by Selena Blake
“Of course I do. I want you to get your mind off Greg and Stephanie and most importantly, I want you to marry me.”
She smile and snuggled closer. “Don’t watch Joe,” she said, lifting her lips to Trevor’s. “I’m going to kiss him.”
To his credit Joe never grumbled about public displays of affection or private displays for that matter. Even now she could see him from the corner of her eye, lifting a day old newspaper as if it were a partition.
“May at the house sounds perfect.” And scary. She cupped Trevor’s jaw and kissed his cheek. “You think we can arrange something that fast?”
Their beautiful new home with immaculate back lawn would be the perfect place to say I do. But in the back of her mind she worried if everyone could make it on such incredibly short notice.
Obviously not happy with such a chaste kiss, Trevor sought her lips again. His warmth surrounded her and she could happily drown on the spicy scent of his cologne. When he let her up for air a few minutes later he murmured, “money makes anything possible.”
There wasn’t a hint of arrogance in his tone. He was simply stating a solution for their problem. She stared into his baby blue eyes and pure happiness filled her like a balloon.
“I don’t need fancy,” she said honestly.
“You need the wedding of your dreams. The perfect flowers, the perfect dre–”
“I have the perfect groom. The man of my dreams. The rest is just icing.” If someone had told her six years ago that one day she’d marry the broad shouldered jock with the gorgeous golden hair she would have laughed. But back then he’d been a handsome jock after one thing and she hadn’t wanted to be a notch in his bedpost. Now…now she knew that the man underneath the physically perfect exterior was just as beautiful.
“The perfect cake,” he continued, nibbling along her jaw.
“Stop, or I’ll have to spend another half hour in the ladies room putting myself back together,” she whispered, playfully pushing away from his chest. Not that she cared, but she knew that he wouldn’t want any delay tonight. While he supported several causes, she thought that this one was, perhaps, closest to his heart. And rightly so.
“Okay, you win. For now.”
She settled back against the cool leather seat, her naked upper back protesting the temperature, laced her fingers with Trevor’s and then shot a glance across the way at their bodyguard.
Was Joe happy doing what he did? He’d never uttered a complaint. But he had to get lonely sometimes, didn’t he? They needed to see about giving him more time off. Maybe once he caught this latest nut-job they could convince him to take a vacation. Somewhere warm and sandy with beautiful women. Maybe he’d even bring one of them home.
She grinned at the very idea of strong, silent and stoic Joe Catrell in love. What a special woman that’d be.
“It’s over, Joe,” she teased, letting him know the private display of affection had stopped.
The paper shield dropped.
“Any problems with us having a May wedding at the house?” Trevor asked Joe.
JJ loved that Trevor entrusted Joe with their security and did everything possible to make his job easy. She’d met enough professional athletes over the years to know that many of them were prima donnas.
“Shouldn’t be. We’ll need to increase security of course.”
She saw Trevor nod out of the corner of her eye.
The car slowed and the three of them looked out the windows. There was a small line of photographers and journalists on the sidewalk. It was still weird to be on the other side of the job, to be in the limelight versus shining the spotlight through her job as a journalist. But at least there weren’t as many cameras tonight as some of the events they’d attended.
Joe got out first, circled the back of the car and she knew that he was scanning the area for threats. Even though they were thousands of miles from home, he never relaxed. Never let down his guard. When, and only when, he was satisfied he opened the door on the passengers’ side. Trevor got out first and offered her his hand. She smiled up at him and he smiled back.
“You know what this means,” he said softly as they strode past the journalists. He paused.
“What does it mean?” she whispered back.
“You’re going to have to find a killer wedding dress ASAP.”
Her jaw dropped and she quickly snapped it shut. Wedding dress shopping.
She’d only waited her whole life for it. Taking a deep breath, she memorized her handsome fiancé’s features in this very special moment as well as the feeling sweeping through her.
He studied her expression for a half dozen heartbeats and then lifted his head, offering the reporters a photo opp. JJ did her part, smiling and answering one or two questions and then they were rushing through the doors.
A killer wedding dress. But of course!
The girls were going to have a field day helping her find the perfect one. Now that Trevor mentioned it, she wanted something that would make him salivate.
The party was in full swing. Finger foods had been gobbled up by the pound, dinner was done, plenty of money was being raised for a good cause. And now it was time for dancing, one of her favorite parts of the evening, next to dessert of course.
Trevor swept her into his arms and the rest of the world faded away while they moved against each other. She’d never felt safer or happier than when he was holding her.
As one song bled to another she felt him stiffen and she lifted her head from his chest. “What’s wrong?” she murmured, glancing up at the strong line of his jaw.
He stared over her head and she turned to see who had snagged his attention. The man was tall, wide, handsome. His tux was obviously custom since it clung to his frame in all the right places.
Carson Cole.
She’d know that face anywhere and it explained Trevor’s tension perfectly.
They’d been the best of friends until the night Stephanie had tried to kill herself and Trevor. She’d only succeeded with part of her reckless mission and Carson had never bothered to listen to Trevor’s side of the story. Their friendship had been severed by the other man’s silence.
JJ took a deep breath, once again acutely aware of how many lives had been ripped apart that night in the Hamptons.
It was obvious that although the two of them were locked in a staring contest neither intended to confront the other. JJ knew that Trevor missed his friend greatly and if there was any hope of reconciliation they needed to talk.
Trevor spun her away from Carson.
“What is he doing here?” he muttered but there was no malice in his tone, only pain.
“Probably the same thing you are.” The tension flowed from his fingertips into her and she hated, absolutely hated, that Trevor had lost his best friend. The thought of losing any one of her girls seized her heart until she felt the need to rub the ache away.
Tonight was about raising money for a good cause. Trevor’s fame and fortune would bring light and money to the research for brain disorders like the one that Stephanie’d had. And Carson was here for the very same reason.
Trevor didn’t reply, simply kept dancing. She sighed to herself. It was clear that Carson’s arrival was ruining the evening and the opportunity to do good. Enough was enough.
“Excuse me,” she said to Trevor and strode toward Carson. She half expected Trevor to pull her back but was pleased that he didn’t make a scene.
“Carson Cole.” She offered him her most disarming smile. Whereas the accident had destroyed Trevor’s chances at the game he loved so much, Carson was still very much on the team.
That fact had been one more blow after Carson turned his back on Trevor. She might not be able to resurrect Trevor’s football career but she could try to salvage this friendship.
“JJ,” he replied, shaking her hand.
“I didn’t realize you were in town,” Trevor’s voice came over her shoulder. “Good to see you Carson.”
JJ not
iced that Trevor didn’t offer his hand and Carson didn’t either. In fact, Carson simply nodded. A sixth sense told her that the two men were sizing each other up.
Fifteen heartbeats later neither one of them had said a word. Maybe it was Greg’s accident or the fact that tonight’s cause had her on edge. Maybe it was the fact that she adored Trevor and couldn’t stand to see him in pain or maybe it was her relationship with Cindy, Gretchen and Baby that made her want everyone to have such close friendships. Her bravado grew.
“Carson, would you dance with me?” she asked, holding out a hand. If Trevor hadn’t been tense enough she felt his body tighten against hers, his palm digging into her hip slightly.
“You’re a handsome guy,” she said to Trevor and winked up at him. “I’m sure you can find a dance partner.”
Carson didn’t take her hand but he stepped awkwardly onto the dance floor. JJ shot Trevor a behave look before stepping into Carson’s dance space.
“How’s your off season?” she asked, looking around at the other dancers rather than at him. In delicate situations she found it better to look away rather than make the person feel like she had them under a microscope.
“You really wanna talk about my off season?” Carson drawled. That Texas accent of his was rather delicious, not that she’d ever admit it out loud.
“I do. I don’t work for the paper anymore so you can tell me anything. Other than fundraisers, how are you keeping yourself busy?”
The hand at her upper back loosened. “Why?”
She gave him her full attention then, staring up at him for several counts before speaking. “Why what?”
“Why do you care?”
“Because, according to Trevor, once upon a time you two were as thick as thieves, tighter than brothers. And he misses you.”
Carson looked away but she could tell he was thinking about what she’d said by the way his jaw worked. “I doubt that.”
“Really?” she asked, not bothering to keep the sarcasm and incredulity from her tone.
She could have said more. In fact, there was so much more she wanted to say. Words she wanted to scream at him until he got it through his thick skull that Trevor was still hurting, maybe not physically but emotionally.
His jaw tensed again and he turned them so he was facing Trevor. Briefly she wondered if he was trying to make Trevor jealous but they were barely touching and his hand hadn’t so much as moved from her shoulder blade.
“So you don’t miss him at all? The friendship? The brotherhood? Team spirit?”
“What is it you want JJ?”
She stopped dancing and levelled her gaze on him as best she could being six inches too short. “My brother was in a car accident last night,” she heard herself say. That wasn’t what she’d meant to say, in fact, she’d been about to tell him to kiss and make up.
“I’m sorry.”
“He couldn’t get ahold of my dad or my brothers so he called me. Of course, he didn’t tell me that he’d had a concussion. Why do you tough guys always think you can handle everything yourselves?”
“So you won’t worry,” Carson replied smoothly.
“I suppose.” She glanced over at Trevor, knowing Carson was right. Trevor protected her just like Greg tried to do. Just like Carson would have protected Stephanie.
“So here’s the thing,” she said, staring back up at Carson. “Before you tell me it’s none of my business, let me point out that I’m going to marry Trevor next month so that makes his mental health my business.”
A soft scoffing sound escaped Carson’s lips but he didn’t interrupt.
“I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose a sibling. Mine are only step brothers but I love them dearly. My point is, you have no idea what happened that night. You have no idea what your sister did or said in those final minutes. If I were you, I’d want to know. And the only person on earth who can tell you is standing right over there.”
She took a step back and saw just how much impact her words had had. He did want to know. And before she could turn away, Carson stepped around her and strode toward Trevor. He cocked his head toward the far door. Trevor’s gaze widened and then swerved to her. She smiled and nodded, encouraging him to go have the talk he’d needed for so long.
Trevor followed Carson out the side door into a wide hallway. Several chairs and potted palms dotted the space. Though they were alone he knew that Joe would be nearby. Julia too. The thought gave him much needed comfort and loosened some of the tension from his shoulders. Whatever happened in his life, he knew that Julia would be by his side, supporting him, loving him.
He’d imagined this scenario a dozen times. There was so much to say, so many questions to ask and yet, right now, all he could think was what a warrior Julia was. And what had she said to Carson that affected him so much?
“That’s a helluva woman you’ve got there,” Carson said as he turned around.
“I know.”
“She seems to think I give a shit what you’ve got to say.”
Carson crossed his arms over his chest and Trevor realized they were going to play the adversarial version of the discussion. But Trevor didn’t want to be adversaries, he wanted his friend back. He’d do almost anything to go back to that night, not drink quite so much and then go home alone. But that would have altered his fate in unknown ways. It was possible he and Julia might not have ended up together if he’d kept playing ball.
“I’m so sorry about Stephanie.”
“Fuck you!” Carson’s shout echoed down the hallway and he took a swing at Trevor’s jaw.
Carson had never hit him before but Trevor’d seen him in a fight or two and knew what the stubborn tilt of his chin meant so he was prepared and ducked. The momentum of his punch carried Carson across the hall.
“Fighting won’t solve this,” Trevor said, turning.
“No, but it’ll make me feel better.”
“Really? Fine.” Trevor stood up straight. “Do you even know what happened the night Stephanie died? Do you want to know?”
“Bastard!” This time, instead of punching, Carson grabbed Trevor by the suit lapels and shoved him into the wall. Pain splintered down his spine and he shoved back.
“Did you know she was my stalker?” Trevor’s voice was loud in the hallway, louder than Carson’s grunts.
The other man stopped instantly.
“It wasn’t enough that you killed her, now you have to call her a stalker?”
This time Carson forgot about the head tilt and hauled back with his right fist but before it made contact another hand reached into the fight.
“That’s enough,” Joe said quietly, his hand holding back Carson’s fist.
Carson shook him off and stepped away.
“Getting your bodyguard to do your dirty work?” Carson snarled. Trevor didn’t see a shred of the man who’d once been his best friend. There was just a cold, empty shell that looked like him. He ached for the old days where they’d hung out during the off season like regular guys, played pool and drank beer while they watched the draft together.
“If it’ll make you feel better, go ahead and hit me.”
Before Carson could move another voice entered the discussion, but this time it was feminine and strong with a touch of lethal.
“Don’t you dare.” Julia stormed up the hallway, the skirt of her flowing black and white dress gathered in her hands, as fast as the spiked heels would allow. She stopped between him and Carson and gave them both what Trevor called her pit-viper stare. Hard, lengthy, calculating. He’d seen it once before and never wanted to see it again.
“You shouldn’t be offering to let him hit you,” she told him and then gave him her back. “And you. You’re so locked in your own pain that you don’t even see the damage you’re doing.”
“Julia, just let him hit me. Then we’ll–”
“Then you’ll go back to the party with a bloody nose.”
He nodded his head at Joe for him to get her out of
here and his bodyguard stepped forward with a quiet word.
“Oh, don’t you manhandle me, mister,” she said with a hand planted in the center of Joe’s chest.
Trevor couldn’t ever remember seeing Joe look surprised before but he couldn’t come up with any other name for the expression currently lifting Joe’s brows.
Carson laughed softly. “You’re a spitfire, aren’t you JJ Fairchild? I should’ve known.”
The change of topic was so swift Trevor reeled momentarily but Julia was back at it, staring down his former best friend.
“You haven’t even begun to see fire. You two make me so mad. I used to write about you, you know. About your friendship on and off the field. And then you had to go and ruin all that.”
“He ruined it.” Carson said with a disdainful nod in Trevor’s direction.
Trevor’d always thought Carson had been in so much pain over Stephanie’s death, that seeing Trevor was too awful of a reminder. There was a time when he’d wondered if Carson was embarrassed over Stephanie’s illness. But now he realized how wrong he’d been. Carson didn’t see Stephanie as a stalker; he saw her as a victim.
“No. Stephanie ruined it. You ruined it because you knew about her condition, her penchant for fixation and depression, didn’t you? You knew and you didn’t get her help. Put blame where blame is due, Carson. It’s time to put on your big boy boxers and man up. You’re pissed at Trevor because you failed to keep her safe. We get that. But Stephanie was driving the car. Stephanie–”
“You’re lying,” Carson ground out.
“She’s telling the truth,” Trevor said, stepping around Julia.
“It’s your word against a dead woman’s Wyatt.”
“Do you even hear yourself?” Julia shouted.
Joe tossed something against Carson’s chest. Carson held up the thumb drive. “It’s all there. If you’d bothered to read the reports.”
Trevor glanced at Joe, shocked that he’d been carrying around evidence. Or had he known Carson planned to attend tonight’s fundraiser. That was more likely. Joe was always prepared, always ready.
“What was your blood alcohol level?” Carson asked with a sneer that was so unlike him.