Her Country Star Billionaire Grooms

by Taylor Hart

  Chantel sat up, waking from her nap, and rubbed a hand over her face. “Dang, we’re too late for the museum.”

  He stared at the clock. Between the late start and the make out session, they’d missed it. “Maybe we can go in the morning?” he said, trying to sound hopeful.

  “Maybe,” she said, staring out the window.

  He had his hand on hers in concern—the magic from the side of the road was fading. He squeezed her fingers. “You okay?”

  She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Fine.” The way she said it sounded hollow.

  He fought back the urge to pull over and rehash everything: start at the beginning, pick apart the last six years, and get to the bottom of whatever was bothering her. This whole secret had something to do with the capricious way she was treating him.

  At the same time, he didn’t want to push too hard. He’d held her today, kissed her, tasted those perfect lips. So he made a command decision: he would wait on her. He would wait until she told him whatever she needed to tell him.

  “JJ,” she said, still looking out of the window.

  “Yes?” Was this the moment? Would it be now?

  She pointed to the right. “I need to use the bathroom.”

  “Right.” He got into the other lane and signaled. “We can gas up, too.”

  When they finally got to Hotel Avant, it was almost eight. JJ was all kinds of twisted up, because Chan had gone radio silent.

  At the gas station, he’d joked about Ho Hos, but she hadn’t taken the bait. He’d asked her if she was hangry, but she said she was fine. When he’d demanded to know what was wrong, all she had said was, “I’m sorry, J. I’m just so sorry for everything.”

  He hadn’t known what to say, but as he dropped her off at her room, he asked, “Can I take you to dinner at the restaurant on the roof? I’m starving.” A thought flickered across his mind. “We need to get your blood sugar back up.”

  A small smile tugged at her lips, and her face softened. “You have always been so good to me, J.”

  Frustrated, he wanted to smash his fist into the wall and demand to know what she was talking about. “Okay, back in fifteen.”

  After changing, combing his hair, and putting on some cologne, he paced in his room. He paced and paced, and finally yanked out his phone and called Ryan.

  “Dude, why are you stalking me?”

  JJ’s patience was gone. “Because you weren’t answering.”

  “I called and texted today.”

  JJ cursed, wrecking his hair as he tousled it.

  “Dude, what is going on?” Ryan demanded.

  “You gave her a ride to the gas station, then you told her about the destiny gods,” JJ accused.

  Ryan let out a soft laugh. “And from what your texts say, you followed her onto a Greyhound bus.”

  “Shut up, bro. Listen.” He walked Ryan through everything, breaking it down to the bare bones.

  “Dude, you kissed her? Like, made out with her on the side of the road?” Ryan cackled. “That’s hilarious.”

  “We did,” JJ said, remembering the feel of her against him, the way she’d kissed him like she’d meant it. “I can’t lose her again, Ry.” He knew he sounded weak and vulnerable, but he didn’t care.

  “So Tonya’s out and Chantel’s in?” his brother asked hesitantly.

  JJ hedged. “What does that mean?”

  “I’m just getting the facts.” Ryan insisted.

  “I guess so.”

  “Bro, you sound kinda flakey.”

  “You’re the one that talked about the destiny gods, not me.”

  Ryan laughed again. “Look, I’m not saying she’s not your destiny. I just think you might want to make sure you’re not being completely selfish here.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I know you had ‘clarity’ about your relationship with Tonya, and I don’t disagree with trusting your gut. But dude, she’s hurting. And even if you can deal with the fallout from the bomb you dumped in Tonya’s life, from what you described after kissing Chantel, how she went ‘dark’ on you, I think she’s probably hurting, too.”

  JJ slumped on his bed. He hated it when Ryan actually had something enlightening to say.

  “Hey, bro?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You good?” Ryan questioned.

  JJ shook his head, even though his brother couldn’t see him. “So what do I do now?”

  Ryan sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “Well, thanks for nothing.” JJ threw up a hand in frustration.

  “My point in all of this,” Ryan said, hesitating, “is that I think my brother, the tough Navy SEAL who likes to charge ahead, might need to spend a little bit of time looking back. Sometimes you leave a wake of bodies.”

  Hearing the truth so bluntly was disconcerting, but JJ could see his point. “Okay. Where do I start?”

  Ryan sniffed. “After you re-enlisted, there was a distinct change in Chantel. I remember Mom and Dad and her dad sitting in the study for hours, talking about her. They worried because, back then, she did the same thing she’s doing to you now—she went radio silent. We didn’t see her for a long time.”

  “What happened?”

  “None of us saw her for, like, a year, until right after her first Olympics. The one she didn’t place in.”

  JJ’s heart raced. “Right.”

  “She was engaged to Dustin, and she was different. Her dad said he felt like his daughter had left and never come home.”

  JJ tried to process this information. “How come no one told me this when I came home?”

  “You didn’t have half a leg, dude. What were we supposed to do? Pile it on?”

  So many emotions surfaced inside of him, but he came to one conclusion. “I’m the most selfish jerk in the world.”

  Ryan snickered.

  “I mean it. Stop laughing.”

  “Hey, you’re not all bad. You kinda save lives, and you step up and do what a Kelly has to do when hard things come your way.”

  JJ smiled. His father could have been talking to him through Ryan. “Thanks.” He still didn’t know what to do about all of this. “Hey, you said you had dinner with her a couple of months ago in L.A., after your game. What did you think about her then?”

  “She seemed good, more like herself. But I think something weird was going on between her and Dustin. The guy just bugs me. It feels like he’s super controlling. Like, when I had dinner with them, he didn’t want to let us talk. He kept butting into the conversation. When she’s with him, it’s like she can’t think for herself. Maybe it’s because he was her agent for so long?”

  JJ grunted. “I never liked him because Chantel was engaged to him, but I never thought about him controlling her.”

  “Dude,” Ryan said a bit loudly.

  JJ held the phone back and laughed. “What?”

  “You mentioned she has some secret thing she is or was going to do with Dustin in Dallas. I wonder if all the weirdness and the way he controls her is tied to that.”

  “Hmm.” It was an interesting thought.

  “I gotta run, bro.”

  “Right,” JJ said, standing. “I have to go, too.”

  “Good luck, man. And, wait, has Parker agreed to this or not?”

  JJ didn’t want to tell him the truth. “He will.”

  Ryan let out a long breath. “Well, you better convince him.”

  “I will.”

  “Love ya, bro.”

  JJ sucked in a deep breath, wondering how he would sort all of this out. “Love you, too.”

  He stared at his phone, then decided to call Parker.

  Surprisingly, he picked up.

  Chapter 15

  Chantel stared at the full-length mirror in her hotel room. She hadn’t really wanted to go get dinner, but she did need to eat. She was feeling a bit dizzy.

  The hotel restaurant on the roof looked fancy, so she’d changed into tight black pants, a red shirt that
went slightly off her shoulders, and black heels. She’d refreshed her hair, fixing the curls so they lay smoothly around her shoulders. The bright red lipstick she’d applied didn’t reflect how she felt at all.

  Angst bubbled inside of her, and she put her hand against the wall. How would she tell JJ? The memory of them kissing, of the way it felt so intoxicating to be back in his arms, to have him touch her skin, was unbearable. Now that she’d tasted him again, she knew she’d never be able to get him out of her mind. Frustrated, she picked up her phone. JJ was two minutes late.

  She squeezed her eyes shut and sat on the bed, then scrolled through all the missed texts and phone calls from Dustin. His last text said, If I don’t meet you on Friday, how do you know you can still get him?

  Her hand trembled. “No!” she shouted, wanting to throw the phone. Dustin couldn’t do that, could he? He couldn’t take her chance of getting the only thing she’d wanted since receiving the email from the private investigator. She sucked in a breath, anger exploding inside of her. She cursed. “I hate you, Dustin!”

  Her mind raced, thinking of all of the things in her life tied to Dustin: their business, their house, and—a tear slipped down her face—a child.

  She stood and stomped her foot, letting out a cry of anger.

  The sound of the knock startled her, and she put a hand to her chest.

  “Chan, it’s me.” JJ’s voice was unmistakable, even slightly muffled by the door.

  She quickly wiped beneath her eyes. She had to think. She had to be smart. She had to wait to tell JJ everything until she knew the consequences that would ensue.

  “Chan?”

  “Coming.” She ran her hands down the length of her pants. Tonight. She would try to just focus on tonight.

  Because she wouldn’t blow it this time. She couldn’t.

  They sat on the roof, looking over Dallas, and she felt him graze her hand with his. They’d ordered their food, but there hadn’t been much talking.

  His face was serious. “You look amazing tonight.”

  The chemistry between them could light this whole place on fire. “Thank you. You clean up pretty well, too.” The man was a walking magazine model with his gelled, messy blond hair, his facial hair at the perfect length, and all of his chiseled muscles.

  JJ’s lips turned up. “Remember that wish we had to tour Europe?”

  “Backpack Europe and then do the Tour de France.”

  “Yep.”

  She focused on all of those summer days where they’d sat in that tree house, writing wishes and putting them in the dream box. “And you wanted to do something crazy like jump out of an airplane at the beach where D-Day happened.”

  He laughed. “That’s right. I forgot about that one.”

  The food came, and her stomach growled. JJ had talked her into a good steak. “Thank you,” she said as the server came back with more water.

  They dug in, and as she put a forkful inside her mouth, she let out a moan. “Oh my gosh,” she said. “I can’t believe steak is this good.”

  He pointed at her with his fork, which had a piece of steak stuck on the end. “It is good.” He put another bite inside of his mouth, grunting in approval.

  She watched him. He was so amazing. Things could have been so different if…

  “You’re doing it again.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “Thinking thoughts I don’t know because you have different looks I haven’t learned yet.”

  This made her smile. The man was attentive. “Who says you’ll learn them now?”

  “Listen, I’ll respect whatever boundaries you want in place between us.” He let out a breath. “I know kissing you back there like that was probably a bad move, but…”

  “But?”

  “But you and I both know what’s between us isn’t over. It’s never really been over for me, Chan. Has it for you?”

  Her heart raced. “I can’t give you answers tonight, JJ.” She had to protect herself, and she had to protect her future family, whatever that might look like.

  “Then what can you give me, Chan?” His gaze hardened.

  She kept calm, cool. “I can give you tonight. The game tomorrow, then we’re done.”

  His eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”

  The tension ratcheted up a notch. There was no denying the attraction between them. She blinked and leaned back, crossing her arms. “It means that we eat dinner, we go to our separate rooms, we attend the game together tomorrow, then you leave Dallas.”

  He cursed and looked away. “So we’re back to that plan?”

  Neither of them spoke for a long time. She took another bite of steak, unable to meet his gaze.

  The server showed up. “Is the food okay? Can I get you anything else?”

  “No,” she said quickly. The way JJ just stared at her, ignoring the server, was unnerving.

  Why was she doing this to them? Here they were, putting on this charade that they could be friends or something, when it was clear they couldn’t.

  She stood. “I’m sorry this isn’t working out. I should go.” She rushed away from the table.

  He bolted after her and reached for her hand. “If I get tonight, then I think we should dance.”

  “Right now?” There weren’t many couples dancing, but the song turned slow. Very slow.

  “Right now is all we have.” He used his other arm to pull her close, and they began to sway. “War teaches you that all anyone gets is the moment they’re in right now. They may live, they may die, they may get their leg blown off—but they have the moment.” He leaned down and kissed her neck softly, his breath hot. “Right now.”

  She shivered.

  He turned them to the rhythm of the music. She didn’t know the right thing to do, but there would be no denying this man a dance. He kept her tucked tightly against him, one hand on her hip, the other weaving fingers in and out of hers.

  A slow burn trickled through her, born of pain and pleasure. She felt herself melting into him.

  He leaned in, kissing beneath her jawline every time he said her name. She closed her eyes, wishing she could rewind the clock to six years ago, where she wouldn’t let Dustin manipulate her like he had.

  The music changed to a salsa, and the moment lightened. JJ quickly fell into the steps. She had to focus to keep up with him. Everything else disappeared between them. He looked at her as if she was glorious, and she freely kept pace and time with him.

  When the next song began, both of them adjusted to the faster cha-cha rhythm. She found herself letting go, moving her hips and letting him lead her. JJ had been born with rhythm, with a natural grace on the dance floor. With her skill as a skater, she was more than a match for him. She began adding little bits of flair to their dancing.

  Without warning, he laughed, loud and ferocious. “Ah, yeah.” He picked up the pace, fire in his step and his eyes. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

  She laughed too, matching his fire with her own.

  A crowd of people surrounded them, cheering and clapping.

  JJ grinned, turning her again and again. It felt like she was soaring, floating, flying—not just here, but through time and space. It was just them in the now. When the song ended, she and JJ did little bows.

  Another slow song came on, and he took her hands into his, pulling her close but not putting his arms around her. “I’ll take whatever I can get with you, Chan.”

  She stared into two pools of deep forest green and knew she wanted him. She always had.

  He pressed his lips to hers, and everything inside of her ignited. Unable to stop herself, she reached for his face and ran her hands over his stubble. She loved its soft roughness.

  JJ whispered in her ear. “But I don’t agree to the terms of ending it afterward.”

  “J, I can’t.” She tried to break free.

  “No, I need to tell you this. Please,” he said, his lips meeting hers again. This time he deepened the kiss and squ
eezed her tight. When he pulled back, there were tears in his eyes. “I realized tonight that I’ve been so selfish.”

  Surprised, she stilled.

  He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. Then he let out a soft laugh.

  She raised her eyebrows. “What?”

  He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it. “Do you believe what the crazy old guy said to us at the car rental place yesterday?”

  She smiled. “Our Christmas angel?”

  “Yeah. Our Christmas angel.”

  Maybe it was silly, but she kinda liked the idea. “Which part?”

  He kissed her hand again, then held it to his cheek. “The part about second chances and forgiveness.”

  Her heart quickened, and she thought about what she needed to tell him. “I want to,” she said, her voice breaking slightly.

  “Me, too.”

  She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

  He stroked her hair down her back, whispering in her ear. “I realize now how much I messed up. I left you back then, and it was my actions that made such a mess of things between us.”

  She couldn’t believe what he was saying; she’d wanted to hear it for so long.

  “And I just left you wide open for Dustin to come in and take advantage of you.” He lightly kissed her ear. “I should have been there for you. I should have stayed with you. I’m stepping up. It’s time I face the consequences for my actions. I’m so sorry, Chan. I hope you can forgive me.”

  She’d needed him so much back then. Those days had been so dark, and her training and Dustin had truly been all she’d had. Her arms tightened and she nodded, unable to speak through her tears.

  JJ let out a little sigh and kissed her ear. “Thank you.” The song ended, and he asked, “Will you stay and dance with me the rest of the night?”

  A slower Christmas song came on. Chantel pushed through the confusion clouding her mind and said, “Only on one condition.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Anything.”

  “You promise that no matter what, you’ll forgive me, too.”