The Strong Family Romance Collection Read online

  “Yes, sis!” Austin ran headlong to the house, bursting with excitement. Ella had the horrible feeling that he was indeed “overly loved,” yet he didn’t get the quality time he needed with the adults in his life. And what about friends? She’d heard no mention of him playing with any friends.

  She looked to Trey. “Are you okay with that? If you just need to rest, I can take Austin on a hike, bike ride, or swim in that big pool Gavin has.”

  “Though I would love the opportunity of seeing you in a swimsuit—” He winked. “—I think it would be great to hang out with you and Austin. Unless you’re too busy?”

  Ella wished she had some excuse or inclination to avoid being stuck to his side, but she didn’t. The thought of hanging out with him shot thrills of pleasure through her. It really wasn’t fair of Gavin to expect her to deny herself when her dream man was right here, more appealing than ever, and obviously interested in her. The only thing that kept her from declaring her undying devotion and begging him to return it was the knowledge that he was a player. She wondered how Gavin would react if the woman he’d always loved came to him. Knowing her brother, he’d stay strong, especially if he thought she wasn’t right for him anymore. Gavin was probably correct: not only was Trey not right for her, but he would also break her heart. Unfortunately, Ella feared she was nowhere near as strong as her brother.

  The day didn’t progress like Trey had hoped it would. Doc had given him some medicine for the nausea and a dose of Lortab for the pain, explaining it was in the Tylenol family so it wouldn’t increase any bleeding on the brain, if there was any. The combination made him tired, and instead of savoring being close to Ella all day, he was in and out of consciousness. Austin got bored of him when he kept drifting off while they were trying to play video games, and the little man went outside to shoot hoops.

  A sheet of silky hair draped over his face, and Trey blinked his eyes open. Ella was gently positioning a blanket over his shoulder, her peaches-and-cream scent infusing his senses. He debated pretending to be asleep so she wouldn’t pull away, but the impulse to touch her was too strong. Wrapping his hands around her, he tugged her down onto the couch with him. He was lying on his side, so she ended up perching on the edge of the couch next to his abdomen.

  “Trey!” Ella gasped, but then he knew that someone in heaven still loved him, because she didn’t pull away. She leaned into his chest and steadied herself with her hands on his shoulders, tilting her body toward his. “What are you doing?” she scolded, but she sounded breathless and full of anticipation.

  Trey smiled up at her, squeezing her waist, where his hands lingered. “Just looking at an angel,” he said.

  “Oh, you stop with your meaningless flattery,” she said, pulling from his grasp and standing.

  Dang, that had been a short-lived piece of heaven. He pushed up to a seated position. His head was feeling a little better and the nausea was gone, but he was still so tired. “Who says it’s meaningless?” he asked.

  She rolled her eyes and pressed her hands to her flat abdomen. He noticed she’d changed out of her bike gear into a fitted T-shirt and cotton skirt that hit about mid-thigh. Her legs were long and shapely. She still had the pink-and-green bracelet on her wrist. That was a good sign for him. Yet when she’d given him a similar bracelet all those years ago, it had only meant friendship to him. What if that was all it meant to her now?

  “Are you hungry?” she asked.

  “Not really.” He could smell homemade bread and maybe chicken noodle soup. “But I could be if you’ve been cooking for me. It smells incredible.” His stomach finally wasn’t churning. Bread and soup would be just the thing after being so sick. He knew Ella was naturally thoughtful, but he hoped she’d made the food because she cared for him.

  She smiled. “I figured I might as well make some dinner if I was just hanging out watching you sleep.”

  “I would think watching me sleep would be so fascinating you couldn’t peel your eyes away.”

  Laughing, she shook her head. “I was able to play basketball and some card games with the little man. I’ve got to try to get him off the device sauce.”

  Trey chuckled. “That’s a good sister. Do you worry about him?”

  “Yeah. It wouldn’t be fun to have no siblings or friends to play with.”

  “He has Gavin.”

  She gave him a look of disgust. “Gavin’s not fun.”

  Trey smiled. “He’s been my best friend for years, and we always had a lot of fun.”

  “That’s only because you’re so much fun that you project happiness and excitement into everyone around you.”

  Trey cocked his head to the side, appraising her.

  “What?” she asked, tucking her long hair behind her ear.

  “That may be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  “Don’t get used to it,” she threw back at him. Even though her words were teasing, there was something deep in her voice, something that sounded like he’d hurt her.

  “I said something wrong. What was it?”

  She shook her head. “No, you’re great. So, the home health nurse is coming soon to be with Papa, so Mama will be on her way over to get Austin and go for a hike with him to the lake. I’m not sure when Gavin will be home, but if you’re not hungry, we can wait for Gavin, Austin, and Mama and all eat together after their hike.”

  “I’d like that.” Though he didn’t know how Gavin would act about Trey and Ella spending all this alone time together. Would he think Trey was manipulating the situation? He squirmed a little inside. He kind of worried he might be, but he had felt horrible and tired today, and he was still a little cloudy about the accident. Doc didn’t want him to put pressure on his leg, and that was going to make getting around hard. Man, he hated being injured. Sadly, it was part of his life with all the risks he took.

  He glanced around. He hadn’t left this couch for … how long? “What time is it?” The shadows were lengthening outside, and she was talking about dinner, but his accident had happened this morning, right? Man, he hated being loopy. At least he could remember now that he got hit by a car; that’s what everyone had told him.

  “It’s almost six.”

  “Wow. What a way to waste a day.” When she stiffened again, Trey immediately corrected himself. “If I knew I’d be stuck inside all day with the woman of my dreams, I wish I would’ve at least been awake enough to enjoy it.”

  She shook her head and backed up. “Do you need anything else? I might make a salad and … cookies to go with the dinner.”

  The entire main level of the house was open, so he could watch her work in the kitchen from here, but he selfishly wanted her closer, wanted to smell her and touch her and somehow break through this wall she’d put up. She’d flirted so adorably with him this morning. How did he get back there? “I actually need to use the restroom and I’d love to shower.”

  “I am not helping you with either of those,” she protested.

  He swallowed down the rush of desire at the way she’d protested, what she’d implied. “I didn’t mean … Can you help me get upstairs, and then I can shuffle around and clean myself up? Can you imagine how Mama would react to seeing me all stinky and unpresentable?”

  Ella softened and smiled. All of them had joked about how Mama always wanted them to be “presentable.” How many times had he heard, “You’re a Strong; look like it”? And he wasn’t an actual member of the family.

  “Okay,” she said, giving in. “I’ll help you.”

  Trey hid his smile. He’d never thought of himself as conniving, but he had to be sneaky to get her to give him a chance. He pushed up to his feet, balancing on his left leg and the couch. The room swayed, and he must’ve swayed with it, because Ella rushed over and wrapped her arm around his waist.

  “Whoa, you okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I’m good.” Everything settled as he placed his arm around her shoulder and leaned close. “The stairs might be rough, though.�
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  “Just take them one at a time.” She smiled up at him, so sweet, so perfect.

  Trey had a sudden thought. “I like that. Ella, would you take things between us one step at a time?”

  “What do you mean?” Her body stiffened against him.

  Trey had always been a straight shooter and he didn’t want to play games, especially with her. “I think I’ve made it more than obvious that I’m interested in you, and not as a sister.” He couldn’t keep the disgust from his voice. “You’re scared of giving me a chance for some reason.” He paused, but though her dark eyes were filled with interest, they were also wary and that beautiful bow of a mouth gave nothing away. They made it to the stairs and started up. “Can’t we just take it a step at a time? You give me a chance, and we see where it leads?”

  He thought it was a pretty good persuasive argument, but Ella still didn’t say anything. Had Gavin poisoned her against him? He and Gavin were going to have words when his friend finally got home tonight. Trey tried hard to be a good person, and he saw no reason why Gavin would keep Ella away from him.

  “Let’s get you upstairs,” Ella murmured.

  Trey’s mouth tightened and his eyes narrowed. This was not going to be an easy battle.

  Chapter Eight

  Ella tried to ignore the rush of warmth and desire she felt as Trey leaned against her and they shuffled upstairs. He’d blatantly told her he was interested in her, but then he’d made her face the bullet: Take it one step at a time? See where it leads? He should’ve just revealed the truth: I’m a big-time heartbreaker, and I will be more than happy to take you for a day or two and then move on because it’s going to lead nowhere. The thought of him loving and leaving her burned like acid in her throat. Yet she knew there was no good way for this to end. Trey had a life of adventure and travel to get back to, charming women as he went. She had her job in Salt Lake to get back to, her big chance in the real world. She couldn’t say it was the most exciting job ever, but she was doing great work and was well liked by her boss and associates. Maybe it was lonely living in a crowded city with no family around, but she was okay.

  They started up the stairs and she was worried it would be rough going, but Trey was impressively strong. He held on to the railing with his left hand, balanced himself on her shoulders with his right, and hopped up the stairs easily on his left foot.

  She helped him all the way to his room, and he sat on the edge of the bed. His face looked white again.

  “You okay?”

  He nodded, took a few drawn-out breaths, then said, “These head injuries are no joke, right?”

  “How many have you had?” she asked.

  “I don’t keep track of injuries.”

  Ella blinked at him. “Trey, you’re an extreme athlete, and you don’t keep track of how many injuries you have? Do you realize that repeated concussions can make you … I don’t know, messed up and stupid?”

  He nodded. “I’ve heard that.”

  “You need to take better care of yourself. Think about the people who love you, and stop taking stupid risks.”

  His head whipped up and his warm blue gaze pinned her in place. “Are you one of those people who love me?”

  Ella could only blink at him. Finally, she muttered, “I told you you’re like a brother to me.”

  “I don’t want to be your brother,” he growled, pushing to his feet.

  She backed up quickly, and very luckily for Ella, he wasn’t supposed to put pressure on that right leg. She all but ran from the room, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll just make some cookies while you get cleaned up.”

  The look in his eyes was part amusement at the wimpy way she was acting and part frustration that she wouldn’t engage when he was giving her so many openings, but how else was she to protect her heart?

  She checked that Austin was still happily shooting hoops. For a spoiled boy, he was definitely good to entertain himself, well adjusted, and so funny and cute she knew she’d spoil him worse than Mama, Papa, and Gavin if she lived close.

  Then, instead of starting the cookies, she did the dumbest thing she could: she opened Instagram and typed in #treynelsonstunts. Sure enough, there were pictures of him doing incredible tricks, but there were far more of him with different women. His arm would be wrapped around them, and he’d grant the girl or the camera his perfect grin. Jealousy rolled through her. Trey lived in a different world—a world she had no desire to live in.

  Slamming her phone down, she yanked butter from the fridge and found the brown and white sugar in the pantry.

  A voice called from upstairs, “Ella?”

  Glancing up, she saw Trey at the top of the bannister. His shirt was off, and his chest was a glorious sight to behold: it was muscular, tanned, and perfect. Leaning against the counter, she murmured, “Yes?” Why had she ever agreed to be his nurse? All the worries over his lifestyle disappeared as she stared at perfection. She could not handle being around him and somehow stay strong.

  “Would you mind finding some garbage sacks and tape and helping me cover the wrapping he put on my right leg? I figured that would be easier than rewrapping and re-bandaging it after I shower.”

  “Oh.” She swallowed hard, finally peeling her eyes from his chest and making it to his face. His handsome face was very smug, and his blue eyes were lit with mischievousness. He knew exactly how good he looked without a shirt on and was playing it to his advantage. Yet how could she not help him when she was supposed to be the one watching out for him? If only Mama or Gavin would show up to help and insulate her from his charms. “Okay. I’ll be right up,” she managed.

  Turning away, she started looking through cabinets and drawers. Gavin knew she was here taking care of Trey and Austin. If he wanted her to stay strong, he’d better get his rear home quick, or she was going to cave and kiss that smirky mouth of Trey’s and reveal that she’d loved him her entire life. A thrill of excitement went through her, but then she wondered if Trey would laugh about her devotion when he dumped her and left her Monday afternoon, or if he’d feel guilty about it. Trey cared about her, so he would probably feel guilty. She clamped her mouth shut and clung to the garbage sacks and tape. No way was she revealing her lifelong devotion.

  She glanced at the bracelet on her wrist. She’d basically broadcast to him and Gavin how interested she was by immediately putting it on. Trey thought they could have some meaningless fling this weekend, but she could not allow that to happen. Slowly, she took the bracelet off and put it in the drawer where she’d found the tape. It hurt to see it lying there, all dejected. Yet she’d be the one dejected if she let herself fall for him.

  Squaring her shoulders, she clung to the garbage bags and tape and walked slowly up the stairs like she was going to her own execution.

  Trey was sitting in the chair in the corner. He smiled up at her. “Thanks for helping me.”

  Ella swallowed hard and willed her pulse to slow down. Focus on his face, focus on his face. But that didn’t really help, as his handsome face was as perfect and appealing as his chest. Especially as he was giving her a secretive smile that wrapped around her like a warm blanket, sealing the two of them together in its cocoon.

  No. He probably gave that smile to every girl.

  She walked forward on shaky legs and then sank to her knees in front of him.

  “That’s right, love, bow down to the man you adore.”

  Ella’s back straightened. “Never,” she shot at him.

  Trey laughed, but then his eyes flickered to her left wrist and his laughter disappeared. “Where’s the bracelet?” he asked.

  Ella’s eyebrows rose. Trey was never one to beat around the bush, but the head injury seemed to make him even more open. She swallowed and looked away. “I took it off.”

  He didn’t say anything, just took the garbage sacks from her and wrapped one tightly around his knee and part of his thigh and calf. “I think that’ll work.” His voice was gruff, strained.

  Had
she really hurt him that much by removing the bracelet? She almost laughed at herself. She couldn’t possibly hurt the ultimate player.

  “Will you tape the top and the bottom?” he asked.

  “Sure.” Swallowing hard, she took the tape he handed over. His fingers brushed hers, sending a spark shooting through her. Glancing up at him, she expected a smirk, but instead his gaze was intent on her and the awareness she felt was reflected in his blue eyes.

  She looked down and tried to focus on taping up his leg like an efficient nurse would, but the house was too quiet with only their breathing and the muted thumping of the basketball outside. She could swear he was breathing faster than normal just like she was, and she wondered if the out-of-control thumping of her heart was as audible as the basketball dribbling, or if it was just in her own ears.

  He held the top of the bag a few inches above his knee, and Ella carefully taped it on. Her fingers kept brushing his thigh, and the firm muscle and smooth skin under her fingertips was making it harder and harder to breathe normally. Finally, she got the top part done, and he bent down low to hold below his knee. She was leaning forward as well, and their cheeks brushed against each other. Ella gasped and her face automatically turned toward his.

  Trey turned toward her also, bringing their lips centimeters apart. Ella’s breathing became even more ragged. Trey’s eyes slowly traced over her lips and then rose to meet hers. The turquoise blue was so intriguing and beautiful, she felt like she was on a tropical island, staring into Caribbean waters. Who needed a vacation when they could stare into Trey’s intriguing eyes? Those eyes were full of promise and delicious desire.

  “Ella,” he murmured. His hand cupped her jaw, and it was excruciating to wait for him to cover the miniscule space between them.

  Ella had never ached for a kiss like this. All the other worries were pushed away as she stared into his eyes. Trey was everything she’d always wanted, and more. She couldn’t even count how many times she’d imagined him saying Ella in that beautiful, husky tone and going for a kiss. Now he was going to lean in, kiss her, and light up her entire world.