Chapter 10
BECCA
A boyfriend? Really, Becca. I thought as my heels clicked along the marble floor, heading straight for the bar. I managed to snag an open stool and set my clutch on the polished wood to claim my spot.
I can’t believe I told him I was seeing someone. What the hell was wrong with me? Clearly, that lazy smile of his caused my brain to stop functioning properly.
I pulled my hair away from my neck to cool down and scratched my arms because the sequins on my green dress were causing them to itch.
I didn’t mean to lie. It wasn’t some grand, calculated plan. It just slipped out. He could tell I was nervous, so I made up some imaginary love life. It was the easiest way to throw him off rather than admitting how much I didn’t trust myself around him.
I had a job to do.
I had to be a professional adult.
I didn’t crush on athletes.
I didn’t mix work with pleasure.
And I would not get distracted by his pretty face.
He wasn’t even my type.
I leaned against the bar and ordered a cosmo.
I hated showing up at these events alone.
You would think I would be used to it by now, considering I’ve been single for two years.
I shouldn’t feel so weird standing at a bar by myself.
I should be networking. Instead, I found myself taking in the room.
I’ve always been better at observing than participating anyway. Occupational hazard, I guess.
My dad would have loved this. Not the formal part, but the food, the open bar, and being surrounded by football players. He would be in the middle of the room, making friends, bidding quietly on expensive items, and somehow becoming everyone’s favorite person by the end of the night.
A smile pulled at my mouth before it quickly faded. He’s been gone long enough now that memories sometimes snuck up on me out of the blue.
The bartender slid my drink across the counter, and I took a sip, trying to get myself to relax. But the two women next to me were giggling so loud it was almost impossible to tune them out.
“God, look at him.” The blonde to my right nudged her friend in the arm.
“I know, right. If I could get five minutes alone with him, I’d let him wreck me.” The brunette next to her sighed. I followed her gaze, even though I knew in my gut that they were talking about him.
“I bet it would be worth it too,” the blonde with long legs replied.
I stared at the bottles lining the bar, suddenly very interested in the labels. It was a deliberate attempt to redirect my attention, but it wasn’t working. My skin prickled with something I refused to acknowledge.
“Is it true that he likes threesomes?” her friend asked, trying to keep her voice low, but she was still loud enough for me to hear every word.
The blonde laughed. “I have no idea, but I’m game if you are.”
I stood still, trying not to look like I was eavesdropping on their conversation. Unfortunately, I couldn’t unhear them even if I tried.
It felt like I was listening to a really bad reality show. This kind of talk wasn’t new, especially with public figures who looked like him. Attention came with the job description. But hearing them gossip about him so carelessly made my stomach turn.
Footsteps approached from behind. “Ladies,” Jax drawled. “Maybe keep your voices down, yeah? I don’t think everyone needs to hear your play-by-play.”
The blonde blinked. “We weren’t that loud.”
“You were loud enough for me to hear.” He smiled, but there was an edge to it. “This isn’t the time or place for that.”
She rolled her eyes dramatically. She was about to open her mouth and give him a little pushback, but her friend nudged her in the arm. They both exchanged a look and grabbed their drinks from the bar. “Whatever.”
I watched them both stalk off, huffing under their breath.
“You good?” Jax asked. His tone was much gentler this time.
I turned around to face him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Jax glanced at me, eyes flickering across my face. “Do you know the one thing I know better than football?”
“I’m almost afraid to ask.”
He stroked his chin. “It’s my ability to read women.”
I had no idea where he was going with this. All I knew was that I didn’t like it.
“I’m happy for you,” I said, not taking the bait.
Jax, being Jax, looked thrilled with my response.
He leaned in and tapped my nose like I was five. “Dance with me.”
My head jerked back. “Why?”
He shrugged, playing it off, but he was up to something. “There’s good music playing and space for us on the floor.”
I laughed nervously. “I’m all set, but thank you.”
“Come on.” He reached for my hand, trying to coax me off my stool.
“Jax, I don’t want to dance.”
He grinned. “Why not? I’m bored. Let’s go cause some trouble.”
“I’m a terrible dancer. Go pick someone else. Besides, I’m here for work.”
“It’s just one dance.” He took my drink out of my hand and set it down on the bar. “Come on, the floor is still open.”
“What in the world do you think you’re doing?” I yelped as he dragged me out of my seat.
“Giving my buddy a little nudge.”
I gave him an evil stare. “You have me really concerned right now.”
A chuckle rumbled out of him. “I appreciate your concern, but you’re not giving me enough credit. One of the reasons why I’m so good at playing my position is that I know how to read my quarterback. We both need to be on the same page to make the magic plays happen.”
“Congratulations. What does that have to do with me?”
He pulled on my hand, leading me across the room as we passed a few familiar faces. “Because nothing will make him grind his teeth harder than seeing you give me all your attention.”
Jax was such an instigator. He was always the one smirking at press conferences and stirring shit up in the locker room.
I tried to pull my hand out of his grip, but he wasn’t letting up. “I think you have the wrong idea about us.”
He led me to the edge of the dance floor and spun me around, completely ignoring me.
One thing I learned about Jax Lockwood was that everything he did was intentional. It was almost like a game to him to see how far he could push. And it was safe to say he was clearly pushing it tonight.
I risked a glance past his shoulder, noticing a few people watching us, including Nate.
Jax followed my gaze. “Told ya. Now let’s give him one hell of a show.”
“You are manipulative,” I grumbled at his nonsense.
We weren’t just catching Nate’s attention. A few players were watching us, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
“I prefer matchmaker.” He snaked a hand around my waist while keeping a respectable distance. “You’re also a little liar. You can dance just fine,” he teased.
I laughed. “Serves you right for trusting me.”
“You know he likes you, right?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He chuckled. “I absolutely do. I’m never wrong.”
“Wow. Humility really isn’t your thing, huh?” I laughed despite myself.
“It’s an occupational hazard.”
I rolled my eyes, but the truth was, I found myself relaxing for a minute and snuck a peek over his broad shoulder. Sure enough, Nate was still watching.
His jaw was tight, and he was drilling holes into the back of his friend’s head.
For one dizzying second, I debated whether I should pull away or lean into him to see what Nate would do.
“Wanna piss him off?” Jax murmured against my ear.
“No.”
“Oh, come on, scaredy cat. He deserves it. Just play along.”
I laughed under my breath. “I swear to God, you must be drunk because you’re not operating at full mental capacity tonight.”
He gently guided my arms up his chest until my fingers rested along the back of his neck. “I wish. This is me, fully sober.”
The sensible thing to do would have been to pull away, because I was convinced Jax was a little crazy.
“You are insane.”
“And you need to be more convincing.” His eyes flicked past me. “I give you my word, if he doesn’t come over by the end of this song, I’ll let you go on your merry little way.”
With a reluctant sigh, I leaned in, resting my weight against his. If anything, I was doing this to prove a point.
“Atta, girl.” His eyes were teasing, and I almost laughed until I saw Nate stalk across the room. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure if this was just a game anymore.
“Is he coming?” he whispered.
“Yes.” Something warm and unsettling landed in my chest.
“Perfect.” He smiled and twirled me around.
The man was living up to his reputation.
“You are something else.” I gave him a pointed look, which only made him smile.
“Don’t get me wrong. He’s going to be pissed, but knowing this is killing him will be worth it.” He tilted his chin subtly. “Pretty sure I’m a dead man walking after this stunt.”
I rolled my eyes, painfully aware of how this looked. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
Before Jax could respond, a dark shadow fell over us.
“Mind if I cut in?”
“Actually, I do mind,” Jax said without an ounce of remorse.
“He’s just teasing you,” I said, stepping out of his hold a little quickly, like I’d been caught doing something wrong.
“You owe me.” He winked, clearly pleased with himself.
I pushed him in the chest playfully. “I owe you nothing.”
“Move,” Nate said casually, but there was something in his voice that suggested he wasn’t joking.
Jax raised his hands in surrender. “I guess I can let you take it from here.”
He sidestepped around us and disappeared into the crowd. Payback was a bitch, and I couldn’t wait until the next press conference.
He gestured to the space between us. “Think you can spare a quick dance?”
It was a simple question, so I wasn’t sure why my thoughts were tangled up in a way that I couldn’t seem to straighten out. I didn’t know how to explain what was happening inside me. All I knew was that it wasn’t going away, and I didn’t have it in me to turn him down.
He held his hand out, and I took it. This shouldn’t have been a big deal. I’ve danced with athletes before, so I needed to get my shit together and stop being so weird about things. I blamed it on Jax. He was putting silly ideas in my head.
“I guess one dance won’t hurt,” I said, closing my fingers around his and trying not to think about how perfectly our hands fit together.
The band started playing a slow song, so Nate rested his hand around my waist. I leaned into him without meaning to. “You looked like you were having fun.”
“Define fun? The man is a menace, but at least he’s entertaining.” I laughed, gently swaying to the music. We were moving slower, and it struck me how different it felt. Dancing with Jax was harmless. With Nate, it felt like I was playing with fire.
“I find him annoying.” He pulled me into his chest. Those deep blue eyes locked on mine. They were intense, and I kept reminding myself that I shouldn’t be feeling this way. “Do not believe a word that comes out of his mouth.”
“You realize you’re talking about your best friend, right?”
“That’s exactly why I know what I’m talking about.” Nate tightened his hand slightly on my back. His touch was warm and steady as he guided me along the dance floor. It was hard to ignore how the heat of his palm burned through the fabric of my dress.
Every nerve was on edge, and I silently berated myself. I was a professional. I’ve built my career on sticking to boundaries and not allowing lines to blur in moments like this. Yet here I was, teetering on the edge of something I didn’t know what to name.
I inhaled, slow and steady, when he moved his body closer, brushing his thumb along my back, making it impossible to think straight.
I told myself not to look at his mouth, but my body betrayed me. And of course, he caught me. There wasn’t an inch of space between us.
“I can feel you tensing up,” he murmured, brushing that damn thumb against my back again. I wasn’t even sure if he realized he was doing it.
“I’m not tense,” I lied. I didn’t need a mirror to see the faint pink creeping into my cheeks. We were one breath away and close enough for everyone in the room to get the wrong idea.
“Sure you’re not.” He lifted my arms and wrapped them around his neck. “So, was the boyfriend okay with you coming tonight?”
I swallowed nervously, hoping he wasn’t going to ask too many questions about my fake boyfriend. I was a terrible liar.
“He was fine with it.”
His brows bent together. “What’s his name?”
The question hit me sideways. I nearly tripped over my damn feet.
I bit the inside of my cheek, thinking of a name. Why was it so damn hard?
“Um, his name is Tom.”
As soon as I said it, I hated it. Of all the names in the world, I had to use one of the most generic.
His brows furrowed. “Does Tom have a last name?”
Think, Becca. Think.
When I made that little story up, it was to keep myself in check. Now, it was backfiring at the most inconvenient time.
Fuck my life.
“Tucker. He’s an undercover cop.”
There. That should do it. Tom Tucker. If I were going to lie, I might as well go all out. I just hoped that would put an end to this little back-and-forth we found ourselves in. I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to keep up.
“Wow.” He laughed. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
Maybe now he would stop asking me questions that I didn’t know how to answer.
“I guess I’m full of surprises.”
I tried to focus on swaying to the beat of the music, all the while my heart felt one second away from beating out of my chest.
Nate’s eyes dropped briefly to my mouth, then back up to my eyes. His expression softened, while everything else faded into a distant blur. We both stopped moving. Neither one of us said a word. The moment stretched, yet somehow the room felt smaller.
“Excuse me.” A waiter carrying a tray of drinks bumped into us.
We both stepped back at the same time. The voices, music, and clinking glasses broke whatever spell we were under.
Nate ran a hand along the back of his neck, exhaling slowly.
“I guess that’s our cue,” I managed to say, even though I was on the verge of combusting.
“Yeah.” He smiled. That smile didn’t help. Neither did the way his gaze lingered.
I shifted on my feet, scanning the room for an escape route. “I’m going to make a quick call before they serve dinner. Can I meet you at the table?”
“Sure.”
I turned before he could say anything else. I wove through the crowd with my heart still racing and second-guessing if taking on this assignment was a good idea after all.