Page 9 of Gossip Game

Charlotte kept her face expressionless when Noah opened her door, but he could feel the anger rolling off her. As if all of this was somehow his fault. Or that she would be the one denigrated by the media tomorrow. The woman was impossible. The sooner Noah got her inside and out of his life, the better.

He gripped her elbow to help her down from the cab. A jolt raced up his arm as soon as his fingers touched her bare skin. Her sharp intake of breath brushed past his neck. She stumbled and Noah snaked his arm around her waist, drawing her into his body. Camera flashes lit up the walkway.

“I’ve got it from here,” she murmured once they’d reached the door.

She started to pull away, but Noah held her fast.

“Now who is being ungrateful?” he murmured.

It was rare that he could meet a woman’s gaze head on. And Charlotte’s was a mixture of wariness and passion.

Christ.

“Goodnight, Princess.”

Noah didn’t give her the chance to respond, his mouth crashing down on hers. He half expected her to stomp one of her stiletto heels into his foot. He certainly deserved it.

But this woman never did what he expected. Instead, she sighed, allowing him to coax her lips open. He rushed into the velvety softness before she changed her mind.

She tasted like the best bad decision he’d ever made.

Her palms skirted down his back, practically branding his skin through his clothing. Damn this woman. She was going to make him lose his mind. Right here in front of a horde of cameras documenting his insanity. A soft moan of protest escaped her lips when he broke the kiss. Noah took it as a victory.

He gently turned her around and pointed her to the door being held open by one of the building’s staff. Pressing his palm to her lower back, he propelled her forward. But not before leaving her with a parting shot.

“Now we are even.”

FOUR

Sleep eluded Charlotte that night. Every time she went to close her eyes, she ended up reliving that kiss until she was a sweaty ball tangled up in the sheets. Inevitably, the tears would follow. Her reaction to Noah hadn’t waned since that long-ago night in London.

Three years earlier…

“Damn that insipid creep,” Charlotte muttered beneath her breath.

She’d come to the team hotel to catch up with Sophie Osbourn, the daughter of the Blaze general manager, and the lead designer for Truly’s jewelry. Thanks to Charlotte’s jam-packed schedule promoting her brand throughout Europe, coupled with Sophie’s rigorous academic demands as a design student, their brain-storming sessions mostly took place via Zoom. Luckily, the team’s London game coincided with Sophie’s fall break, allowing the two women to spend the day creating together in person. It had been a productive session and Charlotte was looking forward to spending the next two days wandering the London Gemstone Mart with Sophie as they put the finishing touches to next summer’s collection.

If only she could lose the pest who kept popping up every place she’d been all week.

Shame on her for being nice to anyone in the media. But the reputation of the Blaze was important to Jay. And Jay was important to Charlotte. So, after repeated requests, she’d allowed Bucky Kincaid to buy her a drink at an after party following the Blaze’s championship win last season. Like most men who sought her out, he thought her politeness entitled him to something more.

Not surprisingly, he was staked out in the lobby when she and Sophie finished up. There would be no polite way to avoid him if she left through the front door. Instead, she’d ducked into the pub next to the hotel, hoping to slip out to the street that way. If only she hadn’t stopped to say hi to a few of the Blaze players playing darts.

Her hesitation gave Bucky enough time to follow her. He arrived at the players’ table with his trademark insolent swagger, offering up a round of drinks to the guys without taking his eyes off Charlotte. Something in his haughty gaze made her shiver.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the loo,” she announced to no one in particular. She’d once used a service entrance there as an escape route. It would work again today. Bucky was quickly on her heels, however.

“It’s dark back there. I’ll escort you.”

Was this guy for real?

Time to nip this in the bud. It wasn’t like Bucky was some bigshot in sports media who could torch the team in the public eye. He was just a wannabe jock, trying to worm himself into pro sports by any means necessary. Except he would not be going through her to elevate his status.

Charlotte stopped short of the ladies’ room. Bucky moved to hem her in. She gritted her teeth, cursing herself for not calling for her security team to escort her the two blocks back to her flat. Jay would be furious at her. But, dammit, she enjoyed living like a normal woman now and then.

Besides, she could handle this creep. She jerked her shoulders back, so she was practically looking down at him.

“I can manage going to the restroom by myself, Bucky.” It was a challenge to keep her tone civil. “Been doing it for years.”

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