To Win Her Heart (Players)

by Mackenzie Crowne

  Jessi picked up her fork and shrugged off her embarrassment. The fact was she sucked at hiding her feelings. Another reason she needed to strike out on her own. It was time she took some chances, experienced the things other women did. How was she supposed to pull that off with well-meaning family members and friends reading her every thought and stepping in to stop her before she ever got started?

  “Your cousin is a hopeless romantic these days. She sees daisies and sunshine everywhere now that she’s pregnant.”

  Kris smirked. “Yeah, it’s disgusting, but in this case she’s right. She knows Max pretty well and says growing up the way he did, your family’s acceptance is as important to him as Tuck’s friendship. He’d steer clear of anything that would jeopardize either.”

  A tiny spark of hope flamed to life as she considered CC’s claim. That wasn’t exactly how Max had put it, but her family’s reaction and his friendship with Tuck were at least partly to blame for his refusal to listen. Could it be that simple?

  The spark fizzled almost as quickly as it flared. Simple, hell. Nothing was simple when it came to her family, and Tuck was, and always would be, her cousin. That wasn’t going to change. Time to face facts. Max was unavailable to her. She’d simply have to put her feelings for the jerk behind her and move on.

  “You could try talking to him.”

  Yanked from her musings, Jessi’s laugh held no humor. “Didn’t you hear me? He said no.” Humiliation heated her cheeks. “Actually, it was more like hell no.”

  Kris slashed her fork through the air. “Not Max. Tuck. Tell him how you feel. CC’s not the only one who’s fallen victim to the idea of love and romance.”

  “Yeah, right.” Once he stopped laughing, Tuck would banish Max from any future family gatherings. “He thinks I’m still fourteen. I’ll just have to find some other tough guy to help me out.”

  “Geez, Jess. Maybe you should forget about the boyfriend plan.”

  “And do what? I tried moving out on my own and ended up sharing my condo with Aurora and Dan, the super spy. The only way I’m truly going to be free of prying eyes is to convince my father I’m safe, without his help.”

  “I told you, you’re welcome to move in with me.”

  “I appreciate that, but I know you. You wouldn’t do well under my father’s version of house arrest.”

  Kris shrugged and grinned. “Depends upon what that bodyguard looks like.”

  “Knowing my father, he’s twice our age and bald.”

  Kris batted her lashes. “If he looks anything like Bruce Willis, I’m in.”

  Chapter 3

  Max groaned under his breath and shifted his gaze between Ryan’s sober face and Tuck’s wicked smile. A full twenty-four hours had passed since Jessi had stormed out, pissed as hell at his refusal to go along with her ridiculous plan. He’d slept with one eye open last night, in case one or more of her male watchdogs broke down his door to demand an explanation for her visit.

  With the way the Tucker men hovered over the little country star, he couldn’t blame her for wanting to free herself from the constant surveillance. Hell, as bold as Jessi was, he was surprised she’d let their aggressive babysitting tactics continue as long as she had, but shit. There had to be an easier way to go about gaining her independence.

  For her, and definitely for him.

  Ryan cleared his throat. “We’re here about Jessi.”

  “Shit, Uncle Ry, Max knows that.” Tuck bared his teeth in a feral smile. “What he’s wondering is which one of us is going to throw the first punch.”

  “Wrong, asshole.” Max swung the condo door wider and turned to let them follow him inside. “I was wondering what took you so long to get here. Can I get either of you a drink?”

  “I’ll pass.” Tuck headed for the couch and slumped into a sprawl. “I’ve got to meet CC for an ultrasound in an hour.”

  Max paused at the bar and lifted a brow at Ryan.

  Jessi’s father rounded the couch, sat in the chair across from Tuck, and dropped the manila folder he carried on the coffee table. “I’ll take whatever you’re having.”

  Max poured scotch into two glasses. He crossed the room and handed one to Ryan. Settling on the other end of the couch from Tuck, he grinned. “How’s the mother-to-be doing?”

  Tuck shoved a hand through his shaggy, blond hair. “She’s bitching about getting fat, especially since she and Gracie compared bellies the other day. CC can’t understand how they’re the same size when Gracie’s carrying twins.”

  Max smiled. Gracie’s and CC’s dual pregnancies had provided plenty of laughs over the past few months or, more precisely, the reactions of their husbands had. The old adage about the bigger they are definitely applied. With more than twenty years of pro football experience between them, both Tuck and Gracie’s husband, Jake, had faced down some of the toughest sons of bitches on the planet, but they were pushovers when it came to their wives and complete toast where their future children were concerned.

  Ryan cleared his throat, and Max held up his hand. “Before you say anything, I think Jessi may have reached her limit with all the security you have around her. If you don’t let up on her a little, she’s going to do something stupid.”

  Tuck’s lips flattened in a frown. “Define stupid.”

  Max inwardly winced. They’d been good friends for five years, but Tuck loved his cousin. In any conflict involving Max and Jessi, Max would be the resounding loser. He respected his friend for that, but he’d been tossed into this situation blind, and the embarrassed hurt in Jessi’s eyes as she stormed out of his condo didn’t ease his guilt for turning her away when she’d asked for his help.

  He shrugged. “You know your cousin better than me.”

  “Yeah, and she’s been making calf eyes at you for years.”

  Tell me something I don’t know.

  Beautiful, talented, and barely twenty, she’d been little more than a kid the night he’d first been scorched by the timeless, feminine awareness in Jessi Tucker’s big blue eyes. The nine years separating them, not to mention her relation to Tuck, placed her squarely in the “off limits” category as far as Max was concerned.

  In the five years since, he’d done his best to avoid Tuck’s sexy little cousin, but the blatant invitation sizzling in her eyes whenever they happened to see each other never failed to leave Max sweating. Waking up hard, hot, and singed from all too frequent raunchy dreams starring the petite beauty with a piquant smile and auburn curls didn’t help.

  When he didn’t respond, Tuck’s frown slid into a challenging smirk.

  “Cut it out, Tuck.” Ryan rested his elbows on his spread knees with his glass gripped in both hands.

  Tuck smirked and sat back.

  Worry darkened Jessi’s father’s eyes as he studied Max. “Her driver told me she came to see you yesterday. What did she want?”

  Max’s gaze slid to Tuck, then back to the older man. Unless he flat out lied, this conversation was about to take a turn down the shit hole. He sloshed the drink in his glass, sipped, and braced for the explosion.

  “She wanted my help.”

  “With what?”

  “Getting you and the family off her back.”

  Her father shook his head.

  Tuck grinned. “How does she expect to manage that?”

  “By pretending we’re seeing each other.”

  Tuck slowly straightened from the couch’s back.

  Ryan held up a hand, stopping whatever response Tuck would have made. “From what Dan said about how angry she was when she got back to the car, I assume you turned her down.”

  Max nodded and swallowed another shot.

  Tuck grunted, but the older man stabbed Max with an intent stare. “Any chance I can convince you to change your mind?”

  The shock on Tuck’s face as he whipped his head around to stare at his uncle would have been comical if Max weren’t suffering the same astonishment. />
  He lowered the glass from his lips. “You want to run that by me again?”

  Instead of answering, Ryan picked up the file from the table and leaned forward to pass Max the manila folder.

  “My daughter gave up a lot for her career, missing out on most of what other girls her age enjoy, including a measure of privacy. I’ve done what was needed to keep her safe through the years, but she’s a grown woman now. She wants control of her life. Under normal circumstances, I’d agree.” He sat back and bumped his chin toward the folder. “Unfortunately, now’s not the time to back off and let her go off on her own.”

  Trepidation rippled down Max’s spine as his gaze dropped to the file. Although he was sure he wasn’t going to like whatever it contained, he opened the flap. Tuck slid across the couch until he was close enough to see the contents over Max’s shoulder.

  Three letters, hand written in identical, neat block letters, rested on top of a computerized report. A greasy ball of unease grew in Max’s gut as he read the first. He passed the sheet to Tuck and read the next two. They contained no direct threats, but the overall message of the short missives was menacing enough to lift the hair on the back of his neck. Whoever had sent them had a definite hard-on for Jessi, and not in a good way.

  “What the hell?” Tuck looked up and speared his uncle with an angry glare. He held out the damning letter. “Why am I just hearing about this? Does the rest of the family know?”

  “It wasn’t until the last letter arrived three days ago, that we knew we had a problem. As her manager, Tim knows, of course. I filled your parents and sister in last night, and asked you to come along this morning so I could tell you both what’s happening.”

  “Has Jessi seen these?” Max met Ryan’s steady gaze.

  “Seen them and dismissed them.”

  “Is she out of her mind?” Tuck tossed the letter to the table and burst to his feet. He prowled around the room, then stopped at the bar. The jerking movements of his hands as he poured himself the drink he’d refused only minutes earlier broadcast his irritation.

  Ryan shook his head. “She’s a public figure, Tuck. You, of all people, know there are a lot of kooks out there who feel entitled to voice their opinion. At least a dozen letters from whack jobs come in every month. She doesn’t see these as anything out of the ordinary.”

  Tuck snorted and threw back the dark malt in a single swallow.

  “But you do.” Max drew the older man’s gaze.

  Ryan nodded solemnly.

  Max scanned the pages in his hand. None of them were signed, but the last ended with a seemingly random question. “Remember Suzie?”

  “Holy shit.” Tuck stepped to the couch and held out his hand. “Let me see.”

  Ryan sighed as his nephew reread the page. “You’ve got a good eye, Max. The Suzie reference is the reason I’m concerned.”

  Disquiet churned in Max’s gut. “What’s the significance?”

  Tuck dropped to the cushions at his side. “My grandmother had this antique doll. One of those fancy, dress-up jobs with a porcelain head. When Gram died, she left the doll to Jessi because she’d always loved the thing. She called it Suzie. The doll went everywhere with her when she was little, and when she got older and started touring, she brought it along. About six weeks ago, she returned to her dressing room after a show. The doll had apparently fallen from the shelf where she’d left it. The head was shattered.”

  Chills pebbled Max’s skin. Jessi had claimed her father was paranoid yesterday, but he was right to be concerned. These weren’t the musings of a weirdo fan. “Did the letters start before or after the doll was broken?”

  Ryan sat back. “The first letter arrived a week later, with two weeks between each of the next two.”

  “Have you taken these to the authorities?”

  “I have a friend in the FBI.” Ryan nodded at the file. “The profile he put together is there. The story about the doll was written up in Country Times, but the reporter didn’t give the doll’s name. Which means whoever is responsible for those letters is close enough to have that information.”

  “You think it’s someone she knows?”

  “That or someone she knows shared the doll’s name with a friend. Either way, Jessi’s not safe.”

  Dread constricted Max’s chest like a vice. He nodded. “She needs a professional security detail.”

  “I agree and so does my FBI friend. Unfortunately, Jessi doesn’t.”

  “Since when do you listen to her when it comes to her security?” Tuck scoffed. “Just line up a team and be done with it.”

  That sounded like a good idea to Max. Jessi may bristle at the lack of privacy, but the alternative was unacceptable.

  “I hired a team yesterday.” Ryan met Max’s watchful gaze. “You weren’t far off when you said she’d reached her limit. She threw a fit when she found out and told me if I hadn’t fired them by the time she got back, she’d have no choice but to leave town because she couldn’t live her life with one more stranger watching her every move.” He arched a brow. “Then she came here. To you.”

  Max’s eyelids slid shut, and he scrubbed a hand over his chin. The short stubble rasped at his palm. “I’m not a bodyguard.”

  “No, but you know how to handle yourself in a dangerous situation.”

  He sucked in a heavy breath and fought against the noose tightening around his neck. “I have a business to run.”

  “Arrangements can be made to have someone on hand to manage the fight center, and didn’t you mention taking some time to yourself, since your next match isn’t for six months?” Ryan didn’t give him a chance to respond. “I need your help, Max, but your services as a bodyguard aren’t exactly what I’m after.”

  Max opened his eyes and glared at the man he considered a friend. “What, exactly, are you after?”

  “I’d like to know that myself,” Tuck interjected.

  “Your help.” Worry bracketed Ryan’s mouth and he sat forward to prop his elbows on his spread knees. “The FBI is investigating. With a little luck, they’ll figure this out quickly and we’ll all breathe a little easier. In the meantime, the team I hired is still on the payroll, but they’ll remain in the background. As far as Jessi knows, I’ve given in to her wishes, but until this asshole is found, I don’t want her alone for a minute.”

  Tuck’s typical, easygoing smile was noticeably absent. “The playoffs start this week, but I’ll help where I can.”

  “I know you will. I’m counting on it. Your father and brother will be around as much as they can, and your sister has offered to help as well, but Jessi has several out of town commitments over the next few weeks.” Ryan turned back to Max. “The family and tour security will cover days and evenings, but that still leaves nights.”

  “And, as Max’s make-believe girlfriend, she won’t spend those alone.” Tuck propped an ankle over his opposite knee. “I’ve got to hand it to you, Uncle Ry, that’s genius.”

  Max shot Tuck a disbelieving stare.

  He shrugged, but his cutting smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Face it, Max, if she finds a couple of security guards outside her door, she’s likely to bolt. If that happens, she’s completely on her own with a nutcase on her tail.”

  “I know it’s a lot to ask, son.” Ryan’s quiet voice drew Max’s gaze. “But she came to you. She trusts you.”

  “And you want me to break that trust. If we do this and she finds out, she’s going to be pissed.” And no doubt hurt. Neither outcome sat well with him.

  “Better pissed than dead.”

  Max cut his gaze toward Tuck. Although it frustrated him to be pushed into the situation, even if it was for a good cause, he couldn’t disagree with his friend’s analysis.

  Ryan sighed. “I don’t like the idea of deceiving her either, but Tuck’s right, and keeping her safe is my only concern for the moment. I’ll deal with the fallout later, if there is any. If you can come up with some o
ther way to keep her safe, with her cooperation, I’m all ears, but she trusts you. All I’m suggesting is we take advantage of the plan she came up with.”

  Jessi’s father’s logic was sound, but pretending to be intimate with a woman who too often invaded his dreams, one he didn’t dare allow himself to touch, was a temptation Max would rather avoid. He threw out one last defense. “I already turned her down. She wasn’t exactly happy with me when she left here yesterday.”

  Ryan sighed. “Then persuade her you’ve changed your mind.”

  Max dropped his chin to his chest.

  “She put this idea in motion, Max, and your cooperation won’t go unrewarded. I happen to know you’ve been frustrated in your attempt to purchase a certain property on the Jersey shore.”

  Max jerked his head up, and he met the older man’s intent stare. The instant racing of his heart thudded against his ribcage. How the fuck did Ryan Tucker know of his interest in Haven Place?

  The older man didn’t back down from Max’s suspicious glare. “I’d have to be blind not to notice the way my daughter watches you. Of course I looked into your background.”

  Anger and trepidation battled for the upper hand. “Son of a bitch.”

  “That’s cold, Uncle Ry.” Tuck shook his head. “Max is a friend.”

  Ryan sat back. “Tell me that in a few months when your child is born.” He turned back to Max. “I won’t apologize for doing what I deem necessary to keep Jessi safe. Make no mistake, if I was concerned about anything I found, I wouldn’t be sitting here and you wouldn’t have been allowed anywhere near Jessi, or the family, all these years. In the meantime, I have connections you don’t. I might be able to help with the Jersey…situation.”

  Understanding glittered in the older man’s eyes, and Max swore beneath his breath. The files from his childhood were sealed so the custody shit was hidden, and Elizabeth Krandall had paid a fortune to keep her fight over his inheritance out of the papers at the time. For someone determined, however, the information could be found with a little digging.

  Ryan obviously knew more of Max’s past than he was willing to say, at least in front of Tuck. That suited Max. His fucked up family ties and the need to exact a measure of justice weren’t subjects he normally discussed. With anyone.