Chapter 16

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!

Ripping the spoon from her mouth, Carly 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 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 Thompkins," 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 A/C 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 about it.

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.

"Hi," she replied, 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." Her voice was 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 the fact that you're speaking to me again mean you're not mad at me anymore?" he asked, backing her up against the door.

"I'm not sure," 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.

"This I gotta see."

Lifting her at the waist, he carried her over to the training table while her lips feasted on his neck. He flung her skirt up around her stomach and set her down on the end of the table. She leaned back on her elbows, exposing herself to him, a saucy grin on her face. All the breath left his body at the sight of her. He flopped down on the rolling stool so he was at eye level. A sexy scrap of hot pink lace formed a triangle between her legs. He hooked her knees over his shoulders and wheeled in for a closer look.

"The only thing that could make those sexier would be if they're edible," he said, his eyes never leaving the prize.

She gave a husky laugh. "They're Hanky Pankys and they are definitely not edible."

"God, you have amazing skin. I missed the taste of it." He leaned in to run his tongue along a small purple bruise that he had left on her inner thigh the other night. She trembled beneath his lips, a hiss escaping hers.

"Shane, we shouldn't be doing this. Especially not here." Too bad her voice lacked any real conviction.

She tried to unhook a leg from his shoulder, but he held her tight. He didn't want to stop. If she'd objected when they first entered the room, he might have been able to walk away. But she'd kissed him back, stoking the fire inside him with her own roving hands and mouth and her breathy moans. Shane didn't want her coming to her senses now. He just wanted her to come. So he pushed away the pink lace and sent his tongue in to pleasure her.

Carly sighed softly, but instead of pulling away, she kicked her stiletto sandals to the floor so she could wrap her legs around him. He licked and sucked until she was shaking.

"We can't do this," she protested without much vehemence. "You'll make me scream and everyone will know we're in here."

There was no way he was going to stop. His hunger for Carly was insatiable. Focused on possessing her, Shane continued what he was doing. One hand massaged her bottom while the other reached below the table and grabbed a rolled-up towel.

"Here," he said, tossing the towel at her. "Shove that in your mouth." He glanced up at her incredulous face. Her eyes were the deep blue color that she got when she was aroused, but there was annoyance there, too. The annoyance turned him on and he returned his mouth to between her thighs. Before she could get a protest out, he found the little nub and sucked on it. She moaned loudly before stuffing the towel in her mouth. Shane might have tried to prolong his feast, but he was excruciatingly hard and he didn't want to waste time. He needed to get inside her.

She came quickly, a series of spasms rocking her body. Normally he would have taken his time to pleasure her again or at least kiss his way out. But he couldn't chance her becoming too alert. Standing up so quickly he sent the wheeled stool spinning across the room, he dropped his shorts and his boxer briefs to his ankles and entered her.

Both her eyes and mouth flew open. The towel was now clenched in her hands. As he stared at her without moving, a slow grin of pleasure covered her mouth and her fingers reached for the hem of his T-shirt. Yanking him on top of her, she wrapped her legs around his bare butt as she clenched her warm muscles around his throbbing erection. Groaning, he found her mouth for a kiss. Their tongues tangled as he thrust into her. Carly rose to meet him, running her hands in his hair. There was no way of holding out any longer. Tearing his mouth away, Shane threw his head back in a silent scream as he came.

As he buried his face in her hair, Shane waited for their breathing to return to normal. Inhaling deeply, he tried to capture her scent. The smell of her no longer lingered on his pillows and he realized he missed it. If he was being honest, he missed everything about Carly. God, he was turning into such a sap.

Carly marched toward her office, a still-grinning Shane Devlin trailing behind her. How could this have happened? One minute, she was minding her business, and the next, Shane was chewing through a fifty-dollar pair of thong underwear. Where was her self-control? Why couldn't she resist this man? The one man she ought to say no to .

She huffed softly to herself.

He chuckled behind her.

Carly wheeled around. "It's not funny! This is my workplace! Our workplace!" she said, her voice a hoarse whisper as she whipped her head from side to side making sure no one was in the office to hear them.

"Okay," Shane said, lifting his palms up in a defensive position.

"And why are you following me to my office?" she snapped. "There is so not going to be a repeat performance in there!"

"Calm down, Carly," he said, his "just-had-sex" smirk still gracing his lips. "You were a little unsteady on your heels when you bolted back there. I just wanted to make sure you made it back to your desk okay."

His smug teasing infuriated Carly more. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: You arrogant jocks are all alike!"

"Hey, don't put me in the same category as your ex," he said.

Carly saw anger flash in his eyes and it caused her own ire to die down a bit. It wasn't fair to take it out on him. Sure, he'd initiated their encounter in the training room, but she didn't do a thing to stop him. Instead, she'd joined right in enjoying the interlude as much as he had—maybe more.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He reached for her then, but she backed away into her office. "Please, Shane. Let's just stick to the original plan and keep this professional from here on out."

When she looked up into Shane's face, his eyes were thunderous. Confused, she took another step back before Shane shoved her aside. "What the hell is this?" His voice took on that lethal tone her brother-in-law frequently used on the sideline.

Carly turned toward her desk.

A rose, ripped from its stem, was lying on her chair. Underneath it were photos of her with Shane at the gala and with Donovan walking arm and arm into the building. Shane reached for the photos and a note fell to the floor. Carly picked it up. The handwriting was neat and clear, but the tone was vicious.

These men don't love you the way I do. You were meant to be with me. You WILL be with me.

The note was unsigned, but she knew who had written it. Her hand trembled as she frantically looked around her.

"Joel was here." She had difficulty trying to force the words out of her suddenly dry mouth. Carly gripped the side of her credenza to steady herself. Shane was rapidly dialing the phone.

"Donovan Carter!" he demanded, only to slam down the receiver a second later. Rifling through her drawers, Shane pulled out a folder and stuffed the photos inside. "Give it to me," he said as he pried the note from Carly's trembling hand. "Come on." He wrapped his strong fingers around her wrist and dragged her from his office. Desperately, she tried to keep up as her heels tapped along beside the squeak of his Pumas on the tile floor.

They found Donovan sitting on a bench in the weight room, a towel hanging loosely around his shoulders. If he was startled to see them, his face didn't show it. As if sensing something was wrong, his detective's mask slid firmly into place.

"What's going on?" he asked, although the look he shot at Shane told her he'd already taken in their rumpled appearance and knew exactly what had been going on moments earlier.

Shane moved to speak, but Carly cut him off. "I need to talk to you," she said as she yanked her arm free of Shane death grip. He glared at her as she rubbed her wrist. "Joel left me another note on my chair. Donovan, he was in the building. "

"What?" Donovan was standing now, his cell phone already out of his pocket. "When?"

"I'm not really sure." She pulled the folder from Shane's hands. Shane drew his lips into a tight line as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and rocked back on his heels. "He left this on my desk. And another rose. It was . . . it was torn apart." Her voice had a slight tremor to it now. She took a deep breath to control it.

Donovan took the folder and glanced at the photos. "When did you find these?" he asked.

"They were there when I went to my office a little bit ago." She rubbed at her wrist again. It didn't hurt. Her skin was just cold and she missed the warmth where Shane's fingers had been.

"When were you in your office last, Carly? I need to know when Joel was in the building," he demanded.

"Um, I don't know," she hedged. "Asia and I stopped in the commissary for a snack right after the four o'clock press briefing."

Donovan looked at his watch. "That was over an hour ago. Where did you go after the commissary?"

I stopped to have hot monkey sex in the training room with the idiot standing next to me! "I don't remember. I sat with CJ and Troy for a little bit. I got sidetracked on the way back."

Donovan looked at both of them. His eyes said he didn't believe her, but at least he didn't voice his doubts out loud. He barked at someone on his cell phone. Carly glanced over at Shane, who had his game face on.

"I need to get that rose and anything else he might have left and take it over the Baltimore PD," Donovan said. "I've got my people going over the surveillance tapes to see how and when Joel got in the building. "

"You don't think he's still here?" The waver was back in her voice.

Donovan looked at Shane before he answered. "No, I don't. But maybe you should head home with Coach tonight."

She glanced at the clock on the wall behind him. "He's already left. Lisa was supposed to pick them up fifteen minutes ago and they were leaving directly for the beach." Of course, if she hadn't stopped for a quickie in the training room, she could have caught her family before they left.

"It'll be okay, Donovan. I'm sure Joel is long gone." She tried her best to sound convincing. "I'm just going to pack up for the day and go home."

"Like hell you are," Shane said from beside her.

"Excuse me?" She slowly turned her head to face him. He was still standing with his arms folded across his chest looking as if he ruled the world.

"I'll make sure she gets home safely, Don," he said, ignoring her.

Donovan looked from one to the other. It was clear he didn't like the idea of Shane taking her home, but apparently he liked the idea of her going home alone less.

"Fine," he said, and both men headed for the door.

"What just happened here?" she called after them, refusing to move from the room.

"Carly." Shane's tone was softer now, but still firm. "He's right. Until we know where Thompkins is, you shouldn't be left alone. Let Don do his job and get the police to pick him up." He walked back over to her and lifted a hand to gently caress her cheek. "Come to dinner with Troy and me. By the time we get home, the police will have Joel in custody for violating the restraining order."

Carly stifled a shiver, unsure whether it was caused by Shane's touch or her current situation. She hated having to rely on someone else for safety. But she hated what Joel was doing to her more. Truth be told, she was a little spooked to go home alone. She only wished Shane wasn't the one acting as her bodyguard. But he said Troy would be with them. Dinner with the Devlin brothers would definitely be a distraction from Joel's note. Surely Shane would keep his hands to himself with his brother around. He'd better. Because it was obvious she couldn't keep her own hands to herself.

Three hours and a glass of wine later, Carly drove into her neighborhood as night began to fall. Shane had taken her and Troy to Little Italy for dinner. The food was delicious—what little bits she managed to get down. It didn't help that Shane was back to being his moody, arrogant self, grunting monosyllables throughout the meal. She tried to ignore him, instead listening to Troy babble about mini-camp and C.J.—the boy was in awe of everything her nephew did—and Beckett, his new best friend. Troy was a sweet boy, much like C.J. at that age.

When dinner was over, they headed back to the training facility to pick up her car. Troy begged to ride home with her and Shane seemed relieved to be rid of him. He headed home to walk Beckett while she and Troy stopped off at Santoni's for ice cream. Rather than eat it there, they'd decided to grab a couple of pints of Ben as if it could be ripped away from her at any moment. She wondered if that feeling would ever go away.

Shame on Shane for making this boy feel so vulnerable. She gave Troy a gentle squeeze. "He doesn't want anybody," she said, brushing a kiss over his hair. "He thinks he's too cool to need anybody. He's just a big butthead."

Troy giggled into her shoulder.

"Hey," she said, holding him away from her. "Our ice cream is melting. Whaddya say we eat it before the butthead shows up to take you home? He should be here any minute."

They were both laughing when they entered the kitchen. But when Carly turned on the overhead light, she stopped dead in her tracks. The sweet smell of roses reached her nostrils at the same time her eyes took in the mess in her kitchen and living room. Mutilated flowers were strewn everywhere. It looked as if wild animals had been let loose inside. Photos were ripped from frames, their glass scattered about the floor. Pillows and cushions were slashed, pieces of stuffing still floating in the air.

She gulped for air as her breath froze in her lungs. The plastic bag holding the ice cream slipped from her numb fingertips.

"Who did this?" It took her a moment to realize that Troy was echoing her thoughts. Except Carly already knew who'd done it. Joel Thompkins .

Troy took a step farther into the house before she grabbed him tightly by the arm, pulling him behind her.

"No, Troy." She was amazed she could find the breath to speak since her chest felt like it might explode. "Get outside." Dragging him into the garage, she shoved him back into the car. With shaky hands, she jammed the keys into the ignition.

"Get out my cell phone," she ordered, tossing Troy her purse. Backing out of the garage, she parked the car down the street and he handed her the phone. With trembling fingers, she dialed 911.