“Hey,” he cleared this throat watching her hands stop over the clutter on the desk. It was covered in large papers of drawings which he assumed were Charlotte’s. She was talented, he’d give her that, but he never understood why she spent her days working for an event company when she needed to be in a design studio.
“Hello,” she looked up quickly, her coffee colored eyes hitting him square in the chest just as they had the day he had found her on the floor in the stadium. Darting her eyes across the office, she looked everywhere else but at him.
“How are you?” he asked amused. Why was she so skittish? He wasn’t going to hurt her. Thought he had proved that the day he held her hand while she had given birth.
“I’m well,” she said quickly, a fake smile on her face before busying herself again with papers on the desk. “Thank you.”
“And Quinn?”
Lifting her eyes to him again, he watched pink creep across her cheeks as she swallowed hard. “She,” she stuttered, “she’s great.”
Skimming his fingers across his mouth he watched her. She was uncomfortable. He got it. But the woman standing across from him wasn’t the same girl he had found several weeks ago. She was uneasy and nervous and looked as if the weight of the world rested on her small shoulders. But she was cute when she was nervous.
“Ready for next weekend, Nova?” Charlotte asked, plopping down into the chair next to Whitney.
Next weekend?
“Oh,” he nodded, shaking off the force of Whitney’s eyes. “Yeah, sure.”
It was his birthday. And for the first time since entering the league, the Mavs had a bye week. It was also Halloween and most of the team was looking forward to seeing their kids dressed up and spending the weekend with their families; he however, was just glad that he could party with a few sexy bunnies or naughty Little Red Riding Hoods and not have to worry about curfew and winning a game the next day.
“I’m still trying to convince him to put all that space he has up in Mount Pleasant to good use and host a party,” Myles said, resting against the side of the big desk. “I’m not really in the mood this year to be in some club fighting off drunks and loose women.”
Since when?
Myles never had any problems hitting a club and fighting off women. In fact, his best friend would never admit it, but Shay had dispelled more fights for Myles more than anyone he ever knew.
“Yeah, since when?” Shay asked looking over at Charlotte taking a large bite out of her burger.
“Don’t look at me,” she mumbled, her mouth full, grabbing a napkin. “I’m not his warden.”
Shaking his head, Myles crossed his large dark arms, his muted tattoos running from his wrist and disappearing into the sleeve of his shirt. The dude was scary, but only to those that didn’t know him. He was a fool for Charlotte and little kids and his mama, which only added to his complexity. “Bro, we have a bye week and it’s Halloween and your birthday. It should be epic.”
He was always up for an epic night, but he didn’t care much about a party one way or the other. His birthday had never really been a big deal. Being the youngest of four kids, it was just another reason to eat cake for the fourth time that year. Plus, there wasn’t much time to throw together a party. Organizing, hosting and all that bullshit wasn’t his thing. He was a bachelor. Just how he liked it. “Dude, I’m not hosting a party and there’s no time.” Shay glanced over at Whitney flipping through more papers behind the desk evidently avoiding him.
“No time for what?” Ross asked stopping beside Charlotte’s desk shaking hands with Myles before him.
“To plan a birthday bash for Nova next weekend,” Charlotte added popping a french fry inside her mouth leaning back in her seat.
“There’s plenty of time,” Myles quipped.
Agreeing, Ross shook his head. “Sure there is.”
Flipping through a book, Charlotte pointed to a date and Ross looked over her shoulder. “It’s a tight week, but we can put something together,” Ross said as Myles smirked. Ross was a good guy. Always unflustered and neat and tidy. Nothing seemed to ever bother him and he had to hand it to the guy, the man knew how to throw a badass party. But again, he didn’t care much about a party. He just wanted to celebrate with his friends and teammates, the realization that this could be his last birthday in Charleston setting in. “Whitney, why you don’t put this one together,” Ross said, stealing a fry from Charlotte’s container.
Shifting his eyes to Whiney, her head whipped around. He wanted to laugh. She looked terrified. “But,” she hesitated, darting her eyes between him and Ross. “But I have Mrs. Banks’ party next weekend.”
Yeah. Maybe Myles was onto something here. He had never used his house for anything other than to entertain women, all of them gone before the sun came up. So maybe having one last bash before he headed to another city wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Especially one that Whitney would be planning. He didn’t know what it was, perhaps sympathy or how terrified she looked, but he was intrigued. She clearly wasn’t comfortable around him and he wasn’t sure why that was bothering him so much.
“I can handle that,” Ross dismissed, picking up one of Charlotte’s drawings and examining it. “Liv will have the set-up constructed by the end of the day knowing her…” he trailed off. “You take this.”
“But,” she hesitated again, shaking her head quickly, the color draining from her small cheeks. “No.”
He could see the panic setting in across her cute little face and he grinned. She was going to try to get out of this one. “I’ll pay you double your rate,” Shay interjected before he knew the words had left his mouth. All eyes on him, he looked back at Whitney, her eyes going wide and he knew he had her. She was going to plan this party. He’d see to it. Whistling slowly, Ross grabbed a pen jotting something down in the book.
“Yessssssss,” Myles laughed clapping his hands together. “Nova’s having the party of the year, baby.”
Pulling her Rav4 into the long entrance past a set of cast iron gates, Whitney looked down at the piece of paper with Shay’s address on it glancing back at the giant address plate.
1985.
Yep. This was it.
Gazing past the steering wheel through the windshield, she admired the mansion. Although the term mansion may not have been the most adequate word to describe the gorgeous stone estate before her. The dark wood carriage garage doors and oblong shutters made a quaint contrast to the size of the home. Traveling up the tan brick path, diamond shaped mosaic tiles decorated the driveway. Although the term driveway was minimizing the size of the large circular parking area; the two-tiered cascading fountain in the center tied it all together beautifully. Appreciating all the small details, her lips parted admiring the gigantic wooden doors, iron balconies and giant lamplights. Looking down at the paper in her hands again, she didn’t know why she was so surprised. He was a professional athlete. And a really good one if what Charlotte said was true. It was intimidating. She had no idea why he had been so adamant about her planning this ridiculous birthday party. He was a grown man for cryin’ out loud. Grown men didn’t have large, lavish birthday bashes. Well, some did. Men like Shay Cunningham did. And she had an odd sense that it was the same code in which he lived his life. The large stone double staircase engulfed in trees and plants paved the way to the enormous front door, both large and lavish. Evenly matched with its owner.
She had begged Ross over the past nine days to reconsider letting her oversee Mrs. Banks’ ritzy redneck soiree. Line dancing and champagne towers was better than being stuck in a house, correction, a castle with the one man she needed to steer clear of. A man she had no business being around again, let alone being inside his home. She hadn’t even been able to look at him the other day when he insisted on planning his party. He had seen her at rock bottom. The result of another impulsive decision to wander around town while in labor. Wincing at the memory she started for the steps, her breathing picking up. There was no universe whe
re she would want any man to see her deliver a baby like that, let alone one dubbed the sexiest bachelor in the city by Charleston Magazine two years in a row.
No.
She needed to continue to keep her distance from Shay and his relentless charm. And the smirk that matched. Her fingers shaking, she rang the doorbell, the whimsical sound chiming over the entire property. Her pulse competing against the rhythm of the doorbell, she took a deep breath. She needed to get herself together. She had a job to do. A job that she was being paid a lot of money to pull off and it needed to be upheld like any other affair. Yep, just another party.
Relax.
The clicking of the door bringing her attention back, she swallowed a groan taking in the magnificence of Shay Cunningham. Gone were his athletic clothes he seemed to favor the last few times she had seen him, replaced with a pair of jeans hugging his long legs sinfully. A long sleeve shirt embracing every valley of muscle on his arms, his hair spiked softly on the top of his head and shorter on the sides in sandy blonde perfection. The corner of his mouth picking up, he leaned against the doorframe crossing his arms, a line of muscle cutting clear across his chest. He wasn’t an exceptionally large man, which was evident when he stood beside Myles, but he was tall, firm and perfectly constructed.
Lord, help me.
“Well, well, well if it isn’t my very own ray of sunshine sent to save my birthday,” he grinned, his voice finishing her off. Blood pushing harsher and hotter through her body, she chewed on her lip. She shouldn’t be here. No, this was a mistake. “Come on in,” he nodded towards the house, ignoring her discomfort before she had a chance to bolt. Slowly moving out of the way, he let her through the door. Quietly taking another deep breath, she wanted fresh air but all she got was the smell of him, which was arguably much better. Fumbling with the strap of her bag, she felt her knees lock, ready to turn and run.
No.
She needed this party. She needed the money. And she needed to shake off Shay Cunningham once and for all. Without a word she inched inside the house, an enormous foyer with marble floors greeting her. A large grand staircase wrapped to the left side before disappearing upstairs; tall, white columns standing on either side of her. Large homes didn’t impress her. Growing up in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Louisiana, her papa had made more than a comfortable lifestyle as one of the most prominent attorneys in the state. But for as many remarkable homes she had seen in her life, Shay’s was absolutely spectacular. Every detail impeccably built and thought out. Looking above her at the widespread circular chandelier, specks of sunlight bounced off sending light throughout the entire room. A gym bag thrown by the bottom of the steps and a small table with keys and a wallet cluttering it was the only other furniture offered. It was a very large house. Too big for just one person and she wondered how many women had been around to fill the space. Swallowing hard, she cleared her throat. She shouldn’t be concerned how or whom he spent his time with. That was none of her business. Not now. And not ever.
“Your home is beautiful,” she managed, deterring all thoughts of him and nakedness out of her head.
“It is now,” he grinned giving her a quick once over. The way he looked at her completely intimidated her. Even at the hospital, he had made her restless. Fidgety.
Hospital.
Shifting her bags across her body, she looked away. She needed to thank him. For that day. In the hospital.
Finally.
“Shay,” she spat out quickly before she convinced herself to just close her mouth. She needed to get this out. She needed to thank him for not only getting her to the hospital safely, but for staying most of the night. As much as she wanted to believe that she would have been fine on her own, she knew she wouldn’t have. That was the scariest day of her life and having someone beside her to help her pull through had been a blessing. “I, um,” she cleared her throat looking back at him, his blue eyes brighter than when she arrived. Gosh, why was this so hard? Why couldn’t she just say thank you and move on? She only hoped that this pull she had towards him was one solely based on pure gratitude and once she expressed her appreciation she could move on. Putting the entire fiasco of that day behind her once and for all. “I never thanked you. For the day that Quinn was born.”
Watching him a moment she noticed a slight scar on the side of his nose for the first time. The corners of his eyes crinkling, a breeze rushed past them from some other end of the house.
“You’re welcome,” he said sweeping his hand across his mouth quickly. A habit she had seen a few times before. “Come on, I’ll show you where you can get started.”
Wait. That was it? That was all he had to say? He was an active participant in the scariest, most humiliating moment of her entire life. The screaming, the sweating, and oh dear Lord she just knew he’d seen parts of her he shouldn’t have. Catching up to him, she followed behind a few steps taking in the rest of the home. Passing a large dining room with nothing but a large table and chairs, she noted to use the space for the bar area for the evening. An inviting living room with soaring ceilings and a balcony overlooking the entire space ran seamlessly into the kitchen; a two-sided fireplace the only thing dividing the rooms. Myles had been right, there was no lack of space here to host a party. Especially for as many guests as she had anticipated for the evening. Stopping inside the chef inspired kitchen, no detail overlooked, she looked out a set of doors that led to the patio across from a large infinity pool and beyond to the water. A long wooden bridge connecting from his backyard to the water’s edge. As much as she loved downtown Charleston, and she did, there was no denying the charm and splendor of Mount Pleasant.
“I’ve seen what you and Ross have done with old buildings and plantations,” he said opening the refrigerator. “I hope you have enough to work with here.”
Oh, she had more than enough to work with as a small breeze swept through the house, a chill so small she almost disregarded it.
“Water?”
Turning around, Shay stood behind her closer than she anticipated holding up a bottle of water. “Please,” she nodded taking the bottle, as her phone buzzed. Ignoring the warmth as their hands touched, she grabbed her phone, grateful for the distraction. “Excuse me.” Walking onto the patio she busied herself scouting out the placement of the party. Running off the address to the caterer, she ended the call as Shay came outside. “Alright, well,” she straightened tossing her phone into her bag, “I am going to get to work.”
Plastering on a fake smile, she took off in the direction she had come in without another word. Being all alone with Shay was dangerous. And the smirk that stared back at her as she high-tailed it past him to the front door, was even more lethal. Walking out the front door she skipped down the steps as the party rental truck pulled in nearly filling the circular driveway.
You need the money.
Yes, she needed the money. She was two dollars shy of becoming a Go Fund Me page and this would finally put some money back into her savings to help her and Quinn get their own home sooner rather than later. Grabbing a few items from her front seat she took a deep breath. As much as he unnerved her and how badly she wanted to leave, she owed him. A lot. And what better way to even the score than putting together a spectacular birthday bash.
“What did I tell ya?” Myles announced holding his hands up. “When I’m right, I’m so fucking right.”
Yeah. Shay would never admit it, but his friend had been right. This party was epic. What Whitney had pulled together in just eight hours was nothing short of downright impressive. She had singlehandedly transformed his entire house into something out of a Halloween movie. Black lights and smoke traveled throughout the house, his kitchen transformed into a complete buffet of food, most of it looking like something right out of a horror film. His dining room served as one of two bars with purple lights and decorations reminiscent of a cemetery. The patio was covered in lifelike cobwebs and statues that had him looking twice. A large bonfire was ignited in front o
f the pool lit up in red lights as the DJ who had been killing it all night spun some sick sounds over the balcony overlooking the living room. He wasn’t sure how many people were in his house, easily over a hundred, but he had his closest friends here and he was good with that.
“Yeah, you asshole, you were right,” Shay shouted over the music taking a swig of his Jack and Coke. Adjusting his eyes against the lights he looked around for Whitney. He had been doing that a lot tonight and he didn’t get it. He was surrounded by beautiful, half-naked women looking like every man’s fantasy. A healthy mix of downright sinful cops, school girls and nurses, yet he couldn’t seem to stop looking for her. Something had seriously been screwing with his head ever since that day in the hospital. Spotting her by the door talking to his friend Chelsea, he watched her a moment as Chelsea talked animatedly about something. She was all business tonight. And quietly watching her set up all day had him nearly groaning. He didn’t know what it was about her, but not even a workout or an attempt at a nap had been able to get him to concentrate. Maybe he just felt protective of her? What that asshole had done to both her and Quinn, still pissed him off. That must be it because there was no other explanation. She was cute, sure. More than cute, she was downright stunning. He unnerved her, which had been evident from the moment she arrived and he was still surprised that she had stayed and followed through with the party.
“Shay, baby, want to keep me cozy by the fire out there?” Sara, a friend and presently a sexy referee asked, squeezing his arm.
His mouth twisting, he took another swig of his drink taking a quick glance at Whitney again. “One minute sweetheart. I’ll meet you out there.”
Hail Mary (The Mavericks Series) Page 4