Opposites Attract

wanted to smooth out your form. Then there were your . . . antics on the court.”
    Ty laughed, kissing her knee through the sheet. “It used to drive him crazy.”
    “I imagine he’d be more pleased if he saw you play now.”
    “And you?” Ty countered. “How would he feel if he saw you play now?”
    Asher shifted her eyes from his to stare into her glass. “He won’t.”
    “Why?”
    As if to erase the question, she lifted her hand. “Ty, please.”
    “Asher,” he said quietly, grasping her fingers. “You’re hurting.”
    If she could have held it back, she would have. But the words tumbled out. “I let him down. He won’t forgive me.”
    “He’s your father.”
    “And he was my coach.”
    Unable to comprehend, Ty shook his head. “What difference does that make?”
    “All the difference.” The pain slipped out. As if to numb it, she swallowed more wine. “Please, not tonight. I don’t want anything to spoil tonight.”
    Her fingers had tightened on his. One by one Ty kissed them until he felt the tension relax. “Nothing could.” Over their joined hands, dark, intense eyes met hers. Spontaneously her pulse began to race. “I never got you completely out of my mind,” he confessed. “Too many things reminded me—a phrase, a song. Silence. There were times alone at night I would have sworn I heard you breathing in the quiet beside me.”
    The words moved her . . . hurt her. “Ty, those were yesterdays. We can start now.”
    “Now,” he agreed. “But we’ll have to deal with yesterday sooner or later.”
    Though she opened her mouth to disagree, she knew. “Later then. Right now I don’t want to think about anything but being with you.”
    He grinned, brushing a stray curl from her cheek. “It’s difficult to argue with that.”
    “Don’t get cocky,” she told him, then tossed off the rest of her champagne. “That was three,” Asher said haughtily. “And I’m not the least affected.”
    Ty had no trouble recognizing the signs—the flushed cheeks, the glowing eyes and misty smile. Whatever she might say, he knew the champagne was swimming in her head. And when they loved again, she would be soft and strong and passionate. He found himself wanting to simply look at her for a few minutes more. Once they touched, the fire would take them.
    “Want another?” he offered.
    “Sure.”
    Wisely he filled her glass only halfway before he replaced the bottle. “I caught your interview today,” Ty commented. “It was on while I was changing.”
    “Oh?” Asher shifted to lie on her stomach, propping herself on her elbows. “How’d I do?”
    “Hard to say. It was all in French.”
    She laughed, adjusting her position so that she could take another sip. “I’d forgotten.”
    “How about a translation?”
    “He asked things like, ‘Mademoiselle Wolfe, do you find any changes in your style after your temporary retirement?’ And I said something like ‘I feel I’ve tightened my serve.’” She chuckled into her wine. “I didn’t mention that my muscles beg for me to give them a break after two sets. He asked how I felt about playing the
young
Miss Kingston in the finals and I refrained from punching him in the mouth.”
    “That was diplomatic,” Ty answered, slipping the glass from her fingers.
    “I’m a hell of a diplomat,” Asher agreed. Rolling over on her back, she looked up at him. He lounged just behind her so that she had to tilt her head at an odd angle to make eye contact. “You stole my glass.”
    “Yes, I did.” After setting it on the tray, Ty gave the wheeled table a slight shove.
    “Did we finish dinner?” Reaching up and back, she locked her arms around his neck.
    “We’ve definitely finished dinner.” He allowed her to urge him down until his mouth hovered above hers.
    “Got any suggestions about what we should do now?” She liked the strangeness of having his face upside down over hers. Playfully she nipped at his lip.
    “No. Do you?”
    “Got a deck of cards?”
    “Uh-uh.”
    “Then I guess we’ll have to make love.” She gave a rich, low laugh before she kissed him again. “All night—just to pass the time.”
    “It’s something to do. Rainy nights are so boring.”
    Eyes dancing, she nodded. “Mmm, yes. Let’s make the best of it.”
    Her lips were curved in a smile as his met them, but they parted eagerly. She found it strangely seductive to have his tongue meet hers this way. On a gurgle of laughter, she closed her