Touchdown Baby (6 page)

Before Jace could comment on Roxi’s observations, Ashlyn came running into the room and right into her aunt Roxi’s arms.

“How about you and I go in and get you your breakfast and let Mommy and Jace talk.” Roxi spoke to Ashlyn as they walked into the kitchen.

“What do we have to talk about?” Ava asked Jace as they watched Roxi disappear into the kitchen.

“Well, you know I have to keep a low profile so no one knows where I’m staying.”

Jace looked at her as if he expected her to answer, so she responded with a nod.

He took the simple gesture as an opening to ask his question. Jace blurted out, “So I was wondering if I could ride to your office with you today. Once I meet with the lawyer, I could take your car and just pick you up later. I know I keep asking you for favors, but this will be the last one. You were kind enough to get me an appointment first thing this morning, so I was hoping you could give me a ride to your office.”

Ava stared at him, as if she didn’t know what to say. He could almost hear her brain rationalizing the sense of them driving in together. If she said yes, people would know they were friends, and then they might start to piece the puzzle together and realize he was staying with her. But if she said no, she would appear to be a bitch.

When she finally smiled and gave a nod to affirm her response, she replied, “You can go with me, but you can’t keep my car. I don’t want anyone to know you are staying here. The fact that you’d be driving my car would look suspicious.”

Jace ran his hand over his face as he tried to figure out a way to get home from downtown Knoxville. It was not as if he could just take a cab back to the house or even rent a car. He didn’t want the media finding out his location yet.

When everyone had gone to bed last night, he had stayed up and watched both the local evening news and then the sports channels. As a professional athlete, making headlines for the number of passes he had thrown or for his quick decisions made during the crunch plays was commonplace, but seeing his image with the headline “Jace Johnson: Deadbeat Dad?” was disturbing.

Jace knew his best play would be to let Ava have her way, for now, and then tackle the issue of his ride home after he spoke with the lawyer. He smiled his thanks. “I’m ready when you are. Do you want to have breakfast with Ashlyn before we head out?”

Chapter Five

With Jace sitting right beside her in the cramped car, Ava questioned her decision to let him ride shotgun. The close proximity allowed the scent of his aftershave to fill her senses with want and memories. The bumper-to-bumper traffic, from the fender bender just outside the city limits, made the normal thirty-minute drive turn into an hour of sensory torture.

As the cars crept on the highway, Ava leaned back against her seat. How did she manage to get in this predicament?

After a fitful slumber wherein dreams about an ultra-sexy football player plagued her, being trapped in a car with him was torturous. Hell, this would be most females’ fantasy, but Ava held secrets that would hurt him, and he was in enough pain with his own problems. Under different circumstances, when her dream guy was the father of their child, she should be over the moon; when he didn’t even know, it complicated things.

When Ava walked into Ashlyn’s room that morning and found her wrapped in Jace’s arms, she physically felt her heart break. The reality of her secret weighed on her. She not only was hiding from Jace, but also denying her daughter the one thing every little girl deserved: a daddy. The one man who would cherish her and slay any dragon to keep his princess safe. Contrary to what Jace thought of himself, she knew he could be that man in his child’s life.

With a glance toward her right, she took in the male beauty of a chiseled jaw, a nose that was a little longer in profile than one would notice facing him. Tension etched creases in his forehead, and the tiny lines that appeared around his eyes just reminded her how much time he spent outdoors.

Jace’s professional career gave him the freedom to afford to do what he wanted, when he wanted. And what he wanted did not include a family.

Gently rubbing her temples in the hope of avoiding the quickly approaching headache, Ava tried to rationalize the decisions she’d made to protect Jace, herself and the most important person, her daughter.

She’d seen pictures of him with supermodels and actresses. She even felt envious of his date to the Cannes Film Festival last year with Carmen Lopez, one of the country’s top new Latin actresses. Their physical beauty was undeniable, hers, with long, thick wavy black hair and gorgeous bronze complexion, and his, standing so tall beside her petite frame, with his sexy playboy grin and those eyes that haunted her dreams.

Jace interrupted her thoughts, asking if she had a headache. Before she could brace herself for his touch, he reached out and began to rub her neck in slow circular motions.

Ava let out a soft moan at the feel of his hands on her flesh. No sooner had the sound escaped, she jerked back from his touch. “Are you still dating Carmen Lopez?”

Jace looked stunned by the sudden change in subject and responded to her as he had to any number of reporters that asked him about her. “Carmen and I are just friends. We met each other for the first time at Cannes.”

Shocked to hear he was not dating the talented actress, Ava tried to play off her surprise with a simple shrug of her shoulders. The movement of the cars in front of her gave her the opportunity to avoid his curious look.

When the car stopped again after only moving up twenty car-lengths, they were beside a Ford pickup with a guy driver who had stickers representing his love of the Tennessee Renegades plastered all over his back window. When the guy’s gaze drifted over the car, Ava noticed he didn’t even bother to look at Jace. The creeper’s gaze zeroed in on the length of her skirt and the ample breasts her suit jacket did little to hide. A look of barely concealed rage covered Jace’s face.

Why does he care if a random man ogles me? He only thinks of us as friends
.

Ava was stuck on the issue of him and Carmen dating. In an attempt to distract him from the man currently in his cross hairs, she questioned him about his appearance in Cannes.

“I didn’t go to Cannes with Carmen. Alex and I thought it would be a fun trip to take during the off-season. You know, party in a country where we wouldn’t be recognized for anything other than our good looks. You know how cheap Alex is?” Jace accepted her nod as confirmation. “We figured we would be able to get all of the benefits by going during the festival, and I definitely wasn’t expecting to be linked to an actress because we sat beside each other in a room with a hundred other people. What you don’t see in all of the pictures is Alex is on her other side talking to us. She was actually more interested in Alex than me, but some genius at the newspapers thought we looked better together. There you have our instant relationship.”

Jace studied her face, and she could tell he was confused by what he saw. She was confused too. Was she disappointed, excited, relieved?

When she turned her head to look out the side window, she admitted to herself she was relieved. Of course, she was not naïve enough to believe Jace and Carmen were only friends. She saw a text message on the phone, which he had left on the counter just that morning. He addressed her as
baby
and said he couldn’t wait to see her
sexy
photos from her latest photo shoot.

In the car beside her, Ava noticed the Renegades fan was studying Jace. “Duck! Get your head down!” The order she sent to Jace was probably a little overly dramatic; however, he pulled his hat down lower and sank in his seat. Glancing at his large frame cramped in the passenger seat, she giggled.

“Honey, why do you have me hiding in your car while we are stopped in a traffic jam?”

Ava’s response showed her aggravation at the situation and amusement. “The man in the car right beside us is looking at you. The back window of his car has Tennessee Renegades stickers, and I don’t want him to recognize you.”

“I don’t think it’s me he’s looking at.” Jace smiled at the confusion that crossed Ava’s face. “Did you look at yourself this morning? You are stunning in that sexy as sin business suit you’re wearing.”

Jace watched Ava blush at his compliment, and she insisted he keep his head down. She managed to get them through morning traffic to arrive at the law office with only minutes to spare before he was late for his appointment.

****

Why she worried about being late, Ava had no idea. The minute Jace “Golden Boy” Johnson walked into the lobby of the law firm, time stood still. While the females in the office tripped over each other to get a better look at the notorious football star, the men puffed up their chests as if willing themselves worthy to be in his presence. Ironically, the only one who was unimpressed with his appearance at the office was Ava.

Jace sauntered across the marble entrance toward the reception desk. Leaning heavily on the counter that separated him from Rena, the receptionist, Jace laid on the good ole boy charm. “Good morning, darlin’. Is there any possibility Mr. Lawson could see me right away?” The toothy grin he shot at the young girl had her visibly shaken, and the poor child stuttered.

Rena could hardly pick up the phone to dial the correct extension, and when she finally got through to her boss, she couldn’t even tell him who was there. As if in a trance, she couldn’t stop staring at Jace long enough to bother trying to form words. Luckily, Bob Lawson had heard the news of Jace’s arrival, and he didn’t have to rely on Rena’s announcement. To Ava’s dismay, it hadn’t escaped anyone’s attention they’d ridden up in the same elevator. Her friends peppered her with questions before they made their way back to their desks.

Jace, who was used to this type of treatment, took it all in stride. When Rena finally looked at Ava, the blushing receptionist told her she could take Mr. Johnson right back to Mr. Lawson. Jace smiled, “Thank you, Rena, for your assistance. It was my pleasure meeting you.”

Ava turned to him and, with a strictly professional voice, asked politely, “Mr. Johnson, if you would follow me, I will take you to Mr. Lawson’s office.”

Once they were out of earshot of Rena, Jace teased Ava about her hoity-toity attitude. “Remember, Ava, you can make them believe we just have a professional relationship, but I know the real you. I remember the girl who cried when I sprained my knee during a scrimmage in high school, and who came to my house every day to cheer me up. Can you still make milk bubbles come out of your nose when you eat Oreos?”

Ava stopped in the middle of the hallway and pulled Jace into the nearest office, which thankfully was not currently occupied. After she shut the door, she turned to face him and give him a piece of her unprofessional mind. The look on his face stopped her tirade. He may have flirted with the receptionist and shaken hands with several men in the office, but he was nervous and self-conscious.

“Jace, if you bring up any of my personal life in this office, I will kill you. I don’t care if they think you’re football royalty. I know you, and I remember your past as well as you apparently remember mine, so I say we call it even and play nice.”

Jace looked at her and smiled, and when he took two steps forward and pulled her into his arms, Ava almost forgot how to speak. His arms felt so strong, his warmth seeped into her soul, and she wished with all her might they could start over again.

“Ava, that’s what I needed. Sometimes before a big game, I get a little nervous, and a few harsh words from my coach will clear my head so I can concentrate. Thank you.” With no warning, Jace leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. When he pulled back, Ava was sure the world stopped spinning as she looked into his eyes. When he leaned his head down again, Ava gave into his embrace. As his lips touched hers, heat vibrated through her body, and she felt as if she were on fire. Nothing in her life ever felt as right as being in Jace’s arms or the feel of his rough hands cupping her breasts, so when he pulled back, she was reluctant to let him go.

“Ava, I can’t and I won’t apologize for kissing you. I have been aching to kiss you, to feel your body pressed against mine. When you walked into the kitchen Saturday night in my old jersey, and when you barged into the bathroom this morning, I knew I would have to taste you soon. I didn’t expect it to happen here, but you in a business suit is almost sexier than remembering what you looked like in your bra and panties.”

The sounds of telephones ringing and someone going into the next office forced reality back to center stage. She pulled back from Jace and remembered he had an appointment to meet with her boss about setting up paternity testing and a legal defense.

How did he make me lose focus after one kiss
?

Deciding the best thing to do was to pretend the kiss meant nothing, with a shake of her head to bring her back to the present and a quick tuck of her blouse, she told him to wipe the lipstick off his lips. After assuring him it was all gone, she escorted him down the hall to Mr. Lawson and left him to deal with this situation on his own.

****

Jace had been in his share of law offices in the past. What professional athlete didn’t have to meet with more lawyers than the average man would need in his lifetime?

He’d been to law offices on the eightieth floor of a swanky New York skyscraper; heck, he’d met with a lawyer in a country music bar in Nashville. Once he even met a lawyer in a prestigious firm in Washington, DC, to sign papers in reference to a donation for the United Way. But never had the feeling of dread settled like lead in the pit of his stomach. This meeting was going to change his life, whether for the good or bad had yet to be decided. Walking those last few steps down the hall made the heated kiss he and Ava shared seem a lifetime ago.

Robert Lawson’s office was decorated to make you feel as if you were stepping back in time. Rich burgundy fabric covered the walls. He had the traditional navy blue and hunter green accents. A large mahogany desk sat squarely in the center of the room, and two wing chairs covered in worn leather sat in front of it. The man even had a set of scales on his bookshelf. The only concessions Lawson made to show someone was actually using the office in the twenty-first century were his computer and telephone.

After stepping into the room, he turned and caught Ava’s eye as she shut the door. On the back wall, Jace noticed a settee covered in navy blue material, which looked as if its worn fabric had seen the last few centuries. Glancing around the office, he could almost imagine all the clients who found their way here and had to pour out their deepest secrets to a man who, after three years of law school, felt he was capable of fixing their problems.

Jace greeted the man whom he hoped would solve his problems or at the least give him the answers he needed. He was surprised by the figure walking around the desk and extending his hand. Mr. Robert Lawson was nothing like Jace expected. He assumed the attorney would be an older gentleman with an expanded waist, gray hair, someone more like the character Matlock.

Bob Lawson was young, probably in his early thirties. He had an athletic build and was maybe only an inch shorter than Jace’s six-foot-three-inch frame. Jace disliked him immediately, and after meeting so many people in his career, he trusted his judgment. Willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, since Ava had set up the appointment, Jace extended his own hand.

“So, Mr. Johnson,” Bob started, when Jace cut him off.

“You can call me Jace.”

“Okay, Jace. Normally I would ask you what brings you in to see me, but I have been watching the news. I think I have a pretty good handle on the situation from the public prospective. What I want to know is your side of the story. Did you bring the papers you were served with?” Bob’s gaze never wavered as he spoke to Jace, and Jace could respect that in a man even if his gut yelled
ass-kisser
.