His Seduction Game Plan Read Free Page A

wasn’t. But she didn’t want to make this too easy for him. With that pretty face and muscled body, she doubted he ever had to work hard to get a date.
    â€œOh, I’ll give you classy, Ferrin,” he said. “You just wait and see. I’ll be back at six.”
    â€œI’ll be ready at six thirty,” she said.
    He threw his head back and laughed. “You’re a minx.”
    Doubtful. But she was tired of the same-old, same-old, and Hunter promised something different.
    â€œSix thirty then. Dress classy.”
    â€œAs if I’d do anything else,” she said, leading him down the hall. She opened the front door and leaned back against it as he brushed past her. He stopped and leaned down, putting his hand on the bottom of her chin.
    Dinner suddenly seemed like more than just a break in the routine. She suspected he might want something from her but that was okay. She wanted something from him, too. A chance to remember she was young and single. Maybe make a memory in California that wasn’t laced with guilt and disappointment.

Two
    R ocky Point Restaurant was famous in Carmel-by-the-Sea for its views of the Big Sur coastline. And since Ferrin had mentioned not being out of the house since she’d arrived, Hunter thought she’d enjoy being around other people. Plus, if he was completely honest, he really didn’t trust himself alone with her.
    He might have gone to the Gainer house to see Coach and get answers, but tonight he was torn. Right now, his focus was on seeing Ferrin and a part of him—granted, a small part—didn’t even care if she let him see Coach’s boxes from his office.
    She wore her thick, black curly hair down and it brushed the tops of her shoulders, which were left bare by her bohemian-style top. The blouse was a sea-blue color and she’d paired it with slim-fitting white jeans that made her legs seem even longer than they had earlier in those shorts. She had on heels, which made her only a few inches shorter than his six-two frame.
    And as they walked from the parking lot to the restaurant, he was aware of people watching them. For a moment he forget he was Hunter Caruthers, famous for being accused of the Frat House Murder, and pretended people just noticed a good-looking couple.
    But as soon as they got closer, people turned away and gave them a wide berth.
    He cursed under his breath.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œNothing. I thought going out would put you at ease but I might have misjudged this. Everyone here knows me.”
    She put her hand on his arm, her touch light and delicate. “That doesn’t matter. They don’t know the real you.”
    â€œYou don’t either,” he pointed out as he pulled her to one side before they entered the restaurant. “I wouldn’t blame you if you demanded I take you home.”
    â€œYou don’t know me either, Hunter. I’m not one to bug out on a date before it’s even started. I can handle a little gossip,” she said. “Are you one of those bad-boy players in the NFL?”
    â€œNot really. I mean I do date pretty women and have a few rushing records, but I don’t see myself as a bad boy.” He wondered if she’d already Googled him and knew the scandal that followed him around like a dark cloud, driving him away from anything good. Damn, he was getting dramatic. It was just that ten years was too long to be on the run from the past. Even his dad, who made laconic seem chatty, had said maybe it was time to get answers, to find out what had really happened.
    â€œWho would see himself as a bad boy?” she asked with a wink. “But you should know that no matter what else happens between us, I’m not someone for you to toy with.”
    He reached around her to open the door. She entered the restaurant and walked over to the hostess.
    He saw Coach’s inner steel in Ferrin. And she didn’t know who he was, which was