Impossible To Resist (BWWM Romance Book 1)(30)

“Appreciate what?” Amanda asked as she and Kyra walked out from the bathroom together. She’d been kind enough to drag Kyra off to do whatever women do in bathrooms so that Jared could speak privately with Matt.

“Just looking into some business stuff for me,” Jared answered casually and offered his arm to Kyra who practically bounced over in her barely-there spandex cocktail dress. Her blonde hair flowed free and she wore far too much make-up for Jared’s tastes. “Shall we go?”

Kyra giggled. “You’re such a gentleman, Jared.”

“Not really.” Jared gave her a naughty look and pretended to nip at her. He felt like a fraud, but this was what they expected. This was the way it had to be. Just a show, just a puppet.

They piled into Matt’s car, naturally an SUV. He’d refused to give in to the pressure to purchase a sports car in an effort to cling to his outdoorsy roots. Jared respected his willpower. “So where are we going?”

Kyra giggled, again. “It’s a surprise.”

“I hate surprises,” Jared teased.

“You’ll like this one,” Kyra promised. Her eyes sparkled as she scooted closer to him in the backseat and put a hand on his inner thigh. She marched her fingers slowly up toward his crotch and pouted when he picked up her hand and held it instead.

“So, what else have I missed?” Jared changed the subject, hopeful that Matt and Amanda could occupy them for the duration of their trip.

“Not much. No other engagements, no babies, no trades.” Amanda half-turned to look at him from the front seat. “Trey is looking for more money but I doubt he gets it. It’s actually been pretty quiet.”

“They were waiting for you to get back,” Matt added. “Honestly, I think they were on pins and needles to see if you would be able to play again. When that doctor called to tell them you were cleared it all changed.”

“What?” Jared leaned forward. “When did that happen?”

“Hm, about two weeks ago,” Matt said. “Why?”

“He just cleared me yesterday.” Jared thought back to the conversation with Dr. Radlinski. He’d asked for a few more weeks but the guy had already told his team. What a dick!

“Maybe it’s only been a week…” Matt trailed off, uncertain.

“No, they knew before we had our contest,” Kyra reminded them. “That’s why they added it to the charity event.”

“How did they clear me two weeks ago if the doc only told me yesterday?” Jared asked to nobody in particular.

Amanda looked back at him, worried. “Don’t do anything rash. We’ll sort this all out.”

“You don’t understand.” Jared looked out the window and clammed up for the rest of the trip. Did A.J. know? He really wanted to hear her voice. He tried to call her from his landline but, surprise of all surprises, it’d been disconnected. The pieces were falling into place as Jared realized how much he’d been manipulated over the past few months.

If they knew he was cleared two weeks ago, did they know about him and A.J., too? That would explain the ambush and taking away all forms of communication. He could ask Matt or Amanda to use their phones but then they would have questions and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to tell anybody about A.J. Not even them.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for the rest of the drive but it didn’t take long for Jared to realize where they were going. Jared cringed, nothing about this would be small or intimate. The Novo accommodated a few thousand people. Dammit.

“Wow! Look at all the people!” Kyra exclaimed. She looked like a child bouncing in her seat. “Hey! Put the windows down, let people see us! They're here for Jared!”

“No, the windows stay up,” Matt told her firmly.

“There will be plenty of opportunity to see Jared when we get out,” Amanda coaxed. “You don’t want somebody throwing something in here that could ruin your dress, do you?”

Kyra looked at her, horrified at that thought. “No! I don’t!”

“Okay, then,” Amanda continued, “just pull up to the front, Matt. They’ll have valet and I think we should go in together.”

Hundreds of people had assembled on the sidewalks, many holding signs professing their love for Jared or the Panthers or both. He watched with awe as they rolled slowly past the people screaming his name. Obviously, this had been publicized. News vans flanked the street with reporters and cameras rushing each vehicle that pulled up to unload.

Jared watched his teammates and their dates climb out of cars and trucks to enter the venue. Several stopped to answer questions, smile, and even sign autographs for the lucky fans who were close to the walkway.

Jared reached deep inside to the part of him he’d suppressed for the past several months. The smile, the walk, the easy confidence, and his trademark smile still fit, even if they were a bit uncomfortable.

He slid out behind Kyra and the cameras flashed immediately. Jared ran his fingers through his curls and was rewarded with shrieks from the crowd. The foursome made it to the main walkway before the first mic practically smacked him in the face.

“Jump! How’s the leg? Are you going to be ready for the season opener?”

“Hey! Jump, welcome back, how’s the leg?”

“Who’s your lady friend, Jump? Pose for us?”