"I suppose you have the menu memorized."
He laughed. "Pretty much."
She scanned the menu. There were several items that piqued her interested. "Any recommendations?"
"The salmon is good. So is the lobster risotto. And you can never mess up by going with the scallops."
"Okay. Thanks."
When Lauren came back with their tea, Haven ordered the salmon, and Trevor ordered scallops.
"We need oysters, too," Trevor said.
"Of course you do. I've already ordered them," Lauren said with a grin.
"Thanks."
"They do know you well here, don't they?" Haven asked after Lauren left.
"They fly the oysters in fresh from the Pacific Northwest. Trust me, you're going to love them."
"I trust you. Mind if I ask you some questions while we're waiting?"
He took a sip of his tea. "No. Go ahead."
She fished her notebook out of her bag. "What happens when one team or the other says you have to choose?"
"That hasn't happened yet."
"What if it does?"
"I'll deal with it if and when that day comes. But there's no point in thinking or worrying about something that hasn't happened yet, or something that may not happen. I'm in good shape and so far I've been able to help both teams during the times I've played with them. It's working."
"Is it? Don't you feel a pull to one sport or another?"
"No."
"You don't have a favorite."
"No."
She made notes as he spoke, but she set her notebook on the table and looked at him. "But surely these teams suffer having a part-time player."
"Have they? Tampa made the playoffs last year. St. Louis won their division. I don't call that suffering."
"But what could those teams do--what kind of player could you be--if you chose just one sport to play? I mean, come on, Trevor. Considering how good you are playing part time for both, if you chose just one you could potentially be a superstar at that one sport. Surely that has to have crossed your mind at some point in your career."
She had to wait for his answer, because Lauren brought their oysters right then.
But she could tell from the smile on his face that he hadn't taken her question seriously.
She wondered if Trevor took anything seriously. Including his career. He was so . . . laid back, so easygoing, seemingly enjoying everything about his life and his jobs.
But her question had been a serious one. And she intended to bring it up again, because she was going to push at him until she got an answer.
TREVOR ENJOYED SEEING THIS SIDE OF HAVEN, WHEN she put on her journalist's hat and dug deep into her question box, drilling at him with probing questions.
Sure, he'd avoided her last question. It wasn't like it hadn't been asked of him before, and he'd given his standard pat answer.
But with Haven, he wanted to think about how to respond, because he wanted to be honest with her. Not with her network, but with her. And he wasn't ready yet to answer.
He didn't mind her grilling him, though. The fiery passion in her eyes was nice to see. It breathed life into her face, into every fiber of her body.
Her mother had been right. He could already see a difference in her. When she had focus, when she was fired up about something, she was much happier. He needed to keep that level of drive within her, keep her mind occupied so she wouldn't dwell on things she couldn't change.
"How's your salmon?" he asked as they ate.
"It's fantastic. Thank you for recommending it. I can see why you eat here so often. How are the scallops?"
"Awesome. Would you like a bite?"
She glanced over at his plate. "I would, actually."
He scooped up a forkful and held it over her plate. She bent and took the fork between her lips. He caught sight of the flick of her tongue underneath his fork. Just a small thing, really, but it made his cock tighten knowing her mouth and her tongue had been on his fork. Her lips were full and pink and he really wanted to see her tongue wrapped around his dick.
Resisting the urge to groan, he asked, "How is it?"
Instead, she let out a soft moan, her eyes floating partially closed. "It's delicious."
The sound of her moans, the way her eyes closed in ecstasy, only made his dick twitch and harden more. "Great. That's great."
He grabbed his glass and took a couple of swallows of iced tea, hoping to douse the flames that were burning him from the inside out.
"Would you like a bite of my salmon?" She held a forkful up to him.
He shook his head. "No, thanks. I've had it before. I know how good it is." And if she kept leaning into him like that, letting him breathe in her citrusy scent, he was going to drag her off her chair and bury his tongue in her mouth right there in the middle of the restaurant.
And now he was hard and uncomfortable and thinking about fucking Haven. While she was completely oblivious to his discomfort while she enjoyed her dinner.
Clearly this whole attraction thing was one-sided, and he was an idiot.
HAVEN CAUGHT THE NOT-SO-SUBTLE WAY TREVOR had been looking at her over dinner. A woman would have to be blind and stupid not to notice when a man was attracted to her, and Haven was neither.
In college, she'd have been giddy over the prospect of a guy like Trevor wanting her. Now, it presented a problem. A huge, complicated problem. On the one hand, she'd love to explore a sexual relationship with him. Or, hell, even one night of awesome sex. But that would simply kill her objectivity on this project, and that was what she'd been struggling with.
Then again, she was ridiculously sexually attracted to him right now. And she could still be objective about this assignment, couldn't she? So even if they did it, they could still work together. Or maybe she was rationalizing the hell out of wanting to sleep with him.
She could just go about this in an adult way and have a discussion with him about the pros and cons of them jumping into bed together. Then again, Trevor was a man with a penis, and she was certain he'd want to go for it, damn the consequences. Penises tended to take charge when it came to sex, and everyone knew a penis had a one-track mind. Of course, her vagina was currently doing all the thinking in this situation, and it wasn't being very rational at the moment, either.
She was overthinking this. So typical for her. Why couldn't she just shut down her brain and let herself feel, then go with her feelings?
Because she'd closed off her feelings, for her own self-preservation. Opening up that wall she'd so firmly shut down was unthinkable.
Not yet. She couldn't.
Sex didn't have to be emotional, though. It could just be physical. Fun and dirty and a release she so desperately needed.
"You've gone quiet over there," Trevor said after Lauren removed their dinner plates.
She finished her tea and nodded. "I've been thinking."
He smiled. "About more probing questions?"
It was time to put all her cards on the table. She was tired of thinking and not doing anything about it. "No. Actually, I was thinking about sex."
She could have laughed at his stunned expression. He looked around. "I don't think we're going to get into my sex life in this interview."
Now she did laugh. "Uh, no. That wasn't exactly what I was thinking about. It was more about--" Now she looked around, then leaned next to him. "You and me having sex."
Trevor signaled for Lauren. When she hurried over, he said, "We need the check. Now."
THIRTEEN
"YOU PICKED A HELL OF A TIME TO BRING UP HAVING sex, Haven," Trevor said, his fingers in a death grip on the steering wheel as he drove the highway toward his house. "I might crash the damn car."
She laughed. "You will not. And I didn't mean we need to have sex right now. I was just . . . pondering."
He shot her a quick glance before turning his gaze firmly back to the bridge. "Well, now the idea is in my head. So you need to decide if that's what you want."
"Of course it's what I want. That's why I was thinking about it. But we can talk about it, if you'd like."
"This is going to be the longest drive I've ever taken. And I don't want to talk about it. I definitely want to have sex with you. Unless you have reservations."
"I do have reservations. We're working together. If we have sex, it could compromise our working relationship."
"You think I won't take you seriously as a journalist if I fuck you."
She appreciated how blunt he was. Also, him just saying the words out loud made her body go up in flames. "Yes."
"One doesn't have anything to do with the other. We're doing an interview together. What we do during our off time is irrelevant. You're still contracted to ask me questions, follow me around, and do the bio."
"That's true."
"And I'm contracted to answer your questions--at least the ones I feel like answering."
She laughed. "So I've noticed."
He reached across the center console and laid his hand on her leg. The heat of his touch sent a shock wave of sensation through her body. "Don't do anything you don't feel comfortable doing, Haven."
She laid her hand over his. "If I weren't comfortable, Trevor, I wouldn't have brought it up. I want this. I want you."
She heard his deep intake of breath.
"I want you, too."
"Then let's do this."
He pressed down on the gas pedal and her lips curved into a smile.
"Try not to get a speeding ticket, okay?"
"I'll try."
In twenty minutes, they pulled into his driveway. Haven unbuckled her seat belt and reached for the handle of the door.
"Just . . . wait," Trevor said.
She did, surprised when he came over to her side of the car. He opened the door, reached for her hand, and pulled her from the car. When he shut the door, she only had a second to take a breath before he cupped the side of her neck, wrapped his arm around her waist, and tugged her close.
"I've been thinking about doing this ever since you got here."
His lips covered hers in a kiss that devastated her senses, turning her world haywire.
It was a soft, exploratory kiss, unbalancing her. Trevor brushed his lips back and forth across hers, and when the tip of his tongue flicked against her mouth, she opened, giving him entrance.
He tasted like after-dinner mints and delicious, hot promise. His mouth was soft and yet hard, masculine. Arousal flamed to life and pulsed a steady beat throughout her body, making her aware of every part of her body--and of Trevor's as well.
He backed her against the car, his body pressing into hers. She felt every inch of hard muscle as he moved against her, cupping her butt to pull her closer to the raging heat that seemed to pour off him until she wasn't sure if it was her, him, or the car.
But judging from her moans and his groans, she was pretty sure the two of them generated a lot more heat than the vehicle. And when he tore his lips from hers and murmured something about moving this inside, she had no objection, just followed mutely along like she was living in some kind of dream.
Maybe this was a dream, because she'd definitely fantasized about doing this with him for a long time.
Trevor certainly hadn't disappointed. That first kiss, if she'd been wearing socks, would have knocked them clear off. It was everything she'd ever thought it would be, and so much more.
He opened the front door and she stepped inside. She didn't make it far, either, because after he closed the door--without turning on the lights--he reached for her, pushing her against the wall in the hallway. And then his fingers tunneled into her hair, his body pressed up against hers. This kiss was more passionate, more oh-my-God, why hadn't she asked for it sooner? She laid her palms against his chest, feeling the fast beat of his heart, the hard plane of muscle, and wanted nothing more than to feel her naked skin against his. Just the thought of it weakened her legs.
She had a very good imagination, and she could already envision their arms and legs tangled together. And as he surged against her, her sex dampened with anticipation. She moaned, and he flicked his tongue against hers, his groan answering her growing impatience.
He moved his hands over her body, lifting the back of her dress to run his fingers over her butt. Everywhere he touched, she tingled, and when he slid his hand inside her panties, she pulled her lips from his and locked gazes with him.
His eyes had gone dark, the desire she felt mirrored in the intensity of his gaze. She traced her fingers over his bottom lip, panting even more now that he dipped his fingers lower, cupping the globes of her ass, drawing her toward the heat, the delicious hardness of his erection. He pressed in, rubbing himself against her clit, and she could swear that if he did that just a few times, she'd come. It had been too long for her, and she was pent-up, needy, and ready to explode.
That was all she needed from him. Just a release of the tension that had been building inside her for what seemed like forever. This wasn't an emotional connection. She refused to let it be. But she knew Trevor, had known him a long time. And maybe that was what was making this so much . . . easier.
At least tonight. And tonight was all she needed from him. Just tonight.
When he swooped her up into his arms and carried her toward her wing, she refused to feel . . . swept away, refused to let the romanticism of the gesture sway her. Instead, she focused on his strength, imagining all that power moving over her, visualizing how it would feel when he was inside her. She knew he would get her there, and she needed it in a hurry.
So when he stopped at her bedroom, she knew she was ready for him. He pushed open her door and stood her next to the bed, immediately taking her mouth in a kiss that was demanding in its urgency. She met him more than halfway, curling her fingers around the nape of his neck to hold him there, as if she were afraid that this was all a dream, and she'd suddenly wake up to find she was imagining it all.
But then he wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her closer, and he groaned as their bodies met. She realized this was all oh, so deliciously real and she needed it to happen right now.
She was in a hurry, and when she slid her hand between them to cup his erection, she heard his gruff response, reveled in it, and skimmed her hand inside his shorts and underwear to grasp hold of his more than sizable shaft.
He helped her by jerking his shorts and underwear to the ground, stepping out of them, giving her the freedom to wrap her hand fully around the thickness of him, to gaze unabashedly down at his cock.
"Uh, wow, Trevor," she said.
He grinned. Such a male. So proud of what he had.
He had a right to be. She couldn't wait to feel him inside her, bringing her the release she craved.
He leaned against her, giving her free rein to stroke and pet him while he kissed the side of her neck and teased her earlobe with his tongue. And when he pulled the strap of her dress down and kissed that spot between her neck and shoulder, she shivered, so sensitive there that goose bumps broke out on her skin.
He read her body's responses well, because he lingered there, laving his tongue over that spot, drawing her skin into his mouth, teasing her with his teeth until she tilted her head back, momentarily distracted by what he was doing.
Which gave him the opening to draw the other strap of her dress down, pulling the material over her breasts. He had her bra unhooked and had that removed too before she even noticed what he was doing.
It was like she was in a dreamlike state, as if this weren't really happening.
But it was, and when he turned her to face him and he said, "Look at you, Haven. So sexy. So beautiful," she found it kind of hard to believe those words were being said by Trevor.
But the way he looked at her, the way he skimmed his thumbs over her nipples and cupped her breasts, made her gasp. He made her feel beautiful and wanted. And God, she really needed that tonight.
She really needed him tonight. No one else but him.
 
; He pushed her dress off and it pooled into a puddle at her feet. She stepped out of it, leaving her wearing only her pink string-bikini underwear. She took a step back from him so she could pull them off.
"No," he said, and closed the distance between them. "Let me do that."
"You know I don't need romance."
He quirked a brow at her, then smiled. "Every woman needs romance. Or at least a little seduction."
"I don't. I just need sex." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him, or herself. She just wanted a damn orgasm, while trying to keep her emotions closed off.
He let out a soft laugh. "We're definitely going to have sex. But how about you let me work out my seduction moves on you first?"
"Why? Are you out of practice?"
He quirked a smile at her. "Maybe. You let me know how I do, okay?"
She was about to object, to let him know it was okay if they just fucked, but the look he gave her was so sincere, she couldn't help but be moved.
"Okay."
"Good. You seemed like you were in a hurry. Sex should never be hurried."
"Sometimes a quickie is good."
He came toward her, and she couldn't help but lick her lips in anticipation. He had a body that any woman would want. Tall, broad shoulders, wide chest, lean hips, and a cock just meant to give hours of pleasure, provided a man knew what to do with it.
She hoped he knew what to do with it.
"Yeah, a quickie can be good. But not the first time, Haven." He bent and grasped the strings of her underwear, slowly dragging them over her hips and down her legs. She held her breath as she watched, especially when he lingered there, breathing her in. Then he stood, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her, depositing her on her bed, following her down. He loomed over her, laying his palm flat on her rib cage. "The first time a couple has sex, it should last for hours. There's exploration to be done."
Oh, God. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea.
FOURTEEN
A QUICKIE? WHAT THE HELL. NO WAY WAS TREVOR giving Haven a quick fuck. Not the first time.
He had no idea what was going on in her head, but when she'd first suggested sex in the restaurant, the idea of banging her in the car in the parking lot had rushed into his head, so yeah, maybe a quickie had been on his mind. At least initially.
But this was Haven, and she deserved better, especially since having sex with her had been on his mind a lot.