Page 77 of Love Game

She froze. “Decide what?”

“You or the job.”

Kate gasped, then exhaled a soft, “Oh, Danny.”

“I already told them I choose you.”

She shook her head so hard, her hair tangled in her lashes and the glossy lipstick she wore. “Danny, no.”

Unable to resist, he pulled himself up for a kiss, sealing those dark strands into place. “Kate, yes.”

She gripped the rail so hard, her knuckles turned white.

Dropping back to the track, he ran his palm over them, letting the sharp ridges wedge their way into the soft center. “My agent is working on it. I have options, but giving you up isn’t one of them.”

“Can’t you try to stall them? Maybe Millie can work some magic,” she urged.

“She’ll be busy prepping for the press conference.”

She blinked. “What press conference?”

Giving her a tired smile, he shrugged. “The one where they spew some bullshit about how this wasn’t the fit we were looking for and that we’ve mutually agreed I should move on down the road.” Wiping his brow with his sleeve, he squinted up at her. “You want to watch at your place or mine?”

Her jaw tightened. “That’s it? You’re just quitting?”

Danny stiffened. “I’m not quitting. I’m being fired. Again.” Planting his hands on his hips, he hit her with his best “my decision is final” glare. It bounced off her like a jump shot with no air under it.

“We’ll see about that.”

“Just what do you think you’re going to do?”

Kate balled her fists and dug them into the sweet spot just above her hip bones. God, he loved that spot. Loved putting his hands in that exact place and holding her tight as he sank into her.

“Believe it or not, some people think I have a little pull around here.”

The sneer in her tone yanked him straight out of his daydream. “Kate, I don’t want you doing anything to jeopardize your negotiations.”

“They’re my negotiations. I’ll jeopardize them if I damn well want to.”

He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again. Arguing wouldn’t get him anywhere with her. Instead, he leapt for the rail again, this time using every bit of momentum he could muster to haul himself over it. The soles of his shoes slapped the aluminum decking so hard the impact rang out, reverberating through his body. Kate swayed toward him. Instinctively, he cupped her elbow to steady her.

She stared at him blankly for a moment. Then looked down at their feet.

A smile tugged at the corners of Danny’s mouth when he saw that he once again stood toe-to-toe with his warrior. And as usual, she wasn’t about to back down.

He tried to clear the lump from his throat before he spoke, but his voice still sounded gruff and embarrassingly emotional. “I don’t want you to sacrifice one scrap of what you’ve worked for because of me.”

She stared back at him. “I don’t intend to.”

“Then what are you planning?”

Wetting her lips, she gazed past him at the marching band on the field. “I guess it’s time to round up our team.”

“Our team?”

The enigmatic smile she wore matched the calculating gleam in her eye. “I have to get back and make my campers happy. Meet me at my place at five.”

“Your place?”

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