NextMoves (6 page)

Kylie bounded into the house, shorts and jersey streaked
with mud, long wisps of hair escaping her ponytail. “Uncle Gid, Granddad.��� Her
voice bled joy as she jumped her uncle and squeezed him in a bear hug.

“The feeling’s mutual, squirt.” Lieutenant Colonel Gideon
Wade held his niece tight with one arm. The other held the knife he’d been
using to chop vegetables. His broad grin lit up a lean, handsome face, framed
by military-cropped gold-blond hair and heartbreaking brown eyes.

“Watch the knife, big brother. Kyles, go change and wash for
dinner. Your uncle’s visiting for two weeks so you will have plenty of time to
get your bear hugs in.” Gideon was the closest thing Kylie had to a father and
she adored him.

“Okay, Mom. Do I have time for a shower? I’m a muddy, dirty
mess.”

“We eat in thirty minutes. Choice is yours.”

“Shower it is.” Kylie headed upstairs and the rest of the
family finished making dinner.

When the dinner plates hit the table, Kylie slipped into the
seat next to Gideon, fresh in blue jeans and green T.

His fingers ruffled through her still-damp hair. “Those
auburn roots are showing.”

She shrugged in an attempt at nonchalance. “I’m letting my
real color come back.”

“Works for me, squirt. Tell me about high school. The
soccer’s new.” Gideon took salad and passed it on.

“Yeah. I play center forward on the soccer team and I’m
pretty good, I think, and my teammates are really nice.” Her face lit up like a
light bulb.

Jocelyn exchanged glances with her brother. Who replaced the
dour goth girl who moped around the dinner table with this smiling teen?
Jared’s name was written all over this. Hope for her daughter grew hand in hand
with her respect for him, which burned through the anger that shielded her
heart, and it terrified her. She did not do vulnerability. That suit didn’t fit
and she got rid of it years ago.

“That new athletic director’s your coach,” said Alan. “He’s
all the town’s talking about. The rumor is that Joci tried to tell him what’s
what and he gave it right back. It’s been a long time since anyone stood up to
our Joci and won.”

“He did not win,” she said under her breath.

“There’s a man out there who can go a few rounds with my
sister and get my niece to smile. When do I meet him?”

“Friday night at the Chamber dinner,” Alan said.

Grumbling, she stood to clear the table and piled the
plates. She spun around and her hip caught the edge of the chair. The plates
tumbled to the floor, shattering. Tiny fragments sprayed around the room. “What
a mess. I’ll get the broom.”

“What’s got your panties in a twist, baby sister?”

“The new athletic director,” Kylie and Alan said in unison.

* * * * *

Jared arrived early to the Chamber dinner to tour the room
before his speech and get a feel for the surroundings. If he were being honest
with himself, he wanted to steal some time with Jocelyn before it got crowded.
The chinks in her armor were showing and he intended to heap on the pressure.

The banquet hall was a class act, Jocelyn’s touch visible in
every detail. Elegant lace-edged white tablecloths covered round tables
scattered around the room. Floral centerpieces of multicolored roses filled the
hall with subtle color and scent.

Satisfied with the setup, he headed to the sixth floor
balcony to review his notes. The balcony was known for its view of the Madison
River and offered an ideal setting to pull his thoughts together before his
speech.

Others had the same idea. A couple leaned over the railing
in the far corner, exchanging whispers, the man’s arm draped over the woman’s
shoulders. Her laughter spiced the night air, its rich, sexy tone familiar.
“Jocelyn?” he asked, green venom exploding through his bloodstream. They turned
to the sound of her name, the man’s arm still resting on her shoulders.

“Hello, Jared, do you need something?” Jocelyn’s shoulders
stiffened and the blond man flinched, his gaze traveling from her anxious face
to Jared’s angry one.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Jared said, his body tensed
for a kill. After all that crap about not doing relationships… Who the fuck was
that guy? How many years would he get for murder?

“No interruption, man. I’m Gideon Wade, Joci’s brother. You
must be the new athletic director.” A grin tugged at his lips.

“Jared Wyatt.” He offered his hand for a shake, his body
relaxing. “I remember your name. Did you box for West Point?”

Recognition glinted in Gideon’s eyes. “And you boxed for the
University of Dallas. You beat me my sophomore year at national championships.
That left cross of yours sent me back to practice. Don’t ask me to thank you, I
hate to lose. How come we never crossed paths again?”

“I bulked up, moved to light heavyweight the year after we
fought.”

“Rumor has it you’re slinging a few rounds with my sister. I
don’t admit this often but she’s the tougher Wade to beat.”

Anger flushed her cheeks cherry red. “When are you heading
back to DC, Gideon? You’re starting to overstay your welcome.”

“Play nice, baby sister. I’m reconnecting with an old
sparring partner.” Gideon squeezed her shoulders and kissed the top of her
head.

“I’ll leave you two alone while I check on the dinner
arrangements. Jared, be down in fifteen minutes to go through sound checks.
Gideon, make sure Dad takes his meds at dinner and stay out of trouble. I don’t
want to have to save your sorry ass like last time.” She stormed off and never
looked back.

“Has she always been this controlling?”

“Yep, always. I wouldn’t change her though. You still spar,
Jared?”

“Not for sport, but to stay in shape.”

“I’m here for two weeks. Feel like getting in the ring
again, give me a second chance to kick your butt back to Texas?”

“My pleasure, but it’s your ass heading east with my
footprint stamped across it.” Jared liked this turn of events and he liked
Gideon Wade, a straight shooter who promised more ammunition to win over his
elusive sister.

* * * * *

“Bloody lemmings.” Jocelyn fumed at the women swarming toward
her men as they strode back into the reception hall, and at herself for
thinking of them that way. Worse, she had to swim into that sea of ladies and
drag Jared out for the sound check.

Jared flirted too easily with the bevy of women hanging on
to his every word and was enjoying himself too much.
Oh I’m not jealous, not
one bit.
Liar
, said that little voice in her head. She pushed over
to Jared and tapped him on the shoulder. “I need you in the dining room to get
the lapel mic hooked up.”

“Do you have to take him, Jocelyn?” asked a mini-skirted,
overdone Debbie Hester, draped on Jared’s arm. “We’re getting to know him
better.”

“Sorry, Debbie, duty calls. That reminds me. I never heard
back from you. Can we count on your support for the girls’ soccer team Jared’s
coaching? Business contributions range from fifty to one hundred fifty
dollars.”

“Of course, my pleasure. Put me down for one fifty. With
Health Corp rescued, my little health care service company is doing quite well.
See you later, Jared.” She walked away.

“You’re one shrewd manipulator, Jocelyn Wade. I’m
impressed.”

“That was taking candy from a baby. We hit sponsorship goals
two weeks ago. I couldn’t resist.” Her laugh bubbled up from down deep, a
childish joy settled in her heart.

“Sometimes, not often, you make it easy to like you.” He
flashed his broadest smile and took her arm. “Let’s get this evening started.”

Waitstaff in black tuxedo jackets and pressed white shirts
served dinner. Wine flowed. The room buzzed with conversation amidst the clinking
of silverware on china until Jared took the podium.

Relaxed for the first time this evening, Jocelyn realized
she’d never seen Jared in such formal dress. Elegant in a tailored pinstripe
silk suit, the crowd eating up his every word, he wore local celebrity with
style. If she thought he was sexy before… An image of him sitting at her desk
as she lowered herself on his steel-hard length and rubbed her naked body
against the silk of that suit planted itself in her brain and refused to go
away.

The standing ovation startled her back to the dinner. With a
shake of her head to clear out the fog, she thanked Jared and handed the podium
to Don Corcoran to give the Chamber’s response. Not one to play second fiddle
to anyone, Don preened and blustered, lifting the crowd from excited to
ecstatic when he publicly committed the Chamber to support the school budgets
even if that meant not reducing taxes.

On its feet, the audience stomped and clapped. Jocelyn
breathed a sigh of relief. Trying to mediate the internal tensions between her
personal desires as a mother for strong schools and the professional
compromises she made as a business leader had her continuously refilling her
medicine cabinet. Thank goodness for Tums, the wonder drug.

Thanks to Jared, again, her world was a little easier, the
stresses reduced. Her gaze instinctively sought his and found it staring back,
searching for something. She broke contact, not ready to answer the question of
Jared Wyatt.

* * * * *

Jared agreed to meet Gideon at AJ’s Gym, just blocks from
the Chamber of Commerce. The ramshackle building was set back from the street,
making it easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it. Chipped white paint and
sagging windowpanes sang a song of age and lack of investment.

Inside, over-polished state-of-the-art boxing equipment
flashed its mojo. Framed pictures of past champions strung along the back wall
caught his attention. Many were of a younger Gideon and another teen—a Wade
sibling by his looks—who was tall and lanky with Jocelyn’s auburn hair and
Gideon’s sculpted jawline and molten-brown eyes.

“That’s Tommy, the middle child, he’s stationed in
Afghanistan,” Gideon said. His voice echoed across the empty gym. “This used to
be my father’s gym, AJ for Alan and Joanne. Dad sold it after she died. Lou,
the owner, lets me use it when I’m in town.”

“When she pass?”

“About fourteen years ago, after Kylie was born. You ready
to roll?” They stripped down to shorts, did some warm-ups, and put on their
gloves. In the ring, Gideon came out swinging. “What’s going on between you and
Joci? She’s off her game and the trail leads to you.”

“Direct. You don’t pull any punches.” Jared laughed at his
own joke.

Gideon raised an eyebrow, his left hook missed its target.
“Wades go for the jugular. Faster that way.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“My sister’s a real ball-buster. Growing up around us left
her little choice. Mom tried damn hard to dress her up in pink and ponytails,
but Joci wouldn’t have it. She’s as stubborn as they come.” Gideon’s fist made
first contact with Jared’s gut. “Now answer my question.”

“I want to date her. She wants the same thing, but denies
it, and I won’t take no for an answer. When it comes to mule-headedness, she’s
met her match.” Jared danced away from a left jab, sweat sliding down his
chest, tickling his bellybutton.

“She doesn’t trust easily,” Gideon said, blocking Jared’s
right cross, veins pulsing along taut biceps. “The men in her life haven’t been
there for her and over the years it has sucked her dry.”

“That’s why she axes relationships? She sees them as
burdens?” Jared’s one-two punch hit its target.

Gideon nodded after moving far enough back to avoid Jared’s
fists. “Most have been. That asshat of a first husband up and left after Kylie
was born. She held the family together when Mom was sick. Now she shoulders
Dad’s care, runs interference when I run too loose with the ladies, organizes
Tommy days, when she forces all of us to make care packages to send to our
brother. You want her? Fight by her side, no matter what. And take care of her.
She pretends to not need it…but she does.”

The high-school parking lot buzzed with cars. The first wave
of would-be girls’ soccer fans headed to the stadium. Jocelyn, Gideon and Alan
commandeered the front row. The teams lined up for play and Jared scanned the
filled bleachers. His gaze caught hers and he nodded thanks. Pointing at him,
she mouthed, “Your turn now.”

“Trust me,” he mouthed back with a smile that knocked her
socks off.

Tied at two-all in the second half of the game, during the
final minutes, Kylie passed to Tessa Atwater and the Madison Blaze scored,
winning the game 3-2. The crowd roared to its feet, hooting and hollering, the
Wade clan in the thick of it. Jocelyn let loose with cheers and clapped her
hands red. Her heart wept with joy watching the real victory of the day, Kylie
smack in the middle of the team hugfest, face flushed with delight.

When Kylie ran over to them, Jocelyn grabbed hold and
couldn’t let go.

“Great game. What you’ve done with those kids is
extraordinary,” Gideon said. His voice startled Jocelyn back to reality—one
with Jared Wyatt in a tight black T outlining every damn muscle hovering in her
face.

“The bleachers were packed, uniforms top-of-the-line, you
even provided drinks and snacks—a first for me. Thank you.”

“You did more than what you promised, I could do no less.”
Her knees buckled when his gaze locked on to her and seemed to probe for hidden
secrets.

“I’d start fundraising for the trip to the national
championships.”

“Deal.” Her daughter happy in her arms, Jared’s grin
lighting up her world, a one-word answer was all she could muster.

* * * * *

With Kylie at teammate’s house for a sleepover, Jocelyn
prowled around her too-quiet, too-empty house, surfed TV channels, tossed
through books, rearranged the spice rack—nothing grabbed her interest. Flipping
through cookbooks, she sought the perfect cinnamon scone recipe. Baking her
favorite breakfast would keep her busy for twenty minutes at least.

The knock at the door jacked her energy level from sluggish
to slow. Even if it were most likely a pizza delivery to the wrong address, she
ambled over, glad for the momentary distraction with another human.

She should have guessed. All surprises led to Jared, who
stood on her porch, reeking male in a denim jacket, tight T, jeans and those
roper boots that snatched a place of honor in all her fantasies. A lock of
black hair fell across his forehead, daring her to brush it back, his scent
reeled her closer.

“Evening, Jocelyn. Kylie left this at the game.” A red warm-up
jacket draped over his arm.

Door wide open, she took the jacket and tilted her head in
invitation.

His girth made the living room feel small, airless. Her head
spun and lungs struggled for breath. She stood at a precipice, the voice in her
head promised heaven if she jumped. Her legs locked in place, the fear and
distrust tattooed on her heart held her back from reaching toward his warmth
and wrapping it around herself. Needing to do something, good manners seemed a
reasonable place to start.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

“Red wine if you’ll drink with me?”

Jocelyn pointed to a fully loaded wrought iron wine rack
nestled in the corner of the living room, next to the kitchen entrance. “Pick
your poison. I’ll grab glasses and the opener.”

Wine poured, glass in hand, lifted, he edged toward her,
chest-to-breast. “What shall we toast to, Joci?”

“Joci…no one around here calls me that anymore.”

“Your family doesn’t call you anything else. I like it. Do
you mind?”

“No, I like it too. I’d forgotten how much.” Joci rang of
joy and spontaneity. Jocelyn grated harsh on her ears, brittle and scratchy
like the woman she’d become. She needed more pleasure to lighten the loads she
carried. Here it was, in her living room on a silver platter if only she had
the courage to seize it.

“To winning,” she said, her glass raised in salute.

“To winning.” He clinked his glass against hers, intent in
his eyes so plain if she nodded, he’d hoist her over his shoulder, throw her on
the bed and make love to her until sunrise.

Liquid heat churning through her veins had her body and her
heart clenching in need for the man in front of her. Overwhelmed by sensation,
she looked away, breaking physical and emotional contact. Even with the sexual
energy pulsing through the room, this wasn’t just about sex. Maybe Jared had
been right, it never had been. Was she ready for this? The scars Nick had cut
choked her, held her back, even as hope fought to reach out to the man in front
of her.

“How did you fill the bleachers this morning? I knew you’d
raise the money, but a full house? That’s rare for an untested team.”

“You mean a girls team,” she said, shoulders relaxing,
grabbing at the more comfortable banter he offered. An external distraction to
the emotional war raging within.

“Yes.”

“I put a whole Chamber department on the phone, called in a
few favors, and asked Don’s daughter to sing the national anthem. He’s so proud
of her, he arm-twisted friends and employees to support her and, by extension,
the team.”

“You are one impressive lady, Jocelyn Wade.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said with a curtsy, a grin and a warm
glow in her belly. “I aim to please.”

“Joci, are you flirting with me?”

“No, not flirting.” Yes she was.

“Did you enjoy the game today?”

“Absolutely. The girls did a great job. They should be
pulling fans to the bleachers on their own in no time.”

“Yeah, they did. Kylie was brilliant.”

A breath she’d been holding inched its way out of her lungs.
Her gaze drilled through the man in front of her, who’d helped her daughter,
showed her how to feel again, charmed the Chamber leaders and fucked like a
dream.

“I don’t think I’ll ever find a way to thank you enough for
that. And I didn’t have to strong-arm you, bribe you or threaten you to do it.”

“It’s not your gratitude I want.” His gaze blazed passion so
hot it had her sweating and it demanded a response.

Time to choose and there was no choice at all. Nick be
damned, his legacy would no longer cripple her. She cupped his cheek in one
hand and kissed him gently, letting it linger. When she pulled away, she put
her wineglass on the coffee table, took his hand and led him toward the stairs.

He didn’t move. “Joci, my car’s in your driveway. If I
follow you up, it stays until morning.”

“And the entire town will know you spent the night by
lunchtime. I know.” She kept walking.

He pulled her back, his feet rooted on the wood floor. “So
we’re both clear, if I come upstairs, we’re talking the R word. You—on my arm,
in my bed, at my games, by my side—mine.”

The possessiveness in his voice sent shivers of longing
through her body and soul. “I know. Are you coming or not?”

“Hell yes.” He took the steps two by two, lines of victory
plastered across his face.

In her room, Jared hovered by the door, arms at his sides,
waiting to see what she would do. This was her game, her move. She’d accept
nothing less. Now with the sweet rewards of victory in his grasp, he wouldn’t
let the carnal hunger ripping through his gut ruin the poignancy of a moment he
had fought too hard to reach.

Tethering her gaze to his, she slithered toward him. His
cock stiffened with each sashay of her hips. She peeled off his jacket and
shirt. Her lips slid over his collarbone, hands and nails circled his back and
torso. After she unzipped his jeans and tugged them down, he kicked off his boots
and let the pants fall to the floor. Jocelyn made slow work of her own clothes.
Jeans flowed leisurely down leanly muscled legs, bra straps moving like
molasses down each arm, tempting him with succulent flesh and hints of sin to
come. His dick throbbed mercilessly, but still he waited, content to let her
play with him. When she was fully naked, she pulled him onto the bed.

On the edge of the mattress, she scanned up and down his
body. “You’re such a beautiful man,” she said, the tenderness in her voice at
odds with the raw desire flaring in her eyes. One hand drifted up his inner
thigh, teasing out a moan from deep in his throat. The other reached into her
nightstand to pull out a long red-and-gold silk scarf.

“What are you going to do with that?” Whatever it was, bring
it on. He was up for anything she had in mind.

“I’m going to make you feel good.”

The scarf draped over his chest, she nibbled his lips as her
fingers massaged silk-sheathed nipples that strained into her touch.
Intensifying the kiss, she sipped his tongue. Her fingers rolled harder and
faster with every groan that escaped his lips.

The silk swirled across the planes of his chest, smooth
against the hard muscle. Teasing, enticing all the way down until she swathed
it around his dick and pumped, a slow rhythm that had fire racing up his spine.
Her tongue lapped at the crest of his cock and he growled like a rabid wolf,
bucking into her grip. His body raged for more—to possess every inch of her.
“Suck it. Deep.”

She swallowed him all in and flicked her tongue up and
around. That mouth was a little piece of heaven and he was going to move in,
permanently.

His fingers laced through her hair and held her to him as he
thrust through the smooth silk of the scarf and the velvet heat of her mouth.
Sweat beaded on his forehead. Pressure pooled in the small of his back and
pulsed through his erection. ”I’m coming, babe.”

She stayed with him. And he loved it.

With a strangled cry, he poured himself into her, letting
her have all of him. Breath ragged, he pulled Joci up into his arms and nuzzled
into the satin of her skin, the softness of her hair. “That was one hell of a
prop.” Holding her with one arm, he reached down with the other and unraveled
the scarf. “My turn.” He intended to own her as completely as she’d just taken
him.

His head resting on one arm, Jared slid the scarf along her
thigh, across her belly to tickle her breasts. With a sigh, Jocelyn stretched
back and surrendered to his touch.

He got to his knees and hovered over her. His large body cast
a shadow over the bed. The scarf in one hand, Jared glided his hands down her
arms and stopped at her wrists. With one swift motion, he had them over her
head and tied to the headboard.

“What are you doing? I’m not a closet submissive.” Anxiety
stiffened her shoulders and had her crossing her legs.

“I know, Joci. Trust me.” Those beautiful eyes, soft with
affection, and that rich-baritone laugh chased the niggling doubts back into
hiding. Her body relaxed into the bed, ready for him.

He drew one nipple in his warm, wet mouth, feasted on it
like a starving man. Unable to get enough, he nibbled, sucked and licked the
diamond-hard points and the tender flesh around them until her whole body
trembled in need.

“Need more. Eat me, now.” Her legs opened in invitation.

His head and chest lifted and he stared down at her, his
breath grazed the sensitized skin of her breasts. “I’m calling the shots, babe,
and I’m not done here.”

Syrupy-thick juices dripped down her thighs. Ah hell, she
was gushing. This man did things to her. And not just to her body. He had dug
himself under her skin and hijacked part of her soul.

“Like that, I see. Good.”

Returning to her breasts, he suckled her to insanity. His
hand moved down to her lower lips and stroked her. She opened to him like a
flower to the sun, her heart reaching for a life she’d long ago stopped
believing could be hers. Clit under his thumb, he stoked the fire to blazing.

“Baby, please,” she said between moans. Lord in heaven, he
had her begging again.

“Since you asked so nicely.” Settled between her thighs, a
wolfish grin on his face, he peeled her folds open with his fingers to expose
her needy flesh. “Yum,” he breathed against her thigh and took the first taste
with a kiss. His tongue licked her from bottom to top, then flicked the bud, a
gentle flutter that had her whimpering. His hands slid under her glutes to pull
her closer to him and she ground in, desperate for more even as he consumed
her, utterly.

This was paradise. Oh the man knew how to play her just
right.

“Come for me.” His tongue relentless, fingers torturing.

She bucked violently, coming again and again. Delight flowed
warm from head to toe, carrying away the emotional residue that imprisoned her
heart.

One last lick and he moved over her, the silken hair on his
chest teased her aching nipples, his torso a tantalizing weight against her
breasts. Scarf removed, he covered her hands with his. “No more walls between
us, Joci. Anywhere. Let me come inside you. I’m clean, baby.” His eyes shifted
a fraction, enough to break contact. “And I’m sterile.”

Too choked up to reply, knowing he wouldn’t tolerate pity
and so damn horny she was going to explode, she freed a hand, grabbed his cock
and slipped it inside her. A perfect fit. Wrapping her legs and arms around him,
she arched her back to deepen his entry and moaned against his neck.

Jared took her lips and then jackhammered her as if there’d
be no tomorrow, demanding her ferocity in return. She gave it. Digging in with
her nails, she milked him hard, so delirious with need that when she came, the
screaming didn’t stop. The waves of pleasure that pummeled through her body had
her fighting to stay conscious.

Jared’s head flew back, hair slick with sweat, cheeks
flushed with passion. With a feral growl, he emptied himself into her,
shuddered violently and collapsed on top of the boneless mass that had once
been her body.

After the dizziness dissipated, she snuggled into his
embrace, luxuriating in the warmth of his skin, the heady scent of musk, his
tender caresses. “What happens next, Jared? I doubt I remember how to be in a
relationship. It’s been so long.”