As he showered and got dressed slower than he normally would when he knew he’d be seeing Addison after the game, something suddenly came to him. AJ was notorious for not remembering small details, so it didn’t surprise him that he hadn’t even thought of this.

In one of his long Skype conversations with Addison, they’d talked about their love-life history. Addison spoke of the brief time she’d dated before she’d gotten pregnant, and then her love life sort of went dormant for years. She said because of her experience dating baseball players and because she knew what many of them were like she’d sworn off them. Years later she had met other guys within the industry because of her dad, not necessarily players, but she said even that ended when she moved to Chicago and away from her dad’s connections. She’d also explained why she’d been so chummy that first day with so many of the players. She knew several of them from way back in their minor league years when her dad was still coaching there. AJ had let it go and not bothered mentioning she seemed too friendly with them.

She hadn’t been specific about any of the ones she’d dated. Since she’d told him she hadn’t dated anyone one currently on his team, AJ hadn’t asked. After envisioning her with other guys after that conversation was done, he’d told her he didn’t care to hear about the details, so she’d spared him. But was it possible she’d dated this guy and now here she looked so damn happy to see him again? So happy she’d forgotten all about AJ? The visual of how infuriatingly chummy the two seemed, had him clenching his teeth even harder.

Speeding up now because he was suddenly even more anxious to speak with her, he threw on his jeans and shirt and finished getting ready. Thoughts of how they’d planned out tonight only pissed him off even more. Normally, her parents went to dinner before heading back to their hotel after the games. Addison usually accompanied them. Because AJ had expressed such anxiousness to see her tonight, she’d talked herself out of dinner, saying she had a report she needed to have done and emailed by midnight and would just grab something and eat back in her room. But Clair would be going with her grandparents, and Addison would wait until AJ texted her to head to his room.

It usually took the coach a while before his wife could drag him away from the stadium and off to dinner, so AJ and Addison had some time before her parents and Clair got back from dinner. Only now he had a feeling their talking would take up some of their precious time together because he was not letting this go.

Chapter 13

AJ

Like a kid waiting for Santa, AJ kept checking the peep hole on his hotel door to see if she was there yet. This was third time in the last twenty seconds or so. As usual, when she was finally there, he opened the door before she even knocked. As agitated as he still felt, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. His lips were on hers the moment he pulled her into the room. The only thing he didn’t do was pick her up and take her straight to his bed like he usually did when she snuck into his room. Instead, he spun her around and pinned her against door. Only instead of talking like he’d been more than anxious to do, he couldn’t keep his mouth off hers long enough to say anything.

“Jesus,” he finally whispered against her lips between kisses. “I’m supposed to be pissed at you, but I can’t stop kissing you.”

He felt her go a little stiff, but he continued kissing her, only she wasn’t quite matching his intensity anymore.

“Pissed?” she asked, her brows pinching as he pulled away slightly.

“Yeah, pissed,” he said, staring into her eyes. “Very pissed.”

She stared in his eyes, confused. He’d had a feeling she might be, but he expected her reaction to be a little more at ease. Maybe even think he wasn’t serious. She hadn’t actually done anything wrong, right? Like given that guy her number? Then he’d be beyond pissed, but the almost panic in her eyes completely unnerved him.

“You know why, right?”

Her continuing to stare at him without so much as shaking her head or nodding in response only raised his level of suspicion further. Obviously, she had an idea why he was angry. But if it were just that, that he was pissed about her choosing to hang out with that fucking ump instead of coming over to see him, nothing else, she wouldn’t appear so panicked. With that alarming thought, he backed up.

“Tell me about it, Addison,” he said, searching her overly troubled eyes. “You and him—”

“We’ve been over this already, AJ, and you said you didn’t want details of my—”

“How long?” he asked, feeling every nerve ending coming alive. “How long did you date him?”

“Not long,” she said.

The confirmation had him seeing red again. The memory of her big smile and how she’d made herself so comfortable with the guy only heightened his anxiety.

“Were you in love with him?”

“No.” She shook her head adamantly. “I told you. I know now I’ve never been in love.”

“You still have feelings for him?”

“Absolutely not,” she said with conviction, but AJ wasn’t buying it.

“Is that right?” he asked, raising his voice and turning away from her because he didn’t even want to look at her anymore much less touch her. “Is that why you forgot about me today? Because you were so enthralled about seeing and talking to your fucking ex when you got there you didn’t bother coming over to see me?” Once again, he felt like a child ready to throw a fit, and he was certain he sounded like one, but when she didn’t respond, he spun around. “Is it?”

Those last two words didn’t carry the same fury as his previous questions. He cursed his brother and Lorenzo for unintentionally planting seeds where there shouldn’t be any. Before the day he’d been privy to Lorenzo’s story of his ex and witnessed for himself Kelli’s odd behavior, he’d never been an insecure guy. Maybe it was just what Addison did to him. He’d since established she made him feel things no other girl had ever come close to making him feel. Whatever it was it had his heart going crazy, and he waited with bated breath for her response.

“You know you’re terrifyingly adorable when you’re jealous,” she finally said, taking a few steps toward him. “I never knew there was such a thing as terrifyingly adorable.”

“That’s not an answer,” he said, still breathing hard but a bit hopeful since her words were playful even if her tone wasn’t.

“Of course I didn’t forget about you.”

“I saw you with him, Addison,” he said, feeling his muscles go as tense as they had when he had watched her as the visual assaulted him once again, so his next words were through his teeth. “You couldn’t wipe the smile off your face.”

“Danny’s married now, AJ,” she said, coming even closer now and placing her hand on his arm. “Has been for a few years. He was telling me about his kid, and I’m sorry, but I can never quite wipe the smile off my face when I speak of Clair. You know that better than anyone.”

She brought her hand to his face, and he pressed against it, closing his eyes and bringing his hand over hers. He needed the relief from the tension he’d built up all night. “You don’t plan on staying in touch with him, do you?” he asked, remembering how they appeared to have exchanged information on their phones.

“No.” She shook her head, surprised by the question. “I don’t think his wife would approve of that, and I know my boyfriend wouldn’t.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t,” he said, pulling her to him. “Not at all. I saw you two doing something on your phones.”

Her brows rose and she smirked. “Were you really watching that closely?”