Game, Set, Match (A Humorous Contemporary Romance) (Love Match) (32 page)

The sight of her ripped a groan from his chest. She was so responsive, so wet. She looked so hot, wanton. He dipped his head to trace the tip of his tongue along her lower lip. “Delicious.”

A sensual knowledgeable smile spread over her mouth as she took her delicate hands to his hips in an attempt to get his jeans off.

“Here, let me…” He pulled out a condom and placed it on the railing. His hands went to help her with his jeans. “That last button can be tri—” Movement over her shoulder caught his eye.

“Jason, hurry—”

His arms tightened around her. “Shh. Sit still for a second.”

His eyes scanned the surf, wanting to convince
himself he saw a bird of some sort or a dog. The flickering shine of the moonlight on glass told him his gut instincts were correct.

He gritted his teeth against the mixture of anger and lust. “Baby, listen very carefully. I need you to stand up and keep your face buried in my chest. I’m going to walk us back inside.”

Izzy wrinkled her brow and stared at him. “Your chest is not my first choice for where I need to bury my face, but whatever turns you on, I—”

Jason groaned out a laugh. Some idiot with a camera was capturing their every move, but she still managed to make him laugh. For a single second, he considered her offer, but he couldn’t compromise her if his gut was right. “I’d prefer you buried your face somewhere other than my chest as well, but I think we have company out on the surf.”

“Shit.” Izzy tried to whirl in his arms to see what he saw, but Jason kept a tight grip on her shoulders.

“No. You don’t want to do that. Let’s get inside, and I’ll call security.”

He knew the moment the enormity of the situation snapped her addled brain back to reality. The sex fueled haze cleared from her gaze, and she went rigid in his arms. “Shit, are you serious? Someone’s really out there?”

And then like slugs after the rain, realization crawled on the pavement sucking up the torrents of truth—whoever was out there could have seen everything…Could have photographed…
everything
.

“As serious as my blue balls right now.
Someone’s watching us.”

Izzy scrambled and squirmed in an attempt to get to the balcony door, but Jason held her tight. Cradling the back of her head in his palm, he began the delicate backwards dance around the deck furniture to the door.

Holding her so close, he could smell the lingering scent of her arousal mixed with the sea air and the sweet jasmine vanilla of her shampoo. Trying to ignore the urging twitch of his still aroused cock, he maneuvered them to the glass door.

Once he placed her in the doorway, he settled her away from him. “Go have a hot bath. And, do me a favor, stay away from the windows. The last thing we need is to have some pap hotshot get a grainy photo of you.”

Izzy wrapped her arms around her body, unable to ward off a shiver. “What are you going to do?”

“Give whoever’s down there a one way ticket to dropping the soap.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Sexual frustration didn’t suit him. Every nerve ending Jason had was raw and ragged with lust, longing and something…deeper. He’d spent the rest of the night trying to find the paparazzi slime on the shores then filing a police report. By the time he made it home and back to Izzy, it was four in the morning and far too late to continue where they’d left off.

Saturday, the magic spell that had cocooned the two of them had evaporated into the night like their stalker. They’d spent the whole day, and most of the night, with Nick, shuttling to and from practice and spending time as a pseudo family.

For the first time in his adult life, he’d felt like an awkward teenager trying to talk to her in the bright light of the morning. Every time they’d caught each other’s eye, they were swift to avert their gazes, lest the awkwardness envelop them.

He cared about Izzy more than he ever let himself care about anyone or anything. Jason slid
her a glance across the expanse of his car as they drove to Nick’s exhibition match. He was a fool if he tried to pretend he wasn’t falling for her—again.

He could get used to the early Sunday morning drives to matches. Could get used to the family getting ready to cheer Nick on, or maybe
himself. He’d never been too close to anyone. And judging by the sleepless nights, sweaty palms and ticking bomb in his chest, the whole falling in love thing might kill him.

The police and cleaners had finished up with her house, so after the match, they’d be going home. No more Nick. No more Izzy. As if they’d never been his.

He didn’t like the hollow feeling in his stomach. They’d only been around for two days, but he would miss them. He’d never known staying home and playing board games could be more fun than going out on the scene, but it had been.

Izzy caught his gaze and smiled tentatively. Something wicked in her gaze had him convinced she and Nick had conspired against him to win at monopoly and cards last night. He’d have to play them again to be sure.

Though, cheating antics or no, nothing surprised him more than how easily Nick and Izzy’s tight circle of closeness expanded to include him. He hadn’t felt the sense of family in so long, he’d almost forgotten his need to belong.

Izzy smiled at something Nick said and turned around to talk to him. Jason knew she hadn’t forgotten about Thursday or Friday, but at least she didn’t have the weary look around her eyes any more. If he’d been able to give her some peace for a couple
of days, it was enough.

When they arrived at the country club, Nick unloaded all of his equipment and headed to the locker room to join his team. He got about five feet before he came back and gave Jason a long look. “
Uhm, thanks and stuff.”

“For the practice?
Any time. I should thank you. I needed the court time.”

Nick shook his head and tossed a furtive glance toward Izzy who spoke to Jessica on the phone. “No. I meant for Mom. You kept her from losing her shit.” He sucked in a deep breath,
then he looked away. “It was cool of you.”

Jason watched Nick walk away and didn’t know what to do with the flood of emotion. One second, he’d felt good and even-keeled and in control. The next, he felt touched and emotional.

Once Izzy hung up with Jessica, he escorted her to the stands. They found three seats for themselves and Jessica when she arrived.

“So are you going to tell me what he said or not?” Izzy asked.

“He just wanted to thank me for the help with his forehand volley.”

She looked at him as if unsure whether to believe him, eventually nodding. “I’m glad he said thank you. Him being a teenager, you never know these days.”

Jason laughed. “I’m sure he has his teenage moments, but he’s a great kid. I don’t know how you survived all by yourself.” He still couldn’t picture a barely legal Izzy trying to care for a baby, with Sabrina no kind of help at all. Plenty of women coped all the time. But for Nick and Izzy to turn out so well proved her resilience.

“I had help.” She shrugged and opened up her program. “You would have done the same.”

Nick’s match didn’t start till the third round, so Jason sat back to watch the matches, the adrenaline, the improvisation reminded him of his youth. A few of the players were really good. He could see their future potential in each of their strokes. One or two were completely outmatched, but these were high school players, after all.

Midway through the second match, a commotion at the bottom of the stairs took their attention from the matches. He peeked over the edge of the stands and saw the brunette curls whisk by security.
 
Sabrina
.

She also saw him and called out, “How’s my money maker?”

Shit
. On his right, Izzy exhaled a sharp breath. “What the hell is she doing here?”

He needed to get rid of her before she
ratted him out to Izzy. “Did you tell her we’d be here?”

Izzy groaned.
“My bad. I put his schedule on the fridge. I didn’t think she’d actually show up to one. She never has before.”

He patted her hand. “Relax. I’ll deal with her before Nick even makes it out.”

“Are you sure? She’s not really your problem.”

Oh, he was sure. “I’ll be back in no time.” He maneuvered through the stands and was on Sabrina before she had a chance to protest. Wrapping a hand around her wrist, he tugged her down the stairs away from nosy eyes and ears.

As he pulled her through the country club’s gates away from the courts, he picked up the faint hint of alcohol. It was too early in the morning for drinking. But not like he hadn’t showed up to many a meet, pores oozing alcohol.

Once he had her in the lot, he pulled her to a stop. “What the hell is wrong with you? You can’t let the kid have one good thing?”

She stared up at him and tried to brush past him to go back inside. “What the hell? You think because you’re playing happy family with Izzy and my son, you’re now an expert on parenting? He’s my kid, I’m going in.”

He blocked her path. “No you’re not, Sabrina. You’ve never cared before, why would you start now?”

She raised a hand as if to slap him, and he caught her wrist before she could make impact. His lips formed a smile, but he kept his voice flat and cool. “You think you can try the shit you pulled on Nick with me?” He released her. “You won’t like the results, Sabrina. Walk away.”

Stricken, she stared at him. “What do you mean what I pulled on Nick?”

Did she really think she could lie and get away with it? “I know you hit him.”

Her eyes darted up to the stands. Typical
Sabrina, worried about how to cover her own ass. “Yeah, Izzy knows too. Honestly, I’m amazed you’re still breathing. If I were her, your body would be in the middle of the desert by now.”

She sputtered. “He pretty much called me a tramp.
My own son. What the hell else should I have done? You act like Izzy never spanked him for anything. Kids like him need discipline.”

“I think you know there’s a difference. You hit him out of anger. He’s too old to be spanked.” Confused, he asked, “You didn’t get Izzy’s messages?”

She chewed her bottom lip. “I didn’t listen to them. I went home and saw the cops so I split. I figured she wanted to let me know not to go home.”

Jason shook his head and made to go back to the stands. “Not your home. Leave the kid alone, Sabrina. If you don’t
, you’ll deal with me.”

Hands fisted at her sides, she yelled after him. “You know,
Jase, you act awfully high and mighty considering.” She teetered and waved her arms to steady herself. “What do you think your precious Izzy would say if I told her you paid me to shut up?”

Hot fury turned the icicles in his blood to steam. “You and I both know I only paid you because Nick is in danger. Danger
 
you
 put him in. You think Izzy isn’t going to turn loose every lawyer she has available when she finds out the break-in was your doing?” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Do us both a favor. Take the money you have and walk away.”

Her hands trembled as they grabbed at the front of his sweater. “You don’t understand. Tony, my dealer, he’s charging me interest. I need to get out from under his thumb. He’ll kill me if I don’t give him the rest of the interest.”

“How is it you never think to walk away? You could have couriered the money to him. You chose to stick around.” He shook his head. “I’m not giving you another penny.”

Sabrina’s pretty features contorted into something hollow and ugly. “I’ll tell her. I will. You have to give me that money.”

“You tell her I gave you the cash, and I tell her you were behind the break-in.” He shrugged. “Looks like we’ve reached an impasse.”

“I thought you’d do anything to protect your son.”

He stopped, but didn’t turn around. 
She’s lying
. “We always used a condom. I wasn’t dumb enough to touch you unprotected Sabrina.”

She laughed.
“As if they always work. Not to mention, you were too drunk and out of it to put one on.”

“Izzy said the math was wrong.”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t know about you coming back does she?”

He half turned and gave her a benign smile. “Too bad you’ve already cried wolf before. I know better than to believe your lies.” He left her standing there and made it back to the stands in time for the third match. He swallowed the guilt he felt when he saw Izzy’s sunny smile. He couldn’t tell her now.
 
Soon. I’ll tell her soon.

As the match started, he and Izzy both inched forward in their seats. He willed Nick to remember everything they’d talked about and stay relaxed.

Nick’s first serve was firm and strong, but Michon was also quick and athletic. He chased everything Nick put over the net. Izzy watched silently, but Jason guessed by her clenched hands and the grim set of her mouth, she might be more nervous than Nick.

Jesus
. Is this how being a parent felt? Aching pit of the stomach, jumping nerves, worry over their happiness. He didn’t think he could take the stress. He never got nerves before his own matches, but now his stomach was a butterfly exhibit.