Homecoming King

by Jami Albright

We have been for years.

  Seventeen

  Cash

  “Cash?”

  “Huh?”

  “I asked what’s next?”

  We’re moving down the front steps of City Hall. The bright Texas sun heats my skin. But the inferno burning me to ash is because of the woman tucked under my arm.

  One foot in front of the other.

  One foot in front of the other.

  One foot in front of the other.

  That’s been my mantra since my lips touched Tiger’s. I’m so off balance that I’m having to concentrate in order to perform basic tasks. It’s ridiculous that a closed-mouth kiss would fulfill all my teenage fantasies. Hell, it fulfilled all my grown man fantasies too. “Um … you tell me how much you need, and I’ll contact my accountant.”

  “Just like that?”

  I don’t feel bad about the cocky smirk that pulls at my lips. The ability to fund this project is the reward for years of punishment to my body. “Just like that.”

  “That’s incredible.”

  “Oh, wait. Today’s Friday?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then it might be Monday or Tuesday before we can get it all settled. That still works, right?”

  “Yes.” She slips out from under my arm. She’s all business now. Gone is the soft female I kissed just a few minutes ago, and in her place is a determined badass woman. “So, I should be able to take it to Miss Clayton early next week.”

  “Miss Clayton?”

  “Elva Clayton. She owns the land that the rec center sits on. Some of the money is to pay the lease on the land for the next year.”

  “I knew the rec center was named after J.B. Clayton, but I didn’t realize the family still owns the land.”

  She takes another step away from me, putting more distance between us. “Yes, Elva made the donation of money back in the eighties and requested that it be named after her late father, but she kept possession of the land.”

  I slip my sunglasses on to hide my disappointment and annoyance that she so seamlessly switched gears. It’s like we never kissed. And why wouldn’t she behave like that? It was all an act anyway. Plus, at the end of the day, she’s still Tiger Lyons, and I’m still that King boy from Ryder East.

  No, damn it. I’m not that same inferior kid anymore. I’m Cash Fucking King, and I can have any woman I want.

  “Well …” She glances around like she wants to make a getaway. “That was great. Thank you. But I better get back to work.”

  That is, any woman except this one, apparently. I jingle my keys. “I’m your ride … remember?”

  “You’re busy.” Her teeth press into her bottom lip. She’s going to chew the thing off if she’s not careful. “I’m sure I can get Maggie to give me a ride back to the house.”

  Wow, she really wants to get away from me. Good thing I have a healthy ego, or this woman would have me scheduling an appointment with a therapist immediately. Her insistence on being rid of me only makes me want to mess with her more. “Nope. My schedule is wide open.”

  She digs around in her purse and pulls out her phone. “Nonsense.”

  A red Corvette whips into a parking spot directly in front of us. The passenger window lowers, and Duke yells, “King, you slacker! Drop and give me twenty.”

  I lead Tiger to my best friend’s car. “Slacker, huh? We’ll see who kicks whose ass later.”

  Duke unfolds his big body from the ’vette. I swear I don’t know how he fits in there. He’s as big as me, if not bigger. “I think we both know how that’s going to turn out.” Long strides bring him around the front of the car toward us. He extends his hand to Tiger. “John Wayne. My friends call me Duke.”

  “Oh, I know who you are.” Tiger giggles like she can’t control her vocal cords.

  What the hell?

  Duke cocks his head and his brows hike over eyes full of mischief. “Do you now?”

  Another fucking giggle slips from the former beauty queen’s mouth, and she’s still holding his hand. “Tiger Lyons.”

  “Awesome name.” He breaks the contact, thank God. “How have we both lived in Ryder and never met, Miss Tiger?”

  A bright, pink flush passes over the woman’s cheeks. “Oh, you wouldn’t remember me. You were a senior when I was a freshman. But I knew who you were.”

  “Is that right?” Duke slips his hands in his back pockets, and I want to knock his aw, shucks, ma’am grin off his face. I’ve seen it a million times. He turns it on every time he’s around a woman he finds interesting.

  “Oh, yeah. My friend Maggie and I used to come to all your football games.”

  What the ever-lovin’ hell? If Tiger twirled her hair around her finger and popped her gum, I wouldn’t be surprised.

  “Is that a fact?” Duke grins down at her.

  I shake my head. “Of course they did, dumbass. They came to all my games too. What else was there to do on Friday nights in this town?”

  “He has a point,” Duke says to my companion.

  That ridiculous noise like bells tinkling comes from Tiger’s mouth again. The one that makes her sound like a teenager with a crush. “I guess he does.”

  “What are you doing here?” The edge of each word could slice through steel. I can’t help it. It’s like I don’t exist.

  Duke raises a brow. “You asked me to come.”

  I wave away his comment. “I mean why are you here now? You said it could take a couple of days. I wasn’t thinking we’d start workouts until Monday.”

  “I was able to rearrange my schedule.” His gaze moves between me and Tiger. “Is that a problem?”

  “No.” And it’s not. I’m glad he’s here to help me get my mind back on football, where it should be. “I booked you a room at the Haney’s B&B. Mrs. Haney said they had plenty of vacancies this week, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem for you to check in early.” I knew Duke wouldn’t want to stay with his mom and stepdad.

  “Thanks, man. Ruby Haney’s breakfast is almost as good as your mom’s. How is your mom?”

  “She’s good.” The slap of misery that hits me isn’t surprising. I hate letting my mom down, and I’ve really disappointed her this time, on a couple of levels.

  His muscled arms cross over his chest. “Should I pick you up there, and we can ride to the high school together to work out?”

  My gaze slides toward Tiger. “Naw, I’m staying at Wayland Estate.”

  “What?” both Tiger and Duke say together. It’s the first word she’s spoken to me since Duke got out of his car.

  I ignore her and address Duke. “I bought Wayland Estate yesterday.”

  “Really? Why?”

  I wave him off. I don’t want to talk about my mom right now. “Doesn’t matter, the point is I’m staying there while I’m in town.” I cut my eyes to Tiger. “I want to keep an eye on the construction.”

  If the scarlet climbing up her neck is any indication, then my words did their job. I guess she thought last night was a one off and that I’d go back to my mom’s tonight. Not a chance.

  She shuffles her feet and won’t meet my eyes. “Why would you want to stay at the house? There’s nothing there but a camp cot and a bathroom. You should stay at your mom’s until we’re done. It’s really not safe.”

  I’m sort of embarrassed that I’m enjoying her discomfort so much, but can’t bring myself to care because now I have her attention. “Seemed pretty safe to me last night. Besides, I like waking up with you.”

  “What?” Duke says at the same time that Tiger says, “We didn’t wake up together.”

  I focus on the beauty queen. Duke I’ll deal with later. “I don’t know, I was pretty awake after our little meet up.”

  “Do tell?” Duke’s worse than a gossiping granny.

  The death glare sparking in Tiger’s eyes should make me fear for my life, but interestingly, it’s having the opposite effect. I’ve never felt so alive. Every cell in my body is primed and ready.

  Her
attention returns to Duke. “Ignore the football player, he likes to start rumors about me. It’s a pattern with him.”

  I slap my hand over my heart. “Good thing we said we were past all that, Kitty Cat.”

  It’s like I never spoke. She keeps talking to Duke. “He slept in the big house last night, and I slept in the pool house, where I live.” She hurls the last three words at me like little darts. “And,” she finally turns to me. “I’d happily move past what you did in high school if you didn’t keep doing the same thing.”

  “Me?”

  “Also, the house isn’t safe. You could get up in the middle of the night and step on a nail or trip over a cord … any number of terrible things could happen to you.” The last part is ground out between her clenched teeth. That she would be the one to inflict those terrible things isn’t explicitly expressed, but clearly understood.

  “I like to live on the edge, Kitty Cat.” I jingle my keys again. “Ready to—”

  “Duke, would you mind giving me a ride to Wayland Estate?”

  “Sure.” His gaze pings between the two of us. He flashes a shit-eating grin my way and reaches behind him to open the car door. “Jump in.”

  What? How did that just happen? I can’t say anything now without looking like a jackass. So, I swallow down about a million curses as Duke makes his way around the car.

  “Meet you at the high school in a couple of hours, and we’ll get a workout in,” he says, standing between the open car door and the vehicle.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  “See you then.” He taps the roof of the ’vette then takes a seat behind the wheel. The car roars to life, and Tiger’s gaze is plastered to the front window. Now she’s ignoring me? I don’t think so. I tap the window. “See you at home, sweetheart.”

  The last thing I see before they pull away is a pair of angry blue eyes.

  I practically skip to Lola. The chase is on.

  And I never stop until I win.

  Eighteen

  Tiger

  “So … um … thank you for the ride.” Those are the first words Duke or I have spoken since we left Cash in front of City Hall. All of our easy rapport dried up the minute I got into the car. It’s not his fault. It’s mine and a certain quarterback’s. This nice guy just got caught up in the weird relationship I have with Cash.

  The car stops in the circle drive of Wayland Estate. “Anytime.”

  His mischievous grin enhances his already handsome face. I’m sure that slight tilt of his lips has been the undoing of many an unsuspecting woman, but it has no effect on me. My head’s still full of images of a chaste kiss and scotch whiskey eyes that could burn me alive with their intensity.

  I narrow my eyes and point at his mouth. “How much trouble does that get you into?”

  The laugh that fills the car seems to catch him off guard. “More than you can imagine.”

  “I don’t know, I can imagine an awful lot,” I chuckle.

  “Times that by a billion.”

  And just like that, Duke and I seamlessly maneuver each other into the friend zone.

  He glances past me at the front of the house. “So, you mentioned some construction?”

  It takes me a minute to figure out what he’s talking about. “Yeah, I’m the project manager on the remodel for the house.”

  “Wow, Cash got that together fast.”

  I laugh. “No, Lewis Construction was already on the job when Cash bought it yesterday.” Was it just yesterday that my boring life was turned on its head?

  “Lewis Construction? Donny Lewis’s company?”

  “Yes.” I slip my sunglasses from my face. “Want to see what we’re doing?”

  “Sure.”

  We exit the vehicle, and make our way to the front door. We’re immediately assaulted by the symphony of my life’s song. A table saw, the pounding of hammers, and country music have become my favorite sounds in the world. And sawdust and new construction smell like home. I love it so much.

  “Wow. This is major.” Duke glances around the interior of the house. “Is it weird remodeling your old house?”

  “Not really.” What I don’t say is that this house was never a safe, homey place for me. I pat one of the studs of the load-bearing wall in the entryway. “It’s got good bones. It’s going to be gorgeous when we’re done.”

  He makes his way into the middle of the living room and turns a circle, examining the room. “And you’re in charge of all of this?”

  My hackles immediately come up at the disbelief in his voice, but before I can educate him about my capabilities as the project manager, he continues.

  “That’s damn impressive, Tiger.” His whole face lights with an open, genuine expression of admiration. “Damn impressive.”

  I stand a little taller and nod. “Thank you. It’s a big job, but I have an amazing crew.” I lead him to the kitchen. “Donny only hires the best.”

  He runs his hand over the natural stone of the oversized kitchen island. “This is nice.”

  “Yeah, I think Gracie’s going to be happy with it.” I hold up my crossed fingers. “Fingers crossed.”

  “Gracie?” His brow furrows. “Gracie King?”

  I reach into a cooler and grab two bottles of water. “Yes, Cash bought the house for her.”

  Duke laughs so hard he has to support himself against the counter.

  “What’s so funny?”

  He wipes his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I just wish I’d been there when he told her he bought Wayland Estate for her.” Both hands go to the countertop and his head hangs between his shaking shoulders. “I bet you ten dollars the reason he’s staying here is because she kicked his sorry ass out of the house.”

  “Yes, he said that’s what happened.”

  “Miss Gracie is fiercely loyal to Ryder East. She’s not going anywhere, and Cash knows it.”

  “He did mention that he might have to bomb her out of her old neighborhood.”

  Duke shakes his head. “Yeah, there’s no way in hell that Gracie King is moving into this house. Cash, you jackass.” He chuckles again. “For a such a smart guy, sometimes he’s an idiot.”

  “Aw, you say the sweetest things, dickhead.”

  We both turn to see the idiot in question standing in the doorway of the back door.

  Duke raises his hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m not the one who spent what I can only assume is a shit ton of money on a house for someone who doesn’t want it.”

  The muscles in Cash’s biceps stretch the arms of his blue T-shirt when he crosses them over his chest. He doesn’t say anything, just stares at his friend.

  Duke hikes a blond brow. “Am I wrong?”

  The quarterback loses some of his menace. “No.”

  “And she kicked you out.”

  “Right on my ass.” He chuckles and rubs his neck. “I’m lucky I left with my balls intact.”

  Duke rests his hip against the counter. “That you are, my friend.”

  “So, are you going to live here?” The question comes out before I realize it’s none of my business.

  “Hell, no.”

  Something twists uncomfortably inside me at his automatic denial. I ignore it because it has nothing to do with me. “Then what are you going to do with the place?”

  He shakes his head like he doesn’t care. “Sell it.”

  Duke moves to me and throws his arm around my shoulders. “Why are you here? You’re interrupting my alone time with Tiger.”

  There’s a brief flash of irritation on Cash’s face, but then it vanishes as fast as it appears. “I need to change. My clothes are here. And get your arm off her before she catches something.”

  “Asshole.”

  “Tool.”

  I’d think they were about to fight except they’re both grinning. “You two have a weird relationship.”

  “You have no idea,” they say together.

  Tommy and Ben, a couple of the crew members, make their way into the kitchen. �
��Holy shit, it’s Cash King,” Tommy yells.

  “Hey, Bullet,” Ben says.

  Both men have stars in their eyes and seem to be unsure what to do next.

  Cash’s superstar smile is firmly in place. “Hey, guys.”

  “How’s the shoulder? You gonna make it back for the playoffs?” one of them asks.

  “That’s the plan.”

  The guy raises his hand, and Cash slaps it. “That’s what we want to hear.”

  “Um, guys, can you go get those boxes of tiles from the back room?” For some reason, I feel the need to rescue this giant of a man from these two fans. You couldn’t tell it from his expression, but somehow I know their interest in his shoulder is making him uncomfortable.

  Both men turn their gazes to me like they forgot I was in the room. “Oh, um, sure, Tiger.” They leave, and I notice Cash visibly relaxes.

  “Sorry about them.” I lift my hands in a “what can you do” gesture. “They’re fans.”

  He waves me off, but the cocky grin from before is gone. “It’s not a problem.”

  “Don’t worry, man.” Duke holds his fist out for Cash to bump. “We got this.”

  The two knock knuckles. “I know, man.”

  But I don’t miss the expression that they both wear. If I had to put a name to it, I’d say it was uncertainty.

  “Here you go, Tiger,” Ben says, and they set the boxes on the counter in front of me.

  “Thanks. Lou Howard’s going to be here shortly.”

  “You’re gonna give him hell, right?” Tommy asks.

  Ben squeezes my shoulder. “Yeah, I hope you kick his ass for trying to pawn that shit off on us.”

  Tommy throws his shoulders back and stretches to his full five-foot-six height. “Do you need backup?”

  I laugh. “I’ve got it, guys, but thanks.”

  “Alright, well, we better get back to work. Nice meeting you, Cash.”

  “You too.”

  They exit, and I turn back to my two giant companions. “I better—”

  “What’s that about?” Cash nods toward the boxes.

  “Oh, the tile supplier tried to pull a fast one on me. He sent a subpar material but charged us for the premium product we ordered. The imbecile wouldn’t dream of pulling something like that on Donny.” I shake off my irritation. “Anyway, I need to get to work. Thanks for the ride, Duke, and it was nice to meet you.”