Game On (18 page)

The kid hadn’t said much when Shane retrieved him from the Richardsons’. Penny was as unhappy as his posse to let him out of her sight. One hard look from Shane, and she’d bit back whatever she’d wanted to say. Apparently all women associated with Coach couldn’t wait to give him a piece of their mind.

Beckett lay sprawled across the foot of the bed. The dog opened one eye as Shane passed, but didn’t bother to get off the bed.
Traitor.
Shane closed the door and headed to the kitchen.

As he stood at the sink filling the coffee carafe, his mind drifted back twenty-four hours. He could still feel Carly’s hip pressed up against his as they stood side by side washing dishes. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember ever washing dishes with another woman, much less enjoying it. Hell, most of the women he dated had so many food hang-ups they wouldn’t be caught dead in a kitchen. But the previous evening with Carly was more than just a night of sex. He’d let his guard down with her, and that could only lead to disaster. Women like Carly wanted more than Shane was capable of giving. He just wasn’t genetically programmed for a lasting relationship with anyone.

Flicking off the light, he padded barefoot up the stairs trying to shake off the memories of last night. When he reached his bedroom, he yanked off the towel, tossed it on a chair, and climbed into the king-sized bed. The scent of Carly’s citrus perfume clung to the pillow. For a split second, he contemplated changing its case before succumbing to temptation and curling his face into the pillow.

He’d been a fool to get involved with Carly. But he’d been unable to ignore the sexual pull she had on his body. The look of contempt she gave him this morning hadn’t done too much to lessen the pull, but at least whatever they’d shared had ended quickly, with her seeing his flaws for what they were. Heck, he’d never pretended to be anyone other than who he was. Carly March was like all the rest of the women who thought they could change him and were disappointed when they couldn’t. Only this time, Carly’s disappointment stung.

* * *

A blast of cool air hit Troy in the face as he came
into the locker room. It was a hot June day, more than ninety degrees, and he’d spent most of it outside on the practice field watching Shane in mini-camp. The air-conditioning felt good on his damp skin. He grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and slid down the wall to sit on the floor, rubbing the bottle over his face before guzzling its contents.

The last couple of days had been like a dream come true for Troy. After Shane’s initial shock when Troy had surprised him at his house, he thought his brother would send him immediately back to his grandparents. But Shane had instead surprised Troy, letting him tag along to the training facility. The first day, Shane kept him on the field with him, telling the reporters to leave them both alone. It was cool how the reporters wanted to talk to them. It made Troy feel important. They wanted to ask questions about their dad, but Shane said the reporters should respect their privacy and not distract practice. So, Troy stood on the sidelines, ignoring the media and watching in awe as his brother threw one perfect spiral after another.

Clearly, Shane had gotten all the athletic genes and that’s why Troy was such a klutz. But he was okay with it because his big brother was a superstar who was finally paying attention to him. His mom and dad would be so happy. Troy shook off the numbness that threatened to overtake him whenever he thought about his parents, refocusing on the good times he shared with his brother these past few days instead.

That first night, Shane and his friend, Donovan Carter, took him to get burgers. The three then played a few rounds of mini golf at a local ice cream stand. Donovan teamed up with him so they could beat Shane. Troy couldn’t remember a night being more fun.

Yesterday went the same as the one before. C.J. Richardson recruited Troy to work as a ball boy, toweling off the sweaty footballs and trotting onto the field with Gatorade for the players. Afterward, Shane invited C.J. over for steaks and to watch
Gladiator
. Troy’s mom would never let him watch that movie. He swallowed a huge lump as he thought of his mom and how much he missed her. But he had his brother now. He was so happy he’d talked Tiny into bringing him to Shane’s house. Things were going great.

Until Troy had ruined it.

He really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut. Last night, while they were cleaning up and getting ready for bed, Troy asked Shane if he had an Xbox. Everyone has one. Especially rich sports stars. Surely Shane had one somewhere.

“Nah,” Shane said. “Those things rot your brain.”

Troy laughed because that was what his father always said. “You sound just like Dad,” he’d joked.

Only Shane didn’t think it was funny. He just stared at Troy for a long moment, looking a little scary. Then, he snatched up Beckett’s leash, snapped it on the dog’s collar, and yanked him out of the door for a walk. Troy waited up awhile, but when Shane didn’t come back, he crawled into bed and tried not to cry.

He’d waited all his life to meet his brother. He wanted Shane to like him. He desperately needed them to be a family. Without Shane, he had no one else. And now he’d gone and blown it. When he woke later that night, Beckett was back and laying on Troy’s feet in the bed, snoring softly. At least Beckett still liked him.

This morning, Shane told Troy they’d be going to his cabin in western Pennsylvania the next day. Troy wanted to ask questions about the cabin, but his brother was back to grunting at him. When they arrived at the training facility for mini-camp, Shane told him to stick with the other ball boys and to make sure he drank plenty of water. Troy wanted to believe Shane was concerned about him. But more likely his brother didn’t want Troy dropping dead of heat stroke because it would interfere with his precious practice.

All Shane cared about was football. He didn’t even seem to care about girls. Troy thought all sports stars cared about girls. But, except for that first morning, he hadn’t seen any women hanging around. Maybe that’s why Shane was so mad at him. The girls wouldn’t come over if Troy was there. But Troy could be polite and all. He could make himself scarce if that’s what Shane wanted him to do.

Even Carly was ignoring Shane. At first, Troy thought maybe she lived with Shane. That would be okay. She was really pretty and nice. And, she was Molly’s aunt. Molly said Carly was really cool. But Molly had looked at Troy funny when he’d asked if Carly was Shane’s girlfriend. Then Molly had laughed. Maybe Troy was wrong. Maybe Carly was just there that morning to borrow some coffee or something. After all, she didn’t look like she liked Shane at all. She always smiled at Troy when he saw her in the commissary or around the practice facility, but she never looked at Shane. Except when she thought no one was looking. Then she stared at Shane, but her eyes were really sad when she did it.

Just then, C.J. walked into the locker room, a blast of hot, sticky air following him in. He had a bag of footballs slung over his shoulder and was mumbling into his cell phone. He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going and Troy quickly scrambled to his feet to avoid being stepped on. Troy didn’t want to get C.J. mad at him, too. C.J.—all the Richardsons—were nice to him. C.J. treated him like any of the other ball boys, overlooking the fact that he was smaller and younger than the other kids. He didn’t smirk or laugh when Troy threw the football even though they both knew he threw like a girl. Like Shane, C.J. had been given all of his father’s athletic genes. Troy liked him in spite of it.

“Hey, Short Stuff,” C.J. called from the equipment room. “Let’s go get some ice cream in the commissary.”

Okay, so he didn’t like being called Short Stuff, but Troy’s friends were few and far between right now, so he’d take what he could get.

Sixteen

The hot afternoon sun beat through the commissary’s
giant windows, warming Carly’s bare legs, which she’d stretched out on the chair in front of her. In deference to the record heat, she wore a floral wrap skirt and sleeveless linen blouse to work. One slide sandal hung precariously from her foot, its spiked heel dangling off the side of the chair. She dipped her spoon into a bowl of frozen yogurt and sighed as the cool chocolate slid down her throat. Mini-camp had wrapped up earlier in the day and a quiet calm had now settled over the training facility. After the hustle and bustle of players and media the previous week, she was amazed at how quickly the place had cleared out.

“I thought this week would never end,” Asia said from her seat beside Carly.

She glanced over to where her friend sat. Asia’s neck arched gracefully as she lifted her closed eyes toward the sun streaming in the window. “It’s amazing how a controversy over who is going to play quarterback can rally the media.”

Carly sucked on her spoon, wishing Asia hadn’t brought up the subject of the Blaze quarterback. She’d spent the last couple of days trying not to think of him. Unfortunately, Shane was everywhere she turned. Avoiding him in the flesh had been easy. She simply stuck to her side of the training complex. It was harder to avoid him when she closed her eyes, though. At night when she slept, she could feel his hands exploring her body. Carly dreamt about his greedy mouth as it made love to her. His smell still permeated the thick comforter on her bed. She could taste his skin . . .
Argh!

Carly ripped the spoon from her mouth and stuck it in the bowl of half-eaten yogurt. Yanking her feet off the chair, she slid closer to the air-conditioner vent. Fantasies of Shane were wreaking havoc with her internal body temperature. In spite of her resolution to keep her distance from all things Shane Devlin, she found herself asking Asia about him.

“Isn’t Shane the starting quarterback?”

Asia’s body never wavered from its relaxed position. “Not necessarily.”

Obviously, she needed to pay more attention to how American football was played. She didn’t want to examine why the thought of Shane not playing for the Blaze suddenly bothered her. “But I thought he was supposed to replace Gabe.”

“You really know nothing about how this game works, do you?” Asia asked, her tone incredulous.

“I grew up in Europe, remember?”

Asia huffed, closing her eyes once more. “There are no guarantees in this game, Carly. Hank brought Devlin in because he needed a strong veteran at the position. But he drafted a rookie quarterback the very next week. It’s anyone’s guess who’ll replace Gabe,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Well, wasn’t that ironic. Even if he behaved, Shane still wasn’t guaranteed a starting gig. No wonder he was so obsessed with mini-camp. It still didn’t explain—or excuse—his behavior regarding Troy, however. She hadn’t spoken with Troy since that morning she’d left him with Lisa. She’d seen him on the practice field with Shane, however. His brother practically used the boy as a human shield to get past the media each day.

She stood up and stretched, tossing her unfinished yogurt into a trash can. Asia rose next to her, gathering her cane as she did so.

“I guess I’d better get my stuff together so I can make my flight,” Asia said as both women headed across the room.

“What time are you leaving?”

“I’m on the eight o’clock flight to L.A. But I need to get home and grab my bags first. What are you planning to do with your free time?”

It was a sad commentary on her boring life, but Carly had no real vacation plans. Julianne was headed to her NASCAR wedding for the weekend. Matt, Lisa, and the kids were leaving shortly for two weeks of much-needed family time at the beach. All week Lisa had been pestering her to join them, but Carly was looking forward to some downtime herself. She meant to take advantage of a quiet office to get everything ready for the next season.

“I’ve got a lot to do here,” she lied. “I need to help finalize the logistics for the team’s away games so Hank won’t have to worry about that when he gets back.” Which was the truth, but there wasn’t much involved with that other than reviewing the package the travel office had already put together. She’d probably spend most of her free time brooding over the hard-bodied, steely-eyed quarterback on the Blaze payroll.

Jeez, she was pathetic
.
The man had the emotional capability of a newt. Everything about him screamed “not long-term material.” She wanted to smack herself in the head. Hadn’t she already learned her lesson about professional jocks? She needed to exorcise Shane Devlin from her mind. And from all her body parts.

Which was easier said than done. She kept trying to tell herself the attraction was only physical, but she’d discovered these past few weeks that he hid a lot behind the persona he presented to the public. There was something very vulnerable about Shane. A vulnerability that kept nagging at her chest and wouldn’t go away.

Her anger with Shane’s attitude toward Troy had subsided over the past several days. Carly didn’t need her sister’s clinical psychology degree to realize he didn’t have the skills to deal with all the turmoil in his life—much less accept a brother he barely knew. But Troy was still living at Shane’s. That had to mean something.

“You just keep a careful eye out for that Joel Tompkins,” Asia said, interrupting her musing. “He’s trouble. With or without a restraining order.”

“I haven’t heard a peep out of him in a week. I’m sure his grandfather convinced him to go to rehab. It’ll be fine now,” Carly said as she caught sight of C.J. and Troy entering the commissary.

“Well, just the same, Carly, you keep an eye out, okay?” Asia said. “In my experience, creeps like Joel don’t hide under their rocks for long.”

Carly nodded, unsure how to respond. She’d just begun to be less skittish about the situation with Joel, but Asia’s concern caused Carly’s nerves to twitch.

“Good girl,” Asia said, giving her a quick hug. “I’ve got to go or I’ll miss my plane. See you in two weeks,” Asia called as she hobbled out to her office.

Turning back to the cafeteria, she watched C.J. and Troy head for the ice cream bar. Both were red faced and sweaty as each grabbed for a plastic bowl.

“Hello, boys,” she said with a smile. “You both look like you could use something cool to eat.”

“Yeah, well it’s like ninety-five degrees out there, Aunt Carly. We all don’t get to sit around in the AC all day.” C.J. made it sound like it was a hardship shagging balls for his father’s team, but she knew he loved it. Carly smiled, refusing to let her nephew’s surly demeanor get to her.

“What?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

“Nothing,” she said, reaching up to pat his cheek. “You just look so cute all mussed up.”

“Jeez, Aunt Carly,” C.J. said as he pulled away from her touch, his face even redder now. “You’re blocking the ice cream.”

Troy smiled broadly at their exchange, hero worship shining in his eyes. Carly grinned back at him. “Are you enjoying camp, Troy?” she asked. She really should avoid the Devlin brothers, but it was nice to see Troy not looking so ragged around the edges. Besides, he wasn’t the brother who constantly sent her pulse racing.

He pushed his glasses up against the bridge of his nose and gave her a lopsided grin. “Yes, ma’am.”

When both boys had filled their bowls to nearly overflowing, they sat at one of the round bistro tables. Not waiting to be asked, Carly hooked her foot around the leg of a chair and pulled up to the table to join them. Much as she hated to admit it, she was dying to know what was going on with Shane. Troy was the most likely source of that information.

“So,” she began as she watched C.J. tuck into his bowl. “Do you and Shane have any big plans for the next few weeks?”
Really, what was the sense of beating around the bush?

Troy’s chin dropped to his chest as he stared at his ice cream. C.J. nudged her with the toe of his Nike. She looked over at him and he shook his head slightly. She glanced at Troy. He fidgeted with his glasses again.

“We’re going to some cabin for a while,” he said softly.

“Well, that sounds cool,” C.J. interjected. She felt a rush of love for her nephew. Clearly, he was trying to make the trip sound exciting. “Maybe you can go fishing and stuff.” He actually made it sound like he thought it would be okay to be out of cell phone range somewhere.

“Sure,” she added enthusiastically. “You and Shane could get to know one another better.” C.J. shot her the “are you really that dumb?” look he normally reserved for his sisters. Troy sunk lower in his chair, if that were possible.

“I guess so,” he mumbled.

“Hey, you could always come to the beach with us,” C.J. said around another mouthful of ice cream. A hopeful look appeared in Troy’s eyes, but it vanished just as quickly. He sat up in his chair.

“That would be great, but I think Shane likes to go to the mountains to clear his head before the season,” Troy said. “My dad told me once that he goes there every year. We used to invite him to come visit us in Pittsburgh, but he never did.”

Bruce invited Shane to come visit?
Now that was interesting. From what Shane had told her, his father had pretty much shut him out of his new life.

“Well, if you change your mind, you’re always welcome at our beach house. Crap, I’m getting a brain freeze!” C.J. said. Not surprising, given the way he was shoveling ice cream into his mouth.

“Stick your thumb on the roof of your mouth!” Troy said.

Carly left the boys laughing about brain freezes while she pondered the information she’d just wheedled out of Troy. Shane was taking his brother with him to his cabin. A week ago, she was sure he’d ship his little brother to his grandparents as soon as he got the chance. Was it possible Shane was finally putting aside some of his animosity for his father? Maybe Lisa was right; Shane just needed some time to come around to the idea of having a half brother. Surely, once they’d spent some time together, he’d realize being Troy’s guardian wasn’t so bad. Perhaps it would all work out for the best.

For Troy, anyway.

As for Carly, her relationship with Shane was over and done with. If you could call it a relationship. It was really a one-night stand. Well, actually a two-night stand, but that was just semantics. It was over, whatever
it
was. She was just having trouble convincing herself to be happy it was over.

* * *

It was nearly five o’clock and the hallways along
the training center were deserted. Shane didn’t bother to hide the slight limp in his gait. He’d just spent a half hour in the whirlpool and now he was hoping to find a trainer to administer some ultrasound to his painful hip. The coaches had already left, and with a little luck, he could find a member of the training staff who wouldn’t talk. His hip hurt, but he could play through the pain. The coaches didn’t need to know a thing.

The tap-tap-tapping of heels along the tile floor alerted him that someone was coming around the corner just before she plowed into him. He wrapped his arms around Carly, steadying her before she could fall.

“Oh!” she said. The skin on her bare arms was soft and warm beneath his fingers. Her familiar scent filled his nostrils. She brushed against him as she tried to regain her balance. His cock sprung to life beneath his cotton gym shorts.

“Hey, Carly,” he said, his voice a bit huskier than he would have liked.

She lifted her eyes up at him and a blush began to creep up her neck to her face as she tried to take a step back. He let her body break contact from his, but he kept his hands cradling her elbows. He’d missed touching her. Hell, he’d missed
her
. He was out of his depth handling a grieving twelve-year-old. It was too painful reliving emotions he’d long since buried. More than once these past few days, he’d wanted to just talk to her, watch her smile, kiss her.

“Oh,” she said, biting her bottom lip. “Umm, if you’re looking for Troy, he’s in the commissary with C.J.”

Shane hadn’t been looking for the kid. He’d just texted him and knew he was with C.J. But he wasn’t going to tell Carly that. Hell, she probably thought he should be with the kid 24/7 right now. Besides, she’d just lecture him about his fraternal responsibilities again. Not that he didn’t like the way she looked all hot and bothered.

“He was telling me about the trip you two are taking to your cabin in the mountains. Troy seemed excited. It’ll be good for you both,” she said, her voice laced with enthusiasm.

Ah, hell.
It seemed he was going to get a lecture anyway. The earnest expression on Carly’s face was nearly his undoing. She thought everything had been worked out, when in reality nothing had changed. It was just delayed. He had to stop her before she got the wrong idea about his relationship with Bruce’s son. She’d only be disappointed again with what she thought was his lack of emotional depth. Better that she not know what really scared Shane.

Fortunately, he knew the perfect way to distract her. Pulling her into an empty training room, he closed and locked the door behind them.

“Does this mean you’re not mad at me anymore?” he asked, backing her up against the door.

“Shane!” she whispered, her eyes round in her beautiful face. He wasn’t listening. The overpowering need for her that should have burnt out several days ago overtook whatever logic existed. Pressing his body against hers, he took her mouth in a ravenous kiss. Her mouth was soft and warm just like he remembered. It tasted like chocolate. He fully expected her to resist him—probably with a knee to the jewels—she’d been so angry with him the other day.

But he was wrong again.

After the briefest hesitation, she kissed him back with the same ferocity. Her fingers found his hair as she gripped his head. Shane’s hands slid beneath her full skirt and they shook as his fingers came in contact with bare leg.

“You’re not wearing underwear!” he breathed against her neck.

“Am too,” she whispered in his ear, just before her teeth nipped at the lobe.