His brother’s eyes were focused on his slacks. Damn it. He shifted, trying to hide his unruly cock. “I can’t help it.”
“Try,” Rory bit out.
Tori snapped her head around like a predator sensing prey. His sweet bunny actually had a few layers of sharp teeth. That was the trouble. She was so very kind, but in an instant, she could turn into a raging bitch. God, that got him hot. She got him hot.
Callum shifted again and tried to think of past games. 2011. Manchester United vs. Arsenal. Their opponents had lost the coin toss, so he’d taken the kickoff.
“Is he listening to a word I’ve said?” Tori now stood in front of him, but she’d posed her question to Rory.
“Give him a minute. Cal has taken many a thump to the head. Sometimes he requires a moment to focus and get himself back under control.” Rory’s words provided the time needed to tamp down his arousal and get his head back in the game.
But he knew how to play this scene to his advantage. “I’m all right. Now what were we saying?”
Tori stared at him for a moment as if trying to decide whether to believe him. “I was saying we’re screwed.”
Nope. Just hearing her utter that particular word got him hard again.
Callum stood and shifted his suit jacket for better coverage. “We’re brothers. You were saying that we’re one of the last great family-owned corporations in Britain. We proved it by acting like brothers.”
He didn’t see the problem. Brothers sometimes fought. Then they made up with a pint and a laugh. Most men functioned that way, and it had nothing to do with stocks or bottom lines.
Tori’s head sank forward like it was simply too heavy for her to carry anymore. She sighed and when she looked up again, she wore a sadly earnest expression. “The press won’t see it that way. The original story I crafted described a unified family rising again in both spirit and sales. Now it will be about three brothers tearing themselves and their company apart. They’ll bring up everything from Oliver’s marriage to Rory’s playboy status to Callum’s loss of career and descent into paternity hell.”
“I didn’t mean to collide with the opposition and break my leg in such a way that I can no longer play.”
She sighed tiredly. “Don’t apologize for that and don’t be flippant. I’m merely pointing out that the press uses the video of your injury and the fact that they had to clean your blood off the field as a metaphor for the company. You’re all damaged and someone needs to clean you up.”
“Pitch,” he corrected.
“What?”
“We call it a pitch. They cleaned my blood off the pitch after they carried me off with my tibia sticking out.” He forced himself not to shudder. He still felt a bit sick when he thought of it.
Tori turned pale. “Sorry. I’m not trying to bring back bad memories, but they will use everything against you.” She sighed. “Do you want to tell me what all this squabbling is about?”
She stood so close and she looked tired. Callum wondered how her visit with her sister had gone. Hadn’t seeing Piper cheered her up? All he wanted to do was haul Tori close and promise that everything would be all right. But he couldn’t—yet. Callum wasn’t sure how he and his brothers would solve this mess. Oliver and Rory were excellent at unraveling puzzles. He was the workhorse really. He simply did what needed to be done.
“Nothing for you to worry about,” he said softly.
“None of your business,” Oliver stated at the same moment.
She whirled on Oliver. “You ruin my press conference before it even begins and it’s none of my business?”
Maybe, Callum thought, he was more necessary than he’d imagined. Oliver obviously lacked a soft touch these days. “Of course it’s her business. Bolstering us with the press is precisely the reason we hired her.”
“Can we all calm down?” Rory held a chair out for Tori. “Claire is having tea with the reporter and she’ll smooth things over. She’s very good with them, unlike the rest of us.”
Naturally, Rory had given her the seat closest to him. Bastard.
“At least she didn’t fall asleep during media training.” Tori huffed as she sat.
Callum knew that particular comment was directed straight at him. “Sorry, love. I sometimes get sleepy about midafternoon.”
“He’s also easily distracted,” Rory said pointedly.
Tori sat with her back ramrod straight. “I think it’s time to try something different.”
Oliver relaxed into his chair and nodded. “I’m all ears.”