Playing the Field: A Diamonds and Dugouts Novel (25 page)

And they called women irrational.

With a big sigh, Sonny excused herself from Rita and started off in search of JP. If she’d hurt his feelings, she was going to feel bad about it. And she wouldn’t be able to relax until she knew if he was okay or not.

But why, oh why, did he have to be so temperamental? She wasn’t used to it. For the past ten years she’d had relative peace and quiet in her life. With just her and Charlie there wasn’t much frenetic energy or drama. Even when she’d been facing finals at college while she’d had the flu. Although, that had just sucked.

Still. JP was so very different than what she was used to, and it was making her shifty and a little nervous. Like he was a big powerful presence and he was planting himself in the center of her life. And it was such a polarizing feeling because on the one hand it was incredible and wonderful and made her feel like the most precious thing. But on the other hand, he wasn’t a gentle energy that could be controlled. The man was cocky and temperamental and big-hearted as a bear.

And he just did things. He didn’t wait to ask permission.

It was how he’d won her.

There was so much to JP, she thought as she entered through the French doors to the kitchen. Being in his apartment the other night has made that clear. There’d been so much there that she wouldn’t have guessed of him in a million years.

Like fly-fishing. Who would have figured that he liked fly-fishing? Or that he had a well-used gourmet kitchen and a not-at-all tidy linen closet?

What about all the family photos? She never would have guessed that he would have so many. Seeing them really brought home to her how loyal to his family JP really was. It was clear for anyone to see just how much he loved them.

And that alone made her feel off and self-conscious. Her family had been a joke. The only real family she’d ever had was Charlie. She didn’t know what it was like to be a part of a large, loving family. The idea of it created an almost panicky feeling in her chest actually.

That was just so many people up in your business, judging and telling you what to do, she thought. Who wanted that?

A voice inside her said, “You.”

Sonny ignored it. It was wrong anyway. She’d decided that a long time ago. It was just her and Charlie.

She stopped cold in the middle of the open kitchen. It hit her that it wasn’t just her and Charlie anymore. Now there was JP. That’s why she was going after him, wasn’t it? Because he was a part of something.

Mulling over the information, Sonny glanced around the empty kitchen in search of a bathroom. She needed to make a detour on her way to JP. Spotting a short hall off to the left by the fridge, she made her way across the tile and saw a door.

Feeling hopeful that she’d guessed right, she went to the door and pushed it open. And came face to face with Leslie and Pete in a very compromising position. Not believing her eyes, she blinked hard and tried again.

Nope. Still there.

“Oh my Lord, Sonny! I’m sorry y’all. Wait. Stop! This isn’t what you think.” Leslie’s voice was a little shrill—and a lot breathless—as she tried to back away.

Really. Because it looked a whole lot like she had her bare legs spread wide while Pete kneeled before her. At least that’s what it looked like to her from this angle. Her shorts were so skimpy that if they were doing what it looked like they were doing, he wouldn’t have to work all that hard.

Wait a minute . . . wasn’t Leslie dating that other ballplayer?

Though she pushed hard against Pete’s shoulders, he didn’t budge. Instead, while Leslie blustered and stammered and tried to explain herself, he just hung his head and laughed silently. Sonny could see his shoulders shaking hard from restraint.

What the heck had she walked in on?

Leslie gave up shoving against Pete and gave him a sound whack on the back of his head. “Stop it!” she cried indignantly. Her feline eyes were big and panicked like a cornered animal. But Sonny had been around her enough already to know that Leslie was no genteel little dove. That woman had teeth.

Peter let out a snort and all the laughter he’d been holding inside burst loose. He placed his palms on his knees and hung his head, laughing so hard he had to take big gulps of air.

Slapping his shoulder again, Leslie hissed, “Damn it. Get up.”

Peter looked at Sonny with sparkling eyes. His humor was infectious and she found herself grinning back at him. There was something incredibly alluring about the guy, though it was hard to put her finger on it. He just oozed charm and bad-boy fun.

With a roll of her tawny eyes, Leslie said frankly, “I got a bee sting, y’all, right on my lady bits. Peter was getting the stinger out because John had to leave.”

It was true. He held up a pair of silver tweezers, the light of the devil in his eyes. He wasn’t even trying to hide how much he was enjoying her predicament.

Leslie now, on the other hand, was downright miserable. Her normally flawless face was flushed, and her eyes were red and puffy like she’d been crying. Frustration pulled the skin tight around her eyes.

Taking pity on her, Sonny dropped the teasing and asked, “Would you like some ice to put on it?” That was the second time recently she’d said that exact thing to someone. Weird.

Finally relenting, Peter stood up, stretching to his full height. He was still having a grand time. With a wicked grin he slapped the inside of Leslie’s thigh, making her hiss like a viper and shoot him a glare. “This filly gets real pissy when she’s riled, sweetheart, so I’ve got her covered. She needs a man to settle her down.”

Taking a step in retreat, Sonny bit her lip to keep from laughing when Leslie snapped, “Get your hands off me. And I’m not a fucking horse, Kowalskin.” But with her gentle southern accent all that angry just sounded so pretty.

The sound of Peter’s laughter followed Sonny down the hall as she backtracked and renewed her search. She couldn’t wait to tell JP. Shaking her head at the scene she’d witnessed, she made her way through the house and came up empty. There was no sign of him anywhere.

Come to think of it, there was no Charlie either. Where could they be?

She hadn’t looked out front, so she went down the stairs and out the front door. On the way through she made small talk and kept an eye out for either of them. But she had no luck.

Next stop was the huge front yard with the stone and wood fence. Sonny stepped out onto the grass and took a slow turn, looking for clues about where they might be. About to give up, she finally spotted her boy with Lorelei, running shirtless and barefoot over the grass on the far side of the lawn. He tossed a quick wave over his shoulder and she looked behind him, finding JP sitting on a rock holding something.

Deciding to find out what was up, Sonny kicked off her flip-flops and strolled easy across the cool green grass. The closer she got to him, the faster her heart beat. Emotions played tug-of-war inside her, and by the time she was standing in front of JP her stomach was tied in knots. Everything between them seemed to be happening so fast.

Sonny didn’t think she was wrong for feeling uncertain and a little shaky. In a few short months she’d gone from closed off single mom to falling in love with a sports celebrity.

If she felt like it was all spinning too quickly, who could blame her? And it wasn’t her crazy saying that either. That was just calm logic. She was pretty sure anyway.

“Hey there, pretty lady.” His watchful gaze was positively sinful. It made her unease lower a few notches. How could things be wrong when he looked at her that way?

“I just saw the boy head off that way.” She pointed over her shoulder toward the house.

He set down a magazine and said, “Yeah. We were agreeing on a day for me to make one of his games.”

She tipped her head and glanced down at him. “Really?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

A good answer evaded her. “You’re just so busy.”

JP shrugged a shoulder and changed the topic. “I can make the time. You look pretty in that dress.” His gaze was steady on her chest. Sonny could feel her nipples get hard from his attention.

Trying to ignore the way her breasts had plumped and gone achy, she tucked a wayward curl behind her ear and studied JP. He was so darn good-looking. No wonder the tabloids liked to take his picture. With his strong features, full lips, and gorgeous eyes, he was a natural-born cover model.

And right now he had those sinner’s eyes on her. “I’ve come to apologize if I upset you earlier.”

His gaze warmed and he reached out a hand for her. Sonny took it and he pulled her between his legs. “No worries. I got over it.”

He had too. She could see it in the way he was sitting. He was so much less tense than earlier. “Oh. That’s good.” It was too, but now she didn’t know what to say. She’d built up a speech in her mind. But, then she thought about what she’d seen in the bathroom and she jerked in his arms. “Oh my God! I forgot to tell you.”

He feigned surprise. “Oh my God, what did you forget to tell me?”

Sonny made a face. “If you keep making fun of me I won’t tell you.”

JP’s hands crept down her back and squeezed her butt. “’Kay.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Promise?”

He squeezed again. “Promise.”

Because she still could hardly believe it, Sonny opened her mouth and nothing but a giggle came out. She tried again and was overtaken once more by a fit of giggles. It was just too good.

“What’s so funny?” She could tell that he really wanted to know.

Sonny waved a hand in front of her like a fan and said through the giggles. “I walked in on Pete and Leslie in the bathroom.”

His eyebrows shot up. “No shit?”

“It looked like that, but he was actually helping her get a bee stinger out of her bikini line.” She could still picture Leslie’s face and fell into laughter again.

JP smirked. “I’m sure Pete took his sweet time getting it out.”

Yeah, she’d had that thought too.

Smiling down at him, Sonny felt her heart get all wobbly when his amber eyes went soft on her. He had a way of looking at her that made everything else disappear. And because he made her want to, she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then she pulled him close for a slow, lingering kiss, knowing that there were still issues between them. That knowledge made her a little panicky and she rejected it, diving into the kiss and losing herself in the feel of him.

A peal of laughter came from their left and Charlie suddenly appeared, skidding to a halt. “They’re getting ready to play chicken in the pool, JP. You gotta help me!” He spotted them and his eyes went round. “Whoa.”

Sonny yanked away from JP so fast she pitched off balance and almost landed on her butt. “Charlie! I didn’t hear you coming.” She tugged her dress down and smoothed her hair as JP pushed away from the rock and stood up.

Her son gave her an unreadable look. “I wasn’t being sneaky.”

Shit. She wasn’t ready for Charlie to know about this. Oh God, how was he going to handle it?

Charlie tipped his chin up and said to JP, “Do you want to play chicken with me? It’s us against Drake and Susie.”

Considering the first baseman outweighed JP by a good forty pounds, she figured the age gap between the two kids made things even.

Her stomach dropped when Charlie wouldn’t even look at her. He kept his gaze on the man currently standing next to her, and anxiety started to claw at her throat. What had she done, being so careless? JP spoke casually, “I’ll be there in a minute, champ, and we’ll wipe the pool with them.”

As soon as he heard that, her boy spun on his heels and took off. The second he was out of sight, Sonny sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I have to go talk to him.” She was so not looking forward to it. This was one discussion she’d never thought she’d have to have with Charlie.

JP stayed her with a hand. “Easy, Sonny. Don’t get stressed and upset. Didn’t he already know?” Something in the tone of his voice sounded off when he asked that question.

Sonny spread her fingers and peered at him, suspicion creeping into her tone. “What do you mean?”

He rocked back on his heels and crossed his arms, looking uncharacteristically edgy. “I had a talk with Charlie a little bit ago. He said he knew.”

JP did
what
?

Indignation slammed into Sonny and all rational thought flew right out her ears. “You talked to my son about us?” How dare he!

JP nodded, “Yeah. You mean he didn’t already know?”

Sonny kept her voice very calm. Inside she was raging. “No, he didn’t already know.”

Something changed in JP. His eyes shuttered and his body grew tense. “Why haven’t you told him about us?”

Sonny completely missed the edge in his voice. “He is
my
son, JP.”

He set his jaw stubbornly. “Yeah, and you’re my girlfriend. You didn’t think he had a right to know that?”

Didn’t he get it? “When it comes to Charlie you don’t get to call the shots, Jason.” It felt good using his full name. She was mad as hell. “What made you think that you could just take the decisions about how I raise my child out of my hands without even talking to me? Are you always this controlling?”

The look he shot her was lethal. “Wait. What are you talking about? What the hell is going on here?” He raked a hand through his hair and swore.

Her mad was building up steam. Maybe it was from hiding all her fears about their relationship. It had just been building under the surface, getting ready to erupt like a volcano this whole time. “I’m talking about you, JP. And how you think you can just saunter into my life, taking over everything, because you want it a certain way. You’re not in control of me. You’re not in control of what I tell my own child.” He opened his mouth to speak and she wouldn’t let him. “Damn it, you don’t get to dictate.”

That made him mad. “Now hold on a minute. I didn’t tell Charlie.”

“No,
you
hold on.” Every ounce of edgy insecurity she’d been fighting came flooding out. “Charlie and I were perfectly happy before you came along and decided it was all going to be on your terms.”

He held up his hands incredulously. “
My
terms? You think all this has been on
my
terms?”