While I was trying not to check out his body, he didn’t have the same problem. He gazed at my breasts a few seconds longer than he’d ever done before. I had my babies tucked in tight with no cleavage showing, so I wasn’t sure why he stared so long.“Do friends stare like that?” I couldn’t help asking because heat was traveling to my cheeks.“This friend does. You look nice.” He gave me a crooked grin.Nice. That was good, right? So why stare at my boobs? I didn’t get it. His eyes were now on mine and I appreciated his baby blues again.“Do you need to grab your bag?”“Yes, I never go anywhere without it.” I walked over to collect it off the dresser. “Do you mind if I ask where you’re taking me.”“The lake.”Um, no. “As in swimming?”“If you like, but it’s not exactly what I had planned.” He continued with the same grin and his eyes twinkled just a bit.“I didn’t pack a swimsuit and I’d rather not buy one. It tends to be a major ordeal finding something that fits.” I was kinda rambling
“Come on, sleepyhead. We’re here.” Joel stroked my cheek.I opened my eyes and we were inches apart. It was so unfair. I wanted nothing more than to kiss him and forget his brother. Stupid me. “Where’s here?”He leaned back a bit, allowing me to breathe comfortably. “We’ve been driving for over an hour. You’ll enjoy the food; it’s locally grown vegetables with locally raised meat and fish. They also have a good draft beer.”“No beer for me. I’m swearing off alcohol.”Snarly Joel came back. “You know I owe my brother a black eye for that, right? He knew damn good and well what he was doing when he gave you too much alcohol. Hell, I might punch out a few of his teeth.” His hands held the steering wheel in a death grip, causing his forearm muscles to bulge.I placed my fingers on one of Joel’s fists. “I’m a big girl. The last thing I want is the two of you fighting. Absolutely no black eyes or missing teeth. You will no longer be my friend if you do either. You got me?”He didn’t smile.
I don’t remember having a better day in my entire life. After our embrace, we walked along the beach holding hands, splashing water, and acting silly. For such a big serious guy, Joel had a soft and fun side too. I appreciated the fact that I didn’t catch him staring at my chest again. I don’t think I was quite so respectful. I suffered from a serious muscle fetish.I awoke well rested on Monday. I called Charlie, who’d sent me a text the day before reminding me to visit the newspaper. It was a quick drive and I was there by nine. The building was larger than I expected, and a small thrill passed through me at the thought of owning a newspaper. The front had floor-to-ceiling glass windows with a large desk just inside. There was a bell, which I didn’t ring because I got caught up in the photography on the walls. Most were rugby players and holy hell there were a lot.They were eight-by-ten autographed collectibles like Charlie told me. I recognized many of the players—action shots, st
Charlie walked me out to my car half an hour later. “Sorry about Tina,” he said before I climbed in.“I’m afraid to ask what the problem is.”“You guessed it then. She has a thing for Van.”My laugh was anything but happy. “She has nothing to worry about. He dumped me first thing the morning after. If she hasn’t slept with him yet, he’s available for a night.” I could hear the anger in my words and felt bad that I’d said anything. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.”“Don’t worry about it. I saw that killer spark in your personality the first time I met you. It’ll get you far in this business.”There was no way he saw a spark in me, but he was so sweet to say so. “Thanks, Charlie. I’ll see you Thursday.”I drove away and headed to The Slam Tavern for lunch. I planned to leave my car in the Inn’s parking lot and as I turned in my cell rang.Joel and I switched numbers the day before and I smiled when his named popped up on the screen. “Cami here.”“What are you doing for lunch?” he aske
I wrote the outline for the next installment of my series. This one concentrated more on the crazy fans. I called Stub and she was happy to email me files of costumed antics complete with names and contact information so I could get permission to use their pictures.I emailed Skylar to see how she was feeling. It was nice of her to offer assistance and I might need it.Hi Skylar,How is the mother to be? I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. I hate that your incapacitation is my big break. You should know that a gig in a third world country with an infected water supply would be more to my liking. I’m not a sports fan, and even though I find myself enthralled with rugby, I’m more attracted to the man candy. And, oh God, I shouldn’t say that. It’s quite unprofessional of me, but I don’t understand how you do it. I hope you get a laugh out of this. We leave Friday for my first away game and I’ll be trapped on a bus with more testosterone than I’m comfortable with, poor me.CamiI r
I worked for hours outlining the next two articles I wanted to write—one being the family man’s perspective. Currently, there wasn’t a lot of money in rugby and somehow you had to juggle a full-time job, practice, matches, and family. I wanted a wife’s input too. I’d decided on Mean Mike, a huge guy who worked, played rugby, and was father to four young children. His wife would be the key ingredient, so I needed to interview her.The knock on the door startled me because I had no idea it was dinner time. Barefoot, I walked over and opened it. Joel stood holding a bag of food with a tired smile. I moved back so he could enter.“How was practice?” I asked as he set the food on the dresser. I started clearing the small table of my laptop, recorder, and notes so we had a place to eat.“Long and I missed you.” His voice came from directly behind me.I turned and his hands went around my waist. “What are you doing, Joel?”“Eliminating the problem that kept me awake last night.” His lips sla
The next two days were hectic. I interviewed several rugby wives and talked to a few of the kids who were old enough to tell me about being in a rugby family. I ate dinner each night with Joel. Besides a gentle hand on my back or holding hands, he didn’t touch me until we said goodnight. His way of saying goodbye reminded me he was interested in being more than friends. I went to bed remembering the sexy press of his lips to mine—his scent and erotic grumbles as he took small nips from my neck. There was no such thing as dry panties when Joel kissed me goodnight.The subject of his brother never came up. Van didn’t come back, and I stayed away from the stadium. The rumors about me and Van worried me, but Joel never said anything. When I was with him, people, including women, were always friendly. I thought I received a few measured stares, but I knew it could also be that I was self-conscious.I managed to find two additional bras at the local mall. They weren’t the prettiest, but the
Moving farther back in the bus, I questioned a few of the players. There was a distinct coolness that I should have expected. These guys were trying to win a championship and I was causing trouble between their two best players who happened to be brothers and the team’s owners. Mike gave the guy in front of him a dirty look after the player barely acknowledged me. Mike started answering my questions. Sadly, I needed other input because Mike was a key factor in my second article and I didn’t want to use him again. But at least he tried to make me feel comfortable.Two hours later, we arrived in Sexton, West Virginia, the home of the Timberwolves. For some reason I didn’t think of timber wolves when I thought of West Virginia, but when I Googled it, I discovered they were listed as one of two breeds of wolves in the region.Gray flags decorating stores and homes let us know whose territory we entered. Sexton was around the same size as Colt and a rugby town. We went straight to the hote
I hid in Italy for three weeks. Greg came with me and kicked my ass on the court. He actually made a great practice partner. I was back to clean eating and drinking only water. It surprised me when Greg brought a bottle of wine to my room one night. “What’s this for?” I asked when he gave me one of his golly-gee smiles. Greg was cute. And, married to a lovely woman who worshipped him. “I’ve been your coach for three months now and I have no idea what makes you tick. It’s time for a come to daddy talk. Or in your case, come to coach. I figured the alcohol might make it easier.” “You’ll need more than one bottle,” I told him. He came back to my room ten minutes later with two more bottles in his hands. “Does your wife know you’re getting drunk with a slutty tennis star tonight?” I smiled to take the sting out of calling myself a slut. “She suggested it. We’ve had many long conversations about you.” “How romantic.” He poured our first glasses and tilted the edge of his glass against
I never returned to the hospital, which was entirely unfair of me. My anger at my father carried over to Brack. I was horrible. The man I loved hadn’t fully recovered and I left him at the hospital alone. Okay, he had his parents and his team. But, bottom line—I was horrible and a coward. I ignored the calls from Brack and my father. Again… coward.I needed complete control of my life. It took me two weeks to come up with a plan. During those two weeks, I hired a new coach and trained until I could barely walk. I trained with a purpose. I’d had my own money. Not just from tennis but from my mother. I’d never used it. That was the way I punished her and myself. Now, for the first time, I paid for my own coach.I liked him. I could actually smile over the fact that my father paid for Jerry all those years while the two of them hated each other. Greg, my new coach, kicked my ass. I had no idea if I had a chance this season. But, winning the Grand Slam was in my peripheral vision and not
Two days later, the doctors discontinued the medication that kept Brack in a coma. My father showed up the morning after surgery and made me go home, shower, and change clothes. Brack’s parents were staying in shifts. His mom promised she wouldn’t leave his side until I returned. I hadn’t really spoken to them. We stayed relatively quiet in Brack’s room. I whispered encouragement and told him I was there. They gave us privacy, too. That’s when I told him I loved him. Again and again, I whispered the words.My father and Senator Jacobs were cordial. Brack’s mother treated my dad like a family friend. Apparently she’d been friends with my mom. I tried not to think about the ramifications of our two families tied together through me and Brack. It was too much to take right now.Brack still had the ventilator. The doctor reviewed best and worst case scenarios with us. I refused to listen to brain damage, paralysis, learning to walk and talk again, and so on. My focus was full recovery. I
Four hours later, I was passed out against Mack’s shoulder when his cell rang. My brain registered the noise and I was pulled quickly from sleep.“Yeah,” he answered quietly. He listened for several minutes before responding. “I have her here with me. We’ll be there in a minute.” He slid his phone back in his pocket and looked at me. “He’s in recovery. It was touch and go, but he pulled through. They have him in a sedated coma. He has a stent in his skull to relieve swelling. The doctor told his parents he came to before surgery and demanded to see you. His mom wants you up there if you think you can handle it.”I was up and walking out of the emergency room before he finished, my heart pounding a hundred miles an hour. “What floor? I’m not waiting for you to waddle behind me.”Snickers came from several of the guys. “I’ve got her,” Molly said.“Second floor.”The elevator took so long I almost turned to the stairs. I’d do anything to get to him. Brack asked for me and I had to see hi
I ran toward Brack, who had fallen to the floor. There was so much blood and I tried wiping it off his face. My hands turned dark red.“You did it, baby,” he whispered before his body went completely limp.Sander and a woman who must be Molly ran into the enclosure with guns drawn. I could barely hear them. Echoed gunshots continued ringing in my ears.“Call an ambulance and please someone check on my father. He’s in the van,” I said as I held Brack’s head in my lap. Blood soaked my panties and covered my legs. Head wounds bleed, I kept saying to myself. Sander practically jumped over us and went straight to Ty’s body. He turned back when he had assured himself Ty was no longer a threat.“Where were you?” I asked softly. I didn’t want Brack to hear me yelling at his team.Sander sat down next to me and took Brack’s arm checking his pulse. “The bastard used some kind of scrambler. It took us a while to figure out the van didn’t leave the premises. We recovered the phones. Brack had a t
Kids laughed. A mother scolded a young child for attempting to go under the bar and get closer to one of the cages. Brack and I stood in the center of the primate exhibit. My phone chirped. It didn’t startle me this time; I was too numb. “Yes.”“Walk over to the primate exhibit sign and you’ll find another cell phone behind it. Exchange it for the one you’re using. Have Mr. Jacobs leave his phone behind, too.”Brack followed me to the sign and I did exactly as told. The phone was there. I picked it up and lay mine down. “He said to leave yours, too.” Brack took his from his jeans pocket and placed it beside mine. Thankfully, no one paid attention to us. I had no idea what we needed to do next. The phone in my hand vibrated. This time I clicked the call button without saying a word.“Go to your left and keep walking on the path. Did you bring my present?” I carried a bag with the dress inside so both of Brack’s arms would be free. He carried a gun in a hidden leg holster.“Yes, it’s in
The inside of my father’s home was a crime scene. We sat on the couch in the front room away from the forensic team that arrived a few minutes before. The media camped at the gates added to the growing chaos.Even knowing Ty would eventually call, I jumped when my cell phone chirped. The display read “Unknown.” My fingers trembled as I picked it up and answered, “Hello, Ty, or should I call you Leo?”His husky laugh sent goose bumps across my arms. “I told you not to call the police. You wouldn’t listen and you’ll pay for disobedience.”My voice remained steady. “It wasn’t me. You killed your mother, so what exactly did you expect? She worked for my dad for over thirty years. One plus one equals two, Leo.” Fuller and Brack told me not to push him too hard. I had to make him believe I hadn’t gone to the police, though.“My mother had cancer and it was eating away at her. I did her a favor. She didn’t walk in God’s light. By making her repent and then killing her God may show mercy.”He
My heart stopped. Dread and terror filled me. Colors danced before my eyes making it hard to see. The whoosh of blood traveling into my head made it hard to hear. I had to get control of myself. I gulped in air. “You goddamn son of a bitch. If you hurt my father I’ll kill you.”“He that blasphemeth the name of the LORD shall be put to death and stoned. Remember that when you feel the pain of my hand, Olivia.”Brack startled me by gathering me close and placing his head against mine so we both listened. “Where’s my father?” I demanded.“That’s better. I have instructions for you, Olivia. You will follow them to the letter. Please bring that man with you. The one you’ve been with lately.” His voice took on an eerie quality. “If a man commits adultery with another man's wife, both the man and the woman must be put to death.” He breathed heavily and then gave a sadistic laugh. “You may choose your father or lover to pay for your sins. One shall die and the other walks away.”“But…”He lau
I don’t know what I expected love to be like. Violins playing, little cupids flying around with bow and arrows, hell maybe just cuddles in bed for hours. That wasn’t what happened the following morning. Brack paced across the carpet of my living room with his cell to his ear listening to one of his men on the other end. He cast a glance or two my way. I could tell before the call ended that he would try his non-communication shit with me again.I was right.“What’s the news?” I asked the second he lowered the phone.He came over and sat beside me. “Nothing to worry about.”I gave him my I’m-about-to-slam-you-with-a-tennis-racquet look. “Bullshit.” I was beginning to notice his tells. The fingers traveling through his hair was a sign that he didn’t want to enlighten me. I waited.He breathed out a slow and steady breath of air. “Mack didn’t see his attacker, but he heard him before he lost consciousness.”My heartbeat accelerated. “Okay. Spill it.”“Mack told Herman that most of it was