All Summer Long (Fool's Gold #9)

He straightened, then stroked her face. “We have good chemistry and you’re...” He hesitated, wanting to say it right.

“Highly sexed?” she asked in a low voice. “Am I normal? Should I want you all the time?”

“Hell, yes.”

She gave a strangled laugh. “I’m being serious.”

“So am I. You’re young and healthy. Enjoying sex is natural. From my perspective, you’re smart, funny and you have a killer body. Should I be sad that you want to make love with me on a regular basis?”

“When you put it like that,” she said, glancing toward the house, then back at him. “Do you think it’s because I went without for so long?”

“Maybe, but you should have calmed down by now if it were just that. You have an active sex drive.” He looped his arm around her shoulders and sighed. “I’m taking my vitamins. We should be okay. You know CPR, right?”

“I could so sock you in the stomach.”

“You could. Or you could punish me later.”

Her blue eyes brightened with the idea. “I like that. A little torture. You all naked and having to stay perfectly still while I lick you into submission.”

Suddenly he wasn’t laughing. The image stopped him in midstride and he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to take a breath anytime soon.

Charlie raised her eyebrows. “Wow. The power of suggestion.”

“You’re irresistible.”

She turned to face him. “You are, too.”

He dropped his hand to hers and squeezed her fingers, then led her inside. They still had the game to get through, but later he would remind her of her promised “torture.” It was exactly how he wanted to end his day.

* * *

AN HOUR LATER they were ready for the kickoff. The L.A. Stallions were favored to win against the Bears. Clay sat on the floor, in front of Charlie. He leaned against the sofa, her long legs next to him, her bare feet pressing against his hips. Clay glanced around the room and realized, except for Dominique, the whole family was going two-by-two.

The teams lined up, prepared to start the game. The Stallions had elected to receive. The players got into position and the ball was kicked into the air. It went up and up, then came down, close to the sideline. Too close. Players surged forward and the L.A. Stallion cheerleading squad scattered to get out of the way.

One of the young women didn’t move fast enough and she was mowed down by a Stallion player. Instead of following the action, the camera stayed on the cheerleader, who lay on the ground, her leg at an awkward angle, her eyes closed.

“That had to hurt,” Charlie said. “I hope she’s okay.”

No one else spoke. The camera moved in closer and the cheerleader’s face filled the screen. Rafe swore, Shane jumped to his feet and May clutched her throat. Clay stared, unable to believe what he was seeing.

“What is it?” Dominique asked. “Is this part of the game?”

“No,” May said, her voice a whisper. “No, it’s not.”

“Do you know that woman lying there?”

“She’s my daughter.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

EVERYONE WAS TALKING at once. For Dominique, the press of bodies, the frantic conversation reminded her of the few minutes backstage before a performance. She was oddly comforted by the frenetic energy, but knew enough to keep that thought to herself. Instead she hovered by May, wanting to help but not sure how.

She spotted Charlie talking to Clay. Clay shook his head and walked to May. Dominique hurried toward her daughter.

“This is all very upsetting,” she said. “For the family,” she added. “I didn’t know her.”

“Me, either,” Charlie admitted, watching Clay speak with his mother who waited on hold on the phone. She turned back to Dominique and lowered her voice. “Evie, Evangeline, is the youngest by several years. She’s not exactly close to her mom.”

Dominique swung around to stare at May. “Now that you mention it, I don’t remember her mentioning a daughter. But that’s not possible. May is the perfect mother.” She frowned.

Charlie surprised her by putting her arm around her. “Not with Evie. I don’t know very much except she moved out when she was still a teenager and hasn’t been back. I know Clay and Shane have kept in touch with her, but even they didn’t know she was a cheerleader.”

Dominique took that in. If someone as good and understanding as May could make mistakes, there was hope for everyone else.

May seemed to collapse a little. Glen held her close while Rafe took the phone from her and pressed it to his ear.

From what Dominique had seen, Evie had been put on a stretcher and carried off the field. She hadn’t opened her eyes or even moved. The hit had been a hard one. Anything could have happened.

“Los Angeles isn’t that far,” Dominique said. “Someone could get a flight out of Sacramento and be there in a couple of hours.”

“I’m sure that’s what will happen,” Charlie said.

May excused herself and left the kitchen. Dominique hesitated a second, then followed. She followed May into the guest room on the main floor.