Extra Innings and In His Wildest Dreams

by Debbi Rawlins

  Under Tommy’s innocent stare, Tess felt her cheeks grow hotter. “Too much sun.” She clapped her hands. “Come on, boys, let’s get into position. We only have a half hour left.”

  Billy let out a loud resigned sigh and resettled his cap on his head. “Yep, he’s busy all right. With Ms. Green,” he grumbled and trotted toward third base.

  Tess spun around. Belatedly she realized she could’ve been more circumspect but at least Eric hadn’t noticed her abrupt interest in his whereabouts. He was too busy leaning against a yellow Corvette, arms crossed, a flash of white teeth as he talked to Lana Green, the new fifth-grade teacher.

  Tall, willowy, blonde Lana, still dressed for the school day in her chic peach linen dress. Every prepubescent boy had a crush on her a mile long. Tess sniffed and adjusted her tangled ponytail.

  So what if Eric was talking to Lana. None of Tess’s business. Nor was it her concern that Lana was older, about twenty-eight was Tess’s guess, but exactly Eric’s type. Rumor in the teacher’s lounge was that she was engaged. Good for her, and if not, she and Eric would make a lovely couple.

  “Coach,” Billy impatiently yelled.

  Tess turned her attention back to the boys, who’d all taken their positions and were waiting expectantly for her. “Okay, whose turn is it to bat?”

  The boys laughed as if she’d made a joke, and she pressed her lips together in irritation when she realized that Tommy stood bat in hand, waiting for the pitch. Tess was the only one not where she was supposed to be.

  She took a deep, shuddering breath and walked over to stand behind the catcher. After the first pitch, she allowed herself one final sneak peek at Eric and Lana…just in time to see her slip him a piece of paper.

  TESS SHOWED UP FOR the game a little late. She’d had her doubts about going, but Sally had insisted, and the truth was Tess wanted to see Eric. After practice she’d gone home to a long warm bath, ate three lousy bites of tuna noodle casserole, tried to listen to her favorite music, which normally calmed her after a stressful day, and still she’d been restless.

  A few times she’d even considered calling him, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to do it. She kept picturing him with Lana.

  Tess had half expected to see the blonde sitting close to the fence, cheering Eric on. But there was no sign of her—and to Tess’s colossal annoyance, she’d searched hard for the woman. “It’s the eighth inning and you haven’t had a hot dog yet,” Sally said in surprise.

  “Already ate.” Tess kept her gaze on the game, or more accurately, on Eric. He hadn’t even glanced up to see if she was there but he was superstitious about acknowledging her until the game was over.

  What bothered her more was that Sally hadn’t mentioned him once, which was unusual. Tess dreaded to think it was because Eric had told her about what had happened at Little League practice and that he was done trying to be nice. Though probably not. Sally’s mind had been elsewhere. After spending most of the day at the hospital with Gwen, who’d had her baby, it seemed Sally was starting to feel the pregnancy bug, and cute tiny baby clothes had been nearly all she’d talked about.

  At least Eric had gotten one hit tonight, just to first, but still. Tess watched the batter for the Bismark Brawlers strike out to end the top of the inning, and she exhaled slowly. The Bulls were ahead by two runs, and Eric had one more up at bat.

  God, Tess hoped he exploded one out of the park. For him, for the team, but mostly because she didn’t want to be dethroned as his good-luck charm.

  The ridiculous thought caught her off guard. Made her sigh. Earned her a funny look from Sally. Tess just shook her head and turned her attention to the pitcher as he delivered a fastball. Guerrero ducked…decent fake…but the pitch was good and the umpire called the strike.

  Tess couldn’t recall ever so desperately wanting a game to be over, so much so that she wasn’t unhappy that Guerrero and the next batter both struck out. Then it was Eric’s turn, and she couldn’t help but smile as she watched him step up to the box and go through his glove-adjusting ritual.

  Twice her gaze lowered to his ass, and her chest tightened thinking about this afternoon. She closed her eyes to stop from staring but instead of shaking off the sense memories, she swore she could feel his warm breath on her jaw, feel his arousal nudging the cleft of her bottom.

  Dammit. She promptly opened her eyes and shifted her focus to the Brawlers’ pitcher. He was good, probably the team’s best, and he took his time, trying to psyche out Eric. Finally the pitcher threw.

  The crack of wood hitting the ball echoed off the stands. Everyone watched as the ball arched high into the starlit sky. The fans knew it was a home run before the ball disappeared, the noisy crowd jumping up with outstretched arms.

  Eric had already begun his victory lap, his tall, lean body in graceful motion. Tess watched with crazy unjustified pride as he rounded each base. He was halfway between third and home when Sally elbowed her arm.

  “Hey, I forgot to tell you—”

  “Hmm?” Now she wanted to talk? Tess refused to drag her gaze from Eric as he approached home.

  “I have a message for you from Eric.”

  Tess looked at her then. When Sally hesitated, Tess had a good mind to shake the words out of her.

  “He wants you to wait for him outside the locker room or in the parking lot.” A mischievous smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “He said please twice. Practically begged, really.”

  “You’re evil.”

  “What?” Sally was all innocence.

  Tess shifted her gaze back to the field just in time to see Eric jog to the fence and pull off his helmet.

  He grinned right at her and mouthed, “That was for you.”

  Her heart nearly gave flight.

  Everyone sitting in the three rows that separated her from the field turned to see who Eric was talking to. Heat crawled up Tess’s throat and burned her cheeks. She thought she smiled back, but she wasn’t sure. For all she knew her mouth could’ve been hanging open. She was still breathing though, so that was good.

  Sally waited until Eric headed for the dugout. “Uh, what was that?”

  “What?” Pleased that her voice sounded normal, she turned her head to meet Sally’s shocked eyes.

  “You and Eric. What haven’t you told me?”

  “Nothing.”

  “That’s my point. Tess, come on!”

  She smiled, ridiculously thrilled that Eric clearly hadn’t discussed her, either.

  “Are you going to meet him after the game?”

  With a straight face, Tess said, “I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

  6

  TESS UNLOCKED HER CAR, slid in behind the wheel and checked her watch. Twenty minutes, she decided. That’s how long she’d wait for him. It was enough time because she’d already wasted ten minutes lurking in the shadows outside the locker room, but too many people had been hanging around. Plus another five to walk to her car. Yep, twenty minutes and she was out of here.

  Tess laid her head back, closed her eyes and told herself to unclench her teeth. Did he even know what kind of car she drove? Would he know she was here? She opened her eyes again and glanced around. Becker was a relatively small ballpark with a small lot, and most of the cars were already gone. Still, maybe she should move closer to the gate.

  Then it dawned on her. Where was his yellow Corvette? She’d been curious and found out from Sally that he’d been given a two-year lease on the sports car as part of his compensation for the commercial. Of course the players and coaches had their own parking area. God, she was jumpy. She didn’t have to wait. He could call her.

  She dug her phone out of her pocket, checked for missed calls and then laid it on the dashboard. After rooting around in her glove box she found some breath mints and popped one into her mouth. Not that she was expecting anything to happen but…

  He appeared out of nowhere and jogged toward her. She put down her window and waited, reminding herself to breathe
slowly, deeply…suck in air any way she could. He wore jeans, a snug untucked brown T-shirt and his hair was damp and slicked back. Without stopping at the driver’s side, he went around the car, opened the passenger door and folded his lean six-foot frame into the seat.

  “You came,” he said with a slow smile. “I wasn’t sure…”

  “I wanted to apologize for today—”

  He cupped a hand around her nape and his mouth came down on hers. He skipped the traditional first kiss…no gentle coaxing, teasing, testing. Angling his head, he pushed between her lips, and thrust his tongue against hers. She whimpered and clutched his muscled arm, strained toward him. He swept his tongue over her teeth, the inside of her cheek and stroked the roof of her mouth.

  He tasted minty fresh as if he’d just brushed, and she eagerly kissed him back, unable to stop from trembling under the unexpected invasion. Deep down she’d hoped the night would lead to this…not hoped—dreamed, fantasized. Because it all felt so unreal.

  Her quivery reaction must have startled him because he drew back a little, and his kiss gentled, until it was a mere brush of lips and he withdrew altogether. Her entire body seemed to go with him, leaning toward his side of the car as if he were a magnet and she couldn’t stop herself.

  “Tess?” He cupped her cheek.

  “I wanted you to kiss me,” she whispered. “But we were in the wrong place.” The parking lot seemed too well lit, and there was still the occasional straggler… She smiled self-consciously. “We’re still in the wrong place.”

  His gaze fell to her lips. “Tough,” he murmured and then he was kissing her again, this time softly, more leisurely, as if he wanted to make it last.

  Tess slid her hand up his chest, loving the solid feel of taut muscle beneath her palm as much as his tongue’s tender exploration of her mouth.

  Thank God she’d finally managed to stop shaking. It wasn’t that she hadn’t liked the first kiss. He’d literally stolen her breath, and she’d never have guessed such a demanding kiss could have turned her on so much. But this relaxed pace was nice, too.

  With her window down she thought she heard approaching voices. They both drew back at the same time, and their gazes went toward a man and two children coming from the exit gate. The kids each held programs to their small chests as they talked excitedly over each other.

  Tess grimaced. They were still a bit too distant to see clearly but judging by their size either boy could be one of her students or a Little Leaguer. She moved as far away from Eric as she could.

  “They were waiting outside the locker room for autographs.” Eric took her hand and traced her palm. “I already gave them one so they shouldn’t bother us.”

  “Could be my fourth graders,” she said, but the trio had finally gotten close enough that she was assured that wasn’t the case.

  “Didn’t think of that. Sorry.”

  She watched with relief as they stopped at a blue minivan and started piling inside.

  Eric wasted no time. He leaned over and kissed and nipped the side of her neck, sending waves of pleasure through her. She gasped when he trailed over a particularly sensitive spot, and laid her head back to give him full access. He moved his mouth to her collarbone, then traced her neckline with the tip of his tongue. When he cupped a breast through her knit top and rubbed her tightened nipple, she let out a small helpless moan.

  His tongue dipped inside her shirt, swept the tender flesh plumped over her bra. Shivering, she touched the side of his face. She couldn’t believe she was sitting in a public parking lot making out. With Eric Lessing. With Eric.

  She should stop him, remind him where they were, but an ache had started deep within her, a keen tingling, insatiable feeling she’d never experienced before. It was crazy, foolish, not at all like her, but she so badly wanted him to reach under her shirt and unclasp the front of her bra. Screw where they were. This was her chance, her one chance. Tomorrow he could strike out, lose the game, and she’d go from lucky charm to just another girl in some little town. Heck, he’d be off to the Majors in a blink, so really, she’d better make sure the memory was a darn good one, as it would have to last a lifetime.

  “Damn. I almost forgot.” Eric lifted his head, drew back his hand.

  It took a few seconds for the haze to clear and she looked dazedly at him. Then she heard the distant voices and followed his gaze. Two of his teammates stood near the gate surveying the parking lot.

  “What’s happening?” she asked, fixing her shirt, and forcing out even breaths.

  Eric groaned. “Our manager called a meeting. I’ve got to go back inside. I came out here to tell you.”

  “You could’ve called.”

  “To tell you the truth,” he said with a raspy laugh, “it didn’t even cross my mind.” He touched her cheek. “Will you wait? I shouldn’t be more than a half hour.”

  Sanity and common sense returned with a jolt. “I have school tomorrow. It’s a big day and I have homework to grade.”

  He stared at her, the lightness that had been in his face just a moment ago gone. “I understand. Your job is important, and I don’t want to screw that up.”

  She smiled, looked past him before she changed her mind. “I think they’re looking for you.”

  He spared his teammates a glance, but quickly turned back to her. “I’m going to be at your school tomorrow. To speak to another teacher’s class. Want me to drop by your classroom?”

  The knot in her stomach eased as the Lana puzzle was solved. “You bet. The kids would love it.”

  “How about you?”

  “Me, too,” she whispered, then leaned over and kissed him briefly before giving him a shove toward the door.

  TESS CAREFULLY RUBBED her right eye as she sat at her desk at the front of the classroom. She normally wore minimal makeup to school, a little mascara, pale lip gloss. Even with sunscreen, her face remained slightly tanned throughout the summer so she didn’t bother with blush or anything else. But after a restless night, she’d needed the help of concealer and the distraction of some smoky eyeliner.

  Besides, she was going to see Eric today and she wanted to look her best.

  After she’d left him last night, she’d gone straight home. She’d lied to him about grading papers. A justified lie in her mind because she’d been unable to trust herself with him. Oh, she had every intention of sleeping with him—that wasn’t the problem. She’d wanted to be better prepared.

  Yes, she’d had boyfriends in high school, a couple in college, and the teacher she’d seen for a year after graduation, but as a rule she felt rather tepid around men. But Eric?

  One look, one touch and he’d made her burn. Made her body long for him to touch her in wicked ways she’d never dreamed. The kiss had done it for her, even more than their encounter at practice. He’d wanted her, wanted her with a fervor that he could barely contain. She didn’t understand being able to inspire that kind of passion. Not even a little.

  Maybe that’s what it was always like for him. He played with such intensity on the ball field, it only made sense that he would carry that into other areas of his life. Like women. Like good-luck charms.

  “What’s wrong, Ms. Meyers? How’d you get that bad sunburn?”

  Startled, she looked over at Fritz Wiley. He pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose and blinked at her with owlish concern. He was her best student, only nine, but an old soul who seemed to worry about everything.

  “It’s nothing,” she assured him, resisting the urge to touch her hot cheeks. “Why aren’t you outside enjoying the sunshine? Only ten minutes left of your break.”

  He shrugged his bony shoulders, and went back to his book. She hated to see him isolate himself but she understood. She hadn’t been social in school. If not for her interest in athletics, she would’ve been like this child, alone, her nose buried in a book. In some ways she was still a loner, the outcast, preferring to stay home rather than bar hop like some of the other women her age. That’s why
she volunteered for Little League. It forced her out of the house.

  But watching Fritz peer intently at the page in front of him also reminded her why it made no sense that someone like Eric would be attracted to her at all. Apart from his superstitious belief that she somehow brought him luck, she wasn’t the type of woman who’d appeal to him. She was no Victoria’s Secret model. Not that she was unattractive, but she wasn’t in the big leagues, and never wanted to be.

  Tess sighed and checked her watch. Still enough time for a bathroom run before class started again. Halfway there she saw Eric come around the corner at the far end of the hall, all spiffed up in crisp khakis and a long-sleeve white shirt. Her steps faltered. Seeing him stripped away her defenses, and a want as real as her low-heeled, sensible pumps hit her hard.

  She ran her fingers through her hair, pressed her lips together, dismayed that the gloss was gone. Then she saw Lana.

  She was waiting for him outside her classroom.

  Eric hadn’t seen Tess. Lana had taken him straight inside, which was probably a good thing. This would give her time to prepare herself. He would delight the children, and it would be a great surprise for them. All she had to do was not get carried away.

  Even as she walked down the empty hallway to the restroom, Tess knew that she was fighting a losing battle.

  7

  “I WASN’T ONE OF THOSE kids who could take a test without studying. I had to crack the books every night. Okay, I won’t lie. Only a few nights before a test,” Eric amended, and the kids laughed. “But I always did my homework and anything else I needed to do for extra credit. I ran track in high school and freshman year of college, and if I hadn’t kept my grades up I would’ve been kicked out of the sports program.

  “It wasn’t until the middle of my sophomore year that I became interested in playing baseball. I always liked the sport and went to the games with my family, but I didn’t know I could play or would enjoy playing until I stopped running track because of a torn ligament.”