Nico, the team’s head security guy, gave me a dark look. “Yeah, she’s in there. She thinks she’s in trouble, and I didn’t change that impression.”
“Did you see that guy try to choke her? She could have died, and everyone was just standing around watching.” I’d been peering at one of the security-camera feeds designed to allow players to get a look at the media before stepping into the circus. She’d walked in, all sleek and professional in a sea of Bobcats paraphernalia, and then that bastard had grabbed her, and I’d nearly run in—against strict Bobcats policy—just to save her. Nico stopped me, then went in my place.
“What I saw were your three shitty at bats. Two pop flies and a strikeout.”
I winced, trying to hide the fear growing in my belly like an oil slick. “I can’t hit homers every time at bat.”
“Except that’s exactly what you’ve been hired to do.”
I glared at him. He was right. Heidi had seriously messed with my concentration. I’d spent the entire game thinking about seeing her afterward. What would I say to her? What would she say to me? She looked stressed. What did she think about my success?
“Detroit’s a good team. I just—”
“Bullshit.”
Nico didn’t bother saying more. He rarely did. Ex-military, Nico embodied the strong, silent type. Especially if he went all dark and scary, like he was now. In addition to general security, his job was to look after the newbies, to stop them from being idiots, and warn the coaches if he saw a personal problem. Apparently, he thought I needed babysitting. I thought he was a pain-in-the-ass mother hen. I reached for the doorknob. He stopped me with three words.
“Don’t be stupid.”
Too late. I’d been stupid three years ago during spring break and had waited this long to make it right. “It’s not like that,” I said. “I’m not looking for a quick hookup.”
“She’s press. I’d rip off your balls if I thought you were.”
Well that was graphic, but it was also right. I was in the most delicate time of my career. Just up from the minors, barely into my first season. All the press was glowing, but one bad game and the media would turn ugly. Right now, I was the Great Bobcats Hope. One more game like today and I’d become the Great Disappointment. I couldn’t afford to get distracted and that’s what Heidi was. A really big distraction.
And yet, I couldn’t stop myself.
“She’s an old friend.”
“Then give her tickets to the next game. Don’t go in there.”
He was right, and I knew it, but I still couldn’t stop myself. I turned the knob and pushed into the small office space.
She was standing behind the desk looking at the team picture on the wall. My gaze dropped to her ass and my memories supplied graphic images of hips and bottom as I…
I hauled my thoughts out of the gutter, even if they were my favorite memories. Instead, I focused on other details. Her eyes were as beautiful as I remembered. Almond shaped, yet wide with an innocent kind of sweetness. Sometime during the game, she’d managed to buy a Bobcats baseball cap, and it looked like a crime on her sleek black hair. Plus, it wasn’t fitting properly, so she had a duck-bill thing going on.
I snorted and stepped forward, grabbing the cap to curve the bill correctly before fitting it to her head. Or maybe I just wanted to get close enough to smell the ginger-spice scent of her. Either way, she was startled by my quick movements. She shied backward, but there was nowhere to go in this tiny space. Trapped between me and the wall, she had to endure my ballcap corrections while all sorts of sexual images burst through my brain. And then when it was fixed, I had to force myself to step back.
“That’s better,” I said, my voice gravelly rough.
“Um. Thanks?”
Her voice was husky and settled right at the base of my spine in the most primal way. I felt like a caveman about to throw her over my shoulder. I watched, fascinated by the slow creep of her flush up her cheeks and down to her cleavage, which lifted and lowered in short, quick breaths. God, she was more beautiful than I remembered.
I knew I needed to say something. Jesus, my brain was screaming at me to get some words out, but hell, everything was stopped up tight. And then right when I thought I could force something out, she swallowed. It was a nervous gesture, but oh how my dick loved the sight. It flashed me pictures of her ruby lips wrapped around my cock as she swallowed whatever I gave her.
I was depraved.
“Mr. Lee—”
“I was a jerk—”
We spoke over each other, the words clashing in the small space, then both of us stopped and stared. I had to replay her words to realize she didn’t remember me. Well that was a kick in the balls. But no way, no how could she have forgotten our night together.
“Uh…” she began.
Fuck this stumbling awkwardness. One of the reasons our time together had been the best night of my life was because she’d been so easy to talk to. And I could tell she wasn’t going to be the one to smooth the way. Fair enough. I’d been the jerk, so I plunged ahead.
