Illegal Contact

by Becky Harmon

  “Or kitten. She’s always been such a sweet thing to me.”

  Jamison laughed and shook her head. Somehow her impression of Shea didn’t match Carlton’s. Tiger, maybe, but certainly not kitten.

  * * *

  Shea hung back from the team, searching the sidelines as she walked toward the tunnel. She hadn’t seen Jamison at all while they were on the field and she was beginning to wonder if she had left the stadium. At the edge of the tunnel, she caught a glimpse of Jamison in the stands above her. Shea stopped and watched her maneuver each layer of bleachers. She couldn’t pull her eyes from the movement of Jamison’s body or stop the smile on her face. She wanted to convince herself she was only waiting for Jamison because that’s what she was supposed to do and certainly not because she wanted to.

  Dressed in shorts and the blue and black Windbreaker, Jamison looked like a college student but as she came closer, Shea could see the maturity in her face as well as her body. She wasn’t overtly feminine in appearance but the Windbreaker did nothing to hide the curve of her breasts and hips. If she was honest, she was beginning to like Jamison’s company even more than her attractiveness. Few people had the courage to stand up to her and Jamison had done so from the second they met. She conducted herself with confidence and kindness. Both qualities that made her even more attractive

  * * *

  Jamison jumped down from the bleachers onto the walkway beside Shea. Together they turned into the tunnel, walking side by side toward the locker room. Jamison glanced at Shea out of the corner of her eye. The edges of her hair were damp from sweat and Jamison resisted the urge to brush the curls back off her neck. She chastised herself for drifting again from being security conscious and forced herself to study the people around them. Her palms began to sweat as she realized how confined they were as they passed through the semidark hallway.

  They moved through the men’s locker room and into the adjacent hallway. She let Shea lead but stayed close behind her watching in both directions. The athletic trainer Jamison had seen the previous night was coming out of the women’s locker room and she held the door open for Shea to enter.

  “Ten minutes, Carter. No more. No less,” the athletic trainer said as Shea pushed past her.

  Shea didn’t respond. Jamison looked back and forth between them. The trainer was a little shorter than Jamison and wore the traditional black Tigers shirt with blue trim like all the staff members. She didn’t seem bothered by Shea’s lack of response. Making eye contact with Jamison, she smiled and then called out to Shea’s retreating back. “I’ll come check on you in a few.”

  Jamison took a seat on a stack of floor mats against the rear wall, attempting to blend in with her surroundings. She knew Shea’s next actions would involve removing her clothes and she searched for something else to focus on. Shea bent at the waist and pulled her shoulder pads and jersey over her head, tossing them to the floor beside her locker. Her undershirt and shorts joined the growing pile and then she pulled on a long-sleeved T-shirt and sweatpants.

  Shea broke the silence. “This is one of the few times you may hear me scream.”

  Jamison narrowed her eyes as she watched Shea swing her legs into a huge metal tub. Shea’s face immediately flushed and her eyes squeezed closed as she lowered her body into the water. Jamison shivered involuntarily when she realized it was an ice bath. Shea hugged her arms across her chest before making eye contact with Jamison.

  “If it didn’t make me feel so good afterward I’d never go through the agony.” Shea dropped her chin to her chest and closed her eyes again.

  Jamison watched her start to shiver as the water penetrated her clothing and body. She wondered if football fans really understood what their players went through to be able to perform each week. And this was only college level. She watched Shea breathe deeply and exhale slowly as she attempted to regulate her breathing. For the first time in thirty-six hours, Jamison was able to stare directly at Shea and was surprised to see the dark circles under her eyes. She wondered if Shea had trouble sleeping or if she was more worried about the game than she appeared to be. Her eyes moved down Shea’s face to the strong neck as she remembered Shea working out in her sports bra the previous night. Her thoughts torn between the professional she was supposed to be and the woman in front of her, she didn’t notice Shea had opened her eyes and was staring back at her.

  Shea cleared her throat, her voice quivering as she spoke. “So, what does the security agent think about when on duty?”

  Jamison tried to come up with something professional to say. Shea’s dark eyes were cloudy with pain and her face was set with determination. She could see that what Shea needed was a distraction and not her rambling, so she said the first thing that came into her mind. “What are the other things that make you scream?”

  Shea chuckled but before she could answer the athletic trainer chose that moment to reappear. Jamison hadn’t heard the door so she didn’t know how long she had been in the locker room with them. Her hope that their conversation hadn’t been heard was over when she saw the crooked smile on her face. Thankfully she turned her attention to Shea.

  “Nice and refreshing?” she asked.

  Shea grimaced.

  “Anything more than the usual aches and pains?”

  Shea shook her head.

  “You’re full of conversation today.” She glanced at Jamison. “I’m Lynnette, by the way.”

  Jamison slipped from the mats and stuck out her hand. “Jamison.” Lynnette didn’t ask who she was and Jamison didn’t volunteer. She had to assume the staff had been advised she would be following Shea around but until someone stopped her she wouldn’t advertise her position.

  Lynnette gave her hand a quick squeeze and returned her attention to Shea. “Do you need me to wrap anything extra before practice tomorrow?”

  Shea shook her head. “Just the normal.”

  “Okay, then I’ll see you when you get to the meeting tomorrow.” She stepped back and extended a hand. “Let’s get you out of there.”

  “Oh yes,” Shea muttered.

  Lynnette helped her step out of the tub and handed her a towel. “Hit the shower but not too hot. No need to ruin all the suffering you just did.”

  Shea disappeared into the shower and Jamison leaned back against the wall to wait.

  “How’s she handling the security detail?” Lynnette asked as she drained and cleaned the tub.

  “We’re still working out some kinks,” Jamison replied vaguely.

  Lynnette smiled knowingly. “She’s really sweet except when you want her to do something she doesn’t want to do.”

  “I guess you know her pretty well?”

  “They like to throw the two women in a room together when we travel. It has its advantages since she doesn’t like to talk about her injuries. Sharing a room helps me get a behind-the-scenes look.”

  Jamison nodded as Shea came out of the shower wrapped only in a towel.

  “I’ll see you ladies tomorrow,” Lynnette called as she headed toward the door.

  Jamison turned her body slightly to watch Lynnette leave and to block her view of Shea. The pink skin displayed around Shea’s towel was burned into her mind and she closed her eyes to seal in the vision. Taking a deep breath, she worked through her security checklist, forcing her mind back into protection mode. She needed to be alert as they walked back to the duplex. She couldn’t have images of Shea’s body breaking her concentration. She felt Shea move beside her and she opened her eyes to find her dressed again. Shea gave her a questioning look before pulling open the door and holding it for Jamison.

  They walked down the hallway and out into the humid evening air. Jamison unzipped her jacket, running her hand over her pistol for reassurance. A few students were still moving around the sidewalks but Jamison was learning to identify them from the non-students. Reminding herself that their suspect could be a student made her take a closer look at all the people around them.

  Rush hour t
raffic was over and the few cars on the road moved at a crawl. The farther they moved from campus the fewer students they passed. Everyone seemed to have a destination in mind, either headed home to relax or back to campus for night class.

  Chapter Five

  Shea watched Jamison scan the area around them, carefully studying each person that passed. She was tired and had already decided she wasn’t going to study tonight. Food was another thought though. She knew there was nothing in her refrigerator.

  Jamison touched her arm, giving her a little push, moving them out of the way of a passing student. Shea realized she hadn’t even seen the student coming. She glanced around her, making eye contact with Jamison. “There’s not much in the house to eat but Pizza Zone has good salads, if you want one.”

  Jamison studied her face in the early glow of the streetlights. Shea wasn’t sure what she saw but Jamison’s voice grew soft. “Why don’t I fix something? Your body could use something more than lettuce or pizza.”

  She shrugged. “Sounds good but there’s nothing at the house and I don’t really feel like going out to get something.”

  “I picked up some stuff earlier today. I’ll make something quick.”

  She was surprised but pleased. Jamison not only had thought about picking up groceries but had felt her desire to be taken care of. She had never had someone in her life who even asked what she had to eat. When she lived at home her mother had worked a lot of hours and Shea had learned quickly to pick up the phone and order delivery.

  * * *

  Jamison had expected Shea to refuse the dinner offer but when she accepted she allowed a feeling of anticipation to wash over her. This was her chance to connect with Shea. To make a friend. She also needed to ask her a few questions about the last several weeks and her mind played with how she would casually squeeze them into the conversation. The circles under Shea’s eyes and the slow pace they had traveled back to the duplex told her she might have Shea at a disadvantage.

  As they climbed the steps to the porch, she dropped back allowing Shea to unlock the door. The motion detector porch light Todd had installed kicked on and she could see the small cameras barely visible in the corners. She smiled. She would have to thank Todd for his excellent work.

  “Why the smile?” Shea asked as she held the door open for Jamison.

  “Just appreciating the toys my co-workers installed.”

  Shea frowned. “I didn’t think the porch light was on when we turned the corner.”

  “Motion detection.”

  “Nice,” Shea said as she dumped her backpack on the counter and dropped heavily onto the sofa. “Just five minutes and then I’ll help you with dinner.”

  “Not necessary. I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”

  Jamison noticed Shea’s eyes were already closed and she wondered if she had even heard her. As quietly as she could she pulled two pots and a pan from the cabinet. She dumped a jar of premade sauce in one pot and filled the other with water. She was anxious to check the cameras so she grabbed her laptop from the guest room and placed it on the counter beside her.

  While it booted up, she cut vegetables and tossed them in the skillet with a handful of fresh spinach on top before adding pasta to the boiling water. She opened her email and copied the password Todd had sent her. Logging into the surveillance software she was pleased to see the cameras instantly load.

  Four on the front porch and six more strategically placed around the house. Jamison scanned each one carefully, noting their location for quick identification later. The one in the back covered Shea’s bedroom window and Jamison was thankful it wasn’t there earlier when she had climbed into the house through the window. It would have cost her a lot of money to buy that footage back from Todd.

  Happy with the cameras’ positioning she closed the laptop confident that Todd would have techs checking footage on a regular basis. She quietly sprinted up the stairs and checked the screen in Shea’s bedroom. It was brand new and secure. In the kitchen she put a small amount of pasta on each plate added a larger amount of vegetables and covered it with sauce.

  She stepped into the living room but stopped at the corner of the sofa. Shea lay on her left side and her right arm hung off the front of the cushion. Her eyes were closed and her chest rose and fell with her steady breathing. Jamison moved closer and knelt beside her. She couldn’t resist brushing a strand of hair back behind Shea’s ear before lifting Shea’s hand and placing it back on the couch. She slowly ran her fingers across the back of Shea’s hand. She smiled at the size difference. She had always felt her hands were large and unlike some women she had never had any difficulty pulling the trigger of her pistol, but her hands were half the size of Shea’s.

  Before she could consider letting Shea sleep, she began to stir and her eyes slowly opened. A grin spread across her face as she saw Jamison so close to her. Her head tilted a little as she appraised her.

  Jamison jumped to her feet. She wasn’t sure what Shea had seen when she looked at her.

  “Dinner’s ready,” she said, quickly returning to the kitchen.

  Shea stood and stretched, exposing her stomach as her shirt pulled up with the movement of her arms. Her skin was creamy white now, not the pink it had been after the ice bath and she knew it would be soft under her fingers. She took a deep breath and met Shea’s gaze. Her dark eyes were darker in the shadows of the room and Jamison caught her breath. She couldn’t allow herself to have these feelings for someone she was supposed to protect. She motioned to the table breaking the connection between them.

  Shea pulled a bottle of wine from the under the counter. “I don’t like to drink alone so this seems like a good time to open this.” She reached around Jamison brushing her arm as she grabbed the corkscrew from the drawer.

  “Alcohol will dehydrate you,” Jamison said softly.

  Shea chuckled and opened the bottle, pouring a small amount of wine into each glass and setting them on the table.

  Jamison pushed her food around on her plate, unsure she could eat now, her stomach unsettled by thoughts of Shea she couldn’t seem to keep at bay. Protection details were hard enough and being on a college campus added an outside dimension she couldn’t control. She needed to be on top of her game and not distracted by the tantalizing woman sitting across from her. She looked up to find Shea watching her.

  “This is good.” Shea held up a forkful of pasta. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Jamison picked up the wineglass and sniffed. Maybe a little wine would be good for her. She swirled the small amount in her glass and then took a sip. It tasted fruity and the alcohol burned her tongue. She wasn’t a drinker and could feel the first sip run all the way to her feet. She needed food or this small glass would make her tipsy. Setting the glass down, she took a bite of pasta and then asked her first question.

  “Why football?”

  Shea smiled and took a sip of wine. “You can thank my sister for that.”

  “Mel? What did she do?”

  “Oh yes. Mel. When my father died, Mel declared herself the ruler of the house. Mom worked a lot so she wasn’t around to rein in the self-appointed king.” Shea took another bite. “Did I mention that this is really good?”

  “You might have mentioned it.” She was pleased to see the short nap had relaxed the circles under Shea’s eyes and her face looked less tired. “Continue, please.”

  “I was about ten and we were watching the Tennessee Titans in the Super Bowl. I’d never watched much football but everyone in town was football crazy since it was the Titans.”

  “You grew up in Tennessee, right?”

  “Yeah, Mom still lives there. Anyway, the game was almost over and during a commercial break, I mentioned there were no women on the field. Mel laughed at me and then said women weren’t allowed to play football.”

  “And those were fighting words?”

  Shea grinned. “Pretty much. When the game was over I announced I was going to play football. I
harassed my mother until she bought me a football and then I carried it everywhere like it was a doll. I took a lot of taunting from the boys, and some girls, in my class when I informed them I was practicing to play football. When I finally saw the sign for football sign-ups, Mom didn’t fight me too much about enrolling. She wasn’t happy about it but I think she hoped once I started getting hit I wouldn’t want to play anymore.”

  “But that didn’t happen?”

  “Hell no. Getting hit made me mad. My first coach was a narrow-minded prick and he didn’t want to play me but the boys hadn’t begun to grow yet, so I was so much taller. I could catch the ball over their heads and usually I could outrun them. I was entering high school before anyone realized I could throw. Thankfully I never had another coach like my first one. No one discouraged me from playing and my high school coaches even fought the school board to keep me on the team.”

  Jamison had read some of this in the newspapers but she wanted to hear Shea tell it. “College coaches weren’t as encouraging though?” she asked. She was feeling the heady effect of the wine and she also wanted to keep Shea talking so she could gently approach the subject of her current situation.

  “No, after high school things fell apart. There were no recruiters calling me and I got angry.” Shea shrugged. “It wasn’t right and I didn’t know how to make a stand so I retreated. The first year after high school I worked as an instructor in a Taekwondo school. Mom thought it would help me learn to control my anger.” Shea paused to finish her last bite of pasta.

  “I can’t imagine what a slap in the face it was to not be recruited.”

  “No one could imagine a female playing at college level but I couldn’t get football out of my head. All I wanted to do was play. Mel convinced me to move to Tallahassee to live with her and I found the local semi-pro women’s tackle football team, the Tallahassee Jewels. The coach suggested I help out and not play so I wouldn’t hurt my eligibility when I went to college. Between her and Mel, I started to believe in myself again. At first I was just happy to practice with the team but then I started thinking about how I could change people’s minds. Turns out all it took was persistence.”