Page 23 of Game On

“Ah, a safe date,” Asia drawled. “Hmm. Well, Carly, what say you? Do I pencil the dweeb kicker at the money table, leaving Mr. Safe here with you at the kids’ table?”

Shane tried not to shift uncomfortably in his chair as Carly just stared at him. If she said yes, he was going to the gala tomorrow night. He didn’t want to go. So why did he desperately want her to say yes?

“Sure,” Carly finally said. “It’s a date. A safe date.”

SEVEN

“Safe, my ass,” Shane muttered as he leaned against the bar.

Looking across the crowded ballroom, he was oblivious to its backdrop: a panoramic view of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. He didn’t notice the glittering lights on the masts of the tall schooners moored beyond the windows. Or the sparkling centerpieces of black-eyed Susans and flickering tea lights neatly placed on the tables. All he saw was Carly standing in the center of the ballroom. She looked radiant.

From his perch, he watched as most of the men entering the gala stole a quick glance at her. Not that he blamed them. Her dress wasn’t so much the “do-me” dress he had envisioned; it was better. It was made of some shimmering blue fabric that softly reflected the light, making her look like the ocean on a dark summer’s night. He was sure that women would have another name for the color, but to him, blue said it all. It somehow wrapped around her body, highlighting her luscious curves, ending in a knot between her shoulder blades.

Her hair was loosely piled on top of her head. Not exactly the neat little knot she wore to work every day. Tonight, wisps of hair escaped their sparkling clips and drifted down over her slender neck. Shane’s fingers itched to pull the rest of her hair down and untie that knot holding her dress up. God, this had been a huge mistake. He should have stuck to his original plan and stayed home tonight.

“Jack Daniel’s, neat,” he said as the bartender came by to take his order. He really should order something for Carly, but he didn’t know what she liked. He figured margaritas wouldn’t go with the dress, so he ordered her a glass of chardonnay instead.

“You drinking the hard stuff tonight?” Donovan asked as he slid up to the bar next to Shane.

“I’m dressed like a waiter, so I thought I’d play the part this evening,” Shane told him. “Carly’s father wanted a drink, so I offered to get it for him. I’m sticking to my game plan of water with a splash of lemon.” He really wanted a beer, but he needed to keep his wits about him where Carly was concerned.

“They both look pretty hot tonight,” Donovan said a little reverently as he stared across the room. Shane turned to see Asia, walking tonight with just a cane, join Carly and her father, network news anchor, Hugh Delaney.

“They do,” Shane agreed. It seemed he wasn’t the only one lusting after a Blaze employee. Only in Donovan’s case, his relationship wouldn’t be as complicated as anything between Carly and Shane. He tipped the bartender and both men headed over to their dates. Shane handed the drinks to Carly and her father.

He met Hugh earlier in the day, as the family gathered for appetizers and cocktails before the gala. His first thought was the television newsman seemed older than he appeared on TV. No surprise there. His second thought was he was an ass for treating Carly like the second or third string. Hugh acted as if his beautiful daughter were a friend of Lisa’s, not a sibling. Sure, the guy was attentive to her, but in the way a parent might humor a neighborhood friend of their own child. One who came over for dinner most nights because he had no place else to go. It was a feeling Shane knew too well. And his gut burned at the thought of Carly being on the receiving end of it. The problem was, from what Shane could tell, Carly didn’t seem to mind it. She smiled serenely at her father, picking up the morsels of attention Hugh threw her way as if they were treasured gems she’d string on a chain around her neck. Shane’s hands balled into fists just thinking about it. She deserved better. Just as he had from his own father. Neither of them deserved to be treated like mistakes.

The governor entered the ballroom accompanied by the owner of the Blaze, and Hugh quickly excused himself. Asia and Donovan followed closely on his heels to do a little ass kissing themselves, leaving Shane and Carly alone. Or, as alone as they could be with three hundred or so other people milling about. Carly turned to Shane, taking a sip of her wine.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked,” he said, gesturing to her glass.

“This is fine,” she said taking another sip.

Man, he was an idiot. He was standing in the center of the room making inane small talk when all he wanted to do was tell her how beautiful she looked. The words were out before he could stop them.

“You look . . . amazing,” he said.

A faint blush crept up her neck.

“Why thank you,” she said, returning his compliment with a smile. “You clean up pretty nicely yourself, Devlin.”

“Next time I’ll remember not to put my jacket on the sofa before I put it on. It took me a half an hour to get the dog hair off.”

“I think you might have missed one.” Reaching over, she pulled a stray dog hair off his arm. He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from taking her hand and holding it in his own.

“Beckett says hello, by the way.” He rocked back and forth on his heels.

“He does?” Carly was beaming now.

He wasn’t sure who moved first, but they began to stroll from the center of the ballroom. By mutual acceptance, they wandered to a quiet corner behind the dais. She stopped in front of the picture windows overlooking the harbor. As she turned to face Shane, the lights in Fells Point cast a halo around her head.

“I didn’t figure you for having a dog. You don’t seem the type to want the responsibility.”

It was the truth, but her words struck a nerve. Once again, he found himself wondering why people’s opinions of him mattered.

“Actually, he found me.”

“Seriously?” Carly tilted her head to the side, awaiting further explanation.

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