The Winning Season

by Alison Packard

  “As I recall, all of our games with San Diego next month are night games. That should give you plenty of time to get to the ballpark.”

  “Have your parents met Sean?” he asked as they approached her building. As usual, the street was jam-packed with cars parked along the curb. Thank God she had garage parking. Finding a parking spot in this neighborhood was like trying to find a single straight man in the city. Nearly impossible. “It seems to me that this is all happening pretty quickly.”

  Kelly halted in front of the double glass doors. “My parents met Sean when they went down to L.A. after Kayla got back from Savannah. They wanted to make sure she was okay after what that asshole did to her.”

  “Sean told me what happened. That guy is seriously disturbed.”

  “He’s a sick freak,” she said as Matt opened the door for her. “I hope the judge locks him up for a long time.” She crossed the threshold and turned. “Thanks for walking me home.”

  “Nice try, but I’m seeing you to your door.” The determination in Matt’s eyes meant he wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Just to be on the safe side.”

  Kelly opened her mouth to protest, but then snapped it shut. Somehow she didn’t think he would acquiesce.

  As they waited for the elevator, those pesky butterflies made a return visit to the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t get that damn kiss out of her mind. It almost made her long for the days when all she and Matt ever did was fight. At least when they bickered she could concentrate on the next stinging barb or insult she wanted to fling at him. Now all she could concentrate on were those sexy lips of his, and how much she wanted to feel them on hers again.

  When the elevator doors opened, Matt motioned for her to precede him inside and like last night, she was struck by how completely he filled the space. It wasn’t just his muscular frame; it was the aura of masculinity he exuded even as he leaned casually against the wall and pressed the button for her floor. As the doors closed, he turned, his penetrating gaze sinfully wicked.

  Kelly’s throat went dry and she moved to the opposite corner, clutching the strap of her purse like a lifeline. He was much too close for comfort. His clean and bracing scent surrounded her. He smelled good. Really good. Betraying heat flooded the area between her legs and a hot blush crept over her face. She was getting turned on in an elevator, for heaven’s sake.

  “My dad called today.” She said the first thing that came into her head. “He’s gung-ho about showing you the Chevelle. He’s barbecuing on Sunday after the game and asked me to invite you over.”

  “Sweet.” Immediately, Matt’s expression transformed into one of eager enthusiasm that was both endearing and boyish at the same time. “I’ve been dying to see that car.”

  “Then I’ll tell him you’ll be there. You can ride over with me if you’d like.” She smiled. “Unless you’ve decided that my driving could be hazardous to your health.”

  “I do have a clause in my contract about not taking any unnecessary risks.” Amusement flickered in his eyes. “But what’s life without risk?”

  “Boring as hell.”

  “Exactly,” Matt said as the elevator chimed its arrival at her floor. He held the open door button. “Any news on Lily?” he asked after joining her in the hallway.

  “Dorie called me with an update late this afternoon. Lily will be released from the hospital on Sunday morning. Her surgery is tentatively scheduled for the last week of September.”

  Matt didn’t respond and was quiet as they moved down the carpeted hallway. Sterling silver sconces hung on the pale lilac walls every few feet and bathed the hallway in a subdued glow. Although there were four residences on her floor, Kelly rarely saw her neighbors, nor did she ever hear them. The walls were soundproof and there were times when she came home from work that the floor was so eerily silent that it was downright creepy. Living in the upscale building was a far cry from the East Bay bedroom community of Pleasanton where she’d grown up. On the block where she’d lived, the Maxwells were close with all of their neighbors. There was a sense of camaraderie and caring there she hadn’t found since she’d left home and gone off to college.

  When they got to the black lacquer door, Kelly reached into the side pocket of her purse for her keys. “Lily is crazy about the warm-up jacket you gave her.”

  “I promised her the Blaze would win the World Series.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw and sighed. “I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help myself. I think Lily wants the team in the Series more than I do.”

  She turned toward him. “You gave her something to look forward to. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “I guess so.” He searched her face; as their eyes locked there was a moment of sizzling awareness. “It wasn’t just because of Lily, you know.” His voice was low and husky. “That kiss,” he reminded her as if she didn’t have a clue as to what he meant. But she did.

  “Matt, we shouldn’t...”

  “Shouldn’t what? Talk about the kiss, or do it again?”

  Kelly pressed her hand over her heart, hoping that might stop its frantic pounding. No such luck. “Both.”

  “Why? We’re way past disliking each other, aren’t we?” His mouth tipped in a lazy smile. “And I’m pretty sure you enjoyed it. I know I did.”

  “I’m not one of your groupies.”

  “I’ve known that since the night we met.” Matt lifted his hand and traced the ball of his thumb across her cheek. She tried to ignore the thrill that fluttered in her body. “But I can tell you this much, even though we were at each other’s throats, from the moment I sat down at that table, I felt more alive that night than I had for months.”

  So had she. That’s what scared her. Matt’s reputation with women was well documented. There was no way in hell she was going to be another notch on his bedpost.

  “Matt...” she said as he slid his hand to the nape of her neck.

  “Your voice is so sexy,” he murmured, gently caressing the skin of her nape. His thumb brushed over a sensitive spot near the back of her ear. Her keys slid from her fingers and jingled as they landed on the carpet. “Your eyes are the color of fine whiskey.” He lowered his gaze to her lips. “And your mouth...” He leaned closer—so close their bodies almost touched. So close, the clean male scent of him invaded her senses. She tried to throttle the dizzying current running through her, but couldn’t. “I want it.”

  “Then take it,” she whispered and let out a low gasp of surprise as she realized she had said the words aloud. Before she could recant, his fingers tightened on her neck, his dark eyes flared with sexual heat and he pulled her tightly against the solid wall of his chest.

  His mouth covered hers and it was as if time stopped. There was nothing...nothing but this moment, and Matt, ravishing her lips with his. Unable to resist, she melted against the hard length of him and parted her mouth to his seeking tongue. Seconds later, she felt his other hand on the small of her back, anchoring her to him, pressing her to his groin. The ache between her legs intensified as they kissed openmouthed, wet and deep.

  Barely aware of her actions, she slid her hands up his powerful shoulders to his neck and threaded her fingers through his hair, reveling in its softness as he kissed her as if he wanted to devour her. She let out a soft sigh when, much too soon, he pulled his mouth from hers, touched his lips to her jaw and then moved to lightly nip at her earlobe, causing her to shudder.

  When his lips found the sensitive spot at the base of her neck, she moaned and tilted her head, giving him better access. His mouth opened on her neck, placing soft yet insistent love bites along her sensitive skin. Her body quivered. She was drowning in this man. In the taste of him, the scent of him, the feel of him.

  Warning bells went off in her head. This was Matt Scanlon—the man who, for the past year, had bedded more women than she could count on two hands. She couldn’t be—wouldn’t be—one of them. No matter how hot he was, and no matter how hot she was for him.

  “Matt...�
� she murmured and lowered her hands to his shoulders. “Stop.”

  He lifted his head and pinned her with his dark gaze. Kelly’s breath caught in her throat at the hot desire burning in his eyes. He made no move to loosen his hold on her, making her acutely aware of how intimately their bodies were pressed together. She could feel almost every inch of him; it did nothing to lessen her arousal.

  “We can’t do this,” she whispered, trying to gather her composure. She’d never experienced such a primitive attraction to a man before. It would be so easy to give in to it but she’d never been any good at one-night stands. To her friends in college it had been no big deal, but the one time she’d done it she’d felt empty and somewhat cheap.

  “Why not? We both want to.” His voice was husky. “Are you going to deny it?”

  “No. But I’m not some cleat chaser looking to score with a professional athlete.”

  “I never said you were.” Matt scowled, dropped his arms from her and stepped back. “I’m not the same man I was a year—hell—even a month ago, but you think I’m still that guy in the tabloids, don’t you?”

  “Are you saying those stories weren’t true?” Kelly lifted her chin. “How many women were you with anyway?”

  “I have no clue, but not as many as you seem to think,” he snapped and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Look, I’m not proud of my behavior last year, but I’m sure as hell not going to apologize to you for it.”

  “I didn’t ask you to.” She crouched to retrieve her keys. “In fact,” she continued icily when she straightened. “I don’t care what you do. There are hundreds of women in this city who would love to fuck you. Why don’t you go find one who doesn’t mind being another one of your many conquests?”

  “Fine.” Matt’s tone was dark, his expression darker. “Maybe I’ll do that,” he said and then turned and strode down the hall.

  “Damn it,” Kelly whispered as she turned and unlocked the door. Once inside, she headed straight for the kitchen and set her purse and keys on the counter. As if on autopilot, she opened the freezer and reached for the pint of Stacia’s cookie dough ice cream. Moving to the utensil drawer, she pulled it open and grabbed a spoon.

  Leaning against the center island, she pulled off the lid, tossed it on the counter and then shoved the spoon into the ice cream. The first spoonful soothed her, but when the entire pint of cookie dough was gone within minutes all she felt was sick. Sick that even after all this time she could still use food like a drug, and sick that her first thought was to go to the bathroom and force herself to throw up.

  I won’t do it. I won’t go back there.

  With trembling hands, she put the container and spoon in the sink and then rummaged through her purse until she found her cell phone. Scrolling through her contact list, she came upon the entry for someone she hadn’t had to call on very often in the past few years—her recovery sponsor. She hit the speed dial button and waited. Her sponsor answered on the second ring.

  “I need to talk.”

  * * *

  The last thing Matt wanted to do was go back to his empty condo. Instead, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt and took a left when he got to King Street. Because the evening was chilly, and it was late, there weren’t many people out and about. He walked along the Embarcadero and didn’t bother to stop to admire the brightly lit Bay Bridge, its length spanning from San Francisco to Oakland and the East Bay. While maybe not as iconic as the Golden Gate, it was still an impressive sight. But tonight, that marvel of engineering was lost on him.

  As long as he lived he’d never understand women. Maybe it was him. He’d had it pretty easy in that department for a while now. Women had been throwing themselves at him for years. Even before last year, he’d taken advantage of that fact. Only back then, he’d been discreet about it. When the women got too clingy, or too demanding, he’d move on with no regrets. The one serious relationship he’d had in college had ended badly and he’d never wanted to repeat it.

  Now there was Kelly. The last woman on earth he ever thought he’d be attracted to. But he was. Even now, when she’d pretty much told him to go pound sand, he still wanted her with an intensity that surprised him. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but Kelly Maxwell and her smart mouth had gotten to him.

  He stopped in front of the Fog City Diner and would have gone in for some coffee but it was closed so he resumed walking down the Embarcadero, lost in thought. A few people passed him by but no one recognized him, or if they did, they didn’t care. It was odd after the overwhelming adoration in L.A., but he liked the fact that he could go out here in San Francisco and not be constantly besieged by fans and the paparazzi. The San Francisco fans were a different breed. It was as if they were too cool and sophisticated to fawn all over some guy who played a game for a living. He liked that about them.

  Kelly had never fawned over him either, and obviously believed he was still living the womanizing lifestyle he’d been living in L.A. She couldn’t be more wrong. Somehow, he was going to prove it to her.

  * * *

  By the time Sunday morning rolled around, Kelly couldn’t remember ever being in a darker mood. Two full days had passed since she and Matt had their encounter at her front door. It wasn’t like her not to go down to the clubhouse and talk to the guys before each game, but other than sitting in her usual spot in the media room after the last two games, she’d given the clubhouse a wide berth.

  How could she face him after what she’d said? She’d picked that fight with him because of her own stupid fears and for no other reason. It was childish, like avoiding him now was childish.

  She couldn’t avoid him forever. Tomorrow Matt and the team would be leaving on a two-week road trip—the longest one of the season. Kelly wished like hell she didn’t have to join them but she couldn’t very well tell Katherine she couldn’t make the trip. It was part of her job, after all. Fourteen days cooped up on charter planes and buses with him would be uncomfortable. It would be much easier to stay in San Francisco and not have to deal with him, or her insane attraction to him.

  Coward.

  Pushing up from her chair, she rounded her desk and left her office. By the time she reached the women’s restroom, she’d managed to silence the pesky little voice inside her head and pushed open the bathroom door. The sound that greeted her was agonizingly familiar and sent a chill up her spine. Someone was vomiting, and there was no doubt in her mind that it was Alexis.

  Evidently, the sound of her own retching had masked the noise of the door opening so Alexis continued to purge. With a heavy heart, Kelly leaned against the double sink counter and waited. Finally, the toilet flushed; she steeled herself for the moment when Alexis discovered she wasn’t alone in the bathroom.

  As expected, Alexis’s expression was one of shock when she stepped out of the stall. Her eyes grew round and wide as their gazes locked across the small space between them.

  “Kelly...uh, hi. I’m not feeling well. I think I should go home.”

  Nice save. But it wasn’t good enough.

  “I’m fine with that. But before you leave, I need to tell you something.”

  Alexis clasped her hands together in front of her. “What?”

  “I have an eating disorder.” Kelly paused. “I’m in recovery and have been for several years. I’m past the worst of it but it’s a lifetime struggle.”

  Unease flickered in Alexis’s eyes. “What’s that got to do with me?”

  “Because I recognize the signs. I’ve binged and purged too. Sometimes the purging was hours spent in the gym after I’d binged, and sometimes I threw up, just like you were doing.”

  “I don’t have an eating disorder, if that’s what you think.” Alexis crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m coming down with the flu. My whole family has been sick with it.”

  “I don’t believe you. You’d say anything right now not to have your secret exposed.”

  “There is no secret,” Alexis shot bac
k in a defensive tone.

  “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” Kelly moved to stand in front of the girl. “You used to do it in the privacy of your home, but now you’re doing it at work. It’s escalating, and that isn’t good.”

  “You’re just jealous because I’m losing weight.” Alexis’s assessing gaze traveled down Kelly’s body and then back up. “You could stand to lose a few pounds.”

  “I’m happy with my weight, but it took me a long time to get to this point,” Kelly replied, not offended. Alexis was deflecting, a common response when confronted. She lifted her hand to Alexis’s shoulder. “I’m concerned about your health. I don’t want to see you go down the same path I did. I can help you.” She squeezed Alexis’s shoulder gently. “If you’ll let me.”

  Alexis jerked her shoulder away and treated her to a scathing look. “I don’t need your help because I don’t have a problem. I’m coming down with the flu and that’s all.” Alexis stepped around her and moved to the door. Kelly turned to watch her. Had she just blown her one chance to help her intern? “I’ll get my things and go. I don’t want to spread my germs around the office.”

  “Fine. But think about what I said. I can help you.”

  * * *

  It was close to six when Kelly pulled the Trans Am in front of her parents’ modest ranch-style home in Pleasanton. Its pale green paint with white shutters was a welcome sight after a rough couple of days. She and Kayla had grown up in this house and it held a lot of wonderful memories.

  The game had ended at four with another Blaze victory, and after doing her stint in the media room she’d gone straight to the condo, changed clothes and hit the road for the East Bay. Since Matt seemed to be avoiding her as well—it was pretty clear he wasn’t interested in the barbecue at her parents’ house, or seeing the Chevelle. Still, she had extended the invitation and felt a tad bit guilty that she hadn’t followed up with him.