Over the Fence: Lyssa Layne's Baseball Romances (8 page)

“Colie, talk to me. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that in front of the press,” Grant apologizes outside my bedroom door.

The afternoon got worse. The reporters were so bad that Michael sent me inside the clubhouse to work for the rest of the day to avoid the chaos. When we went to leave, they were lined up at the door waiting like vultures. I made up some excuse about needing to stay late and caught a ride home with Benny.

As soon as I got to the condo, I snuck into my bedroom and took a shower. While I was trying to wash away the memory of today, the news aired and when I walked into my room, my phone was being inundated with text messages from Meg as well as Grant pounding on the door.

Wrapped in my towel, I lay on my bed trying to block everything out. Ten hours ago, my life was somewhat normal. Sure, majority of the country thought I was dating Grant Adamson but now it was confirmed. Well, I’m not even sure what we’re doing is dating, but whatever it is, the world now knows because of a kiss on the cheek. To top it off, my boss thinks my relationship might be interfering with my job, which is the last thing I want.

The pounding doesn’t stop, which doesn’t help my already-throbbing head. I get up from the bed and march to the door, flinging it open while Grant is in mid-knock. He stops in mid-air and glances down at me. Taking a step toward me, he pulls me into his arms. “God, Colie, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

I lean against him for a few seconds then quickly pull away. He frowns when I do this, but I turn my back to him, walking into my room. “Grant, I don’t need this and neither do you.”

He grasps my arms and it feels like he’s holding on to me for dear life. Still, I feel comforted with his hands on me, which is a break from how I’ve felt all day. I lean back against him as I let out a sigh. His mouth is right next to my ear. I feel him nod against me as he says, “You’re right. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that and I should never have left you alone with them. I won’t do it again.”

My stomach drops as he says this. I want him to do it again, I want him to do it all the time. Hell, I want him to pull my towel off right now and throw me on the bed.
No, Colie, get those thoughts out of your head!

As I turn around to face him, he leans down and his mouth claims mine. My hands go to his neck and I pull him to me, kissing him hard. His hand slides down my neck to my chest and I feel him moving my towel.
God, yes, I want this, but NO!
I grab his hand and stop him.

Breathing hard, I hold his hands in mine. He easily moves out of my grip and takes my hand in his instead. His thumb rubs over the back of my hand, sending tingles throughout my body. Tears burn my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.

“Tell me what you want, Colie,” Grant whispers softly into my ear which doesn’t help the crying situation. Tears roll down my cheeks but he quickly wipes them away for me.

Taking a deep breath, I say, “I think we should stop… this. The timing isn’t right. Maybe down the road, but… not now.”

Even as I say it, my stomach churns and I think I might be sick. Grant stiffens beside me. It isn’t until I look up at him that he finally moves, taking a step away from me.

Nodding, he says, “You’re probably right.”

***

I’ve survived the halfway mark of spring training. And I’ve also survived living with Grant after… whatever happened between us. Men are so odd. Something can happen one night and the next morning, it’s as if everything is normal. We picked up our morning runs and our shared dinners, and dropped the kissing, never mentioning it again. Michael let me back on the field. I’ve been promoted from babysitting the rookies back to working with Grant, Benny, and a few other starters. Life is actually pretty good.

The Grapefruit League games have started. Today we’re playing the Bears and tomorrow we face the Diplomats. I plan to hide in the dugout as long as possible, since Jace will be on the mound. That means I need to concentrate and make sure my boys are healthy and prepared today so they’re ready for tomorrow.

The days keep getting hotter and I’ve purchased enough sunscreen to last the entire team the whole season. I never leave home without it. In my Aces tank top and khaki shorts, I watch through my sunglasses, noticing that Grant’s dropping his shoulder when he throws his curveball, which is not a good sign.

“Nicole Adger, it really is you,” a voice behind me says and I don’t move. My heart thumps in my chest and I wait a full minute before I slowly turn around. When I do, I see Jace Richards standing less than ten feet from me.

Plastering on the biggest smile I can muster, I walk toward him and say, “Well, well, well, it’s the one and only Jace Richards.”

He closes the gap between us and lifts me off the ground in his infamous bear hug. As my arms wrap around his neck, I smile, remembering how at home I felt when he held me. He squeezes me tightly and I take in his sandalwood and vanilla scent, which sends my hormones into a frenzy. He sets me down and holds me at an arm’s length.

“Damn, girl, I didn’t think you could get any hotter, but you did,” he says, his eyes sliding all over my body. He doesn’t even try to hide it, which is typical Jace.

Flipping my braid over my shoulder and narrowing my eyebrows, I comment, “I thought you left school because you were done with baseball.”

He gives a quick frown, but turns it around when he says, “Yeah, well, I guess baseball wasn’t done with me.”

Jace glances out at the mound and I follow his eyes. If looks could kill, Jace and I would be dead from the sour glare Grant gives us. I quickly look away from one gorgeous male to the other.

“Well… it was good to see you,” I say, hoping that’s the end of that. If I can survive this small conversation I will officially be done with Jace Richards.

Jace turns his attention back to me, his baby blues looking into mine as he nods in Grant’s direction. “So, is it true? You and Adamson?”

I feel my cheeks changing colors and I suddenly grow lightheaded. I casually lean against the fence, trying to keep from fainting. “Are you dating all the women you’re photographed with?”

Jace lets out the deepest belly laugh I’ve ever heard. God, I’ve missed that. I remember all the times we’d stay up talking about anything and everything, one arm tucked behind his head, the other with my head resting on it while we laughed about nothing in particular.

“In that case, I’d like to take you to dinner,” he proposes.

I swear to you, I think my heart stopped beating for that split second. Everything around me freezes while I soak in what he just said. In an effort not to pass out, I give a small nod.

“Great, I’ll pick you up around eight. Where are you staying?”

“Um… how about I meet you somewhere?”

Jace’s face twists into a confused look, but shrugs and gives me directions where to meet him. He leans forward and gives me a kiss on the cheek as he says goodbye. When he leans up, he smiles behind me and says, “Hey, Adamson, nice curveball.”

I don’t have to turn around to know Grant’s not happy. I continue facing Jace as the two men talk. The tension between the two of them can be cut with a knife. Finally, Jace ends the conversation by saying, “See ya tonight, Nikki,” and turns to leave, melting my heart as he calls me by my college nickname.

I slowly pivot to face Grant, whose jaw is clenched. Our eyes briefly meet and he starts to turn away from me. I grab his arm and see him wince, but he keeps walking.

“Grant,” I say, but he keeps walking. “Grant!”

I run to catch up, stepping around his large frame and blocking him. He stops but refuses to look down at me.

“Let’s go check out your shoulder.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. Come on,” I say, and take his hand, which he promptly pulls away.

I glance over my shoulder and see a group of fans and reporters watching us closely. “Don’t make a scene, stop thinking whatever you’re thinking, and let me look at your shoulder,” I demand in a tone that only he can hear.

Reluctantly, he turns and walks into the training room. I close the door as I follow him inside. He heaves his glove across the room, then sits on the table. I don’t say a word as I work on his shoulder, watching him flinch with every movement. This is worse than I thought.

“It might be a labral tear,” I say softly, not meeting his eyes.

He doesn’t respond, his eyes fixed on the wall behind me.

“I don’t think you should pitch tomorrow. I’ll order an MRI to have the team doctor look at it and get you some exercises to help strengthen it.”

He stands up. I chew on my bottom lip as I watch him retrieve his glove. He turns to me. “Sorry, Cole, I just don’t have time for a set-back right now.”

I nod and squeeze his hand. “I know, and I’m going to do everything I can to keep you on the mound.”

He fingers a charm on my bracelet, both of us watching him do it. Is he really just upset about his shoulder, or does Jace Richards have something to do with this, too? He swallows and I watch his Adam’s apple bob up and down. Slowly he turns to me, slipping his hand on my waist as he speaks. “I don’t know what did or didn’t happen between you and Richards, but I don’t want to stand in your way.”

My heart sinks as he says this. “Grant, it’s only dinner with an old friend. Nothing more.”

He gives me a soft half-smile. “It’s more than dinner, trust me. No man could ever want just dinner with you.” He lets go of my bracelet and his hand moves to my neck, pulling me forward as he kisses my forehead. “Don’t get hurt, Colie,” he says, and walks out of the training room.

Watching him leave, I think I already am.

***

I feel like a teenager sneaking out. As soon as I hear Grant’s door close, I make a break down the hallway, holding my nude peep-toe heels in hand. I grab the rental car keys from their hook and enter the garage. Stepping into the high SUV, I realize my dress is way too short, but it’s too late to turn back now. The baby blue tunic-length dress is a great contrast against my tanned skin but the fabric below the pleated waistline isn’t quite as long as I’d like.
Ugh, one of the issues with online shopping!

There’s no way I’m going to try to park this beast of a car, so I pull in front of the restaurant for valet service. I slide out of the vehicle, holding my dress down as I do hoping no one gets a look at my thong I’m wearing underneath it. My phone beeps and it’s a text from Jace telling me he has a table on the patio. Taking a deep breath, I make my way through the restaurant.

He’s chatting with a table full of college girls sitting beside him. I almost roll my eyes at their hopeless flirting, but think about Grant as I do. Great, I can’t even roll my eyes without thinking about him. I stop in the middle of the restaurant, my stomach flipping back and forth, and I think about turning around to leave. While I’m still trying to make up my mind, Jace sees me and waves me over. When I reach the table, he stands and pulls my chair out for me, giving me a kiss on the cheek which only makes my stomach flop more.

He pours me a glass of wine which I quickly guzzle down. Laughing, he comments, “Nikki Adger, last time I saw you, you weren’t even old enough to drink.”

Setting the wine glass down, I nod and say, “Last time I saw you was a week before my twenty-first birthday, just before you skipped town.” The tone of my voice is hard and full of anger.

Jace frowns. “It’s not healthy to hold a grudge.”

I look down and fiddle with a charm. His fingers move on top of mine, putting an end to my fidgeting. “You’re right though, I did skip town on your birthday. I promise I’ll make it up to you,” he says with a wink and I almost melt away right there. He pours me another glass of wine.

“What’s good here?” I ask as I searching for a menu. Before Jace can answer, the waiter sets a plate of food in front of each of us.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I went ahead and ordered for us.”

I glance down at my plate and laugh at the baked potato with ranch sitting in front of me. Jace grins proudly when I look at him. “I remembered what you liked. You used to eat one of these the night before every game.”

He’s right, it was my guilty pleasure carb-binge that I indulged in every time I played. “Thanks, Jace. These days I try to go a little healthier though.”

He frowns and starts to wave the waiter over but I grab his hand, my body excited by the simple gesture. “It’s okay, it’s been awhile since I’ve had one of these.”

We eat dinner, catching up on our families and old friends. Before we know it, it’s almost midnight and my stomach aches from laughing so hard. We’ve spent the last four hours visiting and reminiscing, but there’s still questions that haven’t been answered.

“Viera’s an hour away. What are you doing here?”

Jace puts his hand on my leg under the table and shrugs. “I saw you and Adamson together in the paper. I came looking for you once before when spring training first started. But then I got busy, so this is the first chance I’ve had to come see you in person… and I haven’t been disappointed.”

His hand starts to massage my thigh and I feel my thong getting damp. Twisting the stem of the wine glass in front of me, I try to gather my thoughts.
Concentrate, Colie.