Playing for Keeps (23 page)

“I disagree.”

“It was an accident.”

“I know. I’m not really interested in the broken hand part of it. That’s where everyone’s going wrong, right? Focusing on the wrong issue?”

He looked into her eyes and apparently didn’t like what he saw. So he jumped up and reached for his jacket. “It’ll work itself out. Meanwhile, I don’t need trouble with John. So I’m leaving. And I’m calling him so
he
can spend the weekend here with you. It’s romantic,” he assured her, glancing around the condo. “You guys should make the most of it.”

“Can we watch the video first? Then I’ll let you go.”

His expression lightened as he glanced toward the TV stand. “I saw it over there.
A Few Good Men
, right? I haven’t seen it in years. Nice choice. Retro but nice.”

“We’ll get to that later. First, the game footage.” She clicked the remote and the infamous kick-in-the-hand game began.

His green eyes sparked and he moved toward the door. “I don’t want to see this, Erica. So let’s just call it a night.”

“Sit down, Sean,” she replied evenly, and to her amazement, he did as she asked again.

So she fast-forwarded to halfway through the first quarter, then told him, “There! The accident hasn’t happened yet. But look at you. You’re pissed. Tell me why.”

He stayed quiet for a moment. Then he admitted, “This game was a low point in my career, and I’m trying to put it behind me.”

“You were mad at Bannerman, right?”

“Fuck.” His jaw clenched. “I like you, Erica, but I didn’t sign up for this.”

“I’ll show this to Johnny,” she warned. “Is
that
what you want?”

He stared, clearly astounded. “I know you think you’re helping—”

“I
am
helping. Tell me what was going on in your head at that very moment. You were pissed at Bannerman. Or at least, at someone. And it wasn’t Johnny, we know that for sure. But maybe the coach? Because . . .” She fast-forwarded to a shot of Decker glaring at Coach Cosner. “There’s
that
.”

“Yeah,” he admitted quickly. “I was pissed at the coach. But I’m always pissed at him. What’s your point?”

“This is different.” She switched to the video of the game from her birthday and fast-forwarded to the spot she had memorized. “Here you are, looking at him. There’s annoyance there, yes. But it’s not as intense. And meanwhile . . .” She fast-forwarded another few frames. “Here you are, laughing with Bannerman. What changed between this game and the one where you broke his hand?”

He glared at her. “These games are intense. If you want to date John, you need to understand that. You can’t dissect every expression. Every word or phrase. Sometimes shit just happens.”

“It’s about a girl, right?”

“Fuck.” He rubbed his eyes. “Just let it go, will you? It’s in the past.”

“Except it’s affecting the present. And the future.” She touched his shoulder. “Tell me, Sean. I promise I won’t say anything to Johnny if you don’t want me to.”

“There’s nothing to tell. And even if there were . . .” He cleared his throat. “It’s not my place to tell you.”

“Not
your
place? Meaning it’s not your secret? It’s Bannerman’s? Or the coach’s?”

Decker hesitated, then flashed a sexy smile. “You promised me a movie, remember? Let’s kick back and watch it. And have some more wine. I’m feeling better already, just like you and John promised.”

She smiled fondly. If she were single, this definitely would have worked on her. And maybe she
was
single and just didn’t know it. But for the moment, she had immunity from sexy NFL kickers, so she tossed her hair and warned, “Don’t flirt with me, Sean. Or I’ll tell Johnny.”

“You’re blushing. It’s cute. Let’s have dessert on the balcony, okay?”

“You said it’s not your secret to tell. So you’re protecting someone. And since you’ve
always
hated the coach, that someone is Bannerman.”

He met her gaze directly. “You’re on the wrong track. And I’ve got a long drive ahead of me. So drop it.”

“Call him.”

“What?” His expression grew hopeful. “John, you mean?”

“You know who I mean. Get him up here.” She folded her arms across her chest. “You don’t want to tell me? Fine. He can tell me himself.”

“You want Bannerman to drive up here?”

“Yes. And make sure he knows the rules. No calls or texts. Especially not to Johnny.”

He looked at her for a long moment. Then he said quietly, “I did everything you asked. Now do something for me before you make everything worse.”

“No. I’m going to make everything better. Then we can kick back and watch the movie, just like you said.”

“I don’t
want
to watch the stupid movie. God, you’re annoying!” He stood and began to pace. “He’s not going to tell you, Erica. And even if he does, you’ll be sorry you asked. I can guarantee you that.”

“Either we call Bannerman or we show Johnny this video evidence and
he
can grill you.”

“Fuck!” He pulled out his cell phone and powered it up, then glared at her again. “I have three messages from John. And seven texts.”

“Ignore them.”

“Fine.” He punched in a number. “Just don’t give me any shit when this blows up in our faces.” Holding the phone to his ear, he said carefully, “Yeah, it’s me. Everything’s fine, I just need a favor.”

She watched with interest as the former friends conversed. Decker didn’t seem angry. More like apologetic.

Probably because he broke the guy’s hand,
she reminded herself.
So don’t read too much into it.

And meanwhile, even though she couldn’t hear Bannerman’s words, she knew he was using the same guarded tone, like former comrades reuniting against a common foe.

“Yeah,” Decker was saying. “He’s been calling me too. But this is where it gets worse. You can’t call him. Or text him. She’s got us both on radio silence. So just humor her, okay? I’ll shoot you the address.” Glaring at Erica, he added dolefully, “The sooner we get this over with the better.”

• • •

As they waited, they worked the puzzle in silence. Decker didn’t seem upset anymore, or at least not at her. But he was guarded. She could see that from the set of his shoulders.

“It’ll be fine, you know,” she told him finally.

“Yeah, whatever.” He gave her an annoyed glance. “He’ll probably hit on you. So be prepared.”

“He’s Johnny’s friend.”

“And you’re hot. And he’s Bannerman. So just be ready.”

She studied his face. “You’re kidding, right?”

“He likes women.
All
women, the hotter the better. And trust me, he doesn’t have boundaries.” Softening, he added, “He’ll make an exception for you, since you’re John’s girl. But it’ll kill him.”

“Sounds like you admire him,” she said with a hopeful smile.

“For banging every girl he meets? Not hardly.”

Ouch.

Apparently she was correct. This feud was over a female. Someone Sean liked, but Bannerman “banged.” Classic testosterone issue. But obviously, the woman hadn’t been Sean’s girlfriend, since he admitted the halfback made exceptions for a friend’s girl. So this must have been someone Sean worshipped from afar.

She could see him doing that.

So the only remaining question was, did Bannerman know at the time of the alleged banging that Decker liked the girl? If so, then Bannerman was a jerk. Hopefully it was a little more nuanced than that.

When they were just about finished with the farmhouse in the puzzle’s bucolic scene, someone pounded on the door so sharply she jumped.

She turned warily to Decker. “Johnny?”

“Bannerman.” He gave her a look that said
You asked for it,
then kept working on the farmhouse.

“I guess chivalry is dead, so
I’ll
answer it.”

He chuckled but continued with the puzzle.

She shot him another glare, then moved into the hallway and opened the door. And even though this new arrival was a brute, and definitely not her type, she almost said “wow” out loud simply from the sheer size of his muscles and the shaggy, sexy heat of his handsome face.

Meanwhile, the newcomer showed no restraint, grinning and announcing loudly, “Holy fuck, I knew you’d be hot. Let’s have a look.”

Eyeing him coolly, she extended a hand. “I’m Erica. Nice to meet you, Vince.”

“Call me Bam.” He pulled her into a playful hug, then released her before she could protest. “What smells so good? Besides you, I mean. Lasagna?”

“Spaghetti.”

“I’m starved. Where’s Deck? He hasn’t been mauling you, has he?”

Decker walked around the corner and gave his ex-friend a halfhearted smile. “Hey, bud. Thanks for coming. You didn’t call John, did you?”

“You told me not to,” Bannerman reminded him with a shrug. “But fyi, he thinks you’re banging his girlfriend. So you might want to get in touch.”

“Geezus.” Decker’s green eyes flashed panic. “Call him, Erica. Tell him it’s all innocent. Invite him up.”

“In a while,” she promised.

Decker scowled, then turned back to Bannerman. “How’s the hand?”

The halfback held it up and flexed it. “Good as new.”

An awkward silence followed, so Erica stepped in, telling Bannerman, “You need to wash you hands so I can feed you. But first, give me your phone.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t want you calling John. So give me your phone.”

He winced but complied, then sent Decker a look. “What’s going on?”

“She thinks she’s got things figured out. But she doesn’t know anything for sure. So it’s your choice. But . . .” He shrugged. “She’ll wear you down.”

“I’m counting on it,” Bannerman assured him, his grin returning. Then he asked Erica, “You think you can break me, beautiful?”

“Go wash your hands,” she repeated, trying not to smile as he ambled through the living room toward the bathroom. He was a towering figure, all muscle, and from watching the games, she knew what an athlete he was. Quick as well as powerful. He wore his medium brown hair long and shaggy, and looked more like a battle-tested Norse warrior than a football player. Definitely handsome, but he would have been intimidating if his grin hadn’t balanced out the raw magnetism.

“What is this? Kindergarten?” he teased as he passed by the puzzle. Then he complained, “You guys did all the edge pieces? No fair.”

Once he was out of sight, she took Decker by the hand and drew him into the kitchen. Then she assured him confidently, “He’s going to tell me, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s the longest he’s ever kept a secret. And you’re so effing pretty.”

“So? Don’t you want to tell me first? I’m sure your version is different than his.”

“Actually, there’s only one version,” he drawled. “And it’s bad, so you’d better brace yourself.”

Chapter 11

How bad could it be?

Erica sat at the dining table and watched the handsome Norseman wolf down three bowls of spaghetti and two glasses of her aunt’s expensive red wine, wondering what she had gotten herself into. He was just as described by Johnny—an animal with a heart of gold. And as described by Decker—a borderline sexaholic, assuring her more than once that he’d tell her anything she wanted to know if she would just take her top off.

And every time he made that kind of outrageous remark, Sean Decker laughed. He tried to hide it, but Erica could see he was cracking up. Apparently the friendship wasn’t over. Just strained to the breaking point by the mysterious secret, and she was determined to find out what it was.

Even if she
did
have to take her top off.

The idea made her smile. Decker would faint dead away, and even Bannerman, for all his bluster, might wish he’d kept his big mouth shut. The one thing these guys had in common was their admiration for their QB. Or as Bannerman called him, “the big dog.”

“This is great, Erica,” he told her as he broke off another piece of French bread. “You’ve got the fundamentals down for sure.”

“Meaning what?”

“The basics. Or what I like to call the three Fs. Food, football, and banging.”

She stared for a second, then glared as she got the joke.

Decker was laughing again. “You’re unbelievable, you know that? Good thing John doesn’t know you’re here.”

“Yeah, one of us is a dead man,” Bannerman joked, “and it ain’t me.”

The friendly banter died down again, replaced by the familiar awkward silence, which Erica translated into wistfulness.

Time to clear this up.

“So?” she asked Bannerman. “Are you full yet?”

“Depends what you’re serving for dessert,” he said, winking.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Let’s watch the videotape, shall we?”

The halfback glanced toward Decker. “What’s that about?”

“Like I said, she figured a few things out.”

Bannerman strode to the TV stand and picked up the DVD. Then he eyed Erica and intoned, “You can’t
handle
the truth.”

Decker laughed again, but Erica kept her face expressionless. Wasn’t this the reason she had chosen that particular movie? She hadn’t met a guy yet who didn’t react to it this way after a few drinks.

“Sit down,” she told Bannerman. “We’ve got some tape to watch before the movie.”

When he obeyed right away, she wondered if he secretly wanted her to discover the truth. Or maybe he was just tired of being a wiseass. These guys had had grueling practices all week and were scheduled for another “most important game ever” in less than three days.

So cut them some slack,
she advised herself.
Especially Sean.

Moving closer to Bannerman, she explained soothingly, “It’s obvious that this problem didn’t start when Sean kicked your hand. He was already annoyed with you. And you were aware of it.”

“You’re such a girl,” he retorted. “Just face facts. He kicked me. It hurt like a son of a bitch. He feels bad. We’ll get over it. End of story.”

She smiled. “Here’s what I think. There’s a female involved. Someone Sean liked, but you hit on her. Or maybe vice versa.”