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Willow had an earthy sensuality about her that made him more aware of her sexually each time they met. At first, he’d just wanted to rekindle their old friendship, but as she’d continued to ignore him, she’d awakened something primal inside of him. He suspected an affair with Willow would affect their working relationship, but at this point he knew his ego would settle for nothing less than having her. He needed to prove to both of them that she’d made a mistake by ignoring him.
He opened the door and Willow scowled up at him. She looked tired and thin, something he hadn’t noticed when they were on the set or even in the editing booth. She always moved with so much energy, but tonight she seemed worn out.
Not exactly the right mood he needed her in. But he’d grown up with a single mom and had learned early on how to cheer her up with a lot of attention. So he shifted gears in his head.
He pulled her close for a hug, rubbing her back. But she wedged her arms between them. “What are you doing?”
“You looked like you needed a hug,” he said, stepping back and leading her into his apartment. It wasn’t overly luxurious like the apartment they’d photographed him at for Architectural Digest a few months back. He couldn’t live like that. He supposed it was the small-town Texas boy in him but that kind of opulence made him feel out of place.
His loft was an open floor plan with a kitchen at one end and a huge entertainment area on the other. That was one thing he didn’t mind splurging on. There were large comfortable couches as well as a nicely appointed dining area.
“I could use a drink,” Willow said.
“Wine, beer or something stronger?” he asked. He had a fully stocked bar, even though he wasn’t much of a drinker. He didn’t like feeling out of control. He’d learned that after a brief stint of stupidity when he’d been recovering from his knee injury and had had no job prospects.
“What kind of wine do you have?” she asked.
“Just about every kind. I endorse a vineyard and they send me a case of everything they make,” he said with a wry grin.
“That’s right. You’re everyone’s favorite ad man. I like dry white wine,” she said.
“Coming right up. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. Do you want to go out on the balcony?” he asked.
“It’s cold outside,” she said.
“I have those patio heaters. You’ll be comfortable,” he said.
She nodded and turned away from him. He watched her walk slowly across his apartment before he started toward the kitchen. She was on edge and didn’t seem to be in the mood to enjoy this evening with him. If he was a different kind of man he’d give up but he was used to overcoming odds and coming out the winner. After all everyone said after his career-ending football injury that he was going to have to go back to Frisco, Texas. But he hadn’t.
He poured them both a glass of wine and headed out to the balcony. It was quiet, thanks to the glass walls that surrounded the patio area, and warm, thanks to his heaters.
“Thanks,” she said. “Sorry I was so snippy earlier.”
“No problem,” he said. He lifted his glass to hers. “To new beginnings.”
“New beginnings,” she said. “For tonight or since we met?”
Something about what she said made him realize that the past might hold the key to whatever the problem was between them. “For everything. I know I’ve changed since I left Frisco and I’m sure you have, too.”
“Not as much as you’d think,” she said, taking a sip of her wine. “I still love football and feel guilty if I don’t go to church on Sunday. Though the Baptist church I attend here is nothing like Prestonwood back home.”
He chuckled. No state did religion like Texas. “I know what you mean. My mom is praying for my soul since I’m usually working and don’t get to church as often as I should.”
“Sinner. You’re such a bad boy,” she said, but there was a grin on her face when she said it.
“Haven’t I always been?”
“Yes, you have. Tell me about the new Jack Crown. What haven’t I seen?” she asked.
He started to talk about himself but stopped. He wasn’t sure why but he knew that going on and on about his TV shows and his lifestyle wasn’t the right tack with Willow. “I’m not interested in that. Tell me about you. I remember in high school you wanted to be a writer.”
He saw the momentary surprise in her eyes before she masked it. She turned away from him, took another sip of her wine and then cleared her throat. “That’s right, I did, but once I got to school I realized that I’m more into telling people what to do.”
He grinned as he suspected she wanted him to. But he’d been a star athlete and had lost the ability to play his game so he knew that dreams—especially those that were held since childhood—were hard to let go of. “I’m glad it was easy for you to transition. It wasn’t for me.”
“From football?” she asked. “I saw the game where you were injured and despite everything I felt bad about what happened.”
“What do you mean despite everything?” he asked.
“Just that I wasn’t a Giants fan,” she said.
Again he sensed there was more she wasn’t saying but this was a first date so that made sense. He’d find out what she was hiding from him as time went on.
The timer on his iPod beeped and he stood up. “Dinner’s ready.”
“I think I’ll go wash up,” she said. “Can you direct me to the restroom?”
“To the left of the TV wall,” he said. “I’ll give you a tour after dinner.”
She arched one eyebrow at him. “What else would you show me except your bedroom … the entire apartment is visible?”
“I’ll show you my bedroom,” he said. “But I’ll wait until you ask to see it.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” she said.
“Over dinner I want you to explain why you’re so prickly,” he said.
“Just because I’m not swooning at the thought of seeing your bedroom?” she asked.
“Sort of. But you also seem to be almost angry at me and I don’t know why,” he said.
“Oh, I …”
“Not now. Go wash up and while we’re eating you can tell me. I’m very good at fixing things,” he said.
She shook her head. “Not this.”
He watched her walk away again and this time he was just as puzzled by her as the first time. He wanted her, which was why he’d been trying so hard to convince her to go out with him. But now that she was here and he realized how much of herself she kept hidden from the world … well, it just intrigued him more.
He wanted to get to know the whole Willow not just seduce her into his bed. But both objectives were looking harder than he’d thought they’d be.
There was definitely something from their mutual past that he’d done to upset her. But for the life of him he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. He rarely thought of those old days now.
He got the dinner his housekeeper had prepared out of the oven and set the table for two. Willow still hadn’t emerged from the bathroom and he wondered why.
He was about to go knock on the door when she was back with a fake bright smile on her face. “Dinner smells good. I had no idea you could cook.”
“I can’t,” he said.
“Another illusion shattered,” she said.
“I never said I could cook,” he said.
“I know. It’s just that you seem like you can do everything,” she said. “All the shows and the easy charm. Life just looks really good for you.”
“It is, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. I have struggles like everyone else.”
He held her chair out and she sat down at the table. “Jack Crown isn’t like everyone else.”
“I was hoping you’d see that. I’m not like any other man you know,” he said. “But I think you meant that in a negative way. So tell me—what did I do to make you so angry?”
She swallowed hard and looked up at him with those big, dark brown eyes of hers. “Nothing. I’ve just been burned in the past by men who seemed too good to be true.”
“Get to know me so you can see that I’m exactly what you think I am.”
“That might not work in your favor,” she said. “I don’t have a positive impression of you.”
“I can work with it,” he said. He always had the feeling that she was judging him, and if there was one thing he knew about Willow it was that she didn’t pull her punches or her words. “How would you describe me?”
“Too charming for your own good,” she said.
“I can work with charming,” he said.
Two
“Not charming. Too charming,” she reminded him.
Willow hadn’t meant to reveal how she felt about Jack but she realized that she couldn’t help herself. Yes, she wanted some kind of revenge on him but she also wanted him to know how she felt. She wanted him to have a clue about her distrust of him. She almost would have said she disliked him but she knew that was a lie.
“Too charming … that can mean a myriad of things,” he said. “Do you find me irresistible?”
“Never,” she said. “You do have moments when I think I could like you but then your ego comes shining through.”
“It’s hard to be humble when I’ve got so much going for me,” he said.
It took a minute for her to get that he was teasing her. She really didn’t want to like him. It was okay to see flashes of it but she didn’t want to see that there was a real man behind the toothy grin and perfectly styled hair.
“Yeah, you got it all,” she said. “I know you’re being silly but to someone on the outside it looks like you do live a charmed life. Why would you be interested in me?” she asked. No sense in beating around the bush. It was the one thing that seemed illogical to her. He could have any woman he wanted so why her? Why now?
“Maybe because you’re a challenge,” he said.
It was the answer she was expecting but disappointing all the same. “So it’s just a game to you then?”
“Not a game. Life is too short to not go after what you want. I like you. You can be funny on the set and I see the way you really connect with the couples and with your friends and crew. I want to be a part of that.”
She didn’t know what he meant. Sure she made the time to listen to people but only because she’d learned that if she didn’t then the results they got when filming weren’t that great. “That’s just the way I work.”
“It’s more than that. I saw you holding Bella McCaw when Fiona needed someone to take care of her. And there was a look on your face….”
Fiona was a fashion designer and single mom who’d come on the show with her darling daughter, Bella Ann. She’d been matched to Alex Cannon, a games developer. They were an interesting couple who were now happily engaged.
“What look?” she asked. She always liked to believe she had a poker face that didn’t reveal what she was thinking. Wasn’t that true?
He shrugged. “It just got me to thinking that I wanted to get to know you better.”
“Are you looking to settle down with me?” she asked. If he said yes, it would really give her the ammunition she needed to bring him to his knees. But on the other hand … he wasn’t the boy she knew in high school. Maybe he didn’t deserve her vengeance.
“No,” he said. “Just want to get to know you better. For a few moments I want to be like every other man in America who has an attractive coworker and invites her out for dinner.”
“You’re never going to be like every other man in America. You know that, right?” How could he look at his life and think he could be like everyone else? He’d won a Heisman Trophy. They only gave out one a year, so that put him in an elite sportsman category. He’d been named Associated Press Athlete of the Year and played professional football before going on to be the host of some of the most popular shows on TV. He was never going to be an average Joe.
“Yes, I do, but with you I feel like I am. All the trappings of the celebrity lifestyle aren’t important to you,” he said.
“That’s true. I’ve seen the other side of celebrity,” she said.
“Me, too. We are uniquely suited for each other,” he said, waggling his eyebrows and smiling over at her.
“I don’t know.” She did know. If she played this right she could get him thinking that maybe he could have something with her. Then she’d walk away.
“Come on, how many people do you meet in this business from Frisco, Texas?” he said with that half smile of his that reminded her a little too much of the boy who’d first stolen her heart.
She put down her fork and took a sip of her wine. Revenge, she thought. She had to stay focused on what she really wanted or she was going to lose her way.
He reached over and touched her hand. A little zing shot up her arm. His touch unnerved her as much now as it had when he’d hugged her earlier. He ran his finger over her knuckles and then turned her hand over in his and traced the lines on her palm.
“I’m only asking for a chance here,” he said.
A chance. To do what? He’d said he wanted a regular relationship but had never had a chance to have that because of his celebrity.
And she wanted what Nichole had suggested. A chance to find some happiness for herself down the line. So she had to do something with Jack. Had to find a way to make peace with her past so she could trust again. And she knew now that unless he was hiding cloven hooves and the devil’s tail she wasn’t going to be able to be as coldly calculating as she’d thought she could be. She’d thought that focusing on getting back at him would be enough to protect her but maybe it wasn’t.
“A chance, eh? Just dating?” she asked. She didn’t want to admit it—even to herself—but the thought of walking away from him was beginning to fade.
“Yes, dating. It’s not going to be easy since I have to fly back and forth between the coasts all the time but I do want a chance to get to know you better. A chance to prove that there is more to me than Prince Charming.”
“I’ve never called you Prince Charming,” she said.
“Everyone knows I am,” he said with that stupid arrogant grin of his. “Let’s face it, you even said I was charming.”
Suddenly she thought it might not be too hard to hurt him if he was going to act like this. Was this the real Jack Crown? She had no idea, and she never would unless she took a chance on him.
“Fine, we can date,” she said. But as she looked into those very blue eyes of his, she couldn’t help a niggling sensation that this was a bad idea. She was susceptible to Jack. She always had been. And she knew how easy it was to fall for him.
Wanting revenge was one thing, but messing up her life at work—the one place where she was truly at home and happy—didn’t seem smart. If she was going to fool around with Jack and walk away, she had to be careful how she timed it and that she never let it interfere with work.
“Golly gee, Willow, don’t sound so excited about it,” he said.
She nodded over at him. “I’m sorry. I’d be happy to go on dates with you when the time allows.”
