Page 40 of Forever Wild
His jaw flexes instead of him answering. Since his accident if I had to guess.
He takes the laptop from me.
“I’ll get to them,” he says. Then quieter, “Eventually.”
Like clockwork, another notification comes in. I stand and move around to confirm it’s another email.
“Congratulations. You hit one thousand,” I say.
This one’s from James and it’s marked Urgent. I smirk at the subject line.If you don’t answer them, I will.
I like James and I especially like that Jack, who currently has a resigned look on his face, listens to him. He doesn’t let anyone bosshim around, but James isn’t anyone.
“Like I don’t have other shit to do.” He sighs.
I sit next to him and watch as he opens the first email, replies ‘No’ and then deletes the original message.
“Oh, dear god. This is painful.”
“They want an RSVP and I’m giving them one,” he says brusquely.
“That sounded like a nice event and it’s rude to reply with one word. You didn’t even thank them.”
“Right now, I don’t feel very thankful.”
I study him carefully. Jack is one of the biggest names in all of hockey. People throw his name around with the greats. But it’s not just about hockey. He transcends the sport. He has endorsements and is friends with people all throughout the entertainment industry. He’s dated models and actresses who regularly show up on the covers of magazines.
Ty said once he didn’t know how Jack did it. That if it was him, he’d go out of his mind trying to juggle it all and still give hockey his everything. I didn’t understand it then, but I’m starting to now.
He’s a big fucking deal and the downside is that the pressure never stops. He’s getting it from literally all sides. The Jack I saw last week who wanted to hide away and be left alone, I understand him a little better now.
“I got this.” I take his computer from him.
“I’m not letting you anywhere near my schedule. You’d have me at more events than even James wants.”
“I won’t touch your precious schedule without your agreement. I’ll read the details to you and you give me an answer,” I say. Then add, “I’ll reply however you want but with more appreciation than you’re currently capable of.”
He still doesn’t look convinced for some reason.
“You can read them before I hit send.”
With some reluctance, he agrees, and I settle into a chair, legs crossed with the computer resting in my lap.
“Do you have a schedule somewhere I can check dates against?”
He leans over the laptop. The movement puts his face so close to mine. I study the hard lines of his jaw, his straight nose, and the bow of his lips. He really is handsome. I’m still staring when his gaze flicks to mine. “There.”
My stare doesn’t move from his face. “Thanks.”
With more self-control than I seem to possess, he looks away. Thank god I have a date tomorrow night. If the best way to get over an ex is to get under someone new, then it can’t be that much of a stretch to assume the best way to stop fantasizing about my brother’s teammate is to sleep with a guy I met online.
For the next hour, I go through Jack’s inbox. He declines all interviews, says no to every bar/restaurant/new business grand opening. The only thing he doesn’t fight me on is scheduling another visit to the children’s hospital. He likes kids. Who would have guessed?
“What about the masquerade ball?” I ask for the second time. The first time I asked, he quickly said no, but I decided to wait and try again.
“Pass.”
“Come on,” I whine. “Who passes on a ball. Women will be dressed all sexy with masks, there will be lots of food and booze…”
