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  Taking the edge off helped settle him down. Fifteen minutes later, he was dressed in a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and his favorite boots.

  “Here you go, cowboy,” Kyran Black said to his left, handing over Dallas’ black cowboy hat.

  “Thanks, man,” Dallas said. His hair was damp from the shower, but he didn’t mind. He put the hat on his head and grabbed his long, brown leather coat.

  “Who knew a long-haired cowboy would be fast as fucking lightning?” Kyran teased, drawing Dallas’ full attention.

  “If I wasn’t grateful for your help, I’d take offense to that.”

  “Hey now, all I was asked to do was introduce you to Grace Daniels. My role in getting you two together was easy.”

  “Then let’s get out of here,” Dallas said.

  Kyran shook his head. “You need to go to the press room and give an interview. I’ll take you to Grace and Anna and then we’ll go do our part for the eleven o’clock news.”

  Teammates were still celebrating the Griffins’ last-second win over the San Diego Marauders. “Hey, Dallas, are you going after that chick holding your ball?” Ricky Weathers called out as he and Kyran made for the locker room doors.

  “She’s not a chick, Ricky,” Dallas answered. “She’s my date.”

  The locker room fell silent. Ricky, wearing a towel around his waist, came forward. “Damn, you lucky bastard, that one’s hot. What’d you do, ask her out when you fell in her lap?”

  “I got them together,” Kyran answered. “Grace rents my garage apartment. Anna thought she’d mix well with Dallas.”

  “Explains it then,” Ricky said, giving his nod.

  Dallas noticed Ricky’s disappointment in not knowing about Grace. But Dallas had turned to Kyran for help in choosing a private investigator. It wasn’t that long ago when Kyran Black’s ex-girlfriend turned out to be a wacked-out stalker. Kyran and Anna ended up getting some help from a PI friend of theirs up in Boston, but everyone on the team and management knew Phalen Maddox by now. Dallas didn’t want anyone to know about his search for his biological parents until he found them.

  He was thirty-two and at the top of his game. He was starting to think of the long term with a woman. After his ex-girlfriend Robyn had moved in with him, he’d begun to panic. He ended up calling things off, but now he wondered if he would make a good husband and father or abandon his child like his had done to him. His father was completely unknown. He’d been turned over to a police station in South Dakota anonymously, with only a photo of a Native American woman in his blankets. The cops assumed she’d been Sioux based on the name she’d written on the photo, Matoskah. No one knew what had come of the woman since. It took years for Dallas to get himself out of South Dakota and down to Texas, where he finally found a family.

  If Quinn and Mary McKay hadn’t adopted him and set him straight, Dallas might have become nothing more than a thug. But now that he was thirty-two, it was time to find his past he so that he could move onto a future with a woman.

  “Ricky, man, we’ll catch up about Grace tomorrow,” Dallas promised, moving on. He and Ricky connected well on the field. They were friends. He was certain he could trust his quarterback.

  But he had to be sure no one else knew of his plan to find his biological family. He didn’t think it would be a dangerous search, but if the news media caught wind of his intentions, he might end up with dozens of phony relatives who didn’t want anything more from him than money.

  Knowing he really did need Grace Daniels’ help, he and Kyran headed to the doors and made it to the hallway. “Fuck it. I can’t do it, Kyran.”

  “Do what?” Kyran blinked at him.

  “Date her as a ruse,” Dallas answered.

  “You mean Grace?”

  “Yes. We both know that as soon as Grace and I are seen together a few times, the press is going to demand the four-one-one on my girlfriend. I don’t want to hurt her in all this.”

  “Here’s the thing,” Kyran said. “Grace can handle herself. She’s smart and she knows her job. If you’re worried about the media, I can relate. But that shit dies down after someone else takes the limelight. Don’t worry. Grace can help you. She knows the score.”

  “I know,” Dallas countered. “It still doesn’t make it right to let her think I don’t really want her.”

  “You want to find your parents, right?”

  “More than anything,” Dallas said. “Hell, man, you could have told me Grace was a bombshell.”

  “I told you she was pretty,” Kyran said. “If I’d elaborated, I’d be in the dog house. There’s no fucking way I’m sleeping anywhere but next to my wife from now on. Let Grace investigate. Whether the two of you date for real, that’s up to the two of you. Just don’t play mind games with my neighbor, McKay, or I’ll tear you a new one.”

  “You could try, man,” Dallas taunted, aware that they’d never come to blows. Sometimes situations among teammates got tense and he didn’t always get along with everyone, but he trusted two people to watch his back. Kyran Black and Ricky Weathers.

  By the time they reached the mascot dressing room, Dallas’ jack off in the shower didn’t keep the blood from filling his cock. Glad he wore a long coat to hide his bulge, he followed Kyran inside.

  Kyran went to Anna. Dallas found Grace sitting on a bench. His football was in her hands. She didn’t look like she was going to give it up to anyone but him.

  Shifting his coat, he moved across the room. “I’ll say it again. Hello, beautiful.”

  Two hot pink marks brightened Grace’s high cheekbones. Had she any idea that she reminded him of his dream woman since he was a teenager? Some guys had posters of hot models or movie stars on their walls. He’d imagine an Amazon warrior with long wavy blonde hair, naturally full, exotic lips that could rival the hottest runway models with cosmetic injections and sapphire eyes when he went to bed and woke up with cum all over his sheets.

  He’d known Grace was tall when he saw her cheering in the stands. She was taller than Anna, who was six foot. But he’d been blown away by how pretty she was up close and tripped. Had her lap not been so soft and sweet and accommodating, he’d have fallen on his ass.

  Dallas loved two things, women with curves and classic muscle cars. Grace had generous curves, long, long legs and an ass that he could actually hold onto without being afraid he’d snap her in half like a twig. And those lips, whoa man, he wanted to fuck that mouth while she lay back on the hood of his Shelby Cobra GT. Man, he’d love to fuck her on and in all of his cars.

  Slowly, Grace stood. Her mouth was level with his chin. All she had to do was lean forward and her lips would be working on his jaw. To be six foot seven and have a woman almost mouth-to-mouth with him, well, that was almost freakin’ perfect.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. McKay, officially,” Grace said, offering her hand to him.

  “My name’s Dallas.” He took her hand and tugged her right up to him. The ball kept them separated, but he liked the feel of the pigskin against his cock. It also kept his boner under wraps for a little while longer.

  “Grace,” she said.

  “Since we’ve got that covered, what do you say we go out and celebrate the team’s win tonight?”

  “Actually, I think we should talk.” Grace started to pull back her hand. The blush on her face told him she liked holding hands. Her skin was smooth. Her fingers were long. He’d bet a month’s salary that she could palm a basketball. Her mouth parted slightly as he shook his head to tell her not to pull away. “About your case, I mean.”

  “It’d be better if we talked about it alone,” he said. “Kyran and Anna have vouched for you, so we’re tight on the job.”

  She nodded, dislodging his hand with the football. “You’re right. We should do this elsewhere. Are you planning to keep the ball?”

  “I’m hoping you’ll keep an eye on it for me.”

  “Sure,” she agreed.

  Silence stretched with that awkward just-getting-t
o-know-someone tension that needed to be hurdled, fast. Dallas grinned at her. “We need to make a pit stop at the press room. Before we do that, I want you to know that any thoughts of pretending to date you went south the moment I saw you.”

  “No worries. We’ll keep things strictly professional.”

  “Grace, I want to go out with you for real,” he explained.

  Something in her eyes flickered with doubt. Dallas should have toned it down some. But he’d never been one to back down from something he wanted. He wanted Grace. He’d act on it and see how far she’d go with him. Sending a silent thank-you to Anna and Kyran for introducing him to his own personal Amazon, he moved so his coat would draw her in closer.

  Seeing the way her eyes widened and her lips curved into a gentle smile for the added warmth, he knew she liked the smell of soft brown leather. Hell yeah, he was going to enjoy the ride he was going to take with her.

  “You don’t even know me, McKay. Maybe you’re still caught up in that last second win,” Grace said, her gaze darting over to where Kyran and Anna were lip-locked.

  Dallas didn’t want to know what kind of action that chair had seen since the two hooked up last summer. They’d gotten married on the sly and now Anna was four months pregnant with twins. That wasn’t stopping the two from heating up a room.

  Quickly, he redirected his attention to Grace. “Ready for our first date, baby?”

  “I’m hardly the kind of woman a man would call baby, or any nickname, for that matter.” Whether she knew it or not, she drew back from him, mentally more than physically. Her jaw clenched as something hurtful flickered in her eyes. “We should can the cute stuff and stick to reality.”

  He thought she was gorgeous. She didn’t. He’d have to prove it.

  Moving back far enough to place his hand under her chin, he lifted her head up, making sure she looked back. Once she tried to dislodge his fingers from her chin. He stopped her with a slight shake of his head.

  “You want reality? I’m going to keep calling you whatever you need to hear to believe that you’re beautiful,” he said, meaning it. Using his thumbnail, he stroked the pink flesh of her bottom lip. No surgery or fake injections were used to plump her lips. They were too soft, too pliable and too damn sexy.

  She lifted her chin higher, almost dislodging his hand. “Don’t pull away. You’re so sweet and soft.” Tightening his fingers enough to keep her steady, he watched her eyelids lower as he leaned closer. Recognizing the early stages of arousal on her face and in her breathing, he knew she liked what he was doing.

  “You’re a little overwhelming,” she admitted quietly. He liked the way she turned her face into his palm as he cupped her jaw. She was totally unaware of her half-lidded gaze and quiet little gasp of anticipation. Her skin was soft as satin. He could stroke her for hours.

  Whispering, he said, “Yeah, I can be, but I’m not a liar, Grace. I’m telling you true, I want you.” He wanted all those generous curves and her long limbs wrapped around him. Bending her over and fucking her from behind, hell, that’d be hot enough to set him on fire. Sending her to her knees to suck him off with that incredible mouth would blow his mind.

  Not once did she dare to move from where he’d put her. The way she reacted to his subtle command told him she liked it. That didn’t mean she was the kind of woman a man could control with brute force. However, in bed, he called the shots. Grace didn’t know it yet, but getting her off was about to become his mission.

  “I don’t like controlling, overconfident men,” she told him, even as she stayed nice and close. “This ruse is never going to work if you don’t get that through your thick skull right now.”

  “Maybe you haven’t experienced the right kind of control, Gracie. You like me. Admit it.” Her eyes went wide as saucers. She was all flushed and turned-on. He’d not known a woman’s eyes could be so damn blue. Gracie’s were like sapphires.

  “All I’ll cop to is that I like what I’ve uncovered about you so far. But if you think I’m going to let you whip me or hang me in chains in your dungeon or something, I’ll do my investigation from my office and you can get a blow-up doll and carry out your wicked BDSM fetishes in secret. I’m not any man’s slave, got it?”

  “Got it. But I’m thinking you’ve read a few books on the subject.” Making sure she paid attention, he moved to speak into her ear. Nipping the lobe sharply, he heard her gasp. “Gracie, listen to me. There will be no dungeons, no real pain. I promise. When I ask something of you when we’re fucking, you’ll want to do it. Understand?”

  “Another bossy Griffin falls,” Anna said from the chair, interrupting Grace’s softly voiced yes.

  That was all Dallas needed to hear. Running his fingers from her chin to her throat, he skimmed his knuckles over her pulse and felt it flutter like she’d been running for an hour. “This is going to be fun,” he whispered, then backed away.

  “Are we going to the press conference or what?” Kyran asked. He and Anna were ready to go by then, with Anna zipped up in her parka and looking a little flushed.

  “We are. You okay with that, Gracie?” Dallas asked, realizing that she’d stayed close.

  “I am. It’s getting chillier, even inside,” she said, trembling a little. “I hope the flurries haven’t turned into a storm.”

  Dallas was sure she wasn’t shaking from the cold. He took the football from her and put it on the bench, then picked up her coat and helped her into it. As soon as it was zipped, she went for her gloves. He was faster and had them on her hands before she could sidestep him.

  “Thank you, but I am capable of dressing myself,” she told him, letting her hands fall.

  Kyran had stowed his coat in the mascot’s room and was already walking his wife to the door. Dallas took the opportunity to tuck his hand at Grace’s back and lean into her. “I’d bet my salary that you’ve been doing things yourself for a long time. That ends tonight.”

  “You can’t possibly know something like that.” Fortunately for him, she didn’t jerk back up and slap him.

  “Kyran, we’ll catch up with you guys in a few.” The door closed behind them and he and Grace were alone. “Baby, I know what women like in bed. Tell me, how long’s it been since you’ve been fucked?”

  Daring her not to look away, she surprised him by lifting her eyes and staring right back. So she really wasn’t a real submissive, but that didn’t change anything. He wasn’t a Dom. He just liked to get beautiful women off and show them the pleasure they could feel when they handed their bodies over to him.

  “I’ll have you know that I’m selective in who I date.”

  “Not what I asked. How long? Answer the question,” he insisted, putting more command in his voice.

  Raising her chin defiantly, she said, “For the record, I don’t fuck. When I chose to have sex it’s on my terms.”

  “Gracie, tell me the truth or face the consequences when I take you home.”

  “I did! Keep this up and I’ll call in Kyran’s friend up in Boston. He’ll find what you need.”

  “Too late, you’re hired,” he stated. “Phalen Maddox can keep his ass in New England. That guy is a Dom. If that’s what you want from me, I’m good with that as long as you don’t want me to draw blood.”

  “Are you horny or something? Seems to me you’re the one who hasn’t gotten laid in four years. There’s a cure for that, you know? Some guys call it jacking off.”

  She was so formal and cool right then, Dallas wanted to melt her socks off. And her coat, gloves, jeans and anything else that kept her from being naked. “Already did that in the shower, for you,” he answered, then realized what she’d said. “You haven’t had sex in four years?”

  Grace gaped like she’d forgotten how to breathe. “This is silly. We should have left ten minutes ago.”

  Pushing his hat back on his head, he caught the front zipper of her coat and yanked her right into his arms. “Four years, yes or no?”

  “Yes, now let me go be
fore I hurt you. I hold a black belt in Taekwondo and Judo and probably outweigh you by twenty pounds. I can kick your scrawny ass.” She started to make like she might actually deck him. His hat flew off.

  In a flash, he caught her hands and gently forced them behind her back to hold her still with one hand. Her squirming continued. But he was bigger and taller than she was. Fuck, he was hard as a freakin’ rock. The luscious give and take of her soft curves almost unmanned him.

  The moment she realized he wasn’t intimidated by her, she switched those hips and notched him right where he wanted to be. Her big blue eyes got impossibly bigger when she felt the size of his erection between her legs. Refusing to give her quarter, he pushed into her, finding just the right angle to catch her clit.

  Suddenly, she shuddered and his fly became damp. Grace Daniels had creamed her jeans. She was as turned-on by this as he was. He’d damn near come in his pants too if he didn’t kiss her. Thank God their coats were long enough to hide the evidence of what they’d been doing the last few minutes.

  “Be still, baby,” he soothed before crashing his mouth down on hers.

  Grace kept still for all of a second and then her sexy lips softened and parted. Oh hell, yes, this is what he’d wanted from the moment he laid eyes on her. He didn’t expect to kiss her this soon. Now that he had, he wanted her to enjoy it too.

  Delving further, he pushed his tongue deep inside the heat and wetness of her mouth. Her tongue tagged his and retreated, teasing him to go even deeper. She took his tongue deep in her mouth and sucked! She smelled sweet, like honeysuckle. She tasted like soda and woman.

  Beautiful, he thought. She was beautiful to him. For some reason Grace didn’t see herself that way. Drawing back to take a breath, he released her hands. A soft smile came to her lips. Her hands went to his waist where she tugged on his belt loops.

  “It’s really been four years?” he asked.