To Win Her Trust

by Mackenzie Crowne

  “Cut her some slack. It’s her first game.” Tuck swung an arm around the back of her seat.

  She shrugged. “The sacrifice fly rule states the runner can leave the moment the ball touches the glove, not when the ball is caught. If the fielder hadn’t bobbled the ball, he’d have caught him.”

  Twin looks of disbelief met her assertion. She burst out laughing.

  Before either man could comment, the crack of the bat drew their attention. The popup went high and sailed foul, skimming the first base line. CC followed the progress of the first baseman. With the game winning catch within his reach, he raced straight toward their seating section, head thrown back in the sunlight.

  Time seemed to slow as she followed his steps. Arm extended, he stretched out like a ballet dancer in the midst of a graceful leap, and with a quiet poof, the ball tucked into the pocket of his glove. Unfortunately, momentum wasn’t his friend. One leg clipped the rail, and he sailed straight for the fan sitting directly in front of her.

  She had no time to cringe as the man ducked. To his credit, the player twisted his body at the last moment, in an effort to avoid a head-on collision. He didn’t quite manage the maneuver. Pain exploded in her right cheekbone, and a solid thud to her chest burst the air from her lungs on a whoosh.

  Mayhem ensued. The euphoric roar of the crowd pulsed in her ears as two hundred pounds of hard athlete pinned her in her seat. Her face throbbed, and pain radiated from her sternum, lessening instantly when the player rolled from her lap to lift his glove triumphantly.

  “Jesus, CC.”

  Tuck’s frantic voice reached her above the chaos of tangled bodies and the roaring crowd. His worried face swam into view. He squatted down in front of her. Over his shoulder, the first baseman’s eyes were full of concern. He ignored the celebratory pats to his back to lean close.

  “Are you okay, ma’am?”

  “I’m fine.” She lifted shaky fingers to her cheekbone. How could something so numb hurt so bad? She attempted to straighten in her seat.

  “Don’t move.” Tuck glanced over his shoulder. “Get a medic down here.”

  Panic reared its ugly head. “I don’t need a medic. I just need to get up.”

  “You took quite a hit, ma’am. The stadium medics are going to want to check you out.”

  “No!” She clawed against Tuck’s hands on her shoulders, giving up when he held her firm. “I mean, I’m fine. I don’t need anyone to see me. Please. You, ah, you should get back to the field.” Her attempt at a smile only increased the throbbing. “I promise you I’m fine. I just need some room.”

  “Give her some room,” Tuck growled. “Mike, get these people out of here.”

  Mike turned. “You heard her, folks. Get lost.”

  A shaky sigh escaped her as the player took her at her word and began making his way back to the rail. The handful of people crowding around quickly lost interest in her, understandably distracted by the celebrity first baseman in their midst, and she thanked God no one but Mike seemed to recognize Tuck. With two sports giants hovering over her….

  “Damn, sunshine. I’m sorry.” He touched a finger to her cheek. She flinched and his eyes blazed. “You are hurt! Where are those medics?” he demanded of no one in particular.

  Mike settled into the seat next to her and indicated the stairs. “They’re on their way.”

  She jerked straight in her chair and slapped a hand over her throbbing cheekbone. Unfortunately, her new position allowed her a clear view of the field and the far wall beyond it. Her breathing hitched, and she watched her own eyes widen in sixty-foot tall, high definition.

  “Oh…” Her moan throbbed against her sternum. “Oh, shit.”

  Tuck’s head whipped around. When he met her gaze once more, his eyes were as wide as hers. “Fuck, I was only kidding about appearing on the Jumbotron.”

  She began to pant. The Jumbotron—at Yankee Stadium! With her luck, she’d make ESPN’s play of the day.

  “Breathe, CC. Oh, hell.”

  “I—” She gulped. “Can’t!” Spots danced in her vision, and if she could have managed it, she’d have given Kevin Tucker a black eye. The world was closing in around her, and it was his fault.

  “Yes, you can, baby.” He leaned in until his eyes were all she saw. “Yes, you can.”

  “Give us some room, folks.” The strange male voice sounded far away. Tuck looked to his left suddenly, and she figured the paramedics had arrived. The knowledge didn’t help.

  “CC, look at me.”

  She blinked and focused on Tuck’s steady blue eyes.

  “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He jerked his head toward the aisle and offered her a constrained smile. “I’m not sure these guys will let me schlep you out of here without a fight. Instead, let’s test that theory, shall we?”

  He dipped his head and closed his mouth over hers. She jolted. Beyond panicked, she forced herself to focus on the firm lips touching hers. He sipped and nipped, rubbing the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip. Sound retreated, darkness threatened. She fought against oblivion, clinging to the knowledge she wasn’t alone. Tuck was here. She was going to kill him when she got the chance, but he was here.

  “Sir. If you’d step back, we need to take a look at the lady.”

  Snickers of laughter competed with Tuck’s low growl. He shifted his head, and his mouth owned hers. His familiar scent registered; cinnamon salvation expanded her struggling lungs. Relief came in a rush. She gasped and gulped at his mouth, desperately drawing in his attack-stopping gift. With frantic fingers, she clutched at his T-shirt. Arms, strong and sure, surrounded her, tucking her closer and pinning her arms between them. She gloried in the feeling of safety as a brush fire of heat burned away the last vestiges of the looming attack.

  She purred low in her throat, struggling to free her arms. Her need to pull him closer was overwhelming. She shoved at his chest, yanking her arms up and around his neck as he shifted to give her arms room. Her fingers banged against something hard, then slid into his hair. She opened her mouth and thrilled to the immediate thrust of his tongue. Sucking at the silky marauder, she tugged him close on a needy moan.

  The sharp pain in her chest turned the moan to a groan. The hot wave of pleasure receded, leaving recollection in its wake. Laughter and the roll of cheering throughout the stadium didn’t quite drown out the loud clearing of a throat.

  “She doesn’t look hurt to me.” Mike’s voice held a grin.

  Her eyes popped open, inches from Tuck’s. He pulled back and grimaced, an apology in his worried eyes. Her gaze flew to the top of his head. His ball cap had disappeared, and without the disguise to shade it, his gold-tipped hair gleamed in the bright sunlight.

  “We still need to check her out,” a deep voice replied. “If you wouldn’t mind, Mr. Tucker.”

  Chapter 20

  CC frowned as the car rumbled over the gravel drive toward the historic farmhouse. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  Tuck pinned her with a stubborn stare. “You’re not checking into a hotel, and my place is out. I’m sure they have it staked out, too.”

  She’d balked when he suggested she spend a few days at the Malones’ farm, but Kris’s excited phone call, saying ESPN was parked at their curb, made going home out of the question. The mystery of how they’d known where to find her was answered when Edward made a call to dispatch. Apparently, someone at the field had gotten the tags from the limo as they made their escape, and an enterprising intern at ESPN had called the car service for its pick-up location. Edward promised that wouldn’t happen again.

  “I don’t want to impose. The couch in my mom’s suite will be fine for a few nights.” She cringed at the thought and he smiled.

  “Jake and Gracie know all about being hounded by the press, and you heard Gracie yourself. They don’t consider you an imposition. Quit overthinking things, CC. It’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

  Edward brought the car to a stop in fr
ont of the house. Tuck grabbed her hand and tugged her from the limo’s backseat. With hesitant steps, she let him lead her past the sunny-faced daisies lining the walkway. Hanging planters, overflowing with summer colors, hung from the railings. A pair of hummingbirds buzzed like miniature bell ringers as they flitted from bloom to bloom. The almost musical squeak of the screen door added to the sense of serenity as Gracie appeared on the porch.

  She greeted them with a wide smile. “Welcome to the Malone anti-press bunker.”

  At CC’s side, Tuck chuckled. “Thanks for letting us hide out for a while.”

  Gracie grinned. “No problem. You’re not the first couple to take shelter here.”

  Guilt poked at CC. “I appreciate this, Gracie. It won’t be for long.”

  An airy wave dismissed her concern. “Stay as long as you need. We have plenty of room, and with Mary gone to Ireland for a month—she’s more of a friend than housekeeper—it’ll be nice to have another woman around.”

  Linking her arm through CC’s, she led them inside. After showing them both to the suite upstairs where they’d be sleeping, together apparently, she dragged CC down to the huge family kitchen with Tuck following.

  “Where are Jake and the rugrats?” He straddled a chair at the oversized table and sat. CC set her cell phone on the table and slid into the chair next to his.

  Gracie crossed to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. She handed it to Tuck, then ducked her head back into the industrial sized appliance. “When the girls heard you were coming, they insisted he pick up a couple of pizzas for dinner.” She emerged with a bottle of wine and a bag of frozen peas. A pair of wine glasses were plucked from a rack above the counter, and she turned. “Come on, CC. My office is more comfortable.”

  CC darted a gaze at Tuck but rose to follow as Gracie strode from the room.

  “Hey, what about me?” The chair legs scraped as he called to their backs.

  “No men.” Gracie didn’t pause or even turn her head. “CC needs some girl time.”

  “Gracie.” A warning rang in his tone.

  She waived a hand over her head and kept walking. “Entertain yourself. Jake will be back in a few minutes.”

  “I need girl time?” CC trailed Tuck’s friend like a baby duck after its momma.

  “Yes, and I do, too.”

  They stepped into a cozy den, and Gracie shut the door behind them. A cold fireplace took up most of one wall. A second was covered with shelves of books. Another held a poster-sized print that had graced the cover of Sports Illustrated earlier this spring a week after Jake had broken the touchdown record. The shot captured him, dressed in his Marauders uniform and stretched out in the air with a football an inch from his fingers. The large frame was surrounded by smaller pictures of Jake and Gracie, the twins, Tom Walden and his wife, and several other faces CC didn’t recognize.

  “Here.” Gracie held out the peas. Her eyes widened when CC removed her melting ice pack to make the exchange. “Ouch! Do you need to see a doctor? The girls’ pediatrician lives about a mile down the road, and he makes house calls.”

  “Oh, that’s not necessary. I’m fine. It’s just a bruise.” She winced as she pressed the frozen vegetables to her cheek.

  “That’s one hell of a bruise.” Gracie settled onto the couch and tugged a corkscrew from the drawer in the white pine coffee table. She patted the cushion at her side. “Have a seat. Would you like a glass?” She held up the bottle of chilled chardonnay.

  “Please.” Sliding onto the couch, she accepted the glass Gracie poured.

  “You’re going to have an impressive shiner.” Gracie peeked sideways at her as she poured a second. “But I’d say that soul deep kiss Tuck laid on you at the stadium makes it worthwhile, don’t you?”

  She plunked the glass down with a ringing thud. “You saw that?

  A smile curved Gracie’s lips and she sat back. “Sweetie, about two million people saw that.”

  “Oh my God.” Her eyes slid shut, and she swallowed against the nausea bubbling up her throat.

  “I thought you knew. Isn’t that why you’re here?”

  She opened her eyes to find confusion in Gracie’s.”

  “I’m here because my condo is being watched.” She tossed the peas to the table and swept up her glass. Swallowing a healthy gulp, she shook her head. “I knew the camera was on us when I saw my face on the big screen, but…” Another gulp drained the glass, and her breaths came in pants. She wiped her lips with her fingers. “I swear, my brain misfires when that man is around.”

  Gracie grinned and picked up the bottle. CC nodded and golden liquid splashed into her glass. A crystal chime rang when Tuck’s friend tapped her glass to the rim.

  Gracie sipped, sighed in appreciation, and lowered the glass to her lap. “It’s been my experience that the right man can definitely scramble a woman’s brain.”

  Panic pulsed through CC’s heart. The right man? Oh, no. No. No. No! “That better not be true or I’m screwed.”

  Tinkling laughter escaped Gracie’s lips. “I don’t see why. He’s single. Funny. Has a job that pays well. He’s gorgeous.” She ticked off her list of Tuck’s attributes with raised fingers and a wry smile. “And charming. Sometimes a little too much for his own good, I admit, but he obviously cares for you.”

  CC wiped a damp palm on the thigh of her jeans, then shifted the glass to her other hand to repeat the process with the second. “You forgot to add he’s the most eligible bachelor on the East Coast and goes through women like drag racers burn through tires.”

  “Both true, but that was before he met you.”

  The heat of her blush intensified the throbbing in her cheek. “It’s not like that.”

  “Isn’t it?” Gracie tipped the rim of her glass in CC’s direction. “I don’t know what that kiss looked like from your perspective, but from where I was sitting, I’d say his racing days are over.”

  She groaned.

  “I’m serious, sweetie. I’ve watched R-rated movies that didn’t contain that much heat.”

  Her dried palms went dewy. If what Gracie was saying was true….

  Hope she hadn’t dared allow before suddenly snuck in to steal her breath. Could Tuck’s friend be right? Did the passion in his eyes transcend the bounds of simple lust? The possibility both tempted and frightened.

  Don’t be a fool, CC. He’s Kevin Tucker. An expert player. A man who’s left a trail of broken hearts in his wake.

  What was she thinking? So they had passion between them. So did a pair of cats when the moment was right. And when the moment passed, they scratched and hissed and went on their way. Alone.

  She shook her head. “He’ll be leaving for training camp in a couple weeks.”

  “So is Jake, and they’ll both be back when camp is over.”

  “Yeah, but Jake is…” She opened a flat hand and flicked it between them. “And you are…” A helpless sigh shuddered from her lungs. “Your situation is different.”

  Gracie swirled the wine in her glass. “Not so different. You’re sort of preaching to the choir, CC. It wasn’t long ago I was making the same type of arguments, all of which turned out to be wrong.”

  The hand dropped to her side. “I appreciate what you’re saying but, honestly, this thing between Tuck and me is only temporary.”

  “Because of your agreement?”

  She sat up straighter. Damn it. Their arrangement was a private affair, as were the many details she’d shared with him about her life. Her family. A chill raced over her. What else had he blabbed? “He told you about our arrangement?”

  A nod was her only answer.

  “Then you should understand.” She brought the glass to her lips, but only sipped this time. Gulping the first glass had left her a little dizzy. Did concussions make you woozy? Maybe she should see a doctor. Cool fingers brushed her arm, and she blinked.

  “What I understand is that Tuck has feelings for you, and if I’m reading you right, they’re not one-si
ded.”

  Feelings, not cared for. How did she know that? Had he shared them with his friend, and what type of feelings exactly? The kind a man had for a woman he was sleeping with or something more? A knock interrupted them before she could ask.

  The door creaked open, and Tuck popped his head in through the gap. “Pizza’s here.” He held up the phone she’d left on the table. “And your mother called. She’s on her way.”

  CC bobbled her glass onto the table and leaped to her feet. “What? Why did you answer, and why in the world did you tell her where I was?”

  He pushed the panel open completely and straightened in the doorway. His sheepish smile resembled more of a grimace. “Sorry. Your phone rang, and I saw it was your mom. You answered her call the other day, and I figured…” Apparently, he didn’t enjoy sheepish. His brows drew together and his shoulders shot back. “Fine. I shouldn’t have answered, but once I had, I was afraid not to tell her. She saw a tease on the local news channel for tonight’s sports report, and she sounded hysterical. She kept babbling about emotional wounds and fatal mistakes and demanded to know where I’d stashed you.”

  “Oh, dear Lord.”

  Closing the distance between them, he held out the phone. “Call her back. Tell her you’re okay.”

  She slapped a hand to the top of her head. “Like that would do any good.” She turned to offer Gracie a sick smile. “I’m so sorry. My mother can be a little…intense. She’ll insist on hovering. It would be best if I just checked into a hotel.”

  “Nonsense.” Gracie rose to her feet and headed for the door. “We have plenty of room. Come have some pizza before Jake and the goblins devour it all.”

  “We’ll be out in a minute.” Gracie paused at Tuck’s comment. He bumped out his chin. “Close the door behind you, will you?”

  She nodded.

  He cupped his fingers around CC’s neck the second the door clicked shut. “I’m sorry.”

  She found it impossible to be angry with him when he was touching her. “No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”