To Win Her Heart (Players)

by Mackenzie Crowne

  “Didn’t it?” He looked away and jammed a hand through his hair.

  She stared at his strong profile. A muscle twitched in his clenched jaw. “If you’re talking about the stuff in your juvenile file, try again. I read the entire thing and so did the rest of the family.”

  He lowered his arm and leaned forward, head hanging and elbows propped on his knees. The position was one of defeat—a look she’d never thought to see on him and didn’t like one bit.

  Her heart squeezed, and she sat forward to rest a hand on his shoulder. “Nothing in that file points to bad blood, Max, or even a particularly bad kid. You were no worse than millions of teenagers who have lost their way for a time.”

  He turned his head to face her and the hell in his eyes nearly made her cry out. “Tell that to the man I killed.”

  She had to force herself to breathe. Killed? Suddenly numb, her hand slid from his shoulder. His gaze followed and hardened as she clenched her fingers in her lap. He straightened and lifted his focus to hers. Proud and strong, he watched her, obviously expecting the worst. Her heart contracted at the finality in his eyes and panic replaced shock.

  Flinging herself at him, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and clung to him as he tried to pry her free.

  “Did you hear me, Jess?”

  Plastered against him, she was surprised to find his heart thudded as heavily as hers. She nodded against his throat. What he said simply couldn’t be true. Max could be a hard man, a natural byproduct of the life he’d led. Orphaned and alone, he’d had to fight for everything he’d gained, but a killer? No way.

  “I heard. I just don’t believe you.”

  His chest expanded on a shuddering breath. “You’d better believe it because it’s true. The honorable man you’re so hot to support once stuck a knife in a man’s chest.”

  The hurtful, self-disparaging thrust of his words pierced her heart like razor sharp barbs, and she pressed her face to the corded muscles of his neck. “What happened?”

  “Jesus.” He went still as if he’d turned to stone in her embrace. “What does it matter?”

  She loosened her hold and drew back on her haunches to look him in the eye. “I love you, Max. It matters.” His eyes slid shut, and she grabbed his hand. Relieved when he didn’t resist, she wound her fingers through his. “Tell me. Please.”

  His lashes fluttered open, and he sighed. “You once accused me of borrowing your family. Of using them to get my fix instead of making a family of my own.”

  Guilt jabbed her in the stomach. She shook her head in vehement denial of her cruel words, but he continued before she could say a word.

  “You were right. You, Gracie, Tuck, Jake, and Tim, the rest of the family….” He dropped his gaze to their joined hands. “The gatherings and friendships I found with all of you fed my desire for the semblance of normalcy.”

  He lifted his head, his gray eyes shadowed with self-incrimination. “I’m a greedy man, Jess. I built friendships under false pretenses in order to be a part of something I’d given up the right to in a dingy alley years ago, but I can’t stand the thought of the filth from my past touching you.”

  It already had. His memories had stood between them from the beginning, so why tell her now? What had changed? Though he hadn’t said so directly, it was clear where this was leading, and she’d be damned if she let him go without a fight.

  “I’m not stupid, Max. You’re planning to walk away and think painting yourself as a villain will scare me into letting you go. Fine. You opened this can of worms, now finish it. Tell me what happened. You owe me that much.”

  “Jessi.” He sighed her name and attempted to pull his hand free of hers.

  She held firm. “Tell me.”

  Frustration simmered in his eyes, but he did as she asked. “There’s not much to tell. I was sleeping in an alley. The guy believed I was fair game for his sexual appetites. I disagreed.”

  She drew in a sharp breath. “He tried to—”

  “Tried and failed.”

  Tears sprang in her eyes at the remembered fury blazing in his. She gripped his hand tighter. “Oh God, Max. What happened? Did the police believe you?”

  “I didn’t stick around to find out.” He stood, and her fingers slid from his. “I need a drink.”

  He stalked from the bedroom. Jessi scrambled from the bed to follow. In the kitchen, he pulled a liquor bottle from a cabinet.

  She paused behind him, her fingers gripping the edge of the island. “I think I need one, too.”

  He glanced over his shoulder with hooded eyes, sighed, and pulled down a second glass. After pouring two drinks, he turned and placed one in front of her. He swallowed the contents of his in a single gulp, and she picked up her glass. Although she sipped cautiously, whiskey had never been her drink and she coughed as fire burned the walls of her throat.

  Tears stung her eyes. Wrinkling her nose in distaste, she glared at the glass. “None of this is in your juvenile file. Didn’t the police ever question you?”

  Max poured himself another shot, and over the rim of his glass, he narrowed his eyes.

  “Don’t look at me like that. You said you didn’t stick around. If the police never questioned you, how do you know what happened? How do you know you killed the guy? Maybe he survived.”

  He tossed back his second shot, grunting once he’d he swallowed. “Not likely. Not with a three-inch blade sticking in his chest.”

  Stubborn man. He was determined to make himself sound as bad as possible, but didn’t he want to know for sure? For all he knew, this particular ghost could be a false one. She chewed her bottom lip. Even if the guy was a John Doe, there would be a record of the death. If she knew the location of the alley…..

  The scowl on Max’s face said he’d given her all the details she’d be getting. For now.

  If she was to have a chance to ask later, he’d have to stick around but, from the look of things, that wasn’t the plan. Which meant she didn’t have anything left to lose. Swallowing another sip of Dutch courage, she pulled out the big guns. “Do you love me, Max?”

  His shoulders slumped, and her heart tumbled. Oh, how wrong she’d been. She had everything to lose. Still, she held her breath and braced for impact. One way or another, she had to know.

  He poured himself a third shot but didn’t pick it up. Instead, he leaned his hands on the edge of the island and met her gaze. “God help me, but yes. I do.”

  Her breath came out in a rush. Elated, stunned, and suddenly lightheaded, she sagged onto a stool. She shook her head in wonder. “I’ve got to tell you, Max. As a declaration of love, that sucked.” He straightened and she rushed to finish. “But I’ll take it.” Her sappy smile couldn’t be helped. “I’ll take it.”

  He held up a hand. “Don’t say anything for a minute.”

  “But, I—”

  “There’s more.”

  She cocked her head. “More than possibly killing someone? What, did you—”

  “Shut up, Jess.”

  She mashed her lips shut and mimicked turning a key. He might be bossy, but he loved her. Max loved her. Giddy relief and happiness made her dizzy. She blinked when he topped off her glass.

  “I know you said be quiet, but I don’t want any more.”

  “Trust me.” He set the bottle aside. “You’re going to need it.”

  The giddy happiness fizzled a bit. “Okay, you’re scaring me again.”

  And…there went the brow. She rolled her eyes and shut her mouth.

  He said nothing for a moment, and her nerves began to hum. Was he testing to see if she’d remain quiet or was what he had to say that bad?

  “I’m sorry my declaration of love disappointed you.”

  He dipped his chin as if expecting her to argue. She didn’t say a word.

  His cheeks puffed on a gusty breath. “The truth is, I’ve never made one before because I’ve never loved another woman. Not since
I sat in a theater downtown and lost my heart to a twenty-year-old country crooner with a voice that touched my soul and eyes that haunted my dreams.”

  Her nerves fell away as tears flooded her eyes.

  He scrubbed his fingers over his forehead and back through his hair. “Jesus. You were just a kid and Tuck’s little cousin. I did everything I could to push you out of my mind, but despite my past, your family, and the nine years between us, you were there. Constantly.”

  Heart so full she couldn’t possibly remain quiet, she leaned forward on the stool. “Wow.” She swiped a tear from her cheek. “When you say there’s more, you really mean it.”

  He glanced away and swept up his glass. “That wasn’t the more.”

  “O-o-o-kay.” Her sappy smile slipped a bit more. “I’m listening.”

  He drained the shot and his clenched teeth flashed in a grimace. “That morning you showed up here with your screwy plan….”

  A long pause hung in the air. “And you threw me out,” she prompted.

  He scraped a hand down his face. “And I threw you out. I shoved you out the door without letting you say your piece because….” He shook his head. “Damn it, keeping my hands to myself when I saw you at the occasional family gathering was one thing. The thought of the two of us sharing a space….” His hand dropped futilely to his side.

  Moisture dampened the folds between her thighs even as her heart threatened to crash through her ribs. Poor Max. She’d never seen him looking so hesitant, so unsure of what to say. Didn’t he realize his words stroked her body as much as they touched her heart?

  She slid from the stool and moved in front of him. Pressing a hand to the warm skin of his bare chest, she stared into his wary eyes. “I’ve loved you from the moment you walked into my dressing room that first night.”

  Although he smiled, there was a sad quality to the curving of his lips she couldn’t comprehend. He cupped her jaw in a wide-palmed hand and brushed a thumb over her cheek. “I saw forever in your eyes. It scared the shit out of me.”

  Her eyes slid shut and she rubbed her cheek against his palm. “And now?”

  “Now I’m afraid I’ve fucked up forever.”

  Her eyes popped open. The pain in his was like a splash of ice water. She stepped back, and he dropped his hand.

  “I don’t understand.”

  He dragged in a harsh breath. “The morning after you showed up with your plan, I had another visitor. Two actually. Your father and Tuck dropped by. Ryan told me about the letters.”

  And Max hadn’t wasted any time coming to the studio to say he’d changed his mind. A chill raced down her spine, and she staggered back several more steps.

  Oh, God. He hadn’t agreed to her plan for her. He’d done it for Tuck and her father.

  Images and pieces of conversations ricocheted through her mind, leaving embarrassment behind and shredding her heart. Max’s surprise apology, then the rush to pack her bags and move her into his condo. His seeming calmness as they arrived to tell her family they were a couple. Max holding her so tenderly as she fell apart in his arms.

  “Then I don’t want to hear any more talk of your leaving. Let me handle your cousin. If he’s the friend I know him to be, he’ll come around.”

  A wail of pain clawed its way up from her shattering soul, and she clenched her teeth, refusing to let it loose. Max hadn’t been worried about Tuck’s reaction any more than he’d been nervous about facing her family because there was no need. They already knew!

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making sure your plan works.”

  Nausea gurgled in her throat. The bone-melting kiss they’d shared in Tuck’s foyer had been nothing more than a bit of insurance to make sure she didn’t back out at the last minute and screw up the plan they’d all devised to keep her in line.

  Son of a bitch!

  Eyes full of apology, Max stepped toward her and something inside her snapped. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t bother asking him a single question. Balling her hand in a fist, she landed the hardest punch she could manage to his unprotected stomach. Other than a soft grunt, the hit didn’t faze him. Disgusted with herself as much as him, and on the verge of a crying jag, she turned and stomped down the hall before slamming the spare bedroom door behind her.

  Chapter 25

  Wrapped in a fluffy white robe, Kris swung her condo door open. “What’s wrong?” Her eyes went wide. “Holy shit. Are you crazy? It’s twenty degrees out there.”

  Jessi swept inside, shivering but not from the cold. Fury was an effective furnace. If she’d had the presence of mind to think things through before stomping into Max’s guestroom in a temper, she would have gathered her clothes from the master bedroom closet first, and sneaking out of Max’s condo with only a towel for a coat wouldn’t have been necessary. Still, the jeans and blouse she’d pilfered from the laundry room were better than the robe she’d been wearing.

  She yanked the black terrycloth from her shoulders and balled it in her hands.

  Kris crossed to the couch and snatched up a blanket. “Here. Put this on while I heat up some tea. You look like an ice cube.”

  “I hate tea.” Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, Jessi followed Kris into the kitchen. “Got any vodka?”

  Hand on the teapot, Kris glanced over her shoulder. “Uh-oh. If you’re asking for booze, it must be bad.”

  She smirked as Kris abandoned the stove to dig through a low cabinet. “It’s nearly midnight and I showed up wearing a towel for a coat. A request for vodka was your first clue?”

  “Give me a break. I’m half asleep.” Kris straightened with a large bottle in her hand. A question creased her brow. “Shot glass or fish bowl?”

  Jessi slumped into one of the kitchen chairs. “Don’t you have any straws?”

  Her friend’s soft laughter brought forth a small smile. Retrieving several tumblers from another cabinet, Kris brought them and the bottle to the table and filled both glasses. “Spill it. What happened?”

  Jessi hunched inside the blanket and gritted her teeth. “That son of a bitch lied to me.”

  “Max?” Kris slid onto the opposite chair.

  She nodded. “My father and Tuck were in on it, too. And Tim, apparently.” She scowled. “Although he swears he only found out after the fact. He’s on his way here, by the way.”

  “Now?” Horror flooded Kris’s eyes. She jumped to her feet and hurried over to the mirror above the couch. Yelping, she fluffed her hair, then drew color to her cheekbones with a squeeze of her fingers and thumbs.

  “I called him after I snuck out of Max’s place. You know how Tim is. He badgered me until I told him where I’d be.”

  Kris marched back to the table and sat. “What did your cousin do? In on what?”

  Hurt and anger collided once more, and she clenched her teeth. “A low down, sneaky double-cross.”

  Kris slid a glass her way. “Start drinking, girlfriend. I think you may be suffering from hypothermia. You’re leaving out way too many details.”

  “There’s only one detail that matters at the moment.” She dropped her forehead to the table with a thump. “Max agreed to my boyfriend plan because Dad asked him to.”

  All right, Max hadn’t exactly said that, but he didn’t have to. Why else would he mention her father and Tuck’s visit unless it had to do with her?

  Kris said nothing for a long moment, then picked up her drink. “Okay, start from the beginning.”

  Jessi sat up and freed an arm from the blanket. She reached for her glass, then decided against it. Liquor wasn’t what she needed. A good cry was in order—or a solo trip to Tahiti.

  “I thought I’d gotten through to him, Kris. After the press conference this afternoon, I thought we’d finally broken into neutral territory.”

  Kris leaned her elbows on the table. “Tim said it went well.” Jessi jolted straight in the chair, and Kris immediately shook her head. “I didn
’t know anything about a double-cross, so get that thought out of your head.”

  Her cheeks puffed with her relieved breath. “I thought today went well, too. Max did great, but….” Slumping back in the chair, she proceeded to fill her friend in on what happened afterward. She told Kris about Max declining the celebration dinner, and how she’d taken Gracie’s advice, telling him she loved him, then backing up the claim in the age-old language of sex—three times. She spoke of how Max had opened up, sharing details of his past she hadn’t known, but left out any mention of what had taken place in that alley all those years ago.

  Though she prayed he was wrong, that the creep had survived Max’s knife, either way, she’d take his secret to her grave. As far as she was concerned, street justice had settled the matter.

  “It was incredible, Kris. He said he loves me. That he’s loved me for years.”

  Kris’s lips curved in a smug smile. “Did I tell you or what? Damn, I love being right.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t pat yourself on the back too hard. He said he loved me right before he admitted Dad hired him to babysit me.”

  The smug smile disappeared. “Babysit you how? And why?”

  Renewed anger simmered, and she surged to her feet to pace. “Because of those stupid letters. Remember that bodyguard I told you about? The one my father hired?”

  “Bruce Willis?”

  Jessi rolled her eyes at Kris’s dreamy smile. “I demanded Dad get rid of him. That was the day I went to see Max with my boyfriend plan. The next morning, Dad and Tuck paid Max a visit. Apparently, Dad hired him instead.”

  “Wait. Your dad paid Max to be your boyfriend?”

  Embarrassment and betrayal tangled together until she found it difficult to breathe. She growled deep in her throat. “I don’t think our having sex was what Dad had in mind, and as far as I know, no money exchanged hands, but it amounts to the same thing. Damn it. I feel like a fool. While I’ve been doing everything in my power to break through Max’s walls, he’s been playing bodyguard—with side benefits—keeping me safe while my father hunts for a phantom stalker who probably doesn’t even exist.”