The Game Changer

by Megan Ryder

He watched her drive away and turned off the lights, resigned to a night alone. Sadie nudged him with her nose as if saying she’d be there for him. He ran his hand over her smooth head wishing it was Savannah’s smooth skin instead.

  Chapter Eleven

  Savannah came through the garage door, Carl and his leash weaving around her legs, intent on tripping her. As soon as she got in the house she dropped the leash, figuring she’d sort it out once the initial excitement of seeing Sadie had worn himself out a bit. The dogs raced around the kitchen, barking wildly, then Sadie nuzzled Carl, their tails whipping back and forth, loud knocking adding to the general confusion.

  “Jesus, Savannah. Put them outside, okay?”

  Dylan ran his fingers through his hair and glowered at the dogs circling his barstool like sharks circling favored prey.

  She smiled at his expression and walked over to him, brushing his hair back. “You need a haircut. Why are you still here? And I can’t put them outside. No fence, remember?”

  Then she caught sight of a mischievous grin teasing his lips. He pointed out back. “What’s that?”

  She peered out the slider and saw the chain link fence completely encircling his yard. She whirled around and crashed right into his lean body. He grabbed her arms, steadying her, and reached around her to open the door.

  “When did you get the fence?” She unsnapped the leash and let Carl out after Sadie.

  The dogs ran around the yard, hindquarters almost outpacing their front paws in their excitement about being able to run free, barking like lunatics. Thank God he didn’t have any close neighbors. They’d be so pissed. Savannah wrapped her arm around Dylan’s waist and pulled him close for a hug.

  “When did you get this done?”

  “This morning. They came at the ass-crack of dawn, waking me up damn early and I really could have used the sleep. But it was worth it. They love to run, don’t they?” He draped an arm over her shoulder and they watched the dogs quietly.

  Savannah’s heart ached a little at the thought of all that Dylan had done after bringing a dog into his life, a dog he swore he never wanted or needed, one he insisted on getting rid of as soon as possible. Instead, he fenced in a yard for a house he was not planning on keeping, in a town he was not planning on living in, trying desperately not to have any ties to anything or anyone. Yet, he had a dog now and his house was definitely not showroom quality any longer. And the yard would need serious repair work after two dogs dug trenches with their running and bathroom breaks.

  She snuck a glance up at him. Judging by his half smile, he wasn’t too worried and that, along with the fence, made her half fall in love with him. Whoever said the path to a woman’s heart was through jewels or shoes had never met Savannah. No, dogs in the bed, fences, that was main line to her heart and he found it so easily, with almost no effort. Something that took most men ages, if they ever figured it out at all.

  She stretched up on tiptoes and placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth. He turned, a look of surprise on his face. “What was that for?”

  She shrugged. “For being you.”

  He pulled her closer, her hips snug against him. “I think I deserve a little more than a quick peck on the cheek.”

  She arched a brow, loving this playful side of the normally quiet, staid, and serious man. “Really? That wasn’t on your cheek but on the lips. Sort of.”

  He snorted. “Not a real kiss. Not like this.”

  He slid a hand down her back to cup her butt through her jean shorts and pull her against him. He lowered his head, pausing centimeters from her lips, pausing for one moment as if waiting for permission, or for her to pull back. When she didn’t, he pressed his lips to hers, passion infusing his kiss, heat rising quickly between them. She moaned and twined her hands behind his neck, entangling them in his hair, pulling his head down for a deeper embrace. His tongue teased at the seam of her lips and she opened them, eagerly tangling with his, tasting coffee, cinnamon, and a hint of something else, something she wanted more of, was starving for. And that scared her more than losing a dog.

  Lust overshadowed the fear and she angled her head to deepen the connection, for once, letting feelings overtake sense. She tangled her fingers in his hair, feeling the silky strands rub against her skin. His tongue stroked hers, and his hand slipped under her shirt to caress the bare skin between her shorts and t-shirt. She moaned and arched into his hand.

  A sudden barking at the door interrupted them. She jerked back and his hand dropped as if scorched. She lifted a shaky hand to her hair, mourning the loss of his touch. He glared at the dogs sitting on the other side of the sliding glass door, tongues lolling to the sides of their mouths. He shook his head.

  “I knew I didn’t like dogs.”

  She snorted and opened the door, stepping outside with the dogs who milled about her legs. “You lie. You like to pretend to be cranky but that’s not true.” She sat on one of the chairs. “Sit. Relax. You have time before you have to leave for the stadium, right?”

  He shrugged and perched on the edge of the one of the chairs. She laughed. “You look like you’ve been called into the principal’s office. Relax. You’re not in trouble.”

  He let his hands dangle between his legs, clasped in a loose fist. “I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day. About connecting with the team. A couple of the guys mentioned a play date for their dogs. Maybe I could invite them over, grill some food, and they can bring their dogs, family. I don’t know.”

  He looked so out of his element but she swallowed her smile. “You’ve had friends over before, haven’t you?”

  He scowled. “I’m not ten. Of course I have. Just not these guys. We haven’t really bonded.” He hesitated over the last word, as if unsure of the meaning.

  She smothered a laugh. “A barbecue sounds like a good start. Would you like me to get it organized for you? It wouldn’t be a problem.” She held her breath, hoping he’d trust her with this task, let her prove herself.

  He eyed her sideways, a neutral expression, then nodded, a short quick motion. “We have an off day on Monday. Two days. Can we do it then?”

  She mentally scanned her calendar, not that she had any clue what she really had going on. She used post-it notes for goodness sake. And God knew what she had, but she’d make it happen, somehow. “Absolutely. Just tell me how many people and what you want.”

  He stood up. “Perfect. I’ll leave you a list.”

  She sighed. Of course. Another precious list. Just what she needed.

  Dylan strode into the locker room and was greeted by Cody Patterson, stretched out on a chair in front of his locker studying a binder, face twisted in a scowl. A few other players milled about, some working out, others playing cards, some chatting. Dylan nodded a greeting at several of them and walked by Cody but the young pitcher spoke, stopping Dylan in his tracks.

  “Nice of you to show up. Weren’t you the one bitchin’ at me about being early on game day? Being prepared and all that?”

  Dylan slowly pivoted and arched an eyebrow at the other guy. “I’ve been here plenty of times and you haven’t. I figured I had plenty of time.”

  Cody pushed himself to his feet and got right in Dylan’s face. “Meanwhile, I’ve been sitting here on my ass, waiting for you.”

  “I see you found something to occupy your time. Took Alex’s advice and started a book on hitters, huh? Can I take a look?” Dylan kept his voice neutral and held out his hand.

  Wordlessly, Cody handed him the book. Dylan flipped through the pages on the team they were playing tonight. “Pretty solid. We could add a few things.” He walked the few steps to his locker and grabbed his book and pulled it out. “I keep it here now, since Sadie had a chewing fest with it one night. Take a look.”

  Cody eyed him suspiciously but Dylan jutted his chin. “Take it and I’ll get ready then we’ll review it.” He started to turn, then paused. “I’m having a couple of guys over on Monday. A cookout or something. Maybe you wa
nt to stop by.”

  A broad grin crossed Cody’s face. “Are you asking me on a date, Prosser?”

  Irritation burned in Dylan. “Shove off, Patterson. Forget it.”

  “Hell no, man. I want to see that chick you have, that dog sitter. She was hot. Any new dog pictures?”

  Anger burned and Dylan grabbed Cody before he could react. “Leave Savannah alone or don’t come.”

  The grin faltered for a moment, but never truly faded. Cody raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, man. I didn’t know it was like that. I’ll back off.”

  Dylan dropped his hand and stepped back, feeling slightly confused at his sudden and strong reaction. “It’s not like that. I just know how you are with your women. She deserves better.”

  Alex walked in and stretched between the two guys into his locker. “Who deserves better?”

  Cody shrugged and turned away. Dylan sighed and relayed his invitation. Alex was all in, especially when he was told to bring Thor. Within a few minutes, he’d invited the whole starting rotation and a few other guys, his goal for the whole goddamn bonding experience. Only Cody had joked about it but even that had been halfhearted. It seemed they all needed something to pull them together. Maybe this was needed.

  Now if only he could just get past his own issues.

  Chapter Twelve

  Dylan glanced at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time and cursed under his breath. Of all the days for her to be late, this was the last day he needed that. She had promised she’d be here and help him with this harebrained idea but instead she was god knew where. He didn’t want to be a dick about it. She could be with some animal emergency but would it kill her to text him?

  Sadie whined anxiously at his feet, sensing his tension and he glanced down, hands covered in hamburger as he formed the meat into loose patties. “Sorry, girl. It’s not you. Go lay down.”

  She sighed and levered herself to the cool tile floor, resting her muzzle on his bare foot, resignation written in every line of her body. Great. Now even the dog was judging him. He added the patty to the platter of burgers and washed his hands, careful not to disrupt the dog. He covered the plate with plastic wrap and turned to put it in the fridge, Sadie grunting as she slid off his foot. He surveyed the kitchen, judging whether he should head out to the store to pick up the salads or give her time when the garage door made a loud shaking noise and started to open. Sadie jumped up and barked at the door, racing to it, tail wagging madly. He followed more slowly, taking several deep breaths in an effort to keep himself calm.

  He opened the door and blocked Sadie’s escape with his foot, holding her back while he slipped out the door. The garage door closed behind her car just in the nick of time as Carl escaped and headed straight for the door. He opened it to let him in then headed back out into the stifling heat to help Savannah with the grocery bags. He deftly grabbed one of the plastic bags just as it slipped. She whirled around but he had it along with the other one that swung wildly at his head.

  “Oh shit. I’m sorry! Be careful. That one has the containers of potato salad. That’ll create a nasty bump.”

  He nodded and straightened slowly, eying her carefully, expecting another surprise bag to come flying out at him. With Savannah, he never knew what would happen next. She leaned back into the car and grabbed a couple more bags and shoved them at him. “Grab these while I carry the brownies and fruit platter.”

  He stared at his hands filled with blue plastic bags that were cutting off the circulation in his fingers. “What’s all this?”

  She exhaled a loud breath. “Your list? For your picnic? Did you think you had everything?”

  He glanced at the door and shrugged. “Kind of, yeah.”

  She grabbed the containers of brownies and a fruit platter and kicked the door shut behind her. He followed her into the house and the kitchen, dumping the bags gratefully on the kitchen table, flexing his fingers to regain blood flow. Those damn bags were a menace and could probably damage his fingers for a game or two if he carried groceries every day.

  She laughed. “That was only the first half. I left you a note. I told you I needed more of everything and was going to get it today. Didn’t you see it on your little white board thing?”

  He grimaced and followed her pointed finger to the white board he had set up next to the phone, her note clearly written in green ink. His irritation deflated as quickly as it had come. “That’s what confused me. You actually followed my directions. I never thought to look there. Instead, I was looking for post-it notes and scraps of paper.”

  She fake pouted for a moment, then quirked a grin. “Maybe I’m converting you to the Savannah Monroe method of organization.”

  He shuddered. “God forbid.”

  He let the dogs out back to run around while she put the food away. He watched her efficient movements, her stretching pulling the shirt tight across her chest, shorts riding high when she reached for the top shelf until he could wait no longer. He came back around the counter and she turned to reach for a dish and ran right into his chest. He lifted his arm to steady her, then pulled her close, lowering his head until he could almost taste the iced coffee on her breath.

  “I never said thank you or a proper hello,” he rasped.

  “We do believe in proper hellos in the South. That’s just good southern manners.” Her words were a mere breath, an exhale, as she stared up at him, anticipation shining in her eyes.

  “I might need a few lessons in being a southern gentleman.”

  “You’re making a good start.”

  She lifted on her toes and pressed her lips to his, wresting control of the moment away from him in that instant. Heat blazed deep inside, arousal flaring from the fire that had only been banked from their kiss two days prior, as if it had only been a couple of hours. His hunger for her had only been hidden, tamped down inside, but now it was an inferno, battering at his senses to get out. Her tongue slipped between his lips and stroked his, teasing him, and lust arrowed straight to his groin. He slid his hands down her back and cupped her ass, pulling her more firmly against his hard length. He lifted her and put her on the counter, settling between her thighs. She locked her ankles behind his back, holding him close and she speared her fingers into his hair, pricking his scalp with her fingernails, dragging them over his skin. He shuddered, his hands flexing hard on her hips.

  She pulled back suddenly, turning her head to the side, breath coming hard and fast. “What was that?”

  A bell echoed through the house. “Damn it. They’re early.”

  She laughed a bit shakily. “Not so early.” She hopped off the counter, holding onto his arm for support. “I’ll be right out.” She disappeared around the corner into the bathroom, leaving him to compose himself.

  He gripped the edge of the counter, eyes screwed shut, as he counted to a hundred, twice. Meanwhile, the doorbell rang again.

  “I’m coming, dammit!”

  “Be nice, Dylan!” Savannah called out from the bathroom.

  Easy for her to say. She was hiding while he was sporting serious wood and had to greet his teammates. Yeah, he wouldn’t get over that teasing anytime soon. He adjusted his cargo shorts and headed for the front door.

  Five guys ended up showing up for the cookout, a good turnout, although Savannah had expected a few more. Dylan introduced them, keeping his hand on her lower back possessively, especially when a younger guy, Cody Patterson, made a big deal out of her, kissing her hand and flirting outrageously. Dylan scowled and yanked her to his side, making it clear to everyone that she belonged to him. If only he had cleared that stance with her first.

  Normally, Savannah would have had something to say about that most emphatically, however her legs were still a little wobbly from their heated kiss and she hadn’t had a chance to discuss the meaning behind that exchange. But that conversation was rapidly approaching, given Dylan’s tension and tight grasp on her arm.

  Within a half hour, everyone had settled in. Th
e guys were sprawled in chairs around the table and talked baseball, hitters, ball parks, and other things Savannah had never heard of. One of the guys had brought his dog and Savannah had introduced him to the pack and all the dogs were collapsed in the shade after chasing each other around the yard. Now, Savannah tried to figure out her place in this odd group.

  Two of the players had brought their significant others, a wife and a girlfriend, both clearly defined roles and comfortable with the players. Savannah stood in the kitchen making more sweet tea and tried not to admit to herself what she was really doing, which was procrastinating. This picnic was important to Dylan, critical to him bonding with his teammates and figuring out how they could work together and get to the playoffs. She and Dylan hadn’t actually talked about her staying and she wasn’t sure how she fit in with this group. As if sensing her thoughts, Dylan glanced up and caught her gaze in the window and cocked his head, a question in his eyes. She pasted on a smile and quickly looked down, busying herself stirring the pitcher of tea.

  The sliding glass door opened and she jerked in surprise, spilling some of the tea on her hand. Cody Patterson, the young pitcher, leaned across the counter and let a slow smile cross his face, eyes going heavy lidded as he studied her.

  “So, you’re the one who’s got our Professor tied up in knots, hmm? I can see why he’s been preoccupied lately. I’d get a dog if it came with someone like you. Woof.”

  His words registered and, instead of getting offended or turned on, as he probably intended, she paused a long moment, then burst out laughing. He straightened, eyebrows knitted together, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Oh, my God, you were serious?” She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter but it didn’t quite work as little bursts of mirth spilled out between her fingers.

  Eventually, he joined her, starting with a grin then a true chuckle.

  She wiped her eyes on her apron. “I’m sorry, Cody. I couldn’t help it. You looked so funny.”