Part 13 (2/2)
”Finish your snack so your sugar stays stable,” she said as she got up to brush her teeth.
”I'll take the floor. You sleep in the bed.”
She poked her head out of the bathroom. ”I'm pretty sure we can share the bed comfortably.” She gestured to her great wall of pillows.
”I haven't slept in bed with a female since I was five and Tricia and I shared a hotel trundle.”
This was greeted with an arched eyebrow.
”When I'm in bed with a woman, Shannon, there's generally not a lot of sleeping going on.” It was mean of him to tease her, but her pink cheeks told him she wasn't as immune to him as she appeared.
He patted one of the pillows. ”I guess these will do. Unless you're one of those people who thrashes around in the bed. You aren't, are you, Shannon?”
He'd taken his teasing a bit too far, though. Now, he couldn't stop imagining her naked, thras.h.i.+ng beneath him while he made her scream. He pulled one of the pillows over his lap.
Marching over to the bed, she pulled the pencil from her hair and crawled under the comforter with her back to him. ”Just to be safe, I won't sleep under the sheet. Good night, Brody.”
She lay perfectly still beside him and it was all he could do not to cover her with his own body. He knew she was susceptible to his touch and arousing her wouldn't be difficult. But the issue of trust still lingered in the room like an uninvited guest. So Brody shoved the last apple slice into his mouth and headed to the bathroom for another cold shower.
Fourteen.
”I've been thinking about your plan to catch the snitch,” Julianne said as she put the finis.h.i.+ng touches on Shay's makeup.
The two women were in the corner of the large suite Tricia and her bridesmaids were using to get ready for the wedding. Shay looked around to see if any of the others had heard Julianne, but the rest of the women were busy getting themselves dressed.
”Actually, I've given up on that plan,” Shay lied. ”It wasn't very well thought-out. It's probably best to leave it to the professionals.” The last thing she needed was to have too many other people involved.
”Look up,” Julianne demanded. ”What were you two doing all night? You've got bags under your eyes. Never mind.” Julianne misinterpreted the blush spreading over Shay's cheeks. ”I know exactly what you two were doing all night,” she said with a conspiratorial smile.
Once again, Brody's friend was way off base-except the part about not getting any sleep. If anyone was a thrasher in bed, it was Brody. Shay had spent the night wide awake, huddled at the edge of the mattress while Brody tossed and turned. He finally settled down just before dawn, but only after he'd snaked a long arm over the pillows and around her waist. The intimacy of his warm hand on her belly should have startled her, but it had the opposite effect, lulling her into a deep sleep. She woke up several hours later with Brody's fingers wrapped around her breast. Shay quickly shoved his hand away and he rolled over with a groan, apparently still asleep.
Escaping to the bathroom, she showered and dressed. Brody was still comatose when she left their room in search of coffee. When she returned an hour later, he was gone, along with his morning snack and his tuxedo.
”This place is very romantic,” Julianne was saying as she brushed some powder on Shay's face. ”But Brody will have to bring you down to North Carolina to the Tide Me Over Inn. A friend of mine owns it and it's fabulous, too. The beds are also quite cozy, I can a.s.sure you.”
Shay just nodded, a twinge of regret tightening her stomach. Her plan to exonerate herself hadn't worked and Brody still didn't trust her. The only bed she'd ever be sharing with him would be the one upstairs, separated by a line of pillows.
”And I think it's very sweet of you to want to catch the snitch. Whoever it is shouldn't be selling out members of the team or their families. Trust me, I can relate to the media-even social media-being relentless about invading our privacy. Sadly, it comes with the territory of being involved with a celebrity jock. And with Brody being who he is, things escalate. Still, that blogger has no right to say the things she said about you just because you're dating Brody.”
If Julianne knew the truth, she'd hate her. Shay could just have easily been the snitch selling information about Will and his family. Her quest to find whoever was doing it wasn't sweet, it was based on self-preservation. Once again, she felt like an imposter and she slumped in the chair.
”Oh, honey, don't worry.” Julianne once again misinterpreted her reaction. ”We'll catch whoever it is, you'll see.”
”Who are we trying to catch?” Bridgett asked.
Shay nearly jumped out of the chair.
”Shay! I'm not done.” Julianne put her fingers beneath Shay's chin and turned her face. ”We're trying to catch whoever is leaking information about Blaze players to that blogger who writes The Girlfriends' Guide to the NFL. Shay had a great plan, but it didn't work.”
Panic gripped Shay. She was pretty sure Brody would be furious if his sister found out about the s.e.x toy catalog. Bridgett was also far too intuitive, already suspecting something was amiss with Shay and Brody's relations.h.i.+p.
”Julianne, I can finish my makeup myself. I think Tricia is getting ready to put on her gown.”
Julianne had been very overprotective about the wedding gown she'd designed for Brody's sister and Shay counted on her possessiveness as a diversion.
”Here, let me help you, Tricia,” Julianne called as she handed Shay the makeup brush before speeding across the room.
Bridgett gave Shay a wry smile. ”That was a beautifully executed play. You and my brother are perfect for one another.”
Unsure how to respond, Shay proceeded to pack Julianne's makeup case.
”Most of the women who get involved with Brody enjoy the media attention. But not you. Why?”
Shay shrugged. ”I'm not most women.”
Bridgett eyed her with a measuring gaze. ”No, you're not. Which makes me think you might be hiding something. Are you? Are you hiding something that could hurt Brody?”
She was hiding something, but not from Brody. Wouldn't Bridgett be surprised if she knew her little brother was hiding something as well? Of course, her role here was to protect Brody, so it was better to have his sister cross-examining Shay's life and not looking into his.
”No,” she answered, knowing the lawyer wouldn't be satisfied. But if her answer kept Bridgett's attention focused on Shay, then she'd done her job.
Fortunately, the activity in the room reached a fevered pitch and there was no time to finish their conversation before the wedding party was hustled out of the suite for pictures. Julianne trailed behind them like a mother hen who'd just had one of her chicks s.n.a.t.c.hed by a fox, while Shay stayed behind to catch her breath. Unsure of what she was supposed to do next, she killed time by straightening up the mess the women left behind when a familiar tingling at the base of her neck alerted her. She looked up to find Brody leaning against the doorjamb, looking like he was headed for Hollywood in his custom tuxedo.
”Having fun?” he asked.
”I wasn't sure where I should be, so I thought I'd just help out.”
”Do you ever relax?”
It was hard to relax as his simmering gaze raked over her from head to toe. ”The wedding is going to start soon. We should head down to the pavilion.” She looked for her clutch purse among the mess Julianne had left.
The ceremony was being held on the inn's grounds, under a ma.s.sive wooden pavilion with the Green Mountains in the background, the fall foliage at its peak.
”They're still taking family pictures. My mom wanted you to join us.”
A fresh round of panic gripped Shay. ”I-I'm not doing that, Brody.”
Brody held his hands up as he strolled toward her. ”Whoa. I told her no way. But I wouldn't mind having one of you. You look amazing,” he said reverently.
The dress Julianne picked out for her was a vibrant teal jersey knit that wrapped around her body like a second skin. Sophie had paired it with a clunky necklace of fall earth tones and Emma had insisted she wear strappy copper heels. The look was casual enough for the rustic wedding, but chic enough to hold her own with Brody dressed in a tuxedo.
He was standing inches from her again, the heat from his body evident through the thin material of her dress, the smell of his cologne taunting her senses.
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