“Don’t worry,” Luke said. “I deal with that every day with this vixen. I will teach you the death stare. Every man you give it to backs off right away.”
Molly leaned up and kissed Luke hard on the mouth while he squeezed her ass.
“Alright you two, let’s go sit down.” Jane said.
The hostess surprisingly gave them nice seats looking over the cityscape of Atlanta. Jane was convinced they were going to be stuck by the bathroom thanks to the Horny Henderson’s. It must have been Brady’s presence that gave them the good luck in seating. Brady pulled out Jane’s seat for her and gently pushed it in when she sat down. She was grateful to sit across from Molly since she was always nervous at first to eat in front of men. Being so close to Brady sent her senses into overload, thanks to the amazing cologne he was wearing. She needed to be on her A-game and that meant no alcohol.
“How about some wine to start us off?” Molly blurted.
Well there went that idea. There was no way Molly was not going to let Jane drink. Well, Jane just had to keep it classy and watch her consumption, simple.
They ordered their food in record time. Brady asked what she was having and ordered for her when the waitress came over. It was a very smooth move of him, maybe too smooth. It was a move that George would have made because he controlled every aspect of Jane’s life. Jane tried to remind herself that Brady was just trying to be a gentleman and not take over her life.
While they were waiting Brady asked Luke, “So you’re in the army?”
Luke replied, “Yes sir, I’m actually in Special Forces and that’s pretty much all you can know. Not even Molly knows much about my job.”
“Except that it takes you away from me and I’m lucky if I get to hear from you once every couple of months,” Molly said sadly.
Luke took her hand and kissed the back of it. “You know I hate it too, Babe. But it’s my job. I won’t be in it forever and don’t forget when I’m 45 we will retire and live off of Uncle Sam.” Luke said with a wink.
Molly looked at Luke with pure lust and was about to attack him when Jane interjected, “Molly don’t even think about it.”
Molly turned to her friend looking all innocent and said, “What? I was just thinking about how I have to go to the bathroom and how Luke said he needed to go once we got here but he never got the chance because we had to wait for you two.” She turned to Luke and said, “Come on Big Boy, let’s go to the bathroom.”
Luke got up wiggling his eyebrows at Brady and Jane as he ran off with his soon to be wife. Jane just shook her head and swore under her breath, so much for Molly being her cushion.
Jane was just about to say something to Brady to cut the tension but instead chickened out and went for a sip of wine. In the middle of her drink, Brady nearly knocked her over with his words when he turned and said, “Jane why do you hate me?”
Jane choked on her glass of wine for a second and looked up at him. His gaze was innocent and sweet. Man he genuinely thought she hated him. Oh God, now she felt like a complete asshole. She knew she was not giving him many good vibes because she was too scared to get involved with someone who was just going to blow her off in the end but to make someone think she hated them? That was just awful.
Jane apologetically said, “I don’t hate you Brady, you are actually a very wonderful guy.”
“Then why is it like pulling teeth to get you to talk to me or even acknowledge me? I feel like I have shown you that I’m very much interested in you. Am I coming on too strong?”
When has a guy ever been this truly honest with her? What was Brady’s deal? No guy she had ever met had ever been so forthcoming with her. It made her feel incredibly uneasy. Any relationship she had ever been in was usually based around mind games. A very un-healthy way to conduct a relationship with another person, she knew that now but then again it felt like that was how a relationship was supposed to be at times.
Jane placed her hand on Brady’s arm, he flinched under her touch and she said, “You are not coming on too strong, Brady. I’ve been hurt very badly in the past and I just am always watching out for myself. I know you are a great guy but it’s hard for me to believe that an extremely sexy and famous guy like yourself wants anything to do with me.”
“So you think I’m sexy?”
Jane smirked, “I would be blind if I didn’t.”
What the hell had gotten into her? Slow it down Jane. She just told Brady she had been hurt. She didn’t want to show how desperately she wanted him to wrap her in those strong muscular arms of his and take her to bed. Whoa, where did that come from? So now she is team Brady? When did that switch happen? She told herself not to pursue him, it was too dangerous for her heart. She didn’t think she would be able to just settle for a one night stand with him. He was too good to be true; kind-hearted, sexy, athletic and caring. There was just one thing that set off her warning bells; his player status.
Brady grinned like a fool, bent over to her ear and whispered, “Want to get out of here?” she tingled all over from his lips being so close.
Jane looked through her eyelashes up to Brady and nodded. “I think if don’t we leave soon, we are going to be kicked out anyway because of the friendly fornicators in the bathroom.”
Brady chuckled, grabbed Jane’s hand, left three hundred dollars on the table, and led her out to the car. Jane was so scared. She didn’t want to get hurt again, especially by Brady because he seemed too good to be true. He looked at her like she was the only woman in the world and treated her with honesty and respect, plus he announced that he indeed was interested in her. That made her heart rate beat faster than when she went on her six mile runs. She just needed to be cool, calm and collected and not get lost in the manly muscles and lust that was Brady Matthews.
All of a sudden, them leaving together and getting in his car processed through Jane’s head. Did he think he was going to take her back to his place or back to her place and duplicate Molly and Luke’s bathroom antics? She was just about to say something when Brady touched her arm gently and said, “Don’t worry Jane. I just want to go on a walk with you and grab a little bite to eat.”
Feeling better, Jane relaxed in the plush seats of Brady’s car, leaned her head back and watched the great city of Atlanta pass by in her the passenger window.
***
Finally, Brady had Jane alone. They settled for a couple of hot dogs from a street vendor for nourishment and decided to take a walk in a nearby park. Brady made sure to hold Jane’s hand the minute he got ahold of it and did not let it go. He could tell she was still nervous around him and he needed to encourage her that he was in fact a good guy and was not going to hurt her.
They stood on a bridge over looking a little creek. Jane looked even more gorgeous in the moon light. Her hair looked so soft to touch and her eyes glistened in the moon beams. Why some man would cheat on this woman was beyond him, but their loss was his gain.
Jane looked over at Brady and said, “Tell me more about your friend Randy, he seemed like an amazing guy.”
Brady was touched that she wanted to talk to him about something so personal, maybe the hand holding thing was warming her up a bit.
“Randy Stevens was exactly that, an amazing guy. Growing up I didn’t know any differently that Randy was handicap, not that it would have made a difference. I just wanted to hang out with him because he knew so much about baseball and he wanted to play with me. I was an only child so having a playmate right next door was like having a sibling. Of course he was way older than me, but he didn’t mind hanging out with a little twerp of a kid like me.”
Jane interrupted, “I highly doubt you were a little twerp.” She smiled, “I bet you were real cute actually.”
Brady brushed a hair out of her face and continued. “Randy was dedicated to his Special Olympics softball team. He played short stop and he always said that he was going to go down in history as one of the greats. Well he did in my book. His lucky number was anything that equale
d eight because according to Randy, eight was the luckiest number in the world. Growing up I always tried to have a number on my different teams that equaled to eight to make Randy proud.”
“Oh, so that’s why you are number seventeen on the Braves.” Jane retorted but then clamped her hand over her mouth.
Brady laughed, “I see the lady has been lying to me. Seems like you know a little more about me then you tend to lead on.”
Jane said shyly, “I might have looked at your player profile a couple of times in the past and noticed you were number seventeen as well as the leader in RBI’s and homeruns.”
“Don’t forget doubles sweetheart.” Brady said nudging her chin up so she looked at him.
Jane went to go turn and continue their stroll when Brady pulled her back and up against his chest. He wanted to kiss her and was about to when someone walked past them and shouted to Brady, “Where is Laney man? I can’t believe you ever let her go!”
Brady rested his forehead against Jane’s and counted to ten. He did not need to get into a fist fight with some random idiot in a park. What was that moron thinking? He felt Jane tense up. She broke from his grip and walked away. Brady jogged to catch up to her.
“Please don’t pull away from me right now Jane, you’re just starting to open up to me and I’m really enjoying what I’m seeing and the time we are having together. That guy is an idiot don’t listen to anything he said. You know I want nothing to do with Laney. She was the one who messed up everything between us. Please look at me.” Brady said tilting her head up. “You are an amazing woman and I want to get to know you better.”
Jane’s eyes glistened, “I don’t know if I can, I’m sorry Brady. I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”
Brady didn’t let her go. He tilted her head up and made her look at him. “If that is the truth Jane, then look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t have any feelings for me.”
***
What was Brady doing to her? Of course she had feelings for him, too many feelings that it scared her. She had not felt like this in years. How could she not get her heart broken and at the same time tell this guy she had feelings for him? It was useless. There was no hope, either way she was going to lose.
She also could not forget about the fact that Brady was a famous baseball player who previously dated an extremely famous movie star, a movie star that people expected Brady to be with. How could she ever compete with that? If something ever transpired between her and Brady, would she ever be good enough for him? For his fans? She was never good enough for George so why the hell would she be good enough for Brady? She needed to tell Brady the truth, that she would never be good enough for him and she was not interested in pursuing any sort of relationship with him. He deserved that much for at least being nice to her.
Jane looked up at Brady and held back her tears. There was a lack of courage missing from her self-esteem but she had to do this, she had to end things with Brady before they even got started.
“I do have feelings for you Brady. I’m not going to lie about that. I’m just scared to get hurt again and not sure if I’m ready to get involved with someone. You are so much in the public eye and I don’t know if I can handle all of that.”
Brady wiped a stray tear and gently kissed her cheek. “Come on, I will take you home.”
Great, what now? What was he thinking? Was he taking her home now because she was a nutcase? Wait, she said she wasn’t ready to get involved with someone. Crap, she was an idiot. He was taking her home because he was looking to just have some fun, not get involved. Well at least he was going to end her misery sooner rather than later. She got one night with Brady Matthews, well one hot dog and a walk in the park to be exact.
The car ride home was silently awkward and uncomfortable. Jane wished she drove herself because the crickets chirping in the background was enough to make a girl crazy.
Brady finally pulled up to her apartment complex and got out of the car. She knew she was being ridiculous for being so upset but deep down she knew it was because she got a chance to possibly be with and she couldn’t get past the hold George still had on her.
Jane wiped away some of the tears that silently leaked from her eyes on the way home and tried to look her best before Brady opened her door. No such luck, she was a mess. Brady bent down and wiped away what had to be a smudge of mascara.
“Come on sweetheart.” Brady said very calmly. He took her hand, led Jane up to her apartment and opened her door for her. She was startled when she saw him follow her inside instead of just drop her off. He asked where her bathroom was and she pointed him in the right direction. To her surprise he grabbed her hand and took her with him. He grabbed a wash cloth out of the basket she had on display and made her sit on the counter. He wet the cloth under some warm water and started wiping away her makeup. She was so drained she didn’t even care. When he was done he looked at her and whispered “beautiful” under his breath.
She almost started crying again but held herself together, grasping on to that little self-repsect she had left. He led her out of the bathroom and into her bedroom which made instant warning bells to go off in her head. She had no clue what his intentions were and it scared her.
“Brady..” She started but he cut her off.
“Don’t worry Jane, I’m not going to get frisky. I’m just going to tuck you in and then I will make sure to lock the door behind me. You might want to change, even though that might be my favorite dress ever, it might not be the most comfortable to sleep in.” He winked at her.
Jane agreed with Brady’s clothing assessment and quickly changed into a pair of short shorts and a tank top with no bra, might as well let the man wonder what’s underneath the thin garment when he leaves her behind.
When she walked into the bedroom she did not miss his quick intake of oxygen and his wondering eyes that swiftly took a peak at her exposed breasts under her shirt.
Coughing Brady said, “I deserve a medal for behaving myself tonight.”
Jane gave him a little smile and went over to her bed. He laid the covers down so she could climb in and he tucked her in.
Jane could not help but ask, “Why are you doing this? Why me? Don’t you have a bunch of other women who are more stable than me at your disposal?”
Brady placed a finger over her lips to quiet her. “Don’t believe everything you read in those trash magazines. I picked you because you are real. You have a purity about you that is so damn attractive I don’t know what to do with myself. Then you go and wear red stilettos strutting around like some sex craved vixen, it drives me crazy. You have my mind going in all different directions sometimes I forget how to walk. I want to get to know you better because what I know so far I already like. Forget about Laney and anything anyone says about me and her. That is in the past and so is your relationship with George. I want to date you Jane, but I will wait until you are ready.”
Jane couldn’t help but cry, letting go of the last shred of sanity she had left in her body. He wanted to date her? Was she ready to date again? It had been two years but she was so focused on proving she could provide for herself that she completely forgot about fixing herself emotionally. That was pretty clear tonight by her incessant crying and emotional suicide. All she could do was nod and lay her head down. Brady brushed her forehead and placed a very gentle kiss on her eyes.
“You have my number if you need anything. Take care doll, I will call you tomorrow. I promise.”
With that he closed her door and locked up. She wanted to scream and tell him to come back to hold her until she fell asleep but she did not want to look desperate. No, she would just cry like a blubbering idiot in front of him for nothing he did to her. He really was a great guy if he put up with her tonight. He promised to call her tomorrow, which gave her some hope that she did not completely scare him away. If he did call her, was she ready for this? He didn’t just want to have sex with her, he actually wanted to get to know her and date her. She shook all
damning thoughts out of her head for now. Instead, she closed her burning eyes and drifted off to sleep thinking of green eyes and rippling forearms.
Chapter 8
Jane could not believe how much of a gentleman Brady was last night. She completely embarrassed herself and he still said he was interested in her. Maybe there was more to the man than met the eye. All she knew was she wasn’t sure if her heart was ready for a relationship. She didn’t know if she was ready to move past the damage George caused her and take a new step forward in her life.
Jane was just returning from her morning jog when she noticed Molly’s car outside. Oh boy, this would be interesting, she thought. Molly liked to surprise Jane often. Jane should never have given Molly a key to her apartment.
Jane ran up her stairs and popped into her apartment. Molly came out of the kitchen holding coffee and eating what looked like a jelly filled donut. Jane’s taste buds started dancing around from the sight of the confectionary breakfast treat.
“I brought over donuts.” Molly announced while looking Jane up and down. “Who goes running on a Sunday? Honestly Jane, you can rest at some point.”
“Not all of us can be as lucky as you Molly and be blessed with a model’s body, eating donuts whenever they want.”
“What can I say? Good genetics. Now give me all the glorious details, wait…” Molly looked around. “Shouldn’t there be a male specimen in your bed right now? The fact that you went running this morning tells me that you didn’t get any action last night, because you sure as hell would not be running. No, you would either be in bed with that magnificent man or you would be icing down your inner thighs from all the fucking you did last night.”
Jane sighed, “Things didn’t go the way you might have wanted them to, sorry lady. I’m officially a fuck up.” Jane wasn’t in the mood to go over the hideous details of what transpired last night but she knew there was no way she had an icicle’s chance in hell of not telling Molly what happened. Molly would just abuse the story out of Jane somehow.