Stealing His Heart (Kingston Heat, #1)

by Jade, Ella

  Kenny followed him out and down the steps. “I want to hear about the school teacher.”

  Pax stopped before opening the door to Kenny’s new BMW. Pax paid his friend well. Kenny always had a new car to flaunt every two years whether he needed one or not. “How did you know Sophia was a teacher? I never told you anything about her.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  Pax wasn’t sure where Kenny’s confrontational attitude came from. They never discussed those kinds of things with each other because they never had serious relationships to talk about.

  “Don’t you trust me with your finances?” he asked as he slipped into his car.

  “Yeah.” Pax got in and buckled his seat belt. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “I saw the check you wrote for the private school. I wanted to make sure it was all on the up-and-up, so I did some investigating and figured out you made a donation to help fund a new music department. You even got some of your teammates to contribute.”

  “You could have asked me. You didn’t have to investigate anything.”

  “When?” He started the engine. “You’re never around.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? I’m always with you.”

  “Right.” He kept his eyes on the road as he pulled out of the driveway. “They were some pretty expensive panties to get into, weren’t they?”

  “Shut up.” Pax hadn’t told Sophia about the donation yet because the owner of the Crushers had promised he’d make sure that was what the school was going to do with the money. He was going to surprise her as soon as he found out if the music department was a go. “I wanted to give back to the community.”

  “Yeah, and the jersey you gave her? What was that for?”

  “Why is that such a big deal?” Kenny hadn’t liked that Pax had given Soph that jersey, but he didn’t understand why.

  “Only the wives and girlfriends of the players wear those jerseys.”

  “So?”

  “If every player gave them out to the piece of ass he was screwing that particular night then they wouldn’t be so special.”

  Pax gripped the armrest and tried not to freak out. Kenny had been his best friend his whole life. They had been through so much together. He had been there for Pax from the beginning of his career. “She’s not any girl.”

  “Obviously.”

  “I like her,” Pax admitted. “I know it’s out of character for me.”

  “I’ll say.” Kenny’s tone was clipped. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “It all happened kind of fast. I didn’t plan on her.” That was the truth. When Pax had arranged their collision on the trails he hadn’t expected her to be anything more than his next conquest. “This is all new to me.”

  “Yeah, well, I guess if she makes you happy then all’s good, right?”

  “Hey, man, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t think you’d care.”

  “What is this high school? Are we a couple of chicks now?”

  “No, I meant that I wasn’t keeping anything from you.”

  “I didn’t say you were. I was surprised when I saw the check you wrote, is all.” He pulled into the dealership lot. “Maybe they’ll give you a new car.”

  “Maybe.” Pax laughed. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “Dude, have I ever been interested in your sex life before?”

  “Yeah, you’re my biggest advocate.”

  “It looks like you won’t need my help anymore.”

  “I never really needed your help getting laid. You do know that.”

  “Okay, stud. You remember that the next time you’re away from home and need a stress reliever. Sophia can’t be with you all the time.” Kenny got out of the car and headed into the office of the dealership, effectively ending their conversation. Pax hoped that would be the last of it.

  I don’t want anyone else.

  Chapter 12

  MONDAY MORNING PAX hit the shower. He’d gone on an early morning run with his favorite girl and then did a two hour workout with the team. He and Sophia were going to dinner in Newport. He had heard of a secluded restaurant on the water from some of his team members. This would be their first official date since becoming a couple.

  A couple?

  The idea was still so new to him. He would never have imagined being monogamous could be so satisfying. The thought of waking up next to her every morning exhilarated him. There had been many women in college, the minor leagues, and even as a pro traveling from city to city. He didn’t lack companionship, but something had been missing. Just because he was rarely alone hadn’t meant he wasn’t lonely. The void he hadn’t realized he tried to fill seemed to disappear when he met Sophia.

  Pax toweled off and threw on a pair of sweatpants. The early morning exercising contributed to his hearty appetite. Lunch was the only thing on his mind as he stepped out of the bathroom.

  “What the hell?” He stopped and watched as a curvy, bleach blonde girl walked into his room.

  “Hey.” She smiled as she closed the door behind her. She stood before him in a tight-fitting Crushers t-shirt and a tiny pair of jean shorts. Her long hair flowed over her shoulders and covered the tops of her breasts that pushed out of the top of the v-neck that she’d cut out of the shirt herself.

  Concession stand girl. The one who does everything.

  “How did you get in here?” He grabbed the shirt that was draped over the chair in the corner of the room.

  “Kenny gave me a key.” She opened her palm to show him the silver key that had helped her gain entry into his house. “He said you had an intense workout and you could use a massage.”

  “You’re a masseuse?”

  “I can be anything you want me to be.” She walked toward him, stopping an inch or so from where he stood. “I’m here to help relieve your tension.” She reached out and traced her fingers over his tattoo. “This is cool.”

  “Stop.” He grabbed her arm. “There’s been a misunderstanding.” He was going to kill Kenny for this. “You have to go.”

  “What?” She crinkled her nose. “But Kenny said—”

  “Yeah, Kenny shouldn’t have sent you here.” He let go of her wrist and motioned for her to follow him. “I’m seeing someone, and I’m not interested in anyone else.”

  “The girl you’ve been coming to the team parties with? She’s your girlfriend?”

  Blondie looked surprised. Pax hadn’t noticed her at the bar or the parties but he had been preoccupied the past few weeks.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry you wasted your time. What’s your name?”

  “Carla.” She followed him down the stairs.

  “Carla, I’m sorry that you came all the way out here, but you have to go.” He pulled the t-shirt over his head when he reached the bottom of the staircase.

  “Are you sure?” She licked her bottom lip and gazed into his eyes. “I know you’re not one for monogamy. You have a pretty crazy reputation.” She moved closer to him. “If you wanted to play, I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

  “I’m sure you’re a really nice girl but—”

  “I’m a really bad girl.” She placed her palms on his chest, running them down to his abs. “That’s why Kenny sent me.”

  Kenny was going to be sorry. Pax thought he made it clear when he said he was seeing Sophia.

  “Okay.” He stepped around her and opened the front door. “It’s time for you to go.”

  When he turned to look outside he saw Sophia walking up the front porch with what appeared to be a picnic basket. What were the odds?

  Shit!

  “What are you doing here?” How the hell was he going to explain Carla?

  “I brought you lunch.” She held up the basket. “I have an hour before I need to get back to work.” She stretched her neck and placed a kiss on his lips. “I hope you’re hung—” She looked over his shoulder and then backed away.

  “Sophie, babe, this is Carla, and she was just leaving.”
/>   Carla stepped out onto the porch and smiled at Sophia. “Hi.”

  Sophia remained indifferent as she shifted her gaze from Carla back to him. He couldn’t tell if she was pissed or ready to bolt. She had the right to be upset, but he wouldn’t let her leave him.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch plans,” Carla said.

  “We didn’t have plans,” Sophia said. “Obviously, I took him by surprise.”

  “You didn’t know she was coming?” Carla asked.

  “No.” Pax continued to hold Sophia’s gaze.

  “You’re one lucky girl,” Carla said.

  “Am I?” Sophia looked back to Carla.

  “I’m sorry to have intruded.” Carla placed the key in Pax’s hand. “You should tell your friend Kenny you’re not entertaining anymore.”

  Carla walked down the porch steps. “Whatever you’ve heard about him,” she said as she headed to her car, “isn’t true. Or at least it isn’t anymore.”

  “She was here when I got out of the shower.” He just started explaining. What else could he do? “She works at the stadium. In concessions. I’ve seen her around, but I’ve never talked to her. Kenny gave her the key to my house. I don’t know why. Well, I know why, but that’s another story. I’ll straighten him out as soon as I talk to him. Anyway, she wanted to...well, yeah, but I told her I wasn’t interested.” As he continued to babble, she didn’t say anything. “I made sure she knew there wasn’t a chance. I told her I was seeing you and she had to go. She was only here five minutes. Maybe four.”

  “Pax, I—”

  “Sophie, please. I promised I wouldn’t hurt you and I meant it.” He reached for her hand. “I’m not that jerk you dated in college. I know he did a number on you and you have every right to guard yourself against sleazy guys, but I...”

  “I was going to say I believe you.”

  “You do?” He let out the breath he’d been holding since Carla left.

  “Don’t seem so shocked.”

  “It’s just that if I had walked in and seen you with a guy I’d be freaking out. I’d react first and ask questions later.”

  “I’ll admit, when I first saw her I wasn’t thrilled. Did you see her?” She motioned over her chest. “Her boobs were huge.”

  “I didn’t notice.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “If I noticed...” He pulled her to him. “I didn’t care. She’s not my type.”

  “Really? I’d think she was every guy’s type.”

  “I’m into gorgeous, Greek goddesses with long black hair and dazzling, wide brown eyes. A woman who trusts me.” He held her tighter. “When I saw you come up the steps I thought you would get the wrong idea.”

  “It did look bad.”

  “Look, I know what that idiot did to you in college but I’m not playing any games.” He took both of her hands in his. “I don’t want anyone else. You’re all I need.”

  “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, okay?” She looked down, but there was no way he was letting that statement go.

  “Hey.” He tilted her chin. “What’s that mean?”

  “You live a fast-paced life. You’re on the road a lot.” She shrugged. “You don’t have to make promises you can’t keep. Let’s just see where this goes.”

  There was that barrier again. How was he going to break through it?

  “I don’t make promises I can’t keep.” He brushed his lips along hers. “I don’t have the best track record when it comes to women. That’s never been a secret.”

  “Pax, you don’t have to—”

  “Let me finish.” He pressed his finger to her lips. “I’ve never considered a relationship with anyone before. I wasn’t ready.”

  She nodded but he needed to find a way to ease her insecurities.

  “You’ve been hurt before. Most people probably wouldn’t think I was the best guy for you to trust, but I guarantee I wouldn’t have pursued you so hard if I wasn’t completely sure that...”

  “What?” She spoke against his finger when he didn’t finish his sentence.

  “If I wasn’t completely sure you are the only woman I want to come home to.” He leaned down and just before he kissed her he said, “I’ve never said that to anyone else before.”

  She relaxed against his lips. “I’ll always be here waiting for you.”

  He hoped that was true. He liked the idea of having someone, her, waiting for him to come home. Knowing she was there made those long nights on the road bearable.

  “You brought me lunch?” He looked down at the picnic basket.

  “I don’t have much time but I wanted to see you.”

  “Come inside.” He opened the front door. “I want to tell you about our date tonight.”

  “I can’t wait.” She followed him into the house. “It’s our first official date.”

  “The first of many.” He lifted her up and kissed her. “I’ll pick you up at seven. We have reservations in Newport.”

  “Nice.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s so pretty there.”

  “Glad you approve.” He carried her down the hall. “I have a surprise for you.”

  “What is it?”

  “If I told you, what kind of surprise would it be?” He laughed when she huffed in frustration.

  “You’re going to make me wait until dinner?”

  “I am, sugar.” He grinned. “Now show me what’s in that picnic basket. I’m starving.”

  SOPHIA TOOK IN THE view from their very private table. The small room they sat in overlooked the water. The lights illuminated the marina filled with gorgeous yachts and boats. While she’d lived in the Rhode Island area most of her life, Newport wasn’t an area she frequented. Her parents took her there on special occasions, but she’d never eaten at a restaurant on the water.

  “This view is incredible,” she said as she sipped her pomegranate martini. “When you said we were eating on the water you really meant it.”

  “Some of the guys take their wives here when they want privacy. The staff is very accommodating.” He took her hand. “I’m glad you approve.”

  “This is a great first date.”

  “I wanted to thank you for not jumping to conclusions this afternoon. That meant a lot to me.”

  “At first I didn’t know what to think,” she admitted. “You are a pretty popular guy.”

  “That’s a nice way of putting it.”

  “You built the reputation, number twenty-one.”

  “I suppose I did.” He smiled as he looked down at their joined hands. “What made you decide I wasn’t being dishonest?”

  “Instinct.”

  It would have been easy for her to run in the opposite direction, but she didn’t believe he would hurt her like that. Not after the weekend they had. The first time they made love, the Monday morning run, and all the talking they had done. The time he spent with her father on Sunday when she and her mom cleaned the kitchen meant so much to her dad. Pax was more that the pitcher from the Crushers now. He was becoming a part of her family. He’d managed to win them all over in a matter of weeks.

  “I joked about your reputation, but you’ve never been that guy with me.” He’d been jumping through hoops to convince her that he wasn’t the man who had been portrayed in the media. At least not with her.

  “I don’t want to be that guy anymore, Sophia. I want be your guy.”

  “Good.” She trusted him, and she was happy he knew it. “Make sure Kenny knows not to send any more strays your way or he’ll have me to deal with.”

  “My girl has some fight in her.” He kissed her knuckles. “I like that.”

  “Your girl knows what she wants.” She’d never been so bold before but being with him made her want it all.

  “What’s that?”

  “You.” She squeezed his hand. “I want you.”

  “You have me.”

  “Can I have another drink?” She giggled. “It’s really yummy.”

  �
��You can have whatever you want.” He caught the attention of the waiter and pointed to her empty glass. “Just so you know I saw Kenny this afternoon and ripped him a new one. He won’t be sending any more women to my house or anyplace else. It was a bit hard for him to grasp that I’m off the market, but I think he gets it.”

  “I’m sure it’s hard for him to accept that he’s lost a playmate, but you’re still going to be good friends. You’re just not going to prowl the bars with him anymore.”

  “Is that a request, Ms. Ballis?”

  “Not a request, Mr. Hughes.” She stared him down. “More like a fact.”

  “You’re cute when you’re territorial.” When he smiled her stomach flipped. He could be hot and domineering in the bedroom but every once in a while there was a flash of his hometown boyish charm that shot straight to her heart. “I have something for you.”

  “The surprise?” She’d thought about it all afternoon. “This restaurant is enough. You didn’t have to get me anything.”

  “It’s not something physical.” He waited as the waiter placed another round of drinks in front of them. “I bought the house in Kingston to feel a connection with the community. A lot of guys go back to their hometowns in the off-season, and maybe if I hadn’t signed such a long contract or felt as though I could be traded at anytime I may not have wanted to stay. Actually, I wasn’t sure how often I’d return to Kingston once the season ended. The house was a nice investment.”

  “Oh.” She tried to hide her disappointment, but she had hoped that once the season was over they’d get to spend some solid time together.

  “Now I know I’ll be returning once the season is over.”

  “You will?” A flutter of anticipation flowed through her when she thought about being with him without the travel interruptions.

  “Do you really think I could stay away?”

  “I hoped not.”

  “My agent says it’s good for me to give back to the community. Help out when I can.”

  “I read about what you’re doing in Texas. Helping all of those underprivileged kids with a place for them to hang out after school. Teaching them organized sports and helping with homework. It’s an amazing program. You should be proud of yourself.”