Chapter 2

CHLOE

Istand in the lunchroom at Glenwood Elite Sports and Talent Management, chatting with Lily Campbell, my boss. Lily is an adorable dark brown-haired pixie and managing partner. She'd hired me when I was laid off three years before. She was a godsend to me and my daughter, becoming one of my best friends and, through her, giving me the chance to meet so many wonderful women. I take my buzzing phone out of my pocket. "Jillian, again." My direct supervisor, Jillian, is out on maternity leave, leaving me to handle overseeing the accounts.

Lily touches my arm. "I appreciate you handling the Accounting Department. How many times has she texted you today?"

"A dozen times. Luckily, this time she said she's about to deliver, so she'll be busy for a while. I can't wait to see photos of the new baby."

Lily beams. "Me, too. I love babies." The phone in her pocket buzzes. She wrinkles her nose as she reads it and groans. "It's Phoebe's school." Phoebe is Lily's young daughter, close in age to my own. She steps away, and I throw my lunch remnants in the trash.

"Hey Chloe?"

Oh, this can't be good. You can always tell when Lily's got something bad to share. Her tight jaw and furrowed brow replace her normally calm demeanor. I bite my lower lip. "What's wrong?"

She blows out her breath. "Phoebe's sick, and one of the Mustang players got into a fight. He's at the hospital. Mia said he may have a head injury, so someone needs to physically take him back to his condo until I can find a nurse or an aid to stay with him." She purses her lips. "You mentioned your daughter was heading to the Campbell ranch after school?"

"Yeah. Freya's been looking forward to the twins' birthday for a month."

Lily frowns. "Phoebe is going to be so sad to miss it."

"Maybe she'll feel better and be able to join the festivities tomorrow."

"That would be nice." She purses her lips. "Who's taking Freya to the ranch?"

"Mia gets off her nursing shift in time to pick up her boys and Freya from school. Freya's gone a couple of times with Mia and the boys, so she's comfortable. She doesn't need me, anyway. You know, she's eight, going on twenty."

Lily nods. "I wish Phoebe was more independent."

I touch Lily's arm. "What do you need?" We've become close friends, so I'm sure whatever this is, it's difficult for her to ask, which makes me nervous.

She chews on her bottom lip, her only real tell that she's not happy. "I wouldn't ask, but we're short staffed, and I really don't have anyone else to send." She sighs. "Andy's at Dallas Baptist in the Emergency Department. If you can go get him and take him home, I'll see who I can send to stay with him tonight."

"Sure. I'll go now."

"Thank you, Chloe. I'm aware this isn't usually a job for a brilliant accountant."

I hug Lily, right before her phone rings again. "All hands, right?" I step into my office and grab my purse. I flick my wrist to check the time and pull out my keys. "Hopefully, this Andy guy is at least cute." Oh crap, I don't know his last name. I call out. "Lily, who's Andy?"

Lily's hand rises, and she flicks her hand as she speaks on her phone.

Well, that's probably another client in trouble. How many Dallas Mustang football players are in the Emergency Department? I'll figure it out.

I park in the visitor lot and walk in the hospital entrance. I hike my purse on my shoulder, smiling at the lady sitting at the desk. "Hi. I'm here to pick up Andy."

She frowns. "Um. Just a second."

My nose crinkles. There's no smell quite like a hospital. Clean but not, a sickening lemony bleach smell that reminds you of sick people and death. I shudder, feeling like I'm standing in a cemetery.

The woman looks up from her screen. "I'm not seeing an ‘Andy'."

"Okay. My boss said…" I lean in and lower my voice. "A Mustang football player is here, and I'm his ride. You can call Mia Campbell, she's in the ED today."

Her eyes open wider. "Mia called your boss?" Her eyes lighten up with understanding. "Oh. Yes." She turns from side to side and smiles. "I'll push the button for the ED entrance, and you'll head through the door, down the hall, to the left."

The double doors open, and I follow the signs to the ED. A group of people congregate in the middle of the hallway, including Mia, the mother of the birthday twin boys.

"Hey, Chloe."

"Hi. Mia. I'm looking for a Mustang football player."

She smirks. "He's in room six. I'll take you."

I smell the air, my stomach flips. I hate the odor and feel of hospitals. I'm always expecting some ghost to appear before me and yell, ‘boo'.

Mia pushes open the door. "Here you go."

"You've got to be kidding me." There sits the man I hate. The man who made my life miserable for years. "Fucking ghost."

DREW

I focus on the beautiful raven-haired beauty standing with the redhead nurse. "No joke, baby. It's me, Drew King, in the flesh."

The gorgeous, curvy woman rolls her eyes, and Mia scoffs. "Mr. King, you shouldn't try to make a joke with a head injury. They never come out as good as you think."

I shrug. "Sure." I turn to the beautiful woman. "I expected my agent."

"Lily had an emergency with her daughter, so you have me. I'm going to take you home."

I'm staring at her gorgeous curves. "Yeah. Let's go. You can take care of my every need."

"No. I'm going to make sure you do nothing else to embarrass your agent. Once the caregiver gets there, I won't be staying."

I'm a grown man, and this isn't my first injury. "I don't need a babysitter."

Lily's employee scoffs. "You definitely need a keeper. I haven't heard of anyone getting into a bar fight in the middle of the day. You must have been getting sloshed early."

"Hey." I grumble. "I wasn't drunk. Contrary to the media, I am not a drunk. They just look for opportunities to paint me in a poor light."

She waves her hand. "Whatever." She turns to Mia. "What do I need to know?"

Mia looks back at me. "Is it okay for me to share your instructions with Chloe?"

Chloe? Why does that sound familiar? I stare at the woman. Her curves are luscious. Her dark black hair is swept up into a sleek, sophisticated style, and her striking green eyes hold so much emotion I want to dive right in and swim. My mouth opens and closes like a fish. "Chloe Taylor?"

She shakes her head. "So, you do recognize me."

"Of course, I recognize you. You're gorgeous. How long has it been?"

"It's been ten years, and I could have gone another ten without seeing your obnoxious face."

"You look so good, baby."

Chloe throws her hip out and growls. "What the hell is this ‘baby' shit? You act like we're friends or something. You and your friends made my life miserable. You hated me."

I shake my head, reaching up and cupping my temple, trying to reach in and dim the pain. "No. I didn't hate you. I treated you like crap, because I liked you. You were funny."

"You're delusional." She looks at Mia. "Can Mia tell me what care you need so we can get you home, and I can hand you off to someone who doesn't know you're a douchebag?"

I catch Mia's unhappy face and nod in agreement. "Sure." I teased her, but I teased everybody. People think I'm charming.

Mia hands the packet of papers to Chloe. "He needs to have someone watch him for the next forty-eight hours. He's got a concussion. His jaw is bruised. He has a cut on the side of his head and a bruised rib. The other guy got some good hits in."

"Hey. He was bigger than me."

Chloe laughs. "I doubt that. A full-grown bear isn't bigger than you."

My smile raises gradually. Maybe she doesn't completely hate me. "So, you think I'm big, huh?" My cock is big too. You can check that out when we get back to my condo.

"You just entertained yourself in your head like you did in high school. Didn't you?"

Mia comments. "You know each other from high school?" Her head moves back and forth, looking at us like a tennis match.

Chloe growls with that adorable school marm scowl. "You aren't funny. Wipe that smile off your face."

I duck my head, trying to hide my smile. "Yes, ma'am."

Mia clears her throat. "He needs to rest: no activity, no computer or phone, no exercise, and sleep is the best thing for him - alone." She glares at me. "Someone needs to make sure he stays hydrated and eats. For the next twenty-four hours, he can have a thousand milligrams of Tylenol every eight hours. Tomorrow at this time, he can take ibuprofen if his headache persists. Call 911 if his headache is severe, he's difficult to wake up, he vomits more than once, or he acts differently from the usual."

"Well, as I haven't been around him in a decade, I don't have any idea what's usual."

Mia's brow raises. Her smirk reminds me of when I attended a Campbell family get-together with my neighbor Cameron Campbell and his wife, where Mia heard one of her twins trying to get the other one into trouble. She leans near Chloe with that knowing smile. "We'll have to discuss that at happy hour this week."

"You're such a drama hound." Chloe rolls her eyes.

I listen to the two women. So, Mia knows pretty Chloe. Small world that she and I ended up in Dallas.

Mia speaks. "I'll let you know when I have Freya."

"Yeah. Hopefully, Phoebe will be better in the morning and be able to go to your party."

My brain registers the word late. "Party?" My voice raises. "I like parties."

Chloe glares. "No more parties for you. You're sitting on your ass or lying in your bed for the few days."

I wiggle my brows. "We can lie together in the bed. I promise not to put you over my knee and spank your pretty ass."

Mia cringes. "Wow." Her hand covers a beaming smile. "You two are going to have so much fun."

I smile and Chloe glares. Chloe flips her hand over, motioning to me. "It's no wonder he's the Mustang most likely to be in trouble and have it covered in the media. They've got photographers on speed dial, and I bet they GPS track your car so they can show up to get a full view of your antics."

Mia scolds. "Please, Mr. King. Don't do anything foolish." It's weird to see the professional Mia. She'd normally just scold me like one of her kids. "I'll send the notes to the team doctor. He'll want to see you in a few days, but if anything comes up, please come back here." She focuses on Chloe. "Tie him to the bed, if you must."

Chloe scoffs. "I'd need to call some models to do that."

I'm about to argue, and the door opens.

Mia motions to the orderly with the wheelchair and turns back to me. "Take it easy on your stomach. Light meals to start." I don't answer fast enough, and Mia uses the tone she does with her sons. "Drew, let your head rest."

"Yes, mom." I get up too fast and dizziness overcomes me. I reach for the edge of the bed as Chloe moves in to put her tiny body into my side. "Ooh. I guess it hurts more than I realized."

Chloe glances at Mia. "Did you run tests?"

"The x-rays came back for his ribs. They're bruised. We didn't do tests for his head because it's a simple concussion. He just needs to take it easy."

Chloe maneuvers me into the seat. Not a simple task, considering my enormous size to her petite frame. She growls. "No fast movements. I don't need you falling face first on the linoleum."

My head is pounding as I readjust into the wheelchair and grit my teeth. "Let's just go."

"I'll bring my car out front." She nods at the orderly as she hustles out the door.

Wow! That's a nice ass. My cock twitches as my head moves side to side, making sure no one sees me adjusting it. I move around in the wheelchair. I could have just walked out of here. Oh, man, I hope the press isn't sitting out there. I put my head in my hands. I'm so fucking tired.

The door opens, and the sunlight hits my eyes as we exit the building. "Fuck. That hurts." Chloe stands next to an older minivan with the back door open.

"I'll ride up front."

She grimaces with a resting bitch face. "Just get in the back seat before someone from the press sees you."

I grumble, but she has a point. "Fine." The orderly helps me out of the chair and into the captain's chair. "Thanks, man."

The orderly ticks his head. "Kick ass this season."

I give the man a thumbs-up as he closes the sliding door. The chair next to me sits a kid's booster seat, and my eyes bore in the back of Chloe's head. "You've got a kid?"

"Don't sound so stunned. Not everyone has to be a supermodel to be found attractive." Her jaw tightens. "Where do you live?"

"I live in the Quad condo, building two."

Chloe puts her vehicle in gear. "That's a swanky address. The Campbells live there. I love the stores on the first floor of that area. The girls and I go to the bakery there at least once a month. Some of the other Campbell cousins own businesses there, too."

"They do. My favorite bar and Italian restaurant are at the Quad."

Chloe glances back in the rearview mirror. "How do you know Mia?"

"I hang out with some of the Campbell cousins, and I've been to the Campbell Manor for get togethers. She and her husband have been there with their kids."

"Uh, huh." Chloe looks through the mirror. "How did you get a condo at the Quad? I heard you had to be related to the Campbells to live there."

"No, you just have to have one introduce you to the owners. The Mustangs management hired the Campbell-Petrov Security company, and I met the two cousins who own it. I mentioned I needed a new place, and they offered me a tour. It's perfect. I love it: great amenities, nearby businesses and free travel buses to and from the stadium."

The kid's purple booster seat beckons my attention. The kid is a girl. How old are kids when they have a booster like that? I've got nothing; no idea what age her kid could be. Will she be pissed if I ask her? I click my tongue and pull my phone out of my pocket. "Um. How old is your daughter?"

Chloe rolls her eyes. "My daughter isn't any of your business. We aren't friends. Just focus on not talking." She glances through the rearview mirror. "And Mia said not to use your phone."

"I don't remember you being so bossy."

She guffaws. "The only reason I care at all is because Lily is my boss, and she asked me to do this."

"Huh? What do you do at GESTM?"

Chloe sighs. "I'm in accounting."

"Yeah. I remember you were an outstanding student."

"Whatever. I'm surprised you had your head out of your helmet long enough to notice anything about me, except what I looked like with my fat ass."

My mouth gapes open. "Now, wait a minute. I didn't say you had a fat ass."

She scoffs. "No, you said ‘maybe you should lay off the snacks, Clowns. You're pushing maximum stuffage with that ass'."

"Obviously, my warnings paid off. Look at you now, Clowns." I smirk. "Clowns. Get it? You were funny"

"What, you want credit or something?" She stops at the red light and turns around. "You think your words had some kind of positive message? All the shit you and your friends said to me just made me feel bad about myself. And my name is Chloe, not Clowns." She blows out a breath, waiting for the light to turn. "Let's get you inside and put your ass to bed. I'll wait for whoever is getting stuck with you, and then I'm gone."

I shake my head and have to slow down the speed so my brain doesn't slosh against my skull. "I don't remember it that way at all."

"Of course you don't. You said whatever you wanted and to hell with anyone's feelings. And you look back and think you did me some kind of favor. Douchebag." Chloe pulls in front of the building. "I can let you out here and park in the visitor lot."

I catch her eyes in the rear-view mirror. "Just take the driveway to the garage behind, under the Quad. I'll give you the code to type to get us in."

"Okay. Sure." She circles the building and takes the long concrete drive to the metal box with the key numbers.

"Type in seven, four, three, eight, one, seven, pound."

Chloe pushes the buttons, and a voice speaks on the speaker. "Hi. I don't recognize your vehicle."

She raises her voice. "I'm Chloe Taylor. I picked up Drew King from the hospital. He's in the back seat."

I cough. "Tell him ‘King three, six, nine, four'."

Chloe repeats the words, and the guy raises the long, black metal arm that's blocking our descent down the drive.

"I've got a parking space here. You can park there. It's R forty-two."

"Won't your car be in the space?"

"I don't have a car. I've got a motorcycle, and I park it with the other bikes."

"Okay. I'll drop you at the elevator, park the van, and meet you back here. There's a bench, so sit there while I'm gone."

My mouth smirks without my consent. "Yes, mom."