by Tara Wyatt
The Mariners were prepared to offer him a hundred million dollars. Maybe. As Aerin had said, it was far from a done deal. But he couldn’t stop the wide grin from spreading across his face as excitement sparked inside him. This could be it. The deal of a lifetime he’d been working hard for his entire career. The future Hall of Famer contract he’d been hoping for.
He glanced toward the bathroom again as Piper emerged wrapped up in a towel, her hair damp. His heart lurched almost painfully at the sight of her. She was so beautiful. So sweet and driven and warm. So understanding.
The truth—that he wouldn’t get to keep her and fulfill a lifelong dream—settled in his stomach like a concrete block.
Seattle was really fucking far. Yeah, they’d agreed they were temporary, but still. Seattle was far. Really far.
Too far.
“Everything okay?” she asked, tilting her head as she studied him.
He held up his phone. “Yeah. Just my agent. She wanted to talk about what happened at the bar last night.”
Piper grimaced. “Are you in trouble?”
He shook his head. “Nah, it’s all good. She thinks she can spin it, and if the guy wants to cause problems, we can remind him of the fact that he did grope you.”
“True. I’m glad you’re not in trouble.” She turned to head into her bedroom, but then turned back. “Are you sure you’re okay? It’s just…you have a weird look on your face.”
“It’s all good.” He shot her a smile and held up the yogurt container. “Probably this stuff.”
“It’s not so bad if you add some granola and honey. I’d offer to make you something, but I’ve really gotta run.”
“It’s fine. Do your thing.” She nodded and disappeared into her bedroom.
He wasn’t ready to tell her about the Mariners. Not yet when it was only a possibility, not a done deal. Yeah, they were temporary, and they both knew it, but still. He didn’t want to think about the inevitable end of whatever this was. He just wanted to enjoy being with her, for the rest of the summer, and he wanted to give her the same.
Panic clutched at him when he realized it was already nearly August. Which meant there were less than two months left in the season. Less than two months left in Dallas. Less than two months left with Piper.
It didn’t feel long enough.
Ten
Piper scooted between rows of seats at Dell Park, looking for the seat number indicated on the ticket Beau had left for her at the will call window. Tonight was the first time that she was sitting in the special section reserved for the wives, families and girlfriends of Longhorns players, and she had to admit, she was excited to be there. Excited to be wearing her brand new Longhorns jersey with “Beckett” and the number 31 sewn onto the back. Excited to see Beau again after the team’s road trip to Seattle, Los Angeles, and Oakland. They’d texted while he was away, but texting wasn’t the same. Texting didn’t hold her at night, or make her come, or make her feel safe and cherished and whole.
“Hey, I was wondering when we’d see you at a game,” said Maggie McCormick, a warm smile on her face. “Come sit next to me.” Piper glanced down at her ticket, and Maggie laughed. “Don’t worry about what it says. We all just sit wherever we want, it’s fine. Besides, Marlowe usually sits beside me, and I don’t think she’s coming tonight.”
“Is she okay?” asked Piper, sitting down and offering some of her popcorn to Maggie, who scooped up a handful.
“Just tired. Can’t be easy being eight months pregnant with Knox running wild. That child is adorable, but he’s absolutely crazy sometimes. Makes me nervous for this one.” She patted her rounded belly, which was bigger than the last time Piper had seen her.
“Oh?”
Maggie smiled softly, her hand settling on her stomach. “We found out we’re having a boy.”
Piper leaned over and gave Maggie’s arm an affectionate squeeze. “Congratulations. That’s wonderful. Do you have a name picked out?” A tiny pang of something, not jealousy, exactly, but something like it, twisted in her chest, making her wonder if she’d ever have the kids she wanted.
“We do. Carter. Carter Hayden McCormick.”
Piper smiled. “Oh, that’s nice! I really like it.”
“Thanks. We might change our minds, but that’s what we’re going with right now.” Maggie adjusted herself in her seat, crossing and then uncrossing her legs. “So how are things going with you and Beau?” The team took the field just then, “The Boys Are Back in Town” playing over the stadium’s speakers. She had to wait for the raucous cheers to die down before she could answer Maggie’s question.
“They’re good.” She blushed and shook her head. “Really good.”
Maggie arched an eyebrow at her. “But? I sense a ‘but’ there.”
She didn’t know Maggie very well, but given that she spent all of her time working and building her business, she didn’t have many close female friends, and she sensed that she could talk to her. And given the thoughts buzzing through her brain, the idea of a friendly ear was immensely appealing.
“Well, he’s probably leaving at the end of the season.”
Maggie nodded. “Probably. You don’t think you’ll go with him, though?”
Piper’s eyes widened. She hadn’t even considered that possibility. “Oh. Um. You know, we haven’t talked about that. I think we both assume that when he leaves Dallas, that’ll be that.”
“Why? You guys seem really great together. Do you have something tying you to Dallas?”
Piper’s eyes sought out Beau on the field, where he was wearing the hell out of his white Longhorns uniform and tossing a ball back and forth with Christian Hale, who played third base next to Beau’s position at shortstop.
“Well, no, I guess I don’t…” She bit her lip, frowning. If he asked her to go with him, would she? Maybe. Which was crazy, given how new all of this was. But it didn’t matter, because hadn’t asked her and he wasn’t going to. That wasn’t who he was, no matter how much she liked being with him.
“Hey, you never know. He might end up staying in Dallas,” said Maggie with a shrug, grabbing another handful of Piper’s popcorn. “They don’t always have control over how these things go.”
Piper nodded slowly, her mind churning right along with her stomach. “I guess we’re just kind of seeing how things play out over the next couple of months. It’s really new, and neither of us was really looking for…something.”
“That’s usually when you find exactly what you need,” said Maggie with a wink. “You know, Dylan and I dated way back in high school.”
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
“Mmmhmm. We broke up when he went off to Vanderbilt, and I didn’t really know what to do with myself when he got traded to the Longhorns. I used to work for the team, so I couldn’t really avoid him. I told myself I wasn’t looking to get back together with him, that I couldn’t trust him not to break my heart again.”
Piper gestured to Maggie’s belly. “Clearly the story has a happy ending.”
“Oh, it does.” She laughed, smiling ruefully and shaking her head. “After all my protesting we got back together and were living together within a few months. You have to be open to life’s surprises, you know?”
Piper nodded and tossed a piece of popcorn in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully as she wondered if she and Beau could possibly have life beyond the end of September. Maggie was right—there wasn’t anything tying her to Dallas. She could go where he went, if he asked her. She just wasn’t so sure he’d ask her. They’d agreed that they were temporary, nothing more. This wasn’t a relationship. It was a fling, and she needed to remember that. Enjoy him while he was hers, even if the idea of him being with someone else in the future made her feel a little nauseous.
She knew he had a history, but she didn’t care about that. Women he’d been with in the past weren’t the same as women he might be with after the two of them went their separate ways. She cared about the present, and qui
te possibly the future.
And yet there was a part of her that knew she was being stupid. He was going to leave. He was going to follow his dreams and become an even bigger superstar in a new market. It was inevitable. He’d told her he didn’t do relationships, couldn’t make her any promises and didn’t know what the future held. The clear part of that message was that he didn’t see them together beyond the end of the season.
“You know, I think this is more of a fling than anything,” said Piper, her eyes skimming over the field to find Beau joking around with Jordan Miller. God, he looked so sexy in his uniform, especially with his muscled ass in those tight baseball pants and his deliciously corded forearms on display. “It’ll probably run its course by the time the summer’s over.”
Maggie shot her a knowing look. “Uh huh, sure.” She leaned in closer, her eyes on the field. “Let me tell you something. I’ve known Beau for years, and I’ve never seen him like this. His eyes light up when he sees you, and it’s like he’s magnetized to you whenever you’re around. He might be playing it cool, but trust me, I don’t think this is just a fling to him. I know that may be hard to believe, given his past and his reputation, but I know what I’m seeing, and there’s nothing casual about the way he looks at you.”
Piper’s heart thumped against her ribs as she digested Maggie’s words. Could it be more? She didn’t know. Did she want it to be more?
Yes. A hundred times, yes. Beau was special. She’d never met anyone like him, with his charisma and humor, his dedication to his sport and his work ethic combined with his vulnerability and openness with her. She’d never been comfortable sharing much of her past with guys she was seeing before, but with Beau, she wanted to tell him everything because she knew he would understand.
The game started, and she sat back in her seat, feeling unsettled and on edge. She wanted to talk to Beau about all of this, but she was also wary of sending him running. No, she decided. She wasn’t going to say anything. They’d already talked it out, agreed this was a temporary thing, and that was that. To ask him for more when he’d told her what he wanted would be selfish. Greedy. A recipe for heartbreak and disaster.
She had to accept it for what it was, plain and simple, no matter what she wanted.
After the game, which the Longhorns won against the Red Sox 10-1—mostly thanks to two home runs by Beau—Piper followed him back to his place, which was a swanky looking condo building in the Victory Park area not far from the stadium. They hadn’t been together since that morning at her apartment over a week ago, and when he’d texted her and asked if she wanted to come over after the game tonight, she’d said yes. It hadn’t even been a question, really, especially given that she was aware that time was slipping by quickly, and they only had weeks before the end of the season.
Granted, the Longhorns were in playoff contention, currently holding one of the AL wild card spots, so that could potentially prolong things a little. But if they were in the playoffs, he’d probably be intensely focused on that, so she wasn’t sure if that would actually extend things between them.
She parked in the guest parking area and then followed Beau inside, her little overnight bag slung over her shoulder. As they stepped into the expansive lobby, he took the bag from her and led her toward the bank of elevators.
“Such a gentleman,” she said, her voice echoing off of the concrete and marble in the industrial-chic style lobby. It was late, after eleven, and the lobby was deserted save for the doorman off in the corner. He lifted his head and waved lazily when he spotted Beau. She wondered how many women he’d seen Beau bring in here, but then pushed the thought away. There was no sense being jealous over something in the past.
He slipped an arm around her waist, leaning in close. “A gentleman who wants to do unspeakably filthy things to you. You look really fucking sexy in my jersey.”
She turned and cupped his face, kissing him. Heat sparked between her legs and deep in her core at the contact, her body coming back to life after missing him for a week. “Oh, but you better speak those unspeakable things. I love your dirty mouth.”
The elevator doors opened and he pulled her inside, caging her against the wall and burying his face in her neck, making her shiver. “You want me to tell you exactly what I want to do to you?” He nipped at her ear and she nodded, sucking in a shaky breath. His hips pressed against her, and she could feel him, hard and thick beneath his jeans. She was already just as primed for him. She’d burned through two pairs of batteries over the past week, giving her vibrator a near daily workout while she thought about Beau. “I want you naked on my bed, all spread out for me. I want your hands in my hair as I kiss and suck on your gorgeous nipples. I want to hear you moan my name as I make a fucking meal out of your pussy. I want your pretty lips wrapped around my cock as you suck me. I want to feel you come all over me as I fuck you so hard and deep you feel me for days.” He lifted his head and met her eyes, the sparkling green almost hypnotic. “How am I doing?”
“Really good,” she said, her voice a tremulous whisper. “Come here.” She pulled his face to hers, kissing him, moaning when his thick thigh slipped between her legs, pressing against her pussy at the same time as his tongue slid against hers in a tantalizing rhythm. A needy ache flared to life, her body desperate for him after the time apart. “I missed you,” she whispered against his mouth, and he pulled back slightly, a crooked grin on his face.
“Missed you too, Piper. A lot.” He sighed, his chest heaving. “And not just because of this.” In case there was any doubt what he meant, he pressed his thigh against her pussy, making her whimper. “But because of this.” He cupped her face, tracing his thumbs over her cheekbones. “You.”
Her thoughts from earlier that night came rushing back to her, and everything she wanted to say was on the tip of her tongue. Everything she wanted to ask. She wasn’t alone in her feelings—she could see it in his eyes, just like Maggie had said. Could see it in their warm, emerald depths. Could see the unguarded affection shining out at her.
But before she could figure out what to say or how to say it, the elevator doors opened with a soft ding, revealing a massive loft-style penthouse. Stepping away from Beau, she took a few tentative steps inside, taking it all in. It was beautiful, like something out of a magazine, all polished chrome and smooth edges, soaring windows and concrete floors. Glass and metal and everything sleek and shiny. She moved toward the windows at the far end of the living room, taking in the breathtaking view of the Dallas skyline.
“This is amazing,” she said, turning in a slow circle.
“You like it?” he asked, following her into the living area and setting her bag down on one of the leather couches.
“Well, yeah. I mean, it’s gorgeous, but…” She shrugged. “It’s not you.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, it doesn’t feel like you. Your car—that feels like you. This record collection,” she said, trailing her fingers over the exposed spines of hundreds of vinyl records on a shelf mounted to the wall. “That feels like you. But this stuff…” She shrugged again. “You’re telling me you picked out this white coffee table with the swirly edges? You picked out this mirrored cabinet? The geometric art up there?”
He moved slowly toward her, an unreadable expression on his face, and she wondered if she’d crossed a line by insulting his décor. But then he let out a low chuckle, shaking his head slowly as he pulled her into his arms.
“You’re right, I didn’t pick out most of this stuff. I bought the place a few years ago and hired a decorator to furnish it. I’m just surprised you can tell, but maybe I shouldn’t be.”
“I think you hide the real you behind all the flash—the humor, the bravado, the expensive furniture—because you’re scared people won’t like what they see if you don’t.” She licked her lips, once again hoping she wasn’t crossing a line, pushing too hard.
He dipped his head and nuzzled his nose against her cheek. “But you see me
, the real me, and here you are.”
“Here I am. I like you, Beau. The real you.”
He crushed his mouth to hers, stealing her breath and turning off her brain. She moaned as she melted into him, giving in to the urgent need spreading between them like wildfire.
“Bedroom. Now.” She spoke the words against his mouth, heat and lust swirling through her in a dizzying eddy.
“Yes, ma’am.” He picked her up, her legs winding around his waist, and carried her up the stairs.
Three orgasms and over an hour later, Piper lay in Beau’s arms, naked, sweaty, and deeply satisfied. He’d made good on all of his dirty promises from the elevator—and then some. He’d taken his time with her, making her come with his talented fingers, followed by his equally talented mouth. Then she’d ridden him, taking him deep and sending both of them over the edge. She’d never had sex like this before. It was both dirty and sweet, tender and hot.
She snuggled into him, laying her head on his chest, the beat of his heart against her cheek a soothing, steady rhythm. Soothing and steady—two words she definitely wouldn’t have thought she’d be using to describe Beau Beckett not that long ago. It was amazing how quickly things could change.
She trailed her fingers down his stomach, playing in the ridges of his abs, teasing at the edge of the thatch of curls below his navel. He stroked a hand up and down her back, then kissed her forehead. It felt so good, so natural lying there with him, basking in the afterglow of amazing sex.
But while her body was sated, her mind was buzzing with everything she wanted to say. She just couldn’t seem to find the right words. Every time she thought she’d figured out what to say and how to say it, the words felt wrong on her tongue. Too scary, too demanding, too vulnerable. So instead, she decided she’d settle for knowing more about him, this man she was falling for but wouldn’t get to keep.
“Tell me something happy from your childhood,” she said quietly, still trailing her fingers over his stomach. “We’ve talked a little about how shitty it was growing up, but there must’ve been bright spots, too.”
