Page 63 of Making the Call
Dani
I’m stillnervous as hell after our meeting with Luke’s bosses and his PR rep. We not only have to hold an interview, but it’s going to be an exclusive, which will likely make the national news. Fuck. That alone makes my belly flip, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep my breakfast down at this rate. Luke may not think he’s that big of a deal, but obviously, the world thinks otherwise. I should’ve known better than to think this gorgeous man who’s doing everything he can to lessen my burden wouldn’t have caught the media’s attention.Though, in my defense, I had no idea who he was until I after I’d already started to fall for him.
“You okay?” Luke’s deep voice is filled with concern as he looks up from his desk. Tanya couldn’t schedule the interview until noon. To make things easier, I decide to stay and work from his office, while he conducts meetings and goes about his business. I typically can write from anywhere, but unlike Luke, who appears laser focused, I can’t hold on to even one of the million thoughts flying through my head.
Luke’s been in and out of his office multiple times. The man attends more meetings than I can comprehend. He’s been out on the field with practice, met with multiple coaches, and has spent a considerable amount of time at his desk as it gets closer to the time of our interview. I had no idea what went into his job, other than standing on the sidelines making calls into his headset. My admiration for him grows as I get firsthand knowledge of the intricacies of his daily routine.
Of course, this does little help to my wondering brain at the moment.
I’d been staring off into space, apparently focused on him. His voice snaps me out of my revelry. Shit. I’d been staring and hadn’t realized. Not knowing what to say, as a million thoughts flash through my brain like several freight trains wildly out of control, I opt to bite on my lip until I can think of an appropriate thing to say.
No. I’m certainlynotall right. Sure, I’ve done interviews before but never at this level. My nerves are a tightly bound string, waiting to snap. I don’t want to say anything and look like a fool, yet I don’t want to sit there like a jackass and not say anything either.What the fuck am I supposed to do?
Luke stands, and it registers he’s coming to me at his conference room table, when he prompts, “Talk to me.”
His eyes scrutinize my every move, and his face reveals nothing of how he’s feeling. He’s cool as a cucumber, while I’m freaking the fuck out over what we’re about to do.
Logically, I know conducting an exclusive interview will likely give the media what they want and get them to back off a bit. But I’ve never held an interview of this caliber. Luke assured me he knows the journalist conducting the interview. We’ve opted to stay and hold the meeting here in his office, rather than the team’s press conference room, to keep the focus off the Rainier Renegades. After some discussion with Tanya when she returned, she felt it would be more comfortable and relaxed keeping our interview informal and in a casual setting, like his seating area with the couches, than to sit behind a desk with the franchise logo displayed in the background.
Luke reaches for my hand that has been frozen above my keyboard for the longest time. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.”
I glance at the clock, and panic sets in further. “We’ve only got an hour until the interview.”
“Let me show you one of my favorite places.” Luke’s deep-blue eyes shine as the corners crease from the sexy smile, now fully on display.Damn, with a look like that, I’d gladly follow him anywhere.
The moment I stand, and he clasps my hand in his to lead me out the door, my heartrate slows. Somehow, the anxiety that had been paralyzing my thoughts just moments ago, loosens its hold on my body. With each step we take away from his office, or the scene of my impending doom on camera, I feel as if I can breathe easier.
When we finally get out of the executive offices, I get up the nerve to ask, “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” The excitement on his face is like a kid at Christmas. Obviously, the place he wants to show me is special. I can’t imagine what it might be here at the stadium. Maybe the field? But the team’s still practicing, if I heard correctly from his brief conversation with Harlow when he returned last. When he leads me up a ramp instead of down, I’m at a complete loss.
We walk at a leisurely pace through a series of corridors. Luke walks as if he doesn’t have a care in the world, or a full agenda for his day.If only I could be so calm and collected.
When we get to the end of a corridor and a door marked,Authorized Personnel Only, I raise an eyebrow in his direction. Of course, he only shrugs and pulls out his key to open the damn door. I mentally slap myself for expecting an answer because as I’ve gotten to know Luke, one thing’s for sure—that man’s locked up like a vault when he has a secret to keep. When he leads me to another door that opens to the outside, I’m shocked to find there’s a lookout of the city before us. Mount Rainier’s off to the right and city with the Sound in the distance is to our left.
“Come on.” Luke pulls me in the direction of a small bench I hadn’t noticed. “Let’s sit and take a load off.”
“Wow. This view is amazing. I had no idea where we were going.”
Luke’s sly grin tells me that was the point. His deep voice makes my belly flip, but it has nothing to do with nerves. “That was kind of the point.” He pulls my body close to him, placing a hand on my hip.
I swat at the air between us. “Geesh. You could’ve just told me.”
“It would’ve ruined it.” Now he places a finger under my chin and guides my face to look him directly in the eyes. “Now… tell me what’s got you all worked up.”
Ugg, where do I even begin? “I don’t know…” I trail off as I gather my thoughts. Fuck. I’m articulate and precise in my writing, but when it comes to describing my feelings at this moment, I’m all over the place.
“Danika, I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going through that beautiful mind of yours. Are you okay with doing the interview? You’ve been quiet since our meeting this morning and each time I enter my office again, you’ve been lost in your own world. At first, I thought you were caught up in writing your story. But then you’d stop writing entirely for endless amounts of time. This isn’t like you… what’s going on?”
“I’m…” I look to the sky in hopes words will find me. But no such luck.
“You’re what?” he calmly probes. The sincerity in his gaze has my heart stopping. I need to figure out how I’m feeling, so I can put him out of his misery. I owe him that.
“I’m… nervous,” I whisper. After a long pause, I continue, “I’ve never done an interview of this caliber. I don’t want to come off looking like an ass, or worse, an attention whore who’s only after her five minutes of fame, for claimingthe Luke Leightonas her own.”
He laughs. The fucker laughs. Here I am, baring my heart, and he thinks I’m just overreacting. What the actual fuck? I’m about to tell him off, when he interrupts, “Dani,” he pleads. “Please stop putting me on a fucking pedestal. I’m just Luke. I’m just an ordinary guy who’d do anything to spend time with his girl, including going to a reading conference and subjecting myself to pervy women.”
“Luke…” I chastise. “Ordinary guysdon’t have to conduct interviews to set their social lives straight.Ordinary guysalso don’t need to explain to the world that they’re ‘off the market.’”I use air quotes to drive my point home. “Ordinary guys can date, and it doesn’t make the national news.”
