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“It’s Champion,” he said low. “And I know you’re not, Electra.”
Another heated shiver rolled through me from his voice and the way he said my name. My new one.
“You can call my hotel and leave your number and the name of the club with the front desk,” I said, closer to being a sure thing than I wanted to admit. “I’m at the Pirate. If I decide to go, I’ll meet you. We’ll dance. Then we’ll see.”
Champion
I SLAMMED MY feet into the pool wall and pushed through the water before emerging at the surface. Arms and legs stroking, I gulped in air. My muscles burned from exertion, but thoughts of Electra continued to populate my head. Letting her walk away from me hadn’t been easy.
But I’d made my pitch and followed her instructions. I left my number and the name of the club with her hotel’s front desk. That had been hours ago. Though I checked my phone frequently, she hadn’t contacted me yet.
“Fuck!” I gagged on chlorine as someone grabbed my hair.
Yanked to a stop, I floundered a bit before I managed to plant my feet on the bottom of the pool. Coughing, I rose to my full height and blinked the sting of chemicals from my eyes.
“You’ve been in there an hour,” Trinidad said, releasing my hair.
“So?” I glared at him and rubbed my scalp.
“You’re on vacation, dude. You just won the Super Bowl. Take a rest. What more do you need to prove?”
I didn’t have an answer, not one that I wanted to admit, anyway. How had I let a sexy little slip of a woman—one far too young—get to me?
“Take a breather.” He shook his bald head. The lights strung over the pool sparkled off the smooth surface. “I’m serious, man. You’re making the other guys antsy.”
“Don’t feel like getting drunk or playing video games,” I grumbled. “Too old for that shit.”
Too old for Electra too, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. The lessons I’d learned about women only wanting a piece of me didn’t apply to her. She was different. So different, I’d had to cajole her into going dancing, even though it was something she obviously enjoyed.
“You could kick back, look at the stars,” he said, adding a point to his stare. “Relax.”
I couldn’t relax, or maybe that I didn’t know how was closer to the truth. I swam to the opposite side of the pool. Reaching for my phone that I’d laid on a lounge chair earlier, I checked my messages again and frowned.
“Maybe read a book,” Trinidad said helpfully. “Or listen to some music.”
I winced. The mention of music reminded me that even adding that as an enticement probably hadn’t convinced Electra to meet me. I threw my phone down and spun around.
“What’s going on with you?” he asked.
Studying me, Trinidad tilted his head. He was observant and intuitive, qualities that made him an outstanding general manager and a good friend.
“You’ve been acting strange since you returned from the grocery store.” His brow furrowed, leaving creases in his dark skin. “Did something happen while you were out?”
“Yeah,” I said. Not all that I wanted to happen, though. I climbed out of the pool, snatched my towel off the lounger, and turned to face him. “I met someone.”
His black brows rose. “A woman, you mean?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“Do tell.” His intensity dialed up, he gestured to the lounger. “Sit. Talk to me.”
I lowered my ass without hesitation as if Coach had given the command. I needed someone to confide in. My first choice would have been my best friend, but Zack had taken off with some woman he met at dinner.
“She’s beautiful. Gorgeous, actually.” I raked back a handful of wet hair. “But young.”
“How young?” Trinidad asked.
“Twenty-one.” I dropped that bomb and braced for his reaction. After all, he was only five years younger than me.
