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He just wished he was taking Keely with him. The thought filtered up, loud and clear amid a bunch of other frustrations making noise in his head. The force and clarity of that one thought—that he couldn’t let Keely go—rocked him when he’d been sure he could keep things light between them.
The idea of having her in his life again, for more than just a few weeks, settled in him with a new sense of rightness. But like it or not, she didn’t seem to think he had any more to offer than his father did.
Five years ago, he’d genuinely believed that his career would have given her an out from the hardship of her life in Last Stand, but she’d been far more committed to holding her family together than he’d realized. Did he have any reason to believe his lifestyle would be more appealing to her now?
Or was he still missing the bigger picture? Because maybe Keely Harper was happy with her flourishing business and her sober father. And if that was true, she wouldn’t have any more use for the life he had to offer her now than she had back then.
*
“Are you purposelytrying to trash your career?” Alexis asked Ty as they watched the town’s most famous ballplayer peel out of the parking lot in his Mercedes sport coupe. “Or does it only seem that way?”
“Being famous doesn’t give someone a free pass to treat others like crap.” Ty folded his broad arms across his chest, as he tracked the car’s progress. His stance made him look like a sheriff in the old west who’d just run the bad guy out of town.
Or would that be vice versa? She couldn’t decide if Ty was the hero or the villain.
“Well. No.” She agreed with his assessment of Clint Ramsey’s behavior. Keely had never thought much of him when she and Nate had dated either. “But I’m not sure calling a former all-star a dickhead is a good way to endear yourself to the baseball community.”
A brief hint of unease crossed his face before he shrugged. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks. Well, except for you. If I scared you off, I regret it already.”
He looked so sincere that she almost believed him. But she had a sense that he was hiding something from her and she couldn’t figure out what it was. The way he acted sometimes—all bluster and deflecting—like he didn’t want anyone to get too close—made her suspicious.
And yet, when he said sweet things like that, she melted a little inside. All the more reason to keep her distance and protect her job. A career that had given her a sense of pride and self-respect after growing up embarrassed about her family and their reputation in town. These days, she could hold her head up higher, and she wasn’t about to sacrifice that for a fling.
“I don’t get you, Ty Lambert.” And in some ways, maybe that was for the best. She couldn’t let anything happening between them without risking her job, something she wouldn’t do given how much Keely had sacrificed to put her through school.
To let her live her dream.
But the more time she spent with him, the more she thought about it.
“What’s there to get?” He moved closer to her, but didn’t touch her. “I’m probably the most simple guy you’ve ever met. I hit baseballs for a living, and when I’m not doing that, I try to have fun and maybe do a few good things. End of story.”
“There’s more to it.” She’d been paid to be his physical therapist, but team management had shared their concerns with the training staff about his tendency to take risks. It was a behavior to keep an eye on. One she understood too well. But now, as she got closer to him personally, she felt uncomfortable knowing too much about him. “Actually, never mind. It’s none of my business, and you should probably get to your station before Nate releases the kids to do their skills work.”
She could see where Nate had joined Coach Jansen near the bleachers. The field was too far away for her to hear what they were saying to the campers, but from the planning sessions, she knew that the welcome was only supposed to take about fifteen minutes.
“I’ll go in a minute.” Ty looked toward the baseball field and then back at her. “And for what it’s worth, Alexis, I want you to make it your business to learn all about me. In turn, I’d like to learn all about you.”
She had her whole list of reasons ready to remind him why that wasn’t going to happen. But before she could speak, he stilled her lips with his finger pressed lightly to her mouth.
“Please.” He spoke the word with such a surprising sweetness that she nodded, and he promptly removed his finger.
It took all of her willpower not to bite her lip where he’d touched. Her heart beat wildly and she told herself not to think about letting him touch her more. But from the way her skin tingled there, she guessed that she would think of little else.
Still, she didn’t say a word.
“Just think about it,” he continued, lifting his hands in surrender, as if to show her he didn’t plan to touch her again. “That’s all I’m asking.”
He jogged away toward the athletic field and she watched him go. There was no denying she was attracted to him.
Fascinated by him.
Hero or villain? Ty Lambert might never be fawned over by the press the way Clint Ramsey always had been, but Alexis guessed that beneath it all, Ty was a far better man.
But she didn’t plan on losing her heart to a man who could cost her a job.
Ty had asked her to consider getting closer to him when she already knew that couldn’t happen. Still, she’d be lying if she said the thought of kissing him—just once—hadn’t already played through her mind a thousand times.
Chapter Eleven
