Slamdunked By Love (One on One #2)

by Jamie Wesley

  “I’m in the mood to watch the game-winning play and the look on the Spurs’ faces over and over again,” Whitmore said.

  “We can do that at my place,” Brady heard himself say. “I live across the street, so it’ll only take a minute to get there.”

  “Sounds like a plan, especially if you have a refrigerator full of beer,” Tilly said.

  “That can be arranged.”

  Ten minutes later, Brady exited the locker room with his teammates.

  “Dude, you live across the street from the arena,” Tilly said when they arrived at Brady’s condo. “This should have been the designated spot to chill the day you were traded here.” The players liked to find places where they could unwind without having to worry about being on for fans.

  “Well, we’re here now, so let’s do this,” Victor said. “Is that a pool table I see?” He and Tilly walked over to the table with a few players in tow.

  A few others wandered over to his bookshelf to check out his Blu-Ray collection.

  Brady headed to the kitchen. His teammates were having a good time, so he should be happy. They’d won an important game. So why was he staring into his refrigerator like it held the secrets of the universe inside? Because he felt like a part of him was missing.

  “Yo, dude, you gonna bring out any beers or what?” Whitmore said from behind him.

  “Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Brady said, grabbing two cans. He passed one to his teammate and popped the top on the other one.

  “Thanks.” Whitmore turned on his heel and exited the kitchen.

  Maguire joined him in the kitchen. “You got any food?”

  “The fridge is yours.”

  “Thanks.” Maguire studied the contents of the refrigerator for a few seconds before closing the door. “Hey, man, I didn’t say anything earlier, but thanks for taking the blame for what happened in New York. My fiancée would have killed me.”

  Brady grunted. “The league looked into it and determined I wasn’t at fault, so it turned out all right.”

  “I know, but it was still a stand-up thing to do. The media were all over you, and you never cracked. I appreciate it.”

  “Is that why you passed the ball to me tonight?”

  “Yeah, and also because you were open.” Maguire looked away for a second. “Look, I’ve been acting like an ass because my best friend got traded away, and I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

  The apology stunned him. Then it warmed his heart.

  “Apology accepted.” Brady slapped him on the chest and headed back to the game room. His teammates were gathered around the TV watching the highlights on SportsCenter for the umpteenth time.

  “Hey, where’s your lady?” Tilly asked. “I’d think you’d want to be celebrating with her instead of us. I mean I would if she was my girl.”

  “Watch it,” Brady said. “We’re done.”

  “What? I heard y’all on the radio. I’ve never felt the need to throw up as much as when I was listening to you moon over each other.”

  Brady’s jaw clenched. “She lied to me, okay?”

  “And?”

  “What do you mean ‘and’? Isn’t that enough?”

  Tilly shrugged. “It can be, but not always. What did she lie about?”

  “Something pretty damned important.” Brady downed his beer, the words tasting more bitter than the alcohol.

  “So that’s it?”

  “What do you mean ‘so that’s it’? She kept something from me.”

  Tilly looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “So you’ve told her your every dirty secret, huh?”

  “No, but what she did—”

  “Listen to me, man,” Victor interrupted. “I’ve been married a long time and have learned a few things. People aren’t perfect, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth keeping in your life. Sometimes you have to trust in that. Nobody is perfect and expecting them to be will lead nowhere fast.”

  “I’m done talking about this. We can play pool or you can all get the hell out.” Brady stalked away.

  His teammates dropped the subject, but the mood in the condo was altered, and the party broke up less than an hour later.

  “I don’t know what’s going on between you and Caitlin, but I do know you became less of an ass when she showed up.” Tilly offered those parting words on his way out.

  It hit him as he locked the door and confronted the silence now permeating his condo. His teammates gave a shit about him and what was going on in his life outside the basketball court. And he cared about them. A month ago, he never would have confided in them, and they sure as hell wouldn’t have asked what was bothering him. They’d bonded. None of that would’ve happened without Caitlin.

  He was a better person for having her in his life. Could he take their advice? Put aside his own feelings of betrayal and go after the woman who’d come to mean so much to him in such a short period of time? Could he trust that what they had was indeed the truth? Did he really want to spend the rest of his life without the woman he loved because of his pride?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Caitlin took a deep breath and knocked. When the door opened, she ignored her racing heart and pasted on a smile. “Hi, Brady,” she said cheerfully. “Sorry to stop by so late, but great game tonight.” She pushed the plastic-wrapped plate into his chest until he was forced to take it and used the distraction to slip by him into his condo.

  Okay, good. She’d made it inside. She’d failed miserably earlier in the night at the game, unable to force herself to go to the locker room. He’d looked so happy after making the winning shot, she hadn’t wanted to bring his mood down. But she’d regrouped. Had given herself a pep talk. She was made of stern stuff. She hoped.

  He hadn’t slammed the door in her face. That didn’t mean he couldn’t literally pick her up and throw her out if he wanted to. She moved deeper into the condo. No need to make it easy for him.

  He shut the door and faced her. “What are you doing here?” His voice, his body language, betrayed nothing.

  “I made you some sugar cookies. Your favorite.”

  He stared at the plate like he’d forgotten he was holding it. “I see.”

  “But that’s not the main reason I’m here. We need to talk. Actually, no, I need to talk.” His expression didn’t change. Okay, so he wasn’t happy to see her. Not unexpected, but she could do this. She had to. The panic threatening to close her air passageway would not win. Not today.

  A torrent of words came pouring out of her. “I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I couldn’t. I have something to say and you’re going to listen to me.” She paced, lost in all she’d planned to say. She had to get it all out before he threw her out. She had to get through to him. “I’m so sorry for what I did.”

  “I know.”

  “It was stupid and not well thought out, but it in no way impacted how I feel about you and us.”

  “I know.”

  She reached the window that offered a view of downtown Dallas and turned back toward him. “Please forgive me. No, I’m not asking. You have to forgive me.”

  “I know.”

  “Because I love you, and I know you don’t believe me, but I do. I’m not giving you up. I won’t let you give up on me, on us.”

  “I know.”

  “What we have is too rare to give up on.”

  “Caitlin!”

  She jumped about three feet in the air. “Huh? What?”

  “I know!”

  She stopped pacing, his words, his voice finally penetrating her single-minded focus. “You know?”

  A heart-melting smile spread across the face of the man who meant the world to her. “I know.”

  “Which part?”

  “All of it.”

  “You…do?” she whispered, afraid to believe it.

  He nodded solemnly and crossed the room, his gaze focused squarely on her. “I don’t let people in easily.”

  “I know.”

  “Not the extent o
f it. My parents, yeah, they were a problem, but they weren’t the only ones. Things started to change when it became obvious I was going pro.”

  “In college?”

  “In high school. People use you. It comes with the territory. I play a team sport, but after a while you realize that people who say they care about you only care about what you can do for them. It got to the point that I pushed everyone away, including my teammates. I thought I was going to marry my last girlfriend. She knew I didn’t trust easily, and she used that knowledge to reel me in, always doing just enough to make me trust a little more. I didn’t realize what was going on until it was too late. I now realize it was all a game to her. Not real. I got traded right after all that happened. I wasn’t in a good place. Then I met you, and you challenged everything I knew. Everything I thought I knew about people. I started to trust again.”

  She looked down. “But then I let you down.”

  He lifted her chin. “I put too much pressure on you to be perfect. You were my shining beacon and that wasn’t fair to you.”

  “What I did wasn’t nice.”

  “And you feel bad about it.”

  “I do.”

  “That’s why I love you.”

  She squinted. “You love me because I feel bad about myself?”

  That heart-stopping grin spread across his face again. “I love you, but not because you feel bad about yourself.”

  “Then why?”

  “Because you have such a capacity for compassion. You’re always looking out for other people that I couldn’t believe you would do something so underhanded.”

  “Me either. That’s why I couldn’t go through with it. The thought that I could cause someone else pain in some crazy attempt to make myself feel better never sat well with me.”

  “What happened? I’m ready to listen this time, instead of accusing you of horrible things and yelling at you.”

  “At the beginning, I was so sure I was justified. I was hurt and angry when I found out who my father was and what he did. I saw an opportunity and jumped at it. I never expected you. I thought I had it all figured out. I wasn’t going to fall for an athlete. Not after what happened in college and finding out about Mack. I wasn’t going to let anyone distract me from my goal.” Her lips tugged upward. “But you did. You were kind and considerate and funny and sincere and everything I didn’t think I needed. You’re the man I fell in love with. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

  “I’m sorry I freaked out on you and walked out.”

  She placed a hand over his chest. His steady heartbeat centered her. Gave her the strength to continue. “I want you to know that I was telling the truth when I said I’d already told the guy who runs the gossip site I couldn’t do it when you found that file. Because you taught me that I have to do what is best for me. Not what I think is right for someone else. Not even for my mom. I was telling you to let go of the past when I was the one who needed to follow my own advice. I’m ready to finally put the past behind me and stop trying to make up for my mistakes. I told her she had to be nice to you because I wasn’t giving you up.”

  His smile melted her heart. “I’m glad. I knew you had it in you. You’re too tough not to speak your mind eventually.”

  “My mom wasn’t the only one who got a piece of my mind. I talked to Mack.”

  “And?”

  “He admitted he was an ass back then and he’s been trying in his own way to make up for it.”

  Brady nodded. “I’m not surprised.”

  “We’re going to try to build a relationship.”

  “You both mean a lot to me, so I’m glad.”

  “Me, too.” Caitlin’s nose twitched. “What’s that?”

  “Wait.”

  But she was already headed toward the kitchen. Inside the entrance, she halted. On the counter was the homeliest red velvet cake she’d ever seen. Or at least that’s what she assumed it was. It really was homely. And lopsided.

  Brady wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned into his embrace and stared at the most beautiful dessert she’d ever seen. “You baked me a cake.”

  “Yeah, I was putting on the finishing touches when you showed up. I planned to take it to you tonight.”

  She turned within the circle of his arms. “But I showed up ruining your plans. That’s why you weren’t jumping for joy when I showed up.”

  “I was surprised.”

  “God, what did I do to deserve you?” Tears pricked at her eyes again.

  “Hey, hey, none of that. It’s not about what you did to deserve me. It’s the other way around. You make me a better man, and the past few days have been hell without you. I was so closed off to everyone and thought that was the best way to get through life. And then you came along and refused to let me continue to live that way. You showed me the joy in life.”

  “I love you.”

  “I know.”

  She tapped him on the chest. “Stop saying that.”

  “Okay, how about this? I love you, Caitlin Monroe, with all my heart and have no plans to give you up. Ever.”

  “All right, that’s better.”

  “Oh, man. You know what this means?”

  “What?”

  “I’m dating someone associated with the team after all.”

  “It was your destiny.”

  “No, you were my destiny. Everything I’ve been through led me straight to you, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I can’t wait for the next radio show, so I can let everyone know.”

  Caitlin met him halfway for a kiss. She melted into him, pouring all her love into the embrace. He reciprocated, making her feel more loved and desired than she’d ever felt in her entire life. But it wasn’t enough. It never was. The kiss quickly turned incendiary, heat spreading through her flesh. She slipped her hands under his shirt, the need to touch him overwhelming her.

  He picked her up and deposited her on the counter. She pressed a string of kisses to the strong line of his throat. “Are we about to deflower another kitchen?”

  He made quick work of her shirt and dropped a kiss over her heart. “If I have anything to say about it, then yes.”

  She grinned. “I suggest you get to it then.”

  “With pleasure, Ms. Caitlin.”

  Epilogue

  Next June

  Brady and Caitlin stepped out of the elevator and headed to his front door.

  She stopped in front of him, practically bouncing in excitement. “Hey, Brady, guess what?”

  He grinned. “What?”

  “You’re an NBA champion.”

  “I am, aren’t I?” He hadn’t stopped smiling since the last seconds ticked away in Game 6 against the Chicago Bulls, and the reality had sunk in. For the first time ever, he could call himself a champion. And it felt about a million times better than he’d ever imagined. The only thing—person—to ever make him feel better stood in front of him.

  Adrenaline still coursed through his veins. He felt like he could go play another three games in a row and never run out of energy. It was two a.m., and he didn’t give a damn. After the trophy presentation, the team had convened at a club not far from the arena and partied with fans. The best night of his life.

  “You sure you didn’t want to stay at the club?” she asked, concern filling her eyes.

  His teammates were still there and would be until the sun came up. He regretted nothing. “Positive. I couldn’t wait to be alone with you. Come here, baby.”

  She surprised him by jumping into his arms. He caught her with a small oomph and a louder laugh. She pressed that tight, curvy body into him, her breasts pushing against his chest. The smell of peaches intoxicated him, as always. She pressed kisses all over his face. “I’m so, so happy for you. No one deserves it more. I love you, Brady.”

  “I love you, too, but I’d love you more if you did one thing for me.”

  She leaned back. “What?”

  “Kiss my mouth, not my nose and cheeks.”

  She pret
ended to ponder his request for a second. “Okay, I guess I can do that.”

  Her kiss always took him out of his mind, punched him in the gut. This time was no different. He groaned when she ended the kiss.

  “Hey, I just had a thought,” she said. “Can I get a ring, too? Championship rings are so gaudy and completely ridiculous. I must have one. As a long-suffering fan and an unofficial assistant coach, I think I deserve one.”

  He set her on her feet. “You do, do you?”

  She nodded, her excitement and desire and love for him shining brightly in the brown eyes he’d never get tired of staring into. “I do. So can I have one?”

  He unlocked the door. “I’m sure that can be arranged, but…”

  “But what?”

  He gestured for her to precede him into the condo. Caitlin stepped inside and gasped. Red rose petals covered the floor of his condo. Several candles were lit around the room, casting the room with an aromatic, romantic glow.

  “Brady, what’s going on?” A tremor had entered her voice.

  “I can get you a championship ring, but I’m hoping you’ll want to wear another ring instead.” He dropped to his knee and pulled out the box he’d been carrying with him all day from his jacket pocket. He flipped it open to reveal a sparkling diamond ring. “I knew when I woke up this morning that I would be a champion by the end of the night and that I’d be asking the most beautiful, most caring woman I’ve ever known to spend the rest of her life with me.” He’d never been surer of anything in his life. “Caitlin Monroe, I love you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and making me the luckiest man on earth?”

  She gasped and covered her face with shaking hands. “Thank God you didn’t propose to me at the arena.”

  He laughed. He’d thought about declaring his love in front of nineteen thousand of their closest friends, but he’d known she’d hate it. “No, this was too special a moment, only meant for both of us.”

  “You know me so well.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “I do, which is why I know you’re torturing me by not answering my question.”

  She tapped her chin. “You might be on to something. And also because you already know the answer. Yes, yes, of course I’ll marry you!”