Fast Break (Brooklyn Monarchs 1)

“Give me another chance, Jack.”

Jaclyn’s lips tightened. “I’ve already given you two. The first was after you and Jamal had an altercation during practice. Oscar told me about that. And, today, with the drug rumors that Andrea told me about. You know what they say? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I can’t let you fool me a third time, Marc.”

DeMarcus stood. “I never meant to hurt or disrespect you. When I get the ball, I tend to run with it. That’s my failing. I can fix that.”

Jaclyn shook her head. “You were never a ball hog, Marc. You just didn’t trust me with the ball. You thought you could carry it better. Well, maybe you can. But, as the franchise owner, I’d like a chance to at least discuss it.”

“OK. I can do that.”

“You’ve said that before. I want to believe you, but I’m afraid that I’ll keep being misled.”

DeMarcus ran an impatient hand over his hair. His fingers were shaking. “Is it really that easy for you to throw away our relationship? Tell me how you’ve made it so easy so I can do it, too.”

Jaclyn exploded. “You think this is easy for me? I’m in love with you. But I can’t walk away from the Monarchs. It would be like walking away from my family.”

DeMarcus saw stars. His blood buzzed in his ears. “You’re in love with me? Since when?”

She made an irritated sound. “How does that even matter?”

“Then why are you keeping us apart?”

“I’m not the one keeping us apart.” She swung her arm to point at him. “You are.”

“No, I’m not. How can I when I’m in love with you, too, Jack.”

Jaclyn blinked. She stared at him blankly as though trying to translate his words. She swayed forward, then stepped back. “You love a part of me. The part outside of the office. I deserve someone who loves all of me. Inside and outside of the arena.”

DeMarcus spread his arms. “I was trying to help you. You’re already stressed about the arena. I wanted to take care of the media problem for you.”

“I don’t need you to be my knight in shining armor in the office. I need you to be my head coach.” Jaclyn spun away from him to pace into the dining area. “Between Gerry and Nessa, I have enough people to keep track of. I don’t want to worry about what you’re not telling me as well.”

DeMarcus turned to keep Jaclyn in sight. If he remembered correctly, Vanessa was Gerald’s administrative assistant. “What’s Nessa doing?”

Jaclyn sighed, pushing her hair back from her face. “Don’t worry about Nessa. I’ll deal with her when we get back to Brooklyn.”

“I can’t believe you’ve put me in the same category as Gerry. He’s trying to hurt the team.”

Jaclyn froze him with her eyes. “And what were you doing when you didn’t tell me about Gerry’s blackmail?”

DeMarcus studied Jaclyn, her body language, her tone, the look in her eyes. “I’m not the only one who has trouble separating the personal and the professional.”

“What are you talking about?”

DeMarcus paced toward her. “You don’t trust me. But it’s not professional. It’s personal.”

Jaclyn narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

He stopped less than an arm’s length from her. He felt her warmth, sensed her confusion. “You’re not upset because you think I don’t respect you professionally. You know that I do. You’re upset because you think I’ll choose my family over yours, and you’ll be left alone again.”

Jaclyn stepped back. A look of incredulity settled over her features. “Where did you get that idea?”

DeMarcus inclined his head. “From you.” He followed her, refusing to let her put any more distance between them. “You lost your parents and your brother when you were three. You lost your grandmother when you were eleven. I figure that’s about the same time you lost your grandfather.”

Jaclyn shook her head. “My grandfather died two years ago.”

“But he shut you out more like twenty years ago. He’d lost his son, daughter-in-law, grandson and wife. I don’t know why, but he closed himself off from you and made you feel second best to a basketball team.”

“Stop it.” Jaclyn hissed the command between her teeth. “That’s not true. I never felt that way. This franchise is his legacy.”