He shook his head. "We'll see what happens once people find out about my past."

That pissed her off. "Dominic, you're an amazing man who made a mistake as a kid. Sure, maybe you should have come clean a long time ago, but your friend is doing fine now, isn't he?"

Somewhat reluctantly, Dominic nodded. "Better than fine. Great."

Her cell phone rang and she looked down at the small screen. "It's my father," she said, then clicked it open.

"I should have known you were sleeping with him."

Fear gripped her heart. "Excuse me?"

"I couldn't figure out why Dominic wanted to work with you," her father said. "Now I know."

"We're not—" she began, wanting desperately to deny her father's accusation. Even though it was true.

"Be in my office at eight a.m."

Tom severed their connection and Melissa carefully put the phone back down on the table next to her untouched burger.

Dominic reached for her hand, covering her cold fingers with his warmth. "What's wrong?"

"He found out about us."

Dominic's grip tightened on her hand. "It's all right."

She pulled her hand back. "No. It isn't. Now he'll never take me seriously. He'll think I'm sleeping with all of my clients. He'll think that's how I get them to sign with me." A tear fell down her cheek. "By sleeping with them."

"He knows you'd never do that."

She blinked away tears. "You didn't."

A spark of anger lit Dominic's eyes. "You know that I'm sorry for thinking you wanted to be with JP. 1 was jealous. I should have known better. And I'm retiring because it's time for me to retire, not because I want so desperately to help you that I'm giving JP my spot. JP should play for the Outlaws because he's got the talent and they're the best team for him. Period."

She didn't know what to say. What to do. She didn't want him to be angry at her. Didn't he know how much she loved him? How much she'd always loved him?

"I know I've screwed up countless times," he continued in a raw voice. "I didn't recognize real love when it was right in front of me the whole time. I didn't see the real, amazing woman you are—but I'm not blind anymore."

Melissa's brain shouted the words I love you but she couldn't get her mouth to say them. Something inside her, some wounded part of her that had more questions than answers, held the words back.

Dominic hated to watch her leave. He desperately wanted to fix everything. He wanted to call her father, tell him that he seduced Melissa, not the other way around. He wanted to pull Melissa into his arms and kiss her until she saw reason. He wanted to be there for her emotionally and professionally, to assist her in the exhausting work of managing a player like JP.

But he couldn't do any of those things. Not if he wanted there to be a snowball's chance in hell for Melissa to realize that he could change, that he could back off and let her take the wheel.

And that she loved him, too.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

A s she drove down the winding freeway to San Francisco, Melissa felt thirteen years old again, terrified about bringing home a B on her report card, praying that her father never found out about the one and only biology class she'd ever skipped—but knowing that he would—and that she'd be grounded for a month for the transgression.

Fortunately, the four-hour drive gave her plenty of time to think. Time to realize that she no longer needed his praise to feel good about herself.

Somewhere during the past week, she'd turned a corner. Partly because of Dominic, but mostly because she'd finally started to value her own worth, she had finally looked up and realized that she was capable of doing amazing things, both professionally and personally.

From here on out, she was going to live her life on her own terms. She was going to figure out what she wanted, and then she was going to go out and get it.

The only question that remained was what to do about Dominic. She loved him, yet the chasm between them was wider than ever.

The next morning, Melissa walked into her father's office at eight o'clock sharp. His face looked like thunder.

"You have betrayed me and you have betrayed my agency with your thoughtless actions. I can hardly stand to look at you."

She stood her ground. "I'm not a kid anymore. I can date whomever I want and I can love whomever I want."

"My players are off-limits. If Dominic leaves my agency, it'll be your fault."

"I understand your concern. And that's why I've already severed the relationship."

He looked surprised, but still furious. "You should never have gotten involved with him. Never."

She nodded. "You're right. I shouldn't have, but not for the reason you think. I made the mistake of falling in love with one of the best men I've ever known. Unfortunately, he's not the right guy for me. One day, I hope I can forgive you for putting money above your own daughter's happiness."

His mouth opened, then shut. By his silence, she knew how deeply she'd hurt him with her accusation. She turned to leave his office, then realized she'd left out one very important thing.

"I quit."

She walked out and rode down the elevator with her head held high. All her life she'd wanted her father's approval, an outward display of his love. Now, even though she knew she'd done the right thing, the divide between them was too deep. Her hopes for a stronger relationship with her father could never come to pass.

She checked her voice mail, and the sound of Dominic's voice sent chills up her spine. He had set up a meeting for JP with the Outlaws' general manager.

God, how she wanted to call him and confide all her fears and doubts to him. She wanted him to hold her in his arms and tell her that he loved her, that everything was going to be okay.

She was also worried about him. He was probably sitting down with the reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle right now, telling him everything. It was going to be a big story; there was no way around that. She desperately wanted to be there for him, holding his hand, letting him know that he was loved and lovable, no matter what mistakes he'd made as an adolescent.

By the time she met JP in front of the Outlaws' headquarters, she had a raging headache.

"I take it things didn't work out between you and Dom?" he said when he looked at her.

What was the point of denying everything? Dominic was brave enough to face his dirty laundry. She'd face up to hers.

"No. They didn't."

JP shook his head. "That sad sack of shit. I was sure he was going to tell you he loved you."

She chewed the inside of her lip. "He did."