Sliding Into Home

1

“DON’T STOP.”

Javier Velasquez panted the command over a wave of feel-good endorphins as the woman above him sank her fingernails into his inner thigh. He wanted to praise her, to parcel out some kind word to encourage her. But he couldn’t even remember her name right now when his body throbbed under her touch.

Sweat rolled down his forehead, a testament to how hard he’d worked himself during the first half of their hour together. But this bliss he felt was more than reward enough. He wanted to kiss his nameless female companion senseless for what she was doing with her strong, silky hands…

“Mr. Velasquez,” she said sharply. “Are you resisting?”

The woman was all business when he wanted to revel in the moment. What was it about women that demanded they talk at these times?

“Baby, I can’t resist another minute.” Opening his eyes, he grinned at her and sat up on the physical therapy table. “Let’s ditch this place and go somewhere more private to finish what we’ve started.”

His new athletic trainer straightened from where she’d been working on his groin muscles. The fury in her flushed face couldn’t be mistaken and he knew a moment’s regret for teasing her. It wasn’t her fault his nagging manager had demanded the extra daily sessions with her to prevent another injury this year. He knew these sessions were as much for babysitting purposes as they were for his muscles. If he was in the clubhouse training facility everyday, he couldn’t be out raising hell and having fun.

And that’s what the Chicago Flames coaching staff objected to about him most of all. They couldn’t stand it that their All-Star slugger knew how to have a good time off the field.

“You’d better get your head out of your ass and a muzzle on your mouth, Velasquez.” The woman leveled an accusatory finger at his chest as her eyes narrowed. “If you think you can send me running out of here crying sexual harassment because of a few sorry lines I’ve heard a hundred times, you’re sadly mistaken. Now roll over, champ, and take it like a man.”

She moved to the sink nearby and washed her hands with brisk, efficient movements, pausing midway to change the radio station from some dentist office Muzak to hard rock. She cranked the volume as if she could tune him out totally, then pumped out massage oil from a dispenser bottle she kept strapped to her waist.

Javier studied her, vaguely disappointed he couldn’t coerce her into taking the sweaty session somewhere private. He’d only been half joking about that. The trainer was hot. Even with no makeup and her hair wrenched back in an unforgiving ponytail, she was seriously attractive. The hair swinging against her back was Bond-girl platinum, her figure something any SI swimsuit model would be proud to flaunt. She wasn’t some overinflated product of Miracle Bras or surgery. She was just perfectly proportioned.

“Well?” She’d turned on him while he was fantasizing about her, and her blue eyes glittered with icy challenge. “Are you going to turn over, Mr. Velasquez, or shall I retrieve the cattle prod?”

“Could you at least call me by my first name if you’re going to insult me?” He lay prone as she’d requested, hating the self-indulgent hour spent on his body everyday as if he was some kind of pampered movie star who required a bunch of metrosexual B.S. treatments to appear in public.

Javier had scared off his last athletic trainer by running his mouth and being all-around annoying. In the process, he’d earned himself a week’s vacation from the sessions. But his manager had moved quickly to find someone new.

Enter the Bond girl and her almond-scented massage oil that almost drowned out the scent of sweat in the room. She seemed a hell of a lot more immune to talking smack.

“I would do that, but I don’t think I can use your first name when you can’t be bothered to even remember mine after our third session together.” She went to work on his hamstrings and he willed away the natural pleasure that touch brought.

He’d had female trainers and physical therapists before, so he knew the drill to keep his thoughts platonic. But today, he didn’t feel so inclined to shut down that part of himself. Something about this woman—the facade that said she wasn’t backing down—had awakened his interest.

He swore under his breath that they’d gotten off to such a rough start. “If you tell me one more time, I won’t forget again, I promise.”

If his sleazy pick-up lines hadn’t rattled her, he wasn’t going down that road again. No sense alienating her totally—especially when her hands kneaded him two inches below the family jewels.

And whoa. Had he thought he could keep his thoughts platonic? Her touch was like a freaking lightning strike to his johnson.

“It’s Lisa Whatley.” Her dispassionate words reminded him she wasn’t feeling him the way he was feeling her.

For that matter, relationships between players and team trainers were strictly off-limits in the Chicago Flames organization, so it was probably just as well that she had discipline. God knew, Javier didn’t need to court any more trouble with management or he’d be kissing a fat contract goodbye. He’d pushed his luck with his risk-taking ways this season.

But he’d perfected the art of squeezing every ounce of fun out of life and he wasn’t about to stop now. He’d learned to go for the jugular when his older brother—a father figure to Javier—had died young without ever having experienced a fraction of the joys life had to offer. Manuel’s self-sacrificing ways had put Javier through school while Manuel had a heart attack at twenty-nine without ever getting to follow his own dreams. Javier had made a mission out of living enough dreams for both of them.

“Right. Lisa.” He filed that away in his memory banks and knew he wouldn’t forget again. As of today, the trainer had made an impression on him. “If I can’t send you running, maybe I can convince you to knock off early once in a while? You know, make both our jobs a little easier?”

The rule against fraternizing with team staffers didn’t matter so much if no one knew, right? He debated his chances of spiriting Lisa away from the Flames’ headquarters for an afternoon of fun.

She never paused her methodic strokes up his hamstring, the gentle kneading interspersed with light pummeling now that the hard stretches were complete.

“You’re trying to corrupt me?” She swapped to his other leg and he lifted his head up off the table to catch a view of her in his peripheral vision.

He saw his mistake right away.

She’d bent forward over the utilitarian bed to reach the far side of his body, the movement highlighting a perfectly shaped rear end and taut thighs all too apparent in her sleek black yoga pants.

The visual that translated to in his mind was of her bent over the table and him standing behind her, exploring those curves with his hands before he plunged deep—

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” His voice caught on a raspy note as he tried to chase away the image burned in his fevered brain. “Corrupting you, that is.”

“Actually—” she finished her massage with a light slap on his thigh before she turned back to the sink. “I think we’ve worked hard enough today where we could afford to call it quits now.”

She ran the water over her hands while Javier wondered how he’d ever get up—er, that is, how he’d ever stand—with her still in the room. His workout shorts wouldn’t begin to hide his sudden inability to handle a little physical therapy, something athletes contended with all the time.

What the hell was the matter with him? This woman had gotten under his skin so fast he’d never seen it coming. Most women vied for his notice, attracted to his career and his paycheck. But this one called him on his bad behavior and gave him serious attitude in return. Hell, yes, he liked Ms. Lisa Whatley.

“Does that work for you?” Lisa turned to peer at him over her shoulder as she dried her hands on a paper towel.

Actually, it had all worked a little too well for him today.

She had him all wound up and damn near speechless—a condition he was not one bit accustomed to feeling.

“Yeah. Thanks.” He wrenched his focus back to a knot in the pine floorboards visible through the hole in the massage table. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

When he had his head on straight again and this crazy desire had eased. When he wasn’t salivating over her curves and fantasizing about having her in his bed. He hoped she’d grab her bag and go so he could shake off this unwise attraction.

She didn’t.

Instead, she dropped onto a low trampoline nearby used for a variety of leg and knee rehab.

“So tell me, Javier,” she began, resting her arms on her knees as she shifted into a comfortable position. “Why are you trying to destroy yourself at such an early age?”

LISA WHATLEY WASN’T ABOUT to waste the inroads she’d made with the Chicago Flames All-Star player this afternoon. She’d been hired to do more than administer to the guy’s physical well-being. The head of the training staff for the Flames was an old friend and he’d shared his worries about Velasquez’s over-the-top behavior.

The slugger had gotten in a motorcycle accident during the off-season and hadn’t been wearing a helmet. Then he’d been fined for bungee jumping off a public bridge frequented by thrill seekers. And while no one had ever gotten into legal trouble over the stunt before, the local cops had hoped ticketing Velasquez would serve as an example to others.

Basically, the third baseman had engaged in all kinds of risky behavior, and the team management wanted him to stop. While they could hardly order a psych eval, they could encourage staffers to talk sense into him.

Lisa hadn’t promised any miracles, but she had been drawn to the temporary gig because she could identify with that need to live on the edge. She’d been there herself and survived to tell the tale although—heaven knew—it had been touch and go for a while after she’d crashed a prop plane she’d been trying to fly without a license. Walking away from that accident with the chance to reevaluate her choices in life had made her empathize with Javier’s situation. She didn’t know the reasons behind his risk taking yet, but she identified with him enough that there wasn’t a chance she could refuse to work with him.

Javier didn’t answer her question for a long moment. Finally, he levered himself up to a sitting position on the table and tugged a fresh towel out of a bin nearby to wrap around his neck.

“Is this for my file, Lisa Whatley?” He clenched an end of the towel in each hand, twisting it. “Because I can go right back to harassing you if you’re calling an end to the truce already.”

“We have a truce?” She hadn’t expected to be even remotely charmed by a man who flirted with danger for fun. After conquering her own daredevil impulses, she’d tended to gravitate toward men with quieter temperaments to reinforce her healthier lifestyle choices.

Yet she found herself wanting to know more about him and not just because of his thrill seeking. After only three days of working with him, she could see his intense commitment to his sport. Sure, he’d made a few asinine comments to her today, but he’d waited until he’d put in his time with her. No whining or excuses about not wanting to perform any of the monotonous and occasionally painful exercises he surely found boring. He obviously took excellent care of himself with or without her, and she admired that kind of physical discipline. She understood better than most people how difficult that was to maintain, especially after an injury like he’d had the previous season.

She’d gone into physical therapy after the grueling months of recovery from her accident. Regaining the use of her leg after the way she’d torn up her hip had been difficult, but she’d been intellectually fascinated by the process enough to launch a career.

“Yes.” His dark eyes glittered and she allowed herself a moment to admire his Latin good looks. Tall and dark-skinned, he had pale green eyes that were a surprising combination with the rich color of his skin. His short hair was deep brown, and his features were sharply patrician from the high cheekbones to the straight arrow nose. And as a power hitter, he was strong as an ox, arms full of muscle. “That’s what the first-name basis means. I’ll stop trying to scare you off, but you cease and desist any attempt to get inside my head.”

Her jaw fell open. “I asked you one question. It was direct and straightforward, with no subterfuge.” She shrugged her shoulders and stood. “Forgive my curiosity to know what’s eating you, but as someone who has dangled at the end of a busted bungee cord and known the merits of cliff diving firsthand, I thought we might have something to talk about besides your lame attempt to pick me up.”

Turning on her heel, her gym shoes squeaked on the tile as she marched for the door with a head of steam. He beat her to it. Planting himself between her and the knob before she reached it, her hand connected with his abs instead.

She yanked back her fingers, unwilling to touch him any more than she had to. Attraction between them would be more than problematic—it would get her fired and could be the final straw in Javier’s touchy relationship with the Flames’ management. She couldn’t afford to get hot and bothered from the sincerity in his eyes or the sizzle in his touch.

“I’m an ass.” He held his hands up in surrender, conceding the point. “It’s common knowledge around the League. I guess I assumed you’d been briefed on that character flaw.”

His hands fell to his sides, but he didn’t step away from the door. His quick apology had chased away her irritation anyhow. Ah, who was she kidding? Mouthy Javier had utterly charmed her.

“The character flaw section of the file was too much dense reading, so I skipped it.” She didn’t plan on letting him get away with anything, suspecting he would steamroll any woman who couldn’t hold her own.

But he took no offense, grinning at her in a way that made her heart sit up and take notice.

“That’s great. I can start with a clean slate.” He reached out to her, surprising her by taking her hand in both of his. “Forget what I said. Forget that I’m notoriously difficult to work with. How about we get out of here and have a drink? Get to know each other in an environment that doesn’t involve me being naked or you having a job to do.”

Her hand tingled where he touched her. Not like a friendly hum of happiness at being touched, either. This was more like an electric jolt that buzzed with high voltage and singed her in its wake. She yanked her hand back, rattled. She’d touched him plenty of times, so this shouldn’t have been a big deal.

But then again, it had been the first time he’d touched her. The results were skin-tingling.

“You know that’s unethical for a staff trainer.” For a moment, she wondered if this was yet another of his ploys to send her running from this job so he could ditch the mandated workouts in favor of training however he wanted. Or to replace training with activities that were more fun.

Like sky diving.

But Javier didn’t seem the type to be anything less than forthright about his motives. Subtlety didn’t seem to be a commodity he prized, judging by his recent dust-up with the Boston Aces’ catcher, or his ease in confessing to the media where he’d been during the off-season when he took off for the far corners of the world to chase new thrills.

“But you don’t work with the whole team, right? You’re working with me on a temporary basis. And the coaches aren’t going to keep me on a leash forever.”

“Do they have you on a leash now?” She couldn’t resist the jab since she’d never met anyone less restrained. “From what I hear, you don’t answer to anyone. But any way you look at it, I’m an athletic trainer, not a personal trainer. I can’t go out for drinks with you.”

She shouldered past him, determined not to succumb to the he-man appeal of a guy who lived for the moment. She didn’t need that kind of temptation even though she hadn’t indulged her adrenaline-seeking side in almost eight years. Maybe it hadn’t been such a great idea to put herself in his path in the first place. Who would have thought he could touch an old nerve she’d figured was long dead?

Who’d have thought she could experience such a sharp attraction for a man she’d only just met?

“Wait.” He followed her out of the physical therapy area and into the weight room. The Flames’ training facility was big and impressive, and she had a long way to walk before she would be home free from the man who’d sent a lightning bolt through her so damn unexpectedly today.

“I can’t.” She shook her head and kept on moving, not sure if she could outrun the invitation in his sea-glass eyes. “I’ve got things to do today and I need to—”

He laid a broad palm on her shoulder without gripping it, his touch alone halting her in her tracks. She closed her eyes against the expected jolt and wondered how the hell she’d gone from helping this man to running from him in the course of a brief therapy session.

She was the one who needed therapy, damn it, and not the physical kind.

“Lisa.” He turned her around with her name, proving he’d kept his word to remember it this time. “You say you’ve known the lure of a bungee jump before. How do you feel about something less risky but still fun?”

She had no idea what he was about to suggest, but she was very worried she might say yes. She was a full-time trainer at a local university’s athletic department, so she didn’t technically need the Flames gig. But she cared about her reputation in the industry and wouldn’t want to compromise it by making an unwise step with Javier. Still, maybe spending more time with him would give her the insight she needed to understand why he wanted to play with fire all the time.

She just hoped they wouldn’t both end up getting burned.

“I assure you, I still know how to have fun.” She folded her arms to insert a barrier between them, wishing he had a shirt on.

A severe overbite might have helped, too.

“Then how do you feel about kite surfing?”

2

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU talked me into this.” Lisa strapped on her life vest while Javier checked the lines on her kite’s safety harness.

They had pulled into the parking lot at Montrose Beach about an hour ago, and were almost ready for a trial run. The wind was blowing in from just the right direction off Lake Michigan. Other kite boarders were already out on the water, surfing across the waves and catching big air on the major power generated by the traction kites. The sport was similar to windsurfing, but required less wind to generate speed. The gear could easily lift a rider out of the water twenty to thirty feet, a fact which had started to make Javier a little wary.

It was one thing for him to dive headfirst into adrenaline spiking sports. But was it wrong to coerce his sexy new trainer into something that had the potential to be dangerous? He’d already alerted the lifeguards that she was a newbie and they’d given her a special colored streamer for her rigging to help them keep track of her out in the water. Still…he planned to make sure she stayed safe.

“You think you were surprised?” Satisfied that her equipment was ready to roll, he turned his attention to his own. “You could have knocked me over with a feather. It’s a rare woman who turns down drinks in favor of kite surfing.”

He couldn’t deny he’d been thrilled at the time. Before he’d fully recalled how dangerous the sport could be for people who weren’t trained. All the more reason to take good care of her.

She didn’t look nervous, however. After quizzing him thoroughly on all her equipment, she’d watched a few other fans of the sport on the water and had told him she was ready to be suited up for her first attempt. Now, her eyes glowed with excitement, her cheeks flushed from wind and anticipation as she tested the directional lines that controlled the kite.

“I haven’t done anything like this in a long time.” She dipped her toes in the sand while her eyes followed the progress of some show-off doing flips and riding his board all the way into the beach—a trick that would get his access card pulled if he wasn’t careful. The kites had too much power to be used safely so close to the shore full of people. “I forgot how much I liked the rush.”

“A woman after my own heart.” Strangely, the sentiment freaked him out when he would have expected the discovery to make him all the more attracted to her. Sure, it was cool to have something in common with the hot, hard-nosed trainer. But she inspired a protective streak he couldn’t ever recall feeling on a first date.

“You don’t know the half of it,” she confessed. “But I’m committed to enjoying the thrill while being safe at the same time. I’m no adrenaline junkie.”

Javier wasn’t so sure. He’d never met anyone with the same adventurous impulses as him and the knot in his gut made him think he never should have suggested this.

“Let me know if you still feel that way after your first jump.” Tugging his board closer to the water, he dragged his safety rigging and his kite behind him. “You ready for a quick lesson?”

Lisa nodded, more eager than she would have ever admitted.

She watched Javier as he took her through the basics of getting the kite in the air even though her fingers twitched on her lines with the need to jump right in and try it herself. Who would have thought she’d end up being drawn in by Javier’s adrenaline seeking when she’d planned on helping him find ways to stifle those impulses?

Still, she fully believed she stood a better chance of understanding Javier’s need to live on the edge if she ventured deeper into his world, and this day together seemed like a positive first step as long as she could keep a lid on the attraction simmering inside her. Seeing him in a pair of board shorts was enough to make a lesser woman hyperventilate. As it was, she sank deeper into the chilly water whenever he touched her to help douse the fire his fingers could ignite with the sparest of strokes.

Listening to Javier’s careful instructions about handling the board and steering the kite, she had to admit he appeared more cautious than she’d been led to believe. He could have boarded out to open water to dazzle her with tricks like the hotshot downwind from them. But he’d taken extra care to be sure she knew what she was doing. And from the counseling she’d received once upon a time, she knew that was a good thing. He placed value on life, unlike the way she used to be.

Willing aside the memories that dark thought inspired, Lisa forced herself into the present, a moment that unexpectedly offered some closure on her long-ago risk taking. Sure, she’d spent years ignoring her daredevil impulses to ensure she had conquered those tendencies. But Javier’s invitation had given her a chance to reconcile her old love of high-octane activities with her new, wiser outlook.

“I think I need to just give it a go,” she called to him, tugging her equipment deeper into the surf. “I’ll be careful.”

With remembered skills from surfing, she found it simple enough to get on the board. The trickier part was managing the kite. She fell off a handful of times, dousing herself in Lake Michigan. But seeing the way other enthusiasts managed their lines and took advantage of the wind to cruise along the waves kept her inspired.

“You’ve got it!” Javier shouted as she finally made it to her feet with the kite in full bloom at the same time.

Her heart lifted in her chest, soaring along with the double foil nylon that pulled on her harness. And pulled.

And wrenched her into the air.

“Aiyeee!” She squealed like a kid on a roller coaster, loving the sensation of the huge kite tugging her up. Her arms burned with the effort to hold on and steer the bar to control where she went. But Mother Nature was no sissy and Lisa quickly realized she had her hands full.

Tucking her knees tight to her chest, she tried to remain as aerodynamic as possible. Even as she soared high above the water, she recognized what a good idea this had been for her. There was a time when she would have maxed out a big air moment for all it was worth, attempting spins or flips to outdo everyone else on the beach. Not now.

Not ever again.

Relief settled over her along with a joyous contentment that she hadn’t realized was missing in her life. And she knew just who to thank for it.

JAVIER’S HEART PLUMMETED faster than Lisa’s kite.

His throat thick with fear, he imagined a landing that could do extreme damage, knowing he could never reach her in time. Ripping off his safety lines, he detached himself from every piece of gear, not caring if it floated to Canada and back. His arms knifed through the choppy water toward her so he could at least be closer when her board hit the surface.

He would get booted from the beach for getting so close to a kite surfer in flight, but he didn’t care since he’d never be able to engage in this sport again if his stupid idea led to her getting hurt.

“Lisa,” he shouted up at her, wishing he’d given her more instructions, praying she’d protect herself instead of trying to hold on to that stupid kite.

But as he watched her descent slow, he realized she might have more control of the apparatus than he’d given her credit for. Somehow, the plummet had turned into floating. The nylon kite was moving to catch a slower cross wind, remaining full, but cutting Lisa’s speed. Javier waited there, treading water as he watched her board touch the lake, her whole body weight tugging the kite hard to slow herself down. Long, graceful muscles in her arms flexed as she moved, her trainer’s body a godsend in the battle with the powerful wind.

Just as Javier realized she would live through the landing and he’d been out of his mind with fear for no reason, he spotted the megawatt grin on her face.

And just like that, his worry morphed to anger, the strong emotions spilling over to his mouth unchecked.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” He reached for her board, steering her toward him before his heart exploded from the strain she’d put it under for the last minute and a half. He felt like he’d just run a marathon, his blood pumping so hard he could feel the vessels jolt behind his eyes.

“I have no idea!” She sounded excited, triumphant. Oblivious to the scare she’d given him. Her flushed face and bright eyes gave him a hint of what she might look after a night in his bed. “Do you believe I got that high? I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

A few other surfers nearby shouted words of encouragement to her, the streamer from her kite telling people that a newbie had pulled off that sweet landing after the heart-stopping heights she’d reached. Lisa thanked them with breathless enthusiasm as her kite fell into the water behind her. Javier unhooked her lines, needing to return her to dry land before her antics gave him a coronary.

Before her throaty laugh and drenched bikini had him ignoring all the team rules to take her back to his place for a night she wouldn’t soon forget.

“We’d better get back to shore before we get booted off the beach.” He pulled her on the board, grabbing his gear from a nearby surfer who’d seen his stuff floating out to sea and held on to it for him.

“Did we do anything wrong?” She slipped off her kite board and tried to take it from him, but he held fast to the equipment, unwilling to let her loose in the lake again.

Besides, if he kept his hands full of gear, he couldn’t reach for her.

“Hell, yes.” He looked toward the lifeguard stand, but they didn’t seem to be giving the pair of them unwanted attention. “They’re strict about making sure newbies are well supervised. You probably gave the staff bigger heart attacks than you gave me. Then I added to the in-fractions by getting too close to you in flight since I was convinced you were going to crash land.”

“Oh.” She sounded deflated and he half regretted the gruffness in his voice.

But damn it, he still hadn’t recovered from the scare.

“Besides, no sense pushing your luck twice in one day.” He hauled the heavy kites out of the water as they reached the beach and noticed she’d fallen behind.

Actually, as he turned to look for her, he noticed that she’d stopped short at the water’s edge, her body dripping wet. She looked like she’d just stepped out of a poster on a teenage kid’s wall. Except for the ticked-off expression on her face. Her pin-up’s body would turn any guy’s head, but he liked to think her bold and ballsy approach to life was something he alone could fully appreciate.

He wondered what it would be like to drag her down to the sand and wrestle around with her, vying physically with the same energy they sparred verbally. Hell, he’d gladly let her be on top for the chance to touch her…

“You’ve got to be kidding.” She shook her head as she continued her forward progress, wringing out her hair with one hand and swiping the other across her face to help dry off. “You’re telling me not to push my luck? You, who is rumored to have jumped cars on your motorcycle?”

He shook his head to clear it of the image of her wet body astride his.

“I was wearing a helmet that time,” he pointed out through gritted teeth.

“You, who once busted your minor league contract by entering a snow motocross event.”

“That contract must have been written by a tenth grader it was so damn muddled—”

“And you’re the same someone who insists on playing football in a public park every weekend so your coach has no choice but to—”

“Wait a minute.” He released all the gear in a pile on the sand and reached for his T-shirt. “I see what you’re getting at, and you can’t possibly compare that to the scare you just gave me. Playing a pickup game with my nieces and nephews on Sunday isn’t the same risk level to me as pulling up thirty feet out of the water was for you just now.”

As it was, his pulse still hadn’t leveled out. He’d seen her, in his mind’s eye, hitting the water wrong or losing control of the board and being hit by that. Or she could have gotten tangled in her safety line, breaking a limb or worse—

He launched for her, wrapping his arms around her without conscious thought. Next thing he knew he was holding her tight against him and breathing in the scent of her wet hair.

“I didn’t think about how much that might have freaked you out.” Her words were small and far away since he had her locked to his chest.

He loosened his hold just a little, his heart rate finally slowing a fraction now that he had the proof of her well-being in his arms.

“You scared the living hell out of me, lady.” He didn’t care they were on a crowded beach where people might recognize him. Photograph him.

“Don’t you think that’s how people in your life must feel all the time?”

It took him a moment to mentally process what she was suggesting. He was so rooted in his own outlook that he had a hard time shutting off that part of his brain enough to consider what it felt like for others to watch him take insane chances.

Damn.

He’d been so convinced he needed to live on the edge to experience every moment and savor the gift of being alive. The gift stolen from his brother, who’d deserved to be married and surrounded by a half dozen kids by now. For years, Javier had been trying to live the dream for both of them.

But was he really doing that? Or was he thumbing his nose at an incredible blessing by risking his life—and at the very least, his career—by seeking new thrills at every turn?

Staring at his brutally honest new trainer, Javier couldn’t decide. Feeling like the ground had just fallen out beneath him, he knew he needed to retreat fast.

“I’ve got to get home.”

3

LISA HOPED JAVIER WOULD BE happy to see her.

She’d driven to Cincinnati to speak with him after his game, tired of him canceling their sessions and then using a spate of road games as a way to not see her after what had happened the week before. It hadn’t been difficult to find out where the team was staying even though she’d officially quit her duties to the Chicago Flames that morning. She’d hated letting her friend down, but after another restless night’s sleep, she’d decided she couldn’t harbor feelings for a client, and it had become obvious to her that’s what was happening with Javier.

She never would have guessed that such a brief relationship—a relationship that had never even gotten physical—could have such severe consequences for her heart.

But after experiencing Javier’s spontaneity and zest for living firsthand, Lisa knew he’d filled a need she’d ignored for too long. He’d pushed her to be daring, and she’d needed that after denying something fundamental in her character. Even though he’d been upset with her at the beach, she’d seen that he’d only been worried. Something she should have simply assuaged instead of challenging him to look at his own daredevil tendencies.

They could be good for each other in so many ways, and she’d blown it by making their date about issues she should have let him resolve on his own.

Now, seated in the hotel lobby on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River, close to the stadium where the Cincinnati team played, Lisa waited for Javier to return for the night. She hadn’t gotten to town in time to see him play, so she’d opted to head straight to the hotel afterward. The players didn’t have a curfew even though they had another game the next day, but she’d left a message on Javier’s phone earlier that she was in town and wanted to see him.

Would he continue his silence and not show up? She’d been hurt by his retreat and she didn’t know how she’d handle a rebuff. The man had dominated her thoughts, dreams, fantasies every minute since she’d last seen him.

A commotion around the front doors distracted her. A handful of people backed into the hotel, holding microphones and cameras all pointed toward a subject who had yet to walk in the door.

Her stomach tightened, knowing who would be the object of this much media attention at an otherwise quiet Kentucky hotel.

“…and I’ve been friends with Brody Davis ever since.” Javier’s voice reached her ears before she saw him.

Reporters hung on his word as he retold the story of his truce with the Boston Aces’ catcher after an on-field dispute.

Javier wore his street clothes now, but his polished appearance in an expensive suit and starched white shirt open at the collar made Lisa wonder if he had plans for the night. Was she intruding?

She debated turning on her heel before he saw her. What if she’d misread all those undercurrents of attraction she thought were there?

“So you have no hard feelings toward Brody Davis even though he took the first swing that night in Boston?” a young reporter asked Javier as the throng moved deeper into the hotel, the newsman’s lips curled with skepticism.

“Davis plays the game the same way I do, and I respect that,” Javier told a nearby camera, clearly sensing the opportunity to provide a good sound bite. “He doesn’t leave anything on the field.”

Pushing out of the crowd, Javier seemed to ignore the next round of questions as he shouldered his way toward the lobby. Toward her.

Nervous anticipation made her heart fluttery and she couldn’t decide if it was her “fight or flight” response kicking in—or good old-fashioned sexual chemistry.

As those sea-glass-green eyes locked on hers, however, all confusion dissipated. The urge to launch herself in his arms was so strong it took every ounce of will she possessed to not act on it.

She knew she would look like a deer in headlights in all those photographs the media members were snapping. Frozen. Spellbound by the oncoming collision. But she couldn’t do so much as blink to break the spell.

“I know a back way,” Javier lowered his voice as he neared her, reaching out a hand to enfold hers. “Come on.”

Gladly, Lisa allowed him to take the lead. After just a handful of days without him, she already knew she would follow him wherever he wanted to go.

JAVIER WAS A GONER AS SURELY as the home-run ball he’d blasted over right field in tonight’s game. Lisa Whatley had sent his good sense spinning out of control and no amount of time avoiding her would change that.

Not after listening to Lisa’s voice in his messages today, that throaty, sexy tone confiding her need to see him. He’d had time to sort out what had happened between them that day at the beach and knew she’d been balls-on accurate with her assessment of his risk-taking. He just hadn’t wanted to hear it.

Now, as he led her to a back service elevator used by the room service staff to deliver food to the hotel patrons, Javier acknowledged that he also hadn’t wanted to admit feelings for her. Sure, he’d slept with women faster than this before, but he hadn’t had any illusions about where that kind of hookup would lead.

Whereas with Lisa, he’d wanted her more than he’d wanted any other, and the power of that feeling made him hesitate to get involved. He hadn’t planned on being tied down during the baseball career he’d worked so hard to develop, wanting to squeeze every pleasure he could out of the dream he’d once shared with his brother.

But Lisa had helped him to see the pleasures he was pursuing weren’t really doing jack shit to honor the dream—not his and not Manuel’s, either.

But he wasn’t ready to tell her any of that yet. He’d put off this meeting so long that by now, he only had one message for Lisa and it required no speaking.

As they reached the fourth floor, Javier tugged her from the elevator and toward his room at the end of the hall. He had a suite that overlooked the Ohio River where he planned to explore this attraction to his trainer in thorough detail.

“Javier.” She slowed to a stop beside him as he pulled out a room key.

He peered down the corridor over her head and saw no reporters. They would most likely think he was on the penthouse level anyhow, but the team travel secretary had been helpful in protecting his privacy by securing a room on another floor. Hell, who was he kidding? The team liked hiding him away from the press so he couldn’t say anything to cause an uproar.

“I think we got rid of them,” he assured her, opening the door to his rooms and ushering her inside.

“I quit the job,” she confided, stopping short in the tiny foyer near a slotted bench for removing shoes. “I’m not taking any more contract work for the Flames.”

That gave him pause.

“Did I chase you away after all?” He’d been trying to do exactly that when they’d first met since he hadn’t wanted the team to tell him how to run his workouts.

But just those few hours spent alone with her had been enough to make him realize he didn’t want to do anything to hurt her. He’d get the job back for her if she needed it.

He studied her under the dull light from an overhead fixture, her blond hair gathered in a loose knot at the back of her head with a few pieces slipping free around her ears and neck. She wore a deep blue sleeveless dress that hugged her subtle curves and showcased what a knockout she was. He still couldn’t see any makeup on her face save a deep berry stain on her lips. What would they taste like when he finally cashed in on the heat between them?

“No man steers me where I don’t want to go,” she reminded him, tilting her chin at him with a flash of the bravado she possessed in spades. “I just sensed an impending conflict of interest.”

Still, he promised himself he’d look into it to make sure she’d be okay financially without the job. He had the feeling the Flames paycheck was fairly generous. He wanted to make sure she was safe. Taken care of.

And oh, man, he was in deep with this woman, and he hadn’t even kissed her. By now, he realized he was falling for her in spite of his best efforts, so why deprive them both of what they wanted—needed—so badly?

“Really?” His eyes wandered down the lines of her body, enjoying the knowledge that soon his hands and his mouth would do the same. “That’s odd, because I see our interests aligning quite nicely.”

He reached for her, but she sidestepped him with lightning-quick reflexes, moving past him into the room where a bed awaited them. Crisp white sheets had already been turned down.

“If you think that, why have you been dodging me?” She planted her hands on her hips.

He half wondered if she could elude him a second time, now that he was expecting her tricky moves. He admired her athleticism even as he was tempted to test it. This was one chase he would enjoy.

“Looks like you’re the one dodging me.” He stepped toward her again, but this time, he faked left and moved right, intercepting her neatly. He caught an arm full of silk dress and warm woman. “Or at least, you’re trying to.”

Squeezing her waist, he reeled her close. The quick move had dislodged a tortoiseshell pin holding her hair in place, and the mass listed precariously to one side until he popped the pin free.

Fragrant locks fell loose as she fixed him with her gaze.

“I’m just trying to figure you out.” She splayed both hands on his chest, maintaining a certain amount of distance even as he could see her pulse hammer faster along the vein at her throat.

“And?” He bent close to kiss that throbbing spot at her neck. Her skin smelled like coconut lotion and tasted even better.

“I’ve got you pegged for a thrill seeker in the bedroom as much as you are outside of it.” She arched a pale eyebrow, as if daring him to argue the point.

His heart rate ramped up even faster than hers.

“I think you see what you want because you’re a bit of a risk taker yourself.” He hadn’t forgotten her expression when she came down from the jump on her kite board. “Did you come here tonight looking for a few new thrills?”

She bit her lip, deliberately coy as her gaze slid down and away. Long, dark lashes fanned her cheek as she pretended to mull over the question.

“I don’t know about that…”

Ah, this was too rich.

He’d just decided he shouldn’t push the envelope so often with his need to live on the edge—and he’d reached that conclusion because of her. Yet here she was, teasing him into temptation.

But maybe this was the better place to seek his thrills. With a woman who was in his life for more than just the fame and the money that came with his career.

“You wicked woman,” he chastised her, leaning close to nip her ear. “I might have to teach you a lesson first. It’s called, Be Careful What You Wish For.”

“You don’t scare me, Velasquez.” Her fingers slid down the front of his shirt, popping buttons easily as she went. “Did I mention that I only went into athletic training to bolster my passion for the martial arts?”

“I can’t wait to find out if you’re telling me the truth or if you’re just messing with me.” With this woman, he wouldn’t be surprised either way, and he liked that about her. She was tough and unpredictable, grounded and sexy and forthright. Plus, she was making him hot as hell, pulling his shirt tails out to skim her hands along his waist. “But I’m not going to put that claim to the test right now when I’m most interested in seeing you lose a little of that edge of yours.”

He traced the shoulder strap of her dress with one finger, taking a more subtle path to undressing her. When he passed her collarbone, she stilled. At the vee above her breasts, her eyes closed for a long moment.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She swayed on her feet. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips.

“I’m talking about making you hot and breathless and sweetly compliant with everything I want.” He parted the fabric of her dress, shifting it off her shoulders until he had to unzip the side to free it the rest of the way. “But first, I’m going to give you a taste of your own medicine.”

Her grip tightened on the front placket of his unbuttoned shirt, her hands fisting the cotton as she steadied herself.

“I thought we were thrill seeking?” She didn’t sound terribly worried, but the flash of disappointment in her expression amused him mightily.

“You’d be surprised.” Tugging her dress down and off, he exposed a navy lace bra and matching panties threaded with a sky-blue ribbon.

A decidedly feminine choice for a woman who liked to appear so no-nonsense on the outside.

“Well?” she asked, sliding a finger under one bra strap as if to continue the unveiling.

He caught the errant finger and pulled her hand, tugging her toward the bed.

“I need some time to appreciate this much of you before I undress the rest.” He laid her on the bed and she went willingly enough until he tried to turn her onto her stomach. At her questioning look, he smoothed a palm along her back. “But first I thought I’d give you a little physical therapy so you can see what you put me through that day in the training room.”

“That’s the taste of my own medicine?” She propped herself on one elbow, one knee drawn up. With her Bond-girl platinum hair cascading down to the bed, she made a jaw-dropping visual. “You want to massage me?”

Lisa watched him through eyelids grown heavy with desire. She had never experienced such a strong urge to pounce on a man, but Javier tested her considerable restraint. Not because he was incredibly good-looking or a stud on the field, but because he was the man who’d called her out of the shadows to embrace her life again.

Although, certainly, the studliness did not go unnoticed. Her hands itched to undress him the rest of the way and see the full impact of his beautiful athlete’s body the way God made him.

“You call what you did to me that day a massage?” he asked, pressing her shoulder forward, urging her where he wanted her.

“I’d call it a professional and dispassionate physical stimulation of your muscles.” Her heated skin met cool sheets instead of his muscular body and she wondered how she’d sit still through whatever he had in mind. “My job, in other words.”

“I’d call it sensual torment.” His palm smoothed down her spine to rest at the small of her back, inciting nerve endings far and wide.

She adjusted her cheek deeper into the pillow, taking a deep breath to brace for the sensual onslaught he seemed to have in mind. Pleasure warmed her skin in a full-body flush. Her breasts beaded against the sheets.

“I am a licensed professional,” she argued, willing his hand to move. She wanted his touch everywhere at once.

“Hmm.” He seemed to consider her words as he seated himself on the mattress beside her, his hip nudging hers to make himself comfortable. “No wonder your hands felt so damn good.”

He skimmed along the band of her panties and traced circles up her back, his touch hypnotically seductive. She debated crawling up into his lap and ending the game by straddling his thighs, but he was so very good at drawing her in. Making her curious.

She wanted to see where it would lead. There was something endlessly compelling about a man who knew exactly what he wanted in bed. Exactly how to please a woman.

“I’m pretty sure I pressed much harder when I massaged you,” she offered, stifling the urge to writhe against the mattress.

“You want it harder.” His hands slid down her sides, his fingers straying under her arms to cup her breasts. As she requested, he flexed his fingers, increasing the pressure.

“Yessss.” She arched back to give him better access, wanting to be closer.

“I see I can’t torment you the way you tormented me.” He leaned over her, his chest brushing her back. His hands dipped deeper into the lace cups of her bra, baring more. “I want you too much.”

He plucked at the taut peaks and she felt the sensuous draw of it all the way to her womb.

“No more massages,” she warned, turning on one shoulder to face him. “I can’t handle it.”

His eyes narrowed in the dim hotel room.

“But I was saving the best massage for last.” His hands fell away from her breasts to smooth down her hips and land on the front of her thighs. “I wanted to show you how much I enjoyed those muscle manipulations you performed on the inside thigh.”

He squeezed there, the side of one hand rubbing lightly between her legs as he worked the muscle in question. Sensation swamped her, making her quiver from the pleasure.

“You’ve made your point.” She levered herself up to a sitting position and shoved his jacket off his shoulders, taking his unbuttoned shirt along with it. “Now you’d better quit talking smack and start delivering.”

She didn’t care that she sounded impatient and demanding. She’d been waiting to be alone with him for days.

Fortunately, he seemed ready for more. He angled his shoulders to help her slip off his shirt, his hands only leaving her body for a moment. Then, finally, his mouth met hers in a kiss that sizzled her insides. His tongue played along her lips, but he didn’t toy with her for long. His mouth demanded more and she gave it gladly.

Frantically, she worked the clasp of his belt and the buttons of his trousers, her task made more difficult by his straining erection. Or maybe it was so difficult because he slipped off her panties and eased a finger inside her, distracting her hopelessly until he took over the task of undressing himself.

As she lay there, breathless, overwrought and ready for him, she noticed he wasn’t wearing that cool, teasing smile anymore. He wanted this as urgently as she did.

Soon, they were both naked and ready, his body a gorgeous sight to behold as he rolled on a condom. The deep tan of his skin seemed to define all his lean muscles, and she couldn’t wait to benefit from his strength.

An admiring hum of approval left her lips while she waited for him to come inside her.

Then, he was over top of her, all around her. His hands hit the bed on either side of the pillow, his knees pushing her thighs apart before he positioned himself right where she wanted him most. She stilled herself for all of two seconds before she wrapped her arms around him, sealing her body to his, breast to chest. He had to alter his hold on her to angle her hips where he wanted them.

And oh. My.

The heat of him stretching her was like no sensation she’d ever known. Javier drew out the sweet shock of his entry, teasing her until she nipped his shoulders and twisted beneath him, then giving her all she could take and more.

Heat roared in her veins and in her womb. The beat of her heart reverberated hard, a grounding force as her nerves wound tight, poised to catapult her into pure pleasure. She grasped his shoulders to steady her, savoring every delicious inch of him as he claimed her. Seduced her body and soul.

Sensation built to impossible heights then spilled over in a climax that shook her very core. She clutched him to her, needing the anchor of his body as wave after wave of bliss undulated through her. For a fleeting moment, she realized he had her right where he’d wanted her all along—breathless and clinging beneath him. But then, he was right there with her, losing control in a climax that followed hers by mere moments.

She kissed his cheek and his neck mindlessly, her face beaded with sweat. His or hers, she didn’t know. She only knew she never wanted the night to end.

Because tonight, they were everything to each other. Friends and lovers. Adrenaline junkies who shared a passion for adventure and each other. But tomorrow she’d still be an athletic trainer who worked at a local college back in Chicago and he’d still be an international sports hero committed to his fans 162 games a year during the regular season.

And Lisa was all too aware this was one thrill that might end when the sun rose.

4

FOR A MAN WHO TOOK A LOT of chances with his career and his physical health, Javier recognized he hadn’t ever risked much in his relationships.

But now, as he lay beside Lisa in the still hours before dawn, he sensed an unfamiliar certainty in his feelings for the new woman in his life. Their time together hadn’t been some casual hookup. Things had gotten intense fast and there could be no going back to simple friendship afterward. He wanted more than that from her.

Perhaps because he wanted to know everything about her, he realized he hadn’t shared all that much of himself. He at least owed her some explanation for the other day when he’d run for the hills after kite boarding. He stroked her hair, feeling the soft warmth of her breath against his neck while she shifted beside him.

“So I guess you knew I was freaked out that day at the beach,” he began, figuring this counted as a small risk in itself. He hadn’t shared the story with anyone else.

“I didn’t know if you were more upset because of the scare I gave you or because I suggested—” she hesitated “—that maybe you’d freaked out a few people in your day, too.”

“It was a one-two punch, actually. I’d credit both with equal weight. But you couldn’t have known why.” He shook his head when she tried to apologize. “I was reeling at first because I thought that jump you did was so dangerous and then I saw myself taking the same risks for reasons that once seemed so clear, but now—”

He fell silent, realizing he hadn’t started the story in the right place. His chest squeezed tight as he understood that this was going to require more confession. More honesty.

Lisa remained quiet, but she hugged him, her arm pulling tight across his chest as they lay together. He liked the way she seemed to know when to push him and when not to. There was some connection between them he couldn’t ever deny.

“My dad was a bit of a deadbeat,” he started, remembering all the times Manny had kept Javier on the straight and narrow while their father would drink away any problems for the bargain price of six bucks a bottle. “So my brother stepped up to the plate and raised the rest of us, working when he should have been having fun himself.”

He’d never asked for charity. In fact, Javier had busted his hump to bring in money, but just keeping up with living expenses had been tough and Manny wasn’t the kind of brother you argued with. He’d had the kind of steely will and work ethic Javier had always admired and Manuel always said his turn would come when Javier made it big in the majors.

“He sounds like a great guy,” Lisa observed, her fingers scratching a light rhythm over his skin in the dark.

“He was.” It had been seven years since Manny died and the hole inside Javier still hadn’t closed. Although, he realized, the cavernous depth didn’t yawn quite so wide with Lisa tucked against him. “But he never had his turn to play since a heart attack took him from us before his thirtieth birthday.”

Javier felt Lisa wince beside him and she buried her forehead on his shoulder.

“How awful.” The simple words summed it up well. “You must have been devastated to lose him.”

“I was never much of a risk taker before he died.” He’d been a straight arrow, comfortable with Manny’s vision of the future and never thinking it might not happen that way. “But afterward, it felt wrong to take any moment for granted, you know? I kept thinking that Manny wouldn’t want me to put off any happiness or any pleasure because he’d put off his dreams and got robbed before he could see them through.”

“So you’ve lived the dreams for him?”

“It seemed like the right thing to do.” He shrugged, wondering if a shrink would think he was off his rocker. “I never overthought it, I guess. I just felt like all that force and will of his shouldn’t die with him. It deserved to be remembered.”

A soft kiss landed on his cheek.

“I bet he would be so proud of all you’ve accomplished.”

The words squeezed his heart like a vise—in a good way. Hell, they squeezed so tight he felt the sting of tears. Good thing he was Latin enough not to give a rip that his emotions lived close to the surface.

“Thank you.” He swiped a hand across his eyes to chase the burn away. “I was feeling pretty good about it until the other day when we went kite surfing.”

She tried to interrupt, but he wouldn’t let her, knowing if he didn’t finish spitting this out now it could go unsaid for another seven years.

“Isn’t it enough that I’m playing in the majors? What the hell would it prove if I break my neck before I’m thirty, too?”

“I didn’t know your brother, but I’m willing to guess he wouldn’t want you to screw up your career.” She rested her chin on his chest, peering up into his eyes.

He could see her clearly now that dawn had broken, the flimsy hotel curtains not nearly heavy enough to keep out the coming day.

She appealed to him in so many ways. From her unflappable, easy acceptance of who he was to her clear-eyed ability to call a spade a spade. He didn’t know if he could trust his instincts on a night that had packed such an emotional punch, but he knew he was falling hard and fast for her.

“You’re probably right.” Framing her face with his hands, he kissed her, rolling her underneath him to claim her all over again.

The peal of his cell phone ring tone shattered the mood.

Although tempted to ignore it, he didn’t protest when she thrust the phone in his hand and slipped out from under him.

“I’ll go shower,” she insisted, picking up her purse and a handful of clothes on her way.

Regretting the loss of her touch, he thumbed the on button after recognizing his agent’s number.

His surprise at seeing Scofield’s number didn’t begin to compare with the shock he felt at the sight of Lisa walking toward the shower. Now that the beginnings of dawn light permeated the curtains, he could see a spider web of intricate markings on her hip, the scars of an old injury he hadn’t felt during the night. Scars he hadn’t seen that day at the beach since her bathing suit would have covered most of them.

“Javier?” his agent’s voice called him out of his brooding thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m kind of busy right now.” He planned to confront Lisa with all haste to find out what those scars were. Were they from her old thrill-seeking days?

“Have you seen the morning news?”

Javier checked the bedside clock.

“It’s not even seven.”

“Somebody dug up the dirt on your trainer girlfriend.” Scofield didn’t sound pleased and Javier tensed, wondering what beef anyone could have with Lisa. “And I don’t think the Flames are going to appreciate you dating someone who is as much of a head case as you.”

LISA WARBLED HER WAY through an old show tune as she rinsed the last of the hotel conditioner from her hair. She was in the process of enjoying the sting of hot water on her back for an extra decadent moment when the stream stopped short. Blinking fast, she discovered Javier in the shower beside her, his arm bracing the curtain open while he cut off her spray.

“I hope you’re going to make that up to me—” Her words halted as she spied the expression on his face. At once blank and forbidding, he stared at her with the dispassionate regard of a stranger. “What’s wrong?”

“Apparently we made the morning news.” He handed her a towel even though his gaze never slipped south of her eyes for a second. “Someone snagged a photo of us at the beach last week and I can only guess they sat on it so they could do a little investigative reporting to maximize the value of the picture.”

Lisa’s skin chilled. Her heart hitched for a moment at the disappointment—anger—in his eyes.

She wrapped the towel around her and sidestepped him in the steamy bathroom.

“And?” She could only imagine what an investigation into her past would bring.

“And you nearly died in a plane wreck eight years ago.” He placed his hand on her hip, clearly having seen the scars on her leg from that very same accident. “While I don’t give a damn what my manager has to say about me having a relationship with a woman who lives on the edge as much as me, I definitely give a damn that it never occurred to you to tell me—”

“You knew I had a similar past.” Feeling defensive, she reached for a second towel for her hair. Had she lost any chance they might have had at a relationship by not confiding in him?

“But I didn’t know it had almost killed you.”

His words burned a hole in her heart, making her wonder why she’d withheld that piece of her past even after he’d opened up to her about his brother. They had found something special together, but if they weren’t careful, they could hurt each other in the end.

She might have already hurt his career irrevocably, in fact. She’d taken her job with the Flames to try and help him past that need to take risks, but instead, she’d allowed herself to be caught up in the irrepressible hunger for life she saw in his eyes. Now, the chances the Flames management would send him packing had increased ten-fold because of her.

“It made me stronger in the end.” She pulled away, worried their time together might be drawing to a close and unable to think how to salvage a relationship without hurting each other more. “I shattered my hip and had to relearn how to walk. But it made me appreciate every second. I learned to appreciate my own worth.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He studied her as if he’d never seen her before and she realized maybe he hadn’t. Javier had been so forthright about who he was and what he wanted from life, but she’d grown more guarded than that. She wasn’t used to baring her secrets. Exposing herself and her fears.

“I have a hard time—” She cleared her throat and wondered how she would walk away from someone who truly understood her and cared about her. His tender concern made her eyes burn for what they might have shared. But how could she allow him to sacrifice his place on the Flames for her sake? “Listen, maybe it would be best if I go.”

He did a double take that was so overt it would have been cartoonishly funny if it hadn’t been a heart-wrenchingly awful moment.

“Leave? You want to leave after what we shared?”

Guilt pinched her, but not as much as the guilt she knew she would feel if he got booted off the team because of her.

“Do you really want to lose out on your baseball career after all your brother’s sacrifices?”

He shook his head. “My God, Lisa. You can’t seriously hold that over my head.”

The tears behind her eyes built until they threatened to spill over at the slightest movement.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t imagine that you’d be happy without the career that’s meant so much to you. It’s one thing to walk away from the risk taking, but it’s another to walk away from baseball.” Just saying the words aloud reassured her it was the right thing to do to leave. “You’re too talented for that, Javier. You deserve a place in the stat books and a long, lucrative career that will entertain fans for years to come. I would never want to give your team a reason to release you after how hard you’ve worked to get here.”

He watched her for a long moment before he shook his head. The stark look in his eyes cut her to the quick.

“When we met, it was me who was trying to send you running and now that I’ve succeeded, it’s the last thing I want.”

“I never meant for this to happen,” she assured him, swallowing past the lump in her throat. She reached for her clothes near the bathroom door. “Goodbye, Javier.”

Closing the door between them, she dressed quietly and left the room, knowing she’d never seek him out again.

5

LISA DIDN’T TAKE ANY satisfaction from the hitting slump Javier fell into after she left him that day.

His slugging percentage took a nosedive over the next five games, a fact that was front page news in the Tribune’s sports section after their last home game. Not that she was obsessed with the man who got away or anything. Javier’s stats were just common public knowledge since Chitown loved its sports heroes.

A love she was afraid she might share.

In the last week, her heart had experienced a worse pain than that prop plane crash eight years ago. She had renewed understanding for what it felt like to be broken and vulnerable, except these hurts were all on the inside, too deep for any therapy she knew.

She entered the Flames’ training facility on an off-day, knowing the team was traveling for a road game the next afternoon. She’d been putting off the chore of cleaning out a small locker at the center, not wanting to run into Javier after the way things had ended between them.

Thankfully, interest in her had died down when the media failed to snag any other photos of the two of them together. The Flames had come out in support of Javier despite the earlier insinuations in the press that Lisa was a daredevil who wanted to lead him even further astray. The flap had ended after a few days and she’d wondered if she’d been overcautious to take the allegations so seriously.

Since then, her former supervisor had asked her to come in for an exit interview and to pick up her things, and he’d been glad to let her do the first over the phone and the latter during off-hours since the Flames wanted to low-key her involvement with the team after the news coverage. She’d turn in her key before she left today and then her last tie to the sexy third basemen would be broken.

It felt odd to be in the training facility alone. Some of the staff traveled with the team and those who didn’t had already left for the day. She passed a door for the club house and tried not to think about Javier.

“Lisa.”

A man spoke her name from the shadows of what she thought was an empty conference room and she yelped in surprise.

Slowing her step to see who was inside, she saw a heart-achingly familiar silhouette.

Javier.

“I didn’t think you’d be here,” she said, realizing too late how revealing that statement must be. Since when did she sneak around trying to avoid someone just because he had the power to break her heart? Straightening, she ignored her galloping heart rate and walked on. “Excuse me,” she murmured.

“Wait.” He stepped out into the carpeted hall behind her, his tall frame flanked by historic posters advertising old games. “I’ve been trying to see you.”

He tucked his hand around her elbow lightly enough, but it was a touch she felt in every fiber of her being. She hoped he didn’t feel the small, bittersweet shiver that trembled through her on contact.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” She’d be throwing herself at him in no time.

“I shouldn’t have let you have the last word the other day.” He gave her a rueful grin. “That’s truly unlike me and it should tell you how much I value your opinion.”

She clutched her building keys tighter in her fist, needing to exit the conversation before her heart melted like ice cream at the ballpark.

“I appreciate that, but—”

“But you were dead wrong.” He silenced her with his words, calling the shots in a way that made her smile despite her misery.

“How do you figure?” She avoided his eyes, staring instead at the whiteboard where the trainers scheduled the therapy rooms ahead of time. She noticed her old schedule with Javier had been erased, though no one else had taken the slots with him.

“We shouldn’t end this.” He reached for her shoulders, approaching her slowly, giving her time to object.

She remained silent, longing for something she had told herself all week she couldn’t have.

“We belong together, Lisa.” His hands landed gently on her shoulders. “Before you left to take a shower that morning, I was already making plans for taking you sailing and diving. Then when that phone call came about our pictures in the press and your past—” He clutched his chest. “I was just caught so damn off guard.”

Seeing this big, strong man hold on to his heart like it was a fragile thing warmed her insides like no amount of words could have.

“I should have told you about the accident—”

“No.” He shook his head. “You would have told me in your own time. Being in the spotlight the way I am—it puts my life under the microscope and forces things onto center stage that don’t necessarily deserve to be there. I think the only reason I let you leave that day was my own fear that we’re so alike that you’d hate living in a fish bowl in the long run as much as I do so maybe us being apart was for the best.”

She tried to follow his train of thought, confused but liking the direction of the words very, very much. A spark flared over the ashes she’d been stomping for nearly two weeks.

“Still, I should have told you about the accident. It was important.” As much as she had practically swooned at the chance to touch him and feel his gorgeous body all over hers, she knew now they should have spent more time talking first. “But everything happened so fast that night.”

“I was in a hurry to be with you.”

The warm rasp of his voice told her that he had the same delectable memories of that night that she did.

It would be so easy to step right back in his arms…

“But maybe falling into bed wasn’t a good idea for us.” She didn’t want to make the same mistakes with him. Not after how much it hurt the first time.

“No. It was the best idea ever.” He sounded so damn sure of himself. So arrogant. So oddly charming.

She couldn’t help a grin. “How do you figure?”

“I found out how wildly passionate I am about you.” He said it the way only a Latin man could—as if he was swearing a vow, as if his life depended on the words. “If I didn’t know that, I probably would have just slipped out of that hotel room the next day and gone on with my life, none the wiser that I might be walking out on the most amazing woman I’d ever met.”

Javier held his breath, hoping his words would penetrate the cool veneer Lisa had worn from the moment she’d spied him in the conference room tonight. He’d been begging the training staff to get her back here for days, needing to see her in person to straighten out the mess they’d made of their relationship. To make his case for a future.

But it wasn’t until tonight that she’d agreed. He’d probably be fined if he didn’t find a way to get to that game tomorrow, but if it took all night to convince Lisa he was worth a second chance, he’d gladly pay the fine.

And right now, he wasn’t sure if he was making any headway on that front. She wasn’t easy to read, even in the harsh office lighting outside the training staff room.

“I don’t want to—” she made a vague gesture between the two of them “—melt all over you again.”

The breathless quality of her voice made him wonder if that was a real possibility. He never would have guessed it from her straight shoulders or her tilted, defiant chin.

“Even if I made it very worth your while?” He didn’t touch her, but he stepped closer. Close enough to breathe in the clean scent of her shampoo. The crisp fragrance of her perfume.

Her eyes dilated, but she shook her head.

“If we talk instead of—” she made that vague gesture again “—jumping into bed for the second time, we might understand each other a lot better.”

That meant there was the possibility of jumping into bed in their future. His heart lightened.

Determined to do whatever was necessary to reach that point—not just because of the sex but because of what it would mean to Lisa—he squared his shoulders and prepared himself.

“Then we will talk.” He kept his voice low in deference to one of the janitors pushing a mop cart.

The building was quiet, but not deserted.

“Talk is not a dirty word, you know.” Turning, she used one of her keys to open the door to the staff room. Letting him in, she shut the door behind her and he found himself in an area he’d never seen. Lockers on the wall were interspersed with health-related posters and life-size diagrams of various knee and ankle injuries.

“Too bad.” He sat down on one of the benches near the small lockers. “I might like it better if it was. But what should we discuss?”

If he had a topic, he could start tackling it. The sooner he could assuage her concerns, the sooner she’d be back in his arms where she belonged.

Lisa spun a combination lock and opened the metal box before withdrawing an extra T-shirt and a bottle of hand lotion.

“For starters, you never asked me about why I took such risks.” She pulled out a hikers’ guide to the Rockies and he wondered if she was going on a trip he didn’t know about.

Maybe talking wasn’t a bad idea.

“Did you lose someone close to you, too?” Could she have toyed with living on the edge for similar reasons as him?

“No. I did it for attention at first. My mother was an addict and it took a lot to get her attention. Later, I did it to feel alive since sometimes I felt damn invisible in my house.”

“Ah, damn, Lisa. I’m so sorry—”

“No.” She waved a rolled-up weightlifting guide under his nose. “I’ve made peace with all that. I just wanted you to know that’s why I’ve avoided thrill seeking for years. It felt too much like an addiction. But being with you made me realize I wasn’t always acting out. There was a lot of escape and genuine joy in pushing the limit. I’m athletic and coordinated, healthy and smart. Why shouldn’t I be as active as I want to be?”

Alarm pricked along his nerves.

“As long as you’re careful.” He couldn’t keep his hands off her anymore, needing to feel her against him. “Okay?”

He’d begun to appreciate how much he had to lose if he wasn’t more cautious in life, and he hoped she felt the same.

He rose to wrap her in his arms and thanked God that he had found her before he took one too many foolish chances with his life. He felt like he’d awoken from a long sleep since meeting her.

She nodded against his chest, her fingers smoothing the fabric of his T-shirt along his shoulders. Warmth filled him along with all that same fierce possessiveness he’d experienced that night in his hotel, only this time, he knew he wouldn’t succumb to wayward fears that she wasn’t as she seemed.

He knew better. His tough, Bond-girl trainer was a straight shooter. A sexy, vibrant woman. And she spent her free time planning hikes in the Rockies.

He couldn’t believe his good fortune.

“Javier?”

“Mmm?” He kissed the top of her head and wondered if he could talk her into making good use of that massage table.

“I heard something about you being in a hitting slump.”

It took a moment for the comment to sink in.

“Are you asking about this as my trainer or my girlfriend?”

“I’m not your trainer anymore, remember?”

“I hope to lobby for a few very private sessions.” Thoughts of the massage table returned. “But since it’s my girlfriend asking, I can tell you confidentially that I’m in a slump because I’ve been craving sexual satisfaction.”

He felt a shiver pulse over her skin and he smiled to think he had that effect on her. Heaven help him, he would not take it for granted.

“Don’t you dare try to play me, Velasquez. I think I’d better critique your swing before your game tomorrow. Shouldn’t you be with your team tonight, by the way?”

She blinked up at him, her eyes accusing even though her mouth remained soft and open, ready for his kiss.

He slipped his hands beneath her blouse to caress her bare skin.

“When the head trainer told me he thought he’d finally convinced you to come into the office tonight, I damn well wasn’t going to miss the chance to see you.”

The days he’d waited felt like weeks.

“How are you going to get to St. Louis in time for the game?”

“Depends how long it takes me to convince you to come with me.” He kissed her lips, tugging on the soft fullness of the lower one for a long moment before he released her. “If it’s soon, I’ll drive down. If you require a lot of persuading, I can try to pull together a charter flight.”

She swayed toward him, dropping her weight-lifting guide as she wrapped her arms about his neck.

“Hmm. How persuasive can you be?”

“You’re looking at the next Gold Glove winner, sweetheart, and they only give those things to guys with very good hands…”