Illegal touching, p.1
Illegal Touching, page 1
ILLEGAL TOUCHING
NEW YORK NIGHTHAWKS
FIONA DAVENPORT
Copyright © 2024 by Fiona Davenport
Cover designed by Elle Christensen
Edited by Jenny Sims (Editing4Indies)
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
CONTENTS
Illegal Touching
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Epilogue
About the Author
ILLEGAL TOUCHING
As an offensive lineman for the New York Nighthawks, Rhodes Channing was too focused on his career to have time for dating. But when he saw Finley Madison at a charity gala, he knew she was meant to be his. Unfortunately, she was the team owner’s niece…and he warned Rhodes to stay away from her.
Finley wanted nothing more than to be with Rhodes, but she didn’t want to risk the team’s playoff chances by causing drama. Their only choice was to keep their relationship a secret. A choice that could blow up in their face if her uncle found out.
1
FINLEY
Although most people would never guess, getting all dressed up to go to a big event wasn’t really my thing. Being the niece of a billionaire who’d taken me under his wing, my closet was full of designer gowns, red-soled heels, and jewelry, but I was much more comfortable hanging out in my apartment in leggings and a sweatshirt with my hair in a messy bun. Which was probably a good thing since I’d spent the past two and a half years with my nose buried in textbooks so I could finish college three semesters earlier than most students. But now that I’d graduated, I couldn’t use a paper or exam as an excuse to get out of attending something with Uncle Lennox and Aunt Brie.
“Oh my,” my aunt sighed as she stepped into my bedroom in their penthouse in the Plaza overlooking Central Park. “You look so beautiful, Finley.”
She had tried to talk me into taking the floor-length mirror with me when I moved into my apartment in Greenwich Village a few years ago so I’d be closer to where most of my classes would be held at NYU’s School of Business. And to give them more privacy as they built their life together since they’d quickly gotten pregnant with their first child. I wanted them to bond with baby Justice without me getting in the way. After everything my uncle had done for me, he deserved the perfect home life with his growing family.
I hadn’t been able to picture myself needing the mirror often, so I’d chosen to leave it here. Which came in handy at times like this since it allowed me to appreciate the result of the effort that I’d put into attending the charity gala tonight. Between the floor-length black gown paired with ankle-strap black sandals with a three-inch stiletto heel, total glam look makeup, and updo for my hair, I looked nothing like the grungy, recent college grad who’d walked in their door a few hours ago.
Meeting her gaze in the reflective surface, I smiled. “Thanks, you did an amazing job picking out my gown and shoes.”
“I could’ve put you in a potato sack, and you still would have been gorgeous.”
“I’m going to be the luckiest man at the gala tonight,” Uncle Lennox murmured as he came up behind his wife and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Since I’ll have the two most beautiful women in attendance on my arms.”
Brie rolled her eyes, her hand moving to cover her round belly. “I look like I’m about twelve months pregnant.”
“Which only makes you even more stunning as far as I’m concerned. You’re sexy as hell when you’re carrying my babies.” Lennox placed his hand over hers. “But if tonight turns out to be too much for you, just say the word, and I’ll whisk you back home so you can get comfortable again.”
Brie beamed a smile up at him. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. The twins have been on their best behavior so far today.”
Watching my uncle bend low to murmur to his unborn babies brought happy tears to my eyes. I got a lot of flak from my classmates over my lack of interest in dating, but I wanted what my aunt and uncle had found together. I hadn’t really believed in happily ever after until my uncle had met Brielle at my cousin Gabe’s destination wedding. He’d fallen head over heels for the stunning woman who’d been the bride’s best friend and maid of honor, and I’d never seen him happier than he was when she agreed to run off to Vegas to marry him only days after they’d met.
Unfortunately, I’d never met a guy who piqued my interest enough to talk me into a date, let alone anything more. But maybe now that my education was behind me and I didn’t have an easy out when attending events with Lennox and Brie, I’d actually socialize enough for that to happen.
Feeling an unusual anticipation for tonight, I suggested, “With Baylor down for the night and Justice distracted by the nanny, we should probably head out.”
“That’s a good call,” Brie agreed with a wistful look toward the nursery just a few doors away from my room.
“C’mon, baby.” Lennox guided her down the hallway with his palm on her lower back as I followed them. “The kids will be fine while we’re gone. We’ll go, dance a little, enjoy some dessert, write a big fat check, and then when we get home later, I’ll—”
Brie’s cheeks turned pink as she pressed her palm against my uncle’s mouth. “Finley might’ve recently turned twenty-one, but I’m sure the last thing she wants to hear about are your plans for me tonight.”
“Yup, I can wholeheartedly confirm that is true.” I shook my head with a soft laugh. “This is why I plan to head back to my place instead of returning here with you two later. So please, feel free to dip out early. Don’t let me keep you there longer than you’d like.”
Lennox narrowed his eyes at me. “Why do I have the feeling that you’d be out the door a few minutes after us?”
“Because you know your niece so well,” Brie chimed in.
“I’ll do my best to enjoy myself tonight,” I promised.
“Just not too much fun at the open bar,” my uncle muttered. “I don’t like the idea of you drinking while we’re not there to look out for you. You’re barely twenty-one, so you don’t know your limits yet.”
I quirked a brow at him as we entered the private elevator. “Didn’t you strong-arm some of your players into attending tonight?”
“Yes,” he confirmed, “but I don’t pay them millions of dollars so they can keep an eye on my beautiful niece while she finally spreads her wings.”
Brie elbowed him in the side with a giggle. “More like you don’t want one of them to swoop in and claim her for themself. I swear, they’re almost as bad as you when it comes to their wives.”
“That’s not gonna happen,” Lennox grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
“You never know…Finley is all grown up now.”
After climbing into the limousine waiting to take us to the gala, I pulled out my cell phone and mumbled, “I need to check some stuff in the Asian markets.”
Neither of them blinked at my excuse to avoid the awkward turn of conversation. Heaving a small sigh of relief, I distracted myself during the drive, only tucking my phone back in my purse when we arrived at our destination. We stopped to have our photos taken at the step before heading inside, where we were immediately swamped by people who wanted a moment of Lennox’s time.
As a billionaire with various interests, my uncle was always in high demand at events like this, but the throng was worse than usual. Probably because his football team was gearing up for a wildcard playoff game this coming Saturday.
Ducking out of the crowd, I made a beeline for the bar and ordered a glass of champagne. I wasn’t much of a drinker, except for a glass of wine every once in a while, so it was the safest bet. The bartender quickly slid a glass in front of me, and I lifted it to my lips. Then I almost choked on my sip of the expensive bubbly when a deep voice murmured, “What are the odds I can talk you into downing that glass of champagne so you can dance with me?”
Almost as though my aunt’s earlier teasing had conjured the perfect guy to jumpstart my libido out of thin air, I tilted my head back to stare into the dark eyes of the man who’d joined me at the end of the bar. We’d never met, but I was familiar enough with the players on the professional football team that my uncle owned to know exactly who he was—Rhodes Channing, one of the best offensive linemen in the league. With his six feet four inches of pure muscle wrapped in a bespoke tuxedo, he was devastatingly handsome. But not too polished since his face was covered by a thick, dark beard that my fingers itched to stroke.
Certain that I must’ve heard him wrong because there was no way this sought-after bachelor was interested in me, I whispered, “Pardon?”
His plush lips curved into a grin—his teeth gleaming white against his tan skin—as he proved me wrong by repeating, “Will you dance with me?”
2
RHODES
She was even more stunning up close.
I’d spotted this incredible beauty the moment she walked in the door, and despite the fact that she’d arrived with my boss and his wife, I knew I had to ask her to dance. I wondered about their connection, but it didn’t really matter. An overwhelming need consumed me—to be close to her, to find out more about her, because I had a feeling she was my future.
At the moment, she was looking at me as if I had three heads, making me want to laugh. I was used to women fawning over me, but I got the impression that this girl wasn’t speechless because of my job or bank account. Her gorgeous, wide blue eyes flickered with desire, and I couldn’t help smiling at the knowledge that she appeared to be as affected by me as I was by her.
“You want to dance with me?”
My grin widened. “I’d ask in another language if I knew one and thought it would up my odds of you agreeing.”
Her lips tipped up, and she laughed—the husky sound going straight to my groin. Damn, I couldn’t wait to hear her moaning my name in that sexy voice.
“Um, sure.” She hesitantly turned to place her drink on one of the small, high-top tables near us, then put her hand in my outstretched one.
As we walked to the dance floor, I looked down at her—she had to be at least five eleven in those heels, but I still towered over her. I admired her ash blond hair, swept up into some kind of fancy thing on her head, exposing her neck and making me want to trail my tongue down her naked skin to the cleavage just barely visible in her strapless gown. She had a slender build, but her tits would definitely fill my hands, and the flare of her hips would be perfect to hold while I buried myself deep inside her.
Get a grip before you embarrass yourself, Channing.
Yeah, I was dangerously close to having a very visible hard-on through my pants. I returned my focus to her face and tried not to think about how her soft, pouty lips would feel pressed to mine. What she tasted like. What kind of sounds she would make while my tongue explored her mouth.
“I’m Rhodes,” I rasped, trying desperately to find something to take my mind off all the ways I intended to fuck her.
“I know,” she said with a cute smirk.
Shrugging, I laughed, enjoying the way her eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink at the sound. “I didn’t want to assume. What’s your name?”
“Finley Madison.”
I almost choked on my own saliva. I’d seen her come in with Lennox, but I hadn’t realized they were family. Shit. This was going to be complicated as fuck. “You’re related to Lennox, I take it,” I murmured as I took her into my arms.
She smiled fondly and nodded. “He’s my uncle.”
Well, double shit. This was the niece we’d heard rumors about. Supposedly, she was a spoiled little princess who’d had everything handed to her in life. But just from the minute or so I’d been in her presence, I was already doubting the validity of what I’d heard.
“You’re close?”
“Honestly, he’s more like a surrogate father to me. I love my parents, but they…weren’t around much. My dad travels for work, and my mom always goes with him.” She shrugged nonchalantly, but I could see the strain around her eyes, making me want to track down her parents and give them hell for abandoning their daughter. Then she brightened, beaming and making my heart squeeze and thump happily. “Uncle Lennox stepped in, and he’s always been there for me. And Aunt Brie is the best. She was the one who convinced him to let me move into my own place when I went to college. I swear, that woman could make him do anything.”
I smiled at the adorable twinkle in her eyes. Then her words hit me, and I asked, “You’re in college?” Since she’d been drinking champagne, I’d assumed she was over twenty-one. But if she was still in school…I could possibly be over a decade older than her. Not that it mattered to me, but I had a feeling it would be an issue for her uncle.
Finley shook her head. “I graduated right before Christmas.”
“In the middle of the year?”
She tilted her head to the side and stared at my shoulder, her cheeks turning pink. “I know it sounds cliché, but I worked hard to graduate a year and a half early with my degree in finance so I could start living my own life. I’ve been luckier than most kids, and I absolutely appreciate the life my uncle gave me, but I want to stand on my own two feet.”
“I don’t think it sounds cliché,” I reassured her. “I think it’s brave to want to strike out on your own.”
Her smile was bright for a moment, then she looked at my chest again and blushed harder. “Sort of.”
I laughed, drawing her wide eyes to my face as her cheeks tinged with pink.
“What does that mean? Sort of?”
Finley sighed. “I have a trust fund, but like I said, I want to stand on my own. So I only took a small withdrawal and used it to start day trading so I could pay for all my living expenses without having to get a job.”
“I’m officially impressed,” I told her as pride filled me. She was obviously smart, dedicated, and hardworking. I kind of felt like a complete idiot for believing the rumors. Despite being a billionaire, Lennox was one of the most grounded, hard-working people I’d ever met. It made sense that he would raise his niece to be the same way.
“It’s not that hard,” she replied with a chuckle.
I raised an eyebrow. “For some people, perhaps. But for the rest of us, numbers are like Greek. Which is why I have a degree in biology. If it doesn’t have to do with football statistics, I only studied what I needed to in order to graduate.”
Finley’s brow rose, and her lips tipped up at the corners. “So you’re a nerd?”
My head fell back as a hearty laugh burst from my chest. “Yeah,” I agreed once I caught my breath. “I guess I am.”
“Hey.” She shrugged. “Nerds are hot.”
I chuckled again and stared down at the incredible woman in my arms. She was fucking amazing. That feeling that she might be my future had officially solidified. Finley was meant to be mine. Now I just had to convince her—
“Rhodes.”
I stopped dancing and glanced to the side, seeing Lennox standing there with his feet braced apart and arms crossed, and a deadly expression on his face.
—and her uncle.
“Finley,” he muttered, “Brie is ready to go.”
“Okay,” she said sweetly. “I’ll call you—”
“We’re all leaving,” he insisted, still staring daggers at me.
“I’ll make sure she gets home—” I stopped abruptly when Lennox took a threatening step toward me, only to be distracted when his wife put her hand on his arm. Probably saving me from a broken jaw.
“Uncle Lennox, we agreed that I would stay when you left,” Finley insisted, putting her hands on her hips and glaring up at him.
“Finley,” Brie chimed in softly. “Perhaps it would be best if we left and, um, talked about this somewhere more private?”
As frustrated as I was with Lennox’s reaction, I understood Brie’s point that this was neither the time nor the place for this discussion. The last thing we needed was to have our shit plastered all over the news.
Finley pressed her lips together and glanced around before her shoulders fell. “Okay.”
“Hands off,” Lennox snarled.
Because he’d earned my respect as a boss for years, and I could understand him being protective of his niece, I reluctantly let Finley go. For now.
I bent down to reassure her that I’d get in touch, but before I could, Lennox quickly guided her to his other side to stand by Brie.
Then he stood nearly toe-to-toe with me and smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He put one hand on my shoulder and grasped mine with the other in a shake while leaning in to whisper, “Go near my niece again, and you’ll be spending next season recovering from reconstructive surgery after I break your pretty boy face. And possibly some other shit.”
Finley gasped in outrage, but she was dragged away by her aunt before she could react too much.
I didn’t react at all. Not only couldn’t he intimidate me but I wasn’t about to agree to stay away from my woman.
“Remember, Rhodes. She’s off-limits. Illegal. Is that clear?” He didn’t wait for my answer before stalking off, fake smile still in place.
