Chapter 13
brOOKE
I was still staring at the painting with a grin. It was my favorite from the website—a depiction of a rainforest. When on earth had Jace done this? Had he come here yesterday? Or this morning?
Sitting at my desk, I shot Jace a message to thank him, positioning the stress ball so I could look at it all day. Did I have time for daydreaming? No, I did not. Was I going to do it anyway? Yes, I would.
I still needed to sort out some details for the New York trip… specifically, make sure the boys would be in the VIP area of the bar. I might have gotten ahead of myself when I’d told the team this was a done deal, but I was insistent.
The bar’s general manager was an old friend of mine from college, and I knew I’d wear him down eventually.
My phone beeped with a message while I was talking on it, and oh, how I had to fight the impulse to end the conversation early just so I could read it.
But I behaved, focusing on my task until Ryan threw in the towel. “Persistent woman.”
“Thanks.”
I was feeling very smug as I ended the conversation, immediately reading Jace’s text.
Jace: Loved seeing you smile this morning.
Brooke: You were here?
Jace: Yeah. Was having a coffee :-)
Brooke: Ready for the game tonight?
Jace: Stakes are high, but we’re working hard.
I took that to mean that he was nervous, and while the boys were watching tapes later that afternoon, I headed downstairs and slipped a note in Jace’s locker wishing him good luck. It was perhaps a silly thing to do, but I wanted to lighten up his day as he’d done with mine.
Half an hour later, he called me.
“Fuck, Brooke. You’re sweet.”
I walked to the supplies room, grinning and whispering, “It’s just a note. But it did brighten up your day, huh?”
“You bet it did. Come watch the game. I want to see you there.” He’d lowered his tone, and it was sexy as hell.
“Yes, boss,” I replied playfully.
I did watch the game that evening, cheering for the Lords along with everyone else, but over the next few days, I saw a lot less of Jace than I was used to.
I couldn’t make it to the gym in the evening and most of my phone conferences were around lunchtime, which meant I had to resort to buying quick sandwiches to eat at my desk either before or after.
As a result, a few days later, I had Jace withdrawals.
I missed him. And yet, the prospect of facing him head-on was unnerving.
Then I was frustrated with myself, because my big fear was that our friendship would ultimately suffer.
Yet because I couldn’t get my bearings together, I was creating a barrier between us.
Which was why, two days before the New York trip, I sent him a message.
Brooke: Are you still at the club? I want to talk to you.
It was late, but I’d heard Tina mention an hour ago that the boys were still here, analyzing a game.
Jace: Yeah, but preparing to leave. I’m in the locker room.
Brooke: Is the rest of the team there too?
Jace: Just me.
Brooke: I’ll be there in a few minutes.
I sent an email with the New York itinerary to the entire team before leaving my desk.
My hands were damp with perspiration as I descended the staircase to the locker rooms.
Come on, Brooke. You’re just asking your friend Jace to sit down and talk over breakfast tomorrow. There’s no reason to be nervous.
I tried to cool down and calm my pulse as I opened the door to the locker room, but I suspected I was fighting a losing battle. I wouldn’t just waltz in if the team was here, but since Jace said he was alone, I didn’t see a problem.
Except that he was wearing only a towel and a smoldering smile.
“Hey, Brooke.”
“Hi.”
I stood rooted in front of the door, unsure where to look.
That towel kept catching my attention, but I didn’t allow my gaze to roam below waist level.
The problem was that his chest was no less distracting.
That six-pack just seemed unreal. Remembering how those abs felt beneath my fingertips sent a jolt of heat through me.
Right. I needed to maintain eye contact.
I’d kept a respectable distance between us, but Jace seemed to decide it wasn’t necessary. He walked toward me with determined strides, stopping only a few inches away from me.
“You said you want to talk to me.”
“I wanted to ask you to have breakfast with me tomorrow.” I inhaled deeply, and the scent of his body wash was impossible to miss. It was so potent and masculine that the muscles in my lower belly clenched tight.
“Can you put clothes on?”
Amusement flashed in Jace’s eyes. “No, I don’t think I will. I don’t want to wait until breakfast. Let’s talk tonight. Right now.”
I licked my lips. “But—”
“No buts. Just you and me. Laying out our cards. Nothing more.”
“Well, that’s why I wanted to have breakfast with you.”
“A lot of things can happen between now and tomorrow. Don’t want to risk you getting cold feet.”
He put one palm on the wall, next to my head. His arm was almost brushing my right cheek. And those green eyes were relentlessly trained on me.
“I won’t let you get away with a no.”
“Of course you won’t.”
He was so close that I had a hard time focusing, but I gathered my wits.
“Okay. We’ll talk tonight. But let’s go upstairs, have some dinner.”
“Sure.”
“I’ll wait for you to change, and then we can go grab food.”
Jace smiled triumphantly. “Be right back.”
I waited next to the door, trying hard not to think about the fact that Jace was naked on the other side of the lockers. He came back a few minutes later, training bag slung over one shoulder.
“After you, Brooke.”
He gestured toward the door, and I felt him watch me all the way out of the club. The food truck across the street was simply amazing. There was a line when we arrived, but it moved quickly.
“I know you really want a burger and fries. Don’t hold back on my account,” Jace whispered when our turn came. I grinned. Of course I couldn’t hide from Jace.
“I want to be a good friend. I know they’re not on your meal plan.”
“I can deal with you eating a burger. Besides, there are other ways you can be a good friend.”
When our turn came, I ordered a burger with sweet potato fries and guacamole dip.
I liked the club best late in the evening, because it was quiet. We sat side by side at the kitchen table, chairs turned slightly toward one another. Neither of us spoke as we ate, but the anticipation was building with every passing minute until it seemed as if the air was thick with fog.
When Jace finished his wrap, I felt every muscle in my upper body contract.
“Relax, hot stuff. Why are you so nervous?”
I straightened a little, stopping in the act of reaching for another fry.
“Okay, well, first things first. You can’t call me hot stuff anymore. You might slip and call me that when there are others around.”
Jace pulled his chair closer to mine until his left knee touched my right one. The contact point burned white-hot.
“We’ll talk about that nickname another time.”
He leaned forward, resting his forearm above his knee. His gaze was hard and intense. He balled his palm into a fist, as if that was the only way he could keep himself from touching me.
“I understand that you want to solidify your position here, Brooke. I know what it means to have to prove yourself. It takes hard work and dedication, and any time others doubt you, it sets you back.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“I know what that pressure feels like. I deal with it on a daily basis.”
I immediately knew what he meant. As a pro player, that pressure was ongoing.
In a regular job, once you’d reached a certain acceptance from the team, things became easier.
People were more understanding when mishaps occurred.
But as an athlete, your value was constantly recalculated based on your latest performance.
Every mistake was blown out of proportion, with fans, managers, and coaches alike wondering if it was a sign that a player had passed his peak.
“Honestly, I have no idea how you deal with it.”
“By giving every game my best shot. The only thing I can control is my performance. So, if you feel like you need some time before we take this step, I understand. I’ll wait.”
I sucked in a breath when Jace took one of my hands, turned it palm up, then feathered his fingers on my wrist, trailing them up my forearm, then back down. “I just need to know if you want the same thing, Brooke.”
He stopped the movement of his hand, looking straight at me. I gave him a small nod, even though I wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted, or what I was agreeing to. Friends with benefits? Something else?
“That was easy. See? No reason to be nervous.”
“It’s good we spoke tonight. Now I won’t be fretting until the morning.”
When Jace rewarded me with a warm and happy smile, I decided to stop with mental questioning.
Jace brought my hand to his mouth, kissing it.
That soft touch set me on edge. When he looked up at me again, the heat in his gaze was so strong, it was almost palpable.
I leaned back in my chair. It didn’t help.
I was on fire, and Jace was relentless. It was as if now that we’d agreed on waiting, he wasn’t holding back any longer.
Clearing my throat, I stood up to throw away my wrapper in the bin, with Jace on my heels. Afterward, we took the staircase, descending to the ground floor. Jace was one step behind me, and when we reached the last one, he hooked an arm around my waist, feathering his nose down the side of my neck.
“Just one more thing…. How do you feel about naked sleepovers in the meantime?”
I pulled out of his grasp, turning fully until we were face-to-face. Or well, more like face-to-chest, since Jace was standing on a higher stair.
“No sex, Jace.”
“You’re being cruel.” He grinned as he launched the accusation. I was fighting to keep a straight face.
“I’m serious.”
Jace descended one step. He still towered over me, but at least I didn’t have to tilt my head back so much to look at him.
I had other problems now. Such as Jace’s lips almost touching mine.
“I know you’re serious. But I don’t think you want to be.”
I squinted. “Jace, this is a hard line for me, and I’d like for us to be on the same page before we fly out to New York.”
He cupped my chin, stroking his thumb over my cheek. He was too masculine, too handsome… simply too much, and I couldn’t help but react to him. My breath caught, and I licked my lower lip.
“We’re on the same page, don’t you worry.”