Caroline emerged from amid the mass of people milling around the lobby and exclaimed, “Indy! Très bien, chérie. What a wonderful performance to build upon for Bari.”
“Thanks,” she said, searching desperately for an escape route, but there was a wall behind her and she’d literally have to push them aside to get away.
“I was telling your father after the match that, despite the loss, with the way you played, the sponsors will most certainly come knocking. I have already been in contact with Nike, and they will submit an offer for outfitting by the end of the week.”
Indy watched in horrified fascination as her father’s handlanded upon Caroline’s shoulder. “She’s doing a great job, isn’t she?” He squeezed gently and the older woman’s brown eyes filled with warmth when she looked back at him.
Indy’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God. Are you two… are you two sleeping together?”
“Indiana!” her dad scolded, but he pulled his hand away like Caroline’s skin burned him. That was all the confirmation Indy needed. She was a little annoyed that it hadn’t occurred to her before. Thinking back, it seemed obvious, but to be fair her mind had been on other things and she tried to never think about her dad’s love life, ever.
“Is that why you hired her? And you!” She whirled on her agent. “First my coach and now my dad? Have you ever even heard the phraseconflict of interest?”
“Is everything okay over here?”
Jack stood behind her dad, his eyes trying to hold on to hers from over her dad’s shoulder. He was coming to her rescue again and it made her stomach turn. If he cared, really cared, he would’ve been there to begin with instead of only showing up to help, only to disappear again a moment later just like he always did.
She was sick of it, sick of him, sick of everything.
“No, but it doesn’t matter. I’m out of here.”
Indy stormed forward, her dad and her agent pulling apart just in time to get out of her way. Most of the people in the lobby stared in their direction, fascinated by the sudden outburst, but she ignored them as she moved down a hallway through to the back of the hotel. There was a small courtyard lined with a large fence and trees, the cherry blossoms still flourishing even as the calendar moved toward summer.
“Indy!”
Jack. He followed her. He never called her that. She’d always been Indiana to him before.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She crossed her arms and hugged herself tightly but kept silent, willing herself not to cry.
“Just tell me you’re all right.”
“I’m all right,” she muttered. Seconds ticked away, but she didn’t hear him leave, so she turned to face him. He was leaning against the outer wall of the hotel, arms crossed, studying her. “I swear to you, I’m fine, Jack. You can go.”
“What if I don’t want to go?” he asked, pushing off the wall and taking a step closer. “What if I want to stay here with you? Can I stay?”
She saw the moment when his expression shifted, moving from concern to something else, something she’d only seen glimpses of over the last few weeks when he’d allow the wall he built up between them to slip.
“Why do you want to stay?” she asked, no louder than a whisper, terrified the sound of her voice would break the moment.
He took slow, measured steps until he was just inches away from her. “A few days ago, a beautiful woman called me a coward and she was right.”
“She was?”
“You were, and I should have done this a long time ago.”
It was a soft brush of the lips at first, and then that fire, that intensity and passion that had swirled and built between them in the last few weeks, came bubbling to the surface as their mouths caressed each other, tongues dancing slowly.He brought her close, pulling her body gently into his, but she had other ideas. She pushed up against him, one hand twisting into the cotton of his shirt, the other caressing the back of his neck, keeping him close.
When they finally broke apart, he buried his face into her hair, inhaling deeply. They breathed each other in for a moment until he ended the silence. “Is this really what you want?”
“Yes,” she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pushing up on her toes to brush their lips together again.
Pulling back, their eyes locked and he lifted a hand to her cheek, stroking his thumb over the line of her jaw. “Fuck it,” he said as he drew her mouth to his again and they lost themselves in each other.
THERE WAS TOO MUCH TIME TO KILL. PENNY GLANCED DOWNat her watch, the gift Rolex sent in anticipation of her signing yet another endorsement contract. It was heavy on her wrist and nicer than anything she’d ever owned, but in that moment, all it did was reinforce the fact it was only six o’clock. Though she needed her rest before her match tomorrow against Lutrova, she couldn’t reasonably go to bed before eight. Any earlier than that and she’d be wide awake at some ungodly hour the next morning.
So instead of sitting around, staring at the walls of her room or watching random French television shows, she wandered down to the lobby, hoping the hustle and bustle would make the minutes tick by faster. At least, that’s what she told herself.
