Rush (Eligible Receivers #3)

Chapter Nine

Fuck!

Linc paced the length of his room and back, the small space doing nothing to help work off his restless energy. Coming to a standstill, he stared at the closed connecting door.

He shouldn’t have kissed her.

He’d let jealousy get the best of him until his caveman instincts had ruled the day, driving him to stake a claim for what it considered his, even when his logical brain tried to tell it to calm the fuck down. But jealousy did funny things to one’s thought process, and he wasn’t immune to the green-eyed monster.

Already on edge from the two yahoos ogling Nora at the studio, the guy at the pool, with his Hollywood good looks and making Nora smile, was the fucking tipping point. The last vestiges of control Linc had over his little brain had shattered, turning all rational thought into a big fucking bowl of hormonal goop.

Maybe if there hadn’t been two incidents in one day he might have been able to control his instincts. Hell, who was he kidding? He’d been thinking about Nora’s lips for far too long. His control had been at an end.

And now that he’d had a taste, it would be damn near impossible to keep a leash on that control.

He wasn’t expecting the door to fly open or what he saw. Nora, standing in the threshold with a hand on her hip, looking like a Valkyrie warrior—strong and fierce and vibrating with anger.

She took a step into the room, partially closing the door at her back. “What the hell was that?”

He took her in. With her beauty feeding the beast that still coursed through his veins, Linc said the only thing he could think of to quickly fix the situation he’d put them in. “A mistake.”

“Which part? The kiss or leaving afterward without a backward glance?”

He sighed, running a hand over his head to buy himself a few seconds to put his thoughts in order. “Both. I should’ve handled it better, but that doesn’t change the fact I was right to leave. I hired you to take care of Sophie. It was wrong for me to have crossed that line. You’re an employee, not to mention, you’re my best friend’s little sister.” He thought about the nannies who had come before and who he’d berated for the very reason he found himself in now and felt like a fucking hypocrite.

He saw her anger slip enough for her hurt to show through and it was like a punch to the gut. “I thought we were friends.”

“We were. Are ,” he stressed, “but that’s all we can be.”

Her head jerked in a stiff nod as she reached behind her for the doorknob. “I understand.”

“Nora?”

She stopped halfway through the door, raising her brows. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry.”

Shoulders sagging, she gave him a wisp of a forlorn smile. “Me too.”

****

Linc spent the following two days in hell.

However, not because he’d spent most of that time in disguise in an overcrowded theme park, standing in endless lines while paying inflated prices for crap food.

No, it was all because of one beautiful though frustrating woman.

To say he’d royally fucked things up with Nora was an understatement. Gone was the easy camaraderie they’d once shared and in its place was her mockingly polite friendship . Nora was still angry, and rightly so, but that didn’t change the fact he needed to find a way to fix it. Not just for selfish reasons but also for Sophie. The girl was smart and could sense the tension.

Dreading the conversation but knowing it needed to be done so things could go back to the way they’d been before he’d fucked up, he lightly tapped on the connecting door to their rooms. They were leaving tomorrow morning. He had Nora in his proximity now and if they got back home with their issues still unresolved, it would be far easier for her to escape his grasp.

The door opened and Nora stood before him, fresh from the shower. Hair still wet, her darkened locks framed her scrubbed-clean face and filled the space between them with a tropical scent.

“Yes?” Her overly polite tone and fake smile was something he’d never get used to.

“Can we talk for a minute?” Locking his jaw, he held out an arm, inviting her in.

She stepped through the door, and he nudged it shut, leaving it open a crack to keep an ear out for Sophie who had crashed on their drive home and hadn’t woken even through the undertaking of changing her into PJs and tucking her into bed. After two days of late-night amusement park fun, he wasn’t sure anything short of a solid eight hours would wake her.

Uncomfortable with her just standing in the center of the room, he cleared his throat and said, “Have a seat.”

She bypassed the foot of the bed in favor of a chair and he sat in its mate across the table from her. He’d gone over in his head how to start the conversation and spouted the rehearsed opening, “I know I fucked up and you have every right to be angry, but I’d like to make things right between us.”

“I’m not angry.”

“Okay, upset then.”

She threw him a dry smile. “Nope.” But her popping of the P spoke volumes and what it said was she was still fucking pissed.

He sighed. “Listen, I didn’t explain myself correctly the other day. Wanting to kiss you wasn’t a mistake, but acting on it was. Since I’ve become a pro baller, there’s never been a shortage of beautiful women to choose from.”

Her expression turned sour. “And by telling me this you’re hoping to make things better between us?”

“Let me finish.”

Her lips flattened and she remained silent.

“What I was getting at is, having been around so many women, I know something special when I see it. And that’s you. You’re not just beautiful on the outside but inside as well. You’re the whole package—smart, funny, and you’re a knockout. I’m a man who never loses control, but I completely lost it with you. Please understand, my walking away after our kiss wasn’t a rejection or a reflection on you. It’s just, with the way things stand, it would be better if we remained friends and nothing more.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Better or easier?”

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before admitting, “Both. I understand the blame for this… conflict between us is all on me. I’m sorry and would love it if we could go back to how things were before I fucked everything up.”

She didn’t say anything for a long time—long enough he started to grow antsy in his seat—but then her head dipped in a short nod. “Fine.”

“You accept my apology?”

“Yes.” He held her gaze. She seemed sincere. “We can go back to the way things were before.” Pushing her chair out, she stood from the table. “Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m exhausted and we have an early flight in the morning.”

Linc watched her slip through the door and into her room. It felt like tensions had eased so he should be happy. The problem was, he knew what it felt like to win, so why did it feel like he’d just lost?

****

Linc pulled into his driveway, clicked the garage remote, then rested his head back as he waited for the door to make its slow assent. After spending the majority of the drive from the airport sitting in rush-hour traffic, he’d never been so happy to be home. He glanced back at Sophie who sat contently in her car seat, kicking her feet, then over at Nora who gave him a tired smile. The trip might’ve had its rocky moments, but Linc would never regret it. Somewhere in the middle had been his and Nora’s kiss, something he planned to savor and remember. Especially as it would most likely be the only one he’d ever get.

He noticed the guy at the end of his drive as soon as they all spilled out of the car. How the hell did he get past the security gate?

Halting Nora with a light hand on her arm, he handed her his keys. “Take Sophie into the house.”

Short, a bit overweight, and balding, the guy didn’t look threatening and was most likely paparazzi, but Linc approached cautiously just the same. “Can I help you?”

“Mr. Scott? Lincoln Scott?”

“Yes.”

The man produced an envelope, holding it out and once Linc took it, announced, “You’ve been served. Have a nice day.”

The guy sauntered away, and perplexed, Linc looked down to inspect the front of the envelope. It was blank.

“Who was that?” Nora asked, as soon as Linc stepped through the garage entrance into the laundry room.

“Someone delivering a summons.”

“A summons? What for?” she asked, following him into the kitchen.

“I have no idea.” He leaned his ass against the counter, flipped the unmarked envelope over, and opened the seal. He pulled out the paper and started reading, his anger growing with each word absorbed.

“What does it say?”

Nora’s worried tone caught his attention and he raised his head. “Jake’s parents are suing me for custody of Sophie.”

“Jake was your sister’s husband, right? So, Sophie’s paternal grandparents?”

“Yeah.”

“Why now after so long?” She sounded confused.

“Because I didn’t give them what they wanted when they came to see me.”

The line between her brows grew deeper. “They came to see you? When?”

“A couple weeks ago.”

“What did they want?”

“Money.”

“Do you think there’s a chance of them gaining custody of her?” Her confusion had turned into worry.

“I have no idea, but what I can tell you, there’s no fucking chance in hell I’m letting them take her from me.”

It only took one phone call to the team’s lawyer to have Dan Jefferies, a family law attorney, knocking on his door an hour later.

“Thanks for coming over so quickly,” Linc said, showing the middle-aged, suited man into his home.

“Not a problem, Mr. Scott. I’m happy to oblige.”

Linc bet he was. He wasn’t sure what hourly rate he was being charged but assumed it was doubled for house calls.

Nora and Sophie were chilling on the couch in front of the TV, so Linc ushered Mr. Jefferies into the dining room. They took a seat at the long, wooden table and the lawyer opened his briefcase, pulling out a yellow, legal-size pad.

“Tell me about the situation.”

Linc filled him in, the attorney injecting questions every so often.

About a half hour into their meeting, Linc caught movement in the doorway. He looked over to see Nora hovering and waved her in. “Nora, let me introduce you to Dan Jefferies. He’s hopefully here to help.”

“I’m definitely here to help.”

Nora shook the man’s extended hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Jefferies.”

“Please, call me Dan. Linc has spoken very highly of you.”

A light blush blossomed over the apples of her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Sophie fell asleep so I made a pot of coffee. Would either of you like any?”

“I’ll take a cup. Black.”

“Make that two.” Linc held up a couple of fingers. “Thank you.”

After Nora left the room, Dan got back down to business. “They’ll try to use Sophie’s unwillingness to speak against you.”

“She hasn’t spoken since her parents’ death. That’s hardly my doing.”

“Yes, but they’ll claim that the fact she’s still not talking is.”

Linc ran a hand over the top of his head in frustration.

“Don’t worry, that she’s been going to a therapist is good and opens the door for a doctor’s expert testimony which will be the perfect rebuttal to any of their trumped-up accusations.” A frown pulled at the lawyer’s face. “That you’re an unattached, twenty-eight-year-old male is what troubles me.”

Nora chose that moment to walk back into the room, setting their cups on the table.

“Thank you,” Linc said distractedly before countering, “I have money and I’m a celebrity.”

Mr. Jefferies sighed and shook his head. “Your notoriety is more a hindrance than a help, I’m afraid. They’ll use your lifestyle against you. Your career puts you in the limelight and takes you away from home.”

Linc’s jaw locked and his hand formed a fist. “Sophie is well taken care of.”

“Of that, I have no doubt,” the lawyer was quick to agree, “but they’ll also show history of your lack of stable childcare, which will be another point in their favor.”

Linc ground his teeth, not for the first time cursing that unreliable nanny service.

“But, if their lawyer is worth their salt, they’ll lead with what troubles me most.”

Feeling as if he’d lost already, Linc cautiously asked, “And what’s that?”

Dan’s eyes shot to Nora before he cleared his throat and said, “Your very public past liaisons.”

“Past being the operative word.” Linc’s fist tightened until his knuckles turned white and he all but trembled with rage. “I haven’t been with a woman—public or otherwise—since Sophie came into my life.”

Dan raised his hand. “That may very well be true, but they’ll find a way to twist it so you look like the bad guy.”

“God damn it!” Linc stood from his chair, grabbing the back of it when it nearly toppled over and set it back upright. “Natalie and Jake wanted me to have Sophie. Doesn’t that count for something?”

“It does,” the attorney said calmly. “But to seal the deal, I suggest you do one more thing.”

Linc clutched the back of the chair, leaning into it. “What? I’ll do anything.”

Dan’s eyes flicked to Nora and Linc had a feeling he should be wary of what the man was about to say.

“Get engaged.”

Damn, he hated that he was right.