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She seemed distracted this morning, and he was hoping he knew the reason why. All night long he'd been falling in and out of triple X dreams of the two of them. Him on her, her on him. Doggy-style. Up against the wall. Sixty-nine.
In his dreams, he'd had her in every possible way. Was it too much to hope that she wasn't any more immune to him than he was to her?
He got off the bench and picked up an eighty-pound barbell to work on his triceps. How pathetic would he be if he got an erection at the gym? He had to stop acting like a teenage boy dreaming about getting his first piece of ass.
Dominic DiMarco, one of the veteran Outlaws, walked into the gym, and Ty watched him speak to Julie. When Julie laughed, jealousy drop-kicked Ty.
Dominic was one of the few guys on the team who went home alone after a game, who didn't burn it out with groupies hanging on to him. A girl like Julie was probably just what Dominic was looking for, the perfect gorgeous, smart woman to settle down with.
Whereas Ty was fucking around and wasting his time.
His triceps burned as he pumped the weight harder in jealousy and frustration.
Dominic dropped his gym bag on the floor between them and picked up some weights. "Julie's with you?"
Fuck. They were already on a first-name basis.
"I'm living with her," Ty said, then felt like an idiot for trying to lay claim to her before his friend could. He'd never acted like such a pussy before.
Dominic laughed. "Sean told me your new image consultant had you on a short leash." He did a curl, then winced in pain. "Good time to be a dog, I'd say." Then he asked, "You like being with her?"
Ty grunted as he did his last rep. "Sure," he said in an offhand way. Time to change the subject. "Your shoulder still giving you trouble?"
Dominic dropped to a lower weight. "A little," he admitted. "Julie said you knew each other in high school. Pretty girl."
Ty could think of a hundred better words to describe her than pretty.
"Thinking of settling down?" Dominic asked.
Ty forced a laugh. "No way. Not with all the action I get." It sounded empty, even to himself.
"I know you're not asking for my advice," Dominic said, putting down his weights and pinning Ty with a glance in the mirror. "Hell, you probably don't even need it. Forget I said anything."
Ty sat down on the incline bench, figuring it wouldn't hurt to let Dominic say his piece.
"I'm listening."
"I made some bad decisions way back." Dominic shook his head.
Ty nodded, wondering where Dominic was heading with this. He'd never been much for other people's opinions, but Dominic had the years, the experience behind him to back up whatever he was going to say.
"If you're lucky enough to meet someone special, don't let her go. You've got money and fame already. But you won't have her."
CHAPTHER FOURTEEN
Later that afternoon, during the ninety-minute drive from San Francisco to Napa, Julie couldn't dismiss the feeling that something had changed. For some reason, Ty was going out of his way to be nice. Attentive. Even sweet.
She knew he desired her. And the clearer he made that, the less immune she was to it.
Already, she was worrying about making it home fully dressed. And if she could barely keep her panties on during a ninety-minute car ride, how could she possibly last the next eleven days? With every passing hour, Ty was making it clearer and clearer that he wanted to be with her, sleep with her, give her pleasure.
If only she could trust him not to turn around and break her heart again.
Fortunately, Ty misinterpreted her quietness.
"Are you afraid I'm going to act up at the party? Get all the woman to rip off their clothes and jump naked into the fountain?"
She took in the sharp planes of his cheeks, his strong nose, full mouth. Those dark brown eyes that knocked her right in the gut.
Surprisingly, what she saw in them reassured her. For some reason that she didn't understand, he was going to try to behave.
"Would it hurt your feelings if I said no?"
He kept his gaze on hers. "Don't worry. I'll make up for it later."
Instinctively she smiled. "I have no doubt that you will."
At last they pulled up in front of the vineyard estate. Ty held out his hand to help her out of the car, his heat enveloping her. As the limo pulled away, they stood together on the golden pavers, her hand still in his.
"Have I told you how beautiful you are?"
"Thank you."
"I'm not just talking about tonight."
No. He couldn't say something like that to her when her resistance was so low. She couldn't afford to let his admiration sink in.
"You clean up pretty good yourself. I like the suit."
"I'll tell them to blame you."
She cocked her head to one side. "Why?"
"They're paying for flash and trash. I usually put on my diamond-studded grill for events like this."
She frowned. "You do not." Then, when he didn't say anything, "Do you?"
He laughed. "You're too easy."
Their host suddenly appeared beside the Tuscan-inspired fountain at the top of the steps.
"There he is, the man of the hour. Ty Calhoun. And of course, a beautiful woman on his arm."
As Gordon Montague made his approach down the steps, Julie tried to pull away from Ty. She wasn't his date, she was his employee. She'd stay just close enough to keep an eye on him.
But he refused to let her go. Instead, he put his hand on the small of her back. Exactly where his hand always seemed to be.
"Gordon Montague at your service." Their host lifted her hand to his lips in a gesture that should have seemed gallant, but came across as creepy instead.
Julie fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Thank you for allowing me to accompany Ty to your party."
Gordon turned to the devastating man beside her. "Even a superstar like you pales in comparison to your companion's ravishing beauty."
"Hey, Monty," Ty said, pulling Gordon's tight grasp off her hand under the pretense of shaking it. "How goes it? What's on the agenda for tonight?"
He was doing it again. Always coming to her rescue.
"We're fund-raising for leukemia tonight." He turned to Julie. "My wife's sister's friend was touched by the disease."
Feigned concern did not suit Gordon in the least.
Ty grinned. "I'm always up for a dog and pony show for a good cause. Who would you like me to meet first?"
Ty was so irreverent, not the least bit bowled over by Gordon's money, his connections, his power. She'd grown up in this world, yet she'd never learned how not to take it seriously. She could learn something from him.
Gordon led them inside, and as the evening progressed from cocktails and appetizers to a seven-course sit-down dinner paired with expensive wines, it became abundantly clear that no one knew quite what to make of her. Was she Ty's girlfriend? His business associate? A groupie?
Julie didn't want to make Ty look bad by saying, "I was hired to watch over him," but she didn't want people to think she was the latest in a long string of one-night-stands, either. She settled for pleasant, but distant when answering curious questions. She enjoyed herself, but not too much. She stood near Ty at all times, but not too close.
Out of the blue, a lovely woman who seemed out of place in a light blue linen dress and shawl pulled Ty aside.
"I'm Gordon's sister, Gina the black sheep of the family. You must be the prized pig."
Ty didn't take offense, just shook her hand and said it was nice to meet her.
"I'm afraid I can't stand too close to you for too long, though. When a man is as good-looking as you, it's dangerous to give anyone the chance to make comparisons." Gina gestured in Julie's direction. "Although I do have to say that the two of you look good together."
Ty turned to Julie. "I told you so." Then to Gina, he added, "She refuses to believe me."
Julie bared her teeth at him, hopin
g it looked at least a little bit like a smile. "That's because I've never heard so many people use the word 'pretty' to describe a man before."
Gina grinned. "Mark my words, this is the girl for you. She's not blinded by all of your shimmer and shine."
Julie felt completely transparent. She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that Ty started to get to her; all she knew was that he had, and was doing it still.
And she couldn't let him. No matter what.
"Excuse me, I need to find the ladies' room."
She dashed through the lavish ballroom, searching for a place to hide out for a few minutes, to try to regain her equilibrium. She ran into the kitchen, where she saw a set of stairs, a narrow, dark flight that she hoped led up to maids' quarters.
