by Cat Johnson
As much as Jill loved watching the bulls and the riders, she was more than happy this event was over. It was exciting as hell being here live and up close for the rides. But she didn’t love being here live for the wrecks, especially since Aaron had been one of the worst buck offs of the day.
Though it was another aspect of this particular event that had her feeling more uncomfortable than even watching Aaron launch off the back of his bull. That was having a front row seat, day and night, for CeCe and Aaron’s whirlwind romance.
That Jill hadn’t bargained on. It sure as hell wasn’t part of her job description, and yet the whole weekend she’d been dancing around this relationship, if she could call it that. CeCe having sex with Aaron in the suite didn’t exactly constitute a love story, but the scene before Jill now sure looked like a lover’s spat.
All she’d wanted to do was find CeCe and tell her the pilot was waiting for them at the airport. What she’d found was CeCe and Aaron at the end of a long hallway. She couldn’t make out any words, but it was clear from their body language alone that Aaron and CeCe were in the midst of a heated discussion.
Both of their voices got louder until Jill began to be able to make out words. She should have backed away and given them their privacy. She didn’t. Instead, curiosity won out. She stayed and listened.
“CeCe, no. I’m not flying home with you. I’m not your boyfriend. We’re not dating. It was just a weekend and now it’s over.”
Jill cringed at Aaron’s words. Even if she wasn’t the one getting dumped, it was harsh hearing it. She might not be the biggest fan of CeCe Cole, but Jill had been on the receiving end of a dumping more than once. She wouldn’t wish what Aaron had said to CeCe on any woman.
She held her breath, waiting for CeCe’s response. She expected her to cry and play on his sympathies, but he didn’t give her a chance. He turned on one boot heel and, before Jill could react or hide, he was heading down the hallway directly at her.
Jill saw the stiff set of his jaw. The hard, flat expression in his eyes. He met her gaze but didn’t say a word as he walked past and around the corner.
She watched him pass and turned back to find CeCe glaring at her. “I’m sure you enjoyed watching that, didn’t you?”
“What? No. I mean I couldn’t even hear—”
“You’ve had your eye on Aaron since we met him. You’ve been jealous of me from day one. I should have known when I woke up that first morning and found you in the suite flaunting yourself in front of him. Cozying up to my boyfriend.”
“I never did—”
“Don’t bother coming to work in the morning. You’re fired.” CeCe turned and strode in the opposite direction Aaron had gone while Jill stood in shock.
She was supposed to be on that private flight back to California with CeCe. Now what? Her luggage was already in the limo, which was waiting outside for them. Jill wouldn’t put it past CeCe to drive away with it—either intentionally or accidentally.
If that happened, Jill would be stranded with nothing but the tote bag on her shoulder. That thought had Jill running toward the exit. She emerged from the building in time to see the driver slamming the trunk. Her carry-on and suitcase sat on the sidewalk.
The limo driver sent her a sympathetic look before he slid behind the steering wheel and slammed the door. Helpless and reeling, Jill stood on the steps and watched her ride pull away.
She was stuck, again, at the arena where she already knew taxis didn’t like to come to. Not that it mattered all that much if she couldn’t get to the airport any time soon. She had no plane ticket.
With a sigh, she walked the rest of the way down the staircase. Sitting on top of the suitcase, she made a plan. First on the agenda was to let herself have a good cry, because this had to be the worst day of her life. After that, she’d figure something out.
“Jill!”
The sound of her name brought her head around. Aaron and Garret were walking toward her from around the side of the building.
She swiped the moisture from her eyes as they got close enough to see her sitting on her suitcase crying. She forced a laugh. “I think there’s a country song about this very thing.”
“Yup, there sure is.” Garret nodded.
“What happened?” Aaron frowned and glanced at the parking lot. “Where’s CeCe? And where’s the limo?”
“Well, the answer to all those questions is pretty much the same. CeCe fired me.”
“What?” Aaron’s eyes went wide. “Why?”
Jill shrugged. “Because she thought I was after you.”
His eyes got even wider. “Me?”
She nodded. “Yup. Apparently, I’ve been flaunting myself in front of you. So she and her limo and her private jet are heading back to California without me.”
“And she left you stranded in Georgia with no transportation?” Garret joined Aaron in his expression of shock.
“Yup. I guess I should be happy that she left me my luggage.”
“That is seriously fucked up.” Garret shook his head. He glanced at Aaron. “Man, you sure can pick ’em.”
“You know damn well I didn’t pick her. She was assigned to me.” Aaron drew in a breath and looked to Jill. “You’re coming with us.”
“Where?”
He reached for her carry-on. “Wherever you want us to take you. Get up. Garret, grab the suitcase.”
“Got it.” Jill had to scramble to her feet as Garret moved toward the suitcase she was sitting on. “Where you wanna go? The airport?”
Jill stood helpless as the two men took possession of her bags. “I don’t know. A last-minute flight to California is going to cost a fortune.”
She needed to watch her pennies since she no longer had a job. Jill didn’t want to dump over a thousand dollars on a flight that would normally cost a fraction of that if she’d had the liberty of booking in advance.
“Then you’re coming home with us.” Aaron said it with finality.
“And do what?”
“You book a flight for a later date—whenever you can get a good price—I’ll drive you to the airport at either Charlotte or Raleigh-Durham. You should be able to get a good flight from one of those. In the meantime, you hang with us until you leave.”
“I can’t do that.” Jill had to scramble after the two cowboys as they strode across the parking lot. Their long legs ate up the distance even with her luggage slowing them down.
“Sure you can. I have a spare bedroom at my place.” Aaron stopped at the tailgate of his truck and hoisted her carry-on inside. “Besides, it’s my fault you got fired. Let me do something to help so I feel less guilty about it.”
“Aaron, it’s not your fault.”
“Sure it is.” Garret laughed. “He’s the one who couldn’t handle your boss.”
“Shut up, Garret.”
Ignoring the two cowboys bickering, Jill had to think that it might not be a bad plan. Why should she rush to get back to California? She had no job there. Just a tiny overpriced apartment, which she wouldn’t need anymore if she didn’t find work in that area.
Aaron opened the truck door. “Hop on in.”
She hoisted herself into the high truck. Garret and Aaron got in on either side of her so she was sandwiched between them in the center of the front bench seat.
“My family lives in Virginia. Maybe I should go there and regroup until I decide what to do next. Hell, I don’t know.” She sighed.
“Maybe.” Aaron glanced at her as he turned the key in the ignition. “The point is you don’t have to decide this second. Come home with me. Take some time to decide. I’ve got two weeks off from competition. If you want me to, I’ll be happy to drive you to your parents’ place or wherever you want. It’s the least I can do.”
Jill shook her head. “Stop saying that. This isn’t your fault.”
> Garret leaned forward to look at Aaron past Jill. “Can we get moving and you two can hash out whose fault it is on the drive? I’ll feel better when we put a few miles between lover boy and the bunny boiler since apparently his lovin’ drives women crazy.”
“The bunny what?” Jill asked.
Aaron shook his head. “Ignore him. That’s Garret’s new favorite term.”
“Oh.” She still didn’t understand, but she was too depressed about the situation to care that much.
“Jill.”
She glanced up when Aaron said her name. “Yeah?”
“It’ll be okay.”
“I know. Thanks.” She put on a brave face and agreed, but she wasn’t all that sure. She could only hope he was right.
Chapter Eighteen
Aaron let go of the handle of Jill’s suitcase and juggled the keys on his ring, looking for the one for his apartment. After locating the correct one, he shoved it into the lock and pushed open the door.
Glancing back at Jill, he saw her weariness. “It’s getting late. You probably want to go right to bed. I just have to put some sheets on your bed.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll just sleep wherever.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ve got the open-up sofa and I’ve got the sheets for it. Just give me one minute to set it up.” He grabbed her suitcase and carried it into the apartment. “Come on in, take a seat in the living room and I’ll be done before you know it.”
“All right.” Her tote bag on one shoulder and her carry-on in the other hand, she moved into the apartment barely looking around as he flipped on the lights.
It actually wasn’t all that late. It being Sunday, they didn’t hit any traffic. He’d made good time on the drive. It probably was more what had happened than the hour that had Jill looking as if every step was an effort.
Aaron felt more horrible with every passing moment. He knew CeCe was a kook, but he’d never guessed how far she’d go. He shouldn’t have lost his patience and told her they were done.
Her firing Jill had never crossed his mind. He forced himself to stop worrying about Jill who was slumped on the sofa with her bag in her lap and concentrated on making up her bed.
The sheets for the spare room were somewhere in the closet. Probably buried under towels and the two-dozen rolls of toilet paper his mother had picked up for him at the price club she loved to shop at.
Fellow riders crashed with him enough that he was always prepared for guests. Sometimes he was more ready than others. Today, he seemed unable to get anything right.
After taking out the toilet paper and a bath towel, he spotted the sheets. He dumped the toilet paper on the floor and carried the towel to the bathroom. “I’m putting a clean towel in here for you.”
“Okay, thank you.” She sounded so sad it broke his heart.
Damn CeCe. She was winging her way across the country in her private jet, probably sipping on champagne, and Jill got to crash on the thin mattress with springs from his open-up couch poking her in the back.
Life wasn’t fair, but Aaron already knew that. Hell, all bull riders did. Sometimes you covered the ride, sometimes you didn’t. Almost always you got thrown in the dirt. The only thing to do was stand up again, dust off and forge ahead.
That was a pretty good inspirational speech he had going in his head as he carried the sheets to the guest room. He’d have to remember it and deliver it to Jill later when she was in the mood to listen.
He made short work of opening the sofa and putting the sheets on the bed. He tossed an extra pillow at the head and a blanket at the foot and was done.
A few beers might make them both feel better. After the scene with CeCe before they’d left today—on top of the entire crazy weekend—he could sure as hell use one.
Hoping he’d remembered correctly and had beer, he headed for the kitchen and tugged open the fridge.
Jackpot. There was a partially filled six-pack right on the shelf where he’d left it. He didn’t bother to ask her. Instead, he just grabbed two longneck bottles from the cardboard holder. He carried them to the living room and sat on the opposite end of the sofa from where Jill was slumped and looking in a daze.
A lot had happened in a short amount of time. No surprise she was feeling the shock of it all. He twisted one cap off and held the bottle out for her. She took it without comment and pressed it to her lips.
He opened his own bottle and did the same, drawing a long swallow. The cold brew slid down his throat like a balm soothing more than his thirst. He sighed. “This is one weekend I’m glad is over.”
“You and me both.” Jill cut her gaze to him. “I’m sorry. I’m being selfish and only thinking of myself. I know why I’m happy this weekend is over. Why are you? Because you got hurt today?”
“Um, no. Not quite.” He couldn’t meet her eyes, but he forced himself to. “I didn’t exactly get hurt.” Aaron wasn’t proud of himself but he’d been desperate.
She frowned. “You didn’t?”
“Nope. I pretended I was hurt so I could hide in the medical room for the rest of the event.”
“You hid from CeCe?”
“Yup.” He hung his head in shame. “That was a real pussy move, I know.”
Her laugh had him looking up. “Actually, it was pretty smart.”
He smiled. “I can’t even take the credit for the idea. It was one of the other guys. I just wished it had worked better. She wouldn’t give up. She wanted to bring me home to her private masseuse. Said he’d fix me right up. The woman doesn’t take no for an answer. I finally had to tell it to her straight. She didn’t take it well.”
“I know. I walked in on the tail end of it.”
“I just hope she doesn’t pull her sponsorship over this. The association counts on her money to keep the circuit running.”
“So much power over so many people and she really doesn’t deserve it. Not any of it. If John Cole had had a better prenup, she’d be nothing but a washed-up, divorced former model.” Jill looked at Aaron. “And now I sound like a bitch.”
Aaron shook his head. “No. You don’t.”
Jill spoke the truth.
“I really loved the idea of working for a major corporation that was run by a strong woman CEO. But CeCe…” Jill let the sentence trail off.
“CeCe isn’t that woman.” Aaron finished the thought for her.
“Nope. She’s not. Not even close.” Jill took another pull from the bottle.
Aaron did the same. A comfortable silence based on mutual understanding surrounded them. Even without talking, Aaron felt close to Jill. It was like they’d been to war together. They’d both battled and survived CeCe. Though Aaron had to think he’d come out of it unscathed compared to the devastation CeCe had made out of Jill’s career. “I’m sorry you got fired over me.”
“If it wasn’t over this, it would have been something else. I’ve had a feeling for a while that I was on borrowed time with her anyway. Honestly, Aaron. You can’t blame yourself. I don’t blame you.”
“I’m glad, but I still feel responsible.”
“And you’re putting me up at your home for the night, so we’re even.”
“More than the night, Jill. However long you need to get your flight booked, or find another job, or just get your head on straight. You’re welcome to stay.”
“Thanks.”
“My pleasure. Besides, it’s nice to have someone to kick back and have a beer with. Ever since Garret and my sister had the baby, I’ve been kind of on my own.”
“Glad I can help.” She raised her bottle to him before pressing it to her lips one more time.
Aaron eyed the level in his bottle. “Another one?”
“Sure. Why not? I’ve got nothing else to do.” She lifted one shoulder, looking more relaxed than before.
“That a girl.
”
His plan was working out nicely.
Chapter Nineteen
Aaron woke from a dead sleep. Groaning, he rolled over and frowned in the direction of the clock. The red glow of the numbers told him it was too early to be conscious. It was definitely too early to get up. It was still dark outside.
With as tired as he was from the weekend, why he would wake up in the middle of the night, he didn’t know. But since he was already awake, he figured he might as well get up and take a piss. He intended to sleep in tomorrow. With nothing to do until the next event, he could stay in bed as late as he wanted.
Still half asleep, he flipped the covers back and swung his bare feet to the floor. In the boxer shorts he slept in, he stumbled through the apartment he knew so well he didn’t need to turn on the lights.
Down the hall, he saw the strip of light beneath the bathroom door. It was strange that he’d forgotten to turn the bathroom light off before going to bed, but he was too sleepy to worry about it much.
He reached the bathroom door and pushed it open, sucking in a breath at what he saw.
Jill sat on the edge of the bathtub, legs spread wide, her hand down the front of her pajama pants. Her eyes had been closed but she opened them wide at the sound of his intake of breath.
“Oh, my God. Aaron.” She yanked her hand out of her pants when she saw him standing in the doorway.
He should have closed the door and backed away, but all he could do was stand in the doorway as what he’d walked in on hit him like a sledgehammer.
He’d totally forgotten she was his houseguest. If he’d been awake, he would have remembered she was staying with him. Would have realized the bathroom door shouldn’t be closed in the middle of the night with the light on unless there was someone inside. But he’d lived alone for years. And he’d had too many beers and too little sleep to be thinking clearly.
“I’m so sorry.” Aaron found himself breathing harder at the thought of what Jill had obviously been doing. He didn’t move. Neither did she. He should leave. He couldn’t bring himself to. “Tell me what to do.”