Page 74 of Cross the Line
‘No.’ His answer is firm. ‘But even if they did, every person there last night was from Argonaut, and we’ve all signed NDAs. Nothing is getting out.’
The fear subsides a little, though not completely. If Dev and I keep acting like horny teenagers, there’s no way this will stay under wraps, whateverthisis or might turn into. ‘Okay,’ I respond weakly. What else is there to say? He already knows my secret.
Mark continues to work on my hip in silence, offering me more relief than I’ve felt in months. It isn’t until he asks me to turn over onto my stomach so he can work on my hamstring that our conversation resumes.
‘You need to tell your brother before he finds out from someone else.’
My cheek rests on my folded arms, so my words are muffled when I say, ‘There’s nothing to tell him yet.’
All Dev and I have done is sneak kisses here and there. My brother, the ladies’ man he claims to be, wouldn’t have a leg to stand on in the argument that a couple of kisses equates to something serious. I haven’t agreed to date Dev. We’re not in a relationship. And we haven’t done anything more than divulge that we have feelings for each other. It could all be written off so easily.
And there’s still a tiny chance that I might do just that.
‘What’s going on with me and Dev . . .’ I trail off, my heart cracking a little at the words on the tip of my tongue. ‘I don’t even know if it’s going to go anywhere. I don’t know if it can.’
Regardless of the Oakley issue, I have to think about my professional reputation. I don’t want to be branded with misogynistic labels and face the rumours that I slept my way into a job.
Regardless of the truth, juicy stories sell, and one like that could ruin my career before it’s even started. As much as I want to, I can’t single-handedly change how women are viewed and treated, and I can’t follow my heart to a place that would lead to the destruction of what I’ve worked so hard for.
Yet there’s a part of me that believes that Dev is worth the risk.
‘It can go somewhere.’ Mark once again speaks in definitives. ‘And if you want it to, it will. That boy’s head over heels for you, Willow.’
‘I know,’ I whisper, wishing I could be so confident in my possible future with Dev. ‘I feel the same way about him.’
It’s strange confessing this to one of my brother’s best friends – one of Dev’s best friends. Mark and I have never been close. We’ve always skirted around each other, and this is by far the most direct conversation we’ve ever had. There’s no rule that says I have to share any of this, but it feels like the right choice to trust him.
‘I’m going to be completely honest,’ Mark goes on, digging his thumbs into the muscle behind my knee. ‘I didn’t like the idea of Dev hiring you – at all. You distracted him. Made him take his eye off the prize.’ His thumbs slide higher, though he’s definitely taking it easy on me. His words are harsh enough. ‘Did you know he crashed in Austin last year because he was thinking about you?’
I inhale sharply, my head snapping up so I can gauge Mark’s expression. ‘No. There’s no way. He said he crashed because he locked up and—’
‘It was because of you.’ Mark dips his chin and focuses on the work he’s doing to my leg. ‘He told me himself.’
I stare at him in disbelief for a few more seconds, then drop my forehead to my arms in shame. ‘Oh my god,’ I mumble. ‘You were right not to want me around.’ Maybe I’m still at risk of being a distraction. Of ruining everything for him. ‘Maybe I should cut this off. I was so worried about my own career that I didn’t even think about his. I don’t – I don’t want to be the reason he loses focus, I can’t—’
‘You’re not. Not any more.’ His touch disappears from my thigh, then he’s pushing on my shoulder, signalling for me to flop onto my back. ‘Now, if you walk away, I’m afraid he’ll fall to pieces.’
I take Mark in, torn between believing his first impression or his current one. ‘Do you really believe that?’
‘Dev has been trying to hide his feelings about you because he knows I disapprove. Or, well, I used to. Yesterday showed me . . .’ He takes a breath and rests his hand on my bent knee. ‘Willow, you make him want to be better.Dobetter. Before you came back into the picture, he was close to giving up. He’d never admit it, but he’d lost that spark. He could talk all he wanted about getting away from Argonaut and working toward being a champion, but he wasn’t doing anything about it. You changed that.’
I’m speechless. If those words had come from anyone else, I might not believe them. I might think they were humouring me. But Mark isn’t the type to lie or sugar-coat. If he says it, he means it. And he truly believes Dev is better off with me around.
So I might as well ask the question that all of this really comes down to. ‘Do you think I should give us a chance? Me and him?’
‘I do.’
He gives my knee the lightest squeeze. It’s nearly imperceptible, but it pulls some of the crushing weight of this decision off my shoulders.
‘Okay,’ I exhale. ‘As long as you approve. You’re the one I was the most afraid of pissing off.’
Mark laughs as he straightens my leg again and starts to work on the outside of my thigh. ‘More than Oakley? Damn, am I really that scary?’
I shoot him a dry look and tick off my reasoning on my fingers. ‘You are a giant. You always look angry. For years, I’ve been convinced you hate me. Andyou’re currently digging into my IT band, meaning I am inunimaginablepain. So, uh, yeah. You are.’
‘My bad.’ With a sly glance, he presses harder.
I let out a little squeak, but the pressure gives me sudden relief. It’s amazing and awful. ‘God, you’re such adick.’
