Just My Luck (A Shamrock Falls Novel) (Entangled: Bliss) (12 page)

“How will you know if you don’t try?” He eyed her. It felt like a million miles separated them yet none at all, because she was letting him in. Showing him a new side of her. “You want to do this, B. I know you do. Let loose. Have fun with me.”

He wanted that more than he’d wanted anything in a long time.

Those words seemed to be all she needed. Betsy held up the bat.

“Not like that. Here, let me show you.” Jace jogged over and stepped behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, touching her hand, much slower than he needed to. Jace’s fingers threaded between hers on the bat and she shivered. He closed his eyes, temporarily savoring the feel of holding someone who actually meant more to him than just a simple date he would never see again.

He allowed himself just that moment before saying, “Put your hands a little further apart.”

“Like this?” she asked breathlessly.

“A little more.” Jace nudged her upper hand with his. “Just like that.” Damned if he didn’t want to stay like that, but Jace made himself pull away and go back to the pitcher’s mound.

His body was warm, eager for more than a game of baseball.

As she stood there in position, wearing her nice jeans and flat shoes that looked like something a ballet dancer would wear, Jace couldn’t have been more proud of her. It made this new desire he felt suddenly triple.

Trying to get his act together, he cocked his hand back and threw the ball. Betsy swung with everything she had in her, but didn’t even come close to hitting it. Not as if he’d pitched his best, but still. He was afraid she would be embarrassed. That it would be the end of their game, but instead she looked at him seriously and said, “Again.”

Over and over Jace pitched to her and Betsy continued to miss the ball. He gave her pointers each time.

Nothing worked and she continued to miss…but the beautiful part was she was having fun anyway. Her cheeks were red from exertion and laughing. His gut hurt from laughing so much as she missed time and time again. She’d go from complete concentration and focus to wild crazy tantrums out of frustration, or sometimes silliness.

He’d never seen this side of her, and Jace wanted nothing more than to keep seeing it. He’d always enjoyed Betsy, but having fun with her like this excited and intrigued him, just like it did when he watched games with her at home.

They never even brought up switching positions. And the Mariners would have to drag him out if they expected Jace to leave before Betsy was done playing.

“Are you ready?” he yelled to her. “This is the Macnamara special. My speedball. You have no hopes of hitting this one!”

He pulled his arm back, over-exaggerating, then whipped it forward and threw the ball. It was as if everything suddenly dropped to slow motion. He watched it fly at her, Betsy swing…and the bat connect with the ball.

It flew over his head. She dropped the bat, obviously shocked.

“Now you’re supposed to run, B!” he called. She headed toward first base as Jace turned to chase after the ball. It had gone farther than he thought, out between first and second bases.

Ball in hand, he headed back in her direction. Betsy hit second base and he was on her tail. That’s when she made her mistake. She turned back to look at him and her foot caught on something. Jace wasn’t far behind her as she went down. He tried to dodge her and ended up going down right next to her. He had hardly hit the ground when he heard her laugh and laugh some more.

The rich, happy sound wrapped around him, contagious, and Jace found himself laughing too. If anyone saw them they would probably think they were crazy, but he didn’t care. This freedom of hers pulled at his own. Setting him out into the open to be himself and enjoy a moment of just…being happy.

He didn’t know how long they kept it up. Soon he wasn’t concentrating on the laughter, but the feel of Betsy’s warmth along his side. That warm, vanilla scent of hers that he suddenly couldn’t get enough of. She was all he could feel or smell or…hell,
know
. Just Betsy. They lay on their backs, side-by-side, watching evening starting to darken the sky.

“I’m sorry,” Jace said, looking upward. “That the beginning of the day was so rocky. I wanted it to be perfect, but the flat tire and then lunch and—”

“It was,” she interrupted him, showing Jace she was comfortable around him. Herself. That meant more to him than he ever realized it would.

“Was what?” Jace asked.

“Perfect…everything about it. It’s the best day I’ve ever had.”

Those words touched places inside Jace he knew no one had reached before. He didn’t let himself think. He rolled so he was on his side, looking down at her.

She was beautiful. Other women brought attention to their beauty, forcing men to notice, while Betsy kept hers quiet and hidden. It had always been there, teasing him with little glimpses here and there, but this was the first time he let himself really take her in. To study and learn her. The little upturned nose and the knowledge and kindness in her eyes. Her pink, plump lips that were so soft and kissable.

He wanted to do just that. Kiss her.

Betsy’s laughter died as she peered up at him. He could see her chest rise and fall with heavy breaths. He got little peeks of the swells of her breasts from the neckline of her shirt. He wanted to kiss her there too. Kiss her everywhere.

“Betsy…” He touched that smaller curl in her hair. Let his fingers run down it and then watch it bounce back up. She let out a little gasp and he wondered how it would feel if he were kissing her. Really kissing her. Not because he had to, like they’d done at the wedding, but because they both felt it deep inside of them.

He had to know. Jace leaned forward slowly so she could tell him to stop if she wanted.
Please God don’t let her stop me.

He touched his lips to hers…softly. Tentatively, and he was surprised to feel the pounding of his heart. When she didn’t say no, he pressed his lips to hers again, placing closed-mouth kisses on the lips that were just as tender as they looked. He didn’t want to rush her, but need practically burned him from the inside out. He slid his tongue between her lips. Tasted her heat and swallowed the soft moan she gave. His whole body was responding to her and Jace felt one of her hands in his hair. He didn’t think he ever wanted to stop kissing her. Jace moved to deepen their kiss, but her hand on his chest stopped him.

She looked sad. Hurt. It nearly broke him.

Betsy scrambled from under him. Jace pushed out of her way, so she could go. He had no idea what just happened, but the last thing he wanted was to spook her.

“B…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep my bounds.”

She was on her feet now and Jace stood too. She didn’t answer. Didn’t look at him. Jace stepped toward her. “Betsy?”

She shook her head. “I can’t…I just can’t. I’m sorry. I…I’d like you to take me home now.”

Chapter Eleven

Betsy’s heart had never beaten so fast. She was a jumble of emotions and confusion. She didn’t know what to focus on—the amazing feel of Jace’s lips on hers…or the question that kept whispering in her mind.
Why, why, why?
Why would Jace Macnamara kiss her? Not that the answer wasn’t quite clear. He was needy for female attention and she was all he had. Still, she wondered whether there could be another reason.

“Betsy, wait a minute.”

She wasn’t surprised at the sound of his voice behind her. No, not Jace. He was a fixer and he would want to fix this.

She didn’t stop walking as she spoke. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. Let’s just go.”

Jace’s hand reached for hers, pulling her to a stop. She was breathing heavily. Anxious and scared. So very scared, because the man in front of her had the ability to break her heart. She wasn’t sure her spirit was strong enough to overcome Jace. When their six months were up he’d go back to dating other women, and where would that leave her?

“Hey. Don’t run away from me, B. I’m sorry if we were feeling different things back there. I just thought…” Jace pushed his free hand through his hair. It was such a flustered move and not something he did often—or at all. “Hell, I don’t know what I thought. I would never want to take advantage of you, and I’m sorry if I did.”

She wasn’t sure if she’d ever heard Jace apologize to anyone as much as he’d done with her lately. He hadn’t let go of her hand. They stood there, staring at each other, and when she looked at him, she could swear she saw vulnerability.

How could that be right? Jace couldn’t feel that way with her. It didn’t make any sense. Betsy took a couple deep breaths. Her instincts wanted her to run, but she couldn’t let Jace believe he’d taken advantage of her.

“I could never be scared of you.” Not directly, anyway. Jace wouldn’t want to hurt anyone. It wasn’t his fault he owned her heart.

“Then what? You’re not attracted to me?” He looked at her, completely serious. As though he were trying to see if that was the case. As though he could really believe it was. Jace knew what he looked like—how he affected women. As hard as it was, she also understood that he’d known for a while how she felt about him. How could he not?

“Jace, I…” She hated her weakness at this moment more than ever. She wanted to open her mouth, throw caution to the wind by telling him how she felt. Let him kiss away her fear and worry about the heartache later. About her mom and the promise she’d made to protect herself against the invisible threats she saw everywhere.

She had no idea who might be in the stadium with them. Who could be watching or hearing as they stood at home plate dissecting what shouldn’t be anything more than a simple kiss. With any other woman it would be. With any other woman, he wouldn’t have to deal with this.

“Why?” she asked simply.

“Why what, honey?”

Her eyes snapped up to his at the endearment. She was always Betsy. Or B. Never before had she been
honey
. “Why would you want to kiss me?”

The corners of Jace’s eyes softened. He frowned and she couldn’t stop herself from saying, “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have to ask that.”

Jace placed his fingers to her lips. “Shh. I thought we promised no more apologies out of you.”

Heat skittered through her veins and Betsy’s stomach flipped. That one touch ran the length of her—head to toe. She nodded and he moved his hand. “Then why?” How could she get him to understand that she really needed the answer to that question? She wasn’t Jace’s type. She just
wasn’t
. No one could ever make her believe she was. She’d seen too many times the kind of women he dated.

And she’d given him an out before. This marriage wasn’t real, and he didn’t need to pretend it was.

Jace looked at her. All strength and honor and gorgeous, gorgeous man. “I feel like I matter when I’m with you.”

Betsy’s heart pumped to capacity. Her hand went to her mouth, trying to shield the tremble she felt in her chin. She wanted to cry for him. How could Jace not know how important he was? Not just to her, but to everyone?

His apology about the date came back to her. How he’d been upset it wasn’t perfect and she wondered if he felt that pressure a lot. “You matter whether you’re with me or not. You help people every day, Jace. Your clients? You make a difference in their lives. You gave me my first job…the quiet woman who couldn’t even look you in the eyes. You gave me a chance.”

Jace sighed. Let go of her hand and crossed his arms. “For what I can give them, B. I’m honored to help my clients, don’t get me wrong, but they like me for what I do for them. Women like the challenge I give them, but they just see me as a prize. Not you. Even the job—I didn’t just give it to you, you earned it and you’ve never once asked me for anything more. Even before I have to ask for help, you’re always there. I screw up like I did today and you’re there.”

This time it was her turn to grab a hold of him when he tried to look away. Betsy put her hand on his shoulder and walked around to face him again. He’d confirmed what she’d just thought. “In what universe was today not perfect?”

“In mine.” Jace stepped back. This time it was both of his hands in his hair. He kept them there, elbows out, looking completely lost. “I tried, B. When they first died, I tried to get Wallace to stay and nothing I did was good enough. Sure, he wasn’t gone forever and I knew he hadn’t abandoned me. Sometimes it would only be weeks at a time, but I needed him there. Christ.” He began to pace. “What is it about you?” He put his hand to his chest. “How do you unlock me? No one else can do that.”

In that moment, her heart cracked apart for him…then swelled, so full of Jace she thought it might explode. There was so much more to this beautiful man than even she’d realized.

“Jace…”

That made him stop and walk back to her. “Don’t. Don’t tell me you’re sorry. I don’t want to do this, to hash out my past. I just want…”

What? What do you want?
She was pretty sure she would give him anything. And be glad of it.

He looked straight at her when he said, “Christ, Betsy, I want to date you. Seriously. Not like I have with the other women, and I know that’s ridiculous considering we’re married, but…I want to be with you.”

Betsy’s eyes welled with tears. Jace Macnamara wanted to date her. He didn’t just look at her and see the woman who hid behind her hair or baggy clothes. The shy woman or the one with little experience.

She didn’t know what he saw, but…he liked it. “Really?” Her voice cracked.

He nodded. Cupped her cheek. “Yes.”

Betsy looked up at him. Tried to ignore the guilt that she knew was misplaced. The apprehension in the back of her brain telling her this couldn’t be real. That she’d end up hurt. For once, she chose to live. To take what she wanted and not worry about the repercussions.

And she’d
always
wanted Jace. “I want that too.”

He exhaled a breath as though relieved. His fingers touched her curl again. Somehow Jace had moved closer without her even realizing it. The fronts of their bodies touched—ran the length of each other. And he felt so good…so right.

“But…what about work? Won’t it cause problems if something happens between us?” Part of her wished she hadn’t asked the question because she didn’t want the answer. Unfortunately, though, she needed it.

“B…if we can keep working together after we’ve been married, I think we can handle dating. I’ll make sure it’s okay.”

“But what if it’s not? I don’t want to lose my job or cause problems with our friends. I mean, I already worried about that with the marriage and that wasn’t real.” She’d crushed on Jace for what felt like forever. Knew how easy it would be for her to fall in love with him, if she wasn’t already there. And it scared her to death, to think of that happening, only to lose him and then to still see him every day. To take phone messages from other women… Betsy shuddered.

“We have to do our best to make it okay. We respect each other. We’re friends. I think we have to decide if it’s worth the chance… And I think it is.”

She didn’t let herself overthink it. This was worth the chance.

“Can I kiss you?” Jace asked her.

The little girl inside her did a giddy dance. Wasn’t it every girl’s dream to be asked that by the right man? Betsy nodded.

Jace leaned forward. Her pulse skyrocketed in anticipation. Betsy closed her eyes at the feel of Jace’s lips on hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he teased the seam of her mouth open with his tongue. Betsy opened for him, tentatively letting her tongue brush against his. Retreating and giving, following Jace’s lead. It felt delicious and wonderful and perfect.

Her hand tangled in his hair. When she realized she was pulling, she jerked it away, but Jace was there. Always there. Without losing rhythm, he pulled her arm up and set it on his shoulder again.

He continued to kiss her. Right there on home plate in the stadium of her favorite baseball team, Jace made her dreams come true.

…

Jace had a girlfriend. He felt like an idiot for thinking of it that way for more than one reason. First, he’d dated plenty of women, but that had been different—none of them had ever been serious. Second, he and his girlfriend were already married.

But that was how he felt. The marriage was based on a lie—a mutual lie with the utmost respect between them, but still a lie—but the girlfriend part was true and real and he never would have expected to feel so good about it. And he didn’t even have the urge to run away.

But this was Betsy, and that made it different and exciting and maybe a little scary for other reasons. Jace was choosing not to focus on those right now, though. Maybe the fact that she was his friend first would make the difference.

Tonight, he wanted to go out with his friends and his wife…girlfriend…whatever he should call her.

“You look nice,” Jace said as they walked toward Lucky’s. He might have already told her the same thing at home, but he couldn’t remember. Being serious about someone jerked him out of the game he’d learned so well.

She was wearing the skirt from the bag he’d seen on her bed a few days before and a black buttoned blouse. It wasn’t much different than how she typically dressed, but he noticed it all the same. And her hair was back, which he loved.

“Thank you.” He heard the shyness in her voice.

“Are you ever going to stop being shy around me?” he asked as they stopped in front of the door to Lucky’s.

She looked at a loss for words, so Jace helped her out by putting his mouth to hers. She opened up right away for him. So responsive, his little shy cat. Jace slipped his tongue in her mouth and let it move with hers. He was needy for her. His body craved more, but he wouldn’t push her. For the first time, he’d take things slow.

After placing one last tender kiss to her lips, Jace pulled back.

“That helps,” she whispered. “I can’t be shy when you’re distracting me.”

Jace laughed. “I’ll remember that.” He opened the door for her and placed his hand at the small of her back.

As they approached, Jace saw Rowan elbow Sidney, and both women studied them as they approached the table. He was about to ask them what the look was for, but before he could, Sidney said, “Hey, Betsy. Jace.”

“Hi!” Rowan said, a bit too perkily.

Jace returned their greeting. Kade and Breck said hi, and Breck scooted his chair over so Betsy would have more room. When he glanced at Rowan one more time, she gave him a quick wink.
Okay.
“Do you have something to say, Row?” he asked her.

“What?” There was a playful edge to her voice. “I’m just shocked you guys made it inside after that lip-lock.” She pretended to fan herself.

“What are you? Twelve?” Breck teased her, but when she narrowed her eyes at him, he added, “I’m kidding. You’re absolutely right no matter what you say.”

“That’s better.” Rowan nodded.

Jace grinned at his friends. They were here to have a good time, and he couldn’t wait to do it.

“We are not naming our daughter after you, Breck! She’ll be scarred for life!” Rowan smacked her husband’s arm as everyone at the table laughed.

“She will not. It’s a cool name. She’ll thank us, just you wait and see.” Breck grinned at his wife, who shook her head and joined them in laughter. Jace couldn’t help but watch his friend. He was so happy. Jace never would have expected to see him settled down like this, so domesticated.

Breck had been scared at first, but it hadn’t lasted long. Once he knew what he wanted, he was completely in. Jace respected the hell out of him for it.

He slipped his arm around the back of Betsy’s chair, which she leaned against, and let his hand brush her shoulder. She quickly glanced at him and smiled. It felt so…normal.

Jace thought about his parents, happy and laughing together much like the four people at their table were right now. He squeezed Betsy’s shoulder again.

“You haven’t come up with anything better,” Breck told Rowan.

“We have time,” she replied.

“I think I’d go with Sidney if I were you,” Sidney added and everyone laughed again.

Kade nuzzled her neck. Jace noticed Sidney’s eyes dart to his hand on Betsy’s. She and Rowan had been watching them like hawks all evening.

Jace leaned closer to Betsy. “Are you going to play pool with me tonight?” he asked her.

She let out a deep breath that sounded almost…content before nodding her head. Jace pushed to his feet. “We’re going to the pool tables. Be back in a bit.”

Betsy stood and said, “I have to run to the restroom. I’ll meet you there.” And then she was gone.

“Okay.” Jace walked away, hearing the scrape of a chair behind him. He wasn’t surprised when Rowan followed.

He stopped in a quiet corner, figuring there was no way to avoid this and he’d rather get it done before Betsy came out. “Is there a problem?” he asked.

Rowan stood with her arms on her hips, eyeing him. “Something’s different.” Ah. So that explained the looks.