Authors: Donna Gallagher
The loud
pop
as Rook effortlessly uncorked the bottle made Pippa jump, even though she had been expecting the sound. Rook expertly filled the three elegant glasses.
Rook handed the first flute to Cassie. He picked up the second and held it out to Pippa. As she lifted her hand to take the offered glass, he took it in his free hand. After brushing his lips over her palm he formally introduced himself.
“Hi, I’m Rook. What’s your name, princess?”
Pippa froze. What should she say? Trying to stifle the sudden rise of hysteria overtaking her and knowing she had to think fast, she blurted out the first name that came into her head.
“Nice to meet you, Rook. My name is Cassandra,” she said, ignoring the sputtering sound of her friend choking on a mouthful of champagne at hearing her own name coming from Pippa’s mouth.
Finding her hidden seductress, even if it was for the first time, Pippa leaned towards Rook and, using the hand he still held, pulled him closer to her.
“Rook? That’s a very unusual name. I don’t think I’ve heard that before,” she purred, taking the flute of champagne from him and sampling a small sip.
Pippa watched the movement in Rook’s thick neck as he swallowed, mesmerised. She noticed his eyes glaze over, his tongue twitch over his lips.
Has it got incredibly hot in here or what?
she thought as the sound of her friend’s voice broke into her reverie.
“Umm, guys? Hate to interrupt, but
Cassandra
, I have to leave,” Cassie said.
Pippa had to stop herself from giggling, pleased at the sight of Rook’s face filling with disappointment—he was probably thinking she would leave as well. He’d snapped his neck around so quickly in response to Cassie’s comments that his head could have fallen off.
“It’s okay. Rook, wasn’t it? I’m sure you’ll keep my friend here good company and send her home at midnight, before she turns into a pumpkin.” Cassie grinned at Rook, winking as she made reference to his earlier ‘princess’ comment.
Rook, looking decidedly more comfortable with the new arrangement, went to great lengths to assure the real Cassie that he would indeed protect her friend with his life, ending with one of his best trademark heart-breaking smiles. The wattage of that smile had been known to send women swooning, as Pippa knew only too well.
Watching as the real Cassie grabbed her bag and walked away, Pippa couldn’t help but wonder what she had just got herself into.
Looking for some Dutch
courage to get her through the night ahead, Pippa up-ended her champagne glass and swallowed the bubbly liquid down in one gulp. Her mouth was so dry from nerves that the fluid hardly touched the sides. Trying to act calmer than she felt, the tornado whirling around in her stomach making it hard to breathe, Pippa—or was that Cassandra?—leaned in even closer to Rook and repeated her question about his unusual name. All the while, she searched his eyes for any sign that he recognised her as the coach’s daughter who had all but undressed herself in front of him five years ago, only to be rejected and humiliated in return.
She pushed the moral dilemma of her contractual obligations to not get intimate with her co-workers firmly pushed to the back of her mind. Having decided to continue with the charade and see what happened, for better or for worse, Pippa was now determined to give herself this night and be damned with the consequences. All she had to do was make sure she didn’t say or do anything that might clue Rook in to the fact that she was the girl from so long ago who used to follow him around making goo-goo eyes at him. “No problem!” she whispered into her empty glass.
Chapter Two
This was a first for Rook—he normally steered clear of the women that frequented his bar. It wasn’t a clever idea to mix business with pleasure at the best of times, but add in the whole footballer thing and it was a headline waiting to happen. The media loved nothing better than a ‘footballer behaving badly’ story, but the woman was a stunner. Rook could not believe his luck. She looked familiar but Rook couldn’t place why. She reminded him of some fairytale elfin creature with her shiny black hair that wisped around her pretty face.
Maybe she’s in one of those TV soapies or something and that’s why she looks familiar,
he’d thought to himself as he’d headed towards the table she was sitting at.
Though at first she had seemed distant—her blonde friend had done most of the talking—the dark-haired beauty was now holding onto his hand and looking at him with a set of big, blue eyes the colour of the Pacific Ocean, and nearly as deep. It was all he could do not to smother those pert, pink lips with his.
She wanted to know about his name, so obviously she didn’t recognise him.
This princess must be from out of town
, he thought. It wasn’t very often that he didn’t get recognised straight away, especially in his own club. The high public profile of his successful sporting career was something Rook had become used to over the last seven years. It could be annoying at times, but it was rewarding when he could use his profile in a positive way to help a charity raise much-needed funds or bring a smile to a sick kid’s face.
“Well, Cassandra, Rook is actually a nickname. When I was younger it was ‘the Rookie’, but now it’s just Rook. My birth name is Mitchell, but you can call me whatever you want. So, princess, do you live around here?”
Rook stared at her pretty mouth as her lips moved in answer to his question, imagining the feel of those soft, supple lips under his.
“Yes, I’ve just moved back to the area. I’ve been away finishing my studies. I love the inner west, but this is the first time I’ve been to this club. It’s not bad. I don’t mean to sound clichéd, but do you…
come
…here often?”
He nearly swallowed his tongue when she smiled seductively back at him as she emphasised the word
come
quite suggestively.
Rook loved the sound of her voice. It wasn’t shrill or cute—it was deep and sexy, the sound of it caressing over him, making his cock twitch with awareness.
“I’m glad you like the club—I own it,” Rook admitted proudly as he refilled Pippa’s champagne flute. “I’ve tried hard to keep the club drug- and trouble-free, safe for all patrons… What did you study?”
“Oooh! I love this song,” Pippa purred. “Do you dance, Rook? I just love dancing to this song.”
Rook quickly took the hint. How could any red-blooded male refuse the purring of her voice? At that moment, with her looking so eagerly at him, the flutter of her lashes over those baby blues adding to her questioning plea, Rook was definitely not only red-blooded, but also very hot-blooded. The chance to put his hands on the gorgeous woman was not one he was about to miss. So, forgetting the conversation, Rook took her by the hand and led her to the dance-floor.
He could not believe the intensity of the attraction he was feeling for this stranger. As he pulled her into his arms, his whole body went up in flames. Where their bodies rubbed together, his skin felt as if it had been licked by a firestorm. He had been with plenty of women over the years, his league career making him even more appealing to some women, yet he had felt this initial electricity only once before. But that had been so long ago—years ago, when he’d been but a youngster.
Rook was a little shaken up over the sexual tension he was feeling. It was not like he had even been looking to hook up tonight. He had just popped down to speak to his bar manager about some shift changes when he had felt her eyes on him. Rook didn’t understand why he had cared that she was looking at him—lots of people stared at the Sydney Jets halfback, and he was used to it.
But this had been different. He had felt her eyes on him, had been instantly drawn to her from where he’d stood half a room away at the bar. Rook was glad he hadn’t wasted any time in introducing himself, especially now that she was wrapped in his arms. He could feel the hard nubs of her nipples pressing into his chest and he was sure she could feel his hard length pressed up against her flat abdomen. Not overly tall, she seemed to fit nicely against him. She tucked her head under his chin and he rubbed it against her soft hair. Wisps of it caught in his stubble. Rook had known that her shiny black hair would feel silky to touch.
God, he had to taste her, couldn’t wait any longer. He knew he was moving fast but she seemed to be just as eager, if the way she was rubbing her hot, lithe body against his was any indication. The fact that she didn’t seem to know of him was an added bonus, in Rook’s opinion. There was just good, old-fashioned lust and want raging between them.
It had been a long time since Rook had wanted a woman this much, and he was enjoying the feeling, he had to admit. It felt good to be just regular Mitch Harris for a change, and he was going to see where the attraction led. Perhaps relocating to a more private arena, that of his apartment above the bar, would be on the cards.
Not keen on answering any questions regarding her studies—mentioning her physiotherapy degree was certain to raise red flags—Pippa had distracted Rook by requesting he dance with her. He had seemed only too happy to oblige her, quickly pulling her to her feet and leading the way to the dance floor.
Pippa had noticed they’d seemed to be the centre of attention. Obviously, the club’s patrons had been keen to know who had caught famous Rook Harris’ eye. She’d just hoped no one would recognise her as the daughter of the retired Jets coach.
As Rook had pulled her into his arms, his body pressing hard against her own, Pippa had forgotten all about the interested onlookers. Her body was sparking with desire. She could almost hear the electricity snap and crackle
between them.
She was in heaven.
All her dreams were coming true. Rook’s strong arms were wrapped around her, she could feel his erection pressed up against her stomach and her pussy ached for it. She was just wondering if she should grab hold of that hard form when Rook whispered in her ear.
“Oh, Cassie, you’re so hot.”
Pippa lifted her face to look up at him, confused for a moment by Rook whispering the wrong name. His lips came down on hers. Shocked, not expecting the movement, Pippa opened her mouth in a little gasp. Rook took full advantage and thrust his tongue in past her lips, caressing both sides of her mouth, exploring every inch before his tongue began to mate with hers. A dance of seduction.
Pippa was melting. She wondered if she could orgasm from just kissing, as this man she had longed for totally consumed her.
When Rook’s mouth finally released hers, Pippa felt the loss. She wanted his tongue back inside her and moaned in complaint. Rook smiled down at her and ran his fingertip along the length of her bottom lip.
“Hell, princess, you have me so hot and horny I just want to rip the clothes from your sexy body and have you right here on the dance floor. Luckily, my apartment is upstairs. I promise you so much pleasure that the people down here will hear your moans over the music.”
Pippa’s mouth went totally dry, her tongue sticking to its roof yet again. All she could manage was a slight nod of her head in consent. The things Rook had said caused an overflow of sexual hunger. She could feel her folds weeping, cream coating her panties as images of him and how he would go about fulfilling his promise swamped her mind.
Rook led Pippa back towards the bar. He leaned over and said something she couldn’t quite hear to the burly-looking barman. The man looked over at her as if he knew what was happening and smiled, before handing Rook another bottle of wine and two fresh glasses.
Pippa felt uncomfortable under the barman’s gaze.
He’s probably used to seeing women throw themselves at Rook
, she thought, feeling a bit sleazy. She was acting as bad as one of those groupies she’d had to watch fawn over the Jets players back when she’d been just a kid, hanging around the team because of her dad. To distract herself from the unsettling train of thought flitting through her mind, Pippa focused on Rook’s very shapely back. She could see the rippling of his deltoids and lat muscles as he lifted the bottle and glasses in one hand.
Turning to face her, he graced her with another breathtaking smile as he spoke. “You ready to head upstairs? I want to make sure you know the score. What you’re getting into. I’m about to spend a good few hours devouring your body, tasting every inch of it before I impale your pussy on my cock and fuck you long and hard. Are you okay with that, princess?”
The wicked grin that had appeared on Rook’s face and the words he’d spoken made Pippa pull him along impatiently. Unfortunately, she didn’t know exactly which way to go, so it was of course in the wrong direction. Her mistake was quickly rectified, though, by her silver-eyed fantasy man as he led her back towards the club’s entrance, through a door marked
Private
and up the stairwell to a narrow landing and another door.
After pulling a set of keys from his jeans’ pocket, Rook unlocked the door. It took Pippa a minute before she could get her bearings, her eyes adjusting to the soft lighting eventually. She was moving down a hallway. On the walls to either side of her, she glimpsed framed memorabilia spanning Rook’s career, but didn’t get the chance to study any intently as Rook continued farther into his apartment, finally coming to a halt in a large room.
Pippa found herself standing in what was obviously the living room. A kitchen was connected to the far side of the room by a breakfast bar. Rook’s apartment was all male. A black leather sofa with two matching recliners sat in front of the largest television screen she had ever seen. A chrome and glass coffee table sat on a silver and black patterned rug. Black wall units containing DVDs, CDs and books ran the length of one wall, while the opposite wall was covered in dark vertical blinds.
The open blinds allowed enough glow from the streetlights and moonlit sky to fill the room, also revealing a spectacular view of the Sydney city skyline.
Pippa was drawn to the large glass windows and the view of the city. She could clearly see the lights of
Sydney’s Centrepoint Tower, the restaurant level sitting above the other buildings in the city. She could also make out the top of the grey metal arch that was the Harbour Bridge.