Stealing Second

by Alison Packard

  Holding his pants with one hand, he pulled a condom from the front pocket and tossed it on the bed.

  “Only one?” she asked with a raised brow, and a cheeky grin.

  He laughed. “No. But I only need one right now.”

  * * *

  Tom draped his pants over the back of the chair, then turned and took in the enticing picture Katie made lying in the middle of her bed. Against the deep blue comforter, her pale skin gleamed like alabaster, and her silken hair fell over one shoulder and curled invitingly just above her breasts. His vision blurred, his chest tightened, and when she held out her hand, beckoning him to join her, he nearly forgot how to breathe.

  Moving to the bed, he stretched out beside her. She gave him a sexy smile, then hooked her leg over his thigh, cupped his nape and pressed her mouth to his. With a groan, he skimmed his palm up her thigh, to the luscious curve of her ass, and pulled her against him. She parted her mouth, and soon the intimate thrust and parry of their tongues turned into a deep, lush kiss that had need clawing and scratching at his insides, demanding to be satisfied.

  He pulled his mouth from hers and rolled to his back, reaching for the condom. He tore open the wrapper, rolled the condom over his erection, then moved between her spread thighs and braced his palms on the bed on either side of her.

  He entered her slowly and drew in a sharp breath as her tight wet heat sheathed him. For a second he remained still, absorbing the fact that what was happening was real and not a dream he’d soon wake up from. But then, the primal instinct to possess her took over and he began to move. His strokes were slow and deep, and soon Katie found his rhythm and began to rock with him on the bed. She lifted her hands to his rib cage, then slid them to his back and lightly raked her nails over his skin as he thrust into her.

  Her gaze never strayed from his, and emotion flickered in her eyes. The same emotion he’d seen the first time he told her he loved her. She’d loved him then. Could she still love him now? After all these years it seemed improbable. Except, maybe not. If his love for her could span almost two decades, maybe hers could too.

  Lowering his head, he kissed her enticing beauty mark. Two strokes later, her body tensed and she let out a soft moan of pleasure as her orgasm overtook her. Dropping his head into the curve of her neck, her soft, sensual moans and the clenching of her pussy around his cock took him over the edge. He gave a final thrust, then let out a groan as he came hard and fast.

  When the spasms of his orgasm faded and the pounding of his heart slowed, he lifted his head and looked into Katie’s blue eyes, and for the second time in his life, his world tilted off its axis.

  * * *

  Katherine awoke to the steady rhythm of Tom’s breathing. She’d fallen asleep nestled in the warm cocoon of his arms. Now she was facing him, and the soft light filtering in from the slanted blinds covering the window played across his face, revealing his relaxed features and the light stubble on his jaw.

  Lifting her hand, she gently brushed a short lock of hair from his forehead, and the gentle squeeze of her heart and the sudden swell of emotion in her chest all but confirmed that, despite the passage of time, she was still hopelessly in love with Thomas Jefferson Morgan.

  Not that she ever would have admitted it to herself before this moment. Yearning for a love long extinguished seemed pathetic…and sad. Two things she had no desire to be. To that end, she’d buried her feelings for Tom deep inside her and focused on school, then her career, and filled the lonely hours in between with a string of charming men who, for a little while, helped her to believe she was over him.

  But the truth she’d been running away from all these years was that she’d never stopped loving him. Tom had owned her heart when she was fourteen years old and he owned it still. She had a feeling he always would.

  Just then, he let out a soft snore and rolled to his back. The cadence of his breathing changed and seconds later, his eyes drifted open. “What time is it?” he asked, in a sleep-roughened voice.

  She propped herself up on her elbow and glanced over her shoulder at the clock on the nightstand. “Almost eight.”

  “Shit.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “I have to be at the ballpark in an hour. Do you mind if I use your shower before I leave?”

  “Not at all.” Under the sheet and light blanket covering them, she rubbed her foot over his calf. “Maybe I’ll join you.”

  “Then I’d be late for my coaches meeting, for sure.” He turned his head and grinned. “Rain check?”

  “Count on it.” She smiled back at him. “How about I make some coffee while you’re in the shower?”

  “Sounds good.” He shifted to his side, lifted his hand and lightly stroked her arm. “Are you going in to work today?”

  “Yes. But not until later.” After she called her father; but she didn’t want to think about that right now. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. “I like waking up with you,” she murmured against his mouth.

  “Same here, darlin’,” he said huskily, and slipping his arm around her waist, he pulled her toward him and her breasts flattened against his chest. As their kiss deepened, she felt his morning erection press into her abdomen and, immediately, desire throbbed low in her belly.

  She pulled back and smiled. “Didn’t you say you brought more than one condom?”

  The corner of his mouth kicked up in a sexy half grin. “You bet I did.”

  Thirty minutes later, after an extremely satisfying orgasm, Katherine hummed to herself and turned on the coffeemaker. As the aroma of freshly brewing coffee filled the kitchen, she moved to the table in the alcove and pulled her phone out of her purse. She checked her missed calls and saw her father had tried to reach her again, just thirty minutes ago. A heavy weight settled in her chest. She couldn’t remember a time when she had ever dreaded talking to her father. But she did now.

  The two-hour time difference meant that she didn’t have to wait, she could call him right now if she wanted to. But there was no way she could talk to her father before having a cup of coffee, nor did she want to have the conversation with Tom still in the condo. Although Cal Whitton’s actions had affected him as well, she wanted to speak to her father in private.

  Returning to the kitchen, she checked the fridge and discovered she had enough eggs left to scramble them up and send Tom off with some protein in his stomach. Within a few minutes, she’d cracked the eggs into a bowl, added some salt, pepper and a dollop of milk and beat the mixture until it was blended.

  As she was about to pour the mixture into the heated skillet, her doorbell rang. Surprised, she set the bowl on the counter, turned off the stove and left the kitchen. She didn’t get a lot of people at her door, but every so often her morning newspaper was delivered outside her neighbor’s door and he was kind enough to personally deliver it. She supposed she could subscribe online, but for as long as she could remember, her weekend ritual was to sit down at the table with her coffee and read the paper from cover to cover.

  “Coming,” she called out as the doorbell sounded again. With a smile, she turned the dead bolt and opened the door. “Did you get my…” she began, then gasped in shock as she looked into the eyes of the last person she’d expected to see standing in the hallway. “Dad?” she croaked, and put a hand to her chest. “What the blazes are you doing here?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Amusement gleamed in Cal Whitton’s pale blue eyes. “I gather you haven’t checked your messages.”

  “I… I’ve been busy,” Katherine said, after a few stunned seconds. Talk about being blindsided. She’d expected to confront her father over the phone, not in person.

  “Aren’t you going to invite me inside?” he asked, then flashed a droll smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on imposing on you. I’ve hired a driver; he’ll take me to the Marriott after our visit.”

  “Um. Sorry.” She pulled the door wider and he brushed past her, the familiar scent of his Aram
is cologne trailing after him. “Why are you in San Francisco?” she asked, closing the door. As usual, he was dressed impeccably, wearing a navy blue Lacoste sport coat with tan slacks and a white shirt.

  “Carlton and I are meeting with Ava McCandless today,” he said, then moved forward and gave her a hug. Under normal circumstances, she’d be thrilled to see him and return his warm embrace enthusiastically. Instead, she remained rigid and waited for him to let her go.

  “I probably shouldn’t have come by so early.” He released her and gave her a slightly puzzled look. “But since I was in town, I thought I’d take the opportunity to stop by and see my little girl.”

  “I’m not a little girl.” She tightened the belt on her pink chenille robe and took a step back to put some distance between them.

  A small frown tugged at his brows. “All right. What’s wrong? Are you angry I showed up unannounced?” He glanced toward the alcove, where Tom’s coat was still draped over the back of the dining room chair. “Oh, I see. You’ve got company.”

  “Tom’s here.”

  “Tom Morgan?” His face blanched. “I thought you two were barely on speaking terms?”

  Katherine lifted her chin. “Things have changed.”

  “Damn it.” He released a long breath. “Ever since he took the manager job with the Blaze, I’ve been afraid of this.”

  “Of what?” Propping her hands on her hips, she glared at him. “What could you possibly have to be afraid of, Dad?”

  He stared at her, and the silence that oozed between them was as thick as San Francisco’s infamous fog. “You know, don’t you?”

  “Tom and I finally talked about the past. So yes, I know you and Tom’s mother formed some sort of unholy alliance to break us up. That’s why I called you. I needed to hear directly from you why the father I loved so much, and who was supposed love me, would do something so cruel, and so…so heartless.”

  “Katie.” He gestured toward her with his hand. “You were so young. A child.”

  “I was eighteen, legally an adult. You had no right to do what you did.”

  “I had every right,” he shot back, his eyes flashing with irritation. “I’m your father, and I knew what was best for you. And it wasn’t Tom Morgan.”

  “Who made you the judge of who or what was best for me? It was my life. My choice.”

  “You wanted to go to Berkeley. It was your dream to go to the same school your mother attended.”

  “Dreams change. Mine did. And I was still going to college. Why did it matter where?”

  “It mattered because of me.” Tom’s terse voice cut through the silence.

  So focused on her father, Katherine didn’t notice Tom had entered the room. He moved with athletic grace to stand beside her.

  “You never thought I was good enough for Katie, did you?”

  “No man is good enough for my daughter.” Her father scowled in Tom’s direction. “But I didn’t do what I did because I disliked you. I did it because I could see what the two of you couldn’t. You were too wrapped up in each other. Your relationship was too intense. Going to the same college would have been a huge distraction…for both of you. And frankly, I was worried that Katie would put her career aspirations on the back burner to help you chase yours.” Cal pointed a finger at him. “There was no guarantee you were going to the majors. You could have been toiling in the minors all these years, dragging Katie around with you like some sort of appendage. I didn’t want that for my daughter. She deserved a better life than that. And she got it.”

  Katherine bristled. “Let me tell you about my life, Dad,” she said, giving him a withering stare. “From the outside, it may appear that I have everything I could ever want. But the real truth is, my life has been lonely…extremely lonely. I’ve never been able to fully trust or commit myself to any man since I left Dallas.” She spread her hands in a helpless gesture. “How could I? How could I ever let myself love someone again, when I was afraid they would eventually leave me? I can’t even compare the pain I went through when I thought Tom abandoned me to what you went through when you lost Mom. Because when Mom died, you had no doubt she loved you with all her heart. She wasn’t just gone one day, leaving you wondering if she ever really loved you at all.”

  “Katie…girl, you were so young.” He looked at Tom. “You both were.”

  She pressed her lips together. If she heard how young she’d been one more time she’d scream.

  “Respectfully, Mr. Whitton, who are you to judge how old someone has to be to know what love is? I’d wager there are millions of people who have been married for years who met each other in high school. Whether Katie and I stayed together was for us to figure out. Not you. And not my mother.”

  Cal’s piercing eyes narrowed. “Perhaps, but at the time I was more concerned for my daughter’s future than I was about her love life. And as harsh as it sounds, I believe it was a blessing she lost the baby. There was no way she could raise your child and go to college at the same time.”

  Katherine gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth as Tom jerked his head in her direction.

  “Baby?” Confusion shadowed his eyes as he stared at her. “You were pregnant?” he asked in a taut voice.

  “Dad, you need to leave.” On shaky legs, she bolted toward the door. “Now.” She opened it, and made a sweeping motion with her hand in an effort to get him out as quickly as possible.

  “But…”

  “I want you to leave,” she said, her voice rising.

  Cal cast a cautious glance at Tom, then moved toward her. At the door he put his hand on her arm; she jerked it away.

  “I’m sorry, I thought he knew,” he said softly with what looked like genuine contrition in his eyes. “I’ll be in town for a few days. I hope we can talk this out.”

  “I don’t have anything more to say to you,” she said, her tone icy. “Please leave.”

  “I love you, Katie. And I’m here for you if you need me. Please remember that,” he said, then gave Tom a stern look before he left the condo.

  Katherine closed the door, and turned to meet Tom’s incredulous gaze.

  “It’s true? You were pregnant?” he asked, in a low, controlled voice.

  Katherine pressed two fingers to her suddenly throbbing temple. Although she’d come to terms with her miscarriage many years ago, she’d never spoken about it—with anyone—after she’d been released from the hospital. But that didn’t mean she didn’t think about it—especially whenever she saw a boy or girl about the same age as her and Tom’s child would have been.

  “Yes.” She dropped her hand. “I lost the baby the night I was hit by the drunk driver.”

  “How long did you know you were pregnant before that night?”

  Biting her lower lip, she hesitated. “About a month.”

  “You knew you were pregnant for a month, and you didn’t tell me?” Tom blew out a harsh breath. “My God, Katie, if only you’d said something. Things would have been so different.”

  Katherine stared at him, shock turning to hurt. “What are you saying? Are you blaming me for losing the baby?”

  He narrowed his gaze on her. “I didn’t say that.”

  “But you’re thinking it, aren’t you?” She pointed an accusing finger at him. “You think if I’d told you about the baby sooner, I wouldn’t have been in that crosswalk the night that drunk ran the red light and hit me.”

  “I don’t know that for sure. But it’s probable.”

  “So you are saying I killed our baby.”

  He held up his hand. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”

  “You just said it was probable.”

  “It is probable that had you made a different decision there would have been a different outcome, and you know it.” He frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me in Phoenix?”

  “Because I didn’t think it mattered. It happened a long time ago.”

  “It does matter. You were carrying my baby. I had a right to know that then, and n
ow. For the record, I don’t blame you for losing the baby, but I do blame you for not trusting me enough to tell me the truth. I trusted you with everything. Things I never told anyone else—like how my parents’ marriage broke up because my mother didn’t tell my father she was pregnant before she had the abortion.”

  “It’s not the same thing.”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw as he stared at her with cold, angry eyes. “The part where you didn’t tell me about the baby is exactly the same thing. You knew for a month and yet you kept quiet.” He moved to the chair and reached for his sport coat. “So much for trust.”

  Katherine stepped back as he stalked past her and opened the door. He slammed it on his way out; the sound reverberated in the room and left her shaking. Tears blurred her vision as she moved to the sofa and sank down on the cushion.

  For several years after the accident, she’d believed it was her fault she’d lost the baby. If only she’d parked her car in a different place. If only she’d gone into the restaurant instead of back to her car. If only she’d told Tom the second she found out she was pregnant. The if-onlys had nearly driven her insane until she was able to finally put the blame exactly where it had always belonged—on the man who had decided it was okay to get in his car and drive after drinking.

  Maybe she should have told Tom about the baby in Phoenix, but in truth, because of his feelings about what had happened with his parents, she was afraid of the reaction she’d just been on the receiving end of. Oh, he’d said he didn’t blame her, but he did. She could see it in his eyes, and hear it in his voice. Those if-onlys were running through his head as surely as they had run through hers.

  * * *

  Tom strode through the clubhouse with anger fueling each step. One of the equipment managers called out a greeting from the laundry room, but Tom walked by him without a word and headed down the deserted hallway toward his office.

  Once inside, he slammed the door and threw his coat on top of his desk. To find out Katie had been pregnant with his child for a month before their parents managed to split them up was akin to having the air sucked right out of his lungs.