Players

by Rachel Cross

  “I love you, too, Tania. Please stop holding on so tight to things that hurt, it kills us all to see you do that.” Keila and Tania hugged until exasperated voices called them from outside.

  Tania wiped her eyes. “I think I can at least try to let go of worrying over you. That has to be a start. But no matter how this plays out I’m going to be there for you. Starting today. I love my daughter and because of her, I can’t regret anything, and I don’t want you to have regrets, either. So get off your butt; you need to go meet Jake so we can see how this whole thing will turn out,” she instructed, getting up, her no-nonsense, bossy attitude back.

  They marched over to Mr. Patowski’s house, Mr. Patowski looking at them quizzically from his front porch. Opening the door to her car, her sister said, “Now squeeze in, dammit.”

  “Both of you squeeze in and hide. If any of you are recognized, they’ll follow us! I’ll drive.” Aunt Gina took the keys away from Tania, who loudly protested. “No way, I’ve seen you drive, crazy woman. And what’s with this ‘we’ll be recognized and followed’ crap? You guys are watching way too much Access Hollywood.”

  A minute later, they were on their way, a maniac at the wheel. As they zipped through the city at questionable speeds, Julia called to let Keila know she’d be waiting at the hotel with the special key card.

  What seemed like an eternity later, Aunt Gina raced the car around the back of the hotel and Robbie and Tania practically shoved her out of the car. Keila made her way to the kitchen, as Julia had instructed, relieved there weren’t any reporters at all.

  Both Julia and Patty were there with the key card, but Patty grabbed Keila, hugged her hard and wouldn’t let go. Julia had to step in and remind her Jake was waiting. Keila now walked slowly, unsure of what would happen next.

  As soon as she stepped out onto the roof top garden she saw him, but he was dressed in completely different clothes than those she had just seen him in. Sporting a faded coat, hoodie, and jeans, he looked, as usual, sexy and dangerous to her well-being. He didn’t move, just stood back and studied her.

  Keila, feeling more insecure than ever, looked around the rooftop garden. Finally, she looked up at him. “You had time to change?” she asked, as if they were old friends meeting on the streets, and not one-time lovers.

  “One of the production assistants and I switched clothes. His idea. Tyrone led him out, head down, and everyone thought he was me. I took a bus and the L, and kept my head low, too,” Jake smiled and Keila’s heart skipped in her chest, as if it were trying to get nearer to him. They each took a few steps toward each other and Jake took hold of her hand. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come.”

  Her heart dancing wildly, she took the plunge. “I really want to know how you feel about the mystery woman.”

  “The one I danced with last summer? Or the one who wiped the floor with me during a news conference this fall? Or do you mean the one I spent the hottest weekend of my life with this Thanksgiving?”

  Keila bit her lip and nodded.

  Jake looked away from her. “Well, she keeps walking away from me, and each time she leaves, it cuts me, deeper and deeper. I’m not sure I want to just open myself up to her like that, and then have her walk away again.” He looked at her again, his eyes more blue than the unusually bright winter sky.

  Keila looked into those beautiful eyes. “Maybe she wouldn’t walk away if she knew exactly what it was you wanted from her,” she challenged.

  They just stared at each other for a beat and she shook her head, not wanting to come to yet another standstill with Jake Kelly. “I’m scared too, you know. I don’t want to lay my heart here at your feet and then find out you’re not sure about anything.” Keila stepped into him and buried her head in his chest, knowing she never wanted to leave, and fearing the immediate future. He took her face in his hands, and leaned down for a slow, hot, yet desperately lonely kiss she felt everywhere.

  “I’m so in love with you it hurts,” Keila finally said, wiping tears away. “There, I said it first, are you happy?”

  Jake hugged her close and spoke so low she had to strain to hear him. “I love you so much it scares the hell out of me. If I open myself up to you, if I start to think you and I can have what I’ve never allowed myself to hope I can have, and you decide to leave . . . ”

  Keila laughed softly and sniffled. “We’re a sorry pair then, all hurt and scared.”

  “I don’t want us to stay that way and I don’t want us to just try to get over everything that makes us hold back. I want to make this pact that we will let go. I won’t hurt you, Keila. I swear I’ll love you so well . . . ” he kissed her neck, sliding his hands completely around her waist.

  She sighed and unconsciously began to sway softly, as if they were dancing to a slow, sultry song only she could hear. He began to move along with her.

  Keila slipped her hands around his neck and pulled him closer to her, still moving in time, loving his kisses along her neck. “Okay. I’ll let go, and I’ll give this my all but you have to promise we’ll go slow. We’ll date. We’ll really open up and get to know everything about one another. We’ll argue politics till we’re blue in the face, but no talk of the future.”

  “I agree. We’ll argue politics till you come over to my side, and we’ll give this our all, but just here and now, one day at a time,” he said, his warm breath tickling her ear. Keila sighed, placed her head on his shoulder, and let herself be happy. There was no way he’d ever get her to see his side, so they had all the time in the world.

  “Promise me you won’t shut me out,” Keila whispered. “I don’t want to have to guess how you feel or what you’re thinking . . . ”

  “Okay. Just don’t walk away from me, Keila,” Jake repeated, softly.

  They were going to take things nice and slow. with the elections taking place a little over a month away and her busy schedule of practice and performances, it’s not like they had a choice.

  Keila closed her eyes and for the first time in years, she felt truly at peace with herself.

  Epilogue

  February 28th, Chicago Winter Dance Festival

  A spirited piano and a teasing, lively string intro played by Michelle, Ralph, and Simone marked the beginning of “I Need to Know.” Marc Anthony’s sinuous, commanding voice rang out from the speakers as people began to loosen their hips to the sexy, steady beat, twirling and whirling away on the Jay Pritzker Pavilion stage at Millennium Park.

  Trumpets called out and the dance floor really came to life. The vigorous crowd, the simmering moves, and the heat created by so many bodies grooving and swaying in close proximity kept the cold night air at bay.

  • • •

  Jake Kelly stood just outside the stage, the steady thumping rhythms reverberating within him. A steady stream of people, surprised to see him there, stopped by to shake his hand before heading off to dance. With the exception of a few family and friends, the night belonged to people just wanting to get down and get warm by working up a sweat on the last day of the Winter Dance Festival.

  Tyrone danced with Mia, who giggled at his goofy moves, while Robbie and Cate demonstrated a few steps to an elderly couple who swiveled and gyrated their slightly arthritic hips.

  His mother and Graciela tapped back and forth in a sorry imitation of salsa, deeply engrossed in a conversation, the topic of which he was sure he could guess in one try. Pete the Blogger and Julia had just met and Robbie had forced them to dance, but both were too self-aware to do anything but sway back and forth and smile at each other.

  Meanwhile, Tess the hippie danced alone without a care in the world.

  A swirl of white caught his attention, and he turned to see the subsequent flash of ankle socks and a pair of hairy legs. Quivering at the unruly sight, he looked up to see a priest swishing his long robe and dancing modestly with two sisters who were so in tune with one another, the people around them began to gravitate toward them, copying their smooth, synchronized steps. Soon, at leas
t a dozen people were laughing and mimicking their amusing, made-up dance.

  Jake caught sight of the shapely pair of legs he knew well, and his blood warmed. His eyes strayed to the dancer’s hips and at the curves and swells of a body he loved.

  It was dark, and the soft glow of the moonlight touched the long, ivory skirt she sashayed. It seemed she had no idea she was being watched; she was laughing along, lost in the fun.

  But no sooner had he thought her oblivious than she glanced up at him and he held her eyes, feeling a now-familiar longing in his chest. He’d spent every spare moment of his life with her these past few months, and still they couldn’t seem to get enough of each other. Her expression radiated warmth, love, and joy.

  The song ended and a blaring bleep from a microphone interrupted the hot, promising glance. They turned to see the dance instructor, clad in a white suit and a silvery blue shirt reminiscent of Saturday Night Fever, take the stage.

  “Good evening ladies and gentlemen of Chicago! Those of you who just happened to come in this evening looking for some fun are in for a very special treat. Tonight, two very special people wish to share their joy with you. Please welcome to the dance floor, in their very first dance as husband and wife, our mayor-elect Jake Kelly and his lovely bride, Keila!”

  Gasps, swiveling heads, and plenty of amazed, delighted stares followed him. Jake smiled and ecstatic applause erupted as he walked to the middle of the dance floor to claim his beautiful, still awestruck bride.

  The slow, evocative beats of Rojita’s sensuous salsa version of Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night” began to play. Jake and Keila began to move together as only two people completely in tune with each other could.

  They’d managed to keep the ceremony a secret, but it was now time to share their news with the people of the city that had witnessed their story.

  “So much for taking it slow,” Keila smiled up at him. Jake smiled, too, and twirled her in a way he knew she enjoyed. He was getting good at this salsa stuff. He wanted to learn some forbidden dance next, preferably in the privacy of their bedroom.

  Remembering there was something he’d been meaning to ask, he tugged her closer. “Would you have stayed with me that night, dancing under the rain, if I’d come after you?”

  “I don’t know. It was pretty hard to walk away without you stopping me. Why do you ask?”

  “I don’t know, it’s just I wish Filip would’ve had the chance to finally see us together. If you hadn’t walked away or if I had stopped you . . . ”

  Keila grinned up at him. “I suspect he knew where this was all heading, Jake.”

  Jake chuckled. “Everyone knew. Except us, of course.”

  “We weren’t meant to stay strangers, but we weren’t ready to see where it all could lead, either. Who knows? Maybe we both love Chicago so much, we somehow tapped into its magic to find each other again.”

  “You think the city holds magic?” Jake rolled his eyes and smiled down at her.

  “You think that’s a crazy idea?” Keila challenged, also smiling.

  “Just a little. But I love you and your crazy thoughts.”

  Keila sighed, looked up at him and said, “And I love you and your limited vision.” But her eyes were bright with genuine feeling.

  Despite their familiar teasing, Jake felt emotions flowing between them so sweetly; he responded by holding her even closer, framing her face with his hands, and kissing her soul-deep.

  Author’s Note

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for choosing Strangers in the Night. I hope you enjoyed reading my debut novel as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’d love to hear from you, so please email me at ines.saint@gmail.com if you’d like to share your thoughts.

  Best wishes always,

  Inés

  www.inessaint.com

  www.facebook.com/authorinessaint

  This edition published by

  Crimson Romance

  an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  57 Littlefield Street

  Avon, MA 02322

  www.crimsonromance.com

  Copyright © 2012 by Inés Saint

  ISBN 10: 1-4405-5159-6

  ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-5159-8

  eISBN 10: 1-4405-5139-1

  eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-5139-0

  Some portions of this work were briefly made available for sale on the Amazon Kindle under the title Opposites Detract by Taly Saint.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.

  Cover art © istockphoto.com

  It’s Been You

  Crush on You #2

  Rina Gray

  Avon, Massachusetts

  Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Copyright

  To my family and friends—all of whom have been just as excited about my writing journey as I have. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

  Chapter One

  The doors of the elevator slid open, and Tiana Holliday stepped into her office. Her four-and-a-half-inch red leather pumps clicked sharply against the distressed oak flooring as she navigated the marketing agency’s cubicle land, nodding at the pot-bellied IT guy that saved her laptop last week and the timid analytics whiz who hid behind an army of collectible action figures.

  Her coworkers nodded back, and some even waved. But what made the small smile form and tug the corners of her mouth was the silence. No whispers, no gossip, no lies—just the productive sounds of mouse clicking and fingers typing.

  Her grin grew wide. The muscles around her jaw were stiff, but the smile was genuine. Like the Tin Man before an oil change.

  Rounding the corner toward her shared office, she opened the door and found her intern perched atop her desk with her mug in hand.

  “Julia, you’re not here to fetch coffee. You’re here to learn,” Tiana admonished gently, although she appreciated the young woman’s thoughtfulness.

  “Oh, it’s no bother at all, Ms. Holliday.” Julia’s blush highlighted the splatter of freckles on her face. “Besides, the sooner you have your thinking juice, the sooner we can go over my project.”

  Tiana placed her purse in the bottom drawer and twisted the lock. “You’re done already?” She lifted an eyebrow.

  “Not quite, but I made a lot of headway over the weekend and—”

  “The weekend? You’re barely twenty years old! You shouldn’t be working during your free time.”

  Julia’s adorable face morphed into a mutinous expression. “B-but you work over weekends. And I thought since you’re my boss and mentor, I should try to be like you.”

  Tiana tucked her hair behind her ears. When did I get old enough for a college student to follow in my footsteps?

  Geez, if Julia only knew. All weekend Tiana had worked on a project that was six weeks ahead of schedule and a marketing proposal for a new client. After
finishing, she scared the bejeezus out of herself by watching B-rated horror flicks alone in her apartment while her best friend, no doubt, burned copious amounts of calories with her fiancé. The most exciting part of Tiana’s weekend was finding her favorite shade of lipstick on sale.

  “Julia . . . ” Tiana smiled as she settled into her chair. “Don’t be like me. Be yourself. Besides, you don’t even want to know what I ended up doing this weekend.”

  “Let me guess. You organized your spice rack?”

  Tiana immediately recognized the annoyingly pleasing voice that sounded from the doorway. The husky sound that haunted her dreams too often to count. Her body tightened. “Nathaniel,” she said in the dullest tone she could possibly muster and managed a tight smile that was as wooden as Pinocchio’s.

  Julia hopped from the edge of Tiana’s desk. “Ha! You’re wrong. Ms. Holliday organized her spices last week!”

  “Julia . . . ” Tiana crossed her arms. “How do you know what I did last weekend?”

  “I follow you on Twitter.” The intern smiled brightly, having no idea she’d embarrassed her boss and given Nathaniel ammunition for future torture.

  “Right.” Tiana made a mental note to never again post her lame chores on social media. This weekend she had plans to organize her roommate’s closet, color-coding blouses and skirts. Then she’d straighten Melanie’s shoes by heel height and color. A thankless job as Mel would probably roll her eyes and suggest she get a life when she discovered the results of Tiana’s obsessive tidiness.

  Tiana turned to face Nathaniel. “No spice racks. I actually went out with friends.” It was an outright lie, but she didn’t care.

  Julia now looked confused. “Really? Because I saw you logged into the system on Friday and Saturday until—”