reputation you gave me followed me.” The painfully shy, madly in love girl she had been cowered to the surface. Tears formed in her eyes. “You couldn’t let everyone think you might date the geekiest girl in school because you liked her so you lied and told them I was a slut. It was a Catholic school.”
“I know,” Sonny mumbled. “I was a dumb kid. I’m apologizing and I’m hoping you’ll forgive me.”
“Why? What did this brilliant woman you spoke to tell you?”
“She said my rotten luck probably comes from some bad thing that I did in the past. Some time when someone was depending on me and I failed them. And because of that now when I’m depending on defenders and receivers, they’re failing me. So if I can fix what I did this bad luck will go away.”
Mandy stared at him. “And you believe this mumbo jumbo?”
He grinned again. “I was pretty sure you were going to say that.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Charm me. It won’t work.” Mandy ground her teeth together. Don’t let it work. Don’t let it work.
Sonny looked around the office. It didn't take long, but he'd probably walked in with a couple of plays worked out in his head. “Come on, Mandy. I screwed up. Can’t you forgive a guy for being a bonehead and maybe let him take you out to dinner?”
“It still won’t work.”
“Please?”
“First of all, I have every right to still be pissed at you. Second, me accepting your apology will not change the stupid things that happen to you on the field.”
“How can you be sure? I have great defenders and I still have the highest sack rate of any quarterback in the NFL. My passes get dropped more frequently. Every time something goes wrong the media resurrects that fumble at the snap from last season.”
“The one where the ball bounced off your fingers three times before you dropped it and all the other players just stared at you?” Mandy snickered and reached for her computer mouse. “I loved that one. I have the gif on my hard drive.”
“I don’t need to see it.”
“I do.” She opened the hard drive and scrolled down the list.
Sonny put his hand over hers.
Mandy’s breath stopped in her throat. God, she had forgotten how electric that felt. In high school, Sonny had been everything she wasn’t. Popular, confident, easy going, calm. Endlessly sexy. Only two girls in their class hadn’t had crushes on him. Of the two, one knew even then she was a lesbian. The other one figured it out later.
“Please don’t play that gif.”
Mandy jerked her hand away from his successfully yanking the mouse onto the floor. She bent over to grab it, but Sonny beat her to it. He’d crouched and reached around her. Bad luck had made him flexible and quicker to react. Any other player plagued by the accidents he’d had wouldn’t have a career at all, let alone be a star player.
He stayed in the crouch as he handed her the mouse, staring up at her with his breathtaking hazel eyes. “I missed you, Mandy.”
“If this is part of you trying to get me to forgive you—” The scent wafting off him was not Irish Springs. It was spicy and hot, and very welcome.
“It’s not.” He put his hands on her knees and Mandy cursed the impulse that had her in a skirt today. His long fingers traced under her hem. “I missed you. You were special.”
“You know what they say about your first.”
“You weren’t my first.”
Mandy bit her lip. He was hers and saying that nobody else measured up was an understatement. Even at seventeen he’d been gentle and generous during sex.
Not so generous in the school hallway though.
“I never should have let you get away.” He skimmed his thumb to the inside of her knee.
“Why? Did you fail chemistry in college?” Her breath was getting short and she couldn’t stop it. The sensation of his thumb between her knees spiraled heat through her body. She could remember the way the leather seats in the back of his father’s car
“I know,” Sonny mumbled. “I was a dumb kid. I’m apologizing and I’m hoping you’ll forgive me.”
“Why? What did this brilliant woman you spoke to tell you?”
“She said my rotten luck probably comes from some bad thing that I did in the past. Some time when someone was depending on me and I failed them. And because of that now when I’m depending on defenders and receivers, they’re failing me. So if I can fix what I did this bad luck will go away.”
Mandy stared at him. “And you believe this mumbo jumbo?”
He grinned again. “I was pretty sure you were going to say that.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Charm me. It won’t work.” Mandy ground her teeth together. Don’t let it work. Don’t let it work.
Sonny looked around the office. It didn't take long, but he'd probably walked in with a couple of plays worked out in his head. “Come on, Mandy. I screwed up. Can’t you forgive a guy for being a bonehead and maybe let him take you out to dinner?”
“It still won’t work.”
“Please?”
“First of all, I have every right to still be pissed at you. Second, me accepting your apology will not change the stupid things that happen to you on the field.”
“How can you be sure? I have great defenders and I still have the highest sack rate of any quarterback in the NFL. My passes get dropped more frequently. Every time something goes wrong the media resurrects that fumble at the snap from last season.”
“The one where the ball bounced off your fingers three times before you dropped it and all the other players just stared at you?” Mandy snickered and reached for her computer mouse. “I loved that one. I have the gif on my hard drive.”
“I don’t need to see it.”
“I do.” She opened the hard drive and scrolled down the list.
Sonny put his hand over hers.
Mandy’s breath stopped in her throat. God, she had forgotten how electric that felt. In high school, Sonny had been everything she wasn’t. Popular, confident, easy going, calm. Endlessly sexy. Only two girls in their class hadn’t had crushes on him. Of the two, one knew even then she was a lesbian. The other one figured it out later.
“Please don’t play that gif.”
Mandy jerked her hand away from his successfully yanking the mouse onto the floor. She bent over to grab it, but Sonny beat her to it. He’d crouched and reached around her. Bad luck had made him flexible and quicker to react. Any other player plagued by the accidents he’d had wouldn’t have a career at all, let alone be a star player.
He stayed in the crouch as he handed her the mouse, staring up at her with his breathtaking hazel eyes. “I missed you, Mandy.”
“If this is part of you trying to get me to forgive you—” The scent wafting off him was not Irish Springs. It was spicy and hot, and very welcome.
“It’s not.” He put his hands on her knees and Mandy cursed the impulse that had her in a skirt today. His long fingers traced under her hem. “I missed you. You were special.”
“You know what they say about your first.”
“You weren’t my first.”
Mandy bit her lip. He was hers and saying that nobody else measured up was an understatement. Even at seventeen he’d been gentle and generous during sex.
Not so generous in the school hallway though.
“I never should have let you get away.” He skimmed his thumb to the inside of her knee.
“Why? Did you fail chemistry in college?” Her breath was getting short and she couldn’t stop it. The sensation of his thumb between her knees spiraled heat through her body. She could remember the way the leather seats in the back of his father’s car
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