Undefeated

by Reardon, Stuart

  She’d also given him a bottle of aromatherapy massage oil and promised with a wink that she’d use it on him later.

  By six o’clock, they’d gorged themselves on Christmas cake and more cups of tea, and Nick was very ready to stretch his legs.

  “We’re just going for a walk,” he said. “You coming, Trish?”

  “No, I’m going to stay and massage my stomach,” she groaned. “Have fun, children.”

  Nick muttered something under his breath, then helped Anna bundle herself into a thick scarf and warm coat.

  The air felt clean and crisp, and stars glittered in the inky sky as their breath curled like smoke. Their footsteps crunched over frozen snow and their noses turned pink.

  As they passed the White Rose pub Nick turned up his collar, hoping he wouldn’t see anyone he knew. Up until a year ago, the pub had been an old fashioned local, with a wooden floor, hard leather bench seats, and served six different real ales. Now it was a popular wine bar, furnished with black leather bar stools and decorated with gleaming chrome.

  It was also packed, everyone else having decided that they needed a break from family time, too.

  Nick stepped off the pavement to make room for a group of people about to enter the pub, but Anna was nearly knocked off her feet by a drunken woman.

  “I know you. How do I know you?”

  Anna’s head jerked, and she peered up as she caught her balance, the slurred voice sending shivers racing along her spine, then she heard Nick’s soft curse.

  Staring at her, a puzzled and belligerent expression on her face was Nick’s ex-fiancée: Molly.

  Her hair was a brassy blonde again and the bandage dress she was wearing pushed her breasts up so high it was as if she was serving them on a plate. Only a pink denim jacket protected her from the bitter cold.

  “I’m talking to you!”

  Molly staggered closer. She didn’t seem to notice that Nick was still standing in the road.

  “I’m aware,” Anna replied dryly, leaning away from Molly’s alcoholic fumes and glancing warily at Nick.

  Molly saw him immediately, one hand going to her hair as she pushed a hip out, striking a pose.

  “Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in!”

  Molly smiled smugly as his gaze darted to her breasts then to her face.

  “Hello, Nicky,” she purred. “Did you miss me?”

  “Yep, as much as a case of herpes.”

  Molly’s eyes flashed with anger, then she laughed loudly.

  “You couldn’t help copping a look though, could you?”

  “Fascination of the horrible,” he grunted, shooting a worried look at Anna who seemed frozen.

  Molly followed his gaze, her eyes narrowing malevolently.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! I recognise you now, you slut!” and she turned to Nick. “What the fuck is she doing here?”

  Molly glared at Anna who was shocked and upset.

  “We’re just walking off Christmas dinner,” Nick said calmly, even though his heart was racing. “And the only slut here is you. Now sod off.”

  Of all the people he hoped never to see again in his whole life, Molly took the number one spot.

  “I knew it!” she hissed, her eyes glittering with malice. “I knew you’d been shagging her all along. I could tell!” she snarled, pointing her inch long fingernail at Anna.

  “The only person here who cheated is you, you sad cow. Now go away and annoy someone else,” said Nick firmly, his stance protective as he stood between the two women.

  Molly straightened up, no longer seeming drunk.

  “You won’t get away with this!” she snapped. “Fuckin’ bitch.”

  To Anna, it sounded like a threat.

  Molly reeled away, swearing at everyone who was in her path.

  “Sorry about that,” Nick muttered as Molly disappeared inside, his good mood punctured.

  Anna was quiet, staring at the ground.

  “I’d like to go back now,” she said, her voice a hoarse whisper that spoke of unshed tears.

  “Come on, luv,” Nick pleaded. “Don’t let the likes of her drive you away.”

  Anna turned and started to walk back the way they’d come.

  Nick followed, uncertain what to say. But nothing seemed to help, and Anna wasn’t talking. After ten minutes of continuing silence, Nick was tired of being ignored. He stepped in front of her and brought his arms around her stiff body, pulling her against him. She was cold and unyielding.

  “Anna, she was drunk. She probably won’t even remember this in the morning.”

  Anna’s eyes lit with fury and she shrugged out of his embrace.

  “That’s your brilliant summation of the situation, is it?”

  “What?”

  “That she’ll be too drunk to remember she met her ex-fiancé with a woman who spoke against her in court, whom she believes cheated with said fiancé? If you think this is just going to go away you’re either stupid or incredibly naïve.”

  Nick’s temper flared.

  “Don’t call me stupid!

  Anna’s voice grew louder.

  “Then stop being so dumb! Don’t you get how serious this is? She could finish me!”

  “She won’t.”

  “Aaagh! You don’t know that! You heard what she said—we’re not getting away with this!”

  Nick tried to catch her flailing hands but she turned on her heel and started striding along the icy street.

  “Fuck,” Nick said softly, then jogged after her.

  “Anna, it’s going to be okay, I promise.”

  Her voice was as cold as the piercing air.

  “And how could you possibly promise that, Nick?”

  “Because I love you!” he shouted in frustration. “We’re in this together! Whatever happens, we’ll deal!”

  “So love solves everything?” she sneered. “Oh, why didn’t I think of that? Wait, the answer is coming to me . . . because love doesn’t make any difference!”

  Nick felt as if he’d been punched in the chest.

  “Of course it makes a fucking difference!” he shouted.

  Anna shook her head furiously and stalked away.

  “I knew this would happen,” she muttered. “I knew it and I did it anyway. I’m such a fool.”

  “Woah! Slow down! Nothing’s happened,” Nick insisted, matching her fast pace.

  “Yet. Nothing’s happened yet.”

  “Look, if it makes you feel better, I’ll talk to Molly.”

  Anna laughed mirthlessly.

  “Oddly enough, no, that wouldn’t make me feel better. You’ll just be giving her more ammunition.”

  “You’re blowing this out of proportion,” he said testily.

  Anna threw him a look that should have frozen his ‘nads off.

  “Am I? Well, I guess we’ll find out how smart your ex-fiancée is. And then we’ll see how smart you are.”

  “Stop being a fucking bitch!”

  She whirled around, all composure gone.

  “Don’t you get it?! It’s over! I’ll be finished!”

  “Anna . . .”

  “She won’t let this drop, Nick! I will lose everything!”

  “You won’t lose me.”

  She burst into tears, all the fight leaching out of her.

  Nick pulled her against him and held her tightly, whispering into her hair that he’d look after her, that he’d protect her, and all the while his blood boiled with rage as his heart froze with fear. So many emotions rushed through him that he felt like he was choking.

  Instead, he focussed on the woman in front of him that he loved more than his own life, and he held her.

  Their footsteps were slow as they made their way back to the house. Trish took one look at them and opened her mouth to ask questions, but Nick beat her to it.

  “Molly was at the pub.”

  “Oh shit. What did the bitch say to her?”

  “I’ll tell you later. I’
m going to take Anna upstairs.”

  They lay fully-clothed on Nick’s narrow double-bed, his arms around her as she sagged limp and lifeless against his chest.

  He thought she was wrong to worry about Molly, and felt sure that the Phoenixes’ management would give them a pass if Nick could tell them that he and Anna were engaged. But he wasn’t stupid enough to ask her to marry him there and then. Besides, he had a feeling she’d say no. She trembled in his arms, and Nick felt a chill breath of fear. Would she bolt? Would she run from him? Back to America? Or would she finish with him instead to save her career?

  He was desperate to ask her, desperate to know, but he just held her.

  They stayed that way all night, and in the morning they said their goodbyes to Nick’s parents, quiet and muted.

  Nick told Trish about Molly’s threats. Unlike him, she took them very seriously.

  “You need to watch out for her, Nick. She’s a devious psycho bitch and vindictive, too. Look at the way she got trashed your house—which you should have prosecuted her for, by the way.”

  “Drop it, Trish.”

  “I’m just saying. The woman holds a grudge and she’s bitter.”

  “She’s the one who cheated! I’m the one who got fined, community service and a criminal record.”

  “Yes, you did, but you’re also playing for a Premiership club and have been selected to play for England. Meanwhile, she’s been dumped by Kenny, and knows that she screwed up by cheating on you. Everything she ever wanted is what Anna’s got right now. You should be worried about Molly. I mean it.”

  His sister’s words reverberated through his brain, giving him a foul headache.

  Anna was morose and uncommunicative, answering his few questions with one word answers.

  Nick wasn’t sure what to do.

  So he did nothing.

  ANNA’S ANXIETY GREW, burrowing deep inside, gnawing at her gut, whispering spiteful words, pouring poison in her ears. A bomb was ticking under her life and she was running out of time.

  They drove back to London the following day, Boxing Day, and there was nothing in the newspapers or online.

  Nick’s confidence returned quickly, certain that Molly was all talk and wouldn’t do anything.

  But for the next few days, Anna scoured the tabloids and online news site each morning, her stomach churning with apprehension.

  All it would take was a single phone call to the news desk at one of those papers, a few questions, a photograph of Nick coming out of her apartment and it would all be over. So far, there hadn’t been a breath of intrigue, but Anna couldn’t relax. She’d hadn’t eaten for the last three days and had gone from slender to skinny, her collarbone protruding through its thin case of skin.

  She couldn’t talk to Nick about it because he was so laidback he just assumed the problem would go away; she couldn’t talk to her parents since they’d disapproved of the relationship from the beginning; and her friends were far away and she wasn’t sure they’d understand.

  Belinda might have helped, but she was immersed in the joys of a new grandchild and was busy celebrating the festive season.

  Instead, it was Brendan who noticed the change in her.

  “What’s crawled up your shiny new suit, Miss Positivity?” he asked sarcastically, clearly ticked off that she’d been miserable and bad tempered since they’d returned to work.

  “I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

  Brendan gave her a sassy look and put a hand on his hip.

  “You’re not fobbing me off with that, Annie Get-Your-Gun-and-shoot-yourself. Tell Auntie Brendan what’s wrong. And don’t even think of saying ‘nothing’.”

  “I . . .”

  “I mean it!”

  She took a deep breath, desperate to share with another human being.

  “I’ve been seeing someone . . . a man . . .”

  “Nick Renshaw, yes, I know. Very studly.”

  Anna blinked, her mouth popping open with surprise.

  “You . . . you know?”

  Brendan rolled his eyes.

  “You didn’t hire me just for my outrageous good looks, you know!”

  “But . . .”

  “Honey, your eyes light up like Piccadilly Circus when someone even mentions his name. Totes emosh when you’re in the same room together, even I feel like jumping your bones—which I’m seeing a lot more of these days, by the way.”

  Anna’s head was spinning. If Brendan had figured it out, who else might know?

  He seemed to read her mind.

  “Don’t worry, your little in-lust secret is safe with me. Not everyone is gifted with my incredible insight. I’m a personal assistant, Miss Smartypants. I am all-seeing, all-knowing.”

  “Oh,” she said weakly.

  “So you’ve been practising the beast with two backs on Mr. Downright-Sinfully-Dark-and-Deliciously-Dangerous and you’re obviously worried someone will find out.” He fanned his face. “Soooo obvious.”

  Anna lowered her eyes.

  “Someone has found out.”

  “Not from me!” Brendan said sharply.

  She glanced up, touching his arm briefly.

  “No, Bren, not from you. It was at Christmas. I . . . we . . . were staying with Nick’s parents and ran into his ex-fiancée. She wasn’t happy, to put it mildly.”

  “The bimbo who cheated on him.”

  “The very one.”

  “Ah.”

  “Yep.”

  Brendan tapped a pen against his newly whitened teeth.

  “Just out of interest, when did this whole love-malarkey start?”

  Anna sighed.

  “The night before I interviewed you, as it happens.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes, one time, that’s all.”

  “Hmm, one night of unbridled passion with a man who has buns of steel. Lucky you. No wonder you were in such a good mood for my interview.”

  Anna gave a weak smile.

  “And then we met again when he started playing for the Phoenixes. The . . . attraction was still there.”

  “Understatement,” Brendan coughed, rolling his eyes so hard he nearly sprained his eyelids.

  He sat on the edge of the desk and crossed his legs.

  “Pre-emptive strike.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You need to go to Sim Andrews. He likes you, worships the ground your Manolos walk on since the Phoenixes are doing so well. And he rates your boy-toy. Throw yourself on his mercy. Fess up. It’ll go much better than seeing it as front page news in The Daily Sleaze.”

  “But . . .”

  “Please!” he sighed, flapping a hand in her face. “I’ve confessed to more sins than the average Playboy Bunny. I know how this works. Besides, you’re both too valuable to lose. Trust me. It’ll be fine,” and he yawned. “And better than hiding away and pretending blind indifference to each other.”

  “You really think so?”

  Brendan stared at her seriously.

  “You’re the best boss I’ve ever had, Annie. I don’t want you to fuck this up for either of us.”

  He picked up the office phone from the desk, dialled a number, and turned to leave.

  “Speak to him now. Start the New Year with a clear conscience. Well, that’s what other people do. I like to start the New Year in the arms of a nice piece of rough trade—bikers, sailors, Ethan from the tattoo parlour. But that’s just me.”

  The phone rang four times, then Anna heard Sim’s curt voice.

  “This is Sim Andrews. Leave a message.”

  She took a deep breath and was about to speak when her cell phone dinged with an incoming alert, and the words she’d dreaded flashed in her face.

  She slammed down the landline phone, her heart hammering wildly.

  “Brendan!”

  He came hurrying in.

  “Did you call Sim already?”

  “No. Look!”

  And she handed him her cell p
hone with shaking hands.

  NAUGHTY NICK PLAYS DOCTORS AND NURSES!

  And there was a photograph of them kissing and, oh God! It must have been taken from outside!

  Anna stumbled to the window and whipped the drapes together, while Brendan watched her with compassion in his eyes.

  “What does it say?” she whispered. “I can’t bear to look.”

  “Uh, well, not too bad, really. Just that, um, Nick is, um, involved with the club’s doctor—they got that part wrong—and that you’re a hot totty from America.”

  Anna blinked.

  “I’m a hot what?”

  Brendan waved a hand.

  “Don’t worry about that—they caught your best side. You do look hot, and I must say, that’s a steamy clinch I wouldn’t mind sharing with your Nick.”

  “Brendan!”

  “Sorry.”

  “Is it just that one news site?”

  Brendan scrolled through her phone.

  “Ah, no, there are mentions on others, but they’ve only got stock images, nothing else like . . . well, nothing else.”

  Anna’s heart was skipping and she couldn’t catch her breath.

  “Oh, fuck! Come and sit down, Annie! You look like you’re about to pass out! Where are the smelling salts?”

  He lowered her into a chair and ran to the office, returning with a bottle of brandy and two glasses.

  “Take a sip, it’s good for shock.”

  Anna did as she was told, even though the tiny part of her brain that was still rational knew that hot tea with sugar was better for shock than alcohol.

  She sipped the brandy and coughed.

  “I need to tell Nick.”

  “Where is he?”

  “At the Club, probably in the gym.”

  “You’d better call him before the shit hits the fan.”

  “I know. Oh God, I know!”

  It took her three attempts to find his name in her contacts and press the right button. The phone rang once and went to voicemail.

  “Nick, it’s me. They know. It’s all over the online news sites about us. Call me when you get this.”

  “Are you going to phone Sim Andrews?”

  Anna bit her lip.

  “I want to talk to Nick first.”

  The office phone rang, and Anna jumped.

  Brendan grabbed it and answered in his most officious voice.