by Hope Ford
He shrugs his shoulders. “My mom was the same way. She was never into baseball, but she always made it to my games.”
The way he’s talking about her in past tense fills me with sorrow. I know what it’s like to lose a parent. I want to tell him I’m sorry, but instead, I tell him softly, “Well, it’s nice she came.”
As if he’s lost in thought, he looks up to the sky and blinks his eyes a few times, then looks over at me.
He reaches out and touches my shoulder. “Well, if you ever want to go to a game, I can get you tickets.”
I nod, but I know that I’m never going to ask him for that. I’m sure he offers tickets to any and everyone.
I point to my lone car and start walking toward it.
He slows his stride even more. “So do you want to go out sometime?”
He doesn’t seem like he would be like Carter, but my experience with men is almost nil, so what do I know? I remember seeing him on the news after some big win he had and the way he handled it was impressive. Every time the reporter asked him how it felt to win the game for the team, he told them he didn’t. I remember it like it was yesterday, because his response stood out to me. He told the reporter that he didn’t win the game for the team. The team won the game, and he would be nothing without them. Just remembering that endears him to me a little more. But could it all be an act. Maybe he’s exactly like Carter but knows how to play the game. Shaking my head, I tell him, “I’m not like my sister.”
His forehead creases for a second like he doesn’t understand what I’m talking about and then he smiles. “That’s what I like about you.”
His big smile catches me off guard, and I almost trip over my own feet. He grabs on to my arm with one hand and his other goes around my thick waist. My body reacts and goosebumps shoot up my arm, and my body trembles. Holding me up, he pulls me toward him and I walk next to him for a few steps before I mutter thanks. At this point, I’ve only known him less than an hour and already he’s saved me twice. I want to bang my hand against my head in frustration. I’m not this girl. I’m independent and don’t ever depend on help from anyone.
But as soon as he releases me, I feel his absence. It’s like being wrapped in a nice warm blanket on a cold night and then someone tugging the blanket off of you. It was nice being in his arms, even if only for a second. I can’t push my earlier thoughts of him away. He’s so hot that I could melt like butter for him if he keeps looking at me like he is. He was great to stand up for me and a gentleman to walk me to my car, but there’s no way he’s not a player. He’s Jasper Reilly, for goodness’ sakes. I’m sure he could have any woman he wants, and for all I know he may just find a different girl every night. It’s hard telling and knowing that makes my chest hurt a little bit. I breathe out a sigh. There’s no way I could go and date a baseball jock right after I just warned my sister to stop doing that very thing. Sheena doesn’t make the best decisions, but I normally do. I usually think about and plan everything before I do it.
“You okay?” he asks me.
I nod my head, refusing to look at him. Even if he is interested in going out with me, I can’t do it. He’s not someone I would want to say no to; the attraction I feel for him is almost too much already. Heck, I can feel my body temperature rising just being next to him. But I don’t want to lose my v-card to some one-night stand, even if he is Jasper Reilly.
“This is me.” I point to my car, hitting the unlock button and opening the door.
I no sooner turn around to tell him thanks again, when he has me caged in between the open door and the car. One of his hands is on the door and the other on the hood of my car. He’s leaning toward me and I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself and hopefully still myself for what might be about to happen. When I breathe in, I’m filling my lungs with his manly, intoxicating scent and it makes my lower belly tingle.
“So are you going to give me your number?” he asks me.
Instantly, I shake my head side to side. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He doesn’t lose the smile, but he tilts his head to the side. “Oh yeah, why’s that?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Uh, let’s see, I just saw how your friend back there treats women and I don’t want any part of it. Like I said, I’m nothing like my sister. I’m independent and I definitely don’t need a man, especially one that is only looking for a good time.”
His hands drop, along with the smile. He’s shaking his head, and I can see his eyes slant in disgust. “I’m nothing like Carter and we’re not friends. I wouldn’t be friends with someone like that.”
He digs his hands deep into his pockets and I blink up at him. It’s obvious I said the wrong thing. I shouldn’t compare him to Carter, just like I wouldn’t want him to compare me to Sheena. It bothers me that I’ve offended him and I’m just about to apologize when he takes a step back from me.
“Look, uh, Trinity, I’ll let you go. It was nice meeting you.”
Before I can even apologize, he’s already walking away.
5
Trinity
I second-guess myself at least a zillion times. I stand next to my car, watching as the sexy, lithe, and powerful Jasper walks away and out of my life. When he turns back to look at me, I finally slide into the driver’s seat of my used car.
Regret fills me and I fight with myself on not giving him my number. Did I make the right decision? What if he’s nothing like Carter?
I bang my hand on the steering wheel, I guess I’ll never know.
It’s getting dark and I know better than to be out by myself in a mostly abandoned parking lot. I put the key in the ignition and turn it over, but all I hear is click, click, click. I turn the car in the off position, wait a few seconds and then try it again. The same thing… click, click, click.
Can my night get any worse? “No! This can’t be happening right now!” I tell myself, trying the car again.
I get out and pop the hood of the car, looking at the dirty parts as if I’m going to know how to make them work. I should have listened all those times in high school when my dad tried to teach me about my car. I pull my phone out of my back pocket. After Sheena came up short with her half of the rent and I covered it for her, I’m not looking forward to a tow bill.
A thought stops me from dialing and instead, I start to call Sheena. I’ll just beg her to stop acting like a skank and come help me. The phone rings twice and then nothing. I look down at it and my phone is dead. You have got to be kidding me! My luck just keeps getting better and better.
Cursing, I kick the tire and then lay my face in my hands in frustration.
The sound of a car has me raising my head. A shiny black sports car stops right next to me, and Jasper gets out, walking around the car over to me.
Jasper
I regretted walking away as soon as I did it. But when she compared me to Carter, I had to get away. It’s sad, because most of the guys on the team are decent guys, but it’s the ones like Carter that give us all a bad name.
Knowing my mother raised me better than this, I drive back around to the fan parking lot and when I see her kicking her tire, I’m glad that I did. I would never have forgiven myself if I’d left her here stranded.
When I walk up next to her, I can’t wipe the smirk off my face. “Hey, Miss Independent, you need a ride or would you rather call Sheena and Carter?”
She’s sexy as fuck, but the look on her face is adorable when she has to eat her own words.
She blushes. “My car won’t start.”
“What’s it doing?” I ask her, but I’m no mechanic.
She makes the sound the car is making and when I laugh, the blush on her face deepens.
“C’mon, I’ll give you a ride home.”
I expect her to tell me no, but she reaches into her car, grabs her purse and turns to face me. “That would be great, thanks.”
I open the door for her and she slides down into my leather seats. I stare at her legs for a second
too long, and then shut the door, running around to the driver’s side.
I no sooner sit down than she says, “Oh, shoot.”
“What? Did you forget something out of the car?”
She shakes her head. “No, uh, but I live like forty minutes away. I’m sure you live close to the field, right?” She doesn’t give me time to answer before she starts mumbling, “My phone is dead too.” She finishes with a laugh.
I laugh too, but she raises her hands up defensively. “Look, I swear, I’m usually not a mess like this.”
I just laugh and put the car into gear. “Trust me, you’re not a mess.”
She turns in her seat to face me and I have to fight with myself not to look at her.
“Uh, if I can use your phone, I can just take a cab home.”
Before she finishes, I’m shaking my head. “No way. It’s late, I’m not putting you in a cab. I can take you home, but first I need to stop by my house to let out my dog.”
Stopped at a red light, I turn and look at her. She’s looking at me like I’m trying to pull a fast one on her. “I promise, in and out, you don’t even have to come in the house.”
Satisfied, she nods her head and I turn back to the road. We chat on the way to my house. She tells me about her parents and her job as a bank teller. And she asks me about baseball. “So what made you want to be a professional baseball player?”
I pull off the highway and slow down the car. “I grew up playing it. It was everything to me and I always dreamed I would someday make it big.” I smile thinking about my childhood and all the memories. “My mom and dad took me to practices and games every summer growing up. I think they were probably happier than I was when I got drafted.”
Before I get caught up in my past, I decide to give it another go and ask her the same question from before that she avoided answering me. I pull down my street, slowing down to the 25mph speed limit. “So are you seeing anyone?”
She answers me this time, but it’s not what I want to hear. “No, but I’m not looking to date or anything else right now.”
I want to know more about her, I want to know everything, but before I can ask, we pull into my driveway.
6
Trinity
My mouth drops when we pull into the driveway. His place is a gorgeous mansion in the hills. I was determined to not be impressed but how could I not?
“You live here by yourself—I mean, uh who all lives here?” I ask him, wondering if maybe I should have asked him if he was single before I got in the car with him. That’s an awful big house for one man.
He shrugs his shoulders. “Just me. But I plan on having a family one day.”
He gets out of the car and I let his words sink in. It doesn’t sound like he’s a man just looking for a good time. As I sit there, dumbfounded, he walks up the path to the house and disappears inside. I take this time to try and get my mind right. Don’t do anything stupid, Trinity. He’s giving you a ride home, that’s it.
Almost immediately he comes outside with his dog. It’s a black Labrador retriever and he runs to a tree to do his business. As soon as he’s done, Jasper throws a ball for him. I can’t help laughing as the dog runs and fetches over and over.
I get out of the car and as soon as I do, the dog starts barreling to me. I brace for impact, because he’s running at me full speed. But before he reaches me, Jasper hollers out, “Max, stop.”
His authoritative voice even has me stopping and looking up at him. The dog stops right in front of me, sitting on his hind legs with his tail wagging back and forth behind him.
Jasper jogs over to us and leans over to rub the dog behind his ears. “Sorry about that.”
I just laugh and reach my hand out for the dog to smell before brushing my fingers through his soft hair and scratching him behind the ears. His tail wagging gets more intense and I laugh when he gets up and starts rubbing his body against my legs.
Jasper looks between us. “It looks like you’ve made a friend.”
I squat down and keep petting him. “He’s beautiful.”
Jasper squats down too and Max is eating up all the attention. Jasper’s petting the dog, but he’s looking at me. “No. Max is cute; you’re beautiful.”
I just stare back at him, his words affecting me way more than I should let them. I don’t blink, I can’t; it’s like I’m hypnotized by him. He leans in, I lean in and I wait. I can feel it to the soles of my feet: Jasper Reilly is about to kiss me.
As he moves closer, I close my eyes. And then I feel Max’s huge tongue swipe at me from chin to hairline. I start laughing and fall backwards on my butt, laughing so hard.
Jasper, in his attempt to catch me, falls forward and is leaning on his arms over top of me. “I’m sorry about that.”
I smile up at him. “It’s okay.” Max is trying to get between us and his nose nuzzles my neck. I can’t help but laugh at his antics.
Jasper gets up and holds his hand out. I put mine in it and he pulls me off the ground until I’m standing up and wedged right against his hard body. Heat is radiating off him and he doesn’t let go of my hand. He stares at me for so long, I fight not to fidget.
He’s so close to me his hot breath hits my cheek. “So, uh, I’ll just take Max in and feed him. I’ll be back, unless you want to come in?”
I look between him and Max and then back again. “Uh, yeah, I’d like that.”
The more time I spend with him, the more I realize he may not be what I thought. Of course, I’m a sucker for anyone that loves dogs.
I follow him into the house and barely contain the gasp. The inside is even more upscale and classy than I imagined a home could be.
I ask him where the bathroom is and he points me down the hall. I follow his directions and explore a little on my way.
Max must have finished his food already, because he runs for me when I come out of the bathroom. The playful dog is friendly and too cute not to be petted and played with. Jasper is right behind him.
“So I guess you travel a lot. What do you do with Max when you’re away?”
He leans down and pets Max. “Half the games are home games so I’m actually home a lot. But when I travel, I have a dog sitter.”
“You don’t board him?” I ask skeptically.
He shakes his head. “No, I have someone come in. I try to keep it normal for him. I wouldn’t want him to stay in a strange place all the time.”
The more I talk to him the more I learn new things about him. He’s surprising me, but in a good way.
He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I can take you home now, if you want. Or we can watch a movie.”
I squint my eyes at him and cross my arms across my chest. “I’m not playing any games with you, Jasper. I’m really not like my sister.”
He holds his hands up. “I don’t want you to be. Promise. I just want to spend time with you. That’s all.”
Finally, after giving it some thought, I nod at him. “Sure, then.”
He holds his hand out and I put mine in his and he laces our fingers together before leading me from the hallway to the living room.
We sit on the couch next to each other and when we settle on a comedy, he sits down beside me, our thighs touching, and watch the movie. I’m taking slow, careful breaths, not wanting to move too much. I can feel his arm on the back of the couch and eventually it finds its way to my shoulder. I freeze for just a second before I lean into him.
I keep expecting something else, something more, but we watch the whole movie like this. He asks me if I want anything to eat or drink and then we talk. We talk through the whole movie. He tells me about his teammates and I notice he doesn’t even mention Carter again. I tell him about work and a few of my girlfriends. Time seems to fly and then I realize the movie’s over.
I reluctantly pull from his arms. “It’s almost one in the morning. I don’t want you to drive all the way across town and back. I can call a cab.”
He stands up next to
me. “No, I can take you. Or you can stay here. I have guest rooms and then I can help you get your car fixed in the morning before I have practice.”
I weigh my options. My first instinct is to tell him no, but honestly, he’s been such a gentleman, there’s no reason I shouldn’t trust him at this point. Before I can answer him, he holds his hands out to me, palms up. “You can lock the door. I promise you can trust me.”
I look over at Max, who’s fast asleep on his doggie bed, and then back to Jasper. “Okay, sure, if you don’t mind.”
He leads me up the stairs and I follow behind him, thinking the whole way that I hope I’m making the right decision. He stops midway. “Hold on for a second.”
He walks into a bedroom and is only gone a few seconds before he comes back to me, holding out a T-shirt. He hands it to me. “Here you go. You can sleep in this.”
I take the shirt and thank him before he shows me the room across from his, pointing out the private bathroom and towels.
“Holler if you need anything,” he tells me, and then bolts out the door.
His sudden departure has me reeling. It seems like he’s hot one minute and then cold the next. Not that I can complain. I’ve pretty much told him three times tonight I’m not like my sister, so basically telling him I’m not having sex with him.
I unfold the shirt in my hands and look at it. It has the number seven on the back and his last name, Reilly, in white letters. I hold it to my nose and breathe it in. It’s laundered, but I swear it still smells like him.
For the first time in my life, I’m wishing I was more like Sheena right now.
7
Jasper
Last night, I barely made it through the movie sitting next to Trinity on the couch. Her smell is intoxicating and brings my desire for her to an even higher level. After a rough night where all I did was dream of her, when I woke up with the knowledge that she’s right across the hall, I got up and got busy.
