"Sweet Lord, yes," he groaned and she smiled through her arousal. She spread her legs even wider and slid her middle finger in, first just the tip, and then up to her second knuckle. Knowing he was holding his breath, she pushed her finger in to the hilt. Moving her hips in rhythm with her hand, she rocked back and forth, sliding her finger all the way out then all the way back in. She was so close to coming, all it would take was half a second on her clit and she'd explode. Unable to hold out another second, she slipped her finger out and finally touched her clit. Once the dam had broken, she couldn't stop circling, swirling the taut flesh. She wasn't in control of her hips and hands anymore; they were controlling her. Her other hand kneaded and rolled her ni**les as she orgasmed in plain sight on a private beach in Lake Tahoe under a pine tree. Her limbs were shaking uncontrollably as she opened her eyes. Ty's hand was on his c**k and she nearly came all over again at the frantic way he was working it.

"Don't you dare waste that," she gasped, and a second later he had a condom on and was thrusting into her, one thumb on her clit, pushing her straight toward another amazing orgasm, the other hand on her br**sts and his mouth on hers.

Julie sat on the enormous porch overlooking the lake, sipping a glass of mineral water. After their incredible lovemaking, she and Ty had gone into the house to clean up and get dressed again. They had to leave for his evening engagement in a half hour and it was nice to get some quiet time together. He appeared with a plate of fresh bruschetta and her stomach growled. "We really need to send your friend a thank-you letter." She put one in her mouth and closed her eyes in ecstasy. "Wow. These are great."

Ty said. "I think you've already met the owner. Dominic was working out at the gym with me. He spoke to you, made you laugh."

Julie cocked her head to the side, thought for a moment. "Hmm ... I'm getting a picture of a really gorgeous man with black hair and green eyes."

Something that looked suspiciously like jealousy crossed Ty's face. "He's a great guy."

"He's not my type."

Ty visibly relaxed, and sat beside her on the soft outdoor couch.

"Good. Because I'd have to rip him apart with my bare hands if he ever touched you." Julie didn't know what to say to his surprisingly touching declaration. It was nice to know that they had an unspoken agreement of monogamy for their time together. She certainly couldn't have dealt with him even looking at another woman. Not while they were sleeping together. Although, if she was honest with herself, it was just as hard for her to think about Ty dating someone else when her contract with the Outlaws came to an end.

She looked back out over the water, let herself soak up the beauty, the small waves rippling across the lake onto the shore. Inhaling the sweet pine scent, she softly said, "I'm having a great time with you, Ty."

She didn't look at him; didn't want to see if he felt the same way, or if he was trying to hide pity at how quickly she'd fallen for him. But at the same time, she wanted him to know that she was happy. And that she was pleased with the work he'd done thus far to clean up his act.

"I'm glad," was his response.

There was so much warmth in the two words that her fears instantly disappeared. What was she thinking? They were evenly matched, both in spirit and accomplishment. There was nothing but lots more fantastic sex, along with laughter, in their near future.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The next day, they headed for a children's football camp in Palo Alto. "This is my favorite place to be all summer," Ty told Julie as they pulled into the Camp Cougar parking lot. Several football fields stretched all around the parking lot, with a brown-shingled building directly to their left. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the guys who run this place."

It was bear hugs all around inside camp headquarters.

"Everyone, this is Julie." Ty wasn't embarrassed about needing an image consultant, but he wouldn't have minded letting his friends think they were an item for five minutes. Julie, of course, didn't feel the same way. As she shook hands she said, "I own an image consultancy, and the Outlaws hired me to work with Ty."

"I hope we're not supposed to act surprised," Tony said with a grin. Now in his sixties, he'd been running this camp since Ty was a ten-year-old on the field, kicking ass and taking names. "Ty always was a wild one—although we loved him anyway."

"What have we got this year?" Ty asked, not in the mood to discuss his past. Things were so good with Julie that he didn't want her remembering what an ass he'd been in high school. "Any standouts?" Tony nodded. "One kid, Jack, reminds me a lot of you. He can play any position, offense, defense. Nothing fazes him. Plays like he's sixteen, not ten."

Julie sat down on the corner of a desk and crossed her legs. Damn, she had some sweet thighs, Ty thought.

"Does being so good, so young, ever lead to resentment from the other kids?" Julie's question was a good one, and Ty struggled to focus on football rather than what was beneath her panties. "Sometimes there are problems, especially if one of the kids has an attitude. In most cases it isn't really their fault, though. It can be rough when your folks have been building you up to be the next Payton Manning."

Tony nodded. "This kid, Jack, is real friendly, just like your client here. Attracts people like a magnet." Ty took the compliment in stride and looked out the open sliding glass door, scanning the field. It wasn't hard to spot the future superstar. He threw like a high school kid, not a fifth grader. He was quick and seemed to have an instinctive understanding of the game. While the other kids had to stop, think, then decide which way to turn, Jack was two steps ahead.

"You ready to meet this year's group? They've been talking about you since yesterday." Ty nodded. "Can't wait."

If someone had told Julie that she'd thoroughly respect Ty Calhoun, she would have said they were completely nuts. But somewhere along the way, she'd developed a newfound appreciation for Ty's charisma and charm, not only at the handful of charity functions they'd attended together throughout Northern California, but also from watching him interact with these kids. She'd called a photographer and several sports writers to let them observe Ty working with the kids. By the time her assignment was through, people were going to remember him for the great things he did, not for cavorting with strippers.

Sitting in the shade of an oak tree, she sent one final email and dropped her BlackBerry back into her bag.

Ty was showing the kids how to hold and throw the ball, and they were eagerly taking in his every word, every movement. As a group, they picked up their footballs and tried to mimic the way he turned and cocked his arm, the perfect spiral the ball took through the air. For the most part, it was a ball-flinging disaster, and Julie quielty giggled. The boy they'd been talking about, Jack, was the only kid in the bunch who made it look easy.