“Where are you going?” Max told her the name of the restaurant and she nodded. “I know the place. I’ll meet you there. Seven, alright?”
“Seven is perfect. I’m going to get out of your hair. Thanks, Josie.” She inclined her head.
The rest of the day crept by. His family hoped they wouldn’t scare the crap out of her, they were always so rowdy with each other. They were already seated in the restaurant when Josie walked in.
Max fought to control his breathing and his expression as she approached. It wasn’t easy.
She wore a layered chiffon dress in pale pink that fell to her knees with matching high heels. Her blonde, pink-streaked hair was loose and curly to her shoulders, pulled back from her face with two silver clips. Her purse was very tiny.
When she approached the table, Max and Scott stood until she sat down. Annabelle’s face lit up at the sight of her and they pressed cheeks in greeting. Scott shook her hand delicately and quickly sat. Max pushed her chair in and sat beside her.
Max returned his napkin to his lap and said jokingly, “Do you have a smaller gun for smaller purses?”
Josie smiled, turned in her seat, and lifted the hem of her dress. Her silver 9mm was strapped to her toned, bare thigh. She straightened her dress, returned her legs beneath the table, and chuckled.
When Max’s heart started beating again, he swallowed hard. “Female friends are very…interesting.”
They all settled into easy conversation, learning about Josie, and telling her about themselves. The evening was pleasant and Max didn’t remember ever talking so much to a woman who wasn’t related to him.
Jocelyn Channing was intelligent and had a great sense of humor. She amused them with anecdotes about the ballet, the bakery, and being a woman alone at a gun range populated by alpha males.
They closed the restaurant down and Max tipped the staff well for letting them enjoy the evening. He signed several autographs and took photos with a smile. Annabelle and Scott kept Josie entertained so the publicity Max attracted didn’t scare her away.
On the sidewalk outside, the three Grants insisted on dropping her home when she told them she’d taken a cab. He drove across town and walked her up to the door of the large house that had been converted to apartments years before.
She looked uncomfortable and Max grinned. “Friends high-five, Josie.” He didn’t miss her relieved exhale. They slapped hands and he headed back to the truck. “I’ll wait until you’re inside.”
With a small nod and a wave to Annabelle and Scott, Josie ducked inside her building and Max got behind the wheel.
“I like her, Max. A lot. She’s smart and pretty and funny.”
He laughed and drove back toward his place. “Whatever you’re thinking, Mom, don’t. We’re just friends. We’ll never be more than friends so get that right out of your head.”
Scott couldn’t stop laughing in the backseat. “The thought of you with a friend who also happens to be an incredibly attractive female is fascinating. I don’t know that you’re capable, bro. ”
“Watch.”
Chapter Five
Despite everyone’s doubts, Max and Josie became best friends.
Those first two weeks, while his family was in town, they did things as a group. She went with him to drop them off at the airport and hugged his mother and brother as if she’d known them forever.
Without the buffer of Annabelle and Scott, he worried it would get awkward but it never did. They did things together when he wasn’t at practice and she wasn’t at the bakery.
Some nights, if practice ran long, he’d meet her at the bakery and watch while she made enormous batches of cookies, muffins, cakes, and the doughnuts he had to be very careful around. Once a week, she made a special batch of goodies for him to eat during the week that were made with less sugar and fat. Patty was happy to ration them out to him until his next batch.
He started going with her to the gun range and she laughed at his shitty aim. Both of them doubted it would ever get better but he went when he could and hid the fact that he found her incredibly hot as she hit target after target.
They ran weekend evenings together and paced one another well. He did it to increase his stamina and lung capacity, Josie ran to keep her leg as strong as possible.
The regular season started in late August. He often arrived at his place bruised and in pain. Josie would call to check in and always seemed to know when he needed her help. Within an hour, she’d arrive with dinner.
After several arguments over it, he finally allowed her to massage balm into the worst of his muscle injuries – especially the ones he couldn’t reach.
Having her small but surprisingly strong hands on his bare skin were the hardest moments for him. He usually faked falling asleep so he wouldn’t have to turn over until his raging erection subsided.
They went to a lot of movies, usually taking in a matinee during the week after she closed her shop on the rare days Max didn’t have to be at the field.
Max was having a great season and she started talking football with him. It started slowly and she eventually admitted it was something she hadn’t done in years. He liked being able to discuss plays and situations with someone after a game, and she knew more about the sport than he’d realized.
When the ballet came to town, he bought the best tickets he could find and didn’t tell her where he was taking her. All he told her was to dress formally.
Josie stopped his breath, dressed in a violet formal gown that matched her eyes and with her hair swept up on top of her head. As the car service pulled up in front of the performing arts center, her breath caught in her throat. He helped her out and she held his hand hard.
“Is this okay, Josie?”
Her eyes met his and she gave him a smile that hit him hard in the center of his chest. “I thought you didn’t do artsy fartsy, Max.”
“But you like artsy fartsy and you’re my best friend. Friends compromise.”
They linked arms and he escorted her inside, unbelievably pleased with himself. When she realized he’d gotten the best seats in the house, she went up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.
Halfway through the performance, she started to cry, and he held her hand. He blotted her tears with a silk handkerchief and she mouthed, “Thank you, Max.”
With his mouth beside her ear, he whispered, “I’m sorry you lost your dream of dancing but I’m so proud that you can still love it.” She nodded and he planted a kiss on her temple.
After that, he had his assistant find tickets for future performances in town.
In October, two things happened on the same day.
First, he realized she was truly the only woman he was spending any time with, in any capacity. He hadn’t been with anyone else since the night he met her. Part of him wanted to go out and find someone to end the streak and another part shot that idea down instantly.
He had no interest in fucking some random woman that meant nothing to him. There was only one woman he wanted, and if he couldn’t have her, he could damn well do without until he figured things out. And he would. Eventually.
The second situation was caused by reporters who got pictures of them running and figured out who Josie was. The paper ran the headline, “Max and Jocelyn – How Does That Work?”
Max called his publicist to say he’d better do damage control for Josie as if she were his fucking daughter or he’d drop them and find a company that had some morals. With threats of a lawsuit about their victim blaming, they forced the paper run a counter-story about Josie’s ordeal and how she survived it.
To Max’s horror, she was tracked to her business because of him, and Josie’s Java Joint picked up so fast she had to hire more help and put Trish on full-time. She shrugged and pretended like it didn’t worry her at all.
In November, Max saw the inside of Josie’s apartment for the first time. Every room was filled with color, artwork, and different fabric styles. Her place was lived in and full of life.
He enjoyed being there very much.
There were dozens of photos of her parents. Her mother had died in a car accident when she was ten, her father from emphysema a few years later.
She had an older sister who’d finished raising her and couldn’t be more opposite in personality. During the trial, Mary had told Josie she was doing it all for attention.
Her words had been, “Always the prima donna. All this affects more than just you, Jocelyn. People at my company know about what happened. It’s embarrassing.”
They hadn’t spoken since and Josie pretended it didn’t hurt.
She traveled with him to Pensacola to spend Thanksgiving with his family after he threw a fit and insisted. He wasn’t going to leave her alone during the holiday weekend.
They had a blast with Annabelle and Scott. They drove down to Orlando and he took her to Disney World for the first time in her life. None of them could believe she’d never been. As a result, they made her take photos with every character they could find and dragged her through every single ride.
Both of them returned to Pittsburgh relaxed and rested.
In December, the Steelers lost their last playoff game. They wouldn’t be going to the Super Bowl. Max was furious and ranted for almost two hours about lack of communication and lost opportunities.
He’d scored two touchdowns, the only two during the game.
When he tried to bend to take off his shoes, he couldn’t hide the pain he was in completely. Josie made him take off his shirt and covered her mouth when she saw his torso.
Max was battered worse than ever before and she placed him on the masseuse table after his shower to work him over. He wore loose basketball shorts and winced in pain or moaned in pleasure as she massaged the cream into his aching muscles. She treated dozens of abrasions and small cuts on the back of his body.
He continued to rage about trying to get rookies to pay attention on the field and wondering what had happened to the offensive line during such an important game.
When she hit a particularly painful bruise on his low back, he cried out, and she said softly, “I’m sorry. Did you get checked out by the team doctor before you left? What the hell hit you…a semi? Jesus, I’ve never seen a bruise this deep. I’m going to be very upset if you start pissing blood, Max.”
“Actually, a corner named Beau Parker caught me in the middle at the end of the third quarter, which is a lot like being hit by a semi. Yes, I had it looked at. Yes, I already pissed a little blood but not enough to worry me.” He laid his head on his folded arms. “Don’t mind my whining. It’s better to hurt a little more now and less later.”
He chuckled when she started murmuring about stupid alpha males and thinking scars were cool, but went back to working the balm into him.
“Max, can I ask you a question?”
“You just did…ha, ha. Of course you can. I tell you everything.”
“Why aren’t you dating?” Her hands continued to move on his body.
“Why does it matter?” Max’s voice was low and rough.
Josie didn’t say anything for a few minutes. When she cleared her throat, he took a deep breath and prepared himself for the worst. “You went from man-whore to monk overnight. Just wondering why.”
He gave a sharp bark of laughter but there was little humor in it. “Man-whore…nice, Josie.”
She rolled her eyes. He couldn’t see her but he knew she’d done it.
“Am I offending your delicate sensibilities, Max? Come on, you were sleeping with different women every night of the week…it makes no sense for you to go all embarrassed on me now.”
“I have no interest, all right? Drop it.” He moved to sit up and was thankful he didn’t have to hide the boner from hell. Intense discomfort over the topic had killed it.
“Oh my god, Max! What happened to your abs?” She moved the waistband of his shorts to inspect and he sucked air quietly through his teeth. Josie lifted the leg of his loose shorts and ground out, “Is that a cleat print on your thigh?” She got more balm on her hands and rubbed them together.
“Going to have to stop you there, Josie. I can reach those.” He held her wrists carefully in his hands but he couldn’t look at her.
She put all her weight on one hip, a stance she took when she was really annoyed with him. “That is ridiculous, Max. I’m right here, hands already balmy. Lie back and be a big boy about it.” She took her wrists from his light hold and pushed the backs of her hands against his shoulders. He didn’t budge.
“I’d really rather you not, Josie.” He remained still. “I’m serious.”
Josie stared into his eyes for a long time. “Why?”
“I’d just rather you not.”
“Tell me the truth and I’ll drop it, Max.”
“You are a great friend, Josie. Do you know that? The best friend I’ve ever had to tell you the truth. Other than my brother and my mom, you’ve gotten closer to me than any other person on the planet. I’m not going to screw that up. Please just let it go.”
He got off the table and led her into the kitchen where he washed the balm off her hands. He dried them gently with a kitchen towel and grabbed her stuff.
“I’m wore the fuck out. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?” He guided her to the elevator and hustled her inside, pushing the lobby button. “I called the car service for you earlier. Don’t forget to buzz me that you got home safe.” His face came up and their gazes locked.
He couldn’t hide it, not this time. Not while he was so exhausted, frustrated, and in pain. The thing she’d probably been glimpsing for months that he fought with everything inside himself. The need was there…need for her…and he imagined it almost glowed.
She didn’t break eye contact until the doors closed between them.
Chapter Six
The next day was the start of a six-week vacation for Max. He’d never needed time off so badly in his life. His body was tired, beaten, and extremely sexually frustrated.
He couldn’t be with Josie, but the thought of being with anyone else made him feel like he was cheating. It was a bizarre world he’d created for himself and Max recognized the trouble he was in.
At seven the next morning, he went downstairs for coffee and to say good morning to Josie. It was their morning ritual.
Trish said she was out back and he went through the kitchen. As he approached the screen door to the alley, he heard her on the phone.
“I don’t give a fuck who you are; you are not going to intimidate me. Fuck you. It goes up for appeal and I’ll testify the same way I did the first time. You send them over you cowardly piece of shit. Anyone crosses into my personal bubble and I will blow them the fuck away and pray it isn’t a neighbor looking to borrow sugar.”
Every primal protective instinct in his psyche went on full alert. He moved closer to the door to listen. He needed to know everything and it appeared that Josie had been keeping secrets. Her voice was low and furious but he could also tell she was afraid.
“Wasn’t a big deal? Your client ruined my life, you scumbag. I’m crying for him, I really am. I don’t care and do you want to know why? I didn’t whip my dick out along with two friends and threaten to rape a woman until she was bleeding from every orifice of her body. I cleaned that up for you…you don’t want to hear the dirty version. You don’t scare me and I won’t break. Leave me the fuck alone!”
She closed the phone, stuck it in her apron, and jumped for the lowest rung of the fire escape ladder. He stepped quietly into the alley while Josie did about thirty chin-ups. From this angle, Max could see that though her dismount looked perfect, most of the weight was supported by her good leg.
“Josie, who the fuck was that on the phone?” Startled, she screamed and nearly fell.
Then his best friend did the most unexpected thing. She burst into tears and ran at him, jumping into his arms. Max caught her easily as her arms and legs wrapped tightly around his body. She gripped him hard and he could feel how badly she was shaking f
rom head to toe.
Josie kept her face buried in his neck as she cried deep, wracking sobs. He carried her inside to her little office and closed the door. He stroked her back and said soothing things that he wouldn’t remember saying later.
He simply stood there and hugged her as tight as he could until her sobs were reduced to hiccups.
“It’s going to be alright, Josie. No one is going to hurt you. I’ll be with you all the time for the next six weeks. When pre-season starts, I’ll hire you a couple of bodyguards. They’ll make sure you get home safe and sound every night.”
She shook her head against his neck. “Or, I could buy you a condo in my building…hey, I like that idea. It’s less distance for you to commute and you’ll be close. The building is seriously secured. I’ll call the office and see if they have any up for sale.”
Josie leaned back to look at him. He wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“Max, you can’t buy me a condo.”
“Why not?” He knew she saw that he was thoroughly prepared to dig in.
“It isn’t like a cup of coffee or a concert t-shirt…it’s a piece of property.” He shrugged but she didn’t look amused. “Max, you don’t buy people property.”
A small frown formed between his eyes. “I bought Mom a house. I have a house fund for Scott when he knows where he’s going to end up permanently. I don’t see the big deal.” He really didn’t.
“Annabelle and Scott are your family, Max. It’s okay to buy them stuff. It isn’t okay for me.”
“Why? You’re my best friend. You’re as close to me as family, Josie. If I don’t look out for you and something were to happen…let’s just say I’d feel better knowing you were closer to your shop and in a really safe building.”
With that, he kissed her forehead and put her on her feet. He felt her watching him as he took out his phone. “It isn’t like I’m trying to set you up as a mistress or some crazy shit. The title would be free and clear, all yours. Hold a sec.”
Love of the Game - The Complete Collection (Box Set) Page 21