Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 6

sneak was genius. Don't let them get to you."
    Brad's brow cleared a little. He and Cam didn't "talk shop" often, and it meant a lot to him to hear Cam's unexpected and flattering words. He smiled at Cam, whose blue eyes were open with admiration. "Thanks." He took a deep breath. "Okay, let's go."
    They pushed open the locker room doors together and were immediately hit with a blast of sound.
    "Brad! Brad! Any comments on the Katja Danzig scandal?"
    "Have you seen the tapes? Did you know about them?"
    "Did you ever make a sex tape with Katja?"
    "What does this mean for you two?"
    "Is she carrying your baby?"
    His lips pressed into a thin line, Brad uttered a terse "no comment" as he and Cam fought their way through the milling reporters and blinding camera flashes. As they made their way out of the stadium, Cam threw a protective arm around Brad's shoulder and stuck his arm out in a move reminiscent of a stiff arm block. The crowd of people and flurry of questions followed them until Brad paused at the door to his Range Rover and turned around. The media hounds hushed and leaned forward to catch his words.
    "I have no further comment other than to say that Katja Danzig and I are no longer together, and our relationship was headed in this direction for quite some time prior to the events that have recently come to light. Thank you."
    Of course, they had a hundred more questions.
    Ignoring them, Brad turned to his car and unlocked the door. He looked at Cam, who squeezed his shoulder reassuringly and had a troubled look on his face. Mustering up a smile, Brad said, "If you're still up for it, why don't you follow me into the city?"
    It took Cam a moment to connect the question to their earlier conversation, but he finally returned the smile. "Sounds good."
    Nodding, Brad climbed into his car and shut the door. He watched as Cam turned around and faced their unwanted audience. He raised his eyebrows when Cam lifted his hands and began to speak.
    "Listen, you all know that none of this is Brad's fault, and even with the tough time y'all have given him, he just threw for the game of the season. Maybe y'all can report on the football that got played today. If you're going to write about something, write about that."
    There was a pause, and Brad could only guess at the look Cam gave his audience. The reporters had the grace to look a bit chagrined and began filtering off. Shaking his head, Cam made his way to the brown Bronco on the other side of the parking lot, a few tenacious members of the press trailing behind him. Brad's eyes were wide as he watched Cam climb into the cab of his truck. For the typically mild-mannered Cam Hunter, that little speech had been akin to a hotel room-trashing temper tantrum.
    Brad fought back a smile as he turned the key in the ignition. He was used to fending for himself, and, well, all things considered, it felt pretty damn good now to have someone he could count on in his corner.
    ****
    Grabbing two bottles from his refrigerator, Brad shut the door and rounded the center island to head back into the living area. The lights were off in the living room, and the soft recessed lighting from the galley kitchen reflected gently off the satin-finished dark wood floors. Brad joined Cam at the south-facing floor-to-ceiling windows. The other man had shucked his coat and now stood with his hands behind his back in a burgundy Henley shirt and dark jeans, taking in the city panorama and glowing lights below. There was no street noise to mar the perfection of the view visible from fifty-two floors above. Neither said anything for a moment until Cam broke the silence.
    "This is truly amazing," Cam proclaimed with a low whistle, his eyes bright with undisguised appreciation as he glanced over at Brad. Even though he knew he hadn't done anything to create that excitement, Brad still felt a rush of pride at seeing Cam's reaction. He found himself wanting to see more of that expression on Cam's face in the future. For now, though, Brad couldn't help teasing him a bit.
    "First time in the big city, farm boy?" Brad asked with a nudge of his elbow.
    Cam pretended to scowl at him, but couldn't hold it when his face slid back into its usual good-natured expression. "Nah, I'm just blown away to think that you see this every day…" He trailed off with another admiring look out the windows.
    "We even carry refreshments," Brad quipped, extending one of the bottles in his hand in Cam's direction.
    "Thanks," Cam