Wild Card (Texas Titans #5)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Then you said those things, and you stripped me down to the pathetic little girl who used to cry herself to sleep because no one loved her. That’s why I hate you.”

  He jolted as though she’d punched him. “You don’t hate me. Don’t say that.”

  “Yes, I do.” When she looked at him, she saw the sexy façade that had made her fall for him all those years ago, but the pedestal she’d placed him on had crumbled beyond repair. He wasn’t a hero. He was just a man, and he’d shown his true colors when his back was against the wall. “I hate you for making me believe in happy endings.”

  “Carly—”

  She glanced at the time on her phone. “I’d like you to go now. I don’t want to see you again. There’s nothing more to say.” She felt proud of herself. She sounded strong, unwavering.

  “Damn it, you really think you’re going to get rid of me that easily?” He stood and gripped her armrests, leaning in so close his breath mixed with hers. “What happened between us last night changed everything. It made me realize I’d been a fool. I couldn’t see that right in front of me was an incredible woman who was in love with me. Me, not my business or my bank account.”

  Carly was afraid to speak, afraid to breathe. She didn’t want him to know she still felt fragile and confused.

  “So if you think you’re gonna pay for some goddamn stranger’s sperm, forget it. It can’t happen.”

  “Yes, it can. And it will.” She cleared her throat. “In fact, I’m going to the clinic this afternoon.”

  He paled before pushing off her chair. “If you hadn’t taken that pill this morning—”

  “But I did take the pill.” It was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, given how much she wanted a baby, but the things he’d said to her kept playing over and over in her mind, and she knew she had no choice. “So that lets you off the hook.”

  ***

  Brett felt nauseated as he chugged water and tried to forget what Carly may be doing at that very moment.

  “Great news,” Dylan said, walking into the boardroom. “Carly signed the contract this morning. She’s going to redesign the bars for us. Isn’t that great?”

  “What?” Given that she’d claimed she never wanted to see him again, he found that hard to believe. “When did this happen?”

  “I met with her this morning.”

  “What time?”

  Dylan frowned as he snagged a bottle of water from the mini-fridge. “Our appointment was for ten. Why?”

  That must have been the meeting she’d mentioned. Brett was relieved she’d agreed to work for them. That would mean their paths would cross whether she liked it or not. “Just curious.”

  “But she had one condition,” Dylan said, looking wary. “Uh, I don’t know what went down between you two, but she said she’d rather not work with you. She understands that she’ll have to present her ideas to the board, but she doesn’t want to meet with you alone. For any reason.”

  Brett cursed softly. “This is ridiculous. She’s going to be working for my company. She can’t avoid me.”

  “I thought you two were tight, man. What the hell happened?”

  No way could he tell Dylan the truth. “We had an argument. We’ll work it out.”

  “If you say so.” Dylan looked skeptical. “I wanted you to hear this from me. Carly agreed to have dinner with me tonight.”

  Just when Brett was convinced the day couldn’t get any worse, it did. “Dinner? As in a date?”

  “Don’t look so surprised. You know we’ve been getting close.”

  But that was before Brett slept with her—then slayed her with claims that gave her reason to shut him out of her life completely. Of course, he couldn’t tell his friend that without giving Carly more cause to resent him.

  “You got a problem with that?” Dylan asked, sounding defensive.

  “Damn right, I do. You’re in love with Sabrina. You’re just using Carly to try to get over her.”

  It was no secret that the sexy little sports agent who frequented their bar owned Dylan, but he’d vowed to give up on her for reasons he refused to share with his friends.

  Dylan set his tablet on the conference table before glaring at Brett. “You don’t know how I feel or what my motives are.”

  “I’ve known you a long time. I’ve seen you use too many women, hoping to get Sabrina out of your system. It never works.” Brett wasn’t trying to hurt his friend. He felt Dylan’s pain since what he was going through with Carly felt eerily similar.

  Dylan leaned forward. “I haven’t used anyone. I’ve had relationships. Granted they didn’t last long, and most were all about sex, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t tried.” He gestured toward Brett with a raised hand. “You have a lousy track record with women too, so who the hell are you to lecture me?”

  Dylan was right, but this was different. This was Carly, and Brett couldn’t stand the thought of her getting hurt again. “Anyone but Carly.” They shared a look before Brett used the one word he hoped would sway his partner. “Please.”

  Dylan hesitated before he said, “It’s rare I meet a woman who makes me feel the way she does. I missed out on a chance with her once because I put my relationship with you first. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  Brett yanked on his collar, loosening his tie. He felt as though he couldn’t breathe. Was Dylan trying to tell him he was falling for Carly? “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “We’ve spent a lot of time together over the past month while I was trying to convince her to take this job. She’s incredible. Obviously she’s beautiful and sexy, but it’s more than that. We still have a connection. I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s the same connection that brought us together that night.”

  Dylan reached for his tablet and pulled up the home page of Carly’s website. Her picture stared back at them. “She has this sweetness about her, but she’s tough too. She can take care of herself. I like that.”

  “Because she reminds you of Sabrina,” Brett said, trying to tamp down his frustration. Why couldn’t Dylan see what was so obvious? Carly and Sabrina shared many of the same characteristics, but they weren’t interchangeable. Dylan couldn’t use Carly to get over Sabrina. Brett wouldn’t let him.

  “What are you talking about?” Dylan asked.

  “Think about it,” Brett said, hoping he could present his argument without sounding judgmental. “The way you just described Carly, you could have been talking about Sabrina.”

  “So?” Dylan shrugged. “I have a type. Sabrina clearly doesn’t want me, but Carly does, and I’m not gonna let you screw this up because you have some baseless theory about my motives.” He sighed as his anger changed to determination. “You’re wrong, okay? I’m taking Carly out tonight because I like her. She likes me. We have fun together. Period.”

  “And you don’t care how it makes me feel?” Brett’s pride wouldn’t allow him to admit he had feelings for Carly, especially since she’d made it clear she no longer reciprocated, but he hoped he could appeal to Dylan’s sense of reason.

  “Look, I know you care about her. You consider her part of your family, but I promise she’ll be in good hands with me.”

  The thought of Carly being in Dylan’s hands again caused a resurgence of rage that Brett found difficult to hide. “So there’s nothing I can say to make you change your mind?”

  “No.”

  “Maybe this will.” Brett was crossing the line, but he could think of only one thing that would make his friend back off. “She wants a baby.”

  “What?” Dylan’s disbelief was obvious. “How the hell do you know that? She told you?”

  “Sophie told me. I confronted Carly about it, and she didn’t deny it.” Brett may go straight to hell, but if it was the only way he could keep Dylan away from Carly, he’d risk it. “In fact, she told me she had an appointment at a sperm bank today. With or without a partner, she intends to have a baby.”

  Dylan swiped a
hand over his jaw. “That’s crazy. Why would she rush into something like that? Why not do it the old-fashioned way: wait until she meets the right guy, get married, and then have a baby?”

  “I asked her the same question. Apparently she’s either tired of waiting, or she’s given up hope. Either way, she’s determined to make this happen. I just thought you should know before getting mixed up with her.”

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  Brett slapped his friend’s shoulder before leaving the room. “No problem, buddy.”

  Chapter Three

  Carly had never thought of herself as a violent person, but as she listened to Dylan recite all the reasons she should reconsider her plan to have a baby via artificial insemination, she seriously considered killing Brett. How dare he tell Dylan about her plans! She liked Dylan, and she was still attracted to him, but she was beginning to see why he and Brett were such good friends. They were more alike than she’d realized. Apparently both men thought it was their place to tell her how to live her life.

  “I simply had a preliminary appointment at the clinic today.” She reached for her water glass as she gave him a tight smile. “I haven’t committed to anything yet.” She wasn’t naïve enough to think she could walk into a clinic, place an order for sperm, and walk out pregnant. She wasn’t ordering a drive-thru hamburger for crying out loud.

  “I just want you to think about it before you do anything rash,” Dylan said, reaching for her hand. “I think you’re a great girl. Obviously, it’s none of my business—”

  “Obviously,” she said, withdrawing her hand.

  “You’re upset that I brought it up, aren’t you?”

  “Just a little bit,” she said, holding her thumb and forefinger a fraction of an inch apart. “This is my life, my decision.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry I brought it up. I just thought if we’re going to be seeing each other—”

  “This is our first date in ten years,” she said, shaking her head. “No offense, but the jury’s still out on whether there will be a second.”

  “Because I brought this up?” He smiled when she didn’t respond. “You have every right to be pissed, but I had to say something about it because I’d like to see you again. Even if that’s not what you want, I hope it won’t make things awkward between us at work.”

  Carly prided herself on being a consummate professional. Considering what they were paying her to complete this design project, she could keep her personal feelings out of the equation. “Not at all.”

  She reached into her purse when her cell phone buzzed. She’d slipped into the restroom to text Brett minutes after Dylan dropped his little bombshell. She’d asked Brett where he was, and he just texted her back to let her know he was staying at his sister’s for one more night.

  “I’m sorry, Dylan,” she said, holding up her phone. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut this short. There’s something I have to take care of, and it really can’t wait.”

  “Rain check?” he asked, looking hopeful.

  In spite of his penchant for inappropriate dinner conversation, she knew he was a good guy who only had her best interests at heart. “I’m not sure. Can I think about it? Obviously I have a lot going on right now, and I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep.”

  “Understood. Just let me take care of the check, and I’ll drive you home.”

  “Don’t bother,” she said, waving him off. “Stay. Enjoy coffee and dessert. I can catch a cab. I’m not going home anyhow.”

  “I don’t think—”

  “Don’t worry about me.” She bent to kiss his cheek. “Thanks again for dinner.”

  ***

  Brett was trying to ease his guilty conscience with a beer while he waited for Carly. He had the feeling she was coming to tear him a new one, not that he could blame her. He deserved it for spilling her secret to Dylan. He’d assumed Dylan would just cancel the date, but when their partner Jaxon mentioned Dylan had left early because of his date with Carly, Brett knew his plan had backfired. Now he had to face the consequences.

  With a heavy sigh, he yelled, “It’s open,” when she knocked on the door.

  She came in looking amazing in a fitted white dress and strappy sandals, but her light blue eyes were spitting fire.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey?” she said, her voice dangerously low as she slammed the door. “That’s all you have to say to me?”

  Brett would have to do some serious groveling, and he suspected even that wouldn’t be enough to sway her, but at least she was there, talking to him. That had to count for something. Maybe she wasn’t ready to write him off just yet… or maybe she wanted to strangle him. It could go either way.

  “You want a beer?” he asked, raising his longneck.

  Her eyes scanned the room as though she was looking for something to throw at him. “I want an explanation.”

  “Can I start with an apology?” He knew there was no way he could talk his way out of this one. “I’m sorry. There’s no excuse for what I did. I betrayed your trust, but I was desperate. I couldn’t stand the thought of you going out with Dylan after what happened between us last night. What the hell were you thinking anyway, agreeing to go out with him?” He wouldn’t score any points by trying to turn it around on her, but he had to know whether she shared Dylan’s interest in taking their friendship to the next level.

  “What was I thinking?” she asked, gripping the back of the chair in front of her. “I was thinking I’d just been betrayed by two of the people I trusted most and I could use a friend. Dylan offered to take me out to celebrate my decision to work with High Rollers.” She met his eyes, looking even more broken than she had earlier that day. “The alternative was returning to an empty house and trying to extricate all traces of you and Sophie from my home.”

  “I know you hate me right now, but don’t cut Sophie off. She doesn’t deserve that.” The two women had been as close as sisters since middle school, and Brett would never forgive himself if his stupidity caused an irreparable rift between them. “She talked to me about your decision because she was worried about you. You know how much she loves you. She needed to talk to someone about what you were considering, someone who knows you almost as well as she does.”

  “I would have preferred she’d talked to your parents,” Carly said, glaring at him. “At least I can trust them with my secrets. They would never have betrayed me the way you did.”

  “If you’re so committed to this decision, why are you ashamed to tell people about it?” He was already skating on thin ice, and pushing her could only make things worse, but he had to be sure she’d really thought it through. “If you get pregnant, everyone’ll know about it soon enough. They’ll have questions. What do you intend to tell them?”

  “The truth.” She hesitated as though she was considering her words carefully. “That I’ve worked hard to build a successful business and become an independent person who can take care of herself. I think I’d be a good mom, and I’m ready to share my life with another person.”

  “But a baby?” Brett sounded incredulous, but he couldn’t mask his doubt about her decision. “Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into?”

  “Do you think I’m an idiot?” she asked, folding her arms.

  “Of course not.”

  “Aside from what happened last night, would you describe me as an impulsive person?”

  “No.” He knew what she was getting at. She was pragmatic by nature and clearly felt the need to remind him of that.

  “Don’t you think I’ve thought this through and considered all the possible pitfalls of being a single parent?” Before he could respond, she said, “I have. Trust me.”

  “Yeah, but I think you’re selling yourself short. You could have it all: the husband—”

  “I don’t want that. I just want a baby.”

  He was stunned. Carly was a walking billboard for domesticity. She loved to cook, bake, garden, entertain—all
the things that turned bricks and mortar into a warm and welcoming home. How could she not want to share that with someone? “I know you’ve been burned in the past. Most recently by me—”

  “See, that’s where you wrong. What happened between us last night was just sex. I never allowed myself to believe, even for a second, that it was more than that.”

  “Of course it was more than that. How can you say that?” He was hurt and angry that she seemed so determined to downplay what had happened between them. He’d had casual sex enough times to know that had been anything but. They’d made a real connection, and when she was ready to let go of her anger, he wanted to pursue that connection. They couldn’t do that if she was dating one of his best friends.

  “I know you. I know the kind of man you are. Sex is sex. It’s a physical act that doesn’t involve love or intimacy. Last night proved that.”

  “That’s harsh.” He wanted to deny her claim, but he couldn’t. She was right. But last night had meant more than that, at least to him. It was the first time he’d looked into his lover’s eyes and seen the potential for a future.

  Her voice softened marginally when she moved from behind the chair to sit in it. “I honestly don’t mean to be. I’m just trying to explain to you what I was thinking and feeling when I walked into that bedroom last night. I saw an opportunity to live out one of my fantasies. And I did. Despite how it turned out and what I said earlier, I’m not sorry it happened.”

  Brett couldn’t deny he was shocked that she claimed she didn’t have regrets. “You’re not?”

  “No. It helped me to close an important chapter in my life. It answered some questions in my mind about whether we’re compatible. We’re not. End of story.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” he asked, setting his beer bottle on the end table with a heavy thud. “Are you saying it wasn’t good for you?”

  She lifted a shoulder, appearing non-committal. “It was sex. I enjoy the act as much as any woman, but I’m not looking to fill a void.”