“Are you sure?” Sorrow darkened his expression. “Because it still hurts.”
Her heart constricted. “It will always hurt. But that hurt will lessen in time.”
“God, I hope you’re right.” He stared at her with something akin to relief in his eyes. “I’m glad I told you about him.”
“So am I,” she said softly and then stiffened. “Did you hear that?”
Matt shook his head and lowered his arms from around her waist. “I didn’t hear a thing. Stacia’s not home, right?”
“I didn’t think so.” She turned and crossed the kitchen. When she got to the foyer, it was empty—as was the living room. She stood there for a moment hearing nothing but silence. “It’s probably the refrigerator. It’s always making weird noises. Especially when the ice maker is running,” she said as she returned to the kitchen to find Matt standing at the counter shoving their take-out plates into the Kamu’s sack. “Hey, you don’t have to do that. You brought dinner, I’ll clean up.”
He shot her a quizzical glance. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Do you mind if I watch ESPN before I leave? I’d like to check the scores.”
“Be my guest.” She put her hands on his back and pushed him toward the foyer. “The remote is on the coffee table.”
After she’d tidied the kitchen, she joined him in the living room. “How’d the Dodgers game end?” she asked as she sat next to him on the couch. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his body. He smelled wonderful—that clean Matt scent that lingered in her senses even when she wasn’t with him.
“They won.”
Kelly swore softly under her breath and rested her head on his chest. “That means we didn’t gain any ground at all in San Diego.”
“The Dodgers are heating up again. But their next series is in Atlanta, and luckily for us, the Braves are on a tear right now so there’s a good chance we can pull ahead if the Braves win the series and we win ours with Colorado.”
“Piece of cake. The Rockies have been decimated with injuries this year.” Kelly snuggled against his solid body. “And their pitching staff has the highest ERA in the National League as well as the most walks.”
“Don’t get cocky.” His voice was tinged with amusement. “It’s not always about the stats. The Rockies have some damn good hitters. On any given day they’re a threat.”
“I’m not cocky.” She grinned. “Just confident.”
Matt chuckled and then they watched the remainder of the baseball highlights. When the commercial came on, he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I should head out. I still need to look over my notes for the game tomorrow.”
Lifting her head, she met his gaze and smiled. “Thanks for bringing food.”
“You’re welcome.” He lowered his head and gave her a kiss that was far too brief. She considered asking him to stay, but he had notes to study so when he rose from the couch she followed him to the door, pretty much unable to keep her eyes from devouring his broad shoulders and muscular arms. Men didn’t have the monopoly on ogling a fine body. In fact, women ogled just as much as men, only more discreetly.
When they reached the door, Matt opened it and stepped into the hallway and then turned.
Oh shit. Busted.
Kelly jerked her gaze up to meet his. Hot blood rushed to her cheeks when he gave her a grin of pure masculine satisfaction. “Were you checking out my ass?” He braced his palm on the door frame and flashed a sexy smile.
She shrugged and moved closer. “Maybe. You got a problem with that?”
“Not at all.” He lifted his hand and ran his fingers through her hair. “Turnabout is fair play. I check yours out quite frequently.”
“Then you won’t mind if I watch you walk down the hall when you leave, will you?”
“Tell you what.” He grinned cheekily. “I’ll put a little strut into it, just for you.”
Her laugh was smothered when Matt leaned forward and kissed her. Not the gentle kiss of a minute ago, but a hot ravishing kiss that washed her with heat and desire. With a soft moan, she melted against him and slipped her arms around his waist. Needing to touch him even more intimately, she slid her hands under his shirt and stroked his smooth warm skin. He reacted with a low guttural growl, reached behind her to grab a fistful of her hair and all but consumed her with the forceful demand of his mouth.
The man didn’t play fair. Kissing her like this, getting her all hot and bothered just before leaving her to—
Wait. Wait just a damn minute. She wasn’t the only one hot and bothered. The hard ridge of Matt’s erection pressing into her was proof of that. Lowering her hands, she cupped his ass and pulled him against her. With a low groan, he pulled back. Their eyes locked, the sexual heat between them palpable.
“Stay,” she whispered over the pounding of her heart.
A wicked smile tugged at Matt’s lips. “Baby, I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Twenty
Four days later, Matt stood next to Marquis Lopes waiting to take his turn at batting practice. BP was a game-day ritual he’d always enjoyed, mainly because he’d never felt any pressure to do anything other than connect with the ball and send it flying. At the moment Trey Gentry was in the cage and, for a rookie and a pitcher, he had a decent swing. The kid was going to be a star. He had talent, brains, looks and a helluva hanging curve ball. He was a general manager’s wet dream.
Turning from the batting cage, Matt surveyed the ballpark. The seats were empty, but there were several reporters camped out near the visitors’ dugout waiting for batting practice to end so they could conduct on-field interviews. Since it was common knowledge he only did press after the game, most of them had given up hounding him. Maybe someday he’d grant more interviews, but truth be told, after a year of being weekly tabloid fodder he liked keeping a low profile.
As he was about to turn his attention back to the cage, he spied a lone figure sitting in the Blaze dugout. It was J.T.
Ever since learning of Angie’s engagement from Kelly he’d been wrestling with whether or not to tell J.T. the news. Bottom line, the guy was going to find out sooner or later, and if he was hung up on Angie, maybe it would be easier coming from someone he knew.
“I’ll be right back,” he said to Lopes and resting his bat on his shoulder, headed for the dugout. The cameras began clicking furiously—the press might not be able to talk to him but they were still able to take his picture. Three months ago he would have flipped them off; today he couldn’t care less.
Taking the steps into the dugout, Matt shoved his bat into one of the bat cubbies and then sat next to J.T. on the long metal bench that ran the length of the dugout. “No BP today?” he asked as he slipped off his baseball cap and tossed it on the bench.
J.T. didn’t spare him a glance. “Nope.”
“Lopes suggested we hit Kamu’s after the game. You up for it?”
“Don’t think so.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Matt leaned back, stretched his legs out in front of him and got comfortable. This might take a while.
“Talk about what?”
“Whatever the hell has been eating at you for the last month.”
J.T. turned to look at him, his expression stony. “Maybe I’m tired of being backup.”
Matt’s jaw dropped. This was about baseball, not Angie?
“I’m good enough to be a starter,” J.T. continued tersely. “But as long as you or Taylor are around I’ll always be second string.”
“You are good,” Matt assured him. He had to handle this one with care. A ballplayer’s ego could be a fragile thing. “The problem is there are a lot of guys who are just that—good. To be a starter you have to be more than that. You have to be the best.”
J.T. scowled at him. “So what you’re saying is I’ll never be in your league, or Taylor’s?”
“You can be. You’re not that much older than Taylor. This league is like a gossip
mill, you know. We all talk. When I was with the Dodgers the word in the clubhouse was Taylor trained like a fucking maniac.”
“I train,” J.T. said defensively.
“Train harder. Spend every spare minute you have studying hitters. Watch film until your eyes cross. You’ve got a lot of natural talent, but in my opinion you haven’t reached your full potential.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me this before?”
“Because you didn’t ask, and also because I didn’t want to antagonize the one guy on the team who bothered to give me the time of day when I got here. That meant a lot to me.”
“It did?”
“Yeah. Everyone else thought I was a fuckup.”
A slow grin split J.T.’s face. “You were a fuckup.”
Matt laughed. “That’s true.”
“Notice I used the past tense.”
“I noticed.” Matt scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Man, I’m glad this was about baseball. I could have sworn it was about Angie.”
“Angie?” J.T. narrowed his eyes and sat up, ramrod-straight. “Why?”
“I thought maybe you found out she got engaged and you were upset.”
“Angie’s engaged?”
Fuck. By the stunned expression on J.T.’s face this was the first he was hearing of it.
“Yeah.”
J.T.’s shoulders slumped as he turned to stare at the field. “I didn’t know,” he said quietly after several seconds. “Good for her.” J.T. shot to his feet and slipped on his baseball cap. “Come on,” he said with a grin that might have fooled someone who didn’t know him better. “Suddenly I’m in the mood to hit the shit out of those balls.”
* * *
Engrossed in reading her latest batch of public-appearance requests, Kelly almost jumped out of her chair when the ring of her desk phone shattered the silence. With a racing heart, she picked up the receiver.
“Kelly Maxwell.”
“Hey, Kelly. How’s life in the big city?”
She let out a short laugh and leaned back in her chair. She’d recognize that voice anywhere. “Rick. Hi. How’s the rehab going?”
“Couldn’t be better,” Rick Taylor replied in a voice that held just the slightest trace of Texas. “I finally got that damn cast off of my leg and I start physical therapy tomorrow. I’m sure my doctor will be calling you to give you the official version, but you’ve been so good about checking in with me I thought I’d fill you in myself.”
“I’m glad you did,” she said warmly. “Sounds like you’re right on schedule.”
“I don’t see any problem making it to spring training.”
“We’re looking forward to having you back.” Her smile faded as she realized exactly what that meant. As much as she liked Rick, his return to the Blaze meant Matt would no longer be needed. “I hear congratulations are in order. The last time I talked to Jill she told me she’s pregnant.”
“Yes, ma’am. She’s three months along. We announced it to the family yesterday. This’ll be the first grandchild for both of our parents.”
Kelly smiled. She’d forgotten Rick’s propensity to call all women “ma’am.” It was probably a Texas thing. “I’m sure everyone is thrilled. You’ve got a lot to look forward to.”
“That I do,” Rick said. “Hey, I’ve been talking to a few guys on the team and they’re telling me Scanlon’s a decent guy. Do you think he’ll be on the team next year?”
“I’m not sure.” She reached for the baseball magazine that had been delivered with the morning mail. On the cover was a picture of Matt, Rizzo, Lopes and Gentry. The magazine had dubbed them The Fab Four. It wasn’t a posed shot, just separate images spliced together. Matt’s picture showed him raising his glove in the air after making a tag at home plate. The determination on his face was evident and a far cry from the man who had first arrived in San Francisco. “Matt was only picked up because of what happened to you. From what I’ve heard, the GM and Morgan are committed to you being our starting catcher for the long term.”
“That depends on how well I bounce back from this injury.”
“True, but from what your doctors are reporting to us, we’re not worried.” She tossed the magazine on the desk. “You were extremely lucky the leg break wasn’t as bad as originally thought.”
“It still hurt like hell.”
“I hope this has taught you to stay off that motorcycle,” she said, unable to stop herself from chiding him. It was a foolish thing he’d done, especially when there was a clause in his contract about refraining from engaging in any activities that might cause him extreme bodily injury. Granted, the accident could have occurred if he was in a car, but his injuries probably wouldn’t have been as severe.
“It wasn’t the bike.” Rick’s voice was edged with annoyance. “It was the jerk on the bridge. He decided to change lanes and didn’t bother to look to see if anyone was in the lane next to him.”
Kelly rubbed her temple. If Rick came roaring into spring training on a motorcycle she would lose her damn mind. “You won’t be riding that thing when you come back, right?”
“Right,” Rick said after a lengthy pause. “I sold it to my brother. Jill insisted.”
“Smart woman. You’re lucky she married you.”
“I tell myself that every day, ma’am.”
“You’re making me feel old with that ma’am stuff.” She smiled. “A word to the wise, it’s best not to call any woman under the age of sixty ma’am.”
“I’ll try. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Jill says thanks for subbing for her in that charity game.”
“It was my pleasure. We kicked their asses.”
Rick let out a bark of laughter. “Winning is good, isn’t it?”
“You bet it is.” She checked her watch. “Hey, I’m sorry, but I have to cut this short. I’m meeting my mom for lunch.”
After she and Rick had said their goodbyes, Kelly stared at Matt’s picture on the magazine cover. Talking to Rick had just made it real. The odds were highly in favor of Matt not being on the team next year, and she doubted Matt would want to be a backup to anyone. He was still more than good enough to start for any Major League team. But what she’d told Rick was true, upper management believed he was a phenomenon, just as Matt had been eight years ago. As long as Rick came back as healthy as he was before the injury there was no way in hell they’d let him go. And even if Matt would consider staying, the Blaze couldn’t afford both him and Rick. They would let Matt go, keep J.T. as Rick’s backup and pick up someone on the cheap to be third string. It was good business and that’s what Major League Baseball was—a business.
On the short walk to the Fog City Diner where she was meeting her mother, Kelly’s stomach was tied up in knots. From the first moment she’d learned Matt was joining the Blaze she couldn’t wait for him to leave. Now, the thought of him leaving San Francisco and going—God knows where—was like a hammer blow to her heart.
Her mother was sitting in a booth next to the window when she walked into the diner. Patricia had been watching for her and waved.
“Hi, honey,” her mother said with a warm smile as she sat across from her. “I’m glad you could meet me.”
Kelly set her purse beside her on the leather seat and thanked the waitress who quickly brought her a glass of ice water. From the amount of shopping bags piled on the seat next to her mother, it appeared her morning had been a success. In her early fifties, Patricia Maxwell appeared at least ten years younger and could probably still fit into her wedding dress. She didn’t shop for clothes often, but when she did, she came to the city and made a day of it.
“Did you drive in, or take BART?” Kelly asked as she picked up her water and took a sip.
“I took BART. It’s much more relaxing than fighting the traffic and trying to find a place to park.”
Kelly set her glass on the table and gazed out the window. Across the street was the wharf and it bustled with people—tourists and city dwellers alike. Matt usually ran
along the wharf. She occasionally did too but only in the early morning when it was quiet and all she could hear was the sound of her feet hitting the pavement. Matt had suggested they run together but they hadn’t managed it yet. Now that he was most likely leaving San Francisco after the season, it might never happen. The thought was depressing.
“Kelly.”
Her mother’s voice startled her. “What?” She turned from the window and met Patricia’s puzzled gaze. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”
“You were a million miles away. What were you thinking about?”
“Nothing.” She grabbed her menu. “Let’s order. I’m hungry.”
As they ate lunch, Kelly told her mother about Alexis, and how although her intern was now out of the hospital, she wasn’t coming back to work. Alexis’s parents had talked her into entering an eating disorder treatment facility in Arizona. It was for the best, but she hoped Alexis was doing it because she truly wanted to get well, and not because her parents had talked her into it.
“Have I ever told you how proud I am of you?” Patricia asked her after the waitress had taken away their plates.
“For what?”
“For admitting you had a problem and overcoming it.” Her mother’s eyes grew misty. “I can’t imagine how hard that was.”
“It wasn’t a piece of cake.” She grinned. “Pardon the pun.”
Patricia chuckled and shook her head. “We don’t talk much about it, mostly because I know it’s not something you like to discuss. But I wanted you to know how much I admire you.”
Kelly blinked back the moisture the unexpected praise had brought to her eyes. “Mom, stop or I’ll start crying.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll drop it.” Patricia leaned forward and rested her arms on the table. “How’s Matt?”
“He’s fine.” Her mother’s probing gaze had her shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “Is there something you want to say?”
“It didn’t go unnoticed that you didn’t come home the night of Sean and Kayla’s party. Are you and Matt together now?”
Damn that walk of shame.
The Winning Season Page 25
