She waved her fingers in the air. “Too New York.”
Joe sensed an intense story behind her casual comments, but she sure wasn’t going to open up to him tonight over takeout.
“Besides,” she went on, “I get my fix of sidewalk hot-dog vendors and pizza by the slice when I go back for a few days of meetings.”
He frowned. “And that’s what New York is to you, hot dogs and pizza?”
She laughed, the now familiar musical sound that cut right into him. “I guess. Apparently I’m just not a city-slicker girl at heart. What about you? You like it? You’re living in Los Angeles now, right?”
“Actually I don’t live there anymore.” He scooped more fried rice onto his plate. “Too metrosexual for me. I guess I don’t like the city any better than you do.”
“So where are you living now?”
Hadn’t Hank told her? Exactly what information had her brother given her about him? More than that, did she even ask or show interest?
“Houston. Fox Sports has facilities there as well. And I like it much better than the West Coast.”
“But you flew in yesterday from New York,” she reminded him.
“Meetings on one of my endorsement contracts with a company rep and my agent.”
She studied his face, her eyes serious. “Forgive me if I’m stepping into forbidden territory, but does it bother you? Not being able to play again?”
Joe thought he’d gotten past those feelings pretty well until the little taste of bitterness surged in his throat. “I think I’ll always miss playing, but I’m lucky. My agent hooked me up with a terrific television contract and my bosses seem to be happy with me. We’re going into our fifth year and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.”
“Unique name, Inside the Helmet. Good show, too.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “You watch it?”
She flipped a hand casually. “When I get a chance.”
Alright! She watched his program. He gave a mental fist pump.
“Well, let’s clear this stuff away and you can help me watch some video for the earliest fall shows.”
“Me? Help you?” She laughed. “I don’t think anyone knows more about what’s in a quarterback’s head than you do, Mr. Hotshot Quarterback Joe Reilly.” The smile left her face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tease—”
“It’s okay. I’m past it.” Mostly. “Let’s do this.”
“What about dessert? I want my ice cream and cookies.”
“After the first video. A reward for your help.”
In the living room, Joe pulled a disk from his briefcase and slipped it into the DVD player. He picked up the remote, careful to take the recliner and leave the couch to Shay.
“So what’s up first?” she asked.
“The young quarterback for the San Antonio Mustangs, as a matter of fact. I’ll be doing a piece on him before the first preseason game. Maybe even analyzing their entire quarterback situation. We’ll see. I have some background work to do, but first I want to watch the kid in action.”
“Is he any good?”
He shrugged. “You tell me. Let’s give him a look.”
He was so conscious of her his skin felt as if he’d sandpapered it. He wondered if she felt the sexual tension as much as he did. He wanted her with an intensity that stunned him. He couldn’t just sweep the remnants of dinner aside, though, and jump her bones, much as he might want to. He had to move slowly. He could not afford to give her the idea this was some casual hookup, like the ones she seemed to think he enjoyed on a regular basis. Somehow he had to dredge up every bit of discipline he’d spent a lifetime learning and keep a lid on things until the right moment. The next time it would be a lot more than a grope session.
Managing to do it was going to be easier said than done.
* * * *
Shay studied the man standing in front of the television. It was hard to wipe away the image of him naked from the shower, the one from yesterday that was etched in her mind with acid. He still had the toned athlete’s body only now it belonged to a mature man. She wanted to see it again, without any of those clothes concealing it. Run her hands over his muscles and squeeze his very fine butt.
After last night, just being in the same room with Joe made her pussy throb and her blood heat. She didn’t know about him but for her it had occupied nearly every waking moment during the day. He sure didn’t seem like he was going to make another move on her. If she had half a brain, she’d take her dessert and hide in the bedroom. Wait! Wasn’t that what she’d been doing this morning before she finally snuck out to the kitchen?
Okay, no more hiding, not if she really wanted sex with Joe Reilly. Real sex. She wished she knew if he was being so nice to her because she was Hank’s sister, because he was afraid he’d pissed her off last night or because he wanted more with her. He’d brought her ice cream and her favorite cookies and asked her to watch the videos with him. Exactly what did that mean?
She tried not to look at him stretched out in the big chair, his masculine sexiness like an aura clinging to him. He still wore the clothes from the afternoon, the khakis outlining the lean length of his legs, the dark green of the soft-collared shirt stretched across wide shoulders and a muscular chest. Her palms itched to touch him again, feel that soft chest hair scattered over hard chest muscle. God, she wanted him more than a snickerdoodle.
She was so lost in her imagination the sound of his voice startled her.
“Shay? You with me?”
“What?” She blinked. “Sure. Sorry.” She tried hard to focus. The last thing she needed was for Joe to catch her salivating over him.
“I’d like to hear more about your take on this kid. You’ve got a sharp eye.”
“Um, okay.” Damn straight she had a good eye for players’ strengths and weaknesses. She’d studied them all these years. She took in a breath. “Sure. Be happy to.”
Joe pressed Play on the remote. “He declared for the draft in his sophomore year and pretty much rode the bench as a rookie. I saw him in training camp last year when he was still a raw recruit. The coach says he’s come a long way since then. Watch his two-step dropback when he gets ready to throw.”
Shay curled her legs beneath her and forced herself to concentrate on the screen. The young quarterback actually had good moves, a good rhythm. In some ways, he reminded her of Joe in his college days. The lithe athleticism on the verge of maturity. She watched Joe making notes in his iPad as the video unfolded, then eject the disk when it came to the end.
“I wanted to be able to study him before I meet with him,” he told Shay. “Like I said, the Mustangs have great hopes for him and my producer wants to lead off the show this season with his interview. What did you think?”
“Good
