Playing With Temptation

Layne gave Nate an odd smile before offering Kendra a limp handshake. “Pleased to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” She turned to Nate without waiting for a response. “I’ll go ahead and get everything set up.”

“Great. Thanks, Layne.”

The woman sauntered off, obviously familiar with the house.

“She’s pretty.” The words came out before Kendra could reel them back in. “She’s built like a dancer.”

Nate smirked, holding the door open a bit wider. “She takes great care of her body. And mine.”

“I certainly don’t want to get in the way of that.” Kendra forced a smile despite the deep ache in her chest at the thought of Nate and Ms. Ballerina Body doing God knows what. “I’ll follow up tomorrow to see how the phone calls went, and if I need to run interference with anyone.”

“Don’t think that’ll be necessary, but thank you. Kiss li’l man for me. Tell him Dad’s got a surprise for him this weekend.”

Before she could respond, he’d closed the door behind her. The sound echoed in her head like the closing of a vault.

Maybe she was still nursing feelings for Nate, but he’d obviously gotten over her.

Chapter 5 (#u02b632ad-eecd-52c2-9177-94e46c892a32)

Nate sank into the whirlpool after his hot yoga session with Layne and made his calls.

He’d tucked his tail and done a good bit of explaining. First to Bud Flynn, then to Coach Emerson. Bud was out of the country. He tentatively accepted Nate’s apology by phone, but insisted they meet in person once he returned. He scheduled a meeting with Coach Emerson.

Nate left a message for two of his teammates and had incredibly awkward conversations with a few others.

Except for the team’s quarterback, Wade Willis, who agreed his performance had been subpar, none of the guys went easy on him. Eating a king-size slice of humble pie was exactly what he deserved for running his big mouth.

Tomorrow he’d board a plane to meet with Wade at his ranch in Montana. Then he’d head to Memphis for meetings with Coach Emerson and Lee Davis, the head of team personnel. He dreaded the meeting with Lee—the only member of the Marauders’ front office he’d never really seen eye-to-eye with. Lee had been itching to trade him, and the video scandal was just the ammunition he needed.

Nate slipped deeper into the water, allowing the warmth to wash over his aching muscles. The heat eased the tension in his shoulders and worked out the kinks in his back.

After eight years in the league, he was nursing his fair share of injuries. Each season it became more difficult to rebound from the beating his body took on any given Sunday.

If he were smart, he’d forget about a new contract and retire. Accept that he was a great player in his own right, but would never know the pride of hoisting a championship trophy. He’d be in good company. A host of athletes in every major sport were on that list.

Still, he wasn’t ready to give up. The Marauders were a few pieces shy of being a contender with a legitimate shot at the championship. He shifted to get the knot in his back closer to the jet.

His recent actions certainly hadn’t made the task of getting the Marauders championship-ready any easier.

Closing his eyes, he tried to relax—something he’d never been very good at. His brain seemed to go a mile a minute—even when he slept.

Nate massaged the knot that formed in his neck as he recalled the hurt and anger in each man’s voice. The tension he’d created between them. Then there was the meeting with Kendra.

His body reacted to the vivid vision of her that crept over his senses. Kendra was sexy as ever in that fitted skirt and a low-cut blouse. He’d had to shove his hands in his pockets, not trusting that he’d keep his hands to himself.

When she spoke, he’d been mesmerized by her lips, overwhelmed with the desire to taste her mouth and slide his fingers in her dark curls.

Get it together, man.

He shook his head and stood, the chilly air assaulting his wet skin. Nate stepped out of the tub and slipped on a thick terry cloth robe. He slid on his sport sandals and went inside.

Nate uncapped a beer from the fridge and took a long pull. Kendra’s words echoed in his head.

Neither of us can afford the distraction.

There was too much at stake. His career, the foundation and most of all...his heart. If he let her in, she’d shatter it again.

Twice, he thought he could have her body without getting caught up in the feelings they once shared.

He’d been wrong.

Kendra had walked away unscathed, while he was left brooding like a wounded animal, lashing out at everyone around him.

Nate finished his beer and tossed the bottle in the recycle bin before hopping into the shower.

This time he’d keep his hands and his heart to himself.

* * *

Kendra settled in behind the rickety old secondhand desk in her office, which doubled as the spare bedroom.

Marcus had already arranged for Nate to be a guest on a few of the smaller sports commentary shows on the major sports network.

She reviewed the list of media personalities she’d compiled. Kendra was confident that half of the people on the list would agree to their stipulations about topics Nate wouldn’t discuss. The other half were iffy, but the riskiest options offered the biggest return. She needed to see what Marcus thought of those. She dialed his cell.

Marcus answered immediately. “I was just about to ask Kara to call you.”

“Why, what’s up?” Kendra stopped scrolling through the list. Something in his tone told her she wouldn’t like what he was about to say.

“Nate called everyone on the list.”

“Great. Will he be meeting with all of them?”

“Bud Flynn’s out of town. They’ll meet when he gets back, but he accepted his apology, for whatever that’s worth.”

“And the rest of the team?”

“Wade was cool. Everyone else was pretty pissed, as we expected. Two of the guys haven’t returned his calls.”

“Let me guess, Tyree Thomason and Dade Hendricks.” According to Nate, his relationships with the tight end and running back were strained even before the video was leaked.

“You’ve got it. Nate also arranged a sit-down with Lee Davis, the team’s personnel manager. The guy is definitely not a fan. He’s been trying to get the team to trade Nate since the upheaval Stephanie caused three years ago, but Bud Flynn won’t go for it.”

“Nate needs to be smart about what he says when he talks to these guys. It’s one thing to be contrite during a phone call. It’s another to keep it together in person. I hope he remembers everything we talked about.”

“He won’t have a choice. I’m sending you with him.” Marcus said the words so fast she nearly missed his meaning.

“Wait...what? We didn’t discuss me going.”