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I stared as she strutted across the stage, hypnotized by how she prowled it, belting out the lyrics. She could sing. Instead of the raspy growl of the original, Jane’s version was more melodic, if equally loud and powerful. I rested against a pillar to watch her perform.

The song was a staple at every ballpark where I’d played, so I knew it well, and she was killing it. It was one more thing that impressed me about her, that made me want her even more. I’d missed her a ridiculous amount on my road trip, and the slump I’d been in had only made it worse. She’d listened to me complain about it when we talked, had offered as much support as she could, but phone calls were nothing compared to seeing her in person again.

She was wearing a black tank top that hugged her every curve, making my palms itch to peel it off. Her jeans showed off her hips to perfection. I loved looking at her, knowing that she was mine.

I wanted to spend as much time as possible with Jane. The season was half over, and our time together was disappearing. I’d gone into this knowing it had an end date, but the closer that came, the more I searched for ways to keep her in my life. Vancouver hadn’t called me up, and wasn’t likely to based on my recent performance, so I would be here for a few more months. If Vancouver didn’t call me up this season, then I’d have to convince another team to give me a shot next year. That would make having a relationship with Jane much more difficult. But I didn’t have to do anything about it right now.

When the song ended, I made my way to the table where Emily was sitting with three other women, including Ari and her sister, Cindy.

“Hey, Emily. I heard a rumour it was karaoke night. Thought it might be fun to see Jane sing.” I tried to keep my tone casual, like a platonic friend would. I didn’t want to tip her off to the truth. Jane still wanted to keep us a secret.

Emily introduced me to Andrea while we waited for Jane to come back to the table. “It’s good that you’re here. For one, Jane needs a ride home, and she didn’t want to go home alone with only Chad in the house.”

I balled my hands into fists at the idea of Jane avoiding her own home because of Chad. He was being a major pain in the ass, but he hadn’t done anything that would damage my reputation with the Fliers. Which didn’t mean I wanted him there. At least I got to avoid him half the time by being on road trips. Jane had to see him every day. “You said for one. Is there some other reason I should be here?”

Emily burst into giggles. “You bet. It’s not that important, so don’t worry about it.”

I didn’t understand what she was getting at, but it didn’t matter. I scanned the room for Jane, because she’d disappeared after her song ended.

“You should go find her. She had a lot more to drink than normal, and she might have gotten lost on the way to the ladies’ room.” Emily giggled again.

Jane wasn’t the only one who’d had a lot to drink, based on the amount of giggling Emily was doing. I walked in the direction she pointed, anxious to see Jane. Since we were still keeping our relationship secret, catching her alone in the hallway might be better than her finding me with her friends.

The hallway was longer than I expected, and darker than I liked. There was an exit door at the end, and a door to what looked like a supply closet on the wall opposite the restroom doors. I didn’t love the lack of security in the hallway, but now, when all I wanted was a few minutes of private time with Jane, I wasn’t complaining. I relaxed against the wall and waited.

I didn’t have long to wait. Jane came out grinning, clearly still buzzed from both the alcohol and her killer performance. Close-up, her black tank top showed off her amazing cleavage, and I wanted to drag a finger along her collarbone down to where the scoop neckline hid all that soft, luscious flesh.

Her eyes went wide when she noticed me. “Carter, what are you doing here?”

I wrapped her in my arms, hoisting her against me, her curves pressing me back into the wall. Her lips crashed against me, ravenously moving over my face and neck. My cock twitched in my jeans, and it took all my willpower not to devour her. Just how much had she had to drink? Jane was always so careful to act like nothing more than friends when we were out in public. If anyone saw us like this, they would have no doubt about exactly how intimate our relationship had become.

“I flew home to see you,” I managed between kisses.

She pulled back slowly, looking up at me. Desire burned bright, stoking my own need for her. Without another word, she grabbed my hand and dragged me out the emergency exit to the back parking lot. I braced myself for an alarm to go off, but none came.

As soon as we were outside, she shoved me back up against the door and pulled my head down again. Her tongue plundered my mouth, and I tasted the lingering sweetness of whatever her last drink had been. I was hard already, aching to have her. It had been too long, and I needed her. She ground her pelvis against my cock, and I cupped her ass, desperate for her to keep going. She skimmed her hands over my shoulders and down my arms before gliding them under my shirt and tracing her fingers over my abs.

I flinched when she touched the spot where I’d been hit by a pitch the day before, and I sucked in a ragged breath. She fell to her knees to press featherlight kisses around the bruised area.

“Did you break anything?”

“I’m fine.” I was dying from wanting her, and compared to that, the bruise was nothing.

Her hands fumbled for the button on my jeans. All the blood in my body surged south, my cock pulsing with the need for her to touch it. I wanted nothing more than to let her continue, but we were in a public parking lot, where anyone could stumble on us. Using all my self-control, I grasped her wrists and gently tugged her back to her feet.

“Not here. I don’t want any interruptions.” I tried to gauge how she was feeling. She wasn’t acting like herself, and while her eyes were slightly glassy, she didn’t look too affected by the alcohol she’d consumed.

The frown that had appeared when I pulled her to her feet disappeared, and she nodded. “I want you. Take me home?”

Her words pierced that scabbed-over part of my heart—I wanted her home to be mine, which was not part of our agreement. This was strictly temporary fun. But I was a fool and couldn’t deny myself what she offered. I was starting to want so much more, but there was no future for us. Not when I had to leave when the season ended, with no guarantee I’d ever be back here.

There were still other obstacles to deal with. I knew Ethan was away playing ball, and Brooke was working nights at the hospital. Chad was the bigger problem. He would still be there. He was the reason Jane was here, away from her own home. “What about Chad?”

Jane scowled. “Fuck Chad. I’m sick of him dictating my choices. That was supposed to be over when our divorce was final.”

“He could tell Ethan, or cause us both trouble with the team if he finds out,” I said. What was I doing, trying to change her mind? The problem was, I didn’t want her making this decision when she was drunk and regretting it later.

“He’s not allowed upstairs where the bedrooms are. He doesn’t need to find out. We can be quiet. Pleeeease?”