“I thought I’d ride with you guys today.” That wasn’t exactly the truth. My driver was set to pick me up later that day. I called and canceled instead of making him rush to get me early. Rhett’s instructions made me eager to get to practice, to watch, and decide in which order I would speak with the players.
“After you,” Todd said, pushing open the front doors to the hotel.
I stepped outside. My body was on fire, and the cool morning Florida air was a relief to my skin. The shuttle doors were already open, the driver smiling as I reached for the railing near the first step. Todd’s hand pressed against my back, offering a helpful boost to the shuttle step. His thumb glided down my spine gently, slowly lowering down my back until resting just above my tailbone. A sigh escaped my lips without consent. I stepped up to the next step, and then into the shuttle. A single seat in the back was empty, room enough for both Todd and me. No way!
“Have a seat,” Kane Steele offered. I watched as he slid to one side, making room for me on the black leather seat.
“Thank you.” I slid into the seat next to him. Damn, he smelled as good as he looked.
Todd’s eyes avoided contact with mine as he continued to the back of the shuttle. I wanted to turn and look, to see if he took the empty seat in the back, but I didn’t. I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist teasing me if I’d made it to that secluded seat with him. And, I knew I wouldn’t have been able to resist letting him do it.
Kane was super sweet on the ride to the field. His deep voice vibrated into my soul, his eyes penetrated like green rupees into my heart. Wow. This man was deliciously handsome. I decided that he would be one of my first interviews. He was easy to talk to, and even though sexier than hell, my attraction to him was low, thanks to my distraction with Todd.
On the field, Calvin and Todd stood at the mound, from what I could see, communicating quite well. The practice was slow-paced as the guys saved their true energy for their first game. I was growing tired from working on my interview notes. I’d lined everyone up in the order I wanted to interview them, with Todd nearly at the bottom of the list. I needed to stay focused, keep myself professional, and Todd Morris stripped me of all my self-discipline.
Blake Osborne, the pitcher recruited from Atlanta, my dad’s old team. He was another one I had at the bottom of my list. He had been close to my dad when they played together, and I wasn’t exactly sure if they still were. I dreaded the questions he would ask me, knowing they would be personal, and all about my dad.
Oh, Daddy’s doin’ just fine, Blake, thanks for asking. He and Mom are in their low-end condo, all their belongings sold or repossessed by the bank. Yeah, me, I’m great, just working for a living for the first time in my life. No thanks!
Todd took the plate. It was the first time I’d watched him swing a bat. He oozed confidence as he beat the bat into the dirt. His strong arms flexed, their muscles tightening as he pulled the bat up past his shoulders. I watched him carefully, eyeing the pitcher and shifting his sight to the coach of the opposing team. As a catcher, he knew the tricks to hiding the pitch signs, and I knew he was well aware of how to catch them as well.
The ball flew like a rocket from the pitcher's hand. My body clenched the bleacher I sat on as Todd brought the bat around to meet the ball, sending it far into the left field. His power excited me, more than I wanted to admit. The crack of the bat against the ball made my nipples tighten, and my panties stuck against my skin. Damn, he was going to be hard to resist.
All the players were impressive, more so than I’d realized during practice. Against an opposing team, they worked together like a well-oiled machine. Even the newer guys on the team were meshing well as Beasts. Kane Steele had the look, the body, and the talent that this team — Rhett’s team — was made of. He’d done a hell of a job creating a team of amazing players. The only downside was the fact that so many of them had found their way to the dim light of the media. That’s your job, Katrina. Make these boys look good, on and off the field.
I didn’t wait around for the players after the game. They won without what seemed to be much effort. The other team had to be impressed. They’d taken a pretty good ass whoopin’ out there. I was growing excited about the season. Excited to watch Todd grow as a player, as a person. I knew I could find something amazing in his life to shape him into one of the most loved players on the team, possibly the league. But I still wasn’t ready to move him higher on my list.
I took a cab to the condo, ordered a pizza, spread out all my notes, and began working on finishing my list of interviews. Each player had notes that I already knew from the media, the fan sites, and the team pages—some bad, some good. The ones heavier on the bad image side were at the top of my list, all except Todd.
A knock on my door pulled me from my notes. I grabbed my wallet and opened the door. I expected to see the pizza box pushed toward me with a delivery boy behind it, but instead, I saw Todd Morris.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Todd
I don’t know what the hell I was doing standing outside of Katrina’s door. She'd told me we had to cool it, and she hadn’t exactly acted like she’d changed her mind today at the field, or on the shuttle ride for that matter. Still, here I stood, unable to stop myself from knocking on her door. When it flung open, I felt something stirring inside of me. Something I hadn’t felt in a long while. Her eyes were wide, and a twenty-dollar bill was held between her fingers. I smiled, looked at the money she was holding out, and refrained from the off-color comments that came into my head.
“I thought you were the pizza guy,” she said quickly, her expression fading to confusion, embarrassment, irritation. I couldn’t tell.
“What’s all that?” I asked, nodding toward the papers strewn all over the coffee table, the couch, and flowing onto the floor.
“Rhett asked me to interview each of the players. Help the fans see them in a more personal light. I’ve been googling everyone, making notes, thinking of questions.” She clamped her lips closed to stop the words from bursting from her mouth.
“Have you googled me yet?” I asked, curious if she had.
“No.”
I felt a little hurt. I would’ve thought she’d be more interested. “You should.”
She lifted her chin. “I plan to.”
“You won’t find the good stuff though,” I teased, hoping to spark her curiosity.
“I’m sure there’s plenty of good stuff on there about you. Like your skydiving adventures, your motorcycle accident,” she paused, looking into my eyes with an unexpected kindness and possibly remorse for her teasing.
“So, you have googled me.” I leaned against the door frame, finding a comfortable spot to continue my flirting. It was obvious she wasn’t going to let me inside. I didn’t blame her for that. I knew what I wanted to do to her. I knew she wanted it too.
Her cheeks blushed to a light pink. Her eyes narrowed as they glanced away from mine. Yes, she was still interested.
“There’s some rides I’d like to check out on the Boardwalk. I’d love it if you came with me.”