by Jaci Burton
“Your dad and I had some conversations. He was very proud of you. He said you could have done anything with your life that you wanted—you got your degree in special education and in journalism.”
“And I chose journalism.” She looked out over the water. “I don’t know if that’s very noble.”
“It’s what you wanted to do, isn’t it?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I suppose at the time. It seemed more exciting to me. I had the opportunity to travel and I so wanted to get out of Oklahoma. Plus, I love sports. That’s why I chose journalism over teaching.”
“Sports is exciting to me. I couldn’t dream of ever doing anything else. You think what I do is noble?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
“Okay, then. So neither of us is noble. Get over yourself, Haven.”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand. At first I wanted to teach. I loved tutoring, loved the classes, but the lure of journalism was there, too. Hence the dual degrees. I couldn’t decide what I wanted more. And that’s why it took me longer to graduate, too.”
“So you’re beating yourself up because you’re doing what makes you happy?”
“Who says I’m beating myself up?”
And he wondered if she was really happy. “I do. Journalism is an exciting career.”
“Teaching can be, too.”
“Teaching is a grueling, thankless career and you know it. I’m sure it was a tough career choice to make.”
“But I loved it. I loved the classes, loved my students when I was tutoring, and student teaching. Why didn’t I choose that instead?”
“Because you didn’t love it enough?”
She sighed. “Maybe. I don’t know. It’s not that I don’t like this—” She looked at him. “This used to fuel me. And the opportunity I had to do sportscasting for a network. God, a year ago I would have killed for a spot like that.”
“But?”
“But then, you know, the stuff with my dad happened.”
“And it threw you off. It banked the fire some.”
“I guess so. Lately I’ve been in some kind of funk and I can’t seem to drag myself out of it.”
“Because you miss your dad, and that’s okay.”
“It’s been long enough. I shouldn’t still feel this way.”
“I don’t think you can put a timeline on grief. You feel it and it consumes you until it doesn’t anymore.”
She looked over at him. “You speak like you know about it.”
“I’ve lost some people I care about, so yeah. I do know how it feels. And I cared about your dad, too. Losing him was hard on me. I still feel like there’s a hole, like something’s missing in my life.”
She laid her hand on his arm. “I know you cared deeply for my dad. He loved you, too. He loved all you guys like you were his kids.”
“Not as much as he loved you. He talked about you all the time. He was so damn proud of you, Haven. And no matter what choices you make, he’d still be proud of you.”
She nodded, and he saw the tears fill her eyes.
“Yeah.”
She stood and started up the steps. “I think that’s enough playtime. How about we get back to work?”
He’d started this with his conversation about her dad. She’d been relaxed and having fun, and now she was hurting again. Time to change the mood.
“I don’t know. You look like you might need to get dunked.”
Before she could object, he stood, swooped her up into his arms, and dunked them both underwater.
She came up sputtering, parting her hair that had fallen in front of her face.
“Goddammit, Trevor. Talk about a blindside.”
He laughed and shook his head back and forth to clear the water from his eyes and his hair from his face.
Haven pushed away, shoving her palm over the surface of the water to splash at him. She swam to the stairs and climbed out.
“Oh, come on, Haven.”
“Whatever. You need to find my sunglasses, which are no doubt at the bottom of the pool somewhere, thanks to you dunking me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He dove down and searched, finding her glasses resting on the bottom of the pool. When he came up, he only had a second to blink before Haven cannonballed into the pool next to him. Water catapulted over his head like a tsunami. Now it was his turn to sputter.
He swiped his face and turned to see her grinning at him. She took her sunglasses from him and slid them on. “Just a little payback,” she said, before swimming away.
“Oh, I don’t think so.” He took off after her.
She laughed, then shrieked when he grasped her ankle and pulled her back. He tugged her against him, cradling her in his arms so she couldn’t escape, though she tried.
“Hey, you started it,” she said.
“And you volleyed back. That means we’re at war.”
Her body felt good against his. He liked holding her, liked seeing her breasts up close. And okay, so he was a little voyeuristic. Who could blame him, since Haven was beautiful, had a great body, and he liked to hear her laugh.
“War, huh? I do like a challenge.”
“Not much you can do about it in your current position.”
“You wouldn’t think so, would you?” Until she tugged at a few of his chest hairs, causing him to yelp and let go of her. Then she dove under the water and did the unthinkable. She jerked his board shorts down, then swam away in a hurry. By the time he’d tugged them back up, she was already out of the pool, offering up a smug smile as she reached for her towel.
“Oh, now it’s on,” he said, climbing out of the pool and coming out after her with deliberate intent.
She backed away. “Hey. It was a means to an end, Trevor. I was trying to get free.”
He came closer, and she ran.
But he was a lot faster, and caught up to her, pulling her against him and flinging them both into the deep end. He heard her shriek of laughter as they both went under, and this time, he untied the top of her bikini, keeping hold of her as they came up. Treading water, he caught the back of her strapless top and pulled it away, holding it above the water like a trophy.
“Trevor,” she said, her eyes widening as she looked at her top in his hands. “I’ll take that back.”
“Hey, I told you it was on. And I always win.” He couldn’t see anything because she was under the water, but at least she wasn’t mad.
In fact, she shrugged. “Have it your way.” She swam to the shallow end and calmly walked up the steps, her lush, ample bare breasts visible. She went to the chaise and grabbed her towel. “Enjoy your trophy. I’m going to take a shower, then it’s back to work for both of us.”
He couldn’t help but admire the sleek line of her back as she walked away.
She had amazing breasts, too. Her dark nipples had puckered from the chill in the air, making him want to put his mouth on them and warm them. She made him hard watching the way her hips swayed as she walked away.
Haven was a revelation, a really nice surprise he hadn’t been expecting.
She wasn’t here so he could seduce her, though. Too bad, because he’d like to put his hands on her again, this time to do more than play in the pool.
But he’d made a promise, and he intended to stick to it.
And as he climbed out of the pool, he looked down at her bikini top clutched in his hand and smiled.
Nothing said there couldn’t be some fun in it for both of them, though, right?
FIVE
AFTER HER SHOWER, HAVEN GOT DRESSED AND WENT back downstairs. Trevor wasn’t there. She looked out on the pool deck for him, but he wasn’t there, either. He was probably still upstairs, so she went into the kitchen and fixed herself a glass of water, needing something to cool her down after their interlude.
She found her bikini top lying over the kitchen faucet. She shook her head, and ran her top upstairs, tossing it into the bathroom sink before returning downstairs. T
he last thing she needed was for Hammond to find various parts of her clothing in the kitchen. She was supposed to be here for professional reasons, not fun and games.
Damn Trevor for finding new ways to turn her on. Then again, he’d been right—she had started it. She just hadn’t known how hard a player he was, how much of a competitive nature he had. Now she knew, and she’d keep her distance.
She heard him coming down the stairs, so she turned around and leaned against the counter, wishing she could put something—anything—between them. She felt like she needed a shield to ward off all the testosterone that seemed to roll off him.
Or maybe that was just her imagination.
“There you are,” he said, grinning as he walked by and looking at the sink, where her bikini top used to be. “Swimming was fun. We should do that again.”
“No, we definitely should not. I’d like to not bare my breasts to anyone who happens to be watching.”
He laughed and leaned against the counter next to her. “I don’t have any neighbors within viewing distance of my backyard. That’s why I bought this property. It’s plenty private.”
“There’s Hammond.”
“His errands will take him away from the house for the rest of the day. So no one saw your boobs but me.”
“Great.”
“Yeah, they were.”
She rolled her eyes at him and pushed off the counter, heading toward the living room. “Ready to continue?”
“No. I have to head to the stadium and prep for the game. But you can come along.”
She stopped and turned. “All right.” Now she could watch him in action. She was eager to see him work, and getting to see it at field level excited her.
She gathered up her things and stuffed them into her bag. By then, he’d grabbed his team bag and car keys.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Sure.”
He led her to the car. It only took about a half hour to get to the stadium, but she enjoyed the view nonetheless.
Trevor was right. It had been a long time since she’d been to St. Louis, and she’d had a child’s-eye view back then. Now everything looked different.
The city had grown so much, but she was still in awe of the Arch and the Mississippi River as they wound their way downtown and toward the stadium.
“So you’ll continue to play baseball until the end of the season, then you’ll head to Tampa and join the football team there?”
“Yeah. At least this season, since the Rivers have a shot of making the playoffs. It works easier that way for both teams, rather than me trying to jump back and forth.”
“Easier on you, too, I imagine.”
He nodded. “I travel enough with the Rivers. I don’t need to go back and forth with the baseball and football teams. When baseball is done, I’ll join Tampa and play out the football season with them.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it, Trevor. Trying to juggle two professional sports seems crazy.”
He pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine, then turned to her. “That’s me, Haven. Just fucking crazy.”
She laughed and got out of the car with him.
“I’ll set you up inside the boxes where it’s more comfortable,” he said as they headed into the stadium.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to sit as close to the field as possible, unless there are no seats available.”
“Are you sure? The club box seats are much more comfortable. Plus, there’s liquor and great catering.”
“I’m pretty sure I can handle it.”
“Suit yourself.” He led her inside and stopped at security, where she was given a pass. She picked it up and looked at it. “This isn’t a press pass,” she said as she hurried to keep up with his long strides.
“Yeah, I know. A press pass limits you. This one won’t. It’ll give you access to anywhere in the stadium you want to go.”
“Really. Why would you do that?”
He stopped and turned to face her, and as they stood in the sun, she was struck again by how utterly gorgeous he was. “So you have all access. But don’t go anywhere you shouldn’t.”
She laughed. “Where am I not supposed to go?”
“The locker room would be a bad idea. You don’t know who you might find naked down there.”
“Okay. I’ll avoid the locker room. Anywhere else?”
“Management offices might be a bad idea. You don’t want to get thrown out on your ass before you get a chance to interview anyone.”
She sighed. “Just tell me where I should go.”
“You should be safe at field level or in the club boxes.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll meet up with you at the exit when the game’s over. If you get hot, just head upstairs to the club boxes. They’re air-conditioned.”
He directed her to the field—and pointed out the boxes.
“Okay.”
“Do you need me to walk with you?”
“Thanks, but no. I’ll find my way around. You go get your game face on, and kick some ass.”
He grinned. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”
He disappeared down the tunnel, and Haven made her way out to the field. There were press on the benches higher up. Since she had the all-access pass, she walked out to the field entrance where security waved her on.
Awesome.
She stood out on the field, and her first thought was of her dad, of how much this would have thrilled him, to be standing here at field level with her, surveying the players as they took the field for warm-ups.
She’d have brought him along, too, just so he could have the chance to meet and greet all the players.
He’d been such a fan of the Rivers. Through the years when the team had played like shit and ended the season in the basement, he’d always remained a devoted fan.
So had she, because of her dad.
She turned around, surveying the stadium. The Rivers had built a new one a few years ago, so this one wasn’t the same as the one she’d been to with her dad all those years ago.
But still, it was Rivers baseball, and she’d give anything to be sharing this with him right now.
God, she missed her dad so much right now it physically hurt. She laid her hand over her stomach, massaging the ache of loss that seemed to swell and grow inside her. Part of her wanted to turn tail and run like hell, to leave the stadium and all the memories that swirled around her like a thick cloud.
Part of her was still that little girl, eating popcorn and a hot dog and cheering on the Rivers with her dad.
The other part of her was a grown woman, scared to death that she couldn’t handle the responsibilities of her new job.
And nowhere in that scenario was the pep talk she so desperately needed from her dad right now.
But her love of baseball—of sports—was because of her father. She owed it to him to stay and give this a shot. He’d be mad at her if she didn’t, so she blinked back the tears pricking her eyes, forced back the ache of loss and the fear of failure that welled inside her, then took a deep breath to center herself. She climbed up to the field-level seats and one of the staff directed her to an empty chair where she could watch the game.
She took out her laptop and started making some notes. People started filing in. A lot of women, too. Wives and maybe girlfriends of the players, no doubt. She wanted to talk to them, as well, but not tonight. She’d do that some other time.
When Trevor took the field, her heart skipped a beat. She’d seen him play on TV, of course, but never in person. He was so tall, and God, he looked mouthwateringly good in uniform as he trotted out to the field to warm up. She’d thought she was over the crush she’d had on him in college.
As she watched him run, she realized what she felt was nothing more than the rush of close proximity, the fact that she had one time with him. He was paying attention to her, giving her his time. If there was one thing Trevor had, it was charm, and he knew ho
w to use it. He’d always had a reputation with women, and for all his talk about focusing on nothing but sports in college, that hadn’t been the case at all. He’d had plenty of girlfriends—or at least he’d gone through a lot of women.
From the initial research she’d done about his adult life, it appeared he was still going through them. Approaching thirty, he remained unattached and hadn’t had a serious girlfriend. She wondered why. She made a note to ask him, then focused on the practice.
They got into positions while the pitcher warmed up. Trevor was in left field. She knew a lot of these players, though the team had made a few changes in recent years. Gavin Riley was still at first base, anchored by Dedrick Coleman at third, the veterans who were still the glue that held this team together. They’d traded for a hotshot shortstop, Chase Henderson, who looked to be an up-and-comer.
She had high hopes for the team this year. The Rivers were currently in second place with two weeks to go until the end of the regular season. They were three games out of first and in the hunt for at least a wild card spot.
She loved sports, and always had. Maybe it had been a product of her growing up around sports players, being around them all the time because of her parents. The sports dorms had housed players of so many different sports—football, baseball, lacrosse, tennis—any sport imaginable. And her parents had treated every boy who’d gone to college there as one of their own. They’d often gone to the games, and if there was one thing her father had been good at, it was spotting a boy in trouble—someone who needed a little extra TLC.
Haven remembered her dad spending a lot of time with Trevor, though she hadn’t known why, by that point not paying so much attention to Trevor because she’d been in college herself, focusing on her own studies, her own social life. Whatever pitiful social life she’d had, anyway. One would think she would have been incredibly popular since she’d known all the jocks.
Not so much. None of the guys had wanted anything to do with her. She might as well have had Off-Limits tattooed across her forehead. Being the daughter of the dorm parents was just as bad as being the daughter of one of the coaches. No one had touched her. Not that she had wanted any of them.
Except for Trevor, who continued to wow her with the distance on his throws. He had one hell of an arm.