To Win Her Heart (Players)

by Mackenzie Crowne

  Max slapped the envelope against Tim’s chest, his gaze trailing the two men as they headed down the hallway. “Fuck off. You don’t have to tell me I overreacted.”

  Tim took the envelope. “In my opinion, you didn’t. I assume you thought it was another letter.”

  Max whipped his head around to stare at Jessi’s cousin.

  “That’s the reason you’re here with her, isn’t it?” Sober blue eyes met his gaze. “The reason you changed your mind and said yes when she asked for your help?”

  Guilt simmered in his gut, but he didn’t back down from Tim’s steady regard. Obviously, Ryan had filled him in on the truth of Max and Jessi’s supposed relationship, but it was a risk. Of all her cousins, Jessi shared a special bond with Tim. He was her manager, but they were also friends. If anyone was going to object to the deception Max had agreed to, it would be him.

  “Sounds like you already know the answer to that.”

  Tim dipped his head in a nod. “If she finds out, there’s going to be hell to pay.”

  “Don’t I know it?” Max scrubbed a palm over the back of his neck. “You gonna tell her?”

  “I should.” He flicked a quick gaze at Jessi’s closed dressing room door before looking back.

  Max cocked his head. “But?”

  “But Jessi put this potential train wreck in motion, and as far as I’m concerned, getting pissed off is just what she needs.” He studied Max with calculating eyes. “She’s taken the first step, but until she lets go completely, she’ll never be truly happy, and Ryan will continue to call the shots.”

  What the fuck? Lets go of what? Before Max could ask, Tim knocked on the door and entered at Jessi’s call.

  Five minutes later, the door opened again and Alicia and Tim emerged, followed by Jessi. Classic and sophisticated, the sparkling, deep blue gown clung to her body from cleavage to toes, the way Max’s hands itched to. His gaze licked over her curves to her face. Not a single blemish marred the perfection of her skin, made up for the stage and lights. The dark kohl outlining her large eyes added a touch of exotic to the blue depths, but there was no disguising the nerves lurking in her strained smile as she stopped in front of him.

  Holding her gaze, he lifted her hand to brush his lips across her knuckles. “You’re beautiful.”

  Her lashes fluttered and her fingers clenched in his. Pleasure relaxed her smile. Behind her, Alicia sighed.

  Tim cleared his throat. “Ready, lovebirds? The press awaits.”

  Jessi blinked and the odd spell dissolved to reality. Max retained her hand in his as they fell into step beside Tim with Alicia following.

  “We’ll keep it quick. No more than four or five questions.”

  Over Jessi’s head, Max sent her cousin a wry smirk. “We both know that’ll never be enough for the vultures.”

  Jessi tossed her head of dark auburn curls and her lips pulled tight in an unhappy line. “No, it won’t, but it’s all they’re going to get.”

  Tim checked his watch and directed them down a second hallway. “Spence is already in there, but I’ve purposely left only enough time for the basics about the two of you before Jessi and Spence have to be onstage.” He eyed Max. “Keep your answers brief and give them a little of what they’re looking for.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Fluff.” He peeled his lips back in a leering smile. “Kiss her on the hand like that again. Most of the reporters are women. They’ll be so giddy, they won’t notice we’ve cut them short.”

  Alicia coughed to cover a giggle, and Jessi rolled her eyes. Tim stopped them before a door and Max was surprised to find Jessi’s palm was sweating against his.

  She turned to him with an apologetic grimace. “I’m sorry, Max. I know how much you must hate this.”

  He squeezed her fingers and forced a smile. “This ain’t my first rodeo, Squirt. I’ll be fine.”

  She studied him for a long moment, then nodded and turned to Tim. “Okay, let’s get this over with.” She grabbed her cousin’s arm before he could open the door. “But, just so you know. If this blows up in our faces, I’m going to kill you.”

  Tim flashed a grin and led them into the small conference room. Cameras clicked and flashed as they filed inside. Standing behind a raised dais just inside the door, Spence looked over briefly, then turned back to finish singing the praises of their new CD.

  To Max’s surprise and relief, the gathering was small. Four women and two men directed their cameras and microphones toward the dais. Before Spence finished speaking, they’d turned their attention to Jessi and Max.

  Tim held up a hand. “Sorry for the delay, folks, it couldn’t be avoided. We have time for only a few more questions.”

  A man on the left beat out the others. “Where did the two of you meet, Jessi?”

  Jessi glanced up at Max and smiled before answering. “We met officially when Max came to one of my concerts a few years ago, but he’s been a friend of the family for years.”

  “How long have you been dating?”

  “Not long.”

  The second man in the group spoke without looking up from his notes. “There’s a Max Grayson listed as holding several cage fighting titles. Is that you?”

  Unease itched at the base of Max’s spine as the reporter looked up. Beneath a thick shock of dark hair peppered with gray, keen, blue eyes studied him as if searching for the answers to a puzzle. Max nodded as the cameras flashed.

  A tall redhead in the middle pinned Max with a smile, though her question wasn’t directed at him. “Jessi, you’ve known each other for a while, yet you just recently began dating. What changed?”

  “I’ve been chasing Max for years.” Jessi waited for the woman’s gaze to slide her way. “It took me a while to convince him to stop running.”

  She squeezed his hand as snickers of laughter filled the room.

  “More and more women are following the bare knuckle leagues these days,” another of the women commented. “Are you a fan? Is that what attracted you, Jessi?”

  “I admit, I don’t know much about Max’s sport. Yet.” Jessi turned to eye him with a purely feminine smile. “But all you have to do is look at him to know why I’m attracted.”

  He squinted in a subtle warning as more laughter followed.

  “Your father worked for the NYPD?”

  Fuck.

  Max whipped his gaze forward as all attention turned to the male reporter with the watchful eyes. Jessi’s fingers tightened around Max’s. Nausea burned in his throat. So much for fluff. The man was putting together a puzzle, all right, and the picture it formed would lay out the ugly pieces of Max’s past.

  The muscles in his back and shoulders knotted in apprehension. He dipped his chin in an abbreviated nod. “That’s right.”

  “That’s all the time we have, people.” Tim stepped forward, partially blocking them from the snapping cameras. “Jessi and Spence have a concert to perform.”

  Jessi clung to Max’s hand and immediately began to pull him toward the exit. Spence turned from the dais to join them.

  Disappointed murmurs simmered behind them, cut to stunned silence by a calmly tossed bomb. “That would make you the rightful heir to the Krandall empire, wouldn’t it?”

  Jessi stumbled to a halt and her gaze flew to Max’s. Alicia bit her lip as she hurriedly opened the door. Tim’s eyes were shuttered, but like everyone else in the room, he waited for Max’s response.

  Fury and frustration blasted through him as he turned to spear the nosey reporter with an angry glare. “No comment.”

  Chapter 11

  “They’re ready for you, Miss Tucker, Mr. Pierce.”

  Thanks to Bill’s immediate arrival, the quizzical look in Jessi’s eyes went unanswered, as did the demand for an explanation in Tim’s scowl. Their questions would have to wait. For the moment, anyway. Frustration bunched Max’s shoulder muscles as Bill hurried them through the tunnel leading to the
field.

  Christ. What a cluster-fuck. As if Jessi’s request for help had pulled on a loose thread, his carefully concealed past was unraveling before his eyes, along with his hope of closing the deal in Jersey without raising any red flags.

  Once he got his hands on Haven Place, he wouldn’t give a shit who learned who his parents had been. He wouldn’t even care if some enterprising reporter managed to dig up the particulars of his past. Though the details weren’t pretty, the worst of his ghosts, as Gracie called them, hadn’t been documented anywhere but in his head. The fact was, he would relish watching the Krandall matriarch squirm as she attempted to explain to the world why she’d all but destroyed her own daughter simply for marrying the wrong man, but not at the cost of the home his mother had loved.

  He’d covered his tracks the best he could, and yet, no enterprise was foolproof. With his name suddenly linked with the Krandalls in the press, he’d lost the advantage of stealth. Once the story hit the airwaves, he’d once again be on his grandmother’s radar. He knew how she operated. She’d immediately start formulating a defense, looking for anything she could use to her advantage in case of any potentially negative fallout. Discovering the small real estate investment firm he’d set up for the sole purpose of making Haven Place his would be difficult, but not impossible, considering the many minions at her beck and call. It was time to up the ante, and the quicker the better. The sooner he sealed the deal, the less chance she’d discover who was behind the purchase before it was too late to stop it.

  As they climbed the stairs to the back of the stage, the warm-up band ended their set. Beyond the curtain, the crowd began to chant the headliners’ names. Spence checked his appearance in a tall mirror before tugging a showy Stetson low on his forehead. Alicia flitted around Jessi, fluffing her curls into a sexy, windblown look, while Jessi performed what Max had come to recognize as her pre-show meditation ritual.

  Her eyes slid shut and she went completely still. For anyone not paying close attention, she looked completely relaxed. The strain around her mouth, however, and the tense line of her back, spoke volumes.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, Jessi and Spence.”

  Her eyes popped open, and she clutched Max’s fingers tighter as the crowd roared.

  He dipped his head closer so she could hear him. “You okay?”

  Her pained smile broke his heart.

  “I will be once I start to sing.”

  She slid her hand free and took the one Spence held out. Her partner’s gaze settled on Max. “I’ll take care of her.”

  Max curled his fingers against the urge to knock the smug smile from Spence’s face. He turned and led Jessi on stage. A familiar pang squeezed Max’s chest as Spence repeated last night’s kiss to her palm before they started to sing.

  “You’re a Krandall?”

  Max shoved the unwanted jealousy to the back of his mind and shot Tim a sidelong glance.

  “Man, Tuck and Jake are gonna love that.” Tim’s smile was gleeful, as if he looked forward to their reaction to the news.

  “My mother was born a Krandall. She died a Grayson.” Max turned back to the stage. While he hadn’t lied to his friends, he’d deceived them, and they deserved to know why. But explanations would have to wait. His gaze scanned the stage and floor security. “Where are Ryan’s guys?”

  Tim jerked his head toward stage left. “One’s watching the left back entrance. The other is manning the steps leading to the stage.”

  “Good.” Max pulled his phone from his pocket. “Keep an eye on her from here. I’ve got some calls to make.”

  He made a quick call to his lead man in New Jersey. Hopefully, the increased offer on the property would do the trick. If not, he wasn’t sure what else he could do, but giving up before he’d exhausted every possibility went against the grain. In the meantime, there was Jessi to consider. She needed a quiet place to unwind and a little time off the grid. Some time away, where he could formulate a plan in case tonight’s press conference had lasting repercussions, wouldn’t do him any harm either.

  His next two calls were to Dan, then Ryan. Jessi’s father answered on the second ring.

  “Max? What’s wrong? Is Jessi all right?”

  Max rubbed a palm around the back of his neck. “She’s fine. She and Spence are on stage.”

  “Is the security team nearby?”

  “They’re doing what you’re paying them to do from what I’ve seen.”

  “Then what’s up?”

  “Your daughter.”

  “After that dress she was almost wearing last night, I don’t want to know what else she’s done.” A weighty sigh drifted through the earpiece. “Do I?”

  “It’s not what she’s done, it’s what I’m about to do.”

  “What would that be?”

  Max shut his eyes briefly. Whether Ryan knew it or not, Jessi was at risk from more than a menacing fan. Against his better judgment, he’d agreed to help, and he meant to see it through, but things had just gotten more complicated. “As soon as she’s done tonight, I’m taking her somewhere quiet. Somewhere that has nothing to do with country music.”

  “Are you going to tell me where?”

  He hesitated. She’d be safe with him. The point of disappearing was to give her some time free and clear of the pressures she faced on a daily basis, including those from her family. Gracie and Jake would know where they were, but with a nut job gunning for her, he’d rather be safe than sorry.

  “Alton Bay, New Hampshire. Jake and Gracie have a place on the lake. It’s quiet, and with the summer crowds gone she can work on her music without being disturbed. I don’t want anyone else to know where she is. That includes the family and Spence.”

  “What about her security team?”

  Max grunted. “Them, too.”

  Ryan said nothing for several heartbeats. “I assume you have a good reason for taking her away, but there have been no more letters since we spoke, no contact from the stalker. What’s changed?”

  “I got a close look at her over the past couple days. Did you know she’s been having migraines?”

  “Dan mentioned she’d seen a doctor.” Ryan’s tone held a note of defensiveness. “When I asked her about the pills, she said it was a woman thing.”

  Max fought a helpless smile. It was pure Jessi to offer a logical explanation most men would accept hands down—before they ran in the other direction. If the account was true, he might have done the same, but she hadn’t slapped him down when he suggested stress was the cause, and he wouldn’t have bought the woman-thing excuse if she’d given it. Between memories of his mother, two foster homes where he’d been the only male in the house, his friendship with Gracie, and the steady stream of women he’d spent time with over the years, he’d learned to recognize the signs of PMS. The meltdown Jessi suffered the other night hadn’t been a byproduct of out of control hormones. Her tears had come from someplace much deeper and infinitely more frightening. They’d come from the depths of her soul.

  “That may very well be a part of it, but it’s not the whole picture.” He gave Ryan a full accounting of all that happened after they’d left the family dinner that first night, including the conversation that dealt with his wife’s murder. “And she’s not sleeping.”

  Saying it all out loud reinforced Max’s belief that the darling of country music was a woman on the edge of collapse. “If she doesn’t find a way to balance the demands everyone has put on her with her own needs as a private person, she’s going to break.”

  “Jesus.” Ryan’s voice broke. “I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t realize it was that bad. How could I have missed it?”

  A good question. Then again, Max might have done his best to avoid her whenever he’d visited with the Tuckers, but that hadn’t prevented him from watching her every move when he had the chance. He hadn’t noticed there was a problem either, not until she’d come to him with her desperate plan.

/>   “Cut yourself some slack. I’ve rarely seen your daughter when she wasn’t wearing a smile. None of us saw it, but the point is, we have now.”

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “She has a run through for the Super Bowl in Tampa next Friday and a tour date in Memphis Saturday. I’ll make sure she’s there, but I want her schedule cleared for the week. There’s a photo shoot on her schedule for Tuesday. Cancel it or reschedule, if you can, and Spence can handle the Thursday dinner in Nashville on his own. You asked for my help. She needs to breathe without the family watching over her shoulder and enough time to find herself. I’ll keep her safe while she does.”

  “What if she can’t?”

  “Then she can’t. Where she goes from there will be up to her.”

  “Do you need anything from me?”

  “Find the bastard who’s sending those letters.”

  “I’m on it.” Ryan paused for a moment. “You’ll keep me informed?”

  “I’ll be in touch.”

  Chapter 12

  Jessi reached for the canvas bag on the floor of the limo the moment the door shut. The brewing discomfort behind her left eye hadn’t yet progressed to migraine status, but it would before long.

  “Another headache?”

  Her fingers closed around the prescription bottle and she nodded at Max, seated at her side. Although facing the crowd who would attend the after-concert dinner with a pain-free head was important, he was the main reason for heading off the migraine before it could form.

  Lord, he was a treat for the eyes. Max in a terrycloth towel took her breath away and, holy eye candy, was there anything sexier than a dangerous looking man in a tux? If there was, she hadn’t seen it and, apparently, the women at the awards party last night after the show agreed with her. Every woman there had dripped with envy, a state of affairs Jessi knew only too well. With perseverance, and a little bit of luck, those days were over but, in the meantime, casually dressed in slacks and a sweater was how she liked him best. This was Max. Her Max, and she planned to enjoy what was left of the evening.