Fast Courting by Barbara Delinsky Read Free Book Online

of his chair and propped a fist against his jaw. It was a more nonchalant pose, more relaxed.
    “Am I boring you?” she asked sweetly.
    “No.”
    “You’re not going to fall asleep on me, are you? I understand that, with the hectic schedules you fellows follow, you grab sleep whenever you can.”
    “Did David tell you that?”
    It stunned her to realize that he must have. How else would she have known? Taking pity on her sudden alarm, Daniel ignored his own question as he shifted to a more attentive position.
    “It’s not necessarily true, at any rate. On the road, with midnight flights and periodic jet lag, your sleep schedule gets pretty messed up. The fellows often doze on the plane and take naps before games. But even though the schedule may be grueling for the players, it’s not necessarily hectic. There’s a good deal of free time at every stop. That can be frustrating in itself.”
    “Free time? Is there?” she asked, unaware that her mask of detachment had slipped again to reveal her own past personal involvement.
    “Sure.” He scrutinized her sharply as he spoke in a low, even pitch. “Most games are played at night. During the day there may be a practice or a team meeting or a film of the team we’ll be playing that night. But all told, there are hours at a stretch when each man is on his own.”
    Nia chewed the inside of her lip and frowned. That wasn’t exactly the picture David had painted over the years. He had spoken of the nonstop life, the sheer exhaustion of the team, its sportswriter included. She had always assumed…but she knew better now. David’s fatigue had been only in part a consequence of his work.
    A sudden movement jarred her. Looking up quickly, she saw that Daniel had risen from his desk and approached her. Her eyes held the question he brusquely answered.
    “Let’s go. Interview’s over.” He seemed abruptly and inexplicably stern, as though his patience with the media had come to a sudden end. She half expected him to clamp his fingers around her arm and forcibly lead her from the room. It was a surprise when he gently took her coat from her lap and held it for her.
    Slowly, she recovered, stood, and slid her arms carefully into the sleeves of the reefer. She was acutely aware of Daniel’s tall presence behind her. His hands rested fleetingly on her shoulders before he stepped back.
    Nia sent him a sheepish grin. “So I’m being kicked out?” She felt a light hand at her back and went with the movement toward the door.
    “I’m hungry.”
    “What?”
    “It’s nearly one-thirty. Aren’t you hungry?”
    “Uh…I—I hadn’t really thought about it,” she stammered. She hadn’t. If her stomach had growled, she’d been too engrossed in coping with Daniel Strahan to notice. “But I really should be getting back to the office.”
    Daniel guided her down the hallway, retracing the path she had taken earlier. “Then you won’t have lunch with me?”
    “Lunch?” Her gaze snapped sideways and up, focusing on the strong features of her escort.
    “I do believe that’s what we were discussing.”
    “We were discussing the demise of this interview.”
    “Let’s discuss it over lunch.”
    “You mean,” she asked, more hopeful in an instant, “that there’s a chance you’ll change your mind?”
    He shook his head. “Nope.”
    They had reached the straightaway that led to the exit. Daniel paced his stride to more comfortably match hers, yet Nia still felt winded. Perhaps it was hunger, after all.
    “Then what’s the purpose of lunch?”
    “I’m hungry.” He held the door for her to pass.
    “I don’t think you need me to deal with that ,” she taunted as she moved by, too late catching the double entendre. A hand on her arm halted her.
    His voice was deeper, different. “I’d argue with you on that score if you weren’t one of them . But I like to keep the press under my thumb, not in my bed. It’s much safer that way.”
    For the first time Nia