On the Fly (Crimson Romance) (16 page)

She sat up and climbed over him awkwardly, slimy guilt roiling in her chest. And regret. Not because they made love. But because they couldn’t — ever again. “l should uh, go.”

“What? Why?”

Because this was a mistake.
But she couldn’t tell him that. He’d asked if she was sure. She’d given the go-ahead. The hurt and confusion in his eyes nearly stopped her, but she zipped up the dress and pulled on the boots. “It’s a work night. It’s getting late.”

“You could stay for a while.” He sat up on an elbow, the white sheet draped across one leg, everything else wondrously revealed.

Well, maybe … No. No, no, no.

“I really can’t. But um, see you tomorrow.”
Not if I can help it.

“Jacey, wait. What’s wrong? We agreed it was amazing, right?”

“It was. Carter, you have no idea. I just … where can this go? We shouldn’t pretend it could be anything more than this. It would ruin both of us. I’m sorry.”

“Jacey — ”

“I can’t. I’m so sorry.” She scooped up the wig and all but ran from his room. She wasn’t sure how she made it down the stairs or out the door without any feeling in her legs — she barely remembered to grab her purse — but suddenly, a night breeze filled her lungs and cooled the sweat on her scalp.

The walk of shame home through the neighborhood trails didn’t take long but served its purpose. Not only had she crossed a professional boundary that would disgrace her father and her team, but she’d also hurt the first man she’d cared about since Alex. Turned out guilt could be multifaceted.

Ambient sounds greeted her as she stepped inside Vaughn Manor. Nothing but the hum of the air conditioning and the fridge. Just as well. Facing Madden wasn’t on her top-ten list at the moment. She dropped her purse and wig on the table beside the door, locked up, and headed to bed. This day just needed to be over. Tomorrow wasn’t looking too good, either.

Wednesday, November 2nd

Sneaking into work early didn’t prove hard. Much easier to get up when you never actually fell asleep. The empty office floor soothed her ragged nerves. Day two of avoiding Carter, and things seemed to be working well. Jacey nursed a steaming mug of coffee and jumped when her door swung open.

Madden. At work before eight. This could not be good. She hadn’t spoken to him since Halloween night, and he looked like he wasn’t about to let her off the hook. Releasing a slow breath, she set her cup on the desk. Hopefully, the tremor in her hands wasn’t too visible. “If we could never talk about that night, I would really — ”

“Jace.” He closed the door even though they were the only ones there and sat on the edge of the chair facing her desk.

The seriousness in his tone and his lack of expression drained the blood from her face. “What … ?”

“That night I thought … I thought you went home with Phlynn. I didn’t think you’d be at the house. So I brought Linden back with me. We got in late. I guess you were already asleep. Look, I know it was a stupid idea, but I think I might like her. And I wanted to keep her distracted so she wouldn’t think any more about seeing you guys. But I guess you left that wig by the door, and she must have seen it on her way out.”

Linden
. For all the times he reprimanded her for saying
Carter
, she wanted to smack her brother across his preppy boy-band face. If it was dangerous for her to get involved with a player, it was suicidal for Madden to fall for the reporter. “Must have?”

He dropped the entertainment section of the morning paper on her desk.

“They gave her a
column?
” Jacey stared with the now-familiar sensations of horror and numb awe at “The
Sinners Report.” A bi-weekly commentary dedicated to ruining her life. This one highlighted her “raunchy night out” with the guys. She held her face in her hands and groaned. Panic tightened her chest, and she focused on breathing.

Okay, what were the facts? Linden East knew she dressed up and went out on the town with her team for Halloween. Was that so bad? She could spin it. Maybe. She pushed out of her chair and headed for the door.

“Uh, Sis, where you going?”

“To make a deal with the devil.”

• • •

Quiet discussion stopped dead when Carter walked into the locker room. Emotionless eyes darted to him then away as his team suited up for the morning skate. Heads lowered as he passed, and not even Reese would meet his gaze. “What’s going on?”

No one answered at first. Finally, Reese handed him a folded section of newspaper. The bottom dropped out of Carter’s stomach, and the hair rose on his forearms and the back of his neck. A reaction he was getting accustomed to. And sick of.
The Sinners Report.
“What the hell?”

“Yeah … we were thinking the same thing. That was
Jacey
? What the fuck, man?”

“Look. It was a charity case, okay? She was really down and needed to get out. My date got sick, so Jacey used the costume. You guys thought she was Giselle, and it seemed easier that way. I’m sorry. It wasn’t like this article makes it sound.” The words left a bad taste in his mouth. Selling out Jacey, lying about their night, felt wrong. But his explanation would be better for both of them in the end. Even though her avoidance since that night made his gut churn.

“Charity case? You two looked pretty close.” Collier didn’t take his eyes off his stick blade as he wound it with black tape. The challenge still cut through the air.

“It was nothing, okay?”

“Whatever, man.”

Carter sighed and read the recount of his supposedly salacious night. He clenched his jaw and felt a vein throb in his neck. Around him, his team was calm, quiet. The kind of anger that wouldn’t pass easily. He tried to swallow but couldn’t manage it. His throat went tight and dry.

Reese focused on tying his skates. “The first couple times it was funny, man, but … now it’s a column. Our families are coming in next week. I don’t want to be in the paper. She’s making the team a joke.”

You’re making the team a joke.
As his best friend, Reese wouldn’t say it outright, but looking around, Carter could tell that was what the rest of them were thinking. His chest burned, and his face flushed. He’d embarrassed his team. He should have stayed away from Jacey, but he didn’t. Couldn’t.

And Reese was right. Their families would be in town next week for Parent Appreciation night. He didn’t want the paper filling his mother in on his love life before he could. “I can’t get rid of the column. But I can stop giving her material to write about. I’ll just keep my distance from the boss.”

One by one they finally looked at him. Some with indignation. Most with tenuous acceptance. In Reese, he saw sympathy. Even though Carter had denied it again and again, his friend knew he felt something for Jacey. His guilt doubled, and determination set in. “I won’t let you guys down again. Now we have games to win. Let’s
really
give Las Vegas something to talk about. Where’s Coach?”

Reese resumed lacing his skates, his smile unnerving. “Out on the ice. Said she wanted to talk to you before the rest of us go out.”

Great.

• • •

Parking in the corner lot at the
Las Vegas Sun
, Jacey took a deep breath and willed herself to get out of the car, but her limbs weren’t listening. “This is the only way.” She waited, hoping her brain would supply a debate, but there was none.

Feigning the conviction she didn’t feel, she marched into the newspaper and breezed past the front desk. The open layout of the office, defined by shoulder-high partitions. made it particularly easy to scan heads and nameplates.

Linden East sat behind her desk proofreading what was no doubt to be the latest thorn in Jacey’s ass. The reporter looked up only when Jacey’s shadow fell over the monitor, and East seemed surprised. Good. Jacey smiled her best lioness smile.
This could be more fun than I thought.

East swallowed hard under Jacey’s stare and leaned back in her seat. “Ms. Vaughn. Can I help you?”

A scathing reply leapt to the tip of Jacey’s tongue, but she held back. Honey. More flies with honey. Although this fly seemed drawn to the stench of rotting dignity and privacy. “I think we can help each other. I’d like to speak to you off the record. If you’re familiar with the term.”

East flinched — just a tightening around her eyes — and sat up straight. “All right. Off the record.”

“You’ve used underhanded means to create stories about my private life for your own benefit, and if I had the time to sue you, I would. Your tabloid articles are embarrassing to me, and I could brush that off, but they’re affecting my team, and I can’t ignore that. I’d ask you to be a feeling human being and stop, but I don’t see that happening, so I’ve come up with something else.”

East had a smarmy smile as she took a breath and opened her mouth, but Jacey cut her off. “I’m proposing a deal. You back down now and don’t write another word about my love life. If, after the postseason, you’ve held up your side of the bargain, I will give you an all-access, exclusive interview and be completely candid.”

The reporter turned that over. Skepticism glittered in her eyes and might have wrinkled her forehead, but Jacey was pretty sure Botox made that impossible.

“Think about it. All you have now is speculation and a few pictures. It’s getting old. But a full feature article with approved images and quotes would make you more respectable. If you care about that.”

East’s brows furrowed, and a frown turned down the corners of her mouth. She was quiet for a long moment before she looked Jacey in the eye. “You’re a confusing woman, Ms. Vaughn. Despite the guileless appearance, you’re a decent manipulator. I have to respect that. You’ve got a deal. However, if I see you and Phlynn in public blatant with the PDA, all bets are off. And I’ve still got a column to write, so I make no promises to rose-color my observations of the players in general. Clear?”

Little fireworks went off behind Jacey’s eyes, and her knees gelatinized, but she recovered quickly.
Thank you, God.
“Swarovski.”

Friday, November 11th

Jacey almost skipped off the elevator and down the hall to her office. A week. A whole week and no damning press. Her team was focused, they’d won the last three games, and she’d managed to avoid Carter. That last one felt bittersweet, but it was for the best. It had to be. She’d avoided Nealy too, and guilt poked her in the chest, but it was self-preservation. Nealy’s coaching instincts tended to override her nurturing ones, and the Mighty Sprite, as the guys had been calling her, couldn’t tell Jacey anything she didn’t already know.

Her staff looked up as she passed by, but not even the curious stares could dampen her spirits. Madden stood at his desk and opened his mouth, but Jacey beat him to the punch. “Whatever you’re going to say, hold it till after lunch. I’m in way too good a mood for whatever is making your face like that.”

“Jace … ”

Her brother’s amused smile set off a little warning bell in her head, but she ignored it, strode into her office, and a perfect stranger who looked a whole lot like her mother said, “There she is!”

The middle-aged blonde woman stepped forward and shook her hand. “You must be Jacey. I’m Genevieve Phlynn. It’s so nice to meet you.” Genevieve’s whole face lit up, and the expression struck a chord in Jacey’s heart.

She had very few memories of her mother, and she remembered feelings more than anything else. Elizabeth Vaughn had radiated loving warmth. Carter’s mother beamed with it too.

“Shane’s parents told me you’ve been seeing my son. Well, it’s about time he was in a good relationship.”

Of course.

• • •

Carter scrubbed his wet hair with a towel as he headed to the locker room. Jacey had gone out of her way to sidestep him all week. He had tried to focus on improving his game, building up his teammates, and avoiding another supersonic earful from the Mighty Sprite. But the little in-between moments had gotten to him. And they were growing in frequency. Yeah, he’d made a deal with the guys to keep his distance. He should be grateful she was keeping hers. But he wasn’t. Why didn’t she want to talk about it? Wasn’t that what all women wanted?

Reese cleared his throat and looked up from the bench. “Hey, man, just a heads up. Your mother was in here looking for you.”

Carter’s flushed face went cold. “Why?”

Reese shrugged and sat on a bench to tie his shoes. “Didn’t say. But she
did
say she was gonna go find Jacey. And you know she still thinks you two are an item even though I tried to set her straight. Sorry ‘bout that, by the way. I didn’t know my sister would take it so seriously when I joked on the phone. Or tell my ma. But once she heard, you know it was only two minutes before she told your mom. So … you might want to head her off.”

Carter skidded around the benches for the double doors and heard his best friend laughing as he barreled through. He made a dead sprint for the elevator and pushed the button five times, his pulse pounding. When the car finally arrived, it took its sweet time getting to the business level. He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, trying not to have a stroke. The thought of his mother cornering Jacey made his heart rate spike. The doors opened, and he refrained from running down the hall to Jacey’s open office but just barely. He could see her inside the doorway with his mom, and the warmth flooded back into his cheeks.

When he stepped up behind her, their attention shifted, and Jacey spun to stare at him, zombie-like and bass-mouthed. He briefly apologized with his eyes before squeezing out a smile for his mother and stepping around to hug her. “Hey, Mom.”

“My baby, I missed you!” She squeezed hard enough to cut off his air. How could such a small woman be so strong?

Despite the situation, he smiled and kissed her cheek. “I missed you too. Um, I thought we were going out after the game?”

“Shane invited his parents to see the locker room after practice, so I tagged along. They went back to the hotel, but I stuck around to meet your beautiful girl.” His mother’s green eyes sparked with mischief, and she poked him in the stomach.