Excerpt of Protecting the Quarterback by Kristina Knight

“I’m assigned to the Kentuckians, not to one player.” Brooks
sat up straighter in her chair. Hard gaze or not, these two
were not going to derail her assignment. With the veritable
all-access pass she had with the team, she could create real
buzz. Maybe land a spot at the network sports desk or maybe
even in the booth during games. “I can’t report on the other
players if I’m all the way in—” she looked from man to man.
“Hyde Park,” Jonas said, reluctantly. The neighborhood was a
ten-minute drive from the training camp facility. Not so far
away she couldn’t report on what was going on, but something
was off about this request.
“And several team staffers will be on hand, talking to the
boys about nutrition and proper training as well as the
sport fundamentals,” Earl added. “Think of it as a team
training camp, but with an emphasis on kids, not
professional athletes.”
With the right angle, this could be something the network
would be interested in. There were several initiatives the
league was involved in to get kids more active, and this
camp sounded like a way to bridge league and team programs.
But it could just as easily be covered by the local
affiliate. They didn’t need her, and she did need an
interview with Jonas. “Why me?”
Earl studied her for a long moment, which was odd because
Jonas seemed to be making a point of not looking at her. Not
even a sideways glance. His chocolate-brown eyes were
focused on the corner wall seam as if something magical
might appear at any moment. Weird. He’d had no problem
giving her a hard time in the locker room yesterday. He
might not like her reporter side, but he liked other parts
of her. After yesterday’s locker room incident, Brooks knew
where she stood on the personal like-o-meter of Jonas Nash.
The thought sent a shiver of excitement up her spine.
She wouldn’t do anything with the knowledge; she’d stopped
dating jocks in high school. But it was still nice to be
noticed by a man like Jonas.
“The interview.”
Brooks’s breath caught in her throat. “I get the interview
when you get the coverage for the charity camp.”
“It’s not a charity, these kids deserve better than
pot-holed streets disguised as basketball courts or football
fields.” Finally, Jonas joined the conversation, although he
still wasn’t looking directly at her. Instead, those deep,
deep eyes were fixed on something just above Brooks’s head.
“Again, not my assignment. I’m the beat reporter assigned to
report on your team, not your charity work.”
Jonas clenched his jaw. “You can report on the charity work
or you can deal with a locker room full of men who won’t
give you the time of day through early February,” he said.
“Assuming we’re playing for the championship.”
“You can’t shut me out.”
“Oh, you can walk that fine ass into the lockers any time.
Finding someone who will talk to you, that’s a whole other
subject.”