Love on the Line (Love Beyond Danger Book 3)

by Diane Holiday

  She shouldn’t be surprised. A famous football player drew attention, but he’d sure had his share in the past. She scanned the images and froze. One of Wyatt with a supermodel caught her eye. He had his arm around the woman, whose head touched the side of his, bright smiles on both of their faces. Anne leaned closer to the screen. Valentine’s decorations filled the background of the post.

  Dated three weeks ago.

  Betrayal stole her breath. These weren’t all pictures from his glory days. That recent one was taken after she and Wyatt started going out.

  No. This couldn’t be happening. Racking her brain, she ticked back through their conversations. They’d never agreed to be exclusive. He said they’d take things slow and be casual. Did that mean he was seeing other women?

  Her gut said no, since they’d spent every weekend together for the last month, but hell, there were plenty of other opportunities if Wyatt wanted them. Technically, it wouldn’t be cheating, because she’d never talked to him about the subject.

  She shut the computer off and glanced down at her turtleneck sweater with chalk marks across the middle. She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her forehead.

  Who was she kidding? Not even in the same league.

  Her stomach queasy, she dusted off her sweater and stood. Emotions threatened to choke her, but she tamped them down. Right now, she needed to focus on getting to her fundraiser meeting.

  Anne circled the hospital’s parking lot until she found a spot in the far corner. She’d come during visitor’s hours, so the place was packed. She grabbed her briefcase, locked the car, and headed to the information desk in the lobby.

  “I’m here for a leukemia fundraiser meeting. Can you tell me what room it’s in?”

  The receptionist pulled out a paper. “Yes, room six twenty.” She handed Anne a guest pass and pointed across the lobby. “Elevators are to the left.”

  Bright primary colors and animal art greeted Anne when the elevator doors opened to the pediatric wing on the sixth floor. She stopped when she came to an open area with a television, chairs, and a couch. A group of children hooked up to IVs or wearing casts surrounded a man in a dark suit, white shirt, and red tie. The kids laughed and tugged on his pants. “Show us. Show us.”

  A lump formed in Anne’s throat. Poor little things. She took a step to continue past as the man pivoted, and she caught a glimpse of his face. Not just any man. The same man who’d changed her tire. Her pulse sped up. What was the guy’s name? She frowned and tried to remember. Devon, that was right.

  His hands were fisted in front of him. He opened them, and the children gasped in surprise.

  “Where is it?” asked a small girl with a bandaged head and casted leg.

  He knelt down to her level, reached behind her ear, and produced a bright, gold coin.

  “Why, you had it all the time,” he said with a smile.

  The children begged to know how the trick worked. He handed the little girl the coin. “Keep this, and next time I’ll show you a different trick. I can’t tell you how I did it, because magicians always keep their secrets.” He put a finger to his mouth. “Shh.”

  “Do you have to go now?” The little girl pouted.

  “I’m afraid so, but I have a surprise for you. The nurses are going to bring ice cream and cookies as a special treat.” The children cheered and he turned, still smiling. His eyes grew wide when they met Anne’s. “Hi there…Anne, right?”

  “Yes. Wow, I’m surprised to run into you again.”

  “It’s a small world.” He waved a hand at the kids. “Are you here to visit one of the children?”

  “Oh...no…I was just passing by.”

  The children whispered and giggled.

  “Is she your girlfriend?” asked the little girl holding the gold coin.

  Devon smiled and patted her on the head. His gaze locked on Anne’s. “No such luck.”

  Heat surged to Anne’s face. She tapped her watch. “I better get going, or I’ll be late.”

  “Me too, as a matter of fact. Nice bumping into you.” He said goodbye to the children, then turned and walked briskly down the hall.

  Huh. People were a constant surprise. With his sporty car and expensive suit, she hadn’t expected him to be someone who would kneel down and play games with kids. Maybe she was a bad judge of character. Which brought her right back to thoughts of Wyatt. No. She didn’t have time for that. Shaking her head, she checked the room numbers on the wall to figure out which way to go.

  She found the conference room and stopped at the sight of Devon standing at the table, pulling papers out of a briefcase. He looked up. “Are you lost?”

  “I don’t think so. I’m here for a fundraiser meeting. Is this the right room?”

  “Yes.” He motioned for her to come in. “Oh, Anne…you must be Anne Cooper. I didn’t make the connection.”

  “Yeah…wait, you’re the hospital liaison?”

  He flashed a smile and nodded, his brown eyes staring deeply into hers. “I guess we’ll be working together.”

  Was she imagining it, or had he emphasized the word “together”? A wisp of unease snuck up her back.

  “Please, have a seat.” He gestured to the chair across from him. “I’m happy to have you onboard.”

  The fragrance of his cologne filled the room. The smell was distinctly masculine and nothing she recognized. Probably some expensive European brand. Not unpleasant, but it didn’t make her knees weak the way one whiff of Wyatt’s clean, male scent did. Raw pain scratched her ribs. She needed to focus.

  After sitting, she clicked her pen and opened her notebook. “Have you been the liaison for the walk-a-thon in the past? This is my first time doing this.”

  “Mine too. I met with the sponsors and other board members earlier.” He shuffled through his papers, then raised his gaze. “I thought it would be better for us to meet alone.”

  Again, his eyes bored into hers, and the hint of a smile played on his lips.

  She swallowed and cleared her throat. “I don’t understand.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” He tapped the folder on the table. “They’ve been doing this for years and have all the materials and instructions. I thought since we were both new at this, it made sense to meet separately to go through the details without disrupting their day.”

  So he was being considerate, and she was being paranoid. Her thoughts about Wyatt were making her suspicious of everyone, damn it. “Of course. With school, I’m not available during the day, anyway.”

  Devon handed her a paper. “This outlines the plan for advertising and promoting the walk-a-thon. Your role is to get as many people as possible involved at the school. Kids, parents, teachers, anyone who’s interested in helping or participating. I’m open to suggestions and ideas.”

  “Great, I’ll look everything over and present it to the staff at our meeting tomorrow.”

  “Sounds like a good start. I appreciate your help.” He held out a business card, his fingers brushing hers as she took it. “I wrote my cell number on the back in case you need to contact me outside of the hospital.”

  She couldn’t imagine a fundraiser “emergency” that would require personal calls, but she didn’t trust any of her crazy thoughts at the moment.

  Devon rubbed his hands together. “There’s not much else to do right now. I just wanted to meet you and get things rolling. Why don’t we plan on getting back together in about a week? Next Thursday at the same time?”

  “That’s fine. It should be long enough for people to get back to me. At least the teachers anyway, and we can go from there.” She wrote the date and time in her notebook, entered it in her phone calendar, and returned both to her bag.

  “Perfect.” He stood and shut his briefcase. “I’ll walk you out. I’m done here for the day.”

  He placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her out of the room. She didn’t like him touching her, but he dropped it before they passed the children in the open area, wh
ere two nurses were handing out ice cream and cookies to the excited crowd.

  Devon pressed the down button, and Anne’s gaze went to a huge plaque on the wall next to the elevator with “Distinguished Donors” engraved at the top. The first name under it was Devon Blackwood.

  Guilt for questioning his every move squeezed her lungs. He must have donated a significant amount to be listed first.

  The doors slid open, and Anne entered the elevator. She hit the button for the first floor. Devon stood beside her. Not crowding her, but also not on the other side the way people usually spaced themselves in elevators. Maybe the guy didn’t have the same personal bubble that others did.

  “You were so good with the children earlier,” Anne said.

  “I enjoy them. Since I’m on the board here, I see them quite a bit. I like to cheer them up, if I can.”

  “That’s really nice of you, and they sure were happy for the treats.”

  He smiled. “Some things never change, do they?”

  She couldn’t argue that. Ice cream was her go-to favorite dessert.

  They walked out to the parking lot. Five o-clock and already dark. She’d be so happy when they moved the clocks forward.

  “Where did you park?” he asked.

  “A country mile off in that direction.” She pointed to the far side of the lot.

  “I’m right up front here if you’d like a ride to your car.”

  She glanced at the reserved spaces and spotted his BMW. Being a board member and distinguished donor must merit parking privileges. She’d feel funny getting in his car, though, and would just as soon be done and on her way. “Thanks, but it’s not too cold tonight.”

  “The fresh air feels good. I need to stretch my legs anyway, so I’ll come with you. Who knows, you may have another unexpected flat tire, and I’ve already proven my worth in that situation.” He gestured with his hand. “Please, after you.”

  She didn’t want to argue with him, so she started walking. Sheesh. What was it with guys insisting on escorting her to her car? And…right back to Wyatt. Damn it all.

  “I really can’t thank you enough for helping out with this, especially as busy as you must be,” Devon said.

  “We’re all busy. What do you do?” He clearly had money. Maybe he’d inherited it.

  “I’m in the art business and am a collector of sorts.”

  “That sounds interesting. Do you paint?”

  “Not at all. The kids can color better than I do.” He laughed. “I’m on the business end of things. I match up buyers and sellers for rare artwork and antiques, mostly overseas. I have a shop just outside of town.”

  “It sounds fascinating. You must get to see a lot of different things.”

  “I do from time to time.” They reached her car, and she glanced up at him. His dark eyes intensified, and he said in a low tone, “I enjoy finding rare items.”

  Was he flirting with her? No. Surely not. With his striking good looks and money, he’d have no interest in someone like her. And even if he did, she apparently fell for the green-eyed, athletic type with calloused hands and an arm that could toss a dog toy a mile.

  Not sure what to say, she fumbled around in her purse until she found her keys. “I better get going.”

  “I’m looking forward to working with you,” he said as she unlocked the car and got inside. “By the way, how far is the hospital from you?”

  “I live about a half hour south.”

  “Same as me, only I’m a bit farther.” He frowned. “You know, it seems silly for us to drive all the way out here next week, especially since we’ll both be going back in the same direction, and parking is a bear for you. How about we ditch the sterile environment and meet over at Toni’s? Do you know the place?”

  “I do.” The Italian restaurant was close to her apartment complex and would be more convenient. The carryout section always had empty tables where they could grab a soda and work. It’s not like he was asking her out. It was just business.

  He must have sensed her hesitation, because he quickly added, “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. If you’d rather meet here, that’s fine. I just thought it might save you some driving.”

  She nibbled at her bottom lip. No point in making a big deal out of it. The guy was trying to make her life easier. “Sure. It makes more sense.”

  He smiled. “Great. Since we’re meeting at five, we can grab a quick bite while we’re there, so you don’t have to worry about dinner.”

  Crap. She hadn’t thought he’d meant dinner. Before she could tell him she’d changed her mind, he waved and walked away, calling over his shoulder, “See you next week.”

  Irritation bit the back of her throat. She wasn’t going to yell after him. For God’s sake, how had she gotten herself into this situation? She should have gone with her gut when he’d first mentioned Toni’s. She needed to be more assertive, and worry less about pleasing everyone, especially if she expected to make a good principal.

  Sighing, she started the engine. People had working dinners all the time. She could get through one. She’d insist they meet at the hospital from now on.

  Her brain hadn’t been functioning right all afternoon. She’d transferred her doubts and fears about Wyatt onto Devon. Not fair.

  Everything would be fine.

  Chapter 14

  Anne hesitated in front of Wyatt’s apartment door. For the last week, she’d been in a funk after seeing all the online pictures. She’d played the “busy” card and kept their conversations short, trying to buy some time to sort out her feelings.

  Her birthday was Monday, but Wyatt’s lacrosse team had away games then and tomorrow, so he’d insisted on making her dinner tonight at his place. Homemade he’d said. And her heart swelled at that because the guy admitted he couldn’t cook for his life. His stack of carryout menus rivaled the size of War and Peace.

  Avoiding Wyatt wasn’t the answer to her insecurities. Besides, she missed him. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Goober barked, and the sound of scampering paws was followed by a thud. A giggle escaped. Adorable mutt. Always so excited.

  “Hold on,” Wyatt called through the door. “Sit.”

  “No,” Anne yelled, stifling a laugh.

  “Smart ass.” He opened the door and stood back, one hand held up in front of Goober, a treat in the other hand. “Stay.”

  While his attention was on the dog, Anne indulged in a full head-to-toe gawk. His white polo shirt rode up on his huge biceps and stretched across his ripped chest. A belt cinched the jeans at his tapered waist. A surge of pure lust shot from the souls of her feet to the roots of her hair.

  She entered and glanced at Goober, who whined. His legs shook from suppressed excitement, and his tongue hung out of his mouth as he panted.

  “Good boy.” Wyatt gave him the treat. Goober inhaled the kibble and ran over to Anne.

  She bent and hugged him, rubbing under his belly as he licked her cheeks. Pure love. Dogs had no agendas. “He’s doing better than the last time I was here.”

  “I’m working on it. My mother spoiled him, so he needs to learn some manners. The dog walker is training him as well.”

  “I forgot about him. Probably because we’ve never met.” The guy came on weekdays since Wyatt coached after school. She’d never run into him, which made her wonder who else she might have never run into. Another supermodel on any given night? Her gut churned.

  She scratched under Goober’s ears, and his eyes rolled back in his head. “Who’s the best boy?”

  “I’m hoping I am.” Wyatt reached down, placed a hand under Anne’s elbow, and eased her up.

  Oh. Face to face, and so close.

  He brushed his lips against hers. “I’ve missed you.”

  Her stomach did that flutter-in-a-good-way thing. But then the images of him with all those women popped into her mind.

  Goober wedged himself between their legs and whined again.

  Wyatt shoo
k his head. “Okay, enough, boy.”

  Anne forced a smile, and Wyatt’s eyebrows raised. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She had no clue how to talk to him about it. Besides, they were supposed to be “casual.” But they’d spent six weeks together, and it sure felt like anything but casual. To her, anyway.

  Wyatt frowned. Before he could ask any more questions, she stepped down the hall and picked up Goober’s chew toy. He raced to her, grabbed it from her hands, and ran to the corner of the living room, plopping down on his bed.

  “Let me take your coat.” Wyatt came up behind her.

  When she slipped out of it, his gaze traveled down her body. She’d chosen to wear black leggings and a pastel-blue V-neck sweater.

  He laid her coat over the back of a chair and turned to her. Resting one hand on her shoulder, he slid the other around her waist to bring her closer. “You look amazing.”

  “Thanks.” Her voice sounded strained to her own ears. She glanced down to avoid eye contact.

  He loosened his hold on her. “I guess I better get to cooking.”

  She followed him to the kitchen and tried to keep the whole casual thing going. “Whatcha making?”

  “Spaghetti marinara.”

  “Wow. I’m impressed.” That wasn’t an easy meal to make for someone who didn’t cook.

  He placed two stemmed glasses on the counter and pointed around the corner to a fully-stocked wine cooler she’d never noticed before. “Do you want white? Or I have red on the shelf.”

  She blinked and gazed at the bottles. On a good day, she might carry one of each at her apartment. Never such a varied selection. She glanced to the living room, where a huge flat-screen TV hung on the wall. A real-leather sectional and recliner filled the space along with a high-tech stereo surround-sound system.

  Their lives couldn’t be more different. A weight sunk to the bottom of her stomach.

  “Anne? What’s up?” He walked over to her and took her hand. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you haven’t been yourself all week. I thought you were just busy, but that’s not it. What’s wrong?”