Beauty and the Billionaire Bachelors

by Nicole Elliot

  “I see. Did those two forget how to talk?” I prodded.

  “Temporarily. But after a lap holding the ball, they should remember. That or they will be too exhausted to even care what they were fighting about to begin with.”

  I tried to hide my smile. “And what happens if they drop the ball?”

  “They start over. Like I said, they won’t be worried about fighting when they’re done.”

  “Ahh. Great strategy.” I looked up at Hawk. His eyes followed the boys. “I guess you don’t need me, then?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve got this covered.”

  “Ok.” I turned to leave.

  When I got back to the rear door of the building, I heard the other kids on the field start to cheer the two running on.

  “Come on, guys, you can do it. Just a little further.”

  “You got this.”

  “Woohooo!”

  I grinned. This was the first time in almost four years working at the school that I could remember every single child on the field working together toward one goal.

  It was enlightening and heartwarming. I wished I could capture it and save it forever. I realized I could. I ran to my office, grabbed my cell phone, and raced back to the rear exit. I pressed record as the boys passed the field goal posts. The rest of the team jumped and cheered for them. They had less than twenty yards left to go. I followed them all the way, capturing each and every moment until the very end. When I panned out, I caught Kane Hawkins staring directly at me with a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. His eyes locked onto mine. I could feel the heat in his gaze from across the field.

  I wanted to run from him. I wanted to turn and shut the door behind me, locking it soundly afterward. But I couldn’t move. I was held immobile by his tranquilizing stare. Chills broke out along the flesh of my arms, traveling upward to my chest. My nipples hardened and I shivered.

  I fucking shivered from the top of my head to the bottoms of my feet.

  One look.

  That was all it took, and I knew that if I let that man get his hands on me again I would never be the same.

  So why did I have to fight every single muscle in my body to get it to turn and walk inside instead of back across the field to his side?

  11

  Kane

  After a week of volunteering at the center, I started to realize the impact I had on the kids. It was kicking my ass splitting up my time between the Sharks and the kids, but I had a sudden need for both.

  Julie hadn’t made things any easier. Every time I saw her all I could think about was the night at the back of Catch. But she wouldn’t let me get close to her.

  A bell rang in the distance and at least two dozen kids started to rush the field. I watched as Hunter melted into the background, not wanting to be a part of the group.

  For some reason, it bothered me. I’d observed it for days. They were like a pack of dogs, picking on the puppy. If I had a few minutes alone with Hunter, he wasn’t that shy. I’d gotten to know the kid. But as soon as the older kids showed up, he retreated faster than a guy on special teams trying to dodge a tackle.

  One of the older kids picked up the discarded football and the children started to sort teams. I strolled over to Hunter and waited for him to make eye contact with me.

  “Why are you not over there playing?” I asked him.

  “They don’t like it when I play.” His voice was quiet. I wanted to wipe the smudge of dirt from his cheek but I stuffed my hands in my pockets. I knew he had a no-contact policy.

  “Why not?”

  “Because they said only kids with families should play. No one is going to come see me play so there is no point.”

  “The little shits said that?”

  Truth was, I didn’t know Hunter’s story. Not all of it, anyway. But I wasn’t always the star quarterback. I didn’t always play in the AFA. I had a past. One I wasn’t proud of. Only that I had survived it.

  Hunter’s eyes widened.

  “Sorry. Language.” I shrugged. “Don’t tell Miss Bristow.”

  He smiled lightly.

  “Let’s go. If you want to play, you’re getting in that game.” I almost slung my arm around his shoulder.

  “No it’s ok, really. I don’t mind not playing.”

  “Well, I only play with the best so unless you come, I’m not playing.” I smirked. All week, I had been tossing with him. I’d never seen so much natural talent.

  “Really? You think I’m good?”

  “Damn straight kid, now let’s go.”

  He ran ahead of me. Before I even reached the huddle, I already heard the kids telling him they didn’t want him there. That he didn’t need to play. I listened, wanting to hear every word. Every second that passed made my blood run hotter.

  I didn’t get how little kids could be so mean and hateful to each other. What the hell happened to playing together and having a good time? Why did they give two damns about who had what or who was who? These little fuckers had no idea how good they had it. It pissed me off even more.

  “No one wants you, Hunter. Even your family didn’t want you. You can’t even find a new family to want you. You suck. Go away.”

  I saw the poor little guy trying his best to be strong and stay there. He was doing what I asked him to do. It filled me with pride. I wanted to wrap him up in a tight hug and let him know that he had someone in his corner.

  There was a ringleader in gangs. There always was. I walked to the center of their circle. I turned my head to the left and the right as if I was searching the crowd for someone and then I pointed to the oldest kid. I could see Hunter out of the corner of my eye. His shoulders dropped and his whole body looked like the world was sitting on top of them. No eight-year-old deserved that.

  “What’s your name?”

  There was fear in the kid’s face. “J-Jamie.” He swallowed hard. Suddenly the ring leader wasn’t the badass he thought he was.

  “Well, Jamie. We’ve known each other how long?”

  True, I hadn’t memorized their names. The only one I really kept an eye on was Hunter.

  “A week, sir.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. A week. Thought we could scrimmage today.”

  I heard them whisper around me.

  “Ok.” Jamie wasn’t entirely sure where I was going with this.

  “And I get to choose the team captains. You know what the Sharks expect out of their QB?”

  The kids around me shook their heads.

  “They want some damn loyalty.” I’d apologize for the cursing later. “They want someone they can count on. A man who will have their back on game day. Not some dick, talking shit about them.”

  I glared at each and every one of them.

  I flicked my hand, beckoning Hunter to come stand next to me. He was slow to push through the crowd. I handed him the ball and then looked out at the rest of kids watching.

  “Hunter is going to be team captain of the blue team,” I announced. “And if I were you, I’d want to be on his team. Because he can throw almost as good as me.” I winked at Hunter. “Almost. So who wants to play on Team Blue?”

  A flock of hands launched into the air immediately. I smiled. I looked at Hunter. “Pick your team, kid. The rest play with me.”

  Hunter stood straight, shoulders square. His voice was sure and confident as he chose his team. I patted him on the shoulder and smiled down at him proudly as the rest of the kids fell in line.

  Maybe tomorrow I could find some way to convince Cal and Joe into coming down here and playing a little with the kids. Hell, I might even be able to get Aaron too, if I got him away from that bitch he was dating long enough. It would help Hunter to know that he had all the DC Sharks backing him up. Maybe all these other little fuckers would start to be nicer.

  Not that I really cared. But he kind of sort of reminded me of myself when I was his age. I sure as shit wished someone had stepped in and offered me a hand up a time or two.

  �
��All right. Let’s play some football,” I announced.

  She was standing in the doorway. The same place she was every night when the field was more dark than light.

  “How was it, kiddo?” she asked Hunter.

  He grinned. “Awesome.”

  “Ok, get your stuff and I’ll drive you back.”

  I noticed she never called it home. Hunter ducked past her and ran through the halls.

  “He’s really good.” I crossed my arms, leaning on the door opposite of her. My eyes followed her legs up to her hips. Those tight skirts she wore drove me crazy.

  “I’m glad he’s found something he likes. I didn’t know if it would happen.” I heard sadness there.

  Shit. I was going to ask. I knew it.

  “So, what’s the kids’ deal? You always wait for him at the end of the day. Does he stay with you or something?”

  She closed her eyes. “He’s in between foster care homes right now.”

  “Shit,” I muttered.

  “He’s in a home for children waiting to be placed with another family. It’s worse than an adoption center. He has no normal. No security. No one. And when he does get placed, who knows how long he’ll stay there. He’s already been with three different families.” Her eyes misted and I felt something rip through my chest.

  I took a step forward, brushing my hand against her arm.

  “He’s a good kid.”

  She nodded, wiping the tear from her cheek. “He is. I love him. I’m not supposed to do that, but I do. I can’t help it. There’s something about him, you know?”

  She looked up at me with those big blue eyes.

  “I do know.” What the fuck was happening? “Why not you?” I asked. “Why don’t you take him?”

  “Me? Because the court won’t let a single woman on teacher’s salary adopt a child who needs a home.” Her voice was filled with resentment. “I’ve tried. I’ve tried everything and I can’t get past the red tape.”

  “That’s shit,” I muttered. It didn’t seem right. What kind of system was that?

  “I’m ready.” Hunter bumped in between us and I took a quick step back.

  “Hey, buddy.” I ruffled the top of his head and I heard him giggle. It had taken all week for him to let me get that close. It was my own kind of victory.

  “We have to get going,” Julie said, but I didn’t know if she wanted to let me know or Hunter.

  “Right.” I had late practice. The playoffs weren’t going to fucking win themselves.

  “Good night, Hawk.”

  Julie guided Hunter out the door toward the parking lot.

  My first response was to follow her ass as she sashayed on those high heels. But as they walked farther away, and I saw Julie lean down to say something to Hunter, I knew I was in way over my head.

  12

  Julie

  I could barely concentrate on the road. Hunter was buckled in the backseat and I needed to get him to the home before I had to explain why we were late. And why was that? Because I was falling for a notorious playboy? There was no explanation for that error in my judgement. I put the full blame on my raging hormones.

  I sighed, turning onto the dark street where I had to drop off Hunter. It was always the hardest part of my day. The worst. The saddest. The mots heart-wrenching.

  I put the car in park and walked around to Hunter’s side, lugging his bag out for him.

  “Ready?” I asked with a smile on my face.

  He nodded. “I guess.” The happiness he had earlier was gone. He hated this part of the day too.

  I wished things were different. I wished I had a way to adopt him. But I had been down that road. I couldn’t make it happen. I had tried every way possible. I wasn’t even able to foster him. It was one let down after another.

  “I’ll pick you up for school in the morning, ok?”

  I watched him walk up the stairs. His shoulders slouched forward.

  He didn’t answer and I felt the pain in my ribs. I wanted to drag him back to the car and take him home. Tuck him into a soft warm bed. Read him stories. Try to build Lego towers with him. Argue over what was going to happen in the next Star Wars movie. But I couldn’t do any of those things. Instead, I was a single twenty-six year old woman who could barely pay her bills.

  I had been so desperate I took a job at Catch. I didn’t even have that anymore. I quit after the bar fight. It had been my first and last night moonlighting.

  “Good night,” I called after Hunter.

  He looked at me over his shoulder and my heart broke a little more.

  “Night.” He walked inside.

  The door closed and I moved to the driver side of the car. The end of the day shouldn’t be like this for either of us. But there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

  I pulled away from the curb feeling as helpless and lost as he did. My stomach rumbled and I knew I needed to at least pick up some dinner. My fridge was empty. I hadn’t been grocery shopping all week.

  I stopped at one of my favorite delis and picked up a sandwich and a salad. The lady behind the counter smiled at me as she handed me the order.

  I wondered if she thought I was lonely. That on a Friday night I shouldn’t be picking up dinner for one. I sighed and trotted off to my car.

  I had pulled into the parking garage of my apartment complex when I looked down and saw the number for the children’s home flash on my screen. I scrambled to answer it.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s Jenni. Julie, are you still out with Hunter?”

  It was stupid, but I looked at the empty backseat of my car. “No, I dropped him off twenty minutes ago. I watched him walk inside.”

  I heard the alarm in Jenni’s voice. She was the night time coordinator. Over the past year I’d gotten to know her well enough that she trusted the arrangement I had with Hunter.

  “He’s not here.”

  “What?” I gripped the steering wheel with my free hand. “Where did you look?”

  “Everywhere. We’ve asked all the children. Checked the lounges, the dining hall, bathrooms. Nothing. We can’t find him. I’m going to have to call in an Amber Alert immediately.”

  “Oh my God.” My stomach plunged to my feet. I thought I was going to be sick.

  “Do you have any suggestions? Anything I could tell the police? Did he mention something today?”

  I shook my head. “No. He had a great day at school and an even better day at clubs after school. He actually played with the other kids today. He’s making real progress with Kane Hawkins.”

  And that was when it hit me.

  “Jenni, I’m going to make some calls. I’m going to start looking for him. Promise me you’ll call me when you find him.”

  “I will. Thanks, Julie.”

  My ignition was still running. I dug through my leather bag and held up the card I had received a week ago. It had all of Hawk’s information on it.

  My fingers hesitated for only a second. I had to do this for Hunter.

  13

  Kane

  My cell rang on the counter, vibrating against the granite. It was the third time in less than ten minutes it had rung. I was positive it was Joe calling again. I had already told him I didn’t feel like going out and partying tonight. I didn’t care that the Warriors were on tonight. Something about them always pissed him off. I wanted to focus on our game. Not what they had going on in Texas.

  I pushed myself off the couch. I didn’t recognize the number. I almost didn’t answer, but part of me was fucking relieved I didn’t have to hear Joe’s voice again.

  “Hello.”

  “Hawk?”

  “Julie?”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry to call you at home and I know it’s late, but—”

  There was panic in her voice. Something was definitely wrong.

  “Don’t apologize. What’s going on?”

  “It’s Hunter. I dropped him off at the group home and now he’s missing. They’re going to have
to call in an Amber Alert. And I’m completely freaked out. Do you have any idea what he’ll go through if the police start looking for him? I don’t think he could handle it.”

  “Slow down. Hey, it’s going to be ok. We’ll find him.”

  I already had my keys in my hand and locked the door behind me.

  “We?”

  “Yeah, I’m coming to where you are. You shouldn’t drive. We’ll find him together.”

  “You sure?”

  I’d never been so fucking sure of anything in my life. If that kid was out on the streets by himself, I wasn’t going to sit around like an asshole waiting for a phone call. I was going to find him.

  “Where are you, Jules?”

  “Sitting in my parking garage. I didn’t know where to go.”

  “Text me the address. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  I hung up and raced down the stairs. I heard the text pop up on my phone. I plugged the address into the map and knew I could be there in less than ten minutes.

  I pulled into the garage. Julie was still sitting behind the wheel. As soon as she saw me she ran from the car.

  I jumped out, and wrapped my arms around her for a second. “We’ll find him.”

  She looked up at me. “You promise?”

  I brushed a curl away from her temple. God, I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to hold her. I wanted to make this nightmare go away for her.

  I nodded. “I promise. Now hop in and tell me all of Hunter’s favorite spots. We’re turning DC upside down until we find him.”

  I peeled out of the parking lot, my tires squealing with the speed.

  We drove around for several hours, searching every alleyway in a three-mile radius and checking every bus station along the way. Once midnight hit, I could see the exhaustion setting in Julie’s shoulders. I reached over and rubbed my thumb along her spine, up to her neck and back down her shoulder. She moaned deep in her throat and tilted her head to the side.