So this is where a professional athlete went to hide.
Kate climbed out of her borrowed Subaru and walked up the driveway of what could only be described as an ultra-sleek modern take on a ski chalet. The squared structure had been built right into the side of the mountain, constructed mostly of stained concrete and floor-to-ceiling windows, which must’ve been made from some special type of glass because you couldn’t see anything inside.
Standing in front of the heavy glass door, she suddenly felt an agonizing attack of insecurity. Since Jaden had judged her attire yesterday, she’d dressed more carefully for the part she was about to play. Immediately after their encounter, Kate had asked Everly to take her shopping so she could pick out a couple more earthy outfits. Today she wore fitted hiking capri pants with a bright pink moisture-wicking tank top. She’d pulled up her thick, wild hair, taking an extra half hour to make sure the bun looked genuinely carefree and messy. Which it wasn’t, of course. There must’ve been two hundred bobby pins holding it in place. But she’d hidden them carefully. Outdoorsy chicks wouldn’t spend an hour on their hair. They wouldn’t have changed clothes four times either.
It wasn’t that she was nervous to see J.J. Alexander, necessarily. Though the man did have a certain presence that made it difficult to look away. It was more the fact that she had a very limited amount of time to convince him to do an exclusive with her. He didn’t seem especially open to interviews at the moment.
But this was it. Her chance for a big story. The story that could make her career. She’d show his personal side. She’d take off his mask for the entire world and dig deeper and deeper until she captured his every emotion, the true heart of who Jaden Alexander was.
“Jay,” she reminded herself in a whisper. She had to call him Jay. It didn’t bode well that he hadn’t even given her his real name, but he would open up. People loved talking to her. She made sure of it. Once, in journalism school, she’d gotten a three-hundred-fifty-pound college lineman to cry during an interview when she’d asked him about his favorite childhood pet.
That in mind, she patted her messy bun into place and rang the doorbell.
Squinting, she watched for a shadow to emerge from behind the glass door, but nothing happened. Tapping her foot, she rang it again. The distant sound of barking could be heard somewhere inside. Within a few minutes, Bella was bouncing and lunging against the door. Where was J.J.? Jay, she quickly corrected. Had he changed his mind about their arrangement?
Right when she was about to turn around and stalk back to the car in defeat, the door opened. Bella hurtled outside, yipping and whining and covering Kate’s bare arms with kisses.
When Kate looked up, she nearly fell over, and it wasn’t from Bella’s weight against her legs either. J.J.—Jay, God, that was going to mess her up—looked a lot different than he had in his stocking cap and sunglasses. His light brown hair was mussed into spikes, and he still had the sleepy eyes of a little boy. Except he was shirtless. And there wasn’t anything boyish about his bulletproof pecs and tight abs. Either he did five hundred sit-ups every day or the man had some crazy good genes. Or maybe he had a distant relation to the mythological gods…
“Sorry I didn’t answer right away.” Drowsiness lowered his voice into a sexy tenor. “I guess I overslept.”
“It’s no problem.” She hiked her gaze up to his eyes. How long had she been staring at his shirtless torso? And more importantly, had he noticed? “I oversleep all the time,” she babbled. “It seems like I’m always the last one rolling into work.”
His head tilted as he studied her. “What do you do?”
Oops. She had to be careful with questions like that. Lucky for her, he still seemed a bit groggy. “Boring stuff. Really boring.” She’d already made herself a vow that she would tell the truth as much as possible. “I edit stuff. Unimportant stuff that no one reads.” At least, that could describe her first few weeks at her new job. But once she wrote this story, things would change.
She swept past him and walked into the house before he could fire off more questions. “Wow. This place is amazing. Seriously impressive.” A little cold for her taste with the gleaming white walls, uniform leather furniture, and the glossy, seemingly unused kitchen.
“It’s the only place I could find on short notice.”
Kate made the mistake of turning around to smile at him. He still hadn’t put on a shirt, the jerk. “So what did you say you’re doing at the resort again?” she asked, running her hand along the white marble countertop in the kitchen.
“Actually, I didn’t say.” His voice was no longer deep and sleepy. Now it was just dull.
She waited out the awkward silence until he gave in with a sigh.
“I’m on a crew that’s helping build the new terrain park.”
“Sounds fascinating.” She kept her gaze even with his. Don’t. Look. Down. Or she’d get all weak-kneed and woozy at the sight of his hot body again. She couldn’t afford to let Jay make her weak-kneed and woozy. “So you must be into snowboarding, then.”
His eyes dodged hers. “I guess.”
Wonderful. He was very informative. Getting him to open up and agree to an interview wasn’t going to be easy. Good thing she had a whole week. She would have to get creative about making excuses to spend time with him. He didn’t seem overly thrilled with the fact that she currently stood in his kitchen. Well get used to it, buddy.
Kate turned and started opening the grayish glass cabinets.
“What’re you doing?” Jaden walked over and closed one. “Why are you going through my stuff?”
“I’m looking for the dog food,” she told him, opening another cabinet. Which was completely empty. “Remember? I’ll have Bella all day. I’m sure she’ll get hungry. Or did you already feed her?”
After he shook his head, she opened yet another cabinet. Wow. The man had about six boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios stacked above the sink. And he was looking at her like she was crazy? “When’s the last time you ate a real meal?”
“I eat.” He stiffly marched past her and disappeared into a pantry for a minute. When he came back, he had a dog dish and a bag of food. “She eats twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon.” He shoved the stuff into Kate’s hands. “Think you need anything else?” He clearly wanted her to go, and that was probably best since he refused to put on a shirt and she couldn’t stop ogling his body.
“Nope. I think this is it. We’re good. Right, Bella?” With a bright smile, she turned and headed for the door. “I’ll have her home at five o’clock sharp.”
Jay followed behind her. “If I’m not here, you can just let her into the house through the garage. The code is one-two-three-four.”
She laughed, caught between amusement and a nervous giggle. “Wow. It’s like Fort Knox.”
He shrugged, tensing those broad shoulders. “Don’t have much to worry about way up here.”
That was true. Well…the normal person didn’t have to worry about much, but J.J. Alexander had just given her the code to his house. Which meant he’d basically handed her an all-access pass into his life.
Was it just him or were the days getting longer? Jaden shouldered his backpack and started the hike back to the ATV he’d left at the base of the mountain. Eight o’clock. Damn. Late again. Good thing he had someone to watch Bella. Even if the woman happened to be overly chipper and obnoxiously nosy at eight o’clock in the morning. At least all that energy should be good for wearing out his dog. Hopefully Bella had gone to sleep after Kate dropped her off.
“Hey, J.J., hold up.” Blake Wilder came sprinting down the hill, and Jaden swallowed a groan. The man had never been his favorite person, but he had to admit—begrudgingly—Blake obviously knew what he was doing. Since the man had taken over resort operations four years ago, they’d almost doubled in size.
Jaden strapped his backpack to the ATV and waited.
“Looks like things are coming together ahead of schedule,” Blake said as he approached. “I called out the inspectors for the end of this week. Think we can make it?”
“With the hours we’ve been putting in? Definitely.” A few more twelve-hour days and they’d wrap up this project. The thought didn’t thrill him as much as it seemed to thrill Blake.
“You got any idea what you’ll do next?”
That question had haunted him for the last few days. “Haven’t thought about it much.” What options did he have except to go hide somewhere else? Last week, that would’ve been his first response, but Levi’s optimism the other night had made him think twice about picking up and leaving again.
“I’m going to level with you here, Alexander.” Blake only seemed to be able to remember people’s last names. “I want a bigger focus on snowboarding around here. That’s the direction we need to go. And I think you’re the guy to get us there.”
Jaden couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed, but he was this close. “I’m not exactly well loved in the snowboarding community anymore,” he reminded him.
“But you still have a name. You still have the knowledge and experience I need.” That was the other thing about Blake Wilder. When he looked at people, he saw only how they could meet his needs. “I could create a position for you here. Manager for the terrain park. I need someone out here every day during the winter season.”
“You’re offering me a full-time job?” Was this a joke?
“You’re the perfect candidate,” Blake insisted. “You’d be responsible for daily risk assessments, inspections, and the maintenance and testing of all the features.”
Which meant he’d have to get on a board again. Anxiety skittered through him, headed straight for his heart, and dug in its claws. That’s where it always hit him, deep in the chest, poking and taunting and squeezing until the palpitations started. He couldn’t even think about getting on a board again.
“The salary wouldn’t be what you’re used to making. But you’d get full benefits. And there’d be bonuses if you were willing to do some public events to help with publicity.”
Public events? Hadn’t Blake seen what a train wreck his life had become? Jaden would show up for the public event, and there’d be hecklers and media and the same shit storm he’d been trying to escape. He climbed onto the ATV, ready to start the engine and get the hell out of there. “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think it’ll work out.” He’d never strap his boots onto a board again.
“Think about it.” Blake backed away. “Offer stands for a while. But I’d need a commitment by the end of the project. If it’s not you, I’ll have to find someone else.”
He wanted to tell him he didn’t need to think about it. He’d never be able to do it, even if he wanted to. Instead, he gave the man a nod, put on his helmet, and then drove down the mountain.
By the time he made it to his street, the sky was nearly dark, but he could make out a faint outline of a car parked next to the curb in front of his house. Had the media found him somehow? Instinctively, he slowed, but as he got closer he realized it was only a small SUV that looked suspiciously similar to the one Kate had been driving.
What the hell was she doing at his house at eight thirty?
He parked the ATV in front of the garage and cruised through the front door, looking around the empty rooms.
“Hello?” Not even Bella ran to greet him.
Just when he was about to go out front and search Kate’s car, he noticed the French doors to the back deck had been left cracked open. He jogged over and slipped outside.
“Oh, good. You’re finally back.” Kate stood at the grill wearing a white apron and wielding a huge set of stainless steel tongs. “Perfect timing.”
Jaden looked around once more to make sure he was in the right house. Yep. It seemed to be his rental. His deck. His grill that she was leaning over. What was he missing here? “What’re you doing?”
“Making you dinner,” she said as though this were a normal everyday occurrence. “Filet mignon with grilled asparagus.” She flipped the sizzling hunks of meat. “Oh! And mashed potatoes with bacon and garlic.”
Uh…“Why?” That was the only word he could seem to manage from the fog of shock. He couldn’t deny that Kate Livingston was gorgeous. Even more captivating under the soft glow of the globe lights strung overhead. Captivating in a way that triggered his anxiety. For the last couple of months, he’d done his best to feel nothing. It was easier. But she stirred something. A craving that ached all the way through him.
“What do you mean why?” She seemed to laugh so easily. “Okay. I admit it. This is a pity dinner.”
“A pity dinner.” He couldn’t seem to do much more than repeat her.
“All you have in that lavish kitchen of yours are six boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios.” She shrugged and turned back to the grill. “I feel sorry for you. How long has it been since you’ve had steak and potatoes?”
“Eight years.” He hadn’t eaten potatoes for eight years. They had too much starch, and he’d had to keep his body fit.
She spun and gaped at him, those standout eyes wide with a look of genuine shock. “Eight. Years?”
“I’ve had steak. Just not potatoes.” But he’d loved mashed potatoes growing up. That might’ve been his favorite food. Gram used to dump in butter and real cream and fresh herbs from the garden…
“God, really?” she repeated. “Where have you been? In prison?”
“No.” But actually, these last three months had felt like exile. Not that he could tell her that.
“Well, I hope you’re hungry.” Kate walked over to the patio table, which had already been set with dishes and silverware. “Because we have a ton of food. And Darla insisted on sending me home with some wine and truffles.” She uncorked a fancy bottle and poured the red wine into two glasses.
Jaden stood right where he was. He had no clue what to make of Kate Livingston. She seemed friendly and innocent. Or maybe that was just the dimples in her smile. Maybe she only looked friendly and innocent. Maybe she’d go all Fatal Attraction on him any minute. “Why are you here?” he asked again, and this time he wasn’t being polite. “Why are you in my house making me dinner?”
Kate set down her wineglass, her shoulders slumping from confidence to surrender. She seemed to think a minute and then turned and walked toward him as though giving up. She stopped a foot away, her mouth no longer smiling. “I’m lonely. Okay?” Her chipper voice had mellowed. “Things in my life aren’t awesome right now. I’m not exactly in a place I want to be. And after I saw your house this morning, I figured maybe you were lonely too.”
Now, that he could understand.
“Okay, then,” Jaden said, taking his place at the table. “Let’s eat.”