Saving Maverick

by Debra Elise

“Whoa, hold it one damn minute. Don’t lump me in with whoever it was who hurt you in the past. Sure, I’ve had a couple of bad dings to my image lately, but that doesn’t give you the right to brush me off as a man who doesn’t have any self-control or redeeming qualities. We haven’t known each other long enough for you to pass judgment, Ice Princess.”

  Kelsey stood completely still during his speech and didn’t as much as twitch when he now regrettably called her an Ice Princess. He should have held his tongue and taken the high road instead of calling her names.

  Mav continued to watch her back as he wondered what to say next. Should he apologize or take the wait-and-see approach? He didn’t get to make that decision. Lois, T.S.’s secretary, called out to say T.S. was ready for them.

  “Kelsey, I’m . . . hell, whatever. Let’s go and see if we both still have jobs.” Maverick waited until she turned around and looked closely at her face. She looked calm and unaffected by his hurtful comment, yet he had a bad feeling. From past experience it was the quiet ones you had to watch out for.

  She walked right past him into T.S.’s office and took a seat. She didn’t look at him. She didn’t say anything. He made his way into the room and looked right at the youngest owner in baseball. “Before you say anything, T.S., it’s all my fault. I thought Kelsey was attracted to me as much as I am to her. I followed her out of the coffee shop where we met to discuss the plans she had come up with and . . . stole a kiss.”

  He didn’t look at Kelsey once, instead kept a level gaze on the owner. “It was a rookie move and I took her concern for my welfare as something else. Something she wasn’t offering. So I’ll do, say, sign a piece a paper, whatever—anything to turn this around. However you want it played out. Just let me know.”

  T.S. looked from him to Kelsey and back again, and motioned for Maverick to take a seat. He leaned back in his chair and instead of blasting him and Kelsey for losing their minds in such a public place, he dropped a bomb.

  “Okay, how about I trade you? Does that work for you?”

  Stunned silence crept through the room. Mav saw his entire baseball career flash before his eyes. He hadn’t even taken the field with the new team and now he would be cast off to the highest bidder.

  He didn’t know what to say, and T.S. didn’t give him a chance.

  “You’re damn right you two need to do something. The team does not need this distraction and my investors won’t tolerate anymore bad publicity. So unless you have a solution, I will be forced to do something about it myself. And I have a feeling neither one of you will like it,” T.S. said.

  Maverick opened his mouth to reply, but T.S. kept going. “Ace told me you’re getting there with the pitching, Mav. But you can’t afford this shit. This club has to prove itself on too many levels without your personal life being splashed everywhere.”

  T.S. had worked up a full head of steam and addressed Kelsey next. “Kelsey, I’m not sure what to tell you. I’ve been trying to come up with a delicate way to say this, and not sound like a sexist ass, but you need to keep your own libido in check and come up with a damn good reason why you were pinned to that brick wall.”

  Kelsey stared at T.S. She didn’t have a good enough response to give to her friend, her boss.

  After several long moments of silence, T.S. sat forward and thumped his desk.

  “Okay, so here’s the plan. If you two were a couple, then this would make sense, but to have you in the position of trying to fix his reputation . . . shit, this adds fuel to the fire already lit and . . . hell, I should fire you both.”

  What T.S. said next shocked Kelsey to her core.

  “But I won’t. So here’s my solution. You’re going to pretend you’re a couple, better yet you’re engaged. It was love at first sight and now you’re madly in love. The photo of you two with your hands all over each other was a momentary lapse in judgment. You had no intention of taking the relationship public because it was so new, but now that you have, you’re happy you don’t have to keep it a secret anymore.”

  No, no, no. This was not good. Kelsey wanted to run screaming from the room. It was a brilliant idea, and one she should have thought of herself, but no. Not good. For someone else. Anyone else, fine. She only wanted a bit of fun. Excitement and maybe great sex, but this? This was not what she signed up for. To be placed in front of the public and held up as the woman who could tame the Bad Boy of Baseball. Not happening.

  T.S. directed his steely eyes to Kelsey. “You are going to continue your plan to make people forget about his mini-movie and get him back in the public’s good graces. I read your proposal last night and I like the plan to have him volunteer at the Children’s Club. Smart move. And makes me almost forget about the photo. But not quite.”

  “Maverick, I want to see real effort on your part with the counselor. You need to get to the heart of why you’re not pitching like the star you are. The star I’m paying a lot of money for.”

  Maverick stood up and paced the room. She’d give anything to know what he was thinking right now.

  “The disabled list is not going to hide your real problem forever. Blake Anderson knows you’re faking the injury and I can’t believe our physical therapist hasn’t come to me with his suspicions. But you need to come clean with them both. Lying to your manager isn’t doing you any favors and he’s sure as hell not going to want to put you back in the game when he finds out you’ve been playing him.”

  Kelsey let T.S.’s words wash over her as he continued outlining his demands and expectations. Maverick nodded at everything that was said, as if ready to jump in and play the happy couple.

  It was up to her to put an end to the ridiculous notion she and Maverick would now have to publicly act love struck. Lust struck, maybe. She wasn’t putting herself in the public eye, swooning over a ballplayer. Not for any amount of money.

  “I’d like to say something,” Kelsey interrupted T.S. and perched on the edge of her chair. She ignored the storm warnings shot her way.

  “This situation can easily be handled but in a different way. I propose we issue a statement that I was acting as a stand-in for an actress who never showed to a photo shoot. We can say Maverick had been considered for a guest role in Northern Nights and the studio requested an audition tape. We could also . . .”

  “Kelsey, what happens when someone starts researching the claim and finds out the studio hadn’t requested anything and that no video crew had been sent to tape it?” T.S. said. “Also, it’s a lie and I don’t think this situation can take anymore inconsistencies or—”

  “What do you call what you proposed, T.S.? It’s crazy to think Maverick or I would agree to pretend to have fallen in love at first sight. It’s not going to work.”

  She looked at Maverick and noticed he was nowhere near as upset as she was. “Maverick, don’t you have anything to say to this ridiculous idea instead of standing there grinning like an idiot?”

  “Oh, I have plenty of thoughts on the suggestion, but I’m with T.S. It’s the perfect plan, and besides we already know we like each other so why not give it a shot and see how it plays out?” Maverick gave T.S. a nod. “Don’t worry. She’ll come around. I think she’s bent out of shape because you thought of it first,” Maverick said.

  “You’re both out of your minds. It’ll never work. Besides, everyone I know is going to think this is a setup. They’d never believe I’d date a ballplayer.”

  “And what’s wrong with ballplayers? I’m good enough to work with, but not good enough to date, huh?”

  “Considering your track record as of late, I’d say it’s a good bet you’d dump me after two weeks when the next ball girl caught your eye.”

  “Is that a dare, Ms. Sullivan? Because if it is, I’m up for the challenge. After one week I’ll have you singing my praises.”

  Kelsey was livid. She looked at Maverick and considered murder for the first time in her life. She wondered if she could drag his body down the stairs by herself or if she’d have t
o call Lara for help? Better yet, go along with this crazy idea, and then dump him spectacularly in public. Maybe right before a game, while he was practicing. Yeah, the reporters would be all over that and she’d be able to walk away without having to do any hard time.

  “It really doesn’t matter because we’re not going to date, for real or otherwise.”

  He flashed her the same killer smile she received the first night they met. A rush of excitement traveled through her. Her body screamed yes, her mind called her crazy. “I’d say you are,” T.S. said. “You both have put yourselves in this position by giving in to a momentary indiscretion. And I might add you both have jobs that hinge on the success of turning Maverick’s public image around.

  “Look, I also don’t need Mav having any further distractions. You can pretend to date, but also be there to make sure he doesn’t get too wild in his off hours. It’s win-win as far as I’m concerned and if you don’t like it, then the door is behind you. I’ll send you a check for your time.”

  Maverick sat and took one of her hands in his. “Kelsey, I’m not as bad as everyone makes me out to be. You agreed to help me once, maybe you could loosen up and do it again. What do you say, Kelsey, wanna go steady?” Maverick asked.

  “Kelsey, my investors, Blake, and the rest of the ball club are anxious to see this media circus end. We have tickets to sell and it’s hard enough convincing the locals to put their hard-earned money down on USBL tickets. The team needs to prove itself. We need to show all the naysayers we can win and that we’ll stick around long enough to make the community’s investment in us worthwhile.”

  “Listen, Kelsey, we’re going to be seen together anyway, right? So it makes sense that all this time we’ve been spending together has grown into a real connection,” Maverick said. He sat back in his chair and gave Kelsey a sidelong glance. She was so damn gorgeous, and maybe this would help him get her into bed. His cock grew hard at the thought of having free rein to touch her anytime he wanted, even in public. Especially in public. He felt a need to mark her as his, which thrilled and scared him in equal measure.

  Kelsey couldn’t believe her ears. Not only was she being shanghaied into spending even more time with the charming Maverick Jansen, now her job, her future position with a major league franchise, was in jeopardy if she didn’t play nice and act like a lovesick fool for the national media. Damn, how was she going to turn this around? Her mind searched for another plan, anything to get them to see this would not work. She didn’t want to be cozied up to a ballplayer in public no matter how he made her body hum in private. How every time she thought about his caresses she desperately wanted to be in his arms.

  She looked into Mav’s eyes and saw sincerity and hope. There was just enough bad boy twinkle to dare her not to help. But there had to be another way. She tore her gaze away and met T.S.’s narrowed glare.

  Bracing for a fight she addressed T.S. and Maverick. “Gentlemen, I suggest we take a step back and weigh some other options, and we could meet tomorrow to discuss—”

  “Kelsey, unless you have an alternative to this plan today, then I’m going to have to find someone else. You’re already in place. Whether you want to continue or not, you put yourself in the position of love interest. The question is how important this job is to you and can you follow it through to the end?”

  She tipped her head back and closed her eyes. This couldn’t be her life. She’d endured one scandal with a former client just to be thrown into another one.

  She looked at Maverick and found him watching her. He was studying her intently, his blue eyes dark and turned on. She felt claimed in that moment, as if she were his already.

  Her heart pounded not because of the corner she’d been backed into, no, the man sitting next to her did that to her, and the desire she saw in his eyes matched her own. Damn. Damn. Damn. Apparently her body was making the decisions for her today.

  “You have yourself a deal, boys, but I get to make the rules. I get to decide when and how this pretend relationship plays out and more importantly how it ends. We should probably plan on the whole season, but don’t expect me to act like a lovesick fool giving interviews. This is about Maverick and ensuring his success with the team.”

  She angled her body toward her new boyfriend. “I’ll play along, be seen with you on your days off and probably some charity events. But I’m in charge.” Lord help her, she was in deep now. Kelsey picked up her purse and made her way out of the office.

  “I’ve got some other things to work on, Maverick. I’ll be in touch.”

  “I’m counting on it.” He rose to follow her, but T.S. stopped him.

  She lingered in the hallway to hear what T.S. had to say.

  “Maverick?”

  “Yeah, Boss?”

  “You’re a dead man if you break her heart.”

  She smiled to herself and hurried toward the elevators. T.S. was definitely the brother she never had. He was also as grumpy as a grizzly looking for a meal or a woman. Maybe when things calmed down with Mav, she’d do some matchmaking of her own.

  Chapter 17

  By seven p.m. that night, Kelsey was beyond pissed. This time, Maverick hadn’t returned any of her calls or texts. He’d had another session with Caris directly after T.S. had performed the forced handfast. She wanted to feel him out for any breakthroughs and discuss the volunteer opportunity at the Children’s Club.

  She’d been fielding requests all day for an exclusive interview as a couple. She’d called her assistant in L.A., and had her send out an official statement to all the media outlets confirming that she and Maverick were a couple, but not engaged. She hadn’t made up her mind if doing an interview now would be a smart move.

  She’d had enough waiting by the phone. When he hadn’t responded by nine o’clock, she decided to drive over to his condo. Looking around the parking garage for his black pickup she spied it at the end of the row. Well, at least his truck was here, so hopefully that meant he was too. She checked her hair and lipstick in the rearview mirror and stepped out of the parking garage and into the brutal winter night air.

  The ground floor of Mav’s condo building featured trendy shops and local businesses geared toward the tourist crowd. On the opposite side of the street was the brick and stone building that held her favorite bookstore. Maybe she could swing in after she saw Maverick and pick up that new novel she’d been dying to read. Her only orgasms as of late had been vicarious, and from reading the latest hot romance by her favorite author, Cathryn Cade.

  Her low heels were a smart choice. The steps that led up to Maverick’s condo were made of aggregate. Pretty, but lethal to high heels. She knocked on his door and waited. One minute passed. Then two. She knocked again. Still no response.

  Where could he be if not home? She’d already tried the stadium. No one had seen him and they were prepping for the trek to Arizona and the new spring training location T.S. had secured. She and T.S. had a brief talk about her joining the team on the road so she could get to know the rest of the players and begin working on a PR package for the whole team.

  It had been an awkward talk since they skirted around the issue from their earlier meeting. He was going to leave it up to her, but T.S. was disappointed with her, no doubt. She was hopeful their friendship would survive.

  The trip also meant she and Maverick wouldn’t have to play phone tag as they would if he was down south and she remained in Pineville. Win-win for both of them except she still wasn’t sure how she was going to keep him from pursuing her for real.

  After the third knock and still no answer, she turned to head back down the stairs and stumbled when the door finally opened to Maverick, dripping wet, holding onto a towel slung low over his hips.

  He reached out to steady her and brought her in close. She put her hands on his hard wet pecs to keep from falling over and froze. He smelled . . . lord, he smelled good. Sandalwood drifted up to tickle her nose. He was so warm—so hot—and hard. Her fingers itched to massage hi
s exposed bronzed skin.

  Mesmerized by the look he pinned her with, she watched as blue fire and lust exploded from his hooded eyes. She melted on the spot.

  “Don’t overthink it, Kelsey.” Maverick pulled her in tighter and rubbed his hard cock against her hip. Her legs threatened to fail her and she grasped his neck and held tight.

  “I won’t. I can’t deny the attraction between us. But you need to know that for me . . . it’s all about right here, right now. I can’t give you more than that.”

  “Shouldn’t that be my line?” Maverick lifted his sandy blond eyebrows.

  “I have my reasons. But God . . . there’s just something about you.” She rolled her neck and looked toward the ceiling for strength. “I . . . hell, even with my promise to . . .” Kelsey struggled to keep herself from blurting out her lifelong issues with baseball players.

  “Hold on there, what promise? Do you already have a boyfriend? Someone back in L.A.? Because believe it or not, that’s where I draw the line.” Mav pulled back and let his arms drop to his hips.

  “No. No, dammit, I’m messing this up. I want you to know that you don’t have to promise me anything. I’m not looking for anything other than you, buried deep inside me.” She looked up at him, took in the shock on his face and used it to her advantage.

  “I believe you promised me I’d be screaming your name at some point in the future.” She stood on tiptoe and slammed her mouth on his and gave over to the wanton side she’d only felt with him.

  She was pressing into Maverick just as hard as he was her, trying to find some relief for the ache he had created in her sex, the fire only he could stoke and quench.

  She pulled back slightly and spoke in a hushed tone. “I’m here to collect. I even brought my own protection. Nowadays a girl can never be too careful or too prepared.” Oh my lord, did she just say that?

  He wasn’t the only one shocked by her words, her behavior. She’d never been the aggressor when it came to sex. Always waiting for the guy to make the first move and then being let down when the promise of heat and passion wasn’t fulfilled.