Page 10 of Date with a Devil
“Go easy on her, D.”
Dane winked at Reavo. “I just wanna see what she wants, that’s all.”
Chapter 5
Austen
Austen tapped her foot as she watched the elevator’s descent on the glowing LED panel. The damn thing couldn’t possibly move any slower, and she wouldn’t breathe a sigh of relief until she was safely aboard and the doors were closed.
But she’d done Thayer’s bidding. Somehow the task was even worse than she’d expected it to be. Dane DeHardt? Confirmed for total asshole.
The elevator hummed as the car ground to a halt on her floor. She was so close to freedom when she heard the last thing she wanted to hear—DeHardt yelling down the hall.
“Yo! Austy! Hey! Austy Marlowe!”
You’ve got to be kidding me.
The elevator doors opened in front of her, and Austen internally debated hopping on and riding away as if she’d never heard him. Besides, sheknewhe wasn’t serious; he only wanted to tease her and torture her some more. She could hear it in his voice. He was such a jock,ugh. Just like the idiots from her high school days. Only instead of turning out to be a pot-bellied loser like all those guys had, this one had hit the big time.
But she couldn’t just turn and run.
Because I’ve got journalistic integrity, or something,she told herself as she turned around. She almost hated herself for having standards.
He gestured at her like he was calling a puppy over. “Hey, Austy! Come on back here.”
Sigh.
She made the walk down the hallway and entered the locker room again. She found DeHardt sitting at his stall, bent over at the waist and unlacing his skates. The muscles in his enormous chest and thick arms flexed and strained as he pulled off the skates and set them aside.
Of course you’d take your shirt off before you called me back in here,she thought. Could he be any more obvious? Did he really think she’d melt into a puddle of mush at the sight of his rippling body and forget what an utter jerk he was?
Austen stood in front of the athlete, waiting for him to break the ice. In her mind, the ball was very much in his court. But DeHardt didn’t talk. He went about quietly removing his hockey gear instead.
“Well?” she asked at last, not bothering to hide the note of annoyance in her voice.
He stood so he could step out of his hockey socks and shin pads. Good lord, the man was so tall and broad—she figured she could climb him like a tree.
“You said you wanted to ask me something, didn’t you?” he asked.
“What happened to not owing me any extra time?” Austen replied with sass.
DeHardt peeked down at her with that hellish trouble maker’s grin of his. Of course a guy that handsome would be a complete prick. She was sure that women let him get away with whatever he wanted, just because he had a pretty face.
“Feisty,” he said. “Keep that up and you’ll have a real job in no time.”
She rolled her eyes. Of course he’d insult her job. “Thanks, but I’m not really interested in that.”
“No? Guess you’ve already got your dream job. Going out on dates with millionaire athletes. Bet your friends get all jealous of you, too, huh?”
Austen composed herself. “Look, I totally understand if you don’t want to do it. All you have to say is ‘no,’ and I’ll be on my way.”
“That’s it?” DeHardt snickered. “Aren’t you going to try to convince me?”
“Not really.”
“Hm. I thought you’d be more fun.”
“I can promise you, I’m not fun.”
