Winning Streak

by Alice Ward

  We’d been at a dinner at Alize’s home about a month ago. The Hamptons, along with several other couples, were sipping after dinner drinks when I’d excused myself to go to the bathroom. When I’d opened the door, Winston was standing there, a predatory light in his eyes.

  “Come home with me,” he’d said, and the invitation had come as such a surprise that I’d only stared. Winston was older than me by nearly ten years and had never shown any interest in me that I could tell. He was showing interest then, and I had to admit, it was a bit thrilling to gain the attention of such a handsome, successful man.

  It wasn’t thrilling now.

  “Excuse me, I really must get back to my boyfriend,” I said and took a side step to get around him.

  He moved with me, blocking my path. “I like you, Eliana. I find it unfortunate that I misread your signals at Alize’s dinner party. When you excused yourself, I believed it was an invitation for me to join you.”

  Signals? I hadn’t given out any signals to him. Had I?

  “I’d had a bit much to drink, and with your scent in my head, the combination caused me to be a bit… indelicate. For that, I apologize.”

  Indelicate. I guessed that was a word.

  The horrible part was, the compassionate people pleaser inside me wanted to believe him, or at least give him the benefit of the doubt… if that smirk hadn’t been in his dark eyes. If he hadn’t kept looking at my lips.

  He stepped closer, and I cringed away as he lifted a hand to stroke my arm. His touch felt like spiders crawling down my skin.

  “Let me make it up to you, Eliana. Dinner, wine, the theater afterward. Let me show you that I can be less barbaric.” The predatory gleam returned. “Unless you wish for me to unleash it.”

  I dodged to the right, surprising him, but wasn’t quick enough to get away. His hand whipped out and wrapped around my arm. “I love it. Such a tease.”

  Coming around, I raised my hand to smack him across the face. He laughed when he caught my wrist easily. “Frisky. Just like your mother.” Surprise stopped my struggle, and he chuckled again. “A mother and daughter double team is on my bucket list, but I’ll take them in singles too.”

  “You… sick bastard.” I went for his crotch, and he avoided the knee as if he was well practiced at the skill. “Let go of me, or I’ll scream this place down.”

  He didn’t, so I opened my mouth to do just that.

  “Miss?”

  I wasn’t sure who jerked around the quickest, Winston or me. I didn’t care because he dropped his hands immediately.

  In the doorway of the ladies’ room stood the elderly attendant. She held out a small tube of cherry red lip gloss I’d never seen before. “I fear you might have left this behind.” Her wise eyes urged me to take it.

  “Oh my goodness,” I sputtered and reached for it, squeezing her hand as I did. “Thank you so much.”

  She inclined her head and stepped back into the bathroom. “Have a lovely evening.”

  The door hadn’t even clicked shut before I was flying down the hall, thanking the sweet woman for her intervention. Back in the ballroom, I headed straight for the dance floor and stood near a throng of people while I searched for Kane.

  There he was, still dancing with his grandmother. It surprised me when I recognized the same song that had been playing when I left. My interlude with Winston had only taken a few minutes, not the hours that it felt like. I snagged a flute of bubbly liquid from a waiter and downed it in one gulp.

  Inhale love.

  Exhale hate.

  I traded my empty glass for a full one.

  Inhale alcohol.

  Exhale toxic soul sucking bastards.

  My heartbeat had found its normal rhythm when the waltz finally came to an end, and I smiled as Kane hugged his grandmother tightly. They just stood there for long moments, holding onto each other. By the time he let her go, his face was red. He said something, and she smiled and nodded, then he leaned down and kissed her cheek. Turning on his heel, he fled the room. Over the tops of people’s heads, I watched him push through the balcony door.

  What just happened?

  Hesitating only a second, I followed him, finding him in the shadows of a corner. His hands were pressed to his face.

  “Kane?”

  He didn’t even flinch. I took a step closer, resting my hand on his arm, providing what little comfort I could.

  I gasped when he grabbed me, turning me until I was pressed against the wall. His lips crashed onto mine, and I could taste the salt of his tears.

  My mind flashed to Winston grabbing me, but his hateful image was gone just as quickly. This was Kane, and although I didn’t know what happened with his grandmother, I knew he needed me now. I would’ve given him anything, I realized and wrapped my arms around him, kissing him back with all the passion that had been held hostage inside me for so long.

  His hands were everywhere. In my hair, around my throat, on my breasts. His tongue invaded my mouth, and I welcomed it. Welcomed him.

  He was hard. So hard. His erection pressed into my stomach as he took my mouth with an urgency that left me breathless.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered against my mouth, softening the kiss. His fingers loosened from where they’d been digging into my skin. “I’m hurting you.”

  I pressed closer and dragged my teeth over his lower lip. “Hurt me. Please.”

  He chuckled, the rumble of the sound vibrating through me. “Be careful what you wish for.”

  I didn’t hesitate. “I wish for it all. Everything.”

  He growled low in his throat. “I need you,” he said, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’m not sure why, but I need you.”

  I curled my fingers in his thick hair. “I know. I need you too.”

  Our foreheads were pressed together, our breath mingling in the space between us.

  “My nana is dying.”

  His announcement was such a surprise that I gasped. “Oh no.”

  “Yes.” He cleared his throat, and his face was a tight mask as he attempted to control his emotions. “That was probably our last dance.”

  Tears sprang to my eyes, and I pressed my lips to his, providing what bit of solace I could. “I’m so sorry. She seems so very wonderful.”

  “She is. Wise and witty, subtly stern. She’s a rock, and I can’t believe she’ll be leaving us soon.” He shook his head, as if trying to clear it. “She kept wanting me to come to this gala, and like the ass I am, I refused… until I met you. So thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. And you’re not an ass.”

  He made a scoffing sound, clearly not believing me. “She took me out on the terrace earlier to tell me and to give me something.” He pulled a small box from his pocket. “This.”

  He held it out to me, and my fingers trembled as I took it. When I opened the top, a ring sprang out. It hadn’t been fastened down in its holder.

  I cried out as it pinged to the concrete floor, bouncing several times. Kane dropped down and slammed a hand over it, catching it before it could drop off the side of the building.

  Oh, thank goodness. My heart was hammering in my chest.

  “It’s okay, I got it.”

  I smiled down at him as he handed it back to me. “Nice catch, Mr. First Baseman.”

  “Oh! My! Goodness!”

  A squeal of delight echoed into the night air, and I looked over to see Kane’s mother and grandmother standing there, holding onto each other’s hands, his father right behind them.

  I looked down at Kane, who was still on his knee, holding the ring up between us.

  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize how this looked.

  As if I was frozen, I just stood there, unsure what to do. Laugh? Cry? Run?

  Kane stood up and smiled down at me, a soft chuckle accompanying the shake of his head.

  “I know we barely know each other,” he said in a voice low enough for only me to hear, “but right now, would you do me the ho
nor of being promoted from fake girlfriend to fake fiancée? I honestly can’t bear the thought of breaking my grandmother’s heart right now. And I promise to be a good fiancé until you dump me whenever you want in the future. The ball is in your court.”

  From the corner of my eye, I saw his grandmother crying. Marsha was holding onto the older woman, and Milton was holding onto them both. The air around us nearly crackled with expectation as everyone awaited my answer.

  How bad would it be, being fake engaged to a man like Kane? To be enveloped into his family, at least for a while? Go to baseball games? Wear that ginormous ring for a time?

  But what happens when that time is over? How bad will it hurt to give it back?

  I was still wrestling with indecision when my mother walked through the door and gasped at the scene, Winston the Terrible on her arm. Her eyes opened in surprise while his narrowed, his jaw growing tight.

  Every girl needed a broken heart, right? At least once in their life.

  I looked up into those glorious green eyes and held out my left hand.

  “Yes.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Kane

  I couldn’t believe that just happened.

  And I couldn’t believe how fucking happy it made me when she said yes.

  I mean, it was a temporary yes. As fake as our entire relationship had been. I knew that. It was what I wanted. Knowing I was settled would bring my nana comfort during her last days.

  But if this engagement was only for my grandmother, why did my heart feel like it might explode with total joy as I slipped the ring on Eliana’s finger?

  “It fits,” she said in awe as it slid on perfectly, like it was made for her to wear.

  When I kissed her, our lips fit perfectly too. Just like how she fit perfectly at my side.

  Could I fit her into my life?

  I didn’t have time to contemplate the question because my parents and Nana rushed at us, laughing and crying. There were hugs and then bottles of champagne popping. Cameras flashed in our faces as we lifted our glasses, and the smile on my face didn’t feel fake.

  Eliana was adorable, soaking up the attention like a thirsty sponge, and it was beautiful, she was beautiful, to watch.

  “Are you sure, Kane?” Nana asked, pulling me to the side. “Don’t read me wrong, I’m ecstatic, but as you said earlier, you barely know each other. It was a tremendous surprise to witness you propose.”

  How can I lie to that well-loved face?

  “It was the ring, Nana. And your news. It made me realize that life is really short. Eliana is special. I knew it the moment I saw her. I can’t imagine anyone suiting me better or making me happier.”

  That was the truth.

  “Do you love her?”

  Looking down into my grandmother’s wise eyes, I didn’t know what to say. “How does love feel?” I asked instead.

  A smile played on her lips, and something intimate flashed behind her eyes. “It feels like you have a helium balloon tied to your waist and it lifts you up against your will. You fly over scenery that is familiar but looks different from that high angle. And the world begins to spin, but you don’t care.”

  I laughed. “That sounds like you’ve had too much alcohol.”

  Her eyes twinkled. “It is like that. It’s an incredible high…” She paused, and her face grew more somber. “Then the helium begins to leak out, and you find yourself back on land. And if you still feel happy to be with her… not when you’re soaring, but when you’re trudging up mountains… that’s when you know it’s love.”

  Looking up, I found Eliana immediately in the crowd. Her mother had her by the elbow, walking her to the corner of the room. Eliana looked stiff, her face a neutral mask as Alize spoke to her, saying things I couldn’t hear.

  “Nana, I think I’m going to find my girl and ask her to dance. Need anything before I go?”

  She patted my arm and turned to follow the direction of my gaze. “No, dear. Go rescue her from that vile creature. Some human beings shouldn’t be allowed to give birth.”

  “True, but I’m very glad that particular human being did, and I’m very glad Eliana is nothing like her.” I kissed Nana’s soft cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Stop it,” I heard Eliana hiss as I approached them, her hands clenched by her side. As I got closer, her hands relaxed, and as if she could feel me grow nearer, she turned to me, her face flooding with relief.

  “There you are.” I pulled her tight against me, giving her a hard kiss. “I was missing you.”

  Alize made a scoffing sound, and I lifted my head, glancing in her direction. “Something wrong?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you think this is a little soon? After all, it wasn’t less than two weeks ago that your face was splashed all over the tabloids. And you expect me to believe you’ve been in a relationship with my daughter? I want to know what’s going on.”

  Pulling Eliana tighter to my side, I held my temper in check. “What’s going on is that I’m busy thanking every god in existence that Eliana is nothing like you, Helen Jean. And I’m not surprised that you don’t believe that I care for your daughter. I don’t think you’d recognize that emotion if it slapped you in your collagen-filled face.”

  Alize gasped, and her fingers flew to her cheeks, but before she could defend her plastic surgeon, I whisked Eliana away to whirl her onto the dance floor.

  I’d only made it a few steps when Alize grabbed Eliana by the arm. “You, young lady, will be out of that apartment by next weekend. Your roommate too. I’m selling it.”

  Eliana gasped and hardened her jaw. “You, Mother, apparently don’t understand tenant rights. There’s a process you must go through, or I’ll sue your ass.”

  I could have cheered as I watched Eliana stand up for herself. I wondered if it was the first time she’d done so.

  Alize lifted her chin. “Well, consider this your notice. My attorney will be contacting you with specifics.”

  I stepped in. “I’ll buy it. Better yet, Eliana can simply move in with me. She doesn’t need you or your threats. In fact, she’ll never need anything from you again.”

  “That was epic,” Eliana said once I’d guided her to the dance floor, her face pressed into my chest. “White knight really does run through your veins.”

  I growled. “I swear, I’ve never hit a woman, but I…” I didn’t finish the sentence. “Anyway, what was she saying to you before I arrived?”

  Eliana looked up at me, her eyes shining as we glided to the music. “She was giving me advice on how to play you in regards to the prenuptial agreement you would be sure to have me sign. She called you a man-whore and said to make sure there was a cheating clause that will give me a bundle when, not if, you have an affair. She made it clear that she didn’t think I was female enough to keep you sexually satisfied.”

  “I really, really hate that woman.”

  Eliana poked me in the chest. “Well, you better get used to her. She’s your fake future mother-in-law after all. But don’t worry, you won’t have to see her very often. Now, probably even less so. Maybe never. She isn’t used to being spoken to that way.”

  We danced, swaying to the music. It wasn’t until one song faded into the next that she looked up at me again. “Aren’t you going to deny the man-whore part?”

  She glanced away, pressing her cheek to my chest again before I could read her expression. “No, I can’t deny that,” I admitted. “Especially lately. Being in the majors is still new to me, and there are a lot of women who enjoy seeing how many baseball stars they can sleep with.”

  I felt her nod. “It must be difficult to resist all those beautiful women.”

  Blowing out a breath, I ran a thumb down her spine, and she shivered. I did it again. “I have a confession that you’ll probably hear about anyway. The night before I met you, I was with a woman. It wasn’t until the next day, when I saw our picture in a tabloid, that I realized she was a porn star. That, in itself, wa
sn’t the problem. I’m not going to judge anyone on how they make their living, but it didn’t look good for my reputation or the team’s, and I caught some shit from the team owner. What bothered me the most was that she played me. Bragged about how our tryst landed her some new gigs.”

  “Thank you for telling me. That explains the porn star reference from Mommy Dearest earlier.”

  “In case you’re worried, I went that same day to a doctor and got a full STD panel done. The initial results are clean, and I’m always careful. There are some things that take a while to get back, so… if you want to wait to—”

  I wasn’t able to finish because she was pulling my head down for a kiss.

  The kiss was hard at first, a harsh pressing together of our mouths, then it softened into something that I’ve only before experienced with her.

  “I want you to make love to me tonight,” she said, her breath warm on my lips. Couples danced around where we stood, but I didn’t move us out of the way. “Bring condoms. Lots of condoms. I need you inside me. I need to see you naked. Taste your skin. I need to know if what I imagine it being like in my head is real.”

  Pulling her even tighter against me in order to hide my erection, I looked down into her sweet face. “There’s something else you need to know. I don’t make love. I fuck — hard.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Did you just fifty shade me?”

  I threw my head back and howled. “The guys in the locker room talked about that damn book a lot, not because they read it but because their wives or girlfriends dragged them kicking and screaming to the movie.”

  “Seriously?”

  I nodded. “Yep. They are always doing something stupid to mimic the characters. I fuck — hard is a favorite and gets exploited often.”

  She grinned up at me. “How often?”

  “Just yesterday, Calvin Malone said, ‘I pitch — hard,’ after striking out the side.”

  She cocked her head. “What does ‘striking out the side’ mean?”

  “He struck three batters in a row out.”