have coffee in the morning with his casual hookup, anyway?
I study him for a second. Dirty-blond hair falls around deep-blue eyes and a clean-shaven face with a pair of dangerously sexy lips that curve into that soft, crooked, adorable smile.
He doesn’t look as much like a hotshot player in the daylight.
“Okay.” The word slips out of my mouth, surprising us both. “One cup.”
He beams, clearly trying to stifle the excitement that sparks in his eyes.
I can’t help but smile as I follow him into the kitchen, tugging on the hem of the button-down in a tragically failing attempt to cover my ass.
He pours a steaming cup and hands it to me. “I’m not gonna let you just leave like that.”
“I like…” I bring the mug to my mouth and let the hot coffee lightly touch my lips. “Leaving.”
“Oh, yeah.” He pours himself a cup and leans against the countertop, still as charming and sexy as he was last night, even without the champagne goggles. “I remember you telling me you’re big into traveling. For your family’s company, right?”
I nod, taking a small sip. “My official title is international public relations manager. Vice Hospitality has locations in over thirty countries, all in major cities. I bounce from one to the next and handle all the PR.”
“That’s so awesome.” He runs a hand through his messy bedhead, and I resist the urge to give those soft, tempting locks a feel myself. “So, you live here in South Florida? When you’re not traveling?”
I open my mouth to respond and close it quickly, wondering how to phrase the explanation of my highly nomadic lifestyle to this darling poster boy of hometown, boy-next-door American life. “I don’t really, technically live anywhere…”
He laughs softly and raises his brows. “The billionaire Vice family’s only daughter is homeless?” He gives a teasing wink. “I’m not buying it.”
I wrap my hands around the warm mug and let a laugh tickle my chest. “That’s only sort of true. I have a designated penthouse suite in all of our hotel locations across the globe, so I actually have a home in almost every major city.” I straighten my back and grin proudly.
He wrinkles his nose and sips his coffee. “You live in…hotels? Like, full time?”
“Well, yeah. I don’t just travel here and there, I’m always traveling. Always exploring and adventuring and…” I glance back toward the door and swallow. “Leaving.”
“I, uh, can see that.” His voice hints at disappointment, and I decide once and for all that he is definitely not the player I thought he was. “You’re an on-to-the-next-thing kind of girl.”
I smile. “There’s always someplace I haven’t been, or some food I haven’t tried, or some experience I haven’t had.”
He nods slowly and gives me another smile. “Well, I don’t have to hold you up any longer. Sounds like you probably have a private jet to catch or something.”
A tiny flash of hurt darkens his eyes, and something tugs at my heart. Why do I give a damn about this sexy, cocky, football player I slept with on a whim? More than that…why do I feel like he gives a damn about me? He might not be the classic douchebag jock I thought he was, but I’m sure he has no shortage of girls falling at his feet.
“What about you?” I ask, setting my mug on the counter. “Do you like to travel?”
“Well, I’ve…” He scratches the back of his neck and glances off to the side. “I’ve never actually been out of the country. South Florida’s probably the coolest place I’ve ever been.”
I choke on a shocked laugh. “What? You’re kidding.”
Matt shrugs and tilts his head. “Growing up, I didn’t… We weren’t like…” He gestures vaguely at me. “You guys. I didn’t have a ton of money. Any money, really.”
“Oh. I’m…sorry.”
Holy crap, I feel like an asshole.
“No, no.” He waves a hand and gives a genuine smile. “It’s all good.” He holds up his hands and grins proudly. “I made it, didn’t I?” He glances out the floor-to-ceiling windows of his high-rise that overlook the pink sky spreading across Fort Lauderdale.
I feel a wave of admiration for the man standing in front of me who, ten minutes ago, was nothing more than a hot jock I hooked up with. I’m suddenly kind of glad I stayed for coffee.
“Yeah.” I smile and look up at him, feeling a magnetic pull toward those soft lips and letting myself inch a bit closer. “You did.”