The Heart's Game (The Kelly Brothers, Book 4)

by Crista McHugh

  “You’re giving some of the lamest excuses I’ve ever heard.” He rose from the floor, his legs still rubbery, and moved beside her. “What’s the real reason you’re pushing me away?”

  Her whole body drew up like she was trying to hold back a stream of tears. “Please, Dan, don’t keep asking me why. I just can’t.”

  “Yeah, it’s complicated. I know.”

  “There’s no need to be sarcastic. If things were different, I would get involved with you, but…” Her voice broke, and she stared at the ceiling, blinking rapidly. “It’s just that right now, the timing sucks.”

  No shit. He snatched his jeans off the floor and shook them out. He didn’t dare ask when the timing wouldn’t suck or if he should hold out any hope her life would become less complicated any time soon. He’d used the same lines enough to know she just wanted sex. Only now, he was on the receiving end of them, and it left a bitterness in his soul that called for a bottle of Jameson.

  They finished dressing, neither one of them looking the other in the eye, and headed downstairs. Jenny got into her red Altima and took off without another word. Dan climbed into his BMW and drummed on the steering wheel, replaying what had happened upstairs. All he could think about was how awkward dinner would be with her there.

  He pulled out his lucky die and asked, “Did I make a mistake hooking up with her? High, yes. Low, no.”

  Five.

  Better than the ambivalent ten I got last time. He picked it up and said, “High, I should leave her alone and see how this plays out. Low, I should chase after her and demand answers.”

  Twenty.

  Well, that’s fucking clear.

  He swapped the die for his phone and dialed Paul’s number. “Hey, I’m feeling a bit worn out after this week and—”

  “Don’t tell me you’re going to bail on us, too? Jenny just called and said she had a family emergency, so she won’t be coming.”

  That’s because she’s already come. The image of her on the Iron Throne lost in her own ecstasy flashed through his mind, and he grew hard. He rubbed his eyes to erase the memories before he did something stupid like ask Paul for her phone number or address.

  At least that solved one problem—he wouldn’t have to pretend like nothing happened over dinner. “No, it’s just that my mind blanked on me, and I forgot the name of the restaurant.”

  Once he got that info from Paul, Dan entered it into his GPS and followed the directions along the lake road.

  It was probably a good thing she didn’t want to get involved. Now he wouldn’t feel tempted to break his own rule about never getting seriously involved with a woman, especially a fellow gamer. But the hollowness in his chest made him wonder if Jenny would be the one girl worth breaking the rules for.

  Chapter Four

  Shit! He’s here.

  Jenny popped a watermelon Jolly Rancher in her mouth to quell the rising surge of nausea that formed when she spotted Dan’s car in Paul’s driveway. Of course he would be there. They’d added him to their game. Worse, he was battling her for the team rogue.

  She took a deep breath and blew it out through her nostrils. Combined with the hard candy, it usually seemed to quiet the morning sickness that had been hitting her with a vengeance. Thankfully, she’d only puked twice that week. The queasiness subsided, and she got out of the car.

  Awkward or not, she wasn’t going to let Dan keep her from enjoying a game she’d been a part of for the last five years. He was the newbie, not her.

  After exchanging greetings with everyone, she settled into her chair across the table from him. Dan’s eyes flickered to Paul’s Iron Throne, and her cheeks immediately burned. She must have been suffering from pregnancy induced insanity last week. But as the heat in her cheek settled lower, the craving to have him again took over. She’d had a taste of great sex, and now she wanted more.

  God, I’m like a friggin’ junkie. I refuse to make the same mistake again.

  Dan leaned back in his chair and gave her a smirk that told her he knew how much she wanted him.

  Conceited prick.

  But well earned. She turned away before she climbed across the table and propositioned him. I refuse to make the same mistake again.

  The game got underway, and before long, she was presented with an opportunity to let her rogue skills shine.

  “In the center of the room is a jeweled chest that is locked,” Paul announced to the group.

  “Jewels? As in treasure?” she asked. “Let me at that bad boy.”

  “I’d be careful if I were you,” Dan replied.

  “What kind of rogue are you?” she shot back, sinking into character. “It’s free money, and I have just the set of lock picks to open it.”

  “And I still say you should proceed with caution.” Dan leaned forward, his elbows on the table, locking his gaze with hers. “Don’t you think it’s a bit odd that someone would leave a treasure like this unguarded?”

  Her head swam, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the game. She’d never realized how blue his eyes were. They rivaled the clear summer sky and sparkling lake outside, and she could easily get lost in them.

  Of course, neither comparison helped ease her desire to get naked, damn it.

  I refuse to make the same mistake again.

  It took the equivalent of level twenty strength to turn away from him and ask Derek, “Do you think you can cast a ‘Detect Magic’ on the trunk?”

  Derek’s ranger character did, and Paul revealed that the spell produced a moderate aura. Next to play was Sage, the group’s wizard, who took it one step further and cast a spell that determined the spell was death magic.

  Dan’s grin turned smug, and he crossed his arms before leaning back in his chair. “Aren’t you glad you didn’t start picking the lock?”

  Damn it, he was right.

  As much as she wanted to be angry, her rebellious lips twitched in amusement. Dan was a better player than she cared to admit, which almost made up for the awkwardness of his presence. Maybe there was a chance they could pretend nothing ever happened. “Point made.”

  But I refuse to make the same mistake again.

  ***

  Dan stepped out onto the deck and stopped short when Jenny’s shoulders started to rise. Even though her back was to him, she must’ve sensed his arrival. He moved to the side, keeping a good five feet between them as he braced his hands on the railing. The afternoon sun shimmered off the lake, and a warm breeze ruffled his shirt. It reminded him of the summer days he spent at his family’s cabin on Lake Geneva. “And I thought it rained here all the time,” he murmured.

  “That’s what most people think of Seattle,” she replied, staring straight ahead.

  Her voice wobbled ever so slightly, but her shoulders loosened. Dan blew out a breath of relief. If he was going to get anywhere with her, he needed to make her relax. And conversations about the weather seemed like a safe topic for now.

  “Are summers always like this?”

  “Most of the time, but you’re almost always guaranteed to get rained on during the Fourth of July. But from the end of July to the beginning of October, it’s really quite nice.”

  She still wasn’t looking at him, but the corner of her mouth rose.

  Dan reached into his pocket, squeezing his fingers around his lucky die. What he wouldn’t give for a moment to ask it if he was on the right course. Instead, he had to rely on reading her voice and body language.

  The breeze rippled her hair and sent a whiff of the soft scent of cherry blossoms he’d come to associate with her. He closed his eyes and breathed it in, his body coming alive as he remembered the last time he’d inhaled it. His gut knotted with desire and frustration. God, there was nothing more he wanted to do than pull her into his arms and have a repeat of last week.

  But if he was going to trust his lucky die, he needed to be patient and wait for her to come around.

  He just wished it wouldn’t take so fucking long.

&nb
sp; Time for another blasé conversation to knock the thought of sex from his mind. “So, you’re not expecting any family emergencies this week, are you?”

  Her cheeks reddened, and she rubbed her arms like she was cold, even though it was easily eighty degrees outside. “No, my brother said he would field any calls from my mother. She likes him better, anyway.”

  “You don’t get along with her?”

  Jenny shook her head, her gaze still focused on the lake. “I’ve tried to be the daughter she wants me to be. Quiet. Demure. Delicate. Graceful. Instead, I’m loud and awkward and much happier being single than settling for some husband she’s picked out for me.”

  Finally, she was opening up to him. He took a small sidestep toward her, closing the gap between them by a foot. When she didn’t flinch or move away, he said, “She doesn’t like you because you’re not married?”

  She responded with a soft, self-deprecating laugh that made her head hang low before she lifted her eyes and turned her attention to him. “I wish it were that simple. It’s a hundred other things, but let’s just say I’m a disappointment when it comes to being an ideal Vietnamese daughter.”

  “Paul says you’re one of the most brilliant engineers on his team. I wouldn’t call that being a disappointment.”

  “But I’m thirty and not married, and I ruined her last attempt to pair me off with some green-card seeking douche to the scale of epic proportions. She’s still not letting me live that down.”

  He took another step toward her, almost putting her within arm’s reach. “When was that?”

  “Two weeks ago. And last week, she was claiming that her heart was failing because of the huge burden of disgrace I’d placed upon it.”

  Now it was his turn to chuckle. “Sounds like she’s a little dramatic.”

  “Certifiable would be more appropriate.” Her smile faltered, and she lowered her eyes. “I wonder what she’d say if I told her about my behavior at Comic-Con.”

  The next step had him close enough that he could smell her scent without the breeze. He gripped the railing to keep from touching her, his knuckles turning white. “Remember, what happens at Comic-Con, stays at Comic-Con.”

  “True, but usually, hook-ups don’t follow you home.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and cast a sideways glance at his hands. “You know, I’m really not like that. I’m more like this. Shy. Awkward. Geeky.”

  “And what if I say I have a thing for shy, awkward geeks?” The words slipped out, followed by a punch in the gut. He’d sworn off that type of woman after Cait. And yet, he found something in Jenny that he’d been missing in all his flings.

  A kindred spirit.

  She gave him a sad smile tinged with regret. She didn’t need to repeat that she couldn’t get involved with him right now or that the timing sucked. He could read it in the fall of her hands and the shadows in her eyes.

  He needed to take advantage of the progress he’d made before she slipped away again. “Jenny, I know you said you can’t get involved with anyone right now, but I was wondering if maybe we can try to be friends.”

  A heavy pause answered him.

  Each beat of his heart felt like it was ready to drum out of his chest. He hadn’t been this worked up over talking to a girl since he was in high school, and that was only because most of the girls in his class were two years older than him.

  At last, she nodded. “I suppose we could try that.”

  The heavy weight of anxiety lifted from his shoulders, and he uncurled his fingers from around the railing. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but it was a step in the right direction. Whatever her reason for pushing him away when it came to a relationship didn’t affect his offer for friendship. And maybe, with a little time and patience, he could convince her they could be more than just friends. “Good.”

  “Hey, you two, enjoying the sunshine?” Paul said behind them, and they both jerked away from each other.

  The tips of Jenny’s ears grew red, and she let her hair fall forward like a curtain, obscuring her face.

  He recovered faster than she did and pushed off the railing. “Yeah, you never told me how nice it was up here.”

  “Maybe I was trying to keep that secret all to myself.” Paul gave him a playful shove. “You ready to come back in for some more magic and mayhem?”

  “Sure,” Jenny replied, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. Her timidity vanished as she slipped back into her rogue character. Her dark eyes glittered with mischief. Her posture straightened with confidence. And her inviting smile reminded him of the Sailor Scout who’d followed him up to his room last month for the one-night stand he couldn’t forget.

  This was the Jenny who drove him wild with lust, the one he wanted to know better.

  Of course, the shy geek intrigued him also.

  The question was, which one was the real Jenny?

  His phone rang before he could decide. Adam’s ringtone. That usually meant it was important. “I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

  Paul and Jenny went back inside, and he answered the call. “What’s up, Adam?”

  “Have you seen the news?” his eldest brother asked.

  “No, I’ve been gaming all day. Why?”

  “Ethan found Ty dead this morning from what looks like an overdose.”

  The air whooshed out of his lungs, taking his lighthearted happiness with him. Ty and his younger brother, Ethan, had been best friends for as long as he could remember. They’d started Ravinia’s Rejects back in high school after they’d gotten kicked out of a prestigious summer music program and had gone on to become one of the hottest rock bands in the country. They were as close as brothers, and he could only imagine what Ethan must be going through. “How’s he holding up?”

  “Not very well. Lots of blaming himself.”

  “It’s not like he was supplying the drugs to Ty.”

  “No,” Adam replied, “but we’ve all known for a while that Ty was in trouble. Ethan regrets not getting him treatment sooner.”

  “Just from my clinical experience, you can’t force a person to go clean. They have to want it.” Dan sank into one of the deck chairs and ran his fingers through his hair. “So what’s he going to do?”

  “Mom’s flying out to LA to stay with him for a while and make sure he doesn’t do anything drastic. Gideon’s staying with him until then.”

  Of Dan’s six brothers, Ethan was the most mentally unstable. He suspected his brother suffered from a mild form of bipolar disorder with all his highs and lows, but music had always been the one thing that kept him from tipping too far either way. With the death of his band mate and closest friend, though, he might have lost his safety net. “It’s hitting him that hard, huh?”

  “Kind of hard to tell based on the conversation I had with him, but if you could call him later tonight and check in on him, maybe give us your professional opinion—”

  “I’m a surgeon, not a shrink. I cut people open for a living. I don’t mess with that mental stuff.”

  “But at least you were exposed to it in med school, unlike the rest of us.”

  Dan groaned and stared up at the clear blue sky. The sunny day was in complete opposition with the dark news his brother had just given him. “Fine, I’ll check in on him because he’s my brother, but remember, I have my limitations. If Mom thinks he needs help, she’d be better off finding someone there to take him on.”

  “Thanks, Dan.”

  “Sure.” He hung up the phone before Adam asked another medically related question. That was the problem with being the doctor in the family—he was always getting hit up for his medical opinion. Often times, it included a huge helping of too much information, like the time when Frank sent him a picture of his dick and asked if it looked like he had herpes.

  After spending a few minutes trying to figure out the best way to approach the conversation with Ethan, he dialed his younger brother’s number.

  “Hello,” Ethan answered in a flat voice.

&nb
sp; “Hey.” His throat closed up after that. Somehow, starting the conversation with “I heard you found your best friend dead with the needle still in his arm” was not the best tactic.

  Dan cleared his throat and said, “I heard the news. How are you doing?”

  “How the fuck do you think I’m doing?”

  “I can only imagine.” He paused. “Do you want to come up here for a bit? It’s actually sunny here in Seattle.”

  “No.” The single word sounded like it came from a snarling dog with its haunches raised, and Dan decided to back away.

  “Okay…” And he thought his conversation with Jenny had been difficult. “Well, if you need a change of scenery, my door’s always open. I remember that you always liked the music scene here.”

  “I just want to be left alone. Between you and Gid and Adam and Mom and the fucking mob of reporters outside, I can’t even get a moment to myself.”

  “We’re just all worried about you. Well, maybe not the reporters. More like the family—”

  “I got it. Don’t worry. I’m not going to drive my car off a cliff or shoot up some heroin.”

  Dan’s chest ached from the grief in his brother’s voice. Ethan was trying to sound tough, but he was suffering deep inside, and there was nothing Dan could do for him from this part of the West Coast other than say, “I’m here if you need me.”

  “Thanks. If I need my appendix out, I know who to call.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  Ethan hung up before he could get another word in.

  Friggin’ asshole.

  His anger evaporated, though, when he rationalized that this was Ethan’s way of handling bad news. Throughout his medical career, Dan had seen the rainbow of responses, everything from depression to anger to acceptance. His brother had been living in the tough as nails rocker world for so long, every conversation seemed to be wrapped in barbed wire lately.

  Dude needs to get laid.

  Dan pulled out his lucky die and said, “High, I should call him later tonight. Low, I should leave Mom to deal with him.”