Line of Scrimmage (14 page)

“Ry,” she gasped, burying her fingers in his hair. “Oh my
God,
what are you doing?”

“I’ve been reading
Cosmo,
too.”

The statement was so ridiculous that she laughed, but her laughter quickly turned to a moan that was followed soon after by
a sharp cry of ecstasy.

Chapter 14

SUSANNAH INSISTED ON DRIVING THEM BACK TO THE CITY the next day. They were quiet as they left the cabin, each wondering if
they would ever again be there together and anxious about what was waiting for them outside their idyllic cocoon. She glanced
over and found Ryan staring out the window as they made their way down the hill to Breckenridge. The plow hadn’t been back
for a second pass since the storm, so Susannah kept the Escalade to twenty miles per hour.

“I love the new car smell,” she said.

“Uh-huh.”

“What did you do with the other one?”

“Donated it to the Boys Club.”

She was impressed by his gesture. The Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver would probably get more than a hundred thousand
dollars for the car Ryan had been given as the Super Bowl MVP two years ago. “I’m sure they appreciated it.”

He shrugged. “I guess. My office handled it.”

“This one has a lot more stuff than the other one did,” she said, gesturing to the elaborate navigation and stereo systems.

“Uh-huh.”

“What’s on your mind, Ry? You’re a million miles away over there.

“A lot of things.”

“Care to share any of them?”

“I’m just thinking about the next few days and everything that’s about to happen.”

“You know, nothing says you have to do this now.”

“Actually, I do. My contract expires on Sunday. I haven’t signed the new one yet, so everyone’s on edge. I can’t drag it out
any more. That wouldn’t be fair. They need to start making their plans for next year now that this season is finally over.”

“I meant if you’re not ready to retire, there’s always next year.”

“No. I’m ready. I’ve thought a lot about it, and it feels like the right time.”

“So how’s it going to go? The next few days, I mean.”

“When we get home, I’m going to call Aaron,” he said, referring to his agent. “I owe him the courtesy of a head’s up before
I meet with the team. He’s spent a lot of time hammering out my new contract, so he’s not going to be very happy to hear my
news.”

“It’s not his life,” Susannah said hotly, reflecting her longtime dislike for “The Shark” who ran Ryan’s career.

“There’s also my endorsements to consider. I’m not sure what impact my retirement will have on them. I’ve got to call Chuck
about that,” he said, meaning one of his attorneys.

“What else has to happen?”

“After I meet with Chet and Duke this afternoon, I’d like to invite the team over to the house so I can tell as many of them
as possible in person. Do you mind?”

“No,” she said, even though she was worried about giving his friends the impression they were back together when nothing had
been decided yet.

He tuned into her hesitation. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. It’s fine. I’ll call Carol when we get home and order some food.”

Reaching for her hand, he brought it to his lips. “Thank you, baby.” He dropped their joined hands to his lap as he continued.
“Sometime tomorrow there’ll probably be a press conference to announce it to the world.

Maybe you can help me come up with the statement I’ll have to make. You’re so good at that kind of thing.”

“Um, okay, if you think it’ll help,” she said, feeling an awful lot like a wife again.

He turned in his seat so he could see her. “It’s going to be crazy for a day or two, but I want you to remember it’s not the
most important thing I’m dealing with right now.” Squeezing her hand, he added, “Patching things up with you is my top priority,
and the only reason I’m letting this other stuff in is because my contract is set to expire right around the same time our
marriage ticket comes due.”

“Ironic coincidence.”

“Yes. Ironic is the word. In five days, I’m either going to have everything or nothing.”

She glanced at him. “No pressure, though, right?”

His dimples were on full display when his face twisted into a lazy grin. “None at all.” Sweeping his thumb over the palm of
her hand, he asked, “How’s my mug looking?” He stuck out his jaw in a dramatic pose.

She rolled her eyes. “Much better.”

“So I’m not going to look hideous in all the pictures that’ll be plastered on the front pages of every newspaper in the country?”

She snorted with laughter. “There’s that legendary Sanderson ego on full display.”

“What ego? It’s an honest question.” He flipped down the visor and opened the mirror to study his reflection.

“Looking
good,
my man.”

“Puleeze. Listen to yourself.
Looking good, my man.
”

“I love giving you the opportunity to burst my bubble,” he said with a chuckle.

“You do it often enough.”

“I need to keep you sharp.”

“Keeping
you
humble was my greatest challenge as your wife.”

“
Is
your greatest challenge.”

“Was.”

“Is.”

“Was.”

“Is.”

“Shut up.”

“Shut me up.”

“I’m driving.”

“So?” He slid his hand up her thigh.

When he reached his destination, she inhaled sharply and grabbed his hand.

Not to be deterred, he kissed her neck, whispering in her ear, “Is.”

“Shut up.”

He laughed and sat back in his seat but kept a firm hold on her hand.

They weren’t home twenty minutes and already Susannah yearned for the peace of the cabin. Ryan was in the den engaged in a
heated telephone conversation with The Shark, who was apparently none too pleased by his client’s news.

Susannah went to the doorway to listen.

Ryan held the phone away from his ear as Aaron yelled at him.

She made a face of distaste and signaled for Ryan to cut off his irate agent.

Ryan smiled at her before he barked into the phone. “That’s enough, Aaron. I’m sorry you’re so upset, but this is my life
and my decision. Now, I’ve given you the courtesy of advance notice. Don’t you dare breathe a word of this before the press
conference tomorrow. Am I clear?” He paused to listen. “Fine. I’ll talk to you then.” Slamming the phone down, he looked up
at Susannah. “He’s thoroughly pissed.”

“So I gathered. You were very firm with him, though. Authoritative.”

He wiggled his eyebrows at her, the tension of the last few minutes forgotten as he got up from the desk and went over to
her. “And does that turn my little debutante on?”

She reached up to fix the collar of his shirt. “Maybe.”

“It
does,
” he said with a delighted grin. Gathering her in his arms, he brushed a light kiss over her lips.

“I’ll have to remember that. She likes authoritative.

Maybe I should try it on her. Hmm, let’s see if it works:

kiss me.”

“No.”

“Oh, she’s feisty. I like that.” The phone rang, but he didn’t let her go. “I said to kiss me.”

“And I say answer the phone.”

“Not until you kiss me.”

“Fine.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, pulled free of his embrace, and darted from the room, squealing when he chased
her.

He caught her in the kitchen and maneuvered her against the center island. “I
said
to kiss me.”

The phone rang again.

“And I said
no.

”

His smile was sexy and lascivious. “I can see I’ll have to try a different tack.” With his erection pushed snug against her,
he said, “Will you please, please kiss me?”

Her arms encircled his neck. “Just for the record, one ‘please’ would’ve done the trick.” She brought him down for a soulful
kiss that quickly blazed out of control. Somehow she ended up flat on her back on the counter with half of him pinning her
down. Her hands had slipped inside his jeans and clutched his ass.

She gasped when he squeezed her breast under her sweater. Through her lacy bra, he grazed a fingernail over her nipple as
his tongue explored every corner of her mouth.

“What the
hell
is going on here?” Henry roared from the doorway.

As he continued to kiss her like nothing had happened, Susannah swore Ryan flexed his ass to keep her hands from escaping.

“Get off of her, you brute.” Henry pushed Ryan. “And get your hand out of her shirt.”

She tugged her hands free as her face burned with embarrassment.

Ryan finally lifted his head and locked eyes with Susannah for one long moment. “Don’t you knock?” he asked Henry without
breaking the intense eye contact with her.

“I don’t have to. I have a key. Now get off of her.

Right now.”

“Henry, please,” Susannah said, still breathless from passion and the shock of being caught. “Wait for me in the den. I’ll
be right there.”

“I’m not leaving you here with him. I’ve had just about enough, Susannah. To come in here and find you doing . . . well, doing
that,
with
him
. . . What am I supposed to make of this?”

“Maybe you should make like a tree and leave,” Ryan said, slowly lifting himself off Susannah and helping her up. “This is
our home, and you have no business just walking in here.”

“My fiancée invited me to come and go as I please,”

Henry retorted, reaching for Susannah’s hand. “You’re the one who doesn’t belong here.”

“You think so, huh?” Ryan asked with steel in his brown eyes.

Susannah ignored Henry’s outstretched hand as she ran her fingers through her hair and tried to calm her racing heart. Being
caught in a passionate embrace with her ex-husband—on the kitchen counter in broad daylight, no less—was
not
how she’d planned to tell Henry that their engagement was off.

With his hands on her hips and a pleading look in his eyes, Ryan helped her down from the counter. He brushed a finger over
her swollen lips.

She found it hard to look away from him until Henry grabbed her hand and pulled her from the room.

“Hey!” Ryan called. “Don’t you dare drag her like that. Susie, if you’re not up to talking to him right now, just say the
word, and I’ll show him the door.”

“You’ll show me the door,” Henry snorted. “Listen to the big man.”

Ryan moved so fast Henry had no time to react before the big man was staring him down. “You’re just begging me to kick your
ass.”

Henry swallowed hard but didn’t look away from Ryan. “You’re such a cliché, Sanderson.”

Ryan’s eyes went from steely to furious.

“That’s enough,” Susannah said with a hand on Ryan’s chest. “Just give us a few minutes. Please?”

Ryan kept his eyes fixed firmly on Henry, but he took a step back. “Don’t be rough with her, or I’ll be rough with you. You
got me?”

Susannah hustled Henry from the room before he could throw more gas on Ryan’s fire.

The moment they were alone in the den, Henry enveloped her in a tight embrace. “Are you all right, honey? Did he hurt you?”

She pushed him away. “Hurt me? What the heck are you talking about?”

“He was attacking you. Right there in the kitchen. I saw it with my own eyes. That’s the only possible explanation for what
I just witnessed.”

“Oh, for God’s sakes, Henry. Maybe you didn’t notice I was wrapped around him. I was hardly being attacked.

I was being ravished.”

Henry blanched. “Are you telling me you were
letting
him molest you?”

“He was
not
molesting me! If anything, I was molesting
him!
”

“You disappoint me, Susannah.”

She ran a weary hand through her mussed hair. “Yes, I know. I would think you’d be used to it by now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We need to talk, Henry,” she said with a deep sigh.

He shook his head. “Not while you’re cohabitating with him. I won’t ‘talk’ to you when he’s waiting in the next room, probably
listening to every word we’re saying.”

“But—”

“On Sunday, we’ve got the ball. On Monday, we’re going to court to get you a divorce, and in twenty-five days, we’re getting
married.”

“Um, about the divorce—”

“Five days. Then you’ll
finally
be divorced.”

“There were clauses, in the agreement—”

“I don’t care about clauses. I don’t care about anything but you and our wedding. Unless you want to talk about that, I don’t
have anything else to say to you until he’s gone.”

“I was kissing him back.”

“You’re weak where he’s concerned. Do you think I don’t know that after all these years of watching you put up with his crap?”

Stung, Susannah took a step back from him. “I want you to leave.” He was too proud to let her call off their engagement when
Ryan was in the next room. She got that. But she also now knew for sure that whatever feelings she’d thought she had for this
man were gone. Love had just turned to contempt.

“Honey, don’t be offended,” he said in a softer tone as he ran his hands up and down her arms. “You know you have a blind
spot a mile wide for him. How else could you have stayed with him for as long as you did?”

“Yes, Henry, you’re right.” She tugged her arms free. “I’m weak and spineless. It’s a good thing I had you to remind me of
that every chance you got when I was married to him.”