End Zone: Texas Titans 2 (11 page)

Matt set his glass on an end table before
moving to the coffee table in front of the sofa. He sat on the large, solid
wood rectangle and stared deeply into her eyes. “I swear to you, the only thing
I feel for that woman is contempt.”

Kristen sucked in a breath at the hatred in
Matt’s eyes. What had that woman done to him to warrant such anger?

“How about you? Are you sure your feelings
for him are dead and buried?”

“It was over as soon as I found out what
he’d done.” If she were being honest, Kristen might have admitted it should
have ended as soon as it began. She’d allowed herself to go through the motions
while believing Robert was a good guy. She wouldn’t make that mistake again.

“Good to know.” Matt reached for her hand.
“Now that we’ve established that I was a jerk this afternoon and neither one of
us would consider reconciling with our exes, can we move on? Please?”

Kristen wanted to. She wanted to believe
that Matt was one of the few good guys who would treat her fragile heart with
care. “One day at a time. That’s all I can promise.” She knew by his look of
disappointment that that wasn’t what he’d hoped to hear, but that was all she
could give him. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and her trust couldn’t be earned
overnight.

He smiled and kissed her hand. “Then I
guess I’ll just have to take what I can get.”

***

Kristen was sitting at her desk the
following morning when Shell blew through like a hurricane, trying to balance
her over-sized purse, phone, and take-out coffee from her favorite café around
the corner.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,”
Kristen said. It had only been a few weeks, but she’d missed her right-hand
woman. “When did you get in?”

Shell frowned as she set her purse in the
guest chair and her coffee on the corner of her boss’s desk. “Last night.
Didn’t you get my message?”

“No, I, uh, went to bed early.”
With
Matt.

“Since when do you go to bed early the
night before a big event?” Shell asked. “You’re usually up ‘til two making sure
everything’s good to go.”

Her assistant was right. The Bradbury
engagement party that evening was a big deal, but when Matt had offered her a
massage to ease her tense muscles, they somehow ended up in her bed having the
best make-up sex she’d ever experienced. “I was pretty tired.” She hoped she
could blame her blush on the warm office. “Long night the night before.”

“That’s why I came back,” Shell said,
reaching for her coffee. “I couldn’t enjoy myself in Florida. I felt so guilty
leaving you here with this workload.”

“Believe it or not, I actually took on
another project while you were away.” Since Shell would find out about High
Rollers anniversary party as soon as she consulted their calendar, Kristen
decided it would be best if she came clean.

“You can’t be serious,” Shell said, rolling
her eyes. “I hope you managed to hire and train another person then, ‘cause
there’s no way we can handle all these events.”

“As a matter of fact, I had someone
volunteer to help us out with the High Rollers project. She knows the clients
well, and the person who hired me trusts her implicitly.”

“High Rollers…” Shell tapped her brightly
painted nail against her lips. “As in the sports bars?”

“Yup.” Kristen knew Shell would have an
opinion about their new clients. She had an opinion about everything, and
rarely the discretion to keep it to herself.

“Interesting.” Her eyes lit up. “That could
definitely be fun. I saw the owners’ pic in the paper last month. Those guys
are hot.” She snapped her fingers. “That guy who came to your office the day I
left… that was him, right? One of the partners. I knew I recognized him from
somewhere.”

“Yeah, that’s Matt Hudson.”

“Tell me I’ll be working closely with him
on this project.” Shell folded her hands under her chin. “Please, pretty
please.”

Kristen smiled, enjoying her assistant’s
antics for the first time in a long time. “I’m afraid not.” There was no point
in trying to keep the secret. “When he stopped by, you may recall Matt
mentioning we knew each other?”

“Yeah, I remember something like that. You
met him at an event?”

“No, he tutored me in high school.”
Wrinkling her nose, Kristen said, “Let’s just say math wasn’t my strong suit.
Matt, on the other hand, was a genius.”

“Why didn’t they have tutors that looked
like him when I went to school?” With a dramatic sigh, Shell dropped into the
guest chair not occupied by her purse. “The brainy kids in my school wore thick
glasses, short pants, and had acne.”

Kristen shook her head at her friend’s
characterization. “Matt looked a lot like that, as a matter of fact. I still
thought he was a great guy.” He was sweet and sensitive and funny, and had she
not been so caught up in her teenage angst, she may have paid more attention to
him.

“Shut up!” Shell said, leaning forward to
reach her coffee. “What happened? Did he get an extreme makeover, or what?”

“Something like that, I guess.” Kristen
shrugged. “Anyway, that’s not really the point. We’re, uh, kind of seeing each
other. I agreed to take on this project as a personal favor to him.”

Shell’s jaw went slack, and Kristen feared
the hand holding her coffee might as well. “You’re not serious,” Shell said.

“Why is that so surprising?” Kristen felt
her spine stiffen. Was Shell implying her boss wasn’t good enough for someone
like Matt?

“You don’t date, remember?”

“It’s true my social life hasn’t been all
that active since Robert—”

“Oh my God,” Shell broke in. “Does he know
about Matt? What did he say? How did he react? I bet he’s sick with jealousy.”

That was typical of Shell, firing questions
like missiles before the other person had a chance to duck and cover. “He
knows. We all went to that high school reunion I was telling you about. It was…
uh… awkward, to say the least.”

“I’ll just bet it was,” Shell said, looking
thoroughly entertained. “I wish I could have been there to see the look on his
face when you walked in with that spectacular specimen of manliness.”

“Matt and I didn’t exactly go to the
reunion together.”

“Who cares if you went together? What I
want to know is whether you left together.” When Kristen refused to dignify the
question with a response, Shell laughed. “Ha! I knew it. Good for you, girl.
It’s about time you got yourself back in the game.”

“Back to my original point,” Kristen said,
fearing they may never get any work done if Shell kept distracting her with
questions about her personal life. Kristen couldn’t deny it was kind of nice to
have a personal life again, after such a long dry spell. “Matt’s mother is
helping us with the High Rollers party.”

“His mother?” Shell asked, looking
skeptical. “What does she know about event planning?”

After only one meeting, Kristen suspected
Nancy Hudson could teach both of them a thing or two about high society. “Wait
‘til you meet her. You know Lancaster Funeral Homes?”

“Sure, who doesn’t?” Shell smoothed a hand
over her purple straight skirt as she crossed her legs. “What about it?”

“That’s Nancy’s family business, not that
she’s actively involved.” Pointing to the art hanging behind her desk, Kristen
added, “She owns an art gallery. That’s one of her original pieces.”

“I was going to ask you about that.” Shell
turned her attention to the oil painting. “That’s incredible.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Kristen turned in her
swivel chair so she could admire it too. “She’s so talented.”

“So Matt’s blue blood,” Shell said, raising
an eyebrow. “Nicely done, Miss Beck.”

“I couldn’t care less about that,” Kristen
said. “Matt feels the same way. He’s never been interested in cashing in on his
family’s name. He wanted to make it on his own, and he has.”

Shell studied Kristen carefully. “It sounds
like things are getting serious.”

Kristen felt the urge to squirm but knew
that would only make her look uneasy. She had no reason to feel awkward about
her relationship with Matt. They were single, consenting adults. What happened,
or didn’t happen, between them was their business and no one else’s. “They may
be. Only time will tell, I guess.” Straightening a file containing notes and
the contract the Bradburys had signed, Kristen said, “Now, my friend, we need
to get down to work.”

Matt hung up the phone after a brief
conversation with his mother and then dialed Kristen. “Hey, gorgeous,” he said
as soon as she picked up. “You snuck out on me this morning.” They’d spent last
night at his place for the third night that week, and he could get used to
having her there when he woke up. Hell, he wouldn’t mind if she became a
permanent fixture.

“Sorry about that,” she said. “I told you I
had an early meeting.”

“Yeah, but you could have waited until I
got out of the shower.” He kicked his feet up on his desk and loosened his tie.
He didn’t know what it was about the silky smoothness of her voice that made
him want to shed all of his clothes.

“I knew if I did, you’d have tried to lure
me back to bed,” she said, laughing.

“Would I have been successful?” He grinned.
If anyone walked into his office, they’d think he was a lovesick fool, but he
was coming to terms with his lot in life. Less than a month into their
relationship, and Kristen Beck already had him right where he hoped she wanted
him: crazy in love with her.

“You know you would have. That’s why I
couldn’t take the chance.”

“You’re no fun,” he said, pouting.

“Hmmm, that’s not what you said last
night.”

He groaned. “Stop, I still have to get
through the rest of the day, and that visual sure as hell won’t make it easy.”

“Works both ways.”

“Listen, my mother just called. She wanted
to know if we could come by for dinner tonight.” A long pause prompted him to
ask, “You don’t have anything on the schedule tonight, do you?”

“Uh, no.”

He could tell she wasn’t thrilled with the
idea, though he couldn’t say why. She’d been working with his mother to plan
the party, and Nancy couldn’t sing Kristen’s praises enough. “Is there a
problem?”

“Who’s going to be there?”

“Just my father and brother. Why?” Kristen
was a people person, so why did the prospect of meeting his family intimidate
her? Unless… she saw it as a sign they were taking their relationship to a
level she wasn’t ready for?

“I just… uh…”

“Spit it out, Kris.”

Matt was being short with her, but he
couldn’t help it. He was ready to take out a front page ad letting the world
know he was in love with an incredible woman, yet she was hesitant about
meeting two of the most important people in his life. Okay, one of the most
important. The jury was still out on his kid brother.

“I don’t know if we’re ready for this.”

So he was right to be concerned. She was
questioning their relationship.
Damn.
Putting his feet down and pushing away
from the desk, he jumped up and paced. “You mind telling me why you’re having
these doubts? I thought things were going great.”

“They are,” she said quickly. “But in my
experience, things often go downhill after meeting the family. Expectations
build, and pressure mounts…” She sighed. “I think we’re in a good place right
now. I don’t want to risk ruining that by rushing it.”

She sounded logical and he may have backed
off if not for the fact that she was tossing him into the same category as the
loser who broke her heart. “Is that what happened with Robert?” He barely got
the words out between clenched teeth. “You met his family, and he started
pressuring you for a commitment you weren’t ready to make?” When she didn’t
answer, he knew he hit his mark. “You honestly think I’ll do the same?”

“No, but—”

“Listen, I just got out of a lousy
marriage. I sure as hell have no interest in making that mistake again.” He
knew he was speaking from disappointment and hurt feelings. He did want to get
married again someday, and he couldn’t think of a better candidate than
Kristen.

“Really?” she asked, sounding annoyed.
“Then why are we wasting each other’s time if we don’t have a future together?
Is this all fun and games to you?”

He’d walked right into that one. “Of course
not.”

“But that’s what you said, isn’t it? You
don’t intend to make the mistake of getting married again?”

“Someday, maybe someday.” He stilled his
heavy footsteps. He looked at the framed photo of her on his credenza. “I’m in
love with you.” It wasn’t the first time he’d said it, but he’d never said it
with more conviction. No way was he going to mess things up.

She hesitated. “I love you too.”

“Then what the hell are we arguing about?
Let’s just go to dinner and have a good time. It doesn’t have to
mean
anything. My mother’s a great cook. We’ll have a nice meal, good conversation,
a few laughs, and then we’ll go back to my place and…” He didn’t have to fill
in the blanks. They knew exactly what they would be doing when they went back
to his place. “Sound like a plan?”

Matt didn’t want to push her into something
she wasn’t ready for, but it was important to him to introduce Kristen to the
man he most admired. The only girl he’d ever wanted to bring home more was the
younger version of Kristen who stole his heart at a table in a crowded library.
Fate was giving him a second chance since he was finally the man he’d always
wanted to be.

“What time do you want to pick me up?”

She didn’t sound enthusiastic, but at least
she’d agreed to go. That would have to be enough to satisfy Matt. “Six o’clock
work for you?”

“I’ll make it work.”

“Thanks, Kris,” he said gently, hoping to
undo some of the damage from earlier. “This means a lot to me.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fun. Like you said, no
pressure. Just a nice dinner with your family.”

He knew she wasn’t convinced, but at least
she was making the effort for him. That had to count for something. “Bye,
baby.”

“See you at six.”

***

Six o’clock came too soon for Kristen, but
she couldn’t back out without doing irreparable damage to her relationship with
Matt. As fearful as she was about moving too fast and ruining everything, she
was more troubled by the prospect of losing him because she wasn’t willing to
meet him halfway.

She looked at her reflection in her
full-length bedroom mirror with a critical eye. If Nancy was any indication,
Matt’s family wouldn’t be formal or stuffy, so she’d opted for black jeans,
silver ballerina flats, and a black cotton cowl-neck tank top. She grabbed a
lightweight pink and black sweater from the closet, just in case the evening
air was brisk when they left the house or the Hudsons opted to eat outside.

Kristen had texted Matt before she left the
office to let him know he could pick her up at home. She’d wanted to change out
of her work clothes and pick up a bouquet of flowers for the hostess. She
thought of a bottle of wine, but Nancy seemed like the kind of woman who would
appreciate a colorful array of fresh blooms more. She’d picked the ones she was
drawn to, a mix of brightly colored roses in a heavily patterned squat vase.
She figured the expensive gesture was the least she could do to thank Nancy for
all of her help.

As Matt had promised, his mom was the ideal
person to help her plan High Rollers’ anniversary party. She was creative and
fun, and her instincts about what Matt and his partners would want were always
spot on. Kristen couldn’t have pulled the event off without her, especially
with her packed schedule and an assistant who’d been M.I.A for weeks.

Kristen suspected Shell hadn’t met anyone
to help fill the long and lonely days in Florida and had gotten tired of
shopping, tanning, and trips to the spa. No matter what brought her home,
Kristen was grateful. Shell loved to attend their events, which freed Kristen
up to spend her evenings with Matt. She might even think about giving Shell a
raise if it meant she was free to spend more time with Matt. As much as she’d
never wanted to be dependent on a man, she couldn’t deny that Matt was becoming
an addiction she wasn’t sure she could live without.

She must have been frowning when she opened
the door because Matt’s smile fell.

He asked, “Hey, what’s wrong?” before
reaching for her.

“Nothing.” She plastered on a smile. “I was
just thinking about something else. Sorry.” She tipped her head up to receive
his delicious kiss, and before long, her mind was somewhere else entirely… like
wondering how long it would take to drag him into her bedroom.

“That’s more like it.” His hands roamed her
body as though he had the right. Which of course he did.

“Hmmm…” She let her head fall to one side
as he explored her neck with his tongue, zeroing in on the spot that reduced
her to Silly Putty. “Keep that up, and you’ll have to call your mother and tell
her we’ll be late.” Not that she would mind. Letting Matt finish what he’d
started would definitely be worth the embarrassment of showing up fashionably
late.

Chuckling, he said, “As much as I’d love
to, I’m not interested in a quickie. I’d much rather finish this later, when we
have all the time in the world.”

Kristen couldn’t argue with his reasoning,
but it irked her that he left her all hot and bothered. That must have showed
on her face because he had the gall to grin when he caught a glimpse of her
expression.

“Don’t worry, beautiful. I promise to make
the wait worth it.”

“You better,” she said, snagging her keys
from the hall table. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before I change my mind
and decide to hold you hostage in my bedroom instead.”

He laughed, slipped an arm around her
waist, and pulled her back against him. “Don’t think you’re the only one
suffering, lady. Getting through this dinner will be one of the hardest things
I’ve had to do in a hell of a long time.”

***

Matt watched Kristen charm his father and
brother the same way she had Nancy. They were all clearly smitten with her,
just as he knew they would be. His father talked to her about golf, telling her
more than she probably ever wanted to know about the game. Matt had to give her
credit for listening intently and pretending to be fascinated by his story
about scoring a hole in one at a charity tournament last year.

“So, Kristen, Ma tells me you’re an event
planner,” Paul said, sipping his merlot. He watched his older brother intently
before zeroing in on Kristen. “That must be fun.”

Matt knew Paul was trying to get a rise out
of him by flirting with Kristen. He’d been doing it all night, but
surprisingly, it hadn’t bothered Matt a bit. Kristen would never be interested
in Paul, a man who was content to live off his trust fund instead of developing
his own identity.

“It can be,” Kristen said, nursing her
second glass of wine. “It can also be a lot of hard work, and very stressful,
depending on the client.” Patting Matt’s thigh under the table, she smiled at
him, probably to let him know that she was immune to his brother. “I just wish
everyone was as easy to work with as Matt.”

Rolling his eyes, Paul said, “Yeah, my big
brother, the saint.”

Paul resented Matt’s success, his large
circle of real
friends, I.Q., education, business acumen… The list went
on, but Matt couldn’t feel sorry for a guy who’d been given the same
opportunities he had and squandered every one. Paul surrounded himself with
people as shallow as he was. Women dated him for his money and the flashy cars
that seemed interchangeable. Matt didn’t know if his brother had ever been in
love because Paul was too insecure to confide in him or admit to anyone,
especially his rival, that he had no direction or purpose in his life.

“I don’t know that I’d call him a saint.”
Kristen laughed to ease the tension that had fallen like a blanket over the
table. “He has his moments, just like the rest of us. But I’m sure you all know
that.”

Matt admired Kristen for trying to diffuse
the situation, but he would love nothing more than to put Paul in his place,
once and for all.

“Yeah, Matt puts on a real good show when
he’s trying to impress someone.” Paul smirked. “But those of us who’ve known
him his whole life know the real story behind one of the city’s most eligible
bachelors. Isn’t that right, Matt?”

Matt knew what his brother was getting at:
his relationship with Robin. That was the last thing he wanted to discuss, but
he couldn’t trust Paul to let it go. Tossing his napkin on the table, Matt stood.
“I’d like a word with you outside, little brother. Excuse us.” He tossed an
apologetic look Kristen’s way. “This won’t take long.”

“But I was just about to bring out the
coffee,” Nancy said, darting a glance at her husband. She clearly wanted him to
try to stop his sons from going at it yet again. “I made your favorite for
dessert, Matthew.” She narrowed her eyes at him to let him know she wasn’t
pleased. As if her use of his full name wasn’t enough to tip him off. “Surely
you and your brother could have this conversation some other time.”

“No, I think Matt’s right, Ma.” Paul tossed
his napkin on the table as he stood. “It’s time for us to clear the air.”

“Need I remind y’all that we have company?”
Hunter asked, staring down both of his sons.