He slipped his hand between her thighs, once again proving how attuned with her body he truly was. Within minutes, he was stroking her to an orgasm that summoned a desperate noise from her lips, and as she shuddered against him, he chuckled in her ear and murmured, “Yeah. That’s what I wanted to hear.”
For a moment, Hayden forgot her name, her surroundings and the reason she’d brought this man home in the first place.
But as the aftereffects of pleasure wore off, reality slowly crept in.
She was expecting him to ask her to return the favor, but he simply rolled onto his back, grinning. “You good?” he asked lightly.
She managed a nod, then awkwardly climbed out of bed in search of some clothing. She grabbed the first thing she found—the filmy, flowery dress she’d worn to lunch with her dad on her first day back in town.
The white material was a bit too thin and required a bra, though, which she wasn’t wearing right now. As Brody sat up in bed, stretching those powerful arms over his head, his amused gaze fixed on her chest.
“I can see your nipples.”
“I know.” She sighed.
His gaze tracked her as she walked to the dresser where she’d left her phone. When she checked the screen, her uneasiness only heightened. She had several text messages from Doug, and two missed calls from her father.
“Hayden.” She heard a rustling sound behind her, turning to see a gloriously naked Brody approaching her. Lord, even his abs had abs. “You sure you’re good?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “But you should probably go. I have a ton of stuff to do today.”
He nodded slowly. “All right. Any idea where my clothes might be?”
Her lips twitched. “Somewhere out there,” she said, waving a hand toward the bedroom door. “Near the bar, I think.”
Chuckling, he strode toward the door, and she couldn’t help checking out his ass. Why was it so muscular? What on earth did he do for a living? She hadn’t thought to ask last night; she was too interested in other aspects of the man. Like his dick.
And she couldn’t ask him now, because then he’d think she was trying to get to know him and...she couldn’t go there. This was supposed to be a hookup. A one-night, no-strings encounter with the hot stranger from the bar. It was a bit too late to try to connect on a deeper level.
She found him in the living area of the penthouse, zipping up his pants. His smoky blue eyes appraised her as she slowly walked toward him.
“I want to see you again,” he said bluntly.
Hayden startled. “Oh.”
“Let me add your number to my contacts before I head out.”
She hesitated.
He lifted a brow. “Is that a problem?”
After a beat, she let out a breath. “Sort of.”
That got her a laugh.
“Look... Brody...”
“Oh. Wow.” Now both his eyebrows had soared.
“What?”
“I just know where this is going, and, well—” He shrugged. “Honestly never had it happen to me.”
She couldn’t stop a smile. “You’ve given this speech before, then?”
“More times than I’d like,” he admitted.
His honesty was refreshing. And he looked utterly edible standing there with his dark hair tousled from sleep and stubble shadowing his chiseled jaw.
But his hotness didn’t change her circumstances. Hayden hadn’t come home to start up a fling with a total stranger. She was here for her dad, plain and simple. To support him while her stepmother attempted to take what mattered most to him.
Presley’s soon-to-be ex was determined to squeeze him for every dime he had. And that was a lot of dimes. Though he’d spent most of his life coaching, Hayden’s dad had always dreamed of owning a team, a goal he’d finally reached seven years ago. Thanks to the substantial insurance settlement he’d received after her mom’s accident, and his wise investment in a pharmaceutical company that had made him hundreds of millions, he was able to purchase the Chicago Warriors franchise. Over the years he continued investing and building his fortune, but his main priority was the team. It was all he ever thought about, and that was what made coming home so difficult.
Her childhood had been chaotic. Traveling with her dad across the country for away games, living in Florida for two years when he’d coached the Aces to a championship victory, five years in Texas, three in Oregon. It was tough, but their close relationship had made the constant upheaval bearable. Her father had always shown an interest in her life. He’d listened while she babbled about her favorite artists. Taken her to countless museums over the years.
Now that she was an adult and he was busy with the team, he no longer seemed to care about making time to connect with her outside of the hockey arena. She knew other team owners didn’t get as involved as her father did, but his background as a coach seemed to influence his new position; he had his hand in every aspect of the Warriors, from drafting players to marketing, and he thrived on it, no matter how time-consuming the work was.
That was why three years ago she decided to accept the full-time position Berkeley offered her, even though it meant relocating to the west coast. She’d hoped the old absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder cliché might kick in and make her father realize there was more to life than hockey. It hadn’t.
But maybe this time would be different. Maybe now that his personal life was falling apart, her father would want to lean on her. She was home not only to see him through his divorce, but also in the hopes that they could finally reconnect.
“I had an amazing time last night,” she told Brody. She gave him a sheepish look. “That was the best sex I’ve ever had.”
His lips quirked.
“But I wasn’t looking for anything beyond one night,” she finished awkwardly. “I have too much going on these next couple of months.”
Brody continued to watch her, his expression unreadable.
