Straddling the Line

FIVE

AFTER HER SHOWER, HAVEN GOT DRESSED AND WENT back downstairs. Trevor wasn’t there. She looked out on the pool deck for him, but he wasn’t there, either. He was probably still upstairs, so she went into the kitchen and fixed herself a glass of water, needing something to cool her down after their interlude.

She found her bikini top lying over the kitchen faucet. She shook her head, and ran her top upstairs, tossing it into the bathroom sink before returning downstairs. The last thing she needed was for Hammond to find various parts of her clothing in the kitchen. She was supposed to be here for professional reasons, not fun and games.

Damn Trevor for finding new ways to turn her on. Then again, he’d been right—she had started it. She just hadn’t known how hard a player he was, how much of a competitive nature he had. Now she knew, and she’d keep her distance.

She heard him coming down the stairs, so she turned around and leaned against the counter, wishing she could put something—anything—between them. She felt like she needed a shield to ward off all the testosterone that seemed to roll off him.

Or maybe that was just her imagination.

“There you are,” he said, grinning as he walked by and looking at the sink, where her bikini top used to be. “Swimming was fun. We should do that again.”

“No, we definitely should not. I’d like to not bare my breasts to anyone who happens to be watching.”

He laughed and leaned against the counter next to her. “I don’t have any neighbors within viewing distance of my backyard. That’s why I bought this property. It’s plenty private.”

“There’s Hammond.”

“His errands will take him away from the house for the rest of the day. So no one saw your boobs but me.”

“Great.”

“Yeah, they were.”

She rolled her eyes at him and pushed off the counter, heading toward the living room. “Ready to continue?”

“No. I have to head to the stadium and prep for the game. But you can come along.”

She stopped and turned. “All right.” Now she could watch him in action. She was eager to see him work, and getting to see it at field level excited her.

She gathered up her things and stuffed them into her bag. By then, he’d grabbed his team bag and car keys.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Sure.”

He led her to the car. It only took about a half hour to get to the stadium, but she enjoyed the view nonetheless.

Trevor was right. It had been a long time since she’d been to St. Louis, and she’d had a child’s-eye view back then. Now everything looked different.

The city had grown so much, but she was still in awe of the Arch and the Mississippi River as they wound their way downtown and toward the stadium.

“So you’ll continue to play baseball until the end of the season, then you’ll head to Tampa and join the football team there?”

“Yeah. At least this season, since the Rivers have a shot of making the playoffs. It works easier that way for both teams, rather than me trying to jump back and forth.”

“Easier on you, too, I imagine.”

He nodded. “I travel enough with the Rivers. I don’t need to go back and forth with the baseball and football teams. When baseball is done, I’ll join Tampa and play out the football season with them.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it, Trevor. Trying to juggle two professional sports seems crazy.”

He pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine, then turned to her. “That’s me, Haven. Just fucking crazy.”

She laughed and got out of the car with him.

“I’ll set you up inside the boxes where it’s more comfortable,” he said as they headed into the stadium.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to sit as close to the field as possible, unless there are no seats available.”

“Are you sure? The club box seats are much more comfortable. Plus, there’s liquor and great catering.”

“I’m pretty sure I can handle it.”

“Suit yourself.” He led her inside and stopped at security, where she was given a pass. She picked it up and looked at it. “This isn’t a press pass,” she said as she hurried to keep up with his long strides.

“Yeah, I know. A press pass limits you. This one won’t. It’ll give you access to anywhere in the stadium you want to go.”

“Really. Why would you do that?”

He stopped and turned to face her, and as they stood in the sun, she was struck again by how utterly gorgeous he was. “So you have all access. But don’t go anywhere you shouldn’t.”

She laughed. “Where am I not supposed to go?”

“The locker room would be a bad idea. You don’t know who you might find naked down there.”

“Okay. I’ll avoid the locker room. Anywhere else?”

“Management offices might be a bad idea. You don’t want to get thrown out on your ass before you get a chance to interview anyone.”

She sighed. “Just tell me where I should go.”

“You should be safe at field level or in the club boxes.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll meet up with you at the exit when the game’s over. If you get hot, just head upstairs to the club boxes. They’re air-conditioned.”

He directed her to the field—and pointed out the boxes.

“Okay.”

“Do you need me to walk with you?”

“Thanks, but no. I’ll find my way around. You go get your game face on, and kick some ass.”

He grinned. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

He disappeared down the tunnel, and Haven made her way out to the field. There were press on the benches higher up. Since she had the all-access pass, she walked out to the field entrance where security waved her on.

Awesome.

She stood out on the field, and her first thought was of her dad, of how much this would have thrilled him, to be standing here at field level with her, surveying the players as they took the field for warm-ups.

She’d have brought him along, too, just so he could have the chance to meet and greet all the players.

He’d been such a fan of the Rivers. Through the years when the team had played like shit and ended the season in the basement, he’d always remained a devoted fan.

So had she, because of her dad.

She turned around, surveying the stadium. The Rivers had built a new one a few years ago, so this one wasn’t the same as the one she’d been to with her dad all those years ago.

But still, it was Rivers baseball, and she’d give anything to be sharing this with him right now.

God, she missed her dad so much right now it physically hurt. She laid her hand over her stomach, massaging the ache of loss that seemed to swell and grow inside her. Part of her wanted to turn tail and run like hell, to leave the stadium and all the memories that swirled around her like a thick cloud.

Part of her was still that little girl, eating popcorn and a hot dog and cheering on the Rivers with her dad.

The other part of her was a grown woman, scared to death that she couldn’t handle the responsibilities of her new job.

And nowhere in that scenario was the pep talk she so desperately needed from her dad right now.

But her love of baseball—of sports—was because of her father. She owed it to him to stay and give this a shot. He’d be mad at her if she didn’t, so she blinked back the tears pricking her eyes, forced back the ache of loss and the fear of failure that welled inside her, then took a deep breath to center herself. She climbed up to the field-level seats and one of the staff directed her to an empty chair where she could watch the game.

She took out her laptop and started making some notes. People started filing in. A lot of women, too. Wives and maybe girlfriends of the players, no doubt. She wanted to talk to them, as well, but not tonight. She’d do that some other time.

When Trevor took the field, her heart skipped a beat. She’d seen him play on TV, of course, but never in person. He was so tall, and God, he looked mouthwateringly good in uniform as he trotted out to the field to warm up. She’d thought she was over the crush she’d had on him in college.

As she watched him run, she realized what she felt was nothing more than the rush of close proximity, the fact that she had one time with him. He was paying attention to her, giving her his time. If there was one thing Trevor had, it was charm, and he knew how to use it. He’d always had a reputation with women, and for all his talk about focusing on nothing but sports in college, that hadn’t been the case at all. He’d had plenty of girlfriends—or at least he’d gone through a lot of women.

From the initial research she’d done about his adult life, it appeared he was still going through them. Approaching thirty, he remained unattached and hadn’t had a serious girlfriend. She wondered why. She made a note to ask him, then focused on the practice.

They got into positions while the pitcher warmed up. Trevor was in left field. She knew a lot of these players, though the team had made a few changes in recent years. Gavin Riley was still at first base, anchored by Dedrick Coleman at third, the veterans who were still the glue that held this team together. They’d traded for a hotshot shortstop, Chase Henderson, who looked to be an up-and-comer.

She had high hopes for the team this year. The Rivers were currently in second place with two weeks to go until the end of the regular season. They were three games out of first and in the hunt for at least a wild card spot.

She loved sports, and always had. Maybe it had been a product of her growing up around sports players, being around them all the time because of her parents. The sports dorms had housed players of so many different sports—football, baseball, lacrosse, tennis—any sport imaginable. And her parents had treated every boy who’d gone to college there as one of their own. They’d often gone to the games, and if there was one thing her father had been good at, it was spotting a boy in trouble—someone who needed a little extra TLC.

Haven remembered her dad spending a lot of time with Trevor, though she hadn’t known why, by that point not paying so much attention to Trevor because she’d been in college herself, focusing on her own studies, her own social life. Whatever pitiful social life she’d had, anyway. One would think she would have been incredibly popular since she’d known all the jocks.

Not so much. None of the guys had wanted anything to do with her. She might as well have had Off-Limits tattooed across her forehead. Being the daughter of the dorm parents was just as bad as being the daughter of one of the coaches. No one had touched her. Not that she had wanted any of them.

Except for Trevor, who continued to wow her with the distance on his throws. He had one hell of an arm.

He was simply too good at this. Which, she supposed, accounted for his popularity, and the reason the teams made allowances for him playing two sports.

Seats were filling in all around her, but she barely paid attention because the teams were taking the field. She focused on Trevor in the outfield as the Rivers were on defense first and Chicago came up to bat.

Garrett Scott was pitching today. Her mom said Garrett had come by a few weeks ago to visit, along with his fiancée, Alicia, who also worked for the Rivers as a physical therapist.

Mom had loved that visit. It had brightened her spirits.

Haven saw Alicia out on the field working with one of the players. Very pretty woman, and, as it turned out, she was Gavin Riley’s cousin. Alicia and Garrett were getting married at the conclusion of the baseball season. She couldn’t wait to go to the wedding.

Closing her laptop, she focused on Garrett. His shoulder looked completely healed because he was throwing a combination of pitches out there, all of them hitting the mark. The first batter grounded out to second base. Garrett struck out the second batter, and the third batter hit a pop fly that Trevor ran down and caught.

Easy top of the first. Now the Rivers were up. Trevor batted fifth in the lineup, so she wasn’t sure she’d get to see him in action this inning.

The first batter grounded out. But when the second batter singled and reached first base, and the next doubled, unless Gavin Riley hit into a double play, she’d get to see Trevor hit.

Gavin took two pitches low and away for balls, the next right in the strike zone. He hit the next one into left field, which scored the two runners and sent Gavin to first base.

The stadium erupted into wild cheers. The Rivers were up by two runs, Trevor was up to bat, and there was only one out.

She could see how serious he was as he stepped into the batter’s box. Her stomach twisted in knots as she waited for Chicago’s pitcher to throw the ball.

Trevor took a strike on the first pitch, then two balls. He fouled off the next pitch.

Two balls, two strikes. She clasped her hands together and leaned forward.

The pitcher’s next throw resulted in ball three.

Full count now; she waited for the next pitch. It was right on the money, and Trevor slammed the ball. Unfortunately, it went foul.

So did the next ball, and the one after that. He was hanging in there, though, and she hoped he’d get a piece of one of these pitches.

He did, on the next pitch, sending it sailing into the left-field corner. She launched out of her seat, screaming along with the rest of the stadium as Gavin rounded the bases and headed for home. Trevor stopped at second base.

Excellent.

The next batter was out on a high pop fly, and the batter after that struck out, stranding Trevor, but he’d gotten an RBI and the Rivers were up three to nothing after the first inning.

The rest of the game was just as chock-full of excitement, with Chicago scoring two runs in the fifth, and the Rivers coming back to score four more before it was all over.

What an exciting game, and one the Rivers needed to stay in contention. Every player had given it his all. Haven had been tense the entire time.

She headed to the locker room after the game.

“Hi, Haven.”

She turned and saw Alicia standing there. They hadn’t had a lot of interaction, but they’d spent some time together at the hospital and getting to know each other after the funeral.

“Hello, Alicia. How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you doing?”

“Great. It was a good game today. Garrett pitched so well.”

“He did. Those three runs kind of sucked, though. He’ll be pissed about that.” Alicia paused. “Oh, I probably shouldn’t have said that. Are you covering today’s game for your news station?”

“No. I’m actually doing a feature interview on Trevor Shay.”

“That’s interesting. And should be fun. We love Trevor around here. He’s great and has been an incredible asset to the team. All the guys love working with him.”

Haven wasn’t sure if that was the truth or just the company line. “I’m glad to hear that. And you work for the team as well. That must have been so complicated for your relationship.”

“Are we on the record here?”

Haven laughed. “Not at all. I’m not writing about you and Garrett.”

“Then, yes. It was complicated as hell for a while. But we worked it all out. And the team has been great about it. I just don’t work with Garrett in any official capacity.”

“You do sports medicine, right?”

“Yes. So if he’s injured or needs any kind of physical therapy, one of the other therapists works with him. The only interaction we have together now is at home.”

“I guess that makes sense. No conflict of interest that way.”

“Exactly.”

“Have you worked with Trevor before in therapy?”

“I have, though mostly for general conditioning. He’s like . . . bionic or something. The guy has never been hurt. He knows his body well and knows how to take care of it. And considering that he plays two sports, I’m surprised he hasn’t had any issues. Doing as much as he does is hard on a body. But not on his.”

Yeah, he had a hell of a body, for sure. “I guess that’s a good thing, though, right? For both of his teams.”

“That’s what the coach says, though Manny—that’s the Rivers’ coach—grumbles a lot about Trevor playing football for Tampa. He wants him dedicated to baseball.”

Haven’s lips curved. “I would imagine Trevor hears much the same thing from the Tampa coach.”

Alicia laughed. “You’re probably right.”

The doors opened and the players started appearing. Garrett walked over and put his arms around Alicia, giving her a kiss that made Haven’s cheeks heat up.

“Good game, babe,” Alicia said.

“Eh. Gave up three earned runs. But I recovered and shut them down after that.”

“You did.”

Garrett turned and smiled when he saw Haven, then came over and folded her into a hug. “Haven. I didn’t know you were here today.”

She wrapped her arms around Garrett and hugged him back. “I’m here on assignment. It’s so great to see you. You pitched an amazing game.”

“Gave up a few runs, but at least we won. So it’s all good. And what kind of assignment?”

“With Trevor. I’m doing a feature story on him for the network.”

Garrett’s brows shot up. “No shit. Are you sure the rest of us will be able to handle the ego burst from him getting all that media attention?”

“Oh, suck it up, Scott. It’s about time someone besides you pretty-boy pitchers got some focus around here.”

Trevor came up to stand next to Haven.

“Please. I’m not the one with all those endorsement deals like you, Shay,” Garrett said. “Every time I turn on one of the sports channels, I see your ugly face.”

“If I was ugly, you wouldn’t see my face so often, now would you?”

“Aww, he thinks he’s pretty. Are you sure you can handle spending so much time with this guy?”

Haven nearly swallowed her tongue as Gavin Riley joined the crowd. He kissed his cousin on the cheek and nudged Garrett in the ribs.

“Haven, this is Gavin Riley. Who’s just jealous because he thinks he’s prettier than anyone else on the team. This is Haven Briscoe. She works for the network and will be doing a feature story on me.”

She laughed. “Nice to meet you, Gavin.”

“You, too, Haven. Sorry you have to spend so much time with Trevor.”

“The network’s paying me to do it. Otherwise, no way.”

Gavin laughed and looked at Trevor. “I like her.”

“Haven and I have known each other since college. That’s why I chose her to do this whole The-Life-and-Career-of-Trevor-Shay thing. She’ll do justice to it and portray me in a fair light.”

“So you think,” Haven said with a wink to the others. “How do you know I won’t spill all your deep, dark secrets?”

“Mainly because you don’t know any of them.”

Gavin laughed. “Okay, I gotta go. Liz and my little princess are waiting at home for me.”

“I read about the birth of your baby girl, Genevieve, Gavin. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. I’m pretty stoked to be a dad. And surprisingly, even my work-obsessed wife is super excited about being a mom. Her maternity leave is about to end and she’s dreading having to go back to work.”

“I can imagine.”

“Hey, before you go, we’re doing a couples wedding shower thing after the game on Sunday,” Alicia said. “Will you and Liz be there?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Gavin said. “I’ll have Liz call to confirm.”

“Okay. See you then.”

After Gavin left, Alicia turned to Trevor and Haven. “Several people from the team are coming. It’s very informal. Just a get-together celebrating our impending wedding. Trevor’s invited. Will you come, Haven?”

Haven looked at Trevor.

“We’ll be there. It’ll give Haven a chance to meet everyone.” Trevor turned to Haven. “Don’t you think?”

Haven just nodded. “Sure. I’d love to. Thank you for the invite, Alicia.”

“You’re welcome. Do you have the address, Trevor?”

“Of course I . . . probably don’t.”

Alicia rolled her eyes. “This is what happens when I leave it to Garrett to invite people.” Alicia pulled out her phone. “Are you ready?”

“Why don’t you put all that in your phone?” Trevor said to Haven. “I think mine’s in the bottom of my gym bag somewhere.”

“Oh, sure.” She dug her phone out of her bag and typed in the date, time, and information. “Got it.”

“Great. See you all later.”

Trevor led her outside to his car. There were several people hanging outside near the fences.

“Do you mind waiting?” he asked.

“Not at all.”

He went over and spent fifteen minutes signing autographs and taking pictures. She liked that he took the time. Many athletes didn’t. A lot of the rookies did, because they wanted to establish themselves. But once fame hit, many felt they didn’t need their fans any longer.

Garrett and Gavin had lingered, too.

She liked this about these athletes. It showed class that they cared about their fans.

When Trevor was done, he picked up his bag and led her back to his car.

“Are you hungry?”

“Actually, yes. I thought I’d grab a hot dog and beer at the ballpark, but the game was so intense I never took the time.”

He smiled as he pulled out of the parking lot. “It was a pretty intense game, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. A good game, too. You played very well.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

She stared at him, and then he winked at her. She laughed.

“I never know when you’re giving me a hard time.”

“Good to know.”

He took a turn and headed onto the highway. It was dark. A lot of the restaurants had to be closed by now since it was almost eleven.

“Where will we eat? At home?”

“Probably. I don’t feel like crowds tonight. But I thought we’d pick up a pizza.”

“Oh, pizza sounds good.”

“What kind of pizza do you like?” he asked.

“Any kind. My favorite is sausage, though.”

“Sausage it is.”

He pressed a button on his car. The center display called a place named Imo’s. He ordered the pizza and hung up.

“It’ll be ready when we get there.”

“Convenient.”

In twenty minutes, they’d swung by and picked up the pizza and headed back to Trevor’s house. Haven was starving by the time they got inside, especially after smelling the pizza.

“You’re going to love this,” he said as he laid the box on the counter and grabbed plates.

“What would you like to drink?” she asked.

“Water’s good for me.”

“For me, too.” She fixed two glasses of ice water, then they grabbed seats at the breakfast bar. He had opened the box and the pizza looked glorious. He helped her scoop hers onto the plate.

“Best pizza around. Trust me on this,” he said.

“Right now I’m so hungry I’d eat the cardboard box. But the pizza smells great.” She took her first bite, and had to admit Trevor was right. It was excellent pizza. She ate a lot of it, too, until she couldn’t stuff another bite in her mouth. She pushed back from the counter with a grunt.

“I ate too much.”

He laughed. “I ate way more than you.”

“You’re bigger than me. You burn a lot more calories than I do, too. I’m so going to regret this.”

“You were hungry.”

“I was, but that’s no excuse to eat that much this late. Now I’ll be awake all night.”

“Come on,” he said, grabbing the now-empty pizza box to take to the trash. “Let’s go walk it off.”

“Great idea.”

She put on her tennis shoes and they headed outside. The night was clear, a little cool, but she didn’t mind that at all. The brisk weather would help clear her head—and maybe help her digest. They strolled down the long driveway and outside the gate.

She understood the privacy, the allure of this neighborhood. There were only six houses on his side of the street, all as big and as sheltered as Trevor’s. No one was out and about this late at night, so it was like the two of them were entirely alone as they walked. She wasn’t sure she’d go out on her own, but then again the neighborhood was secured by a guard and a gate.

“Do you get out and walk along here much?”

“Not really. I have the gym inside the house for exercise. But the weather’s nicer now, so it’s good to get some fresh air.”

They took a long walk, too, as there were more houses in the neighborhood than what she’d originally seen when they’d come in. The area wound around beyond just the circular block. She wished now that it wasn’t dark, that she could see beyond the thick trees that guarded the entrances to all the million-dollar estates nestled beyond the privacy fences and gates.

“This area is amazing. So private, and each property has so much space.”

“Yeah. It’s what drew me here, and it’s not stuffy or pretentious. During the day you can see people out with their kids. It’s a neighborhood to grow into.”

“So you plan to stay here in St. Louis?”

“I like it here. And it’s not too far from where I grew up in Springfield, Missouri, so it’s close enough I can still visit home. Plus, Zane will be going to school here. And he likes it here, too, so I could see him staying on after he finishes medical school.”

She liked that he thought about his family—or at least, his brother—and wanted to stay in close proximity.

“What if you got traded to another team?”

He laughed. “That’s not likely to happen.”

“You just signed with St. Louis a few years ago.”

“Yeah. That was a move my agent and I made at my request. The Rivers are a good fit for me. I like their organization, their coaching staff, and their philosophy. Plus, like I said, Zane’s here. I’ll stay here until I decide to quit playing baseball.”

She turned her head toward him as they walked. “And when will that be?”

He offered up an enigmatic smile. “When I’m done playing baseball.”

“A very vague answer, Shay.”

“It’s the only one I have right now, Briscoe.”

She laughed. “Spoken by someone used to dealing with media questions.”

They had walked all the way to the main security gate. Trevor waved to the guard on duty, then they turned around.

“Tired?” he asked.

“Not at all. Invigorated.”

They started the walk back. She was thankful they’d picked up the pace by then, because the wind had picked up, making it colder, and she could smell rain in the air.

And when she heard thunder and felt a few drops hit her skin, she looked up at Trevor; he looked at her and said, “We might get wet.”

The words had no sooner left his lips than it started raining. Hard. He took her hand and they made a run for it. She knew he could run a lot faster than her. His legs were longer, but he held back, keeping a tight hold on her hand as they dashed back to the house. By the time they reached the side entry and he keyed in the security code to the raise the garage door, Haven was completely drenched.

She toed off her soaked tennis shoes in the garage, happy to be out of the rain.

Trevor kicked off his shoes, then used his fingers to comb back his hair. “Let me go grab some towels for us. I’ll be right back.”

“Sure.”

She really wanted to strip right now, but no way was she going to walk on his expensive wood flooring in sopping wet clothes. She’d wait for the towel.

TREVOR DUCKED INSIDE AND GRABBED TWO TOWELS from the cabinet in the laundry room in the hall, then came back out to the garage, slowing his walk long enough to get a good, long look at Haven standing there all wet.

Her hair was plastered against her face, ringlets of dark curls against her cheek. Her white T-shirt was pressed against her skin, outlining a pink bra that was nearly see-through. And since he’d flipped on the garage light, he could see plenty, including the fact that she was cold.

He wasn’t a teenager anymore. He’d seen breasts and nipples—plenty of them. But he had to admit, he liked the peek at Haven’s, and would like to see even more.

“I should strip out of these wet clothes before I head over to my wing. I don’t want to drip all over your floor.”

Frankly, he couldn’t care less about the floor. But how could he pass up the opportunity to see an impromptu striptease? He wasn’t dumb. “Yeah, probably a good idea.”

He figured she was going to do some kind of secret wrap-the-towel-around-herself thing while trying to be modest.

Nope. She drew her top off, then undid her pants and let those drop, too, leaving her in just her underwear. She dried off as best she could, then wrapped the towel around her and picked up her wet clothes. He had only a brief view of her in her wet underwear, but it was enough to make him want to see a lot more of her skin.

She had a great body. Nice curves, long legs, and a great ass.

“Are you going to stand there dripping and ogling me, or are you going to get out of your wet clothes?” she finally asked.

“Sorry. My brain cells sank right to my dick when you started stripping.”

She laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment. In the meantime, I’m going to go to my room and take a hot shower.”

“You don’t want to wait while I undress?”

She actually paused to look him over, then said, “Probably not a good idea. See you later, Trevor.”

He liked that she’d pondered the idea. “Yeah. Later, Haven.”