His Seduction Game Plan by Katherine Garbera Read Free Book Online

she’d been using. They both purchased bathing suits and paid for their board rentals. She dashed into the dressing room to get changed and realized that she was excited.
    Forget about lust; it would wane over time. She was just thrilled to be here with Hunter. And that hadn’t happened for her with a man in a really long time.
    She stored her clothes in the locker provided by the establishment and stepped outside to find Hunter chatting with a group of men. He said something to them and they waved as he walked away.
    Fans.
    His life was different from hers. He was a celebrity, which was easy to forget when they were alone. But it was important for her to remember. It must be difficult for him to balance the adulation from the fans who loved him and the condemnation of the people who still weren’t sure he hadn’t killed his girlfriend. She wasn’t looking for entrée into that type of life or was even sure that was what she wanted.
    â€œLookin’ good, lady,” Hunter said.
    â€œYou’re not so bad yourself,” she said, but being flirty didn’t feel right to her.
    He wore a pair of board shorts that rode low on his hips. His chest muscles appeared firm even from a distance. Her fingers tingled with the need to touch him.
    â€œWhy are you out with me?” she asked after a moment.
    â€œYou were waiting on my front step when I got home. My mama raised me to be gentlemanly,” he said.
    One thing she was coming to know about Hunter was he spent a lot of time deflecting any honest answer with humor or sarcasm.
    â€œI’m serious. You’re a famous person. You should be with a model or some other gorgeous woman.”
    He put his hand on her waist and drew her closer to him. “I am with a gorgeous woman, and I’m not famous at the end of the day. I’m just Hunter. A guy who used to play football and is now here with you.”
    She wanted to take his words at face value, and even though she was pretty sure there was more to the story than he’d said, for today she was happy to ignore it.
    It was only their second date. No matter how many times she reminded herself of that fact, it still felt as though they had much more between them.
    * * *
    Hunter followed Ferrin as she paddled out into the ocean toward the cove she knew about. He hadn’t wanted to tell her the truth that for every group of fans who remembered him from his playing days there were at least two groups of people who remembered him from being arrested and accused of murder.
    He had stayed away from dating seriously, because what woman deserved to be under that kind of spotlight?
    They paddled for about an hour before she led the way back to shore into a private cove. There were a young mom with her two kids and some seabirds but otherwise they had the beach to themselves.
    They carried their boards out of the water and set them on the ground. “That was nice.”
    â€œI’m glad. It’s the kind of nonsport I enjoy.”
    â€œWhy do you call it a nonsport?”
    â€œCoach. He always said I wasn’t an athlete and I guess I believe him. I like yoga and rock climbing and stuff like this.”
    â€œYou know he’s not right,” Hunter said. “You’re plenty athletic, honey.”
    Coach wasn’t a very good parent, Hunter thought, and it surprised him. He was seeing a different side of the man he thought he knew. On the field Coach had always nurtured his players.
    Hunter reached for Ferrin’s hand. He had said as much as he could. The good stuff. The stuff about Stacia that made him seem like a decent guy. Nothing about the boy who’d broken up with her just hours before she was found dead. The guy who wanted to be “free” so he could graduate and get as much NFL tail as he could. That guy didn’t deserve closure. That guy was probably living in the karma he’d created. If he fixed it...maybe then he’d have some peace