Page 61 of Game On

“I’m pretty sure the rental car place is closed,” he mumbled against her skin.

“Tomorrow then,” she breathed as her hands trailed along the taut muscles of his back. “I shouldn’t be here distracting you.”

“It’s a little late for that,” he said as he placed an openmouthed kiss beneath her ear. Carly moaned softly before he shushed her.

“Little ears,” he said, motioning to Troy’s room.

Somehow he managed to get them to his bedroom where they both quickly shed their clothes. His hands and mouth were not gentle on her body. But Carly didn’t care. Much like that first night they’d slept together, she knew he was using her body to deal with emotions he couldn’t deal with on his own. And she was using him, too. Despite the fact that Joel was finally in custody, she needed to feel safe again. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Shane’s strong body possessing her gave her that feeling—and something more.

Lying next to his slumbering frame, Carly stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow she would leave. First thing in the morning she would call the rental car company. Maybe she’d head to the beach. Or to New York to wait for Julianne to come home. Either way, she needed to get as far away from Shane Devlin as she could. Something happened when she was around him. Obviously, she couldn’t control it. They needed to stick to the original agreement of a brief fling. Things were getting too complicated. She was becoming way too attached to the feeling of security being with Shane somehow provided her. And she was really scared of the “something more” she felt.

The decision before her was simple. All she needed to do was execute it. She fell asleep, her plans firmly made.

The rental car arrived that morning, but it was already late afternoon and she was still trouncing around the woods outside the cabin with Beckett and Troy. So much for her plans to hightail it out of there as soon as possible. She told herself she’d stayed because of Troy. The sight of the rental car brought tears to his eyes and a tremor to his mouth. He was still grieving the loss of his parents. A fact his older brother seemed oblivious to. Shane’s moodiness may have eased as a result of their marathon in his bed the night before, but his attitude toward his brother hadn’t softened one bit. Someone needed to serve as a human buffer between the Devlin brothers. She’d grown attached to Troy and the boy was still too fragile to leave alone with his brother. She was staying to make sure he got the love and attention he needed.

It was only a half-truth, of course. And she knew it. Carly could no more step away from the sexual pull that was Shane Devlin than she could give up breathing. Despite knowing nothing was ever going to come of their relationship, she remained at the cabin.

She wasn’t sure how Shane spent his day, but he’d done his best to avoid her and Troy. When they arrived back at the cabin, he was standing at the island in the center of the huge kitchen, chopping vegetables. His hair was damp from a recent shower and he was dressed in a pair of cutoff jeans and a worn Dave Matthew’s Band T-shirt, his feet bare. He looked up when they entered, but remained silent. If he was annoyed about her staying, he was careful not to let it show.

“Whacha’ makin’?” Troy asked, he and Beckett making a beeline for the counter.

“Salsa,” Shane said. “We’re having Mexican for dinner.”

Carly glanced at the three place settings on the table. Unlike Troy, Shane hadn’t acknowledged the arrival of the rental car that morning. Not that she expected him to wave her out the front door, but he’d been pretty adamant about her distracting him from whatever pre-seasonal rituals he meant to go through at the cabin. It seemed he’d changed his mind—at least for tonight. She wasn’t delusional enough to think he wanted her there for any reason other than to keep Troy entertained and out of the way. Fine with her. Keeping an eye on the boy was Carly’s main reason for staying, also. Or so she kept telling herself.

“Can I help?” Troy asked.

Shane didn’t look up from the tomatoes he was chopping, but his hand on the knife hesitated a second before he spoke. “Wash up first.”

Troy scampered over to the sink.

“And the dog needs to be fed,” Shane said.

“I’ll do it,” Carly said. Shane arched an eyebrow at her before she disappeared into the pantry to scoop some food for Beckett. Yep, it was a good thing she’d stayed, she congratulated herself. Things between Troy and Shane were already working themselves out.

“What have I told you about holding the knife?” Shane yelled.

Then again, maybe not.

“Why are you still here?” Shane’s breathing was ragged as he stilled himself inside her. Carly released a deep sigh, opening her eyes. They were inches from his and he could just make out their vibrant blue color. Passion shimmered there. And something else he chose to ignore.

It was midnight and they were naked in his bed. Her rental car had arrived promptly at ten that morning, but she hadn’t left. Thompkins was in custody and there was no need for her to hide up in the Allegheny Mountains with him anymore. Not that he was complaining. She’d kept the kid occupied all day and now, well, now he was enjoying the other major benefit to having her here.

“Because,” she said, forcing a groan from him by clenching her muscles.

But he was stronger and wanted answers even though he had a feeling he wouldn’t like them. Burying himself deeper, he leaned down to take a nipple in his mouth. “Because, why?” he asked blowing on the sensitive skin causing her to squirm beneath him. She gasped softly as he toyed with the nipple and repeated his question. “Why?”

“Because you’re mean to Troy,” she whispered.

“I am not! I’m being nice to him.”

Obviously Carly disagreed. She sighed—this time not with pleasure—and gave him a haphazard roll of her eyes. He wanted to argue with her, but the more she squirmed beneath him, the more desperate he was to finish. He picked up his rhythm again and her expression went from incredulous to blissful in ten seconds flat.

“So what you’re saying,” he said with a satisfied grin as he moved over her, “is that you are here for the kid and not for this.”

“Yes!” she nearly screamed, as he drove into her making her come. “Oh, God, yes!”

He wasn’t sure whether it was in answer to his question or not. But it didn’t matter. With a groan, he followed her over the edge. “Liar,” he mumbled against her ear as he collapsed over her.

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