Page 5 of Last Fall

And totally bright red.Again.

Today was goingswimmingly.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He turned his chair a few degrees to face me. Forcing me to look into the depths of his brown eyes. Erik Cassidy. Second baseman for the Mantas, the team my friends and former employer all worked for. Erik and I had met more times than I could count and I became more flustered with eachmeeting.

Because there was hot, and therewasErik.

“It’s not your fault,” I murmured. “I’m just havingaday.”

The waitress set a glass of water down beside Erik and refilled my glass. I watched his bicep flex as he picked up the cup and took a long sip. Erik had an athlete’s body through and through. Combined with his caramel skin and brooding eyes, he was pretty much my hottest dreams broughttolife.

It would be easy to eye-fuck him and leave it at that, but he was also a really great guy. I knew that both from personal experienceandfrom the constant string of compliments dropped by my friends who workedwithhim.

So yeah, hot, sweet, and broody. In my book that was the trifecta ofholy-crap-I’m-so-fucked.

Which was why I normally avoided him at all costs. It was totally fine to have an overwhelming physical reaction to someone if you were never in the same place with them. I fooled myself into believing our paths would rarely, if ever, cross. So it was okay to have the occasional midnight fantasy about him. He was safe territory. I got to have hot sweaty sex with him in my mind, which made my life of celibacy a little moretolerable.

Not so much when he was sitting so close our arms keptbrushing.

My skin heated. My heart beat faster. The tips of my freaking ears burned. How fast could I slam this sushi and paymybill?

“It’s been a while.” His smooth voice washed over me, settling my nerves alittle.

“It has.” I shoved another piece in mymouth.

“You’ll be at the birthday party nextSaturday?”

One of my former charges was turning five and her party was next Saturday. Of course I’d be there. “I didn’t think unicorn parties were yourscene.”

His chuckle was soft and low. “You’d besurprised.”

Sometimes it overwhelmed me how working for the Spencers had brought so many people into my quiet life. They were those kind of people. They drew you into their lives and made you part of the family. Eve was the Director of Fan Experience for the Mantas. Her sister, and my roommate, was one of the team’s trainers. One of my best friends, Carrie, was the team’s orthopedic physician, and her husband, Wes, was one of Erik’s teammates. All their lives overlapped until it was totally normal for a writer like me to hang out with a bunch of famous professional baseball players andexecutives.

Except that in my mind this would never benormal.

“How’s the season going?” I asked as if I didn’t know. Three years ago all I knew about the sport was that it was a sport. It was natural I’d learn the basics of the game being surrounded by it on a daily basis, but something had taken over. I wouldn’t call it obsession...at least not yet...but I also kept it to myself how much I followedthegame.

I wasn’t sure why. I think maybe it was because it was still so foreign to me. Zoe Burke didn’t care aboutbaseball.

And yet, Itotallydid.

“Game tonight,” he said. “Youshouldcome.”

Longing filled me. In another life I’d have squealed with delight that Erik-freaking-Cassidy had just suggested I come to a game. I’d flirt and wishfully hope he’d ask me to wait for him afterthegame.

But I was never going to livethatlife.

“I have to finish the book I’mworkingon.”

To my surprise his entire face softened into a brilliant smile. “Is this your fantasy series or one of theromances?”

My breath caught in my throat. Erik knew what I wrote? “Uh...this is something else. It’s kind of ahistoricalsaga.”

“Well, if it’s anything like your other work, I’m sure it will beamazing.”

The floor must have fallen out from under my feet because I could swear I was in a free fall. My heart beat a million miles an hour and I couldn’t tell which way was up. “Um...thankyou?”

He gave me a funny look. “You’re very welcome. How’s it going? June said something about big newscoming?”