ask to see the video?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Too soon, Problem.”
I pulled out of Oakley’s arms and looked up at him. I wasn’t sure what we were supposed to do next. Was this the part where we had the awkward conversation about last night? “Listen, Coach wants us watching tape this afternoon, but I’d like to see you again this week.”
I swallowed. “I’d like to see you too.”
Oakley beamed as if he’d never been happier. “A real date?”
“A real date,” I conceded. There was no going back now. Last night, Oakley stole my body. Today, he stole my heart.
21
Oakley and I walked back in the direction of the university together, hand-in-hand until we came to the point where we had to go different ways. He pulled me into a quick hug and planted a soft kiss on the top of my head. I inhaled the clean scent of his soap mixed with his spicy cologne; it was exhilarating. Oakley was the one to release his arms first so that he could tilt my face up to his. He kissed me greedily, and I fully lost myself in it. When he ran his tongue over my bottom lip, I parted my mouth, allowing him to completely take over.
I brought my hand to his chest and gently pushed while also taking a step back to put a little bit of distance between us. He groaned his disapproval at the sudden absence of my mouth on his. If I didn’t stop him, we were going to end up getting down and dirty right here in the middle of the sidewalk. As much as I didn’t want it to end, Oakley had to get to the stadium, and I was still his kickass publicist after all.
“Go watch footage and strategize or whatever you do when you watch tapes,” I teased.
“I’ll text you later, and we can talk about where we should go on that date.”
He planted one last quick kiss on my lips and then turned to head toward practice. I watched him walk away for just a moment, taking the time to appreciate how good his ass looked in his jeans. Plus, staring at Oakley’s butt gave my legs time to recover from being turned to total mush.
I was on cloud fucking nine. I had the best orgasm of my life last night, I had come clean and told Oakley everything, and he still wanted to date me and let me be his publicist. Which meant I was going to graduate early with killer recommendations and a hot boyfriend. I practically floated the rest of the way home, thinking about how awesome I was and how great my life was going.
And then my cell phone rang. “Hello?”
“Miss Matthews, I know it’s a Sunday, but this call couldn’t wait.” I grabbed my chest. My mentor sounded angry, and I wasn’t ready to hear why. “There are photos of you and Oakley at a party.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. Holy hell. Last night hit me like a sledgehammer. We were practically grinding on one another. I didn’t even have to see the photos to know that it probably looked really bad. “The lack of professionalism is really concerning, Miss Matthews. I can’t in good conscience give any sort of recommendations if you consistently cross boundaries with your clients.”
Shame crept up my neck. It was almost worse than disappointing my parents. Dr. Haynes was a huge deal in our industry. “You’re supposed to be learning right now. This could be a massive stepping stone for your future, and you’re blowing it. Either you hold yourself to a higher standard or give up. We can’t keep working this way. It is starting to reflect badly on me, and unlike you, I actually care what people think about me.”
“I’m so sorry,” I sputtered.
“Me too. We’ll have a formal meeting tomorrow. I suggest you manage the social media portion before then.”
He hung up, cutting me off, though I wasn’t sure what I could possibly say. My thumbs moved lightning fast to check the damage, and the moment I saw the photos and accompanying speculation, it felt just like the streaking incident all over again.
The photo was hot. We were lost in one another, his hands were cupping my ass, and my lips were pressed against his neck. Every muscle in his arms was flexed. His eyes were locked on me. I knew better. It felt so fucking good at the time, but I knew better, and I let