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Prologue
MARIGOLD
“Thanks for hanging with me tonight, Mary. Your brother is driving me crazy. He’s terrified of leaving me alone. It doesn’t even matter that I’m at a game where he can literally look up in the stands and see me.”
“Hey, I love baseball, so I’m enjoying it. Give my brother a little break. All the men in my family get a little crazy when they knock their women up.”
“Yeah, but he’s being crazy. Do you know that I made the mistake of complaining my back was hurting the other day when we took Allen to tour a college? The big dummy carried me through the campus and back to our car.”
“You’re kidding?” I laugh, but I know she’s not. I know my brother and he’s so in love with Kage that he panics at the thought of anything upsetting or hurting her. Heck, all my brothers are like that. Watching them is fun and all, but I never want to be that wrapped up in another person. I’m not like the rest of my family. I’m not looking for love. I’d probably run away from it.
I have a life I want to live. I want to travel and work on my writing. My family doesn’t get how much I love writing. I don’t really share my writing with them, though. It may sound weird, but I’d rather not hear their thoughts on my writing because I’m afraid it will get in my head. Besides, it’s not like writing pays all my bills. I don’t write for the money—that’s for damn sure. Still, I’m hoping that I can make enough that one day I can buy an RV and live on the road. That is the dream and it’s not exactly a dream I can live if I’m married with kids.
“I wish I was,” she mutters.
“I think I’m going to go get us some food and drink before the game starts. What do you feel like having?”
“You sure? I can go with you if you want,” Kage responds.
“No offense, but I’d rather not see my brother run across the field to throw you over his shoulder because he’s afraid you might hurt your hand or something,” I laugh.
“Grab me a footlong and some soda,” she answers, shaking her head. She doesn’t argue about my brother—probably because she knows I’m right.
I make it back down the bleachers. One thing I can say, my brother’s team is taking off. The place is jam-packed tonight. Then again, he has some amazing names on his team. Hell, they play better than most of teams in the Majors. I know the Minors are supposed to be a step down, but I truly enjoy them more. I think because there are less egos and it’s more about the game. Most of the guys on Green’s team are trying to prove they belong in the big league. They play with a chip on their shoulder. That means their minds are on their games—at least if that’s why they got into playing baseball to begin with.
As I walk toward the concession building, my gaze moves to where a crowd of girls is fawning over a couple of the players that are leaning on the fence, obviously flirting. One guy is actually signing his name on some chick’s cleavage that she’s just revealing to God and everyone. Hell, she’s giggling so much that I’m surprised she doesn’t take her bra off.
I force myself to look away and notice the other guy is Parker Huntington. He’s probably the biggest star on the team. He should probably be back in the Majors. He was offered a position and turned it down. I’m not sure why, but he’s rich and his family is big money, so I guess he doesn’t care. His little brother also is working himself up on this team, so maybe that played into it.
“I see you over there, smokin’ hot and taunting me with what I can’t have. You’re looking good.”
I roll my eyes. Parker’s such a flirt. I wouldn’t mind it, to be honest, but I know he’s not interested in me. He only has eyes for Faye Archer. Faye is a beautiful blonde who loves Parker, too. There was a big blow up awhile back, though. Faye’s brother—and Parker’s best friend—found out Faye and Parker were dating and threw a fit. Parker walked away from Faye and broke her heart. Mom told him his nut sack must be empty and as much as I like the guy, I agree.
“Smooth.”
“I try, honey. I try. Didn’t know you were coming tonight. I would have had you kissed my bat for good luck if I’d known.”
“I hate I missed out on that,” I reply drolly.
“You could always kiss my bat, sweet stuff. It’s bigger and a lot thicker than Parker’s here.”
“In your dreams, Slate,” Parker snaps, elbowing the other man.
I look at the guy who is built like The Rock, all muscle and brawn—which honestly isn’t my type. In my experience, if they work constantly on their muscles, their ego is just as big, and their brains are much smaller. I’m not saying every man is like that—not at all. Sadly, it’s just that the ones I’ve met that are. Then again, I don’t have much luck when it comes to the opposite sex and that might be why.
Still, I immediately dismiss this guy—which isn’t easy to do since he might be built like The Rock, but he looks like a young Lenny Kravitz and that man makes me weak in the knees. This guy’s hair is much shorter, but the facial features are so similar that my heart speeds up. That’s something that never happens to me, and I don’t want it to now. Certain men set off warning bells. The fact this guy enjoys signing his name on random women’s boobs screams danger.
“What do you say, beautiful? Want to meet me after the game and let me prove I can rock your world?”
I blink. “Rock my world?”
“Definitely. I’ll even make you purr.”
“That’d be hard to do,” I respond shaking my head.
“I do my best work hard,” he replies with a grin.
“You didnotjust say that.”
