“It’s so cold,” she said.

“I think I’d better kiss you again.”

Drew made quick work of ridding them both of underwear, soaking wet socks, and she watched him tug the knit cap off his head and send it sailing across the room. She reached up to take his face in her hands, and soft, slightly damp hair slid through her fingers. Long, soft, slightly damp hair.

The blond stubble on his face, the piercing cornflower-blue eyes, the brilliant smile, the amazing muscles, Go Sharks—all coalesced in a split second in Kendall’s memory. She knew where she’d seen him before.

Despite the fact the hormones coursing through her screamed in anguish, there was no way she could sleep with this man.

Chapter Two

KENDALL JERKED AWAY from Drew like she’d stuck both of her hands in an open flame. She flung herself out of the cocoon of blankets and Drew’s body, fumbling around until her fingers found the switch to the bedside light. The room was lit seconds later, and so was the face she couldn’t believe she hadn’t recognized immediately.

“You’re Drew McCoy,” she cried out.

She scooted to the edge of the bed, clutching the sheet around her torso as she went. It was a little late now for modesty. Retaining some shred of dignity might be a good thing.

She’d watched Drew’s game film with the coaching staff. She’d seen his commercials for hair products and sports drinks and soup a hundred times before. His contract with the Sharks was done as of the end of football season, and the Miners wanted him to play for them. Drew was San Francisco’s number one target in next season’s free agency. She’d planned on asking the team’s owner to write a big check to Drew and his agent next March. If all that wasn’t enough, Drew was eight years younger than she was.

What the hell was wrong with her? It must have been the knit hat covering his famous hair, or finding him in a non-jock hangout like a bookstore. Maybe it was the temporary insanity brought on by an overwhelming surge of hormones.

“Is there a problem?” he said.

“I can’t have anything to do with you. I have to go.”

He shook his head in adorable confusion. She couldn’t think of anything she wanted more right now than to run her fingers through his gorgeous hair.

“This is your hotel room. Where do you think you’re going?”

She yanked as much of the sheet off the bed as possible, attempting to wrap it around herself and stand up at the same time. He was simultaneously grabbing at the comforter to shield himself. It didn’t work.

She twisted her foot into the bedding while she hurled herself away from him and ended up on the carpet seconds later in a tangle of sheet and limbs, still naked. Her butt hit the floor so hard she almost expected to bounce.

The number-one reason why Kendall didn’t engage in one-night stands as a habit hauled himself up on all fours in the middle of the bed. Out of all the guys in the world available for a short-term fling, of all the times in her life she thought that might be an acceptable option, of course she’d pick the man that could get her fired or sued.

He grabbed the robe he’d slung over the foot of the bed, scrambled off the mattress, and jammed his arms into it as he advanced on her.

“Are you okay? You went down pretty hard.” His eyes skimmed over her. “That’s going to leave a mark.”

He crouched next to her as he reached out to help her up. She resisted the impulse to stare at golden skin, an eight pack, and a sizable erection. She’d heard Drew didn’t lack for dates. He had other things to offer besides the balance in his bank accounts.

“I’m okay,” she told him.

She felt a little shaky. She’d probably have a nice bruise later. She was going down all right, and it had nothing to do with sex. It had everything to do with the fact that if anyone from the Miners organization saw him emerging from her room in the next seventy-two hours, she was in the kind of trouble with her employer there was no recovering from. The interim general manager of a NFL team did not sleep with anyone from the opposing team, especially archrivals that hated each other with the heat of a thousand suns. Especially a star player her own organization was more than a little interested in acquiring. Especially before a game that would mean the inside track to the playoffs for both teams.

Drew and Kendall would be the Romeo and Juliet of the NFL. Well, without all the dying. Death by 24/7 sports media embarrassment didn’t count.

He reached out, grabbed her beneath her armpits and hoisted her off the floor like she weighed nothing.

“I’ve got you. Let’s see if you can stand up,” he said. His warm, gentle hands moved over her, looking for injuries. “Why don’t you lean on me for a second here?”

She tried re-wrapping the sheet around her so she could walk away from him while preserving her dignity. It wasn’t going to happen. She couldn’t stop staring at him. If she let him take her in his arms, she’d be lost. She teetered as she leaned against the hotel room wall.

“I’m . . . I’m fine. I—”

“Hold still,” he said. She heard his bare feet slap against the carpeting as he grabbed the second robe out of the coat closet and brought it back to her. “If you don’t want to do this, that’s your decision, but I don’t understand what’s wrong.”

She struggled into the thick terry robe as she tried to think of a response. He was staring at her as she retrieved the fabric belt and swathed herself in yards of fabric. Judging by his continuing erection, he liked what he saw, even if it was covered up from her neck to below her knees. He licked his bottom lip. Her mouth went dry. Damn it.

Of course the most attractive guy she’d been anywhere near a bed with in the past year was completely off-limits.

“You don’t recognize me,” she said.

“No, I don’t,” he said. “Is there a problem?”

“You might say that.” She finally succeeded in knotting the belt of the robe around her waist, dropped the sheet at her feet and stuck out one hand. “Hi. I’m Kendall Tracy. I’m the interim GM of the San Francisco Miners.” His eyes widened in shock. “Nice to meet you.”

“You . . . you can’t be,” he blurted out. “Their GM is one of the owners—”

“He had to step down two weeks ago due to a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation.”

The past two weeks in the Miners’ front office had been as fun as a root canal without Novocain\ but she wasn’t discussing that with anyone outside of the team ownership.

She knew he must have been somewhat smart if he wanted to spend his evening listening to Carl Sagan’s biographer in a bookstore, but right now, he was having trouble verbalizing his thoughts.

It took a few seconds, but she saw a smirk spread over his face.

“You . . . you run the Miners? You couldn’t get a job with a better team?” The arch rivalry had reared its ugly head.

“A better team, huh? We beat you how many times last season?” she said, but she smiled at him.

He laughed out loud.

“We’ll be handing your team their asses on Sunday, Kendall. You’re in our house now.”

Drew was still holding her hand. She snatched it away. She couldn’t believe he didn’t recognize her. She’d got an avalanche of press over her new job in the past month. Right now, though, getting Drew out of her room (and hopefully, out of the hotel and undetected) was first on her agenda.