Bride on the Run

by Catherine Mann

  “This is common?” Valerie couldn’t believe her ears.

  The few sips of beer she’d had churned in her stomach. She thought her old life was dangerous. She hadn’t expected Boone’s world to be filled with crazed fans and threats of another kind.

  “Not common, maybe. But there are definitely more incidents than you’d like to think.” Melanie shook her head. “I’m glad Boone got extra security for you, Valerie. He’s the most popular star on our team, so his fan base is the biggest.”

  Her stomach churned harder.

  “I can’t imagine why someone would think tearing out another woman’s hair by the roots would get a man’s attention.” She thought about all those feminist books she had on her shelf back in Savannah and wondered what those writers would say about this kind of feminine aggression toward other women.

  It disturbed her.

  “My mama likes to say there’s no vaccine for stupid,” Melanie confided.

  Valerie welcomed the laugh as she settled in to watch the rest of the game, but she’d definitely be watching her back. Nothing had changed, except her list of people to be on the lookout for. Even in Atlanta, there was no guarantee she was safe. Not from her family. Not from her wacko caller. And now, not from Boone’s fans, either.

  Chapter Seven

  ‡

  Boone couldn’t get through the post-game interview fast enough.

  On autopilot, he answered questions about the game and his home run, trotting out all the usual axioms. But his head was full of Valerie. He’d heard about the attack in the players’ wives’ section during the game and – like the rest of the guys in the dugout – he’d been distracted as hell. He’d been ready to break protocol and go into the locker room to call Valerie personally since he didn’t give a rat’s ass about a fine when she could be in danger. But one of the pitchers had already checked in with his wife to get more details and they found out that the centerfielder’s longtime girlfriend had been assaulted by a nutzoid fan.

  Still, Boone would feel better once he got Valerie out of here. He’d sought her out last weekend in a half-baked plan for revenge after she’d suggested Annamae walk away from their wedding plans. But he’d known, almost as soon as he’d met Valerie, that she was different. Special. The woman he’d accused of being an uptight man-hater was actually as down to earth as they came. He’d read up on her online once he knew that Serena Allen was a cover for Valerie Dimitri. And Valerie had had a hard life. One she’d run from on the seat of her father’s Harley, for crying out loud.

  There’d been something sweet, sad, and heart-tugging all at the same time when he’d seen a grainy photo of her captured on someone’s phone as she fled a fancy West Palm Beach church on that bike.

  Thanking the last reporter around his locker for taking the time to interview him, Boone bolted from the players’ lounge and sped toward the private entrance to the parking area where team members’ cars were kept in a separate area from the fans.

  A safe area.

  He’d driven separately from her, letting the security team take care of chauffeuring her to the stadium after he’d ridden in early for batting practice. Now, he was grateful they could ride home together. And he was doubly grateful when he saw her strawberry blonde head in the passenger seat of his black Range Rover, the vehicle he used for city driving. Nearby, he saw one of Jumbo’s cars with two guards keeping tabs on Valerie.

  Boone planned to tip the hell out of all of them when this was over.

  Over?

  As much as he wanted the threat to Valerie gone for good, he wasn’t ready to think about a time when she’d be leaving. She’d only just arrived in his life and he planned to keep her there for a while, at least until they could explore this crazy attraction.

  Unlocking the doors with the remote, Boone vaulted up into the driver’s seat and hauled her into his arms.

  Squeezed.

  He just held her there for a long moment, soaking in the soft feel of her. The scent of her freesia shampoo and the warmth of her skin. He held her there for longer than he probably should have, revealing too much to her – and himself – about how much she’d come to mean to him in a short amount of time. With an effort, he let her go.

  Or rather, he tried to let her go. He only succeeded in loosening his hold by a fraction.

  “I heard there was an assault in the players’ wives’ section and it scared the hell out of me.” He didn’t mind admitting it. He’d promised to keep her safe, after all.

  “You didn’t know who was hurt?” Her pale eyebrows knitted, her lips pursed.

  He couldn’t wait to kiss them. In a place where no bodyguards could see.

  “Not at first. And it felt like an eternity until we got the rest of the story.”

  “It was definitely scary.” She shivered despite the heat of a Georgia afternoon in June. “Last night, I was surprised when I saw how those women grabbed you at the black tie gala. But today, this fan took her obsession with a player to a whole new level. I understand now why you have eight foot fences around your house and a security gate, that’s for sure.”

  “Eight foot fences are sounding pretty damn appealing to me right about now.” He fired up the vehicle, knowing Jumbo’s team would be behind them.

  Before he could back up, however, a rap sounded at the window. Jumbo’s second in command motioned for him to roll his window down.

  “Is there a problem?” Boone tensed, more worried about the Dimitri crime family than crazed fans.

  The day had renewed his commitment to keeping Valerie safe.

  “The boss man wants me to drive you home or at least ride in the same vehicle as Ms. Dimitri.” The guy had an earpiece in one ear and a tablet in his hand. “He sent me a map for an alternate route if you’d prefer to drive.”

  “No.” Boone didn’t need to be behind the wheel. Riding in back with Valerie in his arms was a much better plan. “I appreciate the extra security after what happened in the stadium.”

  “You’re in good hands, Mr. Sullivan.” The bodyguard opened the door and stood back for Boone to step out. “Nice hitting today, by the way.”

  “Thanks.” He gave the younger man a nod before he went around to open the passenger door for Valerie.

  He knew the guy was sincere about his game, but Boone couldn’t help a sense that his job seemed frivolous compared to the task of keeping a woman safe. Although put a bat in his hand and he’d club any threat into next year, that was certain.

  Guiding Valerie into the backseat, he climbed in after her and they headed for home. He had to be at the team plane in two hours for a flight to Arlington for a three game series in Texas. Normally, he wouldn’t have tried to squeeze in a trip back to his house, but there hadn’t been anything normal about his days since he’d met the woman beside him.

  “Have you spoken to your father recently? Or do you have any other way of knowing what’s going on with your family?”

  “Not since he convinced me to stay with you in the first place.” She fastened her seat belt just as the vehicle headed out of the parking facility. “Although he texted me a note that the Stars will be in Miami soon and he hopes to see me then. He bought a new motorcycle and he wants me to take it for a test drive.”

  “A test drive? Of a motorcycle?” He knew she’d made her escape from her wedding on a bike, but he hadn’t really pictured her as a biker chick. Something about all those feminist treatises in her Savannah apartment stuck him as antithetical to a traditional biker girl.

  Then again, Valerie definitely didn’t fit neatly into any molds.

  “I miss the freedom of being on a motorcycle. I’ve had dad’s Harley in storage so Erik couldn’t trace it and find me. But now that my whereabouts is public knowledge, it doesn’t matter anymore. I can get back to living my life and doing fun things. I’m definitely anxious to see dad’s new wheels when we go to Miami.”

  “I forgot we played there so soon.” Boone’s days passed in a blur during the seaso
n, one city after another. He hadn’t given any thought to the fact that they’d be going straight to Miami after the Texas series. And Miami must raise some mixed emotions for Valerie. “Are you sure you’ll want to make that trip? I know you miss your father, but you can always stay behind if it makes you uncomfortable.”

  “I can’t avoid the past forever. And it’s been strange not seeing my dad for a whole year. I’ve really missed him.” She toyed with a Stars cap she must have bought in one of the stadium shops. The shorts she wore gave him an enticing look at her long legs. “Dad and I lived all over the Miami area when I was growing up. Every now and then, we’d shoot further up the coast to Jacksonville for a couple of months or even to the Panhandle. But that never lasted long. He’d miss his nightclub haunts in South Beach or suddenly decide no one could make chicharrón like his favorite restaurant in West Miami, or whatever. I think he just liked going back because he had a lot of memories of my mom associated with the city.”

  “What happened to your mother?” He hoped she didn’t mind him asking. He never liked to talk about his father, who’d left town as soon as he’d found out his girlfriend was pregnant and only making contact with Boone after the call to the majors. As if he’d want anything to do with him then.

  “She died of an aneurysm when I was three. I have some sort-of memories of her, but I’m not sure if they’re real memories or if I think I remember her because my dad talked about her so much.” She peered out the tinted window as they headed north out of the downtown area where the bridges and overpasses gave way to flowering trees and azaleas in the median. “Dad always credited her with giving him the courage to break ties with his family. He said she was the most honest person he’d ever met.”

  He wanted to ask her more, curious about what it had been like for her growing up. It sounded like she’d moved around a lot. But he wasn’t quick enough, since she continued,

  “But I don’t want to talk about the past.” Valerie withdrew her phone as they neared his neighborhood and the foliage became even thicker. Greener. “I’d rather check in with my favorite radio program, which is now broadcasting on not one, but two Atlanta-based radio stations.”

  He understood her need to change the subject. “Serena is a popular woman.”

  “She is. Too bad you’re not a fan.” She grinned at him and showed him the app on her phone. “I still have the app on my phone for the Savannah station that broadcasts it though, so I can always listen to the show after it airs. But right now, tuning into a local station, we can hear it streamed live.”

  “I could learn to be a fan,” he countered. “I’ve definitely forgiven her.”

  “That’s news to me,” she informed him as the gates to his property rolled open at the touch of a command from his phone. “I thought you were still holding a grudge after the failure to retract my statements last night.”

  “I’ve thought about it, and you were right to advise Annamae to run.”

  “Well that’s not quite what—”

  “Because if she hadn’t have ditched me, I would have never met you.”

  *

  Once they were inside the house, Valerie knew Boone needed to pack for the team plane.

  She needed to pack for her commercial flight that left an hour after his.

  And yet he followed her into her suite as they listened to Meg filling in for Serena on the radio show, answering a call about fellatio.

  “Good tip,” Boone murmured once in her ear as Meg described a useful stroke to enhance male pleasure.

  “I’ll be the judge of how good the tip is,” Valerie whispered back, vaguely shocked at her naughtiness.

  Okay, not too shocked. He’d walked into that one.

  “What would your advice be if you were the one answering this call?” he asked, following her every move with his eyes.

  Was this really happening?

  Not the discussion of fellatio, of course, which was all in day’s work. But this sizzling thing between her and Boone. Were they going to see it through today?

  Her heart pounded hard, her brain full of memories from the night before when they’d kissed. She would have jumped him if he hadn’t broken things off when he did. She’d never been a very sexual creature, educating herself with textbooks for Sex Talk because she thought it would be fun to talk about racy things on the radio even though she’d never experienced much physical excitement herself.

  She liked studying things that she needed to learn about. And that was how she’d wound up with the radio show. She’d chosen a subject she’d never tire of studying.

  Only to find out with a kiss that she didn’t know anything remotely useful about sex.

  “You’re smiling.” Boone closed the door to her suite.

  He also locked it.

  “I’m thinking what an education you are.”

  “I’m an education?” He shook his head. “You’re the one who’s supposed to be fielding questions about sex.”

  “A woman likes to maintain some mystery in a relationship.” Her breath whooshed in and out so fast she felt breathless. Strange how so much breathing led to feeling like she couldn’t get any air. “If I tell you my stance on various sex acts, you might not be curious about how I’d handle them anymore.”

  “So I finally have a sex expert staying under my roof and you won’t answer my questions?” He peeled his shirt off.

  A little sound escaped her. Sweet heaven, the man had the upper body of a Roman god, better than any of the statues filling her grandfather’s overwrought garden in Coral Gables. She couldn’t wait to see the rest.

  “I might be able to offer strategic demonstrations instead.” She found it difficult to maintain a conversation when all she wanted was to wrap herself around him. She slipped her shoes off instead. “Maybe you should follow me into the bedroom since our time is limited.”

  “I prefer to think of this as a preview for what we can have tonight once we’re in the hotel in Arlington.”

  “That is a nicer way to think about it.” She unfastened the top button of her Stars’ jersey.

  “Let me.” His voice went soft. Reverent. He stared at her body in a way that made her feel beautiful.

  Special.

  With careful fingers, he worked each button free, parting the fabric of her shirt until he could push it off her shoulders. Daylight still warmed the room even though the wooden privacy blinds were closed. Sun peeked in through the corners and cast Boone’s body in a golden hue.

  “I’ve never had good sex,” she blurted. Had she really just said that? If there’d been any inkling in the man’s mind that she possessed some bedroom sophistication, she’d just doused the thought for good. “What I mean is, that’s why I called you an education. I know this is going to be—”

  He kissed her. Just like he had last night when she’d been rattling on and nervous.

  And oh… yes.

  That was so what the situation called for.

  His mouth claimed hers while his hand angled her chin right where he wanted her, finding the way they fit together best. Hot sensations bombarded her and her eyes fell closed so she could concentrate on the feel of what was happening. The warm velvet glide of his tongue over hers. The stroke of his thumb along her cheek as if she was a fine and precious thing to be savored.

  His chest pressed her breasts, drawing a response that tightened the peaks and sent sharp jolts of pleasure between her thighs. And she knew enough about what that meant to realize she was practically orgasmic from just his tongue on hers.

  Although it was the way he licked over her mouth, so thorough and hot she could imagine how that same exquisite attention would feel elsewhere. Tension coiled tight inside her and she gripped him harder, anchoring herself against that Roman god body of his.

  Maybe he could feel the tension in her. Or somehow know she was so close to release. She had no idea how he would intuit that. Yet he chose that moment to palm her bare thigh and edge up the leg of her shorts to stroke
the satin of her damp panties.

  Right. There.

  She came apart instantly, a shattering orgasm touching off wave after wave of hungry pulsing of her feminine muscles. Sensation swamped her until her knees buckled and she would have fallen if he weren’t holding her up. As her wits started to return, she became aware of her head thrown back and him kissing her neck, murmuring sweet, sexy words in her ear.

  And still, the aftershocks teased through her.

  “Please say you have protection.” Because the Sex Talk maven didn’t carry condoms. She’d never felt like such a fraud.

  “I do.” He unfastened her bra. Tugged down her shorts and underwear. “But first I get to see you.”

  She hadn’t been with anyone since Erik. And she’d underwhelmed her dry cleaner fiancé so she felt a moment of panic about what Boone might think. His last girlfriend might consider herself “the plain one” among her sisters, but anyone with eyes would agree the reality TV star was an extremely attractive woman.

  Then again, wasn’t it a little late for an attack of shyness after coming undone in his arms from just a kiss? Serena would say absolutely.

  “I’d better see you, too,” she warned him, backing toward the bed in all her nakedness. “You’re the one with the million dollar bod under there – wow.”

  She forgot about shyness as he stripped off the rest of his clothes and she got a proper eyeful of Boone Sullivan.

  If he noticed that he’d stunned her speechless, he didn’t mention it. But then, all his attention focused on her body for long, pulse-pounding moments.

  He closed the distance between them, taking her down to the bed with a gentle tackle and catching the weight of their fall with his arms. She liked the feel of his bristly, hairy legs against her smooth ones, the hot warmth of his abs bearing down on her belly, his erection pinned between them in a way that made her arch and sigh.

  Winding her arms around his neck, she dragged him down to kiss her, their tongues tangling in a slick dance. She felt him stretch out above her, his arm reaching above her head and when he returned he pressed a foil packet into her hand.