Tempting the Crown

by Violet Paige

  We both stared at the road, neither one of us able to come up with the first words. I didn’t know what I felt. The shock had wrapped around my body. Luke still held my hand tightly, while he drove with the other on the wheel. That felt like something. He was some kind of anchor. But was it the kind that was going to make me sink?

  My phone started to light up with texts and phone calls from Jake, but I hit ignore. I’d never cut him out like this before. I could imagine the things he was thinking. The things he would say if I answered.

  I needed time. And right now I needed Luke.

  11

  Luke

  Fuck.

  Alexa was terrified. I didn’t have to know her long to see every glimmer of fear reflected in her eyes. I stared ahead at the road. The only thing that broke the silence was the sound of the cold air whirring through the vents as I drove us farther outside of Austin.

  It had been a fucking ambush. Cameras. Questions. We were swarmed and I felt like a damn caged lion trapped while the shots were fired.

  Every time Alexa’s phone beeped she tapped the side to silence it. I could tell the calls made her anxious. I caught her scrolling through some sort of newsfeed, but I couldn’t read it while I drove.

  I clicked the button on the truck to open the double gates when we reached the ranch. I heard Alexa sigh, but maybe it was a whimper. I shook my head.

  “No one followed us,” I announced. I had watched the rearview mirror. The press had been on foot. No one bothered to tail us once I peeled out of the hospital’s garage.

  She threw me a nervous smile. “That’s good.”

  I made sure the gates locked securely behind us before we were inside the garage. Levels of security were exactly what we needed. Layers that kept Alexa safe.

  I hopped from my side of the truck and walked around to the passenger side to help her down. It was a big step for her small frame.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t meant for these kind of situations. I didn’t offer comfort. I’d never been a shoulder for someone. Hell, I’d never bothered with it.

  I led her inside and walked straight to the bar. If there was one thing I knew, it was what kind of whiskey helped when everything was stacked against you. I poured two rock glasses full and handed one to the shaky girl.

  “Here. This will put it in perspective.” I shoved it into her hand.

  “It’s the middle of the day.” Her eyes were misted.

  “Trust me.”

  I didn’t know shit about being a friend, but I was everyone’s drinking buddy. Getting drunk I could do. I tossed mine back and felt the welcome burn coat the inside of my throat.

  Lexi sipped it while grimacing. She leaned forward to deposit the glass on the coffee table. There was still a shot’s worth she left behind.

  “You need to finish that.” I nodded at her. “Go on.”

  She took a solid breath and chugged. Her eyes fixated on the bottom of the tumbler.

  “Good girl.” I took the empty glass from her. “How do you feel now?”

  “Like I should have had some lunch first.”

  Shit. I did everything backward.

  “I’ve got food.” I shuffled to the kitchen to find something to feed her.

  I scoured the pantry. I had chips, salsa, and more protein mix powder than could fill a vitamin store. Damn it. There were eggs in the fridge and a couple of steaks.

  “How does an omelet sound?” I called from the kitchen.

  Alexa appeared in the doorway. “It’s ok. You don’t have to go through so much trouble because of me.”

  “Scrambled better?”

  I ignored her. She needed to eat something. I’d light up the grill and toss the steaks on if that was the only way to get her to eat.

  “Really, Luke. I’m fine. I-I—” She reached for the countertop as her boot slipped on the hardwood floor.

  I reached over just in time to hook my hand around her waist before she tumbled to her ass. Fuck. She was more shaken than I realized.

  “Gotcha.”

  I couldn’t help the sudden instinct that kicked in. The one that said I needed to protect her. I’d catch her if she fell. I’d hold her until she was back on her feet.

  Her palms flattened into my chest. The only thing keeping her from wiping out was my arm. It was like one of those damn trust exercises we did in camp sometimes. And right now Alexa was telling me I had her trust. I was a place she could fall.

  I snaked another arm around her and saw her eyes light with expectation.

  “You keep rescuing me today.”

  No one had mistaken me for a white knight. “You were going to bust your ass,” I reminded her.

  She shook her head. “Not just that.”

  By now I probably should have stood her upright, but I held her firm and close to my body. My cock twitched. Everything was fucked up, but I couldn’t control how my body wanted her.

  We both remained motionless when her phone started to ring. It was in her back pocket.

  “Do you want to get that?” I asked. It hadn’t stopped since we left the hospital.

  “I don’t think so. I know it’s Jake.”

  “Hmm.” I looked into her eyes. Truth was I didn’t want her to pick up the phone either.

  I didn’t want someone else in the middle of this. Whatever in the hell this was. And Jake. Well, he was a dick.

  The phone rang again.

  “He’s going to keep calling.” Alexa twisted her lips together.

  “Want me to talk to him?”

  “No. I can handle Jake.”

  I made sure she was standing and had her balance before I let go. She turned away from me to answer.

  “Hey, Jake.”

  I heard how sweet and soft her voice was for him. I wondered if that act worked.

  She ran her fingers through her long hair. “I know. I know. You don’t have to say it like that.” She paused. I guessed he gave her an earful. Bastard. She didn’t deserve that.

  “Jake, if you’d just listen to me for a second…”

  I clanged a few pots while I looked for the frying pan. I kept one ear in Alexa’s direction.

  “It’s not that bad,” she insisted. “Really, my fans aren’t going to care.”

  She groaned and twirled on the heels of her boots. “I don’t think it happened like that … uh-huh … I know. You’re paranoid. It’s going to be ok. My fans are more forgiving than you.” There was a long pause. “Fine. I’ll be there. But you’re wrong. I know you are.”

  She hung up the phone.

  I turned the dial, lighting the gas burner. “What did he say?”

  She slouched onto one of the stools. “Oh just that I’ve completely ruined my career and that all of my fans are going to turn on me. I should expect my social media to be filled with hate messages.”

  I pinched my brows together. “What the fuck?”

  “We have already made internet news and it’s only the beginning.”

  I couldn’t believe I was going to give advice. “Trust me. I’m an expert here. I’ve been through this shit. It will die down.”

  “When?”

  “Give it a day or two. Everyone will forget when some other celebrity changes the discussion. Pray some famous fucker gets arrested tonight.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  “That’s reality, baby.”

  I couldn’t tell her how many times I had been saved because some other athlete got a DUI. I wanted to distract her. Get her to stop thinking about how we were caught and get back to focusing on that kiss instead. I had been ready to strip her and take her in the back of my truck. Her tongue drove me wild. Her sweet little moans made my dick hard. We needed to get on that topic.

  “Luke, there’s something else.”

  “What’s that?” I studied her lips. I wanted them. Badly.

  “Jake wants to me ask you if you set it up.”

 
I moved about as fast as I did when a linebacker was headed for me. “He did what?”

  There was a slow blink, but she didn’t back down. “Luke, did you tip off the press?”

  “That’s what Jake is worried about?”

  “I told him I didn’t think that’s what happened. There’s no way. Absolutely no way you’d involve the press. Because who would do that to someone else?”

  It sounded as if she was trying to convince herself.

  Her elbows dug into the counter. “You wouldn’t. I mean you hate the way the media follows you around. You’d never.”

  I hadn’t moved yet. I held the spatula in my hand.

  “But I think I would feel better if I heard you say it yourself.”

  The pan sizzled behind me with a pop from the butter splatter. Fuck. Her blue eyes held me. I didn’t like tests. Being tested—being slammed into the middle of a moral crossroads. I was in too deep to turn around from this place. But here I was. In this place where I had to decide what I should do about lying to this pretty girl.

  “Luke?”

  12

  Luke

  This morning

  Linc honked like he always did when he dropped by to pick me up. I locked the mudroom entry behind me and pressed the code for the alarm. I had a stupid grin on my face I needed to erase. Alexa was all I could think about.

  “Damn it, Luke. Dress up for fuck’s sake.”

  He eyed my jeans and T-shirt with annoyance when I emerged from the shadows of the garage.

  It was early. I didn’t like mornings. I’d already worn a monkey suit in the past twenty-four hours. What did he expect?

  “Shut up. It’s a PR guy, not the president.” I pulled open the truck door, slid into the seat, and fastened the seatbelt over my chest.

  As usual my manager wore a dark suit. His hair was styled and I noticed a leather tote in the seat behind him on the floorboard. Linc was willing to suck up to people when I wasn’t. Our jobs were well-suited for each of us.

  He put the truck in drive and we drove off the ranch toward Austin.

  “What do you know about this Charlie fucker?” he asked.

  “Not a damn thing.” The longhorns stood sleepily grazing grass in the fields.

  “Helpful.” He smirked. “I don’t know what we’re walking into with this meeting.”

  I tried to stretch my legs forward.

  “I know what it is. Bullshit.” I pulled a pair of sunglasses over my eyes. I’d gotten minimal sleep and if anyone looked directly at me they’d be able to tell. Management forced me to go to that auction. My bloodshot eyes were on them.

  “How was the charity deal? You never called me back.”

  “Oh, that? Went well.”

  Linc switched the station. “Seems like the children have a new benefactor. Read the press release the hospital sent out.”

  “They mentioned my donations?” I scratched the back of my head. I wondered exactly how detailed the information had been. I hadn’t thought about it since Alexa showed up at my door. One taste of her and everything before was a distant memory.

  “Hell, they said the Warriors’ quarterback was the night’s most generous donor. Didn’t know you had it in you.” He looked at me sideways, keeping one eye on the road.

  “Coach wanted me to throw some money out there. So I did. That motherfucker is probably smiling over his cup of coffee this morning reading about it.”

  “Uh-huh.” Linc’s lips twitched. “And I saw the Lexi Wilde pictures. How was the concert?”

  I nodded. “Pretty good.”

  “She’s hot as shit. Did you meet her? Did you get her number for me?”

  I gave my brother a sharp cutting glare. “Since when do you like chick music?”

  “Since the chick looks like that. What did you talk to her or something?”

  “Yeah, when she rolled out of my bed this morning.” If Linc had any interest in Alexa, I needed to shut that shit down right now. She was mine.

  “Bastard,” he muttered. “It’s like some kind of gift. No matter who the woman is she’s going to end up right where you want her.”

  I grinned, thinking of all the places Alexa had been in my bed. Hot as shit didn’t begin to describe her perfect ass and tits.

  “You gotta tell me how that happened.”

  Yeah, I was the kind of guy who fucked and told, especially if there was competition. I was a territorial bastard.

  “I saw her after the concert. We started talking. I gave her my number and she came over.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Simple as that.”

  “Simple as that? She’s the damn sweetheart of country music. And you fucked her.” He groaned. “I should have gone with you.”

  “Why? So you could have had a chance?”

  I laughed so hard I snorted.

  “It could happen.” Linc was pissed.

  “I only need to say two words: Laney Peppercorn.”

  “Shit. Not Laney again.” He turned into the Warrior corporate office drive.

  “What? You hate that she chose the little brother over the big brother for prom. You can’t stand it,” I teased. I was feeling extra punchy this morning. It was the combination of sleep deprivation, incredible sex, and being pissed at management.

  “You always bring up Laney fucking Peppercorn. You know she’s married now and has three kids, Luke.”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “So. She’s not part of this equation. Always with the Laney Peppercorn thing. Damn it.”

  He threw the gear in park and stared ahead at the offices attached to the far end of the stadium. The concrete was stained with black streaks. I heard him mutter Laney’s name again. I liked to rile him up about her. Every once in a while I’d throw in she was the first girl I’d ever slept with, but that just rubbed salt in the wound. He’d been hung up on her for his entire senior year and never had the balls to ask her out.

  That wasn’t me. I’d always had balls too big for my own good. Fuck. I got what I wanted because I went after it. In high school it was Laney Peppercorn. Last night it was Alexa Wilde. God, she was worth every second of missed sleep.

  Linc reached for his briefcase. I guessed he thought it made him look more official—less like my brother, and more like the manager of the AFA’s highest-rated quarterback.

  I eyed the corporate offices.

  Somewhere in there, Charlie was waiting for us. Waiting to save my career with a life-altering public relations campaign. I wanted to punch something just thinking about it. He didn’t know me. He didn’t know how I lived my life. And I’d be willing to put a thousand grand on the table when we walked in, betting he didn’t know a fucking thing about football.

  “Let’s get this over with,” I grumbled.

  We both stepped from the truck and made our way to the McCade offices.

  “Just let me do the talking,” Linc advised. “Don’t piss this guy off in the first five minutes.”

  “This is fucking bullshit.” I tapped the elevator button.

  “Yeah, but it’s the bullshit I handle, so keep your mouth shut. This is what you pay me to do.”

  We stepped inside the elevator and counted the numbers to the top floor. I didn’t know if McCade thought he could actually impress someone in this shithole. Scheduling the meeting here was a statement. I got the message. This was a corporate issue. Not something for the locker room or the field. There weren’t enough touchdowns I could throw to get me out of the meeting. This was legal and human resources. This was the bastard’s only way to muscle me into anything.

  The doors retracted and we walked down the hall to the conference room. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. The corridor had the same effect as walking down a school hallway.

  “I didn’t get that girl pregnant,” I clenched my teeth. If all hell broke loose when we walked in that room, Linc needed to know why. McCade might think he could push me around, but I wasn’t taking the fall for something I didn’t do.

  Fatherhood wasn
’t going down on my list of sins.

  Linc pressed my shoulder, locking his fingers into the joint with firmness. “I know you didn’t. I’m going to handle it.”

  I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Let’s see what this fucker says.”

  I walked in after Linc. As soon as I lifted my head I thought we had walked into the wrong meeting. Linc stopped short off the conference table. I realized what the problem was.

  Ass.

  It wiggled and backed up right in front of Linc. Wrapped in a tight black skirt, it was one hell of an ass. And it only got better when she lifted her head out from under the table.

  “Sorry.” She wiped a tendril of dark hair from her face. “I dropped my pen.”

  “No problem. Need help with anything else?” Linc offered.

  She smiled. Her lips were painted in red. “I think I have everything else. Thanks.”

  I ribbed my brother in the side with my elbow. We needed to get to our meeting.

  “You wouldn’t happen to know where we could find Charlie Maine would you? We have a meeting.” Linc was all smiles.

  She sat primly in one of the rolling chairs and inched it close to the table. “You’re in the right place. Have a seat.”

  “Is he running late?” I heard the air of triumph in Linc’s voice. He liked having one-up on the guy. “We could both go for a cup of coffee while we wait for him.”

  Her green eyes widened with something tinged with anger and shock. “You think I’m your coffee bitch?”

  Linc was startled. “I wouldn’t call an office admin that.”

  “I’m Charlie Maine,” she hissed.

  Motherfucker.

  I groaned. Damn it. She could add sexist chauvinists to her perception of us.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Canton.” She extended her hand to me.

  “Likewise. Sorry about my manager.” I glared at Linc.

  “The other Mr. Canton?” she asked.

  Linc knew how big his fuckup had been and we hadn’t even gotten through introductions yet.

  “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Maine. I apologize for the mix-up there.”