Lyric and Lingerie (Fort Worth Wranglers 1)

When he was done, Shelby nodded and continued to smile. “Sounds like your life in football is just beginning.”

“It wasn’t a turn I was expecting, but I welcome the challenge.” And he did. He was excited at the idea of coaching.

“There’s just one more thing I think our viewers would like to know …” She waggled her eyebrows. “Is there anyone special in your life?”

He cocked his head to the left and gave her a coy smile. “I’m as single as I ever was. It would take a very special girl to put up with me.”

“I think there are many who would like to give it a try.” Shelby couldn’t be more suggestive if she straddled him right there on the sofa. She turned back to the camera. “From quarterback to coach … we can’t wait to see what happens.”

She smiled brightly.

Someone yelled, “Cut!”

That certainly was fast. The fastest interview he’d ever done.

Shelby stood and went to him. “So what exactly is up with you and the astrophysicist?”

“Just family friends.” He unhooked his mic and pulled off the battery pack. “Good family friends.”

It wasn’t what Shelby was looking for, and it wasn’t even what he wanted to say. He was so proud of Lyric that he wanted to tell the world she was his woman. But there was no way in hell he was going to drop that bomb in the middle of ESPN SportsCenter. If he did, every paper in the country would be vying for a picture, and there was no way he was going to let their wedding turn into a three-ring circus until the wedding night. Then, Lyric was welcome to act like the circus animal of her choice—though he was particularly fond of tigers.

No, he wasn’t giving Shelby the scoop. The world would find out about their wedding on Entertainment Tonight two days after the ceremony like God intended. Heath’s publicist had already scheduled the interview.

“I’m staying at the Holiday Inn Express, if you’d like to be friends with me later.” Shelby touched his arm.

“Sorry, but I’ve got to get back to Fort Worth.” He stepped back and shook off her arm.

“Can I see you for a moment, please?” Harmony ground out the last word.

“Dr. Wright has a twin?” The man behind the camera almost had a heart attack. Both Heath and Harmony ignored him as she hooked her arm through Heath’s and pulled him into the kitchen and then through the door to the garage.

Heath waited until they were away from prying reporters before saying, “What’s your problem?”

“I don’t have a problem. But she does.”

For the first time, he noticed Lyric leaning against Cherry Cherry’s hood. “Why didn’t you tell them that we’re together? I was right there and you didn’t even mention me, even when she asked. Is it because you’re ashamed of me?”

She looked like he’d sucker punched her in the gut. It made him sick.

“Ashamed of you? Lyric, I’m so damn proud of you I can barely stand it. I wanted to tell everybody that you were my fiancée. And that I adore you.” His hands shook with the need to touch her.

“It sure didn’t sound like that. And it didn’t look like it when you were letting that girl put her hands all over you, either.” Lyric was more than hurt, she was angry.

So she had been

aware of what was going on in the room. And she’d been jealous? The thrill of pure joy shot through him. If Lyric had been distracted enough by the production assistant that she’d noticed it even when e-mailing with Stephen Hawking, she must care about him a lot. It had to be. Because usually she couldn’t be distracted from her work by a five-alarm fire followed by a nuclear bomb.

He put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. “Oh, darlin’, don’t be upset. I didn’t want to complain about the handsy production assistant because then I’d come out looking like the asshole. And as for not telling them about you … I just want to keep things quiet. The last thing we need is for the wedding to turn into a circus. I know you wouldn’t like that. Hell, I wouldn’t like that.”

“Wedding? What wedding?” She looked at him like he was crazy. “The engagement is fake. We are not getting married.” She said every word very succinctly.

“But we’re engaged—”

“Damn it, Heath, can you be serious for three seconds here? We are not engaged. We are not getting married. We’re barely dating—“

That was a knife to the soul.

“Barely dating?” He’d been bringing his A game, and she called it barely dating? “I’ll have you know we are definitely dating. In fact, we are in a relationship. And if you don’t like that, then that’s too damn bad.”