Isabella Knight pasted on her smile and waved to the cluster of photographers as she walked up the sidewalk and through the arched doorway into the Rosecrest Mansion. Unfortunately, the beautiful Spanish architecture with the warm yellow stucco exterior, clay roof tiles, and arched windows and doors was lost on her. She was too busy checking the location of her security detail for the night. Two nondescript men in tuxes followed her at a discreet distance. She scowled then immediately smoothed her face out when another camera flashed. This was exactly why she tried to avoid social media. Somebody at the hospital would usually show her when a particularly unflattering photo hit the Internet.

Thankfully, her regular life as a nurse practitioner didn’t include over-muscled goons following her around, but they were forced on her at any large social gatherings she attended. She often told her half-sister they weren’t the ones in danger. It was their father who was the money-grubbing tycoon. The threat was all on him. Still, she was smart enough to realize that kidnapping her or Hailey would be profitable for someone. Her father had enough parental inclinations to pay a ransom for Hailey, though she wasn’t a hundred percent certain about herself.

Clearing the doorway, she glanced back one more time to see if her security guys were following and waved to the swarm of photographers again. She looked the part of the daughter of a wealthy oil tycoon and the owner of the Texas Titans. She wore a form-fitting teal blue knee-length dress and gorgeous Manolo Blahnik silver heels. Her father’s clothing designer had not been happy when she insisted on capped sleeves and no exposed chest, but the dress was tight enough that every bump and curve was on display for the world to ogle and dissect.

Turning forward, her eyes widened as she realized a broad back encased in a navy-blue suit was right in her path. She lifted her hands to keep from planting her face in between his shoulder blades and grabbed onto two very defined arms. Whoa. Whoever this guy was, he was more built than her bodyguards.

“Excuse me,” she said, letting go and stepping back, but the point of her two-inch heel caught between one of the tiles of the floor, and she was going down. Arms flailing, she prayed with everything in her she was far enough inside the mansion that the paparazzi, who had been banned to the outside, were not capturing what was sure to be the worst moment she’d had in a decade.

The man pivoted, saw her wind-milling limbs, and caught her in one fluid motion. Izzy was suspended in mid-air, a foot away from the floor, staring up into deep brown eyes. They seemed to look straight into her, pulling away all the crap the world had tried to pump in there and seeing the real her—her heartache for the pain she saw children going through, her hopes of being enough to help them, and her hidden desire to not do it alone.

She pushed out a long breath. The man smiled, and she could see his five-o’clock shadow wasn’t grown out enough to hide a perfect set of dimples. Her heart slammed against her chest. Xavier Newton. Oh, crap, this was not the first impression she wanted to make.

“You all right, ma’am?” he asked, gently lifting her onto her feet, but keeping one hand on the small of her lower back. His palm was nice and big, perfect for snatching footballs out of the air and making her go hot and cold all over.

“Thanks to you.” She found herself returning the smile with a genuine one of her own, nothing close to the plastic version she’d been giving the photographers and reporters out front.

“Glad to be of service.”

“With muscles that big, you probably catch a lot of things. You’re just a big old hero, aren’t you?” Izzy was horrified those words had just come out of her mouth. She may have been a natural smart aleck, but she tried to not flirt with good-looking men unless she knew them well enough to be assured they weren’t philanderers like her father. Xavier Newton sadly only fit in the good-looking category.

His smile deepened, and then he chuckled. “I try, ma’am. I surely do.” He turned her down the hallway and toward the main area where the gala and auction were being held. “Can I escort you in?”

Izzy bit at her lip. Her father would be thrilled at this turn of events as this was the man he had specifically instructed her to buy like Xavier Newton was some kind of horse or long-horned steer. It made her sick the way her father had said it, but he’d also given her unlimited access to his charity fund if she promised to win the bid on Xavier. All that money was going to her beloved children’s hospital, so it was one of the few times he knew he had her over a barrel.

Xavier was a member of the Triple Threat, the three top football players in the nation and the heroes of their Texas Titans football team. Tonight, he was up on the auction block as one of the eligible bachelors. The prize was a date with the man himself. Izzy sucked in a breath as she looked at him—six foot four and full of muscle with smooth, brown skin and sculpted facial features. He’d made The Rising Star’s “Most Handsome Men” list five years running. It wasn’t just that he was easy on the eyes. It was also those irresistible dimples and the story of him rising from poverty. Not to mention, he treated his mama like gold. What woman didn’t love that? He flew her to every home game, remodeled her home because she refused to move from her downtown Denver neighborhood, and bragged about her anytime anyone asked. He seemed perfect. Well, except for the fact that he dated and dumped women faster than Izzy could complete a shift at work.

Izzy realized he was staring at her with an arched eyebrow, and she still hadn’t answered his question about escorting her in. “Um, sure, that would be … delectable.”

“Delectable?” They walked slowly down the hall, and Izzy knew people were staring at the two of them together. Did Xavier know she was the owner’s daughter?

“I mean, nice.” Had she truly just said delectable to Xavier Newton? She shouldn’t be flirting with this man, but couldn’t seem to help herself. There was something different about Xavier … something she wouldn’t mind exploring.

He grinned again. “Sitting with you at dinner would be delectable.”

Izzy blushed, grateful her skin was dark enough he probably wouldn’t notice. “I don’t think we get that choice.” They entered the room, and she pointed at the setup. The head table had only three seats. Kade Kincaid, Ace Sanchez, and Xavier Newton were the guests of honor and were expected to be on display for all the hungry women waiting to bid on them and claim their right to a date with one of the superheroes. Izzy wondered how out of control the bidding was going to get.

“No, really?” He shook his head. “I hate these things.”

She looked him over. His tailored navy-blue suit perfectly encased his lithe frame, and his face was exquisite, with manly lines, deep brown eyes, and dimples everyone died over. She knew the women would be lining up to bid on him. She couldn’t help but smile. She would win that bid because her father had instructed her to, and the money would all go to her beloved hospital. Her smile fell as she wondered for the hundredth time why her father had been so insistent she bid on Xavier. This whole thing was going to go viral. Maybe her father just wanted more exposure for his precious football team. He thrived on exposure. Please, please don’t let the press have seen my near fall and Xavier’s catch. She laughed. He really was good at catching things. Then she realized Xavier was studying her with a quizzical expression. Oh my. He was going to think she was a nut job and beg someone else to bid on him.

“Your face is very expressive,” Xavier said. “But I’m not sure if you agree with me about the absurdity of these sort of events or if you’re laughing at me.”

“I’m sorry. I was just thinking I hope the photographers out front didn’t get pictures of my near-fall and your catch.” She clasped her hands together and admitted, “And then I was thinking about how good you are at catching things.” A mental image of his glorious biceps as he stretched out to catch a ball had her biting at her lip again.

Xavier smiled. “Catching you was more fun than any football I’ve snagged.”

“Oh, really?” She put a hand on her hip and tossed her long, dark curls. “More fun than catching the winning touchdown pass from Kade Kincaid at the Championship Game?”

He chuckled, and those dimples were so irresistible she wanted to touch them. She refrained, barely. “Okay, you got me there. A different kind of fun.” He leaned closer, and she was blessed with a whiff of his cologne—some kind of delectable mix of lime, musk, and salt. There she went, again, thinking how delectable he was. It was a word one of her young patients had used recently. It had cracked her up, and now, she couldn’t get it out of her head, especially in relation to Xavier.

“But I’d catch you any day of the week,” he said in a low tone reserved just for her.

Izzy almost fell so he could catch her in those nicely-built arms again. She settled for fluttering her eyelashes. “Maybe you’ll get a chance later.”

He chuckled again, removed his hand from her lower back, and stuck it out for a handshake, all formal-like. “I’m Xavier Newton. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

Izzy was the one laughing now. “The pleasure is mine, Mr. Newton.” She put her hand in his. Instead of shaking it, he simply held onto it.

“And you are?”

“Izzy.”

“Just Izzy?”

She couldn’t give him her last name. She wasn’t ready for that. Sure, Knight was a common enough name, but he had to know the owner of his team’s name, and he could easily put the connection together if he hadn’t already recognized her. The local media liked to broadcast pictures of her occasionally. She wasn’t nationally acclaimed for being the daughter who’d dumped her billionaire father, but in Texas, she was a household face and name.

“You have to earn a last name, football star.” She gave a saucy little shake, shocking herself again. Was she losing all her inhibitions? Her mother had been a fabulous salsa dancer, and Izzy had dreamed of following in her footsteps, but her father had only ever agreed to ballet, getting a sad look in his eyes every time she begged to dance salsa or mamba as a little girl. Izzy hadn’t truly danced in years.

Xavier’s eyes widened, but he grinned more broadly. “I hope I get a chance to earn it. Who are you here with, Izzy?”

She recognized exactly what he was saying. How did she afford to pay five thousand dollars for this dinner, and who had invited her, or was she here on her own merits? Oh my, she’d completely forgotten about her security. She glanced around, but they were blending in with other security personnel surrounding the walls. They must’ve realized Xavier Newton wasn’t a threat, not physically at least. He was about to make her have an emotional seizure, holding her hand and flirting with her.

“I’m a nurse for the Dallas Children’s Hospital. I understand you hate these events, but we’re very grateful you are willing to donate your body, I mean, a date for the children.”

Xavier laughed, but sadly released her hand. Her fingers felt instant remorse. “I’d do anything for the children, but I hope it’s just a date. Not ready to donate my body yet.”

“X!” Kade Kincaid yelled across the room. “Get over here.”

Xavier glanced over his shoulder at his buddy and lifted his index finger, signaling for one more minute.

“You’re being summoned,” she said.

“Sorry,” he said to her. “When Kade Kincaid wants something, he usually gets it.”

“I’ve seen that.”

“Do you watch our games?” He suddenly looked like an adorable boy asking if his favorite friend was going to support him at little league.

“Every single one.” She assured him. “Who could miss the Triple Threat?”

“Thanks. That means a lot.” He cleared his throat and shifted closer. “Could I offer you a ride home after the event?”

Izzy’s heart slammed into her chest. It was just a ride, but it felt like much more. Would he still want to take her home after she’d bought him like cattle on the auction block? Something was really bugging her about her father being so gracious with his money for the hospital on the condition that she buy Xavier.

“I don’t take rides from someone I’ve just met.” She folded her arms under her chest and lifted an eyebrow.

Xavier’s eyes dipped for just a second, but they quickly came back up to focus on hers. “That’s a shame. Here I am selling my body, I mean, a date for your hospital, but you can’t make the sacrifice of a simple ride?”

He had her. Oh, man, did he have her. The thought of him selling that body brought heat to her neck. “So riding home with you would be a sacrifice?”

“Depends on where we go on the ride.” He smirked and gave her a suggestive look that had her panting for air.

Izzy put a hand on his chest and tried to push at him. Unfortunately, he didn’t budge, but the sculpted muscles of his chest felt sumptuous under her fingertips. “I’ll have you know that I’m a good Christian girl, and we won’t be going anywhere for a ride.” She pinned him with a look.

A laugh bubbled out of his chest. She could feel it and hear it. He wrapped his large palm around hers. “I like you, Izzy with no last name. At least wait for me after. We can … talk.”

Izzy pulled her hand free, not ready to make any promises. He’d quickly reminded her that he was a player in every sense of the word, and that was not the type of man she was looking for, ever. She’d buy him at the auction because it would help her hospital, but if he thought he was getting action on that date, he had another thing coming.

“I don’t … talk.” She flipped her hair. “Goodbye, Mr. Newton.” She strode away angrily, not an easy feat in these stupid heels.

“X!” She heard Kade call again. She made the mistake of glancing back at him when she reached her assigned table. He was watching her with a bemused expression like she was a toy he would like to have fun with. Well, she was nobody’s toy, no matter how successful, famous, and handsome they were. Especially when they were all of those things. Her father could be described as two of those three things, and he’d only brought misery to her and her mother, heaven rest her soul. Izzy would stay safe and far away from men like Xavier Newton. At least, she would after she got through tonight and the date she would be purchasing. Hopefully, Xavier would only want to go to dinner in a very public place, and she could just put on a fake smile and soldier through. Too much time spent alone with that man would spell a lot of trouble for her, and trouble wasn’t something she had time or energy for.