by Tia Souders
Emmett’s feet hit the belt harder, his pace increasing. Jinny glanced up at him, her eyes sliding to his knee and back again, flashing him a warning to take it easy.
Finally catching on, Gabe turned and acknowledged Emmett. “Hall, I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to talk to you about Vegas, actually.”
Emmett blinked the anger from his vision before Gabe’s words registered. The trip. Vegas. Of course.
He’d completely forgotten. This year, every team in the NBA was going to Vegas for the MGM Resorts Summer League. Tournaments didn’t stop just because you were injured.
“You can either go with the team as scheduled and watch, or you can stay here if you prefer. As the team therapists, Jinny and I will be going, but we can find someone else qualified to work with you for the week if you choose to stay behind.”
The corner of Emmett’s lip curled. It wasn’t lost on him the way Gabe referred to him and Jinny as a unit. The guy was pathetic, and if Emmett didn’t know any better, he would think Gabe viewed him as a threat. Anyone else would’ve encouraged him to go and travel with the team as a show of support, if nothing else.
Emmett’s gaze drifted to Jinny. She clenched her pen and his file so hard, her knuckles turned white. Too bad Gabe didn’t stand a chance with her.
“I’m good to go, man,” Emmett said, smiling. “I want to support my team. Besides, I don’t want another PT. The best works with the best. Right?”
Jinny stared up at him, her brown eyes bright, surprised by the praise.
Gabe pursed his lips and nodded, then reached out to Jinny again, touching her arm.
Emmett gritted his teeth to stop the threatening growl.
“If this is your first time in Vegas, I’d be glad to show you around. The great thing about the tournament is that it’s a week long, so there will be plenty of downtime between games and work.” His eyes twinkled as he pulled away and walked backward out of the room. “But, anyway, we have plenty of time to talk about it.”
Once he left, the only sound between them was the whirring of the treadmill.
“So, now I’m the best?” Jinny said, turning on him. “Did you mean it? Or was that all a load of bull because you didn’t want me hanging out with Gabe in Vegas?”
Emmett grinned and his heart pinched. “Both.”
Jinny grunted and crossed her arms over her chest.
“You’re good, Jinny, okay?” When she met his gaze again, his heart soared. “Better than good.” He stopped the treadmill then stepped down. “I don’t need to be six months along in my treatment to see you know what you’re doing. You have half the team wrapped around your finger already, and you’ve only been on the staff for a few weeks.”
She grinned. “They like me better than you.”
“Of course they like you better than me.” He ran his eyes down the length of her body. “Have you looked in the mirror?”
He took a step closer. When she didn’t move away, he reached a hand up to her hair, watching with rapt interest as the silky strands slipped through his fingers. She shivered, a totally different reaction to his touch than to Gabe’s.
“Are we going to keep skirting around what happened?” he asked.
Idiot. Even though everything told him to let it go, he couldn’t.
Jinny’s gaze dipped to his mouth then away again. She stared past him, avoiding his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, her voice flat.
“Don’t toy with me.” He dipped his head in an effort to meet her eye. When she didn’t comply, he leaned down further, whispering into her ear. “The kiss, Jinny.”
Color flooded her cheeks, but she shrugged. “It was just a kiss. There’s nothing to say.”
Emmett clenched his jaw, staring down at her. He moved his hand to the side of her face. If he just leaned forward another couple inches and swept his lips over hers, he knew she’d change her mind. She was playing with him.
He slid his hand down her cheek to her throat, and she gasped. The beat of her racing pulse hammered into his palm. The air around them snapped, thick with tension. “Somehow, I don’t believe you.”
“The kiss was a mistake, Emmett.”
He chuckled, a humorless sound, but he took a step back. “A mistake you enjoyed.”
“The only part I enjoyed was the end.”
He smirked. “The lady doth protest too much.”
Jinny’s brown eyes darkened. “It shouldn’t have happened, and it won’t happen again.”
“That sounds like a challenge.”
Jinny placed both palms on his chest and pushed him back. “Don’t flatter yourself, Romeo. I’m not one of your toys. I’m not so easily duped into believing you have some kind of valiant intentions.”
Emmett grinned. “Who said anything about valiant?”
“Oh, don’t try and be cute.” She sneered, which only made him want to reach out and draw her into his arms even more.
“So, you think I’m cute.”
Jinny’s cheeks reddened. “Listen, you can take your perfect lips, your almond eyes, your compliments, and all your flirtations, and you can use them on somebody else. Because I’m not interested. Got it?”
Emmett’s brows furrowed. “Funny how Gabe comes on to you, and all you do is evade his advances. But when I come onto you, all I hear are protests. Maybe someone’s scared.”
“The only thing I’m scared of is contracting something from that kiss.”
Emmett laughed, a booming sound in the empty fitness room, to which Jinny scowled in response.
“Nice try, but I’m not buying it,” he said.
She exhaled, an angry sound, so he continued. He reached a hand up and pinched her cheek. “You’re so cute when you’re all riled up.”
She batted his hand away, which only made him laugh harder. “You’re disgusting.”
“I didn’t hear you complaining when you were kissing me back.”
“That was purely a reactionary reflex.”
“Sure, it was.”
Emmett leaned against the front of the treadmill, enjoying her irritation. There was nothing better than the flush of her cheeks and the glint of anger that darkened her eyes to near onyx. “Seems to me like you’re working awful hard to suppress your attraction to me.”
“The only thing I’m suppressing is my gag reflex,” she said, then gestured back to the treadmill. “Now, can we get on with today’s treatment? Or do you not care about playing basketball again?”
He raised his hands in surrender and headed back to the treadmill. She had a point.
“So, Vegas, huh?” he said, stepping onto the belt. “You know what they say…”
Jinny rolled her eyes. “Don’t say it.”
“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, baby.”
CHAPTER fourteen
Jinny
Jinny huffed as she entered her office. Her jaw ached from clenching it, and she had to wonder how much pressure her teeth could take before they’d pop. Chances were, during the course of the next six months, she’d find out.
She made a note to review her new dental coverage.
Stomping over to the wall beside her desk, adorned in her diplomas, awards, and certificates, she tore the framed photo of the Pumas team down. Then she ripped open her desk drawer and removed a Sharpie.
Her eyes zeroed in on Emmett. His smug smile stared back at her, dimples popping, a cocky gleam in his eye. With the dexterity and skill of Van Gogh, she drew devil horns and a tail on him, then stepped back and smiled at her handiwork.
Nice. The pressure in her chest eased, allowing her a smile as she hung the framed photo back on the wall.
Much better.
∞∞∞
Friday finally came.
To her relief, Jinny entered the Mexican restaurant, her stomach growling. It was a miracle she’d made it to the weekend. It meant two whole days without seeing him. Two days without his full lips taunting her. Without his dimples making an appearance
in her dreams. Two days of Emmett-free bliss.
Jinny spotted Callie and Dean almost immediately. They sat at a table in the back of the restaurant. Being the third wheel on a Friday night wasn’t exactly at the top of her list of fun things to do. Then again, she may as well get used to it. Once the Pumas’ season started, it would be virtually impossible to meet someone. Work days, along with game nights, would occupy most of her time, which also meant a ton of travel. Where the Pumas went, she’d go. For a sports fan like herself, it was a dream. But on the relationship front, it wouldn’t exactly be conducive to finding and keeping a man.
Hello, singledom, care if I settle in and stay a while?
She made her way to their table and took a seat across from them. “What’s up?” she muttered as she reached for a tortilla chip.
Callie flashed her a smile. Her fingers were intertwined with Dean’s, and she glanced up at him with so much adoration in her eyes, it made the back of Jinny’s throat ache. She didn’t want a relationship. Absolutely not. She was too busy. There was no space in her life at the moment for all the cuddling and kissing and hand holding and flowers and… Ugh. It all sounded so time-consuming and…regular. Yes, that was it. Time-consuming and regular. How mundane.
She swallowed, her throat tight. “Please, tell me you got queso dip,” she said just as the waitress placed a bowl of gooey, white cheese dip in front of them. “I love you,” she said. “Both of you. I’m so hungry, I could eat this with a spoon.”
She crammed a chip in her mouth. A giant dribble of cheese dripped down her chin. Heaven couldn’t possibly taste better.
“Cute. So dainty,” a voice said from behind her.
She froze, the chip half in her mouth, the cheese congealing on her skin. No-no-no-no-no. Not tonight.
She slowly chewed the chip and grabbed her napkin, wiping the cheese from her mouth. “Please, someone tell me I imagined that voice behind me.”
“There’s no way your imagination can conjure anything that sounds as good as this,” the voice said.
Jinny squeezed her eyes shut and heard the shuffling of feet and scraping of the chair next to her. When she blinked them open, she was greeted with Emmett’s smug mug.
Jinny stiffened. “Excuse me for a moment while I murder my brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law.”
She yanked on Dean’s arm as she stood and all but sprinted toward the back entrance of the restaurant. Callie followed close behind them.
Dean shoved his hands in his pockets, and Callie averted her gaze. At least they both had the sense to look guilty.
“I take back everything I said about loving you two a second ago.” Jinny alternated glares between them. “I wanted a nice dinner. Why is he here?”
Dean sighed. “We leave for Vegas this weekend, and you insist on driving because you let your ridiculous phobia control you.”
“The fear of flying is far from ridiculous,” she snapped.
“Have you looked up directions on your phone? It will take you nearly thirty-three hours to get there by car.”
Jinny rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “No. I haven’t. I have to be there in a few days, but I’m just guessing my magical transportation machine will get me there on time.” She clenched her fists. “Of course I looked it up!”
“You can’t drive that whole way on your own,” Dean said.
“He’s right, Jinny. It’s a long way to go in one weekend by yourself. You need someone to go with you so you can switch off driving. Plus, you haven’t gotten a new car yet.”
Jinny glanced to their table, to where Emmett was consuming the queso at record speed. She’d be lucky to get any by the time she finished hashing this out. From the looks of it, he had the appetite of a whale.
She flashed Dean a tight smile. “Looks like you’ll just have to drive with me.”
Dean’s eyes widened and he took a small step forward. “No. You know I get carsick on long trips. There’s no way I’ll make it that far without puking my guts out or being completely knocked out on motion-sickness meds—I’d be no help driving.”
“Welp,” Jinny said, clapping her hands. “Looks like that’s settled, then. I’ll be driving myself. But that still doesn’t address which one of you is dead to me. Who invited the enemy to dinner and why? This has yet to be explained.”
She stared at them. They wore identical looks of guilt.
Then it hit her.
NO. No way. They couldn’t possibly think…
Her eyes widened, and her heart threatened to beat from her chest. “Please tell me you didn’t ask him to ride with me.” Her frantic gaze darted to Callie. “You’re my best friend. I know you wouldn’t do that to me.”
“It might be good for you,” she said, wincing. “You guys will have all that time to work through your differences and stop fighting.” Even Callie’s tone conveyed how full of crap she was. Yet there she was, suggesting Jinny spend the weekend enclosed in a confined space with the devil incarnate.
Differences? They didn’t have differences. They had mutual hate, lack of respect, and war.
They’d kill each other. Eat each other alive after the first few minutes.
“Do I look like a child to you?” Jinny asked, brows raised, her tone deceivingly calm.
Dean eyed her, a glimmer of fear in his eyes.
Good! He should be scared.
“No?” he answered like it was a trick question.
“And do I look like some kind of addict that needs an intervention? Did I just turn ninety and not realize it?”
“No, but—”
“Then what in the world makes you think I need a chaperone on a road trip? I’m perfectly capable of getting myself from point A to point B. I’m an independent, single woman. I’m not helpless.”
Dean frowned and glanced behind her, no doubt at Emmett stuffing his face full of her cheese dip.
His shoulders drooped. “Okay, maybe you’re right. But you have to admit, it’s really far to drive by yourself in one weekend.”
Jinny nodded. She could be reasonable. She could admit he had a point. “It is. But that’s why I’m already packed. When I get home, I’m going to take a cat nap and then head out tonight. I’ll sleep at a rest stop or get a hotel for the night, then get up early and be back on the road. I’ll probably drive through the night Saturday, but I’ll take a ton of breaks and sleep. I’ll shoot a couple energy drinks, and I’ll be fine. Now, can we dismiss him, please?”
Callie frowned. “There are so many bad stories about things happening to women alone at rest stops.”
Dean nodded. “Yeah, sorry. I know this is the twenty-first century and blah blah blah, but the fact of the matter is stuff happens. I don’t feel comfortable with it. Emmett’s going with you.”
“He is not.”
“Is too. Push it, and I’ll tell Mom.”
Jinny glared at him. “What are we, three?”
He shrugged.
“So, let me get this straight. You can’t be carsick for thirty-three hours, but I can be? You do realize I’m getting hives just thinking about being stuck in a vehicle with him. We won’t last. Only one of us will come out alive.”
Oh, gawd. So, this is what it came down to. Plummet to a fiery death from the sky or endure a three-day journey with a man who seemed born for the sole purpose of irritating her.
It was a tough choice.
She imagined strapping herself into the seat of an airplane. The torch of the engines as they took off, nosing into the sky and clouds, the force pushing her into her seat. Then they’d level out and hover weightlessly, like a bird. Except a plane wasn’t a bird. It was a giant hunk of metal, full of people. They’d be sitting ducks, just asking to be shot down.
“You know I won’t fly,” Jinny practically cried.
“I admit, when I was talking to Emmett and he volunteered to ride with you, I had my doubts, but—”
“Whoa!” Jinny held out her hand to stop him. “Slow down. It sounded like you j
ust said this was Emmett’s idea.”
Dean shrugged. “I wanted someone to go with you, and he volunteered.”
“Unbelievable,” Jinny said.
She turned, hands anchored to her hips, staring laser beams at the side of Emmett’s face. As if he could feel the heat of her gaze, he met her eye and winked.
Jinny frowned. Emmett probably concocted this whole thing because he thought she couldn’t handle being in a car with him for that long. After that kiss, he was so convinced she had the hots for him. What, did he think she wouldn’t be able to resist him if they were stuck together? That she’d fall for him on the open road like some kind of cheesy chick-flick? Heck, no. She had news for him. If he wanted to make the drive with her, fine. She’d show him just how easy to resist he was.
“Okay, fine,” Jinny said.
She heard Dean and Callie exhale. No doubt, they were both astounded and relieved she’d conceded so quickly.
When she sauntered back to the table, they scurried after her.
“So, Dean,” Jinny said. “Since you’re such a caring brother and all, I assume you’re paying for my dinner?”
“Sure, whatever you want,” he said.
“Great.” She waved the waitress down and nodded toward the people sitting at the bar and those surrounding them. “We’ll take a pitcher of margaritas for the table and a round on the house for everyone. And don’t be stingy. Definitely use top shelf, your best booze.”
She smiled sweetly at her brother. “Thanks, sweetie.”
CHAPTER fifteen
Jinny
Jinny grumbled as she made her way outside and plopped her suitcase down next to her car. Riding with Emmett to Vegas had seemed favorable when she had been irritated with Dean and determined to make a point. But now, she dreaded it. And it had nothing to do with the way her stomach swirled with anticipation when she saw him already waiting for her outside her car.
His punctuality was a minor positive to his many, many flaws.
“Grab your bag and let’s go,” she said, avoiding his eye.
She fought back a yawn. After the righteous indignation had faded, she’d regretted her decision to agree to ride with him, which led to a craptastic nap. She tossed and turned, consumed with thoughts of enduring thousands of miles alone together. Now she was tired and crabby, and they hadn’t even left the parking lot of her apartment.
