,” he assured me, voice low. I could tell we were both desperately trying to
find something to take our minds off what had just happened. We smiled at each
other for a moment before I turned to walk down the stairs and head out to the
front door, past the courtyard.

“I didn’t say it
earlier,” I said, “But this is really nice.”

“Honestly? It’s
what pushed me to buy this house.” He smiled at me and offered his arm again once
we crossed the threshold of the front door. I took it a bit less reluctantly
this time around as we walked to the limousine waiting for us. The other three
were already sitting inside sipping on champagne. The drive to the harbor was a
short one, only about fifteen minutes. We chatted pleasantly with the three
others. I was relieved when none of the topics of conversation touched on Mind
Lash or anything related to it.

We stepped out of
the limousine and walked down the dock where the yacht stood. A lot of
passengers were already aboard and the sound of lively jazz music filled the
air around it. The guard at the door didn’t even ask who Hayden was. He simply
checked off his name and greeted him, before closing the door behind us.

 
“Looks like they were just waiting for us!”
Shiloh exclaimed, grabbing hold of both Samira and Mila as they trotted off to
greet people on the first level. Soon after the yacht started to move slowly
and smoothly away from the dock. By then, both Hayden and I were at the top
deck in a private area looking out over the water of the bay gleaming under the
moonlight.

“Would you like a
drink?” Hayden finally asked, getting my attention.

“I could use a
glass of wine.”

Hayden nodded and headed
off in the direction of the deck bar to fetch it for me, leaving me alone with
my thoughts. There was only one word I could use to describe the evening that
had unfolded thus far: magical. I felt as if I were a character in a movie and,
like everything else that had happened to me as of late, I wasn’t sure what to
make of it. A gentle tap on my shoulder sent a cascade of chills over my skin.

I turned to see
Hayden holding out a glass of wine for me, smile fixed in place. It was real
and charming. I took the glass, my fingertips grazing his fingers, and another
waterfall of chills ran over my skin. The two of us paused and looked at each
other meaningfully before taking a long sip of wine. Whatever I had just felt,
he had too. And that made it all the more frightening to me.

“Do you still
think of me as your creation come to life?”

“No,” he responded
quickly.

Had it been
earlier, I would have been suspicious about how quickly he answered my
question. But now, under the glow of the moonlight, my view of him had
softened. Now I was maybe giving him the shot he had asked for earlier. He took
a sip of wine and looked out onto the water, the chatter of the crowd was
distant from where we stood in our cozy corner of the deck.

“I only thought
back when I said it and I’m sorry I did. I’m sorry for making you feel that way
but please try to understand what it was like for me to see you for the first
time.” He paused and turned to me, resting his arm on the rail, wineglass held
in his hand draping off the side.

“Oh,” I whispered
when I saw how close to me he actually was. Despite that, I didn’t take a step
back. Instead, I placed my arm on the rail and turned my body toward him. We
looked into each other’s eyes illuminated by the yachts strung up twinkling
lights. The connection I felt earlier was growing stronger inside me. If I was
being honest, a part of me hated it. But another part of me wanted to
completely give into my feelings.

Hayden stretched
out his arm and his fingers coiled around a loose strand of my hair. I resisted
the urge to close my eyes and pucker my lips like I had earlier. He pulled back
and showed me something between his fingers. He had picked out a piece of
somewhat large, white confetti from my hair. He hadn’t made some sort of sweet
move on me. I wasn’t sure if my stomach had clenched from discomfort or
disappointment. I sipped on my wine and was saved from having to say anything
when Mila stopped by.

“Are you two going
to hide out here the entire party?” There was an edge of teasing suspicion in
her voice. I didn’t appreciate it, but I let it slide.

“Of course not,” I
replied, ripping my gaze away from Hayden’s to look at Mila. “That would be a
waste of this beautiful dress you chose for me,” I smiled.
          

“Correct you are,
darling,” Mila said with a smirk. She grabbed my hand and tugged me away,
leading us to the main deck area where a crowd was gathered. The music and the
chattering of the people on board had grown louder now. I finished up my wine
with one last gulp. Mila walked me over to the bar for another glass. “There
are many people you could meet here if you wanted to,” Mila said casually,
sipping on her own cocktail.

I looked around. I
didn’t doubt it was the truth, but I couldn’t think of why I would want to
network with this crowd. All I knew was I was glad nobody was looking at me the
way others did when they realized who I looked like, or rather who looked like
me. I allowed Mila to take me around, with Shiloh and Samira in tow,
introducing me to a few of the more prominent figures aboard.

“This is the
lovely Alice
McClane
,” she started off. “She’s
Hayden’s special guest.”

“Oh? How do you
know Hayden?”