“Do I look okay?”
“You look fu—incredibly fantastic.” That was an understatement. She looked good enough to drizzle hot fudge down her body, top her with whipped cream, and have her for dessert. He mentally put that on his to-do list.
Tiff, the babysitter, a quiet girl with haunted eyes, took pictures for them with and without the kids. She seemed nice enough, and Bella had insisted she was 100 percent trustworthy.
Zeke waited impatiently while Paisley gave Tiff instructions. Finally, after hugs good-bye, he was able to drag her out the door. He’d decided to drive his classic 1960 Cadillac tonight, which had arrived from California a few days ago.
“This is beautiful.” Paisley settled into the plush leather seat and ran a hand over the leather dashboard.
“They don’t make them like this anymore.”
“No, they don’t.” She smiled at him. The dashboard light framed her beautiful face, and his groin clenched with raw animal need.
“You are beautiful.” He spoke with reverence.
She smiled, absolutely radiant with her Sally Sunshine smile at full wattage. Then it hit him. She was looking forward to their date, and he promised himself that he’d do everything in his power to make it memorable.
Careful not to mess up her hair, he cupped the back of her neck. Silky strands of spun gold glided across his knuckles. He kissed her, losing himself in her moist lips and seductive tongue. His world ceased to exist outside of this car and outside of her. He wanted nothing but to be a part of her for a long time.
When had he ever wanted to keep a woman around more than a short while? And why this woman with three kids and a past she avoided?
She drew back first, her eyes bright and her face flushed. “We should be going.”
“Yeah,” he said reluctantly as he put the car in gear. “Sorry to mess up your makeup.”
“It’s only lipstick.” She pulled a tube from her little purse and reapplied it. Watching her paint her lips in a soft pink almost made him come in his dress pants.
He drove the twenty minutes to the Bay Inn, an elegant old house on the water often used by movers and shakers for parties like this one. They pulled up in front of the building with its twinkling white lights. He gave the keys to the valet and admonished him to take care of his car. Turning to Paisley, he took her hand and led her up the stone steps to the grand double doors of the massive entryway.
Paisley’s eyes were as bright and luminous as a kid given full run of a toy store on Christmas morning. She smiled up at him, and he smiled back. He couldn’t have been higher if he’d blasted off in a rocket ship.
With Paisley on his arm, he walked inside, the world at his feet, and his life as bright as the lights in Vegas.
* * * *
Paisley stepped into the festive two-story foyer of the old mansion feeling every bit a fairy princess on the arm of Prince Charming. For just one night, she’d pretend stuff like this happened to women like her.
She deserved this. She was a good person, and eventually the odds had to stack in her favor. They’d stacked so high tonight, they were teetering, but she paid that little detail no mind. Nor did she pay attention to her internal warning system cautioning her regarding this man who didn’t have any love to give to anyone, let alone her.
They entered a large ballroom with gleaming hardwood floors. Zeke strode inside as if he owned the place, not a moment’s hesitation. Suddenly self-conscious, Paisley leaned into his solid strength, gaining courage from his easy confidence.
A tall, incredibly handsome man with darker skin and long, straight black hair met them in the doorway.
Zeke shook his hand. “Good to see you again, Hunter. This is Paisley.”
He inclined his head, his penetrating gaze holding the wisdom of a man of ninety instead of a man in his twenties. “Paisley. So happy you could join us.”
His smile unnerved her a little. Despite his open friendliness, she couldn’t shake the feeling he knew something they didn’t.
“Hunter is the majority owner of the racehorse I was telling you about.”
Oh, yes, that. A racehorse. Paisley couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to own a racehorse, but according to Zeke, Hunter had managed to put together an ownership team willing to invest a tidy sum in a promising young horse.
She nodded politely, and Hunter laughed. “I’m sure you don’t understand, but you will.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t going to argue with the man. He had this mystical thing going on that, well, mystified her.
“Enjoy yourself.” His dark eyes stole through her defenses with the expertise of a cat burglar and drilled right down to her most raw self.
“We will,” Zeke assured him.
Hunter raised a dark brow in acknowledgment. His smile clicked off, and he became completely serious. “You’re good for each other.” His smile snapped back on.
Paisley let out a breath as Hunter strode away with the male grace of a feral animal. Confused, she attempted to process what’d just happened.
“He does that to everyone.” Zeke chuckled, pulling her attention back to him. “Don’t try to figure him out. It’s impossible.”
Paisley nodded.
“How about a drink?” He pointed to the bar in one corner staffed by two bartenders. The line wasn’t long, and she could use a drink to relax herself.
“I’d love one.”
Zeke grinned, and she treasured seeing him so relaxed and almost happy. He laced his fingers in hers and led her across the room. He ordered a beer, and she ordered a red wine.
“Who are the other investors in this horse?”
“I’m not completely sure. I did it on a whim. I don’t usually gamble with my money, and a racehorse is a big gamble.”
“He didn’t furnish you with a list?”
“No need to.” Zeke seemed completely unconcerned, but Paisley’s suspicions rose. She’d Googled Zeke’s brothers. Hunter was known in football circles as one of Tanner Wolfe’s wingmen, a group of guys he’d been friends with since his college days.
“Are you hungry?” Zeke asked. Instead of a sit-down dinner, there was a buffet lining one wall.
“Yes. I’m starved.” She shot him a grateful smile and locked her concerns in the closet. Whatever happened tonight was meant to happen.
They both picked up a plate and started down the line. “There are more people here than I expected.”
“Yes, there are.” Paisley held back on piling her plate with food. She didn’t want to look like a pig. Zeke had no such hang-up. A few minutes later they were seated at one of the round tables, which seated eight to ten people. The centerpiece at each table held a large silver trophy full of roses. Miniature clear glass racehorses circled the base of the trophy.
“May we join you?” Paisley looked up to see a tall, beautiful redhead in a sparkly little dress. At her side was an even taller blond man. Zeke introduced them as Bella Maxwell and Cedric Pedersen.
Bella slid into the seat next to Paisley and leaned close to her. “Do you know any of these people?”
Paisley shook her head.
Bella’s eyes gleamed with the joy of a gossip with a juicy tidbit. “Well, let me help you out. That guy over there with the exotic-looking blonde is the owner of Seattle’s hockey team, Ethan Parker. The tall hunk with them is Brad Reynolds. The Reynolds and Parker families are old Seattle money. They’ve been here since Seattle was settled. Timber barons. The big, dark-haired guy who looks like he wishes he was anywhere but here, that’s Cooper Black, the Sockeyes’ captain. The woman with him is his wife and my sister, Izzy. I’m pretty sure she threatened bodily harm to get him here. We’re all afraid of her, so he didn’t have a choice but to go along.”
Paisley nodded, trying hard to keep up with Bella as she spoke in a rapid-fire manner that would put Sophie to shame. Cedric shot Paisley a sideways glance and grinned.
“And over there is—” Bella choked, her finger hovering in midpoint.
> “What the fuck?” Zeke cursed, his gaze following Bella’s. Paisley turned to see what had him suddenly so pissed, but not before she caught the wordless communication between Bella and Cedric. Reading their lips and their expressions, she knew exactly what they’d said to each other:
The shit is about to hit the fan.
“I think we’ll dance.” Bella grabbed her man, and they beat a quick retreat.
Only then did Paisley look to see what had turned Zeke from easygoing and happy to tense and angry in a microsecond. Paisley groaned. Her ability to see the glass half full no matter how dire escaped her like a retreating army.
Zeke’s brothers with their women on their arms stood in the doorway to the ballroom, tall and proud and ready for battle. Most likely with Zeke.
“You didn’t know they’d be here?” she asked.
“Fuck no. Do you think I’d invest in a damn horse if they’d invested in it?”
“I don’t know. Would you?”
“No, I fucking would not.” He glared down at her, his good mood obliterated. He was stiff and vibrating with fury. He’d been had by Hunter, Bella, and his brothers; he definitely didn’t appreciate being played for a fool.
Paisley sighed. Her carriage had turned into a rotten pumpkin, and her dress to rags, and she was back to cleaning the sooty fireplace. No more fairy princess for this girl. Her Prince Charming had transformed into a belligerent, though handsome, toad.
“Let’s not let them ruin our night,” she pleaded.
He blinked a few times and focused on her as if he’d just remembered she was his date. His expression softened slightly. He squeezed her hand.
“You’re right. I’m not going to give them the satisfaction of reacting to their presence. I promised you a good time, and you’re going to get it.” He might as well have added over my dead body and yours. His tone didn’t exactly foster confidence, but she put on a brave smile and was determined to salvage the evening as best she could.
Whatever the issue was between Zeke and his brothers, it was serious; the kind of serious that wasn’t easily forgotten or forgiven. At least not by Zeke, but then, he did tend to embrace his grudges more than most men.
Zeke stood abruptly and tugged her to her feet. “Let’s dance.” He didn’t wait for an answer but hauled her to the dance floor. His movements were jerky and stilted. She’d have a better time dancing with a mannequin. Zeke glared over her shoulder like a man who wished he could shoot bullets with his eyes.
“Zeke?”
He didn’t respond, and she bristled. He didn’t have to be a dick and ruin her Cinderella night.
“Zeke.”
She stomped on his foot with one of her lethal heels, and he yelped. Now she had his attention. “Sorry, I’m not a very good dancer.” She smiled sweetly at him.
He frowned, and his gaze swung to a point behind her back. She spun him around so he wasn’t facing that direction anymore.
His brothers stood near the bar sipping beer, while Avery and Emma, looking gorgeous in designer evening gowns, cast surreptitious glances from their men to Zeke and back. Avery stroked Isaac’s arm while Emma leaned into Tanner. Neither man paid them any more attention than Zeke was paying her.
“I’m supposed to lead,” Zeke protested.
“Not when your attention is on your brothers instead of your date.” She didn’t bother to disguise the irritation in her voice.
His brow furrowed, and he met her gaze. “Am I doing that?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“I’m sorry.” He sounded genuinely apologetic.
“I don’t know what your issue is with them, but being this angry hurts you more than it hurts them.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it does. It’s just so hard.” Sadness dulled his gaze, and she forgot to be mad at him.
“Would you like to talk about what’s going on?”
“Not really. I don’t talk about them to anybody.”
“Not even Fernando?”
He shook his head.
“It might help.”
“I doubt it. We don’t like each other much.”
“It seems you don’t like them, but they don’t appear to have the same problem with you.”
He danced her right out onto the wide patio overlooking a sweeping lawn, quite similar to his. Releasing her, he leaned his elbows on the railing. Paisley snuggled next to him, and he put his arm around her and tucked her next to his side. The gesture felt natural and comfortable.
“I want to strangle someone with my bare hands; I’m just not sure where to start.” His jaw set in a stubborn line, and he was as approachable as a crotchety rattlesnake during molting season.
“Does this mean all of you own a piece of that horse?”
“Yeah, I’m sure it does.”
She didn’t comment, but maybe confronting his brothers would be the best thing that’d ever happened to him. He’d have to deal with his problems rather than running from them. His brothers seemed like decent guys, so maybe Zeke should forgive and forget whatever hurts he harbored.
“I truly am sorry.” He gazed down at her. The little white lights on the railings and bushes cast shadows on his face and accentuated his strong chin and kissable lips. His blue eyes shone with regret, but a repressed rage simmered beneath the surface.
She touched his cheek and ran a fingernail along his jaw. “You can’t control anyone but yourself, so getting angry about their actions is pointless.”
“If I needed a shrink, I’d hire one.”
Paisley bristled. “Maybe you should.”
His blue eyes darkened. She’d hit a nerve. “Been there, done that. Waste of time and money.”
“Why do I get the impression the Wolfe family isn’t exactly the model family you made them out to be?”
“Because we aren’t. Quite the opposite. We define the word dysfunctional and step it up a few notches to an entirely new twisted level.” A muscle ticked in his jaw, and he leaned against the railing, arms over his chest, effectively putting a barrier between them, emotionally and physically.
“I’m sorry.” She touched his arm. He stiffened.
“I like you, Paisley, but don’t make the mistake of thinking I’m going to bare my heart and soul. I already told you more than anybody knows. I asked you out because you’re pretty, look good on my arm, and you’re pleasant to be with. Don’t read more into it than that and think you can butt into my private business.”
She staggered back as if he’d slapped her. He couldn’t have been more clear if he’d hung up a huge neon sign flashing the words emotionally unavailable.
“Fine,” she shot back, seething with hurt and her own brand of anger. She was good with that.
“Ah, shit. I’m an ass. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be so blunt.” He looked genuinely contrite. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. His chin rested on her head. She could feel the beating of his heart and the strong play of muscles in his chest. Finally, he drew back.
“I really I am sorry.” He dropped his arms to his side and moved back a step, giving her space.
“That’s fine. I don’t want or expect a relationship. I have too much going on.” Just like that, she forgave him. She softened, cutting him some slack he may or may not deserve.
She didn’t have time for emotional entanglements, either, not with the kids to worry about. But physical entanglements? Her limbs tangled with his? Her heart not tangled with his? She could get interested in that, as long as they both understood it was for fun, not for the future. She doubted he’d have a problem with that. She’d be the one who’d need to guard her heart, and she could do that.
In her younger years she fell for every man who offered to rescue her, even though she ended up being the one doing the rescuing, and unsuccessfully. She was older and wiser now. She didn’t need a head case like Zeke. She’d had plenty of damaged men she’d been certain she could change. Instead they changed her in irreparable ways, starting with the older constructi
on worker who’d taken her virginity and disappeared after that. Then at eighteen she’d hooked up with a biker who promised her a little house with a picket fence. In the end he gave her nothing but the back of a Harley as he kept one step ahead of the law. Paisley had no intention of being arrested even as an innocent accessory. She’d been ready to dump him when he’d run off with her mama. Yeah, he’d been twenty-one and her mother had been thirty-six, but dressed and behaved as if she were a wild sixteen. There’d been the smooth older businessman who’d offered her a receptionist/bookkeeper job in his taxidermy business. People came from all over the world to have him stuff their animals. The poor animals depressed her. The huge elk gave her the creeps as it glared accusingly from its place on the wall across from her desk. She vowed never to hunt down an animal with a gun after that experience. The older man was good in bed and bought her expensive clothes. Unfortunately, he also had a wife and children unknown to Paisley until they were caught doing it on his desk by said wife. Not one of her shining moments.
Those were only a few shining examples in a string of bad choices when it came to men. Paisley was petrified she might be her mother’s daughter. Her mother had since moved on from the biker to a cowboy with most of his teeth.
At least Zeke was gainfully employed. Sources on the Internet put his salary in the eight-figure range.
“Hey.” Zeke lowered his head until his face was only inches from hers. “Where’d you go?” He put his arm around her shoulders and tucked her close. She didn’t resist and leaned into him. He felt so hard, so strong, so safe. Only he wasn’t safe. He was dangerous as hell, and she didn’t give a damn.
She peered up at him, thrown by his complete reversal in attitude. “So who am I talking to now? Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?”
He chuckled. “Neither. You’re right, you know?”
“Of course I am. Now tell me what I’m right about so I can hold it over your head.”
“Everything. I can’t let their presence destroy a beautiful night with a beautiful woman.”
She started to smile, but his mouth came down on hers, swift and possessive, as if he’d decided to claim every part of her, body and soul. She didn’t protest. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on her tiptoes, and let him have his way with her. Her knees buckled, but he held her steady. The world spun around them. Drugged by the potency of his kisses, she lost herself in the feel of his tongue dancing with hers and the hardness of his very male body pressed to her soft female one. She sighed and melted into him. He felt so heavenly.
Bottom of the Ninth: Seattle Skookums Baseball (Game On in Seattle Book 6) Page 12