Secret Storm (12 page)

Austin grabbed a bottle of water from the
cooler and tossed it at Jack. "Where's mine?"

"Right here." Jane held up a roast beef and
cheddar. "What do you want, Sara?"

"Ham and Swiss. Did Austin bring you along to
feed everyone?"

"What else is she good for?" Austin
winked.

Jane slapped his arm. "No. I play too."

"Really?"

"She's a pretty good kicker," said Jack.
"Good arm too."

"I'm not surprised. She's the leading scorer
on the soccer team and starting pitcher for the softball team."
Sara winked at Jane. "I suppose Austin likes to tackle you."

Austin laughed. "It's touch football. I only
tackle her off the field."

"Wanna play?" Jack asked.

Sara shook her head. "I don't know anything
about football."

"No problem." Austin grinned. "We can use you
as a decoy."

"Yeah, you've kept me distracted for the last
three years." Jack winked.

Sara laughed. "Seriously, I'm not athletic at
all."

Jack's gaze roamed her body. "But you have
stamina. I learned that last night."

If any other man had said that to her, she
would've slapped him, but the wicked gleam in his eyes made his
arrogant smile so damn appealing. She moved closer to him and
lowered her voice. "Think you can handle me?"

"Baby, you have no idea."

His husky tone sent delicious shivers down
her spine. Play football with him?
Oh hell yes.
She could
think of a few other things she'd like to play with him too.

"Sara," Austin said, "you and Greg will be on
my team. Jack, you're with Jane and Aaron."

"Can't I play on Jack's team?"

"Trust me. It's a lot more fun when you play
on opposite sides."

"Oh... I get it." That made sense, even if
she didn't quite get how to play the game.

"Hey!" Aaron whistled. "Let's go."

"Come on." Jack dragged her out onto the
field and passed her over to Austin, who stood ready to give
instructions.

"Sara, you run right and then head for the
end zone. Greg, get open. I'm gonna fake to Sara, but it's coming
to you. Everybody else be ready for it."

Ah, so that's the decoy.
Sara lined up
across from Jack.

"I'm comin' for ya," he snarled, but his eyes
danced.

"You don't scare me." Just the opposite—his
mischievous scowl turned her on to no end.

Austin darted backward, and before she could
even move, Jack lunged and pulled her to the ground.

She lay flat on her back in his arms, gasping
for breath. "You call this touch football?"

"Sorry. I guess I like to touch you too
much."

"Can't blame you for that."
Two can play
that game.

Austin shook his head. "Sara, you're supposed
to run when I take the snap."

Take the snap?
"Right."

Austin called the same play, but this time
when he ran backward, Sara plowed forward into Jack, catching him
by surprise and driving him back a couple of feet before he
wrestled her down.

"Nice move." Jack leaned down and breathed
hot in her ear. "It won't work twice."

"We'll see." As long as he tackled her again,
she didn't care.

Austin clapped. "Great block."

"Did it work?"

"Yeah, we scored."

"Oh cool. Now what?"

"They get the ball. Throw another block like
that and you'll do just fine."

"Okay."
Throw it where?

She lined up across from Jack, expecting him
to come for her again, but with one quick move, he dashed around
her and took off down the field. Sara scrambled after him, catching
up just as he caught the ball. She stretched out and touched his
arm, stopping him just short of the goal line.

"Damn girl, you are fast," Jack said.

"I was motivated."

"Oh yeah?"

"I like to touch you too."

Jack slid his arm around her waist and pulled
her close to kiss her. "You can do more than touch me."

"I'll remember that."

Austin gathered his team and told them his
plan.

Sara nodded as if she understood, but before
she could ask for clarification, he ran backward with the ball, and
Jack charged her again. She mimicked the move he'd used to dodge
her—a step left, and then a quick spin to the right—and sprinted
down the field. When she looked back, the ball was spinning toward
her head. She closed her eyes, threw her arms up and felt the ball
crash into her hands.
What now?

"Go!" Austin shouted.

Jack tore down the field so she turned around
and ran.
Where is that damn goal line?
She sprinted hard
until she heard Austin and Greg cheering, and noticed that Jack had
stopped chasing her.
Guess I found it.

"Nice catch." Jane laughed.

"Lucky catch," said Austin.

"Doesn't matter as long as she gets it in the
end zone." Jack grinned and swatted her ass. "Nice job."

"Hey!"
Oh....
An ass slap meant
"congratulations" in football. She smiled at the compliment and
rubbed her stinging butt. "Thanks." She tossed the ball to Jack.
"This is more fun than I expected."

"Yeah, it's addictive, but don't think you're
gonna get past me again."

"Ha! I so had you fooled."

"I let you by."

"I don't think so."

For the first time since getting involved
with Jack, she felt genuinely happy. So what if he wouldn't tell
her everything? Maybe he wasn't ready. Maybe she just needed to
trust him. Maybe she shouldn't worry about the future. Maybe....
Ugh.
She hated that word.
Happy. Focus on that.

Jane jogged over, out of breath. "Let's get
something to drink."

"Time out" called Austin, but the girls were
already digging through the cooler. Sara passed cold bottles of
water to everyone, and headed back to the picnic table where her
friends sat munching leftover chips. She glanced to the far end of
the picnic area, and saw a memorable car parked under a tree.

A familiar face appeared as the window slid
down and a dark-haired man scanned her with dangerous eyes. His
smooth smile—a look she knew all too well—sent chills down her
spine.

"Hi gorgeous. How are you?"

She scolded her fickle heart for doing
flip-flops, a meaningless physical reaction to a warm body that had
once made her toes curl.
I don't really want him anymore. Get
rid of him.
She glanced over her shoulder at the picnic table,
then trotted toward his car.

"David, what are you doing here?"
Why him?
Why now?
The last thing she wanted was to think about her
unfaithful ex, let alone see him.

He got out of the car. "I'm in town on
business. Happened to drive by and see you here." He smiled and
reached for her. "I missed you."

His sensual tone and reassuring hand drew her
near him, but his words sounded too practiced, his smile too
perfect, and she stepped back. "You just happened to see me?"

"Yeah, well, okay... I hoped I'd find you. I
remembered you liked to hang out in this park."

"You realize we're not together anymore,
right?"

"We still need to talk about that. You left
without giving me a chance to explain."

This was starting to be a pattern. She knew
they had left lots unsaid, which was the same problem she seemed to
be having with Jack. She may not have wanted to see David again,
but at least she owed him a chance to tell his side of the
story.

"Okay. I'll listen."

***

"Who is that?" Jack wrenched open another
bottle of water, staring across the park.

That guy's sleek, black, brand new Mustang
looked like it never left him stranded in the rain. He was doing
all the talking; Sara, the listening. Her arms were crossed tight
over her chest as she leaned away from him. She didn't want to be
there.

"Oh, that's David," said Jane.

The worried tone in her voice bothered him.
"David... her ex?"

"How'd he find her?" Austin asked.

Jane shrugged. "He used to come visit her a
lot, but it's been awhile. He travels a lot for business."

"What business?"

"Sales." Jane shrugged. "Sara used to say
that he's a really good salesman because he's so persuasive."

"Uh-huh." Jack sat up straighter, his eyes
locked on the guy with the black mustang. If that asshole got any
closer to his girl....

"She dumped him, right?" said Austin.

"That's what she said, but I guess he didn't
get the message." Jack crushed the plastic bottle with one hand.
"Maybe I should make things clearer for him." His hands clenched
into fists, and he stood up, but Austin grabbed his arm and pulled
him back down.

"Give Sara a chance." He jerked Jack's arm,
shaking him. "Wait and see what she does."

"I don't like it."

"I know, but she can take care of herself."
He glanced over to the other side of the park. "He won't hurt her,
not in front of all these people."

Jack knew that, but the protective instinct
overwhelmed him—second nature. His muscles coiled, ready to spring
into action if she needed him. He stayed quiet and watched, just
waiting for that moment.

***

"It was a one-time thing. She invited me in
for a drink and.... I never wanted it to go that far." David's
smooth brown eyes pleaded with her. "I haven't seen Megan since,
and I don't want to."

"That's good." She may have moved on, but
still felt slightly vindicated knowing Megan wasn't a permanent
fixture in his life.

"I only want you," he said in a rush.
"Remember how good we were together? I want to start over. Let me
take you back to the cheap Chinese restaurant you loved so we can
talk some more."

"We were good together." But was good enough?
What she had with Jack was frustrating, challenging, passionate,
intense—so much more than good. With David she never knew where she
stood. She felt some uncertainty with Jack too, but....
Damn it!
Am I running from one unstable relationship to another?

"I wanted to give us another chance, but you
left without trying to work it out."

"Maybe I should've tried harder. I was angry.
I didn't know what to do."

"I was hurt when you left. You were so far
away, and you wouldn't talk to me when I called."

Why is this all about me? Is he screwing
with me again?
"I wanted to talk...." But Jack had taken the
phone away. He wouldn't let Sara go, and said he wanted to take
care of her. "I couldn't talk then."

"You can talk to me now."

"What do you want me to say?" She promised
she'd listen, but after hearing his lame excuses, she really didn't
have anything to say. He hadn't apologized; hadn't said it would
never happen again.

"Say you'll come back to me. We can make it
work if you just try."

"If I try?"
Seriously?
"
You
cheated on
me
. That's why I left."

"But you didn't—"

"I didn't have to do anything. You screwed
up. You're the one who needed to fix it, but as far as I'm
concerned, there's nothing you can do." She held up her hand and
walked away.

"Sara, please." He grabbed her arm, but she
jerked free.

"Don't touch me."

"That's it." Jack leaped up and thundered
toward the jerk, with Austin jogging close behind. "I don't need
help."

"Yeah, but
he
might."

Jack grabbed David's shoulder and spun him
around, his fist inches from the guy's face.

Austin grabbed his arm. "Don't do it,
man."

"Jack! What the hell are you doing?" Sara
shoved him away.

He blinked and stared at her, then at his
clenched fist.
How did I get this far?
"I won't let him
touch you."

"That makes two of us," she snapped.

David ducked behind her. "We weren't
finished."

"You are now," Jack snarled.

"We're finished when I say so. David—" Sara
spun and he shrank back. "We're finished." She turned back around
to face Jack, but he stood his ground. "Jack—"

"Don't say those words to me."

"Oh, I've got words for you."

"Sara." David reached out to touch her arm,
and Jack's fist struck him square on the nose. He staggered back,
his hand clamped over his bleeding nose. "What the hell?"

"You had it coming."

David glared at him. "Sara, this guy is
dangerous."

"To you," Jack snarled.

David flinched. "I'll be in town until
Tuesday. Come see me when you can get away from him. You know where
I'm staying."

Jack turned to Sara. "You know where he's
staying?" He clenched his fists and glared back at David. "Go.
Now."

The idiot nearly fell over himself running
back to his car.

Sara turned on Jack. "What was that all
about?"

His hands uncurled and he reached for her.
She's safe now. We're safe.
"I was trying to protect
you."

"What is it with you and protection?"

My duty? My role in life?
"He was
hurting you. I could see it in your eyes."

"From all the way over there?" She flung her
arm at the picnic tables, just missing his head. "You're seeing
what you want to see."

"I do
not
want to see him touch
you."

"Are you jealous?"

"No."
Not jealous—pissed off—but now that
she mentioned it....
"Is there some reason I should be?"

"I told you it was over with him."

"Then what the hell is he doing here?"

"How should I know? I didn't ask him to show
up."

"Good. Don't see him again."

Her eyes flew wide and she gasped, struggling
to speak. "Just who do you think...? Are you kidding me? I will see
him if I want to."

What? She isn't done with that
asshole?
"Do you want to?"