| |
THE SEASON WAS OFF to a fantastic start. The team was playing well and I was on track for one of the best years of my entire career. All I had to do was keep this up and I’d be making history.
Crack!
I sent yet another ball flying into the woods that lined my property.
“You know, one of these days you’re going to kill something in there and then all the woodland creatures are going to riot against you.” Lily had appeared in my backyard. She wore a tightly fitted blazer and a black pencil skirt. Now, I had thought that evening gowns suited her well but this was even better because it showed off her legs and I liked that — I liked that a lot.
“I think they’re probably used to it by now,” I responded. “They probably wear umpire gear to protect themselves.”
“The thing I’m wondering is why you practice at home. Doesn’t it get lonely swinging at a baseball all day?”
“Sometimes it’s better than dealing with my teammates. I mean I love them like family but when you spend that much time with a group of guys, you tend to get sick of them.”
“Understandable.”
“But I suspect most guys aren’t allowed to practice at home.”
“No, they aren’t.”
“So, what makes you so special?”
“Well, I’m Gayle Nash, for starters.”
She laughed. “Modesty is a virtue, Gayle.”
“Is it? I had no idea.”
I swung at another ball but this time I missed. My arm was starting to get tired and I didn’t want to push it too hard. We had a game with our rivals in a couple of days and I wanted to be in tip-top shape in order to put them in their place.
“I’m just about done here. Think you’d want to join me for some BBQ? I’ve got some turkey burgers in the freezer.”
“Isn’t it a little too cold for a cookout?” She asked.
I pointed to my patio. “I have heating lamps. Once I turn those on, you’ll be as cozy as a sausage in a blanket.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”
“Right, sorry.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “That didn’t come out the way I had expected it to. You know I don’t think of you as a sausage —”
“Gayle, stop now before you get yourself into trouble.”
“Good idea,” I agreed.
Usually, I’m one hell of a sweet talker. With a look alone, I could sway almost any woman my way but Lily was totally different. She rattled me and kept me always on my toes.
“Anyway, are you going to stay or should I prepare myself for another night of eating alone?”
“Sure, why not? But I need to take a shower first.”
“Think you’ve got room in there for one more?”
“Have you seen my shower? That thing is tiny. No way we would both fit inside.”
“So, we’d get up close and personal,” I countered. “Doesn’t sound like such a bad idea to me.”
“You cook and I’ll shower.”
I shook my head. “I thought you were my fiancée! A fiancée shouldn’t tease like this.”
“Fake fiancée,” she corrected. “We aren’t really engaged, Gayle. We just want the whole world to think that we are.”
And with that, she walked away and left me feeling like I had just suffered a sucker punch to the gut. Yes, I knew that the whole engagement thing was just a ploy to get her into the industry but after our night together I had simply assumed that it meant more than that.
Apparently, I was mistaken.
I tried to ignore the heart-wrenching feeling churning inside of me by thinking about Lily inside that shower getting all wet and soapy. Oh, what I wouldn’t do to see that body in all its glory every single day of my life. I would be the luckiest man alive.
But what was the point in fantasizing about a woman only wanted me for the connections that I brought to the table? Maybe Lily wasn’t as different as I thought she was. Maybe she was just the same as every other girl that had ever tried to date me.
I sighed and turned on some music in hopes that it would help clear my mind. It did. I hummed along to the tune as I added the turkey burgers to the grill and watched them sizzle against the flames.
“Right on time,” I said as Lily reappeared.
This time, her hair was wet and tousled giving her an unbelievable amount of sex appeal. To make things even better, she was wearing my jersey.
“Where did you get that?” I asked.
“I picked it up during opening day. I figured I should show my support, you know?”
“Well, it looks fabulous on you.” I placed her burger on a plate and handed it over. “But I’d love to see you with nothing on but that jersey.
“Play your cards right and you might get exactly what you ask for.” She smirked sensually.
Honestly, I didn’t know what to make of her. One second she seemed to be building up a distance between us and the next, she was reeling me in. Did she want me or did she just want to use me?
Together, we sat down on the swinging bench by the heat lamps.
“You were right. These work wonders at staving off the cold.”
“What did I tell you?”
She nodded and nibbled her sandwich. “And the food’s really good, by the way. Where did you learn to cook when you pretty much eat, breathe, and sleep baseball.”
“I wasn’t always a baseball player, you know.”
“Right. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that.”
“Do you like me better as a baseball player or as regular old Gayle Nash?”
“What kind of question is that?” She turned to face me, her hand resting on my cheek. There was this intensity to the way she looked at me that made me realize that there was more to us — to this relationship — than just a means of getting her a job but neither one of us was talking about it because, honestly, we didn’t know what to say.
Her thumb danced across my cheek as she moved a little closer.
“You’re my friend, Gayle. You’ve been a part of my life for so long that it’s difficult for me to imagine a life without you. So, no, I don’t like you better as a baseball player. I like you for who you are.”
I smiled because that was exactly what I wanted to hear.
Pulled by the invisible force that drew me toward her, I aimed to kiss her lips but before I could do so, she returned to her burger. With it in her hand, she got up and walked over to the edge of the patio where she could look up at the darkening sky. The stars had yet to twinkle but the moon sat in the distance.
“Full moon tonight,” she commented. “You know what that means.”
“All the freaks will be out and about — especially the werewolves,” I said in as sinister a voice as I could muster. “Maybe, for your own protection, you should stay here tonight.” Ever since that first night, we hadn’t been able to spend all that much time together. Mostly, it was my chaotic schedule and the fact that the coach had us working together. Given that this was my first back-to-back days off, I wanted to make the most of it but by the look on Lily’s face, I didn’t think I would get so lucky.
“I would love to, I really would, but Diana has me working on a major story this week and she’s legitimately a slave driver.”
“She’s like that.”
“Even when you two were dating?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” I said. “That’s probably one of the reasons why I broke it off.”
“I’ll have to admit that it’s a little weird working for your ex-girlfriend.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. She and I have been separated for a long time now. Sure, there might be some flirting here and there but we really mean nothing of it. And with our engagement, I’ll make sure to keep things a bit more —”
“No, no. I don’t want to get in the way if you like her.” She leaned against the patio’s support beam. “I’m starting to think that this whole fake engagement thing was really selfish on my part. I never should have suggested it because it doesn’t do you any good.”
“I’m helping you and that’s all that matters.”
She shook her head. “You aren’t helping me. You’re making a sacrifice on my behalf and that isn’t right. Because of me, you can’t interact with other women the way you might want to.”
“Lily.” I stopped her rambling by taking both her arms and pulling her close. “Stop it. I don’t want to interact with other women.”
She blinked like she didn’t know what I meant by saying something like that. “Oh...”
There was a moment of awkward silence. I wanted to say something that would help alleviate it but I was at a loss for words.
“Anyway, I can’t stay. I have a lot of work to do and with this being my first big assignment, I really can’t afford to mess up.”
“Do you need any help?” I offered. I was grasping at stars here because I really didn’t want to see her go.
“No, I think I can manage on my own.”
“Well, if you do, don’t hesitate to call me.”
“I won’t.”
“Good,” I smiled but she didn’t return the gesture. Her face was pinched like she was lost within the depths of her own thoughts. Oh, how I wanted to know what was going through that head of hers.
“Lily?”
“Yeah?”
I had grabbed her by the wrist so she couldn’t walk away but she seemed desperate to escape me. Seeing that, I unfurled my fingers. “Never mind. Have a good night, alright.”
“Alright, you too.”