Game On (12 page)

Her breath was coming more evenly and her pulse had subsided to a reasonable rate. She didn’t want to disturb Donovan at home, but she’d seen enough episodes of
Law & Order
to know she shouldn’t wait until morning to let someone know about Joel’s message. She’d just calmed down enough to make the call when the chime of her doorbell made her jump. Clutching her cell phone tightly, she looked over at Beckett. The dog lifted his head in confusion and was trying to rouse himself from his deep slumber. Apparently, he didn’t realize it was his job to bark at the doorbell.

“No wonder your family left you!” she hissed at the dog as he stood and stretched.

Slowly, she walked to the foyer, her cell phone in her hand, one finger on the 911 button. Not bothering to turn on any lights, she figured she’d just peek through the side window and see who was on her front porch at nine thirty at night. If it was Joel, she’d barricade herself in the foyer powder room and call the police. Beckett padded behind her, his tail swishing in anticipation. Carly carefully peeked behind the cellular shade on the window and glanced outside. She released a deep shaky breath at the sight of Shane Devlin.

Ten

Carly flicked on the porch lights and threw open
her front door. She was dressed for bed in plaid cotton sleep pants and a pink cami. She wasn’t wearing any underwear. Had she not been so frightened over Joel’s email, she might have thought twice about what she was—or wasn’t—wearing before opening the door. Instead, she stepped outside, not bothering to hide her relief at seeing Shane standing on her doorstep, hands in his pockets, his face drawn. The cool night air and Shane’s quirked eyebrow quickly made her aware of her outfit. Carly’s cheeks burned as she nearly tripped over Beckett, who was dancing around Shane’s legs. Dashing back inside, she pulled on the sweat jacket she’d left lying on the bench in the hallway, zipping it up to her chin. Shane and Beckett followed her in and she slammed the door behind them, securing the locks before turning to face him.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked.

Leaning against the door trying to calm her still-racing heart, Carly drank in the sight of Shane. In the light of the hallway, he looked exhausted. His dress shirt and slacks were rumpled and his hair mussed. The lines on his face looked more pronounced. Rather than athletic, his posture screamed bone weary. The forlorn look in his eyes made him seem vulnerable. She was sure he hated appearing that way.

“No. Yeah. I mean, I’m just a little jumpy, that’s all. I guess the other night is still getting to me.” The residual panic caused her to babble.

Shane reached over and ran his knuckles down her cheek.

“It’ll be okay,” he said softly. “Just give it time.”

It was all she could do not to turn her head and brush her lips against his hand. Instead, she took a deep breath, pushing away from the door. The man just lost his father. While she was grateful Shane’s unexpected arrival distracted her from the panic of the email, one look at his face and Carly knew she couldn’t burden him with her problems. She would worry about Joel’s nonsensical email message tomorrow. For tonight, she’d do what she could to comfort Shane. After he’d rescued her at the gala, she owed him that much.

Beckett shattered the moment by shoving a stuffed goose into Shane’s thigh. The toy made a honking noise and Shane grabbed for it, only to have Beckett run away with it.

“I bought him a few toys to play with,” Carly said as they walked into the living room.

“A few?” he asked, gesturing to the basket of toys next to Beckett’s makeshift bed.

“Did you know they let you bring dogs into the pet stores?” She took a seat on one side of the sofa, tucking her bare feet beneath her legs.

“You took my dog shopping?” The tone of his voice was incredulous as he sat on the opposite end of the sofa. He braced his forearms on his thighs as Beckett sat between his knees.

“It’s not as if I had him neutered. It was just shopping. And, for your information, he liked it,” she teased.

“That’s the last time I leave you with a girl,” he promised the dog.

Silence settled around them as Shane rubbed the dog’s ears. Carly couldn’t help squirming as she remembered the last time they were together on this sofa. She chanced a look at Shane’s exhausted face. His thoughts weren’t as easy to read as he absently stroked the dog. Suddenly, Carly was imagining those same hands stroking her, and her pulse sped up yet again.

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” she asked, springing up from the sofa. “I’m afraid the only thing I can make is an egg. Unless you want a Lean Cuisine,” she called from the kitchen.

“Carly. It’s okay.” His voice sounded as tired as he looked. “A bunch of blue-haired ladies have been shoving food down my throat for three days. I’m good for right now.”

“Oh.” He must have heard the disappointment in her voice.

He sighed. “I’ll have a drink if it’ll make you happy.”

Carly pulled a bottle of beer from the fridge and grabbed a glass from the cabinet, pleased Julianne had made her buy fancy beer glasses. She put the glass and a coaster on the table next to Shane and handed him the beer. He twisted off the cap and took a swig, ignoring the glass.

“It’s diet,” she said, babbling again. “Well, not exactly diet. Reduced carbs.”

He leaned his head back against the sofa and closed his eyes, patting the seat next to him. “Sit down. You’re making me nervous.”

She didn’t quite trust herself to sit next to him, so she chose the other end of the sofa instead. He briefly opened his eyes as she sat, giving her a half scowl—as if he realized her reluctance to be near him—before closing them again.

The only sounds were Beckett’s heavy breathing and the hushed voices from the TV she’d left on upstairs. She thought for a moment that Shane had fallen asleep until he took a long swallow from his beer.

“So, how did everything go?” she asked when he finished.

He rubbed a hand over his face. “About like you’d expect.”

Carly should have let it alone, but she desperately wanted Shane to open up to her. The night of the gala, she’d glimpsed a vulnerable man behind the public persona of arrogant, isolated athlete he wore like a shield. He was a man who’d been abandoned by his father, and Carly knew firsthand what that feeling was like.

“Hank said the service was very nice,” she pressed on.

Opening his eyes, he slowly turned his head toward her. His steely stare told her she was treading on thin ice.

“It was a lovely service, Carly,” he said, his tone sarcastic. “The right reverend sure can put on a funeral. Even if the deceased is his own daughter.”

“Well, I’m sure your brother appreciated it.”

Leaning back, he closed his eyes again. “I’m sorry. I really don’t want to go into this, Carly. My father never was my favorite subject.”

“But what’s going to happen to your brother now? He’s what, twelve? Who’s going to take care of him?”

He opened his eyes and looked across at her. Carly nearly flinched at the anger she saw reflected there.

“He’s going to live with Lindsey’s parents.” His clipped tone stifled any additional questions Carly might have had about Shane’s younger brother. Losing both parents had to be devastating for the boy. Shane had been nearly his brother’s age when he’d lost his mother. Had he wanted guardianship of the boy, only to have his brother reject him like Bruce Devlin had? It would explain the anger and the pain in Shane’s eyes. Carly’s heart ached.

“I need to get some sleep. I just wanted to take Beckett off your hands before I crashed, that’s all.”

He was going to take his dog and leave. She didn’t want him to. Not just because of Joel’s email, either. The sexual tension that always seemed to hum around them crackled sharply in the air. But tonight it was more than that. Carly felt a powerful need to wipe out the haunted look in Shane’s eyes, to do what she could to ease his sadness.

Shane stretched his arm across the back of the sofa, reaching for her hand. She took it and stood up, stepping over Beckett, now slumbering at Shane’s feet.

“Come to bed,” she said, tugging him up.

He stood, his eyes more smoky now.

“If I stay, Carly, there won’t be much sleeping,” he said.

“You’ll sleep,” she said as she switched off the lights. “Eventually.”

Grabbing his beer, he followed her up the stairs.

* * *

Shane wasn’t all that surprised when he saw the
décor of Carly’s bedroom. Whereas the rest of her condo was decorated in classic but comfortable Pottery Barn chic, her bedroom looked like one his grandmother’s
Victorian
magazines had exploded in it. A massive bed with a curly iron headboard dominated the room. It was piled high with a fluffy white comforter and enough pillows for an entire team to sleep on. Miles of lace hung from the windows. He’d already figured out that Carly liked to hide her sexy, feminine side underneath her tailored, conservative exterior; her bedroom only validated his theory.

As he finished his beer, he watched in fascination as she unzipped her sweat jacket in a mock striptease and tossed it to the floor. With a coy smile, she leaned over to light the votive candles on a weathered oak chest beside the bed. Pulling his wallet from his pants pocket, he tossed condoms onto the bedside table. She quirked an eyebrow at him as she walked on her knees across the bed, tossing off pillows as she went. His cock jumped as he watched her breasts bounce while she maneuvered across the mattress. His brain was too tired to process all the reasons why this was the king of bad ideas. His body was worn down from lusting after her these past weeks. Maybe if he buried himself inside her, he could forget the last three days of his life.

He toed off his shoes as she reached him. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she lifted her hands to unbutton his shirt. Her fingertips were warm against his skin and he couldn’t stop a sigh from escaping. A smug grin curved over her lips as she pulled his shirttails from his pants, pushing the shirt off his shoulders. As he stepped closer to the bed, their bodies nearly touching, he watched as she slowly slid her hands between his T-shirt and the bare skin of his abdomen. He sucked in a breath as she tangled her fingers in the hair on his chest. When he felt her body tremble, he suddenly couldn’t stand still any longer. Gripping her bare shoulders, he pulled her face to within a fraction of an inch of his. Shane needed to know if the game plan they’d set in place a few nights ago was still in play.

“Carly,” he rasped. “This can’t be anything more than sex. Are you still okay with that?”

“Yes. But you should know it’s been a long time for me,” she whispered.

Shane dragged in a ragged breath, willing his body to slow down. He leaned his forehead against hers, gently kissing her nose. He’d never been one to rush through, ignoring his partner. But he was having trouble tonight. He
needed
Carly. Badly. Not just to release the sexual tension simmering between them since they’d first met, but to forget the events of the last few days. To erase from his mind the look on Bruce’s kid’s face as Shane drove away. He was using her in every possible way and he couldn’t make himself stop.

* * *

Carly’s fingertips traced Shane’s chest. “Shh,”
she said, lifting a finger to rub it along the worry lines on his forehead. “Stop thinking and get naked before I change my mind.” Except she wouldn’t change her mind. They’d been moving toward this moment for weeks now, and nothing was going to stop them tonight. She’d been frightened earlier and now she just wanted to be held. She wanted to feel the strength of a warm body possessing her, soothing her. Shane’s warm body.

And Carly wanted to use her own body to comfort Shane. The look of pain and vulnerability she’d seen in his eyes the night Bruce died still lingered there tonight. It was a look she could relate to. Tonight, she didn’t want either of them to be alone in the world.

Her hands drifted to his belt buckle, but he pushed her back on her heels. Finally, his features relaxed, a lock of dark hair hanging down between his eyes. A boyish grin overtook his face as he pulled the T-shirt over his head, further mussing his hair. Carly couldn’t help it; she licked her lips at the sight of his perfectly sculpted bare chest. He was gorgeous. Her skin grew hot as he slowly peeled off his pants, revealing a pair of long, muscled legs lightly dusted with hair. Heat pooled between her own legs as she took in the sight of the rampant erection straining his boxer briefs. Letting a deep sigh escape, she rose onto her knees and tugged off her cami, the fabric abrading the sensitive buds of her nipples.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” he whispered reverently. The seriousness of his statement and his perusal of her body brought a flush to her skin. Slowly, the corners of his mouth turned up into a wolfish grin. Carly felt her own lips curve into a smile as she watched the tension drain from his face. It felt good to know that here in her bedroom they could both leave everything outside. For one night, they could enjoy each other as two adults. She’d worry about everything else tomorrow.

The bed swayed as he knelt on it, his knees straddling hers, his huge hands sliding up the bare skin of her back. She arched into him, giving him access to her breasts. No further urging was necessary as he bent over a nipple, slowly running his tongue around it. His tongue was warm against her cool skin, and Carly moaned something unintelligible before pulling his head closer against her bare breasts. She felt his smile against her skin before he took the bud into his mouth and gently sucked.

Carly nearly shattered right then. She was wet and panting, becoming increasingly desperate for him to relieve the ache between her legs. Just exactly when she’d become so easy she’d have to delve into later. Right now, Shane was nibbling his way from one breast to the other, causing her to lose all conscious thought. Her hands were on autopilot as they cruised over his shoulders. As his mouth tugged at her other breast, she scored her nails down his back. Her fingers burrowed inside the waistband of his underwear, giving her access to his well-toned glutes. With one hand, she pushed the boxer briefs to his knees while the other reached around to stroke him. When she wrapped her fingers around the velvet skin, his body shuddered around her.

“Carly.” His breath was ragged as he untied the drawstring of her sleep pants and pushed them to her knees. “I can’t go slow. I want you too badly. I’ve spent the last three nights dreaming of being inside you.” He pushed a finger inside her and she bit back a moan of pleasure. “God, you’re so ready. I need to get inside you. I promise I’ll try to bring you along with me, but if I don’t, I’ll make it up to you later.”

Unable to find her voice, she stroked him again, gently squeezing this time. Growling, he pushed her back on the bed. She kicked off her sleep pants as he tossed his briefs onto the growing pile of clothes scattered on the floor. He sheathed himself with a condom before returning his attention to the sensitive nub between her legs. Heat pooled in her belly. Her hips began to writhe as his fingers sent fissions of pleasure through her core so intense it was almost painful. When she couldn’t stand it any longer, Carly wrapped her legs around him, pulling him down into an openmouthed kiss. Their teeth scraped as he kissed her hard, slowly guiding his cock inside her. Her body offered up a brief resistance at the size of him.