He pulled them up defensively. ‘It’s all good, just a tumble, nothing to worry about,’ he insisted, but recalling the pain on his face that day she knew that wasn’t true. The tough guy act wasn’t fooling her. Then she remembered that she was here because the guy’s career was on the slide, so maybe he was also afraid to admit to any injury setbacks for fear it might damage his career prospects any further. And since she herself had been the root of his latest woes, the stakes for saving Ward McKenzie’s career had suddenly become a whole lot higher.

She swallowed hard. Great.

‘That’s good to know,’ Hannah said, rearranging her features into a reassuring smile and deciding to change the subject. If they had any hope of successfully working together, she needed to get Ward to trust that she was there to help. ‘So while we didn’t get off to the best start that morning, I take it you know why I’m here today?’

‘Not exactly,’ he growled, still unwilling to meet her gaze. ‘My agent says you’re supposed to make me into someone that the Panthers aren’t ashamed of.’

‘That’s one way to put it,’ she admitted, ‘but not entirely accurate. My job is to help Ward McKenzie find out who the real Ward McKenzie truly is and help reveal—’

Eyes wide, he cut her off with a burst of laughter.

‘You’re kidding me, right? Did you actually just say that? No offence, Emma, but I know who the hell I am.’

‘Hannah,’ she corrected him.

‘What?’

‘You called me “Emma”. My name is Hannah.’

‘OK. Whatever. Doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you’re wasting both of our time. This is the real Ward McKenzie.’ He stabbed a finger at his chest.

‘Really?’ she asked, and this time she couldn’t help but keep the annoyance out of her voice. ‘You admit to being an overgrown frat jock who gets drunk and acts the maggot in public?’

The smirk disappeared and he was quiet for a beat. When he spoke again, there was a dangerous edge to his voice.

‘Here’s the deal – I’ll admit that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, OK? Some people might say that I’m an … acquired taste. Whatever. The thing is, Emma, I’m not about to change who I am just so you can boast that you managed to tame WildCat McKenzie. Do I go overboard sometimes? Hell, yeah. It’s who I am. When I show up somewhere, people know what they’re going to get – a guy who’s fun, a little bit dangerous and who knows how to have a good time.’