“Okay. But he told me you were coming and I have to behave.”
Chad threw his damp towel over the half wall. “Having a smart mouth isn’t behaving. We’re going to the gym now. Why you don’t you ask Heather if she’ll make you some oatmeal?”
A fierce frown wrinkled Ryan’s brow. “I don’t want oatmeal. Why can’t we have normal cereal like normal people? Heather sometimes eats bad stuff.”
“Heather’s an adult and can make her own food choices.”
An adult? Just barely, but Jo kept her comment to herself.
Ryan crossed his little arms. “Mom is an adult, and she eats cereal sometimes.”
Chad reemerged clad in just a pair of gym shorts as he ran a small towel through his wet hair. “In my house, it’s my rules. All that sugar is bad for you, Ryan. Kids need good food to grow up healthy. But if you want to stay small and scrawny your whole life, then don’t eat.”
“Okay, I won’t eat, then.”
She couldn’t bear the thought of Ryan going hungry. Maybe she’d offer to make Ryan something later that they could both agree on.
Chad finally pulled a T-shirt over his defined chest and six-pack abs—thank God—then sent her a smile. “Sorry. Let’s get started.”
He grabbed her bag before she could protest and led the way to the gym. His limp hadn’t improved much. She had her work cut out for her.
Ryan silently followed behind, sulking.
“One thing before we begin.” Chad motioned for her to go ahead of him into a small office just inside the door of his gym. Chad’s gym rivaled the ones in the facility where she used to work. He hadn’t skimped on a thing. It’d make things easier.
He handed her some papers. “If you could just sign this confidentiality agreement, we can get going.”
Jo quickly scanned the pages. “You’re worried about me talking to the press? Why would I do that?”
He handed her a pen. “People get mad enough, they tend to want to get even. And I don’t want anyone to know how badly I’m hurt. I need my coaches to think I’m coming back by the end of the season.”
“I can’t guarantee that’ll happen. I can only do the best I can.” She read through the whole agreement. “This says no video, but I want to shoot some with my phone to monitor your progress.”
“Fine. But no one but you and I see it. Understood?” He crossed out that line and initialed it.
“Of course.” She leaned down and signed the paper in all the places he pointed.
“And I will get back out there. It’ll happen. It has to.” He accepted the pages from her, tossing them back onto the desk. “But I plan to stay out of the paparazzi’s sights for a few weeks. Please don’t talk to anyone about my progress.”
“I won’t.” She was still slightly offended that he’d just asked her to sign that, but she shook it off. “I want to have a look at your knee before we start. Have a seat on that bench.”
After Chad flopped onto a weight bench, Ryan slipped against a mirrored wall a few feet away and started in on his game again.
She ran her hands over Chad’s knee, checking the swelling. “How’s the pain level when just sitting?”
He shrugged. “Not bad.”
“So that’s why you were grimacing in the hot tub?”
“Okay. It still aches pretty good. But I don’t want to take drugs, so I’m dealing with it.”
She placed her hand on the top of his ankle. “Press against my resistance.” As he pushed, she said, “You have to be honest with me the first time I ask a question or it’ll just slow your progress. We don’t want to do too much too soon. Press again, but harder.”
He gritted his teeth and pushed. “That’s all I got.”
Not good. “Okay. Let’s start building up the muscles around your knee.” They moved to a machine, and she got him started. While he worked his leg, she couldn’t help herself. “So, Heather seems . . . young.”
He nodded as he strained against the machine. “Yeah. I thought the younger the better, you know?”
“Well, of course. Wouldn’t want someone with too much life experience. Then maybe you’d have to have actual conversations about things that matter.”
Chad stopped pressing and looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “We don’t talk all that much.”
Heather was just for sex? Nice. “Fifteen more and then we’ll add a little weight.”
After they’d talked about a training plan for the week, Jo left Chad on a machine and sat next to Ryan. She’d prefer the kid’s company to that of the lecher. “So, why don’t you like Chad?”
Ryan shrugged.
“Does he beat you? Because we could turn him in if he does.”
Ryan shook his head. “He doesn’t hit me.”
“Does he make you sleep in a little room under the stairs, like Harry Potter?”
Ryan smiled. “I don’t think there’s one of those here.” His brief smiled turned to a scowl. “But he won’t let me eat french fries or cereal or anything good like my mom did. He’s mean.”
“Ah. You wanna go to the kitchen and see if we can find something normal to eat?” The poor kid needed to eat. It’d been gnawing at her the whole workout.
Hope shone in Ryan’s eyes. “Can we?”
“Sure. Just give me a second to get Chad started on something else.”
She hopped up and found some light ankle weights. When Chad finished up his last rep, she leaned down and strapped the weights on for him. “Okay, twenty-five more with these on. Be right back.”
“Where are you going?” Chad grimaced as he lifted his knee with the extra weight.
Ryan snuggled beside her and slipped his hand into hers. “To find something normal to eat.”
“Jo,” Chad growled as he did another rep.
“Be right back.” She sent him a quick eyebrow hitch.
Chad’s voiced boomed out behind them, “Don’t you let him talk you into any of Heather’s junk food, or you’re fired!”
She yelled back, “You aren’t going to fire me. You need me, pal!”
Chad’s low curse followed them out the door. He knew she was right, and it pissed him off.
Perfect.
5
IF IT WALKS LIKE A DUCK AND TALKS LIKE A DUCK, IT’S PROBABLY A DUCK . . . BUT DUCKS DON’T TALK.
Jo was pissing Chad off. He’d been trying to get Ryan to eat healthy food for days. If she ruined all his hard work, he’d . . . what? She was right, dammit. He couldn’t fire her.
His mom told him to be tough. To hold out and in a few days, Ryan would eat because he’d need to. He’d hung in there, hating it, but trusting his mother was right.
He finished his last reps, grabbed a towel, and headed for the kitchen to put a stop to whatever game Jo was playing. He’d seen the mischief in her eyes when she’d led Ryan away. As he limped toward the kitchen, Ryan said, “So this is really, really bad for me?”
Jo replied, “It’s sweet, yummy, and delicious. You’ll love it. I serve it at my restaurant.” The blender whined as he rounded the doorway. Jo better not be making Ryan a milkshake! It was his son’s favorite thing. That and fries.
Her back was to him, so he moved in behind her and placed his hands on the cool granite on either side of her. Leaning his mouth close to her ear so she could hear over the blender noise, he said, “What’s in that?”
She switched off the machine, lifted the pitcher from the base, and turned in his arms. “Yummy stuff. Move.”
He leaned closer. “I’m not in the mood for games, Jo. What’s in there?”
She whispered, “Fruit, yogurt, ice, and some protein powder. Move it, or I’ll knee you.” Despite her threat, her warm breath on his cheek sent a tingle up his spine.
He met her challenging gaze for a moment before he slowly leaned away. God she was pretty, especially all fired up. But she’d ripped his heart out once, and she’d do it again. He needed to remember that. “Can I have some too?”
“Nope. You d
on’t eat bad food. Right, Ryan?”
“Right. None for Chad!”
Jo poured out two big glasses and handed one to Ryan.
Chad held his breath, hoping the kid would actually drink it. Ryan hadn’t had more than a few scraps of food the last few days. It’d worried him so much, he’d almost caved the night before and run him through a drive-through.
Ryan drank half of it in the first go. Jo was so busy watching Ryan, she hadn’t touched hers, so he swiped the glass and took a long swig.
“Hey, that’s mine.” She swatted his arm.
Ignoring her, he leaned close to Ryan. “Wanna have a chugging contest?”
Ryan genuinely smiled at him for the first time—ever. “Okay. Go!”
He let Ryan win, then he finished off the drink. It was damned good. He’d have to ask Jo how to make it.
Ryan lifted his arms over his head in victory. “I win!”
“Dude.” He held out his fist for a bump. “Rematch tomorrow?”
“Yup!” His little knuckles pounded his.
“Here’s the deal. If you eat good stuff the rest of the day, I’ll make you one of Jo’s treats for breakfast tomorrow.”
Ryan’s face scrunched up as he considered. “I guess I can try.”
It wasn’t a yes, but he’d take it. “Thanks, buddy.”
Heather appeared with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. “So, my boyfriend is here to pick me up. I’ll be back Sunday night.”
Chad fought the urge to cringe. He had to constantly remind himself she was twenty-one and not sixteen. Let her dad worry about her spending weekends with her boyfriend. “Okay. Can you pick Ryan up from school on Monday? I have a doctor’s appointment.”
She nodded. “That’s cool. I get out of class at noon. See you, Mr. Jenks.”
“Yeah. Bye.” He glanced at Ryan. Panic shone in his son’s eyes. “My appointment is at one o’clock. I’ll be home by two, three the latest. I’m not going to ditch you, Ryan. I promise.”
Jo slipped beside him. “So Heather is . . . a nanny?”
“Yeah. Her dad is one of my coaches in San Diego. She goes to college here. This place is usually empty most of the year, and her father wanted somewhere safe for her to live. I’ve never charged her rent, so I asked if she’d help out with Ryan while I’m rehabbing. I thought someone younger would be more fun for him.”
Jo’s eyes went wide. “Oh . . . that makes so much more . . . sense.”
“What? You thought me and Heather . . . ?” Dammit! She’d accused him of still having one-night stands, and now he was a cradle robber? Didn’t she have any respect for him? “Hey, Ryan? Go get dressed. We’re going out to the ranch to visit my mom in a few.”
“Yay. The ranch!” Ryan hopped down and scampered off.
After Ryan was out of sight, he turned toward Jo. As he advanced on her, she slowly backed away.
She sputtered, “You’ve, uh, had enough for the first day. I’ll just . . . go get my stuff.”
“Nope. We need to talk.” He slipped a hand around her waist to stop her and then backed her against the wall. He stood chest to chest with her and didn’t know which he wanted worse, to kiss her or to give her the tongue-lashing she deserved.
“Hey. I said no touching. That’s strike one!”
He leaned back and placed his hands on either side of her head, caging her in. “Stop making me into the bad guy. Especially with Ryan.”
“You are the bad guy. I have Internet access too, you know. Poor celebrities like yourself have no privacy, do they?”
He ground his teeth, searching for patience. “Your Internet must not be high speed. After you canned my ass, sure, I partied a little too hard for a while. It hurt, Jo. But it started to affect my play, so I cleaned up my act my second year.” He leaned closer but stopped just short of touching her. “I don’t need you making things worse for me with Ryan!”
“Oh, go growl at someone else. Ryan’s hurting and needed a friend. I didn’t say anything bad about you.”
“What do you call suggesting Ryan turn me in?”
She fought a grin. “Funny?”
“Not.”
She lost the battle, and a slow smile lit her pretty face. “I wanted him to realize you don’t mistreat him. And what was I supposed to think when I saw Heather in skimpy little pajamas?”
“Going automatically to the lowest denominator is insulting. I’m not putting up with any more of your crap!”
“Crap?” She lost the smile and poked him in the chest. “Just because the rest of the world bows down to the great Chad Jenks, don’t expect that from me. Ever! I knew you when. You have to earn my trust and respect all over again, buddy.”
“Then give me a chance to earn it. You are the most stubborn—” He ran a hand down his face and reeled in his temper before he lost it. “New rule. Every time you poke me in the chest, I get one free strike.”
Jo’s eye’s narrowed. “What makes you think you can add new rules?”
“Because this isn’t a dictatorship. Maybe those other guys you dated let you push them around, but that’s not going to happen in this relationship.”
“This relationship is a business deal. Nothing more. I’m going to rehab you for the price of one hundred thousand dollars. End of story.”
“And you’ll get a new double-capacity oven and free architectural plans for your remodel because I keep my word and play fair. Can you?”
Her eyes lit with anger.
Just the reaction he was after. Jo wouldn’t back down from his challenge.
“Fine. The score is zero, zero. Let’s keep it that way.”
“Thank you. But let’s not.” He laid his mouth on hers.
She stiffened at first, but as he ran his tongue against the seam of her pursed lips, she opened for him, inviting him to take more. So he did.
Slipping his arms around her, he pulled her against him. Jo’s tall, slender body had always been the perfect fit to his. He moved his hand to the back of her long neck, gently kneading as his tongue tangled with hers. When she moaned and leaned closer, he deepened the kiss.
It was as if no time had passed at all. Their kiss was as familiar as it was satisfying. He’d never felt that same intensity with any other woman.
Her hands, that a moment before had clenched his shirt, pulling him closer, pushed against his chest, so he ended their kiss and backed away.
Jo shook her head. “Please don’t do that ever again.”
The sadness in her voice confused him.
She started to leave, so he wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her close. “You felt that. It hasn’t gone away. Admit it, Jo.”
She slipped out of his embrace. “Doesn’t matter. It’s simple physical attraction.” She headed for the elevator.
Dammit! What if he’d blown it with her? He just hadn’t been able to resist. “Look, I’m sorry, all right? It won’t happen again. Same time tomorrow?”
She pushed the button for the elevator and didn’t bother to turn around. “Yeah. Strike one, Chad. Two more and I’m never coming back.”
He couldn’t blow his chance to get back into the game. “Got it.”
After the elevator doors closed in his face, he went to the den and grabbed the remote. Propping his aching knee up, he tried to follow the scores on ESPN, but after a few minutes, he gave up and turned off the TV.
Jo was right. Simple physical attraction. Nothing more. He’d be stupid to get attached only to have her dump him again. And reopen the scars she’d left on his heart.
Jo slid her key into the lock of the restaurant’s front door, then moved aside for Shelby and Lori to enter first. “Thanks for coming so fast, you guys. I appreciate it.” She needed a new man, and she needed him quick. Before she did something stupid like fall for Chad again.
“What’s the big emergency, Jo?” Shelby hit the lights while Jo locked up behind the three of them.
“He kissed me.” Jo headed for the kitchen. “What can I
get you, Lori?”
“Kissing emergencies are always easier to handle with chocolate.”
Lori was as good-looking as her brother, Shelby’s husband, Nick. She was tall, built, dark-haired, and had stunning green eyes. Jo didn’t think a woman like Lori ate sugar and carbs. She liked Lori better for it. “Have a seat, and I’ll be right back. I’ll bring extra for the pregnant woman eating for two.”
When she returned and handed out four slices of chocolate mousse cake and three glasses of milk, Shelby was filling Lori in on the situation. “Jo thinks if she can find another man for sex, she’ll be able to tamp down her bad-girl urges to rip Chad’s clothes off while she rehabs him. But it seems like the kiss has put a fire under her.”
“This is incredible.” Lori forked up a second bite of cake and moaned. “What kind of man does our bad girl have in mind?”
“I’m sitting right here, you two. I want—”
“She wants someone just like Chad—but not Chad.” Shelby dug into her cake like a starving wolf.
“No, I don’t, Miss Know-it-all. I want a man who’s not so focused on his career that nothing else matters.” Jo took a bite and savored the rich, chocolaty goodness. “But if he looked a little like Chad, that’d be good.”
“You’ve always been attracted to tall, muscle-bound, blond men.” Shelby leaned closer. “So how was the kiss?”
“Can we please stay focused here?”
Lori laughed. “That good, huh?” She turned to Shelby. “So how are we going to help a woman who is so fixated on her career that she’s given up men for two years but doesn’t want a man with equal passion for his own work?”
Shelby started in on her second piece of cake. “Maybe we should go male model. You know, good-looking, not so much going on in the brain department, but good in the bedroom. Jo doesn’t actually have to talk to him much because she’ll be seeing Chad every day for the next few weeks. While being good-looking, Chad’s a smart guy. He’s bought vacant lots and old tear-down structures all over downtown so he can design buildings after he retires from football. Jo used to like the smart part about Chad the most, back in the day.”
Perfectly Ms. Matched (Rocky Mountain Matchmaker Series Book 2) Page 5
