Surrender My Heart

“Excellent! Let me give you the address, and I’ll see you soon.”

Natalie scribbled the address on a piece of paper. “I’m on my way.”

“I can’t wait for you to meet Mike Jones,” Penelope added.

Natalie’s stomach lurched at the mention of the name. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“Mike Jones is the football player I was talking about. My friend from school. He’s a sweetheart, and real easy on the eyes. You’ll like him.”

Suddenly, Natalie’s brain was scrambling to try to come up with a reason to do a one-eighty and tell Penelope that she could no longer meet her, no longer volunteer her time.

Yeah, I bet you looked just like a little angel when you were born, and that’s what your mama named you.

“As in Michael Jones?” Natalie asked for clarification.

“Yes, that’s him,” Penelope said. “Oh, you know him?”

Natalie’s hands tightened on the receiver as she closed her eyes. “No. I’ve just…heard of him.”

“Excellent.” Penelope couldn’t sound more pleased. “All right. See you soon.”

Chapter 4

The entire drive to the Compassion for Families offices, Natalie felt as if she had a bowling ball sitting in her stomach. At least ten times she contemplated—and dismissed—the idea of turning around and heading back home.

How silly are you being? she asked herself as she parked beside a sleek BMW. What—are you incapable of working in a professional capacity with a man like Michael Jones?

That was the thought that had her getting out of her car and making her way up the steps of a large, older home with a wraparound porch. Clearly, this was not only the home where the families in need resided, but also the building that held the charity’s offices.

Natalie drew in a breath as she stood before the door, then reminding herself that she was acting like a schoolgirl, she opened it.

She was immediately greeted by a woman who had to be Penelope—a five foot nothing African-American female with a short afro, light brown skin and a sprinkling of freckles on her nose.

“Natalie Hart,” the woman said, extending her hand. “I’m Penelope Rand. So nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, as well,” Natalie said. Then she looked beyond Penelope, in the direction of a woman who was crossing the far end of the hall with a tray of cupcakes.

Penelope turned to follow Natalie’s line of sight. “That’s Cynthia. She’s one of our staff members. She bakes the most extraordinary desserts.”

“The house certainly smells lovely,” Natalie said.

“Would you like a cupcake?” Penelope asked.

“No, I’m fine.” Natalie waved off the suggestion. “Leave them for the children.”

“All right, then. This way.” Penelope gestured to the door on the immediate right.

Natalie started into the room—and stopped dead in her tracks. Though she had known she would see Michael Jones in the room, laying her eyes on him again was like a shock to her system.

Good Lord, the man was so…

“I know, I’m sorry the office is so cluttered,” Penelope said, mistaking the reason for Natalie’s hesitation. “Please bear with the mess.”

“It’s fine,” Natalie said, avoiding looking directly at Michael. But as she put one foot deliberately before the other and walked farther into the room, she could feel Michael’s gaze on her.

His eyes were burning her skin. She felt flushed and didn’t know why. And strangely, she found her breathing had become shallow.

Embarrassment, she told herself. That’s what it is. And she knew that was true. After yesterday—

“I’ve cleared space at the end of the conference table,” Penelope explained, jarring Natalie from her thoughts about the day before. Penelope began walking toward the table, and as Natalie feared, she took a seat opposite Michael, which left Natalie one option—to sit beside him.

“Michael Jones, this is Natalie Cooper—I mean Hart. Natalie, this is Michael Jones, the local football player I was telling you about.”

“Pleasure to see you again,” Michael said, eyeing her up and down as if she were a juicy steak.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Penelope said, her expression one of confusion as she took a seat opposite them. “I didn’t realize that you knew each other.”

“We don’t,” Natalie said.

To that, Michael raised an eyebrow. “Actually, we met yesterday.”

“Briefly,” Natalie clarified. “A chance encounter on the street.”

Natalie sat and pulled her chair in, trying her best to ignore the uncomfortable sensation that came from knowing that Michael wasn’t taking his eyes off of her.

“She’s right,” Michael agreed. “We didn’t enjoy the pleasure of a formal meeting.” He extended his hand to her. “I’m Michael Jones.”

Natalie turned to face him, knowing that it would look suspicious if she didn’t. And she saw that the edges of Michael’s full lips were twitching. He was trying not to smile. Clearly, he was enjoying having the unlikely upper hand. Yesterday, she had thought she would be rid of him forever when she walked away from him on the street, and yet here he was, in her life again.

But Natalie couldn’t hardly let him know that he was getting to her on any level, so she took his hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you, Michael,” she said, keeping her voice dispassionate.

“Very nice to meet you.”

Natalie swallowed—hard. She felt a rush of heat. That bedroom voice, those sexy eyes…why on earth was he getting to her? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen an attractive man before.

But Michael Jones wasn’t simply attractive. He was hot.

He’s a block of ice, you’re a block of ice, Natalie said mentally, trying to trick herself. Because no matter how hot this man was, the last thing she wanted to do was look twice at another professional athlete.

Least of all look twice at one who was giving her the bedroom eye as though he hoped to make her his next conquest.

Nope, Natalie had learned her lesson the first time around, and would not be foolish enough to make the same mistake twice.

What was the saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Not that Michael had ever fooled her, but she had already been fooled by his species: the professional athlete. Women threw themselves at men like him. Stalked them at their away games. Tried to sneak into their hotel rooms. Got hired as wait staff where they ate their meals. Natalie knew all the tricks. Heck, Vance had joked about the various ploys of these women, making Natalie believe he was immune to their charms. And yet Vance had betrayed her, despite his vows to love, cherish and be faithful.

She supposed it was only inevitable that men like Vance cheated. A man was only human, after all, and how long could he realistically resist temptation when it was always in his face?