by Sherri Hayes
He was almost at the security gates when he felt a tingle go up his spine. Glancing over his shoulder, his eyes locked onto hers. But as soon as she realized he’d caught her staring, her gaze darted away to the surrounding area.
Gage smiled, but it died on his lips as he continued to work his way through security and into the terminal with the rest of his team. Seeing her again brought that brief kiss back to the front of his mind. He’d like to say it wasn’t any different from any other kiss he’d shared with a woman, but he wasn’t into lying to himself. Brief as it was, the kiss had left a mark.
Being twenty-six years old, he’d kissed his fair share of women. Add to that his pseudo-celebrity status, and that number multiplied considerably. Some of those kisses over the years had made his head spin, but never had a simple peck on the lips left him reeling. He could still feel the impression of her lips against his, feel the tender softness begging for attention. It didn’t make sense. Why was this kiss standing out?
Thankfully, they arrived at their gate, which forced him to concentrate on the task at hand. He needed to push Rebecca Carson out of his mind, and focus. They had a game tomorrow, and with the playoffs less than two months away, every game counted. He needed to remember what was important—the game and his team. Whatever was going on with his personal bodyguard would to have to wait until he got back home.
Much to Rebecca’s surprise, the ticket Mr. Donovan arranged for her was in first class. The team was back in coach, and she resisted the urge to check on Daniels. They were on a plane and he was surrounded by his team. Unless all his teammates were out to get him, she was fairly certain he was safe.
She couldn’t believe he’d caught her staring at him. The whole plane ride, she continued to berate herself. Watching him was part of her job. That wasn’t what she was doing, however, and she knew it. Not in a professional sense anyway. Not like she was meant to be watching him. It was good this wasn’t an official assignment. Otherwise, she might be looking at something more than a temporary administrative leave.
He was a cocky, egotistical, irritating man. Why she was wasting even a minute thinking about him in something other than a completely detached, professional capacity was beyond her. He was just part of the job, and so was putting up with him, his attitude, and . . . his kisses. More than anything else, she knew that was what was bothering her most.
The plane landed in Seattle, and being in first class, she was one of the first to exit the plane. As soon as she stepped into the terminal, she scanned the surrounding area. She was on her own in Seattle. Hansen was staying in Nashville to watch things there. It was odd not having her partner nearby, but she’d been on her own for brief assignments before.
Nothing appeared to be out of place. The airport was busy, but everything seemed normal. She walked over to the far wall, where she’d have a good view of Daniels exiting the plane, and waited.
When he emerged ten minutes later, he was once again flanked by Zach and Kenny. It reaffirmed her assessment from earlier as to their friendship. She stayed back as the team walked as a group through the airport and out the door to a waiting charter bus. Taxis were lined up along the curb as well, and she was able to hop in one and follow Daniels’s bus to the hotel. Although, she would have loved to take a cursory look over the buses before he got on board, it was like the plane. The likelihood of his stalker attacking him while surrounded by his team was minimal. Either way, inspecting the buses would draw attention they didn’t want. She’d have to settle for keeping his bus in her line of sight.
She paid the driver and ducked inside the hotel lobby. From where she stood, she could clearly see the team unloading. One by one, each man exited the bus and walked into the hotel. It was obviously something they were used to, as they seemed to have a system.
One of the older gentlemen she’d seen before walked up to the front desk. He was there for a good fifteen minutes, talking and signing paperwork. The team lingered around the lobby in much the same grouping they had in the players’ parking lot, including Daniels. He was standing about twenty feet away from her with Zach and Kenny, although Daniels didn’t look nearly as cool and confident as he had before. It made her curious as to what exactly had been said while she was out of earshot.
The older man returned to the group with a large manila envelope and proceeded to call out names. In groups of two, the guys took their keys and walked to the elevators. The process took a while. She hadn’t realized just how many were on the team, although she should have. She’d seen them all in the players’ parking lot back in Nashville and watched them load the three coach-sized buses.
As the group dwindled, Rebecca was able to get a better look at their surroundings. There weren’t many places to hide, which she liked. No one appeared to be standing around, lingering out of place, outside of the players waiting for their room assignments. Whoever was stalking Mr. Hotshot Quarterback was either extremely good at blending in or wasn’t there.
Finally, only a handful of players were left, including Daniels. Rebecca continued to watch as, one by one, everyone was given a key. He was last. “Looks like you’re rooming alone on this one, Daniels,” the man said.
“Yeah, I guess so.” He knew she was here, and he’d not struck her as a dumb man. Whether either of them liked it or not, it looked like they would be sharing a room that night.
With his room key in hand, Gage walked to the elevator at the far side of the hotel lobby. He didn’t have to look behind him to know his friendly FBI agent was following him. It had crossed his mind on the way here that she would either be in a connecting room or Tim would somehow manage to put her in the same room with him. Since she was supposed to be protecting him, it made logical sense. That didn’t mean he had to like it any more than he liked her being in his house.
The elevator doors opened, and he stepped inside. Sure enough, she followed.
Neither spoke as they ascended. He could see her reflection in the polished silver of the elevator doors. She had on that professional mask she wore most of the time. He was going to have fun trying to break that once they went back home. For the moment, however, he had to figure out how mentally to prepare for tomorrow’s game with her shadowing his every move. Usually, he would hole up in his hotel room playing video games with Zach and Kenny. As much as he loved the female population, taking the chance on one of them messing with his head the night before a game wasn’t something he was willing to gamble on.
They arrived at their floor, and he wasn’t surprised when she followed him to his room. He closed his eyes and sighed. The only hope he had of getting the situation changed was to call Tim, and he already knew what he’d say. Not your call. He was feeling that way about too many things lately.
Putting on his game face, he strolled into the room and flung himself down on the bed. With his hands behind his head, he stretched out and watched her walk in at a much slower pace. She took in their surroundings with as much concentration as he did when he was in the middle of a game standing in the pocket looking for an open receiver. Once she seemed satisfied nothing was going to jump out and attack them, she walked to the other side of the room and placed her small suitcase onto the other bed.
He frowned. How had he missed her carrying luggage? How did he not realize she’d be carrying luggage? They’d just come from the airport after all.
“Your game isn’t until one o’clock local time tomorrow. Is there anywhere else you need to be before then?” she asked, her eyes on the wall across the room.
“No,” he answered. “Saturday night most of the guys relax in their rooms.”
“Do you?” she asked.
He felt a bit of resentment at the skepticism in her tone. “Implying?”
When she leveled her gaze on him, her eyes were hard and emotionless. “I’ve seen your file.”
“You have, have you?” he asked, standing. She was across the room, but it didn’t take long for him to close the distance between them.
“Yes,” she said, and he saw a flicker of something behind those cold eyes. “I figured you’d . . . go out.”
Without touching her, he leaned in. He was so close he could smell her. She smelled like peaches—soft, delicious peaches. Before he could stop himself, he glanced down. Beneath the all too conservative blouse she still wore, he caught a fleeting glimpse of cleavage.
She shifted slightly, pulling him out of his haze. “Celebrating is for after the game, beautiful. Tonight . . .” he said, tilting his head so that his lips were dangerously close to her ear. “Tonight is for relaxing.”
“And how do you do that exactly?” she asked. Her voice was even, but he didn’t miss the rapid rise and fall of her chest, a telltale sign that she wasn’t completely unaffected by his being so near.
He stiffened, the question bringing him back to reality. “Video games,” he said gruffly, stepping back and digging in his pocket for his cell phone.
What in the world had gotten into him? It was one thing messing with her while they were at home, but he needed to focus.
Kenny picked up on the third ring. “Hey, man,” he said. “Zach’s getting the system set up. We’re in 214.”
“Perfect. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
“Where are you going?” she asked as soon as he ended the phone call.
“Downstairs.”
“I thought you said you didn’t . . .” He watched as her mouth twisted in disgust. “Go out,” she finally said through gritted teeth.
“I’m not going out. I’m going downstairs to play video games with Zach and Kenny.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“Oh no you’re not. My girlfriend isn’t supposed to be here. Even when players’ wives come on a road trip, they stay in another hotel, or at least another room. I’m not going to try and explain to Zach and Kenny why you’re somewhere you’re not supposed to be.” Gage grabbed his room key and slipped it into his pocket alongside his phone.
“How am I supposed to protect you if you’re off on your own?”
“I think I’ll be okay for a few hours, beautiful.”
Before she could say another word, he opened the door and stepped into the hall. He didn’t know about her, but he needed the space. His head was most definitely not where it needed to be when he had a game in less than twenty-four hours. Hopefully he could get lost in playing video games with Zach and Kenny as usual and be able to forget about the beautiful brunette in his room.
Chapter 5
For the next five hours, Rebecca waited like a caged animal in their room. She had no way to track him down without blowing her cover, so whether she liked it or not, she was going to have to wait him out. It was infuriating. He was infuriating. What was the point of her being here to protect him if he wouldn’t even allow her to do her job?
Eventually she broke down and called for room service, and turned the television on to a local station. It wasn’t exactly an exciting way to spend her Saturday night, but at least it kept her from watching the door all evening waiting for him to return. That would have made her feel even more useless than she already did.
The night dragged on until, at a little after ten o’clock, the door opened and Daniels sauntered into the room. She clicked off the television and sat up straighter against the headboard. Her gaze followed him as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. The click of the lock resounded through the quiet room. She stared after him in amazement.
Roughly five minutes later, the bathroom door opened and he walked out . . . minus his shirt. She averted her gaze quickly, focusing on the blank television screen. The last thing she needed was for him to notice her staring. He certainly didn’t need any encouragement from her to invade her personal space.
She braced herself for whatever he would throw at her next, waited for him to do something else that would leave her feeling on edge. To her surprise, he didn’t. Instead, she heard movement and a slight creak from the mattress. When she looked, he was already in bed, the sheets covering him from the waist down. Apparently, he was ready to sleep. Relief tinged with slight regret caused her shoulders to slump when she realized there wouldn’t be another confrontation with him tonight. Before she could overthink the situation, she grabbed her bag and made a beeline for the bathroom. Tomorrow would be a long day and she needed her rest as much as he did.
The next morning was beyond strange in Rebecca’s opinion. Daniels was acting like a completely different person. Gone was the overconfident, in-your-face sexuality he’d shown from the time she’d met him until he’d left the room the previous night. In its place was a polite distance. He’d asked her what she’d like for breakfast, as if none of the previous tension had existed, before he called for room service. He’d even allowed her the use of the bathroom first to get ready. She wasn’t sure what to make of it.
At ten o’clock, there was a knock at the door. “Are you expecting someone?” she asked.
“No.”
Making sure her gun was easily accessible, she walked to the door and checked the peephole. On the other side was Tim Donovan, the team owner. She removed the chain from the door, opened it wide, and invited him in.
“I see you two figured out the sleeping arrangements,” Donovan said, smirking.
“Not like you left us much of a choice,” Daniels murmured.
She didn’t think Donovan heard, since he walked across the room and over to the windows.
“Yes, we did,” she said.
“Good, good. Well, I wanted to stop by before I headed over to the stadium, and give you this.” Turning, he removed a large plastic rectangle from his suit jacket. A thin cord was attached. He handed it to her before taking a step back. “This will get you past security and up to the visiting owner’s box. You’ll view the game up there with me. Once Gage enters the stadium, he should be safe enough with everyone around.” Then he turned his gaze to Daniels and grew serious. “No going off on your own, you hear me? If you have to leave the locker room before the game, you make sure one of your buddies is with you. I don’t want you taking chances.” When Daniels didn’t answer right away, Donovan glared at him. “Is that clear?”
Daniels sighed. This time she could tell the older gentleman didn’t miss it. “Crystal.”
“Good,” he said, not looking happy. “I’ll leave you two to finish getting ready. Agent Carson, I’ll see you at the stadium.”
“Of course, sir.”
She walked Donovan to the door. The man paused, turning to look at her. He wasn’t that much taller than she was, but he had a presence that made it seem like he was towering over her. “Don’t be afraid to crack the whip with that one. He’s a good kid. I don’t want to see something happen to him.”
“I’ll do my best, Mr. Donovan.”
After closing the door, she turned back around to face Daniels and was surprised to find him sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. She wasn’t sure what to do, but for whatever reason, her feet began moving. Before she reached him, he looked up, and his gaze met hers. He didn’t say anything and neither did she, but she felt as if he were giving her a glimpse of something he didn’t normally let people see.
Before she knew it, however, he broke their stare and stood. She felt as if a cold bucket of water had just been splashed in her face. Not wanting to analyze what she was feeling, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the bathroom for the only privacy the room allowed.
Gage knew he was in trouble as soon as he saw the lineman dodge Tate, his center. It all happened in quick succession. One minute he was standing strong in the pocket looking for an open receiver. The next, he was lying flat on his back trying to hold onto the ball.
It wasn’t the first time he’d been sacked in his life, but it wasn’t something you ever got used to as a quarterback. Whenever it happened, it usually meant one of two things—either someone on the offensive line had missed a tackle or the quarterback wasn’t paying enough attention to what was going
on around him. Although Tate had missed the tackle, it was Gage’s fault that he’d landed in the dirt. He was distracted, and he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.
After he was back on his feet again, Zach came over to see if he was okay. “I’m good,” Gage assured him.
“You’ve got to get your head out of the clouds, man. Focus. We should be eating up this field.”
Gage nodded, acknowledging his friend, and then jogged to join the rest of the guys in the huddle. The sack had pushed them back, and they had to pick up fifteen yards in one play or give the ball back to the other team. He didn’t like the thought of that any more than the rest of his team did.
As the guys broke from their huddle and walked to the line of scrimmage, he took a deep breath and tried to push everything out of his mind except for the task in front of him. He needed to keep his head in the game or else they might as well hand the ball over to the other team and go home. As the quarterback, he was responsible for getting the ball into the hands of those who could make the plays and score the points. He couldn’t do that if his mind wasn’t focused on what was happening on the field. If instead, for example, he was thinking about a brown-haired FBI agent currently sitting in the owner’s box watching his less-than-stellar performance. The woman was messing with his head. He didn’t like it.
A hand touched his shoulder, and his head whipped around to find Kenny on his left. “Take a time-out.”
Before he could think it through, Gage signaled the referee for a time-out. All the guys except for Zach and Kenny jogged to the sidelines. They didn’t say anything, just stood there with him so he didn’t look like the idiot he was. Too much of his life was out of his control right now, but what was happening on this field was. This was what he was good at, and he wasn’t going to let anything, or anyone, take that away from him.
All too soon their forty-five second time-out was up, and they were back in formation. He cleared his mind of everything but what was in front of him on the field. With one second left on the play clock, he gave the signal and Tate snapped the ball into his hands. Everyone was in motion around him. It was organized chaos. He loved it.
