CHAPTER THREE
The ballroom was aptly named. It was filled with balls. Wall to wall balls. Like the kind you find at children’s recreation places.
The kind Evan had never had the chance to play in as a child. She’d never been anywhere long enough to be invited to a birthday party that might involve a play area full of bright, soft balls to jump in. She’d always wanted to try it. The child in her rose up and laughed. “No way.”
“Oh, totally way.” Sammy let out a Tarzan howl and did a running, spinning leap into the balls, burying himself up to his neck. He lay there laughing, covered in colorful spheres. Both hands rose up from the pile of bright orbs, waving around in the air. He looked like an overgrown kid, which Evan guessed was about right. He called out to them, “Nobody can say that I don’t have balls.”
Chris wore a kind of shy grin. Evan said, “You got to play in this pile of fun as a kid?”
“Yup. All the time. It was a blast, because Sammy usually played with me. He always had as much fun as I did.”
Evan realized that Chris had missed out on friendships too. Being the nephew of a famous, flamboyant rock star was just as isolating as being raised in a family of gypsy con artists.
“Last one in is a rotten egg.” She took a running jump, feeling her ponytail rise from her shoulder blades and fly up behind her. Her belly lifted with her sudden descent, like when the RV would climb up a steep hill when she was a child and then plummet really fast. She whooped as she sank into an ocean of cushy bubble-like globes. She dissolved into giggles, which made it difficult to right herself. Evan decided not to fight it.
She lay there laughing, watching as Chris turned his back to them, then spread his arms out to his sides and whoop as he allowed himself to fall backward into the foam orbs.
For the better part of a half hour, Sammy, Chris, and Evan jumped into and around the colorful balls, and had a foam ball fight. It wasn’t easy trying to run quickly through them, and even harder when bent over laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
Evan couldn’t remember the last time she had so much fun.
Winded, Sammy finally lifted his arms. “Okay. I’m done. Forgive me, dear Evan, but I need a nap. Chris, would you finish giving Evan the tour of the house and grounds?”
“I’d be glad to,” Chris said. When he grinned at her, she felt it in her chest.
“Excellent. I’ll be down later for dinner. You two have fun.” With that, Sammy climbed out of the pile of balls and headed out to where Angus was waiting on a chair, sipping sparkling bottled water.
When the door whispered shut behind them, Evan felt a little self-conscious and shy. “So, the knee seems to be holding up nicely.”
“I considered faking another injury but you’re already onto my tricks,” Chris said.
“All of them?”
“Nah. I still have a few up my sleeve.”
He gave her a smoky smile that made her lower belly tighten and her heart quiver.
He waded through the cushy spheres toward her, and she tried not to laugh. She felt like they were connecting. There was definitely a romantic spark between them. And as unusual as the atmosphere was for such a moment, somehow it was working. But then, Evan thought that maybe it wouldn’t matter where they were.
As Chris finally reached her, Evan felt butterflies in her stomach.
Kiss me. She wanted to feel his touch. It was as if her entire body craved him. For a long moment, they gazed at each other, and she had the sudden urge to jump toward Chris and kiss him. She imagined the two of them falling into the foam balls, being buried in them as they tasted each other’s mouths.
And then it happened. Before Evan even knew what she was doing, she’d moved toward him, her hands reaching out for his face, and he closed the remaining distance between them. His face came toward hers and their lips met, and she felt warmth rush over her.
The kiss went on and on, and then they were falling into a sea of foam, his tongue moving over hers, his hands moving over her waist, and then the fabric of her jeans, and she was breathing his musky male scent into her. For that moment, everything that had ever bothered her in her life just vanished, and it was just the two of them in the world.
It felt like she was lying on a cloud. When his thigh moved between hers, her hips rose and little tendrils of desire wisped through her. Her fingers moved through his soft, wavy hair, and she just wanted to pull his shirt up and over his head. The moment was so perfect, she wanted to undress and have him inside her right then and there. But then he broke the kiss and gave her a loopy grin. “Wow.”
“You’ve got that right.” She was breathless.
He looked momentarily sheepish. “I don’t want this to stop, but something about making love to you in one of my childhood playrooms just feels wrong.”
She snorted. “Yeah. I get that.”
He moved back, away from her, but offered his hand, helping her up. “We can pick this up later. Besides, Sammy is unpredictable. He could come barreling through the door and bounding in at any moment. He likes to keep people on their toes.”
Chris held her hand as they moved toward the stairs, and his hand in hers felt so natural, like they’d held hands a million times before. It felt like their hands were made to fit together. “I bet growing up with Sammy was never boring.”
“That’s for sure. He was fun. As you just witnessed, he’s a big kid himself.”
“I noticed.” She wanted to ask him more about growing up without his parents, but she didn’t want to pry or darken the mood. “Where to next?”
His grin was mischievous. “Are you a daredevil?”
Evan hadn’t been, but she felt like she wanted to be. “Maybe.”
He led her toward the door. “You’ll get a chance to show me your stuff.”
She hoped so.
***
“You’re kidding me.” Evan looked at the roller-skating rink in awe, her eyes wide and a beaming smile on her face.
Chris chuckled. “Nope. I kid you not. Ever been roller-skating?”
In Evan’s smile, Chris could see the little girl she’d once been, wide-eyed and full of wonder. “No, but I’ve always wanted to try.”
“What size are your feet?”
She turned to him, her voice hopeful. “You have women’s size 7 skates?”
“We have ten pairs of skates in each size. Sammy’s thrown me a few roller-skating birthday parties.” Chris led Evan to the shelf that housed the roller skates, all placed neatly away in their original boxes to keep the dust from them.
Chris found a skate in Evan’s size and opened the box. “Have a seat.”
Evan sat on a big, padded bench that ran against the mirrored wall. Every wall in the place was mirrored. Chris knelt down and untied the pink laces of one mint-green sneaker. He glanced up at her face, and her smile went right through him. “I like your sneakers.”
“Thanks. I like them, too. I love Nikes, but I bought the Filas because of the color scheme.”
He pulled the sneaker off her foot and gently fitted a skate over it. Holding her foot in his hand felt so intimate. He felt warmth move over him.
Evan must’ve felt it too. She seemed shy as she studied the skate he was now tying. “These skates are like new.”
“I doubt this pair has ever been worn. Most of the kids invited to my skating parties had smaller feet, and their mothers were famous. Not all that many of them were into roller-skating with a bunch of kids. They were too busy catching up with each other’s latest projects. Is that too tight?”
“No. Perfect.” She paused. “Partying with the famous? Most kids could only dream of that.” Her smile turned wistful.
“I was very lucky. I had friends who were in the same boat as me. But believe it or not, having a famous parent, or in my case, uncle, can be kind of alienating. I couldn’t just walk down to the park to play basketball.”
“No, I guess not.”
“Now you—I bet you had lots of friends.” He finished tying the second skate, making sure he didn’t tie it too tightly.
“We moved around so much that I really didn’t have time to make friends. We always seemed to be on the road.” Evan seemed uncomfortable talking about herself. She was momentarily quiet, and then she changed the subject. “Well, are you going to show me how to use these things?”
“Absolutely. Just hang on one second. I’ll put on some music and my own skates.” Chris found his roller skates, which he hadn’t worn in over a decade, and sat down on the bench beside her. “It’s been a really long time since I’ve worn these. Like, junior high. I can’t promise that I’ll even stay upright.”
“Ha. I guess we’ll go down together.”
“Maybe we’ll fall for each other.” He couldn’t believe he’d said it, and wished he could stuff the words back into his mouth.
She paused, and a soft smile touched her lips. “Stranger things have happened.”
“I’ve got the perfect music. Hang on.” It took him a minute to get used to using the skates again, but amazingly, within a few moments, he had it. He smiled back at her, and then did a little spin. “Like riding a bike.”
Evan gave him an approving nod. “Rad, dude.”
Chris threw her a wink, and then skated over to the CD player. He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and found the music program he used. He pulled up a disco playlist and plugged his phone in to the speaker system. A second later, the original 1970s version of “Love Rollercoaster” started playing. He skated back over to where she was cautiously attempting to get up from the bench and stand without falling.
Evan teetered on her skates with her arms stretched out on either side of her before her legs went out and she landed on her bottom with a high-pitched shriek, which dissolved into giggles.
Chris skated over and pulled her to her feet, hanging on to both of her hands until she was relatively stable on her skates.
“Wow. This is much harder than it looks. You make it look so easy.” She looked down at her be-skated feet with a look of skepticism. “I don’t know about this.”
“I have complete faith in you.” Chris caressed her soft hands with his thumbs.
When she lifted her face to him, uncertainty moved over her eyes. “I might disappoint you.”
He squeezed her hands. “I think you might surprise yourself, and I’m not easily disappointed.”
She took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay.”
“You can trust me. Really. I won’t let you fall.”
Something like shame moved over her face, but was quickly replaced by a look of determination. “All right.”
Chris wondered what was going on in her mind. There was something bothering her, but he wouldn’t ruin the moment by prying. If and when she ever wanted to tell him, she would. “Are you ready?”
She gave a single nod. The colorful lights picked up the red in her hair, making it gleam. “I’m ready.”
Holding both of Evan’s hands, Chris skated backward toward one of the many open entryway/exits for the rink. He skated slowly, keeping his hands up for Evan to grip tightly. “You’re doing fantastic. Don’t look down. Keep looking into my eyes.”
Evan’s gaze fluttered upward to Chris’s face. She was smiling, her face filled with surprise. “I’m doing it.”
“You are. See? I told you. You can do anything.” His heart squeezed as he looked at her, and his chest ached with a yearning he couldn’t name. When he’d kissed her, it had felt like his lips belonged on hers. He never wanted to kiss another woman as long as he lived. It would just feel wrong, because another woman’s lips could never feel the way that Evan’s lips had felt pressed against his.
After a couple of loops around the rink, Evan’s death grip on his hands relaxed, and Chris slowly loosened his grip on hers. “Are you ready to try on your own?”
She looked momentarily scared, and then doubtful, but then that look of determination returned her face. “I am. But don’t go far.”
He reluctantly let go of her hands, staying close to her for a few moments. But his hands felt cold and empty without hers tucked into his. “You’re doing fantastic.”
Evan laughed, her smile bright. She moved slowly and cautiously. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“I bet you didn’t expect to be roller-skating at Sammy Screech’s mansion on the lake when you woke up this morning.”
“No, I really didn’t.” She looked up at him. “But I did hope that I’d see you today.”
He smiled, his cheeks heating up and his heart feeling like it would burst out of his chest. “Me too. You.”
She did a little shoulder shimmy as she skated. “I really like the music. Funky.”
“I grew up with all kinds of music. Disco was the most fun to skate to. Believe it or not, Sammy is an unbelievable musician. He can play anything. I’ve heard him play absolutely heart-breaking ballads on the piano. He can actually sing, too.”
“I’d love to hear him play a ballad on the piano. Do you think he would?”
“I think he would do anything for you. He really likes you. I can tell.”
She gave him a shy smile. “Oh, he probably likes all of your female friends. I’m sure there have been a long string of them frolicking in foam balls and whipping gracefully around this rink. Unlike the toddler shuffle I’m doing.”
“I’ve had female friends here for parties, but no other girl has gotten the personal invitation from Sammy that you have.”
Her eyes widened. She seemed a little surer of herself on the skates, and picked up a little speed. “Wow. I’m surprised by that. I know you said you wanted to focus on your football career, but I’m sure you’ve had many female companions.”
That was a polite way of asking Chris if he’d had a lot of sex buddies. He couldn’t deny that he’d had. “Nobody special. None have come here.”
A whisper of a smile curved her lips, then. “I’m honored.”
“We’re honored to have you here. I mean, not just Sammy, but me. I’m so glad you came.” Chris couldn’t find the right words to say what he wanted to say; he couldn’t express what he was feeling.
She seemed to realize he was struggling, and broke the awkward moment with a request. “Show me some tricks. Do some spins or something.”
“Oh, I don’t know many of cool moves.” Chris skated back and did a spin that went on for seven entire rotations. He was surprised he could still do it, but Evan made him feel invincible. He felt like he could do anything. His heart was flying.
She gave him an approving nod. “Impressive.”
He was dizzy, but he wasn’t sure if it was from all the rotations or because he was falling so hard for Evan.
Evan made a little circle with one finger. “Do some more.”
Chris skated away, leapt into the air, both legs going outward on either side of him, and then landed on his skates. He hadn’t done these moves in more than ten years. He was surprised he didn’t break a leg.
Evan clapped. “Wow! You could be a professional roller skater.”
He shrugged and grinned. “Nah. I just had a lot of time on my hands between tours.”
“Show me some more.” Her smile warmed him like the sun. He couldn’t remember ever trying to impress a woman like he was trying to impress Evan.
He was showing off a little, but her attention was so flattering that he couldn’t resist. “Okay, I’ve only done this one a few times and it’s been forever, but here goes.” He skated away, his skates eating up the rink, gaining the speed he would need for this move, and then he leapt into the air, doing a quadruple spin and landing on both skates.
Then one skate wheel gave out, and he went down. Chris heard the sickly crack first, and then he felt a spike of pain growing so intense so fast that he fell back and his head hit the floor, and then everything went black.
***
Evan watched Chris go down, and all of the breath went out of her. Forgetting that she was on skates, she tried to run toward him, and fell on her hands and knees. Pain shot into her wrists and traveled up her arms, and her knees sang with agony where she’d landed on them. But luckily she hadn’t broken anything.
She wished she could say the same for Chris. Even over the music, she’d heard the crunch of bone breaking.
Oh God, his leg is a mess. Evan could see it in the way Chris had fallen, and more importantly, in the way he’d landed. The awkward, strange look of the leg made her stomach roll. He was still out. She’d seen his head bounce off the floor twice. Evan winced. He had to at least have a concussion. She reached for his head quickly but carefully, feeling the separation in two of the skull plates. “Oh, no.”
Evan closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to the plates of his skull, feeling them slowly move toward each other. Her lips moved as she whispered, “Come on. Come on. Heal. Move back together again.”
It took only a few moments before she felt the plates knit back into place, and the smaller cracks seal. She kept her hands on his head, healing any bleeding on his brain.
When she was certain that his head would be okay, she moved to his leg. She pressed her fingers along, inch by inch, and felt three fractures in the leg and one in the ankle. Glancing up at him, she was relieved that he was still unconscious.
Evan worked quickly, concentrating on each fracture, chanting under her breath, willing each break to heal. Each time, she felt the bones clicking back together and the breaks sealing, as if they hadn’t been injured at all.
Chris made a sound and his head moved. Evan wasted no time moving to his ankle. She removed his skates as quickly and gently as she could, and then she pressed her fingers against the break. She focused on the healing beneath her hands and watched his face.
By the time his eyes fluttered open, the healing was finished.
He looked up at the ceiling, blinking, confused. “What the—”
“That last trick you performed for me went a little haywire.” Evan, who was on her knees, crawled back over to his head, looking down into his face.
He gazed up at her, his eyes amused. He gave her that unbelievably sexy crooked smile of his. “You’re even pretty upside down.”
Sweat had dotted her forehead and a drop made its way into her eye. She blinked away the sting. She’d been so worried that he’d wake up before she had time to fully heal him that her brow had beaded, and her bangs were damp on her forehead. A knee injury on the field was easy to fake as being not as bad as it had initially seemed. But a leg fractured in three places, along with a broken ankle and a cracked skull, would be a little more difficult to minimize.
There was no way she would have let him suffer with all that damage because of her. She’d been the one asking him to perform like a trained monkey.
“Sorry. I’ve fallen before but I’ve never passed out.” He sat up and shook his head. “I’m a little fuzzy. Like I’ve been drinking. I feel kind of buzzed. Must be from that kiss earlier.”
The healing in his head had been quicker than she normally liked to work, so he’d likely feel a little fuzzy for a while. She just had to keep him off the skating rink. The foam balls were probably safe. He wasn’t likely to knock himself out on those. “Let’s get you off this rink.”
He looked down at his feet, frowning, and then turned back to Evan and raised his eyebrows. “You took my skates off?”
“I wanted to check the ankle for injury. Make sure you hadn’t broken it.”
“Suuuuure. You were just trying to take advantage of me while I was passed out, weren’t you?” He grinned.
Her voice was slightly higher-pitched than normal. She was shaking a little; the adrenaline rush of trying to heal him without anyone catching her, least of all him, had been more than a little nerve-racking. “Yep. I was. You found me out.”
Chris laughed. “Damn. Knock me out again.”
“Not on your life, buddy.” She took a few deep breaths and focused on slowing her heart. Time to calm down. It all worked out. Everything is cool.
His brows furrowed. “I could’ve sworn I heard a crack as I landed. I remember thinking that I’d broken something. Wait a second. Yeah.” His eyes squinted. “It had hurt like nothing I’d ever felt before. Are you sure I didn’t at least fracture something?”
Evan tried to keep her face sincere. “Well, I didn’t feel anything, but even sports therapists can make mistakes. Try standing. I’ll help you.”
Chris pushed himself up carefully while Evan spotted him with an arm around his waist. “Nope. I don’t feel anything wrong. There’s no pain. I must’ve just kind of jarred it when I went down.”
“Must be.” She smiled brightly.
“You want to feel me up some more to make sure?” He waggled his eyebrows up and down.
She barked out a laugh. “You’re hopeless.”
Chris gazed into Evan’s eyes. “Hopelessly and helplessly—”
His eyes moved away from hers and focused on a point somewhere behind her. “I’ll finish my sentence later. We have company.”
Evan felt a jab of disappointment, which was quickly replaced with a stab of panic at the idea that someone had been witness to the little miracle she’d performed. She turned to see who might have been watching.
Angus headed toward them, hands in the pockets of his dark-gray blazer, eyes pinned on her face.
***
“Oh boy. It’s been awhile since Chris was on those skates. Everything okay?” Angus walked toward them, head slightly tipped downward but his gaze squarely on Evan’s.
Shit. Did he see me? She had been so wrapped up in trying to heal Chris quickly that it hadn’t even occurred to her to look around and make sure nobody was watching. “He had a fall, performing tricks for me. It was my fault. But he seems fine. No broken bones.”
“I’m absolutely fine. No pain at all. I thought I’d broken something for sure, because something hurt like hell in my ankle when I landed, and then the pain in my leg was brutal before I hit my head. Actually knocked me out.”
Angus leaned over Chris, being at least half a foot taller than him, and gingerly touched the back of his head. After a long moment, he frowned. “Hmmm.”
“What is it? Is there a goose egg?” Chris asked him, looking slightly alarmed.
“No. That’s just it. No bump at all. Nothing. You went down hard and got knocked out?” Angus’s frown deepened.
“Yeah. Went right out. Must’ve hit my head just right. I guess I have a pretty thick skull.” Chris grinned, rubbing a hand over the back of his head.
“Well, I could’ve told you that,” Angus said. His eyes flicked to Evan, narrowing slightly, scrutinizing. “You must have the magic touch, Ms. Meadows.”
“That’s what they say.” Evan’s voice was a notch higher than normal. Even she wouldn’t believe herself if she’d heard that tone. “Chris was just really lucky. It wasn’t as bad as I thought when he first fell. But I wouldn’t advise doing any tricks on skates for a long time. Or ever again.” She’d widened her eyes in a mock innocent expression and made a point to busy herself looking at the back of Chris’s skull, lowering her brows in seeming concentration.
“Right. Well, I imagine you’re not finished with the tour, but if you’d like to show Ms. Meadows the grounds, I suggest you do that quickly. The skies are darkening. I think we’re going to be hit with a storm.”
Chris frowned. “I thought the rain wasn’t coming until late tonight.”
“The best laid plans of mice and men,” Angus said, looking directly at Evan.
Evan gave him a grin that didn’t feel like it sat quite right on her face. Her heart was battering her chest. This guy must’ve seen Chris fall and the way he’d landed. He must’ve seen her heal him. Did he see her as some evil thing? Not trustworthy?
Well, was she? No. She was here under false pretenses. The invitation had been an unbelievable stroke of luck. She planned to steal the puzzle box, and get away clean.
Though, after stealing from Chris and Sammy, two of the most sincere, good-hearted people she’d ever met, she’d never again feel clean. “I’d love to see the grounds.”
“Okay, let’s go before the skies open up.” Chris glanced down at their feet. “We need shoes first.”
“Right,” Evan said, laughing a little too loud.
“Sammy had me put out sandwiches for you. Peanut butter and jelly and peanut butter and banana. Chris’s two favorites. Is that okay with you?” Angus’s eyes remained suspicious as he looked at Evan.
“Yes, fine. Thank you. I’m a fan of peanut butter and banana. It was Elvis’s favorite sandwich, after all.” She gave him a bright smile that didn’t feel one bit genuine and she was certain looked even less so.
“Great,” Chris said. “I could eat. Getting knocked out is hungry work.”
“Being that lucky, especially,” Angus said, eying Evan for another moment. It felt as if he could see straight into her soul. Finally, just when she thought she couldn’t take the tension for one more second, he thankfully turned and headed toward the door. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
“He’s a little odd,” Evan said, sitting down to pull on her sneakers, relief flooding her.
“Yeah. He’s always been a bit off. He used to be Central Intelligence, believe it or not, before leaving the CIA and becoming Sammy’s bodyguard.”
Evan’s stomach dropped. “You’re kidding. I thought he was more of a domestic. Well, pilot-slash-domestic. Why did he leave the CIA?”
“Had a battle with the bottle. He was forced to resign. He hung up his shingle as a contract bodyguard and Sammy hired him. They met at an AA meeting, and Sammy helped him stop drinking. He’s been a loyal friend and employee since.”
“If you don’t mind me saying, it looks like Sammy could use another meeting.”
Chris gave a little shake of his head, his face darkening. “He’s just trying to get my attention.”
Whoa. Denial city. The boozy fumes had almost knocked her back when Sammy had hugged her. “Sure smells like he’s doing a lot of drinking .”
Annoyance laced Chris’s words. “I can’t watch over him, and he’s clearly not listening to Angus. I wish he’d come out of this place and back to the land of the living. He’s so talented. If he’d just get back into the studio. Maybe even write songs for other people if he doesn’t want to perform.”
“Maybe he’s just not ready,” Evan said. “Or maybe he needs a little push.”
Chris shrugged. “Maybe. Let’s go. I want to show you something.”