Nope. Not doing that either.
I stuffed a huge fork full of lettuce into my mouth as her thumbs flew over her keyboard. My phone pinged, and she gave me a satisfied look. “There. All settled. How lucky are you to have me as a relative?”
Do you mean mother? I’m a lucky, lucky girl indeed.
I was still chewing, giving me an excuse to not answer when she splayed her red-tipped fingers onto the table. She leaned forward, her eyes wide with excitement.
Oh no, what next?
“I have a brilliant idea. I’ll have Winston pick you up, and the two of you can go together! Let me contact him now.”
I stopped chewing as she picked up her phone.
No. No, no, no.
I shook my head fervently and chewed harder, willing the food to disappear from my mouth so I could scream at her to stop. Frantic, I lunged over the table and slammed my hand down over hers. It was the first time I’d touched her in years.
“No! I won’t be in the same room with him let alone in a car with him. Are you out of your mind?”
She looked genuinely surprised. “Why ever not?”
I gripped her hand harder. “Because he tried to rape me,” I hissed. “Remember?”
She yanked her hand away and rolled her eyes. “That’s ridiculous. You young girls are so sensitive nowadays. You think a strong hand from an alpha male who knows what he wants is something to be afraid of? Rape!” She scoffed. “You should be down on your knees thanking the universe that a man like that is interested in someone like you. Did you know that the government is getting ready to pay billions to have access to some of the tech equipment his family owns? And there’s rumors that Winston will be running for governor. Just think, you could be the First Lady someday.”
My heart was beating so hard, I could hear the blood pounding in my ears. The periphery of my vision dimmed, and my fingers tingled, signaling my fight or flight response.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything, when a strong arm wrapped around my shoulders and squeezed me against a hard body, and a manly scent filled my senses.
“Hey, baby,” hottie guy from the bar said, giving me a hard kiss. “Sorry I’m late.”
CHAPTER THREE
Kane
I didn’t know I had the ability to be as furious as I was now, but dammit, I was seething. I’d followed that beautiful young woman into this restaurant and had been happy to realize that the seating arrangement allowed me to be close enough to observe without being observed.
Stalker much?
Yes, it was damn stalker, but I was so fucking drawn to her. To her smile and grace as she endured the continual insults from that horrible plastic Barbie doll that was apparently her mother.
And when Barbie talked about attempted rape so casually, every nerve ending inside my body snapped. Next thing I knew, I was pressing my lips to this precious person and giving her whatever comfort I could.
Now what?
Staring into dazed blue eyes, I pulled Eliana tighter to my side before looking across at Barbie. She looked equally stunned.
I stuck out a hand. “Kane Steele. It’s wonderful to finally meet the woman who gave birth to this glorious creature. I can’t even imagine how proud you must be of Eliana.”
Silence became a living thing as they both continued to stare at me.
Then Barbie’s eyes moved, flicking down my face and to the sweaty compression tank I’d worn for my run. Her eyes were the same color blue as her daughters, but they lacked the depth and warmth the younger woman possessed.
Tapping my chest, I said, “Sorry, I didn’t have time to change before heading over here. I was already running so late…” I lifted a shoulder as if that explained everything.
Silence.
This wasn’t going the way I’d hoped.
The blue eyes shifted from me to Eliana. “Who is this, my darling?” The bitch’s voice was as stiff as her forehead.
“Kane Steele,” I answered for her in case she hadn’t heard me earlier. I lifted Eliana’s glass and took a sip. Damn, that shit was sweet.
Setting the glass back down, I turned to the girl beside me. “You still have that headache from this morning?”
Eliana blinked up at me and seemed to come out of her daze. “Actually…” she smiled, and my balls tightened, “I’m feeling much better. Thank you.”
I gave her a squeeze. “You’re very welcome.”
“Eliana, why didn’t you tell me about Kane?” Barbie’s face didn’t move as she spoke.
Eliana didn’t miss a beat. “Because I wanted to surprise you, of course.”
Barbie showed a glimpse of teeth. “Well, you certainly did.”
Just then, the waiter came up to the table. “Can I get you any—?” The kid’s eyes widened. “Holy sh… crap. You’re Kane Steele, right? The beast of first base!”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Barbie’s entire demeanor change. When I was a sweaty nobody, I was dirt beneath her feet. I see how it is.
I stuck out a hand to the kid. “Sure am. Been to many games?”
His face fell. “Not many. Mostly watch on TV. Don’t miss a game if I can help it.”
“Glad to hear it. It’s fans like you who will help us break out of this slump.”
The kid’s entire face lit up.
“See that hat there?” I pointed at the stool. “Hand it over, and I’ll sign it for you.”
No one on planet Earth had ever moved that fast. I scrawled my name on the brim and handed it over, then took his name. “Are you free to come to tonight’s game?”
I swore tears welled in his eyes. He nodded.
Typing his name into my phone, I sent an email and got an almost immediate confirmation. “You’ll have two tickets at will-call. See ya then.”
“Th-thanks so much. This is the raddest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
I held up my fist, and he bumped it.
“If it isn’t too much trouble,” Barbie interrupted, her voice droll with upscale sarcasm, “I’d like a refill of lemon water.”
The kid blushed and apologized, nearly falling over his feet in an effort to get right on it.
“So, Kane, what exactly is it you do?”
“First baseman for the New York Beasts, ma’am.” Damn, it felt good to watch her lips tighten when I called her that.
“Please call me Alize.”
I grinned at her and gave Eliana a squeeze. “Yes, ma’am.”
She sighed, and before she could ask me another question, like my net worth, I kissed Eliana’s forehead. “What were you two talking about before I arrived?”
“Mom dearest wants me to attend the children’s hospital gala next weekend and was setting up appointments for me to get all dolled up beforehand. Hair, nails, the works.”
“Better not let them change the color of your hair,” I told her, and she grinned so wide, and with so much gratitude in her eyes, it made me feel like a hero. “I think God was thinking about sunshine and happiness when you were born.” I looked over at Barbie. “Where does she get these fabulous looks from? Aside from the eye color, she doesn’t resemble you at all.”