Hot Item

CHAPTER FOUR

INDIGNITY SURROUNDED Sophie. When she’d headed out of the lavatory a short while after Riley, the people seated in the immediate area had applauded. Now as they waited for their luggage to arrive on the conveyor belt, she stood next to Riley and was forced to accept another very uncomfortable situation. Her panties were damp with desire and he was the cause.

So much for not doing athletes. So much for not doing this athlete. Much to her dismay, her fears had just been realized. If not for the plane’s descent and the pilot’s order to return to their seats, she’d have probably been initiated into the mile-high club and enjoyed every minute.

She rubbed her aching temples at the thought. Because in all probability, Riley could have just as easily substituted one of the flight attendants for her. The thought stung and stayed with her, hanging over her shoulders like a bag of rocks.

Sophie had a business to save and her uncle’s partner to find. She needed to focus and she needed a plan. Instead, she’d been distracted by the athlete who thought with his-

“Which one’s yours?” Riley asked.

She glanced at the luggage slowly coming around on the belt and pointed to the black bag with the hot pink string that identified the suitcase as hers.

Riley hefted the bag as if it weighed nothing, then grabbed an older-looking duffel before turning her way. “We’re good to go?”

She nodded. “I arranged for a rental car. All we have to do is check in over there.” She pointed to a large green neon sign. “A bus will take us to the lot with the car and we can be on our way.”

“Sounds good. Any idea where we’re going?”

“I printed out directions from MapQuest on the Internet. We should be all set.”

Half an hour later, they were settled in the rental car on their way to Spencer’s sisters’ in Fort Lauderdale. Sophie shifted restlessly in her seat, the air-conditioning doing nothing to cool off the heat surging through her body. The tingling awareness reminded her of what had transpired between them in the bathroom of the airplane.

Still she tried for normal conversation. “So what do you know about Spencer’s Florida family?” Sophie wanted to enter the situation as prepared as possible.

“Not a damn thing.” A muscle ticked in Riley’s jaw.

Obviously she’d hit a nerve.

“What about you? You’re the one who said he’s like family. What do you know about his sisters?”

“About as much as you.”

“In my experience, in Atkins’s world, family loyalty runs one way only.”

Sophie didn’t reply, because she wondered if Riley didn’t have a point. For all the years she and her sisters had known Spencer Atkins and for all the holidays he’d spent with her family, Sophie now understood they didn’t know the man at all.

She heard the anger in Riley’s voice and saw the rigid way he held his body as he drove. She studied his strong profile and could only imagine the tension brewing inside him.

“I guess we’re on this fishing expedition together.” She reached out and covered his fingers with hers.

He jerked in surprise but didn’t move his hand away. She didn’t have to wonder if his skin tingled as much as hers, if he was as affected as she. One glance at his lap answered that question. He wanted her, all right.

“We’re here. If you can tear your gaze away from my-”

“Okay!” She cut him off before he could phrase the words that would make her blush even more.

She scrambled out of the car and preceded him up the walk leading to a small patio home. The entire community was comprised of similarly styled houses painted in pastel pinks, yellows and blues. A warm breeze blew around her. There was a serenity to the community that Sophie wasn’t feeling at the moment and she hoped they’d find Spencer quickly so they could be on their way.

Riley jogged up beside her. “You know there’s nothing wrong with two people being attracted to one another.”

“There is when one of those people flirts with anyone in a skirt, which means the other one could be any woman for all it mattered. Oh, and especially when the two people are all wrong for one another.”

He chuckled, a masculine sound that said I know better. She hated that he found her feelings amusing.

Without warning, he tangled his fingers in her unruly, humidity-messed hair. The light tugging sensation was stimulating. She trembled despite her internal warnings to protect herself from his charm.

His lips turned upward in a grin. “You’re mistaken-not about the flirting, because I do enjoy that.”

She stiffened.

“But you’re by no means any woman. You’re unique, Sophie Jordan.” His voice deepened to a husky rasp. “And as for being wrong for each other, well, that depends whether you’re looking for sex or commitment, sweetheart.”

His words should have been like a bucket of cold water dumped over her. Instead the word sex reverberated inside her head. She also couldn’t help the pleasure she felt in knowing he’d considered her unique. When in her life had she been that?

But Riley had said she was special and at the idea of sex with him-sweaty bodies, hands everywhere and this big, gorgeous man filling her completely-she trembled all over.

Who cared if he was an athlete? Sophie thought.

She did. Or she should. Just like she should care that her business hinged on finding the man who might be inside this house. Shaking off thoughts of sex for now, she leveled Riley with what she hoped was her fiercest glare.

“Let’s see who’s home.” She strode up the steps and knocked. She’d figure out later what to do about this man who had her quivering and practically jumping him in the front yard.

Suddenly the door opened a crack. “Who’s there?” a female voice asked.

“Sophie Jordan. I-”

“Sophie Jordan who?” a female voice asked.

“Sophie Jordan, Spencer’s business partner and longtime friend.”

“Phooey. I was hoping you’d have a fun name we could play with. Like Ben.”

Sophie narrowed her gaze. “Ben? Why Ben?”

The door still didn’t open enough for her to see who was on the other side. “Because you’d say Ben who? And I’d say Ben there, done that.”

She shot Riley a glance over her shoulder and whispered, “Frannie said they were eccentric.”

Riley rolled his eyes. Just what he needed. A set of weirdo aunts in addition to a gay father who wouldn’t acknowledge his existence.

“Can we talk face-to-face?” Sophie asked. Her voice held no trace of her anxiety.

She hid her worries well, but he understood her concerns and would do his best to help ease them. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t enjoy his time with her while they were together. She was too easy to tease and, man, he enjoyed it when she blushed. All in all she was a distraction from the problems he was here to deal with and he knew he provided the same diversion for her.

Although he’d talked himself out of acting on his desire in the airplane bathroom earlier, there was no way he’d be able to keep his hands off her for long. If she looked at him with those blue eyes filled with yearning one more time, he’d say to hell with his good intentions-as long as she understood it would be just sex.

Suddenly the door opened wide, cutting off his thoughts. A woman with bright red hair, clashing hot-pink lipstick and 1970s blue eye shadow stared back and Riley had a sinking hunch he could count her among his long-lost relatives.

“Sophie, darling, I’m Darla Atkins, Spencer’s older sister. Of course you’d never know it by looking at me. Florida holds the secret to the fountain of youth. All this humidity provides moisture for the skin,” she said. “I’m so happy you’re here. Spencer has told us so much about you and your sisters.”

But from what Sophie had said, Riley knew that Spencer hadn’t told the Jordan sisters anything in return.

Darla pulled Sophie into an embrace that she welcomed awkwardly, patting the older woman on the back before stepping away and putting distance between them.

“And who is this handsome fellow?” Darla’s focus drifted past Sophie to Riley.

“Riley is-”

“Your paramour, of course! No need to explain. He’s such a handsome hunk, you’re a lucky woman, but then he’s a fortunate man to have such a beauty as you on his arm. Spencer’s filled me in on your accomplishments over the years. I know how bright you are. He’s proud of all three of you girls.” She paused, as if debating what to say next. “But he always thought you were special,” the other woman said, lowering her voice.

Riley tried not to laugh at her sudden whisper. It wasn’t as if Annabelle or Micki was anywhere near to hear the comparison.

Sophie reached out and grasped the other woman’s hand. “Thank you,” she said softly, her heart and all of her emotions bared in those two small words.

For the first time in years, he softened toward his biological father and all because of how he’d treated Sophie. Spencer’s instincts had been on target. He’d been right to single her out and give her the attention she obviously craved.

But warring with his unexpected admiration was an old childhood jealousy because Sophie and her sisters had received the love and approval Riley had always sought and failed to achieve. He forcibly reminded himself he was no longer that needy child, and it helped to ease his flash of pain.

“He’s not my paramour,” Sophie said in her haughtiest tone, her pert nose in the air.

Maybe it was her vehement denial. Or maybe it was how appalled she sounded by the notion of being linked to him, as if their recent truce and the lingering sexual tension didn’t exist. Riley’s ego, wounded first by Spencer’s lack of acknowledgment and then by Sophie’s blatant disregard, took over.

He stepped forward and slung his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “Now, honey, didn’t we talk about you getting over this shyness? Of course we’re lovers and Ms. Atkins obviously has no issues with our relationship, so why hide it?”

Sophie turned her head to him, shooting daggers at him with her eyes. “Riley…” Her voice held a warning edge.

He raised an eyebrow, silently challenging her to deny the heat where their bodies touched and the pulse-pounding desire thrumming through them even at that moment.

Spencer’s sister, meanwhile, watched avidly.

“Ms. Atkins,” Sophie began.

She shook her head. “Darla, please.”

Sophie smiled. “Darla. Riley needs-”

“I need to speak to you,” he said, cutting off any details Sophie might have let slip.

Why tell the chatterbox that he was Spencer’s son when they were looking to keep the news quiet? In case Sophie didn’t get his drift, he squeezed her waist, hoping she took his cue to remain silent about the truth.

He glanced at her delicate profile. Although she continued to scowl, no doubt still unhappy about his pronouncement that they were a couple, she kept her mouth shut tight and he exhaled in relief.

“Come in, come in.” Darla led them into the house.

Riley noticed she didn’t comment on their need to speak to Spencer.

Was his father here? Riley’s gut cramped at the notion of finally coming face-to-face with the man who’d avoided him all his life.

Riley held on to Sophie, long enough to whisper in her ear, “Just when are you going to ask her if the old man’s here?”

“I thought I’d finesse the situation. If Spencer isn’t here, and she doesn’t know that he’s missing, I don’t want to worry her.”

“What did you say?” Darla asked.

“Nothing,” Sophie replied, and pulled Riley along.

Together they entered a small kitchen with red and black wallpaper, modern appliances and homey clutter all over the place. The place was well lived in, Riley thought. Unlike his mother and stepfather’s home, which was an old estate on acres of land with servants to keep things immaculate and clean. The contrast was striking and yet Riley liked the warmth he sensed in this house. He wouldn’t be surprised if Spencer had decided to hide out here until the scandal blew over.

Following Sophie’s lead, Riley settled into a chair at the kitchen table, letting Sophie direct the conversation. They declined the offer of drinks and snacks, and they made small talk until Darla finally asked, “So what are you doing in Florida?”

The question didn’t bode well for their search, Riley thought.

“When was the last time you spoke with your brother?” Sophie asked, instead of replying directly to the other woman’s question.

“Oh, that Spencer’s an erratic one. Sometimes he calls daily, sometimes more often and when he’s busy during draft season, we don’t hear from him for weeks on end.”

“We?” Riley asked out of curiosity.

“My sister, Rose, lives here, too. She’s at the market. It’s grocery day and this is her week, which is a good thing because my sciatica is acting up and I don’t think I’d be able to bend and put things into the cart easily. Unless of course I wink at that cutie they hired. He might be willing to help me,” she mused.

“Isn’t that jailbait?” he whispered to Sophie.

She nudged him in the ribs.

“It’s hard to find a man over seventy with all his hair and his own teeth. Ian’s got both.” Darla glanced at Riley, a twinkle in her eyes.

This was a smart cookie, Riley thought. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was talking in circles on purpose to distract them.

“Draft season’s coming up,” Riley said, picking up on her thread of conversation. “Does that mean you haven’t heard from Spencer lately?”

“He checks in,” she said vaguely.

“He took a sudden vacation but didn’t say where he was going,” Sophie said. “We were hoping you’d know where to find him.”

Darla leaned forward in her chair. “Why didn’t you just call and ask me?”

Sophie blinked. “We did. Often. Nobody answered.”

“Oh, that Rose. She’s got herself a new boyfriend and doesn’t answer call waiting when she’s talking on the phone. I always tell her she’s such a chatterbox. Nobody enjoys hearing incessant nonsense.” She sniffed as if she were above such things.

Riley did his best not to laugh.

“Well, we’re hoping Spencer will call tonight seeing as it’s my birthday and all, so you may get lucky yet.”

“Happy birthday,” they both said as if on cue.

“Thank you,” the redhead said, beaming.

Riley glanced at Sophie but couldn’t tell whether she was buying Darla’s story. For Riley, the jury was still out.

Darla rose from her seat. “Now you’ll stay here for as long as you’re in Florida. Spencer would never forgive me if I didn’t treat family right.”

The woman had no idea how right on the mark she actually was with that particular word, Riley thought. He tried not to wince while Sophie immediately reached out to him in understanding, her hand covering his thigh. He wondered if she realized how intimate the gesture was or how often she’d touched him in the past few hours, mostly when she was looking out for him or protecting his feelings.

He liked it. A lot.

“We don’t want to cause any trouble, so we’ll stay in a hotel,” Sophie said.

Darla shook her head. “Nonsense.” She waved the suggestion away with her hand. “Didn’t Spencer tell you this is sort of like a retirement community, only better because we don’t rent, we own it all. Spencer bought the land years ago and helped us develop it. Rose’s daughter, Amy, runs the place and lives in one of the homes. You’ll meet her soon enough. Luckily one of our patio homes that we normally lease is empty. The place is clean, fumigated and immaculate. You two will be quite comfortable.”

Had she come up for air? Riley wasn’t certain. He couldn’t focus on anything except the notion that he and Sophie would be sharing a patio home. She continued to prattle on, giving him no time to digest the information now or even decide how he felt about them living together for the duration of their stay in the Sunshine State.

One night or a week, it didn’t matter. With the sparks flying between them, he knew damn well he wasn’t leaving Florida without sleeping with Sophie Jordan.

FEELING LIKE A FOOL, Spencer crouched in the bushes outside his sister’s patio home. Thanks to an open kitchen window, he was able to listen to Darla’s chatter and Sophie’s concern. She hid it well, but knowing Sophie, she was climbing the walls trying to handle all the publicity herself without the help of her sisters. Spencer had left her in a bind and for that he felt badly.

But he wasn’t ready to face the world with his secret exposed. He might as well walk through Central Park bare assed, as Yank would say. In any other profession, his clients would be shocked but they’d understand that his private life didn’t have anything to do with his professional one. Any other profession wasn’t the world of sports.

Most athletes were macho men who had neither the time nor patience to understand anything outside their world. He wouldn’t be surprised if some of them had a phobia about homosexuals. Still, he hoped he wouldn’t lose more than one or two clients. He’d be home in time for the football draft, but he needed a plan before he returned. Then he’d see how evolved they actually were.

He glanced at his sister’s house and frowned. He wished Darla hadn’t insinuated he’d call her later, giving Sophie a reason to stick around. Instead, his well-meaning, ever-talkative sister had offered the use of an empty unit in the neighborhood so Sophie would remain here. The worst part of it all was that Sophie hadn’t flown down here alone.

The door to the house opened wide, interrupting his thoughts. Sophie stepped outside followed by Riley, Spencer’s son.

He broke into a sweat, the realization of all he had to answer for in his life overwhelming him. He understood that in Riley’s eyes, Spencer didn’t deserve a damn thing. He’d planned it that way, looking out for Riley behind the scenes. Yet now that Spencer’s reality was public knowledge, he thought maybe his son deserved to understand his absent father’s choices. But the same truth that had sent him underground would probably cause his son to turn away in disgust.

He wondered why Riley had come looking for him now.

Why had he hooked up with Sophie in his quest?

And, he also wondered, why did they look so at ease together?

Spencer squinted against the sun and stared at their retreating backs. Was that Sophie slipping her hand into Riley’s?

Holy moly, were they involved?

If they weren’t, they should be. The idea settled in Spencer’s brain and remained. Sophie, the sister with the intellect he admired and the warmth his son would appreciate. She was strict and would crack the whip, taming Riley’s wild side while giving him a run for his money.

Spencer knew he had nerve, planning anything for the child he’d never publicly acknowledged, but it wouldn’t be the first time he had looked out for his son behind the scenes, and it wouldn’t be the last.

“Psst!”

Spencer looked up. His sister, Darla, opened the kitchen window and called to him.

“They’re gone. You can come back inside now.”

Spencer waited until the rental car pulled away from the curb before standing, then stretching his old legs until the cramping subsided. “This hide-and-seek stuff is for the young,” he muttered, smoothing the wrinkles out of his pants.

He walked into the house and joined his sister.

“You’re only as old as you feel and right now you’re feeling sorry for yourself. For no good reason, either,” Darla said.

Spencer scowled. “Would you rather I go home and do a tell-all interview? Embarrass my only son and disgust my clients?”

Darla shook her head. “I think you underestimate those who care about you.”

He burst out laughing. “You care. You, Rose and Amy.” He mentally added Yank, Lola and the girls to the list. “But if you think my clients care about anything more than their next paycheck and their status in the sports world, you’re wrong. To them, a gay agent would be an embarrassment and I damn well know it. I need time.”

Darla started for the door.

“Where are you going?” Spencer asked.

“To pick out my outfit for my birthday party tonight.”

He hated what he had to tell her next. “I can’t be there.”

“Because Sophie and Riley will be?” Darla delivered a challenging stare.

Spencer massaged the sore muscles in the back of his neck. “I hate like hell to miss it, but I’m not ready to deal with them.”

“Coward.”

“Maybe.”

“He looks like you,” Darla said. “He has your eyes.”

“He has my good looks, doesn’t he?” Spencer asked.

His sister rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

Spencer grinned. He couldn’t control his pride in the man his son had become and he couldn’t help but hope that one day Riley would feel the same pride in him.

And maybe the 49ers would win the Super Bowl.

“Just make sure you find a way to keep those two together,” Spencer said.

Because if his coming out accomplished nothing else, maybe it would help his son settle down.