She Does Know Jack (20 page)

For two years
after Caroline, he’d been happy, keeping women at bay, dabbling in the
occasional mutual romp when both parties were on the same page. Then he’d walked
into The Limelight and promptly lost his mind. If he were honest, he’d have to
admit, he hadn’t been the same since. Something was off. A restlessness had
taken root and no matter what he’d tried, he couldn’t shake it.

Reaching the
pool’s edge, he turned around and backstroked to the other end while working
through his thoughts. Things had gotten worse. He met Brielle. Tasted Brielle.
Couldn’t hold onto his control around Brielle. He was a fucking idiot. This was
the worst possible timing. How could he give into his desires and think about
himself when his brother’s heart and
life
were at stake?

Silently cursing
his soul, he kicked harder. He was scum. No. He was worse than scum on scum.
How could he do that to his brother? Brielle was supposed to be here for
Matthew. Never mind that the woman had returned his kisses.

His pace slowed
and he smiled. She’d done more than that, once upon a time. A hell of a lot
more. She’d felt the crazy pull of attraction, and like him, had thrown caution
to the wind and gave into need. Which was fine, because they were never
supposed to see each other again. So what now? How the hell was he supposed to
forget what it had felt like to be inside her?

The woman messed
with his head
—
both heads
—
without even
trying. She was easily becoming the most intriguing woman he’d ever met. And
the most dangerous.

With his feet
firmly planted on the bottom, he stood and scrubbed a hand over his face. Never
had he been more physically attracted, and if he let her in and things went
south, the damage would be irreparable.

He was in deep
shit.

Half of him
wanted to run away from her, screaming for the hills; the other half wanted to
haul her up close so he could bury himself deep inside and never let go.

“There you are,
Jack. I’ve been looking for you,” his brother said, pulling him from his
thoughts.

Jack stilled.
Alarm shooting down his stiffening spine as he watched Matthew drop a towel
next to his on the chair. “Why? Is something wrong? Has something happened?”

“No. No. Nothing
like that. Jeez, calm down.” Big grin tilting his lips, his goofy brother
walked to the edge to peer into the water. “Boy, for someone who won the dance
contest with the beautiful Brielle last night, you’re awfully testy.”

Testy.
He answered by
swimming away. To hell with testy. He was pent-up.  His groin needed no
reminding of that dance. Laughter echoed through the room and a shaft of
annoyance spiked across Jack’s shoulder blades. The last thing he needed was
his brother’s sense of humor
.

“Yes, I’m
definitely sensing some stress.” Matthew dove into the water and surfaced a few
feet away. “Care to tell me about it?”

No. Yes. Fuck.

Twisting around,
Jack dove under the water, kicking until he ran out of air. How the hell was he
supposed to tell his brother he’d shared several mind-blowing kisses with one
of his possible girlfriends? Not to mention the wild dressing room sex they had
last year. He grit his teeth. Damn. Just thinking about the encounter sparked a
longing he didn’t need.

What the hell
was he doing?

He
had
to
tell Matthew
.
Jack hated liars. There was nothing worse than a liar. He
would not become one of them. Not for the sake of his nerves or Brielle.

Chest heavy,
shoulders tight, he turned and swam back to his brother.

“Change your
mind?” Matthew smiled, treading water in his direction. “Why is it you get
stressed when I mention that woman’s name?”

Jack snorted.
Why
indeed?
“Look, about last night.”

“You two were
amazing. I’ll tell ya, Jack, the way you moved as one…it was…” His brother paused
until he drew near, eyes sparkling when he finished with, “…incredible.”

Yeah, incredibly
hot. Jack took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “That’s because just
before we came out, we shared the most unbelievable kiss.”

Matthew’s brows
rose. “No way!”

“Yes. Look, I’m
sorry, Matthew. It wasn’t my intention, but we were talking and…well, it just
sort of happened. I couldn’t help myself.” He finished in a rush, relieved to
get it out. “I don’t blame you if you’re mad. You can slug me. Go ahead. I
deserve it.” He offered a clear shot of his right cheek.

“That won’t be
necessary.”

Jack’s gaze
snapped to his brother’s. “It won’t?”

“No. You see,
I…a…have something to tell you.” Matthew glanced away, but not before Jack had
seen guilt dulling his brother’s dark eyes.

Guilt? What the
hell did Matthew have to be guilty about? Jack straightened and folded his arms
across his chest, breathing past the sudden jump in heartbeats.

“Go on.”

“Well, I like
Brielle. She’s funny, charming, and always a surprise, but…” his brother
stopped to take a breath. “Well, I sort of already liked one of the other girls
before she came on the show. I haven’t eliminated Brielle because mom and dad
chose her,” he finished quickly.

Jack stared at
Matthew, slowly digesting his revelation. Why his heart suddenly felt lighter
than air would remain a mystery he wasn’t too keen to solve just yet.

“It’s also the
reason I won’t be eliminating her tomorrow night.” Matthew smiled. “So, you
see? It’s fine with me if you want to pursue her. As a matter of fact, I think
that’s a great idea. Just don’t do it in front of the other girls. I’m sure
Brielle would get slack for that.”

Holy shit.
Jack’s arms dropped to his sides, splashing water between them. Matthew wasn’t
eliminating Brielle
and
wanted him to pursue her?

“I’ll be
damned.” He blinked, still waiting for a punch line. “You’re saying you’re not
mad that I kissed Brielle?”

“Mad? Hell no!
I’m delighted.” Matthew grinned, slapping Jack’s shoulder. “In fact, I think
you should do it again.”

This time Jack
laughed. “The thought has crossed my mind.” Among other things. His grin slowly
faded. “But she’s way too distracting, and exactly what I don’t need right
now.” He re-crossed his arms and gripped tight as his body protested what was
about to come out of his mouth. “I think you should reconsider your decision
and eliminate her tomorrow.”

Matthew jerked
back. “What? Eliminate her? No way, man. Not gonna happen. I already told you,
I have to keep her on because of mom and dad. Sorry, bro.” Shaking his head, his
brother slapped him on the shoulder again and sighed. “You’ll just have to deal
with it.”

Jack opened his
mouth to protest and got a mouthful of chlorinated water as Matthew dove under
and swam away.

Deal with it.
Right.

Looked like he
was going to have to deal with a hell of a lot of cold showers in his future,
too.

B
rielle couldn’t believe the events of
the last few days—because there hadn’t been any. Had the perpetrator stopped?
If so, why? There’d been no threats, no phone calls, no power outages. Nothing.
Well, she smiled, glancing at the handsome man with mesmerizing blue eyes, hot,
ripped body, sporting a familiar hat, as he sat across from her in the limo.
Not
exactly nothing.

Before Carla’s
elimination last night, each of the contestants had their alone-time with the Anderson brothers. Brielle had barely gotten into the study when Jack had shut the door and
kissed her senseless up against the hard surface.

“I told Matthew
about our kiss, and he wasn’t upset,” he’d informed with a measure of relief
lighting his incredible eyes. “It seems he’s already fallen for one of the
other contestants.”

 Jack had
smiled, brushing her lower lip with his thumb. A move she was beginning to love
way too much. If only his thumb would take to roaming…

“He said he’s
going to keep you on because of our parents.”

Damn. She had
hoped Matthew would’ve told Jack the truth. Her gut had tightened as he
unknowingly reminded her of why she was really there. It had been hard enough
to remember when he hadn’t recognized her. Now that he had, remembering her job
had become impossible when he was near. It was as if her body
knew
his
body
knew
and wanted to get to know him all over again.

“I must admit, I
tried to get him to send you home.” His gaze had dropped to her mouth and
knocked her heart into her ribs. “You’re too much of a distraction to me.”

Good. They were
on the same page. She’d smiled, slipping her arms around his neck, loving the
way his corded muscles had felt under her hand. “Ah, poor baby.” And once
again, her mind had shut off as she brought his head down to hers.

They’d ended up
on the couch. Somehow. She had no recollection. Her burning need had gone
unsatisfied, though, when she’d spied the cameraman grinning full tilt in the
corner.

That’s when
she’d gasped and sprang to her feet, shaking her head at the man. “You’ve
certainly got the best person to follow.” A small smile had twitched her
tingling lips while she fixed her dress where Jack’s hands had so deliciously
played.

“I know.” He’d
smiled back, but it had quickly disappeared when Jack faced him.

“Oh, we’re
here!” Danni’s excited voice brought Brielle’s attention back to the present.

She blinked and
refocused on the scenery halting outside the window to her right. The roar of a
coaster and tower of crisscrossing two-by-fours, reaching high then curving
down into several thrilling hills, set the background for happy faces, excited
children and their harried parents rushing to catch up.

“I can’t wait. I
love amusement parks. What a great idea for a group date.” Mandy giggled,
rubbing her hands together.

Brielle’s gaze
met Jack’s. She knew what he was thinking.
What in the world was wrong with
the studio?
This was possibly the worst location they could’ve picked. Very
public. Very dangerous. She’d be sticking to Matthew like glue today—she only
hoped his brother wouldn’t mind.

As soon as the
producers got them through the gates and past the massive statues of famous
cartoon characters, Jack pulled her to the side, pretending to look at a map of
the park.

“Look, Brielle,
I hate to ask you this.” The uncertainty in his voice caught her off guard.
“Would you mind staying close to Matthew today? I know he’s supposed to have
some equal time with the others, but I’d feel better if you were next to him
when I’m not.”

Her heart
swelled. “It means a lot to me that you trust me to be with Matthew.”

He hesitated,
dipping his head to search her eyes, “I do trust you, Brielle. Although—” his
frown deepened. “I don’t want you harmed either. On second thought, maybe you
shouldn’t be near him.”

“I’ll be fine,”
she reassured, touching his fingers before slipping her hand in the pocket of
her belted shorts. “And between the two of us, so will Matthew.”

“I hope so.”

“What shall we
go on first?” Danni asked, leading the others toward them. “Matthew and I want
to head to the roller coaster, but Mandy mentioned the carousel.”

Brielle and Jack
exchanged a look and promptly replied, “Carousel.”

Two hours later,
having ridden half the rides, they stood in line for a much slower paced
attraction—the boats. They’d just gotten out of the haunted house, and
Brielle’s nerves were stretched thin. Every bounce, every bump, every stupid, jumping
ghoul had her ready to pounce. She needed time to calm down.

“I’d like to
ride with you, Matthew. If that’s okay?” Danni asked, then smiled and slipped
her arm through his when he readily agreed.

Brielle glanced
at Jack. She’d hoped to go with the handsome former Ranger, but knew it was out
of the question. She quickly stepped to the groom and said, “Me, too.” Then
grabbed Matthew’s other arm and smiled into his puzzled face.

“Ah, shoot.”
Mandy’s lower lip jutted out. “That means I’m stuck with Jack.”

The former
Ranger chuckled. “My apologies on making you suffer, Mandy.”

The blonde’s eyes
widened while her face turned pink. “Oh dear, I didn’t mean to insult you,
Jack. You’re really very cute, but…well, you’re just not Matthew.”

“So I’ve been
told.” He grinned good-naturedly, and Brielle experienced a healthy dose of
envy as she watched the two joke around.

Jack, she was
beginning to realize, was a rarity. He was confident, capable, an amazing
kisser and hot as hell, but the quality that got her most, the thing that drew
her in and wouldn’t let go, was the fact he put other’s needs before his own.
Especially his brother’s.

Just look at how
he’d stopped kissing her the other night in that private room at Club
Terpsichore because he’d worried Matthew would be upset, even though she knew
he was as lost as her, ready to go full throttle. And how, like now, his
expression heated whenever he glanced at her, yet he’d asked her to stick near
Matthew today when he couldn’t, willing to sacrifice any alone-time they
could’ve snuck in.

“Watch your
step,” the groom said, holding his hand out to her, having already helped Danni
into their boat first.

After Brielle
settled in next to him, her thoughts returned to his brother. She supposed some
women would be upset that Jack had chosen him over her. But that’s not how she
saw it. That wasn’t what Jack had done. No. It hadn’t been a matter of choosing
his brother over her. In fact, it had nothing to do with her at all. Jack had
put Matthew’s needs above his own. Plain and simple. Jack had made a sacrifice.

A trait she
found very endearing. And very hard to resist.  Brielle knew then and there she
was only fooling herself trying to label this thing between them as purely
physical. It was so much more, and went so far beyond...it scared the hell out
of her.

As they pulled
away from the dock, she turned to watch Jack and Mandy get into their boat, a
friendly camaraderie evident in the smile on their faces.  Their laughter
twisted her gut. She wanted to be with him, enjoying his wit, making him smile.

Her heart had
bad timing. It was true Dodger had often been in her thoughts the past half a
year, but she really hadn’t known him long enough to be having such strong
feelings for him.

And what about
the case?
This was a job, not an avenue to find love. What was wrong with her?

Jack.

Her pulse
jumped. Jack was what was wrong with her. She enjoyed his company, enjoyed his
kisses and prayed he wouldn’t be too upset when she revealed the whole truth
about her presence on the show. She hoped to God he’d understand her reason for
lying. After all, it was for his brother’s own good.

“Uh-oh.”

Matthew’s
concerned voice brought her out of her dire musings and sent alarm tingling
down her spine. Her gaze snapped to his. “What?”

“Something’s
wrong with the boat.”

“Maybe we’re out
of gas,” Danni said, her eyes wide as they came to a halt.

Brielle surveyed
the area. The leisurely ride paced the boats so the occupants drove through a
wide channel unhurried. “It shouldn’t be that. They have a routine and fill
them every so many trips.”

“Well, now what?
How do we get out of here?” Danni blinked at them.

Chewing her
lower lip, Brielle gauged the distance to the bank and Phil, focusing his
camera on them, then she glanced at the brown water, and shuddered. The thought
of putting anything other than an oar in the murky depths made her cringe. That
would be a last resort. A very, very last resort. She eyed the canal in front
of them, but it was empty.

Matthew glanced
over his shoulder and waved. “Hey, Jack. Can you throw us a line?”

Brielle and
Danni turned toward the approaching boat. Her gaze met concerned blue eyes.

“What’s wrong?”
Jack frowned, slowing his boat.

“We’re out of
gas or something.” Danni shrugged. “It just conked out.”

“And it won’t
turn over.” Matthew cranked the key to show nothing happened.

Jack nodded.
“Okay. I’ll give you a tow.” He looked down by his feet then back up. “You got
any rope over there?”

Matthew glanced
at the floor. “No.”

Brielle’s hands
went to her waist. “We can use my scarf.” She untied the white gauzy material
from around her shorts. “I officially take back the comments I made about the
studio's choice of clothes.”

“You picked a
good day to wear those belted shorts.” Danni smiled.

Glancing from
the back of Jack’s boat to the front of hers, Brielle formed a plan. “Okay,
Jack. If you pull ahead of us, I can tie the boats together.”

He glanced aft,
then to their stern and nodded. “Okay. Hang on.”

“No problem,
bro. We’re not going anywhere.” Matthew chuckled.

Less than a
minute later, the boats were lined up. “All set, Brielle, but be careful.”
Jack’s gaze locked with hers.

She nodded and
stood. “Hold this a second.” She handed Matthew the scarf, then swung her leg
over the windshield and eased the rest of her body on top of the boat. “Okay.”
Nodding at Matthew, she grasped the scarf and turned around.

“Be careful.”
Mandy’s voice echoed the concern in Jack’s eyes as he watched from his boat.

Reaching the
tip, she waited until she found her balance. When the boat stopped shaking, she
laced the scarf through the chrome hook on the front of their boat and secured
it with a square knot. After testing it with a tug, she carefully stretched
toward the identical hook on the back of Jack’s boat.

“One down, one
to go.” She winked at Jack.

Instead of
smiling back, he stiffened and alarm entered his eyes. “Brielle, look out!”

Screams and
shouts filled Brielle's ears a second before the boat pitched violently
forward, tossing her toward Jack before she bounced backward onto her vessel.
She gripped the sides in an attempt to stabilize herself and the craft.

Well that was
fun. Not.

“Brielle? Are
you hurt?” Concern creased Jack’s brow as he scrambled onto the back of his
boat, straining to touch her arm.

“I’m fine. Just
re-bruising my butt.” She steadied herself, then frowned. “What happened? Is
Matthew okay?”

Shoot. Had that
been deliberate?

Beyond disgusted
for putting fun before her number one priority, she turned to find the groom
and Danni, concerned but unharmed. Exhaling, she glanced beyond them to the
mother hugging a young boy in a boat behind theirs. It appeared to be just an
accident.

Her gaze bounced
to Phil. There was something off about that man. Could it just be a coincidence
that things seemed to happen when Matthew’s cameraman was present? He gave her
a thumbs-up from the bank.

“I’m so sorry.
Are you okay?” the mother asked, regaining Brielle’s attention. Apprehension
tightened the lady’s features.

“I’m fine. No
worries,” she assured, looking them over. Pale faces, tight grips, yes, this
was an accident. “How about you?”

“We’re okay.”
The mother smiled weakly.

Brielle nodded,
allowing relief to enter her body. She relaxed her spine, then turned back to
Jack. He, too, eyed the mother and son as a non-threat. Her gaze flicked over
his lop-sided hat. The urge to fix itched her fingers.

“I would say
it’s been nice bumping into you, but—” She lowered her voice so only he would
hear. “I’d much rather bump like we did on the dance floor.”

Heat flashed
through Jack’s eyes, and he matched her tone, “I’ll see what I can do.” Then he
frowned. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

Given her
lifestyle, she knew she couldn’t make that promise. “Sorry, Jack, but trouble
seems to find me.” Smiling, she laced the scarf through the hook on his boat,
then scampered back toward Matthew and Danni.