Rush to the Altar (8 page)

He just had to ignore her. It wasn’t as if she was the only captivating woman in the room. He looked up and across the table at Lisa Montgomery, a model, aspiring actress and a blond knockout. Usually he would be interested, wonder how long it would take to reel her in, but he couldn’t seem to drum up the chase instinct, and that scared him.

He’d heard some of the other happily married players talk about how their wives had captured them and he’d always thought of it as enticement, though they’d never called it that. He saw how happy and connected they were with their wives, always on guard around the attractive female fans, and he had privately thought the women in their lives had finally won the game, put the ol’ ball and chain around their million-dollar necks and won the prize. But now, for the first time, he had this glimpse of what they felt. He couldn’t get over it. He couldn’t believe in it. He wanted to fight it and yet…he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her; it was all he could think about tonight.

The image of her, in her light fairy costume and glittering eyelashes over those shocked and hurt eyes, eyes the color of the blue waters in the Caribbean, staring at him in hurt disbelief as he’d berated her for her dance routine and accused her of wanting to seduce him, haunted him. He found he wanted to banish the hurt, put salve on the wounds he’s caused and draw her into his arms. And she’d been gracious enough to accept his apology. That alone was impressive. She could have played that card in a lot of different ways—revengeful or calculating, taunting or tantalizing. Instead, she’d melted—sincere, sweet, openhearted acceptance—and promised him a dance.

The dance. Dinner was over, the speeches were over and the party had migrated to the other room, where the band was testing their mics and the sound system. The dancing would soon begin.

Jake took another sip of his drink and found Maddie at the back of the room, talking and laughing, a barely touched martini in her elegant hand. He debated his options. The third song, if it was a good one. He couldn’t ask her before the third song if he wanted to look better than desperate. He’d already forgotten his promise to ignore her.

Jake’s spine straightened when he saw out of the corner of his eye the man she had been talking to earlier come up to her and ask her to dance the first song. It was a fast one, and only two women, one dressed as Wonder Woman and the other as a tennis player, were making their way to the dance floor. He saw Maddie shake her head, then clenched his teeth as the man grabbed her hand and pulled her to the floor anyway. Jake stared openly at them now, anger beating in the pulse at the base of his throat. What was it about Maddie that everyone thought they could manhandle her like that? He would have to get her into self-defense classes. Teach her some street moves to protect herself.

He stared while Maddie acquiesced, though he could tell her heart wasn’t in it, she didn’t give the man eye contact and her body was barely moving to the music. The guy, however, was obviously intoxicated and getting handsy with her. He was just about to go out there and do something about it when he heard “Hey, Jake” from just behind him.

He turned to see Marcus Cornell, a fellow player and the friend he’d come here with. “Marcus.” He nodded to him then looked back at Maddie. She looked miserable.

“You really got a thing for her, don’t ya?”

“Why do you say that?” He wanted to know how he was being so obvious.

“Come on, man. You’ve only got eyes for her. You haven’t even noticed Jill Parkinson is here, or that other woman you dated, Tiffany something or the other? Didn’t you go out with her?”

Tiffany Daniels. His only serious relationship outside of a college girlfriend. “Tiffany’s here?” He’d really been in love with her until she had left him when he said he would never marry without a pre-nup. It hadn’t taken her long to find another rich boyfriend. “I wonder if she married that guy,” he said.

“She’s a beautiful woman, that’s for sure,” Marcus agreed. “Hey.” Marcus motioned toward Maddie on the dance floor. “Is it just me or is that guy getting a little too friendly on the dance floor with your girl? I don’t think she likes it, either.”

Jake grasped Marcus on the shoulder. “Thanks, man. That was all I needed to hear.” He made his way through the crowd toward them as the song wound down. The man’s hands kept wandering over Maddie’s arms and side in a way that made Jake want to plow a fist into his face.

Maddie was shaking her head and trying to back out of the man’s touch when Jake arrived within earshot. “No, thank you, Greg. Now, please. I’m finished dancing. I need to see that the auction is set up and ready to go.”

Greg didn’t seem to want to pay any attention to her feelings, but as he looked up and beyond Maddie’s shoulder and locked eyes with Jake, he suddenly let go and backed away.

Greg held out his hand toward Jake. “Jake Hart,” he gushed. “I’m a big fan. Dr. Greg Foreman.” When Jake ignored his hand and turned toward the stunned face of Maddie, he asked her, “Maddie, are you okay? This guy bothering you?”

Maddie shook her head, sidestepping toward him so that her slim shoulders were right at his chest level, almost touching him.

“Now don’t be upset,” Greg scolded him. “Maddie and I are old friends from college and it was just an innocent dance.” He looked at Maddie and said in a stage whisper, “Looks like we got your boyfriend jealous.”

Jake really wanted to slug him now; the vision of it played in his head until he had to look away from his overly groomed face and back at Maddie. Instead, he contented himself with playing into Greg’s misinformation. “Yeah, I’m the real jealous type so you better keep your hands off my girl if you know what’s good for you.”

Greg’s hands went into the air, false innocence on his face. “It was just a dance, man.” He looked at Maddie and mumbled, “You take care, Maddie,” and spun on his heel to leave.

Jake stopped him by grasping his shoulder and squeezing, saying into his ear, “I mean it,
man.
Don’t call her, don’t touch her, don’t ask her to dance…don’t even think about her. She’s mine.” He gave the doctor a firm pat on the shoulder, hard enough to make him stumble, and then turned his back on him, taking Maddie’s hand into his.

~~~~~~

Maddie tried to gulp back her shock. She hardly knew what to say as the band began playing one of her favorite songs and she felt Jake’s big hands reach for her.

“Sorry about that,” he whispered, leaning down a little to speak into her ear, pulling her close and beginning to sway to the music.

“About rescuing me?” Maddie looked up into his eyes. “I…I thought I could handle him, but I think I underestimated his, uh, determination. Thank you. I didn’t want to make a scene and possibly lose my new job by stabbing him in the foot with the heel of my shoe, but that was my next plan of action if he didn’t get his hands off…” She faltered, embarrassed.

“Yeah. I saw,” Jake stated with intense eyes. “I think I convinced him not to even look at you anymore.”

Maddie laughed, a little lightheaded. “Yes, I think you did.” Jake smelled so good. She wanted to get closer, turn her head and lean against his chest, smelling the cologne on his neck and letting the music take them away, but she didn’t.

Jake Hart was an NBA star. She was little more than a recent widow, a new employee and a broken-hearted woman who had little trust in enduring love. As happy as she felt now, she knew the pain that could come from this.

She took a step back from Jake’s tall form and gave herself an internal shake. Life could break your heart. This man could certainly break hers and there wasn’t much left intact to conquer.

She was a mother, with responsibilities.

She had better remember that.

CHAPTER NINE

“
H
aving a good time?” Sasha asked, after Jake escorted her back to her chair and left to get them fresh drinks.

Maddie looked at Sasha’s face and felt a pang of guilt. He was, after all, the one player Sasha had been interested in—never mind that she “sort of” had a boyfriend, or that they never thought in a million years that they would actually meet him. “Yeah. He’s a really good dancer for someone so tall. I’m sure he will dance with you too. I can ask him when he gets back.” Maddie slid into the chair next to Sasha and lifted her brows.

Sasha shook her head. “No way! I think we know who he is interested in and it’s not me. You two looked pretty involved out there.”

“Oh, no. We did? This is my job. I have to be careful.”

“Are there rules about dating the players? Could you get fired?”

“I’m not dating him, but no, I don’t think there are rules against it.”

Sasha grinned at her. “Well, don’t worry about it. Only I know how much you were enjoying yourself out there because I know you so well.” She looked around at the gregarious crowd. “No one else would realize it.” She reached out and grasped Maddie’s hand, squeezing it. “I haven’t seen you dance like that since…well, you know.”

Maddie groaned, pulled her hand away and dropped her head into one palm, her elbow braced on the table. “I’m a terrible person. How could I?”

“What, be attracted to someone? Come on, Maddie. First off, he is Jake Hart. Secondly, he’s drop-dead gorgeous and third, as if we needed a third, you were used to having a man’s…” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “…you know, attention, on a regular basis. Six months is a long time when you’ve been married.”

Maddie gasped. “That’s not it.”

Sasha’s eyebrows rose. “Isn’t it? Just a part?”

Maddie felt her cheeks heat up and was thankful it was so dark in the room. Sasha had a way of speaking the truth right out loud, leaving people spinning to catch up and admit to it. “Well…it did feel good to be in a man’s arms again and—”

She was saved from having to expand the thought as Jake returned with three drinks in hand. He handed the first one to Sasha. “Cosmo for our sophisticated witch. I heard it’s your favorite concoction.”

He winked at her, speaking in that teasing, deep-voiced way that had even the pragmatic Sasha dreamy-eyed and ready to melt. “Thank you.”

Jake turned to Maddie. “And for you, I brought you something new to try.” He held out a martini glass with a milky-white liquid inside. “Eggnog,” he said with a proud grin.

Maddie blinked several times. “I…um, thank you.”

“But Maddie…” Sasha interjected, shock in her deep-brown eyes. “You hate eggnog,” she stated in a hissing whisper from between her teeth.

“What’s that?” Jake asked. “You don’t like eggnog?”

Sasha shook her head emphatically. “Oh, no. Threw it right back up the first time she tried it.”

“That was a long time ago. I’ll try it,” Maddie assured him.

“No way,” Jake said, taking the drink. “I want another dance later, and I’ll not have you leaving early because you’re sick.” Then he took a sip himself. “Not bad. You can have my drink. A shot of espresso.”

Maddie looked at the dark-colored liquid in the small cup and smiled up at him. “It looks a little scary. I take mine with like a gallon of cream.”

“Don’t sip it. Just a couple of big gulps,” Sasha advised, smirking.

Jake’s shoulders were shaking with compressed mirth while Maddie took Sasha’s advice and downed the steaming brew.

Hot. Burning throat. Maddie started to gasp and cough, putting the cup down on the table. “Oh my! That is strong!” She turned mock-accusing eyes toward Jake.

Jake let out his compressed laugh. “That bad?”

Maddie nodded. “I prefer it weak.”

Marcus walked up to them and clasped Jake on the shoulder. “Hey, man. Let’s get this party started.” He grinned big, looked over his shoulder at the dance floor and pointed back to it with his thumb. “It’s pretty slow out there.” His gaze shot to Sasha and brightened. “Do witches dance or just cast spells?”

Sasha took a gulp of her drink, stood and put her hand on his arm. “Witches can do anything they want, haven’t you heard?”

They both laughed as Marcus led her to the dance floor.

~~~~~~

Jake sat down next to Maddie, noticing that she had relaxed against the back of her chair and had a dreamy smile hovering around her full, glossy lips.

He leaned toward her. “What are you thinking about?”

Maddie turned toward him. “Dancing. I’m so glad Marcus asked Sasha to dance. Tonight has turned out…pretty wonderful.” Again, the dreamy smile. It reached her eyes as she stared at him and did strange things to his stomach.

“You did a good job planning it.”

“Thanks. It does seem like everyone is having a good time. Do you think the auction will go well?”

Jake shrugged. “It usually does. How much did they raise last year?”

Maddie leaned closer to him, face to face, nose to nose. “Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.” Her eyes widened. “Can you believe it?”

“What’s the goal this year?”

“We have to top it, of course.” She gave a short laugh. “I’ll be a failure if we don’t top it.”

“Let’s dance,” he said suddenly, standing and holding out his hand. “It won’t help to worry about it.”

Maddie stared into his eyes for a moment and then nodded. “Okay.”

Had she really hesitated? Maybe she wasn’t as interested as Jake thought. There was something about her, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on, but Maddie was a guarded woman and, he thought, trying to resist this attraction between them.

She let him take her hand though as he led her to the dance floor. It was a fast song and the crowd was really getting into it. They squeezed their way over to Sasha and Marcus, who looked like they were having a great time. Sasha wasn’t Marcus’s usual type. He usually dated African-American women—models, aspiring actresses, an athlete once, but all curvaceous figures. Sasha was on the short side, really thin and not quite the stellar face he was used to seeing with Marcus. But Marcus had his big grin on, twirling her around as they danced. Interesting.

The crowd became hot and sweaty after three more dances, Jake taking off his suit jacket, Maddie losing the demi-mask and sparkly white wrap that had been around her shoulders most of the night, exposing round, creamy shoulders. The place was really heating up with the music.