Love Irresistibly (FBI/US Attorney #4)(61)

“Blue Cross Blue Shield?” Zach called out.

“Yep.” In the zone now, Cade mentally readied himself and called the play. He faked the snap and dropped back.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zach take off at top speed, and everything else faded away. He could still perfectly envision the wall of purple Wildcats jerseys in front of him, could hear the roar of the crowd that day in Pasadena. Mere seconds left on the clock, but this moment was his, the adrenaline pumping through his veins as his wide receiver headed for the end zone. In his peripheral vision he saw the linebacker charging around the line, gunning for the sack, but screw him—victory was so close he could taste it and nothing was going to get in his way. He pulled back and threw hard, stepping back to watch as the football sailed through the air in a perfect spiral.

About seven yards short.

Readjusting quickly, Zach cut forward and dove for the ball. He caught it midair in his fingertips and landed in a sprawl on the field.

He held the ball up victoriously. “First down!”

Cade broke into a wide grin and headed over. If this had been a real game, he would’ve just thrown an embarrassing interception and probably been booed off the field. But he’d take the moment nevertheless.

When he reached Zach, he held out his left hand and helped him off the grass. “Now that was some fast footwork.” He slapped him across the shoulders.

Zach grinned, boyishly proud. “Thanks.” He pointed to Cade’s right shoulder. “We’re done?”

Cade nodded, wincing at the sharp twinge in his shoulder. “Oh, yeah. We’re done.”

Twenty-two

THIS TIME, BROOKE was ready to go when Cade showed up at her apartment. With her schedule, she didn’t get a date night often, so she’d spent a few extra minutes—okay, maybe a lot of extra minutes—on her hair and makeup and had slipped on a cute pair of jeans with her heels.

Cade eyes traveled over her when she answered the door, coming to rest on her shoes. “Are those the ones from Monday night?”

“They are.”

He stepped inside her apartment and kicked the door shut.

Well, then.

“I have good memories of those shoes.” With a warm gleam in his eye, he reached up and cupped the nape of her neck, leaning in to kiss her.

Hmm. She might have to wear these shoes all the time around Cade, if they put him in this good of a moo—

He jerked back, cursing under his breath.

Brooke blinked in surprise, still feeling the warm press of his lips on hers. “Um . . . what just happened?”

He winced, rotating his arm gingerly. “I reached around to grab your ass.”

“And . . . it electrocuted you?”

He chucked her under the chin. “No, sassy. My shoulder’s a little sore after playing football today.”

That was news to her. “I didn’t know you still played football.”

“I don’t. I was helping out someone else and got caught up in the moment.”

Someone who? Brooke nearly asked, then decided against it. If Cade didn’t want to let her in on this mysterious thing going on with him, she wasn’t going to pry it out of him. “Did you take anything for the pain?”

He brushed this off. “I iced it earlier. I don’t need anything for the pain.”

Men. “We can stay in and take it easy tonight, Cade. It’s no big deal.”

“I’m fine.” He raised an eyebrow, as if daring her to contradict that.

“Okay,” she said, with a shrug. If that was how he wanted to play this, she’d go along with it.

For now.

* * *

BROOKE HAD TO admit, Cade put on a really good tough-guy act.

If this had been a first date, she probably wouldn’t have noticed that anything was wrong. Not surprisingly, he was nearly pitch-perfect in covering up the fact that something was bothering him. He was charming as ever, he asked about her workweek, made her laugh, and told several interesting anecdotes about life as an assistant U.S. attorney. But by now she knew him well enough to pick up on the little signs, like the way he’d reached with his left hand to open the restaurant door for her. Or how his jaw had tensed slightly when he’d needed to use his right hand to cut his steak.

Going along with the charade, she said nothing through dinner, nor through their dessert of flourless chocolate cake, nor during the cab ride back to her building. Instead, she waited until they got inside her apartment.

“I have something for you,” she said with a deliberately mischievous air.

He raised an eyebrow. “I like the sound of that.”

She led him into the kitchen.

“More champagne?” he joked.

She shook her head. “Better.”

She took out a glass and filled it with water. His expression was one of confusion at first, then he made a face when she reached into a second cabinet and pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen.

“That’s my surprise?” He looked like a boy who’d been given socks for Christmas.

Brooke dumped two caplets into her hand and held them out. “Humor me.”

After a big show of scoffing and grunts of disapproval, Cade popped the pills into his mouth and took a drink of water.

“Do you miss playing?” she asked.

She figured he’d most likely fluff her off with his answer, the same way he’d nonchalantly handled her friends’ questions at the Cubs/Sox game. But it was something she’d been wondering about ever since watching the Rose Bowl video, and she just wanted . . . to ask.