The Final Score by Jaci Burton

  Which she did, of course. But not with Nathan.

  She really needed to get over this desire for him.

  Nathan hung up and slid his phone in his pocket. "Jamal and Wendy checked in, but Wendy's wiped out so they're going to meet us for breakfast in the morning."

  Mia nodded. "Sounds good. I'm a little tired myself."

  He gave her a look that told her he knew she'd had an abrupt change of mind from their conversation before the phone call. "Sure. Let's head upstairs."

  She appreciated that he didn't push her about it, and on the ride up in the elevator he was quiet. But he didn't seem upset. They got off on their floor and headed to their rooms. Nathan waited until she slid her key card in and opened her door. Then he smiled at her.

  "See you in the morning, Mia."

  "Good night, Nathan."

  She closed and locked her door, wishing she could be brave enough to take what she wanted without worrying about the repercussions. But that was just too big a risk to take.

  EIGHT

  NATHAN MET JAMAL IN THE GYM EARLY THE NEXT morning. They did a solid workout for a good hour and a half, and by the time they finished, the buffet was open, so Nathan was ready for a tall glass of juice and a large coffee.

  "That was a hell of a tough session," Jamal said as they settled down at a table.

  Nathan took several swallows of orange juice before he answered. "Yeah, it was. But not as brutal as training camp's gonna be when that starts up."

  "Gettin' anxious?" Jamal asked.

  "More like excited. I'm ready for this season to start."

  "You and me both. I can't wait to get out on that field and catch some balls. And with you as QB? We're gonna kill it this season."

  Just talking about it made Nathan's stomach knot up. This was his shot, the one he'd dreamed about his whole life. He was ready and he knew it, but this team? This was his dad's team. This hadn't been the way he wanted to do it.

  His ultimate dream had been to someday play against his dad. Him on one team, his dad on the Sabers.

  But that wasn't how it happened. So he was just going to have to live with it going down like it had.

  Jamal nudged him. "What's going on over there? Workout kick your ass?"

  He jerked his head toward Jamal. "Huh?"

  Jamal laughed. "You asleep? I'm talking to myself over here, man."

  "Sorry. Just thinking about the season, ya know? For sure we're gonna kill it."

  "That's what I'm talkin' about."

  Nathan noticed Mia and Wendy rounding the corner from the elevator banks at the same time.

  "Our ladies have arrived."

  Jamal stood and turned around. "Good morning. I didn't know you two knew each other."

  Mia stopped and looked at Wendy, surprise evident on her face. "We don't, actually. But we rode down in the elevator together. We said good morning."

  Wendy laughed. "And then both of us buried our noses in our phones." Wendy extended her hand. "I'm Wendy."

  "And I'm Mia. Nice to officially meet you."

  "Since the guys started without us, let's have some coffee. And I need an omelet."

  Mia nodded. "I'm all over that."

  Jamal got up. "I'm hungry, too."

  Nathan got up and followed the group over to the buffet. After a hard workout he was more than ready to fuel up and the buffet had plenty to offer. He loaded up on eggs, sausages and pancakes, along with a separate plate of fruit.

  Mia raised a brow as she eyed his plates. "I'm surprised you could carry those without some help."

  "Somehow I managed it."

  Mia dug into her omelet. "I'm taking bets on whether he goes in for seconds."

  "If he's anything like Jamal, I say yes," Wendy said.

  "Oh, you think you know me so well?"

  Wendy batted her lashes, then leaned over and rubbed Jamal's arm. "You know you're having two plates so don't even try to deny it."

  Nathan laughed. "And so will I. Who knows when we'll eat again."

  "Yes," Mia said. "Because it's such a wasteland out here. You poor starving athletes."

  Nathan shot her a look. "Hey, we get hungry. We burn a lot of calories. Quit giving us shit."

  Mia laughed. "You invited me this weekend. Get used to me giving you shit."

  "You two aren't a couple, right?" Wendy asked.

  "No, we're like best friends," Mia said. "Just think of me as one of the guys. Only I have a vagina, so that makes me smarter."

  Wendy laughed. "Oh, we're going to get along great, Mia. In fact, we should plan the wine tour day today. God knows Jamal is only interested in what we drink, not where we go."

  Jamal was lifting his fork to his mouth, but stopped and nodded. "True that."

  "We should plan a beer tour day," Nathan said.

  "We should. Invite the guys."

  Wendy turned. "Oh, because women don't like beer?"

  Jamal started to say something, closed his mouth, then said, "I should shut up now."

  "You should," Nathan said.

  Jamal shot him a look. "Hey, aren't you on my side?"

  "I'm on the side of keeping you alive. Which is why you should shut up."

  Wendy laughed. "Your best friend keeps you on your toes, Jamal."

  "Yeah, yeah."

  Mia was enjoying this group. And she really liked Wendy. As Nathan and Jamal ate and talked about their team, she and Wendy outlined their day.

  "I booked us a limo service for the day," Wendy said. "They'll take us to several wineries, plus we'll have lunch. Everyone can enjoy the day without worrying about who's going to drive."

  "That sounds amazing. I can't wait."

  "They'll pick us up here at ten and have us back here by six."

  Mia grinned. "Perfect time for cocktail hour and then dinner."

  Wendy laughed. "Yes, it's going to be that kind of day. Which I need after the hellish week I've had."

  "I'll definitely drink to that."

  After they finished breakfast, they headed up to their rooms. Mia took a shower and dried her hair. She did her makeup, then put on a pair of capris and a sleeveless top and slid into her sandals.

  She took another look at social media as she'd done when she'd gone to bed last night, and again when she'd awakened this morning, convinced she was going to see a photo of Nathan and her that the photographer had taken last night.

  But she'd found nothing. She'd even typed in Nathan's name in several search engines. Relieved, she grabbed a cardigan and her purse just as Nathan knocked on her door.

  As always, Nathan looked hot. He wore dark jeans and a white T-shirt. How could such a simple outfit make a man look so sexy? His sunglasses rested on top of his head and she wanted to take them off so she could run her fingers through the thick mass of his hair.

  Whoa. Rein it in, Mia.

  Instead, she smiled. "I'm so ready for this. How about you?"

  He devastated her with the curve of his lips. "Yeah. Should be fun today."

  They met Wendy and Jamal downstairs. Wendy wore a red and yellow polka dot sundress and silver sandals, along with an antique-looking silver necklace that complemented the beauty of her tawny skin perfectly.

  "I absolutely love your necklace."

  Wendy fingered the dangling chain. "Oh, thank you. Actually, I made it."

  Mia's brows rose. "You did? That's amazing."

  "Thanks. It relaxes me. My job is high stress, and this is something fun and chill."

  "I love it. Do you sell them?"

  "I do. I have an online shop. I'll give you one of my cards."

  She dug one out of her purse and handed it to Mia.

  "I love handmade jewelry. What else do you have?" Mia noticed her bracelets. "Did you make those bracelets, too?"

  Wendy nodded. "Bracelets and earrings, too. I have several pieces with me." She pulled one of the bracelets off. "Here, you keep this one."

  Mia slid the bracelet on her wrist. It was a super thin hammered silver with
a dark black pearl in the center. "I love it. Are you sure you want to sell it?"

  "No, you take this one. And if you really do love it, you can check out the store and buy more."

  Mia looked over at Wendy. "Are you serious? This is lovely, Wendy. But I don't want to take your bracelet."

  Wendy laughed. "I can make more, and yes, I'd love for you to have it."

  "Then you need to give me more of your cards, because I can sell a lot of these for you at my office."

  Wendy put her arm around Mia. "Girl, you are my new best friend."

  Jamal put his arm around both of them. "I knew the two of you would hit it off."

  "Go away, Jamal," Wendy said. "I'm chillin' with my new best friend."

  Mia laughed. "I think your boyfriend considered this a romantic weekend."

  "Oh, he'll get his romance. For now, though, it's wine time."

  Mia was more than ready to get this day started. As Nathan came up beside her, she looped her arm in his and they headed toward the waiting limo.

  "Did I mention you look hot?"

  She grinned. "You did not. But thanks."

  She had a feeling this was going to be a very fun day.

  NINE

  BY TWO P.M. BOTH MIA AND WENDY WERE ON THEIR WAY to being hammered. Which was pretty funny because the one thing Nathan could always count on with Mia was her control.

  She really must have needed to let loose this weekend, because she'd sampled every glass of wine at every winery, and since he wasn't much of a wine guy, she'd finished off his glasses, too. He made sure she ate whatever snacks were offered, because he wanted her to have a good time and not get sick.

  Then again, he'd known her a long time. She knew her limits. Right now she was laughing at something Wendy said.

  He loved her laugh. She went into it full barrel, tilting her head back, her whole body shaking. When Mia relaxed and let go, she could have fun with wild abandon. That's the way he wanted to see her all the time. Throwing out those inhibitions and allowing herself to have fun. As he sat back and took a sip of the beer he and Jamal had managed to score at this awesome winery, he was content to just watch her.

  "Does she know you have a thing for her?" Jamal asked.

  Nathan turned his attention to Jamal. "I don't have a thing for her. We're friends."

  "Uh-huh. I have friends who are women, and I don't look at them like that."

  "Like what?"

  "Like you want to strip her naked and lick every inch of her skin. Which is the way I look at Wendy. Not the way I look at my women friends. My women friends? I look at them as if they're dudes. Do you look at Mia like she's a dude?"

  He slanted his gaze over to Mia, who had leaned over to whisper something to Wendy. They were currently sitting in an outside courtyard at the winery. Nathan and Jamal were up at the bar while Mia and Wendy sat at one of the tables. He focused on Mia, on the way her capris hugged her well-toned calves, and the way her delicate fingers moved as she carried on a conversation. He wanted her fingers in his mouth. He wanted to suck on them as he pumped his cock inside of her.

  Goddamn.

  "No," he answered in response to Jamal's question.

  "Does Mia know about it?"

  "Know about what? There's nothing to know. We're friends and always have been and that's all we're ever going to be."

  Jamal slanted a look at him. "But it doesn't sound like that's what you want."

  "It's what she wants."

  "Oh, she's friend zoned you."

  He shrugged. "I'm not sure that's really what she wants. She's afraid to lose the friendship, though. I keep trying to tell her we won't."

  Jamal lifted his beer and took a sip, then studied the women before looking back at Nathan. "Are you sure you wouldn't, though? Mixing sex with friendship can be a dangerous game."

  "Maybe. But I value the friendship as much as she does. I just happen to think we can have both."

  "You sure she wants you? Maybe she has a guy."

  Nathan shook his head. "She doesn't have a guy. I'd know if she did."

  "How?"

  "Because we're friends and I know everything about her."

  "Okay. Then if you want her, go after her. Just know there are risks."

  Nathan took a long pull of his beer, then set it on the bar and motioned for the bartender to give them another round. "Yeah, I know. It's what kept me from pushing it with her."

  "I guess you have to decide if the sex is worth the risk of the friendship."

  He took the beer the bartender offered, wrapping his hand around the bottle. "Yeah."

  Looking at Mia, listening to the sound of her laughter, he knew he could maintain the friendship. They had too much to lose to let that go.

  He wanted her. Hell, he'd always wanted her. There had been other women after her, but he'd always come back to Mia. He'd respected the sexual wall she'd put up between them, but he'd never stopped wanting more.

  He noticed how she looked at him, the way she touched him, and it went beyond friends. With every day they spent with each other, they were growing physically closer. He just had to convince her to break down that wall and add sex to their relationship.

  Maybe this weekend would be a good time to test the waters.

  "Let's go join the women," Nathan suggested.

  "Yeah, let's do that."

  They pushed off the bar and went to the table.

  "Hey, babe," Wendy said as Jamal leaned over to brush a kiss over her lips.

  "Hey yourself. Are you having a good time?"

  "I'm having just the best time."

  Nathan pulled up a chair next to Mia. "How about you? Having fun?"

  "Yes. Are you?"

  He lifted up his bottle of beer. "I am now."

  She laughed.

  "We need to refine your palate. Let's go into the tasting room."

  "You do realize I drink wine on occasion."

  "Of course I do. But let's go play with some wine." She pushed her chair back and stood. "We'll be back."

  "We'll be right here," Wendy said.

  Mia took Nathan's hand as they walked into the tasting room. He had no complaints about that so he let her guide him inside. Since they had VIP passes they were allowed to go in and taste the wine as often as they wanted to at the wineries.

  Mia went to the counter. "Okay, white or red?"

  "Don't care."

  "Fine. First, take a sip of water to cleanse your palate from the offending beer."

  He tried not to laugh. "Sure." He took a couple of sips of water.

  She wrinkled her nose as she studied the menu, then chose a pinot noir. "This winery has an incredible pinot. Smooth and very flavorful. I think you'll like it."

  He took a sip. Surprisingly it was pretty decent. "It's good."

  Mia's face lit up as if she'd just given him the best gift ever. "So you like it?"

  "For wine, I like it."

  "Excellent. I've already asked for two bottles of this, so you'll probably end up having some next time you come over."

  "Or, I'll have a beer, which you always kindly keep stocked for me."

  She grasped his arm. "You know, Nathan, someday I will make you a wine lover."

  "Or not."

  She shook her head. He picked up a slice of cheese and hand-fed it to her, watching as her lips closed over it. Watching her throat work as she swallowed made his dick twitch.

  Yeah, okay, so he had it bad for Mia. She didn't need to know how bad.

  He used his thumb to swipe the corner of her mouth, noticing how her focus remained on his face. This wasn't a friends-only exchange. He felt the connection between them, the heat as they stood close.

  But he was going to give it time. He gave her his signature grin. "Now you can wash it down with more wine."

  "A total win for me." She took another glass of wine and sipped it, then handed it to Nathan. "This one is very good. Try it."

  He turned the glass around where her lips had been and took
a drink, noticing the way she watched his mouth. When she licked her lips, he knew what she wanted. If they weren't in a public place he'd put the glass down and kiss her.

  But she was also more than a little inebriated, and when he made the suggestion, he wanted her sober. So right now it was fun and games and nothing more.

  But he still wanted a taste of her, and this was as close as it was going to get for now.

  "Good?" she asked, her voice sounding a little raw.

  He leaned in closer. "Yeah. Really good."

  A tour group had come in, crowding them together. When a couple pushed up to the counter, Mia laid her hands on Nathan's chest.

  "Your heart is beating fast," she said, tilting her head back to look up at him.

  "Is it? Must be because your body is against mine."

  "Nathan. What are we going to do about this?"

  He was about to give her an answer, but Jamal had made his way through the crowd.

  "Hey, limo guy said it's time to move on. You two ready to go?"

  Mia blinked, then gave Nathan a look of regret. She turned to Jamal and smiled. "Absolutely."

  Nathan led her through the group and outside, where Mia met up with Wendy without once looking back at him.

  Yeah, not the right time now.

  But soon.

  TEN

  MIA FELT GOOD. LIKE, REALLY GOOD. SHE'D HAD SUCH an amazing time today with Nathan, Wendy and Jamal. Plus, she was pretty inebriated, so that didn't hurt.

  They'd hit four wineries and she'd had plenty to drink. She laid her head back on the plump leather of the limo and closed her eyes, and before she knew it she was asleep. She slept the entire ride back to the lodge, only waking when Nathan jostled her.

  Ugh. Now her mouth felt like cotton and she had a headache. She went upstairs to her room and downed two full bottles of water and popped some pain reliever. She lay on her bed and closed her eyes for about half an hour. When she woke, she felt immensely better. She texted Nathan, who passed along information about their dinner reservation, which was in an hour.

  Plenty of time for her to get ready. Wendy had made a reservation at a Michelin-starred restaurant with an amazing view, so Mia took out the fancy black dress and her heels. Since she was wearing Wendy's silver bracelet, she chose a long silver chain necklace to go with it. The dress scooped a little low in front so the necklace would bring attention to her cleavage--what little she had. Then again, she wouldn't mind that at all considering the teasing she and Nathan had been doing today.

  And what exactly was she doing with Nathan? She didn't have an answer to that, nor did she have the time to ponder it because there was a knock on the door. She opened it and tried not to suck in a breath as Nathan stood there wearing black slacks and a white button-down shirt.