“More like ‘pounce and bounce,’?” I corrected. “But this girl’s different. She’s not like the others. I don’t want to just fuck her and leave.”
Derek nudged me in the side. “Oh yeah? Who is she? It’s about time you got your head out of your ass. You’ll have to let Hayden and me meet her.” I was about to tell him who when I met Ryan’s angry glare from across the room. All this time I was worried about Sadie being the problem with Bristol and me, but I was staring at a much bigger one. Whatever happened, I had to make sure Bristol was completely mine before she found out who I was. That way I’d have a better chance at keeping her. It was wrong to keep her in the dark, but I had no choice. She was the only woman to look at me like I wasn’t just a famous football player, that there was actually more to me than that. I liked it.
“Dude, who is she?” Derek repeated.
I tore my focus away from Ryan and faced him. “I can’t tell you just yet, but you’ll meet her soon.”
He studied me for a second and then glanced over at Ryan. “No fucking way. Please tell me it’s not who I think it is.”
“Who?” Aaron asked.
When I didn’t answer, Derek huffed and closed his eyes. “Someone Reed shouldn’t be messing with. If a certain person finds out, it’ll be war. You know that, right?” he said, glaring at me.
“I know, but it’s not like that. You have to trust me.”
He snorted and shook his head. “I’m staying out of this one, Jax. Whatever you’re doing, be smart about it.”
Ryan marched past us, bumping my shoulder in the process. I’d have liked nothing more than to see him get his ass kicked, but I wasn’t going to bring Bristol into that fight. “I am, D. I know what I’m doing.” Did I know what I was doing? Fuck, no. But I sure as hell was going to figure it out.
Chapter 10
Bristol
My last appointment ran late, which left only twenty minutes to make it to Jack’s house on time. I quickly straightened my desk and rushed out of my office past Mrs. Blanton.
“Where are you running off to so fast?” she called out with a laugh.
Bouncing on my heels, I pressed the elevator button. “I have a date—wait, no, an appointment?” She looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I shook my head and chuckled. I wanted it to be a date, but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. “Honestly, I don’t really know what it is. I’m eating dinner with Mr. Reed and then we’re going to the Garibaldi Gallery to find some pieces for his home.”
Her smile brightened. “He’s a handsome man, young lady. I’d say you got yourself a good one.”
The elevator opened and I rushed inside. “I don’t have him yet,” I said.
Hopefully, one day I would. Jack was a mysterious man; it seemed like there was something he was afraid for me to know. We all had secrets and we all had a past. There were a ton of things I didn’t exactly want him knowing about me, such as how in high school, I started dating a senior who was one of the most popular guys in the school. I was stupid and lost my virginity to him the night before he left for boot camp. He said he would call and never did. My heart was broken because he took a piece of me that I could never get back. I never spoke about that night except to my grandmother. It took a while to get over it. Jack was different, though; I could see it in his eyes. Most people believed the eyes were the gateway to the soul, including me. Jack might be keeping things from me, but I could see through those amber eyes of his to the man beneath the surface. I’d never been able to do that with anyone.
Before the doors closed, I waved at Mrs. Blanton and smiled. Now that it was late October, it was getting dark earlier. I hated walking in parking garages at night, even if they were lit up. Every time I watched a movie where someone walked in them, something bad happened. Maybe that was the country girl in me being afraid of the big, bad city.
I didn’t have time to go home and change, so I drove straight to Jack’s house. I got there in record time, with one minute to spare. Jack’s immaculate house was illuminated by lights all around the front, showcasing the expensive brick exterior. I’d often wondered why a single person would want such a big house. My first thought about Jack’s house was that maybe it filled a void in his life. But then, I couldn’t see where Jack would have that. Granted, I did want a lot of land and some horses, but that was what I enjoyed. Give me a small house on that large bit of earth and I’d be happy. Riding gave me an escape that I couldn’t find anywhere else. Maybe it was I who needed to fill a void; I was lonely living in a big city all by myself without my land and horses. It was easier to cast stones at people than see the problem about yourself. I wasn’t perfect, but I liked to pretend I was.
Taking a deep breath, I got out of the car and strolled to the front door. The closer I got, the heavier the scent of food that wafted to my nose; it smelled heavenly. I was about to ring the doorbell when the door opened. Jack stood there with his dark hair perfectly coiffed, dressed in a light blue polo shirt and khaki pants. My gaze instantly found his and I could feel my knees tremble. I loved how he looked at me with respect, but there was also a heat behind those amber eyes of his that he tried to contain. It made me respect him in return. It was hard to find a man who could look straight into your eyes and hold your gaze while you talked to him.
“Just on time,” he said. He reached for my hand and pulled me inside. There was no mistaking the scent of rosemary and garlic, along with potatoes and chicken. “Do you want a glass of wine?”
“Sure. What do you have?” I asked.