Her Homerun Hottie

by Wynter Daniels

  He hugged her back, inciting a riot of warm fuzzies inside her. He felt so solid and…sexy. There went her pulse. Geez, every time she was near him, that happened.

  Dwayne waved at her from a few yards away. When his gaze moved to Heath, his smile faded. Handsome as he was, Dwayne didn’t do anything for her, didn’t give her tingles down low like…well, like Heath did.

  Yikes. Tori couldn’t let her age-old crush on Heath knock her off balance. Falling for him would be a disaster. Not only was he her lifelong friend, but he traveled all the time, and she’d never, ever consider a relationship with anyone who spent so much of his time thousands of miles away. And she couldn’t fathom the notion of another devastating heartbreak. Nope. Better to avoid the L word altogether. She eased out of his embrace.

  The crowd was growing restless. Some people were starting to leave and others loudly declaring their impatience. Why hadn’t the pyrotechnics crew started the fireworks show yet?

  She glanced toward the lakeshore at the guys in charge of the fireworks. One of the men threw his hands up in the air, and the other shook his head. Something was wrong. “I need to find out what’s the problem.”

  Heath nodded and went with her to speak to the men.

  The older of the two workers glanced up at her from where he knelt next to a stack of boxes. “I don’t know how in the hell this happened.”

  Tori swallowed hard. “What is it?”

  The other man held a cardboard tube toward her that appeared to be wet on one end. “Water or some other liquid got in the boxes. Almost everything is ruined.”

  Tori buried her face in her hands, praying she’d heard him wrong.

  “I’m really sorry, but we can’t use any of these,” the man told her. “Chances are they wouldn’t work. Even if they did light, they might not be safe.”

  Her temples started aching. “Don’t you have backups? You must have a plan B.”

  But he merely shook his head. “This time of year, we order only what we need. It would take a few days to get another shipment from the warehouse in Atlanta.”

  She was used to things going wrong. In her business, one had to count on it and always have a backup. Too bad she couldn’t produce more fireworks out of thin air. The day was on target to be a total disaster, one that had the potential to derail her business.

  “Miss Sutherland?” The mayor was heading straight for her, and he didn’t look happy. The boards on the dock complained under his weight. “I distinctly remember that we discussed that the fireworks were to begin right after sunset. That window of opportunity has now passed. People are leaving.”

  She gestured at the waterlogged boxes. “Something or someone damaged the supplies. I’m afraid none of it is usable.”

  He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Maybe I should have given this job to that other gentleman’s company. Apparently, this is more than you can handle.”

  She took a step toward him. “This wasn’t my fault, sir.”

  “Nor was the tent collapse but it happened nonetheless.” He held a fist to his mouth. “Maybe we can still get the other company to take over the other events.”

  No, she couldn’t fail at this. And so publicly, no less. “Mr. Quincy, please give me a chance to redeem myself. I’ve worked my fingers to the bone on these parties. So has my staff. The gala is going to be incredible. You’ll see.”

  He pursed his lips for a long moment as he stared at her. Finally, he dropped his shoulders. “All right. I guess it’s too late to call in anyone else. But we can’t afford any more screw-ups. I don’t care whose fault it is. Just make sure everything else goes off without a hitch or so help me, Miss Sutherland, I’ll drum you and your business out of this town and make sure you never get another job in the whole state.”

  As he stomped off, she offered up a prayer that nothing else would go wrong. If it did, she’d prove herself the failure the town had always thought she was.

  By the time Heath got Tori home, she looked so frazzled that he was afraid she might break.

  She paced the living room, ticking off on her fingers things she had to do for the next evening’s gala. “I need to check on the balloons, make sure the caterers are on track, that the security company people are lined up. Oh my God, I hope I can depend on my subcontractors to do what they’re supposed to.”

  Heath grasped her shoulders to quiet her. “I’m going to make you a stiff drink. I want you on the couch in ten seconds and no more worrying about the gala tonight.”

  “But—”

  He spun her around to face him and touched a finger to her lips. “What did I say? Quiet.”

  She huffed but complied. Silently, she strode to the sofa and kicked off her shoes.

  He mixed her a tall gin and tonic with a lime wedge then retrieved the bottle of body lotion he’d noticed in the bathroom that morning. Handing her the drink, he sat on the sofa. “Have a few sips of that then lay your head back and close your eyes. You need some serious relaxation.”

  She squinted at the lotion. “What’s that for?”

  He lifted her feet onto his lap and gestured at her glass. “Do what I say, woman. Drink.”

  She hesitated only a moment before taking a healthy swallow. After her initial shudder, she dropped her shoulders. “What if it all goes bad tomorrow? I might very well screw the whole thing up. Then Vivi and her cronies will know I’m a total failure.”

  “Why does it matter so much?” After squeezing a few drops of lotion into his hands, he grasped her right foot and started massaging. Her pleasured moan stoked his libido. He cleared his throat. “Vivi and Isabel are merely flies in the ointment of your past.”

  Amusement lifted the corners of her lips. “Well put. And in my head, I know you’re right. Even though it shouldn’t, their opinion of me does matter to me. Will I ever outgrow those insecurities?” With another sip of her drink, she laid her head back against the cushions and sighed. “I’m pathetic.”

  “No, you’re not.” He wished Tori could see herself as he saw her, a beautiful, accomplished woman. “Vivi and Isabel pale next to you.”

  “Oh, come on.”

  His gut constricted. “I’m not trying to flatter you. It’s true. Those women are ugly from the inside out. And you’re the opposite.” Skimming his gaze along her long legs, he nodded his approval. At her scoff, he knew she needed to hear more. “You’ve got great legs, Tori, shapely calves and thighs. Isabel’s look like toothpicks and Vivi’s are…gristly.”

  Tori howled with laughter. “They are pretty skinny, aren’t they?”

  “Way too thin.” He allowed himself a long look at her. “You’re a real woman, one who’s not only smarter than those two put together, but also creative and hardworking, not to mention gorgeous.” He slipped his hands higher on her ankles as he massaged, then over her calves. It was way too tempting to keep moving up, so he returned his ministrations to her feet.

  She downed the rest of her drink. “I’ve got to get out of these clothes.”

  Swallowing hard, he tried hard to avoid the image in his head of Tori stripping off that blue dress. In his mind’s eye, he saw her walking toward him in a lacy bra and panties, and those sexy black stilettos.

  His pants were suddenly a lot tighter in the crotch. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he forced the vision from his mind and went to fix her another drink. While he was at it, he grabbed a cold glass of water for himself. When he returned, he found Tori snuggled under a colorful throw blanket and the white cat on her lap. “Have I been replaced?” He handed her the drink.

  “Never.” Shoving aside part of the blanket, she revealed the oversize Angels T-shirt he’d sent her after he’d signed with the team. She patted the cushion. “No one else has ever accused me of being gorgeous. Me thinks you’re wearing your rose-colored glasses again. Thank you, though.”

  As he sat down, he shook his head. “My vision is perfectly clear, thank you. Trust me, Isabel and Vivi aren’t
even in your league. You left them in the dust years ago. They’re probably jealous.”

  Tori drank a few sips then set her glass on the coffee table. “You’d better quit flattering me. I might start believing it.”

  “Good! All you have to do is take a look in the mirror.” When she poked a bare leg out from beneath the throw, he wondered if she was wearing shorts—or if she wasn’t. He twirled one of her curls around his index finger and let the silky strands slip over his skin. “I’ve always loved your hair. And those soulful eyes. Your full lips and…”

  Tori grabbed his face and pulled him to her for a full-on, open-mouth kiss.

  God, she tasted of gin and citrus and everything sweet. Need quickened his blood. Warning bells rang in his head, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

  The cat meowed and ran off as Tori pushed the blanket aside and moved onto Heath’s lap. He threaded his fingers through her wonderfully unruly hair and breathed in the floral scent of her shampoo.

  He loved kissing her. The reality was a thousand times better than his fantasies. And he wanted to do more.

  Her soft purr of pleasure reminded him how innocent she was—how vulnerable.

  I can’t risk hurting her.

  Summoning all his strength, he broke the kiss and held her at arm’s length. “We shouldn’t, Tori.”

  Her eyes reflected the battle scars from her past relationships, all of her insecurities.

  “I want this more than you know,” he assured her. “But we can’t risk our friendship. It’s too important.” He stroked her cheek. “You’re too precious to me.”

  She shook her head. “We’re not risking anything. This is just for now. Believe me, the last thing I want is another long-distance relationship. We’re both single, consenting adults taking comfort in each other’s arms. Then you leave, and our lives go on as if nothing changed. We can handle this, Heath. We’re not reckless kids, we’re grownups.”

  Was she proposing a no-strings fling? He’d have never pegged her as the type. But was it even possible to do? “You really think we could do that?”

  “I’m sure of it.” She wriggled against him, reminding him how excited he still was, despite his resolve to behave.

  He wasn’t convinced. “Tori, I think—”

  She silenced him with another lip-lock, this one hotter than the last. When she finally broke contact, her lips were red and glistening. “Quit thinking, would you?” Her eyes grew dark with unmistakable desire. This was a side of her he’d never seen, and it was beyond hot.

  Without another word, she tightened her arms around his shoulders, pressed her body against his, and kissed away all of his objections.

  Chapter Seven

  Tori rolled over in bed and came face to face with cat whiskers. She blinked her eyes open and instead of finding Heath next to her, there was the black cat, purring up a storm. Wait, had she dreamed she’d made love with Heath again? It had seemed so real, and so incredibly fantastic. Heck, her body even felt all tingly. Of course, it had been a dream. In reality, it couldn’t have possibly been that great.

  She smoothed her hand over the sheets, which were warm, as if a person had been there—not merely a cat or two. At the whoosh of the toilet flushing, she glanced through her half-open door in time to catch Heath leaving her bathroom, completely naked. Oh my, the man was fine. Her heart fluttered wildly. Apparently, she hadn’t been dreaming. Everything came rushing back to her—the debacle at the opening ceremony, coming back to her house and having a few strong drinks while Heath rubbed her feet.

  She’d thrown herself at him. Heat rose in her cheeks. Too bad it was merely a fling—her first and only. But oh, had the sex been amazing, totally worth it.

  Propping herself up on her elbow, she watched him pull on his expensive-looking black boxers. The man had fabulous legs, long and roped with muscle.

  She flashed on a memory from the night before—the feel of those rock-hard legs against hers. There was that sweet ache again, low in her abdomen.

  Don’t get too attached.

  This was temporary, she’d said so herself, and he’d agreed. Hadn’t he? She cleared her throat. “Good morning.”

  Heath cut his gaze at her as if he’d been caught with his hand in the candy jar. “Hey. Good morning yourself.” Rather than joining her in the bed, he continued dressing.

  Not that she should expect a replay of last night, but his cool demeanor cut straight through her.

  “I’m sorry about last night.” He zipped his pants and grabbed one of his shoes from the floor. “I promise it won’t happen again. Alcohol tends to impair my judgment. I’ll find somewhere else to stay.”

  Her eyes filled, but she quickly clamped down on her emotions. “I’m a big girl, Heath. And by the way, I was the one who’d been drinking, and I came onto you.”

  Sitting on her vanity stool, he hung his head. “I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you.”

  Hurt morphed into anger. “That’s a really sexist comment.”

  Lines fanned out from the corners of his eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just feel terrible.”

  The knife in her gut twisted. “I’m feeling pretty good. Seemed as if you were enjoying yourself as much as I was last night.”

  He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m saying all the wrong things. That’s not what I meant. It was great, Tori, better than…” He shook his head. “I don’t want to lose this friendship. It’s too important to me. I realize that now. I should have done a better job of keeping in touch with you, of nurturing our relationship. But last night…well, that was a mistake.”

  Ouch! She had no right to be hurt. A fling had been her idea, after all. Yet she was hurt. Sleeping with Heath had completely changed their friendship, despite her naïve insistence that it wouldn’t. And now, thanks to the new dimension of their relationship, she was on emotionally unsteady ground. Heck, she’d never had a fling before. She had no idea how to act, or what was normal in the situation. In hindsight, she should have practiced the whole one-night stand on someone who didn’t mean to her what Heath did. Wasn’t as if she’d done a lot of planning ahead for this, though.

  Siamese mix kitten hopped onto the bed, got right in Tori’s face and yowled at her.

  “Sounds like somebody needs her kibble.”

  Heath pulled on his shirt. “Where’d that one come from?”

  “She’s shy.” Tori wrapped the sheet around her body before climbing out of bed. Then she remembered that she’d used the last of the cats’ food yesterday. “Darn it.”

  Heath took a step toward the door. “What’s wrong?”

  “I need to run to Bell’s Market.”

  “I’ll drive you,” he said.

  Even though she was perfectly capable of driving herself, she wanted to prolong their time together, especially if he really planned to stay elsewhere for the rest of the week. “Um, sure. Give me five to get dressed.”

  Twenty minutes later, they strode into Bell’s Market and headed straight for the pet food aisle.

  “Tori!” a male voice called.

  She spun around to find Flynn Bell waving at her.

  “Hey,” he said. “Can I speak to you for a moment?” Flynn did a double take at Heath and widened his eyes. “Heath Castillo. I heard you were going to be in town. How’ve you been?”

  The two men shook hands.

  “Pretty good,” Heath said. “Good to see you. What’s it been, ten years?”

  Flynn gave Heath a good-natured slap on the arm, and Tori could have sworn that Heath flinched.

  “Something like that,” Heath replied. “Last time I saw you, you made me run five extra laps around the track because I was late for ball practice.”

  Flynn laughed. “Sorry about that. Being the team captain must’ve gone to my head. It was all I had going for me back in high school.”

  “It was good for me,” Heath said.

  Tori picked up two smal
l bags of dry cat food. “What did you want to talk to me about?” Tori asked Flynn.

  Flynn combed his fingers through his ginger hair and shifted from foot to foot. “Right, it’s about my little sister.” He lowered his voice. “Fiona keeps getting involved with guys who are…well, let’s just say that they’re all wrong for her. She needs someone who’ll calm her down, not one that’ll land her in prison.”

  “Oh, my.” Tori made a mental note to check her list of eligible bachelors. “I’ll get right on that after I get through the tricentennial events.”

  “So, you do that professionally now?” Heath asked her with a chuckle.

  She let out a nervous laugh. “Of course not. It’s just a sideline.” Which was true. Since she didn’t charge for her Cupid duties, they didn’t count as a real job.

  She exchanged a knowing glance with Flynn, who was aware that some of the locals had otherworldly gifts. His own sister was a talented kitchen witch with amazing skills.

  “Yeah,” Flynn said. “Tori introduced me to my wife, so I figured she’d be the person to ask to help my sister.”

  “I know lots of people,” she said for Heath’s benefit. Returning her gaze to Flynn, she nodded. “As soon as I get through the tricentennial, I’ll work on searching for a match for Fiona.”

  When Flynn’s cell buzzed, he checked it. “They need me in the office.” He gave Tori a quick peck on her cheek. “Thanks. Good seeing you, Heath.”

  She waved goodbye, but Flynn had already disappeared around an endcap. After she paid for the cat food, Heath took the package, and they headed to the van.

  “Mind if we make a quick stop?” he asked.

  Curiosity niggled at her. “No problem.” Her phone buzzed with a text from Callie. “Excuse me a sec.”

  Caterer dropped off leftovers from the opening ceremony. Mind if we have them for lunch?

  Tori texted her assistant back.

  Go for it.

  They drove away from the coast, along Sherwood Boulevard, past the entrance to Seaside Hills, where she’d grown up, past the schools they’d attended together. The scenery gradually changed from the lush, manicured lawns and posh stores of the central part of town to the sparseness of the outskirts. Now she knew where Heath was headed, but why?