Playing for Keeps (Texas Scoundrels) (30 page)

He sat next to her on the sofa and explained how he’d not only bought her house, but every item from the auction, as well. “I bought the house through a dummy corporation, hoping to shield you and Austin from my reputation.” The expression in his eyes pleaded for understanding. “I apologize, Griffen. For all of this.”
 

She wanted to be furious with him, berate him for not believing in her, but that was her pride talking. Her heart, on the other hand, was much more understanding. The man she’d fallen for was nothing like the public persona. Beneath the barriers, beneath all those rough edges and the rotten attitude, lurked the heart of a man who felt deeply about those he cared for. Dani had seen that side of him, and now Griffen knew the truth for herself, as well.

She’d gotten to know the real Jed, and right or wrong, sane or crazy, she’d fallen in love with him. The truth was in Jed’s eyes and not in his angry words, and definitely not in the bad press that followed him. He wasn’t the narcissistic prick she’d once believed, either. Instead, he was a man who cared about her and his son. His concern over how his life would affect them, how his past would bleed into their lives, touched her deeply.
 

She scooted closer. “We will get through this. They’ll find another story that’s more sensational or scandalous. In a day or two, we’ll be old news.”

“I know you’re right, but in the meantime, this isn’t going to be easy.”

“We’ll get through it,” she said again, then wrapped her arms around his waist.

He held her close. She pressed against him, finding comfort in the steady rhythm of his heart. Together. She managed a small smile. Together they would somehow weather the media storm.
 

He leaned back and brought his hand under her chin until she was looking at him. “I’m sorry,” he said, then brushed his lips gently over hers. “I’ve got a lousy temper.”
 

“Yeah, we need to work on that,” she said, before he dipped his head to nuzzle her neck.
 

Jed marveled at the woman pressed against him. Was she afraid of nothing? His rotten temper included? He nipped his way from her neck to her ear, then teased the spot with his tongue. She moaned, a sexy little sound that hardened him in a flash.

Their lives were in a state of chaos, but the only thing he wanted to do right now was lose himself inside her and forget about the vultures swarming overhead. Which would only create more problems, he thought as he nibbled on her earlobe and unbuttoned her blouse anyway.
 

She trembled beneath his gentle touch. “I won’t put up with your crap. You can’t bully me, Maitland.” There was heat in her voice, but not the kind initiated by anger.
 

He pushed aside her blouse and unhooked the front clasp of her lacy bra to palm her breasts. “I know,” he said. “I’m sorry.” He pulled off her blouse and tossed it on the floor before taking her nipple in his mouth.
 

Her head fell back when his tongue caressed her sensitive flesh. “Hmmm, you’re forgiven,” she pushed away from him. “Let’s go upstairs.”

He didn’t need convincing. The desire darkening her eyes was enough to make him explode.

When they reached the bedroom, Griffen peeled off her jeans. He hurried out of his own clothes, and they came together in a wild explosion of heat.
 

She pushed him on his back and straddled him, then slid her body over his until she guided his erection between her sexy as hell thighs. He cupped one tempting breast as she tossed her head back and rode him hard. Using his fingers from his free hand, he helped bring her to completion, gritting his teeth as she shuddered through spasm after spasm, her hot, wet heat milking him with erotic contractions.
 

Unable to stand the sweet, sensual torture another moment, he gripped her hips and thrust upward, going deep and making her cry out as another wave of ecstasy claimed her. He rode the tide with her, finding his own release as the turbulence of their passion swirled around them, making them one.
 

As they came back to earth, she snuggled against him, and he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He couldn’t have let her go if he is life depended on it. Regardless of how uncertain his future might be, one thing he did know—no way in hell he was walking away from Griffen without losing his heart in the process.

*

Griffen slid the pancakes from the griddle and set them on the plate she had in the warming drawer. After turning the bacon one last time, she set the table, thankful to have something to keep her hands busy, even if her mind continued to wander.

Just as Jed had predicted, the news crews were out in full force. Her street looked like the scene for a story about a natural disaster rather than the hunt for the latest scandal surrounding a legendary, superstar quarterback. She’d turned on the television to watch the news while she made breakfast. Anger had burned through her when the front of her house flashed across the television screen, as well as a view of the town, including the going out of business sign hanging in the window of Antiquities. They’d even had the nerve to shoot a live segment from the Hart Cemetery where Dani and her mother rested.
 

Nothing was sacred.

By the time the cable news shows started airing the story, Griffen had little doubt as to the lengths the media would stoop to get what they wanted. They wanted a statement from Jed, and until he appeased them, they would continue to dredge up his past and speculate about this future.
 

She poured them both a glass of orange juice, then set the bacon to cool on a paper towel. Jed walked into the kitchen and she gave him a weak grin, surprised by how right her world seemed with him there, sharing breakfast, using her towels, sleeping beside her. During the night, he’d made love to her again. Slow. Tender. Making her heart ache and her body come alive under his touch. He’d held her close throughout the remainder of the night, even pulling her beneath him again before they left the warmth of the bed a little over an hour ago.

He sat at the table and waited for her to join him. “I just got off the phone with my agent. I’ve got a press conference this afternoon at the stadium.”

She set the pancakes on the table, then turned to retrieve the bacon. “So soon?” She handed him a cup of coffee and he smiled his thanks.

“The sooner the better,” he said as he scooped a short stack onto his plate.
 

He slathered butter and syrup on his pancakes, then helped himself to a few slices of bacon before shifting his attention to the television as a reporter from CNN told the story of an adopted boy who woke up one morning to find his biological father was the legendary Jed Maitland. He continued to eat while an interview with a child psychologist followed, dispensing with every adopted child’s fantasy and advising viewers of the irreparable emotional harm such a discovery would, in his so-called expert opinion, cause Austin. Jed swore and snagged the remote off the counter behind him, flipping the station.

Griffen winced when he landed on Nancy Grace, who played hardball by bringing up the previous paternity suit. Jed’s lips thinned and his jaw tightened as he stared at the screen, listening to Nancy and a trio of pundits all speculate on Jed’s future relationship his son.
 

He turned to ESPN in time to see a panel of former and current pro football personalities dissecting his career and adding their own speculation as to his future in the sport. He rose and stalked to the coffee pot, pouring himself another cup, then leaned back against the counter and continue to listen to the less than glowing reports.

“Has it always been this bad?” She couldn’t imagine having to live with this type of attention every single day of her life. She’d have cracked long before now.

“I’ve heard worse,” he said, casting his hard flinted gaze in her direction. He listened to the panel for a few more minutes, then turned off the television.

She set her fork on the plate, her appetite ruined. How could they do this to him? The speculation about Austin was one thing, and almost understandable. Almost. To have his peers impaneled and second guessing his career and his future crossed a line, in her opinion. One had nothing to do with the other.

He kissed the top of her head and rubbed at her tense shoulders. “Sweetheart, we need to talk.”

She groaned and peered up at him. “No good conversation ever started with those words,” she said, her worry increasing at the concern in his eyes. “I take it this isn’t pillow talk?”

“Sorry, babe.” The remorse lacing his voice tore at her heart. This wasn’t his fault, but considering the guilt he harbored over Linc Monroe’s suicide, more than likely he was setting full blame for their current situation at his own door.
 

She sighed and set her plate aside. “What is it?”

“In a few hours, I’ll be walking into the wolf’s den.”
 

She knew he despised the idea of her being anywhere the press, but because of who he was, she and Austin were affected, whether he liked it or not. She wanted to face them together.

She looked away, her gaze drawn to the windows.
They’re outside now
. Was there some sleazy tabloid reporter lurking in her backyard hoping for a money shot to sell to the
Inquirer
? The cable networks had sent out crews in vans with satellites and remote equipment. Were the reporters speculating on what she and Jed were doing behind closed doors, making lewd comments and suggestions amongst themselves over Styrofoam coffee cups? The thought made her ill.
 

“I’d like to be there,” she finally said, turning her attention back to him. Facing the media didn’t thrill her, but she’d be damned if she’d let them crucify Jed again.

“Griffen.” He kept his hands on her shoulders, his thumbs gently skimming over her neck. “I can’t let you do that.”

She stood and moved away, feeling Jed’s eyes on her back as she cleared the table. She really wasn’t ready to face anyone at this point and resented the outside world barging into their lives. But she refused to remain idle while they turned Jed’s affair with Dani, and as a result, Austin, into something to be ashamed of.

She set a dish in the sink and turned to face him. “I know you want your life back, but if I’m there, it might help.”

He moved in front of her and tipped her head back with his finger. “I appreciate the offer, but no. I don’t want you anywhere near that circus.” His voice was gentle, as gentle as the arms that had held her during the night. “Let me handle them.”

Concern and something else, some other emotion she couldn’t define deepened his dark brown eyes. “Why?” she asked in a strangled whisper. “Why won’t you let me help? I never expected any of this, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to go into hiding and let you take the heat. Austin is here because you and my sister had loved each other. I won't let them twist that into something ugly.”

He gripped her shoulders. “I won’t let that happen. I promise.” He laughed, a sound that held no humor. “My life has been filled with damage control for too damned long, and I’m sick to death of it.”

“What if they ask about us?” She needed, yet feared his reply. She didn’t doubt that Jed cared for her, but neither one of them had ever said they were playing for keeps. Was she wishing for something that was beyond them? Was she heading straight for heartbreak?

He didn’t release her, just kept looking at her with a determined glint in his eyes. “I don’t know,” was all he said.

Neither did she, and the thought was far from comforting.
 

*

Griffen had been a wreck since Jed left around noon. He’d send a text telling her the news conference was set for five o’clock. ESPN would carry it live.

She sat on the sofa in her father’s study, nervous and waiting. A reporter from ESPN recounted Jed’s career, from the days when he first began to garner attention at Ole Miss, to his long association with the Wranglers. Sprinkled into the professional career was a version she knew to be mostly untruths and misconceptions, an exaggerated version of the truth, the darker, more notorious side. The basic facts were somewhat accurate, but the reporter failed to mention the real story behind the hype.

 
When the reporter mentioned the previous paternity suit, she stiffened. Linc Monroe’s suicide was mentioned, and when the reporter added his own commentary, blaming Jed’s affair with Marilee for the cause behind Linc’s death, she quietly seethed. Jed had promised Linc he’d protect Marilee and her unborn child, and she knew he’d never correct the erroneous assumptions made by the press.

Her dad sat next to her on the sofa, while Austin sat cross legged on the floor, his attention divided between watching her and the television screen. His dark Maitland eyes filled with worry every time he looked at her, and it nearly broke her heart.
 

“We should be there,” she said to her dad. “He shouldn’t have to face the media alone. Provide a united front like…”

“A family?” Thomas finished for her. “Is that what you really want? For you and Jed and Austin to be a family?”

Did she? She loved Jed. There was no longer any doubt in her mind about her feelings for him. Regardless of Austin’s anxiety the past couple of weeks, she knew her son adored his father. From what she’d observed, Jed’s feelings for Austin were reciprocated. They deserved a chance to really get to know each other, to form that special bond between a father and his son. But where did she fit into the picture? Or rather, she and Jed?