Over the Fence: Lyssa Layne's Baseball Romances (21 page)

Forcing myself to swallow, I open the fridge and pull out a beer, handing it to Grant. “Sit and watch the master,” I tell him as I open the bottle for him.

He laughs and takes a long chug. We make light conversation as I whip together a new batch of cookie dough. Both of us avoiding the obvious reason why I’m staying with him. I open the oven and pull out a tray of perfectly baked cookies, sans smoke, and place them on the counter to cool. A few minutes later, I lean over the counter and hold a cookie in front of him to take a bite.

“Mmm, Colie, these are way better than mine,” he compliments.

I laugh and eat the rest of the cookie in my hand. “Did you even taste yours?”

He shrugs and answers, “Well, no, but since mine were inedible, yours are better by default.”

Spooning dough onto another cookie sheet, Grant comments, “You’re wearing my shirt.”

Bending over to put the tray into the oven, the blood rushes to my face. I stand up quickly as I shut the oven door and put my hands on the counter behind me. “Umm… yeah, it was in my..., er… , your guest room…I hope you don’t mind. I can go change,” I say stumbling over every word.

Grant flashes that rare smile of his and walks around the counter to me. He yanks on the sides of his shirt, pulling me to him. My body tingles excitedly as his fingers walk up my rib cage until his hands are on either side of my cheeks. We stare deep in each other’s eye and I bite my lip wondering if he’s going to kiss me. And he does, except his lips land on my forehead and not where I’d like them to be. I can feel his breath on my skin as he replies, “Colie, I don’t mind at all.”

He pulls me against him and he wraps his large, strong arms around me. I squeeze him tightly and mutter, “What am I going to do?”

His calloused hands rub my back and he says, “First off, you’re not in this alone. We’ll figure it out, Colie. Don’t worry. ”

I pull away, anxiety taking over. “Don’t worry about it? Grant, he’s threatening to ruin both our careers. Yeah, mine is no big deal, but he’s going to destroy your name and your entire record!” I speak loudly and in a rush.

Grant lifts my chin as I fight the tears. I can get over my little career but I don’t want Grant’s twelve years in Major League Baseball to be tainted by lies.

“Nicole,” he says in a strong voice, “your career is as big a deal as mine. Don’t ever say otherwise. He’s not going to do anything. My lawyer is looking into that millions he told you he was making. If there’s dirt out there, my lawyer will find it, trust me.”

A smile plays at his lips when he says that last part. I cock an eyebrow and ask, “What’s that mean?”

Grant shakes his head. “We’ll save that conversation for another time.”

The timer goes off and he reaches behind me, pulling out the last of the cookies. I move around the kitchen, starting to clean up our mess. When we finish scrubbing away the burnt remains of his cookies, I hang the dish towel on the stove and follow Grant out of the kitchen, flipping off the light switch. The only light in the hallway is from the full moon outside.

Standing outside the bedrooms, I turn to Grant and take his hand, my heart beating rapidly. “Can I stay with you tonight?” I ask timidly. Tonight I want Grant to hold me so I can feel safe, and not have to worry about Jace’s threats.

Hiding his surprise, he nods and brushes his fingers across my cheek. Then he tugs at my hand and leads us to his bedroom. Once beside the bed, he drops my hand and pulls back the sheet and comforter. Patting the bed, he asks, “Your choice. What side do you want?”

I crawl into bed, lying on the side furthest from the door. Grant disappears into the bathroom and I hear the water running. I look around the room. Like the rest of the house, no pictures are hung on the wall. A plain navy comforter on his king sized bed is the only decoration in the room. However, I can tell by touch that the thread count on the sheets is probably double, if not triple, the ones I had at my apartment.

I’m running my hand over the cool fabric when Grant walks back into the room. He’s wearing pajama bottoms and no shirt. I’m pretty sure I gasp at the sight of him because he stops and stares at me. Without saying a word, he opens a drawer and pulls on a tight t-shirt.

He turns the light off and makes his way over to the bed. The mattress slightly dips under his weight and we’re about an arm’s length away from each other. In the light of the moon, I see him look at me. Without saying anything, he reaches his arm out and I move against him, snuggling into the safety and comfort of Grant Adamson’s arms.

CHAPTER 24

I haven’t heard a word from Jace, which really concerns me. He’ll be in town tomorrow for the game against the Aces. The two teams are tied for first place in their division and it’s going to be a winner-takes-all game.

Each day, Grant and I head to work, and each night I drift off to sleep in his arms. In between, Grant acts as though there’s no imminent danger and treats me like his best buddy just as we were before spring training. It’s relaxing and completely nerve-wracking at the same time.

Staring at the Scrabble pieces in front of me, I tap a tile on the table, trying to decide which word to spell. Grant clears his throat and I glance up.

“Are we going to have to enforce a time limit?” he asks, raising his eyebrow.

Laying out the tiles to spell jazzy, I smile. “I play to win.”

Grant laughs and writes down my points. “I’m well aware of that.”

Grant quickly lays down letters, not thinking about points as he spells dog. I roll my eyes and contemplate my next word. I move the letters around on my holder, trying to get more ideas when my thoughts are interrupted.

“Colie, have you ever been in love?”

I look at Grant, surprised by his question. Forgetting about the game, I answer, “I thought I was in love with Jace back in college.”

“Why?”

I shrug and flip a tile back and forth between my fingers. “He was always supportive and encouraged me no matter what.”

I smile as I think back to when I had to play goalie, having no experience at all. Jace had never played soccer a day in his life until he met me, but he stayed behind the goal coaching me the entire game.

“He was very protective and always kept an eye on me, which is why I never dated. He didn’t think anyone was good enough and he scared them off. But, mainly though, whenever I was around him, my days were better and he made me feel like I made him a better man.”

I drop the game piece I was fiddling with as I think about the time we spent together back in college and our most recent time together. Every now and then I’d see Loyola Jace, but for the most part, he had become an entirely different man.

I look back at my tiles and spell the word dance. Shrugging, I mutter, “It’s stupid, I know.”

I feel Grant’s warm hand on mine and lift my eyes to meet his. He’s shaking his head. “No, Colie, that’s not stupid. It sounds like you two did love each other. Like I’ve said before, the fame and money change some people and you can’t do anything about it.”

I start to ask him more about his ex-wife, but my phone beeps with an incoming text. I pick up my phone and my stomach drops when I see it’s from Jace.

Grant squeezes my hand. “What is it?”

Pulling my hand back, I swipe the phone on and read the text to him. “Hope you and Adamson have made up your mind. I’ll see you at home before the game. XXX”

Grant’s forehead wrinkles in anger as he runs his hands through his hair. He stands up and grabs his phone, texting someone. As soon as he sends it, he turns to me. “You aren’t going to that loft tomorrow, Colie.”

“Grant, I have to. If I don’t, it’ll only make things worse.”

Grant raises his voice as he exclaims, “It’s not safe! There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go alone.”

I walk over to him and put my hand on his back as he stares out the window. “Grant, I’ll be fine. You can’t just show up with me. Besides, Jace wouldn’t ever hurt me…at least not like you’re thinking.”

Grant turns around. His hands move to my waist and he pulls me to him. His face softens slightly as he says in a low voice, “Colie, I don’t want him around you, much less touching you.” He shakes his head, obviously disgusted at the thought.

I lean into him and wrap my arms around him. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”

He doesn’t say anything, only kisses my forehead. I look over at the table and ask, “Are we done playing?”

Grants nods and lets go of me. We start cleaning up the game and I tease, “Ready to admit I won?”

Grant laughs as his phone receives a text. He walks out of the room and I hear him call someone. I wash my face and crawl into Grant’s bed. Yawning, I realize I’m more tired than I thought. I try to stay awake until Grant comes to bed, but my eyelids get heavy and I drift into a much needed slumber.

***

Singing along with David Lee Roth as I take a shower, I belt out lyrics trying to take my mind off what lies ahead of me. My nerves are getting the better of me, so I’m belting it at the top of my lungs to try to distract myself.

Turning the water off, I wrap myself in a towel and walk into my bedroom. When I open the door I jump, not expecting to see Grant, and mutter an expletive. Grant has the same reaction.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologizes.

My heart is racing. “It’s okay,” I say as I towel dry my hair. “What’s up?”

He holds up the cup of coffee in his hand. “I thought you might need this.”

I take it from him and enjoy a long drink. “Mmm, thanks. This is exactly what I needed.”

He nods. “Come see me when you’re ready. I have some info on Richards.”

I raise an eyebrow but Grant doesn’t give anything away. He walks out of the room and I quickly pull on my navy pants and a woman’s fitted Aces t-shirt. Digging in my purse, I pull out the baby blue Tiffany’s box and put on Jace’s jewelry. I grab the cup of coffee and meet Grant in the kitchen.

He starts to talk, then notices the large diamonds and hesitates for a second before going on. “I talked to my lawyer last night. Jace and Michael were working together. Apparently they both have gambling issues and their newest bets were on baseball games. Games that Jace could throw. Michael played a part too…with my shoulder, and with the care of some of the other guys.”

I get dizzy as it all starts to make sense, and I take a seat at the breakfast bar. That’s why Michael refused to let me work with Grant, why Jace was in Vegas when I was at the bachelorette party, why I thought I’d seen them together. Grant sits across from me and takes my hand, rubbing it gently.

“It was a total Pete Rose,” I say, referring to the retired baseball player who had done the same thing.

Grant nods and continues. “And I’ve got all the proof. Colie, you don’t have to worry about anything. We’ll get through the game tonight and then you’ll never have to see him again. It’ll all be over.”

His words ring in my mind.
It’ll all be over
. After tonight, Jace Richards will never be a part of my life again. This is a good thing, so why do I feel so conflicted?

Grant must recognize this as he pulls his hand away and quietly says, “Or not…you can stay with him, Colie, if that’s what you want. I only want you to be happy.”

I sigh. I don’t know what I want. Opening his hand, I place my charm bracelet in his palm. I lean forward and kiss his cheek. “Hold on to this for me.”

I feel him squeeze my hand as I stand up and go to see Jace.

***

The loft is quiet. Too quiet, so I turn on the radio. Even with Katy Perry blaring over the speakers, I can hear my heart racing in my ears. That must be why I didn’t hear the door open as I stand watching the view below me. I jump when I feel his hands on my waist and his lips on my neck.

“Hey, babe. Miss me?”

His thick cologne, which is a mixture of sandalwood and vanilla, doesn’t hide the scent of a woman’s perfume. I turn around and for a brief second I recognize the Loyola Jace I once knew and loved, but then the sun catches his eyes and he’s gone. I push myself away from him and turn back to the view below us.

“Jace, I’m not sure how this is supposed to work after…” I trail off, not sure what to call the way he threatened me. I look up into his eyes and sigh. “It didn’t have to be like this. We could’ve been together, if you would’ve just been the old Jace I knew.”

He leans in and gives me a soft kiss. “I tried that, Nikki, but Adamson got in the way. If I’d only found you before you fell in love with him, I wouldn’t have had to give you an ultimatum.”

I give him a confused look. “In love with Grant?” I scoff and shake my head.

Jace slides his arms around me from behind as we stare out the window, and I lean back against him, knowing this won’t happen again.

“Nikki, I’m not blind. You look at him the way you looked at me back in school—starry-eyed, hanging on his every word, and he does the same thing to you. Just like us though, you roll your eyes and make it out to not be a big deal. It’s part of the reason I left school.”