Somehow, Julie and Tim ended up on the same flight out of Midland back to New York. After saying goodbye to their families in Dillon, Tyra dropped them at the airport on her way back to Austin.

After checking in for their flight and sending off their luggage, they trudged through security then walked hand in hand through the airport to their gate. With forty-five minutes until their flight started to board, Julie decided to head off in search of a magazine or book to occupy her time, seeing as how Tim had already slumped over in a chair and fallen asleep.

Locating the nearest kiosk, Julie browsed through the selection in front of her. TIME, Newsweek, InStyle, Sports Illustrated, and…Cosmopolitan. Confused by the image on the cover, she picked up a copy and began to examine it. Blake Lively, she recalled, was supposed to be the September cover girl, not Taylor Swift. Shifting the magazine in her hands so that she could read the spine, here eyes widened with what was written before her: October Edition.

Grabbing the Sports Illustrated that was nestled on the rack next to her greatest fear, she rushed over to the counter to pay. Sighing loudly at the fact that it took the woman working the register longer to ring her up than it took Gracie Belle to tie her shoes, she practically ran back to the gate after throwing a twenty at the woman.

"Tim, you have to wake up," she said loudly, shaking him not so gently. Julie knew what a sound sleeper he was and this, she decided, was an emergency.

"What the," Tim asked, sitting up with a jump and taking in his surroundings.

Julie held up the magazine.

"Taylor Swift, she's hot," Tim said groggily before closing his eyes again.

"No, Tim, no you are not allowed to go back to sleep," Julie demanded, continuing to shake his shoulder to keep him from dozing off again.

Sensing the urgency in her voice, he reluctantly returned to a fully sitting position and focused all of his attention on her. "Do you know what this is?"

"Yes," he said, "a magazine."

Julie turned it so that he could see the date on the side. "Oh, it's the magazine," he said, catching onto the importance of the situation. "But, it's September. I thought it wasn't coming out until October."

"They come out a few weeks early," Julie explained.

"Well, have you looked at it?" asked Tim.

Julie shook her head back and forth. "I'm too nervous," she said, biting her lip.

"Hand it over," Tim said, extending his hand. Julie placed the magazine in his palm.

"Wait," he paused, "how do you not know which picture is in there? You do work there, you know."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know, but my editor has the final say so there is no telling which one she chose," she explained.

Tim was already turning to the table of contents as she explained. "Page 112," she heard him mutter to himself before he began flipping the pages.

He began to slowly nod up and down as he examined the pages in front of him, his lips pursed in concentration. "Well?" Julie asked with wide eyes.

"Take a look for yourself," he said, handing her back the magazine.

A sigh of relief flew from her mouth when she took in the images before her. On the left side was a full page of Tim, sitting on the bleachers with a football in his hands; an empty stadium had been inserted into the background. The right side contained the interview questions that she had asked, plus a tiny picture of them post-kiss in the top right hand corner. The caption below it read, 'Sorry ladies, this Texan is taken.'

"Thank God," Julie said before collapsing into the seat next to Tim.

He casually tossed his arm around the back of her attached chair, pulling her head to his shoulder before using it as a pillow for himself.

"You relieved? Tim asked, his fingers threading down through her hair.

She nodded into his neck. "Very," she mumbled.

Tim grinned at this. Not that he was complaining about any of the times he had had his hands on Julie, but he did regret that afternoon. He had let himself get carried away in a very public place when they were both supposed to be acting professional. So, the fact that her editor had taken the high road and used the least-incriminating photographs made him happy.

An announcement over the intercom that their flight was now boarding broke the relaxation of the moment.

"Ready to go home?" asked Tim as he stood.

Julie followed his actions. "Why do I feel more like I'm leaving home than going home?"

"Because," Tim said, "you are."

--

On Monday morning, the magazine arrived in mailboxes around the country and Julie braced herself for the onslaught that was sure to follow. Sure enough, within an hour of settling behind her desk at the office Julie had already fielded calls from her mother, Tyra, Lois, and various college friends that couldn't believe she was dating an athlete…and such a hot one at that.

By three o'clock, she had only stood to stretch her legs and go to the ladies room once. So, when activity in the office began to suddenly rise and hushed conversations began all around, she dragged her eyes away from the constantly accumulating e-mails in front of her to see what the commotion was. Surprise flowed through her as she saw the cause for the commotion: Tim.

He was walking through the office like he owned the place, his gaze trained on her desk as he navigated the maze of desks to get to hers, a brown bag, most likely containing lunch, cradled in his hands.

Julie grinned when fell into the chair opposite her desk and placed the bag in front of her. "Figured you haven't had time to get away for lunch," he explained casually.

"How did you know?" she asked with a wink, almost certain that he had dealt with just as many calls that morning as she had. Lucky for him, he could escape them during practice.

He smirked. "Lucky guess."

Unfolding the bag, Julie pulled out a burger wrapped in a foil and a large cup of French fries. She raised her eyebrows. "Turkey burger," he confirmed.

Julie grinned. He knew her well. Unwrapping the foil, she could feel her taste buds begging for the flavor. "Mmmm," she moaned as she chewed the first bite.

"Good?" Tim asked.

"Delicious," Julie nodded furiously, her mouth full of food as she spoke.

Leaning back in his chair, Tim rested his arms behind his head and watched her eat in silence. He couldn't believe that even while she was stuffing her face that he found her unbelievably sexy.

"Do you have plans tonight?" he asked casually a few minutes later.

Julie shook her head back and forth. "I'm all yours," she said. "What do you have in mind?"

Tim leaned forward, resting his forearms on her desk. "I'm thinking take out, maybe a movie, and turning off our cell phones."

"Your place or mine?" Julie asked immediately after he gave her his ideas, almost interrupting him.

Tim grinned widely. "Mine."

--

"Cell phone, please," Tim said, holding out his palm to Julie to deposit her phone in as he opened the door for her at his brownstone that evening.

Julie chuckled before digging in her purse for the device and dropping it into his hand. Grinning, he switched the power to off and placed it on the table in the foyer. "I didn't realize you were so serious about the cell phone thing," Julie joked as he pulled her into his arms.

"Oh, I was very, very serious," he drawled into her hair.

"I see that," she mumbled, her ability to form coherent sentences falling away based solely on the feeling of his warm breath on her skin.

Tim's light laughter vibrated from his body into hers. "You hungry?" he asked, pulling his head back to meet her gaze.

"I had a late lunch," she reminded him with a wink.

"Oh, that's right," he recalled sarcastically. "Movie?"

Julie shook her head, biting her lip. "I have a better idea," she whispered seductively, inching her body closer to his than it already was. Within seconds they were hip to hip, her hands flat on his chest.

Tim lifted his eyebrows in surprise, curious as to what her next move would be. He didn't have to wait long for an answer as her left hand traveled to grasp his right. Gently tugging on his arm and smirking, she pulled him through the foyer and to the bottom of the staircase.

Julie stepped onto the bottom stair and turned to face Tim, the slight addition of height making them almost level. He reacted instinctively to her arms wrapping around his neck, casually leaning in and brushing his lips across hers. Eagerly responding, Julie wasted no time in opening her mouth to allow him in as her hands delved into his hair, their kisses full of passion and pure desire.

The next thing Julie knew, Tim was settling her gently onto the top of his bed, her legs unwrapping from where they had securely been folded around his waist. Vague memories of him lifting her off the ground and carrying her up the stairs and down the hall to the master bedroom were floating in her mind, but the only clear thoughts she could focus on were how good his hands felt as they traveled up her thighs, kneading gently, on their way to removing the cotton jersey dress she was wearing. His shirt, she remembered, was somewhere in the middle of the hallway.

Within seconds, her dress had been tossed to an unknown location across the room and Tim's lips were returning to hers from the detour they had taken around her collarbone. Strong hands with hard working, calloused fingers caressed her sides and abdomen as their lips continued to tease at each other's—biting, nipping, and then soothing.

"Tim," Julie moaned as his hands stopped on her breasts, his fingers massaging them through the lace of the bra she was wearing.

Impatient, Tim reached around to unclasp her bra, finally allowing himself to see a part of her body he had dreamed of claiming as his own for, well, years. Simultaneously, Julie's hands traveled down to the button of his worn jeans and had it undone in a matter of seconds, followed immediately by the zipper. Tugging at his belt loops, the piece of clothing was removed quickly and joined her dress somewhere across the room.

As if suddenly realizing that they had both been reduced to nothing but their undergarments, Julie and Tim's eyes met in a lusty gaze, both taking a moment to catch their breath.

Because both knew that this time, there were going to be no interruptions—no alarms, no dinner guests, and no memories of ex boyfriends. Tonight, they would be able to exist in a world that consisted only of each other.

--

Thoughts? Only one more chapter to go!