by Meredith, MK
And she refused to let that happen when Larkin was counting on her.
With Ireland on the horizon, she’d reached out to her older sister, Ruby, trying to get a feel for her da’s reaction when she returned home, but her sister refused to talk to her. It had cut deep, but what could she expect? It hadn’t just been her father she’d left. Emma had been her lifeline to all the goings-on at home. She owed her everything.
Not to mention the constant struggle with Jamie’s return. She didn’t know what was worse, the fact they worked damn well together, the fact that he’d caught her cheating, or the fact that when he had, she’d wanted nothing more than to kiss him senseless. Her lips still tingled with the memory of anticipation.
What a bleedin’ mess.
She shoved against an opposing player sending the woman on her ass.
Senseless.
That was the key word right there.
She was goddamn, fucking senseless when it came to James Astor. The reason she’d hurt her da so badly when she’d dropped out of college and moved to the States, the reason she’d begged Jamie to stay when he’d left, and the only reason she could possibly have for wanting to kiss the bloody bloke now.
She threw her hip into another skater, clearing a hole in the pack, sliding through, then breaking free.
Her plan had been doomed to fail from the start, and when faced with his beautiful, sexy lips so close to hers…
She’d lost focus.
And lost control.
Flying past the finish line, she kept skating, pumping her arms and her legs until they burned with the strain. Lap after lap melded into a blur. Her lungs burned, her muscles screamed, but what a relief compared to the burn of wanting.
A whistle blew in quick succession, yanking her from her self-flagellation, and she screeched to a stop. Every cell in her body wanted to collapse to the floor, but she rested against her knees instead, trying to catch her breath.
One of the jammers of the Van Buren Roller Beauties, Lilly Sims, slapped Blayne on the arm. “You alright there? You’re shovin’ around like you’re a Blocker.”
She shook her head and squirted water in her mouth. “I’m fine. Just practicing.”
Penelope Kent, a fellow Pivot, angrily replaced her skate. “Seems to me like someone is burning off a little steam.”
“Sorry, Pen.” Blayne sucked in a breath, trying to calm her lungs.
“I heard a wicked sexy ass…tor was back in town. Couldn’t have anything to do with that, could it?”
All the tension that had drained with her energy returned ten-fold, clamping down on her like a lobster claw.
“You know we all have an idea of what happened even though you refuse to talk about it,” Lilly said, snapping the gum that always seemed to be in her mouth.
“There’s nothing to say. Besides, that was ten years ago.”
“So…you’re over him?” Jackie Miller, a blocker known for her hip swing and uppercut, asked. “Cause he is too fine to be spending his nights alone.”
It took all her hard-won self-control to keep her hands on her knees and not wrap them around Jackie’s neck. “Let’s drop the subject and skate, shall we?”
The Van Buren Roller Beauties were like an extended family. Not quite as loved as her own family and not quite as close as Larkin, but close enough they stuck their noses in each other’s business at every opportunity.
“I don’t think so, MacCaffrey. We don’t get as many sexy, rich dudes in Van Buren as we should, being a port city and all. If you’re done with him, it’s my turn.” Jackie winked at the rest of the team.
She’s teasing. Pushing buttons. Breathe in, breathe out. The whole conversation was nothing more than trying to throw her off her game for the next jam.
“Well, sloppy seconds always were your preference, huh, Jackie?” she tossed back, hoping to change the subject.
Unfortunately, Jackie didn’t appreciate being reminded of her last boyfriend, Benny, or the fact he’d only come running after Jackie once he found out Blayne wasn’t interested in the day after a one-night stand.
Jackie shoved off her skate and rolled up to stand nose to nose. “Are you trying to start something?”
Blayne refused to back down, though the onions her friend had eaten at lunch encouraged her to do so. “I could say the same to you.” Rolling the slightest bit closer, she stiffened her spine. “If you really want to do this, Jackie, then let’s go.”
She was itching for a fight. Her intentions were to leave it all on the track, but if Jackie wanted to have it out now, she’d be happy to oblige. Which was ridiculous. She’d never been in a fight in her life.
Anything to get Jamie out of her head.
“Knock it off, you two. We have a jam to get to. What the hell is this? Junior high?” Penelope shoved them apart.
Blayne stiffened against the contact, and Jackie bowed up.
“Speakin’ of wicked sexy…” Lilly bit her lower lip and outright leered toward the double doors as if the whole altercation never happened.
Blayne had always admired her calm. Lilly had an amazing ability to shrug off life, but Blayne wasn’t sure if it was incredible coping skills or that her friend just didn’t give a shit.
All the women went silent and stared at the very well-cut form silhouetted against the afternoon sun shining in from the slow closing double doors. She’d know those shoulders anywhere.
What the hell was Jamie doing here? Her pulse accelerated, leaving her breathless just as she’d finally gotten her lungs to calm down.
He gave a confident wave, but few of the ladies noticed. Thirteen pairs of hungry eyes perused the poor bloke up and down like they might the options at an open wine bar. Mouthwatering and lip-smacking good.
For Christ’s sake. She rolled her eyes. Breaking away from her team, she rolled toward him. “What in the bleedin’ hell are you doing here?” she grated out in a low voice.
His gaze traveled from the tip of her skates to her eyes, taking a scenic route along her legs and breasts.
If he lingered any longer she’d pass out from heat stroke.
“You haven’t returned my calls, and I haven’t seen you at the center. If I’d shown up at your place, you’d have called the police.” He chuckled, but it was strained with an effort to pull his eyes up to hers.
“Smart man.”
She glanced toward the door. “Go ahead and start the next jam. I’ll be right there.”
Jackie rolled forward. “And miss out on meeting our new guest? Not in this lifetime, MacCaffrey.” She glided around Jamie, visually measuring him like cattle at the Somerset livestock auction. Trailing her fingers along his neck to his chest, she tapped twice, then stuck out her hand in a limp, fingers down fashion. “I’m Jackie, but you can call me…anytime.”
“Ohmygod. Really?!” Blayne grabbed Jamie by a bicep that was more solid than the track she skated on and tried to push him through the door.
But he slid past with a smile to her teammates. “Any friends of Blayne are friends of mine.”
The ladies threw out invitations to return whenever he wanted, all of which he answered with a generous smile.
An irrational surge of jealousy had her slapping his hand down before she could stop herself. Mortified by her reaction, she gave a fierce whisper, “Are you kidding? These are not the women you want to be encouraging. I thought you had more sense than that, at least.”
“If you’re not careful, I might think you’re jealous.”
On a huff, she retorted. “I’m not.”
She totally was.
He outright laughed. “Sure you’re not.” With a shake of his head, he followed her outside. “Besides, you’re a skater,” he said, as if that statement alone contradicted her point.
She rolled down the cement sidewalk in an attempt to put some distance between him and her team of salivating sirens. For fuck’s sake.
Spinning, she faced him. “Why’re you here? You won.” She crossed her
arms over her chest. “Gloating will only piss me off.”
Jamie shook his head. “Bullshit. There’s no winning with you.” He walked to his car then climbed halfway in, leaving his rear view high and tight.
He was doing it on purpose.
Clenching her teeth against the surge of lust wreaking havoc on her body, she cast a quick glance at her team confirming her suspicions that the Roller Beauties were taking in the scene like a goddamn drive-in. If she had popcorn, she’d throw it at them.
“Jamie, I don’t have time for this. We have a tournament coming up soon.”
He stood and shook the pages at her. “Here. I’ll email them to you, but this way you can’t ignore me.”
“I wasn’t—”
“Again. Bullshit.”
She huffed and grabbed the papers. “What’s this?”
She flipped through the pages of the bylaws, one at a time. At first scan, she couldn’t quite believe what she saw, so she rolled toward his Audi and leaned against the trunk to take a closer look.
Everything was there. Her bylaw plan was unchanged save a word or two. He simply added in his sections on the donor program with one additional section that tore a hole in the walls around her heart more than anything else ever could.
“Archer’s Angels…” She studied the giant of a man in front of her, startled by the uncharacteristic look of vulnerability on his face. “I’m not sure I understand.”
He stepped closer, leaning his hip against the car. “Yes, you do.”
“You even established a president and vice president position.”
With a nod, he turned more fully toward her. “The whole idea of the center is to give the community a place to learn, to grow, to unite. And a huge part of that will be the programs for children so they can find joy on the Cape like Archer did. Right?”
Her eyes blurred with tears, but she refused to let them fall. Damn trickster was messing with her emotions.
“Well, what better way to protect Archer and Larkin’s ultimate vision than to have an additional committee made up of children to help us focus on their interests and needs? We can set up some general guidelines and requirements, but ultimately this will ensure that we meet the needs of the children in Cape Van Buren. Not just what we think…but what they want.”
She sniffed and blinked rapidly. Larkin was going to lose her shit over this. The loss of her little boy was felt every second of every day, but she was a strong woman and found joy in his memory. The conservation center was a huge part of her ability to move forward, and for Jamie to come up with such a beautiful way to celebrate Archer’s memory was almost more than even Blayne could handle.
She remained silent. What she wanted to do was to tell him something snarky to piss him off and protect her heart, but she couldn’t. Not with something so special.
“This is more than…” It was true. It was so much more. How was she supposed to process this? She was at a loss. No one in Cape Van Buren would believe it.
Nodding, she forced herself to look him in the eye. “This is perfect. I’m blown away by the idea, and Larkin will be touched beyond words.
Jamie studied her. “You’re okay with the changes?”
She laughed. “You and I both know you didn’t make any, you only added the donor section and now this.”
He grinned. “I’m glad you like it. And for the record, I didn’t change anything because it didn’t need to be changed. You did really good work.”
She dipped her chin. “It means a lot to me. This project.”
“I can see that. Larkin’s your best friend.”
Pushing away from the car, she cleared her throat. “She is, but it’s more than that. I believe in it. The message, the service to the town, is real.”
Her fingers trailed a path along his jaw, and his eyes darkened. Surprised by her own gesture, she moved away, but he caught her, pressing a kiss to her palm.
They stared at one another, unable to look away. What was happening to her? A fluttering sensation spread through her chest.
“Blayne.”
“Jamie, I’m going back to—
“MacCaffrey! Are you comin’ or what?” Lilly yelled from the double doors.
Jamie winced. “Gentle bunch.”
Skating backwards, she was thankful for the interruption. With a weak laugh, she said, “Roller derby is not for the faint of heart.”
A fact she had to keep telling herself. There was no room for softness on the track or with Jamie Astor.
One wrong slip would result in a broken and bloody mess.
* * *
“Margaritas? Larkin can’t drink, she’s pregnant.” Claire chastised Blayne but barely glanced Larkin’s way.
Blayne took a healthy sip of her own, determined to enjoy Saturday night with her friends and put Jamie and his sexy lips and sweet gestures out of her head and heart. With one week of May firmly behind them, her time to return home was only a little over three weeks away.
Larkin’s pregnancy wasn’t easy for Claire, and none of them expected it to be, but the longing on her face every time she looked at their friend’s growing belly made Blayne want to cry.
And she didn’t cry.
At least not usually. It seemed since Jamie had returned to town, she’d already filled her tear quota for a lifetime.
“Cinco de Mayo only comes around once a year, and we’re going to celebrate.” She hung a few beaded necklaces over Claire’s head before her friend could bat them away. “Besides, the blue pitcher is virgin…which I’d like to point out is hilarious, because Larkin has clearly had a lot of sex.”
Larkin rolled her eyes and took a sip. “Neither of you can talk, so—”
Claire cleared her throat then downed half her glass. With a wince, she grabbed her head. “Shit! Brain freeze.”
Larkin leapt up from her spot on the couch as quickly as her belly would let her, then wrapped her arms around her grimacing friend. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
Claire nudged her away. “I’m fine.”
Larkin kept patting her awkwardly on the arm. “I know, but I’m usually more sensitive. My brain lately.”
Claire smiled. “Stop. I’m fine.”
Blayne set out chips and salsa and a pink pitcher filled to the brim with full-octane margaritas. “What am I missing?”
“Nothing.” Claire sunk to the midcentury, cobalt sofa.
“Since when are we lying to each other?” Blayne cocked her head in an I’m-not-playing angle and waited.
Claire threw daggers at Larkin. “Thanks a lot.”
“I’m sorry.” With a sigh, Larkin continued. “John was the only man Claire had ever been with.”
Blayne shot a look of surprise at her friend. She was considered part of the North Cove Mavens when based on geography she should be a South Cove Madam. Claire’s fiancé had been the man driving the other car in the horrific accident that claimed the lives of Larkin’s husband and son. Claire had miscarried soon after the accident, and it took a while before she could handle seeing Larkin.
But Larkin had a way about her, and Blayne had refused to put up with any meanness—a combination Claire couldn’t resist in the end.
Now Claire had been smacked back into mourning with Larkin’s pregnancy—though she tried to hide it behind a too-bright smile.
Blayne sighed. “What the hell am I going to do with the two of you?”
She grabbed the chips and salsa and carried them over to the vintage round coffee table. The black table was a striking companion to the blue couch and white flooring and window treatments. She loved how it felt to be in her home. Almost as good as it would feel once she stepped on Irish soil once again. “So, how long has it been?”
Claire took a healthy sip of her drink.
Larkin settled into one of the matching velvet chairs flanking the sofa and tucked her feet under her. “Has it really been that long?”
“You hadn’t had sex until Ryker,” Claire tossed out in
an accusatory tone.
“She’s got a point,” Blayne quipped.
Larkin’s chest blushed bright red. “But, whoa, was he worth the wait.”
Blayne pretended to gag on her finger. “Spare us your syrupy happily married crap.” She teased her friend, but they all were so thrilled for her. Larkin and Ryker were made for each other. They healed past hurts in a way no one else would have been able to do. She may not think she’d ever be as lucky, but she certainly wanted all the happy ever afters for her girlfriends.
Besides, if Larkin was going to take the plunge again, Ryker was a delicious man to do it with. The whole tall, dark, and grumpy thing worked for the guy in a way that left women salivating.
“Claire, it’s time to get you back on the horse, so to speak, and snog a bloke…or five.”
Tucking her blond strands behind her ears, Claire spoke through a mouth full of chips. “Because your hunt at the South Cove Ice Festival was so successful?”
“I still can’t believe you were going to randomly pick someone to take home.” Larkin carried a chip loaded with a healthy chunk of salsa to her lips.
“Not randomly, I was making a choice. Taking action.” She defended. “Unfortunately, three blondes stood between me and the doctor’s son, and I wasn’t about to damage Eclectic Find’s reputation for any man. Jade Dawson is rising fast in her design business, and I plan on keeping her and her sisters as customers.”
“Speaking of action…” Larkin let her words sink in. “I heard through Maxine, who heard through Janice, who heard from Lilly’s mother, Rose, that a sexy and let me reiterate—sexy—man stopped by to see you at the track yesterday.”
Blayne emptied her glass then poured another. “Stupid man, you mean. Who in their right mind shows up at a roller derby track? A man like him strutting around the Roller Beauties is like a rabbit in a fox den.”
“So, you’re still attracted,” Claire said.
It was a statement, not a question, and panic and denial raced up Blayne’s throat. “What? No.” She waved in front of a hiccup. “I mean…of course, he’s good-looking. No one is going to argue that, but I am not going there. Ever. No matter how sweet his actions might be sometimes.”
