"When the situation requires, I find that withholding information can be the best for everyone." Wyatt looked almost disgusted at the answer, and she quickly added, "I promised to play nice with you though, so let me play nice."
Jenna slipped her fingers into the waistband of his boxer briefs, pulling him flush against her body. She wanted to jump full force into craziness — to do the wrong thing, over and over again, until she could forget about how doing the right thing had never gotten her anywhere.
"That's better," he muttered.
"How about we have some fun with each other?" He nodded in response, his jaw twitching slightly with tension. "So I'll see you soon, Wyatt, but for now, I'm gonna need to borrow some clothes, and maybe a ride, too?" she requested as a nervous laugh escaped her throat.
Wyatt smiled wickedly and squeezed her ass hard.
"I'll get you to where you need to go, Doc. But the ride? That comes first."
Jenna laughed and wiggled out of his grip. She jumped onto his bed, positioning herself on her knees. After quickly tearing off her stinky dress, she beckoned him to her with one hooked finger.
"Then what are you waiting for, Wyatt? Come and get me."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"Hey, Jenna, you're awfully quiet today. Is everything okay?" Griffen asked her thoughtfully as he held Tea's left hand.
Griffen and Tea had come to her and Aubrey's apartment for a drink before heading over to Carol's Christmas party that night. Jenna had been looking forward to a chance for all four of them to catch up while Griffen's mom looked after Johnny, though, she hadn't accounted for how uncomfortable even such a mundane question would make her.
Jenna watched Griffen toying absentmindedly with Tea's massive engagement ring as she selected her words carefully.
"Oh, I'm fine. I've just been working a lot — trying to show I deserve that fellowship, you know," Jenna finally answered.
She felt guilty about all the secrets she was keeping from these people who were such an important part of her life, but she didn't know how to tell them about everything on her mind. Between the madness of her health concerns and her brand-new — whatever it was — with Wyatt, she felt keeping everything to herself was the only way to preserve some kind of control over her life.
"That's too bad you've had to work so much," Tea said. "Um, but you two are still going to Carol's Christmas party at Viola tonight, right?" Tea asked with a bit of nervousness in her voice. Griffen looked at her sideways, releasing her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders reassuringly.
Jenna had a feeling the two of them had come over in part because they were desperate for some low-key fun before an evening with Tea's former mother-in-law, Carol. That woman was a permanent pain in the ass, as far as Jenna and Aubrey were concerned.
Aubrey chimed in and said, "Of course, we'll be there. Jenna will down some coffee and I'll drag her there by the hair if I have to. We won't leave you guys alone."
"Thanks so much, you two. I know a Wednesday is a hard day to swing, but it's the easiest night for Carol to be able to shut down the restaurant. I think if we're all there, it will be fun."
"And don't worry, it won't be too late a night," Griffen added. "Tomorrow, Johnny is joining that hockey league I found for him, so we'll want to get him home at a reasonable hour." Griffen was beaming over this news as he refilled everyone's wine glasses.
"Hockey, now, too?" Tea asked with a laugh.
"It's Pittsburgh, gorgeous," he said, winding his fingers in her hair and pulling her gently toward him to plant a kiss on her forehead. "Hockey's a required part of Johnny's development." Griffen moved his arms to her waist, pulling her off of her chair and into his lap, planting a soft kiss on her cheek as he rubbed circles on her knee.
"My hero," Tea said over a smile, kissing his neck lightly. "See, I would've let that poor boy go through his entire adolescence without ever holding a hockey stick. I just need to sort out getting him to practice…"
"Don't worry about that. I'll take him."
"Oh, well, in that case, I'm even more in love with the idea," Tea whispered against his cheek. "You know, you'd make a good kept man, Griffen."
"As long as you're the one doing the keeping, gorgeous," he said, with a smile.
Jenna took a sip of wine and tried to keep her eyes averted as Griffen whispered something to Tea that caused her to blush. Seeing him get Tea so worked up reminded her of Wyatt and his many talents. Instantly, her texting finger started to get twitchy.
"All right, you two. Knock it off. I want to keep this wine in my belly," Aubrey blurted out.
Jenna laughed with everyone else but couldn't help but feel her temperature rising. "Hey. We aren't that bad…are we, Jenna?" Tea asked with a laugh, as she smiled in response to another kiss on the cheek from Griffen.
"It is a bit nauseating, but only in the sweetest way," Jenna offered gently.
"Oh. Well, I guess that's okay. Hey, by the way, what happened to you after we went out Friday night? Brey and I were really worried about you."
"I told Brey. I was at rounds."
"I know, but that's why I was confused," Tea said, "I called the hospital to check on you when I couldn't find you, but they said you were off."
"Did they now?" Aubrey asked, her tone dripping with suspicion.
"Why are you still tormenting me about this? I told you I was filling in, maybe that person just looked at the schedule and didn't know. Nothing too exciting happened. The people that were there barely even saw me."
"Okay, fine," Tea said. "But we'll never apologize for worrying about you."
Griffen whispered in Althea's ear again, rubbing his nose against her face lightly and making her giggle. He looked at his watch, and said loudly enough for the rest of the group could hear, "Althea, I think we should get going. My mom is bringing Johnny back to our place in about an hour. If we want to get some time to ourselves before the party…"
"Oh, right, yes, let's get going. Sorry, guys, we need to head out."
"So you guys can grope each other in peace. I get it."
"Aubrey, give them a break," Jenna said, choking on her wine as she laughed.
Tea blushed brightly, as she grabbed her coat and purse and headed to the door.
"Hopefully once we get a bigger place, it'll be easier to have some alone time," Griffen said, following Tea to the door.
"A new place? You guys are moving? Tea, is that right?" Aubrey asked, a bit shocked.
"We might be moving, nothing is decided," Tea replied. "Bye, you two, see you tonight."
She gave them each a kiss and grabbed Griffen's hand, leaned into his ear to whisper something. It must've been good, because he groaned out loud.
"Yeah, we gotta go. See you two tonight," Griffen added, whisking Tea out the door so quickly that she squealed as they scurried down the apartment hallway.
Aubrey closed the door firmly and rolled her eyes at Jenna.
"Oh my God, can you believe those two? We get it, they're in looove."
"Very true. Also, it looks like she hasn't put our communication advice into action, yet."
"Yeah, I think the Griffen Express is still chugging along at full speed with ten new life-changing stops along the way. Tea will probably just stay silent for each of them."
"It's Tea, you know how she is. This is as much her doing as it is his. She'll let him know what her worries are on her own unique time frame."
"Right, and I know she's got a lot of adjusting to do. Hell, we all do. It's just that…"
"We can't exactly complain. We pushed her into this, Brey, remember."
"I thought we were just trying to get her laid. Now I feel like I'm on a diet where I never eat because I'm always losing my appetite from their PDA or my own shock at all the changes they're making… But I know Griffen makes her really happy."
"He does. I get how you feel, though. Their relationship has changed everything. I feel like we barely see her or Johnny anymore."
"Righ
t, that's been really tough for me."
"But he's so good for Johnny. You aren't going to say anything, are you, Brey?"
"Hell, no. I'm not going to be that friend that complains to her happy friend about being in a relationship and spending less time with her. You know, the one that mopes all the time — standing in the way of her happiness."
"Oh, you aren't?" Jenna chuckled out. "Then what friend are you?"
"I'm that friend that supports her to her face, and then privately bitches that things are different now."
"Yeah, I've been feeling like that friend, too, lately. Does that make us awful?"
"No way! We both feel that way, so that automatically means it's okay. We can't be awful. Needy…maybe. But never awful."
"Not sure it works that way, Brey."
"Oh, I'm totally sure it does. That's why I love having two best friends. My odds are doubled that one of you will validate my craziness for me."
"We are still going to support her as her friends, though, right?"
"Of course. We're women. We look out for her, but we also need to talk about her and meddle nonstop. You know…for love," Aubrey said confidently. "And I won't let Tea know just how much I miss the little family we had, but it still bugs me how everything is changing. It used to be the three of us hanging out, having sleepovers with Johnny. Now, Johnny's with Griffen all the time."
"I've missed our time with him, too. But I guess we need to give them some space. We do see them, still. It's just different. That's what happens when people fall in love…or so I've heard."
"Can't argue with that."
"Well, Brey, I better go get showered and ready for tonight. And I have some phone calls to make," Jenna said.
"While you're at it, make one to your dad. He called during your rounds yesterday."
"Oh, okay."
"Are you going to call him?"
"Maybe."
"Jenna."
"Back off, Aubrey."
"Why are you acting like that? I think he's a sweetheart."
"Of course he is, and I love him, but he's also exhausting. I swear he's got to be the only parent disappointed their child became a surgeon."
"He just wanted you to follow in his footsteps and stay near him. That's not crazy, girl."
"And, to go to the University of Georgia. Stay with him and run his camps and coach his boys. Now, he wants me to move back there. And none of that is going to happen — he needs to drop it. I don't want to live there again."
He also will want to know about my health and I'm a terrible liar. I need to get through this biopsy, and then I can worry about Dad. It's not fair to him to put him through any of that.
"Easy, Jenna, no need to snap at me."
"Sorry. You're right, I didn't mean to," Jenna said softly, feeling terrible for letting her feelings get the best of her.
"Something's going on with you, girl. I just know it!"
"Relax, Brey, everything is fine," Jenna said over her shoulder, as she went to her room and closed the door.
She'd seen that Wyatt had called her cell phone about a half hour before and she couldn't wait any longer before calling him back. Jenna tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she pressed the contact she'd made for Wyatt. It had been a handful of days since their crazy morning together and her hormones were pinging inside her at the thought of being with him again.
They'd texted and talked some, but both of their schedules over the last couple of days had been packed. She hadn't gotten any time to see him again.
"Hi, Doc," he answered.
"You rang, Wyatt?"
"I did. I'm calling you on your promise. It's time for me to play with your boobies again. You've put me off long enough."
"You've been pretty busy too, you know."
"True, but I'm free now. How about you come by tonight?"
"I'd like that, but I can't make it tonight."
"Why not?" he asked with a skeptical voice. "Are you ignoring me again, Doc?"
"No, it's just that Carol's Christmas party is tonight at her restaurant, Viola, on Mt. Washington."
"Who's that?"
"She's Tea's former mother-in-law and Johnny's grandmother. Carol's already really particular about her parties without any added drama, but now that Tea's engaged, things are still a bit tense. Tea will need all the support she can get, so I have to be there."
"Well, that sucks. The team leaves for Oakland tomorrow. It's a Sunday night game, so I won't be back until Monday. I was hoping to see you tonight."
Hearing he wanted to see her sent a shot of warmth through her body, and Jenna could barely suppress a girlish giggle.
"I want to see you, too. We'll have to wait until you get back from Oakland. I'm sorry."
"I understand. You're just going to have to promise to think about me."
"That won't be a problem," she answered, not bothering to hide the laugh of pleasure that escaped her throat. "Good luck on Sunday, Wyatt."
"Thanks, Doc. I'll see you really soon. Good-bye."
"Good-bye," she answered.
After ending the call, she pulled up her calendar and added the appointment she'd scheduled with Dr. Kannan for Friday. It was the soonest the well-renowned oncologist could squeeze her in and she was dreading every minute she would need to wait to learn the truth.
It was going to be a long and lonely few days. For now, she would focus on what was in front of her — and that was getting dressed for a party.
Wyatt exited his SUV and handed his keys to the Viola valet. The kid couldn't have been more than eighteen years old, and was trying his damnedest not to be starstruck at the sight of Pittsburgh's starting quarterback. He smiled and thanked him but Wyatt didn't have time for much else.
It had taken some scrambling after his phone call with Jenna that afternoon to get in touch with Aubrey in time to score an invitation to this Christmas party. After all the progress he'd made with Jenna, he couldn't risk letting so much time go by before he saw her again.
If he was being honest, Wyatt really didn't want to wait any longer. His motives for spending time with her may be murky, but he definitely enjoyed her company, especially the company of her naked body. It was more than that, though. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this way about any woman, and he was going to make the most of his chances to have more time with her.
He caught sight of her talking to Aubrey and knew he'd made the right move. Jenna looked stunning, as always, but with her long blonde hair falling in cascading waves down the open back of her fitted navy dress, she was damn near perfect. He crossed the room to her, feeling his fingers itching with the desire to touch that smooth, exposed skin of her back in a way that told everyone in the room she was all his.
"Oh, look who's here," he heard Aubrey say loudly as he approached, snapping him back to reality — reminding him he needed to keep his hands to himself, for now.
Jenna turned and her already large blue eyes widened even further at the sight of him.
"Wyatt? Hi. Aubrey, what the…"
"What? He called me a couple hours ago to thank me for the great photo shoot I did."
"I'm sure he did," Jenna said slowly, looking at Wyatt carefully. He could tell she wanted to appear exasperated, but couldn't quite pull it off, especially once she licked her lips slowly at the sight of him.
"And he offered to let me take some follow up shots for the holiday posts on the magazine's blog page. Since I was already set up to handle all of the photographs here for Carol's party, I figured it was no big deal."
"Imagine that? How nice of you to do that for Aubrey, Wyatt."
"It's my pleasure, Doc," he answered. Stepping forward, he placed a hand on the smooth, warm skin of her back, letting his fingers slip beneath the draped material slightly. Then he whispered in her ear, "You look great."
A thrill went through him when he felt her shiver slightly at his touch.
"Thanks," she said, raising her eyes to his. He could tell
she was both excited and nervous to be so near him again.
He focused his eyes on her, smiling slightly, just waiting to see if she'd break.
"And you look great, too, Wyatt. But you always do, so that's no surprise," she said, stepping away from his touch to grab her cocktail off the high table next to her.
"He'd better look great," Aubrey exclaimed. "I'm not waiting for long — I'll be tormenting him with that photo shoot any minute now."
"That's the only reason why you're here, Wyatt? For more pictures?"
Wyatt leaned forward, closing the space between him and the peaches and cream skin of her face.
"I must confess, I was wrangling for an invite," he said quietly to her.
"I'm sure we can get some good shots here," Aubrey interrupted. "Though you two really do look good together. I might have to sneak you under the mistletoe and take some pictures of you together."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Jenna muttered out.
"I do. I'm going to get you to hook up someday, I promise," she added, and Wyatt had to hide a chuckle behind his hand at the sight of Jenna choking on her cocktail.
"Are you all right, Doc?"
"Never better. I just don't think it's wise to push two people together."
"It's fine by me. I'm in favor of Aubrey's plan. You can keep it up, Aubrey," he said, carefully monitoring Jenna's response.
"I will! I wish I could harass you both some more right now, but I have to test the lighting and I have some last minute decisions to make on the shot location. That means I'm leaving you crazy kids alone."
"Aubrey, wait. Aren't you worried he'll screw up Carol's party? Wyatt’s celebrity status has a way of getting attention."
"Nope. I gave everyone the heads up and asked them to behave. Carol seemed thrilled at the idea of the restaurant getting all this attention."
"You told everyone, but nobody warned me?" Jenna asked, with more than a hint of annoyance in her tone.
"What would be the fun in that?" Aubrey asked with innocent looking eyes, that elicited a slow eye roll from Jenna's perfect blue ones. "But I really do have to run and get everything set up. Have fun, you two."
City of Champions Page 17
