Page 41 of Drawn to You

“What?” Dane asks.

“At the hotels I stay in, you have to pay if you open the bottled water. And there are loud wall air conditioners and sketchy carpet stains.”

“Think about my idea,” he says. “You have nothing to lose.”

He’s partially right—I have nothing. Nothing to invest. No experience hiring, budgeting or recruiting new clients. I wish I could take his advice, but it would most likely put me in a deeper hole than the one I already live in.

“I’m getting in the shower,” I say, gathering toiletries and clothing from my bag.

Dane’s on his bed looking at his phone, his suit jacket hanging over the chair at the desk.

“Hey, put on those little black shorts and a tank top,” he says, not looking up from the screen.

My heart pounds erratically. “What?”

He meets my gaze. “You know what I said.”

“Yeah, but why?”

“Because you look hot in them. You’ve got a nice ass.”

My jaw falls and I force it closed. “I’m not here for your entertainment.”

He hums in amusement, his gaze back on his phone screen. “You like that I think you’re hot, Josie. Wear the shorts.”

I want to argue, but he’s right. I’ve always been the bookworm. The sidekick to the girls most guys wanted. It feels good to know Dane thinks I’m attractive, superficial as that may be.

“If I wear them, it’ll be because they’re comfortable, not because you like my ass in them.”

“Bullshit. You’d like nothing more than to lie across my lap and get that gorgeous ass spanked.”

I keep my head down as I rush to the bathroom, my clothes clutched to my chest to hide my nipples. No man has ever said anything like that to me. My heart is racing and I’m hot all over.

I won’t admit to him that he’s right because I can’t even process how right he is. I didn’t think I’d be turned on by spanking, but when Dane suggested it just now?

It turned me on hard.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Dane

I pusha button on the screen of the treadmill in the team training room, increasing the speed. Sweat rolls down my chest. When I swipe the back of my hand over my forehead, droplets of sweat go flying. I kick the speed up as high as I can manage for the next three minutes.

HIIT training is good for endurance, and it also helps calm my mind when I’m restless.

I can’t stop thinking about Josie. Though I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened, I’ve gotten used to having her around. More than used to it, actually.

Ilikehaving her around. That’s something I’ve never experienced. Usually, once I’ve spent the night with a woman, there’s nothing more to talk about. No reason to see her.

Josie is funny, though. Interesting. Smart. My physical attraction to her startedafterI got to know her better. That’s another first.

My so-called date with Abigail Matthews is just a few days away. We’re meeting up for lunch on the day of a game inChicago. The only bright side is that I haven’t forgotten Josie’s offer to “coach” me on a suitable date.

I’m going to have some fun with that.

“What’s this about?”Josie asks me after the game that night. “Am I dressed up enough?”

I just showered and dressed in a dark suit with a white dress shirt and a blue tie. I pretend to think about her question, studying her from head to toe.

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