The Ghost Groom

by Jennifer Youngblood

  His eyes hardened as he chuckled. “Really? You’re sorry? You could’ve fooled me. You lambasted me with those texts. And then wouldn’t answer my calls.”

  Ariana glanced at the boys who were hanging on every word. “Let’s not do this here.”

  Rennen cocked an eyebrow. “If we hadn’t run into each other today, you never would’ve spoken to me again.”

  That was true. She just looked at him. “So?”

  “So, you’re being totally unfair.”

  A harsh laugh rose in her throat as she pointed to her chest. “Me?” She shot him a condemning look. “You should’ve told me who you were when we first met.”

  “I was working my way towards it when you had to leave to pick up your niece.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t buy that. You could’ve told me earlier.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “When? In the middle of your rant about how much you hate football players?”

  “You hate football players?” one of the boys asked, a perplexed look on his face.

  Heat rushed up her neck. “Thanks a lot,” she muttered, jerking her chin towards the kids.

  He held up his hands. “I’m just stating what happened. If I had told you who I was at the beginning, would you have been more understanding?”

  She rocked back. “Well, no.”

  A vindicated look swept over him. “I understand you being upset, but it’s not my fault Ace got injured. That’s the nature of the game. If I weren’t taking his place, someone else would. You don’t have to crucify me for it.”

  The skin on the back of her neck prickled like it was crawling with ants. She squared her jaw. “That may be true, but I sure as heck don’t have to date you.” The words came out hoarse as they stood, eyeing each other.

  “Okay, let’s make a wager. Like I said earlier, I’ll join one team. You join the other. If your team wins, I’ll honor your wish and leave you alone.”

  She shook her head. “This is ridiculous. I can’t believe you’re doing this now, in the middle of camp.”

  He continued. “If I win, you’ll go out on a date with me.” He held up a finger. “One date is all I ask.”

  She let out a strangled laugh. “What? You’re insane! There’s no way I’m going on a date with you.”

  A cocky smile tugged at his lips. “Are you so sure you’re gonna lose?”

  She rubbed her chin. If he weren’t so dang good looking, it might be easier to resist him. No, she couldn’t think such thoughts. She had to be strong. “Hmm … let me think about this. The Ghost challenges me to an obstacle race and I’m just supposed to accept? That’s a little like a fish challenging a squirrel to a swim, isn’t it?” She twirled her hand. “Let’s see … no thanks.” Her jaw tightened as she shot him a look that could stop an army in its tracks. “Despite what you think, I’m not stupid.”

  His eyes held hers. For a moment, she forgot about the group of boys surrounding them. “I never thought you were,” he said softly.

  “You’re the Ghost?” Chris asked, wide-eyed. He looked at the other boys. “Holy smokes. It’s the Ghost everyone’s been talking about.”

  “Yep, he’s the superstar,” Ariana piped in, not trying to hide her resentment.

  “Can I get your autograph?” a boy asked.

  “Or a selfie,” another said.

  Ariana glared at them. “No, you may not. Not until after our class is over.”

  “Okay, you make a good point about the race,” Rennen said. “We’ll pick something else.”

  A laugh escaped her lips. “You don’t give up, do you?”

  “Never.”

  The word was spoken so fiercely that it sent a jolt through her. Geez. This guy was messing with her head. Her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own as they went to his lips. Desire swelled through her, making her feel hot all over.

  “You pick the activity. Just me and you.”

  Her heart hammered in her chest as her mouth went dry. “Here? No way.”

  A quirky expression came over his handsome face, as his voice took on a taunting edge. “Is Ace so fragile that he has to get his big sister to fight his battles? What a cry-baby,” he smirked.

  Ariana gritted her teeth. “Ace’s younger sister, actually.”

  His mouth twitched. “Oops, sorry.”

  She wanted to knock the smirk off his lips. He was standing there all smug like he was king of the world. “All right, Goldie Locks, it’s on. Hand-to-hand combat.” She felt a burst of triumph when she saw the flicker of surprise in his eyes. He was in over his head now. She was gonna eat his lunch.

  A broad smile spread over his lips. “Let’s do it.”

  “Fight, fight,” the boys chanted with pumped fists.

  “It’s not a fight,” Ariana corrected, “but a sparring match. Back up,” she ordered, not wanting any of them to get hurt when Rennen went flying.

  Rennen’s eyes danced as he crouched down, hands out, ready to take her down. “What’re the rules?”

  “First one whose back touches the ground loses,” she said savagely, planting her feet in a battle stance. Rennen was playing in her world now. “Too bad I have to embarrass you in front of your adoring fans.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Too bad I have to put such a beautiful woman down.”

  Heat blotched her cheeks. He was probably complimenting her to throw her off. Well, it wouldn’t work. She knew all the tricks in the book.

  “Nice earrings, by the way.” He pointed to her diamond studs. “Looks kind of groovy with your yoga pants and t-shirt. A tough, glamour-girl sort of thing.”

  Chris wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Are you gonna flirt with her all day or fight?”

  Rennen lunged first and tried to grab her arm, but Ariana blocked his attempt with an upward sweep of her arm and darted out of his reach. Sheesh. He was fast. It was a good thing she hadn’t taken him up on the obstacle course challenge or she’d be toast.

  They circled around, each trying to get the upper hand.

  She went for him next to sweep his leg with her foot, but he sidestepped her effort. She stumbled, trying to catch her balance. This time, he caught hold of her arm and spun her around, pinning her arm behind her back. He leaned in, his breath tickling her ear. “Do you yield?”

  Tingles circled down her spine as a slow-burning desire simmered in her stomach. It was ridiculous how attracted she was to Rennen.

  “This is kind of fun,” he murmured, his lips grazing her earlobe.

  He sounded like he knew exactly how much she was affected by him, which irritated the heck out of her. “Yep, sure is,” she growled, digging her heel into bone on top of his foot.

  He released his hold, grunting in pain as she whirled around, bringing her knee to his crotch. His eyes widened as he doubled over, his hands moving instinctively to protect himself. While he was incapacitated, she swept his leg, sending him spiraling to the ground with a swift thud.

  The boys went crazy, jumping up and down, cheering.

  Ariana leaned over, peering down at him. “It looks like I just ghosted the Ghost.”

  He winced. “A knee to the crotch. Really? You don’t play fair. There goes any hope for children.”

  She clucked her tongue. “Now who’s the cry-baby?”

  He looked up at her with puppy-dog eyes. “Best two out of three?”

  She had to hand it to him. He was persistent. In that aspect, he reminded her of Ace. Despite her best effort to hold it back, a smile tugged at her lips. “I don’t think so.” As their eyes locked, she realized with a bitter disappointment that she wanted him in her life badly. Almost enough to make her kneel and throw her arms around him to rehash their kiss from the other night. Fate was a cruel demon, laughing down at her right now. Why did Rennen have to be the one to take Ace’s place? It was so unfair that she had to choose between him and Ace. Of course she’d choose Ace, a hundred times over. And yet, it was so dang hard.

  Rennen assessed her with such a compell
ing look that she could swear he knew what she was thinking. “You know all bets are off, right?”

  She jerked. “What’re you talking about?”

  He sat up, shaking his head. “Like I said, a knee to the crotch isn’t fair.” He looked at the boys surrounding them. “Am I right?”

  “Yeah,” a few said hesitantly, not meeting Ariana’s eyes.

  She didn’t know if she should be impressed or annoyed that Rennen was so stinking stubborn. A tendril of hope sprang in her chest at the knowledge that he wasn’t giving up. She lifted her chin and adopted an I couldn’t care less attitude as she pushed her hair behind her ear. “I don’t have time to argue about this with you. I’ve got a class to teach.”

  She clapped her hands. “Okay, boys. Show’s over. Vamanos. You’ve got an obstacle course to run.”

  Rennen looked up at her and winked, all the confidence in the world shining in his eyes. “See ya around, slugger.”

  6

  Ariana looked at Beth, the attractive receptionist in her young twenties. Beth worked the front desk of the gym and helped with the office work. She put her hand over the receiver. “It’s another reporter.”

  “Seriously?” Ariana waved a hand, her expression going sour as she turned her attention back to today’s schedule. “I’m not here,” she muttered.

  Beth nodded in understanding.

  It had been a busy morning, and the afternoon wasn’t going to be any better. When Ariana returned from lunch, she discovered that two instructors had called saying they weren’t going to make it in today. She had a back-up she could call to cover the Zumba class at four, but that instructor could only teach one hour. The circuit-training class at two was the problem. Normally Ariana could fill in, but she was teaching a high-intensity cardio class during the same time.

  She rubbed a hand across her forehead. They were short-staffed and needed to hire more people, but the funds weren’t there. Members of the circuit-training class wouldn’t be happy when they showed up today to a cancelled class. She glanced outside, glad to see the reporters had left. A couple were still lurking around when she darted out for a quick lunch. How in the heck was Ariana supposed to run a gym in the middle of all this hoopla?

  The phone at the gym had been ringing off the hook for the past three days, mostly reporters wanting a scoop on the story. One of the kids at camp filmed Ariana and Rennen’s sparring match with an iPhone and posted it on YouTube. The crazy thing went viral over the weekend and was picking up steam. The caption on the video read, Ace Sanchez’s sister ghosts the Ghost.

  Ariana was mortified when she first saw it. She’d hoped teaching the class at the Tiny Titans Football Camp might generate some publicity for her gym. It had certainly done that, but not in the way she’d hoped. This morning when she arrived to teach a six a.m. kickboxing class, half a dozen reporters were waiting for her. She’d pushed past them repeating “no comment.” Ariana was surprised they’d come out so early in the morning. Then again, anything concerning Rennen was high priority. Especially after his live interview with Katie Moss Tuesday evening. Ariana had watched the entire thing with rapt attention.

  Rennen’s story was similar to the reputable source she’d found online. His first memory was of being in a group home. He’d been with a set of foster parents before that but was removed from the home when the social worker saw cigarette burns and bruises on his arms and legs.

  After the group home, Rennen was passed around to a few other foster homes before going to live with the family of his high school friend. Rennen had no knowledge of what happened to his parents. But according to his case file, he was found wandering alone at a bus station—ragged and hungry—and that was how he first came to be in the system. Football had been his saving grace, his ticket to an education and now, his livelihood.

  Ariana figured Ace had also watched the interview. She would’ve liked to have gotten his take on Rennen’s background, but wasn’t about to bring it up. It was hard not to feel a chord of sympathy for Rennen who’d barreled his way to stardom against all obstacles. Ariana’s family was the most precious thing in the world to her. She couldn’t imagine going through life alone.

  At one point in the interview, Ariana had choked with emotion. Katie talked about Rennen’s nickname and how it was appropriate because he ran so fast that he appeared to be gliding. She asked Rennen what he thought of the nickname. He paused for an entire minute or more before answering. Ariana could feel the tension building in Rennen. Felt herself growing more nervous when she saw him clench his hands.

  “For me, the nickname has multiple meanings.” Rennen offered a polite smile. “Aside from the obvious running aspect. Growing up without a family was tough. It’s primarily through the family that children form their identities. But for me, I never had that.” His voice trembled slightly. “I guess I’ve always felt a little like a ghost, like part of me is missing.” He spread his hands. “I suppose all foster children feel that way.”

  “Why did you agree to do this interview tonight?” Katie asked.

  Slight pause. “I wanted to tell my story. Dispel the rumors that have been circulating.”

  She laughed, glancing at her notes. “Yes, I’ve read a few zingers. I believe The Daily Sentinel has you being dropped from an alien ship onto the roof of the Alamo.”

  “Yeah, I kind of like the one that claims I was raised by a pack of wolves.” He looked into the camera, a crooked smile tugging at his lips. “Not true.”

  Ariana had melted a little at that. Even on TV, he was irresistible.

  “What do you think about the scores of people coming forward, claiming to be your parents?”

  Rennen’s jaw hardened. “Well, Katie, forgive me for being blunt, but I think it’s a bunch of hogwash.”

  She rocked back. “Strong words.”

  “I’ve been going it alone my whole life and am doing okay. I have no intention of changing things now.”

  Katie cocked her head, giving him a probing look. “So, you’re saying that you don’t want to know who your real parents are?”

  A tight smile fixed over Rennen’s face, causing Ariana’s heart to catch. She could feel his pain as if it were her own. His eyes were hard marbles. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Next topic, please.”

  It took Katie a fraction of a moment to readjust as she thumbed through her notes. “Tell me about this sparring match you had over the weekend with Ariana Sanchez, the sister of Ace Sanchez.”

  Ariana held her breath, waiting for Rennen’s response, her heartbeat roaring like a river in her ears.

  Rennen smiled. “She’s tough. Obviously.”

  Katie played the clip for the TV audience. Afterwards, she shook her head, a gleeful expression on her face. “I’m sure this has women everywhere cheering. Tell us about this video.”

  Rennen squirmed in his seat. “Ariana and I were both helping out at the Tiny Titans Football Camp. What you saw was mostly horsing around.”

  “Bull crap,” Ariana muttered, feeling a burst of pride that she’d taken him down.

  Katie leaned forward. “Did this match have anything to do with the fact that you’re taking Ace’s place on the Titans?”

  Rennen flashed an easy smile. “It had more to do with a date.”

  Her eyes widened. “A date as in a particular day of the month? Or a date, as in courting?” Her expression went coy as she looked at the camera.

  “I’ll let you figure that out,” Rennen said.

  “Come on now. Don’t leave the viewers hanging.” Katie gave him a nervous laugh.

  He shook his head. “That’s all I have to say about that.” His voice was firm, unyielding.

  An awkward silence passed. “So, will there be a rematch?”

  Rennen looked straight into the camera, his compelling eyes striking Ariana with such force that she felt like he was looking right at her. “I sincerely hope so.”

  “Um, there’s another call for you,” Beth said, interrupting Arian
a’s thoughts.

  She arched an eyebrow. “Another reporter?” Or Paul? Please don’t let it be Paul. Ever since the news of Ariana and Rennen’s sparring match had gone viral, her ex-boyfriend Paul had taken a sudden interest in her again. Yesterday, he sent a text asking if she wanted to grab lunch sometime. Even though they’d broken up, they were still on friendly terms. A friendship with Paul was the only thing Ariana wanted. Too bad Paul wasn’t getting the hint.

  “No, James Knight’s personal assistant, Amanda.”

  Ariana’s jaw went slack. “James Knight, the owner of the Titans?”

  Beth nodded slowly, wide-eyed.

  “What does she want?”

  “I don’t know.” Beth held out the phone. “But I think you should take it.”

  Ariana’s heart lurched. Were they calling to tell her she’d broken some Titan rule by sparring with Rennen on the practice field? Her heart pounded erratically in her chest as she tried to keep her voice even. “Hello?”

  “Hello, Ms. Sanchez, this is Amanda Richards, James Knight’s personal assistant.”

  She swallowed. “Yes?”

  “I’ll get right to the point. The video of you and Rennen Bradley has made quite an impression on Mr. Knight.”

  “Really?” A good or bad impression? she was tempted to ask.

  “Really. It’s not every day you see a petite woman take down an NFL player. I’ve watched it several times myself.”

  Ariana caught the admiring tone in Amanda’s voice. “Oh.” It didn’t seem appropriate to say thanks.

  “Mr. Knight would like to schedule a rematch between you and Rennen Bradley.”

  Her heart flipped as she gripped the phone. “What?”

  “We’d like to do it up big with the press, the works.”

  Ariana shook her head back and forth. “I don’t think so.”

  “Mr. Knight has given me the authorization to offer you a deal.”

  “I’m not interested.”