Right Brother by Patricia McLinn

Author:Patricia McLinn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2006-11-13T05:00:00+00:00

Trent tipped his head back along with everyone else to watch the next trail streaking into the sky, then bursting into a shimmering, multicolored ball.

It’s got to be strange with training camp coming up.

He resettled in the lawn chair between Zeke and Jennifer.

Why had Quince’s words hit like a blow to the gut? Sure, he’d known intellectually—that’s what retiring meant. But until now, a couple weeks before he would normally pack for training camp, it hadn’t seemed real. He’d mostly been following his off-season routine, even working out with the team at the spring minicamps. But from now on, his life diverged from what he’d known since…

Another explosion blossomed into sparkled confetti.

…Good Lord, since grade school.

Football season had been the structure and rhythm of his years, as certain a part of his calendar as national holidays. And now it was gone.

He dropped his head.

This time he saw the explosion only by reflection in the pond.

Movement among the crowd at the far side of the pond caught his eye. Across a sea of heads looking skyward, he saw a figure amid a group of youngsters that he recognized as Ashley. She tossed her hair and looked up in rapt attention. Not at fireworks. She was looking at a boy. In the flashes of light, he couldn’t identify him. Then the group moved, and a clump of broad lilac bushes blocked his view.

Trent looked toward Jennifer. She seemed absorbed by the fireworks.

Another burst, and he saw the fireworks by reflection again. This time in her eyes.

He had never seen fireworks so glorious.

He couldn’t look away. Her profile disappeared into darkness between explosions, then reappeared, glowing and sparkling. Not only from reflection, but with its own light.

She sucked in a breath in delight, leaving a gap between her skin and the strap of her sundress, an opening right where her shoulder and her breast met. A gap where his hand could slide under the fabric, fitting perfectly, to feel the soft flesh.

Jennifer turned to him, smiling. “Wasn’t that amazing?”

Amazing? Oh, yeah, amazing. Though, he doubted she meant what he meant.

“Trent? Is something wrong?”

Only then did he realize the explosions had stopped. At least the explosions in the sky. How long had he been staring at her?

“Nothing wrong. Just wowed by those fireworks.”

Her gaze met his. He extended his hand toward her face. But just short of touching her cheek, he saw the worry surge across her eyes.

Damn.

He redirected his hand, brushing across the skin where the side of her throat turned toward her shoulder. “Mosquito,” he muttered.

One of the bloodsuckers might have been there, but he wouldn’t have noticed. It was pure excuse. And, as long as he’d invented it, he might as well make the most of it.

Grasping the collar of her feathery sweater, which had slid down her arm, he tugged it back into place, letting his fingers brush her skin again as he did.

“Can’t have those mosquitoes eating up a pretty woman,” he said.

He’d meant it to sound light. To put her at ease.

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