Lead Player - Alex Grayson Page 0,39

the three women and lock gazes with Alaina. There’s no mistaking the unashamed lust in her eyes, or what the look does to me.

I turn back to the guys. “No comment.” I hold out my hand to the three brothers. “It was damn good seeing you guys. If you’re ever over this way again, give me a call.”

“Same goes for you,” Grant says.

Leaving them behind, I head toward my woman.

My woman.

Fuck yes, she’s my woman. Or she will be before the night’s over. I don’t know what Alaina expects to happen between us, but I for damn sure don’t want tonight to be the only one I have with her.

The Malone wives, Emerson, Dylan, and Sidney, along with their children, are now standing with Alaina, Juliet, and Nikki. Something strange hits me in the chest at seeing Alaina holding Grant and Emerson’s toddler. I may not know much about Alaina, but the way she’s holding the child and cooing softly to her, I have no doubt she would make a great mother.

Unbidden, that strange feeling in my chest, turns into painful knots. If things work out between us, a baby is something I might not be able to give her.

I shake away the thought as I approach the pair, getting way ahead of myself. Alaina and I are just getting to know each other. Who’s to say we will work past a week, let alone be together long enough to think about kids.

The little girl, Gwen, has her hand wrapped around one of Alaina’s fingers as she gazes up at her, her mouth open with a line of drool dribbling down her chin.

“Isn’t she just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” she asks without looking away from the baby.

“That she is.”

At my voice, the little girl lifts her beautiful eyes to me. The pain comes back tenfold when her tiny cheeks poof out with her gummy smile. In the face of such innocent happiness, I do the only thing a sane person could. I smile back at her.

With her little legs kicking excitedly, she reaches out faster than a baby should and latches her fingers in my beard. To keep from losing half of the hair on my face, I let the baby drag me closer.

“Whoa there,” I say gently with a wink. “You sure do have a nice strong grip.”

Alaina giggles. “I think she likes you.”

“Maybe she can like me a little less.” I wince when Gwen gives an almighty tug, surely plucking out a few dozen whiskers.

“Oh, shi… oot!” Emerson says, rushing over to detach her daughter from my face. “I am so sorry! We’ve been trying to teach her to not pull hair. Apparently, we need to add facial hair to the list as well.”

I chuckle as Gwen chatters baby talk in my face, paying no attention to her mother, who’s carefully uncurling her fingers from my beard.

“No need to apologize. I have a cousin who has twin girls a couple of years older than Gwen. This is nothing compared to what they can do.”

Once I’m finally free, Emerson offers me another apologetic smile before ushering her daughter away, her tone quiet as she explains to Gwen why pulling hair is a no-no. My heart melts at the crestfallen look that crosses the toddler’s face.

Once they’re out of sight, I turn back to Alaina, and find her looking at me, a soft smile playing on her lips.

“What’s that look for?” I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.

Her smile gets bigger and she rests her palm on my chest. “It was sweet how you handled her. A lot of men would have been irritated.”

I shrug. “She’s a baby. She doesn’t know any better.”

“True. But some people don’t think of it like that.”

Uncaring of who sees or hears, I wrap my arm around her waist and haul her against my chest. “You ready to get out of here?”

The heated look she gives me goes straight to my dick.

“More than ready.”

After a quick goodbye to her friends, I grab her hand and practically drag her across the room and out the door. Her quiet giggle has me looking at her over my shoulder.

“Is someone impatient?”

“Damn straight,” I mutter.

Thank fuck I decided against valet parking this afternoon, because there’s no damn way I’d be able to wait for my car to be brought around.

I’m sure I break every speed limit between the hotel and my place, and I praise the heavens that traffic is light this time in the