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  She tried to get away from him, but he only had to tighten his grip on her hand and she didn’t do anything else. It almost made him smile again. It pleased his most primitive side, the way she became a docile little lamb only with him. He would never think of mentioning that, though. With Lace, it would just make her act contrary, probably even get her to kiss another man just to prove she didn’t feel anything for him.

  When he had her alone in the corner, he gestured for the private attendant Liam had hired, taking a glass of champagne from the tray. Nodding his thanks, he presented it to Lace. “Drink. You seem to need it.”

  That she didn’t even protest at his commanding tone made him even more certain something was wrong. When she had taken a sip, he said bluntly, “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Nothing.” Her voice was flat.

  He expected it. She was fiercely independent, his beautiful lamb. He tipped her chin up, and as expected, her blue eyes were stormy and vulnerable at the same time. It made him want to haul her into his arms and kiss her problems away.

  Didn’t she know he was hers to command, dammit? She only had to say a word, and he would slay dragons for her.

  Problem was, with Lace, she would rather die than have someone help her.

  So instead he said quietly, “Whatever it is, you need to get it off your chest or you might mess up later on.” It was pure manipulation on his part, and she reacted like he knew she would, dismay spreading across her face as she realized there was truth in his words.

  He knew her better than she knew herself, but Silver also knew it was best to leave her unaware of that.

  She was looking at him like she was waiting for him to say something else. So he did, changing the subject, confusing her even more. “Ready for later?”

  Lace blinked at him several times before finally saying, “Umm. I think.” She frowned. “I hope.”

  He raised his fist. “For good luck?”

  Her lips curved even as she obediently bumped fists with him. With Lace, the key to getting her to do what he wanted was to let her think she had chosen to do it. They talked about inconsequential things after that, and when it was time for them to dance, she didn’t say a word. They whirled about the dance floor in perfect synchrony, Lace allowing him to lead from start to finish. He was tempted to pull her indecently close to his body again, but Silver managed to stifle the urge. Tonight was different from all their rehearsals. This time, with hundreds of eyes trained on them, it was more than probable someone would notice if he did something more than what was permitted.

  It was only over dinner, when desserts were being served as the final course, that Lace finally spoke. “I have a problem.”

  He said simply, “Tell me.” Silver listened intently as she spoke, awkwardly and stiltedly.

  “The team I’m managing…they hate me, and I’m not saying it lightly.” She looked down on her lap. “None of them listen to what I have to say, they all think I have no idea what I’m doing—”

  “So quit.”

  Her head jerked up, Lace gaping at him as she demanded, “Do you know how hard it was for me to nab a position as a team manager? I mean, there wasn’t even a position like it to begin with, and it was only because of my high school P.E. teacher that they made me team manager.”

  “If they can create a position for you, I’m sure another school would be willing to do the same.”

  She was already shaking her head before he had even finished speaking. “You don’t get it. My school has a Division I team.” Her eyes narrowed. “You do know what that means, right?”

  He answered honestly, “No.”

  She looked like she wanted to strangle him. “Why are we even talking when you don’t know anything about basketball?”

  He leaned forward towards Lace at her question, taking her by surprise, making her lean back the closer he got. He saw her swallow when he raised his hand, and he almost smiled, knowing her imagination had just gone into overdrive.

  “Wh—”

  He pressed a finger on her lips.

  She shut up, shock written all over her face. He was willing to bet no one had ever done such a thing to her before, and if someone else had, he was also willing to bet she wouldn’t stand for it.

  But it wasn’t someone else.

  He was Silver March, and it was his finger on her lips, and so she could only stare at him, her gaze mutinous and bemused at the same time.

  “You’re right,” he said quietly. “I don’t know about anything about basketball. But what I know is more important.” He saw the question in her gaze, and he clarified succinctly, “I know you. The moment I met you, all you could talk about was basketball. I’ve seen the way your eyes brighten when you talk about it, the way your voice would perk up, the passion you have for it – I only have to listen to you to know how hard you must have worked to get where you are now.”

  He removed his finger, and she immediately wetted her lips, as if his touch had left her breathless, her throat dry. The tiny dart of her pink tongue almost made him curse, his body instantly reacting, and he mentally cursed his tailor for giving him such tight-fitting pants.

  “You say you don’t want to quit, but that’s already what you’re doing. If you stay with that team of yours, it wouldn’t matter they’re a First Division team—”

  “Division I,” she corrected.

  “Whatever the hell they are, it wouldn’t matter. Because with them, your career won’t go anywhere. You need to go where what you’d be doing would matter—” He paused before letting the penny drop. “Even if you have to start all over again.”

  Lace stared at him like he had just told her he was going to burn all thirty-four pairs of rubber shoes she had in her closet.

  After a long moment, she spoke again, her voice barely audible. “I’m scared.”

  He knew how difficult it was for Lace to have admitted her fear, knew she wouldn’t have done it with another man except him. He breathed hard, everything in him wanting to pull her into his lap then and there. He wanted to promise he would take care of everything, would fucking buy Lace her own Division I team if she wanted. He could do that, but then she could do that, too. He had done his research and knew the Wyndhams were just as wealthy as his family. Buying her way to a successful career wasn’t her thing, and he wouldn’t do her the dishonor of even suggesting it.

  All he wanted was to give her what she needed, and right now, she needed to be told the truth.

  “It’s okay to be afraid.” He held her gaze. “But what’s not okay is being a coward. I don’t think you ever were, so don’t start now.”

  Her head lowered. “I can’t change schools just like that.”

  “Yes. You can.” She was merely grasping at straws, and they both knew it.

  “It could still not work.”

  “But at least you did something.”

  He watched her take a deep breath. “I’ll think about it.”

  Silver nodded. He changed the subject then, knowing she needed time to take it all in. When it was time to go, they left the ballroom together, side by side but their hands not touching. It wasn’t that he was not a fast mover. He was. But with Lace, aggression would only backfire. With his rebellious little lamb, he had to force himself to slow things down, to take things one step at a time.

  The elevator doors opened, and he gestured for her to precede him. She wrinkled her nose, but he didn’t move. He didn’t give a damn if she thought it was old-fashioned of him. She was a woman. His woman. He would treat her as such.

  Finally, she stepped inside, and he followed her in, pressing the button for the hotel’s basement parking.

  When he turned around to face her—

  Bam.

  His lamb had thrown herself at him, forcing him back against the wall. Her hands clutched his shoulders as she tiptoed and pressed her lips against his, a feather-soft brush that even for all its briefness was incredibly hot, so much so that their sexual chemistry instantly explod
ed, transforming from a subtle presence into something living and tangible.

  Silver froze at the kiss, but before he could figure out whether it was just his imagination or not, Lace was already pulling away, looking more beautiful than ever with her flushed cheeks.

  What the hell was that? And why the fuck was it over already? He cupped her face as he demanded starkly, “Why did you kiss me?”

  She was so obviously embarrassed at what she had just done that he expected her to look away when she answered. But she didn’t, proving he hadn’t been wrong about her. She had her moments of fear, but his lamb was no coward.

  “When my guys do something really well, I usually reward them with a day off from practice.” Her cheeks turned redder with every word, but her beautiful blue eyes remained on him. “With you, I don’t think that would work.”

  His lips curved. “No. It won’t.”

  “So all the way here, I was wondering what would be a suitable way to thank you for being honest, for telling me what I had to hear…” She was squirming now, her face scrunched up like she was being forced to bathe in a sewer. “And I thought…a kiss would work?”

  His smile widened, more so when he saw how her eyes were drawn to his lips. Ah, God, his lamb was a seductive sight, the way she could be all sensual and womanly only with him.

  “You knew I wanted you?”

  He expected her to be honest with him, and she was. It was one of the many things he loved about her, the way she was anything but coy, like “sportsmanlike conduct” had to be applied to every aspect of her life, even off the court.

  “Liam told me last week…”

  At the mention of the groom’s name, Silver could feel himself flushing, knowing what she was about to say.

  “Your older brother found another guy willing to take his place in the dance.” She stopped speaking, as if the next words she had to say were just too mortifying.

  So he continued it for her, his voice silky as he said, “And you learned from Liam that I refused to let the other man take my place.”

  A tiny nod.

  “Which means you know how long I’ve wanted you.”

  A tinier nod.

  “You’re wrong.”

  Lace jerked. A moment later, she tried to pull away, but he didn’t let her. Reaching behind her, he pressed the elevator’s Hold button. The hotel was Aehrenthal property, one of the many that belonged to his brother-in-law’s family. It meant his face would be familiar to security, enough for them to look the other way if he desired more than a moment of privacy with his sly little lamb.

  And she was sly, more than he gave her credit for. She had known about his feelings and she had never given him a clue.

  He had to punish her for that.

  Slowly, he traced her lips, making her stiffen even more. “You actually think I only wanted you for the past two weeks?” A humorless laugh escaped him. “You have to be fucking joking. I’ve wanted you the first time I met you. From the very first moment,” he rasped, “I’ve been this way in your presence.”

  He took her hand, pressing it to his cock, and his erection hardened even more at the way she whimpered with a mixture of shock and desire, her eyes those of a deer caught in the headlights.

  “I thought I had to take things slow with you, but you never cease to surprise me.” Her fingers started to move, but he pressed her hand closer towards his erection, almost groaning when her fingers moved in reflex, curling around his length. “I never thought you’d kiss me, never thought you’d be so bold to tell me you know I want you.”

  Before she could speak, he pressed a finger to her lips.

  She fell silent.

  “I like it.” He watched her swallow at his words. “I like it very much.” Another swallow, her cheeks the deepest shade of rose now. “But as for my reward…” His voice lowered. “I think I should teach you the proper way to do it.”

  At his words, her entire body jerked.

  “When I kiss you…” He exerted the slightest bit of pressure on her hand on his cock. “Don’t let go.”

  After a long moment, she nodded slowly, shakily.

  It was all he needed, his mouth replacing his finger on her lips. He kissed her slowly and softly at first, patiently coaxing Lace to open her mouth under his. And when she did, he took his time, nibbling on that beautiful lower lip of hers, sucking it the way he had wanted to from the very start. And when he felt her body softening against him, that was only when Silver deepened the kiss, one arm curling around her nape while another moved to curve around her bottom, using it to press her closer to his body.

  When his tongue moved inside her mouth, she whimpered, and he groaned a second later, the way her fingers involuntarily tightening around his cock driving him crazy with need.

  There was no way he could be gentle now, not even if his life depended on it. And she didn’t seem to mind, her wildly responsive ways making him badly want to start pushing his cock in and out of her tight grip.

  Only when he knew he had to let her breathe did he force himself to move away. She was staring up at him, dazed, her breathing choppy. Slowly, he reached for her hand on his cock and reluctantly pulled it away.

  Seeing the way she trembled with fear and confusion, knowing that her world would soon be turned upside down because of his own advice, Silver knew he had to give her time.

  He pressed the Hold button and the elevator started to move again.

  “Lace.” His voice was harsh with suppressed desire.

  Her eyes jerked to his.

  God, those pretty rosebud lips. His fists clenched at the effort it took not to kiss them again and make her lips even more swollen that they already were. “Don’t you fucking think it’s over between us.”

  The elevator doors opened.

  He forced himself to step out first. Time, he told himself determinedly. For her, he would do his damnedest to give her time to realize that what they had was once in a lifetime, and because it was, nothing else mattered.

  Not the fact that she was nineteen and he was twenty-five. Or that she was still in college while his work took him all over the world.

  Lace was looking at him like she was doing her best not to cry, like she thought he was just making excuses and that he was in fact abandoning her.

  With a silent curse, he reached for her, and the way she went to him so willingly nearly broke his self-control. He gave her a short hard kiss – the only thing he could trust himself to do – before pulling away. “I’ll come back for you, little lamb.”

  And then he forced himself to walk away without looking back.

  Part Two: Lace

  First Promise

  One month later

  Lace stood at the edge of the court, back straight, shoulders stiff. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind, but none of them made it past her lips.

  Vasyl. The eighteen-year-old point guard, the youngest in the team but also the most agile. He had the makings of a future leader, if only he stopped thinking of his age as a disadvantage.

  Drew. The nineteen-year-old small forward. He was unbelievably sly, like a damn fox. But he was also incredibly distrustful, preferring to run the show on his own. Didn’t he know that even His Airness couldn’t have made it without Pippen, Rodman, and the rest of the Bulls supporting him?

  Alexio. The power forward, also the same age as Drew. He was the most volatile of them all, his temper getting him in foul trouble within the first minutes of the game.

  Damian. The twenty-year-old center. He was the tallest in the team at six-foot-seven and built like an MMA fighter. She could train him to be NCAA’s top blocker – but first she had to learn Greek since he didn’t seem to speak English.

  Ivan. Like Damian, he was also twenty years old, and he had been appointed as team captain by the previous one, Reid Chalkias, the university’s so-called Prince of Darkness. Since Reid was a player she greatly respected, Lace knew he must have had a good reason to choose Ivan as a successor. She just wi
shed she could have asked him what it was. So far, Ivan was the one that puzzled her the most. It wasn’t that he didn’t have the skills. He was one of the most impressive players she had ever seen, as deadly inside the paint as he was beyond the three-point-line. But that was not the problem. What she couldn’t get was how someone so dispassionate about basketball could lead the team.

  The other players making up her 12-man team all had problems, too, but so far her starting five posed the biggest headaches.

  Coach Rob gestured for her to come over from the other side of the court, and she quickly jogged to his side. When she reached him, he blew the whistle, and everyone came to a halt, every player turning towards them.

  Then Coach Rob turned to her, too.

  Lace froze.

  “Anything you want to say to the team before we dismiss them?”

  Silence.

  A huge, gaping silence that was an embarrassing reflection of the current state of her mind. God. She was Lace Wyndham, the one girl who was never at a loss for words when it came to coaching players.

  But right now, she couldn’t think of a single word to say to her one-month-old team. They were just so different.

  Her old team in high school had been like family, a group of unruly boys she had to alternately discipline and babysit, depending on which they needed more.

  And back at Northwest, even though everyone had been major assholes to her after their first month together, they had been immature assholes, and she had known right away how to handle them.

  But the mix of Greek and American players staring at her right now?

  They were anything but immature.

  Hell, they were perfect in every way, all of them capable of being a triple-double threat. They all had their problems, but did they really need someone like her to point it out? Wouldn’t they be able to figure it on their own anyway?

  “Wyndham?”

  She jumped at Coach Rob’s tone, realizing that she had actually been silent for one full minute.

  “Anything you want to say?”