The Player's Club: Finn by Cathy Yardley Page A

bitch.” Although she had, she realized. “Not always, anyway.”
    “You had every right,” Finn said, and for whatever reason, it was a small comfort to her. “So…my dad would’ve fired you if you didn’t come along, huh?”
    She blanched. No, he’s going to fire me if I don’t torpedo you. “It’s not that big a deal. He’s asked me to do worse.”
    Like what I’ll need to do when this month is over.
    “You may be the toughest woman I know,” Finn said.
    She discovered she liked having his respect. “Well, I didn’t mean to spout off like that. The water…shook me,” she admitted. “And I was resentful because it wasn’t my idea. I hate feeling like I’m being set up to fail.”
    “You should’ve told me no when we started this,” he said. “But you don’t tell people you can’t or won’t do something that often, do you? You think that would make you appear weak. And I think you hate acknowledging you’re not good at something.”
    He might have a point. That fact needled her, and she quickly cleaned off the table.
    “At least your other challenges are a walk in the park. Literally,” Finn said, with a laugh. “Theme park, anyway. Are you looking forward to it?”
    “A full day of kiddie rides. Oh, boy. Hold me back.”
    “It’s not… Never mind. You know, I’ll just let you experience it yourself.”
    “As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a job, Finn.” She wondered if he was disappointed by her response, and would the same hold true when they were at Disneyland.
    Quietly they sat together. The sky wasn’t like it was in San Francisco, which seemed to glow orange with the reflection of city lights on cloud cover. It was a deep navy blue, like the kind of blue when light reflects on dark satin. It was littered with brilliant, diamond-twinkling stars. For a second, she felt awed, almost overwhelmed.
    “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
    Finn’s voice was right near her ear—she’d been gazing up so intently, she hadn’t heard him coming so near her. She could now smell him, his masculine scent deliciously sexy, blending with the woods.
    “I don’t get a lot of chances to look at the stars,” she stammered, knowing that if she turned her head, his face would be right there, next to hers.
    And then what would you do?
    “Ever made love under the stars?”
    Her breasts tightened and her stomach twisted. Now that she knew what his body was capable of, her body sensed the opportunity for a repeat performance. It was lobbying hard for her to go for it.
    “I’m still mad at you, Finn,” she tried.
    “Pretend I’m somebody else, then.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “I’ve always wanted someone to call me Ramon.”
    It surprised a laugh out of her, which she downshifted into a sigh. She forced herself out of the chair, and to step away from him. “That thing in the locker room…”
    “Oh, yes,” he breathed, closing the distance, rubbing her arms lightly with his fingertips.
    “It was a mistake, Finn, for both of us. I generally don’t sleep with men I don’t know, and I certainly don’t do it on the premises of Macalister corporate headquarters.”
    “Breaking the rules sometimes can be fun, Diana,” he said, his whispering sending a thrill along her nerve endings. “The unexpected, the forbidden. Didn’t you like that?”
    She bit her lip. Oh, he knew exactly how much she’d liked that.
    He leaned forward, his lips brushing along hers, just enough to tease and taunt, not enough to satisfy.
    “I thought you didn’t believe in torturing someone,” she said, against his mouth.
    “Not during hazing, anyway.” And he pulled her into his arms.
     
     
    WHEN SHE RELENTED to kissing him her body went pliant against his, and Finn sent up a silent shout of gratitude. He was finally getting to do what he’d been burning to do since he’d last tasted her. Then, it had been a long shot, a fluke, a deliciously forbidden surprise.
    This…well, this time, it was a