Playing to Win

early,” he said, holding out her chair for her. “Let’s go take a walk.”
    “Sure.”
    He held the door for her, but instead of taking her to the car, he led her across the street. There was a festival going on near the riverfront about a half a block away.
    “Can you walk in those things?” he asked, directing his gaze toward her heels.
    She grinned. “Of course.”
    “I think I should hold your hand.”
    She lifted her gaze to his. “Why?”
    “First, because I’m afraid you’re going to trip and fall. And second, if this was a real date, that’s what I’d do.”
    “All right.”
    There were tents set up with beer and food, a live band up on a stage as well as crafts and all forms of entertainment. It was lively and the area was packed with people enjoying the festival.
    Savannah was definitely overdressed, but she didn’t care. She loved watching the people mingle. The band was playing some very loud rock music, and the crowd was electrified.
    Cole held tight to her hand as they strolled among the vendors hawking pottery, jewelry, artwork, and the like. Savannah enjoyed fairs like this, loved to stop at each tent to see what they were selling.
    “Is this what you’d really do if you were out on a date?” she asked as they stopped to buy a drink from one of the food carts.
    “Sure it is.”
    She took a drink of the lemonade. It was tart and sweet. Absolutely perfect on a hot night. “Somehow I can’t see you doing a riverfront fair.”
    “Why not?”
    “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem your type of fun thing to do.”
    “You don’t know me all that well, Peaches.”
    He was right about that. She only knew him on paper. “That’s what this exercise is all about. Getting to know you better so I can clear up any misconceptions I might have about you.”
    “Yeah, well, it seems like you have a lot of them.”
    She tilted her head back to look at him. “Do I?”
    “Obviously. You thought all I liked to do was hang out in nightclubs and have orgies with women.”
    She gasped. “Now how could you possibly make that kind of generalization?”
    “I don’t know. How could you?”
    She rolled her eyes. “You know, Cole, for a man you’re awfully sensitive.”
    “And you’re a typical woman who judges on first impression.”
    “It’s a good thing I’m not easily insulted,” she said with a laugh. “And if this is how you talk to the women you date, it’s no wonder you frequent the clubs.”
    “What does that mean?”
    She caught the frown and the way his body straightened as he tensed.
    “It means in a club atmosphere it’s mostly groups. It wouldn’t be a one-on-one type of situation, so you don’t have to get close to anyone. The so-called date we had tonight was quieter, more time for one-on-one conversation, which allows a woman to ask probing questions, to become more intimately familiar with you.”
    “And you’re saying I don’t want that?”
    “I don’t know. Do you?”
    “Hey, I like intimately familiar.”
    “I’m not talking about sex.”
    “Neither was I.”
    Her lips curved. “Liar. You were, too.”
    “Okay, maybe I was.”
    They walked across the street to his car. She climbed in and he started the engine.
    “So what would be your next move—if this were an actual date?” she asked.
    He was silent as he pulled onto the highway and headed west. “I’d take the woman home.”
    He did just that, and walked Savannah to her door. She took her keys out of her purse and was about to tell Cole good night.
    “And if this were a real date, this is where I’d go in for the kiss.”
    Before she could object, he had his arms around her, tugging her close, his mouth coming down on hers.
    It wasn’t a forceful, demanding kiss. Instead, he brushed his lips across hers.
    Shocked, all she could do was hold on to his arms. She opened her mouth and he slid his tongue inside. Warm pleasure spread throughout her body, wrapping her in a foggy sensation of want and need.
    For a minute she forgot all about the purpose of this night. Instead, all she thought about was the way Cole held her, the way he lazily stroked her back when he kissed her. Up close, he smelled like everything she loved about a man—crisp, clean, and sensual. She lost herself in the way his lips moved over hers, the magical way his hands cupped the back of her head and tangled in her hair when he deepened the kiss. And when he pressed her against the door, his body aligning with hers, lord have