by Alexis Anne
“See? You know my brother as well as any of us. Which means you get him.” He shrugged as if that was in and of itself an explanation.
“Is there a point to bringing up his exes or are you enjoying watching me squirm?” I knew Erik loved me but I really didn’t want to think about the women who came before me.
Like, ever.
“I brought it up because, as I said, Erik takes relationships very seriously. He ends them as soon as he knows they’re going nowhere. But the day of his first playoff game I find you here in his condo, wearing his shirt.”
Oh, this was the Big-Brother-Warning-Talk. The Don’t-Break-His-Heart-Lecture. He was a little late for that.
“I love him.”
Jack smiled. “I know. I’m glad to hear you know it. I was a little worried.”
“Worried?” That I’d hide my head in the sand and run away from the inevitable? It was a valid concern and I didn’t begrudge him it.
“Belle mentioned some things. Nothing specific. It just made me wonder, after seeing how aloof you were with him, if maybe you weren’t ready for the intensity that comes with dating a ballplayer.”
Now that was a whole other thing. “My life as a writer isn’t exactly drama free. Erik has spent some time getting to know my world, the people I work with, what my days look like. I’ve been around the team for a couple of years now and I had a good idea of what Erik’s life was like, but he’s also spent a lot of time explaining his schedule, his road games, what the playoffs will be like. I think I can handle it.”
Jack nodded once and went back to sipping his coffee.
But my curiosity got the better of me. “Is that what happened to you?”
“Yes,” he said bluntly. “But Erik and I are two very different people. Plus he’s meeting you at thirty-three. He’s much wiser and ready for a relationship. Berlin and I were young and I was stupid. And now I’m divorced.” He finished off his coffee, setting it on the coffee table. “Moral of the story is, don’t let your ego get bigger than your heart. You can live without an ego but can’t live without a heart.”
Jack put me in a melancholy mood and I spent the rest of the morning writing some very heartfelt stuff for . . . something. It didn’t fit the book I was editing and it had nothing to do with any of the other projects I had sitting on the back burner. It had no home but I wrote it anyway because if I had learned anything in my short career, it was that inspired, heartfelt bursts of writing were gold, no matter what.
After Erik woke up from his nap we got dressed for the night ahead. Him to face the press on his way into the stadium with the rest of the team, and me to meet his mother. I was kind of relieved that it was only Bernice and Jack coming to today’s game. I’d meet almost everyone else by the end of next week.
No pressure at all.
It was just that I didn’t want any sort of foot to drop and ruin how incredibly happy I was right now. Plus I didn’t want any drama distracting Erik from his dream coming true.
Luckily my concerns were completely unfounded. Not only was Bernice every bit as lovely and wonderful as her sons described, but her first moment alone with me she voiced the same hope.
“My son has dreamt about playing in The World Series since he was ten. I found him standing on his bed with his bat over his shoulder, calling an imaginary game. The only thing that matters for the next three weeks is keeping him happy and healthy.”
“I completely agree.” I leaned back against the kitchen counter with a glass of water in my hand as I looked her over. She was shorter than I was by a good two inches, with dark shiny hair shot through with streaks of white. Her dark brown eyes missed nothing. She took in every detail with the kind of quiet contemplation I’d fear if I were her child. I bet she knew everything about everyone. She was not the kind of woman I wanted to upset. “Erik and I have one thing in common. We’re both unexpectedly living out our wildest dreams. I understand what this means to him and how incredibly rare it is. I will be every bit as supportive of him this month as he’s been of me.”
I struck gold with that one. Bernice sighed with relief. “You know I always worried about who he’d finally fall for. It’s not easy to love someone whose face is in the spotlight all the time. We’ve had our ups and downs with that.”
“Jack?”
She nodded. “You know I live just a few blocks from Berlin. We’re still very close. She’s still a part of the family as far as I’m concerned. I thought both of them being so successful would be a good thing. They each had lives. But in the end Berlin was already successful while Jack was just coming into his. They grew apart.”
It was kind of touching how much she seemed to be torn up over their marriage. “Erik once said ballplayers and writers were alike because we do something very few people will do.”
“I can already see why that’s important for the two of you.”
Seth barreled his way into the kitchen. “Mama Cassidy!” He wrapped her up in a hug. “Did you bring my cookies?”
It was funny the way he dissolved into a teenager around Bernice.
“They are on your bed. By the way, clean your room.”
“Yes, Mama Cassidy.” He leaned his head on her shoulder. “I’m going to miss your visits when Erik moves in with Zoe.”
Her eyebrows shot up.
I shrugged. “News to me.” Not that it wasn’t inevitable.
“Like there’s any question,” he grumbled. “You’re here everyday.”
“How would you know?” I shot back with a grin. “You keep shacking up with the woman you’re not interested in.”
“Seth Butler!” Bernice admonished.
“Thanks, Zoe,” he grimaced.
My phone vibrated, saving me from further evil glares. “Sorry guys. This is my agent. I need to take it.” Out on the balcony and away from the lecture Seth was getting about respecting relationships. “Hey Maggie! What’s up?”
“Please don’t be mad at me.”
She had never, ever said anything like that to me. “Why would I be mad at you?”
“The producers have requested you visit the week after next to go over the final script, casting, and details.”
Oh. “I see.” I never thought I’d be disappointed by something like this, but I was. Usually being a writer was awesome because I made my own hours. And because of that advantage I’d planned on traveling with Erik to support him during the playoffs.
“I know this is terrible timing for you but it should just be one, maybe two days in LA.”
“No, no. It’s fine. I was just surprised.”
“I was too but once Lily and Scott joined the project everything has gone light speed ahead. I told them in the future we need more of a heads-up.”
“Yeah thank you. Forward me the details and I’ll get my travel plans squared away.” LA and movies still seemed kind of imaginary. I had a feeling after next week it be a lot more real.
The sliding glass door behind me slid open and closed. Warm lips caressed my cheek as strong arms surrounded me. I leaned back.
“Thanks for understanding, Zoe. And tell Erik I said good luck. You can say that to ballplayers, right? It’s not bad luck like in theater?”
I turned to the man in question. “Maggie says good luck.”
He kissed my cheek again. “Thank you Maggie.”
Maggie giggled. “Talk to you later.”
I ended the call. “Time to go?”
“Yep. What was Maggie calling about?”
“Turns out I’m going to make a quick trip to LA for the movie.”
“Now?” His arms tensed around me.
“No. Maggie’s sending me the dates. Week after next. I might miss a couple of games.”
“No problem.” He spun me around. “You have big dreams too. It’s part of our deal.”
He had no idea how sexy that made him so I decided to show him with a much dirtier kiss.
Jack knocked on the glass behind us. “Come on, Lovebirds. Let’s go!”<
br />
“You have a game to win.” I kissed him once more for luck.
“How can we lose with you there to cheer us on?”
Read Last Fall. Available now!
What To Read Next
Welcome to AlexisLand. The characters in my books tend to pop in on other books, even when they aren’t technically in the same series. Next up in the Calusa Key series is Kiss Me, Darling, followed by the Mistletoe Key book, Third Time’s the Charm (Jack and Berlin’s story.)
You can also read Scott’s first appearance in Sins and again in Lies. Contention Security appears in both these books as well! And of course, meet all the Mantas in Summer Heat, Night Games, and Last Fall!
Also By Alexis Anne
Steamy Baseball Second Chance Romances
The Storm Inside (A Jake & Eve Novel)
Reflected in the Rain (A Jake & Eve Novel)
When Lightning Strikes (A Marie & Greg Novel)
Never Let Go (A Jake & Eve Novel)
Summer Heat (A June & Roman Novel)
Night Games (A Carrie & Wes Novel)
Last Fall (A Zoe & Erik Novel)
Erotic Sports Romances
Reckless Kiss (A Leo & Esme Novel)
Reckless Love (A Leo & Esme Novel)
Reckless Nights (A William & Matilda Novel)
Small Town Contemporary Romances
Come For Me, Darling (A Ben Kaine Novel)
Go Away, Darling (A Chris Kaine Novel)
Kiss Me, Darling (A Scott Kaine Novel)
Third Time’s the Charm (A Last Fall Crossover Novella)
Erotic Romance (The World of Tease)
The Callaway Chronicles
Tease (An Adam & Elizabeth Novel)
Want (An Adam & Elizabeth Novel
King (a Race Car Driver Romance)
Crave (An Adam & Elizabeth Novel)
Naked (A Tease & Wild Pitch Crossover)
Need (A King & Isa Novel)
* * *
The Sutherland Scandals
Tempt (Allison Riley & Theo Sutherland)
Burn (A Michael Sutherland Romance)
Secrets (A Nicki Sutherland Novel)
* * *
The Price of Fame Series
Stripped (A Rockstar Romance)
Sins (A Rockstar/Bodyguard Romance)
Lies (A Lily Lawrence Novel)
The Complete List of Alexis Anne Books
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About the Author
Alexis Anne is the author of the steamy contemporary romance series The Storm Inside, Wild Pitch, Reckless Kiss, and The World of Tease. She used to spend her days as an archaeologist surveying undeveloped parts of Florida, but now she writes books for a living. She's the mother to two men-in-training, wife to the Sexy Editor, hiker, bourbon expert, chocolate lover, and television show binger.
AlexisAnneBooks.com
—The Storm Inside Series—
Welcome to the big little city of Tampa, nestled into the heart of Florida along the salty Gulf of Mexico. This is where sun and second chances find love and sexy times. The Daniels family has baseball in their blood. The daughter of “Papa Joe” Daniels, Eve has taken up the family tradition along with her sisters Cassandra and June and gone to work for Major League Baseball. . . . using her career as a shield for her broken heart.
Jake Spencer is from the other side of the tracks. Broken and abused his entire life, he’s risen to become one of the most prominent businessmen in town along with his best friend Greg Hamilton. Driven to succeed by their failures, these brothers-in-life don’t believe they deserve love . . . Until the sexy, powerful women of Tampa teach them otherwise.
* * *
The Books of The Storm Inside Series:
The Storm Inside
Jake and Eve
10 years spent trying to forget each other…
* * *
Reflected in the Rain
Jake and Eve
Happily ever after begins with I do…
* * *
Never Let Go
Jake and Eve
In sickness and in health. Love conquers all…
* * *
When Lightning Strikes
Greg and Maire
Single mom, grumpy workaholic…fireworks were inevitable
* * *
Summer Heat
June and Roman
He was forbidden. Taboo. Off limits. She couldn’t resist the temptation…
* * *
Night Games
Wes and Carrie
Baseball’s biggest player is about the get played…
* * *
Last Fall
Zoe and Erik
A quiet writer and a patient second baseman finally fall in love…
