In the Red Zone by Crista McHugh Page B

just taking a jaunt to another part of the city. “The Braves are down there for spring training, after all.”
    Her jaw dropped, which was the only reason why she didn’t say anything when he kissed her cheek and made his way to the door.
    “I’ll be in touch,” Frank said with a wave before leaving the office.
    “Such a nice young man,” Denise said.
    “He’s anything but that.” Tre’s hands tightened into fists. “What exactly are you up to?”
    “What do you mean?” If Frank could play innocent, so could she.
    “You know exactly what I mean.” He grabbed her keyboard and entered in a web address.
    A picture of her and Frank kissing at the Hawks game appeared on the screen.
    Kiana’s foot twitched, and her tongue tumbled over an appropriate answer. “It was for the Kiss Cam.”
    “Uh-huh.” The tone in his voice said he didn’t believe her. “I’ve already warned you once, but I’m going to warn you again. Stay away from Frank. He’s nothing but a player.”
    Kiana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I know, I know.”
    “Then why are you falling for his line of bullshit?”
    “Watch your language,” Denise snapped. “And last I checked, Kiana was a grown woman who is capable of making her own choices.”
    “Yeah, and look at her track record. She’s just like her white trash mama.”
    “Don’t talk to your sister that way. I raised you better than that.” Denise glared at Tre, who responded by lowering his eyes.
    But the damage had been done. Tre’s accusation hit her like a blow to the chest. The line of men that streamed through her mother’s bedroom. The loud arguments that sometimes ended with slaps and punches and broken furniture. And then the night where the sound of a single gunshot ended it all. “Please, Tre, you don’t have to remind me.”
    “Good, because I want to bring up one more thing. You’ve got to think of that little girl of yours. How do you think Frank’s going to react when you tell him about Savannah?”
    She bit her bottom lip and looked away.
    “I thought so.” Tre crossed his arms over his puffed-out chest. “You know as well as I do he’s not someone you want around her, so you’d better keep that in mind the next time Romeo tests out his moves on you.”
    She wilted inside. Tre was right. Frank might be one hell of a kisser, but he’d probably take off running the moment he learned she had a kid. That is, if she ever trusted him enough to tell him about Savannah. She’d gone to great lengths to protect her daughter from her ex, and that included limiting the number of people who knew where she was or even of her existence. She refused to drag Savannah into the hell that had been her own childhood with the revolving door of her mother’s “boyfriends.” She had to be better than her mother.
    “Point made,” she muttered.
    “Good. Now let’s go before they give away our table.” Tre led the way out of the office, but Denise trailed alongside her.
    A sympathetic smile lingered on the older woman’s lips. “Don’t listen to him, Kiana. Listen to your heart and your gut. Between the two of them, they’ll never steer you wrong.”
    The problem was, her heart and her gut were at odds. Her gut warned her to keep Frank Kelly at arm’s length, but her heart wondered if there was more to him than the player he pretended to be.

Chapter Eight
     
    Frank breathed in the balmy central Florida air that was scented with orange blossoms. The sun had set hours ago, but the heat of the day still lingered to the point where sweat prickled his skin as he sat on his balcony with his phone in his hand. Just like before, his stomach was a tangle of nerves as he worked up the courage to call Kiana.
    But this time, it was for a different reason.
    Before, he wasn’t sure if the attraction was mutual, but the heat of their kiss this afternoon left no question about that. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. It was her behavior around her family