Playing the Field: A Diamonds and Dugouts Novel

by Jennifer Seasons

  It was just a kiss, right?

  Just one little, innocent kiss. It didn’t have to mean that she’d abandoned all of her convictions about him and his lifestyle or her ideas about staying single and keeping her life complication-free. It simply meant that she was alone in a room with a man who made her want—and she hadn’t wanted in such a long time.

  JP was a good guy, and kissing was probably just an entertaining way for him to pass the time. Right?

  A small voice at the back of her mind told her it was so much more than that, and she knew it. Knew it, but refused to acknowledge it because she really, really wanted to kiss the daylights out of the gorgeous shortstop. He tugged at strings that had been laying unused and collecting cobwebs. So why the hell not?

  It was just a kiss.

  They were standing so close that she could feel his body heat radiating off him. It feathered across her skin and pulled her in, intoxicating her with the feel. It was heady and magnetic, and she wanted to dip her feet in the pool of his sexuality. To dangle her toes in the waters of his arousal and let the slow-moving current caress her, wrap around her, and drown her with sensuality.

  Caught in the tide of desire, she reached out and placed her hands on the flat of his stomach, her palms flush against the corrugated muscle. She heard the sharp intake of his breath and it fueled her. Enticed her. Made her forget who she was.

  For the moment she wasn’t Sonny, single mother haunted by the dismal wreckage of relationships past. She was just a woman standing in front of man who made her feel the rush of sexual awareness.

  And she was going to let herself taste it, just this once.

  Watching her hands, she slid them over the soft cotton, feeling his body through the fabric. Downward they roamed, lazily exploring the area of his abdomen where his jeans rested low on his waist. His shirt had ridden up and a small strip of golden skin was exposed and she ran a fingertip over it, hypnotized by the velvety hot feel of it.

  A gap between the denim and his hip called to her, and her finger dipped inside. JP made a hissing sound as she explored the ridge of taught muscle that formed a V down to his groin. As her finger dipped lower, she became aware of the heavy ache between her legs. She felt slick and swollen and needy there.

  With her head slightly down she couldn’t see his expression, but his breath fanned over her ear in short, thready bursts. It was thrilling, this silent and erotic exploration of his body. Though he held perfectly still, Sonny could feel the tension swirling and coiling inside him. Knowing that at any minute he could strike, like a riled viper, only made the moment more delicious.

  It was like having a hungry tiger on a breakaway leash.

  Sonny had never imagined that it would feel so good—so dangerous—and yet she felt so incredibly powerful. It went straight to her head.

  She glided both hands under the hem of his shirt and felt his stomach quiver at her touch. Emboldened, her fingers dipped into the waistband of his jeans again and he jerked, hissing once more yet staying quiet. Sonny smiled over the heady feeling of power and let her fingers slip down a fraction more.

  Her eyes went wide at what she encountered. Burning hot and slick with his arousal, the plump head of his penis pushed against her, escaping from the barrier of his briefs. Lost in the moment, Sonny traced the soft, steely ridge of his erection and heard him groan against her ear.

  Until that second JP had kept his hands from her. But now they gripped her hips, the restrained strength in them arousing her further. What would it be like to feel those hard hands on her skin? His long, strong fingers inside her?

  Lifting her gaze, it slid over his chest, up the length of his throat and over his square chin to his mouth. Going further she came to his eyes and felt a shiver at the emotion she found there. Dark as molasses, JP’s eyes were hungry and locked on her mouth.

  The moment had come. “Kiss me.”

  He shook his head, the movements short and jerky. “No.”

  A frown pulled at her brow. “Why not?” She knew he wanted it. Her fingers stroked the evidence.

  His hands tightened on her hips almost painfully. “You’re in control of this, Sonny.” His voice sounded rough and edgy. “I need you to know that you call the shots.”

  She slid her fingers down the hard length of him and curled them around the base. “You want me to stop?”

  Those hands of his flexed and his fingers curled into her hard enough to bruise. It turned her on. “Hell no. Woman, I want you.”

  She stroked back up, feeling bold. “Then what’s the problem?”

  His head fell back against the door and he growled, “You have to know that you did this—that you decided this.”

  She did know it. The consequences she’d think about later. “Then I’ve decided you should kiss me.”

  His dark, stormy gaze searched hers. “Remember you brought this on yourself. I’m not responsible for what’s about to happen.”

  That sounded like a threat. And she liked it. Made her feel wanton and reckless. “Shut up, JP.”

  “Just trying to be a good guy and do the right thing.” His voice sounded strained and tight.

  Oh, he was such a great guy. Sonny rose on her tiptoes and whispered against his mouth. “I want this.”

  He snapped like a wishbone and his mouth was on her before she’d taken another breath. He devoured her with teeth and tongue, feeding her a kiss of unbridled male lust. It made her knees buckle and removed any lingering doubt about JP being a grown man. He pushed against her hands and she whimpered. Everything about him was uncompromisingly adult man.

  In one dizzying motion, he spun until her back was against the door and he’d gripped the back of her thighs, pulling them up and around his waist. When her legs were wrapped around his waist he thrust into her, his erection rubbing against the seam of her jeans, creating friction hot enough to start a fire.

  She felt like she was on fire.

  Streaking her hands over his rock-hard body, Sonny moaned against his lips and dug her nails into his back. JP ripped his mouth from hers and swore. Then he was kissing her neck, teeth nipping at her throat.

  When a hand covered her breast and squeezed, she nearly came undone. And when he rolled her nipple between his thumb and finger and pinched, she cried out softly, totally gone with need.

  She wanted to be naked. Now.

  Sonny was yanking at his shirt when the knock at the door registered. JP heard it too and growled, “Fuck. Ignore it.”

  Then he was kissing her again, his tongue rubbing against hers in a way that made her forget everything but him. All she knew was JP and the way he made her feel.

  The doorknob rattled. “Mom?” Through the sexual haze Charlie’s voice registered. “Mom?”

  Sonny tore her mouth free and froze. Shit.

  JP dropped his head to her shoulder, panting. Then he raised it and stared at her, his expression unreadable. Sonny stared at him helplessly, her body bombarded with sexual need.

  The knock sounded again. “Mom.”

  For a few tense moments they stared at each other as reality came crashing back. JP muttered, “Kid’s got timing.”

  No kidding. She could still feel his erection against her crotch. “True that.”

  JP smiled at her use of his phrase and the tension melted from him. A laugh bubbled in her chest and Sonny let it loose. Then they were both laughing, the awkwardness of the situation diffusing, and something lifted inside Sonny. She felt a lightness that was absolutely freeing.

  And it was all because of JP.

  Chapter Eleven

  * * *

  THREE DAYS LATER Sonny was hit hard with a cold. It came out of the blue, like summer colds often do. She woke up feeling like hell and looking worse. Such terrible timing too. It was Charlie’s last day as batboy, and it was the last game before the All-Star break. Sonny knew that it would crush him to miss out on it.

  Rolling out of bed, she promptly flopped back when her head began pounding and
her eyes filled up with tears after she sneezed. She began shivering and pulled the comforter over her, even though she was already wearing flannel pants and wool socks. Great, a fever.

  Just. Frigging. Lovely.

  Scraping together every ounce of energy she hand, Sonny crawled back out of bed and stumbled to the kitchen in search of Echinacea, herbal tea, and ibuprofen. Charlie was in the living room watching some Disney show. He took one look at her and stated, “You look awful, Mom.”

  Duh.

  With a handful of tissue, Sonny waved him off and continued on her way as she blew her nose loudly. Summer colds always put her in a bad mood. Though she shouldn’t be surprised that she had come down with one. They always seemed to follow on the heels of allergy season. And for her June was the worst time of the year for allergies, what with everything blooming.

  Her head was throbbing and her eyes were watering profusely by the time the tea was ready and she’d downed some ibuprofen. On the upside, her brain hurt too bad to think about what had happened the other night with JP and all the implications that went with it. She’d been avoiding having that conversation with herself for days. Silence might be golden, but denial was even better.

  For the moment. Sonny wasn’t foolish enough to think she could get away with it for too much longer. But why not relish in the bliss of intentional ignorance while she could?

  The day was perfect and cloudless outside the kitchen windows, taunting her. A slight breeze came in through the screen door that led to the porch, flirting shamelessly with the rich, ripe scents of earth and summer. Even through the stuffy—yet paradoxically runny—nose, she could smell all the wonderful scents. Some farmer nearby must have cut their first crop of hay, because the fresh green scent of it made her sneeze. Such a bummer, too, because she normally loved the smell of a recently cut hay field.

  Sonny snuggled further into the chenille throw blanket she’d pulled around her shoulders and took a sip of chamomile tea. The honey and lemon she’d added to it pumped up the mild flavor. Grabbing a seat at the kitchen table, she’d just settled in when her phone began to ring.

  With a great big sigh she heaved herself back out of the chair and went in search of her cell. Finding it on the counter under a stack of mail, she blew her nose again and picked it up without checking the number.

  “This is Sonny.”

  “You sound like shit.”

  Of course it would be JP. “Thanks.”

  She heard rustling and then, “What’s wrong with you? You sick?” Genuine concern colored his voice.

  No, she was talking that way for the fun of it. “I hab a cold.” Sniffle, sniffle.

  “That’s too bad. Can I do anything?”

  How about make it go away? “No.”

  “Ok. Well, let me know if I can, all right?”

  “Yeah.”

  She thought he was going to hang up, but then he said, “We haven’t talked since the other night when things got heated. I wanted to touch base and make sure everything was okay. I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to call, but it’s been pretty hectic here.”

  Well, it’s not like she’d hurried to contact him. “It’s okay.” Just the opposite, actually. She’d been hoping they wouldn’t have to have this discussion for a long, long time. Like, maybe never.

  “Should we talk about it?”

  Since when did a guy want to “talk”? “I’b good. We don’t neeb to talk.” No way was she opening that can of worms right now.

  His quiet laugh was warm and deep. “All right, sunshine. You’re off the hook for now. Get some rest. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  “Okay.”

  She was about to hang up when he hastily added, “Wait. What about the game this afternoon?”

  Sonny bit back a sneeze, making her eyes sting and replied, “What do you mean? What about it?”

  “I mean, you don’t sound like you’re going to make it. So will Charlie need a ride?”

  She’d been thinking about that situation. “I’b not sure what I’b going to do yet.” The sneeze couldn’t be held back any longer and it let loose hard enough to make her teeth rattle.

  Sonny didn’t have to see JP to know he flinched; she could hear it in his voice and was mildly horrified. “Did you hurt yourself with that?”

  She was so not in the mood right now for smartass comments. “Shut it.”

  Again he laughed quietly and the sound smoothed the ruffles. “Sure.”

  That was better, Sonny thought. “Thank you.”

  “Yeah. Hey, I can swing up and give Charlie a ride to the game this afternoon if you want.”

  God no. JP couldn’t see her like this! She’d rather poke herself in the eye with a burning twig than have him see her in this state. “That’s nice ob you, but I’b good. He’ll be there.”

  He didn’t sound convinced, but replied, “All right. If you change your mind just give me a shout.”

  “Will do.”

  “Take care of yourself. I’ll check in with you later, okay?”

  Nobody had worried about her when she was sick since she was a kid. Part of her wanted to protest that she didn’t need anyone fussing over her. The other part thought it was incredibly sweet that JP seemed to care. “Okay.”

  After saying goodbye Sonny hung up and immediately dialed Janie’s number. There was no way she was going to make it through a whole game with the way she was feeling, and there was an even bigger no way that JP was going to pick up Charlie and catch sight of her like this. So she needed a plan, and the one she’d come up with involved begging or bribing Ben to take him.

  Fortunately it didn’t take either. After a short phone call to her best friend things were all set. Ben had been happy to take Charlie and enjoy an afternoon at the ballpark. Grateful for the help, Sonny gave her thanks and hung up.

  Her head felt heavy, like it was filled with lead, so she leaned forward and lowered her forehead to the counter. Minutes passed while she stood with the blanket around her shoulders and her head on the countertop. The cool, yellow tile felt wonderful against her overheated skin.

  Vader scratched at the door to be let out, and Sonny’s head shot up, nearly pitching her backward. The dog’s whimpering reminded her that she’d overslept and hadn’t milked the goats yet. They were long overdue. Now she had another thing to feel terrible about. Great.

  Dragging her butt to the mudroom, she grabbed her hat and shoved her feet into her boots before she headed to the shop for her supplies. It took longer than normal, but she got the girls milked out and settled in the field for the day. When she was done she crawled back in bed and pulled the covers over her head.

  Charlie was still gone the second time she rolled out of bed for the day. Trying to feel human, Sonny showered and got dressed—if one wanted to call fleece pajama pants and an old grungy oversized grey CU sweatshirt “dressed.” Either way, she felt marginally better and went in search of more tea.

  When Charlie got home just after dark, he did his shot routine, ate, and then headed straight to bed. The poor kid was worked.

  She had just settled down in front of the TV and started an episode of Hart of Dixie on Netflix when a knock sounded at the door. Vader growled and she signaled for him to be quiet, even though she was startled. Who could possibly be knocking on her door this late at night?

  Padding to the door, Vader at her side, Sonny blew her nose with a tissue and turned the knob. She opened the door, saw JP on the other side, and promptly slammed it shut again on a flash of panic. Ohholyshit, was all she could think.

  JP stood on the other side looking impossibly gorgeous in jeans, a charcoal T-shirt, and a Rush ball cap. He had a paper bag in his hand.

  And he’d just seen her looking like death warmed over.

  His voice was muffled through the door. “Damn it, Sonny. Open the door.”

  Nuh-uh. No way. No how.

  A knock sounded again. “I brought you something.”

  A bribe. Well now, that chan
ged things. Sort of. “I’m not fit for company, JP.” At least she sounded mostly normal this evening.

  “I don’t care. Let me in.” His voice was rife with frustration.

  Wasn’t it bad enough that she’d temporarily lost her sanity with him the other night and indulged in the dark side? Now he had seen her sick and looking pasty and terrible too.

  Life was so unfair.

  “Sonny, if you don’t let me in I’m just going to camp out on your porch all night long. You wouldn’t leave me out here in the cold now, would you?”

  Well . . . “I don’t want you to catch this thing. So why don’t you leave the bag by the door and get on home?” Maybe making it about him would do the trick and he’d leave.

  She could hear him sigh through the door. “I never get sick. I have the immune system of Superman. Let. Me. In.”

  Fine. It’s not like she had much dignity left after the way she’d jumped him and shoved her hands down his pants anyway. Stupid latent hormones.

  Though it was pointless, Sonny patted her messy bun and smoothed her hands down the front of her sweatshirt. A few crumbs of toast and a couple pieces of egg fell to the floor. Vader was on them instantly and hoovered them up, delighted to find the unexpected treat.

  God, she was just all kinds of classy, wasn’t she? Egg? Come on. Really?

  Cursing karma, Sonny sucked it up and opened the door. JP was leaning against the door frame, arms and legs crossed and an annoyed expression on his face. And he looked so good that her hormones started firing even though she felt like sludge. Just once she’d appreciate it if they would do what she wanted when it came to JP. And that would be nothing—absolutely nothing. Just like how they used to be before the shortstop had swaggered into her predictable life.