by Jody Holford
Isla: I could sneak out. Addie’s asleep. I’ve been looking over marketing ideas for ticket sales.
Liam’s chest tightened and he sat up straight.
Liam: Don’t mess with me, Red.
Isla: I never joke around about marketing. It’s serious business, Cruz.
He chuckled. Screw this, he thought and dialed her number.
“You’re not supposed to call,” she said, her voice low.
Everything inside him, his heart, his lungs, his gut, tightened and burst with pleasure at the same time.
“I know,” he answered.
“It’s late. Why aren’t you in bed?”
He pictured her curled up on her couch, looking at numbers and spreadsheets. “I can’t sleep. Haven’t been able to for a while.”
“Have you tried warm milk?”
Liam laughed and sat forward, resting his elbow on his knee. “Not a fan.”
“How about a sedative?”
“Don’t like how I feel in the morning.”
“Hmm. A warm bath?”
Laughter shook his shoulders. “I’m not a woman.”
“You absolutely are not. But I feel compelled to mention not only women take baths. Also, I’m all out of ideas.”
A vision of her soaking in his two-person tub upstairs assaulted his brain. The idea of slipping in behind her, the warm water almost as inviting as the gorgeous woman… Liam almost groaned out loud and forced himself to take a deep breath.
He tried to call on the rational side of himself. This was the side that had him laser focused through training and once he made it to the show. The same part of him that avoided the club scene—other than Salvation—and close to home hookups. The one that answered “no comment” if he felt even the slightest bit cornered on a question.
This piece of himself had made him one of baseball’s golden boys. At one time, he’d thought that was everything. He wasn’t entirely sure when that had shifted, but he had a feeling it was about three weeks ago.
“Liam?”
He loved the way she whispered his name. “I’m all out of ideas, too, sweetheart. I want to see you. It’s late. The media isn’t at either of our doors. Can I come over?”
He could hear his heartbeat echoing in his ears while he waited.
“What if someone sees you?”
Air whooshed out of his lungs. “They won’t. I’ll park behind the building and come in through the back entrance. I have a friend who lives there. Didn’t even realize it until last week when he popped by the bar. He’ll open the door for me.”
“I’m operating on too little sleep and too much caffeine, so I could be wrong, but isn’t that someone seeing you?”
It was so easy for her to make him smile. “I trust him. He’s a friend. And I just miss you. Do you want me to come over, Isla?”
“I really do,” she admitted in a quiet voice that captured another little chunk of his heart.
“I’ll see you soon.”
He couldn’t second-guess it and he couldn’t focus on the reasons he shouldn’t. Getting ready, he told himself that once he saw her, held her—just a platonic hug—he’d be able to settle and know she was okay. Then, he could go back to normal.
Whatever that was.
He wasn’t sure he even remembered what he felt like before Isla Bennett had walked into his bar and made him realize there was a whole world outside of baseball and maybe, just maybe, it was worth exploring.
Chapter Nineteen
Isla was more nervous about Liam showing up on her doorstep than she had been about facing the Slammers management team. She felt like she had tennis balls bouncing around inside of her as she stood by the door, waiting for his knock.
She knew they shouldn’t see each other. They shouldn’t have been texting, either, but at the moment, her life was tethered by two very particular strings of strength: Addie and Liam.
They could talk, touch base. They could be friends. Couldn’t they? She needed all the friends she could get, but even as she thought it, his knock came.
And she knew she was lying to herself.
When she opened the door, he stood there like a damn beacon, lighting up the places inside her that had been darkened by the chaos of trying to keep up with her new life. And, if she was being honest with herself, in part by…his absence.
“Hey, Red,” he whispered.
Not trusting herself to speak just yet, she moved to let him in, shut the door behind him, resting her head against the wood. Silence pulsated between them, and Isla felt him at her back.
“You gonna turn around?” His voice was husky.
“Not yet,” she answered, trying to quiet the marching band putting on a show against her rib cage.
“Mind if I ask why?”
Blinking back tears, a little surprised by the depth of happiness she felt at seeing him, she cleared her throat quietly. “It’s easier to believe I can do this, be around you and not want you, if I don’t look at you.”
His quick, sharp breath cut through her willpower. So did his next words. “Turn around, Isla.”
Slowly, begging her professional self to suit up and take over, she turned, gave the door her weight, then slowly lifted her chin to meet his gaze.
It was a wonder the heat she saw there didn’t leave a brand on her skin.
It didn’t matter who moved first. They both wanted to be in the same place: tangled up in each other. His hands tunneled into her hair, cupping her face, and he looked down at her with such affection, she lost her breath.
They didn’t need words. They’d known, on some level neither of them understood, from the second their eyes locked in the bar, that the choice was made.
It didn’t matter if soul mates weren’t real or kismet, karma, or fate had a different plan. Liam lowered his head by infinitesimal degrees, drawing out the moment and the want. Unable to wait any longer, Isla pushed up on her tiptoes, which, considering her bare feet, didn’t give her as much leverage as heels. But when he leaned down and scooped her up against him, sealing his mouth over hers and showing her he felt everything she did, she stopped cursing her short stature.
He turned them and began to walk, but with her eyes closed, her heart pounding, and her arms locked like a vise around his neck, she didn’t know which way he was headed.
Like he’d traveled the path a dozen times before, he moved them until she felt the bed beneath her and Liam’s weight on top of her. The moonlight cut through the windows, since she’d forgotten the blinds. She’d been staring out at the city after getting ready for bed when he’d texted.
Feeling Liam’s mouth move along her skin, feeling his breath wash over her as he whispered how much he’d missed her, she knew it didn’t matter where she was. It was who. This man. He’d unlocked a piece of herself she hadn’t known was waiting for the right person.
Wherever this led, sort of like taking over the team, Isla knew she’d do whatever she had to in order to have this chance with him. There was no other choice.
“I didn’t come here for this,” he whispered, pulling back so he was resting on his forearms above her.
“I know,” she whispered, nipping at his lower lip even as her hands snaked under his shirt and found heated skin.
Needing no more encouragement, he reached over his shoulder and yanked his shirt up and off, chucking it into the air. “I didn’t know I could miss someone like this.”
Where she thought he’d undress her as quickly as she was trying to do to him, Liam slowed the pace and soothed her trembling. Running both hands along her arms, he linked their fingers, bringing their hands above her head. She arched up, found his mouth through the moonlit haze.
She never wanted to stop kissing him. Which would put a serious kink in her professional plans. But at the moment, she just didn’t have it in her to care.
“Shh,” he whispered against her earlobe, tracing it with his tongue. “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. We have all night. And when tomorrow com
es, we’ll figure things out. There’s too much here for us to pretend there isn’t, Red.”
She nodded, surprised that tears once again threatened. Words whispered, fingertips trailing, hands gliding over warm skin, and endless kisses pushed everything else away but this moment and this man.
There was nothing, other than them.
…
Waking up next to Liam was going on Isla’s top five list of favorite things ever. Shifting on her bed, she snuggled into the heat of his body, loving the way his arm curled around her even in his sleep. She’d slept better last night than she had since she’d arrived. It was far too easy to imagine waking up like this every day.
His long, dark lashes fluttered, reminding her that she’d been staring. When he fixed his somewhat bleary-eyed gaze on her, Isla’s heart tumbled. There was nothing she could do to stop it.
“Morning,” he whispered.
“Hi,” she whispered back, her smile growing.
“I like this,” he said, his voice a little rough.
“Waking up here?”
“With you. It doesn’t matter where we are.”
And…cue rapid, impossible to control heart rate. “Liam.”
He shook his head, went up on his elbow, and let his other hand graze over her stomach absently. “I don’t have anything figured out yet, Red, but this wasn’t a one-time thing. We tried staying apart. It didn’t work. I thought if I could just see you, I’d be able to rein the feelings in. Then, I thought if we were together, the feelings would even out. But waking up and seeing you first thing, all I feel is more. More than I’ve ever felt, and I can’t walk away because of some unwritten rule that we shouldn’t be together.”
Could someone burst from happiness? He’d said every possible thing she’d wanted him to say. Everything that she felt.
“Pretty sure Ethan would be able to find a written rule,” she said, biting her lip to keep her smile in check.
Liam laughed. “You’re the boss. Fire him.”
Her laughter was cut off by his mouth on hers, and both of them got lost, once again, in each other.
After a quick shower, Isla left Liam in her en suite to finish getting ready while she went to give Addie a heads-up.
She was already in the kitchen, dressed and drinking her coffee at the counter. When Isla came in, the smile her friend gave her made it clear that she was already in the know.
“Well good morning, Ms. Bennett. Did you sleep well? Or should I ask if you slept at all?”
Warmth rushed her cheeks and the back of her neck. “Uh…”
“I’ll say,” Addie said, getting up and grabbing two cups from the cupboard.
“Do you know how the hottie slugger takes his coffee?”
Brows scrunched, Isla put her hands on her hips. “How did you know?”
Addie glanced over her shoulder even as she poured the coffee. “You don’t do hookups and you’ve been pining—which also isn’t you—since I got here. Plus, his shoes are in the hall. Plus, plus, I’m super smart.”
Liam’s laughter behind her made her gasp and spin around. How had he finished his shower, dressed, and made himself look so damn good in so little time?
“I like her even more in person,” he said, stepping all the way into the kitchen, brushing his lips across Isla’s cheek before extending his hand to Addie. “Liam Cruz. Nice to officially meet you, Addison.”
Addie shook his hand and then passed him a coffee. “Addie to most people. Including friends, which I’m guessing we’re going to be, since I haven’t seen my girl smile like this in…oh, wait, in ever.”
Liam turned, and Isla wanted to crawl back into her bed under the covers. There was absolutely no playing it cool or acting nonchalant. He leaned toward Addie but kept his eyes on Isla.
“I think she might like me,” he said in a stage whisper.
Addie, all five foot four of her, leaned toward his six-foot-plus frame and nodded. “I’m guessing you like her back. But, since we just met and I like her more, I’ll let you know that if you hurt her, I’ll make you feel like a baseball after it’s met your swing.”
Liam’s eyes widened. He turned to face Addie and, surprising both women, scooped her up in a hug. When he set her down just seconds later, Addie’s mouth had dropped open.
“I was worried that she didn’t have anyone in her life who understood how lucky they were to be in it. I’m glad she has you.” He looked at Isla. “And now you have me as well.”
She would not cry.
She moved in between her two most important people and picked up her coffee. Letting them get acquainted, Isla worked on keeping her emotions under control. Once she did, they had to talk. Just because they’d realized they belonged together didn’t mean it would be easy or that they even should. All of the reasons not to be together still existed. As much as Isla would like to stay in this apartment and pretend nothing existed outside of it, she had a team to run.
Chapter Twenty
“What are you looking at?” Isla asked, coming up behind him, her hands circling his waist, her head leaning on his back. It was hard not to look out at the view of Nashville, especially since the apartment had a great one. But the one he found when he turned, tucking her closer to him, was infinitely better.
He was unfamiliar with the feelings swamping him.
“Just how much I love this city,” he said.
“I wish I’d seen more of it over the last couple of weeks,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. She rested her head against his chest, like he was made to fit her perfectly.
He wanted to be the one to show her everything he loved about Nashville. “Things will be tricky, but I plan to show you as much as I can.”
She leaned back with a sweet, sexy smile. “You showed me plenty last night.”
Liam got lost in kissing her for a moment before he pulled back and glanced toward the kitchen. “Has Addison left for work?”
Isla nodded, running her hands over his chest. “While you were on the phone. She’s on a mission to find a way to generate more ticket sales when the season starts. I think, like me, she feels as though a lot of the other stuff has to be put on pause until some of the…red tape gets loosened.”
Liam pulled her to the couch and sat down beside her, as close as he could without actually seating her on his lap. He’d never craved this kind of closeness with a woman before, and something about this particular woman told him he’d never get enough. Which meant he had some decisions to make.
Unable to help himself, he leaned in for another kiss and breathed in the scent of her—vanilla today. Sleeping next to her was like waking up in a damn bakery.
Her eyes lost their shine with her next words. “My father went back to Colorado for a bit when he didn’t get his way, but he’s here again, and he wants to meet with me. What are your plans for the day?”
Lowering his head, he touched his mouth to hers. Just the taste of her sparked a light in him that he worried only she could make burn. He was in pretty damn deep, and they’d barely started.
“I’m shooting a commercial,” he said. He needed to be on set in an hour.
Isla grinned, wide and bright. “I forgot you’re a big shot.”
He laughed, the back of his neck heating. “Me? I’m not the one who owns a baseball team.”
Endorsements were a part of the package. Not for everyone, he knew that. There wasn’t a day that went by, he wasn’t grateful for his position, both in life and on the team. He believed in the Slammers, and unlike the Twitterverse, he believed in Isla. She had something that the media was overlooking. The thing that made good players great. Great players phenomenal. Passion. Determination.
They were beating her down, he could see it. But they weren’t beating her. And from now on, he’d figure out a way to be by her side without damaging either of their reputations.
She dropped her hands to her lap, and though he missed having them on his body, he sensed that she was unsettled. Watching as she
traced an invisible pattern on her pant leg, Liam waited.
“Speaking of owning a team,” she said, looking up and turning toward him.
His stomach clenched. “Yeah?” Don’t give up. Don’t give in. He didn’t want to hear her say she was selling to her father. Though it’d smooth the personal path a hell of a lot. But it would sacrifice who she was, at her core. He didn’t want to be wrong about her. About them. They could figure this out.
Isla pursed her lips and then sighed. “I have sole ownership because my grandfather wanted it that way. But what if I didn’t?”
Liam frowned and ran a hand through his hair. “Your dad doesn’t deserve a chunk of this, babe.”
Her laughter surprised him. “No. He absolutely does not. But I didn’t mean him. What if I gave up a small percentage? It would provide an influx of cash, but more importantly, it would generate a buzz that doesn’t involve memes of me carrying around cups.”
His anger came back in waves. “You need to drown that stuff out. Don’t listen to any of it.” There were other things he needed to warn her about. Things he’d never thought about, worried about. He’d kept his people close—his family and friends knew what to listen to and what to tune out. But he’d never had a woman in his life who mattered this much. He didn’t want reality twisted by things she’d see and hear despite his mostly positive media coverage.
As if she couldn’t handle sitting still, she stood and paced to the window.
“I’m tougher than I look. But I want your opinion. What do you think about me selling a piece?”
He got up and joined her, giving in to the endless urge to kiss her again, letting his hands roam over her body and wishing he didn’t have to leave.
“I think it’s a solid plan. Takes some of the pressure off you, especially if you’re partnering with someone who knows about baseball.”
An idea firmly planted itself in his brain. What would be better than playing for the team he’d always wanted to be part of? Owning a piece.