Hopeless (15 page)

“Wrong.”

He watched her carefully, as though he were
trying to read her body language. “You’re bi-curious, confused about your
sexuality?”

She almost spewed her water across the
table. Instead she pounded her chest and tried to swallow without choking.
“Wrong again.”

His blue eyes were dancing with amusement
when he said, “You’re in love with someone else?”

“Would you stop? I just don’t want to get
involved with anyone right now. End of story.”

“Fine.” He stood up. “But you know I can’t
let this go, right?” He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her seat. “If
there’s one thing I live for, it’s solving a mystery.”

Great, she’d just painted a big target on
her forehead. Apparently, Detective Mike was going to be on her case until he
uncovered the truth.

Victoria was just crawling into bed when
her cell phone rang. She didn’t bother to turn on the light. It wasn’t uncommon
for her to get calls from the shelter in the middle of the night. She was one
of the on-call crisis counselors, and when Lindsay didn’t answer, calls were
forwarded to her.

“Hello.”

“Hey, beautiful. You mad at me?”

Jay.
She smiled. How could she possibly be mad at him? “No,
why would I be?”

“The way I walked out…” He sighed. “Let’s
just say I didn’t want to say or do anything I’d regret.”

She knew how frustrating this must be for Jay.
She couldn’t blame him for being confused. It must seem like she was running
hot and cold, especially after that kiss. If only she could control her
reaction to him, but it seemed like every time he was within five feet of her,
the devil on her shoulder beat the angel into submission, and she forgot all
about the reasons she needed to keep their relationship platonic.

“It’s okay, I understand.”

He paused before he asked, “You’re alone,
aren’t you?” He sighed when she didn’t respond right away. “Please tell me
you’re alone.”

“I am.” It was bad enough she was letting
him believe she and Mike were getting close. It wasn’t fair to convince him
they were sleeping together. That would just be cruel.

“Good. You and Mike have fun tonight?”

“Did you call to talk to me about your
brother?” She held her breath waiting for his response. They both knew he’d
called because he wanted to pick up where they’d left off in the bar. It was
safer to have this conversation when she was tucked safely in her own bed,
alone, without the threat of his hands and lips coercing her.

His voice was raspy when he asked, “Are you
in bed?”

Oh God
. His sexy voice was bound to be her undoing. Within
seconds he could have her spilling her deepest, darkest secrets. “Yes.”

“I wish I was there with you, baby.”

She closed her eyes and tried to think
about what it felt like when she was lying in a hospital bed, sick and weak.
She had to hold on to that memory if she had any hope of resisting him. “I
don’t think we should—”

“I can still taste your lips on mine. God,
you tasted incredible.”

Her tongue darted out to lick her own lips.
“Jay, I—”

“Let me come over. I need to see you.”

She turned her head and imagined his big
body filling the other side of her double bed. It was too tempting. If she had
him once, she’d never be able to get enough. “Uh, not a good idea.”

“I can’t stop thinking about you,
sweetheart.”

She knew the feeling, but she could never
admit it. “We should both get some sleep.”

“I want to fall asleep with you in my arms,
Victoria.”

A sigh escaped her lips when he said her
name. God, this man was irresistible. “You know that’s not possible.”

“Are you tellin’ me you’ve never thought
about what it would be like to make love to me?”

Only every other minute of every day.
“You’re my boss. I can’t. We agreed…”

“I don’t care.” She could hear his shallow breathing.
“Baby, I need you.” His voice sounded so raw, so damn sexy.

“Please, don’t do this.”

“Do you know what it did to me, lyin’ in my
bed, waitin’ to hear my brother’s goddamn headboard pounding against my wall,
knowing he was the one loving you instead of me?”

Victoria knew Mike and Jay were next-door
neighbors, which was the reason she’d refused his offer to go back to his place
for a drink after the movie. She was terrified she might run into Jay and he
would demand answers she couldn’t give.

“Did you let him kiss you tonight?”

How was she supposed to answer that? If she
told him they hadn’t kissed, he’d know their relationship was a farce and their
cover would be blown, but she couldn’t stand the thought of lying to him
either. “I don’t feel comfortable talking to you about this.”

“Did he kiss you the way I kissed you?” He
groaned as though merely asking the question cost him an ounce of pride.
“Please tell me he didn’t.”

She hated what this was doing to him. “No,
he didn’t.”

“Thank God.” He sighed. “I know I’m pushin’
too hard, too damn fast, but I can’t help it. I haven’t felt like this about a
woman in… hell, who I am kiddin’? I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I feel
like I’ve known you forever.”

Victoria felt the same way. He was
everything she’d never even known she wanted. He was sweet and gentle, but he
also had a tough and sexy edge that made her melt. He shared her passion for
karate, and he could turn her on with just one kiss. She’d lived long enough to
know it didn’t get any better than him. “I think you’re a great guy...”

“If you’re plannin’ to give me the ‘friends’
speech, I’ve got to warn you, I just might put my fist through the wall.” He
chuckled. “With any luck, it’ll connect with my brother’s thick head.”

She smiled. “I wouldn’t want that. So, I
think I’ll just say good night instead. Jay…”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Thanks for coming to the doctor’s office
with me today. You don’t know how much it meant to me.”

“I think I have some idea. Sweet dreams,
angel.”

“Bye.” She was still sitting there gripping
the phone long after he hung up, wondering what might have happened if just
this once, she’d acted on impulse and let him come over tonight.

Jay knew he should put on a happy face for
his little sister’s birthday party, but the thought of Victoria being there
with his brother had him twisting the doorknob to his father’s house with a
fierce scowl on his face. She should be there with him, as his date, not on his
brother’s arm, trying to pretend what she was feeling for him was real.

His father walked up and pulled him into a
hug. “Hey, glad you could make it. I know how busy you are with the new
studio.”

He forced a smile. “I wouldn’t have missed this
for anything. Where’s the birthday girl?”

“She’s out back.” Josh frowned. “You okay?
You don’t seem yourself.”

“Yeah, I’m good. Just tired, I guess. I’ve
been runnin’ like crazy lately.”

Josh led him into the kitchen. “You really
should think about hirin’ an area supervisor to help you manage all the
studios, especially if you’re thinkin’ about opening another one next year.”

“Yeah, I know. I will.”

Victoria would be perfect for that job.
They’d spent the better part of the day discussing their marketing plan and
interviewing part-time instructors and it seemed she was born to the task. As
he sat behind his desk listening to her question potential employees, he let
his mind wander. He imagined what it would be like to have her as his business
partner… as his life partner. He’d never dated a woman who was as passionate
about martial arts as he was, and the thought of working side-by-side with her,
realizing his vision for his business, made him want it all the more.

“Hey, I hear your brother’s new girlfriend
is managing the new studio, huh?”

Jay turned around, scanning the crowd of
family and friends for the woman he’d left mere hours ago, yet missed already.
“Victoria’s here?”

“Yeah, your mother’s got her cornered out
on the patio.” Josh laughed. “I think she’s trying to nail down a date for the
wedding.”

“Like hell,” Jay muttered, pushing past his
father. He stepped out onto the patio and saw his mother, Victoria, Derek, and
Mike standing in the corner talking and laughing. The cozy picture would have
been perfect, had he been the man by her side instead of his brother.

He watched them, trying to resist the urge
to pull his brother aside and demand to know what kind of game he was playing
with Victoria.

Trey came up behind him and stood quietly by
his side, watching the small group.

Trey Turner had been one of his father’s
best friends for years, and despite his success in country music, he was one of
the most down to earth guys Jay had ever met.

“Hey, man,” Trey said quietly, inclining
his head toward the group. “What’s the deal with Mike’s date? Is it serious or
what?”

“I sure as hell hope not.”

Trey grinned. “It sounds like there’s a
story there.”

“I need a drink.” Jay glanced at the soft
drink can in Trey’s hand. He was a recovering alcoholic who had been sober
since he reconciled with his wife, Sierra, years ago. “Sorry, man, I didn’t
mean—”

Trey held his hand up. “Believe me, in my
line of work, I’m around the stuff all the time. It doesn’t bother me.”

There was a makeshift bar set up outside,
with beer bottles positioned in an ice chest. Jay wasn’t a big drinker, but he
sure as hell needed something to take the edge off tonight. He reached for one
of the bottles. “How’s Sierra and your gorgeous daughter?”

Trey smiled. “They’re good.” He looked
around the expansive backyard. “They’re around here somewhere.”

“I saw Alisa the other day. Man, you’re
gonna have to keep your shotgun on hand.” Jay wasn’t kidding. Trey and Sierra’s
daughter was already stunning.

Trey rolled his eyes. “Don’t I know it? She
says she wants to be a model. Can you believe it?”

Actually, he could, but given how
overprotective Trey was of his little girl, he couldn’t see it happening. Alisa
was turning fifteen and Jay knew if her daddy had his way, she wouldn’t be dating
until she was thirty. “Let me guess, you’re tryin’ to talk her out of it?” Jay
twisted the top off his beer bottle and tossed it in the nearby garbage can.

“Hell, yeah. Can you blame me?”

“No, I guess not.” Jay wasn’t ready to
think about becoming a father. He assumed it would happen someday, but he was
in no hurry.

“Man, you wanna talk about predators and
perverts,” Trey said. “And they say the music industry is bad.”

Victoria finally spotted him and waved her
hand in a shy greeting.

If she was like most of the women he’d
dated, she’d be a little star struck tonight. He’d already spotted Ty, Nikki,
and the newest addition to Luc’s team, Tori. He never thought of them as
multi-platinum selling artists; they were just the people he’d grown up with.

“Man, she sure is a cutie, ain’t she?” Trey
said, grinning at Victoria.

Jay knew Trey was a happily married man,
but it didn’t stop him from experiencing a twinge of jealousy when Victoria
looked at Trey with a trace of hero worship in her eyes. “Yeah, too damn good
for my brother.”

“Come on, now. Mike’s a good guy. I don’t
have to tell you that.”

Jay thought his brother was a great guy,
until he started moving in on Victoria. Lately, he’d been harboring fantasies
about a sparring match that left Mike battered, bloody, and begging for mercy.
“He’s been pissin’ me off lately.”

Trey laughed. “Sure, he has. He’s your
brother. It’s the same with me and Marisa. She gets under my skin all the time,
but anyone tries to hurt her and you’d better believe they’ll be answerin’ to
me.”

It had always been the same way with him
and Mike. They always had each other’s back, which is why Jay couldn’t figure
out why he’d started dating Victoria. He knew his brother could be
self-absorbed, but he hadn’t exactly made a secret of how he felt about her. Even
Mike couldn’t have missed the signs.

“I get the feelin’ Mike’s not the only one
interested in your new employee,” Trey said, bringing his can to his lips to
hide his smirk.

“What do you mean?”

“You haven’t been able to take your eyes
off her since you stepped out here.”

Jay grimaced. He didn’t realize he’d been
that
obvious. “Sorry, man. I guess my head is somewhere else tonight.”

“So tell me, why didn’t you ask her out
before your brother had the chance? You obviously met her first.”

“I don’t date my employees, Trey. It’s just
askin’ for trouble, ya know?”