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No. I needed this story.
So, he was in control when it came to how much he wanted to share.
We’d spent the last few days running, swimming, and in the gym. I’d never seen anyone work out as hard as he did. And I respected the hell out of it.
There were a lot of athletes out there who had a ton of natural talent, but they didn’t put in the work.
Then there were the athletes who worked hard and were committed.
And then there was Lincoln Hendrix.
The man was next level.
It was no wonder that he was the GOAT of the NFL.
He deserved the title, and that wasn’t always the case in professional sports.
The hardest worker didn’t always win, but this man—he’d earned it. I hadn’t said those words to him yet because he spent most of our time together aggravating me. But I’d softened a lot since we’d started working together. It didn’t really matter that he was hot and cold and serving me up a hearty dose of whiplash day after day. I was getting to see the day-to-day life of the best player in the NFL, so I was grateful.
“Is your family okay with you traveling with me?” he asked.
“I’m a grown-up. Of course, they are. And don’t worry, they won’t tell a soul that we’re going to New York. I’ve threatened them with their lives,” I said, just as the plane started moving.
He chuckled. “You don’t need to threaten anyone on my behalf. I’m not worried about people talking. I’m just not talking until I have something to share. But word will get out that I’m in New York because it’s inevitable. And everyone already suspects I’m leaning that way.”
“And would they be right?”
“Yes. I’m not ready to go on the record with that, but the story that you’re writing isn’t going to print until after I make the final decision, so you can include this conversation in your article if you want to.”
“Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?” I asked. My gaze narrowed as I studied him.
He barked out a laugh. “Am I not usually nice to you? I thought we were past that.”
“Well, you’ve been a little weird since we were out at the cove last week.” My hands gripped the armchairs on each side of me as we left the runway and the ground behind us. My stomach dipped as we took off.
“Relax. We have the best pilots out there.” His eyes locked with mine. “How have I been weird? We’ve been working out every day, and I’ve answered your three questions each time you’ve asked them, haven’t I?”
Our flight attendant approached, handing us each a mimosa, but Lincoln requested a black coffee instead. I ordered a chai tea latte and then stared awkwardly at my lovely champagne flute, unsure if it would be unprofessional to drink it. This was work, after all. She set down two baskets of pastries in front of us and left to go get our hot drinks.
His lips turned up in the corners as he watched me. “Drink it. You’re fine. I just have a bunch of meetings and need to be on my game today.”
He was always on his game, wasn’t he?
I took a sip of the sweet citrus and bubbly. “Okay, then. It’s delicious.”
“Answer the question,” he demanded.
I paused when our hot drinks were set in front of us, and I thanked the flight attendant before she stepped away.
“Well, we were very chatty that night. You know, sharing things like normal friends do. But then the next day, you were all business again.”
“We have a working relationship.” He uncuffed his sleeves and rolled them up, exposing his muscled forearms. I’d never noticed a man’s forearms before, but Lincoln’s were—spectacular. Unfortunately, his voice was harsh, and it rubbed me wrong.
It was like a wrestling match with him. I’d go from being totally turned on to completely annoyed with him.
“Well, we also spend a lot of time together, and when you share things, there can be a friendship there. Or didn’t your alien leaders teach you that?” I raised a brow.
“You know, I think you forget that I’m the client. I’m doing you the favor.” His eyes landed on my mouth, and I quickly brushed my fingers there to make sure there was no powdered sugar lingering after taking an oversized bite of the pastry.
