Playing to Win

spent her entire life avoiding putting her heart out there.
    Cole would probably disappoint her again. Was she willing to take that risk? Could she live with the potential for heartbreak?
    Or was she searching for a perfect man in her mind that simply didn’t exist?
    That was too much pressure for any guy. Maybe it was time she accept him for who he was—an amazing man with flaws, just like she had flaws.
    She took a deep breath. “You’re not a child anymore, Savannah. It’s time to grow up and take a chance on love.”
    She raised her fingers to punch the buttons on her phone, then jumped when it buzzed in her hand.
    It was Cole calling. She clicked the button. “Hello?”
    “Hey. You answered.”
    Guilt washed over her. “Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t before.”
    “Are you home?”
    Her stomach tightened. “Yes. Can you come over? I’d like to talk to you.”
    “Actually, I’m right outside your door.”
    “You are?” She hurried to the door and opened it. He was there, on her doorstep, looking so gorgeous and warm and human she wanted to throw herself into his arms and beg him to forget the conversation they’d had last week. Instead, she clicked off her phone. “So you are.”
    “I’ve been here almost every day I was in town. Multiple times. You weren’t here. You didn’t answer the door.”
    “I was out a lot at meetings. They’re assigning me a new client.”
    “And you were avoiding me.”
    That, too. “Come in.”
    She shut the door behind him. He stood just inside, didn’t go into the living room, as if waiting for an invitation.
    Well, this was awkward and uncomfortable.
    “Have a seat, Cole.”
    “Only if you sit with me.”
    “Would you like something to drink?”
    “No, I just want to talk to you.”
    “All right.” She sat on the sofa, and he came over and sat next to her.
    She swallowed, her throat dry. There were so many thoughts whirling through her mind, so many things she wanted to say, but they were jumbled up in her head. She should have written them down, made an outline so she could go through them step by step.
    He took her hand. “I was a jerk.”
    She lifted her head. “What?”
    “Let me back up. When you first met me, I was a jerk. You changed me. You made me think differently, to learn to pause before I blurted out the first thing that came into my head, which was usually something that was all about me and how I felt and what I wanted. I learned from that, you know?”
    She smiled at him. “Yes, I know. I’ve seen evidence of that over the past few months. You’ve done a wonderful job.”
    “Thanks. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about, other than to thank you for being patient with me when I know I wasn’t easy to be around.”
    “You weren’t as difficult as you’d like to think you were.”
    “I took those lessons to heart. And along the way, I got used to having you in my life. You were the backbone of the person I became, the person I always wanted to be. And I guess I became complacent, always assuming you’d just be there, that you’d want to be with me.”
    She did want to be with him. But this was his moment to talk, so she’d let him finish.
    “What I said to you that night I asked you to move in with me—it was thoughtless. I wasn’t prepared to tell you how I really felt about you, and it came out all wrong. I knew I wanted you with me, but I choked.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “I know. You’ve worked with me on being clear in what I say, so the media doesn’t misinterpret me. And when it came down to the most important conversation I’ve ever had, I fucked it all up.” He rubbed his finger over her thumb, distracting her. The sensation sent shivers up her arm. She fought hard to concentrate on what he was saying, but all she could think about was how much she’d missed his touch, being near him, and how much it hurt to be apart, to have this distance between them. And she needed him to know that.
    “I love you, Savannah.”
    That got her attention. Her gaze shot to his. “You do?”
    “Yeah. Do you think I’d ask someone I wasn’t in love with to move in with me?”
    “I don’t know. I didn’t know how you felt about me. You said you liked me, that we were compatible.”
    He rubbed his temple. “Yeah, that. Like I said, I was being an asshole. I was scared. I’ve never told a woman I loved her before. And when it came time to say it, I dropped the ball. I’m sorry.”
    She scooted closer to