Page 7 of He Has Charm

“We both know I can handle a glass of champagne and a fuck-load more.” He leans in and I barely hold back the flinch of excitement at the whiff of that intoxicating maleness and realize a little champagne isn’t the problem compared to his potent presence. “Besides, I gave you my word I’d behave. So I will.”

“What if behaving means no drinking for the rest of the season?”

“Won’t be the first time I limited my alcohol in the name of hockey. My senior year in high school the whole team went on the wagon in our quest to make it to the state championship.”

“Did it work?”

“What do you think?”

“You won the championship.” He nods and a grin spreads so hard on his face that his shadowy dimple dents the right side of his face. Geez, I hope that flutter I feel below my belly button has nothing to do with his dimple and everything to do with the idea that he has the determination to succeed in our current mission. Either way I need to get over his Playgirl poster-worthy body and that damn vision I have of him buff and naked and so ready—

Stop it. Now.

The flight attendant brings our champagne and her gaze lingers on Maddox, though to his credit, he doesn’t give her more than a nod of thanks, keeping his attention on me. Is that good or bad? I don’t know how I feel. It’s good that he’s not flirting with a random flight attendant, but having his undivided attention on me feels too titillating to be good for me, or for our mission.

“How about you? What did you give up to win your job with the best sports agency in the business?” He stares with unabashed interest, forcing me to answer honestly.

“Only ninety-nine percent of my social life. If it’s not a wedding, a funeral or the birth of a baby, I don’t go. No drinking, no socializing—not unless you count work-related events, which I don’t. Or I didn’t used to. It’s almost like now the agency is my family and work is my social life.”

“I know what you mean. But you must have some time to get away from work.”

“I go to games and work parties and charity events representing the agency on my so-called nights off.”

“Those are fun. Some of the charity events I’ve gone to for hockey have been a fucking rush—pardon my language.”

“We have to work on your language. You drop the F-bomb more than any professional athlete I’ve seen in interviews and that covers a small village of men and women.”

“That bad, eh? I’ll work on it. You haven’t convinced me that you don’t have any fun. How about the games and the parties after?”

“I don’t usually go out after the games. I guess one of us is going to have to change because I’ll be going everywhere you go—or don’t go.” His eyes crinkle in a smile that makes my lady muscles contract.

“Oh yeah? I won’t mind staying in with you. But but you’ll have to come out after a game at least once with the guys. It’s a bonding thing.”

“What about the no drinking rule?” I ignore his insinuation about staying in with me. Or I try to because I truly don’t know which I’ll find more stressful, going out with him to try and keep the women off him or staying in with him and… Never mind.

“No problem. I can go out and stick to tonic water.” He pauses and I know he has more to say and for some reason he has my nerves rung out. So what if he’s good-looking? Okay that’s the understatement of the year. His gorgeous dark fringed blue eyes are better than Paul Newman’s. But that’s still no reason for my lady parts to react like a starving girl at an all you can eat buffet. He finally says what he has on his mind.

“Going out after games is an important ritual, an important way to fit in with a new team.”

“You’re an excellent cajoler, did you know that?” He grins, but with the effort of the perennial underdog that I am, I force myself to get back to business. “Let me get back to work.”

“One more question?”

I can’t help the deep sigh. “Shoot.”

“Tell me about your family. About what makes Harper St. John tick?”

“Seriously?”

“As fuck.” His easy going demeanor doesn’t hide the fact that he’s one hard-nosed, determined SOB and I know I have no choice.

“Okay, on one condition. You tell me about your family first. About what makes you tick.” Why do I ask? Because I’ll do anything to deflect him from talking about my family. And I know full well he’s not going to let me work. Besides, ignoring him would be not only rude, but increasingly impossible for my worn-out resistance.

“I thought you knew everything there was to know with your shameless spying in the name of the job?” he says with that tease in his voice that sets me on edge. Not the bad kind of edge where I’m annoyed. No. The sexy kind of edge where I want him to ravage me right here on the plane in full view of all until I come writhing and screaming in his arms. Shit. Stop.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” I say with faux calm.

“Okay. You ready for my big secret?” I nod and force myself to breathe. “I feel truly lucky to have the two best sisters in the world. They are my weakness. I love to spoil them. And my mom? Well I would crown her queen of the universe if I could. She deserves so much more than a son like me.”