Christy raised her chin. “It’s been four years, Jacobe. Can’t we get over it?”
The comment was so stupid he almost laughed and would have if he wasn’t so pissed that she’d asked him that. “Get over it?” He ran a hand across his face and took a deep breath. She wasn’t worth the fight. “You know what, you ain’t even worth it.”
Christy’s lip twisted. “You always were emotional and soft. You don’t know how to let things go. What happened with Jake wasn’t all my fault,” she said referring to their...no, her son. “You’ve got to accept your part.”
The word was on the tip of his tongue. The same word that Danielle had used just the other day. He could taste it, feel it with the boiling hot rage searing through his veins. He bit it back. He hated her but wouldn’t call her that in public.
“To hell with this, and you.”
The actor threw a punch. Jacobe dodged, but the edge of the guy’s fist grazed his chin. Jacobe threw a body shot that knocked the wind out of the guy, followed by a swift upper cut that had him sprawled on the floor. He glared down at Christy’s date, then at her and shook his hand out.
“But I’m soft,” he said with a sneer.
Ignoring the flash of camera phones, Jacobe threw an apologetic look at Calvin, who only shrugged, then turned his back on Christy. Davina stood nearby. He was jittery, jacked up on anger, frustration, need. He could continue to pine for Danielle. Her voice rang through his head: This was a mistake.
Or he could move on. He took Davina’s hand. Her smile was eager and willing. “Let’s go.” He led her out of the club.
* * *
Danielle stomped across the hall into Debra’s office. Debra wasn’t there. Grunting, Danielle spun around and marched to the kitchen. Debra was leaning against the counter, sipping from a cup of coffee and reading a trade magazine.
“Did you see that email?” Danielle asked, annoyance in her voice.
Debra slowly lowered the magazine and frowned. “What email?”
“The lead singer for the band we hired to play at the gala next week just found out he has to have surgery. They’ve got to cancel.”
Debra shrugged and went back to scanning the magazine. “Then we’ll hire a DJ, instead.”
Danielle tapped her foot on the floor. “How are we supposed to find someone on such short notice?”
“I’m not saying finding a replacement will be easy, but it is possible. One of the interns mentioned knowing a DJ. If that doesn’t work out, my gynecologist plays drums for a band. He’s mentioned giving them a call if we ever need someone to step in.”
“Any good band or DJ will be booked already.”
“Really? I didn’t realize mid-April was prime band season.”
Danielle narrowed her eyes, but her foot stopped the incessant tapping. “Don’t be annoying.”
Debra slapped the magazine on the side of her leg. “You stop freaking out. Is this about that report on Jacobe over the weekend?”
“Why would that report have anything to do with us needing a band for next Friday?”
“The fact that you didn’t ask what report means you know what I’m talking about and you are pissed off about it.”
More like angry, jealous and confused. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“What’s ridiculous is you acting like you don’t care about what happened with Jacobe over the weekend when you two are dating.”
Danielle held up a finger. “We are not dating.”
“That long disappearance on the boat the other day says you are.”
Heavy footsteps stopped at the door behind Danielle. “That long disappearance was a mistake. At least, that’s what Danielle says.” Jacobe’s deep voice.
Danielle sucked in a breath and spun around. A few days’ worth of beard covered his square jaw. Black Nike training pants and a matching shirt made her very aware of every muscled inch of him.
He looked directly at Danielle. “Can we talk?”
She nodded. “Sure. I need to speak to you, too.” Throwing a glance at Debra, Danielle ignored her friend’s told you so look. She led Jacobe toward her office.
“Actually, can we talk outside?”
“Sure.” The suggestion was appreciated. She didn’t want to be cramped in a room with him when he looked sexy, smelled divine, and memories of the way he’d brought her pleasure in the cabin of his yacht floated through her head.
Danielle traded her heels for a pair of sneakers she kept in the mudroom, and then they walked toward the beach. Lots of clouds blocked the sun. The air was still warm, but when a breeze blew over them Danielle pulled her cardigan tight and crossed her arms.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” he asked.
“I wasn’t sure if you still wanted to come to our gala next Friday. I didn’t want to put your name on the reminder emails if the plans had changed.”
“Why do you sound like you’ve changed your mind?”
“I wasn’t sure what the thought process was after your fight this weekend.”
She wanted to ask about the woman he’d been photographed with leaving the New York club, but didn’t. They weren’t together. No matter how much jealousy carved away at her insides, who he slept with shouldn’t play into his work with the River Watchers. Even if it did play with her personal emotions.
He stopped walking and turned toward her, his face a mask of hard stone. “My thought process? Look, Danielle, if you have something to say, then say it.”
“I thought you were changing your image.”
“Christy was there. Her new guy threw a punch at me. I’m not going to let a guy try to hit me and just ignore it.”
“She was there?”
“Yeah.” He ran his hand over his face. “We run into each other every so often. Each time we do she tries to act like we’re friends. Like I should be over what happened.”
“You’re not over it.”
“Four years have passed since I found out. I know he’s not my son. I get that. But the betrayal—no, the pain of what she did... That is harder to let go. I never really realized how much I liked having a kid until he was taken away from me.”
His voice was hollow, hurt. Danielle rested her hand on his tense arm. He covered hers with his. She didn’t know what to say, knew he hated bringing this situation up, but she knew he needed to get this out.
“He was nine months old when we found out he had hemophilia. We knew we’d have to be careful as he got older. Watch out to make sure he didn’t hurt himself. He kept getting strep throat. Finally, the doctor recommended removing his tonsils before he got much older. They wanted blood on hand, ya know. Just in case things got iffy during surgery because of his hemophilia.” A raw, pained laugh. “Christy didn’t even bat an eye when the doctors brought up testing me to see if I was a match. She wasn’t too surprised when the results came back either. She’d been cheating on me for years.”
Pain shot through Danielle’s heart. She couldn’t imagine the pain, the betrayal he’d felt. “You had no idea?”
“Not really. We argued more as we got older, but I never suspected she’d step out on me. Mostly because I wouldn’t step out on her. She’d been there for me for years. When we had Jake, I knew I wouldn’t leave her and break up my family the way my dad broke ours. I thought I could trust Christy.”
That was the first time he’d brought up his dad around her. She ignored her curiosity about this family and focused on the current conversation. “Do you know who Jake’s father is?” she asked quietly.
“Martin is the father.”
Danielle sucked in a breath. His roommate? The guy who’d been drafted onto the same team with Jacobe the next year. His best friend. “Martin?”
She remembered the reports of the locker-room fights and disagreements before Jacobe was traded.
“That’s why you two started fighting so much.”
“That’s why I was traded.” Dark eyes met hers. “I’ve learned the hard way to be careful about the people I let into my inner circle. I know I can’t allow him or old teammates get to me on the court. I try very hard to ignore Christy when I see her. But I will not let one of the guys she’s sleeping with try to take their insecurities out on me. If they start a fight, I’m ending it.”
“I wouldn’t expect you not to.”
His brows shot up. “I didn’t expect you to say that.”
“Everyone has the right to defend themselves. If that’s what really happened and how things went down, then I’m sorry for what I implied.” She lowered her eyes and readjusted the glasses. That explained one thing. “Were you able to calm down after you left the club?”
He lifted her chin so their eyes could meet. “I left with her, but nothing happened.”
She pulled away from his touch. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”
“No, I don’t,” he said bluntly. When she would have turned away, he stopped her with a hand on her arm. “But I’m giving it to you anyway. Nothing happened because she isn’t the woman I’m thinking about when I lie in bed at night. She isn’t the woman I want.”
The look in his eye said very clearly she was that woman. She bit her lower lip to keep from grinning. That still wasn’t a declaration he wanted them to date, but it didn’t stop the happiness welling in her chest. She wanted him, too.
“Now that you know the truth about what happened in New York, do you still want me to come? Even though other people besides Debra may think we’re together?”
“Of course I want you to come. I’m not worried about what people think. We both know we’re just friends, right?”
“Keep saying that.” His smile said they were much more. Jacobe turned to stroll down the beach.
Danielle watched him for a few seconds before following, confused and a little thrilled by his response. Maybe if she gave in to this, they could turn into something.
Chapter 9
The crowd filling the country club for the River Watchers silent auction surprised Jacobe. Women in cocktail dresses and men in suits mingled around tables covered with the various items for sale while soft music played in the background. He didn’t plan on buying anything. His attendance at the cleanup and the public hearing had already brought attention to the Clear Water permit and had put his name in a good light for wanting to protect the creek and river. Being here tonight should add to that positive chatter. The thought of seeing Danielle increased his interest in attending.
“Jacobe, you made it,” Debra said when she checked his name at the door.
The blue dress she wore matched new blue highlights on the tips of her dark hair.
“I promised I’d be here.” He looked over her shoulder. “You’ve got a big crowd.”
“Thanks to you. The last blast we sent out that mentioned you would be making an appearance upped the number of ticket sales.”
“I’m glad my name could help.”
“I appreciate you offering to lend your star power to our cause. Danielle is, too, even though she won’t gush over it the way I will. If we hadn’t reached our goal in ticket sales, there was a real possibility we all would have been out of a job.”
Debra turned and asked one of the people checking names to handle things for a second and escorted him into the main room.
Jacobe followed her and asked. “What do you mean about your jobs being on the line?”
“Danielle’s done a great job increasing our revenue, but fund-raising isn’t her favorite thing. She’d rather be in the trenches. Some people on the board know that and they made bringing in more donations a big goal for this year.”
He had a good idea the person on the board was Liberty. He’d make a donation to the River Watchers tonight.
“Danielle never mentioned her job being on the line depending on the success of this.”
“That’s Danielle. She connected to the community here. To her, the work is about making a difference not about raising the funds. If she were worried, she wouldn’t let us know.”
Jacobe glanced around the room. “Speaking of Danielle...”
Debra grinned. “I knew you were waiting to ask about her.”
“That obvious?”
“That, plus your eyes are scanning the room. Don’t worry, she likes you, too.”
“We’re just friends.” Though he was beginning to think he was breaking through that label and they’d soon be lovers.
“You two can save that lie for someone else. I warned her against getting involved if she thought she’d get attached. Danielle loves a challenge.”
“I’m a challenge?”
“Every guy is some type of challenge. You’re the hardest type to resist. A sexy basketball superstar with a love-’em-and-leave-’em dating history. She’ll get close to you and fall hard. So, don’t push for more unless, you know, you really want more. Don’t start something knowing one day you’ll walk away from her. She’s been through that once.”
“I didn’t leave her. I declared for the draft,” he said quickly. Immediately thinking Debra referred to him leaving Danielle in college.
“I’m not talking about you.” Interest sparked in her eyes. “Why would you think I was?”
Someone walked over to speak to Debra before he could ask for more of an explanation. Greeting that person led to an introduction to Jacobe, which then opened the floodgates for the people at the auction. He spent what felt like a millennium shaking hands, smiling and taking selfies. Claiming a dry throat and the need for a drink allowed him to break away from the crowd and make his way toward one of the bars set up in the back of the room.
The entire time he’d been greeted he hadn’t seen Danielle once. She had to know he was there—his arrival had made too much of a show for her not to. Did that mean she was avoiding him? Debra’s words rushed back into his head. Don’t start something knowing he’ll walk away.
He hadn’t exactly walked away from her. They’d known that night was spontaneous, and, yeah, he had meant to call her, but the mistake that was Christy and his good intentions had stepped in the way. Plus, she hadn’t seemed hurt by that. Not that she’d show it if she were. Based on what he knew of Danielle, he doubted she’d spent the last few years pining for him based on a one-night stand.
If not him, then who else? She mentioned her parents always having more important things to do than show up for her events. Had they skipped out on this? There was also the boyfriend she’d mentioned but hadn’t gone into detail about. She didn’t seem angry when she spoke of him, but again, she wasn’t the bitter type. Had another guy walked out on her before?
He ordered a Crown and Coke, tipped the bartender, then turned to face the room. He gave tight smiles to the few people who glanced at him with eager expressions, which meant the tide of happy fans was about to descend upon him again. Jacobe sucked in a deep breath to prepare himself. The air stuck in his lungs.
Danielle entered through the double doors that led out to the terrace with Mason and India. She wore a simple black dress that stopped above the knee and cut straight across her luscious breasts. A short-sleeved black cardigan with some type of sparkly stuff along the neckline covered her upper arms, and high heels brought out the curve of her sleek legs. Her hair was pulled back into a smooth ponytail. The glasses were missing. With her back straight and her shoulders back, she surveyed the room both critically and with pride while her companions talked. Just like a general examining the battlefield.
Damn, she was sexy. Prim, proper and perfect. Warmth and anticipation slowly spread through his midsection and then the rest of his body. Maybe he was a challenge she didn’t want to deal with. He was also pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to give her ever
ything she wanted or deserved: marriage, a house and kids. But at that moment, he knew that he wanted her and every other man in the room to know that she was his.
His feet were moving before he realized what he was doing. Her head turned, and their gazes collided. She didn’t look surprised to see him, which meant she knew about his arrival. Knew and still avoided coming to him.
“I heard you were here,” she said when he reached her side. “What do you think?”
“Great crowd.” He glanced at the man and woman. “Mason and India, right?”
Mason held out his hand. “That’s right. Good to see you again, Jacobe. Great job in the game last week.”
Jacobe shook his hand. “Thank you. It feels great to be back on the court.”
India shook his hand also. “We were just telling Danielle she’s putting the rest of us river rats to shame with this gala.”
Jacobe glanced between them confused. “River rats?”
Danielle soft laughter washed over him. “It’s what we call our little group after a reporter used the term to describe us. He said we ‘scurry around the river looking for problems’ like rats. Well, we kinda do. Except when we find them, we fix them.” Danielle finished with a snap of her fingers that made India and Mason laugh and agree.
“Although with the success of this gala,” Mason said, sliding closer to Danielle until their shoulders touched, “we may have to find a better nickname for you.”
Jacobe’s stomach tightened when Mason touched Danielle. There didn’t seem to be anything sexual, or romantic between the two. That didn’t make seeing another man in close contact with Danielle any easier.
“No way,” Danielle said, waving a hand dismissively. “I still prefer scrambling in the river to putting on galas.” She glanced at Jacobe. “Besides, our newest volunteer is one of the reasons for this success.”
Her eyes softened with appreciation and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her. “How is the auction going?” he asked instead.
Danielle glanced at her watch. “It doesn’t close until nine. I was just about to walk around and check out the bids. Want to walk with me?”
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