The Player (6 page)

Atlanta

P
AYNE TOOK A PULL
from his beer, then finished bringing Guy up to speed on Jamie’s current situation. He laughed. “Can you believe that shit?”

Looking just as mystified as he undoubtedly had when Jamie had told him the nature of Garrett’s “favor,” Guy shook his head and smiled faintly. “You know, I fully expected him to utilize our skills, but that was one of Jamie’s I would have never dreamed Garrett would risk putting into use. Especially with his own granddaughter.”

“He’s got a helluva lot more trust in our friend than I do,” Payne admitted. “He said she’s pretty.”

Guy winced. “Damn.”

“I know.”

“I smell trouble.”

He did, too. It was like turning a bloodhound
loose, then telling him not to follow the trail. Furthermore, he’d heard a bit of I’m-screwed misery in Jamie’s voice that definitely didn’t get his vote of confidence. Garrett undoubtedly was banking on Jamie’s ability to take an order—or take one for the team—but this was different.

Jamie wasn’t a Ranger anymore.

He was still a man of his word, but more than one man had broken a promise when it came to a woman. Sex did something to a guy. Made him weak in a way that nothing else could. Payne’s lips quirked. Hell, his father was a perfect example of that.

Which was why he’d never be.

Guy shot him a considering look. “Makes me wonder what he’s got in store for us.”

Him, too. Payne had been certain that Garrett had planned to use them for Uncle Sam. He’d never dreamed that the crafty old bastard had planned on cashing in those favors for himself. Point of fact, it shed a completely different light on things. He paused, tracing a bead of moisture down the side of his beer, and re-evaluating. Not that it would have changed anything—they would have agreed to his terms anyway. They’d wanted out at any cost. Still…

“I know,” he finally said. His lips curled into a grim smile. “Let’s just hope like hell he doesn’t have any more relatives in need of rescue.”

“Oh, I don’t think we have to worry about that,” Guy said. A smile rolled around his lips and a bark of dry laughter erupted from his throat. “Evidently you and I aren’t sexy enough.”

Payne chuckled. “Speak for yourself, you ugly bastard. He didn’t send me because he was afraid she’d fall in love with me. I was
too
much man.”

Guy smiled, grabbing his beer. “Go to hell.”

Yeah, and he could tell Jamie hello when he got there. He had a grim suspicion his buddy had been sent straight into the bowels of darkness.

“S
O THAT’S A BRIEF OVERVIEW
of what we do here at Unwind. Any questions?” Audrey glanced around the room, waited a couple of beats, then smiled. “Okay then. Remember…no worries.”

Though she’d been trying not to stare at Jamie, her gaze kept inexplicably wandering over to where he stood in the back of the room. Even if she hadn’t known he had a special forces military background, she would have recognized the signs.

Casual, but alert, he constantly scanned the
room, observing. She’d watched him note the exits, the number of people present and his demeanor seemed to suggest he could be a protector or predator, whichever the case may be. For reasons which made her question her own sanity, she found that wholly thrilling. In fact, she could honestly say that she’d never had such an overwhelming reaction to a man before.

“God, that man is beautiful.”

Audrey barely refrained from jumping. Damn Tewanda. “Don’t sneak up on me like that,” she chided, tearing her gaze away from the beautiful man in question.

“If you hadn’t been staring so hard at him, you would have seen me walk up.”

Since she couldn’t argue with that, she decided to change the subject. “So, what do you think about this group?”

Tewanda nodded. “Seems good.” She inclined her head toward a tall balding man in the corner. “He’s a crier. We’ll need to watch him.” Next she turned her attention to a petite blonde with bloodred nails who carried a Prada knockoff. “That one. She’s going to be a problem. She’s already called three times about things that she says are ‘wrong’ and aren’t her preferences. But don’t worry I have
everything on file and you know I don’t make mistakes like that.”

No, she didn’t. Given their satisfaction guarantee promise, Tewanda was neurotically meticulous about the details. In fact, in their four years in business, she’d never made a mistake. Needless to say, she was an invaluable asset to Unwind and to Audrey, in particular. She also had the uncanny ability to size people up. Tewanda could spot a potential problem guest with almost psychic accuracy.

Audrey nodded, accepting her assessment. “Anybody else?”

“Yeah, there’s one more.”

“Point ‘em out,” she said from the corner of her mouth, smiling warmly at passersby.

“No need,” she said. “Here he comes.”

“What? Who?”

“Him,”
she said significantly as Jamie sidled through the crowd toward them.

“Jamie?” Audrey said, startled. “What makes you say a thing like that?” Had she missed something? she wondered. Granted she’d initially been too preoccupied by the rest of him to note the sadness lingering around and in those mesmerizing hazel eyes, but she’d glimpsed it tonight.

Big time.

“Don’t you play dumb with me,” Tewanda told her, chuckling under her breath. “I know you think he’s hot. You want him.”

“Tewanda.”

“Tewanda, Tewanda,” she mimicked, as though she got tired of hearing her name repeated in that exasperated tone. “You know I’m right. That boy isn’t just going to be trouble. He
is
trouble. Especially for you.”

“Why for me?” she asked, instinctively knowing her friend was right.

“Haven’t you been listening to me? Because you want him,” she said with the sort of exaggerated patience used to communicate something to a person who might be a little slow.

“I just met him,” Audrey chided with a nervous eye roll, an almost, but not outright denial.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s the animal instinct, honey. And I predict that you two will be going at it like a couple of Viagra-crazed rabbits by the end of the week.”

Before she could shape her lips to refute that outlandish comment, a vision of her and Jamie, tangled up and sweaty and doing precisely what Tewanda had suggested materialized in her mind’s
eye, making her momentarily breathless. Her nipples beaded behind her bra, her knees weakened and a melting tingle started low in her belly and settled in her sex.

Oh, sweet Jesus.

If thinking about making it with him did this to her, then she couldn’t begin to imagine what being with him would really be like.

Actually, that wasn’t true.

She
could
imagine, and the resulting vision had an almost virtual reality effect. In fact, if she didn’t derail this line of thinking immediately, she was going to have an immaculate orgasm. Right here in the lodge, amid a roomful of people. Audrey released a shuddering breath.

Now that was some potent sex appeal.

He sidled over and smiled, unwittingly upping her heart rate. Then her gaze tangled with his and, in the nanosecond before he could put a guard firmly in place, Audrey glimpsed a pain so intense she felt it deep in her belly. Oh, sweet Lord, she thought, as nausea threatened and her vision blackened around the edges. She
had
missed something.

A huge something.

Stark pain, grief, regret—they were all there, a
perfect cocktail of misery. Her grandfather had been right, Audrey thought, swallowing. Jamie Flanagan had one helluva demon shadowing him. He disguised it well beneath effortless sex appeal and lazy charm, but she saw it, and more importantly felt it. In fact, while she’d had vast experience in feeling other people’s pain, she could honestly say that she’d never suffered from this sort of intensity.

“Ladies,” he said, jerking Audrey from her disquieting reverie.

Tewanda grinned. “Are you ready to unwind?” she asked him. “You look a little tense.”

“I’m fine, thanks,” Jamie told her, eyes twinkling.

“Audrey’s a licensed masseuse,” Tewanda said, much to Audrey’s annoyance. Still a bit shaken, she resisted the urge to pinch her friend.

Audrey summoned a tight smile. “True, however we have a regular masseuse on staff. Part of the luxury of an expanding clientele.” She managed a chuckle.

“So you don’t have to be so
hands-on,
then,” Jamie said, obviously enjoying her discomfort.

“Right.”

“But since Jamie here is a
special
guest of the
Colonel and you’re supposed to be taking care of him personally, surely you wouldn’t mind working out a few of his kinks, right, Audrey?”

Did Maine have the death penalty? Audrey wondered, sending her friend a murderously sweet smile. “Not at all,” she said in what she knew was far from a normal voice.

Looking entirely too pleased with herself, Tewanda leaned forward as though she was about to impart a kernel of significant advice. “In fact, I can’t think of a better way to start your Unwind experience than with a relaxing massage.” She bobbed her head in a brisk nod. “I have one every week.”

Jamie’s eyes twinkled with humor. “Really?”

“Oh, yes.” She preened. “It does wonders for my complexion.”

“I’ve never had one. At least from a professional, that is,” he amended.

And on that singularly disturbing note, Audrey cleared her throat. “You know what I think is the best way to start your Unwind experience?” she asked Jamie. “With a nice session of water colors down by the lake. My grandfather says you’re quite the artist.”

A soft chuckle erupted from his throat. “Really? I didn’t realize he was a fan of my work. I’ll have to paint something
special
for him.”

Actually, her grandfather had said no such thing and she fully suspected that Jamie hadn’t painted any sort of picture, much less a watercolor, since primary school. Playing along, was he? Now that was interesting. And it would be fun, considering her grandfather had already explained his bizarre preferences and hobby choices for Jamie. With the exception of the whiskey and beer, the
preferences
had been jokes. As for the hobby choices, her grandfather had chosen them so that Jamie could learn certain virtues. Like patience.

Audrey grinned. “Oh, good. We can have it framed in town and ship it to him before you leave.”

His eyes glinted with knowing humor. “Excellent.”

Marginally relaxing, Audrey rocked back a little on her heels.

“But I’ll still want that massage.”

And every muscle atrophied again, particularly the ones in her face which controlled her smile. “Of course,” she said because she couldn’t think of any other response. Dissembling while visions of her hands on his warm, naked skin, kneading
those impressive muscles was completely beyond her. Audrey released a silent quivering sigh.

Time to go home, she decided. “Well, if you don’t have any more questions, I think I’m going to call it an evening.”

“I’ll go with you,” Tewanda said. She did an admirable job of looking concerned. “I don’t like you walking up that hill all alone.”

Honestly, this was over the top, even for Tewanda. Exasperated, Audrey shook her head. “I have walked up that hill alone every night of every season since we opened, Tewanda,” she told her through partially gritted teeth. “I think I can manage.”

“That may be true but—”

“Tewanda.”

“I’ll walk you home,” Jamie offered, playing right into her maniacal matchmaking friend’s hands.

“Really,” Audrey insisted. “It isn’t necessary.”

“But it’ll relax me,” he said with a half-smile that made her belly do an odd little jump.

Oh, well…how nice for him. She wished she could say the same for herself.

“B
E SURE TO GIVE MY REGARDS
to the Colonel,” Jamie leaned in and whispered to Tewanda be
fore following a somewhat irate Audrey out of the room.

“Sure thing, Ace,” Tewanda told him. She grinned and twinkled her fingers at him as he walked away. She was clearly enjoying herself, Jamie thought, fighting a chuckle. No doubt she’d received her instructions from the Colonel as well and was taking her role as matchmaker quite seriously.

While it was easy to laugh at her machinations, Jamie knew better than to discount them. As Audrey’s right-hand man, so to speak, and clearly a good friend, she was better positioned than anybody to know what was happening with Audrey. If she was trying this hard to make sure that Audrey didn’t marry Derrick, she had to have good reason.

Which made the Colonel sending him in as he had all the more understandable.

Sure, Jamie didn’t like it, and no doubt being with her without
being with her
was going to be sheer hell, but she had two very discerning people covertly interfering on her behalf—three, if he counted himself, which, for reasons he didn’t understand, he wasn’t prepared to do just yet—and that told him enough about what he was doing to make him feel marginally better about his role in the deception.

Besides, he didn’t have any choice. He’d owed Garrett.

Jamie opened the door for her, ushering Audrey out into the cool autumn air. Dusk had come and gone, bringing darkness and a spattering of bright stars. Fluffy clouds glowed in the moonlight and drifted lazily across the deep navy sky.

“She’s a piece of work, isn’t she?” Jamie remarked lightly as they descended the steps onto the walk.

Audrey chuckled, the sound soft, soothing and feminine against his ears. “Tewanda? That’s one way of describing her.” She crossed her arms over her chest, huddling further into her jacket. “I’m thinking ‘fired’ would be another.”

Jamie laughed. “Surely not?”

“Nah,” she relented. “I couldn’t do what I do without her. She’s invaluable—and insufferable. That’s part of her charm.”

“Look at it this way,” Jamie told her. “I bet you never have to wonder what she thinks.”

She shot him a pointedly wry look. “Much like my grandfather.”

Jamie tilted his head back as another laugh rumbled up his throat. “I definitely wouldn’t argue with that assessment.”