“I hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable working with me.” He seemed truly concerned. “It won’t happen again.”

“No, it’s fine.” Recovering quickly, she managed to smack him playfully. “And you’re damn right it won’t happen again. You aren’t all that, you know. I think I can resist you if you try anything else.”

It was the perfect thing to say. She saw the cloud lift, his dark perusal change to a grin, and his shoulders instantly relax.

He started to put his arm around her, and then on second thought let it drop instead as they walked back to the car. When they reached her Honda, he paused and gazed into her eyes. “Thanks.”

“For what?” It was her turn to be surprised.

“Your help, everything. You saved me a couple of grand today. But more than that…” He stared off for a minute, struggling to choose the right words. “You make me feel like…there’s hope. That this will happen. I will get well, fit in here, and make a place for myself. And eventually, be right back to knocking it out of the park.”

She didn’t know why, but her throat got tight, her heart swelled, and she felt the sting of moisture in her eyes. What was wrong with her? She felt like she was on an emotional roller coaster, headed for the next curve.

“You’re welcome,” she said quickly. Getting into her own car, she gave him a little princess wave as he climbed into the Jeep. It was only when he pulled away that she felt the breath whoosh out of her, as if someone had stepped on a balloon. Her lips still tingled, and her body ached for sex, for him.

Glancing into the rearview mirror, she saw that her eyes were wide and questioning, her mouth trembling, and her cheeks the color of brick. She looked like what she was: a woman who had just been thoroughly kissed.

Turning on the radio, she cranked it up to full blast. To her relief, Led Zeppelin wasn’t on. Flipping through the stations, she stopped when she heard Tina Turner singing, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”

Yes, indeed, she thought as she pulled out of the lot. Yes, indeed.

Chapter 10

The Jeep was perfect. Gavin opened one of the windows, letting the cold New Jersey air fill the vehicle. Glancing down at the odometer, he saw that it barely registered ten miles, and the ride was exactly as he remembered: bouncy, solid, fun.

The interior had all of the upgrades, including the radio. As he explored the Sirius stations, he saw that once again Jessica was right. There was a channel dedicated to music from the sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties. He tried one after another, hearing tunes from decades ago, and just having a blast.

Why had he been putting this off? As he pulled into the ballpark, he thought about his conversation with Jessica, and her reaction when he told her he didn’t want to accept this move: she had blatantly called him ridiculous. He’d had to laugh at that, but she was right. He had wasted too many hours feeling sorry for himself.

She’d seen that, and in her usual frank style, motivated him into action. Even when he had told her about Kristin, she hadn’t drowned him in pity, but encouraged him to move on. She was like a breath of fresh air.

And then that kiss…

That thought made him frown as his mind returned to what had happened between them. He had intended just to hug her, to share his joyful enthusiasm, his excitement, the first flood of good feelings he’d had in a long time. But something had changed when he had her in his arms and looked into those twinkling green eyes, and saw that sexy mouth just begging for his. And then…

The simmering fire between them had simply blazed out of control. As he turned off the ignition, he wondered at that, how things had gotten from point A to point Z within minutes. His body was still aroused from the brief encounter, and he knew one thing was certain:

He and Jessica would be incredible in bed.

So they were physically attracted to each other. It happened all the time, and fortunately, she wasn’t making a big deal out of it. He ignored the flicker of irritation he felt at that, wondering if she was sleeping with another guy. He shook his head, not wanting to explore those feelings.

But what he felt with Jess was…different from anything he’d ever experienced before. And it was something he couldn’t afford to lose. He could be himself with her. He didn’t have to pretend, to act the big sports star just to keep her interested. Maybe because she was from a family of jocks, she wasn’t at all impressed by his stats. And maybe it was more than that…

Then he reminded himself that not only was she his therapist, she was his first real friend in New Jersey. He didn’t want to screw that up, either.

She pulled into the space beside him and got out of her car. He braced himself, mentally preparing for any of a number of reactions she might have to him once she’d had time to think.

“Okay, let’s give the rental place a call and get rid of the soccer-mom ride,” she said, shooting an amused glance at the Chrysler. “If they can’t pick it up tonight, we can make arrangements to drop it tomorrow. In the meantime,” she said, her eyes dropping to his leg, “how is it feeling?”

Relief flooded through him. Everything was the same as before. Except for the awareness…

He focused on putting his weight on the left side of his body, testing the knee.

“It’s okay,” he said, surprised to find out it was true. The throbbing was gone, and so was the stabbing discomfort.

“Good. I’d say you’re done for today. Let’s make that phone call and get the hell out of here. I’m starved.”

He called Enterprise and left a message. As she started to return to her car, he stopped her.

“Hey, do you want to go somewhere for dinner? There’s a place near me in town that I’ve been wanting to check out.”

Jessica cocked her head to one side and gave him the stink-eye. “I don’t think so, pal.”

“Oh, come on. Just because of one little kiss?”

One little “please fuck me” kiss?

“It’s just a dinner,” he persisted. “I don’t know anyone in town other than the guys on the team, and they’re all at the game. I feel like celebrating. And I owe you one after today.”

When she continued to look at him speculatively, as if skewering a frog for a science experiment, he shrugged. “What are you worried about? You said you wouldn’t have a problem resisting me if I got out of line.”

He had to hide a smile. Jessica was the kind of girl who couldn’t turn down a dare, and that’s exactly what he’d given her.

She laughed. He got her. “Tell you what. Let’s grab a cheesesteak and a couple of beers on the way out. I’ve got some things to do at home tonight. Work for you?”

“Sure.” He knew the rest of that thought: She’d wait until he’d proven himself. He couldn’t blame her; he’d made a move on her and she was going to be cautious for a while.

But he wasn’t ready to let her go. He didn’t want to go back to his townhouse alone, with a bag full of takeout and the TV for company. He wanted to hear her voice, trade barbs with her, and just enjoy being around her for a few more hours. It was selfish and he knew it, but he couldn’t help it.

As they walked through the First Base Gate, another explanation occurred.

Maybe it wasn’t him she was worried about.

He immediately dismissed the notion as conceit, but then he recalled an interesting detail:

Jessica Hart had kissed him back.

The explosion wouldn’t have happened if it had been one-sided. No, it was her response that had driven him crazy, the heat that was generated between them, the feel of her torso fitting perfectly against his and doing that little wiggle of desire. It had taken every ounce of restraint to let her go and not do as his body demanded, drive her to the nearest motel, strip off those yoga pants and make her his own. Thankfully, his brain kicked in just in time.