“My class?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact. And art appreciation.” He winked, and Harper felt that tingle again, all the way to her toes. Ty Johansen was a flirt. And she liked to be on the receiving end a little too much.
He really was gorgeous. Those blue eyes boring into her, all intent on their conversation. God, and his mouth. Lips that were just the right amount of plump without being girly. His smile quirked to the side, showing perfect white teeth and a deep dimple in his cheek. Hang on, not supposed to be thinking of him in that way…
“I know you have a strict rule against dating your students,” he said, as if reading her mind. “But—”
“Not my rule, the university’s,” she clarified. And dammit, she wished it weren’t true Was that still the rule if the student was taking her class online? Did she dare ask?
“I stand corrected,” he said. “I can respect you obeying rules. Too many people these days think the rules don’t apply to them.”
The server brought her dessert early, and he eyed the slice of pie with barely concealed lust. “That looks incredible.”
“It is. Would you like to try a bite?” She motioned to the pie and handed him the extra fork the server had thoughtfully left. “It’s such a huge slice, there’s no way I’ll ever eat it all.”
“Dessert before finishing dinner?”
“Always. Doesn’t everybody?” He smiled, and she discovered that he had dimples on both sides of his mouth when his lips spread into a wide grin, making him look much younger than he was.
“Then of course,” he said with a chuckle. “Let’s have dessert. We can always take the other stuff to go.”
When he didn’t make a move to cut the first bite, she forked up a bit and offered it to him. Instead of taking the fork as she’d expected, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist, and brought it to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers as he opened his mouth and closed it around the fork, slowly pulling her hand away. Harper’s stomach tightened and she felt her panties grow damp when his eyes rolled back in his head and he moaned. Oh, sweet Jesus, when his tongue came out to lick the remains of the creamy filling from his lips…
Harper cleared her throat. “H-how is it?”
“Oh my God, it is incredible.” He wiped his mouth with a paper towel. “Now I get eating dessert first. Be right back.”
Ty returned a few minutes later with a huge slice of hot fudge brownie topped with vanilla ice cream. The warm brownie had melted the ice cream just enough, it was beginning to edge its way down the sides of the cake and onto the plate. Harper felt her mouth watering as Ty cut a chunk of brownie, adding just the right amount of ice cream to the fork.
“Let’s see which dessert is better,” he said as he offered the bite to her. She took the rich, decadent masterpiece into her mouth, and with as much sexiness as she could muster, licked the fork clean with a moan. What the hell, Harper? You just said you couldn’t date him, but now you’re practically French kissing a dinner utensil. WTF?
But damn, that brownie was good. When she opened her eyes, Ty’s cheeks were ruddy, and he swallowed hard before releasing the fork with a clink on the plate. “I take it that means the brownie wins?”
“Definitely. You need to try it before I eat the entire thing.”
“Trade you for the pie.”
She tugged his plate toward her and pushed hers to him.
“Hey, this is a good idea,” Ty said as he spooned the last bite of pie into his mouth. “I think I’ll make this my postgame habit. Eat dessert first.”
Throughout dinner, they talked about family, childhood, favorite things. She found out he had two brothers and a sister back in Texas. That one of his brothers had been a pro football player. Now that brother had opened a small chain of sporting goods stores, as well as doing some charity work with underprivileged kids, which Ty wanted to work with in the future. His sister had kids of her own, and his younger brother did something or other with horses. She could admire all those things about him and his family.
“My father was never around when I was little, so I hope it’s okay if I’m a bit jealous of you.”
“Did he work a lot?”
“You could say that.” The waitress brought takeout boxes, and she busied herself filling it with the rest of her dinner, avoiding elaborating further on her father’s absence. “My mom remarried when I was eleven. I have a stepbrother and stepsister, and Sean is really great. He makes my mom happy. That’s the most important thing.”
When she became quiet again, he asked, “Is everything okay? I get the feeling there’s more you’d like to say, but you’re holding back on me.”
“Nothing, really,” she said. Clearing her throat, she added, “I should probably be going now.”
His concern was evident in the furrow between his brows. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, not at all,” she assured. “I…I’m just not comfortable talking about my past with someone I haven’t known very long, that’s all.”
He covered her hand with his. “I’m sorry if I stepped over a line. I…I just really like you—”
“You barely know me,” she countered. “One date at a barbecue joint does not a relationship make.”
Harper kicked herself when he latched onto the one word she shouldn’t have said, and a huge grin spread across his face. “So, this is a date, then, is it?”
His grin widened, revealing those gorgeous dimples, but he didn’t say anything more. She said, “You know what I mean. We’ve already had this discussion.”
“You said date,” he singsonged. “I’m gonna remember that.”
“I’m sure you will.” Harper tried to look stern, but the shit-eating grin on his face made her sputter and finally laugh.
When they reached her little Midtown bungalow, Ty insisted on walking her to the door. A motion sensor light flashed on and illuminated the stone pathway and the Craftsman-style door the owners had installed right before she moved in a couple of years ago.
“Thanks for everything today,” she said, not exactly sure how to wrap things up. “The tickets and dinner. You didn’t have to do all this just because I helped you a little with a paper.”
“You’re welcome.”
She reached out a hand to him, and he took hold of it with his much larger, warmer one, but instead of shaking, he pulled her to him, cupped her cheek with his other hand, and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. She couldn’t help it. She moaned, just a little bit, against his mouth. He took the sound as an invitation and ran his tongue across the crease, and dammit, before she knew what was happening, her traitorous mouth opened for him, allowing his tongue inside to play with her own.
Then, too soon—way too soon—he pulled away, his breath coming as quick as hers. She glanced down and, by the bulge in his jeans, knew he was as affected as she was by the kiss. Harper wanted more, but when he started to dip his head again, she held out a hand, stopping him.
“You’re still my student, Ty,” she said. “As much as I want to kiss you back, I could get into so much trouble. I could be fired. The university has strict rules against dating students.”
“What if I weren’t your student anymore?” he said. He ran a thumb along her bottom lip, and Harper resisted the urge to lick it, suck it into her mouth. Truth be told, she wanted to do much, much more as he slid his hand into her hair and rubbed her nape. Her panties dampened and she suppressed a moan. Why was she so physically attracted to a man she barely knew, knowing it was a bad idea all around?
“You mean drop out of the class?” she finally found the words to say. Harper couldn’t imagine delaying a goal she was so close to achieving, especially for a quick roll in the sheets. Why would he? “That would be ridiculous. No.”
He looked into her eyes, and she could tell he really was sincere. Instead of making her think he was some crazy stalker loon, it made her feel…like someone actually wanted to know her badly enough, he’d give up something to have the chance. She’
d never experienced that before. From anyone.
“I can take it again next semester,” he said, “or get transferred under another professor.”
“C’mon, Ty, the idea is preposterous. I won’t deny I’m attracted to you, but we can just wait until the semester is over if you still want to see where this might go. It’s only a few months.”
Would she be willing to do something equally insane to go out with him again? Would she break the university’s rules just for a quickie with Ty? The logical answer was no. The intelligent part of her agreed. That wasn’t something she was willing to risk for a person she barely knew, especially a professional athlete. She didn’t want to be a conquest, the girl he left in Memphis when he moved on to the next city. But something about him, about his sincerity, told her he wasn’t that kind of guy. Something in her told her he might be worth taking a chance on. Maybe they could get away with it. They just needed to be very careful.
“You’re basically the only student doing this class online,” she blurted. I’m officially insane. “Most likely nobody would ever know you were my student.”
Ty shook his head. “A reporter might get wind I’m dating someone. Start checking into it all, find out I’m a student at the university. Eventually, they’d probably figure out who you were. I wouldn’t want to be the reason you lose your job. But I do want to see you again. And again after that. I can’t explain it, but I just want to get to know you. I feel like we could be something, you know?”
And she did.
“I appreciate that, I really do.” She thought for a minute, then: “What if you did transfer to a different professor? Several people are qualified to teach comp, and with your special arrangement with the dean, maybe you can get switched to doing it online like you are with me. You could still finish the course. We could make up some reason, like I wasn’t a good fit for you.”
He laughed. “Yeah, that’s a good one. Tell them the opposite of the truth.”
Harper wrinkled her nose before continuing. “I’ll admit a reporter digging into my business sounds terrifying really, but I wouldn’t have to worry about my job if you were taking the class from someone else. There’s no rule against dating a university student, just not one of my own students.”
He wrapped his palm around her neck and pulled her in for another long, lingering kiss that made her girly parts liquify before he pulled away. Harper’s legs felt like jelly, but she managed to remain on her feet as he stepped a few paces backward, his smile illuminated by the porch light.
He squeezed her hand and gave her another quick kiss before turning to go. As she watched his car pull away, she placed a shaky hand to her lips. He was a baseball player. The one kind of guy she’d always sworn she’d never get involved with. The kind of guy who could easily turn out to be just like her father, and, in a few years, leave her behind with kids to raise and a mortgage to pay.
“What the actual hell are you doing, Harper Manning?”
6
The only good thing about morning practice had been the egg, bacon, and cheese tacos the team manager had served for breakfast. Ty’s knee ached from yesterday’s game, as well as his good hip from having to compensate and, worst of all, he’d tossed and turned all night after leaving Harper with only a kiss. A five-star kiss, to be sure, but…not nearly enough. He wanted it all, and he’d ached for it all night with a hunger that no amount of choking the chicken would take care of.
“Johansen, when you’re finished daydreaming, I’d like to have a word with you in my office.” Coach Jeff Landon, one of the most intimidating yet encouraging coaches he’d ever played under, walked past him into the clubhouse.
“Oooh,” one of the guys, Jackson, said, causing the other guys to start chirping insults. “Coach gonna chew Zip-Ty a new one.”
Ty rolled his eyes, tossed his towel into the laundry hamper, and followed Coach into his office.
“Sorry about practice, Coach.” Ty sat down in one of the two leatherette chairs across the sleek glass-and-steel desk from the man who held his future in his hands. “I didn’t sleep very well last night.”
“Knee, or woman?” Coach Landon propped his feet up on a nearby box, running his hands through his silvering red hair. His mouth slashed into a grin. “I can probably help with the knee.”
“It’s the knee.” It wasn’t a complete lie; it’d ached most of the night, even after four Tylenol. “But I’m working it out in a few with Joe.”
“Glad to know,” the older man murmured as he moved some papers across his desk.
Ty’s heart thumped against his rib cage. Had he been traded? Was his contract being bought out? He knew he hadn’t been great in practice, and the last few games had been a little iffy, but he’d had a pretty outstanding game yesterday. Then again, they usually traded the guys on a high note. Offers were better, often more than a team could afford to pass up. Was his time with Harper over before it had even begun?
“I can see the knee is becoming more and more of a problem.” Coach held up his hand when Ty started to argue. “Let me finish, please. You’re still playing well, and before you start to freak out, we’re not trading you.”
Ty let out a hard puff of relief. “Glad to hear that.”
The coach nodded, but still wore his serious face. “But you don’t have that much time left in the game, son. Take it from someone who knows. When you start feeling the pain, it’s going to go downhill from there, and pretty fast.”
“Um…okay.” What exactly was the point of this meeting? Rather than ask, he kept his silence and let the man have his say.
“I’m not trying to discourage you, Ty. Like I said, you’re still playing fine, but I wanted to talk to you about what you’re going to do when decision time comes. I know you’re finishing up school, which is good and all. But have you given any thought to coaching? Maybe batting coach or something like that? I watched you the other day with Cappello. You told him what he was doing wrong, and he didn’t resent it, and he did what you said. We got a couple runs out of it. That’s talent, Tyler, being able to work with guys like that. I’d like nothing better than to keep you here until you retire and then use your expertise to keep this team building. You’re an asset, son. And I can go so far as seeing you as a GM for a club one day.”
“Wow.” Ty was taken aback. He’d never considered coaching in the majors, in any capacity. He’d most certainly never thought about becoming a manager. He’d just figured he’d go coach high school, or maybe college, or maybe even run his own baseball camps for teens, like his brother was planning to do with football. But the idea didn’t suck. He knew he had a good rep with his teammates, and that the younger ones did come to him for advice if they were having problems. The ones whose egos weren’t too big, anyway.
“That’s something to consider, I suppose,” he said. “You offering me a job?”
“It’s on the table for discussion. When you’re ready.” Coach Landon started moving papers around on his desk, searching the drawer for a pen, signaling their meeting was over. Ty stood to leave. “If you’re still here.”
Yeah, that last part. He knew from experience there was always the possibility he’d be traded or let go. He just didn’t really want to think about what that meant. Not right now, even if that was foolish. “Thanks, Coach. I appreciate you taking the time out to talk to me about it. I’ll give what you said some thought.”
Coach looked up. “Don’t think too long, Ty. You don’t want to be one of those guys who hangs on forever, addicted to painkillers, too roughed up or out of it to do much of anything. Broke. I’ve seen that happen too often. I don’t want to see any of my boys going down that road.”
“Understood,” he replied. “That won’t be me. Trust me.”
With a curt nod from Coach, he was dismissed and headed back to the locker room. Several guys were shooting pool while they waited for their turns in the therapy tubs or for massages. A couple were scarfing down whatever snacks were set out for them. It w
as funny. They were paid a shitload of money to play a game, got a few hundred a week on top of that for a food allowance. More if they were on the road…
They really did live a spoiled existence for whatever amount of time their careers lasted. He was one lucky bastard, and he knew it. He was also a realistic bastard and knew it wasn’t going to last forever. He hoped these other guys, especially the young and cocky ones, realized how short this time would be. He hadn’t when he was their age. He did now.
“Ty!” He turned to find Jake holding out a cue. “Care to let me kick your ass at Eight Ball?”
Ty laughed. “No, thanks. I’ve got some stuff to take care of before the game tonight.”
“What’s her name?”
The guys laughed. Ty just waved them off and headed for the showers.
Afterward, instead of taking his usual pregame nap, he headed on over to the university to look into transferring to a different professor for the online class. He wasn’t about to let Harper get away, not when he still had so much to find out about her. To do to her. Just the thought of pulling her close and kissing her stupid made his dick hard. But she was a take-it-slow kind of woman, he could tell, so he’d do his best to rein his desires in and take it…well, if not exactly slowly, gently. He knew a good thing when he saw it, and Harper Manning was a good thing.
Just as he hopped out of his Jeep, his knee gave way and he stumbled, pain shooting up his right femur. Fuck! That shit hurt. As soon as he was finished here, he’d head home and ice it, even though what he really wanted to do was stop by Harper’s office again and see her. But the knee would be no good to him tonight if he didn’t rest and take care of it. He’d call Harper after the game. Or maybe before the game. Or maybe both.
Coach was right. Time was running short, and he needed a plan. A solid plan, other than finishing out a history degree. That was just to keep a promise and prove to himself he could do it. What he did with it, if anything, was what mattered, and right now, he had no actual clue.
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