Sliding Into Home

by Joanne Rock

  She knew she would look like a deer in headlights in all those photographs the media members were snapping. Frozen. Spellbound by the oncoming collision. But she couldn’t do so much as blink to break the spell.

  “I know a back way,” Javier lowered his voice as he neared her, reaching out a hand to enfold hers. “Come on.”

  Gladly, Lisa allowed him to take the lead. After just a handful of days without him, she already knew she would follow him wherever he wanted to go.

  JAVIER WAS A GONER AS SURELY as the home-run ball he’d blasted over right field in tonight’s game. Lisa Whatley had sent his good sense spinning out of control and no amount of time avoiding her would change that.

  Not after listening to Lisa’s voice in his messages today, that throaty, sexy tone confiding her need to see him. He’d had time to sort out what had happened between them that day at the beach and knew she’d been balls-on accurate with her assessment of his risk-taking. He just hadn’t wanted to hear it.

  Now, as he led her to a back service elevator used by the room service staff to deliver food to the hotel patrons, Javier acknowledged that he also hadn’t wanted to admit feelings for her. Sure, he’d slept with women faster than this before, but he hadn’t had any illusions about where that kind of hookup would lead.

  Whereas with Lisa, he’d wanted her more than he’d wanted any other, and the power of that feeling made him hesitate to get involved. He hadn’t planned on being tied down during the baseball career he’d worked so hard to develop, wanting to squeeze every pleasure he could out of the dream he’d once shared with his brother.

  But Lisa had helped him to see the pleasures he was pursuing weren’t really doing jack shit to honor the dream—not his and not Manuel’s, either.

  But he wasn’t ready to tell her any of that yet. He’d put off this meeting so long that by now, he only had one message for Lisa and it required no speaking.

  As they reached the fourth floor, Javier tugged her from the elevator and toward his room at the end of the hall. He had a suite that overlooked the Ohio River where he planned to explore this attraction to his trainer in thorough detail.

  “Javier.” She slowed to a stop beside him as he pulled out a room key.

  He peered down the corridor over her head and saw no reporters. They would most likely think he was on the penthouse level anyhow, but the team travel secretary had been helpful in protecting his privacy by securing a room on another floor. Hell, who was he kidding? The team liked hiding him away from the press so he couldn’t say anything to cause an uproar.

  “I think we got rid of them,” he assured her, opening the door to his rooms and ushering her inside.

  “I quit the job,” she confided, stopping short in the tiny foyer near a slotted bench for removing shoes. “I’m not taking any more contract work for the Flames.”

  That gave him pause.

  “Did I chase you away after all?” He’d been trying to do exactly that when they’d first met since he hadn’t wanted the team to tell him how to run his workouts.

  But just those few hours spent alone with her had been enough to make him realize he didn’t want to do anything to hurt her. He’d get the job back for her if she needed it.

  He studied her under the dull light from an overhead fixture, her blond hair gathered in a loose knot at the back of her head with a few pieces slipping free around her ears and neck. She wore a deep blue sleeveless dress that hugged her subtle curves and showcased what a knockout she was. He still couldn’t see any makeup on her face save a deep berry stain on her lips. What would they taste like when he finally cashed in on the heat between them?

  “No man steers me where I don’t want to go,” she reminded him, tilting her chin at him with a flash of the bravado she possessed in spades. “I just sensed an impending conflict of interest.”

  Still, he promised himself he’d look into it to make sure she’d be okay financially without the job. He had the feeling the Flames paycheck was fairly generous. He wanted to make sure she was safe. Taken care of.

  And oh, man, he was in deep with this woman, and he hadn’t even kissed her. By now, he realized he was falling for her in spite of his best efforts, so why deprive them both of what they wanted—needed—so badly?

  “Really?” His eyes wandered down the lines of her body, enjoying the knowledge that soon his hands and his mouth would do the same. “That’s odd, because I see our interests aligning quite nicely.”

  He reached for her, but she sidestepped him with lightning-quick reflexes, moving past him into the room where a bed awaited them. Crisp white sheets had already been turned down.

  “If you think that, why have you been dodging me?” She planted her hands on her hips.

  He half wondered if she could elude him a second time, now that he was expecting her tricky moves. He admired her athleticism even as he was tempted to test it. This was one chase he would enjoy.

  “Looks like you’re the one dodging me.” He stepped toward her again, but this time, he faked left and moved right, intercepting her neatly. He caught an arm full of silk dress and warm woman. “Or at least, you’re trying to.”

  Squeezing her waist, he reeled her close. The quick move had dislodged a tortoiseshell pin holding her hair in place, and the mass listed precariously to one side until he popped the pin free.

  Fragrant locks fell loose as she fixed him with her gaze.

  “I’m just trying to figure you out.” She splayed both hands on his chest, maintaining a certain amount of distance even as he could see her pulse hammer faster along the vein at her throat.

  “And?” He bent close to kiss that throbbing spot at her neck. Her skin smelled like coconut lotion and tasted even better.

  “I’ve got you pegged for a thrill seeker in the bedroom as much as you are outside of it.” She arched a pale eyebrow, as if daring him to argue the point.

  His heart rate ramped up even faster than hers.

  “I think you see what you want because you’re a bit of a risk taker yourself.” He hadn’t forgotten her expression when she came down from the jump on her kite board. “Did you come here tonight looking for a few new thrills?”

  She bit her lip, deliberately coy as her gaze slid down and away. Long, dark lashes fanned her cheek as she pretended to mull over the question.

  “I don’t know about that…”

  Ah, this was too rich.

  He’d just decided he shouldn’t push the envelope so often with his need to live on the edge—and he’d reached that conclusion because of her. Yet here she was, teasing him into temptation.

  But maybe this was the better place to seek his thrills. With a woman who was in his life for more than just the fame and the money that came with his career.

  “You wicked woman,” he chastised her, leaning close to nip her ear. “I might have to teach you a lesson first. It’s called, Be Careful What You Wish For.”

  “You don’t scare me, Velasquez.” Her fingers slid down the front of his shirt, popping buttons easily as she went. “Did I mention that I only went into athletic training to bolster my passion for the martial arts?”

  “I can’t wait to find out if you’re telling me the truth or if you’re just messing with me.” With this woman, he wouldn’t be surprised either way, and he liked that about her. She was tough and unpredictable, grounded and sexy and forthright. Plus, she was making him hot as hell, pulling his shirt tails out to skim her hands along his waist. “But I’m not going to put that claim to the test right now when I’m most interested in seeing you lose a little of that edge of yours.”

  He traced the shoulder strap of her dress with one finger, taking a more subtle path to undressing her. When he passed her collarbone, she stilled. At the vee above her breasts, her eyes closed for a long moment.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She swayed on her feet. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips.

  “I’m talking about making you hot and breathless and sweetl
y compliant with everything I want.” He parted the fabric of her dress, shifting it off her shoulders until he had to unzip the side to free it the rest of the way. “But first, I’m going to give you a taste of your own medicine.”

  Her grip tightened on the front placket of his unbuttoned shirt, her hands fisting the cotton as she steadied herself.

  “I thought we were thrill seeking?” She didn’t sound terribly worried, but the flash of disappointment in her expression amused him mightily.

  “You’d be surprised.” Tugging her dress down and off, he exposed a navy lace bra and matching panties threaded with a sky-blue ribbon.

  A decidedly feminine choice for a woman who liked to appear so no-nonsense on the outside.

  “Well?” she asked, sliding a finger under one bra strap as if to continue the unveiling.

  He caught the errant finger and pulled her hand, tugging her toward the bed.

  “I need some time to appreciate this much of you before I undress the rest.” He laid her on the bed and she went willingly enough until he tried to turn her onto her stomach. At her questioning look, he smoothed a palm along her back. “But first I thought I’d give you a little physical therapy so you can see what you put me through that day in the training room.”

  “That’s the taste of my own medicine?” She propped herself on one elbow, one knee drawn up. With her Bond-girl platinum hair cascading down to the bed, she made a jaw-dropping visual. “You want to massage me?”

  Lisa watched him through eyelids grown heavy with desire. She had never experienced such a strong urge to pounce on a man, but Javier tested her considerable restraint. Not because he was incredibly good-looking or a stud on the field, but because he was the man who’d called her out of the shadows to embrace her life again.

  Although, certainly, the studliness did not go unnoticed. Her hands itched to undress him the rest of the way and see the full impact of his beautiful athlete’s body the way God made him.

  “You call what you did to me that day a massage?” he asked, pressing her shoulder forward, urging her where he wanted her.

  “I’d call it a professional and dispassionate physical stimulation of your muscles.” Her heated skin met cool sheets instead of his muscular body and she wondered how she’d sit still through whatever he had in mind. “My job, in other words.”

  “I’d call it sensual torment.” His palm smoothed down her spine to rest at the small of her back, inciting nerve endings far and wide.

  She adjusted her cheek deeper into the pillow, taking a deep breath to brace for the sensual onslaught he seemed to have in mind. Pleasure warmed her skin in a full-body flush. Her breasts beaded against the sheets.

  “I am a licensed professional,” she argued, willing his hand to move. She wanted his touch everywhere at once.

  “Hmm.” He seemed to consider her words as he seated himself on the mattress beside her, his hip nudging hers to make himself comfortable. “No wonder your hands felt so damn good.”

  He skimmed along the band of her panties and traced circles up her back, his touch hypnotically seductive. She debated crawling up into his lap and ending the game by straddling his thighs, but he was so very good at drawing her in. Making her curious.

  She wanted to see where it would lead. There was something endlessly compelling about a man who knew exactly what he wanted in bed. Exactly how to please a woman.

  “I’m pretty sure I pressed much harder when I massaged you,” she offered, stifling the urge to writhe against the mattress.

  “You want it harder.” His hands slid down her sides, his fingers straying under her arms to cup her breasts. As she requested, he flexed his fingers, increasing the pressure.

  “Yessss.” She arched back to give him better access, wanting to be closer.

  “I see I can’t torment you the way you tormented me.” He leaned over her, his chest brushing her back. His hands dipped deeper into the lace cups of her bra, baring more. “I want you too much.”

  He plucked at the taut peaks and she felt the sensuous draw of it all the way to her womb.

  “No more massages,” she warned, turning on one shoulder to face him. “I can’t handle it.”

  His eyes narrowed in the dim hotel room.

  “But I was saving the best massage for last.” His hands fell away from her breasts to smooth down her hips and land on the front of her thighs. “I wanted to show you how much I enjoyed those muscle manipulations you performed on the inside thigh.”

  He squeezed there, the side of one hand rubbing lightly between her legs as he worked the muscle in question. Sensation swamped her, making her quiver from the pleasure.

  “You’ve made your point.” She levered herself up to a sitting position and shoved his jacket off his shoulders, taking his unbuttoned shirt along with it. “Now you’d better quit talking smack and start delivering.”

  She didn’t care that she sounded impatient and demanding. She’d been waiting to be alone with him for days.

  Fortunately, he seemed ready for more. He angled his shoulders to help her slip off his shirt, his hands only leaving her body for a moment. Then, finally, his mouth met hers in a kiss that sizzled her insides. His tongue played along her lips, but he didn’t toy with her for long. His mouth demanded more and she gave it gladly.

  Frantically, she worked the clasp of his belt and the buttons of his trousers, her task made more difficult by his straining erection. Or maybe it was so difficult because he slipped off her panties and eased a finger inside her, distracting her hopelessly until he took over the task of undressing himself.

  As she lay there, breathless, overwrought and ready for him, she noticed he wasn’t wearing that cool, teasing smile anymore. He wanted this as urgently as she did.

  Soon, they were both naked and ready, his body a gorgeous sight to behold as he rolled on a condom. The deep tan of his skin seemed to define all his lean muscles, and she couldn’t wait to benefit from his strength.

  An admiring hum of approval left her lips while she waited for him to come inside her.

  Then, he was over top of her, all around her. His hands hit the bed on either side of the pillow, his knees pushing her thighs apart before he positioned himself right where she wanted him most. She stilled herself for all of two seconds before she wrapped her arms around him, sealing her body to his, breast to chest. He had to alter his hold on her to angle her hips where he wanted them.

  And oh. My.

  The heat of him stretching her was like no sensation she’d ever known. Javier drew out the sweet shock of his entry, teasing her until she nipped his shoulders and twisted beneath him, then giving her all she could take and more.

  Heat roared in her veins and in her womb. The beat of her heart reverberated hard, a grounding force as her nerves wound tight, poised to catapult her into pure pleasure. She grasped his shoulders to steady her, savoring every delicious inch of him as he claimed her. Seduced her body and soul.

  Sensation built to impossible heights then spilled over in a climax that shook her very core. She clutched him to her, needing the anchor of his body as wave after wave of bliss undulated through her. For a fleeting moment, she realized he had her right where he’d wanted her all along—breathless and clinging beneath him. But then, he was right there with her, losing control in a climax that followed hers by mere moments.

  She kissed his cheek and his neck mindlessly, her face beaded with sweat. His or hers, she didn’t know. She only knew she never wanted the night to end.

  Because tonight, they were everything to each other. Friends and lovers. Adrenaline junkies who shared a passion for adventure and each other. But tomorrow she’d still be an athletic trainer who worked at a local college back in Chicago and he’d still be an international sports hero committed to his fans 162 games a year during the regular season.

  And Lisa was all too aware this was one thrill that might end when the sun rose.

  4

  FOR A MAN WHO TOOK A LOT of chance
s with his career and his physical health, Javier recognized he hadn’t ever risked much in his relationships.

  But now, as he lay beside Lisa in the still hours before dawn, he sensed an unfamiliar certainty in his feelings for the new woman in his life. Their time together hadn’t been some casual hookup. Things had gotten intense fast and there could be no going back to simple friendship afterward. He wanted more than that from her.

  Perhaps because he wanted to know everything about her, he realized he hadn’t shared all that much of himself. He at least owed her some explanation for the other day when he’d run for the hills after kite boarding. He stroked her hair, feeling the soft warmth of her breath against his neck while she shifted beside him.

  “So I guess you knew I was freaked out that day at the beach,” he began, figuring this counted as a small risk in itself. He hadn’t shared the story with anyone else.

  “I didn’t know if you were more upset because of the scare I gave you or because I suggested—” she hesitated “—that maybe you’d freaked out a few people in your day, too.”

  “It was a one-two punch, actually. I’d credit both with equal weight. But you couldn’t have known why.” He shook his head when she tried to apologize. “I was reeling at first because I thought that jump you did was so dangerous and then I saw myself taking the same risks for reasons that once seemed so clear, but now—”

  He fell silent, realizing he hadn’t started the story in the right place. His chest squeezed tight as he understood that this was going to require more confession. More honesty.

  Lisa remained quiet, but she hugged him, her arm pulling tight across his chest as they lay together. He liked the way she seemed to know when to push him and when not to. There was some connection between them he couldn’t ever deny.

  “My dad was a bit of a deadbeat,” he started, remembering all the times Manny had kept Javier on the straight and narrow while their father would drink away any problems for the bargain price of six bucks a bottle. “So my brother stepped up to the plate and raised the rest of us, working when he should have been having fun himself.”