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.