The guys seemed particularly talkative tonight but he rushed through the locker room, then his shower and was about to make his escape when Henderson intercepted him. Eric gave the man a few minutes before dashing outside. Unless Sally had detained her, it would be a miracle if Tess were still there.
When he made it outside and saw Sally talking to some of the other wives who waited for their husbands, he knew Tess had already left. He turned right to avoid the group of women. Normally he didn’t mind stopping to chat for a minute but he was considering calling Tess.
He would’ve preferred seeing her in person, he thought as he pulled his cell out of his pocket. And seeing if her eyes were the same color at night as they were in the sun.
TESS HAD JUST PULLED the Mini Cooper into the garage when she heard her cell ring. She hastily turned off the engine and stepped out of the car so she could dig more easily into her jeans pocket. It was a blocked number. Eric again?
After clearing her throat she answered.
“Tess? It’s Eric.”
“Hey, nice game.”
“Thanks. Where are you?”
“I just got home.” She let herself into the kitchen and tossed her keys on the counter. As soon as she’d checked the caller ID screen her pulse had taken a giant leap, and now her mouth was growing drier than cotton.
“Slipping into that black lace teddy?”
She choked out a laugh. “A fast case of amnesia would be in order here.”
“You’re right,” he said. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“I’d figure it out so it doesn’t happen again.” She opened the refrigerator, brought out a carton of orange juice and closed the door with her hip. Why was he calling? Probably to thank her for going. That’s all. No need to get excited. “You guys were tied for too long. You had me worried.”
“Hey, we gotta keep things interesting for the fans.”
“A little less edge-of-the-seat stuff for those of us with heart problems would be nice.”
“I’ll be sure to mention that to the manager at our next meeting.” He paused. “I’d hoped to catch you before you left tonight.”
The way his voice had suddenly lowered sent her pulse into action again. She set the juice on the table, yanked out a chair and quickly sat down. “Oh?” Brilliant response.
“I thought I might change your mind about grabbing a bite to eat.”
That did it. Her mouth went so dry she couldn’t even swallow. A glass…she needed liquids… The hell with it. She opened the carton and tipped it to her lips.
“You there?”
She’d taken too big a gulp and cringed as the acidic juice gushed down her throat. “Yes, I was just—it really is late—”
“Yeah, sometimes my job sucks,” he said.
She laughed, that stupid nervous-sounding laugh that drove her crazy. At least she hadn’t snorted.
“Anyway, thanks for coming tonight.”
She kicked at the linoleum floor. No, no, he’d misunderstood. It was too late to eat, but a drink wouldn’t have been out of the question. “Sure. I enjoyed it.” She glanced at the wall clock. Should she steer him back to the offer? He’d cut in pretty quickly. Maybe it had been simply a polite gesture and he didn’t really want to go. “Look, Eric—”
“I know, I know.” He sighed. “I don’t mean to be pushy. You don’t want to go, that’s fine. I figured buying you dinner was the least I could do.”
Tess clamped her mouth shut. She was such an idiot. She’d been right the first time. He’d simply wanted to return the favor. He’d offered, she’d hesitated, his obligation had been met.
“It’s fine. Really,” she said, suddenly anxious to end the call. “I enjoyed the game.”
“I’m glad.” After a long pause, “Guess I’ll see you next week,” he said, and her gaze flew to the game schedule she had posted on the side of the fridge. “We leave first thing in the morning for Halbury.”
“Right. I forgot.” She got up and walked over for a better look. They’d play the Hawks for five days, and then return to host the Bismark Brawlers. “I’ll miss you. It.” She silently shrieked at her mistake. “I mean, no baseball and overpriced hot dogs for almost a week. Wow.”
“If you get bored it’s only a seven-hour drive,” Eric said, and she could picture him grinning, his grayish-blue eyes twinkling, the groove deepening in his cheek.
“Right, because between school and Little League I never have enough to do.”
“Say the word, I’ll be your assistant coach.”
In spite of herself, she smiled. The man was persistent. Maybe there was a little spark there because he already knew she would show up at the games. “Ah, because you have so much free time, too.”
“Hey, it’s for a good cause. I like volunteering with kids.”
Tess slumped back in the chair. When was she going to get it? This wasn’t personal. “We’ll see,” she said, feeling really tired all of a sudden. “Good luck with the Hawks, Eric.”
“Tess, wait.”
She’d been about to disconnect the call, but stopped.
“What color are your eyes?”
“My eyes?” She frowned. Jeez, he couldn’t remember that much about her? “Brown. Why?”
“Really? I didn’t think…” His voice had lowered to a husky murmur. “They looked more like a caramel color to me.”
He’d been thinking about the color of her eyes? They were plain brown, nothing spectacular, but the sensual change in his pitch ignited new sparks of confusion and longing inside of her.
“They’re unusual,” he said. “Really pretty.”
“Thanks.” Maybe she should tell him she’d go for that drink…
She heard him exhale. “Look, I’ll see you when I get back, huh?”
She hesitated, thinking maybe some time to recover wouldn’t be so bad. “Okay.” She’d barely gotten the word out when she realized the connection was broken. The man could really spin her head around. Next time though, she’d be prepared.
ERIC PARKED HIS Corvette as close to the field as he could without being obvious, then sat for a few minutes, watching her with the kids. She demonstrated a pitching technique, complete with windup. He smiled, liking that she wasn’t self-conscious, just jumped in there and showed the kids how to do it. She was pretty good, too.
Considering they’d only just met, he’d thought about Tess often the five days he’d been away. He didn’t know why his mind kept straying back to her, except maybe because he couldn’t figure her out. Not that she was playing coy. She was straightforward, generous enough to volunteer to coach Little League—not typically at the top of a single woman’s list—and she laughed easily. He liked all those things about her.
Though Sally had filled him in about Tess, he’d barely listened because he hadn’t wanted to be set up. It wasn’t as if he was desperate for dates, in fact he had the opposite problem and he really was trying to concentrate on the game. But he remembered a couple of things, like her sense of humor and how down-to-earth she was, and that her knowing his stats had everything to do with her love of baseball and not him being a celebrity.
Still, he couldn’t figure out why she wouldn’t go out for a lousy bite to eat with him. She’d already said that she wasn’t into the blind-date thing either, so it wasn’t as if he’d hurt her feelings by blowing Sally off. Was it his supposed reputation with women? He wasn’t that bad. For a guy in his position, he was practically a monk.
Maybe he needed to come right out and ask Tess. He doubted she’d hold back. She’d give him a straight answer. And then he’d know if he should back off. Hell, he didn’t even know what he wanted from her…other than her showing up at the games. He just liked talking to her, and she was prettier than he’d first thought…
Sitting in the car wouldn’t get him anywhere so he got out. He headed for Tess and the kids, but stopped and watched her grab a bat and adopt a batting stance with her behind sticking out. Whoa, nice ass.
<
br /> She took a swing, said something to the boys and hunkered down again. With her T-shirt tucked into her jeans, she showed off a perfectly flat stomach, the tempting curve of her breasts and that behind…damn…
How come he hadn’t noticed before? Sure, he’d been all about the game lately, but certain things a guy just didn’t overlook.
One of the kids spotted him, and he had to quit checking her out. He resumed his short trek, motioning sternly for the boys to return to Tess when they abandoned her to run toward him.
“You guys can’t treat your coach that way,” he called out. “Get back over there.”
The first boy—Billy, if Eric remembered correctly—came to a halt halfway between him and Tess. The rest of the pack pulled up alongside Billy and stared at Eric, who again gestured for them to return to practice. They didn’t look happy but they obeyed.
Tess had planted the end of the bat in the ground, and was leaning on it, one ankle crossed over the other, as she watched him. Unfortunately, with her cap pulled low, he couldn’t tell if she was pissed or amused.
“Guess what, guys,” she said to the boys when they reached her. “You get to run three laps around the diamond for ditching me without permission.”
At the collective groan, Eric shoved his hands into the pockets of his cargo shorts, slowed his pace and glanced away to hide his grin.
“And you…”
He turned back to find her glaring at him from under raised eyebrows. “What? I had to ditch you. We were playing the Hawks.”
Their eyes met, and she clearly was trying not to smile. Then she slid a sideways look at a couple of stragglers who hadn’t started their laps. She didn’t have to say another word. The boys took off after their teammates.
She brought her attention back to him. “You interrupted our practice.”
“I didn’t mean to.” He stopped a couple of feet from her. Man, those eyes…no wonder he’d been distracted from her ass. “In fact, I was minding my own business quite a distance away.”
“Really? What did you think would happen once the boys saw you?”
“Uh…well…I suppose you have me there, Coach. What’s my punishment?”
She rested the bat against her leg, and folded her arms across her chest, causing the T-shirt to pull snugly across her breasts. Her brows arched slightly. “What do you suggest would be appropriate?”
He thought for a moment, and smiled. “Probably a good paddling.”
“Hmm.” She gave him a once-over before meeting his eyes. “That could be arranged.”
Damn if his cock didn’t twitch. He pulled his hands out of his pockets. She’d surprised the hell out of him. Something had changed. She didn’t seem ready to hit the brakes. “Name the time and place.”
Tess laughed softly and caught the bat as it started to fall. “Congratulations on your new hitting streak.”
Eric cringed. He really didn’t like people mentioning it. “You followed the games.”
“Of course I did. Why did you make that face? Is talking about the s-t-r-e-a-k bad mojo or something?”
“Give me the bat,” he said irritably.
Her eyes twinkled with amusement. “Not a chance.”
“Fine. I’ll take it away from you,” he said, advancing toward her.
She blinked, darting a look toward the kids. “Why do you want it?”
“I’m going to show you how to hit.” He grabbed the bat out of her hand. “Come here.”
Her lips parted in indignation. “I know how to hit.”
Man, he wanted to kiss her, he realized. He couldn’t, not here with the kids watching, but he had something better in mind, anyway. “I know, but there’s always room for improvement, right?”
She took a nervous step back. “I don’t trust you.”
“What’s the matter, Coach?” Eric took a practice swing and smiled. “Seems you have a streak, too. A yellow one that goes straight down your back.”
Her eyes narrowed, accepted the challenge, and she reclaimed the bat.
Eric circled his arms around her, and closed his hands over hers so they both gripped the bat. “That’s right, Coach,” he whispered in her ear. “Now relax.”
5
RELAX? SURE, easy for him to say. He’d goaded her into this position, and she’d fallen for it. No, that was a lie. She hadn’t fallen for a damn thing. She’d seized the opportunity to show him that if he asked her out again, she wouldn’t say no.
But with her butt practically pressed against his fly, she’d never been more tense in her whole life. Mostly because of where they were and who might be watching. Oh, what they were doing might seem innocent enough, but she knew better.
He released one of her hands to massage her shoulder. “Come on. Loosen up.”
Her gaze went out to the kids trudging through the outfield. Tommy and Connor had stopped to watch what she and Eric were doing.
He covered her hand again. “Okay, you’re gonna have to crouch a little lower.”
“Uh, I don’t think so.” She stiffened, his big lean body curled over hers, his warm breath tickling the side of her jaw.
“You can if you relax.” His mouth seemed closer, his voice huskier, and then his lips grazed her skin.
Her eyes fluttered closed, and she wished they were somewhere else, somewhere private so she could enjoy the solid strength of his chest pressed to her back, the thrill of his…
Oh, my God. “Oh, my God!”
“What?”
“You know what—” Her panicked gaze went past the kids, to the parking lot. No mothers waiting in their cars yet. “That better be a baseball in your pocket.”
Eric groaned and shifted, but the bulge was still there, hard and insistent against her bottom. His indistinct muttering bathed her with a second helping of moist breath, and she was a little damp between the thighs herself.
“You better not move,” he murmured. “Give me a minute.”
“In front of the kids, Eric? Really?”
“It’s not like I planned it.” He muttered again, but this time she caught the mild oath. “We have to go through the motions. Let’s swing the damn bat a few times, make it look like I’m showing you a stance.”
Neither of them were concentrating and any one of the boys could’ve done a better job of swinging. “Pretty pathetic,” she grumbled, mad at herself because she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t excited over his reaction, mad because this was inappropriate and she knew better.
“Yeah, I know. Your fault. You smell too good.”
Her pulse quickened. “Not helping,” she murmured, her breath catching.
The kids were running toward them, and feeling a little guilty, Tess hollered for them to take another lap.
“God, I want to kiss you,” he whispered.
Tess jerked the bat and her hands out of his grasp, then flew out of his arms. He staggered back, and she caught a peek at his straining fly, then glanced toward the outfield. “Those kids will be back at any minute—”
“Hey, I didn’t say I was gonna kiss you…just that I want to…” He flexed then hunched his shoulders, staring up at the sky. “Where’s a good downpour when you need it?”
If she hadn’t been worried about what the boys might see, she would’ve laughed. “You should go.”
“Yeah, and how’s that gonna work when they come running after me?”
“I’ll tell them not to.” She kept her gaze level with his face, trying hard not to look down. “Why did you come by?”
“To see if you’d want to do something after the game tonight. I was thinking dinner? A drink? Whatever you want…”
Kissing would be good, but she wasn’t about to say that. Or how much she wanted to see him naked right now. Her gaze went to the team already headed back. “We’ll talk later.”
“Look, when I offered to show you how to swing, I had no evil intention. The only thing I’m guilty of is being a healthy, red-blooded guy, and you’re a beautiful woman.” He spread
his hands. “I got carried away. I apologize. Can we move on?”
Her hand automatically went to her sloppy ponytail. A beautiful woman? He’d said it so casually as though he was merely stating something obvious. “Funny, I thought that’s what I said.” She made a shooing motion with her hands. “You should move on.”
He stared at her in disbelief, as if she’d uttered some outlandish remark, but it was the flicker of hurt in his eyes that made her tummy turn over. “Okay.” He glanced at the herd of Little Leaguers getting closer. “Tell the boys I’ll see them another time.”
“I’m not mad,” Tess said as he turned and walked toward the west parking lot close to the school, but wasn’t sure if he’d heard her. She hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings, but his leaving was for the best. The kids were her first responsibility. He had to understand that, and if he didn’t…
The next move was hers. As soon as practice was over she’d call him, explain that she’d panicked because of the kids. She had a responsibility to conduct herself properly. Eric would understand.
The boys ran up, bombarding her with questions, demanding to know why their hero had left. She snapped at them to be quiet. They stared at her in confusion and shock, which made her feel even guiltier.
“He’s busy and had to go,” she told them more calmly, refusing to even glance in Eric’s direction. Thank goodness he hadn’t parked in the same lot as her Mini Cooper. “But he said he’d come another day.”
“Were you guys fighting?” Billy blatantly asked, as only Billy would.
“No, of course not. He was showing me some techniques.”
Half of them wrinkled their confused noses at her, the other half were too busy tracking Eric.
“That means different ways to stand and swing the bat.”
“How come your face is red, Coach?”
Extra Innings and In His Wildest Dreams Page 16
