Show Me What You Got Read online

  He grinned. “Anytime. Millie’s great company.”

  I laughed when he winked at me. There was something about the atmosphere in here that relaxed me more than I had been in a long time. Deciding it was pointless to try and fight it, I leaned into it and followed Hugo to our seats.

  It took some time to brush past the knees of the people already seated, but no one seemed to mind. As soon as we sat down, Millie turned to face me. “You said we could get drinks when we got here.”

  “Are you thirsty?” Damn it. I should have thought about that before we came to our seats.

  Millie nodded. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”

  “No, sweetheart. It’s fine.” I leaned over to brush a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

  Hugo scooted forward is his seat on her other side and looked around her to catch my eyes. “I’ll take a beer. Thanks, mate.”

  “I’ll bring two if I can. That should last us until halftime.”

  He nodded and shot me a thumbs-up. Standing up, I made my way back down the row and headed up the concrete stairs to the concession areas between the stands.

  To my surprise, a familiar head of dark brown hair was standing near one of the bars with pamphlets clutched in her hands. Heidi hadn’t seen me yet, so I took a moment to admire her in a rugby jersey I could still see the folds in from being in its package, paired with white shorts and sandals with a slight heel.

  Fuck, but she’s hot. There were more than a few men leering at her as they passed. Some accepted a pamphlet, probably more as an excuse to talk to her than because they were interested in whatever it was advertising.

  A strange sense of protectiveness surged in me when one guy let his fingers skate across the back of her hand when he took the paper from her. She jerked it back, probably more than capable of defending herself against unwanted advances.

  But I was already on the move. Whether or not she needed me to intervene, I wanted to. Besides, I’d already been planning on going up to her. If I got the chance to spend a little more time with her while I could, why the hell wouldn’t I take it?

  Chapter 12

  Heidi

  The pamphlets I was handing out were being thrown on the ground before the people who took them were even out of my eyesight. The last guy who’d taken one—and then decided to extend his grimy fingers to run them across the back of my hand—had balled it into his fist the second he had it and dropped it right at my feet when I told him I didn’t want a drink.

  It was a total waste of time being here. I’d been shocked when Bryan had told me this was the promotional work he wanted me to do at the match. No one used pamphlets anymore, but Bryan seemed to think it was a good idea.

  I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, licking my lips as I wondered how much longer I had to stay. Bryan hadn’t given me any specifics, only that he’d cleared the promotional material with the authorities, so I was planning on leaving as soon as the game got started. I could—

  A familiar voice with a faint tinge of amusement in it cut into my thoughts. “Are you following me?”

  I spun around at the sound of it, finding none other than Archer Lee himself standing there with that stupidly sexy smirk on his lips as he waited for my answer. The yellow—though apparently it was supposed to be gold—jerseys didn’t look good on anyone, but he sure wore it well.

  A lock of his pitch-black hair hung across his forehead, and those clear, light blue eyes fixed on me. My own eyes, however, couldn’t seem to be stopped from completing their once-over of my client.

  The jersey stretched across his lean, muscular torso and the bulges of his biceps. It cut across his stomach in a way that hinted at a flat, hard surface being covered, and his jeans hung off his hips in the most alluring demonstration of being just about to fall.

  Before he could call me out for checking him out, I forced my gaze back to his and offered him a small smile. “Yes, that was exactly what I was doing. I bought a ticket that I hear is surprisingly expensive for something that only lasts around eighty minutes, printed some pamphlets as an excuse for coming, and then hoped I’d find you in a stadium that has the capacity to take over forty thousand people.”

  He released a low whistle, nodding his head slowly with his smirk firmly in place. “That’s impressive. You’ve definitely taken following someone to the next level.”

  “When I do something, I prefer to do it well.” A smile crept to my lips as I gestured to his shirt. “Are you a big fan, then?”

  “Not really.” He lifted his broad shoulders, letting them drop as he pointed at my pamphlets. “What are you doing with those?”

  “Trying to hand them out,” I said, an exasperated edge slicing through my tone. “My boss thought this was a good promotional idea.”

  “I take it you beg to differ?” The amusement I’d heard in his voice before shone in his eyes now.

  I nodded, letting the pamphlets hang at my side for a moment. It wasn’t like anyone was really interested in taking one anyway. “I don’t have your plans ready yet, but I’m close. I was actually going to give you call on Monday. There are a few things I’d like to check with you before I send over the first draft.”

  His head cocked, causing that one lock to sweep across his forehead. My fingers suddenly itched to push it back, but I tamped down the urge as soon as I felt it. This guy is a client. Nothing more. Never anything more.

  “It’s Saturday. There’s no need for us to talk business today. I’ll be happy to take a look at the plans once you’re ready, but let’s shelve that for now. Why are you doing this around a bunch of rugby degenerates? Surely, there were better and safer places for you to hand out your pamphlets.”

  “I don’t really know. Like I said, my boss thought it was a good idea.” I held up the pamphlets and waved them around. “It isn’t. There aren’t so many people interested in even taking one and the ones who do don’t even look at them before they throw them away.”

  “It does seem like a waste of time,” he said, voicing the thought I’d had just a few moments ago. He turned to look over his shoulder where most people had taken their seats. “Do you want to come sit with us? Watch the game instead of standing around here?”

  “I’ve never watched a game before, and besides, I need to work.” It would have been nice to watch the game, though.

  I wasn’t the biggest sports fan who had ever lived, but there was such a great atmosphere in the stadium that excitement had seeped into my bones shortly after I’d arrived.

  In all the years I’d lived in Sydney, I’d occasionally been invited to watch a game, and I’d been in bars or pubs sometimes when the games were on, but I’d never actually experienced the stadium.

  At least half the nation was obsessed with those fifteen players chasing an egg-shaped ball around, though, and being here for a game, I understood why. It was kind of exhilarating in the stadium as the crowd geared up for kick off.

  Archer held out his hand and beckoned for me to hand over the pamphlets. Narrowing my eyes, I handed them over. “What?”

  “You’re going to watch the game and work at the same time. If you’ve never seen one, this will be a good one to pop your cherry.” There was the tiniest hint of heat flashing in his eyes, but then he blinked it away. “My sources have told me it’s supposed to be an ‘epic clash.’ Come watch with us.”

  Without waiting for an answer, he strode over to the bar area and set the pamphlets down on the counter. He didn’t come back to me immediately, signalling to one of the guys behind the bar.

  I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Archer seemed to be served fast, handed over some cash, and then he was carrying a variety of drinks over in an empty beer crate. “There we go. This should be enough to hold us over.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. Beads of condensation slid down the sides of the plastic glasses and the cold drinks looked good. So what if Archer was my client?

  There was no rule saying I couldn’t watch a game with him. T
here weren’t even any rules about not getting otherwise involved with him—not that I would—so long as I was discreet at the actual event I had organised.

  Archer’s mouth split into a wider grin than any I’d seen from him at my agreement. “Excellent. Let’s go then. Hugo will kill me if I miss the start of said epic clash.”

  With the hand not balancing the beer crate, he motioned for me to follow him. I fell into step beside him, my gaze drinking in the giant, bright green rugby field and the adoring mass of supporters.

  “Is there even a seat available where you are?” I asked, realising that most of the seats in the direction we were headed in had been filled.

  He shrugged, tossing me a slight grin as we walked. “There will be. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Right, because you always get what you want.” It didn’t come out as an accusation or anything this time, simply an observation of what I’d found be true.

  “Usually, yeah.” There was none of the cocky arrogance in his tone now. He was only acknowledging that I was right. “But in this case, it isn’t so much me you’d have to thank as my friend. He had an extra ticket, and even though there was someone in the seat next to mine when we got here, I know that the seat belongs to him.”

  When we got back to their seats eventually, the seat beside the one he positioned himself in front of was already empty. But that wasn’t what interested me most.

  As we’d approached the only two empty seats in the row we’d turned into, I’d noticed that the occupant of the seat beside one of the empty ones was a little girl. We got closer to them and I realised she looked vaguely familiar.

  It was only once we reached them that I realised why. I hadn’t met her before, but I had met someone who looked a lot like her. The man who’d invited me to sit with them actually.

  Aside from her soft, golden blonde hair, she was the spitting image of Archer. Surprise made my eyes fly wide open, but I managed to rein it in just as he turned his head to look at me again. I guess the kids’ part of the party makes a lot more sense now.

  “Heidi, this is Millie and this is Hugo. Guys, this is Heidi.”

  “Hi,” Millie said in a sweet, soft voice. “Are you friends with my daddy?”

  “She is,” Archer said before I could tell her the true nature of our relationship. “A new friend who I’m also working with, so we have to be very nice to Heidi, okay?”

  “Okay.” She offered me a smile that made me give her a genuine one of my own in return.

  Hugo, who had eyes that were such a deep blue they were almost as captivating as Archer’s light ones, gave me a knowing grin. “So this is Heidi, huh? It’s great to meet you. I hear my mate over here gave you some trouble at your first meeting.”

  I flicked my eyes from one man to the other, a few things clicking into place in my brain. I held out my hand to shake his. “It’s nice to meet the person responsible for bringing his tendencies to his attention.”

  Hugo laughed, and it was a beautiful, carefree sound. A thick beard surrounded a pair of lips that looked like they’d be downright lush without the hair surrounding them, but for some reason, I wasn’t attracted to him at all.

  Although he was as good looking as Archer in his own right, the rush of immediate affection I felt for him was more like something I might feel about a good friend or even a brother. He had that kind of demeanour about him that made you care for his well-being instantly, the complete opposite of the reaction elicited by his friend.

  “It brings me great pleasure to rein him in from time to time,” Hugo said around a smile still playing on his lips. Then there was a sudden roar of the crowd and he leapt to his feet.

  Archer raised his voice to be heard above the screaming fans. “Here. You sit next to me so I can explain to both you and Millie what’s going on once they start playing.”

  “You understand the game?” I asked as I took the seat he’d pointed at and leaned in closer than I’d ever been to him to be heard. “I thought you weren’t a fan.”

  His cedar and pine scent enveloped me, so I pulled away before I could get too wrapped up in it. We settled in beside each other, our shoulders touching every time one of us moved.

  The players finished jogging out onto the field, which I realised had been the reason for the sudden roar. A few minutes later, the whistle blew and the game was underway.

  “See that guy?” Archer said first to Millie and then to me, pointing at one of the smaller guys on the field, but I could see even from this distance that being smaller didn’t mean he was any less powerfully built. “He’s the hooker.”

  I sputtered on the sip of beer I’d just taken. “Seriously? He’s called a hooker?”

  Thankfully, Millie didn’t react in any way other than to nod and turn her attention to Hugo who was also explaining things to her.

  Archer flashed me an amused smile. “Say what you will about the name of his position, he’s a key member of the team. Part of its spine, if you will. They’re some of the hardest workers on the team, so they have to be very fit.”

  “So the hooker is one of the hardest workers, huh?” I mused, a smile lifting the corners of my lips even if I realised I was being a little childish. “It’s an apt name, then.”

  Archer chuckled but kept pointing players out to me and explaining who they were and what their roles on the team were. Every time the crowd leapt to its feet, he also explained why people were cheering.

  Before long, I found that I was actually having fun with Archer, Hugo, and Millie, who both occasionally leaned around him to speak to me.

  When the game was done and Hugo was handing out high fives to everyone around us, ecstatic about the win for Australia, Millie turned to me.

  “Do you want to have dinner with us? Daddy and Uncle Hugo are going to throw some steaks on the barbie.”

  My pulse increased at the thought of having dinner with them, but I couldn’t accept. This had all been more than enough as it was. I couldn’t impose any further.

  “Thanks for inviting me, but I’m going to have to take a rain check.”

  Despite my refusal, Millie smiled. “Okay, it will be nice to have dinner with you when you can then.”

  Wow. The kid was smooth. I had to give her that.

  Archer laughed, walking with me as I made my way down the row after thanking Hugo for letting me watch the match in one of his seats. He placed his large hand at the small of my back and leaned in to be heard above the sounds of celebration all around us.

  His lips moved against my hair, only just not touching my ear. The feel of them there, as well as the press of his palm against my back, sent a shiver that I hoped he wouldn’t feel down my spine.

  “If you ever want to have that dinner,” he said, his voice a low rumble that made my body clench up in ways it shouldn’t have. “I’d be okay with it.”

  Chapter 13

  Archer

  “Good morning, Mother,” I said when my mum walked into the house on Monday morning. After brushing a kiss to her cheek, I stepped out of the way to let her in and closed the door behind her. “Did you have a good weekend?”

  “It was fine, thank you.” She slipped her dark sunglasses off and held them in one hand, tapping her foot on the tile as her blue eyes met mine. “Is Millie ready for school?”

  “Almost.” I twisted the sleeve of my shirt between my fingers and slipped it over my cuff link, shaking out my arm before repeating the process on the other. “I was wondering if there’s any way you could take her to your house tonight.”

  Her gaze darkened with suspicion as her lips pursed and her brows pulled together. “Why?”

  “I’m going to have to work late and I don’t want you to have to sleep in that tiny bed with Millie. I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable at your own place.”

  Also, I would be more comfortable if she took Millie to her house with her. That way, if my day ended the way I hoped it might, there wasn’t any reason why I couldn’t invite Heidi back to my pl
ace to see where things went if she agreed to come back here with me after dinner.

  All weekend after we’d gotten home from the rugby, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. She’d consumed my thoughts, and though I didn’t usually dream, she dominated my nights too.

  At about three this morning, I’d decided that I was over trying to force myself to stop thinking about her. I had an itch and I was pretty sure she was the only one who would be able to scratch it.

  So later today I was going to invite her to dinner tonight, and if I played my cards right, hopefully, she would be coming home with me. But I wasn’t telling my mother that.

  Thankfully saying that I had to work wasn’t a total lie. I planned on talking over the plans for the party with Heidi at dinner, so I really did have to work. I just hoped business would turn into pleasure just this one time.

  My mother kept her gaze on mine, searching my face for any hint of deception. When she didn’t find any, she nodded. “I’ll take her back to my place after school, then. We can have a sleepover.”

  “Thank you.” I took a few steps forward to close the distance between us and lifted my hand to give her arm a gentle squeeze. “I really appreciate all your help with her.”

  Her expression softened and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “It’s only a pleasure, my dear.”

  “I owe you another one,” I said as I dropped my hand and turned away from her. “At this rate, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make it up to you.”

  “Just keep working hard and putting your daughter first in your personal life. That’s all I ask.” She gave me another smile, although this one was tighter than the previous one, and then glanced down at her stylish silver watch. “Where is she? We’re going to be late.”

  “Have you had any breakfast?” I asked, jerking my head in the direction of my kitchen. “Millie and I had some toast with eggs. There are some left over if you’d like to have a quick bite while you wait.”