Bring the Heat

by L. Wilder

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Title Page

  Copyright

  A note from L. Wilder

  Kaci

  Tucker

  Acknowledgments

  My Temptation Excerpt

  Bring the Heat

  The Happy Endings Collection

  L. Wilder

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  A note from L. Wilder

  1. Kaci

  2. Tucker

  3. Kaci

  4. Tucker

  5. Kaci

  6. Tucker

  7. Kaci

  8. Tucker

  9. Kaci

  10. Tucker

  11. Kaci

  Acknowledgments

  My Temptation Excerpt

  12. Chapter 1

  13. Chapter 2

  Bring the Heat

  By L. Wilder

  Bring the Heat

  Copyright © 2017

  L. Wilder

  All rights reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication or any part of this series may be reproduced without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This book is a work of fiction. Some of the places named in the book are actual places. The names, characters, brands, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and owners of various products and locations referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication or use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Warning: This book is intended for readers 18 years or older due to bad language and explicit sex scenes.

  Be sure to check out L. Wilder’s and Piper Reeds’ Facebook Page:

  www.facebook.com/AuthorLeslieWilder

  Dedication

  To those of you who need your own happy ending!

  A note from L. Wilder

  A note from L. Wilder

  For those of you who are waiting for the next book from the Satan’s Fury MC series, I want to let you know that Diesel’s story is underway and should release at the end of January. I also have plans to release the newest Satan’s Fury: Memphis Charter in early March. Like you, I love my boys, but the Happy Endings Short Stories Collection has been something that I’ve been wanting to share with you for some time now. With a little push from Piper, I decided to go for it. These novellas are very different from my MC’s, but they have a lot of heart, and I think you will enjoy them just as much.

  I look forward to hearing what you think. Thanks for taking the time to check them out. Happy holidays!

  Best wishes to you and yours,

  L. Wilder

  Bring the Heat is the second book in the Happy Endings collection. Be sure to check out the excerpt of the first book, My Temptation, after the acknowledgements.

  Kaci

  The day Kaden asked me to help him get ready for his first Little League practice I knew I was in trouble. My little brother had never played baseball, and while I wanted to help him, I was afraid I’d do more harm than good. I was terrible at sports and knew nothing about baseball. If a game was on TV, I’d never paid any attention to it, much less played it. But there was no way I could turn him down, not when those big, brown, puppy-dog eyes were pleading with me. Besides, it wasn’t like he had anyone else he could ask. My dad was deployed, and my mom was always working. So, I did the only thing I could—I took him out to the field near our house and tried my best to wing it. Standing a few yards away from home plate, I stared at my brother as he attempted to ready himself to take his first swing. Sweat trickled down my spine while the sun scorched my already burned shoulders, making me absolutely miserable. There was no breeze, no shade, and the air was thick with humidity. I used my hand to fan my face, hoping for a brief reprieve, but it was pointless. Any other day I might’ve whined about the brutal weather conditions, but when I looked at my brother and saw that big, cheesy grin on his face, I just couldn’t complain.

  Kaden stood behind the plate swaying his hips from side to side as he held his bat in the air. I studied him for a moment, noting the odd arch of his back and the weird way he was holding the bat, and I shook my head. I might’ve not known much about the game, but clearly something about his stance wasn’t quite right. “Try holding the bat up a little more, and … uh, wrap your fingers real tight around the bottom.”

  “I can’t get it much higher than this, Kaci. My arms aren’t long enough.”

  His skinny, little elbows wobbled as he held the bat diagonally over his head. The poor thing looked ridiculous. You’d think a college junior could tell a kid how to hold a stupid baseball bat, but I didn’t have a clue. “Yeah, I think that may be a little high, dude.”

  “You think?” He huffed sarcastically. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  I shrugged. “I already told you I didn’t.”

  “Then, just throw the stupid ball.” Kaden adjusted his baseball cap, and once I knew he was ready, I threw the ball, sending it spiraling through the air. He never moved as he stood there and watched the ball zoom over his head, then he looked back over to me with an exaggerated eye roll. “Kaci, you gotta at least get it close to me.”

  “Sorry, bud.” I reached for another ball and tossed it towards him. This time it was close enough for him to actually make contact. When the bat cracked against the ball, I raised my fists in the air and shouted, “Whoop, there you go!”

  Sadly, I started cheering before I noticed the ball only went a couple of feet. Kaden rolled his eyes again at my little display. “Really?”

  “I’m just trying to be supportive, Kaden. Don’t get all riled up. We’re making progress.” I reached for another ball and once he was ready, I threw it in his direction. This time he hit the ball with some gusto and it zoomed behind me, stopping just past the pitcher’s mound. It wasn’t an incredible hit, but we were getting there. “Yes!”

  “Try another one.”

  I was about to reach for another ball when I noticed a man approaching the gate. I’m not sure what it was about him that caught my attention, but as soon as I spotted him, I stopped dead in my tracks and just stared. He was several yards away, but instantly, I could tell he was one of those heart-throbbing, mind-blowing, gorgeous kind of guys. I could feel it, and as embarrassing as it was, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. When he glanced in my direction, I suddenly gasped and as I bit my bottom lip, I turned my attention back to Kaden. Trying my best to play it cool, I reached for a ball and threw it towards Kaden’s bat. Unfortunately, I looked anything but cool when the ball dropped at my brother’s feet.

  It wasn’t exactly my fault. I blamed it totally on Mr. Hottie, because honestly, I couldn’t exactly concentrate with him lurking over by the fence. Wondering if he’d seen my little mishap, I stole another glance. My eyes roamed over his tight-fitting t-shirt, and I marveled at how it clung to the muscles of his chest and arms. Then I noticed how good his ass looked in his low-waisted athletic shorts, and I was a goner. Even though his ball cap was pulled down over his eyes, I knew he’d seen me checking him out. I could feel the heat of his stare, burning hotter than the sun.

  I was lost in a daze when Kaden shouted, “Any day now!”

  Quickly pulling myself back to reality, I reached for another ball and tossed it towards him. As soon as his bat made contact my stomach sank; I dreaded turning around, knowing exactly where it was headed. T
he wayward ball landed next to the handsome stranger who bent down and scooped it up. He was wearing a knee brace and had a slight limp as he started walking in our direction. I silently cursed myself as I glanced down at my worn out, cut-off jeans and Nirvana t-shirt. I looked like I’d just rolled out of bed, while he looked like something out of Playgirl magazine.

  Completely ignoring me, he headed straight for Kaden. “Got yourself a pretty good swing there, kid.”

  Kaden looked at him like he was the brightest star in the sky as he replied, “Thanks, Mr. Michaels.”

  Still paying no mind to me at all, he asked him, “Have you been playing long?”

  “No, sir. This is my first time.”

  “It might help if you held the bat down with your hand close to your shoulder,” he suggested as he struck a batter’s pose, demonstrating exactly what he meant. “And square your feet.”

  Kaden lifted the bat into position and shifted his feet apart. “Is this better?”

  “Oh, yeah. Much better. Just think of home plate as a box. Position your body square with the bat just above your shoulder.” Once Kaden caught on, he took a step back. “Now that we got that sorted, you’re playing baseball and not softball, right?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Okay, then.” With a smirk, he looked over to me and replied, “We need to get your mom to stop throwing it underhand.”

  Kaden’s eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head with embarrassment. “She’s not my mom. She’s … uh … my sister.”

  I knew I looked bad. My hair was a mess and I hadn’t taken the time to put in my contacts, but it was hard not to take offense to the mom comment. His lips curled into a sexy smile as his eyes slowly, provocatively trailed the length of my body, and as much as I wanted to hate the way he was looking at me, I didn’t—not at all. My overactive hormones kicked in, and I suddenly felt like a cheap slut. Angry with him and myself, I wanted to say something brazen to knock that sexy little grin off his face, but before I could think of anything, he looked back over to Kaden. “I take it your sister is new to the game, too.”

  “Yeah. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

  It was one insult too much. I turned to look at the arrogant, obnoxious prick and said, “You do realize I’m standing right here, right?”

  “Couldn’t miss you if I tried, sweetheart.” He gave me a quick wink, and then without skipping a beat, he continued his critique of my coaching skills. He motioned behind me as he said, “You know, there’s a reason the pitcher’s mound is back there. It gives some distance between the batter and the pitcher.”

  “Yeah?” I responded with somewhat of an attitude.

  “Well, you might wanna take a few steps back, so you don’t get hammered with the ball. Wouldn’t want any casualties out here today.”

  “Duly noted. Now, do you have any other words of wisdom, or can we get back to our practice?”

  “Kaci,” Kaden scolded.

  I turned to my brother with a warning look. “What? I’m sure Mr. Michaels has better things to do with his time.”

  Mr. Michaels grimaced as he reached down for the handle of my bucket of balls, and then slowly made his way over to the mound. “Actually, I’ve got half an hour to kill before practice starts. And call me, Tucker. Mr. Michaels is my dad.”

  I should’ve been tickled to death that this handsome stranger had come to save the day, but I wasn’t—not even a little. Everything about him screamed arrogant asshole, and I wanted nothing more than to give him a piece of my mind. I was about to do just that when Kaden rushed over to me. “Do you know who that is?”

  “No.”

  “Come on, Kaci! That’s Southpaw Tucker.”

  “Who’s Southpaw Tucker?”

  “He’s only the best pitcher in the whole world.”

  “I kind of doubt that, Kaden.”

  “He is! He just got promoted up to the majors. He’s the real deal.”

  “Okay. Well, if he’s the ‘real deal,’ then what’s he doing here?”

  “Who cares? It’s freaking Southpaw Tucker!”

  “Oh, good grief!” I threw my hands up in the air as I turned and started for the dugout. “Have fun with Mr. Michaels.”

  Behaving like a two-year-old, I plopped myself down hard on the bench, and as I watched Kaden step up to the plate, I grumbled under my breath, “Blah, blah, blah … It’s freaking Southpaw Tucker. He’s the best. Whatever.”

  I sat there glaring out at the field, and my anger quickly subsided when I noticed the smile on my brother’s face. I couldn’t remember the last time he’d looked so excited. There was something about seeing him happy that had always gotten to me. It’d been like that since the day he was born. I wasn’t exactly ecstatic when I was handed the news that Mom was having another baby. I’d been an only child for so long that I’d become accustomed to being alone. I tried to fight it, but by the time he’d gotten old enough to walk, he had me wrapped around his cute, little, manipulating finger. He learned early on if he wanted something, all he had to do was come be-bopping over to me with that adorable, lopsided grin, and I was a goner.

  By the time the rest of the team showed up, Kaden was starting to make progress. As much as I hated to admit it, Tucker had really saved the day. Paying more attention to his knee brace, I noticed him out on the field moving about slowly. I wondered just how badly he’d been hurt but convinced myself he wouldn’t put himself at risk for a Little League team. There was just too much at stake for a guy like Tucker. From the bleachers, I watched in amusement as the coaches directed the kids to their different spots on the field, each one a little more clueless than the next, but they all seemed eager to learn. When they called a break, Kaden rushed over to me with a big smile on his face. “Did you see that hit I made?”

  “I did. You’re doing great!”

  “I can’t wait to tell that big-mouthed Tyler Noels that Southpaw Tucker is helping out our team.”

  “What do you mean he’s helping out your team?”

  “He’s the coach’s brother.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, so he’s gonna help us practice while he’s home on the DL,” Kaden explained.

  “What’s a DL?”

  “I don’t know. He pulled some muscle or something.”

  “Oh. Well, I’m glad he’s going to be able to help y’all out for a little while.” Remembering what he’d said earlier, I said, “Hey, wait. I thought you and Tyler were friends.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “We were until he started bragging that his dad is the best coach around, and his team is gonna cream ours.”

  “Kaden.”

  “What? He’s a butt-face and his team always wins, but this time they won’t.”

  “It doesn’t matter who wins. Playing ball should be about having fun.”

  His eyes narrowed as he shook his head. “Everybody says that, but it’s total crap, and you know it. It’s all about winning.”

  “No, it’s not. And if you have that kind of attitude, you’re going to be highly disappointed. Just wait and see.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” He reached for his drink, then turned and started back towards the field. “We have Southpaw Tucker. And with him, we’re gonna win.”

  Tucker

  Like baseball, life has a way of throwing you a curveball when you least expect it. Hell, I should’ve known that better than anyone since I’d made a profession out of throwing a bender at just the right time, but I was caught completely off guard the day I strained my quadricep. It had been a while since I’d pitched that well. Man, I had everybody off balance; they were swinging off their front foot. The umpire was giving me calls on the corners, and it was driving the batters crazy. I was on. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, their best hitter laid down a surprise bunt towards the third base line. My third baseman was playing back, and in order to keep my no-hitter in place, I left the mound and went charging after the ball. When I planted my right foot, my cleat slipped in the grass,
and I felt an instant burning sensation from my knee all the way up the back of my leg. I attempted to make the throw but couldn’t get any power behind it and their guy made it to base. I tried to gain my footing, but the pain in my leg was excruciating. I knew then I was done.

  Twenty-four hours later, I was put on the team’s disabled list and was told, not surprisingly, that I couldn’t return until my leg had fully recovered. Having no other choice, I returned home to start my rehabilitation. When I wasn’t working with my physical therapist, I was stuck at the house with my father.

  “Tuck!” Colton shouted, pulling me from my daze.

  Trying to shake it off, I gave him a quick nod. “Sorry, man. I got it.”

  Grumbling under his breath, Colton left his position as catcher and stormed over to me at the pitcher’s mound. I knew from the expression on his face that he was pissed, and I couldn’t blame him. It was easy to see that I was distracted. His fists were clenched at his sides as he leaned towards me and barked, “What’s with you today?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You know, if you didn’t want to do this, then you should’ve just said—”

  “I’m here. I want to help.”

  “Then, get your head in the game and throw the ball,” Colton grumbled as he headed back to home plate.

  “Just go do your thing. I’ve got this.”

  Knowing I needed a distraction, my older brother, Colton, asked me to come help him out with his Little League team. He was a big shot lawyer who owned one of the largest firms in the area, and they sponsored a Little League team as one of their community service projects. Like me, Colton always loved playing ball, so he continuously volunteered to coach the team. When he asked me to help out for a couple of weeks, I considered telling him no. We didn’t always see eye to eye and tended to argue over stupid shit, but I decided to take a chance anyway. The walls were closing in on me, and anything was better than watching another episode of Wheel of Fortune with Dad.