Page 29 of Game On

“He seems to have gotten his life back on track now,” Carly said softly. Shane whirled on her, his eyes angrier than Joel’s had been earlier. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel the same fear. Reining in his temper, he stared at her. Briefly, she glimpsed the vulnerable boy he’d once been, but then he tamped down the emotion.

“Yeah. Like your friend’s father, he went and got himself a trophy wife and a new family.” He didn’t bother to keep the bitterness from his voice.

“Don’t you ever see your half-brother?” she asked. Carly couldn’t imagine not having Lisa in her life.

“No,” he all but sneered at her. “They keep the good child away from the bad seed.”

“Oh, Shane,” Carly said as she stood and walked over to him. She stopped inches from him, the tension rolling off his body in waves. Not trusting herself to keep from touching him, she wrapped her arms around her middle. They stood like that, toe to toe, staring at one another for several minutes before Shane closed his eyes, seemingly fighting his own inner battles.

“You know what I think, Shane Devlin?” she whispered. A muscle twitched on the side of his mouth as he opened his steely eyes. “I think the bad-boy persona you’ve cultivated all these years is just a ruse. A way to get back at your dad for hurting you. You’d like everyone to think you a selfish jerk, but I know for a fact you’re not.”

His eyes hardened at her words and Shane stepped around her to pace her small living room.

“Wow, Carly,” he tossed over his shoulder. “You’ve been reading your sister’s psychoanalysis books. That’s quite a diagnosis.”

Lisa would have a field day psychoanalyzing Shane, Carly thought as she turned to watch him pace. But she wasn’t being fair. She hated when her sister analyzed her. Although something told her peeling back Shane Devlin’s layers would be a much tougher challenge for Lisa.

Carly wanted to say she was sorry. Sorry for what he had gone through. Sorry for bringing the subject up. But she knew how empty the words would sound. She’d heard them too many times in reference to her own life. So she tried to steer the conversation back to lighter waters.

“Well,” she said, clearing the coffee mugs. “Your story earns you sympathy, but you won’t get the big box of tissues until it’s been played out on the big screen and on cable every week.”

Shane stood in the center of the room, hands on his hips. She’d startled him, she knew, but after a few seconds, he shook his head and laughed. The sound resonated throughout the small area. Carly crossed her arms under her breasts and stared at him. The action seemed to startle him more. He slowly walked over to her, the hunger returning to his eyes. Her breath hitched. He glanced down at the cheesecake on the counter beside her and a slow grin spread over his face.

“I go to all the trouble to snare you your favorite dessert and you haven’t even touched it.” He shook his head at her as he sat on the bar stool and speared a piece of the cheesecake with a fork.

Carly’s mouth went dry again. Shane was waving the fork in front of her face until she had no choice but to open. The dessert tasted like sawdust, but the whipped cream was cool to her hot lips. She licked some off her lower lip. Shane swallowed. His knuckles were white where he gripped the fork. Reverently, he closed his eyes.

“Dammit, Carly,” he whispered. “I’m so tired of avoiding this.”

She took a step closer and stood between his knees, gently placing a hand on each of his hard thighs. His eyes shot open.

“So am I.” It was as if another woman had taken over her body. Carly knew she should not be getting involved with Shane, but she didn’t care anymore. He was right; she was tired of avoiding the incredible pull between them, too.

He put his hands on her waist, his thumbs reverently caressing her hipbones.

“Maybe”—his breath fanned her ear as she swayed into him—“we should just go ahead and get it out of our systems. Then we can move on to being . . .”

“Friendly coworkers?” she finished for him, her lips tracing his jaw.

“With benefits,” he said just before his mouth seized hers. When he swept his tongue in, she met it with her own, his erection jumping against her stomach. Like their previous encounters, the heat between them was almost instantaneous. She feverishly kissed him back, her hands dragging through his hair. His fingers fisted in the flimsy fabric of her dress as he bit her bottom lip. Suddenly, he tore his mouth away and rubbed his hands on her bare arms, pushing her back slightly.

“Carly.” His voice was raspy as he struggled for control. Her arms tingled where he rubbed them. He leaned his forehead against hers as he caught his breath. “I’ve been fantasizing about getting you out of this dress all night. But right now, if I touch it, I’ll rip it.”

She smiled provocatively as she took a step out of his warm embrace. Her eyes never left his as she reached up behind her head and untied the knot holding her dress in place. His eyes followed the fabric as it slithered down her body and pooled at her feet. He stood as his gaze slowly traveled back up her body, taking in her silk stockings, the garter belt that held them up, and her lacy bustier. He let out a slow breath that came out sounding a lot like holy shit.

“That may be better than the dress,” he whispered.

Stepping over the fabric lying in heap on the floor, Carly trailed her fingers up his torso and began to undo the studs on his shirt. Strong fingers traced along the skin of her back, leaving a trail of heat in their path. She kissed his throat as she continued her task, slowly rubbing her lower body against him. His lips cruised over her shoulders. Carly winced as his mouth came in contact with the bruise Joel had given her.

“Jesus, Carly!” He jerked back, his hands dropping to his sides as if she’d burned him. “I shouldn’t be doing this. Not after what that bastard nearly did to you tonight.”

Carly fisted her hands in his shirt, trying to pull him closer. She didn’t want to lose contact. Shane’s face was drawn, a sheen of perspiration forming on his forehead.

“No,” she begged. “Don’t you dare stop now, Shane. I need you. I need to feel a man’s hands on me. A man whose hands I want to feel on me. Please!” The last came out in a desperate whisper.

“The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Carly.” But he’d stopped backing away. His eyes were more focused again. Their smoldering heat focused on her lips. She leaned back into the circle of his arms. With one hand, she cupped the back of his neck, bringing his mouth down toward hers. With the other, she cupped his still-throbbing erection.

“You won’t hurt me,” she said before kissing him. Contemplating the reasons she trusted this man so implicitly would have to be for another time. Carly just wanted to shut her mind off and lose herself in the warm body standing in front of her.