Shauna felt pulled into those green eyes so filled with innocence, and yet sparkling with a sad type of knowing. Her heart tugged in her chest, and she came to a decision. ?I know, Cat. We all do. Dylan especially.?

Hodges? eyes widened again, though not so much from shock as from a suspicion finally confirmed. ?You mean???

?Yeah. I mean.?

?I?think I knew that already.?

?I?m sure you did,? Keeps responded, utterly serious. She leaned forward again, pinning Hodge with her frank stare. ?And I?m also sure you know that that kind of knowledge is a lot more power than most people deserve.?

The threat wasn?t subtle. Hodge could heft its weight, feel its texture, scent its danger. But she could also sense the implied trust that came with it. Shauna Keeps wasn?t the type of person who had accidents. And this was no accident.

?I won?t say a word to anyone,? she said softly. ?I promise.?

The tension broke as Keeps grinned and slumped back in her chair. ?You?re alright, Cat Hodges.?

Hodge could have wept with relief. Instead, she returned Shauna?s grin with one of her own. ?Thanks. You?re not so bad yourself, Keepaway.? As Keeps laughed, Hodge caught something in the other woman?s eye, and an impulse started her tongue before her mind could still it. ?You and Dylan were lovers, weren?t you.? She froze, horrified. ?Oh god. I can?t believe I just said that.?

It was Shauna?s turn to stare. She blinked once, then twice, but the question still hung in the air between them. Her quick mind came up with all sorts of evasions, but in the end, she decided to settle for the truth. ?Yes, we were. For a little over a year.?

Hodge nodded, her face still stark with embarrassment.

?It?s alright, Cat. No harm, no foul. I mean, it was a good thing, while it lasted. And we?re still best friends. But?loving D is like trying to hold the sun in your hands. It?s gonna take a special person to be able to do it right. And if there?s any person on this earth who deserves it to be done right, it?s her.?

?I?think I knew that, too.?

Dylan sat in her small office, long fingers clicking on the mouse at her right hand, scrolling through the profiles of available guards. It had been three days since she had sent Catherine Hodges to see Shauna, and as each moment passed without hearing from the young woman, Dylan became more certain that whatever was said between them had scared her off for good.

Taking her eyes from the monitor, she glared at the innocuous beige phone at her left hand, willing it to ring. Its continued silence mocked her, and she resisted the almost overwhelming urge to toss it against the wall just to hear it shatter.

Another mouse click and another bright face staring out at her in full Technicolor glory. She?d been through the list countless times this day alone and was still no closer to a decision than she had been three days ago.

She narrowed her eyes at the phone again, growling low in her throat. As if awaiting that particular threat, the phone suddenly came to life. She let it ring twice, then lifted the receiver, forcing a casualness of voice she didn?t feel. ?Badgers. Lambert.?

?Hi, Coach.?

The sound of Hodge?s voice brought a tentative smile to Dylan?s lips. ?Catherine.?

?I?I wanted to thank you for arranging for me to meet with Ms. Keeps. She explained a lot of things and really made me think.?

?I?m glad I could help.?

Hodge?s warm smile was evident in her voice. ?You did. And I wanted to let you know that if the offer?s still open, I would be honored to play for the Badgers.?

Dylan?s smile broke full upon her face, like the sun out from behind heavy clouds. Her fist pumped once, catching the attention of Mac, who was passing by the office. He stopped, turned, and stared.

?Hodge?? he mouthed.

Dylan nodded.

?Yes?? he mouthed again.

Dylan nodded again.

?Alright!? This, he didn?t mouth.

?Excuse me?? Hodge asked, hearing but not recognizing the commotion.

Scowling at Mac, Dylan returned her attention to the phone. ?The offer is most definitely still open,? she said, grinning for all she was worth. The expression felt strange on her face, but she decided that perhaps she liked it.

?Cool!?

?Yes, it is that. So, I?ll see you at the Crosstown Athletic Club next Saturday, then.?

?You definitely will!? Hodge could feel a joyous scream building in her throat. ?And Coach??

?Yes??

?Thanks.?

Dylan chuckled. ?You?re welcome, Catherine.?

Hearing the hum of an empty line, Dylan shook her head and racked the phone. She then turned off her computer, grabbed her jacket, and stood. ?Mac!?

?Yes??

?Shut it down, my friend. Drinks are on me.?

Mac?s joyful laughter could be heard throughout the building.

?Hello and welcome to Draft Day on ESPN. I?m your host, Mark Rogers, here with co-host Rebecca Thompson, former standout forward with the San Antonio Sting. Rebecca, it?s a crowded house here at the Crosstown Athletic Club, and the joint, as they say, is jumping.?

?It sure is, Mark. There?s a lot of excitement here tonight. And the biggest buzz is, as always, who will go number one.?

?That and the fact that Dylan Lambert, out of the public eye for pretty much the past few months, will be here to choose that number one player for the Birmingham Badgers.?

?That?s true, Mark. I saw her walk in just a few minutes ago, and she was absolutely mobbed.?

?No surprise there. So, tell me, who do you think she?s going to pick??

?The only thing I?m sure of, Mark, is that it?s going to be a guard. Most likely a point guard. She?s managed to build up a pretty solid team in the off-season, but the big weak spot in their lineup remains the point guard position.?

?Well, there?s a lot of talent to choose from in this year?s draft, Rebecca. Who do you think is the strongest contender, based on what you?ve heard so far??

?I?d have to say Keisha Brown is the strongest contender out there tonight, Mark. Despite the rumors of a dust up at pre-draft camp, she?s got the best skills of any of them. Plus, she?s got the height and the mental toughness that it will take to change a mediocre team like the Badgers into a winner.?

?Is there anybody else on the radar screen, or is Brown pretty much a slam dunk??

?I?ve heard some mumblings about Mela and Kela Jackson. Both of them are very strong point guards who?d be an asset to any team. They?re both more laid back than Brown, but that can be a curse as well as a blessing. Then there?s Nissa Tomlinson, but I?d have to say that her off-court troubles have put her at the back of the pack.?

?I?ve been hearing some talk about the little guard from the Huskies, Catherine Hodges. Any serious consideration being given to her??

?I?d have to say she?s pretty much of a dark horse, Mark. She?s shown some good leadership skills down the stretch for UCONN, but her height is a real disadvantage, and I think Dylan will go with a stronger player.?

?Doesn?t look like a long shot is in the cards today, huh??

?Doesn?t look that way, Mark.?

Dylan snorted as she palmed the remote and shut the television off. After pushing through the crowd to reach the confines of the so-called ?green room?, the silence was a blessing. Sighing, she rested her head back against the comfortable couch and rubbed at her temples to forestall another headache. She enjoyed the silence for a few moments before the door swung inward, admitting a tall, middle-aged, and attractive woman. Ryan Milton, coach of the perennial powerhouse Tampa Bay Tropics, was a face well known to fans of women?s basketball, college and pro alike. She was a joy to watch, coaching as she lived, with a frenetic intensity that earned her the nickname ?Tampa Tornado?.

Crossing the room in long, easy strides, Ryan slumped down onto the couch beside Dylan and let out a loud sigh. ?Place is a zoo,? she remarked in her trademark low, raspy voice.

?And we?re the trained gorillas,? Dylan replied without opening her eyes.

?Speak for yourself,? Ryan retorted, chuckling. ?I?m the Bengal Tiger.?

One eye, bearing a murderously teasing glint, was slowly revealed from beneath a once closed lid. ?So, if I want you to perform, all I have to do is flick my whip at you, hmm? I?ll keep that in mind.?

Dylan closed her eyes again, deliberately missing the slow, rosy flush that moved up from the ?V? in Ryan?s blouse until it met the roots of her auburn hair.

Silence reigned once again.

After she was sure that her blush had gone away and any tremor in her voice would be fully concealed, Ryan turned to Dylan. ?I?ve been authorized to offer you Michelle Madison and both of our second round picks in exchange for your number one.?

Opening her eyes, Dylan slowly turned her head, capturing and holding Ryan?s gaze effortlessly.

Ryan swallowed hard. ?C?mon, Dylan. You know Michelle is one of the better point guards out there. She?s a proven team leader, a great passer, and a good scorer.?

Dylan held her silence, perversely enjoying the other woman?s discomfiture.

?I know who you?ve got your eye on, Dylan, and I can assure you, she?ll still be around in the second round. No one else is going after her. And this way, you get a veteran who can teach her the ropes, and two high picks that you don?t have now.?

?You really want that center badly, don?t you,? Dylan said finally.

Ryan nodded. ?Yes, I do. Badly enough to go to my boss and practically beg him to let me do this deal.?

Dylan was silent for a long moment, then stood. ?I?m sorry, but you wasted your time, Ryan. No deal.?