Chris!" A deep, rich voice bellowed across the football field. Both Chris and Mike turned toward the bleachers and waved. "Ah hell," Chris swore under his breath. "I win." Mike grinned. "Not yet you haven't. The game isn't until Saturday. He'll find some excuse to leave." They walked over to the bleachers where Clinton Brown waited. "Your arm looks good, Son, but if your pass protection doesn't hold up, you need to get out of the pocket quick. You never could run to your right very well." "Thanks, Dad." "Good to see you again, Mike." Clinton shook his hand. "It's a good thing Chris has you to carry the offense." It took a lot to piss Mike off, but Chris' father had a gift for it. "Chris is a great quarterback without me. You'd know that if you were here more often." "Why are you here now, Dad? The game isn't till Saturday." Clinton ignored Mike. "I have some business in town tomorrow so I thought I'd drive up early, catch some of your practice, and stick around for the game." "Great," Chris groaned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mike mouthing the words 'I win.' "Go take a shower and we'll go out for dinner. Would you like to come along, Mike?" "No, thank you. I have a paper to write." Chris knew that was a lie, but he didn't blame Mike for bailing out. Chris would too if he had a chance. He looked over toward the track and saw an angel coming to his rescue. "I got plans tonight." "Cancel them." -- Even from a distance, Robyn could guess who Chris was talking to. He had the same build, the same confident stance, the same expressive eyes. But the older man didn't smile, and his eyes didn't play like Chris' did, oh and he was bald. "Robyn," Chris called her over. "I want you to meet my pops, Clinton Brown. Pops, this is my girlfriend, Robyn Fenty." His girlfriend? Robyn gave his father a strong, confident handshake ignoring the 'girlfriend' part for now. "It's so nice to meet you, sir." She took Chris' hand and laced her fingers with his, standing beside him straight and proud. His father could try to intimidate her, but he wouldn't succeed. She gave Clinton her sweetest smile—maybe a little too sweet. "Girlfriend...." Clinton smiled politely, and raised an eyebrow at Chris. "That's right." Chris squeezed Robyn's hand. "Interesting." When his harsh eyes swept over her, Robyn shuddered, knowing how she must look—sweaty, dirty, legs bruised and battered, hair in wild knots. She thought about apologizing for her appearance, but something told her not to. "I planned to take my son out for dinner tonight." Clinton made no effort to include her. "I'm sure you understand." Robyn knew disapproval when she saw it. She kept that sweet smile pasted to her lips. "Of course, you need to spend some time with him." She didn't mean to say it so pointedly, but maybe he got the message. "If you'll excuse me." Clinton dismissed her with a nod and turned his back. "Chris." "Be right there." Chris watched his father walk away, then turned and pulled her close. "You look beautiful." He was trying to soften his father's harsh assessment, and she loved him for it. "Sweet talker." "I'm so sorry about this. I had no idea he was gonna show up tonight." "It's okay. You need to spend some time with him." "If you say so," he grumbled. "Thank you for understanding." She kissed him. "I do ... expect you to make this up to me." His brown eyes promised all sorts of naughty compensation. "Oh you know it." "Come to my game tomorrow afternoon and afterward we'll do something fun." "I'll be there." "Chris!" His father bellowed from across the field. "Gotta go." He kissed her and took off after his father. Mike stepped up and put his hand on her rigid shoulder. "Better relax, girl, or you're gonna blow a gasket." Robyn slowly let out her breath, watching Chris' father lecture him. "Wow. I didn't know Chris could be so... obedient." "Yeah, his dad has that effect on people." "Are you afraid of him, too?" "Hell nah," his jaw clenched. "That guy pisses me off to no end." His cheek twitched and she caught a glimpse of a darker Mike she hadn't known existed. She wondered if he was afraid of anyone. "You didn't get invited to dinner?" "Oh, I was invited, if you want to call it that, but I made up an excuse." "You made up an excuse? The nicest guy on the planet... lied?" Maybe he wasn't as harmless as he looked. "Shh... our little secret." The mild-mannered Mike winked at her, all signs of that buried anger gone. She laughed. "Why didn't you go along and help Chris out?" "I tried that once. It was not pretty. After that, Chris told me it was okay if I suddenly had something else to do." "Lucky you." She packed up her duffle bag and headed toward the gym. Mike fell in step beside her. "You got that right." "How long have you and Chris known each other?" "Forever. Since grade school." "Has his father always been...?" "An asshole? Hell yeah." "And has Chris... always followed his father's orders?" "Pretty much. For years, I've been telling him he needs to stand up to his father, but he won't listen to me. Maybe he needs to hear it from someone else." "Maybe." "I don't have any plans for the evening, and I'm not in the mood to study. Wanna go to Felini's and get something to eat? I'd like to get to know you better." Robyn giggled. "That sounded like a come-on, didn't it?" "No, you sounded completely sincere, but if Chris said it...." He laughed. "Yeah, Chris has a way with words." "Among other things." A tiny smile touched her lips and her cheeks turned hot. "Let me get changed, and I'll meet you back here." She trotted off to the locker room. Mike nodded. "Sounds good." When they were both showered and dressed, Mike drove them over to the bar. The bouncy waitress smiled when she saw Mike. "Hey, sweetie. Where's Chris?" "He had other plans." "Too bad," she pouted, and took their order. "Tell him I said hi." "Sure thing, baby," Mikes gaze wandered over her figure. Robyn shook her head. Chris and Mike must have been separated at birth. They talked about the game until the waitress served their food. "So tell me...." Robyn rearranged her pizza, taking a couple of pepperoni off before taking a bite. "Why do women find Chris so appealing?" "You should know that better than I do." "Yeah, but I don't get it completely." "Chris loves women, and he's not ashamed of it. They know he's only interested in sex, but women like men who understand that they're sexual creatures too." Robyn blushed when she realized Mike was right. Chris stirred her sexual nature, and she couldn't resist that. "Yeah, I like it." "But Chris isn't relationship material, so every girl thinks she's gonna be the one to change him." "I don't want to change him," she insisted. Or do I? She'd told Chris she wanted to change how he felt about love, but would that change him? "I like him just the way he is." "That's one reason you're still around." "Really? Tell me more." Mike laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "You have something he wants." "Which is?" "A slow easy smile touched his lips. "When Chris figures that out, you'll be the first to know." She rolled her eyes. "You don't know, either." "I have a pretty good idea. His parents' divorce really hurt him, and his father's many marriages and affairs gave Chris a twisted view of relationships." "Tell me something I don't know. He mentioned a girl in high school." "What about her?" "I don't know. That's all he said. I thought you might know more." "I do, but obviously he's not ready to tell you." "She hurt him." Robyn searched for confirmation in Mikes eyes, but he gave away nothing, so she tossed the bait out again. "She still hurts him. Does he want her back?" "No." He didn't volunteer any more information, so she let it drop. "Theres gotta be something you can tell me." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Chris doesn't know how to deal with pain. He can handle physical pain. I've seen him get hit by linebackers all day long, and he always comes back for more. But he can't handle emotional pain—or emotions—at all. He'll run away every time." "Running away doesn't solve problems." "You and I know that, but Chris grew up watching his father do the same damn thing." "Why doesn't Chris talk to his father? They might be able to help each other." "Chris doesn't talk to his father—or anyone—about anything. Sometimes I can get him to open up, but not until he wants to." "But you must know something." "I know plenty, and I know that Chris wants me to keep his secrets." She scowled at him. Mike chuckled. "I see why Chris calls you stubborn, but I think it's your inner strength that draws him to you." She didn't know she had any inner strength. Sometimes she struggled to make it through the day—arguing with her mother, grieving for her father, studying for exams, writing papers, and now fighting with Mel and dating Chris on top of all that. It took all her willpower to get out of bed in the morning, but she didn't know any other way. "Stubborn, huh?" "Drives him crazy, but he loves it." Mike laughed. "I love watching him fight his feelings for you. It's very entertaining." Chris had feelings.... Chris had feelings... for her? This from the man who'd just told her that Chris didn't know how to deal with his feelings. That explained a lot, but it made her head spin, so she deliberately set that new information aside. Mike finished off his Pizza and eyed her half-full plate. "Are you gonna eat that?" She pushed her plate over to him. "Can't let good pizza go to waste." "I see why you and Chris get along so well. You both indulge your guilty pleasures without a second thought." "Men don't have guilty pleasures. If we like something—or someone—we enjoy it. Guilt is wasted energy." "Where did you learn that?" He shrugged. "That's just the way it is." "I wish it was that simple." Mike made sure no pizza escaped him. "Why do you find Chris so appealing?" She bit her lower lip. "He's just so sexy." "So I've heard." "He's funny, charming, a little bit bad...." More than a little bit. Her cheeks flushed hot as she struggled to meet Mike's eyes. "You probably know all that." His easy smile lit up his eyes. "I've heard it all before." He focused on her, as if trying to look deep inside to see what she was holding back. "Somehow I don't think that's enough for you." "You're right. It isn't." She didn't know how to explain it. "You know what I think?" "I'd like to." "Chris has something you want." "And that is?" "Freedom. He does what he wants, when he wants, and he doesn't give a damn what anyone else thinks about it." "Except when his father is around." He chuckled. "Except when his father is around. Other than that, Chris enjoys life without guilt. I think you envy that." Then he shrugged. "But I could be completely wrong. Just ignore me." "No, you're more right than you know." Life without guilt. That's what Robyn craved. Chris didn't feel guilty about anything, especially when he should, according to her mother's rules. And yes, Robyn did want that freedom. Could Chris show her how to achieve it? "So how do I get Chris to give me what I want?" Mike laughed and his light brown eyes sparkled, just as Chris' did whenever he thought something naughty. "You know what I mean," she grumbled. "Sorry, couldn't help it. That's for you to figure out. I can't help you there." "Can't or won't?" "You're very perceptive. If I told you how to figure out Chris, you'd get bored with him." "I don't think that'll ever happen." "Yeah, that's one thing I've never heard girls complain about. Chris is never dull." She wanted to get more information about Chris, but Mike wouldn't cooperate, so she changed the subject. "Tell me something I don't know about you." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. "What do you want to know?" "How did you meet Chris?" She cringed. Even though she'd asked about Mike, she couldn't stay away from Chris. He relaxed and leaned across the table. "Third grade recess. Chris and another kid were picking football teams. I was the new kid in school, kinda shy—" "You were shy?" "Yeah, can you believe that? Scrawny too—looked like a stiff breeze would knock me over—so he picked me last. We fell behind by a touchdown, and I told Chris to give me the ball. He looked at me like I was crazy, but I plowed through the defense and scored. We've been pretty much inseparable ever since." "You're still scrawny..I knew it would involve football." "Football is our life. Always has been." "Are you guys interested in anything else?" "Girls." He winked. She rolled her eyes and Mike laughed. "We do have other interests." She had to ask, because he certainly wouldn't volunteer information. "Such as?" "After Chris got hurt, he suddenly got interested in helping other people. I'd never seen that in him before." "And you? What's your major?" "Secondary education with a minor in psychology." "What will you do with that?" "Guidance counselor or maybe a coach. I haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up." Odd. "But Chris has. I expected the opposite." "Chris isn't as superficial as he appears." "I've noticed that." And that, too, was very appealing. Mike looked over his shoulder, and then leaned close, speaking in a low voice. "He needs to know he's good enough." "Good enough? Does he think his reputation scares me?" "No. Never mind. I've said too much." He sat back, a closed book again. She raised an eyebrow, puzzling over the secrets these two men shared. She couldn't resist a good mystery. Oh, and speaking of appealing.... "Have you ever noticed that he hums when he's happy?" "Noticed? It drives me up the freaking wall. He's been doing it constantly since he met you." "It's so cute. He even sings a few words." "Badly." "They don't make any sense at all, but that's why it's so cute." "Are you kidding me?" Mike slapped his hand over his eyes. Robyn knew she was babbling like a giddy teenager with her first crush, but she couldn't help it. Happy to have someone share her interest in Chris instead of judging her, she would enjoy it as long as Mike listened.
