Текст книги "The Heat of the Moment"

Автор книги: Katie Rose

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Chapter 18

He felt as if he were entering the lion’s den when he came into the physical therapy room early the next morning. Gavin dropped his bag as he saw Jessica at her desk, and waited to see which way the wind was blowing. She held up a finger to indicate she needed a moment, and when she finished whatever she was doing, she got up and came to stand beside him at the PT table.

“You okay?” He noticed she had rubbed her temples as if something hurt, and he saw a little wince of pain.

“A bit of a margarita headache,” she confessed as she put on her jacket. “The girls from the Communications Department can handle their tequila a lot better than I can.”

He chuckled at that as they walked outside. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah. We’re planning a shower for Darcy. Nikki and Cara are a blast. The others are really nice, too, so I think it will be a great event. Not the usual snore-fest for sure.”

“So did you?”

When she gave him a blank look, his eyes narrowed and he lowered his voice. “Find somebody to hook up with so that you can take care of, um, how did you put it? A physical release?”

She smacked him and he laughed, grateful that he could tease her again. Either that or the hangover left her short on her game.

“No, I did not. Somehow being with a gaggle of women seems to scare guys off. There were a few of them in the bar, but they didn’t approach us.”

“Thank God for that,” he said before he could stop himself. She gave him a look, but no way in hell was he going to explain. Privately he had to admit it had bothered him considerably to think of her on a one-night stand.

“Listen, about yesterday,” she said, lowering her voice. “I didn’t mean—”

“Don’t worry about it,” he quickly replied. “You were upset. I get it.”

“Thanks.” He saw her face relax in relief, and her eyes were warm with gratitude. It seemed she wanted to say more, but shook her head as if dismissing it. “So on another topic, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Sonics are traveling to Boston tomorrow. Pete wants you to go with them.”

“I didn’t hear that.”

“He will probably tell you later. I’ll put something together for you so that you can keep up with your workout. Stan Feldman travels with the team. He will go with you. He’s a good guy and will take care of you. I’ll have something ready for you by the end of the day.”

“Appreciate it.”

“But I do have one suggestion.”

He arched his brow and waited, aware that her eyes twinkled, and her lips twitched with suppressed merriment.

“Don’t go trying to kiss him. I hear you have a thing for physical therapists.”

He shot her a look, then shared in her laughter. Things were back to normal. Thank God.

–

He returned to the bench afterward to watch the game. They were playing the Rangers, and Gavin could see Pete’s frustration as Cody came to the plate with the bases loaded.

The catcher was batting cleanup. Gavin watched in interest, realizing that Pete was changing the lineup every couple of days. The problem was, he didn’t have a heavy hitter to put in that spot. Jake led off, singled, and got on base. Brian came up next, smacked a breaking ball that didn’t break into the hole, got to first, and Jake advanced. Pat Murphy, who was playing right field, got lucky and nailed a fastball. Heavier than the other players, he lumbered to first base. The pitcher made a mistake and tried to get Jake instead, but the shortstop was incredibly fast and got to third standing.

Now it was Cody’s job to bring them home. But he struck out, and then Shaun popped up for the second out. Then it was up to Derek, who had recovered from his injury but was hung over from the previous night. He looped a curveball right at the shortstop, and the inning was over.

“We can’t keep playing like that and expect anything to happen.” Pete swore, and chomped his gum furiously. “I’m going to have to get Nikki to start her program again. These boys were out drinking all night, and then this is what you get.”

“It’s not just that.” Dick Dubell, the pitching coach, spat a wad of tobacco. “We need a cleanup hitter. We left three men on base and have nothing to show for it. The sooner we get a heavy bat in that spot, the better our chances.”

They both looked at Gavin at exactly the same moment. Roger, who was sitting beside him and still on the DL, broke into guffaws. “They’re not looking at me, buddy. Let’s hope you heal up real quick for all our sakes.”

Gavin ignored him, but was aware he was right. They were counting on him. The Sonics were like an orchestra missing a key instrument. Jake and Brian and the rest of the team could do the best they could, but without that one guy they could count on to knock it out of the ballpark when they had men on base, they would always struggle.

“Nothing like a little pressure,” Roger added, continuing to egg him on.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Gavin said flatly, refusing to rise to the bait. Instead he got up and went to the water cooler, relieved to see there were no live creatures looking back at him from inside.

Yet Roger’s words burned. While his injury was healing, Gavin still had a long way to go. They needed him; he knew it, he felt it. The Sonics had taken a gamble on him that the Dodgers were not willing to risk. And he wanted desperately to repay that faith, to show his former teammates that he was still capable, and to contribute to a team that had become his own.

Some of his agitation faded as he recalled hitting some balls with Jake earlier in the day. Although he was still doing that on the sly, he was encouraged to see that his form was coming back. Even though he still couldn’t put a lot of pressure on his knee, Jake was right; the compact swing he’d developed allowed him to make contact and get the ball into contention. He was now working on accuracy, making every bat count, and driving each pitch into exact placement.

And Jake was impressed. The shortstop didn’t say much, just spotted for him, reminding him when he was off-balance or leaning too much on the bad leg. But his grin at the end of the session said more than praise, and Jake had flung his arm around him, confessing that he had wagered five hundred bucks that Gavin would be hitting over .300 by August.

Instead of getting anxious, for some reason that made him laugh. Jake believed in him. So did Jessica. So did Pete, for that matter.

When he lifted the cup to his mouth, Cody shook his head in the negative.

“What?” Gavin glanced at the water cooler. “I didn’t see a fish.”

“I don’t think anyone has changed it since Chase took Kate out of there,” he admitted.

It took Gavin a moment to process that. Apparently, they had named the goldfish after Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn’s daughter. And Chase, an animal lover, had rescued the poor creature. Kate now lived in the locker room in a proper fishbowl, and even Pete stopped by occasionally to say hello.

But apparently, no one had taken the initiative to replace the water. Gavin tossed the cup into the trash, hefted the bottle out of the cooler, and replaced it with a new one. It gurgled and bubbled, but this time when he put his cup underneath of it, he was certain it was fresh and clean.

Unbelievable.

–

She came in while he was still in the pool.

Gavin saw her when he was underwater and even though her image was a little blurry, he knew it was Jess. Diving deep into the pool, he used his arms as well as gentle kicks to plow through the water. He had gotten stronger, and it was gratifying to see progress. Swimming in particular had helped his upper body strength, making it easier to hit the ball, to drive it those few extra feet that made all the difference.

So her program was working. The therapy he was doing with her during the day was strengthening his knee, while the additional activity was getting him back to his peak form.

When he reached the ladder and climbed out, she immediately turned her back to him and busied herself at her desk. He noticed that they were alone, and that she was as nervous as a teenage girl on her first date. Because of him? An interesting thought. Grabbing a couple of towels, he wrapped one around his waist and tossed another over his bare shoulders.

“So here are the exercises I put together for you.” She handed him a file, focusing on the papers inside. “Do them three times a day, two sets of ten reps…”

Her eyes wouldn’t meet his. “Jess—”

“I’ve got to go. Good luck tomorrow in Boston. Say hello to my big brother.” She grabbed her jacket and reached for the keys. Before he could say anything else, she tossed them his way, and he snatched the key ring out of the air.

She tried to brush past him, but he grabbed her by the elbow, effectively stopping her. He was fully aware he was wearing nothing more than his swim trunks and a towel. Water trickled down his naked chest, puddling on the floor, but he didn’t care. It killed him to leave like this, with her treating him as if he were any other client.

Or any other man.

“You weren’t even going to say goodbye?” He tipped her head up, forcing her to look at him.

“Gavin, I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s a good idea…” Her eyes reluctantly met his, traveled down his face, and then lower to linger on his mouth…

“Shit.” She planted a quick kiss on his lips and then tried to pull away, but he yanked her up against him, uncaring that he would get her wet. In fact, if he had to think about it, that was the general plan.

“What are you doing?” she gasped, her eyes wide with surprise.

“You can’t pretend you don’t feel anything for me,” he said, gratified to see her tremble. “I’m not buying it. I’m also not buying that little speech about this being nothing but a physical attraction. And if you keep looking at me like that, I’ll prove it.”

She couldn’t argue with his logic, especially with her body pressed right up against his. The moisture from the pool grew steamy between them, and by the way she squirmed, he could tell she was affected by his nearness.

When his mouth took hers in a heated kiss, she didn’t resist. Instead, to his utter surprise and relief, her hands slipped up behind his back and pulled him even closer to her. Groaning, he gave in to the passion that ignited between them, his tongue meeting hers, testing, tasting, wanting everything he knew she had to offer.

His body hardened in response, and he heard her sharp intake of breath as she arched into him, creating sweet, sweet pressure as his body pressed against the cleft between her legs. He was fighting the urge to strip her of that utilitarian yoga outfit and fuck her on the wet tiles, the way she was tempting him.

But he wanted better than that for her, and for himself. So with a supreme effort, he stepped back and released her, breathing hard.

He would never forget the look in her eyes: Desire. Passion. And wonder. She looked exactly like what she was: a woman who had been thoroughly kissed and was eager for more.

“I wanted to give you something to remember me while I’m in Boston,” he said, his eyes full of meaning. “Because I sure as hell will be thinking of you.”

For the first time since he’d met her, Jessica Hart was speechless.

Chapter 19

She walked into her condo, carrying two bags of groceries. Heading into the kitchen, Jessica plopped the sacks on her countertop and unpacked all of the fixings for the perfect spring dinner: fresh rack of lamb, garlic, sea salt, rosemary, asparagus, and fingerling potatoes.

Her body was still tied up in knots from Gavin. Even now as she took out a mortar and pestle, and ground up the garlic with the herbs, salt, and Dijon mustard, she thought about how he appeared fresh out of the pool like a Calvin Klein magazine advertisement.

He looked hot. Not just gorgeous, powerful, male, and sexy, but hot. She had only glanced at him as he climbed up the ladder, but it was enough that her mouth went dry. The water had slicked back his dark hair, plastering it to his scalp. As a result his chiseled features appeared even more pronounced: those cheekbones, his nose, that sensual mouth.

The water trickled down his torso, and she saw his wet biceps flex as he got out of the pool, his muscular legs tighten, and his chest muscles contract down to those washboard abs. And then when he kissed her, it was just like before. Hot, hard, wet…

She swallowed hard and reached for the Pinot Noir, pouring herself a generous glass.

Damn.

Taking a good pull of the luscious wine, she spread the garlic mixture all over the rack of lamb, and then set it aside and preheated the oven. Next she turned to the vegetables, scrubbing the potatoes until they were clean and putting them in a pot to parboil. With the asparagus, she snapped off the ends, marveling at how the sandy Jersey soil produced such tall, thick stalks so early in the season.

She put the asparagus into a frying pan along with some shallots, butter, and olive oil, then sprinkled a little of the sea salt on them and let them sauté gently until the stalks were tender.

Cooking was her outlet, her way of de-stressing and getting out of her own head. Although she found meditation and yoga calming, preparing a meal allowed her to tune in to that same energy and produce a terrific dinner at the same time.

It was a two-for-one.

She tested the potatoes and found they were just starting to get soft. After draining the pot, she spooned them around the lamb rack, tossing the remaining rosemary and sea salt over them. She put the rack into the oven and set the timer, and then checked on the asparagus.

Perfect. The stalks were beginning to tenderize, so she turned the heat down low and covered the pan.

She took out a plate and silver, and then, as a balm to her frazzled nerves, she added a cloth napkin, a water glass, and a candle, and placed them on the table. But as she eyed the elegant setting, she saw that it appeared a little sad.

Table for one.

Gavin, she knew, would love this. Zach wasn’t much for good food; burgers and fries were his speed. But she knew from the way Gavin enjoyed her coffee that he would thoroughly appreciate this meal, and would reward her after…

An involuntary shiver went through her. She had to stop thinking about him that way, fantasizing. He was taking over too many of her thoughts. Luckily, he would be in Boston for almost a week, and that would give her some time to get her act together…

Right.

A knock on the door interrupted her reverie. Checking on the timer, she saw that she had five more minutes before the lamb was done. Racing to the door, she opened it and saw her next-door neighbor standing outside apologetically, holding up an empty wineglass.

“Hey, sweetheart. Any chance you have some Cabernet? Jules is out of town and I thought I had an extra bottle…” He sniffed the air appreciatively. “Oh my God. What is that smell?”

“Rack of lamb, rosemary potatoes, and asparagus. Want to join me?”

“Oh, I couldn’t impose…” But without second thought, Terrell sashayed into the room, and Jessica eyed him with amusement.

Her neighbor was openly gay, and she had to admit that not only did he dress better than she did, but his makeup was perfect. She admired his amethyst eye shadow and beautifully drawn eyeliner. A diamond earring twinkled from one lobe, while a gold hoop adorned the other. Garbed in an elegant black tank top and jeans with a multicolored scarf wrapped around his neck, he made her feel positively tomboyish in her sportswear.

“Impose away.” Jessica smiled. “I’ve got plenty. And by the way, love the scarf.”

“Well, thank you, girlfriend.” He fiddled with the silk fabric, and then his eyes went to her outfit. “One of these days you are going to let me style you, and then watch out!”

Jessica laughed, and brought out another plate. She filled Terrell’s glass, then handed it to him as he took a seat just as the buzzer went off. When she took the broiling pan out of the oven, he was practically salivating.

“You are going to make some fine boy so happy,” he said appreciatively as she put the meat and potatoes on a platter, joined by the sautéed asparagus. “Cheers.” He tipped his glass to her as she took the other seat and carved up the rack.

He put a bite of lamb in his mouth, closed his eyes, and sighed in ecstasy. “This is the best damn meal I’ve had in forever. My boyfriend will be so jealous.”

“Thanks. It actually worked out really well that you came by. It’s too good not to share.”

“You got that right,” he said, taking a big sip of the wine. “And the wine goes perfectly with the lamb. This is one hell of a dinner.” He sat back when he had devoured most of the meal, and patted his stomach contentedly. “Now why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

Refilling his glass, she looked at him in surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m saying. You cook when you are troubled. Now what is it, or better yet, who is it? And I want details.”

“Okay.” She sighed, aware he wasn’t about to drop the subject. “Of course, it’s a guy.”

“Oh, thank God. I was afraid you were going to say it was work or something. Not that I wouldn’t have listened after that meal, but this sounds much more interesting.”

He actually rubbed his hands together in anticipation while Jessica laughed.

“In a way, it is work related. It’s a guy I’m rehabbing. Gavin King.”

Terrell’s mascara-laden lashes popped open. “No, you didn’t! Not the Cosmo boy? All tall, dark, and scrumptious…” He kissed his fingertips.

“That’s him.”

“Well, do tell! I’m not surprised at all. Good thing he isn’t playing for our team, or we would have a real problem.”

“I do have a real problem. His girlfriend just dumped him. And she happens to be a swimsuit model, with a drop-dead figure and a gorgeous face.” Her nose crinkled at the thought. “And, he’s a baseball player.”

“Ah. The whole Zachery thing. I get it. Forbidden sex. That’s hot.” He leaned forward, reaching for the bottle and refilling both glasses. “Damn. If that doesn’t make for a steam session, I don’t know what does. So where do things stand?”

“He’s away this week in Boston with the team. I was able to make sure he continues his workout.”

“I don’t mean that shit,” he said, looking at her as if she were crazy. “I mean the sex. How far did it go?”

Mentally she debated how much to tell him. “Let’s just say you are right. Girlfriend, it’s hot.”

Terrell chuckled. “I’d high-five you, but it doesn’t sound like that happy a situation. You don’t think you should go for it anyway? Just for the…za-za-zu?”

“I can’t.” Jessica sighed. “Zach was here, and he upset me. Gavin meant just to comfort me and…things got out of hand.”

“Wow!” Terrell’s eyes widened. “And you don’t think—”

“No. Right now he’s hurt and vulnerable. It’s frustrating to him to be on the sidelines, and his girlfriend just dumped him. But once he gets through rehab, and gets back to where he was, he’s going to want the kind of girl he had before. I can’t risk that.”

“Well, that’s a damn shame. I don’t know what to tell you on this one. Except to do what you’re already doing.”

“What’s that?” She looked at him quizzically.

He refilled her glass. “Drink heavily.”

–

Gavin’s phone was ringing as soon as he walked in the door. Glancing at the caller ID, he saw it was his parents’ residence.

“Yeah,” he said as he tossed his keys on the kitchen countertop.

“Gavin. Haven’t talked to you in a while. How are you doing?”

“As well as could be expected,” Gavin replied, grabbing a cold one out of the fridge. “I’m heading to Boston tomorrow with the team for a series of interleague games. The manager wants me involved, to watch the Sonics play.”

“What about your rehab?” his father interrupted. “It’s really important that you stay on schedule, and get well as quickly as possible. Once you get back in the game, show them you can still hit, then a decent team will pick you up again.”

His neck prickled with irritation, and he felt that sense of pressure he’d known all of his life. “The therapist I’ve been working with took care of that. She called ahead to make sure I can continue my program while out of town.”

“That’s good. You can’t slack off; your only chance of proving yourself is to play this season.”

“I know.” Bitterly he realized his father never asked how he was feeling, how he was doing. It was all about his performance.

And tonight he didn’t feel like dealing with it. “Listen, I just walked in the door. I need to do a couple things before going to bed. How’s Mom?”

“She’s fine. In fact, that’s the reason I called. I looked at the schedule and saw that the Sonics are playing here next month. Are you coming out?”

“I don’t know. I’m going to Boston partly because of the arrangements my therapist made. And like you said, it’s really important for me to move forward and make progress.”

“Right. Well, let us know.”

“Will do.” He hung up the phone, more annoyed than ever. Maybe it was the distance, or maybe it was the result of being around the Sonics, a team that just didn’t take themselves so seriously, but he felt like a racehorse that had been whipped one too many times. He had a moment of wishing his knee would give out so that his father would leave him alone.

He quickly dismissed the thought, yet his anger didn’t fade. He would remain in the East given his injury when the team traveled next month. He discovered he was losing his affinity for everything California.

To his surprise, the idea didn’t make him at all unhappy.