On the Fly (Crimson Romance) (21 page)

Carter kissed her cheek then pulled her against him, setting his chin atop her head. “How about we take the pizza in the den and watch a game?” No disappointment in his tone. If anything, he made it sound like he couldn’t imagine anything better.

She warmed with gratitude and released a relieved breath against his shirt. As much as she wanted him, what she wanted most at the moment was the closeness. And that pizza was pretty good.

“Oh! The Kings are playing the Sharks. I
did
want to see that game. If Los Angeles loses, we move ahead of them in the standings.”

Carter held her at arm’s length and looked at her with playful suspicion.

“What? I pay attention to those things. You really still see me as CEO Barbie, don’t you?”

“I never …
maybe
when you first started. But I know you now. You probably know my stats better than I do.”

“With thirty-eight goals so far, you’re on track to beat your record of the fifty-two goals you scored in the 2006/2007 season. You’re plus four in the last three games, on a bit of a streak, and if you score Tuesday night, it’ll be the three hundredth goal of your career.”

His eyes widened, and he laughed. “I’d be a little scared right now if you weren’t my boss. And, well, you. I have a feeling you know everyone’s stats.”

“From Cole to Reese.”

Carter grinned, hooked an arm around her neck, and picked up the pizza box with his free hand. “Okay, now I’m impressed.”

• • •

Leaning back into the corner of the plush leather sofa, Carter looked down at the top of Jacey’s head. She’d nestled against his shoulder, and her curls were all he could see. When the post-game announcers cut to commercial, he caught a glimpse of her reflection in the dark screen and, just as he’d suspected, her eyes were closed. She hadn’t said anything since the game ended. He thought about her smile after the Sharks won, and it hit him how nice it was to be with a woman who not only understood important wins but had a stake in them too. The women he’d dated before had either pretended to like hockey to get to the players or admitted flat out they didn’t follow sports at all.

Jacey may not have been a fan at the start, but as the months went by, he saw her understanding and interest grow. From the bench he’d see her dancing after a goal or slapping the glass when guys weren’t keeping their heads up in the corners. She amazed him. In such a short time, she’d learned his sport better than some of his teammates. And from what he’d learned about her, she applied that tenacity to every area of her life. He could relate to that. So much strength in such a small package. He tightened his arm around her shoulders, and her face nuzzled into his neck.

Carter grazed his lips over her forehead. Jacey murmured something then took a deep breath and lifted her head. “Hmm? Sorry. I guess I dozed off.”

She still didn’t look awake, her eyes barely open, her features soft and relaxed.

He laughed, smoothing the hair away from her face. “You ready for bed, sleeping beauty?”

“No. I’m up.” She sat straight and rubbed her eyes, appeared to fight back a yawn. Lost.

“You don’t look up. You look ready to hibernate until playoffs.”

She swatted in his direction. Hit his thigh. “You know, in fairy tales, the way to wake up a princess is to — ”

He cut her off with a kiss. He might not have had sisters growing up, but Reese did, and Carter knew how the stories went. It took her a minute to respond, but when she did, he went from zero to totally turned on in thirty seconds. Jacey opened her mouth to him. He felt the warm, wet tip of her tongue against his lips, and he groaned. She curled her arms around his neck, leaned into him, and slid onto his lap.

His hands traversed her sides, her back. He couldn’t get enough of her. When she straddled him, creating closer contact, Carter thought he’d lose it right then. His jeans grew tight. Constricting. He broke the kiss, breathing hard, and held her still even though his whole body wanted her to keep going. “Jace. Wait.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Two … two things. Are you sure this is what you want? You barely let me in the door earlier.” He softened it with a smile, but the point was a serious one. They’d avoided each other for two months, and their last encounter at the auction hadn’t gone so well. This night had been everything he’d hoped for and more. He didn’t want her to feel pressured. It struck him then that he’d never asked another woman if she was sure before. With Jacey, he wanted to
make
sure. Because it mattered to him.

As she caught her breath, she met his gaze and held it. “I’m sorry. About earlier tonight and these past few months. Things got so mixed up and complicated. But I’m happy you’re here now. And I do want this. If you do.”

He cupped the back of her neck to pull her down for another deep kiss. His free hand pressed her hips flush with his. She whimpered into his mouth, and Carter’s last scraps of restraint slipped away. He was two seconds from sliding her sweater over her head when she pushed at his arms and broke away gasping.

“Wait. Wait. You said two things. What’s the other one?”

“Huh?” He wasn’t equipped to remember his name just then let alone what he’d said a few minutes ago. It became clear she wouldn’t continue until he did remember, so Carter closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. They couldn’t keep going on the couch because …

“Oh, your brother. It wouldn’t be good if he walked in on us. We might want to take this upstairs.”

“Ah.” She flushed, but a sensual smile curved her lips. “Then let’s.”

Carter closed his arms under her backside and stood, taking her with him. At the base of the stairs, he paused. “You’re not going to run away after, are you?”

Her breath puffed in a laugh against his ear. “Can’t. I live here.”

“Lucky me.”

Thursday, February 16th

“Question. Yellow roses for Valentines Day? What happened to red?” Madden picked a loaded nacho from the basket in the middle of their tall table. The kid was a garbage disposal. He ate more than Reese, and that was saying something. Carter bit the inside of his cheek to rein in a smirk. Frankie’s Sports Bar in Dallas was jumping the night before the Sinners’ road game. Several mounted TVs and drunken, rowdy discussions kept their conversation private.

Carter smiled down at his beer and shrugged. “Red roses are a little too generic. Expected. I’ve gotten red roses for every woman I’ve spent Valentines Day with. Your sister’s different. She liked them, right?”

“Dude. You sent two dozen. They heard her squeal on the East Coast when the delivery guy came to our door. But how’d you know?”

“I talked to Nealy. After a half hour speech on stupidity and reckless risk, she said your dad used to wear a yellow rose above his jacket pocket because Jacey loved them.”

“You’re good. And brave. Nealy scares the shit out of me.”

“I’m not trying to be good. I’m trying to be … worthy.”

“Man, you got it bad.”

Carter laughed and leaned back in his chair. “Yeah. Tell me about it. This is all new to me. Up to this point, the only four-letter L word in my vocabulary was lust.”

Madden’s smiled dropped, and shock took its place. “You love my sister? Did you tell her?”

“I … no.”
Damn
. How did that come out? It was hard admitting to himself he loved Jacey. The thought of telling her had him nauseated enough to push his beer away.

Not that he
didn’t
want to tell her. It nearly jumped out of his mouth every time he saw her. But then he’d flash back to the bachelor auction and her tendency to run when things got too serious. He’d cornered the market on that particular strategy. Didn’t want to anymore. Not with her. But so far, every time he lowered an emotional drawbridge, she blew up his fortress.

“Well, before you say it, be sure you mean it. The last guy she was with messed her up pretty bad.”

“She told me.”

“She tell you she thought he was going to propose? Found the jeweler receipt a week before she found him cheating. Turns out it wasn’t for her.”

“Jesus.” Poor Jacey. Reflex anger coursed through him, but he held it in check. Asshole Alex was in the past. The determination to make Jacey forget the idiot forever quelled the urge to break some bones.

“Yeah. So just be careful, okay? She cares about you. As much as you care about her. If she doesn’t let you see it, it’s just because she’s afraid. Can’t really blame her.”

Deep down, he knew that. Jacey did a damn good job of pushing away when she wanted to, but he could see her hurt and fear beneath the surface. Sometimes he was too blinded by his own to think about it. “I’ll be careful.”

“Good. I know your rep, but you seem like a nice guy — someone who won’t let her down. And Jacey needs that right now with everything going on.”

“She’s stressed?”

“Doesn’t show it, does she? Jacey’s so good at making everyone feel like she’s got everything under control and they don’t have to worry about anything. I can only tell when something’s wrong because I’ve spent a lifetime watching her play Wonder Woman. We’re having a hard time selling the house. That would be bad enough, but I don’t think she wants to move. As much as she claims to despise the mansion, picking it out is the last thing our father did. I hate myself for putting her in this position.” Madden stared into his drink, forlorn, his hands limp on the table.

The man always ready with a quick quip and grin looked defeated. Ashamed. Not easy to watch. Madden loved Jacey. Carter could relate to that. “This guy you owe money … who is he?”

“Hangs out at the Palace. They call him Fingers because that’s what he collects when you don’t pay. There’s no reasoning with him, if that’s what you’re thinking. That was my Plan A. Couple black eyes and broken ribs later, I moved on to Plan B, but trying to win back the money just deepened my debt.”

Carter didn’t say anything, but reasoning with the loan shark was never a possibility. Paying Madden’s debt wouldn’t even make a dent in his yearly salary. Jacey would be pissed if she knew, but if he could manage it anonymously …

“But that’s my problem. You focus on being good to Jace.”

“I wish I could take her on an actual date without costumes involved. Figures that America only starts caring about hockey when there’s a sex scandal.”

Madden’s face crumpled. “Duuude. My sister.”

“Sorry. You know what I mean. It used to be I could go out, no problem. I’d get recognized, maybe sign some autographs, but I didn’t have to worry about reporters making me into a demon the next day or ruining my date’s career. I finally meet the one woman I want to spend more than a night with, and suddenly I’ve got more paparazzi than Prince William.”

“I know it sucks. Won’t be this way forever, though, right? I mean, someday you’ll … retire.”

Carter laughed. “Thanks. You really know how to make a guy feel better.”

Madden grinned and took a swig of his beer. “Yeah, sorry. Never was much good at that. So … you gonna tell her?”

With a nacho halfway to his mouth, Carter froze. Had the kid guessed his plan?

“That you love her.”

Oh.

“Yeah. I just have to figure out how.”

“Tip: lock all the doors before you spring it on her. Sometimes she’s a bolter. Takes her a while to process.”

“Thanks.” He definitely didn’t want a repeat of the first time she fled. This would have to be good.

• • •

Monday, February 20th

Jacey stumbled through the front door of Vaughn Manor, luggage bouncing behind her and briefcase tucked in her free arm. The Sinners had swept their road games, beating the Coyotes, Avalanche, and Stars. Three games in four nights. Standing counted as a victory. Walking, a small miracle. Staying awake for another ten minutes would take divine intervention. A flashing red light from the kitchen caught her attention.

Of course Madden wouldn’t think to check messages when he got in. Much too responsible.

Honestly, the urge to ignore the rest of the world until the next day was strong, but curiosity won out. What was that saying about cats? Luckily, she was a dog person. Funny how logic worked when you were too tired to remember your name.

She set her things by the stairs, kicked off her heels, and padded through the darkness to the answering machine. The first message relayed a political advertisement. Deleting it brought a sense of satisfaction. The second asked about her long-distance plan. She beeped it goodbye. The third message crackled static at first then a low, unfamiliar voice rumbled.

“Mr. Vaughn. I’m not sure how you managed it, but your debt has been paid. This concludes our deal. I don’t assume I’ll be hearing from you again.”

Click
.

Thoughts raced, fought for top billing in her brain. Her face warmed and her temples throbbed. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, battling to keep betrayal and anger at bay. She lost. How had Madden paid his debt? One answer flashed in her mind as if it were in lights on the Vegas Strip.

“Mad-den!” She took off in a stomping run for the stairs, scaled them two at a time. “Madden!” Jacey threw his door open, flicked on the light, and stood over his bed, her hands shaking with the restraint it took not to choke him.

“Holy! What the hell are you doing?” He scrambled to sit up, squinted, and covered his eyes.

“I can’t believe you. I can’t believe you’d do this after everything we’ve been through, everything you promised.”

“Do what?”

The genuine confusion on his face slowed her down but didn’t derail her entirely. Liars were good at faking feelings. “You know what.”

“I swear to you I don’t. Please … ”

“There was an interesting message on the machine when I got in a few minutes ago.”

He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his face. “Jace, I appreciate a good build-up as much as anyone, but it’s midnight, and we have work in the morning.”

“You must really be exhausted working at the arena all day and the casinos all night.”

Madden dropped his hands from his face and stared at her in disbelief or a good imitation. “
What
? You think I’m gambling again?”