Jaci Burton: Straddling the Line

She remembered her heart pounding incessantly, her palms sweating as she’d sat next to him in her room at the house while she’d worked with him. She’d been so preoccupied with his muscles, his clean, crisp scent, how big his hands were, and the way he always laughed with her and teased her.

That had been Trevor, even back then. Always at ease, able to laugh. While she’d been a giant ball of tension.

She’d been such a mess around him, not her usual cool, confident self. In academia she’d been a rock star. He’d even teased her about being brainy, the worst possible thing he could have said to a young woman with a monster-sized crush on a sexy athlete. She’d wanted to be sexy and beautiful, not smart, back then. At least around him. And all he’d noticed about her was that she had the smarts to help him pass his classes. He hadn’t made it easy on her, either. God, he’d been lazy. At least academically. Sportswise, he’d been a goddamned superstar.

Which intrigued her, because he’d carried that perseverance into his professional career.

And look at his success now.

He’d finished his phone call, so she stepped into the sunroom. When he spotted her, he stood.

“Oh, hey, did you get unpacked?”

“Yes.”

“Is your room okay?”

“My room is fantastic, thanks.”

“Great. Have a seat.”

She took a seat across from him in one of the cushioned chairs.

“There’s some iced tea and water in the pitchers,” he said, motioning to two glass pitchers on the nearby table. “Would you like something?”

“Tea would be wonderful.” She started to get up, but he stopped her.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“What? No servants hovering nearby to do that for you?”

“Uh, no. I’m pretty sure I can take care of this part by myself.”

“But you have a chef.”

“Yeah.” He took a drink out of his glass, then set it down. “Hammond used to work for the Rivers organization in concessions. He’d always been a big fan, and all the players liked him a lot. A couple of years ago he reached retirement age, but he and his wife Lyla still have a mortgage to pay off. Plus they’re raising two of their grandkids because . . . well, because of some private circumstances. When I heard about that, I hired him on to help here at the house. He’s a hell of a cook. Wait till you taste the steaks.”

What a story, and what a surprise. “You’re quite the humanitarian, Trevor.”

Trevor gave her an enigmatic smile. “I like good food, and like I said, Hammond can cook the daylights out of anything. I think I got the better end of the deal.”

He was modest as well. He didn’t want to appear the hero. She didn’t know what to make of that. “That was very nice of you.”

Trevor just shrugged, and she felt awful for thinking him living the rich and privileged life, when he’d just given an old man and his family a decent break.

She had a lot to learn about Trevor. And she needed to stop prejudging him and start using her investigative skills in the way she’d been taught.

She wished she’d brought her laptop down with her so she could make some notes.

It was time to put her game face on and get to work.

“SO TELL ME, TREVOR . . . WHY THIS HOUSE?”

Trevor could tell Haven wanted to make this an interview, that she wanted to get down to business right away. Maybe that was a good thing—at least for her. She seemed at ease, which he was happy to see.

“Why that question? And is it a professional question, or a personal one?” Trevor asked.

Her lips tilted. “Maybe a little of both.”

“Fair enough.” He leaned back in the chair. “I liked all the trees. And all the space. Plus the pool. There was plenty of space to do everything I wanted. I didn’t grow up with a lot of room, so just having that freedom to wander makes me happy.”

She stood, went to the window, and looked out over the back of the property, before turning back to face him with a smile. “I can see that.”

How had he not noticed her in college? She was beautiful. She’d always seemed pissed off at him when they were in school together. Then again, she’d been forced to tutor him, and he knew damn well he hadn’t been an easy student.

He’d been too preoccupied with football, and with trying to pass his classes by the skin of his teeth so he wouldn’t lose his scholarship. Haven had been nothing but a means to an end for him. He hadn’t thought of her as a desirable young woman. She’d been his salvation, and he’d used her in that way. Besides, she was Bill’s daughter, and that had made her strictly off-limits.

But now? Now . . . ah, hell. She was still off-limits. He owed Ginger—and Bill—and it was his duty to get Haven fired up. And not in a sexual way.

But damn, as she stood there, her posture perfect, her legs outlined in those tight pants she wore, he realized how much time he’d let get away without really getting to know her better.

And now—now they were working together, which meant he couldn’t cross that line.

Or he shouldn’t, anyway. That wasn’t what she was here for, and she sure as hell wasn’t interested in him that way. She’d made that clear in college, and the two of them had butted heads ever since. He was surprised she’d agreed to this assignment, but he saw that as a good sign. So had Ginger, when he’d told her.

But when had his body ever cooperated with his mind? He found her attractive, especially now. She’d grown her raven hair out some. She always used to wear it very short. Now it framed her face, the breeze coming in through the open windows blowing strands of it against her cheek. She’d taken off her sunglasses, giving him a look at her beautiful blue eyes. But they weren’t normal blue. They were . . . what was that color again? He couldn’t remember.

“You’re staring at me, Trevor.”

“Was I? Sorry. Want to take a walk outside before dinner?”

“Sure.”

No hesitation. He liked that. He stood and led her out the side door and down the steps toward the pool. “It’s heated, in case you want to take a swim.”

“Okay, thanks. It’s still plenty warm outside. It might feel good.”

“Yeah. Especially after a hot game.”

She stopped, turned to him. “Your next one is tomorrow? A home series this weekend?”

“Yeah. Against Chicago. You’ll be there?”

“I will.”

They walked along the path between the backyard and the woods. He liked the quiet, the sounds of the breeze rustling the leaves of the trees. It gave him time to think.

“So you had a day off today,” she said as they walked side by side.

“Yeah.”

“What do you do on your rare days off?”

“I spent some time on the phone with my lawyers, hashing out some business deals. Talked to my football team in Tampa.”

“They’re under way now,” she said.

“I know.”

“Does it pull at you, knowing you’re missing the start of the season?”

He shrugged. “Not much I can do about it. There’s only one of me and I can’t be two places at one time.”

She paused and tilted her head up to look at him. “Are you sure? I mean, you are a superstar and all.”

He laughed. “Yeah, that’s me.” He liked that her sense of humor seemed intact.

When they made the turnaround on the path, he said, “Come on, let’s go see if Hammond has those steaks ready.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, I have one more phone call to make. Meet you in the kitchen?”

“Sure. I’ll just take our drinks in there.” She stopped at the sunroom, picked up the tray, and left the room.

Trevor took a minute to grab his phone and give her mom a quick call.