Full Court Seduction

by Synithia Williams

  “What did he say?” Kevin asked. “When you pressed him about Danielle?”

  “Just that things didn’t work out for them in college. In hindsight, he let them break up instead of trying to keep her. He doesn’t blame her, and he’s happy if she’s happy. He wouldn’t do anything to mess that up.”

  Jacobe raised a brow. “So he’s not going to try to sneak into her tent, like Kevin says?”

  Isaiah held up his hands and shrugged. “He said he’ll see what happens. He’s not trying to break up a relationship.”

  “But if she seemed unhappy, he’d step in to help make her happy.”

  Isaiah’s look screamed, Bull’s-eye. “I thought you needed to know that.”

  Kevin looked at Jacobe. “But you trust her?”

  “I do.” He did.

  “Does she know you’re in love with her?” Isaiah asked.

  Kevin laughed. “In love? Normally, I’d say every man isn’t ready to be saddled up like you are, Isaiah, but since I’ve got a G riding on this...” He looked at Jacobe. “Have you told her yet, so I can get my money?”

  Jacobe slapped away Kevin’s hand. “I care about her. And the bet was you got money if I proposed. I’m not there yet.” Even though he had thought about being with Danielle forever.

  “And you trust her,” Isaiah said. “You don’t trust women.”

  “Trusting and loving aren’t the same,” Jacobe argued.

  Isaiah shrugged again. “I’m just saying, it wouldn’t hurt to let her know how you feel before she gets on that plane.”

  Those words stuck with Jacobe for the rest of the flight and through his quick drive home to drop off his luggage before going to pick up Danielle. Not for the first time since she’d told him about her departure flight did he wish she wasn’t leaving so soon after he got back in town. They’d barely have time to talk. Instead, he was sending her off on a trip where she did something great for the world and he stayed behind to play a game. For the first time ever, he wished they hadn’t made the finals. If they hadn’t, he would be able to go with her. Not send her on the plane with another guy.

  Funny, for a guy whose game plan was “we’ll see what happens.”

  He cared about her. He wanted to be with her. He didn’t want any other guy to try to come between them. That wasn’t the same as being in love with someone. If he was in love, he’d know it without any questions or hesitations.

  He didn’t trust Luke. Danielle knew Jacobe cared about her more than he had any other woman in years, but was that enough for her to tell Luke she was happy if he asked?

  When he rang the doorbell, she swung the door open just a few seconds later. Her eyes were bright with excitement and a grin covered her beautiful face.

  “Congratulations!” She jumped into his arms and kissed his cheeks. “You’re going to the finals! Aren’t you excited?”

  “Yes. More so about you all up in my arms like this.” He squeezed her tight and kissed her. Holding her again felt good. He’d hated not having her in his arms when they’d fought.

  “I’m so happy for you. You guys are going to win the championship. I know it.”

  He put her down and she turned to go into the living area. He followed, watching the sexy sway of her hips. She had on a pair of jeans and a green tank top that matched the Gators colors.

  “I hope so.”

  “I wish I could be here to see it.” She pulled a gold cardigan off the couch and slipped her arms into it.

  “Yeah, so do I,” he mumbled below his breath.

  She turned a questioning glance his way. “What?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing. Let’s get you to the airport.”

  She talked about all the things Water for Kids had planned. She’d sent him a copy of the itinerary and promised to call. Her excitement about going on the trip she’d always dreamed about was palpable. Her enthusiasm only tightened the guilt in his stomach. All he wanted to do was turn around and ask her to stay.

  “I wish I could wait with you at your gate,” he said, after they’d checked her bags and were standing right before the security point. He pulled her against him and lowered his head to kiss her.

  “I wish you could, too.” Her arms tightened around his neck.

  “Be safe and have fun.” He started to let her go, then stopped. “Are you happy with me?”

  She stopped smiling, and her eyes were serious when they met his. “Jacobe, I love you.”

  His heart dribbled against this ribs like an eight-ton basketball. He felt hot and cold. Free and trapped. Happy and uncertain. She loved him.

  “Danielle, I...”

  She pulled his head down and kissed him softly. “Don’t say it just because I did. I just wanted to tell you before I left.” She kissed him again. “I’ll call you when I can.”

  Then she was out of his arms. In a daze, he watched her go through the security checkpoint before getting lost in the crowd. Danielle loved him, and he’d let her go without saying anything back.

  Chapter 16

  They’d won.

  Jacobe stood in the middle of the court staring at the final score and the 00:00 time on the scoreboard, but the victory hadn’t sunk in. The Jacksonville Gators were the league champions!

  A second after that thought took hold, he grinned and was swarmed by people. His teammates, the media, members of the other team—everyone—were in the middle of the court. Congratulations went around, hands were shaken and microphones were stuck in his face, followed by questions of how he planned to celebrate this victory. His eyes kept going to the seats behind the bench.

  He was happy. Ecstatic! Not only had the team that hadn’t been predicted to win won, but they’d swept the series entirely. He was at the height of his career. On top of the world.

  Why wasn’t he more...happy?

  “You cool, man?” Isaiah asked after they’d finished postgame interviews and were heading to the Suite to celebrate.

  Jacobe nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”

  “All right, because we are about to get crazy tonight.” Isaiah slapped him on the back.

  “You’re getting crazy? Mr. Calm, Cool and Collected?”

  “Man, we just swept the finals. I’m getting crazy. This is a dream come true. I just hope we can do the same thing next year.”

  “Yeah, me too.” He meant it.

  As they were leaving the auditorium, they passed fans lucky enough to make it back to the locker rooms. They shook hands and took selfies on the way out. Right before the door, a woman and young kid were waiting. Jacobe’s heart tightened in his chest. Christy and Jake.

  “You can just ignore her,” Isaiah said.

  Jacobe shook his head. “I can ignore Christy, but not Jake.”

  He walked over to them. Christy’s smile was hesitant. Jake’s was big and excited. He’d grown so much since Jacobe had seen him last. The three-year-old toddler now a tall seven-year-old. Jacobe studied Jake from head to toe. Even though DNA tests didn’t lie, he couldn’t help himself. He looked for any sign that the kid was his. There were none. Jake looked exactly like Martin.

  Jake held out a basketball and a marker. “Hi, Mr. Jenkins. Can I have your autograph?”

  The “Mr. Jenkins” hit Jacobe in the chest with the force of a heavyweight blow. Jacobe looked at Christy. Her lips were pressed in a thin line. “He’s a big fan,” she said.

  Jacobe looked back at Jake. The kid didn’t know. Why didn’t he know? Even though Martin insisted Jacobe stay away after discovering Jake’s true paternity, there were dozens of pictures of him with Jacobe when he was a baby? He had to have seen them and asked his mom why was Jacobe in them. Unless Christy had gotten rid of the evidence. It would make sense. Hide the situation until Jake was old enough to understand.

 
Jake was pulling the ball back. Jacobe snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. “Sure.” He took the ball and the pen. “What’s your name?” The words hurt. Pretending he hadn’t helped name him hurt.

  “Jake Livingston.” Martin’s last name.

  Jacobe was proud his hand didn’t jerk as he wrote his autograph. He hoped his smile was friendly as he handed the ball back to Jake. “Here you go, Jake. Thanks for the support.”

  Jake stared at the signature, then grinned up at Jacobe. “Thank you. My dad’s a basketball player. I hope to grow up and play just like he does.”

  Jacobe nodded. He couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and rubbing the back of Jake’s head. “Oh, yeah? You do that.”

  He glanced back at Christy. For the first time in years, she didn’t look at him as if they could just be friends again. “I’m sorry, Jacobe,” she said in a rough rush of words. She looked at Jake then back at Jacobe. Regret filled her eyes. “For everything.”

  He couldn’t say they were okay. Could never say they’d be friends, or that he’d forget the way she and Martin had betrayed him. He couldn’t continue to hold on to the anger or the hurt. “Apology accepted.”

  The encounter stayed on his mind as he drove to the Suite. None of the anger that typically consumed him when he thought about Christy and Jake filled him. He was ready to move on. He expected thoughts of Phoenix and future championships to fill his mind. It didn’t.

  His thoughts revolved around his friendship with Kevin, Isaiah, and Will. The pride of how their team had advanced to and swept the finals. He was considered an elite player here. The men on the team and Coach Simpson weren’t just his colleagues—they were his family.

  Then there was Danielle. She was here. That’s why he couldn’t be happier after the game. Danielle loved him, but she didn’t want to move to Phoenix. She’d made her own connections here. She cared about the people and the places. She’d gotten him to do the same. Why on earth would he leave her? He loved her.

  Why on earth had he sent her to Malawi without telling her?

  Because you’re a fool.

  Jacobe swerved his car into an illegal U-turn at the next stoplight. Instead of going to the Suite he drove toward his home and pulled out his cell phone to call the airport. He had a flight to book.

  * * *

  Danielle sat in the passenger seat of a rugged Jeep while Luke drove them down a bumpy road to the next village. They’d mostly provided water filtration systems, but today, they were actually installing a well.

  “I hear that the Gators won the finals,” Luke said from the driver’s seat.

  Danielle turned to glance at him. “I know. I used the satellite computer at the last stop to check.”

  She’d talked to Jacobe a few days ago after they’d won the first two games in the series, but it was a quick call and he’d been tired after playing. She’d suspected then that they would win the series. They’d been doing so well she couldn’t foresee how they couldn’t win. She’d expected him to call and tell her.

  “He didn’t call to tell you?”

  “I talked to him a few days ago.”

  “He doesn’t call you every night.”

  “So?” she asked, her voice sharp.

  Luke raised one of his hands. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that. I just noticed, that’s all.”

  “Why would you notice something like that?”

  “I would have called you every day.”

  Danielle sighed and turned back to the window. “We’ve been there before, Luke. You didn’t call me every day.”

  “A mistake I’ve learned from.”

  “Are you calling your girlfriend every night then? I haven’t paid attention to how often you get on the phone.” A true statement. She’d spent most of her time here talking to the Water for Kids people. Her time with Luke had been limited.

  “I’m not seeing anyone right now. If that’s what you’re asking.”

  “That’s not what I’m asking.”

  “That’s what it sounded like.”

  Danielle turned fully in her seat and narrowed her eyes on him. “Are you trying to make a point, Luke?”

  “Are you happy with him?” He glanced at her again. “Seriously?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “Sounds like a no.”

  He sounded so sure her back went rigid. “Not only am I happy with him, I love him.”

  Luke’s head swung around and he stared at her wide eyed. The Jeep swerved to the right. He jerked it back in line with the train of vehicles in their party.

  “You love him?”

  “I do, and I think he feels the same.”

  Luke’s brows went up. “You think?”

  “Leave it alone.” She turned back to the window, her face hot with anger and embarrassment. She sounded stupid. I think he loves me.

  “Danielle, if he hasn’t said he loves you, then you don’t know for sure that’s how he feels. You could just be making this up in your head.”

  “I’m not.” She held up her hand to stop him from talking anymore. “Luke, we’re friends. If you want us to remain that way, then stop talking. Stay out of my personal life.”

  Luke didn’t say anything else for the remainder of the drive. Danielle stared out of the window, a multitude of thoughts swirling through her brain. They arrived at the next location thirty minutes later. She and Luke joined the rest of the group gathering around their guide’s Jeep at the front of the caravan. Their guide had gone into the main building of the small town to find out about lodging before they unpacked all of their items.

  The guide returned with a questioning look on his face. “They say someone from our group is already here.” His eyes scanned the group. “I counted us all and no one left early or got lost.”

  “Are they sure it’s someone from our group?” Luke asked.

  “That’s what the leader says. He said this guy came in yesterday and said he was with us.”

  “That sounds suspicious to me,” Luke said. “Our trip isn’t exactly a secret. It could be any wacko who knew we were coming here and is trying to get close to us.”

  “Apparently, the guy is out at the old well site now,” the guide said. “He went there this morning. The villagers have already begun working on the irrigation trenches and he volunteered to help.”

  “Let’s go see who this so-called volunteer is.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Danielle said.

  Luke looked at her with concern. “Danielle, I’d prefer if you stayed here. We don’t know anything about this guy. If he is crazy and things get rough, I’d rather you be away from any danger.”

  Danielle laughed. “I doubt a man who’s helping villagers dig a trench would be dangerous. You said yourself one or two other celebrities wanted to volunteer but couldn’t make it. Maybe it’s one of them.”

  Luke sighed. “Fine, but stay behind me.”

  Danielle rolled her eyes. “I’m not some damsel in distress. I’ll be fine.”

  “We’ll go with you two,” said one of the other football players from Luke’s team.

  Ten of them made their way to the old well site. If the volunteer was some crazy person, then they had nearly a ton of defensive linemen to answer to. The group of villagers digging the trench stopped as they noticed them approaching. They began talking excitedly and pointed to the people digging in the trenches. One man stood straight and cocked his head toward the villagers talking.

  Danielle’s breath caught in her throat. His back was turned, but she’d recognize that tall body and wide shoulders anywhere. When he turned to look at her, her heart danced. She grinned and took off running. Jacobe braced his arms on the side of the waist-deep trench and hauled himself out. He sprinted and reached her a few seconds l
ater.

  Danielle flung herself into his arms. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m dirty, Danielle,” he said at the same time.

  He was dirty. Filthy, actually. Dust and grime clung to his handsome face. She guessed his T-shirt was supposed to be white but was, instead, a rust color that matched the dirt on his jeans. She recognized them as an expensive pair that had never been made to wear during manual labor. He smelled like sweat and dirt. Beneath that the delicious musk that was all him.

  “I don’t care that you’re dirty,” she said. “Why are you here?”

  “I’m digging a trench, woman. Can’t you see?” He used his head to nod toward the trench.

  “Don’t be stupid. You just won the finals. Aren’t you supposed to be going to Disneyland or working out the details of your transfer to Phoenix?”

  “That’s the thing—I’m not going to Phoenix.”

  Her heart jumped with excitement. “You aren’t?”

  “No. Jacksonville is home. The guys, coach, the city that I’m helping clean up—it’s where I belong. Everything I want is there.”

  “Everything?”

  His sexy grin made her body tingle all over. “Everything, including you. I should have said this before you left. I love you, Danielle. I shouldn’t have let you leave without telling you how I feel.”

  Danielle wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight. “I love you, too, Jacobe. Even if you were going to Phoenix I would have wanted to make this work. Don’t feel like you have to turn down the opportunity because of me.”

  “This is because of me. I’ve been afraid to trust people and to make a home for myself after what Christy did. Not anymore. I’m ready to make a new home with you—if you’re ready to be mine forever.”

  She was so happy she could have exploded into a million pieces of stardust and it wouldn’t have been enough. “I’m already yours forever. Only yours.”