Guarding His Heart

by Synithia Williams

  “I’m glad you’re not losing your agent.”

  “Me, too. I haven’t told all of my teammates yet. I dropped the news to the ones closest to me first. The rest of the team will find out on Monday.”

  “How did they take things?”

  “Really well, actually. They hate to see me leave, but they understood my reasons. Taking care of me is the most important thing.”

  His fingers flexed over her hand. His eyes didn’t leave the road, but his brows drew together.

  “Taking care of you? Kevin, what’s really going on? I know you’ve said you want to try something new and that you’ve played ball all your life, but you never told me why now is the time for you to leave. It’s obvious you still want to play. Why are you retiring?”

  He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back. The brush of his lips across her skin was soft and fleeting. A sizzle of heat traced up her arm and spread through her body. “It’s just time. I’m getting older. I’d rather go out on top than wait until people say I should have left years earlier.”

  Jasmine knew that wasn’t the entire story. Something else was going on with Kevin. Something he didn’t want to talk to her about. Another sign they weren’t really a couple.

  “How did it go in Greenville?” he asked.

  She fought the urge to glare at him. He wanted to change the subject, fine. Don’t push for more. Realize when more isn’t coming and cut all ties.

  “Even better than I expected,” she answered. “I got some good shots of the home of one of the area’s first black doctors—a woman, if you can believe it. She was from North Carolina and lived in Georgia but stayed in Greenville for a few years. I can’t wait for everyone to see the pictures.”

  “Your project is really cool. I think it’s great, the history you’re documenting.”

  “I hope everyone else thinks the same. I got a call from one of my friends who took a job in Milan for Vogue I turned down. She’s about to be flying first-class, staying in five-star hotels and going to fabulous parties after the shoot. I’m spending my summer—”

  “Doing something great that will bring recognition to families who struggled to find an existence during a difficult time,” Kevin said with determination. “You want to go to Milan, fine. I’ll take you after your show to celebrate. We’ll party and stay at the best hotels, but don’t think for a second that what you’re doing isn’t important, too.”

  Jasmine appreciated his reassurance. She hadn’t realized the trace of envy that had crept in when she’d spoken to her friend. Envy, and the worst emotion of all, self-doubt. The call had come on a day when the house she’d photographed was nothing more than dilapidated wood that barely stood. She’d wondered if anyone would care about the family who’d lived and thrived there.

  “Thank you,” she said. “A part of me knows I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do this if someone didn’t think the stories were worth telling. Another part of me wonders if I should have just stuck with fashion photography and left the important work to others.”

  “It doesn’t matter if you’re taking pictures of homes or supermodels, your work is important. Everyone has a job to do. How you do that job is a reflection of your character. You care about these untold stories, therefore, you’re the person who should be telling them.”

  “Dang, did you ever consider becoming a motivational speaker? You’ve certainly made me feel better.”

  He chuckled. “Maybe I’ll fall back on that if this broadcasting thing doesn’t work out.”

  “I go back to New York in a few weeks. That’s when I’ll decide on the actual photos I want to display.”

  “I look forward to seeing them,” he said.

  Did that mean he expected them to be together even after the summer ended? If so, why wouldn’t he tell her the real reason he was retiring? Why introduce her to his friends and talk about taking her to Milan to celebrate if he didn’t want them to move forward?

  Stop being ridiculous and ask him.

  Kevin’s cell phone rang before she could make up her mind about having the conversation or not.

  “Incoming call from Sabrina,” stated the monotone voice of his SUV’s Bluetooth interface.

  “Accept,” Kevin said.

  Jasmine barely kept her jaw from dropping. He was going to answer his ex-wife’s call with her in the car? She would have expected him to not want her to overhearing anything. Julio got upset if she even asked about a conversation with his ex-wife. Did that mean Kevin trusted her to hear? That there wasn’t anything potentially incriminating for her to overhear?

  Or did it mean Jasmine was so insignificant when it came to the relationship he had with Sabrina that it didn’t matter what she heard?

  And there you go borrowing trouble.

  “Sabrina, hey, on speaker in my car and I’ve got someone with me,” Kevin answered.

  Well, that answered most of her questions. He’d referred to her ambivalently as “someone,” which was neither important nor unimportant. Sabrina would know anything she said would be overheard and therefore that left the ball in her court as to how comfy the conversation got.

  “Okay, this will only take a few minutes anyway,” Sabrina responded. Her voice was husky and smooth. The kind of voice Jasmine imagined would keep men up at night with all kinds of sexy dreams.

  That Sabrina didn’t ask who the “someone” in the car was answered another question. Kevin routinely answered her calls with other people around and Sabrina didn’t care enough to find out who listened in.

  “Okay, shoot,” he said.

  “Are you getting Asia’s gift for her birthday? I’m trying to get all of the details for her party together and I want to be sure you won’t drop the ball.” Sabrina’s voice, sexy huskiness aside, was tight, a little frazzled and slightly accusatory.

  Kevin’s shoulders tightened, but he chuckled and shook his head, clearly a little bothered by his ex-wife’s state. “Calm, down, kitten, I told you I’d handle the gift and I’ve got it.”

  There was that nickname again. Jasmine pulled her hand out of Kevin’s. He shot her a glance, but she looked out of the window instead.

  “Are you sure? This is going to be a huge surprise. I’ve promised her and her friends that the party will be fantastic.”

  “Have I let you or her down before?”

  “Do you really want to go there?” Sabrina snapped.

  Kevin took a slow breath. “I haven’t missed a birthday party since Paris was three. Come on, Sabrina, you know I’ve got this.” He still sounded calm, but there was an undertone of frustration and disappointment. “I promise I’ll be there and Asia will have the best sweet sixteen party. Jacobe is friends with Dante Wilson and Raymond. I confirmed with Raymond on the phone yesterday. He will be at her party and will sing happy birthday.”

  Sabrina’s relieved sigh echoed through the car. “Okay, I just want to be sure.”

  “Trust me, okay?” His tone was reassuring, but why did he have to dip into the warm and fuzzy territory that had made Jasmine’s heart melt? Now it made her stomach churn. There was definitely something with him and the ex.

  “I will. Just...don’t forget to call me if anything changes. I’ll talk with you soon.”

  The call ended. Silence filled the car. “You want to tell me why you’re all stiff now?”

  “I’m not stiff,” Jasmine replied.

  “Yes, you are. What’s the deal? What did I say?”

  Jasmine shifted and faced him. The lights outside were less frequent as they entered a more secluded residential area. “You two still seem really close.”

  “We are close. We’ve got two kids.” His voice was easy, calm, infuriating.

  “You call her kitten.”

  He frowned, then his face cleared up and he laughed. “Yeah, that’s an old habit. Sabrina is kind of
high-strung. She’s always been that way. When she gets mad, she’s ready to scratch everyone’s eyes out. In high school, everyone said she fought like an alley cat. I started calling her kitten to show her I wasn’t afraid of her attitude. It works if I keep an easy tone and no sudden movements. She eventually calms down and comes around. It doesn’t mean anything.”

  “It sounds like it means something.” She hated the jealous sound of her voice, but she was jealous. Maybe they were just having fun and jealousy shouldn’t play in their situation, but jealousy wasn’t an emotion that tended to follow the rules.

  Kevin took her hand back and brought it to his mouth again. “I promise there’s nothing more there. Sabrina and I had our time and it didn’t work. She’s engaged now. I’m happy for her. It’s nothing.”

  “She’s engaged?”

  “Getting married in six months.”

  “And you’re okay with that?” She watched for any signs of jealousy. Just like she knew she shouldn’t be jealous of his ex but couldn’t help herself, he may be going through the same thing. If that were the case, it was a hard no for her. This would end immediately.

  “Why wouldn’t I be? I have no claim on Sabrina and she has no claim on me. As long as he treats her and my kids well, I don’t care who she marries. I don’t love her anymore.” His voice was steady, sure. No eye twitches, stiff shoulders or uncomfortable shifting. She believed him.

  “Why does she think you’ll mess up the birthday plans?”

  He didn’t answer for several seconds. His shoulders were tight. “After our divorce, I partied a lot. One party started in Vegas and ended in Dubai. I missed our daughter’s third birthday. I was supposed to have brought the cake.”

  “That must have been some party.” It was all she could think to say.

  The corner of his mouth tilted up and some tension left his shoulders. “It was. It was also the moment I realized just because I was divorced, it didn’t mean I could be an absentee father. I won’t let my kids down ever again. Not if I can help it.”

  “How old is Paris now?”

  “Twelve.”

  “She’s still holding that against you and it was nine years ago?”

  “I wish that was the only time I screwed up after our divorce, but it was the last. Trust takes a long time to regain. If dealing with her expectation that I’ll disappoint the girls helps keep us cool, I’ll deal. Not being a part of my kids’ lives isn’t happening.”

  He pulled down a drive that she hadn’t seen from the road. She thought about his words while he maneuvered down the winding road. So Sabrina was getting married. That was good. The pet name explanation made sense, too.

  Sabrina’s expectation that Kevin would always be a disappointment was a little disheartening. Despite the media reports on his wild lifestyle, Jasmine had seen for herself that family was the most important thing to him. He’d saved his hometown because his mom and grandmother still lived there. He obviously loved his kids and had made his blended family work.

  You weren’t there. You don’t know their history.

  True, but she was learning about the man he was today. She couldn’t imagine Kevin turning his back on his family or ignoring their needs.

  She placed her hand over his. “You’re getting Raymond to sing at your daughter’s birthday party. That has to be the best thing ever.”

  He relaxed and grinned. “He’s her favorite singer. I hope it’s not too much.”

  “Believe me, she’s going to love it. You’ll be crowned father of the year.”

  A large home overlooking the river came into view. He parked next to the other luxury vehicles lined in front of the house. He got out of the car and came up to her side. Once he opened the door for her, he helped her down and pulled her directly into his arms. The kiss he laid on her lips snatched the air from her lungs. Her breasts suddenly felt heavy. Her body hummed for more.

  “Don’t ever think I want to go backward. There is only one woman I want, and she’s in my arms right now. You got that?” His voice was low and solid. His eyes burned with a flame that made her want to drag him into the back seat and finish that make-out-like-teens session they’d had earlier.

  “I got it.” Her voice came out deep and throaty.

  He nodded. “Good.” He took her by the hand and led her to the door of the huge house. She recognized Isaiah Reynolds, player for the Jacksonville Gators, when he answered the door. He and Kevin greeted each other with one-arm hugs and backslaps.

  “Kevin, I was hoping you would drop in for couples game night.” Isaiah grinned at them, an eager and pleased expression on his face.

  Couples game night? Kevin had invited her to couples game night? Oh shit, that was relationship status.

  “This is my girl, Jasmine,” Kevin said by way of answer. “Jasmine, this is Isaiah, the guy we’re going to embarrass at game night.”

  Jasmine laughed and tightened her grip on Kevin’s hand. The smile on her face made her cheeks ache. She’d explore the happy feelings bursting in her later. For now, she was going to enjoy the night.

  “Nice to meet you, Isaiah. Sorry in advance for the beatdown.”

  Chapter 16

  A month after the couples game night, Jasmine found herself smiling from ear to ear when the car dropped her off at Kevin’s condo in Atlanta. Worries about their relationship status hadn’t plagued her since the night he’d introduced her to his closest friends and their significant others. They hadn’t had “the talk” about where things were going, but when he’d called her sister to ask what dessert he could surprise her with for her birthday dinner that wouldn’t cause too much of an issue with her diabetes, Jasmine had taken that as a sign they were officially dating.

  When Kevin opened the door to his condo, her greeting stuck in her throat. Who the hell was this handsome man, and how was she supposed to focus on anything but getting the perfectly tailored navy suit off his body? She’d never seen Kevin in a suit. They’d gone out when they met up on weekends, but mostly for casual, low-key dates or fun outings. She’d seen him in a suit on television in post-game interviews, but not up close and personal. He looked damn fine in a suit.

  Kevin looked down at his clothes and ran a hand over his tie. His eyes were confused when they met hers again. “What’s wrong? Is there something on my suit?”

  She shook her head. “No. You just look—” she grinned “—really good.”

  Tension seeped out of his shoulders and he stepped back so she could enter. As soon as she crossed the threshold, he took the overnight bag from her hand and pulled her into his embrace. “You look really good, too.”

  His kiss immediately heated her blood. Jasmine dropped her purse to the floor and wrapped her arm around his neck. His body was solid steel beneath the fine material of his suit.

  Two weeks had passed since they’d last spent a weekend together. Two weeks of sexting, late-night phone conversations and trying to bridge the sexual gap on her own. Now that she was here in his arms, with his body pressed against hers and his kiss intensifying with each passing second, she wanted him to slam her against the wall and take the edge off.

  She put just enough distance between them to work at the button of his jacket.

  “I’ve got a meeting,” Kevin said. His hand covered hers at his jacket, but he didn’t stop kissing her.

  “You’re going to have to be late,” she said.

  He groaned, low and throaty. “Damn, Jasmine, you make me want to forget everything.”

  She cupped the rigid length of him through his pants. “Then forget everything.”

  His hand gripped her ass. “I can’t.” He eased back to give her soft, gentle kisses. Didn’t he know what those did to her?

  “Why?” Damn, was that her voice coming out pleading and breathless? She rubbed her breasts against his chest.

  “Because...” he
started. Jasmine massaged him through his pants. “Shit, that feels good.”

  “Dad, do you have any more soda?” a young girl’s voice came from the back of the house.

  A naked dip in the Arctic Ocean wouldn’t have frozen Jasmine any faster. Her head fell back and she met Kevin’s gaze. “One of your kids is here?” She kept her voice low.

  “I was going to tell you that,” he whispered back. “Look in the pantry,” he called toward the back of the house.

  “Okay,” came the response.

  “What’s going on?” Jasmine eased out of his embrace.

  “It’s Asia. Sabrina went to Orlando with Paris for a math competition,” Kevin explained, referring to his second daughter. “Asia didn’t want to go, so I agreed to watch her. Sabrina was supposed to be back before you got here, but their flight was delayed. I couldn’t exactly kick her out even though I knew you were coming. I was going to see about dropping her off at a friend’s until Sabrina got back, but then Clive called and said the executives with Taylor Sports wants to meet right now. I can take her with me. I know your thing with kids.”

  Yeah, her thing with kids. Not getting too attached. Not meeting them unless the relationship was going somewhere. Old fear made her want to call back her Lyft driver and say she’d meet up with Kevin after he handled everything. New hope that she and Kevin could make a relationship work kept her feet planted on the floor.

  Jasmine pointed toward the back of the house. “Don’t do that. We can hang out until you’re done.”

  He stilled and raised a brow. “I thought you didn’t do kids.”

  “I didn’t say that.” She didn’t do kids with a guy she didn’t want to fall in love with. Too late for that. She’d fallen for Kevin. “I said I don’t like kids forced on me, but you’re in a tough spot. I know this thing with Taylor Sports is a big deal. I’m happy to hang with her for a few hours until you get things settled. No biggie.” She gave him what she hoped was a no-biggie smile.