Six Of The Best Of Desire 2016. Maisey Yates

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      Today was quite the production. Gervais watched the bustle of people filling the owners’ suite at Zephyr Stadium for a preseason game day. Tickets for special viewing in the owners’ box were sold at a premium price to raise money for a local charter school, so there were more guests than usual in the large luxury suite that normally accommodated family and friends.

      His sister-in-law Fiona Harper-Reynaud was a renowned local philanthropist, and her quarterback husband was the golden boy of New Orleans, which added allure to her fund-raising invitation. Henri—beloved by fans as the Bayou Bomber—was the face of their franchise and worth every cent of his expensive contract. He was a playmaker with the drive and poise necessary to make it in the league’s most closely dissected position.

      The fact that female fans loved him was a bonus, even though it must be tough for Fiona sometimes. But she seemed to take it in stride, leveraging his popularity for worthy causes. Today her philanthropic guests sat casually on the dark leather chairs that lined the glass of the owners’ suite. Half-eaten dishes with bottles of craft beer peppered the table in front of them as the clock ticked down the end of the second quarter that saw the Hurricanes up by three points.

      Yet Gervais’s eyes sought only one person. Erika.

      He’d been busy greeting guests and overseeing some last-minute game-day business earlier, so he hadn’t gotten to spend any time with her yet. She was tucked away, in a leather sofa by the bar, sipping a glass of sparkling water with lemon, wearing a silky, fitted turquoise dress that brushed her knees and caressed her curves with understated sex appeal. He knew full well where those enhanced curves came from.

      From carrying his baby inside her.

      She scrunched her toes in her heeled sandals, reaching down to press her thumb along the arch of her foot. The viewing box was cool—downright chilly. But was the New Orleans heat bothering her? The climate was a far cry from where she lived. He wanted to help her feel more comfortable, to love his home city as much as he did so they wouldn’t be forced into some globe-hopping parenting situation. He wished they could have had a private breakfast to talk, but he’d been called away to the game. Thank goodness Adelaide had offered to check on her personally. Dempsey’s assistant and longtime friend remained the one good thing that had come from Dempsey’s early years spent living a hardscrabble life before their father had found him.

      Adelaide had texted Gervais this morning, assuring him that Erika had everything she needed.

      Now he watched Erika eyeing the food the servers carried. Caviar nachos and truffles pizza. Delicious delicacies, but she declined the offerings whenever the waitstaff stopped in front of her. Though she certainly looked hungry.

      “Is the food not to your liking?” He stepped toward her, smoothing his tie and wondering if he should look into the foods native to her homeland. “We ordered a special menu for the event today, but we can have anything brought in.”

      Nearby, a group of women cheered as Henri connected with one of the rookie receivers running a slant route down on the field. No doubt, it would be one of Henri’s last big plays of the game, since they needed to test the depth of the quarterback position with some of the backup talent.

      Erika stood, moving closer to him, the scent of magnolia pulling his focus away from the game and slipping under his guard, making him recall their weekend together. Making him remember the view of her long legs bared just last night in a jersey that had covered her only to midthigh. He’d barely slept after that mouthwatering visual.

      “Gervais, this is all incredible and definitely far more elaborate than I would have expected at a football game. Thank you.”

      Her response had been polite, but he could see something tugging at her. So he pressed, gently, “But...”

      She took a few steps toward the glass, gesturing to the seats below, where fans were starting to crowd the aisles as halftime neared. “Honestly? My mouth is watering for one of those smothered hot dogs I see the vendors selling. With mustard and onions.”

      “You want a chili dog?” He couldn’t hide a grin.

      Right from the start she’d charmed him with the unexpected. She was a princess in the military. A sexy rebel. And despite all the imported fare weighing down the servers’ trays, she wanted a chili dog.

      “If it is not too much trouble, of course.” She frowned. “I did not think to bring my wallet.”

      “It’s no trouble.” He wouldn’t mind stepping out of the temperature-controlled suite into the excited crowd. How long had it been since he’d ventured out from behind the tinted-glass windows during a game? It had been too long.

      He leaned to whisper in her ear, hand bracing her on the small of her back. “Pregnancy craving?”

      She blinked quickly, her breath quickening under his touch. “I believe so. Mornings are difficult with nausea, but then I am starving for the rest of the day. Today has been difficult, with all the travel yesterday and jet lag.”

      “Then I will personally secure an order for you.” He smiled. “I have to say I wouldn’t mind having one for myself.” He touched her shoulder lightly, aching to keep his hands on her. “I’ll be right back.”

      * * *

      Erika moved closer to the glass and took a seat, looking down into the field, her eyes alert.

      There was no fanfare in yoga or running, so Erika looked on at the halftime show with a sense of wonder. LSU’s band performed in tandem with a pop star local to the area, sending the fans into wild cheers as a laser light show sliced the air around her. The scents of fog and smoke wafted through the luxury suite’s vents, teasing her oversensitive nose.

      This box was quite different from the Wembley luxury suite where she’d met Gervais. The Reynaud private domain was decorated with family memorabilia, team awards and lots of video monitors for comfortable viewing in the back of the box right near the bar.

      But she enjoyed her front-row seat, watching intently.

      So this really did have a form of old-world pageantry mixed with a dash of medieval jousting. Her military training made her able to pick out various formations on the field below, the two teams forming and re-forming their lines to try to outwit one another. Viewing the game this way had been a revelation—and definitely not as boring as she’d once thought. And she couldn’t wait to taste one of the chili dogs once Gervais returned.

      Fiona Harper-Reynaud, the quarterback’s wife and Gervais’s sister-in-law, if Erika remembered correctly, tilted her head to the side. “Princess Erika, you look pensive.”

      “I have been thinking about the game, trying to understand more about what I’ve seen so far, since I am actually quite a neophyte about the rules. My sisters and I were not exposed much to team sports.”

      A few of the other women laughed softly into their cocktail napkins, eyeing Erika.

      Fiona smiled, crossing her elegant legs at the ankles. “What an interesting choice, then, to spend time with Gervais when you’re not a football enthusiast.”

      “I am learning to look at the game in a new light.” She would read more about it now that she knew her child would be a part of this world.

      She couldn’t allow her son СКАЧАТЬ