Page 4 of Body Heat

“And in the meantime? You’re going to keep Rowan safe until you can figure out who’s doing this, right?” Carl asked.

“Absolutely,” Devon confirmed. “That’s where Sera comes in.”

Carl’s gaze shifted to me. “What’s your big plan?”

“Easy.” I flashed him a grin, enjoying the fact that my answer was going to drive him up a wall. “I move in with Rowan.”

“You what?” Carl sputtered.

I let myself enjoy his reaction for about thirty seconds before I got serious. “The girlfriend cover story works so well because it allows me access to all parts of his life. I can be at his side during public appearances, at his games, and in his home at night without anyone thinking twice.”

“That’s what you think,” Carl muttered with a frown.

Worried what his response meant, I turned to Rowan. “And there isn’t anyone in your life who will take issue to me staying in your house?”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Just my mom, and it’d be more a case of her wondering why she didn’t meet you sooner.”

“I’d highly recommend letting her in on the story,” Carl suggested.

Rowan nodded. “It’d make my life a hell of a lot easier.”

“If looping her in will help with my cover story, then you can tell your mom what’s going on. Brecken mentioned that he already ruled her and Carl out as possible suspects,” I agreed.

Carl’s head jerked back at my answer. “You looked into me?”

“And my mom?”

“Of course we did,” Devon confirmed. “It would’ve been irresponsible of us to assume that it wasn’t one of the people you’re closest to. For all we knew”—he jerked his thumb in Carl’s direction—“this was something your agent cooked up to get you to change your mind about retiring.”

“Huh.” Carl tapped his chin with his pen. “I guess I’m not nearly as devious as my reputation might lead people to believe since I didn’t come up with that plan on my own.”

Okay, maybe the agent wasn’t as bad as I’d originally thought.

Chapter 4

Rowan

My reaction to Sera’s declaration that she was moving in with me was the opposite of what it should have been. I'd never lived with a woman before. Not even close. The small amount of dating I’d done since getting drafted never reached the relationship stage. My focus had been on my career and my mom.

I should've felt the need to protest the idea of having Sera in my home, but instead, I felt the same rush as I got when I threw for a game-winning touchdown. The adrenaline coursing through my veins made me feel like I could conquer the world. Even the end of my career and what’d led me to make the decision to get out of football after this season. And a stalker.

“Don’t believe him, not even for a second,” I warned with a chuckle. “He can be calculating enough to come up with a devious plot like that, but he’s also a loyal motherfucker, so it’d never be aimed my way.”

Carl clapped me on the shoulder. “I might not always agree with your decisions, but I’ll still have your back. No matter what.”

I nodded in agreement. “The same is true for my mom. There isn’t a chance in hell she’d ever do anything to put me at risk. If anything, my stalker should watch their back because she’ll want to go apeshit on them once they’re caught.”

“She sounds like my kind of woman.” Sera grinned. “Go ahead and give her the sitrep. It’ll probably help maintain my cover as your girlfriend, too.”

“Thanks. It’s a relief to know I won’t have to lie to her since it wouldn’t work anyway. My mom has always been able to see through me.” A stray thought popped into my head, and there was no way in hell I could wait for an answer. Not when just the possibility of what I was thinking had my hands clenching into fists. “What about you? Is there a man in your life who’s going to be pissed when he finds out you’re living with me?”

“Nope. No worries there.” Sera shook her head, and a lock of her dark hair slipped free from her ponytail and came to rest just above one of her tits. “I’ll only be missed by my plants.”

Devon cocked his head to the side. “Do cacti actually count as plants?”

“I don’t think so,” Whit answered.

“They do if they’re in my condo, and that’s what I want to call them,” Sera huffed.

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