I went to the hotel after I got showered and dressed. The hotel was amazing; my room beautiful with light parquet floors, a white bed and full-length windows that looked out over Denver. As a pro player, I was used to money and luxury, but I tried to stay objective, to see the good and the beauty in everything instead of just assuming it was there for the taking.

When it was time to get ready, I put on a suit. Edge was a classy restaurant, suiting the hotel, and the others would be dressed up, too. The suit was a navy blue, and I had a shirt and tie that matched perfectly. With shiny black shoes, I looked handsome. My body filled out the suit. Being muscled was a perk of being this active in a sport that was so physically taxing.

It was a pity Kina wasn’t here to see me.

At the restaurant, Hanson and Brian were waiting for me with the women in their lives. Lacey was fiery with short black hair and a bright green dress. Her eyes were a piercing blue. Sadie had black hair and a red dress that made her look invitingly dangerous, and both women clung to their men’s arms. I greeted them, and we were taken to our seats by the maître ‘d.

Edge was a chic version of a steakhouse, decorated with wooden accents, a light wood floor and golden lighting set into a modern ceiling. The wooden tables were polished within an inch of their lives and beige leather armchair completed the picture.

Delicious smells hung in the air. We moved between the tables and eyes flicked to us. People leaned forward and whispered to each other when they realized who we were. Being famous for the right reasons was just a welcome change.

The table was set for six. I frowned and looked Hanson. “Why did you make a reservation for six?” I asked. “Who’s the last chair for?”

“It’s for me,” a voice behind me said and when I turned around, Kina stood in front of me.

She looked amazing in a figure-hugging white wrap dress, her light blonde curls pinned onto her head. She smiled at me with lips that were a dark wine red. I wanted to pick her up, throw her over my shoulders and go charging to my hotel room to make sweet love to her. But then she would have gotten all dolled up for no reason.

“You’re here,” I said.

She nodded. I leaned down and hugged her before I pulled her chair out for her and helped her sit down. I sat down next to her.

I couldn’t believe she was here, looking like a vision. She was dressed to kill, and she looked comfortable in her surroundings. She fit into this world, too. I had thought that from the start. She might have taken me to a very laidback restaurant to talk the first time, but I wanted to make her a part of my world.

I had to be careful. I was thinking too much like she was mine, and she wasn’t.

“It’s not every day you see a player being escorted by his PR manager,” Brian joked.

Kina smiled. “Someone had to keep him out of trouble.”

We all laughed.

“I feel you,” Lacey said. “I should have done that with Hanson. It would have saved me a lot of heartache.”

Hanson looked embarrassed. Kina and Lacey laughed together. They were good friends. It was apparent now. Women had bonds in a different way than men had.

“What if she’s here to commend me on my good behavior?” I asked.

Kina smiled at me, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “Your behavior would have to be commendable for that, honey. It’s not.”

Lacey and Kina laughed together. Sadie was grinning, too. The two men cried out and laughed at me.

“You two look like such a couple,” Sadie said.

I froze. Kina looked down at her place.

“You really do,” Brian agreed with his girlfriend.

“We’re not, though,” Kina said. Well, wasn’t that a great reminder.

Brian shrugged. “We’re just saying. We saw how you two lit up when you saw each other. Don’t even try to deny it.”

I glanced at Kina. She was smiling politely, but she’d switched off. I knew she didn’t want a relationship. It was very clear, now, in case I hadn’t been sure before. But that was okay. I wasn’t sure I would manage in a relationship again, anyway. Sleeping with her was plenty without having to worry about loyalty and fidelity and all that shit.

“How was the game?” Kina asked, and I was glad about the change in subject. I explained to her about the game, how well we’d all played.

“Jacob was great,” Brian said. “He really played like a true Dolphin today.”

“Thanks, man,” I said to Brian.

“Yeah, great effort,” Hanson said. “Markus is full of shit, doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“What do you mean?” Kina asked Hanson.

I rolled my eyes. “Markus and some of the other players were going on about how my first preseason game hadn’t proved my worth because it was with a team of third stringers.” I shrugged. That was long gone. Markus hadn’t even played with the team tonight, and I’d been on the field all the way through. And we’d won. He could suck it.

“What is his problem?” Kina asked, looking at Hanson and Brian.

The two guys looked at each other and shrugged.

“There are rumors of a transfer,” Brian said. “He’s sour about that, but he’s just a bit of dick in general.”

“Yeah, we’ve never gotten along with him,” Hanson added.

Kina nodded and looked at me. “Well, whatever he does next, I’m sure we can handle it.”

Hanson grinned. “You never know which charity will help you out next.” He winked at me.

I shook my head, laughing. Hanson knew that I’d slept with Kina. I wasn’t sure if he’d told Brian—I hadn’t asked him not to—but I knew he would keep it a secret from everyone else. He also knew I hadn’t been talking about charities that night, that the only thing we’d been going over was each other.

Kina blushed. She knew that the boys knew, I guess assuming men always talked to each other about things like this. She didn’t seem to mind too much if they did know. When she glanced at me, her eyes were hungry. I knew what she was thinking. I wanted it, too. I was thinking the same thing.

That dress was beautiful on her, but it would look so much better on the floor of my hotel room.