“Maybe, but he’s in the pros now, V. Did you think he’d be welcomed into Dugan’s position without the vultures questioning whether or not he had the chops?”
She lifted her head to meet Jake’s reasoning look with a scowl. “Of course not, but questioning his résumé is one thing. Jaffrey made it sound like his girlfriend got him the job, which is the exact opposite of what happened.”
“Sam’s a big boy, V, and he can be one tough son of a bitch when he wants to.”
“I’ve got to go.” V stood, but Gracie grabbed her arm before she could race out of the house.
“Give us a moment, will you, Malone?”
Jake glanced between them, but then nodded. “Come on, punks. Daddy wants ice cream.” The twins squealed their approval. Scooping them up, he tucked one under each arm and strode from the room.
“Thanks for not narcing me out to Jake.” Gracie frowned. “He gets pissy when I interfere in his friends’ lives.”
V cast an anxious glance at her watch, then sighed. “I wouldn’t have gone if I didn’t want to. You just gave me the shove.”
“And you ended up with three orgasms.”
V snorted a laugh as Gracie stood and pulled her into a hug. “It’s going to be okay, V. You’ll see. But in the meantime, I think you should find out who Jaffrey’s source is. He may be gunning for Caroline, but considering the information he used to cut her, someone else has it out for either you or Sam.”
* * * *
V tapped her foot impatiently, mentally rushing the elevator car upward toward the administrative floor. Having clinched their division several weeks ago, the Marauders’ complex was mostly empty. The staff and team were no doubt gathered around their TVs, waiting for the wild card games to begin in fifteen minutes.
Only a handful of cars had been in the private lot, Caroline’s Jag among them. The movers weren’t due for another day, and V had no idea what Sam was driving in the interim, so she wasn’t sure if she’d beaten him here, or if he’d already arrived.
The elevator car slowed to a stop and the doors whooshed open. Stepping out, V spotted Lucy on the couch in the lounge, and detoured that way.
Lucy looked up from her book and smiled. “Hi.”
“Hi yourself. How’s the new house?”
She shrugged. “It’s good. Sam’s looking for a nanny.” Her nose wrinkled in distaste. “He says it’s a housekeeping position, but he’s not fooling anyone.”
V smiled. “New York is a fun city, but it has its dark side. He’ll be on the road a lot and he’d worry if he left you all alone at the house. I don’t blame him. I would, too.”
Lucy closed her book and her eyes lit up with a hopeful smile. “Maybe you could come stay with me once in a while. I’m sure Sam wouldn’t mind.”
If I’m still alive after he catches up with me.
“Oh. I’d like that.” V’s smile felt like a clown mask. “Really.”
A door opened behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder. Her nerves snapped tight as Sam stepped out of Caroline’s office. V studied his face, looking for a clue to his mood. He didn’t look like he wanted to commit murder, but the tick of his jaw was a dead giveaway.
He stalked toward them, moving straight toward V. She briefly considered running around the couch, but that would be the coward’s way out. Instead, she lifted her chin and met his gaze—then blushed as a particularly irresistible image from last night came out of nowhere.
With everything that mattered to her on the line, daydreaming about Sam’s wide shoulders wedged between her spread thighs was highly inappropriate and problematic. It was just as well she’d be looking for another job. She lost all sense when he was around, and the staff and team were bound to notice the first time she forgot what she was saying when Sam walked by. She shook her head to clear it as he stopped before her.
Her throat constricted on a painful swallow. “Sam, I’m so sorry.”
His gaze roamed her face, pausing on her mouth before lifting to her eyes. “For what? Unless you were Jaffrey’s source.”
Horrified he’d even consider such a notion, she slapped a hand to her chest. “No, of course not.”
“Then you’ve got nothing to apologize for. If you’re not busy later, Lucy and I have a first-dinner-in-the-new-house celebration planned. Isn’t that right, kid?” His eyes never left V’s face, and she had to drag her gaze to Lucy’s.
The arch of the girl’s brows said this was the first she’d heard of it, but she was a quick study. She bobbed her head in an exaggerated nod. “That’s right. We’re having pizza.” Sam cleared his throat. Lucy’s smile was smug, but then her eyes turned pleading. “Please say you’ll come.”
V turned to Sam. He leaned over and pressed a hard kiss to her mouth. He straightened, and she blinked, confused by the conflicting signals. The tight line of his jaw clearly broadcast anger, so why was he inviting her to join them for their celebration?
“We’ll see you at six.” He stepped around her. “You ready, Luce?”
V stared at his retreating back as Lucy hurried after him to the elevator. When they’d disappeared inside, V turned and walked to Caroline’s office. The door was open, so she didn’t bother knocking.
Caroline held her phone to her ear and waved V into the seat in front of her desk. The moment she disconnected the call, V leaned forward. “This was my fault, Caroline, not Sam’s. I’ll have my resignation on your desk before the press conference tomorrow.”
“Like hell you will. We both know Jaffrey’s claims are total bullshit.” Caroline sat back and tapped her pen against the blotter. “This is about me, V. Not Sam or you.”
Relieved, V’s shoulders slumped with her sigh. “I don’t understand. What has Jaffrey got against you?”
Caroline twirled the pen in her fingers. “My first cyber platform contained the early framework for the security used by many of today’s social media sites. Jaffrey had developed similar code, but his had some issues. They’ve long since been gobbled up but, at the time, CySec was at the cutting edge of the technology, and they were courting us both.”
Her lips quirked in a sharp smile. “Long story short, they bought me out, making me a very rich woman, and he’s had a bug up his butt ever since. Jaffrey didn’t know a thing about football, but that didn’t stop him from launching EOS the month I bought the Marauders. Ironically, he’s had far more success with his sports editorializing than he ever did in high tech.”
She rolled her eyes and set aside the pen. “Anyway, the only thing your resignation would accomplish is speculation from others, and I’d sell the team before I’d give the little prick that kind of satisfaction.”
“Then what are we going to do?” V curled her fingers into frustrated fists. “We’ve got to comment, or that speculation will grow on its own.”
“I agree, and it’s taken care of.”
V shook her head. “How?” A flash of Sam’s clenched jaw as he approached her down the hall made her stomach muscles cramp.
“Bob sent me a copy of his statement for tomorrow’s press conference, in which he makes it very clear Sam was his choice, not mine. This may sound crass, but considering the seriousness of everything else he’ll be saying tomorrow, there won’t be a soul alive who will believe Jaffrey’s claims after hearing Bob sing Sam’s praises.”
As painfully cynical as that was, it was true. The football world respected Bob Dugan and, upon learning his diagnosis, not a single broadcaster, player, owner, or water boy, for that matter, would question a thing he had to say.
“As for you and Sam, I’ll tell you what I told him.” Caroline studied V with shrewd eyes. “Your personal relationship is no one else’s business. We won’t be denying your connection. First, because I don’t want the two of you to feel like you have to sneak around. Others in the organization have carried on relationships without incident, and I won’t deny you and Sam the same courtesy. And two. Romance sells.”
“Excuse
me?” V blinked.
“Regardless of what people think of Jaffrey’s take on Sam’s relationship with you, the story is out there. There is no shoving it back into the bag. People will talk, especially since Sam is single and a good-looking man. If we experience a little extra buzz because the ladies who love football are intrigued by the idea of a gridiron romance, so be it.”
V closed her eyes. “Oh, Caroline, no wonder Sam didn’t look very happy on his way out.”
“He wasn’t happy, but Jaffrey was the reason. Sam wanted to know where to find him.”
V’s eyes popped open, and she jerked forward in her chair. “You didn’t tell him.”
Caroline grinned. “I was tempted. That man can be very intimidating, but I explained the Marauders’ philosophy is to do their talking on the field. The best revenge against this kind of thing is a win, followed by another win, and eventually, a ring. Sam grudgingly agreed. I simply wanted to make sure we were on the same page for tomorrow’s presser. Sam will be reading his statement and fielding a few questions, but I told him I’d take any questions on the subject of Jaffrey’s claims.”
V blew out a breath. “I’m so sorry, Caroline. The Marriott was my idea. I never even considered anyone would take notice of us. It’s not like either of us are recognizable to anyone outside of football.”
“No, you aren’t. Which I mentioned to Sam. Whomever Jaffrey used as his source obviously knows the two of you.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” TJ had come to mind first, but Sam’s cousin would never belittle his coaching ability by suggesting he’d gotten the job because of V. No, whomever had whispered in Jaffrey’s ear obviously had it in for Sam, if not her as well.
Caroline smiled sharply. “It doesn’t really matter. By tomorrow afternoon, Jaffrey will look like he has every time he’s attempted to cross swords with me. A little man with a big grudge.”
Chapter 19
“What’s all this?” V sat beside Lucy on the couch and picked up one of the brochures spread across the coffee table.
“I’m trying to decide which one is the best fit.”
V read the name of the prominent New York City academy on the pamphlet, and her surprised gaze flew to Sam. Shoulder propped against the archway, he nodded. She jerked her head back around. “You changed your mind about attending an arts academy?”
“Yep.” Lucy nodded at the brochure in V’s hand and scrunched her nose. “Not that one, though. It has a great reputation, but they expect the students who go there to live on campus in dorms. I’d rather live here.” She shifted her gaze to Sam, and the look of awe on her face made V’s heart contract. “At home. With Sam.”
The breath stalled in V’s throat and she turned. Sam had said Lucy refused to talk to him about the DNA test. He’d obviously gotten through to her somehow. The bemused joy in his eyes was enough to make V weep.
“He said he doesn’t give a shit what the DNA test results say.”
A startled laugh bubbled up in V’s throat.
“Luce.” The warning in Sam’s tone held little heat.
Lucy grinned at him. “It’s a new beginning, V.” She turned her head and waited until V was looking her in the eye. “We’re going to be a family.”
Something, either the inflection in the girl’s words or the intensity in her dark eyes, sent a shiver down V’s spine. Maybe it was a case of wishful thinking, but it sounded to V as if Lucy’s “we” had been meant in the collective sense, with all three of them included.
“Lucy, I—” Unsure of how to respond, V was rescued by the arrival of the pizza delivery man.
They ate their celebratory dinner on the long coffee table in Sam and Lucy’s living room. V and Sam sat side-by-side on the couch and, claiming she needed pictures for the post she had planned, Lucy squeezed between them to snap a group selfie on her cell. Parked on the floor across from them, she devoured half a pie as she chattered about the merits of the two remaining schools on her list, and wondered at the level of talent in her future classmates.
The despondent teenager from that last afternoon in Barlow never made an appearance, and V marveled at how much younger she appeared. Contentment radiated from her large eyes, clear of the dark makeup she usually wore. And she giggled. Actually giggled and juggled the slice of pizza she’d pulled from the box just out of his reach when Sam attempted to pilfer a disk of pepperoni from the top.
It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted from Lucy’s shoulders, but V worried at the role Sam’s daughter saw V playing in her newfound joy. From several of her comments—like when she asked what V normally ate for breakfast, then instructed Sam to add bagels, tea, and honey to their grocery list—Lucy expected something permanent to come of V and Sam’s dating arrangement.
That had been V’s hope as well, and the point of last night’s ill-fated adventure. However, after the way he’d left things when he’d walked out the hotel-room door, she wasn’t as confident as she’d been when he’d said yes to their starting over. He might have left the decision up to her but, clearly, he wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than the entire truth.
With the pizza mess cleared up and the lights dimmed, Lucy pulled a disk from the selection of movies that had either been left by the previous owners, or provided by the Marauders until Sam’s things arrive. Five minutes into the R-rated romance, she raised her arms above her head in an exaggerated yawn. “I’m going to bed.” She climbed to her feet and headed for the hallway. “I’m so tired, I’ll probably be asleep in three minutes, and I won’t wake up until morning.” She tossed a pointed smile over her shoulder. “Goodnight.”
She disappeared through the archway before either of them could comment.
“Subtle, isn’t she?” Sam shook his head but his smile was amused.
“As a matchmaker.” V regretted her choice of words the moment they left her lips and searched for a neutral topic. “Uh…it looks like you got through to her about the DNA test. I’m so glad, Sam.” With his arm stretched along the back of the couch, he needed only to move his hand to finger a curl at her cheek. Her heartbeat accelerated and she sucked in a breath. “I think the Romanov Academy is the right choice. From what I understand, their dance program is exceptional.”
A dimple appeared in his crooked smile and he traced his fingertips along the line of her jaw. “I’m not sure a discussion on the merits of her choice of schools was what Lucy had in mind when she set this romantic stage.”
Probably not, but it seemed a much safer subject than the way V’s skin tingled beneath his fingers. She tilted her head slightly, breaking the connection. Undeterred, he moved his hand to her throat.
She swallowed. “Manhattan Academy has an excellent reputation as well, but it’s at the other end of the island. In addition to the train, she’d have a twenty-minute subway ride. The Romanov facility is a two-block walk from Penn Station.”
“Have you been thinking about last night?” Ignoring her neutral topic, he eased his hand around her neck to bury his fingers in her hair at the nape. “I didn’t sleep a wink.”
Her skin pebbled with goosebumps. “It’s your own fault if you couldn’t sleep. You chose to leave before I could…before you’d….” She bit back a groan as he massaged her scalp with gentle strokes. “I slept like a baby.”
“Bragger.” He chuckled, and wrapped his other hand around her arm, then shifted her until her back was pressed against his chest. He lowered himself against the pillow at the end of the couch and dragged her down with him so they were almost prone. “Still, the missed shut-eye was worth it. I lay awake in my bed, hearing that adorable little squeak you made as I fingered you to pleasure.”
Damp heat fired between her thighs. “Sam, this isn’t a good idea.”
He slid his hand from her arm, over her ribs and breasts to swirl a fingertip in lazy circles at the base of her neck. “And remembering the way you shivered when I sucked you.” He ran the tip of his fi
nger up the tendon to her weak spot and pressed. “Right here.”
Preventing another shiver was impossible, but she brought up her hand to encircle his wrist. “I mean it. Your daughter is right upstairs.”
“It’s already been three minutes. She’s asleep.”
Or standing at the top of the landing, listening to see if her romantic stage worked.
V’s grip on his wrist made no difference, but then, she didn’t try very hard to stop him from touching her. As much as she thought this was a bad idea, his hand roaming over her chest was too tempting to resist. Flattening his palm to her throat, he moved it lower, exploring one breast with its straining nipple, then lower still, over her belly to rest against her mound.
“And I wouldn’t be a man if the sweet taste of you on my tongue and the memory of your musky scent didn’t keep me awake and wanting.”
He was doing it again. Seducing her with his dark silk voice and clever touch. “Again, your fault.” His soft chuckle sounded in her ear, and he cupped her through her jeans. She squirmed beneath his hand, meaning to move away, but rubbing against him instead. “I really should go.”
His rumbling hum vibrated through his chest to her back. “But you don’t want to. You’re so hot, I can feel it through your jeans.”
“Sam.” She sighed his name. If she was burning, so was he. She rolled her head to the side until she could look at him. His long-lashed eyes gleamed with a hunger that matched her own. Lifting her mouth, she swept her tongue across his lower lip, and his body shuddered beneath hers.
“Red.” His arms contracted, and he shifted her around so she lay against him. The solid wall of his chest squashed her breasts. His erection jammed against her hip, and he took her mouth in a kiss so scorching, she was afraid she’d combust.
She forgot to breathe as he slipped his hand beneath the hem of her sweater, his spread fingers nearly spanning her waist just above her jeans. Warm and slightly rough, his palm rode her spine to the base of her neck, and he held her there as he explored her mouth with his tongue. Too soon, he abandoned her lips to nibble his way across her cheek.
To Win Her Back Page 17