Chapter 18 Brooke
brOOKE
Between the renegotiations with sponsors and helping out the events team, I was working overtime.
But then, so was everyone else. No one knew their elbow from their ass. Which was why, Monday morning, when a bouquet of flowers was delivered to my desk, Sheila and Veronica didn’t notice at first, despite their desks being close to mine. Then they pounced on me.
“Wait a second. These weren’t here earlier,” Sheila mentioned.
The girls from PR a few tables away also looked up from their computers, having noticed the commotion through the glass partitions.
“You’ve got an admirer—”
“Oh my God, you’ve got a guy who sends you flowers? Who is he?”
Before I could say anything, Veronica snatched the card.
“Have a great week, hot stuff. That’s it? No name?”
I couldn’t hide my shit-eating grin, but in all fairness, I didn’t try very hard.
“My lips are sealed,” I informed the girls.
“You’re mean,” Sheila said.
“I don’t want to jinx it.” That was true in more ways than one.
“Hmm, so that means it’s just starting.”
“Yep.” Also true.
“Well, girl, if you decide you don’t want him, I’ll take him. I’d love a man who sends flowers just so you have a good week,” Veronica said, and I detected a little jealousy in her voice.
No chance in hell. I’d thought about chastising Jace, because this wasn’t a safe move, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It was too sweet and thoughtful, even if a bit daring. I sent him a text to thank him.
After everyone minded their own business again, I set the flowers right next to the stress ball.
A strange warmth filled me. I had a full day ahead of me, and I started by talking to Carl Hill.
His company produced footwear, had been one of the team’s main sponsors for years, and he’d wanted one of the boys to be the face of their newest line.
He was torn between Andrew and Jace. Levi had been heavily hinting that he wanted to snatch up this opportunity.
Carl had considered him too, but his interest had subsided because Levi had fully embraced the wild side of the soccer player lifestyle: partying and drinking.
As a result, his performance on the field suffered.
Secretly, I was keeping my fingers crossed that Carl would go for Jace, but I presented both players impartially.
I had devised a rating system using various criteria: social media influence, consistency throughout the season, and so on.
I’d also mentioned the foundation in conjunction with Jace, because I firmly believed it was a plus point, and it turned out I was right. Carl thought it would make him look good.
“I’ll think about it over the next few weeks and get back to you, all right?” he said.
“Sure. I’ll be in touch.”
I was certain he’d go with Jace, and it made me immensely happy. I couldn’t wait to share this with Jace, to see him light up at the prospect.
I loved that he put so much passion into everything, and that he was always ready to go the extra mile.
I was right there along with him, ready to do the same.
God, I was already so deeply involved in this.
I stopped typing, drawing in a lungful of air.
After the way things had ended with Noah, I thought I wouldn’t be able to open up again, and yet, I could feel it happening. I was a little scared.
In the evening, I managed to convince Sheila to hit the gym with me instead of going with the PR girls to the next-door bar for happy hour, as we sometimes did. She was a fun workout partner, but she was no Jace.
There was nothing quite like a sweaty, muscle-flexing Jace to motivate me to push myself past my limits.
Halfway through our workout, the universe granted me my wish because Jace strode into the gym. He walked right up to us. The edgy glint in his eyes gave me goose bumps.
“Hello, ladies.”
“Jace, don’t tell me you’re going to work out after all the games you’re having,” Sheila exclaimed.
“Believe it or not, this is how I relax.”
Sheila rolled her eyes. “Well, I usually relax with a cocktail, but Brooke here convinced me to give the treadmill a try. I’m going to the bar afterward.” Looking at me, she said, “Are you sure you don’t want to join us?”
“Already have plans. Sorry.”
“Meeting Mr. Mysterious?”
“Oh?” Jace prodded. I narrowed my eyes. I was meeting him afterward.
“Yes,” I replied, keeping my voice even.
“She got flowers today from some guy she’s started dating. She smiled like a lunatic the whole day.”
“Did she now?”
The tips of my ears felt on fire. I realized Jace might have taken the lack of chastising as an encouragement to push boundaries even more than usual.
I kept my eyes on the small screen for the remaining twenty minutes, not even glancing at Jace, even though I felt the tension gathering in the room like a thick fog. Could Sheila feel it?
“Ugh… I give up,” Sheila exclaimed when there were ten minutes left. “I’m gonna shower and hurry to catch the others at happy hour.”
I shook my head. “Have fun. Don’t drink too much. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Even as Sheila walked out of the room, I stuck to my workout, focusing at the screen as if the video was fascinating, and not the one hundredth repeat of How I Met Your Mother.
My entire body tensed when I heard Jace move through the room.
“Brooke, are you ready to go?” he asked when he stepped in front of me.
“I need a few more minutes. What are we doing tonight?”
We’d just agreed on meeting but didn’t make an actual plan.
“Do you want to go to my place? I’d love to spend the evening and the night with you. This week is going to be crazy. Who knows when we’ll have the chance to just enjoy each other?”
I was going to bring up the flowers, but at the warm, happy expression in his eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to, so I let it slide.
“Okay. I need fifteen minutes to shower and change, but you can leave now if you want. We’re driving with separate cars anyway.”
“I’ll go ahead. See you at home.” The happiness in his eyes dimmed somewhat. My stomach churned, but before I had a chance to ask what was wrong, he left the gym.
When I entered Jace’s house, I was surprised by the delicious food smell greeting me.
I was even more surprised to find out that the source of the aromas wasn’t takeout.
His house was amazing. I’d been here twice.
I had expected something huge and extravagant, given his status, but while it was spacious with three bedrooms and a gorgeous backyard, it wasn’t opulent.
It was comfortable and low-key. The walls were painted in shades of cream, paired with light brown tiles. I loved the huge windows most.
Decorations were scarce, but Jace said he didn’t spend much time in his house anyway. The few items I’d noticed had all been bought by his sisters.
I’d never seen him in his kitchen, cooking.
“What is this?” I asked in amazement.
“What does it look like?” Jace gave me a cheeky smile before returning to dice some herbs.
“What are you preparing?”
“Pasta. Wanna help?”
“If you insist.”
Jace laughed softly. I did help him, sneaking a few kisses in between.
“Brooke,” Jace cautioned, when I’d gotten too caught up in the kissing part.
I was standing behind him, arms wrapped around his middle, peppering kisses on his upper back, then pushing myself on my toes and kissing the back of his neck. Turned out that area was a sensitive spot for him, because I heard him draw in a sharp breath.
“I’m behaving, I’m behaving,” I said quickly. “Don’t you go ruining our dinner on my account.”
“Well, I’ve done my part. This needs to simmer for twenty minutes. Do you want to go change into something more comfortable?”
“Like what?”
He disentangled himself from my arms, turning to face me.
“I don’t know. Whatever you find. A shirt, some shorts. Nothing at all.”
“Are you trying to get me naked already? You haven’t even fed me yet.”
“I was merely laying out your options.”
“Uh-uh.”
Before I even realized what was going on, he’d lifted me off my feet, placing my ass on the counter, spreading my thighs wide and stepping between them.
My pulse raced when Jace slowly drew his gaze over me, as if he couldn’t decide where to touch first. When our gazes locked, I felt as if I was about to hyperventilate.
That bedroom stare was simply delicious…
and I wouldn’t mind starting dinner by indulging in Jace.
He lowered his mouth to the nook between my neck and shoulder. I felt his hot breath first, and then his mouth. I jerked my hips forward an inch when I felt his tongue, my arms automatically lacing around his neck and my legs curling around his.
“Mmm… I’m trapping you here forever,” I informed him.
“I wouldn’t mind.”
“You say that now. Wait until you see what I have in store for you.”
“I’m happy you came here tonight, Brooke.”
“Well, you should have told me you were cooking. Great selling point.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I can’t believe all you’ve ever fed me before was takeout or popcorn.”
I felt him smile against my skin. “My cooking repertoire isn’t too varied. Ten dishes, tops.”
“Oh, snap. How will you entertain me after you run out of those ten?”
“I can think of a few things.”
He moved his mouth, feathering his lips over my clavicle before descending toward my cleavage.
Before I realized what he was up to, he’d pushed me slightly on my back and pulled down the fabric of my dress, enough to reveal a bra cup.
A second later, he yanked that down too, freeing one breast. He placed small, quick kisses all around it before teasing the nipple with his tongue.
I pushed my ass forward a few inches, greedy for more contact. How could he turn me on so fast?
No matter how much he gave me, I was always ready for more. But when I made to pop open the button of his jeans, he caught my hand. “Babe, no. Dinner first. And then I’ll sink inside you so good and deep.”
Holy shit! I soaked my panties through, already aching for him. He was expecting me to be patient until after dinner when he’d been teasing my nipple like that? How much foreplay did he think I could take?
“You’re not playing fair,” I informed him.
“I just wanted a taste of you. You’re the one who wrapped herself like a vise around me.”
“I thought you didn’t mind.”
“I don’t. Just pointing out that you’re the one who’s unfair.”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I let go of my arms and straightened my legs. He covered my boob again.
“Now I’ll have dinner all hot and bothered.”
“I’ll take care of you afterward.”
When he stepped back, I hopped down from the counter. We set the table while the pasta sauce finished simmering.
To be honest, I was expecting something decent, but the pasta was out-of-this-world good.
“Oh, God, this is so delicious.” I closed my eyes, savoring the tomato sauce. “Jace, this is amazing. So, what other recipes do you know?”
“You’ll have to stick around and discover that yourself.”
“A dangerous thing to say. You might not be able to get rid of me.”
“It’s as simple as cooking for you? I’m a lucky guy, then.”
While we ate, I asked him about the upcoming games.
“I’d love it if you could join me on some of my away games.”
“You want me there?” My heart seemed to double in size.
“Yeah.”
I deflated as I considered all implications.
“It wouldn’t be smart, though,” I murmured.
“Right, wouldn’t want everyone to know.”
“Jace….”
“I got it.” His jaw tightened, but he nodded. I realized now what his reaction at the gym had been about, and my stomach bottomed out.
“Jace, I’m sorry this is complicated. I’m not…. It’s not that I don’t want people to know, I just think they might not value my work as much.”
“I understand.”
It was clearly bothering him, and I didn’t want to make Jace unhappy.
“It’s just for a little while,” I said in a low voice.
“I know. I told you I’ll wait.”
Yet part of me couldn’t help fearing that he’d get tired of that.
Jace was used to having whomever he wanted, whenever he wanted.
Women were falling over each other trying to land him.
His Twitter account was proof of how many were clamoring for a chance to get in his bed.
What if he eventually decided he’d had enough of this hassle?
I shook my head, pushing those thoughts away. Just because Noah hadn’t wanted to work on our relationship, instead turning to Cami, didn’t mean Jace would choose the easier way.
Jace was a real man in a way that Noah had never been.
But the fear lingered at the back of my mind, uninvited and unwelcome.
While we cleaned up, I brought the conversation back to his cooking.
“Where did you learn to cook?”
“Val. I’ve stolen a few of her tricks, though I’m only able to replicate easy recipes. Good to know you like it. I’ve only ever cooked for my family. Never knew if they really meant it when they said they liked it, or just took pity on me.”
My stomach flipped, then flipped again. Damn, he was making me feel special.
“Well… I’ve met some of your family. I seriously doubt Hailey wouldn’t tell you straight to your face if you were feeding her crap.”
He barked out a laugh. “True, though I can’t be sure.
She’s always choosing her battles. But yeah, Will is always the ultimate test. He doesn’t mince words.
Val says I was the only one of the boys who stuck around the kitchen, testing everything Mom was cooking.
I don’t remember that. I miss it somehow, though. ”
I stopped drying the plate, focusing my full attention on Jace. He rarely spoke about his parents, and when he did, the sadness in his eyes was unmistakable, so I didn’t bring them up.
“I know it’s weird. How can I miss something I don’t even remember, right?” His voice caught a little, and he shook his head, as if he were trying to push away the thoughts. I moved to hug him from one side.
“You just miss your parents, Jace.”
He kissed my forehead, murmuring, “I do. Sometimes I get mad at myself for remembering so little about them. I had nine years with them. I have sporadic memories, like Mom tending to a scraped knee, Dad teaching me how to fish. Why don’t I remember more?”
My heart ached for him. I wasn’t sure how to comfort him, but I wanted to try. “Nine is a young age, Jace. I don’t remember much from when I was a kid either.”
“I know. But I don’t have memories from later with them, which is why I would’ve liked to remember more from earlier. Nothing major, you know, just a birthday, or Mom reading me a bedtime story, things like that.”
He tightened his arms around me. Jace had been holding back more than the fact that he cooked great pasta.
He was a deeply sensitive soul. Considering that he always walked around with a smile on his face, I’d always thought everything just bounced off him.
I couldn’t wait to uncover all sides of Jace.