Playing for Keeps (Feeling the Heat Book 6)

by Alison Packard

  Leaving the scent of damp rain behind, they’d entered the pizza parlor and were immediately bombarded by the delicious aroma of cheese, tomatoes, and Italian spices. The older woman behind the counter greeted Amy and Danny by name, and after they’d ordered an extra-large pepperoni pizza and a salad, they found an open booth in the back near a large alcove that held a host of old-school video games like the ones Rick used to spend hours playing when he was in grade school. As soon as they sat down, Danny seemed to forget how hungry he was and asked for permission to go to the game room, and after Amy gave him a handful of quarters, he took off like a shot, leaving Rick and Amy alone.

  Rick took off his jacket and laid it next to him as their server, a kid of about sixteen dropped off their pitcher of soda and three glasses. As Rick thanked him, the teen’s eyes widened. “Hey, aren’t you Rick Taylor? From the Blaze?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Oh, wow! Wait until I tell the guys I met you.” He quickly pulled a phone from the back pocket of his jeans. “Will you take a selfie with me? For proof?”

  “Sure.”

  The selfie took less than a minute and while it was something he’d grown used to since he’d returned to the team, he’d forgotten how intrusive it could be for someone who wasn’t in the public spotlight. Like the day at Golden Gate Park, Amy had remained silent, not drawing attention to herself.

  “Sorry about that,” he said as he lifted the pitcher and poured soda into all three glasses. “I never know when someone’s going to recognize me.”

  “It’s okay.” Her expression brightened. “He was thrilled to meet you.”

  Rick set the pitcher on the table and let his gaze flicker over her. There was nothing provocative about her red sweater, but there was something about the way it hugged her body that kicked his imagination into overdrive. For the past three days, all he’d thought about was how she’d felt in his arms, and he was certain the next time he kissed her there would be no guilt and no hesitation.

  “Jade told me about the meeting today,” she said, as she lifted her glass and took a sip.

  Rick winced as he recalled Jade’s not-so-subtle reaction when Adam had given her the assignment. “How’s she doing? She wasn’t too excited at the prospect of working with us.”

  “It’s not you. It’s Trey.”

  “He’s not happy about it either, but I insisted. Jade’s the most organized person I’ve ever worked with and Adam trusts her implicitly. We need someone like her to keep us on track. Once we have a director of operations in place she can bow out.”

  Amy set her glass on the table. “Jade told me a little bit about it. I think helping kids get into college sounds like a wonderful idea.”

  The admiration in her green eyes was definitely an ego-booster, but he couldn’t take the credit away from his friend. “It was Trey’s brainchild. I came on board after the fact.”

  “Still, it’s more than some people do,” she said, and then her gaze lowered to his mouth where it lingered, then lifted. Their eyes locked, and suddenly the chatter of the other customers and the electronic noise from the game room faded and there was no mistaking the sizzle of attraction pulsing between them.

  “I want to see you again. Soon,” he said, leaning forward and silently cursing the table that separated them. The urge to touch her was strong.

  “I…I want that too.”

  “What about this weekend?”

  “I’m working at Stylus on Friday and Saturday night. And Danny and I are going to a movie on Sunday.” She slanted a cursory glance toward the game room. “Speaking of which. Danny saw us kissing.”

  “I know. He mentioned it when we were playing checkers.”

  Amy’s eyes grew round. “Oh, Lord. What did he say?”

  “He doesn’t want you to get hurt. And for the record I don’t want that either,” he said, then lost his train of thought. The blush staining her cheeks made her even more appealing. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  “I feel the same way,” she whispered.

  “Then name the day and the time we can see each other. I’ll make it work. Even if it’s just for coffee.”

  “Danny is staying overnight at the O’Briens on Friday night. I can drop him off early. My shift starts at eight. There’s a small café a couple of blocks from the club.” She bit her bottom lip, then flashed a smile. “I can meet you there at…say six-thirty?”

  “I’ll be there,” he said, certain that nothing short of an earthquake could keep him away.

  11

  Friday night couldn’t come quick enough for Rick. Knowing he and Amy were on the same wavelength had him thinking about her constantly since the impromptu pizza dinner he’d shared with her and Danny.

  Watching Amy with her son that night was like adding one more piece to an unfinished puzzle. The bond between mother and son was a strong one, and much like the relationship he had with his own parents, it was built on love. Their ease in each other’s presence, the maternal pride and affection in Amy’s eyes as Danny regaled them with more of his Weather Channel related knowledge, and the way he naturally gravitated toward Amy’s side as the evening progressed was ample evidence they loved each other unconditionally. It was what he’d hoped to have with the child he and Jill had conceived, and in that moment he had envied Amy more than he’d ever envied anyone in his whole life.

  This morning Amy had texted him the name and the address of the café near Stylus, and because heavy traffic was a fact of life in San Francisco, he’d left the loft early and walked into the café fifteen minutes before she was due to arrive. He chose a secluded table in the back and then kept an eye on the door. Unsurprisingly, the laidback café was uncrowded. It didn’t appear to be the kind of establishment the Friday after-work happy hour crowd would flock to. And with a little over a week until Christmas, he assumed many people were hitting the stores. He’d actually done a little shopping himself today. An antique store he’d passed on an early morning run in the Mission district had a set of vintage Russian nesting dolls in the window and he’d gone back later in the morning to buy them for his mom.

  The door opened and Rick angled his head to check out the entryway. At first, the tall woman with long, dark red hair tumbling in a sexy disarray around her shoulders didn’t register. But then he did a double take. Tonight, instead of Logan-Johnson Amy, it was Club Amy who snagged his gaze and raised a hand in greeting. Although a knee-length coat hugged her body, the high heeled boots were a dead giveaway that underneath the coat was the skimpy server outfit he’d first seen her in.

  The million-dollar smile she gave him as she approached literally knocked the air out of his lungs, but at least he had the presence of mind to remember his manners. He stood and rounded the table to pull the chair out for her.

  “Hi,” she said, briefly resting her hand on his forearm before she sat. Her touch and the subtle sugary, vanilla-cinnamon scent that was unique to her affected him immediately. He shifted to relieve the tightening in his groin. If he ever thought his body was past reacting like it had when he was a horny thirteen-year-old, he’d been wrong.

  “It didn’t dawn on me you’d be wearing your Stylus outfit,” he said as he sat down across from her. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

  “It’s easier to get ready at home than at the club.” She half-turned to hang her purse on the back of the chair. “Applying this much makeup takes at least a half-hour. It used to be an hour, but I’ve gotten better at it.”

  As she took off her coat and draped it over the back of her chair, Rick’s gaze lowered to her breasts. They looked fuller than they had in the red sweater she’d worn at the pizza parlor. Maybe it was the cleavage so enticingly displayed by her low-cut black tank top. At any rate, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her creamy skin and with his cock nudging insistently against the fly of his pants he was damn glad he’d taken a seat. He looked up and found her watching him with an amused expression on her face.

  “Go ahead. You
know you want to ask.”

  “Ask what?”

  She let out a soft chuckle and brushed her hair over her shoulder. “Silicone gel inserts. I put them in my bra to give the illusion of larger breasts and deeper cleavage. The bigger the breasts, the bigger the tips.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “You bet I am. Just last weekend, these babies…” She pointed to her chest. “…got me a two hundred dollar tip from one table.”

  “Are you sure it was your breasts?” He frowned. Had he unconsciously tipped well-endowed servers more money than the less-endowed ones or their male counterparts? He didn’t think so, but hell, maybe he did. “Maybe it was the service?”

  She stared at him for a moment and then laughed. A low, husky sound that made him want to hear it again. “I’d like to believe it was the service, but I’ve been doing this long enough to know better. And since I track my tips for tax purposes, I can verify that my tip totals have increased since Jade convinced me to try the inserts.”

  So Jade was to thank for the spectacular view. He knew he liked her for a reason.

  “It can’t be easy working two jobs. Do you ever get tired of working at Stylus?”

  “Yes. But for the number of hours I work, the money is great. My savings account took a hit when we moved back to the city so I need all the help I can get.”

  He’d always considered it rude to ask anyone about their financial status. So while he was curious as to how Amy could afford to live in such an expensive city, he didn’t probe any further. Maybe Jade’s parents had given her a good deal on her rent. Or it could be that she was extremely frugal. He was fortunate to make enough money playing ball to afford to lease the loft and to drive a nice vehicle, but he hadn’t grown up with a lot of luxuries and remembered how it felt to go without the extras he’d wanted.

  “But with that said I’d rather not be working tonight,” she said and gave him a wistful smile as their server arrived to take their order.

  Watching her interact with the woman, it suddenly dawned on him that each time he’d shared a meal with her she’d gone out of her way to establish a rapport with whoever was serving them. Whether it was addressing them by the name on their name tag or taking the time to ask how their day was going, she always had a warm smile on her face. He imagined her experience in serving the public had something to do with that. As opposite as their careers were, as a professional ballplayer he had to remember that he was a representative of the team, and therefore on the few occasions when fans were offensive he couldn’t respond in kind, as much as he might be tempted. Bad behavior reflected not only on him, but on the Blaze.

  “I’d rather you weren’t working tonight either,” he said, picking up the thread of their conversation when they were alone again. “This place is nice, but it’s not where we’d be if you had the night off.”

  “I’m intrigued.” She leaned forward, affording him a spectacular view of her generous cleavage. “Where would we be?”

  “Sausalito.”

  A delighted smile lifted the corners of her mouth. His gaze lingered there, and the memory of her soft lips against his sent a shot of lust through his veins. Jesus. He had it bad if a mere smile was turning him on.

  “I’ve haven’t been to Sausalito since I was a kid,” she said, unaware of the effect she was having on him. “Have you been there before?”

  “Once.” Rick picked up his water glass and took a long sip. It didn’t do much to cool him off, but it bought him a few seconds to rein in the erotic turn his thoughts had taken. “At the skipper’s wedding.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “The skipper?”

  “The team’s manager. Tom Morgan. The wedding and reception were held at The Pelican Inn right after the season ended.”

  “Wow. That’s a beautiful spot for a wedding.”

  “It was a pretty big spread,” he said, setting his glass on the table. “The bride’s father is one of the richest men in Texas. And he’s one of the owners of the Blaze.”

  “Is that where we would have dinner?”

  “No. I have somewhere else in mind.”

  “Where?”

  “Can’t tell you that.” He grinned. “It’s a surprise.”

  “But if we go there how will I know what to wear.”

  “When we go there whatever you wear will be fine. I’ve never seen you look anything less than beautiful.”

  “Do I need to remind you of the night we met? I wasn’t looking too hot after Kirby Ferrara’s sidekick tripped me and I fell flat on my face.”

  “Sorry.” He shrugged. “Still beautiful.”

  She shook her head and smiled. “You’re extremely good for my ego.”

  The next hour flew by. They shared an appetizer platter and swapped stories about their childhoods. Amy was surprised that he, a native Texan, would rather ride a dirt bike than a horse and had never fired a gun in his life. And he was shocked to discover that she’d grown up in the city and had never once visited Alcatraz, and even more surprisingly, had never ridden on one of the iconic cable cars that San Francisco was so well known for. The moment she’d glanced at her watch and sighed he tamped down his disappointment that their time together was ending, and with great reluctance, he’d signaled for their bill. Within five minutes they’d left the small café and walked side by side toward Stylus.

  At the corner they waited for the light to change, and when it did, he reached for her hand and didn’t let go after they crossed the street. He’d wanted to touch her since she’d sat down across from him at the café; more than that, he wanted to kiss her. So much so he wasn’t at all worried he’d think of Jill and freak out like last time.

  The chilly air had no effect on him. Neither did the steady hum of cars that sped by. The only thing that registered was the warmth of Amy’s hand in his and how comfortable it felt to be with her. With his trip home for Christmas looming and her commitment to Danny, as well as her two jobs, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to see her again before he left. But he wanted to. Badly.

  Just past the parking garage, they stopped at the entrance to the alley that led to the staff entrance at the back of the club. Still holding his hand, Amy pivoted to face him, her boots adding enough height that she didn’t have to tip her head back to look at him. Under the golden glow of a nearby street lamp, her green eyes were a striking contrast to the smoky eye makeup she wore and the curly, dark red hair that framed her face. But despite the thick makeup and the wig, she was still Amy. The woman who’d awoken something inside of him he’d thought had been permanently extinguished when Jill died.

  “I wish I didn’t have to go to work tonight,” she whispered.

  Rick lifted his free hand to brush a curly lock of hair from her forehead. “Is there any way we can see each other again before I leave for Texas next Friday?”

  “Jade and her mom have been so wonderful when it comes to watching Danny. I hate to take advantage of them.” She paused, studying him pensively for several seconds. “How would you feel about meeting Danny and me at the movie theater on Sunday?”

  He grinned as relief surged through him. “I think the question is how would Danny feel about it?”

  “Since he thinks you’re the best thing since the Weather Channel, he’ll be fine with it. He’s bringing a friend from school so I’m sure they’ll be as thick as thieves.”

  “Then I’ll meet you there,” he said, and then leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers. Her lips were as soft and pliant as he remembered, and she tasted like the coffee she’d been sipping at the café—warm and sweet. She leaned into him and everything faded away except the way she fit against him like they were made for each other. With a deep groan, he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer, kissing her deeper until the silkiness of her tongue tangling with his caused every single thought to vacate his brain and travel at the speed of light to his cock.

  He had no clue how long the kiss lasted, only that when they broke apart, each bre
athing heavily, he wasn’t even sure where the hell he was for a few seconds. With her lips slightly parted and swollen from their kiss and her eyes glazed with arousal, he couldn’t think past the thundering of his heart, and it was only the sudden blare of a car horn that shook him from his sexual stupor.

  “That was…” she said, her voice barely a whisper, “...that was...something.”

  “Yeah.” Something hot and something he wanted to do again. Sooner rather than later. He loosened his arms from around her and rested his hands on her waist. “Something.”

  The sound of feminine laughter echoed nearby and Amy stepped back as a trio of women emerged from the parking garage and hurried past them, most likely to stake their place in line near the front door to the club.

  “I should go inside.” Amy touched his arm and the luminous smile she gave him filled him with an emotion he couldn’t name. But whatever it was, it felt good. “Thank you for dinner.”

  “You’re welcome. Let me know when and where to meet you and Danny on Sunday.”

  “I will,” she said, then turned and headed toward the back door to the club.

  He watched her until she disappeared inside, and then headed to the parking garage, his body still feeling the effects of their explosive kiss.

  Still in a blissful state of euphoria from Rick’s steamy kiss, Amy sat on the bench in front of her locker waiting for Cynda and Ronnie to finish getting ready before they all headed up to the VIP lounge to start their shift.

  The man knew how to kiss, that was for damn sure. She’d kissed a fair amount of men in her time, but none of them had affected her like Rick had. A few weeks ago she couldn’t have been less interested in men, but in the short time she’d known him, Rick had reignited feelings inside of her that had lain dormant for years. And now here she was, thinking about him almost all of the time, inviting him to pizza and the movies with her and Danny, and wondering if maybe he was someone she could count on. Really count on. Past experience had taught her that if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was. But the gut instinct she’d ignored in the past when it came to men wasn’t sending up its red flag this time. Instead, the more she got to know Rick, the more her instincts were telling her he was exactly what he appeared to be; a good and decent man.