Page 55 of Silver-Tongued Devil
He wasn’t just looking for some kind of conquest. It wasn’t like one night was going to do it anyway, at least it sure wouldn’t for him. It would be a relationship like any other one. It would just be higher octane. He and Dakota needed to ride that wild side until they burned out.
She’d probably be the one to call a halt, in the end. Blake wasn’t all that easy to live with, or even to be in a relationship with. He seemed laid-back to a woman at first, until she found out the guy he really was. Too intense. Too focused on his work, and on being the best. Not interested enough in the things women liked. Too interested in sex, and never around to pay attention to her otherwise.
He was a bad boyfriend, and he knew it. He ought to, as many women as had said it. It was going to take him a while to be a good husband, if he ever made it. He’d need somebody patient, and probably someone who didn’t expect too much, and that sure wasn’t Dakota. Dakota would expect everything. Look at what she was already doing. Sneaking into his mind, tormenting his body, messing up his plans even when he never saw her.Especiallywhen he never saw her. She’d gone straight back to ghost mode this week, coming in and doing her painting after he’d left for work, then disappearing before he got home.
If anything, Dakota should recognize that this deal would probably turn out the opposite of what she’d been thinking. She thought he was just looking for a short-time good time. The truth was,she’dbe the one realizing that was as much ashewas good for, and that she deserved more.
She needed somebody who was going to stick around here, somebody to go fishing with Russell and then barbecue that fish, to sit and watch the Mariners afterwards and wonder aloud when the team was going to trade for a leadoff hitter who could put his bat on the ball in any kind of reliable way. She needed somebody who liked her art as much as it deserved and would encourage her to push it harder, somebody willing to save up for a trip hiking through the rainforest and snorkeling over the coral just to make her happy. Somebody to appreciate her and give her what she needed.
And if the thought of it made his hands tighten on the steering wheel and the muscles of his thighs seize up… well, that was that obsession again. Especially when he remembered that whatever Dakota said, he knew who that guy was. It was Evan. But Dakota didn’t belong with Evan.
So whodoesshe belong with, dude? You?
Yeah. Me.
Which started the whole thing up again. It was a relief to pull up outside the house and head up the walk. And there his stupid heart was, racing like he was sixteen and borrowing his dad’s car to take a girl out. All he needed was a bad rental tux and a corsage in a plastic box, and he’d be going to the prom.
He knocked on the door, and Russell showed up to answer it. “Come on in,” he said. Sure enough, he was watching baseball. “Dakota’s not quite ready, I don’t think. Sit down a minute.”
“Sure.” Blake sat on the couch, then gave Bella a pat or two before she settled down again at Russell’s feet.
On the screen, a Mariners batter was taking some practice swings, and the Red Sox pitcher was pivoting, then throwing fast to try to catch the guy on first. The runner dove for the bag, and the practice swings started up again.
“Training camp must be coming up pretty soon,” Russell said. “NFL, I mean.”
“Another month or so.”
A quick glance from Russell. “Yeah. You don’t want to talk about that. Guess I know how you feel. Watching everybody else go to work when you ought to be there and you won’t ever be there again—that’s no good at all.”
“Nope.” If Russell knew Blake didn’t want to talk about it, why was he talking about it?
“Seems like you still run around a hell of a lot, though,” Russell said. He was still watching the TV, where the guy’s count was two and two.
“I do my share,” Blake said cautiously. Where was this going?
“Huh, now,” Russell said. “Course, I don’t know exactly how it all works, but I don’t see how you could’ve been doing that kind of thing while you were playing.” The pitcher threw an inside ball, the batter leaned back out of it, and the count was three and two.
“I didn’t,” Blake said. “I’m just the CEO, not the president. I’m the idea guy. I make the appearances, court the investors, make the big calls. You can’t run a company hands-on and quarterback an NFL team at the same time. I’ve always had an executive team to execute.” The pitcher threw to first again, the runner dove for the bag again, the first baseman tossed it back to the pitcher, and they were back at Square One.
“Guess you’re doing it different now,” Russell said. “Doing it how you said. Hands on.”
“Well, a man’s got to do something,” Blake said. “When one door closes, a window opens, and all that.”
“That helping, then?” Russell asked. “Business-wise? Making you more money? Making the stock rise, or however you count it?” The batter was taking yet more practice swings, and the catcher had come out from the mound to confer with the pitcher.
Playing sports always felt fast. Football time went by before you could blink your eyes. Watching sports on TV always felt too long. Too slow. Made you too impatient, when you couldn’t do it yourself.
Blake actually had to stop to think about Russell’s question. “Hard to say. People seem not to scream and run when they see my face, so I guess it’s doing some good. It’s how business works, I guess you’d say. Airports and hotels.”
“Huh,” Russell said. “See, I’d think, if you didn’t have to do it, why do it? But then, I never did like moving around all that much. If I wasn’t getting some big payoff from it, I’d probably just stay home.”
The pitcher wound up again and threw a blazing fastball. The batter swung mightily. And missed.
“Three and out again,” Russell said. “You know, sometimes you got to wonder why you keep watching, when a team just seems bound and determined to do it wrong.”
Blake had stopped listening, though, and he was rising to his feet. His date was here.
He wasn’t sure what he’d expected. The only time he’d even seen Dakota without her glasses was that night at the Heart of the Lake. She’d been hot then. Tonight, though, she was something else.
