Touchdown Baby (17 page)

Her movements barely tipped the boat when she turned him so they were face-to-face. Sadness shone in his glassy hollow eyes, Ava’s heart broke, and she took his face in her small hands. “I want you to look at me when I tell you this. Your parents are amazingly strong people. They have loved and supported you through everything. You owe them honesty in everything right now. They will stand behind you in whatever happens. You need to remember that.”

Holding him close, she lightly brushed her lips against his and savored the sweet taste of the bourbon that lingered on his lips. Pulling back so her show of support didn’t turn into full-blown desire, she captured his hand and pulled him up so they could go inside.

The climb off the boat proved effortless, and they walked hand-in-hand across the damp grass.

“I told you my reason for being out in the middle of the night. Are you going to tell me yours?” Jace questioned as he swayed slightly from the amount of alcohol he had consumed.

With his slightly slurred words and the jerky motions, Ava knew this wasn’t the time to spill her secret. “Not tonight, but soon.”

Upon entry into the house, she was shocked when he set the alarm. The realization she would have set the alarm off if he hadn’t already been out of the house hit her as funny. Giggling to herself, she made note to check next time before she opened the door. How would she have explained herself to the police if she’d been caught outside wandering around the yard?

“Why are you smiling?” Jace asked.

“Just imagining me setting off your alarm. I didn’t even see it as I walked out.”

Jace grabbed her hand again, and they began to walk up the stairs. Suddenly Jace broke contact and took off toward his room.

Ava followed him into the masculine room and found him in the bathroom where he began to get sick. After running a washrag under cold water, she laid it across his neck and walked back into his room to wait for him.

Moments later with an ashen face and sluggish movements, Jace lay across the bed and asked if she would lie with him for a little while. The strong persona the world saw was gone, and left was a man with insecurities. The removal of his shoes was easy, but when she helped slide his jeans off without him getting up again, it proved more difficult. Not willing to put either of them in an awkward position, Ava grabbed a blanket from a chair in the corner of the room and placed it over him. He asked again for her to stay for a little while, so Ava agreed and lay on top of the blanket beside Jace.

Once he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her backside against him, she figured she would only have to wait a few minutes before he fell asleep. The feel of strong male behind her and the pressure of his aroused manhood against her butt felt erotic, but Ava knew this wasn’t the time to take their relationship any further. Too many secrets separated them.

Jace didn’t try to make a move, but his grip didn’t ease as he held her close to him. His even breathing signaled he finally slept, and she let her imagination run wild with images of them sleeping together every night and always sharing their problems.

****

The sound of running water woke Ava from a deep, restful sleep. Stretching under the luxuriously soft sheets, her first thought was she wouldn’t have any hot water since Roxi had beaten her to the shower. The second was it didn’t matter because they were at Jace’s, and he had five bathrooms.

Ava expected to open her eyes to take in the beauty of the bright sunshine that streamlined through the windows of her temporary bedroom. She was shocked to discover she was still in Jace’s room. Ava pushed the blanket off in an attempt to escape the room without notice. She could feel the cool spring air coming through the open window.

With a glance at the door that hid a naked man from view, she didn’t know if she wished for X-ray vision or the ability to turn back time.

“I don’t even remember falling asleep last night,” Ava spoke quietly to herself.

On her hands and knees, Ava looked under the bed for her shoes. This was how Jace found her as he exited the bathroom. “If you’re trying to hide under the bed, so Roxi won’t find you, too late. She came in earlier to let me know our moms called, and they would be here around one.”

With half of her body under the king-sized bed, Ava answered with a muffled voice, “I’m not hiding under the bed. I’m looking for my shoe. I found one by the nightstand and the other is MIA.”

“It’s over by the chair. I kicked it on my way to the shower.”

Peering under the bed, toward the chair, she spotted her missing sandal. On her feet
,
she turned to encounter Jace standing before her in nothing but a white towel and water droplets. Wow!

Ava gave herself a moment to take in the wide expanse others considered his chest—but Ava liked to think of as nirvana—she lost both her train of thought and ability to breathe.

The touch of his hand against her cheek expelled the air trapped in her lungs. A coughing fit overtook her, and she leaned against the side of the bed in hopes of not blacking out.

When Jace slapped her back, he was strong yet gentle. “You okay?”

The struggle to get oxygen into her lungs was real, but she finally managed a squeaky, “Yeah.”

“I want to tell you thanks for listening to me last night. I know you have a lot going on and the last thing you needed was to listen to more of my problems. So thanks.”

She lost her fight over the urge to reach out to him. “We’re friends and that’s what friends do. I’m always going to be here for you if you need someone to talk to.” Against her better judgment, Ava slipped her hands around his narrow waist and inhaled his scent of soap, and something that was exclusively Jace.

“How did I get so lucky to have you here?”

Jace’s eyes clouded with confusion and, if Ava wasn’t mistaken, lust. She said the first thing that came to mind. “It’s fate. Powers beyond our control knew we would need each other in the coming weeks, and fate saw fit to put us together.”

The smile that broke across his face was magnetic, and the words came out filled with laughter. “When all this is said and done, we need to talk. I would talk now, but hugging you in nothing but a flimsy towel is making it hard to concentrate.”

Ava didn’t want to let go, but she pulled herself together, because even though Jace said he needed space to think, he seemed reluctant to release his grip.

“We have to talk, but I agree now is not the time.”

Picking up her sandal she’d only moments earlier been searching for, she left Jace standing in the middle of his sprawling bedroom with nothing but a grin and a hard-on.

Chapter Fifteen

Ava failed to look both left and right before she left Jace’s room. If she had, she would have seen Roxi at the top of the stairs. “Caught you,” Roxi bellowed down the corridor.

Hand to her chest, Ava turned. “Don’t do that! You almost gave me a heart attack.”

Ava watched Roxi as she strolled down the hall with bare feet and shorts that accentuated the long, toned legs Ava envied. Roxi stopped just short of the door to their room. “You wouldn’t have been so jumpy if you didn’t feel guilty.”

Roxi’s short tresses should have looked morning-messy, but on her, the style appeared purposeful. Ava decided no excuse was needed, but of course, she would give one to save time. “I wasn’t sneaking. I fell asleep after I helped him in from the boat last night.”

“I know. He gave me some lame story about you helping him in the house last night when he got drunk.”

“It wasn’t a lame story. I found him last night stumbling drunk. I talked him in to coming in and going to bed.”

The smile that spread across Roxi’s face was devilish. “I figured. I just wanted to see if your stories would match.”

Roxi stepped into the room they were sharing, and Ava followed. Ava shut the door behind them to ensure privacy on the off-chance Jace came out of his room. “That was sneaky, but I would have done the same thing if it had been you.”

“No worries there. I definitely wouldn’t have been caught sleeping in the same bed with my brother, or at least not since I was five.”

The laughter that filled the room relaxed Ava. The knowledge her friend really held no hard feelings toward her was a precious gift.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me. It’s obvious you and Jace share something special. I’ve never seen him try to protect anyone the way he did with you this morning.”

“He tried to protect my honor?” That he wanted to protect her was sweet, and Ava had to sit on the side of the bed to collect her thoughts. “Nothing happened. I just want you to know.”

The mattress dipped as Roxi sat beside her. “I believe you, but I really wouldn’t be upset if it had. I think you two are perfect for each other.”

“I’m hiding a secret that could have killed his focus and his career before it started.”

Roxi’s silence was all the confirmation Ava needed.

“That is the last thing I ever wanted to happen, you know that, right? I thought by not telling him it would somehow make his transition into the NFL smoother. The media picks at everything in a rookie’s life, and I just didn’t want to give them anything to gossip about.”

“You should have trusted him. I’m not going to judge you because I wasn’t in your shoes, but I know my brother. He would have stood behind you no matter what.”

Turning so she was able to lean back against the carved headboard, Ava continued. “I didn’t want him to have to make a choice. In his mind they can’t be combined. No matter what his fellow players do, he feels it is one or the other. Who would have guessed she’d look like me but have his eyes?”

“I do have a beautiful niece.” Roxi stood and preened in front of the mirror. The early morning sunlight turned her hair golden as she tousled the tresses into spun silk. “I can’t believe I never noticed her eye color and expressions are the exact same as Jace’s. I guess it’s more obvious now she’s growing up.”

Roxi turned to Ava. “Let’s get out of here. We can go shopping for a little while, before you have to become a mom again.”

With more exuberance than necessary, Ava rushed to change clothes so she could get a few hours of retail therapy. After all, she had quit her job and had more problems than a soap opera; she deserved a few hours of mindless browsing.

Hand in hand, they rushed down the stairs, not stopping to chat with Jace who was reading the morning paper.

****

Jace knew falling asleep with Ava in his bed had been a mistake from the moment he woke with a hard-on. The cold shower barely alleviated the pressure that was consuming him from the inside out to have her. How could he be expected to get through the next two weeks with her under the same roof?

Black coffee in his favorite mug, Jace smiled at the image she had presented when he opened the bathroom door. Ava’s tight ass sticking up in the air as she searched under the bed was as erotic as any fantasy he could conjure up. His body’s immediate response had been nothing less than predictable under the circumstances.

On a bar stool, Jace let the memory play out again before dismissing the intelligence of starting something he could not finish, at least not yet. With the first sip of his coffee, he felt the burn as he tried to regain composure over his active imagination. The blister forming on his tongue did not quell the need to have her.

A glass of water in hand, to put out the fire that was raging on his tongue, Jace noticed the morning paper on the kitchen table.

The lead headline caught his attention: “Renegades QB Trying to Tempt Fate”. The headline was ambiguous enough to warrant further research, so he turned to the sports section to see a picture of him and Ava in a compromising position on his boat.

Jace Johnson, Renegades star quarterback, seems to be on a path to tarnish his own reputation. The Golden Boy seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to football and women. Ms. Felicia Frampton filed a paternity suit against him in Henderson County, Tennessee, where she is alleging he fathered her almost two year-old son. Our infamous #8 appeared contrite and humble. Apparently he is not as innocent as he would have everyone believe.

Ava Banks, the woman who accompanied him to the press conference, and who was supposed to be only a childhood friend, was seen straddling the quarterback on his boat late last night. Sources say the couple has been more than friends on and off for years and suggest Ms. Banks is hoping to be the next baby mama for Jace Johnson.

Hostile energy poured from Jace as he continued to read the article that had Ava appearing an opportunist and him a player. The temperature in the room was staggering with the heat that permeated from him as he stormed into his office to call his agent.

Twenty minutes later Jace’s blood pressure left his head pounding. After discussing his rights and options as far as retaliation for the article, the final verdict was he would have to ride out the storm. Jace was tired of being nice; he wanted someone to pay for this embarrassment. But who? The paper didn’t specifically name their
source
, and after a call to the reporter, he was no closer to unearthing the faceless individual who ruined any and all chances Jace had to get closer with Ava, now or ever.

****

After a day of shopping ended up as confusing as it was enjoyable, Ava was happy to be home, or at least her temporary home. With bags hanging from both hands, and Roxi following close behind with armloads of her own, Ava tried to get in the front door without knocking over the potted hydrangea, but it was locked.

The key Jace gave her had been left on her nightstand as they had rushed from the house in their attempt to escape from reality that morning. Wanting to get in the house before her mom showed up with Ashlyn, Ava tried the code Jace had given her the night before.

The door wouldn’t budge, so she tried again. When the door opened, she almost fell inside; luckily Jace was there to catch her. “What are you doing?”

This wasn’t the welcome she had been expecting. She looked at him with both surprise and concern in her eyes. “Trying to get in the house. I guess I forgot the code, and I left my key upstairs.”

“If I hadn’t just finished my workout, the police would have arrived on an intruder call.”

The sight of his wet hair that fell in matted chunks against his forehead proved he had just completed what appeared to have been a strenuous workout, but the anger that emitted from him seemed excessive for a simple memory lapse.

“Sorry, it won’t happen again.” Ava squeezed by him.

“Geez, what flew up your butt, Bro?” Roxi questioned as she slipped by an aggravated Jace.

Oddly, Jace glanced around the yard before he shut the door, piquing Ava’s curiosity. “I don’t think we disrupted any neighbors with the alarm. We couldn’t hear it, so I’m sure nobody else did.”

“I’m not worried about the neighbors. Did you notice anyone following you?”

“What kind of question is that? Why would anyone want to follow us?” Roxi questioned her brother.

****

The girls went into the family room where they deposited their bags. Jace realized they didn’t know about the article. Not knowing how to answer the question without blowing his top again, he went and got the crumpled paper from his office.

The office phone had been ringing off the hook since early that morning. He had no intention of answering the annoying questions each caller asked, so he’d made a point of avoiding the room for the last several hours.

The closed door helped him ignore the insistent ringing, and he returned to the happy chatter that should have made him relax. Without fanfare, he handed the paper to Ava with little more than controlled rage consuming him.

The look of humiliation and hurt that crossed Ava’s face would have brought down any man. Wanting to protect her from the ugliness of celebrity, he had to fight the urge to shred the paper so she wouldn’t have to read anymore. The problem was she had to be aware of the unpleasant circumstances her friendship with him was causing.

When Ava finally looked up from the paper, the pain that etched her shamrock-colored eyes had him crossing to her without thought of his sister’s presence or his sweaty body. Pushing the paper to the side, Jace wrapped Ava up in his arms and felt comfort he’d been missing since reading the offending words.

The audible rage that emerged from his baby sister on their behalf made him smile at her instantaneous support. Roxi Coolidge was nothing if not supportive of her family and friends. “Those bastards!”

One arm around Ava, Jace turned to address his sister’s outrage. “I agree, but according to my lawyers, there’s nothing I can do. My agent is working on damage control.”

“What about the poll at the bottom of the article? Can’t you do anything about that?”

“Since the column is written as the reporter’s personal opinion, the poll is justified.” Jace tried to remember all the bullshit his lawyers had spouted about freedom of press and other nonsense he didn’t care about at the moment.

“Is there anything I can do to help alleviate the speculation for you?” Ava’s quiet acceptance of the hell she would have to face surprised him, and when he looked down into her eyes, he no longer saw pain, but anger.

“I don’t expect you to do anything. It’s my fault for getting you in this situation. If I hadn’t tried…” The sound of the doorbell had them all turning in unison to the front door.

“It’s probably our moms,” Ava said.

“Only one way to find out.” Jace strolled to the door to allow entry to his mom and Lia and a sleeping Ashlyn.

****

The afternoon flew by while Ashlyn slept, and the group discussed the latest development that was now Jace’s life. The moms took the news of their private embrace now captured forever in photos with surprising calm and understanding.

Lexi looked at her son with compassion as she discussed the embarrassing situation. “I think you two should show a united front. How is it going to look to all of your fans if you try to deny a relationship after the picture of your embrace has been broadcast across the country?”

With a giggle, Ava naively disregarded Lexi’s assumption. “Lex, you’re being a little dramatic, don’t you think? Tennessee is hardly the entire country.”

“It’s not only Tennessee that’s seen the picture. While you were laying Ashlyn down, we caught a report on ESPN reporting Jace’s latest foray into the tabloids. I think you have to be prepared to face the consequences of being involved with a celebrity.”

When Lia spoke up, Ava was surprised at the implication. “I agree with Lexi. With the history you two share, you should definitely proceed as a happy, united couple, willing and able to weather any storm together.”

Ava met her mother’s gaze and realized her mother knew of Ashlyn’s paternity. If Lia knew, that meant Lexi knew as well. Her secret no longer being a secret had her suddenly feeling lightheaded. Closing her eyes to break contact with her mother and giving herself time to regain composure, Ava tried to lean back against the couch and quite by accident leaned against Jace, who casually wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders.

Looking up into the eyes that promised everything was going to be all right, she released the breath that had begun to hurt her chest. “We can do this. You’re only going to be here for a few weeks. Between your class and my training camp, we will both be busy with our own lives. We’ll just have to make sure we look like a normal couple if we go out together.”

“What about Ashlyn? I don’t want her in the public.”

“We’ll shield her from the cameras as much as possible. You’ll drive my Escalade with the tinted windows so they won’t be able to get a clear picture of her. Since the school offered to let Ashlyn stay in their staff nursery, you’ll know she’s close by, and the security is tight, so no one will be able to get to her.”