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I had to become less susceptible to his charm and sheer masculinity. But how was I supposed to do that when I shuddered from a simple touch?
Oh, yeah. Things weren’t looking too bright for me.
I kept my promise of reviewing his contracts, but it turned out to be more involved than I’d anticipated. That translated to long evenings at the club over the next weeks. Jace indeed kept me company.
He’d shown up the first evening with two boxes of takeout and soda.
“What are you doing here?” I inquired.
“Making myself useful, as I promised.”
I liked the food and loved the company. It was productive to go over the contracts with him, because he could provide some insider info in each case. We made up a good game plan. We were going to talk to each of the companies he did endorsements for about potentially donating.
Conversation also often veered into personal territory. One evening, I even told him the whole reason behind my leaving the magazine.
“Moving to Europe when my family needed me just didn’t feel right,” I said, concluding my story.
“Of course not. You wanted to be close to them.”
“Exactly.” I was deeply touched that he understood me right off the bat instead of telling me that there was nothing I could do for Dad anyway, and I could always talk to my sister on the phone, as Noah had insisted.
Jace slid his thumb under my chin, lifting my head a tad. “Brooke, they didn’t value you or what was important for you. It’s a good thing they’re not in your life anymore.”
He was right, but Cami and I had been best friends. Noah and I had been together for two years. I had honestly thought Noah and I might get married one day. The breakup, combined with my sister’s divorce, had done a number on me.
“If they couldn’t understand why you wanted to be here for your family when they were going through a rough patch, they don’t deserve your friendship.”
He spoke with such sincerity that I instantly knew Jace would never have asked me to turn my back on my family.
“You really don’t have to walk me to my car every night, you know,” I whispered later that evening, once we were in the parking lot. He’d parked at the opposite side of the lot and was going out of his way for me.
“Of course I do.”
Something had shifted between us that evening after I’d opened up to him. I felt even closer to Jace than before. He bid me good night as usual by kissing my cheek, and I barely resisted the impulse to turn my head slightly so our lips would meet. No, no, no!
I wanted him to come even closer, even though I knew I had to put more distance between us.
I definitely was not growing less susceptible to his charm or masculinity. Quite the opposite.
I only realized how much I had gotten used to spending time with Jace once our contract work was over. My sister tried to needle me for information whenever we went out, but I kept our conversation away from hot soccer players and focused on Dad. Working at the club gave me the advantage of being able to dote on Dad on a daily basis, making sure he wasn’t ordering steak or anything with butter for lunch, and that he took all his medication.
It was during one of the team’s away games that I realized I felt more relaxed going into work. That was not to say I wasn’t determined to do my very best, but some of that artificial pressure I’d put on myself when I started a month ago seemed to have lifted. I was careful not to rub it in that I was Dad’s daughter. In that vein, I was also being careful with Jace, because cozying up to the MVP wouldn’t reflect well on me.
“I got us tickets,” Jace said one evening as we headed to the gym.
“But it was sold out.”
We’d discovered we both loved stand-up comedy, and we’d eyed a show in a smaller venue, but there hadn’t been any more tickets available.
“Stick with me, and you’re set. I told you I’m a good friend.”
“I thought you were overselling yourself, Jace, but you are a good friend.”
He really was. I wasn’t sure how we’d become friends, but I had a hunch that it had something to do with Jace being the kind of person who simply sneaked up on you.
Thanks to my new friend, Jace, I went to the gym every other evening. I’d discovered that all these years I hadn’t skipped gym out of laziness. I just hadn’t found the proper... motivator. Turned out that watching a hot soccer player work out was all the motivation I needed. Jace always exuded a knee-weakening sex appeal but never more than when he was playing or when he was training. That unshakable focus was hot, and the way his muscles flexed when he lifted weights was even hotter. His shirt clung to him, leaving nothing to the imagination, especially after he worked up a sweat.
So, yeah... plenty of motivation to show up and give my best on the cross-trainer.
