In It to Win It (20 page)

Maybe he was, Jane thought as Grayson’s hands uncurled, only to once again form fists.

“
Yes, we
had
a deal. It’s done. Over. I don’t want you living my life anymore. I’m gonna live
my
life,
my
way from now on.”

“
Hey, I didn’t realize she was off limits,” Derek said with a shrug. “I guess I’ve gotten used to the whole what’s-mine-is-yours way of things. Sorry man, I meant no disrespect.” He looked at Jane where she stood in the doorway to the bathroom. “Unless … do you think you could handle both of us?”

Grayson’s fist met Derek’s jaw with a satisfying crack. Derek stumbled back and crashed into the banister, cursing up a blue streak. “Dude! What the—?”

His profane question was cut off as his foot slipped on the top step and he tumbled and thumped his way down the stairs.

Grayson turned to her, his face a whirlwind of emotions. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. Truthfully, she wasn’t. Not completely at any rate. She wasn’t sure what the hell had just happened.

“
I’ll be back,” he told her. “There’s a lot that I need to tell you.”

“
Obviously,” she muttered as he left her standing in nothing but a towel.

She ran over to the window and eased the curtains aside just enough to see the front yard. A silver Mustang she didn’t recognize was parked next to her Mazda. The two Grayson’s came into view and she saw as the one dressed in flannel threw the one dressed in silk against the hood of the Mustang. She couldn’t hear what they said, and her first thought was that it was too damned cold to open the window.

“
Oh, screw it.” All she needed was a crack to hear the raised masculine voices.

“
The whole world already thinks I’m you, I could kill you and take over your life permanently.”

“
Over my dead body,” Jane announced to the silence around her. She wrapped the towel around her body again and headed for the stairs. She barely registered running down the stairs and wrapping her hand around the shotgun that had been propped next to the door.

But there she stood, on the porch, clad in only a towel, holding a shotgun.

Annie Oakley had nothing on Jane Alexander.

It wasn’t the first time she’d held a gun—she was actually a pretty good shot—and filling Derek’s butt with buckshot wouldn’t be the first time she’d put lead into flesh. After all, opening day of the deer hunt meant a day off of school.

The two men were rolling around on the ground, exchanging powerful, cracking punches. Derek stood and bent his leg at the knee. He was going to kick Grayson, she knew it. She would have allowed the fight to continue, if it’d been fair. Derek obviously didn’t know the meaning of the word.

The
click-click
of the gun froze the scene before her.

Derek took a step toward her, hands held up. “Come on, honey…”

“
Don’t
honey
me, asshole! I heard you threaten to kill the man I love and I will not allow that to happen. Get the hell out of here before I decide to give you a new career as a sieve!”

Grayson stood. He was breathing heavy and holding his abs but looked no worse for the wear. With narrowed eyes and clenched teeth, he threw a set of keys at Derek. “Consider this your final payment. Stop dying your hair, shave your face and go back to your old pathetic life. If I so much as catch wind of you infringing on mine, I will put your ass in jail.”

Derek sputtered something, but in the end had no retort. He cursed vilely. “You haven’t seen the last of me.”

“
Yeah. I have. Now get out of here.”

With flying middle fingers, Derek got into the car and, sending mud flying, he made his exit. Grayson hooked an arm around her waist and, pulling her close, kissed her hard on the mouth.

“
I need to make sure he leaves. Give me a minute and then we’ll talk, okay?”

She nodded, feeling a little detached and kind of cold. The adrenaline had worn off and she had the fleeting thought that it was all too bizarre to be real.

“
You sure you’re okay?” he asked, kissing the tip of her nose.

“
I’m okay.” She sounded robotic.

“
We’ll talk … then you will be.” He turned toward his Jeep but stopped. “One more thing. I need you to do me a favor—” She nodded again. “Have clothes on when I get back or I won’t be able to think—about anything else but … yeah, be dressed.”

She grinned like a fool as he jumped into his Jeep and tore off after his look-alike. Remembering the events of the last few minutes confused Jane. Her mind spun out of control. She’d witnessed the entire disconcerting episode but couldn’t quite believe what she’d seen. For a split second when she’d seen Grayson—or Derek, she guessed—standing in the doorway, her heart had fluttered with anticipation. Then her heart had fallen to her toes and lurched to a halt. Her subconscious had known it wasn’t Grayson. It’d taken a few seconds for her brain to catch up. Even now, she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what gave him away.

Which brought her thoughts full circle—what the heck?

There were two Grayson’s. Obviously. But why?

It didn’t make sense.

As she dressed in yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt, Jane wondered if anything Grayson could say would explain away what she’d just witnessed. Hell, she’d been willing to commit murder to keep Grayson safe.

She brushed out her hair and pulled it into a sloppy ponytail. She didn’t apply make-up. What was the point? She was who she was, and if Grayson truly loved her, like he said, then he’d better get used to seeing her
au naturel
.

He was in the kitchen when she came down the stairs. He turned around and stopped, just watching her. The look on his face was contrite and worried and a hundred other emotions all warring for dominance.

“
Where should we do this?” His voice was short and he held up his hands. “Rewind. Let me try that again. I don’t want you to be on the defensive at all. I want you to be completely comfortable.” He closed his eyes and heaved a sigh, then opened his eyes again and attempted a smile. “Where would you like to do this?”

She smiled a little. “Where would
you
be most comfortable?”

He took her by the hand and walked into the living room, rearranging the chairs by pulling hers to a stop directly in front of his. She sat in what had become her chair and he sat in his, her knees inside his. He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “What do you want to know first?”

She didn’t pause for a second before blurting, “Who the hell is he?”

“
His name is Derek Reese. That doesn’t tell you anything, so I’ll start with the
why
.” He didn’t wait, just plowed on. “I wanted to play ball. I didn’t want to be followed around by the paparazzi. Not that they really cared about Grayson Pierce. I was a nobody. It seemed that the media was annoyed by my squeaky-clean persona. My agent said that I needed to get drunk. I don’t drink. Never have.”

She knew that was true. It’d been a huge selling point for every mother in the county. As if Grayson just being Grayson wasn’t enough.

“
I was told that I needed to date anything in a skirt. To womanize and get myself on the cover of the tabloids with a popular woman.” He laughed and shook his head. “It wasn’t until our picture showed up that I—me, Grayson Pierce—did what they wanted. And then I was mortified. I was worried for you.” His long, blunt-tipped fingers shook as they plowed through his hair. “I don’t want you in my life because of the image our relationship will give the world.

“
Janie, my heart has been yours for as long as I can remember. I will do everything within my power to protect you and your reputation.”

“
That’s all fine and good, Grayson, but you forget … I’ve known you for too long. I know what the name Pierce means to you. You wouldn’t just let some loser smear it to get your name on the latest and greatest
shoe
.”

“
You’re absolutely right.” He smiled and lifted her hands to kiss her fingers. “I told them no way. I insisted that I would do things my way. It worked out just fine. For a while. Until the paparazzi figured out where I grew up. Until they swarmed Salina like locusts.”

“
Where are the seagulls when you need them?” They both laughed, remembering the story from their Utah History class; Pioneers planted crops. Locusts swarmed and ate the crops that meant the people would starve. They prayed and seagulls came and ate the disgusting bugs.

“
No kidding. I don’t like being the center of attention but was happy to be thrust in the spotlight if it meant I could do what I love.” His face grew weary. “When they camped out on my mother’s front lawn, they’d gone too far.”

Damn her, but that explanation made perfect sense. Grayson would do anything for his mother, including being a total ass in front of the world. And that knowledge made her fall even harder for him.

Her brows narrowed, as did her eyes. “Why… if you’ve really loved me since high school, then why…” Her throat tightened. “Why didn’t you track me down before?”

He took a deep breath, gathering her hands in his. “Janie, you broke my heart.”

Her heart lurched and tears stung her eyes.

“
There now.” He rubbed a thumb on her cheek. “I’m not trying to guilt-trip you. I’m just being honest.” He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. “For a few years, I avoided you because of my ego and I was afraid…” His voice cracked. “I was afraid you’d shoot me down. When I saw you in the locker room—”

He tugged her forward and his lips met hers. His kiss was passionate; hard and gentle. His tongue licked over the seam of her lips and thrust into her mouth. Her arms flew around his neck and held on tight. She met him kiss for kiss, devouring every bit of his passion. Hard fingers plowed through her hair, biting into her scalp. She moaned into his mouth and tried to keep some semblance of sanity.

She had to stop this now or she’d have to ask the rest of her questions naked. “Wait,” she panted.

He stopped abruptly. His breath sawed from his lungs, hitting her face in warm minty puffs. “I’m sorry.”

“
Oh, for hell’s sake … don’t be sorry!” She laughed and pressed a quick chaste kiss to his lips. “I’m just not done talking yet.”

They sat there, breathing heavy and staring at each other. Finally she asked, “Tell me about when you saw me in the locker room.”

His eyes twinkled, his hands tightened on hers. “When I saw you, I wanted to grab a hold of you and never let go. That’s why I had to come and see you that night. And when you opened the door—” He laughed and brought her knuckles to his lips. “—I couldn’t help myself. I had to hold you.”

She felt his kiss in every nerve-ending. Heat flooded her bloodstream. She reached up and cupped his jaw in her palm. “So what now?” she asked breathlessly.

“
I don’t know.” He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, keeping them pinched, he asked, “Can I hold you now?”

She didn’t have to be asked twice, because the truth was she needed to be held. She needed to feel the comfort that only being close to him could offer. He opened his eyes and seemed shocked as she climbed into his lap. “Don’t ever let me go.”

“
Never.” His embrace was tender. They were quiet, just listening to the other breathe. She leaned back to study his face. Her fingertips moved slowly over his goatee and eased them back to rest over his scar. “I’m sorry about this.”

He chuckled and she both felt and heard the deep, dark rumble. “Don’t be. It was an accident.”

“
I know.”

Junior year, she’d been his tutor. He’d dropped his pencil, they’d both bent to pick it up and the top of her head met his lip. It split open and blood had spurted in an arc. Luckily it hadn’t needed stitches and the scar it’d left was sexy as hell, as far as she was concerned. Not to mention that more than once she’d had the overwhelming desire to kiss it better.

She’d replayed the scene again and again over the years and had wished that they’d met lip to lip but, alas…

“
Well, I never said that I was sorry and I should have. Because I am.” She snuggled back into his hold and just absorbed him into herself. It felt wonderful and perfect and scary. “How can you possibly love me? You don’t even know me.”

“
Oh, I know you, Janie. And I
do
love you.” He stood and gently deposited her in her chair. She wasn’t sure how many hours they’d spent watching television and couldn’t understand how she’d missed the bookcases on the ends of the table that supported the TV. He pulled a photo album out and brought it over, gathering her in his arms before settling in the chair again.

He opened the album. On the first page was a picture of her. It was from graduation. She was the out of focus and it was the unblurred person watching her in the foreground that caught her attention. Grayson was watching her, adoration obvious on his face.

The next page was an article she’d written for the
Daily Trojan
, her college newspaper.