The Girl With Diamonds (Midtown Brotherhood Book 2) (14 page)

Chapter Seventeen

MAGNOLIA’S GETAWAY

Austin was right. He knew how to avoid Ferocia. They were together every free night he had that next week without even a hint of a story in the news. Shadow games, he called it, trying to take the edge off the reality of it.

The first night, he snuck into her apartment with her favorite movie,
Now and Then
, and laughed at all the right parts. The second night, he invited her out to watch the Georgia bowl game with his friends at a bar specifically selected due to the high priced security guard.

The third night, he showed her the back entrance into Radio City Music Hall to watch The Rockettes.

It was painfully obvious what happened. Austin bought a new phone, and figured out how to search her social media profile. He practically went step by step down the list of her favorite things.

It was cute only because he thought it made him clever. And maybe it did. She waited for him every night with her heart in her throat. Sweaty palms and all. Would this be the night he finally kissed her? It was so adorable she could have been an after school sitcom.

She interviewed him too. It was an exclusive about his knee and how he was officially released to play again. It was all part of Austin’s grand scheme. The interview was easy and friendly, but professional. It drove Cressida mad. It would have driven her mad if she hadn’t been greeted with that hint of a smile just as the camera shut off. It was their little secret, even if it wasn’t a secret at all.

He’d been gone for three days, though, back to back games in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. It was Christmas Eve, and tomorrow they had plans to go ice skating at Central Park. Then, after their date, which better end in a freaking kiss of some sort, they were going to Christmas dinner at Henrik and Leila’s house. She still wasn’t sure how Austin was going to pull off the Central Park not-be-seen thing yet, but her faith in his media-skirting abilities had grown.

Magnolia snuggled deeper into her blankets, smiling in the darkness as she dozed off to sleep. She could see the lights blinking from the tiny Christmas tree down the hall, and smell the chocolate from the cookies Leila and Lucy dropped off that morning. It was perfect.

Then she remembered the stack of papers she’d shoved into the bottom drawer of her desk that afternoon. Mrs. Stamcose had given her the official application for the L.A. job. She wanted to give her time to prepare it, and fill it out with detail about her past internships. It wasn’t how she wanted to spend her Christmas, though, and the more she sat at that desk and thought about it, it wasn’t how she wanted to spend any Christmas.

Alone.

Sure, she would make new friends and meet new people if she moved to L.A., but they weren’t these friends and these people. Most importantly, there wasn’t an Austin Blakely in Los Angeles.

Her phone buzzed on the night stand. She rolled over just enough to look at the clock. It was almost two a.m. She grabbed the phone, not recognizing the number, but immediately knew who it had to be. Austin posted his new phone number on her fridge before he left.

Unknown: Home. Wake up.

Magnolia: It’s too early for ice skating. Go to bed.

Unknown: No. Seriously. Wake up and let me in.

A loud knock echoed through her apartment. Someone was at her front door. She sprang up in the bed.

Magnolia: You’re here? Right now?

Two more knocks.

Unknown: Did you think I was spending Christmas Eve at my place? Of course I’m here. Right now.

Magnolia jumped out of bed and ran to the door to open it. Dusty white snowflakes covered his dark jacket, but she hugged him anyway. He was still cold and had his suitcase. She squeezed him tighter, breathing him in. She’d really missed him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming here straight from the airport?”

He peered down at her, his smile crooked. “Would you have still dressed like that if I told you I was coming by?”

Magnolia glanced down to realize she only had on a t-shirt and pair of giant, fuzzy, yet colorful socks. She glanced back up at him. “Maybe.” Then she tugged the back of her shirt down to cover up the Wonder Woman underwear she forgot she had on. “Maybe not.”

Austin shrugged off his heavy sports coat, and then threw his toboggan on top of it. He opened his mouth to speak, but it was cut short by her audible gasp. Her hand immediately grabbed her heart. “You cut your hair.”

It sounded stupid when she said it out loud like that. As if Austin getting a haircut upset her. However, it caught her by surprise. She’d gotten accustomed to the silky brown drifts of hair that shadowed his face.

Austin stepped back, laughing. “I’m holding a giant box with a big ribbon on it, and you’re concerned with my hair?”

Magnolia looked around, and indeed, he did have what appeared to be a present in his hands, but she couldn’t concentrate. Austin’s new, shorter hair was disheveled. Sleek. Sexy. He ran a self-conscious hand through it. It ruffled in all directions. “That bad, huh?”

She very slowly shook her head. “No.”

She meant to say more, but didn’t. Anything more and she’d incriminate herself. She backed up, butt first, into the kitchen.

Austin disposed of his shoes and joined her at the counter, setting the present down. “My hair kept falling in my eyes during games. Plus, Callen started accusing me of trying to look like Henrik.”

She faked a smile and turned her eyes on the present. If she stumbled into the counter and busted her nose, he’d know it was because she couldn’t focus. She played with the ribbon around the box.

Austin bent down to catch her line of vision. “Do you hate it?”

“I haven’t even opened it yet.”

He grinned because he knew she was avoiding the question. “I meant my hair.”

She carefully studied him, trying not to show too much. “No,” she repeated robotically. “I
do not
hate it.”

It didn’t matter what he did to his hair. Rugged or clean cut, Austin Blakely would always be handsome.

Austin pointed at the bottle of wine on the counter. “Would you have a glass with me?”

She slid the bottle toward him, nodding to the corkscrew on the table. He popped it open and filled the glasses to the brim. She shot him a look, but he didn’t respond. “It’s been a rough day.” He downed half the glass in one Austin-size gulp.

She thought he was joking until he filled his glass full a second time. She instantly sank onto the bar. “What happened?”

He slid a glass across the counter to her. “My All-Star trip got cancelled.”

She picked it up, but didn’t drink. He looked devastated. “Wait. You made the All-Star team?”

He shrugged. “Yep, I got the call right after we got off the plane. My first time too. Coach asked me not to go, though. He doesn’t want me to risk aggravating my knee for a game that doesn’t count.”

“I’m sorry. That really sucks.”

He nodded. “It’s not so bad, especially when the consolation prize is spending the weekend with you.”

Magnolia paused with the glass to her lips. She pulled it down slowly. “I won’t be in town for the All-Star break.”

His brows instantly knotted together. It made her want to stick her finger between them and push them apart. That, and take back what she said and change her plans for him.

“Why?”

She rounded the counter and walked toward her couch. She didn’t sit on it. The couch would be too confining. She grabbed a blanket and sat down on the floor. There was lots of room on the floor. “It’s the All-Star break.” She curled into the blanket. “It’s the only vacation I get during the season too.”

He followed her and sat down opposite her. “Where are you going?”

“Georgia. It’s my dad’s sixtieth birthday. My sisters are throwing him a big party.”

“Oh.”

Grumpy. Disappointed. It didn’t matter his mood, he was still adorable. “I’ll be back the following Sunday,” she offered. “Maybe we could hang out then?”

“I’ll have practice all day Sunday. It will be the team’s first day back.”

Magnolia took a sip of her wine and watched Austin think. She could practically see the gears in his head turn and clink, until finally he smiled. “I bet I still have time to upgrade your ticket to a pair.”

Magnolia choked her wine down. Actually, she choked it back out into the glass. “What? No.”

“Why not? You just indicated you wanted to hang out that weekend. We can hang out in Georgia. I’ve never been.”

Magnolia shook her head. “Absolutely not.”

He studied her for a moment, confused, but then his eyes softened. He set his wine glass down and scooted in her direction. “What’s in Atlanta you don’t want me to know about?”

“Nothing.” Rumors. Scandal. Pictures. “Absolutely nothing.”

Austin stared at her harder, his head turning sideways. “Then why can’t I tag along?”

She set her wine glass down too, before clasping her hands together in her lap. He had to be joking.

“We aren’t dating,” she said, shooting him a look as if the reason should be obvious now. He hadn’t managed to even kiss her yet. She wasn’t angry about the gentleman approach, but this was a gigantic leap he was talking about. They were skipping several vital steps in the process.

“I thought we had an understanding that we weren’t going to be just friends.”

“Non-friendship doesn’t mean we’re dating.”

“We’ve been dating all week.” Austin looked around the room, gesturing. “Hell. This is a date.”

She sighed, collapsing against the couch. “I’m eating junk food in my pajamas at two a.m. This is so not a date.”

Austin’s smile spread across his face. “You’re drinking wine, and you’re wearing your diamonds,” he pointed out, reaching up to tip the set of three studs in her ear. “That means it counts.”

She hated when he did that. Those tender moments when he let his brass exterior fade. It caused her insides to go mushy.

Magnolia shook her head fervently He was missing the point. “You can’t come home with me.”

His eyes rounded, wounded. “Why?”

There were so many reasons. Even if no one mentioned her past, that didn’t mean people, especially her family, wouldn’t make assumptions about her future. Particularly her future with Austin.

“Because they will love you,” she blurted out.

His lips parted and she knew she had to explain herself. She had to make him understand.

“My dad is a former Georgia football player, and although he will make fun of your accent and the fact that you play a sport that isn’t football, he will love you.”

“Great,” he said, grinning like an idiot. “The NFL playoffs start that Saturday. We can watch the game.”

“And then my mom,” she continued, sucking in a breath. “That woman lives to cook, and after raising three fickle daughters, you will be the pot of gold at the end of her Rachael Ray rainbow. She will do nothing but spend the entire weekend shoving food in your face.”

“Football and good food. Wow. This trip sounds terrible.”

She stared at him. “Austin, this is serious. I don’t know how they do things in southern Canada, but in Georgia, bringing a guy to a family function is a big deal.”

He paused, taking in what she’d said, and then he smiled. It was his just-for-her smile. “Ah, I see,” he said, nodding. He scooted over and slung an arm around her shoulder. “If you wanted me to be your boyfriend, you could have just asked me.”

Her mouth dropped open.

He pulled her into him and kissed her temple. “My answer is yes, by the way.”

She instantly jerked away. “I didn’t ask you out.”

His grin covered his entire face. “Yeah, you sort of did.”

She threw a pillow across the small space separating them. “You insufferable—”

He was quick. His hands faster than lightning. Austin closed the space between them, moving the glasses of wine on the floor with ease before wrapping his arm around her waist and heaving her into his lap. She was nose to nose with him. His firm embrace held her steady as she caught her breath. He could have kissed her. His lips were so close. Except, he didn’t. He smiled, brushing his nose across her cheek. “Magnolia Cross, will you be my girlfriend?”

She hesitated, and he placed a single chaste kiss just under her chin as if that would help her get words out. “Say yes. Say yes and take me to meet your parents.”

She opened her mouth, but still no words escaped.

Austin shook his head, laughing. “You must really enjoy torturing me.”

Again she tried to speak, but instead of words, she laughed too. He had no idea of torture.