After All These Years (One Pass Away #2)

by Mary J. Williams

  “Mrs. Preston—”

  “Corrine.” Her mother smiled, placing her manicured hand on Sean’s chest. “Oh, my.” She squeezed, smiling slowly.

  This couldn’t be happening. Riley felt rooted to the spot. She wanted to run, really she did. However, between the one-sided kiss and her mother’s outrageous behavior, Riley didn’t know if she would ever be able to move.

  “I need to be going.” With less care than he showed Riley, Sean removed her mother’s hand. “Are you okay?”

  After making certain he was speaking to her, Riley nodded.

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  Sean sprinted to his car, obviously anxious to leave behind two forms of crazy. A grabby young woman and a would-be Mrs. Robinson.

  “Thanks for the ride, Sean,” Riley managed to call out before he slammed the door.

  Instead of a verbal response, Sean waved from his open car window. He pulled out of the driveway like a man being chased by demons. Glancing at her mother, Riley didn’t think the description was too far off.

  “That was embarrassing.” Corrine practically shoved Riley into the house.

  “I agree. You groped my friend. Are you out of your mind?”

  “I don’t appreciate you speaking to me that way, young lady.” Corrine fluffed her hair in the mirror. The house was filled with them. Her mother hated to be more than five feet away from her own image. “And I was the one embarrassed. Throwing yourself at a man is bad enough. What would possess you to kiss Sean McBride?”

  “How do you know he didn’t initiate the kiss?”

  Corrine didn’t laugh. Riley would have preferred it to the look of abject pity.

  “A man like that is out of your league.”

  “You think he’s in yours?”

  “I could have him in a second.” Corrine’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “If I weren’t a married woman.”

  “When did that ever stop you?”

  She knew she shouldn’t have said it, even if it were true. The sting of her mother’s hand across her face stunned Riley. Corrine never lifted a finger to do anything. If she had called the maid in and instructed her to perform the slap for her, Riley would have been less surprised.

  “Never again,” She whispered.

  “You have a smart mouth, Riley,” Corrine said with a haughty look. “I should have done it years ago.”

  “Not the slap. I couldn’t care less about that. You pack all the punch of an anemic gnat.” Riley stepped toward her mother, feeling immense satisfaction when Corrine flinched.

  “I’m your mother.”

  “It’s a little late to play that card.” Riley shook her head at Corrine’s pathetic tactic. “I’m not going to hit you. Unless…”

  “Unless what?” Corrine looked down her nose at Riley. It hadn’t taken her long to regain her poise.

  “Unless you ever touch Sean again.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  RILEY DIDN’T KNOW what Sean would say the next time they met.

  She parked her car outside the Knights’ headquarters. Gaige had called a tow truck after she and Sean left, texting her the details. Because it was an easy fix, the garage called early the next morning and she took a taxi to pick up her car.

  There was an easy way out of this situation. She could stay away from Sean for the next few weeks. When they saw each other again, the awkwardness would dissipate quickly and they could pretend nothing had happened. Except, Riley didn’t want to pretend. About the kiss, that is. Riley hoped Sean never mentioned her mother. Ever.

  Giving her lip-gloss a quick check, Riley exited the car. She wasn’t trying to be something she wasn’t. A short skirt, tight top, and heels would have made her look as ridiculous as she would have felt. Different clothing wasn’t going to make Sean look at her in a new way. That would take a change in attitude—from both of them.

  How could Sean think of her as an exciting, interesting woman, if she didn’t let him see that was who she was? Time to stop being tongue-tied. She was intelligent. Top of her class at business school. She kept up on current events and knew the Knights’ playbook backward and forward. Riley could converse on almost any subject, and if he were willing to teach her, she would be an eager student when it came to sex. There was no reason for Sean to be bored—in or out of the bedroom.

  She climbed into the stands, keeping out of sight so she could watch the end of practice. Harry Coleman didn’t like distractions of any kind. She stayed in the shadows, waiting for Sean to do something. Anything.

  As fate would have it, Riley was given a welcome and unexpected treat. Sean ran a slant route, his footwork fast and sure. The defensive end tried to keep up, but the rookie was no match for Sean’s superior speed and experience.

  Faking left, he dodged behind another member of the defense. A reverse screen. By the time the rookie figured out what was happening, Sean had caught the laser shot from Gaige, tucked the ball under his arm, and was halfway to the end zone.

  Silently, Riley applauded. Sean was wonderful. One of the best in the game. However, it wasn’t the play that made her heartbeat race. It was Sean’s joy over a simple practice play. His laughter reached into the stands, wrapping itself around her like a warm hug. His smile was infectious. He didn’t know she was there, yet it felt like he smiled just for her.

  “You need to stop this, Riley.”

  Closing her eyes, Riley took a deep breath. Straightening her shoulders, she turned to her father.

  “Stop watching the Knights? We both know that will never happen.”

  “Don’t be coy. It doesn’t suit you.”

  “Define coy,” Riley said, tongue firmly in cheek.

  “God, you are so much like your grandfather.” One side of Gerald Preston’s mouth curled into a sneer.

  “Thank you.”

  “It wasn’t meant as a compliment.”

  “I know. Yet that’s how I choose to take it.”

  Gerald Preston was a handsome man. Tall, lean. His dark hair was still thick with only a touch of gray beginning to show. He kept himself fit. His personal trainer visited the house three times a week and he ran five miles every day. At fifty-three, he had the body of a much younger man.

  Some people had commented on the resemblance between father and daughter. The same slender build. The blue eyes. The dark hair. Riley supposed it was true. When asked, she said she looked like her grandfather.

  Riley felt a twinge of regret. It didn’t happen often. Not anymore. There had been a time, just after her grandfather’s death, when she wished for a closer relationship with her father. For twelve years, she had been blessed with a strong, loving male figure in her life. She felt the loss greatly.

  Until then, she hadn’t worried about the ice that dripped from her father’s every word. She had Grandpa. However, without Douglas Preston’s warm presence, Riley naturally looked to the man who had given her life. The man who had never shown an ounce of interest in her. She wasn’t surprised to find out that hadn’t changed. Disappointed, but not surprised.

  “You hide up here in the stands, watching Sean McBride, thinking you’re invisible. Trust me, little girl, he is the only one who doesn’t know how you feel.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Riley lifted her chin, trying to put on a brave face. Was her father right? Did everyone know? It was hard to know for certain. Her father didn’t speak to her often, but when he did, it was never a pleasant experience. Where her grandfather had been full of laughter and good humor, her father was much more of a doom and gloom personality.

  “That’s a good poker face. Another of your grandfather’s traits.” Gerald casually picked a tiny piece of lint from his perfectly tailored suit. Flicking it away, his eyes met Riley’s. The gesture wasn’t random. Without words, he told her she was as insignificant as that piece of lint. And as easily taken care of.

  If her father had spent any time getting to know her, he would have known Riley couldn’t be intimidated
that easily. Push her, she pushed back. That, too, was something she inherited from her grandfather.

  “I have every right to be here.” Riley refused to break eye contact. She felt a small thrill of accomplishment when he was the first to look away.

  “You’ll own the team someday.” As always, Gerald had trouble saying the words. “It doesn’t give you rights to the players.”

  “I repeat, I don’t know what you mean.”

  “What is the appeal?” Gerald continued as though Riley hadn’t spoken. “Sean McBride draws women like moths to a flame. I suppose he’s attractive enough.”

  Riley snorted. Attractive enough? The man was a God!

  “He’s an outstanding athlete. An asset to the team. That is my only interest.”

  It sounded lame, even to her. Riley might not fool her father, but she wouldn’t discuss her feelings about Sean. Not with him.

  “Even your mother has commented on your unhealthy obsession.”

  That was interesting. Her mother and father rarely spoke. They led separate lives. It seemed unlikely they would break that precedent to discuss her.

  The image of her mother touching Sean popped into Riley’s head. Perhaps she wasn’t the only Preston obsessed with the star wide receiver. The idea of Corrine making a move on Sean made Riley sick to her stomach. Would Sean turn her mother down? She was a beautiful woman. Sean was… Well, Sean was Sean. Riley wanted to believe he had some sexual line he wouldn’t cross. A married woman? The owner’s wife? If presented with the temptation, Riley had no idea which way Sean would leap.

  For a brief moment, Riley considered mentioning how touchy-feely Corrine had been with Sean. Unfortunately, it would hurt Sean more than her mother. Gerald didn’t care what his wife did, as long as she was discreet. Her parents had an open marriage, sleeping with other people whenever the impulse struck. The world saw them as a power couple. He was the powerful businessman, she the society hostess. They smiled for the cameras, looking happy and content.

  She had no power on that front. So she kept her mouth shut. As far as she was concerned, her mother had never dipped her adulterous toe into the Knights’ locker room. However, Riley knew the score. Corrine would walk away scot-free. Sean would be the one to pay.

  “Is there a point to this conversation?” Riley wanted her father to leave. Practice was breaking up and she needed to speak with Sean. Without her father as a witness.

  “Those men represent money.” Gerald gestured toward the field. “You said it yourself. Sean McBride is an asset.”

  “So?”

  “Here’s a piece of advice they won’t teach in any of your business classes. You can screw around with anyone you want.” Gerald’s cool eyes stayed on the field. “But never, ever, screw an asset. Especially one as valuable as Sean McBride.”

  Gerald didn’t wait for Riley’s response. She watched him head out of the exit. Her father’s words didn’t bother her. She took them in the spirit they were intended. Petty and cruel. This had been the longest conversation she could remember having with him in months. Had he asked about school or her health? Or anything a normal father would ask his daughter? No. Gerald Preston had no interest in her unless it was to leave the proverbial turd in her punch bowl.

  “SHE’S UP THERE again.”

  Gaige didn’t need to look at the stands. He knew who Sol meant.

  “Riley loves this team.”

  “True,” Sol nodded, stretching out his hamstring. “If push came to shove, which do you think she would choose? The team? Or Sean?”

  “It’s a moot point, so stop speculating. Now!”

  “Moot point,” Sol laughed. “Your fancy ass school roots are showing, QB.”

  “Says the man with a degree from Stanford.” Gaige punched the linebacker in the arm. Hard. “They don’t give those scholarships to dummies.”

  “Shh,” Sol looked around in mock horror. “You’ll ruin my reputation. My wife married me for my body, not my brains.”

  “What’s the joke?” Sean asked, joining them on the sidelines. “After yesterday, I could use a chuckle.”

  “Did Mrs. Preston leave a mark on your baby-soft skin?” Sol’s ham-like fist crashed into Sean’s bicep. He wanted to hit Gaige back. However, his QB’s arm was the team’s bread and butter. That meant he had to take his revenge out on the unsuspecting running back.

  “What the hell, Bellows?” Sean didn’t rub his arm. That was the pussy thing to do. But, damn, it hurt.

  “Watch the language.”

  “What? Where?” Sean looked around. He had told his teammates about Mrs. Preston. He had kept the kiss to himself. If it weren’t for her mother, he would have spoken to Riley right away.He wanted to clear the air and this would be as good a time as any.

  “Up in the stands.”

  “Sol!” Gaige warned.

  “How long has she been up there?” Sean searched the seats. If Riley were there, he couldn’t see her.

  “You mean how often? Don’t give me that look, Gaige. Some of the guys are starting to talk.”

  “Which ones?” Gaige would put a stop to that.

  “It’s innocent teasing,” Sol assured Gaige. “For now. Sean needs to nip it in the bud before it escalates.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “The guys are making cracks about Riley?” Sean felt his blood begin to simmer. “Why?”

  “Because of you.”

  “Me?” Sean gave Gaige an amazed look. “She’s like a little sister. Everybody knows that.”

  “Riley doesn’t.”

  The kiss. Sean thought it had been a spur of the moment impulse. If he were to believe Gaige and Sol, there was much more to it.

  “How long?”

  “Now that you know there’s a problem? Ask her.” Sean nodded, getting up. “Don’t mess with her, Sean. She’s not as confident as she acts.”

  “Jesus, Gaige.” Sean spiked his helmet. If he weren’t worried about the Riley situation, he would have enjoyed Sol’s yelp when it bounced off the back of his head. “Do you think I would take her to bed?”

  “Sex is always the first thing that pops into your head. Why is that?” Not expecting an answer, Gaige continued. “That’s right. Manwhore.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Do you deny it?” Gaige challenged.

  “No.”

  Sean had no problem with the label. He liked sex. A lot. And he liked variety. Tall. Short. Curvy. Thin. Give him a big, heaping helping of it all. What he didn’t like was the implication he would touch Riley in anything but a brotherly fashion.

  Gaige pushed to his feet. He was sympathetic to Sean’s dilemma. However, he wanted him to understand what had to be done.

  “Hope, Sean. It can keep the tiniest of flames flickering. Don’t let Riley walk away thinking there’s a chance you’ll change your mind. Be brutal.”

  Agitated, Sean ran a hand through his hair.

  “I’ve never broken anyone’s heart before.” When Sol snorted, Sean shot him a dirty look. “Not on purpose.”

  “A manwhore with a heart of gold.” Sol stood beside Gaige, watching Sean leave the field. “Hey. Don’t look so glum. You did good.”

  Gaige shrugged. He had been in the league for eleven years. Sometimes it was hard to remember what it was like to be Sean’s age. Hell. Had he ever been twenty-five? His old man used to accuse him of being too serious.

  Forget the fucking football, Larry Benson would yell out when he was sober enough to speak coherently. It’s a fucking pipe dream, stupid. Then he would hurl an empty vodka bottle at Gaige’s head. He became adept at dodging the projectiles. Practice for a life spent evading determined defensive ends.

  It was ironic that a man who had grown up with that warped example would now be giving fatherly advice.

  “Need to get home right away?”

  “Nope.” Sol slung a companionable arm over Gaige’s shoulders. “The wife and kids are having dinner with her mother.”

  “How
did you get out of that?” Sol’s contentious relationship with his mother-in-law was the stuff of legend.

  “Big game on Sunday. I need to study my playbook.”

  “Racine fell for that?”

  “Hell, no,” Sol laughed. “She knows all my tricks.”

  “So she let you get away with one?” Gaige and Sol grabbed their helmets. Without a second thought, Gaige picked up Sean’s.

  “Mmm. I love my wife.”

  “Me too.” Racine Bellows was one of the good ones. A football wife who supported her husband and wasn’t obsessed with pursuing her own fame on his coattails.

  “My woman, Benson.” Sol pounded his chest, caveman style.

  “You have to admit, my taste is impeccable.”

  Sol laughed. “Yes, it is.” He held the door for Gaige. “Beer at The Extra Point?”

  The crowded locker room smelled like sweat and antiseptic. For Gaige, they were the most natural aromas in the world. Several of their teammates heard Sol’s comment and before he knew it, half a dozen Knights were sharing long necks and laughs.

  This was his family, Gaige thought, the noise around him welcome. Three thousand miles away from his abuse-filled childhood, he had found his place in the world. It wouldn’t last forever, but for now, it was pretty damn perfect.

  RILEY WAS STILL mulling over her father’s words when the sound of approaching feet reached her. Now who, she wondered. Annoyed, she turned her head.

  “Sean!” Riley smiled in delighted surprise.

  He was still in his practice gear including full pads. His dark hair was damp and slightly matted from the helmet he must have left on the field. His face was flushed, sweat covering his brow. He looked like a warrior returning from battle. Fancifully, Riley pictured herself opening her arms in welcome. In her dreams, he would gather her close, happy to be home. Then—

  “Riley!” She jumped when Sean snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Are you in there?”

  “Sorry.” Why was she daydreaming about Sean when he was right there? The real thing was so much better.