She stood there for a long time, staring at traffic and fighting the insane urge to cry. How could she have been hoisted so high only to be dropped without a net?
She pulled her phone from her purse and found her hands shaking. A text from Jax waited.
JAX: How did it go?
“Shit,” she muttered. How sweet was that?
Damn this development. If this meeting had gone as expected, she could have taken the next step with Jax. Turning on lights. Sharing names. Making plans for their return to LA.
Now, she not only had to worry about how his image could possibly affect her, but about whatever secrets he held in his past along with her own. She had to worry about him turning into a Steven if they started a relationship she discovered she needed to get out of.
Those little sparks of “maybe” flitting through her head since she’d left his room this morning had just been completely doused. And she couldn’t tell which hurt worse—the loss of a potential relationship with Jax or the change in this opportunity.
Lexi dialed Rubi’s number, found a seat on a concrete bench, becoming invisible among the crowds, and pulled on her sunglasses to hide the escaping tears.
Eleven
Jax grimaced as he pulled at the chain-mail headpiece with both hands. The Friesian stallion beneath him snorted and pranced sideways. “Who the hell,” he muttered to no one—at least he hoped no one was watching him try to pry his face out of this getup, “last wore this thing?”
Hoofbeats approached. Jax’s horse veered right. He added pressure with his calf to keep the horse in place as he twisted his head, his fingers prying beneath the edges of the contraption. Something caught on his chin.
“Little trouble there, dude?” There was restrained laughter in Tyler Manning’s voice. Jax could imagine the look on the actor’s face—the co-star of the film playing opposite Brad Pitt at only twenty-four.
“Fucking A. ” He laughed out the words, making a production of yanking at the helmet, complete with sound effects and facial expressions.
Ty started laughing and sounded like he might double himself over any minute. The only thing that kept Jax from laughing his own ass right off the horse was the way the damn helmet was starting to cut into his skin. This was one of those hilarious moments that could only happen in this job.
Jax slumped in the saddle and held his arms out. “Little help here, partner?” But Ty sounded like he could barely breathe let alone help. Jax was frying in his armor as he muttered, “You worthless piece of shit. ”
He grabbed the helmet again, twisted it while turning his head, contorting his face, and swearing up a storm. The stallion didn’t like Jax’s jerky movements or Ty’s laughter or the laughter now coming from other sources, and the animal’s frustrated prancing circles weren’t helping Jax. But he finally freed his head.
“Christ. ” He glanced down at the helmet, turning it over, looking inside, trying to figure out why the hell it stuck. “It tried to eat me alive. Did you see that? I barely escaped with my eyeballs. ”
Ty’s laughter had the kid wheezing. When he listed sideways in his saddle, Jax tossed the defective helmet to the ground and looked up, grinning. Ty was nearly perpendicular to the horse, a white Andalusian as calm as Jax’s Friesian was strung out.
And he had his iPhone in his hand. Pointed at Jax.
“You little fucker,” Jax said around a laugh. “You better not have recorded that. ”
“Are you kidding?” he said, panting for air, leaning on the saddle to keep himself up. “That’s going in the funniest-moments archive. When I’m roasted in twenty years for some life-achievement award, you’ll be there, buddy. ”
“Not if you don’t live that long. ” Jax grabbed his reins. He only had to release the pressure of his legs to have his horse lunging forward. He flew past Ty and snapped the phone from his hand, then rode off. He whooped and laughed over his shoulder. “That’s what happens when you snooze, pretty boy. ”
Ty yelled something Jax didn’t hear and came after him. They were equally talented riders, both on horseback since they were kids.
“If you erase that,” Ty yelled when he grew close, “I’m going to skewer you in the next scene. ”
“Try, kid,” Jax called back. “It’ll give me an excuse to knock your ass off that horse. ”
As Jax and Ty neared the bay at the north end of the park, they slowed, both more interested in riding than playing keep-away with the phone. Jax pulled his horse to a stop where the grass gave way to the sand.
“Dude,” Ty said, pulling up beside him, “these are some amazing ponies. ” He leaned over and swiped the phone from Jax’s hand. “Relax, I won’t do anything with it. I just want it for me. ” He started laughing again, crossing an arm over his belly. “Shit, no ab workout for me today. That was so fucking funny. ”
Sweat dripped down Jax’s face, stung his eyes. This would be a fun week. “God, what I’d give for a swim right now. ”
“What I’d give for a break. Or some lunch. ” He turned a scowl on Jax. “You owe me dinner and drinks some night this week, dude. Your plane didn’t get in late this morning. Now I’m starving because you stalled everything and they’re running us hard. Hope she was at least worth it. ”
“You checked my plane?” Shit. He hated getting caught in lies. “Who are you? My mother?” Though his mother would never have even cared, let alone thought to check on his plane.