The Player (28 page)

“So I heard. I rented a tux today. Black with a red tie. Classic. Good choice. I think I’m standing on the end of the line.”

She jumped off her stool and stumbled around Libby to stand in front of him. “You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re still in the wedding?”

He smiled, but his eyes were sad. “Nope. Nana Ruby still insists.”

She poked her finger into his chest. “Then grow a pair of balls and tell her no!”

“No. I won’t. But Neil can.” His eyebrow rose. “Did you know that? He could tell her no, but he hasn’t. Why not?”

She knew, but she wouldn’t admit it to him.

“You obviously don’t want me to be in your wedding. Have your fiancé kick me out.”

“How about you do the right thing?”

His face spread into a slow lazy grin. “I
am
doing the right thing.”

“Then quit.”

“Dance with me.”

She tried to sort it through in her head, but her mind was fuzzy from the alcohol. One dance and he’d quit the wedding. It seemed safe enough, even if the thought of dancing with him spread a pool of heat between her legs. She reached across the table and took a big gulp of her drink before turning back toward him. “Okay.”

He looked surprised by her easy acceptance. Maybe she should have negotiated for more.

He took her hand and interlaced their fingers as he pulled her away from the table. A distant part of her mind realized Libby and Megan and the brothers McMillan were gaping at them in surprise. Her hand tingled from Garrett’s touch, and she wondered what else he could make her feel. If it would be even half as good as it had been in the past. Based on her current reaction, she was sure it would be a thousand times better.

He tugged her around a booth and led her into a dark corner with two empty tables, giving them privacy from the rest of the patrons. He stopped and looked down into her eyes, making no move to touch her other than their still-linked hands.

“I thought we were going to dance,” she murmured, her gaze drifting to his lips.

He grinned. “We are, but not yet.”

“Why not?”

“It’s the middle of a song. I want my full dance.”

“So we’re just going to stand here and wait, looking like idiots?”

“No one can see us, Blair. I’m the only one who can see you right now, and I definitely don’t see an idiot.”

“Why are you doing this, Garrett?” Her voice hitched as she said it, and she just wanted to slap herself silly.

The song ended and a new one started, a nineties ballad with cheesy lyrics. Blair barely heard it. He took a step toward her, making her hyper-aware of how close they were.

His hand reached for her waist, slowly skimming her dress before coming to rest on the small of her back, his eyes holding hers. He stepped even closer, leaving barely an inch between them. Her skin tingled, and she automatically lifted her hand and rested it on his shirt. His chest rose and fell under her hand.

“Just a dance,” she whispered, his eyes captivating hers.

He smiled and pulled his other hand free from hers so he could rest it on the rise of her hip.

“Were you really scared to ask me out?”

His grin spread, and he leaned down toward her ear. “More than you could ever know,” he whispered. “You still scare me.”

“How do I scare you?”

Rather than answering, he lowered his face to the nape of her neck, his breath hot against her sensitive skin. Shivers shot down to her toes. She cupped the back of his neck, her breath coming in short pants.

“Do you have any idea how sexy you are in a deposition?” he asked, moving his mouth to her jaw, her breath fanning her cheek.

“No.” She could barely think, barely breathe—all she knew was that she needed him.

“You’re like a panther, slowly circling its prey, looking for any sign of weakness. And then when you strike . . .” His teeth skimmed her jaw, lightly nipping. “It’s so damn sexy.”

Her toes curled, and she pressed against him, trying to get closer.

“I want you.” He pulled her tighter to him, leaving her with no doubt of how much he meant the words. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone.” His mouth hovered over hers.

She could smell beer on his breath, and she was sure he could smell the whiskey on hers, yet he didn’t kiss her . . . and it was driving her crazy.

“I’ve tried so hard to forget you, but you’re burned into my brain, imprinted on my heart.” He placed kisses at the corners of her mouth, and her body felt more alive than ever before, each nerve ending pinging and begging for release. “Give me another chance, Blair. We’ll get it right this time.”

She turned her head, trying to capture his mouth, but he lifted it millimeters from hers. “Garrett,” she pleaded, and he groaned, drawing her lower lip between his teeth and nipping lightly. She tugged on his neck, trying to pull him closer, but he resisted.

“You are the sexiest woman I have ever met, and I want you, Blair. I need you.”

She rose on her tiptoes and captured his mouth, and he released a deep groan, his kiss devouring her. He pressed her back against the wall, one hand skimming up her waist and to her breast. His thumb brushed her nipple, sending a jolt of electricity through her, and she wrapped her leg around his and pulled his erection tighter against her.

“Blair. Wait. Stop.” He pulled back, his chest rising and falling, his eyes hooded with desire.

Her back was still against the wall, her hands on his chest, as the horror of what she’d just done washed over her. She tried to break loose, but he held her still.

“I’m sorry. Just listen to me.”

Everything had a weakness. With enough pressure, even the hardest metal bent and twisted. Garrett Lowry was hers. She’d been drawn to him, coaxed to the edge of surrender. She had completely lost control. And Blair could not afford to lose control.

Panic raged through her like wildfire. “I have to go.”

His hands held her waist. “It’s okay, Blazer. We’ll figure this out together.”

The song ended, and her eyes flew open. “One dance. You said one dance and you’d quit the wedding.”

“Blair, I love you, and I think you love me too. But I’m damn sure he doesn’t love you.”

She shook her head. “You don’t know that.”

“Do you love
him?
Tell me that you love him.”

Tears stung her eyes. “Garrett.”

“How can you marry him if you don’t love him?”

She shoved against him. “I have to leave.”

He held on tighter, his eyes begging her to listen. “How can you deny this thing between us?”

She wanted him so much it hurt, but she couldn’t do this. She couldn’t take such a risk. “It’s not real, Garrett. If it were real, we would have lasted the first time.”

He shook his head. “No, that’s not true.”

“It is. You do what I do, so you see the same parade of people. They flow into your office too. They all loved each other once—most of them were head over heels when they married. Hate is the opposite of love, Garrett, and only a fine line separates them. One minute you’re in love and the next . . .” Her voice broke. “We love each other too much. We would
destroy
each other.”

“You don’t know that! We don’t know that we’ll break up.”

Sadness filled her with an ache that made it difficult to breathe. “But we don’t know that we won’t.”

His eyes hardened. “The Blair Myers I knew never ran from anything.”

“You already told me this morning that I do. Why should it come as such a surprise now?” She jerked free from his hold and took a step to the side. “I can’t risk it. I’m marrying Neil.”

“You’re really going to throw us away?” he demanded in disbelief.

“There
is
no us! We were done five years ago!”

He shook his head, anger burning in his eyes.

“I gave you a dance. Now call your grandmother and tell her you’re not in the wedding.”

His jaw tensed. “No. There was no deal.”

Her mouth dropped. “What are you talking about?”

“I only asked you to dance with me. I never agreed to bow out of the wedding in exchange. You concocted that one. I just didn’t correct you.”

Rage rushed through her. She shoved at his shoulders, but he barely budged. “You bastard! Why are you doing this to me?”

His eyes were wild. “Because I love you, Blair.
I love you
, and I can’t let you marry him.”

“You
can
’
t?
” she shouted, her voice drowned out by the music overhead. “When did you get the power to
allow
me anything?”

“
Dammit!
That’s not what I meant!”

His hold loosened, and she gave him another shove. He stumbled back several steps, and she bolted for her friends, panic making her clumsy.

Megan spotted her first, and she slid off her stool and rushed toward her. Libby’s eyes widened in concern and she followed.

“Blair?”

“I have to go.” She grabbed her purse from her chair as she passed it.

“Okay.” Both women flanked her as she hurried for the door, leaving behind the McMillans.

When they reached the sidewalk, Libby grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. “Blair, slow down. Tell us why you’re crying.”

“I’m not crying!” But when she reached up to touch her face, her cheeks were wet.

“What happened?” Megan asked softly.

And that was what pushed her over the edge. Megan’s kindness. She couldn’t handle softness, not now. She choked on a sob but swallowed it back down. “I have to go.”

“We’ll go with you,” Megan said.

Blair glanced at the entrance to the bar. It surprised her that Garrett hadn’t followed her out. In truth, it disappointed her too. The thought sent a new wave of terror through her, and she felt the desperate need to be alone.

“No.” She took a deep breath, forcing all the escaped emotions back into the cracks from which they’d oozed. Only they wouldn’t go back. Now that they were loose, they refused to be tamed.

An empty cab turned the corner, and Blair flagged it down. She had to get away. She had to escape from her friends’ sympathy. It was unbearable.

The taxi stopped, and she opened the door, pausing only to glance back at her stunned friends. “I have to go. I’ll see you both tomorrow night.”

“Blair.”

Blair climbed into the car and shut the door.

“Where to?” the driver asked.

Where to, indeed. There was only one place on earth she wanted to be, and she wasn’t willing to take the risk. Which meant she had nowhere to go at all.

Melissa took one look at Blair’s swollen eyes the next morning and brought her a cup of coffee, shutting the door behind her. Still, typical Melissa, she set the cup on her desk and ignored the elephant in the room. “The only thing on your schedule today is your consultation. Do you want to leave at noon and join Neil and his family?”

“No.” That was the very last thing she wanted to do. “I think I’ll stick around and work.”

Melissa nodded. “You’ll need to go home and change for the rehearsal. Do you have a dress picked out?”

“For the hoedown?” she snorted. “Yes.”

Melissa left without comment, and Blair got to work. She became so engrossed in her computer that she was caught off guard when Melissa buzzed to tell her that her consultation had arrived.

“Send her in.”

Blair hadn’t been expecting a young woman. Her clients were typically in their forties and fifties, but the woman entering her office had to be in her late twenties or early thirties.

Blair stood and walked around the desk. “Mrs. Cooper. Please, come in.” She met the woman in the middle of the room and held out her hand. “I’m Blair Hansen.”

“I expected you to be older,” the woman said, looking Blair up and down.

Blair smiled. “And I could say the same about you. How did you hear about me?”

“You represented my mother. She said you fought tooth and nail for her. When I suspected Thomas . . .” She paused. “I knew who I had to call.”

Blair motioned her toward her small conference table. “Thank you for the confidence. Why don’t we sit, and you can give me your side of things.”

The young woman told her story, and Blair took notes. In many ways, it was similar to her other cases. The couple had started out young and in love, but for the past several months, Leslie Cooper had suspected her husband of cheating on her. As Blair listened, a cold chill washed over her. Leslie was a beautiful, intelligent woman. Why would her husband cheat on her?

“So did you catch him?” Blair asked.

“No.”

Blair glanced up. “Do you know who he’s having an affair with?”

“No.”

Blair set down her pen. “What did he say when you confronted him?”

“He swears he didn’t do it. That he loves me.”

“So why do you think he’s lying?”

She looked sad. “He’s just so cold. So distant.”

“Is he working out more? Putting more care into his appearance?”

“No.” She looked confused. “No more than usual.”

“Is he having trouble at work?”

“Yeah, he has issues with his boss.”

Blair took a deep breath. “Leslie, I would be happy to represent you should it come to a divorce, but I think what you need is a private investigator or a marriage counselor.”