by Penny Dee
Now I understood why she had agreed to our bet so easily.
She looked up and winked, and I came undone. This was love.
Next up, my sassy sister took to the plate. I knew she could play. She had grown up with three Dillinger brothers, so she knew her way around a baseball bat.
Like me she was left handed, and she smashed the ball out to right field where Armie was running around in circles with his arms skyward, trying to gauge where the ball was going to drop. It was a wonder he could see anything with those big Jackie O sunglasses on. Needless to say the ball slipped through his usually talented fingers and he fell on his ass.
Nikki took her sweet time, strutting to first base.
Kelsey was up next. She was still wearing her cowboy boots and short denim skirt and her blonde hair was pulled into plaits. If it wasn’t for the full-sleeve tattoo on her left arm, she’d look fresh out a North Dakota tourism catalogue.
She swung at the first two pitches, then hit a foul on the third.
Piper didn’t fare much better despite Jesse’s cries of support from left field. “Come on baby … you can do it … kick our ass!”
I swung around to look at him, my arms raised in a what-the-hell kind of fashion. The dude was so whipped. He looked at me and shrugged.
When Piper missed the second pitch, Jesse complained that I was pitching them too hard and too fast.
“Don’t worry baby, it’s just the way I like it.” She winked at her boyfriend.
I rolled my eyes and threw her an easy third, which she belted straight down the line and into my hands.
Pissed at me, she flicked me her middle finger as she walked back to the bench.
Harlow reappeared at the plate, looking smug and so damn sexy. The way her palm slid up the handle and her fingers curled around the shaft of the bat sent carnal pleasure tearing through me. I shivered. Damn it. I had to focus and take her out. I didn’t want her winning the bet.
She leaned into her batter’s stance. My eyes rolled over her perfectly round ass and long legs that went on forever in those jeans and I felt an appreciation for them everywhere in my body. She fixed me with those bright glittering eyes, with a small curl on her full lips and I was more determined than ever to win our bet.
But she had different ideas. And unfortunately, she had the ability to back it up.
She hit a homer skyward sending her and Nikki over the home plate.
If I wasn’t so turned on, I would have felt a little incompetent as a pitcher. But damn, this girl was good.
She was damn good.
That was two home runs.
Piper stepped up to the plate, determined to be a part of the play. I admit, I went easy on her because we go way back and I’ve always adored her like a sister. Even if she did scare me sometimes. But hell, I wanted her find her way around the field. Let one of the fielders be the bad guy and get her out.
She missed the first ball but hit the second, sending it trundling along the ground towards left field. She squealed, genuinely surprised by her achievement, and bolted towards first base.
When Kelsey sent one straight into Leigh’s waiting hands, the girls were out.
Harlow strolled over to me.
“Well aren’t you full of surprises,” I said.
She winked and took the ball from me. “You think I’m good with a bat, wait ’til you see my ball work.”
Okay, now she was just teasing. She was trying to psyche me out again. I got it. But damn … tell that to my dick.
“Don’t hold back,” I said.
“Don’t worry Heath, I’m going to give you everything I’ve got.”
Fuck. Me.
I had to win this bet.
The sooner she was in my bed, the better.
Chapter Six
HARLOW
Armie was first up to bat. Before stepping up to the home plate he lit a cigarette and let it dangle from his bottom lip. He was a glorious sight—tight black jeans and a sleeveless A7X t-shirt that exposed slim arms covered in tattoos. He wore big round sunglasses that were … wait … were they ladies glasses?
“Okay H-lady, show me what you’ve got.” He exaggerated his batting swing, as if he knew what he was doing.
He didn’t.
“You know, you’re gonna have to step a little closer to the plate Armie.” I explained.
He sucked on his cigarette without even using his hands, and blew smoke out in two streams from his nose. He sheepishly approached the plate where he pushed his butt out in a batting stance I’d never seen before.
It took everything I had to be able to pitch the ball to him without keeling over in laughter.
“C’mon buddy,” he said, swinging the bat like he was a pro.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
“H-lady, I got this. Hit me!”
He missed the first two pitches, then hit the third to the floor.
“I’m just warming up,” he yelled.
“No Armie, you’re out,” Nikki said, using her thumb in a gesture that he was out.
He looked crestfallen and his shoulders slumped. “Well that’s fucked.”
“It’s okay baby,” Kelsey called from the field. “You’ll get another chance to play.”
He pressed his fingers to his lips and threw three kisses out to her.
Heath stepped up to the plate, looking fifty shades of sexy.
He did look like he was born to play baseball. The stance. The way he held the bat. The bulge and flex of arm muscles as they grasped the bat. The smoldering game face that sent small pulses of delight to every nerve ending in my body.
I cocked a brow and grinned. “Ready?”
“I was born ready baby.” He winked.
I put everything behind my pitch. And somewhere in a small corner of my mind I thought there was a chance he might miss. But of course he didn’t. He smashed that ball so far into the afternoon sky it took Nikki a good five minutes to find it. Heath didn’t even run to home base. He took his time, winking at me as he crossed the home plate.
“Show off,” Nikki called out to him as she threw me the ball. He flipped her the bird and she put her thumb and forefinger to her forehead in the shape of an L.
Things went downhill for the girls from there. Jesse stepped up to bat and pelted the ball out mid field, sending him across the home plate before Kelsey had even managed to pick it up. Someone had failed to mention he had been on the baseball team with Heath in high school.
I knew Leigh would be tricky. Something told me he was pretty much good at everything he set his mind to, so I unleashed a furiously fast pitch at him. He swung and, to my pleasure, missed. Unfortunately he got the second and managed a sprint to second base.
Armie was easy pickings. And if I hadn’t been feeling so damn competitive, I would have felt a little bad about sending an unbridled fastball at him. Three times.
That was two out. Heath stepped up to the plate and winked. If I got him out, and if Leigh didn’t sneak over home plate … the girls had this game nailed.
Swinging around to Nikki and Piper, I signaled for them to keep an eye on Leigh, whom I suspected would attempt a sprint to third base as soon as the ball left my fingers. Both had their game faces on and nodded, ready to take out the eldest Dillinger.
I turned back to Heath. With a smirk, I said, “You’re going down.”
He smirked right back, with a wicked glint in his eyes. “Promise?”
I smiled and shook my head. He wasn’t referring to baseball at all.
Hoping he still had his mind in the gutter I did what my pro-ball playing brother would do, and sent a changeup at him. He had expected me to pitch a fastball and even though the bat made contact with the ball, his timing was off, sending the ball straight up in the air above me.
Looking up at the ball descending from the late afternoon sky I knew I had a decision to make. In that split second I could change the course of everything. If I caught the ball, it would be game over and I would hav
e won the bet. If I missed, Heath could still win our bet.
I don’t know if I had fully made up my mind as I let the ball slip through my fingers. But I did, and it hit the dirt below with a thud.
Heath took off to first base and then second. Leigh headed home. I picked up the ball and threw it to Nikki, hoping she’d catch Heath between second and third. But he was too quick.
As he crossed the home plate, the guys cheered. Hats went skyward. They patted one another’s backs and congratulated each other as if they had just won the World Series.
The girls slowly wandered in from the field and I felt a little bad. Had I deliberately missed that catch? They didn’t seem to mind losing though. Afterall, it had been a fun way to see out the afternoon.
When I looked over at Heath, he wasn’t looking smug like I thought he would. He was staring at me, his expression thoughtful, and I could feel the magnetic pull of his gaze. Something about the way he was looking at me made my heart stutter.
When I reached him he smiled softly, his blue eyes bright in the late afternoon sun.
“Congratulations. That was a good win,” I said with good sportsmanship.
He didn’t say anything for a moment and I got the distinctive feeling he was scrutinizing me. Like he was sorting something out in his head. But then he smiled. A big smile. Like he had worked whatever it was out and it made him happy.
He curled his arm around my neck and pulled me against his chest. “Come on, Mickey Mantel. You owe me dinner.”
* * * * *
HEATH
She lost the bet on purpose. The changeup she pitched to me fucked me up and I basically handed her the win on a silver platter.
But she missed.
And there’s no way she should have missed that ball. Unless it was on purpose.
I couldn’t help but grin. She had lost the bet on purpose because she wanted to spend the night with me. Were her feelings towards me changing? The idea made my insides light up with so much fucking sunshine I didn’t know what to do with myself.
“Should we go get your stuff now or later?” I asked her as we made our way back to my house.
“Stuff?” she asked.
“Yeah. You lost the bet. Remember?”
A small smile curled on her lips. “Yeah. I remember.”
“Or are you telling me you sleep naked?”
She shot me a look.
“Because I am totally cool with it, if you do.”
She tried but she couldn’t help but smile. “Sorry to disappoint you, Heath. But no, I don’t sleep naked.”
I tried to look disappointed but the truth was, I was so excited by the idea of her sleeping over, nothing was going to bother me. She could wrap herself in a hessian sack for all I cared, just as long as I got to feel the weight of her next to me in my bed.
“So you want me to stay over tonight?” she asked.
I wanted her to stay over every night.
Wait. What?
Oh, hell. What the fuck was happening to me?
Truth was, I couldn’t wait to spend some alone time with her.
“No point waiting,” I replied. “Plus, tomorrow night we’ve got a show in town. And if we wait ’til the following night, I’m afraid you’ll work out a way to weasel out of it.”
She looked mildly offended. “I don’t weasel. A bet’s, a bet. But you’re the winner, so if you say you want me to stay tonight, then I’ll stay tonight.”
Her smile went straight to every sensitive part of my body.
“Where are you guys playing tomorrow night?” she asked.
“The DeSoto. Will you come?”
“Of course.”
Since we’d started hanging out, if she wasn’t working she had made it to every show we had played locally. It was always a buzz knowing she was in the crowd, watching me.
We had Vegas coming up in a few weeks. We’d been asked to play at the Maypole Music Festival alongside some pretty big bands. It would be our first time playing a massive crowd and I needed her there with me. I wanted her to be a part of my life. For no rhyme or reason, having her there seemed almost important as being there myself.
It was dusk when we arrived back at my house. Somehow it was decided dinner would be at Whistler, a local karaoke bar. I’m not sure how it happened, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with that pussy, Jesse. He and Piper were a couple of karaoke nerds.
To get the eight of us there I took my Challenger and Jesse took the Charger. The bar was pretty crowded, but we were lucky to score a large table at the front, near the stage. Straightaway, Piper and Jesse were picking out songs.
“What about you Harlow, do you sing?” Piper asked, looking up from the song list.
“Not even to save myself,” Harlow replied.
“Yeah, right,” I said. “Just like you couldn’t play baseball.”
“I never said I couldn’t. You just assumed I couldn’t. And for that, you will pay.” Dark eyes gleamed wickedly through long lashes at me.
The way she looked at me. The way I felt around her. I felt a million fucking bucks. And tonight she was going to hang with me. The whole night.
“I can run fast,” I replied.
“Yes, but you have to sleep sometime …”
Piper sighed and turned to Jesse. “This is exhausting.”
“I wish they’d get their shit together.”
“Who?” I asked.
They both looked at me as if I’d just spoken Klingon.
Piper rolled her eyes and then shook her head, like I was a lost cause. Then she nudged Jesse and pointed to the song list in front of her. They smiled conspiratorially and turned their attention back to me.
“You know that was pretty mean of you to pitch my girl a fastball this afternoon, dude. Wasn’t very sportsman-like,” Jesse said.
I squinted at him. What the fuck was he talking about?
“Yeah. That was a bit rough, Heath,” Piper chimed in. “Kinda hurt my feelings.”
Harlow looked at me and I could see she was just as lost as I was.
“I’ll tell you what … let me pick a song for you to sing … then we’ll call it even,” Piper continued.
I was still confused, but agreed anyway, anything to end this weird-ass conversation. “Okaaaaay.”
Piper slid the song list across the table and pointed to a song.
She had to be kidding!
I looked up.
“And sing it like you mean it,” she said with a raise of her eyebrows.
Both her and her pussy-whipped boyfriend were looking at me smugly.
I knew what they were doing. God love them.
“Fine,” I said, standing up.
The song was a pop song. I didn’t do pop songs. It wasn’t really my thing. So they were going to get the Heath Dillinger high-powered gravel version.
It was a little known song called ‘I Want Her’ by Blind Truth. I knew it because it had been on Scary Movie 5 and I’d seen that movie a hundred times, thanks to a failed guys weekend at a snowed-in mountain chalet, with no TV channels and only a DVD and bottle of bourbon to keep us entertained. Worst fucking weekend of my life.
I accepted the microphone off a rather large-chested karaoke employee and then offered Piper and Jesse a special salute, which involved my middle finger.
At the table next to us a couple of girls were trying to get my attention. Two months ago they would have succeeded. Now I offered them nothing. No wink. No smile. Nothing. All that mattered was the girl with the long brown hair and bright green eyes, grinning up at me from our table.
As the music began she started the appreciative applause and the rest of the table joined in. There was clapping and yelping, a few whistles and catcalls. The rest of the room was quick to follow and before I knew it, they were all getting into it.
The table of girls next to us looked on enraptured. Hair was flicked. Lips licked and glossed. Eyes threw not-so-subtle offers in my direction.
But it was H
arlow I was singing to.
You know, because Piper insisted. And I didn’t want to piss her off. Because Piper may be little, but she was a tornado of scary when pissed off.
“… don’t want to be a good guy, ’cos I am so in love with her …”
The showman in me came out. The one that got me up in front of thousands of people and let me sing in front of them for a few hours. The one that didn’t care that I was singing a fucking pop song.
I leapt off the small stage and worked my way around the room, my raspy voice making this pop song my bitch.
I couldn’t help but grin. And when Harlow smiled up at me, hell, life was awesome.
When I didn’t know the words, I just made them up. I also threw in a few gravelly growls and powerful high notes, just because I was having so much fun. Just like the rest of the room who joined me in the chorus.
When the song finished, the room erupted in applause. The girls at the adjacent table leapt up, screaming as if I’d just done something amazing. Whistles came from another table towards the back of the room. I looked over at Harlow and she was furiously clapping and laughing. I gave her a wink as I sat down next to her.
“That was awesome.” She laughed.
“Good because I’m thinking of adding it to our song list.”
She grinned. “Who knew Mr. Rock n roll could sing pop songs so well.”
“Baby, I can sing anything.”
“Especially if the motivation is right, hey Heath?” Piper grinned.
If Harlow realized Piper and Jesse had made me sing that song because of her, then she didn’t show it. She just smiled and her sea-green eyes twinkled back at me. The urge to kiss her—to just say fuck it—and take her beautiful face between my hands and put my lips to hers, ripped through me like wildfire.
But I forced it back. Because she had made it clear that anything but friendship was impossible. And oddly enough, I felt fiercely protective of what I had with her. I wasn’t about to jeopardize it by trying to kiss her.
Her cell phone pinged and I watched her face as she read the message. She quickly replied and then it pinged again. As she read the second message she smiled. When she looked up and saw me watching, her smile faded.