Free Slamdunked By Love (One on One #2) by Jamie Wesley

in that cool voice of hers.
    “Nice to meet you,” Christian returned politely.
    “You, too.” Her phone rang. “Excuse me. I have to take this.” She put the phone to her ear and strode away. Christian turned to Caitlin, his eyebrows raised. She shrugged.
    The door to the locker room swung open. Dale clapped his hands. “Everyone, can you join us inside? The players are decent.”
    Caitlin wasn’t sure she wanted to go into the inner sanctum of the locker room. She sure as hell didn’t belong there. But left with no choice, she filed in with the other family members, friends, and team employees.
    Along with the players, the room was filled with reporters and a few cameramen from the local news channels. In the middle of the carpeted floor, a circular Stampede logo dominated. She zeroed in on her pretend boyfriend, who was indeed dressed. The thought of Brady Hudson with only a towel wrapped around his waist to protect his modesty threatened to warp all her brain cells. Good thing she hadn’t walked in on that. She would’ve slipped in a puddle of drool. Not that the blue sweater he wore helped her predicament much. The wool contoured to his broad shoulders, wide chest, and biceps. The man was built.
    His brow lifted in query. She smoothed her features the best she could. Lord only knew what he’d read on her face. Good old-fashioned lust, probably.
    The other friends and family went to stand next to their loved ones, so she did the same. Christian, as was his way, hung back, to take in the scene. “Hey, Brady,” she said. “Good game.”
    His lips lifted in a brief smile. “Thanks. Winning was the only option tonight.”
    “Yeah, I gathered that based on the way you played like a man possessed.” She moved in closer and whispered, “Do you know what’s going on?”
    His large hand landed at the small of her back, sending a flash of heat radiating up her back. He leaned down, his breath caressing her ear, the sound of his deep voice sliding through her like melted chocolate. “Hey back. Not a clue.”
    They turned their attention to the middle of the room where Dale stood on the logo. Obviously used to being the center of attention, he practically preened. “As you all know, there is nothing I value more than family. I loved my wife with all my heart before she passed away. My daughter is an important part of the Stampede family, as are all of our employees from the ball boys to the general manager. That includes the players. A couple of weeks ago, we acquired the best point guard in the league. And because he quickly realized there is no woman quite like a Dallas woman, he scooped up Caitlin, who I’ve chatted with a few times. I’m a great judge of character and know Brady chose well.”
    All those eyes that had been trained on Dale were now centered directly on Caitlin and Brady. His hand tensed against her back. Where was Dale going with this? The sinking feeling in her stomach told her she wouldn’t be thrilled when he was done with his speech.
    Dale clasped his hands together, an entirely-too-pleased-with-himself gleam entering his eyes. “So what better way to welcome Brady and Caitlin to the Stampede family than by including them in the annual team cookbook? As you all know, it’s my pet project. My restaurants and food were my passion before I bought the Stampede, and I love sharing that passion with our fans. Where’s Nick? Nick is the team’s official photographer,” he said to Caitlin. “Oh, there he is.” He called out the man’s name and waved him over. The photographer carried an intimidating, professional-looking camera in his hand. “Now kiss Caitlin like you mean it, Brady. We need a shot for the cookbook. Nick’s the best in the business. He can do better than some camera phone photo.”
    The urge to bolt slammed into her with the force of a tornado. Not that she could since she was finding the process of breathing to be almost beyond her abilities at the moment. Forget