Lorelei leaned toward Sonny to give Leslie a better view through the crowd. “Peter’s about to entertain us all with some breakdancing.”
Leslie gave them a slightly exasperated look. “Did he lose a bet, y’all?”
Both Sonny and Lorelei nodded and said simultaneously, “Yep.”
The toned and curvy blonde sighed and rolled her eyes. “It never ends with that man, does it?”
Lorelei laughed and put her hand on the table for support. “Nope, and that’s what makes him fun.”
“Y’all know that he probably lost the bet on purpose just so that he could show off, right?” Though Mark’s sister shook her head disapprovingly, there was something in the way her eyes watched the pitcher that didn’t square with the verbalized annoyance. It was noticeable enough to catch Sonny’s attention, but then Peter started dancing and it streaked right out of her head like it’d never been there in the first place.
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Instead of being some sort of comedy routine like she’d expected, the lean and lanky ballplayer was good. Really, really good. He moved like he was born doing it.
The crowd cheered him on and when he dropped to the floor and curled into a spin, the noise level rose even louder. It was like Dance Party USA up in there.
Peter ended the routine by kicking his feet out and flipping up onto them. The guy barely seemed out of breath by the vigorous dancing. It brought home to Sonny just how incredibly fit professional ballplayers had to be. And by the nimble way that the pitcher moved, she wondered if he wasn’t one of those players who’d taken ballet lessons for balance too.
Everyone clapped and shouted their approval as Peter melted back into the masses, straightening his hat as he went. Some player’s kid held out a hand and he high-fived him on his way to the balcony.
Lorelei spoke up, and Sonny tuned back in to the women next to her. “Am I the only one who noticed Peter’s shirt rode up a lot while he did that?”
Leslie shook her head. “No. We all saw it too.”
Lorelei looked from Sonny to Leslie and back. Then she grinned like she was sharing a deliciously wicked secret. “His abs weren’t bad.”
Not bad at all. If one liked them ripped and tight and flat as a pancake with a jet-black happy trail.
The blonde made a noncommittal sound in her throat. “They’re all right.”
Obviously she had eyesight problems.
Mark appeared in front of them, his hands loaded with plates of food. While Peter had been giving them a show, the pizza had arrived. The catcher had made up a plate for his fiancée and offered it to her. “Is this enough, baby?”
Sonny watched Lorelei place a hand on his cheek as she greeted him with a kiss, her huge diamond ring sparkling under the lights. “Thanks, hon. If I want more I know where to find it.”
Cutter grinned at her, his gray eyes full of love for his woman. “Anything for you.” He stole another kiss and then headed off to join the rest of his boys.
Watching the interplay between the two of them made Sonny intensely aware that she’d never had that before. That kind of love and adoration and caring. And she didn’t mean just in the past ten years. She meant ever.
It made her more than just a bit uncomfortable to realize that not once in her whole life had she been loved like that by anyone. Other than Charlie. But no one else. Not her mother or her father or her grandmother. Most especially not Charlie’s dad.
How sad was that?
Catching sight of JP across the room, Sonny let her gaze roam over the shortstop. What was he doing with her? Did he really want to see if they had that connection between them? The way he’d talked earlier made it sound like he wasn’t just after her for sex or some casual fling.
Just the opposite, in fact. He had sounded like he wanted something more along the lines of what Mark and Lorelei had. If that was so, how did she feel about it? Maybe more importantly, was she willing to do anything about it? Even knowing that it most probably—well, most definitely, given her history—would end in the worst kind of train wreck? Should she risk it just on the tiniest, slightest fraction of a chance that maybe it actually wouldn’t end in disaster? Because even if it did there was still her need for privacy.
Three weeks ago she would have said, “No way.” One week ago she would have said, “Fat chance.”
But now? Now she wasn’t completely certain.
Chapter Ten
* * *
JP LEANED AGAINST the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. Across the room he could see Sonny. She was talking to Mark’s lady and laughing easily, the slender line of her throat exposed when she tilted her head back. He had a big urge to kiss the milky skin and took another swig of beer.
It wasn’t going to happen, though, because the next move was up to her. He’d said his part. It had to be her that took the next step. That way she knew she was in control of her own decision.
It might just kill him waiting, but his gut told him that Sonny was worth it.
After he’d walked away from her, he’d watched her from a distance to gauge how she felt around his crew. Ball teams were tight knit and he wanted to see her reaction to it. By the way she was laughing and had her head together with Lorelei it seemed a fair guess to say that she liked it fine.
Cutter showed up beside him, a pile of pizza and beer in hand. “The fiancée seems smitten with your new lady.”
Yeah, he’d noticed. “I see that.”
The catcher set his plate on the bookcase beside him. “It can only mean that she’s all right, brother, if Lorelei likes her. So, well done. You thinking about keeping her?”
“I was planning on it.” He just had to convince her first. Lucky for her he was a patient guy, because with Sonny it might take a while. He settled his mind around the realization that he was in for a game of long ball and took another pull from the bottle. It might not be so bad, he tried to convince himself.
Sonny burst out laughing and the sound carried across the large room to JP. His body reacted and he grew hard and achy for her. Casually as he could, he shifted to give more play at the front of his jeans and took a long drink of chilled brew to cool his ardor.
Yeah, waiting might just kill him, all right.
But when he looked at Sonny and her smile lit the night sky and warmed his chest, he didn’t mind so much. All that mattered was that they got there eventually.
And when they finally got there, he was going to take his slow, sweet time with her.
At that moment she looked up and their gazes connected, the distance across the room vanishing in an instant. Energy traveled down his body and set his nerves tingling awake. With his eyes locked on hers JP lifted his beer bottle and took a slow, deliberate drink, his gaze never straying.
He could see clearly the ways the two of them would fit together. Sonny was the first woman he’d been interested in that he could say that about. And he figured that was a good thing. Because at the end of the day he wanted a partner he could sit on the porch with while the sun went down. The fact that she had Charlie didn’t make him hesitate. He knew what it meant to date a single mom—what his role could end up being. He figured he had his dad to thank for that, for being such a great father that JP saw it as a positive thing. Not something to shit bricks over. Besides, having helped raise his younger siblings gave him a leg up. It meant he wasn’t completely inexperienced.
It never occurred to JP to stop and consider what was happening. Everything was unfolding mostly the way he expected it to, because he expected it to. So what if Sonny was scared and overcautious? So what if he let her call the shots about the timing? He knew where it was all going to end up, so what did it matter when? Besides, he felt confident that he was figuring her out, which should only speed the process, right?
JP realized he was still staring and broke eye contact, the front of his jeans still uncomfortably tight. Mark nudged him in the shoulder. “What are your plans for the break?”
By break, he figured Mark meant All-Star week. JP shrugged his shoulders and stole a peek back at Sonny. She was talking to Mark’s sister now. “Not sure. But I’m sure something will come up.”
The catcher had been voted in to the All-Star Game that the Rush were hosting at Coors Field in just over a week. So had Peter and Drake. His ego wanted to be offended that he hadn’t been invited, but his brain triumphed with logic. Those guys had earned their place in the game from years of play. JP, though making big waves in the sport, was still newer to the pros. These sorts of things took a while.
JP raked a hand over his hair and pointed his bottle at Drake. “How much you want to bet that he takes first in the Home Run Derby?” The dude knew how to hit ’em.
The catcher grinned. “Let’s make it a bennie, ’cause I think that slugger from the Giants will beat him out.”
JP looked at Mark, an eyebrow raised in surprise. “You think Ramirez has the bounce on Paulson?”
The player nodded. “Yeah. I hear he’s juicing.”
Steroid abuse was a dark cloud over Major League Baseball. Some years back there’d been a huge industry-wide shake-up over it when a few prominent players in the league had been discovered. Barry Bonds was the least of it—though he may have been one of the most outspoken.
So far as JP knew, his team was clean. And he thought he’d know if it were different. But the boys, well, all of them were on the up-and-up. “I still say Drake can take him.”
Mark smiled, his gray eyes lit with humor. “You’re on, then.”
The two of them clinked their beer bottles together to seal the bet. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sonny look at her phone and then straighten from the table. She excused herself and walked away, and JP assumed she was off in search of Charlie. Checking his own phone for the time, he noted it was getting late. The recap was about to finish. If he was going to catch her before she left he’d better get a move on, though he hoped she wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.
Movement on the big screen caught his eye, and he glanced over. When he saw what was on, he chuckled. Sonny was going to love this.
Catching her eye before she disappeared down the hall, JP tilted his head toward the flat screen and smiled, trying to turn her attention to the TV. She got the message, so he gave the screen his attention and missed her reaction. The news was showing footage of an interview he’d given before the game. Charlie had gotten screen time, too, as he and JP had some fun hamming it up for the camera. The clip ended with his arm slung over the kid’s shoulder, his hip cocked, while he relaxed and the reporter interviewed a super excited Charlie.
He glanced back at Sonny just quick enough to glimpse what looked like a frown disappearing from her face before she turned away and said something over her shoulder to Lorelei. It had happened so fast he couldn’t be sure. But he couldn’t figure why she’d be upset over a little air time for Charlie, and he dismissed it. She’d no doubt enjoyed seeing him on the news. The kid had been thrilled about it.
He left Mark and followed Sonny. He saw her head down a hall and disappear into one of the rooms. Charlie had said he’d be playing Pokemon in one, so he assumed she’d gone to find him. Maybe if he got lucky she’d be all alone when he walked in and they’d get a few minutes together.
On his way he passed Peter and Drake talking shop and cuffed the pitcher on the shoulder. He grinned when the player rolled his shoulder and flipped him the bird. Razzing Pete was always a good time.
Crossing the threshold at the first door, JP found the office space empty. Smirking at a framed poster of Mark on the wall, he turned and headed back out. Sonny must be in the other room. Not that he wouldn’t enjoy looking through all of the catcher’s trophies and awards, but the woman was what he was most interested in. All of Mark’s baseball glory would have to wait.
The door to the second room was closed. JP turned the knob, opening it. Sonny spun around like she’d been caught stealing, surprise plastered across her face.
Her hand flew to her chest and she declared, “You scared the crap out of me!”
A quick scan revealed that they were alone. Charlie and his friend must have vacated the room already. Closing the door gently behind him, JP stepped into the room, his attention centered on the beautiful woman in the middle of the room. “Where’s Charlie?”
Sonny waved her hand. “He went with his little friend to snag another slice of pizza.” Her eyes narrowed slightly on him. “What are you doing in here?”
JP hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans and leaned back against the closed door, relaxing. “Looking for you.” She kind of floundered at that and he added, amused, “Did you catch the interview?”
He watched her nod and break eye contact. “Charlie looked like he was having a blast.”
The tone of her voice had his instincts buzzing and he cocked his head, studying her. “Are you not okay with him being on TV with me? You know we were just having fun, right?”
“I know that.” With a hand she brushed her hair over her shoulder, sent him a look full of uncertainty, and changed the subject. “I thought you were mad at me.” She sounded kind of put out about the idea of it.
He had been mad. But he’d gotten over it real quick. Although it still grated that she didn’t see all the things they shared in common—like their country kid roots, enjoyment of baseball, and loyalty to family. More than that, it irked the hell out of him that she didn’t think she was worth him pursuing. Like she had absolutely no concept of her own desirability.
Maybe there were men out there who were too shallow and self-involved to be interested in a woman with a kid. JP wasn’t denying that fact. But he wasn’t one of them. And he didn’t know who Sonny had insulted more with her off-base assumption—him or her.
Only time was going to convince her otherwise, though. And that was okay with him. He was a patient guy. There was a confidence in having her figured out. It gave JP the advantage because he knew what she was going to do. And since he figured he knew what she would do then, he could predict it some and lead her down the road to where he wanted her.
Relaxing against the door, JP replied, “I was mad, but I got over it.”
Sadness streaked across her sweet face and then was gone, and she straightened her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to upset you earlier. I’m sorry.”
He could tell that she was sorry. Her blue eyes got all big and soft, and her hands were held out in supplication. “You made a lot of assumptions, Sonny. In doing so you took away my right to make my own decisions, to see what I see.”
She blew out a breath. “I know I did. I apologize.”
Without realizing it she’d stepped all over one of his biggest pet peeves: people telling him what he should be thinking or wanting. JP didn’t work like most people. He cut his own path, had his own thoughts. He’d never been part of the herd. Didn’t Sonny see that about him yet?
Patience, he reminded himself. “No need, sunshine.” Her fears were just clouding her vision was all. She’d get the right of it in time. “Once you get to know me better, you’ll see that you’ve been laboring under a misconception.”
Staying quiet, she bit her bottom lip and gave him big doe eyes, making his gut tighten. Feeling his muscles tense, JP forced them to relax. He wasn’t there to scare her. Sonny had enough fears floating around in that head of hers.
Besides, the next move was hers.
So even though he wanted nothing more than to kiss that bottom lip she loved to chew on so much, he turned his attention to the room they were standing in. It had the added benefit of diffusing the arousal some.
They were in a spare room with a low bed and Asian styling. In the far corner was a pile of empty boxes. Lorelei must already be starting to pack. Which reminded JP that he should talk to Mark about the condo. The catcher had been making noises about finding a new place as soon as possible. Although there was room, Lorelei wasn’t much of a city girl and Mark wanted to find her some
thing with some land. And that meant that the condo would be available. No more horny, yowling Siamese.
Tuning back in to Sonny, JP tipped his head to the side and studied her. She seemed agitated about something. Her brow was wrinkled and she was fidgeting. The woman clearly had a bee in her bonnet.
With his gaze on her, JP rolled his shoulders back and waited. It didn’t take long. Sonny muttered under her breath and swore. Then she marched right up to him and planted a kiss on his cheek, surprising him. “I don’t like that I upset you and I’m sorry.”
JP held perfectly still. “You mentioned that already.”
She was so close he could smell the scent of her hair. “I know, but I mean it.” She cocked her head and looked up at him. “We’re becoming friends, right?”
Among other things. “You can say that.”
She grimaced and patted his chest absentmindedly with a slender hand. “Friends shouldn’t tick friends off.”
The way she kept stroking his chest was driving him crazy. “I suppose we could kiss and make up.”
Sonny seemed to realize what she was doing and yanked her hand away, blushing. “Then we wouldn’t be friends, JP.”
“Sure we would.” He wanted her hand on him again. “We’d just be the kissing kind.”
SONNY COULDN’T BELIEVE that she’d been petting his chest like he was some plush-coated feline. Embarrassed, she glanced up at him through her lashes and found him looking down at her, a small half smile on his lips. His eyes held warmth and an invitation that she was finding exceedingly difficult to refuse. More to the point, she was beginning to have a hard time recalling why she’d needed to refuse him in the first place.
JP made her want to do very naughty, very unwise things.
Things like kissing. A whole lotta kissing.
Damn that Janie.
Trying to come up with a witty response, Sonny dropped her gaze to his chest. The palm of her hand still held traces of his body heat and the shape of his pectoral muscle was imprinted in her memory for life. It was hard and hot and just the right amount of built. And for the life of her she couldn’t stop her hands from wanting to slide all over him. Seeing the muscular shape of his chest beneath the thin black cotton of his T-shirt scrambled her reasoning skills and pushed her hesitation right on out the window.
Playing the Field: A Diamonds and Dugouts Novel Page 9