"What the fuck are you doing?" Brack's sharp green eye and blue eye almost popped out of his head."Sorry, honey, I didn't want to drip on the floor," I turned to the bathroom where I left my bag. I gave an exaggerated sway to my hips and peeked over my shoulder. Brack Jacobs was an ass man. He didn't so much as glance up as his eyes stayed glued to my butt cheeks. Score fifteen for me for breaking his shades. With one last hip sway, I closed the door behind me.There, take that you irritating sex god. I'd spent so much time in locker rooms that I wasn't particularly shy about my body. Having a stranger see my naked ass sticking out the back of a hospital gown was one thing. Seducing the man I wanted to fuckentirely another.After a quick shower, I dried off and donned another pair of shorts and t-shirt. I had one additional clean pair in the bag along with a pair of jeans. There were two bathing suits too. With no one around, I probably wouldn't bother with a suit. I needed to scre
Breakfast was incredible. It was the first real food I'd had since the attack. I no longer felt nauseous and my head didn't ache at all. I needed to train.Laying down my napkin, I looked into Brack's sexy eyes. "Will you object to me jogging on the shore after my food settles?""No jogging." He took a last bite of his food.My entire body tensed in anger. "You can't be serious. I need to train. You have no idea how far back these last few days have set me. I also need something to take my mind off sex. I'm a red-blooded American female with needs." I batted my baby blues for good measure. "I don't even have a vibrator for Christ's sake. If you don't want me humping your leg, I would suggest you change your mind about the running."I could tell he fought a smile when he bit his lip to stop it from forming. "Do you only think about sex?"This was fun. I lowered my voice to a sexy whisper. "I think about winning. I think about what it takes to win. And, I think about sex. I like sex
Without more than a few words between us, I followed him outside to the Jeep. The benefit of his shower was that he changed into shorts and I got to see his muscled legs for the first time. Every inch of this man was sexy. Even with all the muscle, he moved with the grace of a panthersleek and deadly. I wanted to ride his hips and force him to lose control. Hell, I wanted to lose control.He drove us back to the airplane and I wondered if he was crazy. If he took me on the plane, even for a short flight, I'd be in no shape to train."I need to back the plane out of the hangar. Stay out of the way," he ordered with barely a look in my direction.I grit my teeth but didn't ask questions and did as I was told. The engine engaged and the plane rolled out. I felt relief when he cut the engine. Brack then jumped down and removed a few things from a stowage compartment.No way!"Those are not tennis rackets." I looked at the short nubby things in horror."I don't play tennis," he replie
It took about ten minutes to adjust to the smaller court, racquet, and three walls. I had two distinct bruises on my left arm from taking solid hits that stung. Brack had several more than I did. He finally figured out I was aiming at his balls and protected them. He was smarter than his muscle-bound jock looks indicated.I was down by four, dripping sweat, and trying to keep my frustration under control. He was good and had obviously played for a while. I was better than this, though. No one had a backhand like I did. It didn't matter that this wasn't my game. I owned every court I walked onto.I made a perfect serve and Brack missed. Another serve and the battle was on. I scored again. Two down. Brack took my next point away and it was his serve. I jumped to the right and backhanded the ball. He missed. My serve.I shut him down after that and won the game.We both breathed heavily with him bent double. I wasn't a wimp. He had bulky muscle and probably didn't run as much as he sh
Brack took me through a series of takedowns. Each one different and I couldn't defend against anything he did. I was frustrated, tired, and had the beginnings of another headache."That's enough for today," he said as he helped me to my feet once more."I haven't learned a damn thing." Hell, I almost lifted my foot and brought it down. Why was foot stomping something I constantly wanted to do around him?"Not much anyway." His eyes narrowed. "You never screamed, bit, or scratched. For some reason you think this guy has rules. Or maybe you're too good to cause a commotion. Truthfully, in public, the best thing you have going is your voice. Women tend to allow embarrassment to guide them. They don't cause a commotion when it's the one thing that can save their life."I seethed. I was seconds from causing a commotion he'd never forget. The bastard never mentioned what he wanted or what I should be doing. What kind of coaching was this anyway? "We wasted all that time accomplishing not
A slight breeze came off the ocean and even in the sun, grilling the steaks wasn't bad. No sign of Brack, though. For a few minutes it had me worried. Then I saw him walking along the shore coming toward the hut while holding his shoes in one hand and talking into his cell phone with the other.I wore a bikini top and my only halfway clean shorts. I really needed to wash my things later and hang them up. I'd ignored his dictate about washing out my clothes that morning. Brack stuck his phone in his pocket and headed my way. If I read his scowl correctly, he wasn't happy. He glanced at the steaks before heading into the hut and going straight to the bathroom. He never said a word. Of course, neither did I. The door shut behind him and the sound of the shower running came next.When he came out, I had everything set up on the table. I'd cut up some fruit because it was better than nothing. The steaks were big and with the fruit, it should be enough. Brack strolled over dressed in his j
Brack took a long shower before bed. I knew exactly what he was doing in there. It was extremely sad that I was so dependent on my vibrator. There had to be something seriously wrong with me because I couldn't get myself off without it. It was so damn simple for men. I thought about telling Brack to sleep on the floor if sex wasn't on the menu. It truly sucked that I wanted the comfort of having him in bed beside me. He didn't think I allowed fear to rule me, but he was wrong. I was scared to death to be alone right now.He wore a pair of boxers when he came out of the bathroom. He climbed onto his side of the bed without a word. His breathing deepened within minutes and I knew he was asleep. I'm sure his soapy hand during his shower helped. And why did I go there? My fantasies kept me awake for hours. Brack woke up with the sunrise. I rolled over with a grumble and closed my eyes until the scent of bacon had my stomach growling. I went into the bathroom and put on a swimsuit. I wal
After pulling a t-shirt over my swimsuit, I placed a bottle of water on the table for each of us. We sat down.Mack barely glanced at me before turning to Brack. "There's been no change. I've run extensive computer searches on all her friends. Nothing out of the ordinary pops up. We know he's close to someone connected to her inner circle and-"I cut him off. "I'm right here, you know? I'm a person and you're talking about me."His eyes flashed to mine and his cheeks went pink. "Sorry.""Go on," Brack said to Mack as he cast an irritated look my way."The senator-" Mack looked at me. "Your father is not making things easy." His gaze returned to Brack. "I need you to call and talk him down."Brack didn't blink. "Sure. What else?"Sure. What the fuck? No one talked my father down when he was on a roll. I couldn't believe Mack and Brack thought it would be so easy. I held back a giggle over their rhyming names. I'd save that for a time I needed a good insult."We're monitoring her
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 lineI 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 se
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
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
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."
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
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