The Total Package (23 page)

Dani sucked in and held her breath, the hairs on the back of her neck rising in the same way they did every time he got too close to her truth.

“I’m not running from anything,” she protested.

His grin got wider. “You know, I never expected you to take it all so seriously. All my instincts told me you just loved the publicity. I thought I was just going to be making it easier for you to work your own agenda. I really got that one wrong.”

He wasn’t talking about her aspirations in broadcasting. The conversation had just been flipped on its head. He was giving her a new sort of grin. There were times his intuitiveness was fascinating. But most of the time it was a real pain in the ass. At the moment, it was a whole lot of both.

“You’re not as smart as you think you are,” she said, making one more valiant effort to ward off his knowing look. “And my only agenda is to make it to the top.”

“Getting fired is really going to put a damper on that.”

“You didn’t fire me.” She was flustered. “I quit.”

“Oh yeah,” he said slowly, and started to rise from the picnic table. “Then I guess you better make this last car ride count.”

Dani watched him make his way out of the gazebo and start heading back across the field. After a few steps he turned back around. He stuck his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, his thumbs sticking out. If he had a cowboy hat on and a cigarette dangling from his mouth, she’d have sworn he was the Marlboro Man. For the first time since he’d come onto the scene, he looked truly comfortable in his own skin. “You coming?”

He waited for her to catch up and she fell in step beside him. They strolled leisurely together in silence for a bit. Dani had a lot to process. Marcus was really an enigma. And his story was nothing short of remarkable. As they passed the barn behind the Greens’ house, she smirked, picturing him sleeping inside it, on a cot next to some hay, surrounded by the lingering smells of the animals that had once lived inside it. He chose to forsake his twenty-four-hour concierge service to win over not only a girl, but also her entire family. And he was completely at peace with having done so, all because he had broken free of his deception.

“Were there rats in there?” she asked, pointing to it.

“Not that I saw. Plenty of mice though. But Tigger and Meowsy are good at earning their keep. Why, you looking for a place to stay?”

“I don’t think so.” She gave a half laugh. “Not a fan of vermin in general.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” He chuckled along, another trait he had picked up that suited him. “I thought it was just insects that bothered you. Remember when that wasp wouldn’t leave you alone in Philly? You were jumping around like you were being Tasered.”

“Excuse me, but those things are nasty. For crying out loud, they build their nests out of their own spit.” She shuddered at the recollection.

“And let’s not forget about the fly,” Marcus mentioned casually.

How could she ever forget the infamous suicidal fly? Its death had launched her wild ride. Dani couldn’t tell if he was just making conversation or trying to prove a point. The house was starting to come into view. So were the Bentley and the minivan in the driveway. And leaning up against the beautiful car with his long muscular legs crossed at the ankles was its equally attractive owner, who never seemed to look out of place anywhere anymore. He hadn’t noticed them yet, busy studying his phone. Her heart began to speed up at the sight of him. She wanted to fill the air with something, anything to cover up the sound of it, afraid of it beating so loud that Marcus would hear it and it would blow her flimsy objection to his observation.

“I won’t really quit if you don’t really fire me.”

“I would never fire my partner in crime. It would be bad karma. I know you’re not a quitter. In another couple of weeks, it won’t make any difference.”

She knew what he meant. If he had spoken the truth, which Dani knew in her heart he had, he wouldn’t have the need for any reporters. She wanted to be the first to congratulate him if by chance they won it all. And she wanted one more opportunity to watch Tyson from the sidelines, doing what he did best. Well, second best, in her personal opinion. The three of them had come so far in the course of the season, with her fighting at least one of them most of the way. They were a strange triad that had been guided by fate and perseverance and maybe something more.

“Marcus? At least tell me who was calling you all day?”

He stopped walking, gave it a moment of thought, and then broke out into a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

“It was Palmer. And just for the record, I didn’t willingly tell him what I was up to. He followed me after practice one day and I couldn’t shake him. It’s funny. He was the only person I couldn’t outrun.”

She wasn’t sure if he was kidding or serious. But either way, this time it took all her will to not reach for two rocks. She’d be aiming to hit one and then the other, right between the eyes.

CHAPTER 17

TYSON LOOKED UP
from what he was doing as soon as he heard the crunch of feet on gravel. His gaze met briefly with Marcus’s.

“We all good?” he asked.

Marcus nodded. “Yup. See you on the field.” He proceeded to make his way into the house without looking back.

Tyson’s look tempered as he settled it on Dani. She attempted to meet it head-on but failed and looked at the ground instead. He opened her car door.

“I made our good-byes, spitfire. I’m getting pretty good at that. The Greens asked me to tell you that it was nice to meet you.” He gave her a little wink when she caught his eye and then he closed the door before she could fire off any retort. He couldn’t tell if her blush was courtesy of her talk with Marcus or the memory of her tantrum in front of the pastor and his family, but he adored it either way. Once again, he had her alone. With every fiber of his being, he was going to make sure that this time it wasn’t going to end with either of them getting away.

Within minutes they were back on the road, each of them lost in their own thoughts, his about the right words to convince her to give them a chance, hers about how it was time for her to stop living in lies. It wasn’t until they reached the highway that she finally spoke up.

“Tyson, how did you know it was me when I called? I got a new phone number after New Year’s.”

“Marcus gave me your new number,” he told her.

“As part of this jacked-up conspiracy?” she asked with a false sense of righteous anger to keep herself ahead of the mounting guilt and attraction.

“Nope.” He grinned, his eyes shifting briefly off the road, to give her a palpitation-inducing once-over. “Just ’cause I wanted it.”

“So you’ve been keeping tabs on me?”

“Guilty as charged.” Tyson didn’t take his eyes off the road, but Dani could tell by his profile there wasn’t an ounce of remorse in his expression. He turned to look out his window in a failing attempt to hide the grin. “Marcus taught me the basics. It’s not like I was sleeping under your bedroom window.”

Tyson wished he wasn’t driving. Having to keep his eyes on the road prevented him from being able to fully appreciate her blush again. But he could wait. If he had his way, he was going to make sure she blushed for him every day for the rest of their lives. If he had his way, her next one would be occurring within the hour.

“You know what else I want?” Tyson asked her.

“What?”

“To take you home.”

She felt a rush of giddiness bubbling up. His voice was warm and sincere and she remembered it all too well. She felt nineteen again, only instead of being in a dorm room, she was in a car. In his car, with him sitting next to her and his sexy voice was not asking this time, but telling her what he wanted. Reality could wait a little longer while she wrapped herself up one last time in this wonderful fantasy.

“Whose home?” she teased.

“My home, your home, our home, wherever you lead, I’ll follow,” he said without reservation. Her eyes began to get glassy. She had waited for so long for him to say such words, for her to hear them, to believe them, and it didn’t disappoint.

When she didn’t answer, he took another quick look at her. After noting her pensive expression and watery eyes, he gently placed a hand on her knee. “Look, I know I’m doing a complete one-eighty from what I said after New Year’s. Holly told me how you helped Amanda with her scheme. I jumped to all the wrong conclusions and I’m sorry about that. You’re under no obligation.”

It was all too much, too much to hope for. But he was here, saying and doing all the right things. And his hand on her leg burned like a branding iron.

“Your home,” she murmured and watched his hand as it gave her knee a little squeeze, then slowly began to move back and forth up to her thigh as he sped up to get them there.

She wasn’t sure where they were going or what to expect when they got there. It was strange to think about how she had spent years obsessed with him but really knew so little about him. If his car was any indication, she imagined their destination would be some sort of outlandish mansion. And she wasn’t entirely wrong. They ended up in the exclusive Northwest Hills, but his contemporary two-story house was far from the most ostentatious on the block. There was no other flashy car vying for attention in the garage, but there was a golf cart.

“We’re home,” Tyson announced with a grin, and Dani felt another rush, this time of pure adrenaline.

The house with its open floor plan was neat and spotless, courtesy of a maid service, if she had to guess. But there wasn’t much by way of decorating. Most of the walls were bare, with the exception of a large flat-screen TV in the family room. There was also a sectional couch and two recliners with a coffee table in the family room, but the formal living room was barren. So was the dining room. The kitchen had a table and a set of four chairs that looked like they’d never been pulled out, much less used. On the counters sat nothing more than a toaster, a coffeemaker, and a worn old football of all things. But all the wide windows presented spectacular views and provided great natural lighting.

“You’re really an exhibitionist.” She noted the lack of curtains. “Ever heard of window treatments?”

He gave a laugh. “When I was getting back into shape after rehabbing, I didn’t see all that much daylight. After a while it got to me. I don’t think I ever fully recovered.”

She wandered over to the door leading to the backyard. A wide cobblestone patio fed a path over to the enormous pool with a high cascading waterfall and what had to be a fifteen-foot slide built into the side. The water was crystal clear and the landscaping meticulously maintained. And there was a single piece of furniture, an oversize round lounger, big enough to act as a bed, complete with cushioned pillows. It was as if he lived here, but didn’t.

“Can I get you something to drink?” he asked her from across the room. “I’d give you the tour, but there’s not much to see. I don’t entertain much anymore.”

“You host events all the time.”

“Not here. This is my inner sanctum.”

So that explained it. She kicked herself for not thinking of it on her own. His wasted days were behind him. And in exchange for peace of mind, he really had forced himself to become a loner.

“I pretty much bought it as an investment,” he added. “For when I start a family. It needs a woman’s touch for sure.”

Dani began to worry her lower lip. He already had a family, at least the beginning of one, and because of her, he didn’t even know it. What seemed reasonable and justified at the time now felt the ultimate in selfish. She didn’t want to think about it now. One more night wasn’t going to matter.

“But . . . but the pool looks great,” she stammered to get them off the subject. “That slide see any action?”

“Yeah, in rehab I really developed this thing for water. Would you like to go for a swim?” he asked with the beginnings of a most devilish grin.

“I didn’t bring a bathing suit,” she saucily replied.

His eyebrows rose in invitation and he took a step in her direction. “This place is pretty private. I never wear one.”

“Maybe later.” She took a step toward him as well. “I can think of better reasons for taking off my clothes.”

“Are we really going to do this?” He took his turn with another step, his look beginning to smolder.

“What’s the matter, you afraid you’re going to get called for a false start?” Dani teased as she took her step.

“Hmm. You’re worried that I might start before the snap. But in case you hadn’t heard, I have remarkable stats with third-down conversions.” Even when it was at his expense, he loved her wordplay. He drew closer. “I don’t like to have to turn over the ball.”

“I think if anything, you may go down by contact,” she sassed from nearly an arm’s length away.

“This may be the only time in history a roughing the passer call gets declined.” He grabbed her around her waist and pulled her in until she was stopped by the wall that was his chest. Dani stuck her hands in his back pockets and gave his butt a squeeze. His lips brushed hers, once, then twice, and his tongue coaxed her mouth open. It was soft, it was warm, and then he delved inside.