Saving Maverick

by Debra Elise

  Maverick took in Caris’s words and thought back on the last few weeks. When he’d started these sessions he thought he could skate through, pretend to listen to what she had to say, and that’d be it. But damn if he didn’t learn something about himself.

  He was stronger than he’d given himself credit for, and Connor’s memory deserved better than him wallowing in self-pity.

  “Caris, I want to thank you for hanging in there with me. I know it wasn’t easy those first few sessions, and it means so much that you didn’t cave to my bullshit.” He stood up and went around to her side of the desk. He pulled her out of her chair and into a hug.

  When he pulled back, he noticed her eyes were glistening.

  “Well, um, you’re welcome, Maverick. I, um, well, now you’ve gone and done it. You’ve made me cry.” She grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. “If you tell anyone, I’ll break your pitching arm. I have a reputation to uphold.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “You got it, Doc. But you have to promise me you’ll come out to a game. I know Kelsey would enjoy it if you sat with her. Say yes.”

  “Do I have to eat a hot dog?”

  “Nope. But you do have to drink a beer. It’s the rules. Beer and baseball.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “Do they serve wine?”

  “Sure, they serve it all. You’ll be in the owner’s skybox with Kelsey. Okay, I gotta go. I’m meeting the team at the stadium and boarding the bus for the airport in less than an hour. I’ll tell Kelsey to call you about the game.”

  She surprised him with a quick hug of her own. “I’m so glad you’re happy, Maverick. I wasn’t sure before . . . but I’m glad to have helped. Now get out of here before I start bawling like a baby.”

  Maverick left Caris’s office and rethought his idea about setting her up with Luke. He’d been a moody son of a bitch to everyone lately. He’d see if Kelsey had any suggestions. He needed to find just the right man for his favorite doctor. She’d already put up with one bad boy, she didn’t need another.

  Chapter 27

  Three weeks later, as promised, Kelsey flew into Peoria. He’d been like a teenager with his first girlfriend, sneaking glances at her in the stands. The game passed in a blur. He had a hard time concentrating knowing she was watching him.

  When he was finally able to put his hands on her it wasn’t for long. The team had been invited out to T.S.’s rental house on the Agua Fria River not far from the ball field to celebrate the end of spring training. They had just one more game before they headed home for opening day.

  Luke drove them so he was doing his best to convince Kelsey to make out with him in the backseat.

  He’d never felt better career wise than he had the last few weeks. Both he and Luke had stepped up their game. But something was off with Luke. He’d been moodier than usual and had gotten into a few shouting matches with opposing players. One was with the plate umpire and he’d been tossed from the game.

  That was not like Luke at all and he was worried the events with Syndi had hit him harder than Maverick had first thought. Maybe tonight Luke would find a woman to work off some of the stress he’d been putting on himself.

  But right now, Mav had his own woman sitting right next to him—finally. He had plans to sneak off somewhere after they got to the party and show her how much he needed her.

  He hadn’t been able to stop thinking of her and that was something new for him. He’d never really given much thought to a long-term relationship, even one based on sex. He’d heard some of his buddies talk about the whole “friends with benefits” thing, but he usually lost interest in a woman quickly, not a good thing to be proud of.

  Even with her opening up to him about her parents, they still hadn’t discussed if their relationship would be going forward.

  She was offering him sex anytime as well as helping him out with his public image problem. But there was a part of him that was calling out for more, and he wanted to push her, but didn’t.

  When he was with her, he was able to push aside all thoughts of the outside world. She made him laugh and frustrated the hell out him. Her soft cries of pleasure challenged him to drive her further over the edge.

  When he wasn’t with her, he found himself daydreaming about her. Not a good thing when he was on the mound, pitching in front of thousands in the stands and triple that watching from home in front of their mega-size flat screens.

  “That must be it. I recognize some of your teammates’ cars and I think I see a couple of valets running around.” Kelsey brought him out of his thoughts and he looked toward the mansion perched next to the lake.

  At that moment, in a stand of trees next to the sloping driveway, he saw a flash of light bobbing up and down as Luke inched his way down to the waiting valet. Mav squinted against the glare and thought he saw a female form dash from one tree to the next.

  He scanned the rest of the surrounding area to see if there were others present, but when he looked back at the original spot—nothing. Hell. He chalked it up to an overactive imagination and Kelsey being so damn close he couldn’t think straight.

  Maverick turned toward Kelsey to ask if she had seen anything unusual, but all he saw was a flash of upper thigh as she exited the car and all thoughts of the mystery figure took a distant second to his revved up libido.

  They found their way into the oversize lake house and followed the noise to the back deck. A bar had been set up on the deck overlooking the property and river. A band played below on the manicured lawn. Torches lined the small expanse of beach where people mingled, enjoying the warm night with drinks in hand, sharing their favorite parts of the game.

  Maverick noticed John Reese, the Outlaws’ left fielder, sitting by himself in the corner of the deck. He avoided eye contact and looked pissed. Probably because he’d gone O for three and for once the spotlight was not on him or his typical .345 hitting average.

  Maverick thought about walking over and ribbing him, getting back at the comments he’d heard in the locker room earlier in the month when he and shortstop, Brock Cameron, had been discussing Maverick’s chances at remaining the starting pitcher.

  Before he took two steps in Reese’s direction, he saw a flash of familiar platinum hair streak past the beach area into the surrounding trees and then still. Damn. He wasn’t seeing things.

  Would Syndi be stupid enough to show up here considering the police had listed her as a suspect in Maverick’s stalking case? Sure he had to be mistaken, but needing to make certain it wasn’t her, he headed down the stairs of the deck and made his way to the band area.

  Kelsey called his name. “Maverick, where you headed?”

  He looked back up at the deck and called to her that he wanted to make a song request and would be right back. She nodded, satisfied with his answer, and said she’d go look for T.S.

  When Maverick arrived at the makeshift dance floor he scanned the crowd for the woman who’d been causing havoc in his life. He didn’t find her, so he took a stroll along the edge of the lawn as it met up with the sandy beach.

  None of the women he came across looked remotely like her. His gut told him it was her, and he almost hoped it was so they could have it out in public. Give her a taste of her own bitter medicine. Probably wishful thinking. He soon gave up, not wanting to spoil the evening, and jogged back up to where Kelsey waited for him.

  But he couldn’t shake the sense that someone was watching his every move.

  They’d had one more practice day before their final game of spring training tomorrow. Kelsey had been at the ballpark for a while, then headed over to the Outlaws’ temporary offices downtown to deal with other client issues in L.A. that she couldn’t pass off to her partner. She also wanted to check in with the advertising department that had finalized a new print campaign for the team.

  Mav had been staying in a condo downtown away from most of his teammates while they’d been in Arizona. He’d been able to keep his location a secret. When he pulled
into his parking space, he’d hoped to see her rental car already there. It wasn’t. He pulled out his cell and called her. Voicemail. He should have stopped for flowers and her favorite wine.

  His body hardened every time he thought of her, giving herself to him, pleasuring him in equal measure. He grinned when he thought of the last time he had her underneath him, her perfect body warm and smooth as silk against him this morning.

  He opened the door and noticed his lights were on and the door to the bedroom was ajar with music drifting out. Kelsey. She was already here. He kicked the door shut and began stripping his clothes off.

  He crossed the threshold and froze. He had a naked woman in his bed all right. But it was the wrong woman.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Syndi?” Maverick grabbed the bedspread and wrapped it around his hips and his now soft cock. He stepped farther into the room and yanked the sheets over Syndi. “Get dressed. You need to leave. Now.”

  Maverick turned on his heel and left his room cursing. Shit. How the hell did she get in? He picked up his slacks, pulled out his cell and called Luke, the only one he trusted besides Kelsey to help him out in this situation. Jesus, Kelsey. She was due any minute.

  He needed a witness to prove Syndi was the one turning his life upside down with her demented photos and he needed it not to be Kelsey.

  Luke answered on the third ring.

  “Man, get your ass to my place. Now.”

  “Maverick? What’s going on, bro? You need to be down here. Come celebrate with us . . .”

  “Syndi’s in my place. Naked. In my bed, and I need your help.” Maverick hung up and tossed the phone on the kitchen counter where it slid to the floor. Shit, he closed his eyes and hoped he hadn’t busted another phone. He walked over to pick it up and heard shuffling noises.

  When he turned he was faced with a delusional female who looked like a little girl lost, all made up in her mommy’s makeup.

  “Who did you call?” she asked.

  “Syndi, I need you to go back and get your clothes on. You don’t belong here.” He spoke in as calm a voice as he could muster.

  “Listen, Mav, I’ve waited a long time for us to be together, and I’m done waiting. I always get what I want.” She dropped the sheet. “And I want you.”

  Jesus. He stepped forward to pick up the sheet and had it almost to her shoulders when Kelsey walked in.

  “Mav, sorry I’m late but . . .”

  “It’s not what you think, babe.”

  “You!” Syndi screeched.

  The three of them spoke at once. Before Maverick could turn fully toward Kelsey, Syndi launched herself at her.

  “You whore! Maverick was supposed to be with me.” Syndi, naked and furious, made it to Kelsey before he could stop her.

  Kelsey dropped her purse and raised her hands to fend off Syndi’s punches. She managed to get one strike in before Mav took the sheet still in his hands and threw it over Syndi’s head.

  An unholy sound came from under the sheet as she struggled to escape. Kelsey moved away from Syndi and looked at Maverick. “What’s wrong with her? Did she hurt you?”

  Maverick’s worry over what Kelsey would assume vanished. His woman was too smart to fall for the setup, thank god. He shook his head, and tightened his grip on the woman losing it in his arms. The situation would be funny if it hadn’t been happening to him.

  “Kelsey, can you go get a blanket off the bed? This sheet isn’t working. We need to get her to calm down somehow.”

  “Get your hands off me!” Syndi began sobbing and reached out again to find Kelsey. “Where is she? You ruined everything!”

  “Syndi, you need to take a breath and calm down,” Maverick crooned. “You’re going to hurt yourself if you don’t stop fighting.”

  Kelsey ran back to the bedroom for the blanket.

  “Grab her clothes too.” Maverick called after her as he tried to move the now kicking Syndi to the couch.

  As he was trying to get her to sit down, Luke came in. “What the hell, Mav, what is it with you and women? They all flip out on you, man.” Luke stood near the doorway and shook his head. “What can I do?”

  “Very funny. I was hoping to reason with her, but I think we need to call 911. Can you do that for me?” Maverick dodged Syndi as she tried to bite his hand, the sheet now on the floor. Both he and Luke looked at each other as the screaming and very naked Syndi Smith continued to fight them. Not wanting to hurt her, Mav backed off.

  “Don’t touch me!” Syndi screeched.

  At a loss as to what to do next, he simply watched as the former beauty queen raged on, and black tears soaked with mascara streaked down her face. She continued to rant about her love for him, that no one else was good enough.

  “Yeah, she’s not going to calm down. She’s gone over the edge. What a shit show.” Luke barely dodged a kick to his shin, and took out his cell.

  Kelsey rushed back into the room and threw the blanket over Syndi and sat on her. “You two need to stay away from her before you accidentally hurt her. I’ll do what I can to keep her on the couch. Maverick, you need to finish getting dressed before the police show up.”

  “I thought she was you, babe. I would never . . . not with her.”

  “I know.”

  “Get off me, you whore! Maverick’s mine.”

  “Maybe now’s not the time to have this conversation.” Kelsey gave him a half smile and yelped when Syndi bucked underneath her.

  “Yeah. Jesus, babe, I’m so sorry.” Maverick watched as his woman handled Syndi. Anyone else probably would have turned tail and run when they walked in the door. Not his Kelsey. She dived right in and took charge.

  “Ah, Mav?” Luke asked.

  “You might want to get dressed before the cops show up.”

  He took one more look at the chaos that was his life, grabbed his clothes off the floor, and went back into his room. He prayed there wouldn’t be any nosy neighbors taking pictures once the police arrived.

  Within minutes the police showed up and after much negotiating with Syndi, got her to calm down. A female EMT had arrived not long after the police to evaluate Syndi who was now in his bedroom sobbing. Numerous law enforcement officials were gathering evidence and taking statements.

  If Kelsey hadn’t been supporting him he didn’t know how he would have handled Syndi. She’d totally lost it. She’d obviously suffered some kind of psychotic breakdown and even after all the chaos she’d created in his life, which she deserved to be locked away for, he hoped she received the proper treatment.

  He held Kelsey close to him as they watched Syndi being taken out of the condo in handcuffs. The media were going to have a field day with this. He didn’t know if any of the paparazzi had picked up on the incident yet, but Kelsey had already talked about releasing a preemptive statement.

  The surreal atmosphere with the police and EMTs had reminded him of the night of his brother’s death. As he forced the memories back he was relieved the stalker crap had finally ended and his life could get back to normal.

  Chapter 28

  Last day of March and last day of spring training. Maverick was set to start the game. He woke Kelsey early and they spent the next two hours lost in each other.

  He checked his Twitter account. They had composed a statement and sent it out before they went to bed. Looked like they beat the media to the punch. By putting out the statement before Syndi’s arrest was discovered, the response was overwhelmingly positive.

  Kelsey had stood by him and saved his ass—again. Too bad the season was just starting. He’d love to take her someplace warm and as far away from the public as possible. Just the two of them. Maybe in November, after they won the championship. He smiled at the thought and headed for the shower.

  He let her sleep and left her a note that he would see her at the ballpark. He made coffee before he left and was taking his first sip on his way to his truck when his phone rang. The caller ID showed it was his sister calling. Damn,
he wasn’t up for her brand of sisterly advice this early in the morning either, so he sent the call to voicemail.

  When Maverick arrived at the Arizona stadium he thought about his sister and grinned. She might be a pain in his ass, but he hadn’t spoken to her in too long so he decided to play the message.

  Miranda was two years younger, but she didn’t let that fact hold her back from preaching to him if she believed he deserved it. And he’d given her plenty to preach about. But hopefully she was calling to wish him luck on today’s game and not about last night’s events.

  He listened to the voicemail and then had to listen to it again. He had a hard time processing what he’d heard his sister say between her sobs. He paused the message and sat stunned, unmoving, and suddenly cold. Fuck, the hits just kept on coming.

  He looked back down at his smartphone and instead of restarting the message, he called his sister to see if she had calmed down enough to give him the full details on how the hell the driver who killed their brother Connor was acquitted of all charges.

  Maverick’s mom answered his sister’s phone and after hearing his voice, she too broke into uncontrollable sobs. That left speaking to his father in order to figure out what exactly had happened at the courthouse today. His father spoke low and controlled. The driver’s lawyer had enough evidence to prove that the company had not serviced the semi-trailer properly and it was they, not the driver, who was at fault. His father ended the conversation abruptly as he heard his mother break down again in the background. Maverick pounded his steering wheel until his hand was numb. He’d known the sentencing would be happening soon, hell he’d blocked out the date on purpose. Mav stayed away from the trial for several reasons. He had a contract to fulfill and he didn’t want to give any more photo ops to the media horde than necessary. But his father was the bigger reason.

  They hadn’t had a conversation of more than a handful of words in months. Today, Randall Jansen Sr. had once again been given another reason to be disappointed with his oldest son.