In It to Win It (19 page)

“
Grayson loves Jane”

Grayson loves Jane?

Grayson loves Jane! Those three words were from a fantasy. This couldn’t be reality. She even reached up to pinch herself—and it hurt.

She wondered where the punch-line was. Where was the audience who was going to, at any moment, jump out and point and laugh as Grayson reneged on this declaration?

She wrenched herself out of his hold and glared up at him. His chocolate eyes studied her as her hands made their way to her hips and her feet parted to stand in defiance. She hoped she looked formidable, because inside she felt … broken.

“
I’m out of here!” She stalked passed him, making sure to ram her shoulder into him. It hurt—not that she’d give him the satisfaction of rubbing it—and hoped that it hurt him too. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re—”

In a flash she was no longer walking. She was suddenly airborne, twisting and turning in midair. The flight instinct turned to fight in an instant. She squirmed and slapped and punched and…

It wasn’t until Grayson kissed her that she stopped. She didn’t want to fight that. She wanted to get lost in him.

Suddenly, he dropped her to her feet, still holding her close. She could feel every inch of him through the many layers of clothing that covered them both. He kissed her lips, her forehead, her eyes, her tear-streaked cheeks. Once again he led her to the tree—their tree.

“
Look, Jane.” From behind her, he reached out and traced the characters encased by a heart. “You keep accusing me of playing a game. I’m not playing, sweetheart. I’ve never been playing. Look at the letters.”

She did look, with her eyes and with her fingers. She traced over the letters, noting how they were a dark black among the stark white. Every swipe of her fingers seemed to carve the letters into her heart. Her vision blurred and her nose began to run. She sniffed.

“
When…?” she asked.

It hadn’t been recently. The tree couldn’t lie. New carvings were thin lines that grew wider and darker as time went by. The words
Grayson loves Jane
were almost an eighth of an inch wide and black as night.

Her fingers trembled as she traced over the letters again. “When … did you…?” She turned to face him, wanting to see his face when he answered her next question. “Was this somebody’s idea of a joke?”

He tugged his glove off and shoved it into his pocket. His fingers were warm as they stroked the side of her face from temple to chin.

“
No joke. Senior year, I carved this the week before prom. I planned on showing you then, but you cancelled and I…” His voice broke and he cleared his throat. “Why did you cancel on me, Janie?”

His eyes were glossy and full of such unashamed honesty that caused her own to sting anew. She leaned into his gentle touch and decided on the truth. “I heard you, Grayson. I heard the real reason you asked me to prom.”

His brows pinched and he shook his head. “The
real
reason? I don’t understand. This—” He waved at the tree. “—is the
real
reason. I have been in love—”

She stopped him by putting her fingers to his lips. “You lost a bet, Grayson. I heard you admit that you asked me … because you lost a bet.” Her voice wobbled and her cheeks turned into miniature riverbeds.

“
Jane, I don’t know what you heard.” When she opened her mouth to argue with him, he held up a hand to silence her and continued. “I don’t doubt that you heard what you think you heard. Nor do I doubt I was stupid enough to say something like that, not knowing that you were in earshot. I was too chicken to admit to anyone how much I loved you … because I didn’t know how you felt about me. But it’s true. I loved you then. I love you now. And I’ve loved you for all the years in between.”

She took another look at the declaration carved for the world to see and turned to look at him, defiant. “Prove it.”

Did he ever!

He kissed her hard on the mouth. It was almost a punishment in its intensity. His arms shifted around her and pulled her tight against him. His hands moved down until they cupped her rear and fitted her against his groin. There was no mistaking his reaction to her and it seemed that that was the way he wanted it. He was proving his attraction to her. But love?

“
I love you,” he whispered, spreading kisses to the tender skin below her ear. “I love you,” he repeated, nudging her collar away from her neck with his cold nose. “I love you,” he shouted, sending critters scurrying for cover.

She giggled, her entire body melting against him. There was nothing she wanted more right now than to feel those hot mind-bending kisses all over her body.

“
Let’s go home, love.” He shook his head and chuckled softly. “I have wanted to call you that for so long. Man! It feels good to know that you know how I feel about you.” He stopped abruptly and took hold of her upper arms, his hands firm even through the fluff of her coat. “Please tell me you feel something for me. If you don’t love me
yet
, I’m willing to help you see the light.”

“
Well, I … It’s not that I don’t love you, it’s just—”

“
I can wait,” he assured her. “As long as you know how much I love you.” He laughed again, a loud bark. “I love you, Jane Alexander.”

He picked her up in his arms and spun around, holding her tight. He seemed sincere. Very, very sincere.

In this moment, though, she couldn’t bear to consider a future with Grayson. Because if that future didn’t come to pass, it would obliterate her only hope for happily-ever-after.

And from what she could tell, talk was cheap.

13

G
RAYSON WALKED THROUGH THE HOUSE like he owned the place. Because he did. He loved all the perks his reputation brought. Take this house for instance, or the Mustang he drove or the sexy sportscaster that would soon be standing in front of him.

Jogging up the stairs he stopped at the first doorway. A smile spread to his lips when he heard the bathtub turn off. He thought of all that ivory skin, pink from the heat and damp from the water, and got hot himself. Using the palm of his hand he shifted things around beneath the denim at is groin and wasn’t sure he could wait for Jane to be ready before he slaked his need—the first time.

Patience was not his strong suit and by damn he’d been more than patient with her. It was time for her to give him what they both wanted.

Silently he twisted the knob and slipped into her room. Soft splashes sounded from the bathroom and he sauntered through the bedroom. He leaned against the jamb and licked his lips.

Holy hell, she was beautiful.

Bubbles covered her most tempting parts, which made the scene before him even more erotic. One of her long legs was propped up on the side of the tub. Her toes painted a pink that was only a shade or two darker than her own skin tone.

He wondered if she’d let him suck them.

JANE TRIED TO TELL HERSELF THAT STAYING in the bathtub, buried to her ears in bubbles, was only to warm up from their ride. She knew she had to talk to Grayson. He’d been brave, confessing his feelings for her, and she was a coward. She needed to find her big-girl panties and be honest with him.

She wasn’t sure she could though. Mostly because she wasn’t exactly sure what her feelings were. She was well aware of how she wanted to feel about him. But there were too many loose ends, too many unanswered questions to commit to him.

When her fingertips and toes began to prune painfully, she unplugged the tub and stepped out onto the plush brown rug. The air in the bathroom was thick with humidity, which was really an accomplishment since she’d left the bedroom door open. Jane wondered if she could simply open her mouth and drink her daily supply of water.

She dried her hair and was just wrapping the towel around her torso when a masculine clearing of the throat brought her head around. Grayson was in the doorway, leaning against the jamb with his arms crossed over his chest, and he was leering. His eyes were flat as they roamed over her body. She shivered and it wasn’t because of the cold. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her smile died on her lips.

“
Lookin’ good, Jane,” Grayson said.

GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT,
HIS THOUGHTS CONTIN-ued. He planned on devouring every delicious inch of her—starting with those edible pink toes and working his way up.

She clutched the towel to her chest until her knuckles whitened. It was too late. He’d already seen those perfect boobs. Some doctor had earned every pretty penny. Maybe Grayson would send him a bonus—and a thank you note. The MD hadn’t expected to be doing Grayson Pierce a favor, but that was the way of things, wasn’t it?

His tongue snaked out and licked his lips as he imagined that it was Jane’s soft skin he tasted. He eased up from where he’d been leaning against the jamb and cracked his knuckles. He smiled at her and her frown deepened. Her eyes narrowed and she tipped her head to one side. Her mind had recognized the difference. In that moment, he knew that
she
knew his secret.

Not that it mattered.

He would take her whether she wanted it or not.

He was Grayson Pierce and the world—and this exquisite woman—belonged to him.

ALARM BELLS BLARED IN JANE’S HEAD. THIS whole scenario was wrong on so many levels Jane couldn’t begin to name them all. Except that they all centered on the man standing in the doorway. She scanned the room for a weapon.
How easy would it be to get the towel rack off the wall?

He stepped toward her and she stepped back, bringing her against the counter. His grin was victorious as he moved closer. Closer. And even closer.

She could feel the heat of him. He smelled like sweat and liquor and lust. A dangerous combination. A combination that was so
not
Grayson Pierce. When he invaded her personal space, Jane put her hand on his chest, pushing him away, and was startled by the rate of his heart. There was no increase, no violent pounding. Just a slow and steady thumping that meant he was in total control of his emotions.

“
You need to leave,” she informed him.

He laughed, a low, mocking bark. “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. Everything in this house belongs to me—including you.”

“
I don’t think so,” she said, surprised at how calm she sounded.

“
But it does.” He ran a fingertip over her cheek. “How would feel about getting my name put on your back permanently. I don’t like the idea that you can take off my jersey when you feel like it.”

“
Get out!” she screamed.

“
No.” His expression was tranquil as if he didn’t have a care in the world. His eyes were flat and emotionless as his hand moved down, quick as a shot, and roughly dragging her towel away from her body. He licked his lips … and that was when Jane verified what she’d already known. No scar.

Considering that she was standing naked as the day she was born, her voice was surprisingly calm as she said, “You’re not Grayson.”

That made him stop short. He actually stepped away from her and grinned, rubbing his goatee. “Sure I am.”

He was certainly close. But
close
only counted in horseshoes and hand-grenades. “No. You’re not.”

His dark eyes narrowed, sparking with animosity. “What is it about Grayson that makes you
think
I’m not him?”

“
You. Are.
Not
. Him!” she screamed as he reached for her. She jumped back, crashing into the wall behind her. The towel was on the floor at her feet, but reaching for it would make her vulnerable. Taking her eyes off of Grayson—or whoever the hell he was wasn’t an option. “Don’t you
dare
touch me!”

He advanced, rubbing his hands together. “Oh, I’ll do more than simply touch you.”

“
Derek!” a voice growled, low, serious, dangerous. “Back away!”

And then
he
appeared—the softer, truer version of Grayson Pierce. The
real
Grayson Pierce.

She blinked, her eyes darting from one Grayson to the other. Her heart would know him any-where, even as her mind tried to piece together the double-vision.

Derek
’s eyes raked over her body in a way that made her feel dirty. She reached down and yanked the towel from the floor, clutching it to herself. A thousand questions whirled through her head, but now was not the time to ask them. Because A; she wasn’t sure she could find her voice, and B; she didn’t want to miss anything by interrupting the confrontation.

“
You need to leave, Derek,” Grayson spat. His hands were in fists at his sides and the muscles in his jaw jumped violently. “You need to get the hell out of my house. Now!” he roared, grabbing the front of Derek’s shirt and yanking him into the bedroom.

“
We had a deal.” Derek held up his hands, and used a tone that suggested Grayson was the volatile one.