time to absorb all she’d dumped on him in the last few minutes.
The date in July the woman had said she’d been with him jumped off the page. “This is when I was supposedly in Miami seducing this woman and getting her pregnant?”
Laurel nodded.
He pressed his lips together. “That was smack in the middle of the Outlaws’ training camp.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what that means.”
“It means that I was on lockdown training with the team no where near Florida. I couldn’t have left training and gone there even if I’d wanted to. There is no way I could have been in Florida during that week. And you would have known that if you’d bothered to check.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“You could have asked.”
“How? You’re so protected by your ‘people’ that my client couldn’t even get a call through to you.”
Trent stood so fast, Laurel took a step back , as if she was afraid of him. He took a second to breathe and steady himself.
“Laurel, I get it. It still sucks that you believed I was capable—” He shook his head and let it drop. Instead, pulling his cell phone out of his jeans.
“Who are you calling?”
“One of m y people .” God, he hated that she’d said it, but not as much as the fact it was true. He was what he’d never wanted to be. He hit the number for his manager and listened to it ring until Tom answered. “Tom. It’s Trent.”
“Hey. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you this early into your break.”
“Yeah, well, my break hit a little bump in the road. Listen, was there anyone, a woman, who tried to get in touch with me over the past say, six months or so?”
“Um, I don’t know. That kind of thing would go to one of the interns or the lower level staff.”
Annoyed at that information, Trent moved on to the next matter. “Okay. I need you to do something for me. I need you to run a credit check and see if anything suspicious shows up. There’s a chance someone’s using my name and charging things in Florida since last July.”
Tom let out a whistle. “Damn. I’ll get on it right away.”
“And Tom ?” Trent set his jaw. “I’d appreciate it if you’d handle this yourself, please. Don’t farm it out to an intern.”
There was a pause before Tom’s answer. “All right, Trent.”
Satisfied that his overpaid manager had been sufficiently chastised, Trent disconnected the call and looked at Laurel.
“You believe me.” It didn’t sound like a question. More of her stating the obvious while being amazed at it.
“Of course, I believe you.”
“So you’re not mad at me?”
“I didn’t say that.” Truth was, he wasn’t mad at her. Disappointed, yes, but no longer angry. “Come here.”
She covered the distance it took to bring her to him. He wrapped his arms around her back and couldn’t deny how good her arms clasped around his waist felt.
“You still should have told me.”
“I know.” She nodded against his chest.
“W ere you really—what was the word you used? Enthralled?”
“Captivated.”
“Ah, that’s right.” When he laughed, she punched him in the arm with one fist.
“Stop laughing at me. And don’t let it go to your head.”
“Hard not to. I mean, I’m a man who has people so it’s easy to get a swelled head.” He pulled back so he could look down at her, serious now. “I was pretty captivated myself.”
“You were?” There was hope in her expression.
“Yup. You even made me break my own rules by spending the night with you.”
“I’m happy about that.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m glad you were, because I sure wasn’t. So, are you in Texas for long?”
“I hadn’t thoug ht about it. I booked a one-way flight here because I wasn’t going to leave until you listened to me.”
She sure was a determined little thing. He liked it.
“Well, if you’re gonna stay for a bit, I could show you around. I am a native, after all.”
“I’d like that.”
His
The date in July the woman had said she’d been with him jumped off the page. “This is when I was supposedly in Miami seducing this woman and getting her pregnant?”
Laurel nodded.
He pressed his lips together. “That was smack in the middle of the Outlaws’ training camp.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what that means.”
“It means that I was on lockdown training with the team no where near Florida. I couldn’t have left training and gone there even if I’d wanted to. There is no way I could have been in Florida during that week. And you would have known that if you’d bothered to check.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“You could have asked.”
“How? You’re so protected by your ‘people’ that my client couldn’t even get a call through to you.”
Trent stood so fast, Laurel took a step back , as if she was afraid of him. He took a second to breathe and steady himself.
“Laurel, I get it. It still sucks that you believed I was capable—” He shook his head and let it drop. Instead, pulling his cell phone out of his jeans.
“Who are you calling?”
“One of m y people .” God, he hated that she’d said it, but not as much as the fact it was true. He was what he’d never wanted to be. He hit the number for his manager and listened to it ring until Tom answered. “Tom. It’s Trent.”
“Hey. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you this early into your break.”
“Yeah, well, my break hit a little bump in the road. Listen, was there anyone, a woman, who tried to get in touch with me over the past say, six months or so?”
“Um, I don’t know. That kind of thing would go to one of the interns or the lower level staff.”
Annoyed at that information, Trent moved on to the next matter. “Okay. I need you to do something for me. I need you to run a credit check and see if anything suspicious shows up. There’s a chance someone’s using my name and charging things in Florida since last July.”
Tom let out a whistle. “Damn. I’ll get on it right away.”
“And Tom ?” Trent set his jaw. “I’d appreciate it if you’d handle this yourself, please. Don’t farm it out to an intern.”
There was a pause before Tom’s answer. “All right, Trent.”
Satisfied that his overpaid manager had been sufficiently chastised, Trent disconnected the call and looked at Laurel.
“You believe me.” It didn’t sound like a question. More of her stating the obvious while being amazed at it.
“Of course, I believe you.”
“So you’re not mad at me?”
“I didn’t say that.” Truth was, he wasn’t mad at her. Disappointed, yes, but no longer angry. “Come here.”
She covered the distance it took to bring her to him. He wrapped his arms around her back and couldn’t deny how good her arms clasped around his waist felt.
“You still should have told me.”
“I know.” She nodded against his chest.
“W ere you really—what was the word you used? Enthralled?”
“Captivated.”
“Ah, that’s right.” When he laughed, she punched him in the arm with one fist.
“Stop laughing at me. And don’t let it go to your head.”
“Hard not to. I mean, I’m a man who has people so it’s easy to get a swelled head.” He pulled back so he could look down at her, serious now. “I was pretty captivated myself.”
“You were?” There was hope in her expression.
“Yup. You even made me break my own rules by spending the night with you.”
“I’m happy about that.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m glad you were, because I sure wasn’t. So, are you in Texas for long?”
“I hadn’t thoug ht about it. I booked a one-way flight here because I wasn’t going to leave until you listened to me.”
She sure was a determined little thing. He liked it.
“Well, if you’re gonna stay for a bit, I could show you around. I am a native, after all.”
“I’d like that.”
His
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