by Desiree Holt
Beside him, Joe felt Shay’s body tighten, but if they were going to be a couple—and he damn sure intended for them to get there—this was a good place to start. He reached for her hand and squeezed. Ride with me, he signaled. “Thanks. That would be great.”
“It’s very nice of you to include us,” Shay told them in a formal voice.
“Y’all should make a point of staying reconnected,” Annie told them. “Maybe there are other guys from the team who ended up here, too. San Antonio isn’t very far from Granite Falls.”
“Some of the guys played for teams in other major cities,” Joe pointed out. “But maybe we could make it a point to track them down.”
“Oh, honey, that would be great.” Shana hugged Mike’s arm. “I’d love to meet everyone from that team. You talk about it all the time.”
“I run into them now and then,” Joe said. “Maybe we could set up a database, or something. Start connecting everyone.”
“On Facebook,” Annie chimed in. “How great would that be?”
“I’d, um, be happy to set up the database and Facebook page.”
Joe looked at Shay, eyebrows raised. “You would?”
“Is that a serious offer, Shay?” Mike wanted to know. “Because we’d seriously accept it.”
“What?” She looked from one to the other. “I live on the computer. I’m in the graphic-design business. And Hank would enjoy it, too.”
Joe put his arm across the back of her chair and hugged her toward him. “Thanks, darlin’. I know everyone would appreciate it.”
Shana smiled at Shay. “I really hope you and Joe will come tomorrow.”
“We’ll be there,” Joe assured them. “Right, Slick?”
“Slick?” Shana raised an eyebrow.
Joe chuckled. “Private joke.” He turned to look at Shay. “Right?”
For a moment she hesitated, then gave him a small grin. “Right.”
He let out the breath he’d been holding. Okay, then. He’d take small victories where he could get them.
They exchanged contact information and finally Joe managed to get Shay out of her chair and headed toward the door before they tumbled into another long conversation. He was glad he’d reconnected with these guys, but he had other plans for the day.
Monday, though, he planned to get back in touch with them about the fundraiser.
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to tag along tomorrow?” was the first thing Shay said when they were back in his car.
He cranked the ignition, then left the gearshift in Park, turning his head to study her face. “Why not? They invited you.”
She lifted one shoulder, an almost nonchalant gesture. “Oh, you know, I’ve got stuff to do. And I’m actually not part of that crowd.”
“Shay.” He cupped her chin and forced her to look at him. “What’s this about? We’re together. That makes you part of whatever happens to me.”
“Are we, Joe?” Her face was so solemn he wanted to shake her. “And am I with you? You told them we were but what if last night was a mistake? What if—”
“No.” He touched his fingers to her lips. “No more. I meant every word I said. If I let you down, which I have no intention of doing, then you can open your mouth and say every nasty thing you want to. You have to let me prove myself to you, though.” He leaned across the console, tugging her head toward him. “Give me a chance, Slick. Don’t keep sliding away from me. This whole thing—us—is as much of a shock to me as it is to you. Will I make some mistakes? I hope not, but probably. I hope you overlook them. I want to prove myself, okay?”
She looked in his eyes, searching, studying whatever she saw there.
“Okay.” She grinned. “We’ll give it a shot.”
He couldn’t help himself. The relief was so great he leaned over and pressed his open mouth to hers, thrusting his tongue inside. God, she tasted delicious and the inside of her mouth was incredibly soft. He fisted her hair in his hand, holding her head close to his. He savored her, licking every inch of the surface he could reach. The scent of jasmine she wore drifted against his nose, whispering through him and caressing his nerves.
He broke the kiss only when he couldn’t breathe. Shay gaped at him, a stunned look in her eyes. He was sure his own held a matching one. His heart raced like a speed demon. Last night and again this morning the sex between them had been spectacular. Hot. All encompassing. More than just sexual gymnastics. Something in this kiss was so powerful he felt it in every inch of his body. From her reaction, Shay did, too.
She didn’t move, just kept her gaze locked with his. “Wow.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
If he hadn’t already believed there was something special going on here, he certainly knew it now. Maybe now Shay would believe it, too.
* * * *
“So where are we going?” Shay asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.
“Like I said earlier, I, uh, have a couple of business things to take care of this afternoon.” He slid a glance at her. “I can still drop you off at the house if you want.”
“You said you wanted me to go with you,” she reminded him. Was he changing his mind? Regretting the invite? God, this was so ridiculous Of course he wasn’t. She had to stop driving herself nuts. She’d take him at his word and trust him until he gave her reason not to. “What kind of business?”
“Just some background work for the show and a stop at a sporting-goods store.” He looked over at her again. “You might be bored to death, now that I think about it.”
She grinned. “Trying to get rid of me already?”
He reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently. “Not even a little. You’d mostly just be sitting around, though. I probably didn’t think this through.”
“But I’ll be sitting there with you, right?” She frowned. “Or do I have to wait somewhere while you take care of your stuff?”
“Of course not. If you wouldn’t be bored out of your skull, I’d like you right there with me. It’s a chance for you to see some of the stuff I do.”
His words warmed her. “Then it’s fine. I’d enjoy going with you. I mean, if you don’t mind.”
He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “If I minded, I wouldn’t have asked. Just remember, I warned you.”
“So where are we going first?” She wiggled in her seat in order to see him better.
“The facility for the Mustangs.”
“This is about the kid we watched the other night, right?”
Joe nodded. “I need to get a feel for how management and coaching think of him, and maybe some of the other players if they’re around.”
“This will be fun.”
He laughed. “If you say so.”
The afternoon proved to be fascinating on many fronts. Shay was impressed with the welcome Joe received from the general manager and the coaches as well as their reaction to him. Despite the fact they worked with NFL stars every day, they treated Joe as a visiting celebrity, even sheepishly asking him to autograph footballs for their offices. Joe was quietly charming and laid-back, answering questions then skillfully easing into the real reason he was there—to get the scoop on their quarterback situation.
The Mustangs had drafted a hot-handed young passer, E.J. Rawlins. He’d led his team to the national college championship and won the MVP award in that game. The question, as always, was whether those skills would translate to the NFL.
“There’s a lot of buzz about him,” Joe said. “But then, I’m sure you know that.”
“Just like there was about you.” Dex Franklin, the general manager, grinned. “I hope this kid turns out half as well.”
Joe laughed. “I’m sure he’ll be a lot better.”
After the GM, Joe moved on to the coaches, especially the quarterbacks coach, who reiterated all of E.J.’s strong points. Shay found it interesting listening to the kind of questions Joe asked them about the other quarterbacks, explaining the ty
pe of things he was looking for when deciding who to feature on the show.
“E.J.’s got great accuracy,” the quarterbacks coach told him. “He has a good three-step drop and he can zero in on his receivers. Most of all, though, he understands the system. Completely.”
That was something Shay could relate to. She knew the coaches at Granite Falls High had always raved about Joe’s ability to wrap his brain around their playbook. Hank mentioned more than once the coach in college had said the same thing. In the NFL, his quarterbacks coach couldn’t talk him up enough to the media. If not for the career-ending injury, who knew where he’d be today. Maybe with a bunch of Super Bowl rings.
But he’d obviously found a new career he loved, one that was made for him. Somehow watching Joe host his program every season, she’d had the idea this was a puff job for him, something to take advantage of his celebrity. She thought other people did most of the work, wrote his scripts for him and he only did a quick read-through before airtime. Today she got to see he actually did his own research, knew what he was looking for in his subject. More importantly, knew what his viewers wanted to see and hear. It seemed there were a lot more facets to Joe Reilly’s personality than she’d been willing to give him credit for.
They were at the Mustangs team facility for a long time. In addition to those he wanted to chat with, it seemed several people wanted a few minutes of face time with Joe Reilly. There was a scattering of players working out and several of the management staff, even clerical people, catching up on a late summer Saturday before the first game of the season. Joe was endlessly patient with each of them. Shay was sure they would have been happy if Joe stayed longer but he tactfully brought everything to a close, telling them he had another appointment to get to.
“You’re good at this,” she told him as they walked to his car.
He laughed. “You say that like you’re surprised.”
Her cheeks heated, and she ducked her head. “I didn’t mean that. I just—”
“It’s okay. Most people don’t realize how much prep you put into a show like mine. Or any sports show. I enjoy all of it, especially meeting the coaches and learning about the players.”
Another layer peeled back, she thought.
“One more stop, right?” she asked as she fastened her seat belt.
“Yeah, at a sporting-goods store. I said I’d sign a few footballs for an event the guy has coming up.”
Shay looked at him, curious. “Do you do this a lot?”
Joe shrugged. “I guess. It’s only an hour or two out of my time and I’m happy to do it.”
Shay sneaked a glance at her watch. They’d spent most of the afternoon with the Mustangs people and still had one more thing to do?
“I need to get going here.” He cranked the ignition. “Sure you want to keep tagging along? Again, I can drop you off if you’d rather.”
He sat there, watching her, waiting for her answer. Did he really think she didn’t want to go with him? She was dying to see today’s version of Joe Reilly in action.
“Nope. Not getting rid of me that easy.” Not when she was learning something new about him almost every minute. “Let’s get the horses going.”
She was amazed at his endless patience, at the way he interacted warmly with people. Even more so when they got to the sporting-goods store. Although they were ushered in through the back door to avoid the general shopping mob, the small room where he was set up was crowded with as many people who could jam in there. Again, Joe was calm, smiling, courteous. He sipped from the bottle of water someone brought him, smiled, and wrote his name until he’d gone through the huge box of footballs.
What had she expected? That was an easy answer. A cocky, arrogant, full-of-himself jock who treated people as if they were lucky to be in his presence. As she thought back on their high school years, she realized her image of him was one seen from the point of view of a young teenager. A girl who exaggerated everything to make the man less desirable to her. But would Hank, the brother who she adored—except when he dumped her into a setup—have been friends with someone who was obnoxious? It had been much easier to paint Joe Reilly as an insufferable asshole rather than see the person he really was.
Truth be told, when was the last time she’d actually seen him with half-naked females hanging all over him? Or partying in the off-season at events immortalized on the pages of every tabloid? She hated to admit she might need to do a little research of her own.
It wasn’t until they were finished at the store and back in his car in the parking lot she saw him actually relax. Leaning his head back in his seat, he rubbed his face, then raked his fingers through his hair.
She’d snared another bottle of water on the way out. Now she uncapped it and held it out to him. “Here. I’m sure you can use this. I don’t know how you do it.”
“Thanks a lot.” He chugged half the bottle before putting it in the console cup holder. “Just part of the game. A lot of people helped make my career a success. Now it’s time for payback. Anyway, Fox Sports encourages this kind of thing.”
Even though she wasn’t quite ready to admit to him she might have been mistaken about her opinion of him, she acknowledged to herself she was impressed by what she’d seen today. She felt more comfortable with her decision to give Joe the chance to prove himself to her. She still harbored misgivings. After all, old habits died hard. But for the first time since the night she’d embarrassed herself, she thought maybe this just might work.
Maybe.
She was still cynical Shay, after all.
“The Blind Side is on tonight,” she commented as they walked into the house. It was one of her favorite movies.
“Haven’t you had enough football for one day?” Joe teased.
She looked up at him. “It was…nice watching you today.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Nice?”
“Yeah. I mean, I enjoyed it.”
He chuckled. “I’m not sure I can stand all this effusive praise.”
Shay’s face heated. “Okay, so I’m not given to a lot of rah-rah. I did enjoy watching you, though. Seriously. You’re really good at your job.”
“Thanks.” He tipped her face up to his. “Does this earn me some extra points in the ‘Joe is a great guy’ department?”
“We’ll see,” she teased.
“If you’re dead set on watching the movie,” Joe commented, “I’m good with it. I never get tired of it.”
“Me, either.”
“Why don’t you figure out what you’d like for dinner? I’m going to change and grab a beer. Want one?”
“Maybe. I need to check my e-mail before I do anything.” She’d sent a revised design off to her boss late yesterday and she hoped he finally was satisfied with what she’d created. Sometimes he just drove her nuts with his nitpicking.
Joe lifted an eyebrow. “Work on Saturday?”
She shrugged. “I don’t think my boss ever looks at a clock or a calendar. We’ve got a new design due for an upcoming meeting and we’ve been going back and forth on it.”
“Okay. See you in a few.”
In her room, Shay checked her e-mail and sighed in relief when she opened one from her boss and it read, “Looks great. Send the final.” Her boss wasn’t much given to a lot of praise but at least he’d signed off on the project. She pulled off her jeans and light sweater and exchanged them for shorts and a loose tank top, one with little ruffles around the neck and shoulders.
She had unexpectedly enjoyed the afternoon. Tonight they’d be home again. Alone, because her idiot brother was still among the missing. Would they have sex again? At the thought, her nipples tightened and a pulse fluttered low in her pussy. She squeezed her thighs together to still the throbbing, the sudden craving to feel his cock inside her.
Behave yourself.
She didn’t want to behave herself. She had obviously lost her mind somewhere in the past forty-eight hours. Besides realizing she had to reevaluate her opinion of h
im, although she still held onto her skepticism, it seemed she’d developed a sexual craving for Joe Reilly that went far beyond any crush. She certainly couldn’t go out there like this. He’d take one look at her face and know what she was thinking. Well, so what? Maybe this wouldn’t last, maybe she was dreaming, but at least she’d have the best sex of her life.
Still, she forced herself to wash her hands and face with cold water, take time to brush her hair and pull it into a smooth ponytail and take several deep breaths. She’d loaded up at the grocery store, stocking food for both of them. Maybe she’d fix deli sandwiches and open a bag of chips.
She took a quick moment to text Hank. “U planning to live in Wyoming?”
The answer came back right away. “Ha ha ha.”
“So when u cming home?”
This time the answer took a little longer. “Soon. Take care of Joe.”
Take care of Joe? Oh, she was doing that, swimming in waters way over her head. She tossed the phone onto her bed and headed toward the kitchen. When she passed the sliding glass doors, she looked out toward the deck and spotted Joe stretched out on one of the loungers. An open bottle of beer sat on the little table beside him along with his cell phone. Had he been making more secret calls? Damn. Stop doing this, she told herself. What was she, twelve? He appeared to be asleep so when she opened the door she took a moment to admire his muscular athlete’s body. The cutoff T-shirt was hiked up enough to display his flat stomach, and the soft fabric of his shorts nicely outlined… Holy crap! The mother of all erections.
Shay eased herself out onto the deck, moving as silently as she could to allow her to get closer, see better. Shock washed through her as she watched him slide one of his hands into his sweats and wrap his fingers around his dick. Was he masturbating? In his sleep? Shay knew she should just go back inside, wait an appropriate amount of time, and then make a noisy entrance but she couldn’t seem to make herself move. The scene in front of her mesmerized her. She flexed her hands to keep from reaching out and wrapping her own fingers around his swollen cock. Finally she shoved them into the pockets of her shorts and just treated herself to the sight in front of her.