The Trustworthy Groom (Texas Titan Romance) Page 9

  After the tour, they ate a late dinner. Then Hailey excused herself to go to bed. Brady didn’t say much, but he looked as tired as she felt.

  She actually slept well that night and woke ready to work out hard. She couldn’t think of the last time she’d taken several days in a row off from exercise, and she was excited to get back to her routine. Dressing in a tank top and black shorts, she hurried into the hall and to the exercise room. Brady was already there, using the cable machine for rows. Thank heavens he was wearing a t-shirt so she could focus on the workout and not his incredible build, though she couldn’t miss the defined tricep and bicep muscles peeking out of the sleeve of his t-shirt.

  “Hey, you can’t start without your trainer.” She protested.

  His head whipped up, and he grinned. “Put me to work, my beautiful wife.”

  Hailey ignored the familiarity of his words and the grin, but she did feel a rush of excitement. She attributed it to being in her element, not how much she liked being around Brady.

  “Make sure you fit your own workout in too,” he said.

  “Oh, am I in need of some exercise?” She arched an eyebrow.

  A grin creased his handsome face. “You already look perfect, but you don’t need to only worry about my workout. I know you didn’t get your perfect shape by sitting on the couch.”

  Hailey had heard every compliment in the book, but Brady’s sweet words affected her like no one else’s ever had. She needed to stay strong, or she’d be forgetting every vow she’d ever made to stay away from football players.

  The workout passed quickly as Brady teased her, and they pushed each other to do an extra rep or a heavier weight. It was fun until they were doing box jumps and Hailey tripped on the platform. Brady caught her arm and then pulled her in close as he steadied her. They were both sweaty, so it should’ve been disgusting. Instead, it was a huge draw for her. She’d spent years staying away from huge, muscular men, but she absolutely loved every inch of Brady.

  He grinned down at her. “You okay?”

  Hailey nodded, unable to say anything with him this close. His eyes dipped down to her lips then back up to her eyes.

  “Do you think you might ask me to kiss you someday?” he whispered huskily.

  Hailey’s eyes widened and her stomach fluttered. He had no clue how badly she wanted his kiss, but no. If she started with a kiss, who knew where that would lead.

  Yanking herself from his arms, she grabbed a forty-five pound bar. “Let’s do some weighted lunges,” she said, hating how her voice quivered.

  His shoulders seemed to droop, but he obeyed without complaint.

  An hour later, they were both drenched with sweat, and all Hailey wanted was a shower and breakfast. She didn’t want to kiss Brady when he was all sweaty and perfect-looking, his muscles straining against his t-shirt and his hair curling slightly at his neck from sweat. Nope. She would stay strong if it killed her.

  She hurried to the door, but Brady was quicker and swung it open for her.

  “Thanks,” she murmured, slipping out the door and almost running into a young lady in the hallway. “Oh, excuse me,” she said.

  The twenty-something blonde nodded to her, but her eyes quickly swung to Brady. “Good morning, Mr. Giles. We’re all done with the rest of the house but waited until you were done with your workout to do the exercise room.”

  “Hi, Nissa.” He was so close to Hailey that his breath brushed her cheek. She looked up sharply, but then they were even closer, and his dark gaze zeroed in on her face. Why did he have to look so good to her? “You need to call me Brady though.” He grinned at the young girl and placed a hand on Hailey’s lower back. “This is my wife, Hailey.”

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” the girl murmured, giving her a sweet smile.

  “Nissa and I go way back,” Brady explained, scooting even closer to Hailey as if he was sharing a secret. “Our parents were friends and neighbors in Massachusetts, and Nissa was the cutest little girl. When she came to school at Texas A&M, her mom asked me if she could work for me. She does a great job with the housekeeping crew.” He smiled kindly at the girl.

  Nissa stared at him worshipfully. “Thank you, Brady.”

  “See you later,” Brady said to Nissa as he escorted Hailey toward her bedroom.

  “It was nice to meet you,” Hailey said over her shoulder to the girl.

  “You too.” She gave them a friendly wave.

  The workout room door whooshed closed behind Nissa, and they were alone. Brady stopped outside Hailey’s room door. “Does your cleaning crew come every day?” she asked.

  “Three days a week,” he said, staring down at her.

  “Do you think any of them will spread rumors about us sleeping in separate rooms?”

  Brady’s eyebrows arched up. Then he smiled. “We could remedy that easily.”

  “Brady Giles.” Hailey pushed at his chest and huffed, a quiver rushing through her that wasn’t fear but a delicious sort of anticipation. She was as surprised at that as she was at his bold words. She dropped her voice to a whisper, lest one of the cleaning ladies overhear. “We are not sleeping together.”

  He grinned, but dangit if his eyes didn’t dip to her lips. “I could sleep on the couch. I’d just like having you closer.”

  “Not happening!” Though she honestly liked being close to him too. What was happening to her, and how had this strong yet gentle man woven past her defenses?

  He wrapped his hands around hers as they rested on his chest. “You’re really cute when you’re mad, do you know that?”

  She flushed and pulled her hands free. “I guess we’ll just deal with the rumors of us sleeping in separate rooms.” She shot back at him as she disappeared into her room.

  Brady’s chuckle followed her in. Hailey shut the door and leaned against it. She was so far from immune to his charms. She had no clue how she was going to survive in this house for much longer and not ask him to kiss her or more. She suddenly felt completely vulnerable and alone. Any moment Brady could decide to have his way with her, and she’d be done for.

  Okay, she had to swallow that fear and either trust Brady or at least remind herself that Izzy was right down the road and she had a cell phone. She banged her head against the door. Why couldn’t she be a normal girl and just throw herself into Brady’s arms? A single tear leaked out of the corner of her eye, and she brushed it angrily away. She’d given up normalcy in a relationship when she’d given into Gage’s ploys at eighteen. Prayer might be the only hope she had of learning to trust a man again, especially a football player.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next two weeks of no regular work and being with Brady all day fell into a pattern that Hailey would’ve enjoyed if she wasn’t constantly worried about getting too close to Brady, what rumors William would spread next, and how the love letters from Brady’s stalker bugged him. He didn’t want to, but when Hailey asked him, he opened one and let Hailey read it. It was gushy and sickeningly sweet. The woman loved him totally and completely. Hailey didn’t blame her, as he was definitely something special, but it was bothersome and disturbing. She didn’t want anyone but her listing all of Brady’s perfect characteristics. Yet she didn’t have any more right to Brady than the stalker did. Unless she was willing to let go of her past and see if he wanted to make this a real marriage.

  At least, the press conference and laying low seemed to work. There wasn’t much about her and Brady in the media anymore. They’d moved on to Rennen Bradley and Arianna Sanchez’s romance and upcoming sparring match and the speculation about Anthony Kincaid’s injury and his ability to get the job done this fall. Maybe William would give up too. A sinking feeling in her gut told her that was too much to hope for.

  She and Brady worked out for several hours each morning. They’d have a late breakfast together. Then he would work on sponsorship or other paperwork and watch film that the coaches would send over. She would work on evaluating different players and what they
needed for rehab or fitness. In the evening, they cooked dinner together and often swam in the pool or got together with Xavier and Izzy for cards or movies.

  It was all very homey and nice. Brady didn’t push her to touch or kiss him, but he was pretty liberal with the way he would brush against her, take her hand, wrap his arm around her when they were watching a movie, or play around in the pool and toss or dunk her. And the looks he constantly gave her were making her insane. Looks that heated her up from the inside and made her want to forget she’d ever made the vow to not date a football player. Unfortunately, when she had the nightmare, it was hard to forget. Brady was a champion then too. He’d come and hold her and quite often sing lullabies to her until she calmed down and told him to go back to bed. It was pretty obvious he hated leaving her after the nightmare, but he honored her wishes. He never crossed any lines, and when he held her it wasn’t like he was trying to get more from her physically, it was like he cared for her and wanted to help her not be afraid.

  Two weeks after they’d gotten home from California, Hailey fell asleep, exhausted from working out, swimming, and trying unsuccessfully to ignore the attraction she had for Brady. She knew immediately it was a dream, but she couldn’t free herself from it, and when Gage’s perfectly handsome face with the icy blue eyes and gelled blond hair appeared, she screamed on instinct, “No, Gage!”

  He came closer. His blue eyes full of derision. “I know you want me, Hailey. You’re going to enjoy this.”

  “Gage! Stop. No!” She thrashed and screamed as his hands surrounded her waist and he yanked her against him. His huge form overshadowed her. “No!”

  “Hailey, Hailey!”

  She jerked awake. The room was dimly lit by the hallway light. Brady’s large palms were wrapped around her upper arms, and he was shaking her. “Hailey!”

  “I’m awake.”

  “Oh, good.” Brady pushed out a breath then pulled her against his chest. And, oh, what a chest it was. He was only wearing some cut-off sweats, and Hailey had to fight the surge of desire that rushed through her. What was wrong with her? The nightmares had to be a gift so she could remember how horrible being with a football player could be, but Brady shot all of that out of the water. He was tender, kind, thoughtful, and seemed to want to do anything he could to protect and take care of her.

  Hailey couldn’t resist slipping her arms around his broad back and touching the perfect muscles housed there. Oh, Brady. Why did he have to be so amazing? Could she really trust a football player to be sweet with her? She’d thought she loved and trusted Gage, and he’d not only ripped her heart out, but he had also scarred her in too many ways to think about.

  Brady gently rocked her in his arms, his hands caressing her back. He smelled like that wonderful sandalwood cologne that just screamed man. Hailey inhaled his skin and sighed against it.

  “You smell really good,” she said.

  Brady chuckled but sobered quickly. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Are you okay now, love?” he asked.

  Hailey jerked back, looking at his face. He’d never called her a term of endearment other than my beautiful wife in that teasing way. He didn’t love her, no way, but it felt good all the same. “I-I’ll be fine. Thank you.” She started to move out of his arms like she did every time she had the nightmare, but he held on.

  “Could I, um …” Brady licked his lips and stared hungrily at her face.

  Hailey’s stomach pooled with heat. Could he kiss her? His sweet and romantic kiss at their wedding was never far from her thoughts. If he asked, would she say yes? Probably. Yet he’d told her he would wait until she kissed him or asked, and one thing she knew about Brady already, he stood by his word.

  He swallowed and whispered, “Could I stay in here and hold you tonight?”

  Hailey’s eyes widened. Was he asking for more than a kiss? The answer would be a resounding no. A kiss she might be able to handle. Anything more was impossible to imagine, even with someone as kind as Brady. He was huge and muscular. He would hurt her, even if he didn’t mean to. Gage had told her that it wouldn’t hurt, but the physical pain had been almost worse than the emotional pain when he ditched her. He’d explained that she was too young and obviously wasn’t mature enough for a man like him. He’d left her sobbing and regretting she hadn’t listened to her pastor and saved herself for marriage. She’d never heard from Gage again and only saw him when the Titans played Pittsburgh. He’d ruined every image she’d had of what intimacy and love should be like.

  “I just want to hold you, Hailey. It kills me when you have the nightmare. If you’re ever ready to talk about it, I’m here, but if I could just hold you and know you’re okay … It would mean a lot to me.”

  Hailey’s breath caught. Against all her good sense, she was falling in love with him. How could he be so patient and tender? He was staring at her, waiting. She finally nodded. “I … I’d like that too.”

  Brady’s grin came sure and swift. He was irresistible to her when he grinned. He tugged her down onto the pillows, and his arm came under the pillow and around her waist. Hailey’s head was on the pillow, but she was cuddled against him, and she rested her hand on his chest, that warm, muscular, wonderful chest. She sighed and cuddled in deeper—safe and comfortable, yet every nerve was on alert being so close to him and the delicious smell of his cologne.

  His arm tightened around her. “Thank you,” he whispered huskily, making her stomach fill with warmth.

  Hailey couldn’t answer. Her throat was thick with a mixture of gratitude and desire for him. She was falling head over heels for her husband, and she didn’t know how in the world to deal with that.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Brady woke with Hailey lying on his chest. Her beautiful blonde hair was splayed across his shoulder. He gently trailed his fingers through her hair and inhaled her coconut scent. She was absolutely perfect, and he was in love with her. If only he could break through whatever barrier she’d created against football players and the fears that fueled her nightmares. Who was Gage, and why did she scream for him or at him almost every night?

  At least, she’d let Brady hold her last night instead of asking him to leave like she had the other nights. He loved working out with her every day, having her near, touching and smelling her delicious coconut aroma, talking to her, and, best of all, hearing her laugh. She was unreal and even more beautiful to him than she had been on their wedding day. She was perfect-looking, the blonde bombshell every man thought was attractive, but to him she was so much more—fun, kind, smart, hard-working. She was the total package and the woman of his dreams.

  It was hard to not want more from her physically though. He’d give away his house for a simple kiss from her, but he could tell she was still very hesitant around him physically.

  Her eyes slowly opened. Then she blinked up at him. Were those long, dark lashes framing her blue eyes natural? His body heated up. His wife was lying in his arms, and it was all he could do to not smother her with kisses and show her exactly how he felt about her. He had to constantly remind himself that he’d promised he would wait until she asked him to kiss her.

  Hailey blinked at him a few more times before he saw the standard shutter close over her emotions. He groaned in frustration and prayed for patience and the wisdom to help her with her fears and demons.

  She pushed away from him and scrambled out of bed. His eyes trailed over her shapely form in a tank top and shorts even as his stomach dropped. He shouldn’t have stayed in her room.

  “I’ll meet you in the gym.” She practically tossed the words at him before disappearing into her bathroom.

  Brady sighed and sat up, pushing out of the tangled covers. He straightened the sheets and the comforters, putting the decorative pillows on top. Hailey was still in the bathroom. Slowly, he made his way to the stairs and his suite, his shoulders rounding with the weight of his failure. He’d tried to be so patient with her and careful with how he touched her and what he said. He
didn’t want to scare her, but one night of holding her close might be all he got. He’d obviously made a mistake. Who knew how long it would take to earn her trust again.

  Hailey walked into the exercise room, and her stomach did a triple backflip. Brady was wearing a fitted tank top today. No fair. Seeing the well-formed muscles of his shoulders and biceps reminded her of how it had felt to be snuggled up against him all night. She’d gotten very little sleep, and though she hadn’t minded, all of a sudden she was irritated. Why did he have to look and feel so good? Why did he have to be so good? She wished she could trust that he wouldn’t hurt her physically or emotionally like Gage had, but Gage had been a sweetheart to her too. Maybe all of Brady’s patience with her, his tender touches were just so he could have his way with her like Gage had done. Would Brady leave her after and break her completely?

  She shook these thoughts from her head and barked out orders. “Leg workout today.”

  Brady smiled. “I love your leg workouts.”

  “Start with a hundred air squats to warm up.” Hailey turned away without waiting for an answer and started piling weight on a bar. He would change his tune after this workout. A dart of guilt stabbed her. Why was she mad at him? He’d been nothing but understanding and sweet with her. Maybe he just thought of her as a little sister like the rest of the guys on the football team. Maybe that was why he could hold her throughout the night and never even try for a kiss. Her insides were churning with the need to kiss him good and long. What would he do if she asked him to kiss her? The very thought had her tingling.

  No. She couldn’t ask him when she was such a mess. It wasn’t fair to him. He was an amazing guy. They just needed to get through this marriage so he could move on with his life. The stress with William seemed to have settled, but Brady’s stalker was still sending letters every day. Maybe Hailey had more time with him. She could only hope.