LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter 2

      Typically, when Jacobe entered The Hall after a game and heard the drum of old-school hip-hop and smelled the Buffalo wings the place was known for, he was instantly ready to party. Tonight, the tension that had taken over his neck and shoulders since he’d knocked out Rob Jackson wouldn’t go away. He shouldn’t have done that. The league would probably suspend him for that. Not what he needed right before the play-offs. Taking the Gators to the play-offs would secure his place as one of the best players in the league, which was something he knew, but the trouble in his past kept others from admitting it. It would also make the final argument for him to be signed by Phoenix next year. They were building a superteam, and Jacobe was aiming to be on that team.

      He could see the years of winning the finals in his future if that happened. The chance was now a big if. His agent had already called and told him not to talk to any reporters while he tried to smooth things out with managers of both teams.

      He shouldn’t have hit Rob, but he damn sure didn’t regret it. How’s your son? Oh, wait, you don’t have a son.

      Rob had tossed out the low blow right before Jacobe knocked him out. Jacobe kept his private life private, but Rob had been his teammate four years ago when Jacobe had learned that the woman he’d dated since high school had played him for a fool.

      Tossing aside thoughts of Rob, suspension and the worst mistake of his life—Christy—Jacobe scanned the crowded room. After home games The Hall was typically brimming with people. The team came there to play pool and celebrate after a win and the locals had figured that out. The high-top tables were filled with people, along with the chrome stools around the bar. There were people at the pool tables that lined the room, as well, except for the empty table at the end. That’s where the Gators played.

      His search wasn’t just to check out the crowd. He looked for one person in particular. It wasn’t long before his gaze landed on Danielle Stewart and the friend she’d been with at the game, sitting at the end of the bar sipping on fruity-looking drinks. His tension eased.

      Danielle Stewart. Just thinking of her brought a smile to his lips. His prim-and-proper tutor who had lectured him about the importance of recycling and saving the planet while simultaneously giving him a raging hard-on. If it weren’t for that one night in college, he never would have believed she’d felt any of the attraction that always bubbled up in him like molten lava when she was around.

      “That’s the girl from the game, right?” His teammate Kevin Kouky asked from his right. At six foot seven, Kevin was taller than Jacobe’s six-four. His golden-brown skin was hidden behind a myriad of tattoos and one-inch plugs filled his ears.

      “That’s the girl,” Isaiah Reynolds, another teammate, said from his left. Where Kevin’s appearance made old ladies cross the street when they saw him coming, Isaiah made them smile and want to pinch his cheeks. He and Jacobe were the same height, but the similarity ended there. Isaiah had “boy you could take home to mama” down pat with his prim-and-proper attire, right down to his signature bow ties.

      Will Hampton nodded and grinned. “That’s the girl alright.” The mischief in Will’s eyes sparkled brighter than the diamonds in his ears. The shortest of the group at six one, Will was also the jokester of the team.

      Jacobe hadn’t called any man a friend in years. Outside of accepting the mentorship of movie star Irvin Freeman and singer Dante Wilson, Jacobe kept most people at arm’s length. History had taught him that. Away from the stadium, the only people he preferred hanging with were Kevin, Isaiah, and Will. They were cool, though he still wasn’t sure if he could trust them.

      “Her name is Danielle,” he said. “We knew each other in college. I haven’t seen her since the night before the draft.”

      Kevin bumped him with his elbow. “You seemed pretty happy to see her.”

      Jacobe shrugged. He had been surprised to see her. Pleasantly surprised. After Christy’s betrayal he’d often wondered what would have happened if he’d called Danielle again. “I wouldn’t mind reconnecting.”

      Especially in the bedroom. He didn’t know what bit of fate had put Danielle in the courtside seats behind the bench tonight, but he had no intention of squandering the good fortune. He’d love nothing more than a repeat of their night together.

      Danielle and her friend stopped their conversation to look their way. Her eyes widened behind those cute black-and-gold glasses she wore before she turned toward her friend. The dark-haired woman elbowed Danielle and said something. Danielle looked back his way and gave him a shy smile.

      Ah, yeah, he was going to thoroughly enjoy reconnecting with Danielle Stewart. She’d driven him crazy back then, pestering him to use his popularity for good. The only person who’d seemed to think he could be good at something other than playing ball.

      Her lectures had always fallen on deaf ears. Mainly because he couldn’t stop himself from thinking of peeling off those cute little cardigan sweaters she seemed to always wear and kissing her until the passion in her warm dark eyes was because of him instead of whatever cause she was championing. He’d always wondered what she would do if she’d known that while she droned on about ecosystems or some other nonsense, he’d wanted nothing more than to plop her on top of the nearest desk and make her glasses fog up.

      He lifted his head in acknowledgment, then crossed the room her way. Isaiah, Kevin and Will followed. People stopped and congratulated him and the guys on the win. He spoke, but kept his attention on Danielle. She wore a fitted gold-colored Jacksonville Gators T-shirt that made her luscious breasts look like twin works of art, ankle-length jeans that hugged her ass perfectly and flats. Her thick, dark, shoulder-length hair was parted on the side to sweetly frame her heart-shaped face.

      “You came,” he said when he got to her side. He opened his arms and leaned in for a hug. He had to hug her. She was too cute and curvy to not hug.

      Her eyes widened, but she leaned in from the waist and patted his back. Jacobe fought the urge to pull her in for

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