Unbreak My Heart (27 page)

I held my breath. Surely she wouldn’t tell him or their other cousins about our private conversation last night.

“Because of what he and I are to each other now. I’m protective of that, so that makes me protective of him. Maybe I’ll even be secretive about all of this.” She paused. “How you think that’ll go over in the gossipy McKay family?”

Hayden laughed. “Well, darlin’, you’ll probably find out soon enough.”

“Omigod, seriously? Who fucking blabbed already? You?”

“Who do you think blabbed?” Hayden volleyed back to her.

“Kyler.”

“Yep. He already told his folks that you and Boone…reconnected.”

“Why?”

“I’d like to say it’s only because he’s happy for you two, but I’m pretty sure he used the news to deflect their interest from him because he doesn’t want his family knowing all the stuff he’s been up to outside of football.”

“That little fuckface. I should’ve gut-punched him a lot harder.”

My tough-talking woman.

“Look, Kyler, Anton and I…it sounds weird but we’re all invested in this thing with you and West.”

“Please tell me you jackasses haven’t been taking bets on when Boone and I would finally do the deed.”

“We’re not douchebags who’d do that to our own family, Sierra.”

“Sorry. I’m just…” She paused. “Paranoid that something or somebody will try and ruin this for us.”

I promise you that won’t happen.

“Boone almost ruined it when he fucked up with you that first party. After you took off, we all told him to stop bein’ a lying dumbass, man the fuck up and tell you the truth. We even gave him a place to do that when we invited him to Meat-topia last weekend. You needed that push. Last night he needed a push. I called and invited him last night only after you showed up.”

Don’t you take all the credit for this, asswipe
.

“You’re lucky I’m so forgiving.” Sierra laughed. “But you’re all a bunch of romantic idiots.”

Hayden laughed too. “Guilty.”

“I suppose I need to talk to my dad before the McKay gossip reaches him.”

“Gavin doesn’t know about you and Boone?”

“Of course he knows Boone is back in my life. Boone made that clear to him before he left Sundance and relocated to Phoenix like a crazy man.”

I fucking loved the mix of awe, sweetness and resignation in her tone.

“But I haven’t called him today and shared the news that Boone is living here after all that went down last night.” She paused. “I probably wouldn’t use those exact words to describe it.”

“It must’ve been some night. I’ve never seen you blush that hard, cuz.”

Sierra dropped her voice and I couldn’t hear her response but it caused Hayden to laugh.

I walked into the kitchen and stopped, my gaze moving between Hayden and Sierra. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Nope. Just giving Sierra a hard time about her lousy taste in men,” Hayden said with a smirk.

I looked at her and cocked an eyebrow.

She skirted the kitchen island and wrapped herself around me. “I believe my McKay cousins are taking credit for us getting together.”

“I’ll admit they gave me opportunities, but the credit belongs solely to you, gorgeous.” I kissed the top of her head. “Six minutes left of the fourth quarter.”

“Even I can take a hint that broad. Me’n Anton would’ve cleared out at halftime. But you know how Ky is. Football and pussy are the two main focuses of his life.” Hayden stilled. “Shit, Sierra, that was crude. Sorry.”

“Doesn’t make it less true. And it’s not like I didn’t know that.”

Anton walked in from the living room side and swiped a soda. “That ain’t entirely true. Ky cares about his grades.” He popped the top and took a long drink. “As evidenced by the fact he’s banging both his literature tutor
and
his statistics tutor.”

Hayden’s eyes narrowed. “Why the fuck would Ky need tutoring in statistics? He’s like a statistics savant.”

“Apparently he gets more pu”—Anton amended—“personal attention if he perpetuates the dumb jock stereotype and then miraculously gets an A in the class. So I can’t fault him for his strategy. Besides, did you see his math tutor?” He whistled. “Smokin’ hot.”

“Is she a curvy redhead?” I asked. “Because I could see why he asked for extra help.”

“How would you know what she looks like?” Sierra demanded.

I kissed her pouting mouth. “She showed up as I was leaving McJock Central. It was hard not to notice her, with her sucking Ky’s face off and shoving her hand down his pants.”

“Maybe she was just looking for his calculator,” Hayden said, attempting innocence.

Anton snickered. “Dude. You couldn’t even say that with a straight face.”

“True. Which is why when we go out Wednesday night, he’s not invited.” Hayden looked at me. “You coming this week?”

“We’ll see. Sierra and I haven’t talked about our schedules.”

The knowing look Anton and Hayden exchanged had Sierra blushing again.

“Maybe if you fuckers hadn’t dropped by unannounced we—”

“Would’ve left the bedroom to work on a
schedule
? Bullshit.” Hayden stood and clapped me on the shoulder. “Just text me this week and let me know what’s up.” He pulled Sierra away from me and hugged her. “Don’t be a stranger.”

Then Anton hugged her. “You should come Wednesday night.”

“So I can sneak you shots.”

“That’s not the only reason we want you there.”

“Yeah. You can sneak us beers too.”

Sierra shoved Anton. “Go.”

“Hey QB!” Hayden shouted. “Two minute warning.”

Kyler came around the corner. “I know. Game’s not over yet.”

“Dude. The score is twenty-seven to fourteen. The game is over.”

“But, what if—”

Hayden actually grabbed Ky by the shirt and pulled him. “We’ve worn out our welcome with the love birds. Time to fly.”

Kyler scowled at him. “Fine. But if the Vikings catch up—”

“It’ll be a miracle on the turf that you’ll be able to watch over and over on ESPN highlights,” Anton said, herding him out the door.

I locked the door behind them before I faced Sierra.

“Is it just me, or were the last few hours a little bizarre?”

I stalked her. “Bizarre. Kyler was the only one who gave a damn about the game. Anton was on his phone the entire time. And Hayden…did he follow you into the kitchen to get a play-by-play of our activities last night?”

“Maybe. But I think he was more interested from an academic standpoint.”

“Academic?”

She headed into the great room and shut off the TV. “He’s super analytical. I think he wanted to know if the naked scenarios we’d each created in our minds over the years lived up to the hype.”

I stopped short of reaching for her. “Did Hayden ask you that outright?”

“No. But I got the feeling if he could’ve cornered us individually and asked us, he would have.”

“For academic reasons,” I said.

“Indubitably.”

I chuckled. She cracked my ass up.

“So do you want to talk about this week’s schedule?”

“We should.”

She sauntered closer. “But do you want to?”

“Not really.”

“I have an idea for something else you could do.” She walked her fingers up my chest. “It involves clothes removal.”

I circled my fingers around her wrist and brought her hand to my mouth, nipping the base of her thumb. “Show me.”

Sierra twisted her hand to thread our fingers together, then she towed me past the foyer.

Immediately my head filled with images of her naked. Her tits bouncing, her ass shaking, her lips parted in ecstasy as I thrust into her again and again.

She stopped so abruptly I ran into the back of her.

“Sorry…” Then I saw why she’d stopped. My duffel bags and suitcase were still in the middle of the hallway.

She opened the door across from her bedroom and flipped on the light. “Here you go. Your own dressing room. Come find me when you’re done.”

“Done? What? I thought we were…” I angled my head toward her bedroom door. “Clothes removal? Remember?”

Her snicker had my gaze sharpening.

“Oh, you thought I meant something else?” She poked me in the chest. “Not until you remove these clothes from the hallway and put your stuff away, soldier.”

“Sneaky.” My dick actually pouted. “Where will you be?”

“In the bedroom. Naked. Working on next week’s schedule.”

That was the fastest I’d ever unpacked.

“F
antastic meeting tonight.”

I faced Dr. Phyllis Mackerley, the head of the business outreach program at ASU, who was also the first mentor who’d agreed to help us get PCE organized and running. She’d gone above and beyond for PCE and for the six of us who’d started the organization. “Thanks, Phyllis. The enthusiasm is contagious. It’s like we’ve hit another level of engagement.”

She patted me on the shoulder. “You’ve shown them that anything is possible, Sierra. And you’ve accomplished that in a way that doesn’t only use your experiences as examples. PCE has become something of a think tank, and you, my dear, are why so many members are eager to work outside of the proverbial box.”

I blushed. Praise from her meant more than I could ever express. “I love being a part of something that has the potential to help women pursue their dreams. And everyone’s dream is diverse enough that it’s a constant challenge finding the resources to make PCE worthwhile to them.”

“Exactly.” She glanced at her watch. “For all the excitement, we adjourned early. Do you have time to grab a cup of coffee or a drink?”

I still found it hard to fathom that Dr. Mackerley now considered me her colleague, not her student. “I would love a margarita.”

“I’m leaning more toward wine. Shall we meet at Emmaline’s? In fifteen? I have a quick call to make.”

“Sounds great. See you there.”

Tamarin offered to close up after she and Karene finished their workshop proposal guidelines. I waved goodbye and gathered my things, dumping all but my planner in the back of my SUV. Emmaline’s, an upscale wine and craft-cocktail bar, was only a five-minute drive, but I had a few thoughts I wanted to jot down while they were still fresh.

Emmaline’s had the New York edgy vibe, with brightly colored walls, small clusters of lounge areas, low-slung chairs upholstered in obnoxious patterns that didn’t match each other or anything else, all centered around a coffee table crafted from pallets. The lighting imbued the space with a bluish glow that managed to be relaxing and flattering. So I noticed couples cozied up everywhere.

That made me think of Boone. Shoot. I wasn’t sure when it came to this whole couple thing…was I supposed to let him know I’d be home late? I’d checked my messages right after the meeting and I hadn’t heard from him, so I probably didn’t need to worry.

The waitress seated me in a cozy corner. Two sides of the lounging area were floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Dinged up, scarred, the finish wearing thin, but it added warmth to the space. I was an interior design junkie; interior design had been my second career choice after business.

I ordered a margarita and flipped open my planner. In the notes section, I listed the comments from the members during and after the presentation. Their reactions and questions showed me where I needed to tweak certain aspects or expand on topics.

“I’d think the diligence was for my benefit,” Phyllis said as she slid into the seat opposite mine, “but since you’re no longer my student and don’t need to impress me with your work ethic…the notes must be for your benefit alone?”

I grinned at her. “I hope for the members’ benefits. If I don’t write this down right away, I forget.”

“I’m happy to see that is not just an age thing,” she said dryly.

She ordered a glass of pinot and I set my planner aside.

The drinks came and we toasted. I sipped and sighed. “That might be the best margarita I’ve ever tasted.”

“‘Handcrafted cocktails’ is not just an advertising slogan here. I’m afraid tequila in any form is off my drink menu. Which I blame on a week in Mexico and extremely poor judgment.”

I laughed. “Someday I’d like to have stories like that, that I’ll never tell.”

“You’re young. You have time.”

Unlike my male colleagues, Phyllis never made my age sound like a drawback.

“You said you spoke to the personnel manager at your day job about weeding through the application process for a fulltime director?”

“Yes. I didn’t lead the conversation, I hit on some of the points you and I discussed to gauge his first response. When I brought up hiring a headhunter, he strongly discouraged it.”

“Why?”

“Since PCE is nonprofit, we’d be better off hiring a firm that specializes in that. The downside is the employee pool we’d be recruiting from is used to extra incentives during the recruitment process.”

Phyllis rolled her eyes. “Potential employees want extra perks for even considering a position?”

“Yep. It’s the norm and not the exception. As is the list of requirements some recruits demand before starting negotiations. I don’t see that kind of…entitled attitude being a good fit for PCE. We definitely don’t want to bring in someone that has a vastly different vision.”