Fastball

by V. K. Sykes

  Martha began scolding Nate for the incredibly lame joke, and within seconds the two friends had dropped into their usual bickering banter. It seemed to defuse some of the tension, but it left Maddie to face Jake on her own.

  “Hey, Maddie,” Jake said quietly as he got out of the cart. He strolled up, looming over her. She’d almost forgotten how big he was up close and how handsome. Her breathing kicked into a shallow, rapid rhythm.

  He extended his hand for a shake. She instinctively started to pull back, but then mentally kicked herself for acting like an immature schoolgirl. Smiling, she took his hand, then almost jumped when the same charge she’d experienced in La Jolla rocketed through her body. Jake Miller was the most masculine, attractive man she had ever met, but even that didn’t explain her visceral response. All she knew for certain was that whenever they touched, some devastatingly powerful force arced between them.

  And if that kept up, she was in a world of freaking trouble.

  “Good to see you again, Jake.” Maddie silently thanked God her voice wasn’t shaking. “I wonder how the four of us managed to end up in the same group today?”

  Nate’s attention veered over from Martha. “Good question. I was asking the same thing myself. Some lucky coincidence, huh?” The corner of his mouth twitched, like he was suppressing a laugh.

  Maddie frowned and narrowed her eyes on Jake, who returned her suspicious gaze with an unreadable smile. She was pretty sure Nate and Jake were up to something, but there was no point in raising a fuss. She’d better just get on with it and fight her way out of the emotional sand traps as the day proceeded.

  “Looks like our group’s up, Nate,” she said abruptly as the course marshal waved for their foursome to step up onto the tee. She grabbed her driver and went to stand beside Martha.

  After Jake and Nate both hit booming though slightly errant drives, one in the rough on the left and one in the first cut on the right, Martha and Maddie moved up to the ladies’ tee and took their turns. Martha clobbered her ball into a screaming line drive straight down the middle of a fairway.

  Maddie studied the hole in front of her, which was lined with magnificent and very tall oaks and sycamores. The trees were beautiful to look at, but they could pay havoc with a player’s game—especially one whose concentration had deserted her.

  Determined not to be intimidated, Maddie took a few practice swings and then promptly stroked a near-perfect drive that rolled three or four yards past Martha’s ball. As the guys whistled their appreciation, she dipped a mock curtsey before following Martha back to their cart.

  After several seconds of laden silence, Maddie sighed. “We’d have to be morons to think this little arrangement was luck of the draw, Martha. Those guys somehow set it up.” She stared straight ahead, trying to sort out how she felt about that.

  Martha snorted. “No kidding. But look at it this way, now you know exactly how much Jake wants to be with you. Look at all the trouble he went to figuring out how to do this, and then making it happen. He isn’t giving up, which frankly doesn’t surprise me at all. Jake’s one of the quiet types, but when he wants something, he goes right after it.” She cast Maddie a sharp glance. “How does that make you feel, hon? It’s complicated, right?”

  “Complicated doesn’t begin to describe it,” Maddie said grimly. “I’m terrified, if you want the truth. I thought I could just get on with my life and stop thinking about him, but every time I see him I feel like I’m sinking. I just have to look at him and my resolve melts like ice cream under a broiling sun. If I can’t get away from him completely, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

  “What do you mean?” Martha asked in a worried tone as she braked the cart to a stop not far from their balls.

  “That’s just it. I don’t know what to do. It’s crazy, but I don’t think I can be around him every day for much longer, which would pretty much send my career down the tubes. You know how much I love covering baseball, but I feel like I could do something really stupid if I don’t figure this out, and soon.” She bit her lower lip, fighting back the uptick in panic that even thinking about leaving her job created within her.

  Martha put a gentle arm around her. “Don’t you start thinking like that. You’re talking about life-changing decisions here, and all you had was one dinner with the man! Yeah, Jake’s the hottest thing since You Tube, but it was one damn dinner. That’s all.”

  “But that’s just it—”

  “No buts, Maddie. You can get over him, I know you can. It took me a while to get over Nate, but soon enough I figured out that we would never have been right for each other, anyway. Maybe you’ll know in a while that Jake isn’t right for you, either.” She scrunched up her face, as if thinking hard. “Or, look at it the other way. Maybe he really will be the one. Maybe you’ll end up being happy to change your life to be with him, or he’ll change his for you.”

  Maddie blinked, stunned by the very notion that she and Jake could actually have some kind of future together. She opened her mouth, almost afraid to give voice to such a thought, when they heard Nate yelling from the other side of the fairway.

  “Hey, you two, are you going to hit the ball or just sit there yakking all afternoon like you’re at some book club meeting?”

  Martha turned and gave him a withering look, then stuck her tongue out at him. Maddie had to laugh as Nate staggered back, clutching at his chest. She knew how he felt, because Martha had just rocked her world, and she was mentally staggering.

  “Thanks, Martha. I’ll figure it out. I hope.” She sucked in a deep breath and reached for her seven-iron.

  * * *

  Jake savored watching Maddie as she took a smooth, controlled swing at the ball. It always struck him what an incredible package of femininity she was—beauty and grace combined with natural coordination and strength. She was a born athlete and a fighter, too. He suspected she was waging a pretty fierce internal battle right this moment, trying to keep her cool and not react, when he figured that every part of her wanted to respond to him the same way he wanted to respond to her. He could see it in the pink flush that stained her cheeks when she shot him those shy, sideways glances, and in her sharp little intake of breath when he’d brushed past her on the way to the tee.

  Yeah, he no longer had any doubts. Maddie wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  Good thing, too, because he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She had chosen to dress in pink from head to ankle today in a matched Nike golf shirt and skirt along with a visor and ankle socks in the same shade. The outfit suited her, setting off her pristine white golf shoes and glossy black hair to stunning effect. She looked absolutely fucking radiant and delicious, and he wanted nothing more than to get his hands on her.

  As he and Nate got back in their cart and drove ahead to where their drives had ended up, Nate shook his head. “I totally get it why you’re all moonstruck over her. I’d never paid much attention to Maddie before, what with her reputation, but when I look at her now in that pink outfit, I’m thinking I wouldn’t mind squeezing that sexy little ass.”

  Nate was just yanking his chain, but it still raised Jake’s hackles. “Don’t even think about it, horn dog. And I’d appreciate it if you kept that kind of comment to yourself.”

  Christ. Now he sounded like a possessive moron. There was no doubt Maddie was messing with his head, big time.

  Nate shot him a concerned glance. “Easy, pal. You know I was kidding. But you’ve got an uphill climb there, from what I know about her. Not to mention all the bullshit you’d probably catch from management if you go there.”

  Jake crossed his arms over his chest, maintaining a stony silence. Nate finally laughed. “Okay, man, we’ll play it your way. I’d say there’s something there, all right. Maddie’s trying real hard not to show it, but you got to her.”

  Now Jake liked what he was hearing. “I thought so, right from the first time we met. But she’s worried—afraid, even—and I can’t really blame her. She fig
ures that in the end it would have to come down to a choice between her career and me.”

  Nate frowned. “Jesus, isn’t she getting way ahead of herself?”

  “Because we barely know each other? Yeah, sure. But she probably doesn’t want to start something she might not be able to finish. I’m not sure she’s totally right about the potential impact on her career, but I get where she’s coming from. Still, I think it could work if we set some ground rules and were careful. And I’m pretty sure I could bring management around to the idea at some point if it turned into something important. I just want to be able to talk to Maddie about it.”

  That much was definitely true. But what he really wanted to do right now was pull her into the shelter of the trees, back her up against one of those big oaks, and kiss her until she forgot her own name.

  And until she forgot every last qualm about seeing him.

  Jake and Nate hit wedges onto the green, with Jake’s ball skidding past Maddie’s and coming to rest four feet away from hers. When the four of them reached the putting surface, Nate grabbed the flagstick and laid it aside, winking conspiratorially at Martha as he walked by. Martha’s eyes widened, but then she darted a considering look in Jake’s direction.

  Jake sidled up to Maddie. “Beautiful shot there. You’re practically a pro.” All while looking totally hot, he wanted to add. Naturally, he kept that to himself.

  She blushed again, which he found insanely appealing. “Hardly. I struggle to keep a four handicap. And the way you two giants pound the ball sixty yards past mine, it’s going to be hard for me to keep up with you.”

  “No way,” Jake said with a grin. “My short game sucks, as you’re about to see. Put a putter in my hands and they turn to steel.”

  She smiled at him, looking genuinely friendly. Clearly, she’d softened up since the first tee, where she’d looked ready to fly apart from the tension. He couldn’t even guess what she and Martha had been talking about back there on the fairway, but whatever it was, Maddie’s mood had clearly lightened a little.

  “You know the saying,” he continued. “Drive for show and putt for dough. Well, I can’t putt worth a damn and Nate’s not exactly Phil Mickelson, either. You’ll probably mop the floor with us.”

  Maddie let out a husky, sexy laugh and Jake’s spirits soared.

  He lined up his putt, barely able to concentrate, and rolled it an inch outside the cup on the right. “Wind blew it wide,” he said with a joking sigh, and she laughed again.

  Yeah, they were definitely on a roll now.

  Maddie studied her putt from every angle, crouching several times to get a better read. He loved her intensity and wondered if she would be that focused in bed. If she was, he had no doubt she’d make the top of his head blow off. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, watching her every move and quietly reveling in the fantasy that she just might end up with her sweet, naked body underneath him after all.

  But right now she’d tuned him out, calmly stepping into her putting stance and stroking the ten-footer straight into the center of the cup for a birdie. She let out a little celebratory whoop and Jake strode over to offer a high-five. To his delight, she gave his hand an enthusiastic slap, accompanied by a happy grin.

  Which kind of indicated how pathetically smitten he was if a small gesture like that could so easily fire him up. “Great birdie, Maddie.”

  Her eyes lit up with a beautiful sparkle. “Maybe I’ll have a shot at you guys after all,” she crowed.

  You’ll sure as hell have a shot at me—any old time you want one.

  Jake stuck close to her as they headed to the next tee. Neither made a move to rejoin Nate and Martha, who were already in the carts and driving ahead.

  * * *

  Maddie felt like a crushing weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She and Jake had somehow spoken easily, like friends, and it hadn’t been nearly as frightening as she’d been imagining these past few days. And both he and Nate were making it easy for her to let go her anxiety. They’d been keeping up a steady stream of ridiculous, entertaining banter, acting pretty much like goofy frat boys. It was hard not to laugh at them, and that went a long way toward easing the tension she’d felt since spotting Jake at the first tee.

  And it touched her that Jake was being so careful with her, going out of his way to treat her with a gentle courtesy.

  Maybe what Martha had said was right. Maybe she was over-thinking everything, worrying too much about some decision that might well never have to be made. Maddie had always been a meticulous planner, the farthest thing from a live-for-the-moment type of person anyone could find. But sometimes she got so wrapped up in planning for the future that she forgot to live in the moment. As her mom had so often reminded her in the days before she fell ill, that was a sure-fire way to let opportunity go to waste.

  She blinked away sudden tears at the thought of her mother, whose life had all but slipped away. Her mom couldn’t have fun or laugh anymore, couldn’t experience the excitement or comfort of a man’s touch, or understand the terrifying joy of following one’s heart. Of living for today, no matter what that day might bring. Maybe it was time for Maddie to do what her mother couldn’t do anymore.

  Stop being afraid, and experience as much happiness as she could.

  She glanced at Jake, who stood behind the tee, a smile tilting up the corners of his firm, sensual mouth as he watched her. A new energy flowed through her body. She would have fun—she would enjoy the day, starting right at that moment.

  As she stepped onto the tee, she gazed down the long, narrow fairway of the par-five third hole. It was rated the toughest hole on the course, and unless she could hit a long, straight drive to the corner of the dog-leg, she would end up with a difficult second shot and little chance of a par. Maddie cautioned herself to be extra careful not to over-swing, as her ball had a tendency to slice when she did.

  She drew the driver back, paused for an instant at the top, and then whipped the club down at a powerful steep angle. As she raised her head and caught her first glimpse of the flight of the ball, she groaned. Just what she’d told herself not to do—over-swing. She’d hit the ball with tremendous force, but as it rose, it started to fade off quickly to the right. It disappeared deep into the thick trees that lined the right side of the fairway.

  “Crap,” she muttered under her breath. She’d be lucky if she didn’t get lost forever in that thicket. It was a good thing her smartphone had a compass app.

  “You’ll be taking a little nature walk with that one, Maddie,” Nate hooted. “Let us know if there are any bears lurking in those woods.”

  Jake gave her a sympathetic grimace, then followed Martha and Nate to tee off in turn. Maddie took a deep breath, trying not to come off as a spoiled diva. She’d find her ball, or not, and concentrate on hitting her next shot, whatever that might be. After all, it was only a game, even if two of the best athletes on the whole darn planet were watching her.

  Martha stopped the cart at the point where they thought Maddie’s ball had gone into the stand of trees. Martha offered to help locate the ball, but Maddie shook her head. “Thanks, but you might as well go over and find your own ball. That’ll save time.”

  Martha had hit her drive into the much less dense bush on the other side of the fairway, and hers hadn’t penetrated nearly as deeply as Maddie’s.

  As Martha cut across the fairway, Maddie picked her way into the trees, brushing the smaller vegetation out of the way with her six-iron. The course had been carved out of what had once been thick forest, and this particular area had been preserved in its original state. It was so dense and canopied that light barely penetrated. The farther she stepped into the gloom, the less Maddie harbored illusions about finding her wayward ball. But she never liked to give up without at least a couple of minutes of searching. That was too easy, and she didn’t do easy.

  As she edged deeper into the trees, poking clumps of leaves and other debris with her club, she heard footsteps behind h
er. Thinking Martha had changed her mind and followed to help, she turned, around. “Martha, I don’t think—”

  But it wasn’t Martha following her. It was Jake.

  She swallowed as her heart jammed up into her throat.

  “I thought you could use some help,” he said with an easy grin. “Besides, Nate said there might be bears in these woods. I didn’t want you to get eaten.”

  Maddie felt her jaw drop, then she clamped it shut, cursing the flush of heat that surely turned her cheeks a bright red. Would she ever stop acting like an idiot around this man? Okay, he’d obviously made a sexual innuendo, but that didn’t mean she had to respond like a teenage girl.

  She nodded brusquely and turned away, poking at some underbrush as she glimpsed something white, but it turned out to be a small chunk of white cardboard from a pack of candy or cigarettes. After a few more moments, she turned back toward Jake. He continued to poke away at the underbrush with his club.

  “I don’t think it went in any deeper than this,” she said. “Since we haven’t seen it by now, I’d say it’s time to give up the quest.”

  She took a step toward him, and at the same moment Jake stepped forward, too. He was just inches from her now, towering over her with that powerful, uber-masculine body of his. Maddie froze, staring up into his intense blue eyes as he seemed to search for words.

  He finally let out a growl of frustration. “Maddie, I don’t know what to say right now, so I’m not going to say a damn thing.”

  Before she could react, he reached out and swept her into his arms. Gasping, she instinctively dropped her club and reached her hands up to his brawny shoulders to keep from losing her balance. It was a brazen move on his part and she knew she should push him away and give him hell. But she couldn’t find the strength to do it.

  Because she didn’t want to.

  Finally capitulating to the yearning that had been gnawing at her for days, Maddie let out a sigh and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jake lifted her straight up off her toes and kissed her hungrily. She squeaked at the sensation of helplessness as she dangled off the ground, but as his lips devoured hers, she melted against him, opening her mouth to the thrust of his probing tongue. The heat and strength of his body engulfed her. She felt wrapped in him, fused with him, all sense of separation having vanished in an instant.