Game On Box Set: Time Out\Her Man Advantage\Face-Off\Body Check Read online

“Now you’re self-conscious?”

  She offered a rueful look. “I guess you’re right. The whole neighborhood probably heard me, huh?”

  “You are kinda loud…”

  He bent down and grabbed his wool trousers, pulling them up his hips. Finding his shirt and jacket, he tucked them under his arm, walked over to Hayden and extended his arm. “Shall I walk the unclothed lady to the house?”

  “You could at least let me wear your shirt.”

  “Nope. I want to experience the splendor of your body during this evening stroll.”

  “Screw strolling. I’m running.”

  Before he could blink she bounded down the gazebo’s steps and tore across the yard, her firm ass pale in the moonlight. Laughing, he took off after her, hoping to keep her naked just a little bit longer, but she was already slipping her sweater over her head when he reached the deck.

  “Spoilsport,” he grumbled.

  She put on her panties and slacks, then gestured to the back door. “You still have to give me a tour of the upstairs,” she reminded him.

  “Any room in particular you’d like to see?”

  “Definitely one that features a bed. Or a removable showerhead.”

  With a grin, he grabbed their wineglasses from the railing and followed her inside. “Do you want more wine?” he asked.

  “No, thanks.”

  She suddenly went quiet as he placed the glasses in the sink, and when he turned to look at her he saw her expression had grown somber.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.” She let out a breath. “I was thinking about my dad.”

  Brody made a face. “We just had mind-blowing sex and you’re thinking about your dad?”

  “It’s just…the wine.” She gestured to the bottle still sitting on the cedar counter. “It made me think about what Sheila told me today. You know, about my dad’s drinking…” Her voice trailed, the distress in her eyes unmistakable.

  “Are you going to talk to him about it?”

  “Yes. No.” She exhaled again. “I don’t want to confront him right now, not when he’s smack in the middle of this scandal.”

  “We’re all in the middle of it now. We were told today that the investigation is under way. All the players are being interviewed this week.”

  Her green eyes glimmered with distress. “What kind of questions will you be asked?”

  Brody shrugged. “They’ll probably ask us what we know about the allegations, try to coax confessions out of us, quiz us about whether we know if another player was involved.”

  “Are they going to ask about my dad?”

  He nodded.

  Resting her hands against the counter, she went silent for a moment, her pretty features shadowed by worry. He could tell she was upset by all of this, especially with everything she was learning about her father, and though he had no intention of making her feel worse, he unwittingly did so with his next statement.

  “It was pretty much confirmed to me today that your dad fixed those games.”

  Her gaze rose to meet his, her mouth forming a startled O. “You’re saying you know for sure that he did it?”

  Damn. Maybe he shouldn’t have spit it out the way he had, but the confrontation with Wyatt had been troubling him all night and he’d been hoping to talk it through with Hayden before the league’s investigator interviewed him. He knew he’d have to tell the truth if asked, but he’d wanted her advice, wanted her to tell him how to handle the time bomb in his hands without looking like he was betraying his teammates or the team owner.

  But he hadn’t realized confiding in Hayden meant confirming her doubts about her father. Up until now she’d only suspected Presley had fixed those games, but with that one sentence he’d turned those suspicions into reality, and the crestfallen look on her face tugged at his insides in the most powerful way.

  He wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t know how.

  So he kept his distance, leaned against the counter and released a slow breath. “Yes, he did it. I’m ninety-nine-percent sure of it.”

  “Ninety-nine percent,” she repeated. “Then there’s still a chance Dad wasn’t involved.”

  “It’s unlikely.”

  “But there’s still a chance.”

  “Look, Hayden, I know you want to see the best in your father, but you’re going to need to accept that he’s probably guilty.”

  Her eyes widened, the color in her cheeks fading fast. “Are you going to tell the investigator that? You’re going to say my dad is guilty?”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to say yet.”

  He could see her legs shaking as she walked across the tiled floor toward him. Eyes wild with panic, she placed one palm on his bare arm and tilted her head to look up at him. “You can’t do it, Brody. Please, don’t turn against my father.”

  * * *

  HAYDEN DIDN’T KNOW where the words were coming from but she seemed to have no control over her vocal cords. In the back of her head she knew what she was asking of him was wrong, that if Presley was truly guilty he deserved to pay for his crimes. But this was her father, the only parent she had, the only constant in her life.

  “You want me to lie?” Brody said flatly.

  She swallowed. “No, I…maybe if you just didn’t say anything…”

  “Lying by omission is still lying, Hayden. And what if they straight out ask me if Presley bribed anyone? What do I do then?”

  Desperation clawed up her throat. She knew she had no right asking him to do this for her, but she couldn’t watch her father’s entire life shatter before her eyes. “He’s my only family,” she said softly. “I just want to protect him.”

  Compassion flickered in Brody’s eyes, but it quickly faded into annoyance. “What about me? Don’t I deserve to be protected, too?”

  “Your career isn’t at stake,” she protested.

  “Like hell it isn’t!” His eyes flashed. “My integrity and reputation are on the line here, Hayden. I won’t throw away my career by lying to protect the team owner, not even for you.”

  She nearly stumbled backward, assaulted by the force of his words.

  She suddenly felt so very stupid. What the hell had she been thinking, asking him to lie for her dad? Her only defense was that she hadn’t been thinking. For a split second there, the fear seizing her insides was so strong it had overpowered her ability to think logically. Suddenly she’d been the lonely little girl who’d grown up without a mother, who didn’t want to see her father carted off to jail even if it meant breaking the rules to keep him out of a cell.

  What was the matter with her? She wasn’t the type of woman who broke rules. And she didn’t condone lies, either.

  God, she couldn’t believe she’d just asked Brody to throw away his honesty and honor.

  With shaky steps, she walked over to him and pressed her face against his chest. She could feel his heart thudding against her ear like a drum. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to lie. It was unfair of me to do that. I’m…” She choked on a sob. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

  His warm hand caressed the small of her back. “It’s okay. I know you’re concerned about him, babe.” Brody pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

  “I just wish…Damn it, Brody, I want to help him.”

  “I know,” he said gently. “But your dad is the one who got himself into this mess, and I hate to say it, but he’s the one who’ll have to get himself out of it.”

  * * *

  HAYDEN’S CELL PHONE woke her early the next morning, rousing her from a restless sleep and making her groan with displeasure. She was on her side, her back pressed against Brody’s big warm body, one of his long arms draped over her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the ringing to stop. A second of blessed silence, and then it rang again. And again. And again.

  With a sigh, she disentangled herself from Brody’s arms and slid out from under the covers. The sight of the alarm clock on Brody�€