by Katie Meyer
She suspected Cassie was behind Alex’s quick and vocal reaction to that particular rumor. Her sister-in-law had been incredibly supportive. So had Ryan. There had been no more kissing in the kitchen, or anywhere else, but as her belly had grown so had their friendship. They often worked different hours, but no matter how tired he was or how many hours he’d been on his feet, Ryan somehow always made time to cook her a hot meal each day. She’d thrown up probably half of them in the first few months, but now, at the tail end of her second trimester, she was able to fully appreciate them. He’d even taken to sneaking snacks into her purse and water bottles into her car.
There’d been no more talk of a real relationship, no more pushing for more than she could give. Which, she reminded herself daily, was a good thing. Except just like a kid who’d been told not to touch the candy bowl, she found herself wanting what she couldn’t—or shouldn’t—have.
Who wouldn’t like a guy that always made time to throw the tennis ball for the dog, replaced the toilet paper roll the right way and kept her favorite bubble bath in stock at all times?
And it wasn’t like he was hard on the eyes. He’d started running with Goldie every morning, and spending extra time in the gym after his shift. And wow, did it show. He’d always been fit, but now he looked like he should be in one of those charity calendars with the half-naked men. Around town she couldn’t go a day without someone telling her how lucky she was to have such a handsome husband. But lucky wasn’t how she felt when she was lying alone in her bed, unable to stop thinking about him and the one night they’d spent together. If she gave in and let it happen again, would it be as good as she remembered? Or had her memories of their lovemaking been fueled more by tequila than reality?
Not that she was going to find out. They had a plan, a course of action, and that was just the way things had to be. Besides, even if she wanted to change things, it was too late. He’d muscled up, getting hotter by the day, but she’d ballooned out until she resembled a whale. A glance in the full length mirror on her bedroom door confirmed it—she was huge. And she still had another three more months to go!
No, she wasn’t going to be seducing anyone, not in her condition. Which was for the best. Right now she and Ryan had a good working relationship, which was what they were going to need when the baby came. No point in rocking the boat. Besides, she felt too guilty about keeping the information about her inheritance from him to feel comfortable asking for more from their relationship. She didn’t deserve his trust when she’d been lying by omission the whole time. Months of hiding something this big from him was eating a hole in her soul.
He’d trusted her with so much—his home, his family history, his last name. Meanwhile, she was keeping a secret of epic proportions. She’d been so worried he might use the information against her, or demand a share of the money, but the man she knew now would never be so petty. Her friends had been right, she should have told him about the inheritance right from the start. Now it was too late.
Maybe once she had the money in her hands it would seem worth it. She’d started the process to claim the inheritance, but it wasn’t as simple as she’d hoped. There were hoops to jump through, but the law firm was supposed to be sending over the last of the paperwork any time now, and Dani had assured her that she’d help Jessica fill it out. Once the baby was born and she’d turned over a copy of the birth certificate, she’d be getting a very large check. She’d even started keeping an eye on the for sale section of a popular real estate website, logging in when Ryan wasn’t around and feeling guilty every time she clicked on a link. Sooner or later he would find out, but later seemed a lot better than now.
A quick knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. “Are you ready to go?”
“Coming!” She grabbed her duffle bag off the foot of the bed and opened the door to find Ryan waiting in the hall, a concerned look on his face.
“You don’t have to play, you know. It’s not required.”
The annual red vs. blue softball game was today, the Paradise tradition pitting the sheriff’s department against the fire department. She was playing third base, and Ryan was not happy about it.
“I know I don’t have to play. I want to play.” She’d been on the varsity team in high school—no way was she going to miss out on a chance to enjoy the game again.
“But the baby—”
“Will be fine.” She put a protective hand over her bump. “The doctor said exercise is good for me and the baby.” She’d kept up with her gym time as well, but at a much slower pace than Ryan. “There’s no reason I can’t join in, so you can stop trying to convince me.”
“Fine.” He jammed his ball cap further down in frustration. “But if you have any pain at all, or anything feels weird—”
“I’ll bench myself. I promise.” She hadn’t made it this far to risk hurting her baby. Their baby. But she also wasn’t going to let his overprotectiveness keep her from having a good time. The same went for Alex. He’d be at the game too, and would probably be just as upset with her playing as Ryan was. Heaven help her, they meant well but good intentions didn’t mean they weren’t going to drive her up the wall before she gave birth. Maybe that was why they said pregnant women were unreasonable. It wasn’t the hormones, it was dealing with the men in their lives that made them that way.
* * *
Ryan was starting to think it would have been better if Jessica had been the one to drive to the ball field, because he was having a really hard time keeping his eyes on the road. It was hard enough to keep his lust for his wife under control when she was fully covered in baggy sweats or a boxy uniform, and today she’d was wearing a tight tank top that made no pretense of hiding her very feminine figure, the scoop-necked shirt revealing enough cleavage to have him ready to forget the game and turn right back around.
It wasn’t just the outfit, though. She had an aura of sexuality about her, and it was only increasing as the pregnancy progressed. Maybe it was the glow of her skin, or the way her still-athletic appearance was balanced by the softer curves, or maybe it was just some kind of primitive pheromone reminding him that that was his baby inside her. All he knew was he was walking around in a near-constant state of arousal. He’d tried channeling his frustration into his workouts, but he could spend only so many hours in the gym and he’d worn out the poor dog with all the miles they’d run. Cold showers helped, but what he really needed was Jessica in his bed all night long. Hell, at this point, a night might not be long enough. A long weekend maybe, with brief breaks for food and sleep.
Too bad she’d shown no signs of softening her business-only approach to their relationship. As it was, the only one allowed in her bed was Goldie, and that situation didn’t seem likely to change. At least she was becoming more accepting of his presence in her life, no longer bristling when he offered to help her do something. They seemed to have worked out a pleasant but platonic partnership based on friendship and a mutual interest in their baby. But there was always an unspoken line that neither of them dared to cross.
He’d tried to be content with the progress of their relationship, telling himself that if he was patient the chemistry that still boiled beneath the surface would naturally lead to something more. But it had been months now, and the only thing he had to show for it was a faster mile and a personal record for the bench press. The need for things to move faster, further was building but he knew he couldn’t push. If Jessica hated anything it was overbearing men trying to tell her what to do or how to feel. Forcing a conversation she wasn’t ready for would just send her running. And as much as he wanted to make her his wife in every way, he wasn’t willing to give up the ground he’d gained. He was in this for the long haul. Nothing short of everything would be enough.
In the meantime, they’d play ball.
The ball fields were part of a larger municipal park, and the place was packed. It seemed most of the town had come ou
t to enjoy the early fall weather. Parents ringed the playground, talking with each other as they supervised herds of rambunctious children clambering over playground equipment, and joggers dotted the trails. Ryan and Jessica passed a heated game of pickup basketball and several seniors playing shuffleboard before arriving at the designated softball field. Beside him, enthusiasm pulsed off Jessica in waves. Still, the thought of her ending up in the path of a hard hit line drive made his palms sweat.
“You’re sure about this?” he asked again as they made their way to the dugout.
“Heck, yeah I am.” She removed a well-worn leather glove from her bag and pulled it on, punching her fist into it. “Fire and rescue doesn’t stand a chance.”
He laughed and shook his head. “They sure don’t.” And neither did he. Jessica was a force of nature, and it would take a far greater man than him to stand against her. Not that he wanted to. He liked that they were really feeling like a team—even now, when they were part of a bigger team that was about to take the field.
Jessica trotted off to third base, her tank top now covered by a baggy team T-shirt. The view was better before, but maybe now he’d be able to keep his mind on the game. Taking his own place at second he tried to focus. The first batter struck out, triggering both cheers and good natured trash talk from the opposing factions in the stands. The second tipped up a high flying foul that the catcher had no trouble turning into a second out.
The third player in the line up stepped up to the plate. A mountain of a man, Jimmy Akers dwarfed the other players. Holding a bat that looked way too small next to his sizable bulk, he nodded confidently at the pitcher as if daring him to throw a strike.
Out of the corner of his eye Ryan noticed Jessica crouch in readiness. The other fielders shuffled in unease—wherever this ball went it was going to go there hard and fast.
“Strike one!” the umpire called, after a pitch flew by with no reaction from Jimmy.
The next pitch was a repeat of the first.
Ryan started to relax. The guy was big, but that didn’t mean he was a good hitter. Hitting took hand-eye coordination, not brute strength. Maybe he’d get shut down without so much as a swing.
Crack!
Or maybe he had just been waiting for his perfect pitch. Like a rocket the ball shot down the inside of the third base foul line, and Jessica was there waiting for it. His breath caught...a straight drive like that could knock a player senseless. If she got hit—
But no. She snatched the ball out of midair without so much as a flinch, closing this half of the inning with a third out. Damn, that woman was tough. Jumping in delight she flashed him a triumphant smile as he headed her way. “That was a helluva catch!”
She smirked. “Not bad for a pregnant lady, huh?”
“Not bad, period.” He followed her into the dugout where she was greeted with high fives by several players.
She shrugged off the attention and stowed her glove under the bench. “I told you I could play.”
“Yes, you did. You just didn’t say how well. Are you as good at batting at you are at fielding?”
She winked, her cheeks flushed with excitement. “You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?”
* * *
Jessica’s breath came fast as she ran hard to first base, stopping at the coach’s hand signal. A single was respectable, especially given how quickly a few of her teammates had struck out. But the exhilaration of running the bases wasn’t the only reason for her pounding pulse. No, what had her heart beating out of her chest was the man walking up to the on deck circle, looking like God’s gift to sports. He shouldn’t have been so sexy wearing old sweats and the same team shirt as everyone else, and yet, he was. He so was.
Even as she forced herself to watch the current batter, her body remained aware of Ryan’s every move. She couldn’t help but notice the confidence in his stance as he stretched, or the way his eyes had been following her all day. At first he’d looked nervous, but after she’d snatched that line drive in the first inning he’d seemed more proud than concerned. Unlike her brother and mother, who between them had asked her no less than twice per inning if she felt okay or if she needed to rest. No, Ryan managed to care without being overbearing. After a lifetime of feeling nearly smothered to death by her family’s well-meaning concern it was refreshing to have her abilities respected.
The player at the plate struck out, and Ryan took his place in the batter’s box. He caught her staring and a cocky grin broke over his face. Darn him and his ego! She was a base runner, she was supposed to be watching the batter—it didn’t mean anything that she had her eyes on him. But of course none of the other players made her face heat and her skin tingle. Focus, Jessica, focus.
The pitcher sent a fastball over the plate. Ryan, moving as if he had all the time in the world, eyed the pitch and swung, the bat connecting with a satisfying thud.
Jessica took off, her feet pounding the red clay as she headed for second.
“Go, go!” the third base coached yelled over the din of the crowd, his arm windmilling as he waved her on to third. Nodding, she pumped her arms harder and kept going, barely touching the base before heading for home.
Her shoe smacked against the plate but momentum carried her several yards farther. Yes! A quick celebratory fist pump and then Ryan was heading her way. Running hard, his eyes met hers, and suddenly she knew he just wasn’t running to score. He was running to her.
“A home run! The first of the night, and the Palmetto sheriff’s department takes the lead!” The announcer’s voice sounded distant, less real than the sound of her own heartbeat as Ryan shook off the backslapping well-wishers and kept moving to where she stood.
Frozen, she waited, unwilling or unable to do anything else. What was about to happen was inevitable, she knew that now. She’d spent a lifetime trying to follow all the rules, to be always be in control of her actions and emotions. But this moment had been building ever since Ryan reappeared in her life. She wasn’t going to fight it. She couldn’t fight it. She wasn’t even sure she remembered why she’d tried.
Which was why when Ryan scooped her into his arms with a celebratory shout, she didn’t push him away. Instead, she took all the energy she’d been channeling into keeping him at bay and grabbed on tight. Startled, Ryan looked down at her, a question in his eyes. She didn’t have the words to explain something she didn’t understand herself. Instead, she kissed him, hard.
His lips tasted of salt and Gatorade, and his neck was sweat slick where her hand pulled his head to hers. Around them was chaos, dirt and noise, but within his arms none of it mattered. There was just her and him and enough sexual energy to light up a dozen ball fields. She should say something, but she didn’t know what, and besides, her tongue was too tangled with his to be bothered with something as mundane as language.
It was Ryan who pulled away first, his eyes lit with desire. “I’m going to have to play more ball if that’s the reward I can expect for a home run.”
The umpire broke in, a knowing grin on his face. “Speaking of playing ball, think you two lovebirds could move out of the way so we can finish the game?”
She should be embarrassed. And maybe she would have been, if not for all the other emotions overwhelming her. Making out in public wasn’t her style, especially in front of a set of bleachers packed with her family and friends. Ryan, however, looked completely unrepentant.
“Sorry, Bob.” She slid down Ryan’s body, feeling exactly how much their kiss had affected him.
“No worries. But seriously, get a room or all the players are going to expect that kind of celebration when they score.”
Ryan’s grin spread. “You heard the man, let’s go.” He tugged on her hand and pulled her off the field. She followed, liking the way her hand fit in his. She’d expected him to bring them back to the dugout, but he passed right by it and kept on going.
“Where are we going?”
He pulled her under the bleachers and pressed her up against a painted metal post. “Right here.”
“What?” She looked around, seeing no reason for the detour. “Why?”
“So I can do this.” Before she could question him further he had covered her mouth with this own, continuing the maddening kiss right where they’d left off. But this time instead of picking her up he used his hands to explore her body, tracing up and down her sides before moving to cup her swollen breasts. “Have I told you how much it’s been killing me to keep my hands off you?” he asked, his voice reverberating against her skin.
She squirmed under his touch, the last few months of self denial a dim memory in comparison to the sensory overload of the present moment. “I want to touch you too.” Everywhere. And as soon as possible. “But not here.”
“No,” he agreed, nipping a trail of kisses along her neck, his tongue sneaking under her shirt to trace her collarbone. “Not here.” But he showed no signs of stopping, and heaven help her, she didn’t want him to. But she also didn’t want an audience, right in the middle of a public park. Especially with the entire Palmetto sheriff’s department on hand. She was working hard to prove herself, despite her pregnancy. Being found making out under the bleachers like a high school kid probably wouldn’t help her cause.
“Home,” she whimpered, as his hand delved under her jersey, seeking skin.
“You sure?” he teased. “You were really insistent about wanting to play. Maybe we should go back to the game. The team might need us.”
She huffed in frustration. They both knew there were more players than positions, and her pregnancy was more than an adequate excuse to duck out early. “Ryan O’Sullivan, you take me home right now—”
“Or?” He arched a brow, a satisfied smile on his face. Damn him, he knew exactly what he was doing to her. Fine, he could win this one. Or rather, they both could win.