Payoff Pitch (Philadelphia Patriots)

by V. K. Sykes

  “Look, you wanted my advice,” Nate said, “so here’s the bottom line as far as I’m concerned. Before you even think about making an irrevocable decision, talk to people like Ault and Javy. But, most of all, talk to Charlie Clancy.”

  “Charlie?” Noah echoed, surprised by the suggestion. Charlie Clancy had been a major force in both their lives as they developed into major league pitchers. As their pitching coach, Clancy had worked extensively with both of them at the Triple A level, though on different teams. Nate and Noah had often spoken about how much they both owed Clancy for their success.

  Nate was right. If anyone could give him good advice on how to get off the freaking merry-go-round in his head, it was Charlie.

  Still, he’d let their relationship slide these last few years, which was his bad. “I haven’t talked to him in over three years. Not since his retirement.”

  “Then I guess it’s time you picked up the phone and gave the old bastard a call.”

  - 22 -

  Toby was all over Teddy as soon as she walked through the front door. She laughed, gently easing his big paws off her chest and lowering them to the floor. Though she’d made a lot of progress in settling him down, she hadn’t quite fully broken the mutt of the habit of jumping up on people. “Look, fella, I don’t mind you doing that but not everybody wants your glorious doggy self knocking them over. So, we’ve got to keep working on that, right?”

  In contrast to her rowdier brother, Sadie nestled against Teddy’s bare leg, wagging her tail with her usual gentle enthusiasm. Teddy rubbed the top of Sadie’s head with her knuckles and then headed for the kitchen.

  Cristina gave her a semi-friendly nod before retreating toward her suite, just as she almost always did as soon as Teddy showed up. Oh, well, the nod was a step in the right direction and way better than the icy glares she was used to getting.

  She paused in surprise when she heard footsteps thudding up from the basement. Though Noah should be at the ballpark, he appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. The only thing he wore—besides the white towel draped around his neck—was a pair of gym shorts riding dangerously low on his lean hips.

  Oh. My. God.

  Teddy swallowed past the boulder in her throat. His bronzed, sculpted chest, dusted with dark hair, glistened with perspiration as did his rock-hard abs. She remembered every single ridge and plane of superbly toned muscle and how it had all felt—and tasted. Looking at him now, all hard and hot and gleaming, made her legs go rubbery and she could feel herself going soft and damp.

  She closed her eyes for a brief meditation on the unfairness of life because, really, no guy deserved to look that good.

  When she opened them again, she couldn’t fail to notice that Noah’s gaze was full of open appreciation. Well, lust, to be accurate, given his smoldering eyes. Although she wore the same type of white shorts he’d seen many times, her red racerback tank revealed more skin and cleavage than her usual tops. And he seemed to be well aware of that, his gaze pretty much stuck on her chest.

  Boy, did that ever do things to her insides. And to her nipples.

  Teddy loudly cleared her throat. When Noah glanced up, she pointed to her face. His only answer was a rueful grin that was a lot more charming than it should have been.

  “Now that we’ve got that straightened out,” she managed to get out, “why aren’t you at the park?” She forced herself to move, reaching into the cabinet for the dogs’ food dishes.

  Noah went around her to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of orange juice. “I’m not going to the game tonight.” He filled a glass and downed most of it in one swallow. For a few moments, Teddy was mesmerized by the play of muscles in his throat.

  Then his cryptic answer registered. “Why not? I thought you were still going to be in the dugout even though you’re on the disabled list.”

  He grimaced. “Yeah, but I decided I needed at least a couple of days’ off, so I cleared it with the manager.”

  “Is it because of the MRI results?” she asked tentatively.

  “That’s part of it.”

  Jesus, this is like pulling teeth. “Was it bad? Are you going to have to go to Alabama?”

  Was that why he was taking time off? She selfishly wondered whether that would kill any chance she had of persuading him to take a little trip with her up to Susquehanna—purely to deal with the fracking situation, of course. It had nothing to do with wanting to spend time with him.

  Yeah, right.

  “Bad enough is the answer to the first question, and I’m not sure is the answer to the second.” He gulped down the rest of the juice and then rubbed his still-damp brow with the towel. “One way or the other, I’m not going to be pitching for a while. Right now, everything’s up in the air. Absolutely everything.”

  Like his future in baseball and his place in his father’s company, she figured. But could he also be talking about their relationship? Weirdly, Teddy thought that might even be a hopeful sign, because it would mean he was at least thinking about it instead of giving up on it entirely.

  But her stupidly hopeful and selfish impulses died at the grim, unhappy look on his face. “I’m so sorry, Noah. This must be really hard for you—suffering another injury just as you were making your comeback.”

  She wanted so much to go to him and comfort him, but she forced herself to finish putting the dogs’ meals together.

  “I have to go out of town for a couple of days this weekend,” Noah said. “Can you stay here while I’m gone? I’d really appreciate it if you could.” He gave her a little smile that was so clearly troubled that her heart twisted in sympathy.

  And with a sinking sense of melancholy, because she felt like he was taking another step away from her.

  “Sure,” she said, trying to sound calm and professional. “Of course I will. Are you going to Texas?”

  Noah frowned, as if he couldn’t figure out why she’d ask that nosy question. “No, I need to see an old friend of mine—one of my mentors, actually. He’s in Arizona but he’ll be attending the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown this weekend, so I’m going to drive up and see him there.”

  That pricked up her ears. Teddy’s father had taken Dalton and her to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown when she was ten. It was less than two hours from her dad’s farm. Since Noah was driving there, he’d pass within ten miles of their homestead.

  Was there a chance she could convince him to stop at her farm on his way? Could her father set up a meeting that quickly? There was only one way to find out.

  “My dad asked how you were doing,” she said in what she hoped was a casual voice. “So, I told him about your situation. And about what your father wants you to do—fronting the media campaign and all that. I hope you don’t mind.”

  Noah leaned against the granite countertop and crossed his arms over his brawny chest. It made his muscular biceps bulge out. Teddy had to repress the impulse to sigh like a silly fan girl.

  “I’ll bet he was thrilled to hear it,” he said sardonically.

  She shook her head. “He’s a sympathetic guy, Noah, and he’s a big fan of yours.”

  “Not after this, I’d imagine.”

  “You’d be surprised. Family means a lot to him, too, so he understands that you’re in a tough position.” She cut him a grin. “Plus, he lives and breathes the Patriots.”

  “Well, it’s good that he understands. Maybe you could take a lesson from him on that score.”

  Teddy stared at him, stunned by the unexpected shot. Still, she managed not to bristle too much.

  Noah must have seen her flinch, though, because he let out a weary sigh. “Crap. I’m sorry I said that. The last thing I want to do is have the same argument all over again.”

  Teddy nodded, only slightly mollified. But if she wanted to get him to agree to her plan, there was no point in firing back at him. “It’s fine. Anyway, Dad had an idea he wanted me to run by you.”

  She was interrupted by a cold n
ose snuffling against the back of her knee and then insistent pressure between her legs before a furry muzzle forced its way between her thighs.

  “Toby, you know you’re not supposed to do that,” she gently scolded.

  Noah grabbed Toby’s collar and pulled him back. Then he reached around her, his big hand sliding along her hip and making her shiver. He pulled out the big metal can of dog kibble they kept in a lower cabinet. “I want to hear your dad’s idea, but let’s throw some food in front of these two so Toby will stop sticking his stupid nose between your legs.” He shot her a salacious grin as he opened the can. “It drives me nuts when he does that, for obvious reasons.”

  Yeah, she got the sexual innuendo behind those drawled words. The way he was looking at her right now suggested that he wanted to throw her over his shoulder in a firefighter’s carry and haul her up to his bedroom for a little exploration between her thighs. It was a plan her body was down with even if her head still harbored doubts.

  Noah straightened after setting the dog dishes on the floor, scrambling a little to avoid the mad rush to the food. “I’m really glad you’ll be here to take care of things while I’m away.” He nodded toward the dogs, both of whom were in the process of inhaling their kibble. “I was sure I could still count on you.”

  And just like that, her warm and fuzzy feelings of a moment ago were snuffed out. That word “still” seemed to be laden with meaning, emphasizing the wedge between them.

  “Uh, about my dad’s idea?”

  “I’m listening,” he said, propping himself comfortably against the counter once more.

  It was hard to find the right words with him towering over her, all sweaty, male goodness. Noah Cade was a powerful distraction for a whole lot of reasons.

  “Well, given that you might be embarking on a campaign about the, uh, positive side of fracking, Dad thought it would be good for you to hear firsthand from folks who are directly impacted before you make a final decision. He’d be happy to arrange that if you could spare some time to visit our county. I’d go up with you, of course.”

  Teddy’s heart was pounding so hard by the time she finished that she almost felt dizzy. Obviously, Noah’s answer meant even more to her than she wanted to admit.

  His narrowed gaze studied her with more than a little caution. “Wow. You’re serious?”

  She nodded. “I thought there might be a chance…”

  “That I could just drop at to your place on the way to Cooperstown?”

  She ran her tongue along her dry lips. When his gaze locked onto her mouth, she could swear she felt a lick of heat.

  Oh, brother.

  “I know it’s a lot to ask,” she said, forcing herself to focus. “But it would mean a lot to Dad, and…and to me. If you go up there, you’ll at least have heard the other side of the story.”

  One eyebrow lifted in a more than passable Mr. Spock imitation. “I’d say you did a good job giving me that side already.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not the same, though. I haven’t had to live with the effects myself. Not directly.”

  Noah considered that for a moment. “You’ve got a point,” he conceded.

  Teddy blew out a shaky sigh. To cover how relieved she was by his response, she ducked around him to the French doors and opened them to let Toby and Sadie into the back yard. When she turned around, Noah was standing practically on top of her, his gaze dark and smoky as it moved from somewhere below her chest on up to her face.

  “What are you doing?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Just enjoying the scenery,” he said with a grin.

  “Noah—”

  “Okay, bossy girl, I’ll stick to the topic. It sounds like you want to throw me into the lions’ den. Put me at the mercy of a bunch of irate farmers brandishing pitchforks.”

  “We only resort to pitchforks when absolutely necessary. And somehow I don’t think you’d be intimidated by those folks or just about anything else on this Earth.”

  She tried to be cool about it, but his attitude was starting to lift her hopes.

  He rubbed his jaw for a couple of moments as if in deep contemplation. “Look, if I agree to do this, I’d better have some protection. Can I count on you to keep the howling band from tearing me into little pieces?”

  She couldn’t help smiling at him. “I’m quite sure I can manage that.”

  Though Teddy was sure Noah would need no such protection, of course she’d make sure he was treated with the utmost respect. Her neighbors might get vocal and emotional about the issue, but they were the most decent, kind people in the world.

  “We’ll take the dogs along,” Noah said.

  She nodded eagerly. “Of course. We can convoy up to the farm. I’ll take Toby and Sadie with me and bring them back when you go on to Cooperstown. Dad will love to see them. He adores dogs.” She thought for a moment. “Maybe I’ll even stay a night or two while I’m up there, if that would be okay with you.”

  When Noah put a hand on her bare shoulder, just that one simple touch made her ache with longing. She had to fight not to stare up at him with her whole heart showing on her face.

  “I’ve got a better idea,” he said. “If your neighbors don’t end up feeding me through a wood chipper, why don’t you come along to Cooperstown? I bet you’d love it. It’s so gorgeous and peaceful.” He gave her a wry grin. “Well, maybe not so peaceful on Hall of Fame weekend, but still totally gorgeous.”

  Teddy was stunned. After everything that had happened, did he really want a…well, what did he want? “Um, that sounds nice, but I…I—”

  God, she sounded like a complete idiot.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll get you a separate room,” he said. “At the Otesaga, of course. It’s a cool old hotel. You’ll totally love it.” His fingers moved in a gentle caress over her skin. “I think we could both use a little fun right about now, Teddy. I know I could.”

  She wasn’t totally sure what kind of fun he had in mind but suspected that it would include a lot of steamy sex. That mental image seized the breath in her lungs.

  “I guess I could use a little stress relief, too.” That was the understatement of the year. “If you’re sure about wanting me to tag along,” she hastily added.

  She truly hoped he was sure. A little time alone together with no other distractions might be just what they needed to muscle through their problems. It might not work, but at least they would have given it—given themselves—a fighting chance.

  “Damn right I’m sure,” he said.

  She frowned, uncertain of his tone. Still, it was his idea. It wasn’t like she was forcing herself on him. “Fine, then. Yes, I’d like very much to come with you.”

  But then he slapped his forehead. “Oh, hell. I don’t think we can take the dogs to Cooperstown. The hotel is high end, and I doubt—”

  She held up a hand. “Not a problem. I’m sure Dad would love to take care of Toby and Sadie while we’re gone. In fact, he’ll probably insist on it. Besides, even if the hotel would take them, you don’t need the distraction, right? You really need to relax and recharge your batteries.”

  Another seductive grin eased across his handsome face. “You got that right. And I’m going to do everything possible to make that happen—for both of us.”

  * * *

  As soon as Teddy left, Noah showered, dressed and popped the top off a cold beer. His mind bounced between what he was going to say to his father and whether or not he’d been smart to let Teddy slip away from him again. It had taken all his will power not to reach out and pull her sweet little bod—so sexy in that skimpy outfit—tight against his bare chest. Maybe she’d have melted into him, or maybe she’d have jerked away from his grasp, retreating behind the righteous outrage of her political convictions. His instincts, though, told him she was missing him as much as he missed her.

  Then again, her willingness to go to Cooperstown might have been just a gracious gesture in response to his agreement to take it on the chin from h
er people, or maybe even another opportunity to bend his ear about why he should be opposed to fracking. Noah knew how strongly she felt about the issue, and the chances of her suddenly being fine with everything and leaping into bed with him up there still felt less than solid. Though her body had sent out some strong signals, she hadn’t wasted any time getting out the door after they’d agreed on the details of the trip.

  It was a safe bet that she was as conflicted as he was. That’s why he’d suggested she go away with him. Spending some time alone together in a new setting might help them sort out what was really important, and help find a way past the disagreements that had driven them apart.

  Because every moment Noah spent in Teddy’s company drove home how much he wanted her. She was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time. It wasn’t just her generous nature and sweetly eager sexuality. It was also her bone deep kindness and decency. Teddy Quinn was a woman that a man could depend on, one who had principles and beliefs and was willing to stand up for them. Though those principles were getting between them, he had to respect them, nonetheless. She didn’t give a crap about his celebrity status or his money. She cared about the kind of man he was and cared about what he believed in. Noah had learned over the years how rare those qualities could be.

  Whatever else might be screwed up in his life or in a state of limbo, he knew he wanted a chance with Teddy. Maybe they would make it and maybe they wouldn’t, but he sensed he would always regret it if he didn’t try.

  Beer in hand, he retreated to his office and grabbed the phone as he sat down in his high-backed chair. And damned if his heart rate didn’t tick up a notch as he dialed his father’s cell number.

  “Hey, son,” Noah Cade drawled. “What’s up?”

  “I just thought I’d give you an update on what’s been happening.” Noah could hear some traffic sounds in the background, including a siren. “Are you on your way home?”