"It'll be okay, Shannon." His voice was hoa.r.s.e and the sound resonated through her. "I promise I'll make it good for you, too. Please," he murmured.

Shay relaxed at his plea, lifting her hips to take him in more deeply and Brody groaned. Their slick bodies quickly found a rhythm and another rising tide of desire swarmed within her as he thrust. As if sensing her need, he reached around between her thighs and rubbed his thumb against her sensitive nub. She let out a small cry as her stomach dropped in climax. Brody's hands supported her hips as he found his own release on a strangled groan a moment later.

She wasn't sure how she got to the bed. Vaguely, she recalled Brody gently, but briskly, toweling her off and wrapping her in the fluffy robe. But she was nude now beneath the cool sheets. Her lids were heavy and she wanted to sleep, but she couldn't seem to settle without Brody next to her. Finally, he slipped into the bed behind her, his warm body curling around hers intimately.

"I'm going to fall asleep again, Brody." Tears stung her eyes. He must think she was the most boring lover on earth.

She felt his lips curve into a smile against the skin on her shoulder. "Mmmm. Me, too." He reached a hand around and palmed a breast, the gesture more comforting than erotic and Shay drifted into a deep sleep.

Twenty-one.

"So whose a.s.s do I get to kick for making you so insecure about your body?"

Shay quickly glanced around the small restaurant in Little Italy, but the other diners-most of whom had earlier been mesmerized by the arrival of the Blaze superstar and his notorious girlfriend-seemed to be finally paying attention to their own food. She and Brody were seated in a back corner, where it was difficult for prying ears to overhear anything, but where they were sure not to go unnoticed.

"Was it your twin?" he asked. "Because if it was, I have no problem putting her in her place."

While his demeanor was all playful boyish charm, Shay felt the intensity behind his words. If she let herself, she could almost believe this man would be willing to fight for her. No way she was letting him anywhere near her sister, though.

"Teryn isn't like that," she answered, spearing shrimp and some pasta on her fork. "She didn't need to put me down. Her place on the pedestal was secure at birth."

The dinner in front of him temporarily forgotten, he leaned across the table toward her. "Who then? Was it some guy?" His jaw tensed and the charm faded from his eyes. "Shannon, tell me his name and he's a dead man."

She laughed at his idle threat before he reached for her hand and squeezed. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes now and she could feel the warmth of pleasure begin deep in her belly. Shay let herself revel in the joy that a man actually cared enough to be concerned about her, but only for a moment. This was Brody Janik, after all.

"It wasn't any one person." The fact that her Meemaw headed the list was probably best left out of the conversation, Shay decided. "It's just the way things were. Mama was a Texas beauty queen. She had twin girls. One of them was beautiful just like her and the other was the smart one. Neither one of us asked to be perceived that way. Both of us tried to fight the stereotype at one point in our lives, but we lived in a small town. Eventually, it was just easier to accept fate and go with the flow."

Brody's face was incredulous. "But surely your parents objected? All parents are supposed to think their kids are perfect."

Shay shrugged. "Mama never played favorites. Daddy and I weren't close, though. He believed girls should act pretty and proper-like Teryn. I'm not sure he knew what to do with a tomboy like me. I guess you could say I was a conundrum to him as well."

"You never talk about your family. Is your father still alive?"

"Sort of." She grimaced at the questioning look on his face. "He was a professional rodeo rider for nearly eighteen years. A pretty famous one, too. Daddy was a two-time world all-around champion." It was hard to keep the pride from her voice even knowing the secret life her daddy had led. "I doubt he remembers any of that part of his life, though. Fourteen years ago, a stallion kicked him in the head. He suffered a traumatic brain injury. Today, he just sits in a wheelchair and stares at the television screen. It's hard to tell what he knows and doesn't know."

The pad of his thumb rubbed the palm of her hand as he held it. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "No wonder you work so hard to help out your mom. His medical expenses have got to be through the roof. Is he in a nursing home?"

"No, he doesn't need any real day-to-day medical care. His mother, my meemaw, lives with him and Mama. She takes care of him while Mama runs her business."

Brody shook his head. "If your mom is anything like mine, I can't imagine having her mother-in-law living with her goes too well."

Shay smiled. His words couldn't have been truer. "She didn't have much of a choice. Someone needed to take care of Teryn and me-and Daddy. Daddy wasn't very good about saving the prize money he earned. After the accident, finances became pretty tight."

"But at least she doesn't have to take care of you and your sister any longer. If he's not in a nursing home it doesn't make any sense why you have to take that job in the prison." His eyes narrowed as if it pained him to say the word prison.

"Except Teryn and I aren't the only children Daddy is responsible for."

She waited for recognition to dawn on his face. His thumb paused in its stroking of her palm. "I think I know where this is headed." Brody's jaw clenched and she could have kissed him for the indignant anger that flashed in his blue eyes.

"I have a half brother out there that I've never met. One who legally gets four thousand dollars a month in child support according to a settlement Daddy signed with his mother just before he was injured, back when his endors.e.m.e.nt money was flush. Apparently they'd been together for nearly four years. She lived with him while he was on the road."

"And your mother never knew?"

She shrugged again. "I'm pretty sure she never knew about Aaron-that's his name-but I have no idea whether or not she suspected anything about Nora, the . . . mom." Brody squeezed her hand again. His support buoyed her to continue. "In this economy, it's been hard to keep paying the full amount each month and Mama's gotten behind on her salon mortgage. Nora is threatening to take the salon from her. The bank president is a friend and he's given Mama until January to set up a payment plan to pay both the bank and Nora. My income will be guaranteed by the government so it goes a long way in securing Mama's mortgage. Without it, not even the bank president's fondness for Mama can save her."

Brody heaved a sigh. "Jeez, Shannon. That's a pretty heavy load for you to carry."

A lump formed in her throat at the pity she saw in his eyes. "I'd do anything to protect Mama. Daddy let her down, but I won't. And now we're even."

He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Aaron's existence is a well-kept family secret. Now you have something on me."

Brody pulled her hand up to his mouth and gently nuzzled her knuckles. Shay heard the telltale beep of a cell phone camera from somewhere behind them, but he seemed oblivious, drawing the moment out as another photo was snapped. Unease began to trill through her. Pulling her hand back, she retrieved her fork and attempted to finish a dinner.

"I told you already, Shannon. I trust you." His smile was sincere, but something was off in his eyes.

They shared some tiramisu for dessert, Brody seeming to pose as more cameras beeped behind them. He pasted on the fake smile he used for fans as he steered her out of the restaurant, his hand possessive on her lower back. As if sensing her growing agitation, he let his hand slip lower, caressing her b.u.t.t as he helped her into her coat. She turned to glare at him and he gave her a quick shake of his head.

"Wait until we're in the car," he murmured.

The valet had already brought the Range Rover around and she quickly climbed in, but not before several other onlookers with cell phone cameras snapped their photo. She stared stonily ahead as Brody tipped the valet and took his place behind the steering wheel. A flash went off as they turned a corner, winding their way to the on-ramp of the Baltimore beltway.

"What was that back there?" she demanded once he'd put the cruise control on.

"That, Shannon, was a typical night in the life of a celebrity." A pa.s.sing streetlight illuminated his tense jaw as he kept his eyes focused on the highway in front of him. "My life is not my own when I'm out in public," he said tersely.

"But did you have to play up to them? Those pictures are probably all over the Internet. I'm sure someone snapped a shot of you grabbing my b.u.t.t." Anger-and hurt-was welling inside her now. "It felt like the whole dinner was practically a . . . photo op." She had to choke the last two words out around her tight throat.

Brody white-knuckled the wheel. "d.a.m.n it, Shannon, it wasn't. But when people started pulling out their cell phones, I figured we should take advantage of the situation."

"We? There was no we in that decision. And what were we taking advantage of?"

He shot her a blistering look before turning his eyes back to the road. "If you must know, I took it as an opportunity to refute that d.a.m.n blogger's information. I was letting the world know that we are a couple and we're perfectly fine. Maybe now she'll leave us the h.e.l.l alone!" he yelled.

Shay sat in stunned silence as he drove the remaining ten minutes to his house. Her brain had chosen to replay his words about them being a couple on a continuous loop. His frequent use of the word us was also getting a lot of airtime in her mind. She argued with her inner self not to believe him. This was just semantics. But a fluttering had begun in her chest and the rest of her body ignored her head.

He pulled the SUV into the garage, killing its engine as the double door slid closed behind them. Brody leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes.

"I'm used to the paparazzi, Shannon. h.e.l.l, I know practically everyone I meet is going to sell me out sometime. But you shouldn't have to suffer for it. I don't want that blogger spewing lies about you. Making you feel like you're not worthy, as if being with me was some kind of special honor. I want her to stop. To leave us-you-alone."

Shay felt her face grow warm. "Well, I did feel pretty honored this morning. And last night," she whispered shyly. "And I'm not going to sell you out, Brody. I thought you trusted me."

He turned his head to face her. "G.o.d, I do trust you, Shannon. But I feel like I'm selling you out every time she prints something in her stupid blog. You're right; I even did it tonight. You didn't ask for this. Any of it."

"I'm tougher than I look."

Brody's eyes got that now familiar hungry look in them. "Tough enough to climb on over here and have some makeup s.e.x?"

Shay bit her lip as her s.e.x began to throb. "I have something else I'd like to try."

"Oh really?" His husky voice made her ache more.

Reaching over the console, she unbuckled his belt and slowly drew the zipper down on his pants. Apparently he was as aroused as she was because his erection sprang free immediately. She eased her palm up over the head as she leaned over.

"Um, Shannon . . ." But his voice trailed off in a groan as she closed her lips around the head of his p.e.n.i.s. She circled her tongue, tasting the tangy saltiness, and she thought she heard Brody swear. Ignoring him, she moved up and down, sucking and licking as she took him more fully into her mouth, her own body becoming more and more excited. His hand fisted in her hair guiding the rise and fall of her head until he climaxed with a silent scream.

Grabbing some Kleenex from the consol, she cleaned Brody off before gently zipping his pants again.

"Christ, Shannon, where'd you learn to do that?" He lay slack-jawed against the headrest, his eyes closed.

She didn't bother to hide a sly grin. "I read it in a book somewhere."

He grunted a laugh, opening one eye. "You have five minutes to get upstairs and get naked, woman, before I come up to return the favor."

"Only five minutes?" she teased.

"Go!" he roared and she laughed as she hurried from the car.

True to his word, Brody returned the favor and more as he leisurely made love to her. Afterward, with their bodies tangled together in his giant bed, they whispered stories about their childhoods. It felt good to share part of her family's burden with someone, her earlier unease long gone. She knew he had his reasons for wanting the blogger to leave him alone, but she was touched at his protectiveness toward her.

"My plan was all wrong," she said.

"Which one?"

She elbowed him in the ribs. "The one to catch the snitch. My data a.n.a.lysis doesn't support it being one person on each team."

Brody propped himself up on his forearm and studied her face. She tried not to get miffed at the look of humor in his sparking blue eyes. "You've done data a.n.a.lysis?" He had difficulty keeping a straight face and she elbowed him again.

"Yes, Brody, I have. It's a perfectly useful way to solve a problem." Exasperated at his unsuccessful attempt to conceal his laughter, she pulled the comforter against her body and crossed her arms over her chest. Brody snaked his hand beneath the sheet and began tracing his finger along her hip bone.

"And what does this data a.n.a.lysis consist of?"

His finger slid to the inside of her thigh and she was having difficulty focusing her thoughts. "It's-it's a spreadsheet of all the events she's reported this year and all the possible scenarios of how she could have obtained the information."

Brody's finger stilled near her belly b.u.t.ton. "All?"

She nodded.

"Jeez, Shannon. You've put as much time into this as you have your dissertation."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Up until a week ago, I had pretty good reason to want the snitch selling Blaze stuff to her found. Now I just want her burned at the stake."

He laughed and his finger eased lower.

Shay bit her lip. "Maybe if I just look at it again and think about it differently-ahh." She gasped as his sneaky finger slid inside of her.

"That's your problem, you think too much," he murmured as he nipped at her ear.

"An hour ago, you liked my studious mind," she reminded him.

"Mmm," he said rolling over on top of her. "I still do. Let me show you how much."

The football got lost in the lights, but only for a moment. Ignoring the defender ready to take him out at the knees, Brody leaped up and snagged the ball, clutching it to his chest with his gloved fingers. The cold turf was hard against his back, nearly stealing his breath, but the roar of the crowd told him everything he needed to know: touchdown. It was Brody's sixth catch of the game and his second one for a score. One of the offensive lineman yanked him up, and Devlin was pounding him on the shoulder pads as other players slapped him on the helmet.

"Nice to have you back, Janik," Coach said as he cuffed Brody on the back.

Connelly gave up his spot on the bench for him. "Great catch," the linebacker called before trotting over to huddle up with his defense.

It was the fourth quarter and the Blaze were up by seventeen. If the defense held here, the team would finally put another one back in the win column.

"Relax," Devlin said as he chugged a sports drink. "You played awesome tonight, Brody. This game's in the bag."

Brody hoped so. He was starting to feel a little light-headed. It was the team's first night game since their home opener and, despite Shannon's modified schedule, his sugar was bordering on low at halftime. He needed to get back to the locker room and get some food in him soon. Not to mention that the sooner the game ended, the sooner he'd see Shannon again.

Since he hadn't had to report to the team hotel until Sunday afternoon, they'd spent Sunday morning napping and talking. Brody was surprised at how comfortable he felt with her, how relaxed. He didn't have to hold anything back and it stunned him to realize how much he'd been holding back from people and relationships these past few years. It was a relief to know he could be himself with her.

And the s.e.x wasn't bad, either. Sure, he'd been with women a h.e.l.l of a lot more experienced than Shannon, but none more enticing. Or studious. His body grew hard just thinking about what she might have looked up today.

"Ah, h.e.l.l! Wipe that silly smirk off your face, Brody," Devlin complained as he picked up his helmet. "Connelly let the running back out of bounds and now the clock is stopped. Looks like I'm going to have to go out there and take a knee. Try not to let anyone sneak around you and accidently tackle me, will ya?"

Brody swore as he followed his quarterback onto the field. "It happened one time, Devlin, and it really was an accident. The dumba.s.s slipped on his shoelace!"

In the locker room after the victory, Brody's lightheadedness had abated thanks to a protein bar and an orange Shannon had tucked into his bag.

"She keeps you prepared, doesn't she?" His personal trainer, Erik, didn't bother to hide his displeasure with Shannon. As best as he could tell, the trainer didn't like the fact Brody was relying on Shannon to prepare his menu and not Erik or someone of his choosing.

"Yeah, she's thorough," he responded quietly, careful that no one in their vicinity could overhear.

"But not a professional."

"Is that what's bothering you?" Brody zipped up his bag and hefted it over his shoulder. "She's very nearly a professional and her plan is working, Erik, so I don't see what your concern is."

Erik shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe I think it's a bad idea, you mixing business with pleasure."

Brody glared at his friend of the past seven years. Erik was highly regarded among players in the league and Brody knew he was lucky to be among the handful of athletes the trainer individually coached. He also knew he paid the man an obscene salary to keep him at his athletic peak, but that salary didn't allow him to malign Shannon.