“Yes.”

  “Why?”

  He lifted a finger to stroke my cheek. “I couldn’t let you leave.”

  I nuzzled my face in his palm, absorbing his warmth. “I didn’t have much of a choice.”

  “You could’ve called me.”

  “And said what?” I whispered.

  “Goodbye.”

  “I didn’t think you’d mind so much,” I said, my eyes aiming at my feet.

  “I wouldn’t have let you go,” he said, pulling me gently by the arm toward him.

  I didn’t fight it. My body fell limp into his as his embrace tightened around me. My heart was racing, blood pumping fast through my veins at the thrill of his touch. His baby blue eyes stared into mine, piercing through me like daggers as his lips parted and moved closer.

  My eyes closed as our mouths met. The touch of his lips tingled against mine, sending bolts of electricity through my system. His tongue teased me, slowly tracing the corners of my mouth, then sliding under my top lip. My hands gripped into his flesh as I tiptoed to kiss him back.

  His strong hands consumed my ass cheeks, lifting me from the floor toward him. His erection pushed into me, threatening me with the sweet ecstasy I thought I’d never experience again. I wanted him so badly. I needed him.

  “My parents,” I whispered, motioning to the open bedroom door.

  His smile was wickedly sexy as he loosened his embrace and moved in its direction. He shut it, turning the lock, and then looked back at me with only desire and intent. “Your parents took off for a while.” He smirked. “Dinner, I believe.”

  I didn’t know how he knew that, and at the moment, I didn’t care. I felt empty, alone, and cold without him pressed against me.

  I quivered with anticipation and excitement as he moved toward me once again. He moved the suitcase from the bed to the floor, then grabbed me by the small of my waist. My feet lifted off the floor, and suddenly, I was flat on my back on the rickety bed. “We may break it,” I laughed.

  “Then I’ll buy you a new one,” he said, apparently not interested in any excuses.

  His mouth touched mine, our tongues sliding together as my body squirmed beneath him. My hands caressed his smooth back, his tight ass, and the ripples in his arms. I couldn’t get enough of him.

  My shirt pushed up around my shoulders as Todd’s mouth claimed my exposed breasts. Oh God, I missed his touch. Soft grazes of his teeth against my hardened nipple sent chills down my spine and moans rushing from my throat. A soft hum escaped his lips as they traveled lower on my body, resting briefly on my belly button while his hands worked my jeans open and down my legs.

  I relaxed, lifting my ass to allow him easy removal of the denim blocking my pleasure. As the jeans and panties fell to the floor, I opened my legs, inviting his mouth to tease me any way he wished.

  My toes curled as his tongue focused on only my inner thighs. His breath was warm and sensual as he passed over my clit, his tongue torturous as it barely teased my swollen flesh.

  I couldn’t take it anymore. I was tight, aching, and needing to come. I gripped his shoulders, pulling him up my body. His mouth traveled slowly, the same way it had on the way down. Soft kisses on my belly button, then swallowing as much of my right breast as possible before teasing my nipple with the gentle teeth strokes that drove me wild.

  He worked at his pants as I heard his cleats hit the floor. Soon, his warm, hard cock was pressed between my legs, resting at my opening while his eyes tore into me with passion. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered.

  Tears welled in my eyes without my consent. “I’ve missed you too,” I admitted.

  In one hard stroke, he was inside me, and I gasped as my body fought to accept him. In and out, he moved, his cock pulsating with each thrust. I arched and wrapped my legs around him, lifting my hips to change the angle, crying out when he found that special spot. My nails dug into his back as he pounded into me harder, allowing my orgasm to take full flight.

  I opened my eyes and watched him watch me as our bodies connected over and over. My body tightened, on the edge of pleasure when he came, taking me with him. He covered my mouth with his hand to muffle my scream.

  “I love you, Kat,” he whispered, looking amused.

  “Ri youv voo woo,” I mumbled from beneath his hand.

  He lifted his hand from my mouth, his eyes intense as they locked onto mine. “Let’s try that again.

  I licked my lips, and tried to show him with my eyes everything that was inside my heart. “I love you too,” I repeated.

  As Todd’s mouth lowered to mine, my chest swelled. I’d never felt anything close to the way I felt right then. A tear escaped, then another, then more. He kissed them away. “Don’t cry,” he whispered.

  “I’m just so happy,” I said, my voice cracking with emotion.

  He held me tightly in his arms, rolling and pulling me onto his chest. I could feel his heart pounding hard as my body melted into his.

  I hated to move, to get up from that tiny bed where Todd’s arms kept me safe. “Your parents should be back soon,” he said.

  “How did you find me?”

  He stroked my hair and told me everything. It had been him I’d seen at the New York apartment. He’d only missed me by a few minutes. Since my flight had been booked, he was forced to take the next one.

  “I got here as quickly as I could.”

  After a long kiss, he rolled out of bed, urging me to get dressed. Once he was, he reached deep into his pocket and pulled something out, hiding it in his closed fist. I watched as his fingers opened, revealing my sweet sixteen ring. Tears rolled from my face at the sight of my favorite piece of jewelry.

  “Where did you get that?” I gasped.

  “There were only two places nearby that would buy something that high-end. I figured they’d pawned it to get cash. And I figured you’d like to have it back,” he said with a smile.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him wildly all over his neck and cheeks.

  “Oh and Lana is fired,” he said.

  My mouth fell open at his statement. Holy shit, the witch is dead?

  We sat on the bed and he told me all that had happened in Florida. I couldn’t believe how the guys had rallied against her for me, or how Rhett stood up to her in my defense. I could believe the rest. How she’d outed my dad after learning about Rhett’s help.

  “You have your job back,” he said with a smile.

  I was still cringing about going back there. “You don’t think that’d be weird?” I asked.

  He chuckled as he shook his head. “It’d be weird if you didn’t.”

  “I mean, you’re dad’s gonna be the specialty coach. It just seems to me that you should be the one out there taking those pictures.”

  “What about us?” I asked.

  “Rhett loves it. As long as it doesn’t interfere with either of our jobs, we can do whatever we want.”

  Wow, this was so much to take in. I did love my job and knowing everyone had fought for me killed that feeling of embarrassment and shame.

  “There’re no secrets now. Right?” he asked, his left eyebrow raised high on his forehead.

  I laughed and felt my cheeks heat. “None.”

  “I could really use you there for opening day. We’re playing the Mets, and you know how bad I want to beat them.”

  I searched his eyes, trying to read his emotions. “Still salty about the trade?”

  “Hell no. If they hadn’t traded me, I’d never have met you.”

  His smile was electric, his eyes hypnotizing.

  “Yes. I’ll do it.”

  “You can stay with me if you want,” he offered, sounding hesitant as he threaded his fingers through mine.

  I looked into his beautiful eyes. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  “Then you can stay in my mom’s house. She’s doing great where she’s at, and neither my sister nor I want to sell the place. You’d be helping us out by staying there and keeping it occupied.”

  Emotion pricked the back of my eyes. Even after all I’d put him through, he was still taking care of me.

  “Only if I can pay rent,” I bargained, not wanting to take advantage of his generosity. There was no way I’d ever let Todd think I wanted anything other than his heart. This wasn’t about money, it never had been.

  “Of course. Anything you want. I just want you close. If this is what I think it is, if it’s what I think it will be, we can’t ignore it,” he said, pulling me back into his arms.

  I sighed and held him close. This was exactly where I wanted to be, in Todd’s arms. I knew taking this leap wasn’t a risk, not at all. I had Todd Morris, the best catcher in the league to catch me as I jumped right into his arms.

  THE END

  Continue on to read the next book in this series, Winning Streak, following Kane’s story!

  Winning Streak

  THE BEASTS OF BASEBALL

  BOOK 4

  BOOK DESCRIPTION

  Fake Girlfriend... Fake Fiancée... Real Altar

  I have two passions in life — baseball and women.

  But in four years, I’ll be forced to take over my family's billion-dollar company, and they expect me to start acting like it. That means I’ll have to bring home a woman. Any woman.

  What I didn’t count on was being blindsided by freckles, sunshine, and an ass so fine it makes me harder than my baseball bat.

  Before I know it, Eliana Anderson goes from fake girlfriend, to fake fiancée, to an altar that’s all too real... I don’t even know how it happened. And all just to make my family happy!

  She came into my world like a wrecking ball, but now I want to make her my home run.

  I just never expected the virtual bomb that was about to go off and shatter our entire world.

  NOTE: The Beasts of Baseball series follows the sexy exploits of the players on the baseball team The Beasts, and the women they love. Each book can be read as a standalone. Prepare for a raw, emotionally charged HEA with No Cliffhanger.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Kane

  “Hey, Kane, you made the front page… again.”

  A magazine was slammed into my chest before I even registered the words, halting me from a semi-jog. I didn’t want to look because I didn’t want to know what lies the gossip mill would be spitting out about me today. I glanced over to Joey Something-or-other, the newspaper stand dude outside my building.

  “Is it bad?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

  Joey just smirked.

  Yeah, it’s bad.

  Against my better judgment, I looked down at the vile rag. There was a full-color picture of me on the front, a gorgeous woman on my lap. “Beasts’ First Baseman Kane Steele Hits Homerun with Porn Star.”

  What the hell?

  Chelsie was — is? — in porn?

  I was so screwed.

  Not only by the New York Beasts owner and my boss, Rhett Hamilton, but by my…

  My phone vibrated, and I looked at the screen.

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Speak of the Chanel-wearing devil.

  I stared at the name, debating on whether to answer or not. If I didn’t, she’d just call back… again and again… and again. Or jump on her personal jet…

  Fuck me standing.

  Well, that was what got me into this mess. I’d fucked the icy blonde with the full lips and huge rack while standing, sitting, practically upside down. Chelsie was a total Tasmanian devil in bed. Now I knew why.

  Tossing the magazine in the trash, I tapped the damn green button, praying to whatever god whose job it was to look over drunks and idiots to intercede.

  “Hi, Nana,” I said in my most cheerful voice, “how is the most gorgeous and remarkable grandmother who ever lived?”

  “Kane Bartholomew Steele!”

  I stifled a groan. This was going to be worse than I thought. When Nana brought out the “B” word, I was toast.

  “A porn star? Of all the beautiful and sophisticated ladies in New York City, you have to go… lay with a woman who has relations for a living?”

  A flood of love ran through me, even as I listened to her scathing tone. Lay? Relations? Those words perfectly reflected my grandmother. A rich California socialite dripping diamonds and Chanel No. 5. God, I missed her. Even now when she was about to verbally spank me.

  “Nana—”

  “Don’t you Nana me, young man. Your grandfather is probably rolling over in his grave right now.”

  Grandpa is probably dreaming of rolling around with a porn star in his grave right now is more like it.

  “You are bound and determined to smear your family’s good name,” she continued without taking a breath. “First, you put aside your duties to play baseball.” She practically spat the last word out of her mouth as if it tasted dirty. “When your father dies, who will be at the helm of the company your grandfather and great-grandfather slaved over all these years?”

  Oh, shit. Here comes the guilt.

  “Nana, I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was in the business. She’s a very nice—”

  “Harlot?”

  I nearly laughed out loud.

  “Woman, Nana. She seemed like a very nice woman.”

  “Hmph.”

  That was Nana’s go-to sound of disgust. She didn’t use it often because it wasn’t very ladylike, but she was using it now with what sounded like a megaphone blaring through my phone’s speakers.

  “Do you plan on seeing this nice woman again, Kane Bartholomew?”

  I cringed. I was still in a deep well of trouble.

  “No, Nana. It was one…” night of pure unadulterated gymnastic-style sex with an apparent pro, “…meeting.”

  She hmphs again. “That is excellent news and somewhat puts my mind at ease, but let me explain one thing to you, young man. I will not condone you continuing to flit your life away like this. You are better than this. You deserve better than this. So do the people who love you. Please, Kane, come home and take your rightful place in the family.”

  I rolled my eyes. You’d think I was ascending a throne or something.

  “I will, Nana. I promised you, Mom, and Dad that I’d give the majors five years then come back to California and get to work. This is my first year, so cut me some slack.”

  She sighed dramatically. “Well, if you hadn’t languished for so long in the minors, this would have been the third year, and we’d have you back soon.”

  Now, I was getting pissed. I’d worked my ass off in the minors, trying to prove my worth. So, I hadn’t been one of the lucky shits to go straight to the bigs right out of college, but I’d fought my way up in the ranks and earned the contract I received. And I didn’t use my family money either. Even now, most of the guys had no idea that my family was worth billions.

  If I can keep my damn name out of the damn tabloids, that would help keep my wealth on the down low.

  “Nana, let’s not go over this again. This is my dream. I’m living it. Loving it. When I turn thirty, I’ll come home and live yours.”

  The silence stretched between us. “Very well. Just please find a good girl and stop embarrassing your family with your wild ways. Is that too much to ask?”

  I blew out a breath. “I’ll do my best to not cause you any additional suffering.” I even managed to keep the sarcasm out of the words.

  “That, young man, would be greatly appreciated. Now to change the subject from that unpalatable business… are you sure you won’t escort me to the children’s hospital gala next Saturday? I’m sure there will be many promising candidates there.”

  I bit back a groan. I’d already checked the dates, and we didn’t have a game that night, but I absolutely did not want to put on a monkey suit and sip champagne with a bunch of geezers who covertly boasted about their portfolio. “Sorry, Nana. But I do want to see you, Mom, and Dad while you’re in town. Want to come to a game?”

  She sniffed. “Maybe brunch before we fly out Sunday afternoon?”

  “It’s a date. I’ll make reservations and connect with Saundra to confirm time and place.”

  I couldn’t help but grin each time I thought about my grandmother’s seventy-six-year-old personal assistant. What eighty-three-year-old needed a PA anyway?

  “That sounds lovely, my dear.”

  Whew. I’m forgiven.

  “Bye, Nana. Love you.”

  She sighed. “I love you too.”

  I went to tap the red button but paused when I heard her mutter on the still open line. “Men. They’d have better luck thinking with their assholes than their dicks.”

  Nana!

  It was the first time I’d ever heard my grandmother curse. Before I could call her on it, the line went dead, and I could imagine her scowling at the antique gold-plated baroque-style telephone she always used, her manicured fingertips tapping the original Louis XV table it graced in the parlor of the Steele family mansion.

  I was still smiling when my phone vibrated in my hand. The smile faded when a text message appeared from Rhett Hamilton.

  Rhett: A porn star? You have a meeting with Katrina at 2 to discuss PR control.

  Great. Now I’d get to discuss my sex life with the Beasts’ public relations director. At least it was Katrina Delaney now and not that bitch Lana from earlier this year. Katrina, I could handle. She had already dealt with her own personal scandal, so she probably wouldn’t judge me too harshly for mine.

  Me: I’ll be there. And sorry for the bad PR. I didn’t know who she was until I just read about it.

  Rhett: Do you need to make an appointment with team physician? STD panel?

  Holy fucking shit.

  Me: No. Not stupid. Strapped up tight.

  Rhett: That’s what Ace thought before Little Ace came along.

  I pressed my knuckle into my eyeball. This was fucking embarrassing, but he’d brought up a good point. An STD panel might not be a bad thing. There was the woman from last night, and God knows how many men she’d been with before. Then the groupie two nights ago. Then…

  Dammit. I was turning into Ace Newman, man-whore extraordinaire. Well, the Ace Newman before settling down with Holly and having a baby. The badass shortstop was an ooey gooey lump of family man now.