Venture Forward (23 page)

“
I’M SO GLAD YOU
came back to find me in the bar. I knew I’d get you to come home with me.” Sami pulled on his ear with her teeth and let out a low moan as Paul backed her against the living room wall.

He’d barely spoken two words after the run-in with Avery.

Sami knew what he needed and was all too willing to provide it, no questions asked. She snaked a slender leg around his hip, drawing him closer. “Tell me how much you’ve missed me.” Her hands moved fast, squeezing and stroking his throbbing erection. “Mmm, you’re so hard, babe. Do you want to feel how much I want you right now?”

He grabbed the back of her head and penetrated her eager mouth with his tongue, barely coming up for air. Maybe it would help him forget. God, he needed to forget.

His mouth traveled the smooth column of her neck, her pert breasts beckoning. She was always ready to go, and, under normal circumstances, he’d have already had her bent over the couch, screaming in ecstasy. But tonight was different.

Paul squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to force out the image of Avery’s face. Hurt, disappointment, anger — there’d been no shortage of emotion in her pained expression. Thoughts of her permeated his entire being, and the anguish of seeing her with another man ripped him to shreds. It was his own fault — he’d pushed her right back into Albright’s waiting arms. She’d moved on, and it was time for him to do the same.

Sami grasped his full shaft and rubbed it between her thighs. “Do you feel that, baby? It’s all for you.” Her tongue traced a mischievous path down to his taut abdomen.

“Stop.”

“Stop
what
?”

“Stop all of it. I’m sorry, I just — it’s not happening tonight.”

“What’s wrong? You seemed so into it before, desperate almost. What gives?”

“It’s not you.”

She laughed and put her hands on her hips. “I know it’s not
me
, silly. Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

He pulled on his jeans and slid to the floor. “It’s a real mess.”

“More of a mess than your career?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my God.”

“What?”

“This is about a girl, isn’t it?”

“No.”

“I don’t believe you. Something happened at the restaurant, and that’s why you came back to find me.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“You look like crap right now.”

“Appreciate the compliment.”

“Don’t worry. You’re still freakishly handsome. I meant you look so sad and lost. I’ve never seen you like this…
ever
. Someone really messed you up, huh?”

He nodded and slowly rubbed a hand down his face.

“You were bound to find Ms. Right at some point. In the meantime, it sure was cool while it lasted.” She grabbed his hands and pulled him up. “Time to move on, babe.”

“I’m really sorry—”

“Stop. We both knew the deal. You’re a great guy, and I’m glad you finally found what you didn’t even know you were missing.” With a mischievous smile, she traced a finger up to his chin. “Don’t worry about me, love. I never stay lonely for very long.”

Paul brushed his lips against her dark hair. “It was fun.”

“Damn straight. Now get out. The night is still young… for both of us.”

“
SHE’S BACK WITH
Albright, huh?”

His arm muscles burned from the force used to wax his surfboard. It wasn’t helping; he was still frustrated as hell. “I guess you’ve seen the tabloids.”

“It’s all over the internet.” Kearney adjusted the straps on her bathing suit and flipped her long light-brown hair over one shoulder, attracting appreciative stares from a group of young guys lounging nearby. “Is that it for you two?”

“What do you mean? There wasn’t anything—”

“Save it. Evan filled me in. What happened?”

“Nothing. She made her choice.” His eyes wandered back to the group of guys falling over themselves like a bunch of assholes to get Kearney’s attention. They weren’t deterred in the least by his presence. They saw something they wanted and were on a path to get it, no matter what obstacles stood in their way. He’d been like that for as long as he could remember. What the hell happened to that guy? When did he become so broken? “Can’t you put on a t-shirt or something?”

She snickered. “I‘m working on my tan.”

“Yeah, and while you’re doing that, I’m gonna end up kicking the shit out of someone. Or a bunch of someones.”

“Stop changing the subject.”

“There isn’t anywhere to go from here. They’re back together. It’s done.”

“Maybe she didn’t know there was a choice to make.”

“Did Evan tell you to come out here to hound me?”

“Nope, I’m here because you need your little sister to beat some sense into you. Avery is fabulous — she’s exactly what you need, and I think you know that too. Am I right?”

“Maybe.”

“Do you know what I love most about you?”

“What? My titanium card?”

“No smartass, although that’s definitely a perk. You never take no for an answer. You set your sights on something and use every tactic available to get it. Why is this any different?”

“She’s with another guy.”

“When have you ever let anything that trivial stop you? What are you afraid of?”

“What do you think? I’m afraid of hurting her.”

“Why? You’re so hung up on the past that you can’t look forward?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“I know, but if you never take the chance, you’ll be missing out on so much. Do you want to look back and wonder what might have happened if you took the risk? The Paul Emerson I know doesn’t back down from a challenge.”

“I’m crazy about her.”

“I’m glad you’re finally admitting it. Why not tell Avery? What do you have to lose?”

“What happens when I take off?” He nodded in the direction of Kearney’s fan club. “I don’t feel great about leaving you here on your own.”

“Well, much as I’d like to be a fly on the wall at your next destination, I think I’ll hang here.” She stretched her arms overhead and lay on her towel. “Don’t worry about those guys. I can handle them.”

He glared in their direction. “I’ll text you later.”

“You’d better. Now
go
.”

“Be good.”

“Always.”

With one final menacing look at the guys ogling Kearney, Paul ran toward his car. When he reached Avery’s house in Sausalito, he let out a deep breath. Hers was the only car in the driveway. A sudden chill gripped his heart. What if they were together somewhere? A million thoughts raced through his mind, but the time had come for him to finally speak the words. It was the only one way to find out if what they’d shared could possibly be resurrected, or if he’d ruined any hopes of a future with her.

He jogged up the front steps of the large, stone-faced house, his hands growing clammier by the second. After jabbing the bell for the third time with no response, he cursed under his breath. Where the hell could she be?

The sudden sound of the door creaking open made him jump. Avery stepped outside, arms folded, jaw set. “What do you want?”

All words evaded him as he drank in every inch of her appearance, down to the bright purple toenails. Her long hair was swept back into a messy chignon, and she was swathed in an oversized hoodie, the frayed hem of her just-short-enough denim cutoffs barely visible. Barefoot and breathtaking. His eyes slid back to her face, unable to look away, despite the disgust she didn’t bother to mask. “Avery.” She’d inadvertently cast a spell that consumed him completely — physically, emotionally, mentally. It was impossible to break; he’d be held captive forever with no desire for release. Everything he wanted was glowering right back at him.

“You were a real jackass last night, you know that?” she said.

“I was, and I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to speak to me again. But I really hope that’s not the case.”

“Oh yeah? Why is that?”

The scent of her vanilla body lotion beckoned. The sweetness was such a sharp contrast to the fiery glare in her eyes. “You’re so gorgeous, do you know that?” He inched closer and fingered a loose tendril of her hair, a smile playing at his lips. “I never realized how much was missing from my life before I met you. I tried to avoid those feelings for so long. I convinced myself I could never be in a relationship, that I was better off on my own. But you…” His fingers moved to her face, her skin so velvety soft. “…you really turned me inside out. I thought I could handle my feelings, but I couldn’t. After the wedding, I panicked. I was afraid I’d end up disappointing you. When I left and didn’t call, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I hurt you because I was too much of a coward to face my true feelings.”

She twisted out of his grasp. “I can’t waste any more time on someone who doubts what he can bring to a relationship. I don’t want to be your guinea pig.”

“What are you talking about? You’d never be—”

“I don’t believe this is really what you want. You’re not the guy everyone thinks you are, but you’re not the relationship type. You said it yourself,
multiple
times. Why would I want to get involved? You don’t know anything about being in a relationship, and I’m not in the market for some bullshit superficial fling that you run from the second things take a more serious turn because
you can’t handle it
.”

“But I’m trying to tell you…
this
is what I want. You’re what I want!”

“You have no idea what you want. I’m a novelty to you. And, judging by the way you high-tailed it out of the hotel the morning after the wedding, it was pretty clear you had the same realization.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Oh yeah? Why don’t you tell me why I’m so off-base?”

“Because…” His heart thundered, body aching with need. “…I’m in love with you. I should have told you after the wedding and every day since then. You’re it for me.” He laced his fingers with hers, noting the look of shock at his admission. “I know about Kevin, but I don’t care. I’m not walking away again.”

“Wh-what do you know about Kevin?”

“I know you guys are back together, and I’m taking a leap by telling you all this, but you have to hear it. I’ve lost too many opportunities to say it, but I’ll fight for you because I need you in my life.”

“Paul, don’t—”

“Running away was the worst mistake of my life. He can’t be the one for you because I am. Tell me I didn’t miss my chance.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean you and Albright. I fucked up and opened the door for him again. But I’ll be damned if I lose you to him.”

“Kevin and I aren’t together.”

“But what about—”

“That’s not why I was with him last night.”

“Your pictures are plastered all over every tabloid across the country.”

“They took creative liberties, I guess. Nobody bothered to ask. It’s all conjecture. And just for the record, you’ve really got to work on your people skills.”

“So I’ve been told. Are you volunteering to coach me?”

“Time is money. If you want coaching, it’s gonna cost you.
Plenty
. You’ve used up all your free consulting hours.”

“Give me a number.”

“Are you always so arrogant?”

“Do you really need to ask?”

“It may impact my price.”

His hands grazed her fleece-covered arms. “I’d happily hand over my entire life savings for a shot. You’re it. You always were, I was just too blind to recognize it. Give me a chance to prove it to you.”

Her lips curled into a smile, eyes sparkling. “Come inside, I want to show you something.” She padded across the hardwood floors to her spacious office. A pile of papers sat on the mahogany desk. “Here, take a look.”

He flipped through the pages she handed him. “These are signed contracts.”

“That’s why I was meeting Kevin. I got him and a handful of his teammates to buy into SportSensor. The negative publicity doesn’t matter to them. They know you can make them a fortune, and they’re willing to invest.”

“Avery—” His insides quaked, his mouth afraid to form the words.

“This is such a fantastic concept, and you have a winning team in place. Don’t let the press hold you back.”

The golf ball in his throat was practically choking him. “Please tell me I didn’t mess this up for good. Give me—”

Closing the distance between them, she silenced the thought with her soft lips, satisfying his unquenchable desire. The scent of her shampoo wafted into the air, arousing his senses as her hair spilled over her shoulders. His hands were lost in the thick blonde waves as their kiss deepened. The coiling heat of her tongue set his insides aflame, and he wanted nothing less than all of her.

They stumbled down the hallway, backing into walls, blinded by lust, eager hands tearing off the clothes in their way. He pressed her against the bedroom door, longing to bury himself in her slick folds, but there was no way he was rushing this. Not after he’d almost lost her, the one person who’d been able to rescue him from perpetual darkness.