Line of Scrimmage (8 page)

“Is that right?” The pain meds were obviously kicking in, because his face had color to it and the lines around his mouth had softened. “How did you ever get such a low opinion of me, anyway? You hardly even know me.”

“I know your type, though. I’ve seen how men like you behave.”

I’ve had experience up close and personal, too.

Anger flashed in his eyes. “Men like me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Erin bit down on her lip, forcing back the immediate retort. This man was injured and in pain. This was no time to pick a fight with him, even though she was itching to, as obnoxious as he was behaving.

“I’m going to try to reach Ivy. Would you like something besides coffee first? Your sister did say you like juice in the morning.” She managed to ask the question in her most politely impersonal voice. “Or would you prefer to wait until after you’ve had your shower?”

“That’s it?” Each word was underscored with irritation. “You’re not going to answer my question?”

“I’ll take that as a no.” She turned and headed out of the room. “I guess that’s a no on the juice, too. I’m going to call Ivy and tell her she needs to make other arrangements.”

“Yeah. Fine. Okay. You do that.” When she didn’t say anything he shouted, “I agree with you. This was a huge mistake. I can call a million women who’d maybe even pay me to do this. You hear me?”

“Go ahead. Pick one. Any one. Find one who’d put up with your sweet personality.”

“Talk about sweet personalities. Have you looked at yours lately?”

Erin kept on walking, even as Jake continued to shout from his bed. Once she reached the kitchen, she sat down in one of the breakfast room chairs. The first thing she needed to do was pull herself together. She wanted to fix another mug of coffee, but at the moment her hands were trembling too much. She was going to kill Ivy the minute she got her hands on her.

When she had herself under control, she pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her slacks and speed-dialed Ivy. Not surprisingly, the call went directly to voicemail. The little rat was hiding from her, no doubt about it. She left a message.

“Call me at once. Damn it, Ivy. You got me a job with your brother? You gave me a fake name! What’s going on here? I can’t do this. Call me right now.”

Feeling slightly calmer, she got up and fixed another mug of coffee for herself. While she sipped it, she did a search on her phone to find out what happened to Jake. What she read shocked her. This was no simple broken leg. She knew enough about football to be aware that his injury was devastating and could very well be career-ending.

What the hell was she going to do? Ivy had put her in an impossible situation, counting on Erin’s sense of responsibility to override everything else. But living in the same house with Jake, who rang all her bells including the warning ones, was a recipe for disaster.

Okay, there’s the money. Don’t forget the money.

Oh, yeah, the money. How could she overlook that? She was nearly down to the last of her severance pay, and her savings weren’t even worth mentioning. She had her check from the last two weeks but not even the barest prospect of a job.

So what were her choices? Working for Jake and getting a fat salary or being unemployed. She was still mulling that when she heard another crash from the master suite. She raced down the short hallway to the open door, stopping short at the sight. Jake had apparently tried to get out of bed again using his walker. Whether he was just off balance or woozy from the meds, he’d fallen sideways against the nightstand and knocked over the lamp. Now he was leaning one hand on the nightstand and trying to fish the walker around with the other.

Great. Just great.

“What the hell did you think you were doing?” She managed to leverage him into a semi upright position, then onto the bed, no easy task when his body was both large and unwieldy.

He flopped back onto the pile of pillows behind his head, the leg in the cast straight out on the mattress, the other one hanging over the edge, his foot on the floor. In that position it was impossible not to notice the fact his cock was swollen and thick and pressing hard against the soft material of his shorts. Her eyes were drawn to it automatically, despite her best intentions.

“Excuse me.” The words were polite, his tone not so much. “Do you think you could give me a hand again here?”

His raspy voice startled her and heat crawled up her face. Well, crap.

“What exactly were you trying to do?” she asked as she hefted the other leg onto the mattress and pulled the sheet up to his waist.

“I wanted something, and I figured I’d used up all my favors with you today.”

Crap. “It’s obvious you can’t manage anything by yourself.”

“Thanks so much for telling me.” Bitterness edged his words. “I guess you’ll just have to hang around to make sure I don’t get myself into trouble again.” The deep grooves in his face and the faint sheen of perspiration on his face were obvious indications of the pain he was in. And yet there was no denying the sarcastically teasing tone to his voice. And damn! Was that a tiny sexual overtone she heard?

Stop that, Erin.

She righted the lamp, thanking fortune that it wasn’t broken, and straightened the two books that had also been knocked off. “Tell me what you needed so badly. I’m afraid if you try to do this again you’ll kill yourself, and how will I explain away your dead body?”

“You’re all heart, right?” His sarcasm was somewhat dimmed by the fact that he was breathing harder than normal and his face sported a sheen of perspiration.

“Maybe I just don’t have one. So. What can I get for you, now that I’m here?”

“I wanted another cup of coffee.” He shot her a look of irritation and held out the mug that, miraculously, had not been brushed to the floor. “I was afraid you’d be pissed off at me if I asked for room service.”

She had to resist the urge to smack him. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a jackass, Russell?”

He managed a grin. “Some of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet. But then they got to see my winning personality.”

Erin blew out a breath of exasperation. She took a minute to remind herself that this was not fun for him. His season was over, although hopefully not his career. He was out of action and out of the loop, in pain and filled with frustration. Okay, she’d spare him one minute of sympathy, but that was all. Surely she could be a big enough person to do that.

“I’m curious,” he said. “How is it you were even available for this charade? I thought you were running the spa at that fancy resort outside of Austin.”

Erin looked away from him. “It’s been sold and the new owners closed it while they do extensive renovations.”

“Well that sucks canal water. But I’d think in a city like this there would be other places who’d snap you up in a heartbeat.”

“Yeah, you’d think. It’s not like I haven’t been looking either. I keep getting the same line. ‘It’s the economy. People aren’t spending as much on extras these days.’ As if keeping in shape was an extra.” She turned her gaze back on him again, making sure her face was composed. “I’m examining my options.”

“Which is how you got roped into this?”

She nodded. “Ivy knew I lost my job, and she thought this would be a win/win situation. Your sister can be very persuasive.”

“You got that right.” The muscles in his jaw tightened. “Sometimes too much so.”

Erin planted her hands on her hips, indignant. “No kidding.”

Jake grimaced. “Yeah, I would have been more suspicious if I was hitting on all cylinders. I’m completely aware of how persuasive and sneaky my sister can be. She gets an idea and she’s like a dog with a bone.”

Erin nodded. “Tell me about it. Meanwhile, we need to get her over here to face the music and see how we can resolve this. Having me stay is not a good idea, and you know it.”

“I guess.” He picked up his cell from the nightstand. “I’ve left a bunch of messages for her, but it’s plain she’s avoiding both of us.”

“I’ll get her.” Oh, yes, she would definitely get hold of Ivy. “Not to worry.”

“In the meantime, could you see your way to bringing me a fresh mug?”

She swallowed a sigh. “Yes. Just don’t move until I get back.”

His laugh held little humor. “I’ll do my best.”

“I’m not staying,” she told him again when she brought him fresh coffee.

“Then you’d better get hold of Ivy. And soon.”

No, she wouldn’t stay; this needed to get fixed right away. Damn Ivy, anyway. She retreated to the kitchen again, trying to figure out what to do. After pulling out her cell phone, she tried the woman yet again.

Jake muted the sound on the flat screen television and closed his eyes. He was fucking sick of watching anything. Besides, despite the lineup of six hundred channels, there didn’t seem to be much of a choice.

How the hell had he landed in this situation with Erin hired to take care of him? He was going to kill his sister the minute he got his hands on her. If he ever did. She’d made herself suspiciously unavailable. Oh, he had her number. He saw her fine evil hand behind this. She was up to her old matchmaking tricks again. Why couldn’t he make her understand that he wasn’t interested in a damn relationship right now? If his leg didn’t heal, what did he have to offer anyone? He had to concentrate on that, and Erin was definitely a distraction.

Then the memory of his night with Erin flashed in his brain and caused sensible reason to flee. He could still remember the shape of her curvy, sexy body, the feel of her satin-smooth skin, the lush silk of her dark red hair that swung easily just below her shoulders. And those eyes. Hazel, with intriguing flecks of gold. They hadn’t done a whole lot of talking, but what conversation they’d had at the party let him know she was a smart, savvy woman. Five-foot-five of sex and smarts. A dangerous combination.

And one apparently out of his reach, for whatever fucking reason.

Ivy had been all up in his shit, asking about that night and talking Erin up, as if she was her press agent. Somehow he didn’t think Erin knew about it or would be all that thrilled if she did find out. His sister, for whatever reason, was determined to get him coupled up before he retired, as if he couldn’t find someone himself.

It was just, well, he was convinced he had nothing to give to a real relationship. When he looked in the mirror, he still saw the scared fourteen-year-old determined to stand up for his mother and sister. Football had given him a life. A new life. But behind that, he’d never gotten past believing he was worthless. Less than nothing. Who would want him?

For a brief few hours, he had believed it would be different with Erin. In one night his emotions had gotten involved. Then her words had knocked him on his ass, words that hurt even more than the ones
he’d
used to reduce Jake to nothing.

Now here he was, a goddamn cripple, at the mercy of the one woman who wished herself any place but here. He wondered what she thought every time she had to help him to the bathroom. Did she see just a useless piece of flesh, the way
he
had?

Maybe not. Despite her attitude she certainly had looked her fill of his dick every time she walked into his room, her eyes fastened to the outline of it beneath the thin gym shorts. Was it possible she still had residual feelings from their night together? That something was brewing between them? Did he dare even hope?

He wished he could figure out a way to get past the steel wall she erected around herself. It was like an imaginary line of scrimmage was drawn between them, the line players could not cross until the ball was snapped. He was on one side, Erin on the other, and no one was calling the plays. This just damn sucked. What did she have against football players, anyway? Something had to have happened for her to have such an aversion to them, such a low opinion. And did he really want to know? Maybe he should just take football out of the equation and see if she’d get to know him as plain old Jake.

He’d have to think of something, because in spite of everything, the attraction he’d felt for her from the very first moment he laid eyes on her seemed to grow stronger every minute. And it was a lot more than sexual. He, the man who’d insisted on no relationships in his life, who could not allow himself to be distracted from football for reasons that had roots in his childhood, was having his life turned upside down by a woman who had told him point blank she didn’t like or trust football players. Well, shit. Now what? Maybe while he was lying here like a lump of clay he could think of something. At least it could give him something to do besides feeling sorry for himself.

He found a channel with an old movie, lowered the volume, and set the timer. Then he closed his eyes and prayed for inspiration and relief.

* * * *

Erin opened a bottle of white wine she found in the fridge, searched for a wine glass, and poured a generous drink. Then she carried it out to the patio off the family room. After the day she’d had, she was sure she deserved that and a lot more. Ivy had yet to return her phone calls, which only raised her blood pressure to the danger level. She’d tried calling her office several times, only to be told her friend was out, in a meeting, or with a client.

Uh-huh. It seemed Ivy had this avoidance thing down to a science. Well, tomorrow that would come to an end.

Jake had been Mr. Grouch personified all day, including when the home care man came to help him shower and shave. He had given her no idea what he wanted to eat, and being unable to get a hold of Ivy, she’d made an educated guess for both lunch and dinner. Jake had bitched up a storm but then eaten every bite of his food.

When she brought his dinner, he’d asked in his grumpy way if she thought she was too good to eat with him. She’d told him she had no appetite, which wasn’t all that far from the truth. She’d helped him get ready for bed before escaping with her wine to the patio. It was so pleasant out here, the roof a shield from the elements, the screening a protection from insects. Massive plants in colorful pots created a tropical ambience, and with the sun just setting, the magnificent oak trees in the backyard were bathed in the golden glow. It was a scene that under normal circumstances would have been so peaceful and soothing. Tonight she wasn’t sure if even every drop of wine would do that.