He shouldn’t have slept with her. She shouldn’t have slept with him. He knew seeing her again was asking for trouble and he was the worst kind of stupid. It made him a real candy ass to admit it to himself, but he was lonely. There were always women around. They weren’t the right ones, and it had nothing to do with whether or not they shared his ideas about a home and family. They weren’t what he really wanted, and the list had got shorter the longer he’d dated: smart, funny¸ thoughtful, compassionate, and beautiful. Even beautiful was negotiable; he wasn’t the guy that went for the bleached blondes with gigantic foobs, and he never had been. He’d appreciate someone with good health habits and someone who could keep up with him, but mostly, he wanted someone he could see making a home and raising a family with.

Walking into his parents’ house was still something he relished—the scent of food cooking, the hugs and sometimes, a few tears from his mom, who was always his and his siblings’ greatest cheerleader. Shaking hands with his dad and being wrapped in a huge bear hug. Since his career didn’t allow him to live in Wisconsin, he wanted those things in Seattle. It was why he didn’t bitch too much when he came home to find yet more of his teammates lounging in the family room, and why he enjoyed getting invited over to Zach’s house.

He’d been in Seattle two seasons now. The team was his family, his home away from home. They weren’t there during the wee hours of the morning, though. He needed a wife.

He watched Kendall sleep. She must have been having a great dream; he saw her smiling a little. He’d love to know what (or who) she was dreaming about. He hoped it was him. He could moon over her like a lovesick middle school student all he wanted, but she was on a different path in life.

She wasn’t going to leave the Miners. He’d retire from football in a few years, he’d find something else to do with his time, and she would still want to live in California. Did he want to as well? Would she enjoy weekend soccer games and inviting friends over for a meal, or would she be required to go to the high-profile events any franchise’s front office personnel attended? They weren’t important to him at all.

Maybe he should take it down a notch before he planned his entire future in the next ten minutes. He was interested, but he didn’t know enough about her to give her the starring role in his fantasies of domestic bliss. It would take many more dates to do so. The best course of action was to get his ass back to Seattle, stop in to see his young friend Nolan at Children’s, and figure out if they both were interested enough to pay the price for getting involved with each other. She’d said she wasn’t into one-night stands. He wasn’t into them, either, but right now, this felt a lot like one.

There was also the consideration that his actions could get her fired, which he didn’t want either.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and surveyed her bedroom floor, which was littered with their clothing. He bent over to snag his stuff, and he heard her sleep-thickened voice.

“That’s quite a view.”

He turned toward her. “I could say the same.”

He saw the flash of her smile, and she pulled up the sheet to her neck. She blushed a little. He returned to the bed, leaned over her, and kissed her forehead. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” she said. They stared at each other. There was so much to say, and he wasn’t sure where to start.

“It’s a little after five. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

He saw her frown for a split-second. He could see the moment she told herself to act like it wasn’t a big deal in her face too.

“Sneaking out?”

She was trying to play it cool. He took her cue. His voice was casual.

“Nope. It’s early. I wasn’t going to leave without saying goodbye.”

“I wish you didn’t have to leave at all,” she said, and she clapped one hand over her mouth. She shook her head. “Maybe we could chalk that last comment up to still being half-asleep.”

He crawled back into the bed with his phone. “Is it going to be a crisis if you get to the office at nine this morning instead of eight? Maybe we could grab a cup of coffee on the way.”

Sadness flitted over her features before she pasted on another smile. “My meetings start at eight. I can’t do it.”

“Well, then,” he said. He put his phone back on the nightstand and reached out for her. “A hug, and I’ll go get in the shower.”

He smelled her green apple scent one more time and tried to memorize what she felt like in his arms. He rested his cheek against her much softer one. She cuddled against him. He’d hold her for a few more minutes.

The silence grew. He heard the chirp of an incoming text. Judging by the time, it must be a member of his family.

“I don’t know what to say,” she said.

“I don’t, either.”

He gave her one last squeeze, crawled out of bed, and headed toward the shower.

Half an hour later, he was dressed and ready to go. His backpack was over one shoulder. He patted his front pocket; the key fob to his rental car was there along with his phone. He checked for his wallet.

“I had a great time,” he said as they walked to the front door of her house arm-in-arm.

“Me too,” she said. He saw the tell-tale glimmer of rising tears in her eyes. He opened his mouth to say something before he kissed her goodbye, and she laid her fingers over his lips. “Don’t say goodbye.”

He kissed her fingertips, and then he kissed her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his waist. They stood in silence as they both fought for something to say besides the usual clichés two people spouted when their feelings went far beyond a casual encounter. She pulled herself out of his arms and opened the front door of her house.

He squeezed her hand one last time as he walked out the door. He heard the click of the door shutting behind him seconds later. He felt it in his gut.

She was gone.

KENDALL WENT THROUGH her morning routine numbly. She dried her hair into a perfect shiny bob that framed her face, applied her makeup, dressed, and made sure she was wearing matching shoes. Her phone was already chirping with incoming texts and e-mails. She rooted through the bag Sydney sent home with her last night; everything was still there. She hadn’t done thirty seconds of the work she was now behind on, and she wasn’t sure how she could BS her way through this morning’s meetings.

She picked up her laptop bag and glanced at her smart phone’s screen before she put it into her handbag. She had an e-mail from Drew.

Kendall, I’ll never forget last night. Since I have your cell number and home address, it’s only fair you have mine. Drew

She clicked on the attachment. A map to his house from Santa Clara, CA, opened on the phone’s screen, and a Google street view of the front of his house.

He’d issued the challenge. It was up to her to accept or decline.

DREW’S TRIP TO Seattle was mostly uneventful. He got searched at the airport for being in San Jose less than twenty-four hours and carrying nothing but a backpack. He was used to this by now. Big dudes with long hair were obviously up to no good. The flight attendant recognized him and offered him a complimentary Bloody Mary. When he politely refused, she made the rounds of the other passengers and returned to him about an hour later. She asked if he’d like something else instead.

“It’s very nice of you to ask, but no, thank you.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. Her voice dropped an octave. “I have lots more to offer.”

He gave her a nod. “Thank you, but no thank you.”

She swished away from him. He was still thinking about a certain dark-haired, gray-eyed woman who was probably well into her first meeting of the day. The flight attendant reminded him of the Paul Newman quote he’d read years before, the one in which Mr. Newman was asked how he managed to resist the women who cast themselves into his path, despite the fact he was married: “Why eat hamburger when you have steak waiting at home?”