Текст книги "The Heat of the Moment"
Автор книги: Katie Rose
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Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 15 страниц)
Chapter 15
When she got home, Jessica paced her floors in agitation. The sex fog was gone, and she was left with nothing to do but confront her actions.
What the hell was I thinking?
She hadn’t been. That was the problem. Back in her apartment, in the stark kitchen light, reality hit her full force. She’d barely recovered from her encounter with Zach when she was locking lips with another ballplayer.
Gavin.
They hadn’t been on a date; hadn’t had a discussion about exclusivity, relationships, or anything like that. He was barely over his girlfriend, and now could be seeing a dozen women for all she knew. And she was the professional; it was her responsibility to keep the relationship on a patient/therapist level. And she had managed to do that until she was in his arms…
She couldn’t even blame him. Gavin had intended only to console her, and she had practically jumped him. Cringing, she remembered every second as if it was seared in her brain even as her heart pounded:
That kiss.
His mouth on her breast.
His hand between her legs as she begged him to fuck her…
Her face flamed in embarrassment.
And he wasn’t just a nameless stranger. He was Gavin. She couldn’t take consolation in the fact that she’d never have to see him again. Nope, Gavin would be there tomorrow and he’d already made it plain he wanted to put this on the table.
Of course he did.
Jessica swallowed hard and literally pulled the covers over her head. Wasn’t it just a couple of days ago that she had cockily assured him that she could resist him no matter what? And yet all it took was a kiss, and she was tearing her clothes off.
“Oh God,” she moaned, the blood rushing to her face in mortification. Padding to her kitchen, she opened the fridge and poured another glass of Pinot. When she got back to bed, she turned on the TV, hoping to find some old movie, preferably a murder mystery or gory thriller. But when she saw Cary Grant take Katharine Hepburn in his arms in The Philadelphia Story, she was done.
Sleep was long in coming.
–
“Phil, can I talk to you for a minute?” Jessica cornered him as soon as he came into the office the following morning.
She’d made up her mind. She was going to ask him to take over Gavin’s case. After what had happened between them the previous day, she didn’t think it was smart or fair to risk anything else.
It was bad enough that she couldn’t get him out of her head.
But the sex…
She wanted it again, wanted it with him. It was like a drug, addictive and dangerous. Their one time together had done nothing to dampen her need. If anything, now that she had an inkling of how good it could be, she only wanted more. And that was untenable given the situation.
Phil looked up from his desk, a harried expression on his face. “Looks like we are in for a busy week. Roger sprained his ankle yesterday after just recovering from the groin injury, Jimmy has a sore arm, and Derek hurt an elbow. We also have a couple of guys coming in from a brawl last night. Don’t know who the guilty parties are, but I hear the boys were having some fun at the local sports bar.”
“Wow.” Jessica exhaled. Phil didn’t have the bandwidth to take on any more, let alone Gavin’s case. She was just going to have to buck up and learn to keep her hands to herself.
As long as Gavin didn’t kiss her, she could probably stick to that.
“So is there something you wanted to talk to me about?” Phil looked in her direction.
“No. When you know exactly what needs to be done, let’s get together and split up the work.”
Preparing the coffeepot, she carefully measured the freshly ground beans and put them into the filter. She was just adding water when she felt him enter the room, his eyes on her.
Damn him. He looked incredibly good. At over six feet tall, he was a lot of man. Dressed in a tank top with a jersey tossed casually over it, she could see the muscles of his torso and his biceps clearly outlined by the thin cotton. Dimly she became aware of the smell of his cologne, light and fresh, and the heat emanating from his rock-hard body.
“Hi. Got a minute?”
He intended to make good on his promise, but she wasn’t ready for this, not when her insides were doing somersaults. She was about to respond when Jake walked into the room with a young Hispanic boy.
“Hey, Jess,” he said, putting his arm around the youth beside him. She noticed the boy was favoring one leg and seemed to study the floor rather than look at her. “This is Joaquin Menendez. My buddy here pulled a hamstring muscle playing ball yesterday. He has seen the doctor, but as you know there isn’t a whole lot they can do for this except anti-inflammatories. I was wondering if you could give him a few exercises that would help.”
“Sure.” Relieved at the interruption, she gave Gavin an apologetic shrug and stooped to make eye contact with the boy. “I’m Jessica. I work with ballplayers all the time, help them get better. So I understand your leg hurts. Can you walk across the floor for me?”
He shook her hand and appeared a little bewildered by the attention. But he nodded, and then limped to the opposite wall. She watched him walk tentatively, aware that every time his foot met the ground there was pain.
Jake took advantage of the moment to speak to her in a low voice. “He doesn’t have the money to pay for rehab, and there is no insurance. Let me know what it costs and I’ll take care of it.”
Suddenly she understood. She’d heard Jake was mentoring a young boy from a small town in South Jersey. He’d managed to move Joaquin and his mother to a better place, and had gotten him involved in baseball.
“On the house.” Her eyes met Jake’s. “Where does he live?”
“Marlton,” Jake replied as Joaquin returned, still hobbling.
“That’s a bit of a hike, but as it happens I just heard from an old college buddy who moved there a few years ago. I was intending to go see her sometime in the next few weeks. So maybe I could stop by, see how things are going. In the meantime,” she gave the boy a smile that was tentatively returned, “I’m going to give you some instructions and my email. I want you to do exactly as I tell you every day, and email or text me how you’re doing. Work for you?”
He nodded eagerly, and then looked at Jake with hero worship in his eyes. The shortstop ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately. “Okay, pal, I’ve got to get to work. I’ll pick you up later.”
“Okay.”
Jake looked at Jessica. “I can’t tell you how much this means—”
“Then don’t.” She winked, the freckles dancing across her face.
Jake smacked her shoulder the way he would do with another guy, and then left, while Gavin began his workout with her assistant. Jessica helped Joaquin onto a table and demonstrated some simple movements he could do at home to help with his injury. When he successfully completed the routine, she gave him a copy of the exercises to help him remember.
Joaquin provided a distraction she was grateful for, especially since she could feel Gavin’s eyes on her. She’d gotten a reprieve, at least for the time being.
But at some point, they’d have to talk and address what had happened between them. Like it or not.
–
He waited for her after his workout. He knew some of the delay was deliberate on her part; she didn’t want to have this conversation, didn’t want to acknowledge that things between them had spun out of control. He smiled at the thought. If there was one thing Jessica was all about, it was control, and losing it was not something she would want to deal with.
But he didn’t catch a break. She was gone when he came out of the shower, whether out on a run or doing something else, he couldn’t be certain. She was avoiding him, and he felt like he was chasing smoke.
But then he reminded himself that he had all the time in the world, and plenty of patience.
He had a feeling he would need both.
Chapter 16
She had been grateful to escape when Nikki called, asking her to meet for coffee. As she entered the PR woman’s office, the dark-haired woman hung up the phone and indicated a seat.
“Hey, Jess. Thanks for stopping by. I have some press releases to run by you, but also wanted to invite you for cocktails later. A couple of gal pals and I are planning a bridal shower for Darcy. Thought you might want to get in on the fun.”
“Cocktails? Oh, I’m in.” Jessica took the chair, pleased to discover she’d made a friend.
“I knew I liked you,” Nikki said, extracting a menu from one of her files. “We were thinking to have it at a restaurant nearby. We could have happy hour snacks, some wine and cheese—you know, the good stuff.”
“You mean no punch bowl floating with ice cream, or stupid games where you put balloons between your legs?”
“Oh God no.” Nikki shuddered visibly. “In fact, we were thinking of a Chippendales-type thing. Which is so not Darcy that it is guaranteed to be funny.”
Jessica had to laugh, beginning to relax for the first time all day. It felt good.
“And for gifts, we will do all the traditional registry stuff. But we were also thinking of some racy presents. You know, garter belts, thongs…that sort of thing.”
“I love it,” Jessica said, refusing to let her mind go there. Garter belts and thongs were a little too hard to think about after her encounter with Gavin. “I don’t know her well, but heard she’s a little shy. Of course you know she will be mortified.”
“She’ll get over it.” Nikki smirked. “After all, she is marrying our ace pitcher. And it’s not like she needs a Crock-Pot or something. Chase can afford whatever she wants.”
“I love Crock-Pots.”
“Me too, although I’m a lousy cook.”
“I’m actually pretty good and make a mean roast pork in the slow cooker. Maybe you and Jake can come over sometime in the fall—we can have Oktoberfest, with good beers and good food.”
“I’d love that. But we can’t talk as if the Sonics won’t have a post-season. We are all really counting on Gavin, that he’ll get well and give us the offense we need.”
“I know. I’m trying not to put any pressure on him, let him recover the way his body wants to. But I’m hoping the same thing.”
“Speaking of Gavin, I have a press kit ready to go. Do you mind taking a look at it, to make sure everything is appropriate and accurate?”
“Sure. When do you need it?”
“If you could get it back to me by Friday, that would be great.”
“Perfect.” She took the file with her, putting it in her car to review later, when everything was quiet. Now, she needed to run, to get rid of the emotion that had her all twisted up.
She already had on her running shoes, and fortunately the ballpark was empty. Not surprising: the game was a late one, and wouldn’t start until eight o’clock. So she had the place to herself, and plenty of time to jog.
She’d barely gotten started when she decided to call her brother Logan. She wanted to talk, but Rory would have realized right away that something was wrong. And while she adored Logan also, he was more self-involved and less likely to notice that his sister was a basket case.
“Hey, it’s me.” She got the words out in hushed breaths as she began to pick up her pace.
“Hey, me,” Logan responded in his usual laconic style. “What’s going on, baby girl?”
“I’m not your baby girl,” Jessica huffed. She hated it when he called her that, which only made him do it more. “I just thought I’d check in. Haven’t talked to you in a while.”
“Bull,” he said, and she had to laugh. She could almost see him sitting on his fabulous balcony in Italy, enjoying a cold one and watching the sunset. “Now why don’t you tell me why you really called. I hope it’s not about that asshole Sack.”
“Do you mean Zach?”
“Nope. I mean Sack. As in sack-of-shit. Rory told me he was coming to Trenton.”
“Nice.” She ran faster. “So you were all discussing me as some kind of romantic loser?”
“Nope. We just didn’t want you upset by him. He didn’t do anything, did he? Because if he did, I’ve got no problem showing up in New Jersey tomorrow and beating the crap out of him. I haven’t been home in a while and Mom would be thrilled to see me.”
She knew she shouldn’t want that to make her feel better, but it did. Somehow, just knowing her brothers had her back helped, even though she was more than capable of handling her own problems.
And maybe one day, they’d learn that.
“That’s really sweet of you, but no, it’s okay. He did try to make a move on me, saying he wanted me back, but I told him to go to hell. In so many words.”
“Bastard. I knew it. So did Rory. Thank God you didn’t fall for it. He probably wanted to know he could have you again. Then he would be off to Cleveland with his actress, his ego totally supersized by knowing he had scored with you. Dickhead.”
It was nerve-racking to hear her brother spell out exactly what she had suspected. But on the other hand, it was empowering. He was sharing the male code, telling her what was said in the locker room so that she wouldn’t be a prize idiot.
Too late. But wrong guy.
“I appreciate that, but I am absolutely not interested in Zach anymore. At all. Seeing him again only reinforced that.”
“Glad to hear it. So who is it?”
She could have bitten her tongue, aware that she had given herself away. But she was surprised by his concern. Normally when he called her, it was a running monologue about what was going on in his life. The soccer games. The countries. The girls. He’d had to move to Europe as a teenager if he wanted to seriously compete, and it had been difficult for him to adjust. He’d been lonely, frustrated, and homesick. But it was all part of the game.
And now he was amazingly successful. So it was doubly odd that he was so tuned into what was going on with her. But then she realized why: he’d been speaking to Rory.
“Nothing. I just wanted to talk for a while. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nada.” She heard him take a gulp of the beer. “So I hear you are rehabbing that new guy, what’s his name? The big hitter?”
“Gavin.” She didn’t like the way this conversation was heading, but couldn’t think of a way to change the subject without being obvious.
“So how’s it going?”
“Fine. He’s coming along.”
“It’s him, isn’t it?”
She was back at the beginning of the track and felt the flare of irritation ignite once more. “Why would you assume—”
“That you would be interested in a guy that the rags call the sexiest guy in baseball? Gee, I don’t know. Why would I think any such thing?”
She had to laugh. Not only was he dead right, but it was funny. “Okay, you’ve got me. Yeah, I like him. But his last girlfriend was a swimsuit model.”
“Let me tell you something, Jess.” She could hear the annoyance in his voice. “You are worth one hundred million swimsuit models. You have a heart of gold, and will make the right guy really happy. I just don’t want to see you fall for a line, another guy just looking for bragging rights.”
“He’s not like that. He seems pretty decent for a ballplayer.” She wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to defend Gavin, but she did. “He has been a gentleman.”
Except when I jumped his bones…
The phone was silent for a moment, and then Logan said, “Okay, he might be legit. But he could also be playing you, pretending to be the good guy. Just be careful.”
“Yeah, sure. I’m always careful.” Before he could object, she continued. “All right, except for once, but I’ve learned.”
“Good. Let’s get on to something important. I’m playing fantasy baseball. What do you think of Ryan Zimmerman this year? Rory thinks no.”
Jessica had to laugh. This was the Logan she knew and loved.
–
He was waiting for her when she returned to the office. But she felt better now, stronger. Talking with Nikki and planning the shower, plus chatting with her brother, had made her feel more grounded.
And Logan was right. For all that she liked Gavin and thought he was a decent guy, she would be doing both of them a favor to distance herself both physically and emotionally, and concentrate on his rehab.
“Jess.” He gave her that sexy smile that made her heart flutter. “Walk you to the parking lot?”
“Sure.” It was clear neither one of them wanted to remain at the scene of the crime, especially alone together.
She tidied the room, aware that Gavin helped her without being asked. And she was appreciative, as it took far less time with two people replacing dumbbells, hanging up straps, and putting back balls. Within a very short period it was all done, so she grabbed her personal belongings and headed for the door.
Gavin was right behind her as she locked up. The night was considerably cooler than the previous one, so she zipped her jacket all the way to her throat, feeling as if she had on a suit of armor.
“I noticed your knee isn’t bothering you as much now,” she said as they crossed through the back of the park. When he looked at her in surprise, she shrugged. “That’s my job. So I think we can up the ante, start adding back some of the stretches that we had taken off the plate. Are you game?”
“Sure.” He gazed at her, measuring, as if aware she was avoiding any intimate topics. “I want to talk to you about last night.”
She swallowed hard. “Gavin, let’s not make a big deal out of it. It’s all good.”
“It is a big deal.” His eyes narrowed and as she tried to walk away, he held her in place. “You can’t pretend it didn’t happen, and that it wasn’t pretty damned great.”
Logan’s words came back to haunt her as she looked into his eyes and saw confidence and male satisfaction lurking there. Of course. After all, she’d told him she would have no trouble resisting him, and at the first opportunity, she had jumped into his arms. Was he just another jock, looking for bragging rights? She didn’t think so, but she’d been fooled before…
Taking a deep breath, she responded coolly.
“Look, last night I was vulnerable, and you were…kind. I haven’t had sex in a while, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. But that’s all. It doesn’t mean anything other than…a physical release.”
What’s love got to do with it, indeed.
She missed the thunderous look on his face as she turned again, prepared to get in her car and head home. But this time he actually put his hand on her shoulder, turned her around, and glared at her.
“You’re trying to tell me that I mean nothing to you? And that I represent what, exactly? A six-foot-tall vibrator?”
She had never seen him angry before, and it fascinated her. Yet she wasn’t scared. Male outrage was something she’d grown up with, something she understood. His ego was bruised because she’d made it clear that she saw him as a boy toy, and that the chemistry between them was no big deal.
“I wouldn’t have put it that crudely, but in a sense, yes. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s all hormones, and mating urges, nothing to get spun up about. Now if you don’t mind, I’m meeting Nikki later for cocktails. I’m sure I can pick up some hot guy if I still feel the need to get it out of my system. Later.”
Before he could react, she jumped into her car and sped off, gratified to see him standing with his hands on his hips, glaring at her in the parking lot. If this was some kind of ego trip on his part, like Logan warned her, she was more than happy to burst his balloon.
Chapter 17
Gavin wanted to kill her. He was sorely tempted to go after her, and kiss her senseless until she was limp in his arms once more, fight with her, or put her over his knee. But he knew he had no right to do any of those things.
Yet.
The funny part was, he had been about to admit his feelings for her. But Jessica had made it plain she’d thought of him only in sexual terms, as a physical release.
Nothing more.
He got into his Jeep, utterly furious. Had he totally misread her? It wouldn’t be the first time a woman wanted to be with him because of who he was, his celebrity. Not for himself. He saw that in the notes he got on social media, the fans who did everything in their power to try to get his attention, including mailing him their panties. He realized they were projecting onto him, fantasizing, that it wasn’t anything real.
Even Kristin only wanted him as long as he was a star.
But he didn’t think of Jessica like that. Calming, a thousand contradictions came to him: the way she’d taken care of him, and everyone else, for that matter. The way the team all liked and respected her. And how she helped Joaquin, on her own nickel and her own time.
So why this sudden turnaround? Mentally he reviewed the moments they had shared and came up short. It was true that he hadn’t set out to seduce her: he had only intended to comfort her, but she had kissed him and things had spun out of control…
Maybe that was it. Maybe it wasn’t his behavior that concerned her, but her own. She had been completely aroused and uninhibited, letting him know in no uncertain terms how much she wanted sex, wanted him. And now, she didn’t know how to deal with it.
He shook his head. At least they would have some time alone together over the next few weeks, given that she had agreed to resume their walks. It would give him a chance to fix this, to prove to her he was a very different breed than Zachary.
And that he was looking forward to.
–
“So we all agree. Darcy’s shower will be at a bar or a hotel, and we can hire a male dancer.” Nikki whipped out her clipboard and gestured to the waitress. “I think we are going to need a round of margaritas. We have important decisions to make here.”
“Agreed,” Jessica said.
They were joined by several other women who worked with Darcy at the ballpark and were introduced as Ella, Emily, and Kelly, in addition to Cara, Darcy’s best friend. Jessica liked Cara immediately. She was the polar opposite of Darcy: dark-haired, vivacious, and outgoing, and it was clear that she had her friend’s best interests at heart.
It was fun to be with girlfriends again, without all the complications of emotions and sex, Jessica mused. Normally she enjoyed time with her brothers and her men pals, but right now a good dose of estrogen felt like just the right prescription.
“So, Jess, what do you think? We seemed to have lost you for a moment.”
She snapped back to the conversation at hand and gave Nikki an apologetic shrug. “Sorry. Was thinking of something else.”
“Something or someone?” Nikki asked teasingly.
“Secrets?” Cara was all over it. She looked curiously at Jessica, and she got the feeling the woman could almost read minds.
But Nikki was the one who ratted her out. “Jess is rehabbing Gavin King.”
“OMG!” Cara sat back in her chair and looked at the physical therapist with undisguised envy. “He is sooo hot.”
“He is a cutie,” Emily agreed. “Between that dark hair, and the black eyes and those biceps…” She actually shivered, and looked at Jessica with undisguised interest. “How do you keep your hands off him?”
This was getting too close for comfort. And to her surprise, Jessica felt a surge of jealousy to hear Gavin discussed by other women. Emily was really pretty, she noticed, with her blond hair, petite figure, and big blue eyes. Her heart sank as she mentally compared herself and came up short.
Every girl in America wanted Gavin. Why would he ever be seriously interested in her?
Moreover, she was a little embarrassed at the way she’d lashed out at him earlier. At the time she felt she had to wipe that smug smile off his face, especially if he was, as Logan put it, looking for bragging rights. Yet now she felt she’d overreacted, which wasn’t fair to him.
“So? How do you?” Emily asked, bringing her back to reality.
“He dates models,” she managed. “And I’m just his therapist. So what are we deciding? Something with the shower?” She wanted to change the subject quickly.
“The Marriott or a restaurant?” Nikki seemed to sense that this topic was a sore point and diverted the conversation. “Cara knows a place in town called the North End Bistro that might work.”
Cara nodded. “It’s really nice, and has a homey feel. And the food is good. I think they have a back room that we could use for a private party.”
Nikki Googled the restaurant and located it on her phone. She passed the cell to Jessica, who flipped through the pictures and then studied the menu.
“This looks good. I like the fact that it seems rustic and comfortable, and not like an antiseptic hotel room. I volunteer to call for rates if that would help.”
“That would be great,” Nikki said, adding that to the list. “So if the price is okay, we will need to make some decisions around food, drinks. We can do beer and wine and keep the cost down, or go all out.”
“I’ll find out the options and we can get together and make some final decisions,” Jessica volunteered. “I will also ask about dates, and if there are any restrictions. When did you have in mind?”
“How about Memorial Day weekend?” Cara suggested. “That will give everyone an extra day. Except for you guys.” She glanced at Nikki and the other women who worked with her.
“We can work around that,” Nikki said, looking at Jessica. “How about you?”
She nodded. “As long as I know in advance, I can make arrangements so that it doesn’t interfere with rehab.”
Especially Gavin’s. Despite her turbulent emotions, she was determined to get him well. She didn’t want a bridal shower or anything else to interfere with his progress.
“Perfect. Now how about a dancer?” Nikki glanced at the other women with a grin. “I’ll get a few profiles, packages, and review them with you all. Work for everybody?”
“Sounds like fun,” Cara said. “Gee, evaluating half-naked men and deciding who we want for a party? It appears we need another night out.”
The drinks arrived, along with chips and several kinds of salsa. “Cheers! We all drink to that!” Emily hoisted her glass.
Nikki grinned, picking up her own. “To the hottest bridal shower in history!”
All glasses were raised.
–
“So since Hollywood isn’t here tonight, I think it’s a good time to plan his bachelor party.”
Gavin had joined the team at the local bar. Jake poured another beer from the pitcher and glanced around the room. Brian put up his hand immediately.
“Are we going to do the whole limo thing, do a pub crawl and wind up at a gentlemen’s club?”
“Absolutely. I was thinking maybe Memorial Day weekend. That Sunday. We play Mikwaukee during the day, so the night is free, and we play late on Monday.”
“I’m in,” Gavin said.
“It’s a full moon that weekend, I think,” Shaun said dreamily. “That should add to the drama.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Brian shook his head. “There’s no drama in bachelor parties. It’s drinking, busting on Chase, and girls.” He did a little twirl of his index finger at his ear behind Shaun’s back, indicating the outfielder was a little nuts.
“So if that’s a yes, we can start making some plans. I remember we all had a great time at your party last year,” Jake said with a glance at Shaun. “We can hire the same limo service; that worked out well. And contact a few bars in advance so we can have some privacy.”
“Sounds good,” Cody chimed in. “I’ll check out the clubs.” When Jake shot him a look, the catcher grinned. “I know, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. Besides, you are spoken for. Somehow I don’t think Nikki would like the idea of you checking out strippers.”
“You have a point.” Jake hefted his beer and sighed. “Ah, for the good old days of being single. Not that I would change a thing,” he added meaningfully, “but I envy you, my man.”
Gavin joined in the toast, and then drank his own beer. It was obvious Jake had something special with Nikki. If he remembered correctly, Jake used to have a reputation as a womanizer. But it appeared the right girl had changed all that, and now he seemed settled and content.
And that’s what I want. The thought popped out of nowhere. He pictured Jessica; she was the kind of girl he could make a life with, have children with. He thought of her bending down to Joaquin’s level, explaining everything to the boy in a way that he could understand. She would be great with kids…
Looking up, he saw Jake refilling his glass with an understanding smile on his face. “Women. Can’t live with them; can’t live without them.”
Gavin tapped his glass to Jake’s.
