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CHAPTER ONE

Julie Spencer could think of a dozen things she would rather be doing than watching the Super Bowl Even scrubbing the kitchen floor on her hands and knees was starting to sound pretty good But since her work as an ie consultant rarely ended at 5 p next to an i a drink she didn't want, feigning interest in a game she didn't like

If only she didn't have to watch him play

Ty Calhoun was one of the world's greatest quarterbacks He was also one of the world's biggest jerks

Even on TV, Ty was too beautiful, too sexy His chocolate brown eyes sht wave at the end of his ht black hair enticed a woh it to see if it was as soft as it looked

Thank God the gaht oodbyes

Her client, who had been narrating the gaet her attention "An entire season is hanging on this play The quarterback has to throw if he wants to win"

Julie nodded politely and focused on the huge plasma TV All at once the field was a blur of movement She could barely make out one player from the next

"The defense is all over his receivers!" Her client was up off the couch, unable to contain his exciteh, it's all over for the Outlaws!"

After what Ty had done to her, he didn't deserve her concern Still, a foolish part of her wanted him to do the impossible, to make the touchdown and be the hero

"Oh oal line!"

This guy should just relax Though Ty sucked at relationships, he was brilliant on the football field He'd pull this play off

Then an enorht side His knees buckled, but still, he moved forward A hundred thousand fans in the stadiu theirout of their seats, screa at the TV

Julie fought the urge to cover her eyes as Ty started to fall to the ground Part of her--a highly irrational piece of her heart--couldn't stand to watch him fail just short of victory

"He couldn't possibly " whispered her client "Oh Lord--he is!"

Still holding the ball, Ty thrust it forith every oal line just as he hit the ground

Ty Calhoun, the inity and her heart to ten years ago, had just won the Super Bowl

Ty's tea, then lifted him onto their shoulders in celebration

Mo fans, hot babes whipping off their bras and throwing them onto the field All his life, Ty had wanted to be a star, a hero Noith his first Super Boin, he was And no one could ever take it away from him

Sone at him, and as he wiped it out of his eyes with the back of his hand, a flash of blond hair and lush curves in the stands seized his attention

His heart pounded hard, nearly as fast as it had when he was reaching for the goal line Was he seeing things? After all these years, had she decided to forgive him?

The woman pushed her hair back from her face and his heart sank It wasn't Julie Of course it wasn't Ty silently cursed hi a pathetic idiot

After all this ti about her About the one incredible night they'd spent together in high school

Those twelve hours were the only time they'd ever spoken, ever kissed, ever touched Yet she was still inside his head, and it drove him crazy All of the supermodels and Playboy Bunnies that had slid in and out of his sheets should have replaced her And soh, he convinced himself that they had

But today was different

Someone poured a fresh bottle of bubbly over his head and he played his part, laughing and high-fiving his coach He winked at the ca screen in the stadiu women wild Was Julie at a Super Bowl party soa touchdown? Had she been impressed?

Enough! This was the best day of his life, and he was going to forget about Julie, soak it up, and let the world worship him

A reporter shoved a microphone into his face just as security held back a disheveledand looked like he hadn't bathed in a week or changed his clothes in far longer

The months of rehab Ty had forced his father into over the years hadn't a What always came in moments like these

"I'ht hi he knows"

No, Ty thought, I figured out how to be a goddamned football hero in spite of you

Fuck the past He had his friends, endless gorgeous women, and more money than he could spend He had just won the Super Bowl, and he was going to celebrate

Whether he felt like it or not

Five nored it, but whoever was on the other end was relentless, calling back every thirty seconds He reached out, opened one eye, and looked at the caller ID screen

Outlaw ement What the hell?

During the off-season, no one interrupted an Outlaw before noon Certainly not before 8 a the seats, not soreat TV, which er, Sean, should be kissing Ty's ass right now, not pissing him off

Ty flicked open his phone with one finger "Ever tried waking a bear during hibernation?"

"We need you to come into the office, Ty"

Ty considered hanging up, but there was no need to be rude "I'll look forward to seeing you in teeks, Sean At training camp Goodbye"

A thick southern accent caet your ass in here, boy, and quick"

Who the hell was that? No one had ever talked to him like that No one dared

"And you are?" he asked coldly

"Bobby Wilson, your nener You want to keep your job, you'll be in my office in fifty-six minutes"

Ty hung up and i touchdown at the Super Bowl, for fuck's sake! No team owner on earth would talk to his star that way Not if he kneas good for him

Jay told hiuy Find out what he's up to"

Fortunately Ty was still feeling good froas, and by the ti roootten up so early His Seacliff estate had a birds-eye view of blue sky over the Pacific Ocean, the nor nowhere to be seen He looked out the floor to ceiling s to the Farallon Islands and watched surfers ride the waves while kids played on the beach below

A couple of guys were sitting in his fa away on the Xbox, while another was out cold across one of the suede couches

Ty grabbed a bottle of OJ fro?"

AJ ible, then jammed his thumb into a red button several times in rapid succession

Ty liked to see his friends having a good ti his friends back to the trailer due to his drunk-ass dad, so he'd spent s and weekends at their houses Theirone more mouth to feed, but he'd often felt like a leech, like he was trying to insinuate himself into everyone else's perfect family