for that one night in college, he never would have believed she’d felt any of the attraction that always bubbled up in him like molten lava when she was around.
“That’s the girl from the game, right?” His teammate Kevin Kouky asked from his right. At six foot seven, Kevin was taller than Jacobe’s six-four. His golden-brown skin was hidden behind a myriad of tattoos and one-inch plugs filled his ears.
“That’s the girl,” Isaiah Reynolds, another teammate, said from his left. Where Kevin’s appearance made old ladies cross the street when they saw him coming, Isaiah made them smile and want to pinch his cheeks. He and Jacobe were the same height, but the similarity ended there. Isaiah had “boy you could take home to mama” down pat with his prim-and-proper attire, right down to his signature bow ties.
Will Hampton nodded and grinned. “That’s the girl alright.” The mischief in Will’s eyes sparkled brighter than the diamonds in his ears. The shortest of the group at six one, Will was also the jokester of the team.
Jacobe hadn’t called any man a friend in years. Outside of accepting the mentorship of movie star Irvin Freeman and singer Dante Wilson, Jacobe kept most people at arm’s length. History had taught him that. Away from the stadium, the only people he preferred hanging with were Kevin, Isaiah, and Will. They were cool, though he still wasn’t sure if he could trust them.
“Her name is Danielle,” he said. “We knew each other in college. I haven’t seen her since the night before the draft.”
Kevin bumped him with his elbow. “You seemed pretty happy to see her.”
Jacobe shrugged. He had been surprised to see her. Pleasantly surprised. After Christy’s betrayal he’d often wondered what would have happened if he’d called Danielle again. “I wouldn’t mind reconnecting.”
Especially in the bedroom. He didn’t know what bit of fate had put Danielle in the courtside seats behind the bench tonight, but he had no intention of squandering the good fortune. He’d love nothing more than a repeat of their night together.
Danielle and her friend stopped their conversation to look their way. Her eyes widened behind those cute black-and-gold glasses she wore before she turned toward her friend. The dark-haired woman elbowed Danielle and said something. Danielle looked back his way and gave him a shy smile.
Ah, yeah, he was going to thoroughly enjoy reconnecting with Danielle Stewart. She’d driven him crazy back then, pestering him to use his popularity for good. The only person who’d seemed to think he could be good at something other than playing ball.
Her lectures had always fallen on deaf ears. Mainly because he couldn’t stop himself from thinking of peeling off those cute little cardigan sweaters she seemed to always wear and kissing her until the passion in her warm dark eyes was because of him instead of whatever cause she was championing. He’d always wondered what she would do if she’d known that while she droned on about ecosystems or some other nonsense, he’d wanted nothing more than to plop her on top of the nearest desk and make her glasses fog up.
He lifted his head in acknowledgment, then crossed the room her way. Isaiah, Kevin and Will followed. People stopped and congratulated him and the guys on the win. He spoke, but kept his attention on Danielle. She wore a fitted gold-colored Jacksonville Gators T-shirt that made her luscious breasts look like twin works of art, ankle-length jeans that hugged her ass perfectly and flats. Her thick, dark, shoulder-length hair was parted on the side to sweetly frame her heart-shaped face.
“You came,” he said when he got to her side. He opened his arms and leaned in for a hug. He had to hug her. She was too cute and curvy to not hug.
Her eyes widened, but she leaned in from the waist and patted his back. Jacobe fought the urge to pull her in for a real hug instead of one that left enough space for two small kids to run through.
“Well, you invited me.” Her eyes met his and she sucked in a breath, then looked away. “This is my coworker, Debra.” She straightened her glasses and gave another shy smile.
She was still attracted to him. Good, because if she’d shown up with any intentions of reliving their night together he was game. He needed a distraction. They’d won, but the price he’d have to pay for hitting Rob hovered over him like a cloud.
He reached out a hand to the pretty woman next to Danielle. “Nice to meet you, Debra. I’m Jacobe. These guys here are my teammates, Kevin, Isaiah and Will. Fellas, this is Danielle Stewart.”
The guys nodded and shook the ladies’ hands. Jacobe watched both of them for any signs that they were interested in Danielle. Interest did light up their eyes, but mainly in the way they darted glances between Jacobe and Danielle. He hoped his instincts were right. He didn’t need another teammate sleeping with the same chick as him. He had definite plans to eventually sleep with Danielle again.
Debra grinned and shook his head. “I know who all of you are. We’re both big fans.”
Jacobe looked back at Danielle. “You’re a fan?”
She nodded and met his eye without glancing away like she had before. “I am.”
“How long have you been in Jacksonville?”
“Since right after college.”
Jacobe frowned, upset by the idea that she’d been so close without him even knowing. Though he had thought of her over the years, he hadn’t gone so far as to track her down. “I didn’t know that.”
“We don’t exactly hang out in the same circles.” She glanced at his teammates.
“I guess not.”
Debra leaned forward. “So, Jacobe, how do you know Danielle?”
Jacobe met Debra’s eyes and searched for any indication she already knew about his one night with Danielle. He couldn’t fault Danielle for telling people about that night—a few of the women he’d had one-night stands with over the years had loved to brag about it afterward. He would be slightly disappointed if Danielle had done the same. That night had been spontaneous and wonderful, awkward but somehow special. A secret between them. He’d never expected her to brag.
“What did Danielle say?”
“That she helped you study, but that’s about it.”
Relief eased more of the tension. She hadn’t bragged to her friend. “Danielle tried helping me out in biology. I was a little hardheaded then.”
Danielle raised a brow. “Just a little.”
Debra leaned forward and looked expectantly between him and Danielle. “Was she just as driven back then as she is now?”
“When it came to biology and giving back she was. I remember her always trying to get me to volunteer for various causes or skip parties to study.”
Danielle smirked and leaned against the bar. “Tried but was unsuccessful. You never wanted to volunteer, and there was always some party to attend.”
“I gave back in my own way. You always liked to judge.”
Her shoulders straightened. “I didn’t judge.”
“Yes, you did.” He looked back at Debra. “When she rolled
