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  “I don’t know how you can be so calm about all this. I’m so nervous right now, Alec. What if Sports Armour revokes their offer?” She bounced in her seat.

  With his leg, he steadied hers under the table. “They won’t.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I’m not fucking up, Ruby. Going out with you is so opposite of fucking up, it’s not even funny. They’re going to see what a good influence you are on me.”

  “Is that why you wanted to go out with me? For your image?” Even though she was smiling through her smirk, a little joke, he knew she was probably worried about this in the back of her mind.

  He sipped from his glass, avoiding eye contact with a couple who walked past their table and perused them to make sure they were Alec LeBrun and his publicist who were reportedly dating, as of this morning. Once they were gone, he said, “Nah, I wanted to go out with you for your tits. Your tits are, without a doubt, the best part about you.”

  He waited for the evil glare and got a kick under the table instead. Right into his knee.

  “Ow!” He rubbed his knee and bit his smile.

  “You better watch out, LeBrun,” she chastised, laughing. “I’m still your publicist and I will still knock you on your ass. Hear me?”

  Alec nodded in surrender. “I hear you, loud and clear, Sergeant O’Brien. Holy shit. I love that you get my humor, Red. You know I’m pleased as punch that we’re dating, because I damn well don’t deserve you.”

  Her eyes softened as she gazed at him. “Is that what you think?”

  “It’s the truth.”

  “That’s not true, Alec. I’m no better than you are. We’re equals.”

  He wasn’t going to argue with her. Not on their first “official” date in public. But it most definitely was true. Ruby O’Brien was entirely out of his league, a fine woman who would be better off going out with a tax attorney, a banker, not a misbehaved, miscreant football player like him. That she had great tits was only the cherry on top of a highly unlikely hot fudge sundae. Two cherries, actually.

  After their meal, Alec escorted Ruby out of the restaurant, his arm around her shoulders. He knew that some reporters waited for them outside and wanted to give them something to talk about. “You ready for this?” he mumbled into Ruby’s ear.

  “Not really,” she replied nervously.

  “Great. Here we go.” They pushed out the doors into the gorgeous October day.

  “Mr. LeBrun!”

  “Mr. LeBrun!”

  “Alec!”

  At first, he thought it’d been a small crowd, but then he spotted a bigger swarm of paparazzi coming toward them with cameras flashing, mics extended in front of them, and video rolling. He sensed Ruby tense by his side. He quickly checked around him to see if there was any way to get away, but his car was too far. “Let’s do this,” he told Ruby, throwing on the smile he’d used a thousand times before, waving friendly-like as they reached him.

  “Fellas.” He used that charming southern drawl he’d almost forgotten wasn’t his natural speaking voice. “Lovely afternoon, huh? See that touchdown last Sunday? Pretty damn amazing, I know. Hey, who’s got me on their fantasy team?” He knew they didn’t give a rat’s ass about his touchdown or fantasy football this time around, but he tried to distract them from making Ruby uncomfortable anyway.

  “Mr. LeBrun, can you tell us how long you and Ms. O’Brien have been dating?” one of the paparazzi asked and another shouted, “Is it serious?”

  So much for the distraction technique, Alec thought, his mind racing. It was hard to think with so many people crowded around, mostly people who didn’t care about his feelings, who only wanted to make a profit off of his life’s dramas.

  Ruby took a step back, as the reporters fought for front line action, snapping their cameras and asking questions.

  “Is she the reason for the recent good boy act, LeBrun?” They turned their attentions to Ruby.

  “Yeah, have you been cleaning up for her?” someone else asked.

  Alec glanced back at Ruby, who had moved behind him, somewhat shading her face. He reached back and gave her his best, reassuring smile before pulling her forward into the limelight. “Quiet down, gentlemen, if you want me to answer any of your questions.” Once the crowd had quieted, he continued. “Like any relationship at its inception, it’s full of possibilities. Miss O’Brien has worked as my publicist for a year now. We’ve always been friends.”

  “Are you sure it’s only been friends?” some asshole asked, suggesting he’d been involved with her even during Colleen.

  Alec did not give him the benefit of an answer.

  “As you all know,” he continued, unruffled, “she’s had to work a little harder than usual to help me redeem myself after some bad behavior. And, during that time, feelings developed. It’s complicated, what with her being my publicist and all, but if you think about it, it’s perfect. I need someone working with me who understands me, who has my back, and there’s no one I trust more than Ruby. So we’re going to see how this plays out. From my standpoint, I only expect great things.”

  Everyone started shouting at once as casual observers started to fill the sidewalk all around them. Alec pulled Ruby closer to him. “One at a time,” he shouted.

  “What about Colleen?”

  “I wish Colleen the absolute best, but there is nothing more between us.”

  “Why Ruby, Alec? Why not any other woman?”

  Alec looked down at the woman by his side. His prize. “Ruby is an amazing woman who’s always had my respect. No other woman can come close to holding a candle to her.”

  Ruby smiled. For a moment, it looked to him like she was trying to figure out whether he was saying this for the sake of the reporters or whether he truly believed it in his heart. She seemed to be searching for the answer and he hoped she could see it in his face despite the swarm of sharks all around them.

  He hoped she could see the answer clear as day and would soon come to believe him. Ruby O’Brien made him not need to pretend anymore.

  Chapter Eleven

  That had been, hands down, the scariest thing Ruby had ever been through.

  Sure, Alec might be used to reporters and cameras, and Ruby was too—behind them—but she was rarely in front of them and being asked questions, too. She was glad not one reporter had thrust a microphone in her face, or she wouldn’t have known what to say. Alec had done all the talking. And the things he’d said had sounded lovely.

  But how many of them had he meant?

  She had to admit it was difficult knowing where the honest Alec ended and where the limelight Alec began, but the more time she spent with him, the easier it was to define. When he was being honest, he wasn’t smiling. That charming smile everyone had come to know and love, the one that plastered the front of sports magazines and graced commercial screens was Working Alec. The subtle, humble smile when he looked at her in front of reporters and declared that she was an amazing woman…that was Real Alec.

  “Your destination is ten minutes away,” Siri informed Alec, as he drove away from the restaurant.

  Ruby held on to the door handle, as he weaved through the streets.

  “I know. Ten minutes till I get to kiss my favorite woman again.” Alec smiled. “Hey, Siri. Text Ruby that she looks gorgeous today. I’m scared to tell her in person.”

  “Okay. I’ll text Ruby that she looks gorgeous today, Alec.”

  A moment later, Ruby received a text from Alec LeBrun: That she looks gorgeous today. I’m scared to tell her in person. Ruby laughed and replied: Thanks, dork.

  Yes, he was dead serious about her.

  She almost felt bad for the question she’d asked him during lunch—was that why you wanted to date me? She wished she could kick herself now. In the car, heading back to his place, so she could get her car and finally go home, she turned to Alec. “I’m sorry about what I said during lunch.”

  “Which part? When you ordered the lobster cakes?
Nothing to be ashamed of, Ruby. Really.” He laughed to himself, looking straight ahead at the road.

  “You know what I mean. When I said I suggested that repairing your reputation was the reason you were going out with me. I’m sorry I said that. Forgive me if I’m feeling a little unsure. I just…sometimes I can’t believe it.”

  It was true. Today, at lunch, she’d wanted to pinch herself. Especially standing in front of cameras and reporters. The whole time, she kept thinking, Is this really happening? Am I really officially dating Alec LeBrun, tight end of the Savannah Bootleggers?

  True, she’d wanted to date a football player her whole life, but she also knew those had been her teen fantasies. Once she graduated from college, Ruby knew the possibility of dating one of her future clients would be close to nil. Still, memories from last night barreled her brain—the way he’d licked her to climax, the way he’d commanded her to turn around, the way it had affected her…

  In real life, Ruby had always been in charge. But last night, there’d been something about Alec telling her to hold on to the chair, demanding that she call him sir, and hearing him talk dirty that totally drove her over the edge. She wasn’t used to it.

  But she wanted it again. And again.

  “You? I’m the one who can’t believe you said yes, Ruby. Even now, I look over at you and think, holy shit, this fine woman likes me. I mean, you do like me, right?” He shot her a few faux worried glances.

  Ruby laughed. “Most of the time, yes.”

  “Oh! Fair enough, fair enough. I’ll work on that.” He chuckled, taking turns in his Porsche 911 like they were on rails.

  “Stay in right lane,” Siri said.

  Yeah, Ruby, stay in the right lane. Make sure this is what you want. Don’t take a wrong turn anywhere. With a sigh, Ruby leaned back and tried to relax. They’d had a whirlwind of the last twenty-four hours. Apparently, it’d taken Alec telling the whole world how he felt for her to truly understand he wasn’t acting—he wanted her. Now she just had to get used to the idea—and the reporters.

  “Was it okay? Everything I told the press?” he asked.

  “Yes, though a few of them still seem to think I broke you and Colleen up. I was afraid of that.”

  “Listen, there’s nothing we can do about that. People will believe what they want to believe, and those guys are just trying to stir up the pot, give people something to talk about.”

  “Because they get paid that way,” Ruby added.

  “Exactly. See? You understand this even better than I do. So listen, Red, let’s not worry about it. In the next few days, we should be hearing from Sports Armour, shouldn’t we?”

  “You have a meeting with them in one week.” She’d forgotten to tell him. Early this morning, as she’d gone to fetch a blanket for their outdoor chaise-bed, she’d checked her emails and seen the one from the SA rep.

  “Seven days? All right…” He stretched his neck, and Ruby thought she detected a little nervousness on his behalf.

  “It should be nothing. Probably they’ve heard about us and wanted to make sure you were still a good candidate for their ad campaign, which is squeaky-clean, sporty but also academic. They want a good guy for the face of their products.”

  “I’m a good guy,” Alec asserted.

  There was never any question, Ruby thought. Well, maybe a little. But now that she was getting to know Alec more than ever, she hated that she’d ever doubted him. “In oh, so many ways,” she replied, giving him a sexy look.

  Alec’s eyebrows rose, as he pushed the car into fifth gear and reached for her hand.

  “Your destination,” Siri interjected, “is only three minutes away.”

  “One minute now,” Alec said and punched the gas pedal.

  Once they got back to his place, the plan had been for Ruby to go home, get some work done, then call him later on after practice was over. But the plan was derailed the moment they’d walked through the door to Alec’s mansion and he’d pulled Ruby into his arms, giving her the deepest kiss of the day, luring her farther into the house.

  What is he doing to me? Why don’t I have any power to stop him? It scared her, the magnitude and speed with which she was falling for Alec.

  He pulled her in, all the way to his bed. She never even had the chance to see all the amazing artwork and framed photos on the way to his room, but then again, there would be time to see them, because she hoped this would last a while. This “thing” between them. She had no idea what her future with Alec would be like, but for now, she was enjoying being with him. Being his official girlfriend, loving his attention.

  For once, she felt relaxed, excited about the possibilities.

  At one point, he pulled away and looked deep into her eyes. “You know, all that stuff about dating I told the reporters?”

  “Yes?” For a second, Ruby thought he would say it was all fake, all bullshit. What would she do if he did?

  But instead, he added, “We’re not just dating, Ruby. Dating is for babies. Red, you are my woman. Every time I see you, I know it. I feel it. I’ve wanted you for so long, you’re meant to be mine.”

  He kissed her hard then, imposing the gravity of his words, and it sent her body reeling, her core flooding with heat. Where this reaction was coming from, she didn’t know. Words like those from anyone else in her past would’ve sent her into fits of laughter. But with Alec, they were real, said with meaning, and she believed it.

  She believed she was Alec’s woman.

  He had chosen her, and there was no denying it at this point.

  His kisses were long and controlled, and though she felt his body hardening the moment they landed on the bed, she loved the fact he restrained himself, didn’t dive right in like they’d been doing, but instead took his time slowly. This time, he wanted to explore her, taste her, get to know the woman he’d told the world he adored and respected. And she didn’t mind lying underneath him, looking up into his eyes, feeling every contour of his body, his weight pinning her down in the most delicious way.

  He stroked her skin, sending goose bumps erupting all up her arms. “You don’t know the power you have over me, Ruby.” The admission seemed to come from some deep, dark place, and she knew she felt the same.

  “I think I do. I know I do. You have the same power over me.” As she kissed him, she ran her hands down his chest until she pulled up his shirt and touched his bare skin. So good, so hard against her fingers, like he’d been chiseled from stone.

  Things quickly heated until Ruby’s body felt like it was actually on fire. She could barely catch her breath—from Alec kissing her, to his hands cupping her breasts, to his hardness insistently pressing against her warm center. He stripped her of her cute top, the one she’d changed into on their way to the restaurant when she’d asked him to stop at her townhouse a moment. She returned the favor, wanting to see his naked chest.

  She traced the lines of his pectorals. His skin was smooth with only a little chest hair, and she leaned forward to press a kiss over his heart. There, she felt his heartbeat pounding and knew none of this was an act. Alec really did think the world of her, a thought she had to force herself to get used to from now on.

  As Ruby found his waistband and began to unbutton his jeans, he pulled away long enough to drop his pants, pick her up by her ass, legs wrapped around his body, and pushed her against the wall in his room.

  He nipped at her neck. “Now, where were we?”

  “I think I was doing this…” She reached underneath to palm his cock, stroke it with an upward motion, feeling herself fully supported by Alec’s arms. His cock felt simultaneously hard as iron but soft as silk, and shivers traveled throughout her body at his touch. When she rubbed her thumb over the head of his shaft, he cursed underneath his breath.

  “I’m not going to last if you keep that up,” he warned her.

  “Maybe I don’t want you to last.”

  “Oh, you definitely want me to last, Red.” He turned the tables on her an
d dropped her to her feet to undo her jeans, dipping his hand underneath her panties. “Damn, baby, you already this wet for me?”

  “I can’t help it. You always know what to say.”

  “Not just words, love. But I think we should get you even wetter.”

  She moaned, as he parted her folds with a gentle touch then slicked through her wetness, laving her with her own juices. She felt like she was going to burst out of her skin, especially when he began to circle her clit. Over and over again, but never touching it directly, he played with her pussy, as she dug her nails into his shoulders and undulated in time with his strokes. Her orgasm built, a wave that only grew higher and higher.

  “Come on my hand, baby,” he said in her ear. “I want to feel you soak my fingers.”

  She couldn’t say no to that. She hit her peak, shrieking, and Alec covered her mouth with a fierce kiss as she climaxed. Just like he’d ordered her to. She barely registered when he set her feet on the ground to get a better hold of her, lifted her again, then wrapped her legs once again around his hips. His cock bobbed between them, and he rubbed his length through her still throbbing folds.

  “I need you, Alec,” she panted. “Please, I need you.”

  “I got you.” He took ahold of his length and pressed it against her slick entrance. Slowly pushing inside her, they both groaned as he filled her. Ruby felt completely stuffed, down to her toes and fingers, so good and so full, she couldn’t stop imagining him as some forest beast taking her completely, making her his.

  Once he was inside her to the hilt, he didn’t move. They both savored the feeling of being joined together again. Why had she been fighting herself for so long? This was pure bliss, this becoming one with Alec. She gasped, squirming, but he held her so tightly she couldn’t get him to move.

  “Alec,” she begged. “Please.”

  He pressed his forehead against hers. Then he pulled out before thrusting back inside her. Waves of pure bliss rushed throughout her body, and she couldn’t stop herself from making desperate, animal-like noises as he took her with relentless strokes. She grabbed his head and brought him down for a kiss as he pounded inside of her. Their tongues played, and she bit and nipped his lip, sucking on his tongue. It was alarmingly messy, but that was what Ruby liked about it—the raw fucking.