Part 19 (2/2)

”No, it certainly didn't,” she managed to say.

He swore again. ”It's just that you never seem to have any time for yourself. Let me give you that.”

Shay swallowed around the ma.s.sive boulder in her throat. ”In exchange for s.e.x?”

”G.o.d, no!” He paced the room, his naked body still gorgeous even in anger. ”It's just . . .” His words petered out as his eyes pleaded with her to understand. But Shay already did understand. It was Brody who didn't.

”I didn't stay last night because you're a superstar athlete. I don't want to be your arm candy. And, I certainly don't want you to buy me anything or take care of me. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

”Shannon-” He took a step forward, but something in her expression must have stopped him because he halted after two paces.

”I have to go now, Brody. Please don't make this any more awkward than it has to be.”

Turning on her heel, she made it through the door without him following.

Four hours into her s.h.i.+ft at Celtic Charm, Shay poured a gla.s.s of pinot grigio for Bridgett.

”So you caved under the pressure,” Brody's sister said as she sipped her wine.

”I guess I wasn't prepared for the all-out a.s.sault by everyone a.s.sociated with the Blaze,” Shay said, wiping the condensation off the bar. ”It was a relief to have things back to normal in the commissary today, though.”

She'd been a little nervous when she arrived at the practice facility that morning, wondering what sort of ambush awaited her, but the players had, thankfully, all kept their distance. It was almost as if the day before hadn't happened. Almost. DeShawn gave her a knowing wink when he'd grabbed his protein shake, making Shay wonder what had been said in the locker room earlier. Had Brody bragged of his conquest? Her breath still caught at the thought. Or had Will Connelly talked, recounting for his teammates her embarra.s.sing outburst in Brody's great room the evening before? Fortunately, no one had mentioned anything in the commissary, instead the players had gone about the business of readying themselves for their nationally televised game against their rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on Monday Night Football.

Shay had also avoided any embarra.s.sing run-ins with Will Connelly. She wasn't sure she could ever face the man again. Brody was a different story, however. As angry as she was about his heavy-handedness in his bedroom early that morning, she knew he'd meant well. Shay just wasn't used to dealing with the opposite s.e.x-and with men like Brody, in particular. But he, too, had bypa.s.sed the cafeteria on the way to the practice field, leaving Shay to wonder where they stood.

”So, does this make you an official couple?” Even sitting and relaxing at a bar, Bridgett couldn't resist asking the probing questions.

Shay thought of how she'd left him early that morning, angry and naked in his bedroom. But she'd been angry, too. Most of all, she'd been hurt. ”Brody's got a lot of growing up to do before he's ready for an official relations.h.i.+p.”

Bridgett saluted her with her gla.s.s of wine. ”I'll say it again, you've got my undying admiration. I didn't think I'd meet a woman who was unsusceptible to my brother's charms.”

Shay's face grew warm. ”I didn't say I was unsusceptible to all of his charms.”

”Ick!” Bridgett held up her hands. ”I seriously don't want to know the specifics of my brother's charms-especially the ones he employs in the bedroom. Just knowing that you're using him the way he uses women is enough for me. I can't wait until he finds out he's your fling before your sojourn in the big house.”

Grabbing two bottles of beer out of the cooler, Shay wasn't sure how she felt about Bridgett's description of her. She was pretty sure she and Brody had both used one another last night, but her emotional commitment might be a little deeper than his sister suspected. He wanted her to come back to his place after her s.h.i.+ft tonight, and she was sorely tempted. But Shay was a rookie at all aspects of a relations.h.i.+p. Was she capable of having just a fling with Brody like his sister said? After enjoying last night, though, could she just walk away?

Bridgett waved a twenty-dollar bill in her face, getting Shay's attention. ”I didn't realize how late it was. I really need to go.”

”You barely touched your wine.” Shay followed Bridgett's eyes down the bar where several of the Blaze management congregated. Donovan Carter was talking about the blogger with the only man within the Blaze organization who rivaled Brody in magazine cover appearances: the owner's G.o.dson and heir, Jay McMa.n.u.s. Rich, politically motivated, and obscenely gorgeous, McMa.n.u.s seemed to pull everyone in the bar's attention to him. Everyone but Bridgett, who couldn't seem to get away fast enough.

”Keep the change, Shay.” Bridgett was out the door faster than her brother ran the forty-yard dash. Even more interesting to Shay was the way Jay McMa.n.u.s's eyes followed Brody's sister's progress out of the bar.

In the end, there wasn't any question where Shay would spend the night. Brody's Range Rover dwarfed her aging Corolla in the parking lot of Celtic Charm when her s.h.i.+ft ended at two A.M. He was waiting inside, Muse blasting over the satellite radio while he played Candy Crush on his iPad.

”What are you doing here, Brody?” It was a stupid question, but she asked it anyway. His only answer was that wicked smile-the one that never failed to make her stomach drop. At that moment she hated him for his arrogant self-confidence that she wouldn't refuse him. But she hated herself more for the way that smile made her insides quiver in antic.i.p.ation.

”It's late. I just want to make sure you get home okay.”

”Whose home?” she asked belligerently.

His smile faded and his blue eyes blazed with hunger and something else she couldn't quite identify. ”Whichever one you want.” The sheer desire in his tone was her undoing.

Driving through the quiet night, Shay imagined that, in his SUV behind her, Brody's smile was smug as she pa.s.sed her exit. As tired and frustrated at him as she was, however, she still wanted him. Shay wanted whatever Brody would give, and her overworked mind didn't care about the consequences.

They'd barely made it through the door before he began kissing her. His mouth was warm against her lips, chilled from the late October night. His tongue slid over hers and he tasted of coffee and cinnamon. Tugging at the b.u.t.tons of her wool peacoat, Brody reached a hand inside to caress her breast, his firm touch making her hips jerk toward his.

”Mmmm,” he murmured as he left her mouth to trace his lips along her jaw line. ”You taste like beer. My kind of woman.”

”Gross. I should have gone home and rinsed off the eau de bar from my skin before I came over,” she breathed.

”Good thing for you I happen to have a shower here.” Brody placed an openmouthed kiss on her neck and Shay moaned in both pain and pleasure as his five o'clock shadow abraded her sensitive skin.

Smiling his cat-ate-the-canary grin, he pulled her up the stairs toward his bedroom. She tried again to work up a little anger at his arrogant self-confidence, but she couldn't; not while her body was thrumming with antic.i.p.ation of what was to come. Brody stopped at one of the guest bathrooms along the hall and pulled out a fuzzy white robe.

”Bridgett won't mind sharing,” he said leading her into the cavernous master bathroom. The travertine tile and polished chrome fixtures glowed under the soft lights in the tray ceiling. The moon s.h.i.+ning through the wide skylight cast an ethereal glow on the area. A giant whirlpool tub took up one end of the room while a gla.s.s-enclosed shower large enough to house a family of five stood at the other end. Between the two were a double vanity and a door that led to the commode room.

Using a panel on the wall, Brody flicked on the lights in the shower. He pushed another series of b.u.t.tons and a soft spray began to cascade from the waterfall-like fixture mounted to the shower wall. James Morrison's latest CD began to play from the speakers hidden in the ceiling. Most surprising of all to Shay was the minibar disguised as a cabinet, where he pulled out a bottle of water.

His blue eyes danced at her arched eyebrow. ”Don't worry. I'm not h.o.a.rding sodas or ice cream up here.”

That didn't mean she wasn't going to check it the moment he left.

Brody pulled an oversized bath towel from the linen closet and piled it and the bottled water on the counter. He strolled over to where she hovered in the doorway. ”Help yourself to whatever else you need,” he said, before kissing her on the forehead and leaving the bathroom.

Shay's knees nearly gave way when he walked out. As sensual as showering with Brody might be, she wasn't as comfortable parading around in the buff as he was. It was a relief to know she could rinse herself off and don Bridgett's robe without having to face his scrutiny of her body under the glaring lights of the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, her body had become so relaxed within the warm steam of Brody's incredible shower that Shay could barely move her limbs. The opening of the gla.s.s door quickly roused her, however, and she turned to see Brody striding toward her, naked but for the wicked grin on his face. He was so secure in his own body, it was unnerving. There was no place for her to hide in the vast shower.

”Don't,” he commanded as she reached for the only thing available-a tiny washcloth-in a futile attempt to cover herself. Stopping within inches of her, his eyes never left hers as he gently traced a finger from the curve of her shoulder and down her arm. ”I don't know who convinced you that you're not beautiful, but they were wrong, Shannon. You are an incredibly desirable woman.”

His other hand joined the first, tracing from her hips over her belly to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, while their gazes remained locked. ”You're beautiful here-” His hand moved to her back and lower. ”-and here.” Long fingers brushed against her sensitive nipples before tracing her cheek and her jaw. ”Here, too.” He slipped a finger inside her and she gasped, grabbing onto his biceps to keep from melting on the tile floor. ”Oh, yeah. You're very beautiful here.” She tried to keep her eyes focused on his face, but her lids were sliding closed as his finger stroked her.

”G.o.d, Shannon, just watching you gets me so fired up. Feel what you do to me.” He pried one of her hands off his bicep and wrapped her fingers around his arousal. Her moan came from deep in her belly as his finger pleasured her and she gently ma.s.saged him. Both their hips began to buck, their wet skin sliding against one another as each moved closer to release. Her fingers dug into his shoulder and Brody pulled her in for a deep drugging kiss. Her body was highly sensitized from his touch and she whimpered in aggravation.

”Go for it, Shannon,” he murmured as his mouth left hers in search of her hard nipple. ”Come for me.” He swirled his tongue around it first, before taking the pebble in his mouth and sucking. The pleasure was so great it was nearly painful. Shay's body clenched around his finger and with a deep wail, she fell over the edge of bliss.

Brody's arms supported her as he sat her sated body onto the bench built into the tile. ”Don't move.” Cold air swirled in as he left the shower, making Shay s.h.i.+ver, but she was too languid to move back beneath the warm spray. He returned a moment later, moisture glistening on his hard body and a condom sheathing his rampant erection.

”Turn around,” he demanded, but Shay was having a little trouble getting her body to move and in the end he had to lift up and turn her to face the wall. He placed her palms flat on the tile bench, bending her at the waist. ”Hold on,” he murmured and then he was sliding into her from behind. She gasped at the sharp fullness and Brody instantly stopped leaning his body over hers. His breathing was heavy on the back of her neck as he held himself in check.

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