Hard and Fast

He ran his hand down her back, noting the worry in her face. “Your readership is growing. I’m sure that’s not the case. He probably wants the story so much, he’s not seeing beyond that objective. It happens. Besides, if someone is juicing—which I don’t think is the case—it needs to be dealt with behind closed doors. Kids need heroes. What example does it set when they find out their hero is doing drugs?”

Amanda stared at him, her eyes lingering on his face, softness in her eyes.

“What?” he asked.

“I like you, Brad.”

He laughed. “You like me? Good thing considering you get freaky with me.”

“Oh, I don’t have to like you to be in lust with you, but I do like you. You’re a nice guy. Arrogant as hell, but still a good guy.”

Brad kissed her. “Well, I like you, too, Amanda Wright. And I still want your body.”

“You can prove it after you feed me. Hey, how was your second acupuncture appointment?”

Brad flexed his hand. “Good. I can’t believe how much it’s helped. That sister of yours has already won me over.”

Amanda sipped her wine. “She usually does. My ex was a sports medicine doctor, too. He became obsessed with outshining Kelli but he never could.”

Her ex had come up once before but the subject had been quickly changed. “That must have been tough on you.”

She shrugged. “I guess it was. I feel like such a different person now. It’s like the woman who married him and lived that life wasn’t me. Hard to believe I was with him. Now there was a man with a God complex.”

“God complex? Explain.”

“According to Kelli, all doctors, pilots and athletes have massive egos and think the world revolves around them.”

He snorted. “Correct me if I’m wrong. She fits that list.”

“She says she doesn’t count.”

“Of course not. Funny how that works in her favor.” He studied her a moment. “You think I have a God complex?”

“No, but I don’t know if I’d recognize it. I didn’t with my ex.”

“Not really liking that comparison.”

She grinned. “Sorry. Casey fits the God complex. Tony certainly does. Kurt…I haven’t talked to him enough to decide.”

“Not Kurt. He’s completely untouched by the spotlight. I respect the guy a lot.”

“And Tony?” she asked. “You seem to be pals.”

“Tony’s entertaining. He has to come back to earth before I decide if I truly respect him. He’s good and he knows it.”

“He’s cocky and arrogant.”

“Exactly. But sometimes you have to be. The pressure is intense. The talk around you messes with your head. Sometimes you have to pump yourself up so they can’t bring you down. And other times they’re building you so big you can’t even see reality.”

“Sounds like experience talking,” she said.

“You and I both know I took a public beating over that bar fight. I had to find my zone to overcome it. That meant believing I was better than everyone else. And it worked until I got hurt.”

“What happened that night?”

Oddly enough, Brad didn’t feel the need to dodge the question. He shrugged. “I was stupid. This U.T. pitcher started talking trash and I had a couple beers in me. The combination wasn’t good.”

“I don’t get it, Brad. You were at the top of your game. What could the guy have said that set you off so bad?”

Brad ground his teeth. He hadn’t told anyone what had really gone down between him and that guy. Figured it didn’t matter. The end result was the same, no matter what.

“I knew him,” Brad said, not sure why he was telling Amanda what he’d told no one else. “His older brother had played ball for my father.”

“Oh, no.” Amanda’s words came out a low whisper. “Tell me he didn’t trash-talk your dad.”

Brad’s chest tightened. The way Amanda knew things before he even said them amazed him.

“Yeah,” he said, after several seconds of silence. Talking about this was helping in a way he hadn’t known needed to be helped. “It was the anniversary of his death. I was feeling kinda edgy. My mom had been on the phone to me earlier that day and I heard how bad she was hurting. The timing, the alcohol…I let it get to me.”

“And then he sued because you punched him.”

“Right.”

“You never told anyone this part of the story, did you?”

“That wouldn’t have done anything but spread it all over the papers and upset my mom. And for what? In the end, I punched the guy. I was stupid and it bit me in the ass.”

“I can’t believe you kept this quiet.”

“Becker reminds me of that damn kid. So much so that sometimes I want to punch him, too.”

She surprised him by laughing. “I never would have guessed.”

“That obvious, huh?”

“Just a little.”

She was beautiful like this—natural, perfect. Brad tugged her close and pressed her hand to his crotch. “I want you.”