Page 70 of Game On

“Hank even said you can work from your old office,” Asia prodded. “We really miss you, Carly.”

“But the big money is here in New York.”

Which was a lie. She could raise funds from just about anywhere. But until her heart mended, she needed to put some distance between herself and Baltimore. Even if it meant not seeing her family or Troy as often as she’d like. “Besides, I’m only a three-hour train ride away. Lisa and Emma were up last weekend shopping. And I’ll see the rest of my family tonight.”

“Don’t forget your Blaze family.”

If Donovan had shared any details of her fling with Shane, Asia wasn’t saying. But the look she gave Carly said she knew a lot. “Troy hasn’t stopped talking about seeing you again.”

Carly couldn’t hold back her grin. It had been four weeks since she’d left him at the beach house. She couldn’t wait to see Troy, either. His brother, not so much. Hopefully he’d be too wrapped up with chasing his father’s records to even notice she was there.

“Shane finally won the starting job,” Asia said with a sly smile, as if reading her thoughts.

Taking a sip of her drink to push down the lump in her throat, Carly shrugged her shoulders. “That’s great. I hope it works out for him and the team.”

Asia laughed. “Girl, you’ve still got it bad for the guy.”

Carly wiped her mouth in a futile attempt to hide her blush.

“If it helps,” Asia said, “he’s been the well-behaved big brother. So far, he hasn’t used the boy to troll for dates. At least, not that I know of.”

Both women laughed as Carly threw her napkin at Asia.

“Changing the subject,” Asia said, her voice now serious as she sat up in her chair. “Do you have to come back for Joel’s trial?”

“Hopefully he’ll take the plea agreement he’s been offered and I won’t have to.” Carly had tried not to think of Joel these past weeks, but the district attorney wouldn’t let her. Joel’s grandfather had finagled a deal whereby Joel awaited trial at a minimum-security rehab center in Virginia. Maybe he’d get help with his drug habit and be reasonable enough to take the deal the DA was offering. She wasn’t looking forward to facing him in a courtroom.

Carly didn’t have time to dwell on thoughts of Joel because Asia’s cell phone vibrated on the table. “Showtime,” she said. “It’s time you and I headed for the Meadowlands.”

Shane spied her in the crowd surrounding the visitor’s locker room as the team was disembarking the bus and heading into the stadium. Hordes of media, Blaze personnel, and hangers-on milled about, but Carly was easy to spot. Looking sexy as hell leaning against a cement pillar, she wore a pair of skinny jeans, sandals, and a white jean jacket. Her hair was shorter, just brushing her shoulders. And her face looked thinner underneath the tan she’d acquired since he’d seen her last.

Moving in to get a closer look, he stood obscured by his own cement pillar. Tension drew her beautiful face tighter than normal, but Shane couldn’t make out her eyes. Her eyes would tell him what she was really feeling. With sweaty palms, he adjusted his garment bag on his shoulder, trying to avoid being jostled by the other players as they entered the locker room. Several of them called out to Carly as they went past. The smile she had pasted on her face suddenly lit up as Molly squealed her name. Shane watched as the young girl threw her arms around her aunt’s neck and Carly buried her face in Molly’s hair. Troy stood behind Molly, and when Carly noticed him, she pulled him in for a tight embrace. That familiar gut clench grabbed Shane as he watched her brush her lips across Troy’s forehead. Curling an arm around each child, Carly beamed, finally giving him a glimpse of her eyes. His heart pounded in his chest as he saw her smile reflected in them.

C.J. materialized from among the frenzy, standing at Carly’s elbow. Shane watched as the boy, hands in his pockets, forced himself not to react to seeing his aunt. Smiling, Shane sympathized with C.J.’s struggle between boyhood and manhood. The boy hung back trying to look cool while still desperately wanting the same effusive greeting his sister and Troy received. Me too, dude, Shane wanted to say to him.

Weeks ago, Carly had confided to him about how hurt she was with C.J.’s distance. But Shane could clearly see the boy wasn’t distant at all. His adoration of his aunt was easily recognizable—especially to someone who felt the same way. She didn’t wait for her nephew to come to her. Releasing Troy, she pulled C.J. in for a brief kiss on the cheek, retreating quickly so as not to embarrass him. Once again, Shane’s stomach clenched. Christ, he was jealous of two boys!

Unaware that his feet were even moving, Shane made his way toward them. The rest of the team was in the locker room, getting ready for the game. He should be there, too. But, as usual, whenever Carly was around, other parts of his body took over.

“I’m so glad you’re not going to Italy,” Molly was saying, twirling herself in and out of Carly’s embrace. “Will you move back to Baltimore?”

“No, sweetie,” Carly said. “I’m going to help you mom out with her foundation. There’s a lot to do here in New York. But I plan on coming to C.J.’s first football game next weekend.”

“Don’t make a special effort on my account,” C.J. said, carrying the cool act a bit too far.

A wisp of her new, shorter hair clung to her chin and Shane’s hand itched to brush it back off her face. But if he touched her, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop with a hand to her face. At last, she noticed him standing there.

Trying not to stand around like an imbecile, Shane forced himself to speak first. “Carly,” was all he could get past his dry mouth.

“Hey,” she said softly, tugging the hair behind her ear.

“Shane, Carly is coming to Baltimore next weekend,” Troy said. “Maybe she can come over for dinner? We are taking a Japanese cooking class and we need someone to practice on,” his brother explained to her proudly.

Arching an eyebrow, she smiled at Troy, but managed not to commit to anything. “You don’t say?”

“Yep. And you can come see Beckett, too,” he went on. “I know he misses you a lot.”

“He told you that?” she teased, fiddling with the collar of Troy’s shirt. Shane shifted his stance as her innocent gesture led to not-so-innocent thoughts of her fingers on him. His reaction to this woman would never change. He should be in the locker room right now getting his head ready for the game. Not standing in the hallway dreaming of all the things he wanted to do to Carly’s body. And all the things he wanted her to do to him.

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