Playing with Fire - A Sports Romance (9 page)

“Corey?” Jen’s voice draws my attention away from Frankie. When I look up at her, she’s got a look of concern on her face. She leans closer, across Vinny and Vivian, to speak to me. “Do you need to move or are you gonna behave yourself?”

Jen, Vinny, and Vivian all glance between me and Frankie, and I scowl at my little sister. Before I have a chance to respond, Frankie leans forward, her shoulder grazing mine as she does.

“It’s fine, Jen, don’t worry.”

“Are you sure?”

Frankie nods, juts her chin out, and claps me on the shoulder. “I've promised him I won't bite.”

Jen’s eyes whip between me and Frankie like she’s trying to figure out a puzzle with only half the pieces. To Frankie’s left, Emily leans in and draws her attention away. Jen turns back to Matt and everyone is off again in their own little conversations.

Vivian makes another attempt to talk to me, but I'm not interested. When her hand on my knee fails to get a rise out of me, she heaves a sigh and turns to Vinny.

“You two want to dance?” she asks. “I’d like to dance.” She pushes her brother’s shoulder and a chain reaction begins. Matt, Ellen, Jen, and Vinny start scooting out of the booth. Vivian returns her attention to me, fingering the collar of my button-up shirt. “You want to dance?”

I shake my head as I look out over the packed dance floor. “Nah, I’ll just stay here.”

After another deep sigh, Vivian saunters off to the dance floor, the eyes of nearly every man in the club stuck to her like fast-acting super glue.

“Corey, come with us,” Jen pleads. I scowl at my little sister and she holds her hands up in surrender. “Fine! Be that way.” She grabs Vinny’s hand and drags him across the room with Matt and Ellen in their wake.

It isn't long before Ramon has Emily’s attention again. After a few long, overzealous kisses, the two get up and leave the booth so I don't have to watch them play tonsil hockey again.

“Do they always do that?” Frankie chuckles, her eyes twinkling as she watches them walk away. Ramon’s hand is riding Emily’s ass like he’s worried she’ll fly away if he doesn't keep hold of her.

“Yep,” I say, popping my lips at the end of the word. “Every minute they’re together.”

“Makes me a little sick to watch it.” Frankie speaks so quiet I almost don’t hear her over the sound of the music pumping through the club.

I chuckle and she turns to me, looking like she’s embarrassed I overheard her musing. After a few tense moments where our eyes are locked on each other, Frankie gives me a tentative smile.

“You did good today.”

I grin at her and her eyes drop to my lips. “You watched the game today?”

She nods, looking down at her hands in her lap. “And yesterday. And the opener.”

“You stalking me now?” I joke, bumping her shoulder with mine.

“I could ask you the same thing,” she answers. “You know I was going to be here tonight?”

“Doll, I didn't even know I was going to be here tonight. I got roped in.”

“Me too, actually.”

“I'm glad you came,” I tell her. I run my thumb along the pants seam at her thigh, slow so as not to scare her off. “Your friends have made this night tolerable.”

Frankie shifts in her seat, scooting her leg away from me. “I don't have friends.”

“I don't believe you,” I respond. “Vivian and Vinny? This is the second time you’ve been out with them that I’ve seen. That, to me, says ‘friends.’”

“Cousins. Like I said, I don't have friends.” Frankie’s looking out over the club like she’s trying to avoid my gaze.

“And the bartender? Mike or Mark or something?” Her eyes flash back to me. Her fists clench in her lap and her whole face tightens, her mouth a thin slash across her face. My heart rises to my throat. “Unless you’re more than friends now.”

Frankie takes in every inch of my face, her eyes sliding from my eyes to my forehead to my lips and back. “Mitch,” she says before looking down at her clenched fists. She relaxes them, shaking them out and pressing them into the bench on either side of her. “We’re just friends.”

I take the opportunity she presents me and run the back of my fingers over hers. I lean in a little closer. “I’d still like to be your friend.”

She clenches her hand into a fist again but leaves it at her side, with my hand still settled on top. Without looking at me, she says, “I don't think that’s wise.”

I pull my hand away from her and grab my beer off the table in front of me. “Not wise?” I chug the last of the warm liquid before slamming it down on the table. “I don't get you, Frankie. One minute you’re jumping my bones, the next you’re slapping me and telling me to stay out of your life. You’ve been running away from me since the night we met. You know what I think? I think you're scared. I think you tasted something and you can't get enough of it, and it scares you. And that’s too fucking bad, because I'm tired of these games. You don't want to be my friend? Fine.”

I stand up to leave, but before I can take a step to exit the booth, a warm hand grips my wrist. I turn back and see Frankie looking up at me. The skin around her eyes is pinched and her bottom lip is sucked in between her teeth.

“I didn't say I didn't want to, Corey.” Her words damn near stop my heart, and I drop to the bench beside her. “I said it’s not wise.”

“What’s that mean? I'm not good enough for you?”

“No, it's nothing like that. It's just… I'm scared, alright? I'm scared you’re going to get hurt, and I don't want you to.”

“You're worried about me getting hurt?” I say with a laugh. But the look on her face stops me. She's completely serious. “Look, doll, don't worry about me. I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself.”

Frankie’s brow wrinkles, and I want to reach out and smooth away the lines. Not because it detracts from her beauty. No, just the opposite. She's a strong woman, I knew that from the minute I laid eyes on her. The hurt in her eyes makes her more beautiful, makes me want to wrap her in my arms and take away all her pain.

“I need to go.” She’s so quiet I can barely make out her words. Her eyes drop from mine to her hand, still wrapped around my wrist.

“You running away again?” I ask as I cover her hand with mine.

She shakes my hand off and stands. “I'm sorry, Corey.”

“Frankie, please.” My voice halts her before she can step away. “I want this, you and me. Whatever it takes. Just please, don't go.”

She falters there in front of me, swaying back and forth between the dance floor and the booth at my side. Her hands start smoothing the fabric of her blouse and her pants as her eyes dart around the crowded room. At last she looks back at me.

“I'm so sorry.”

My heart feels like it’s locked in a vise as she walks away. This is it. The end. I can't keep doing this to myself. But I can't get her out of my mind. I can't help wanting to hold her, wrap my arms around her, and have her wrapped around me, too.

“What’d you do?” Jen’s voice cuts through me and I pull my attention away from where I saw Frankie disappear. What’s it been? A minute? Five minutes? An hour? I have no idea how long I've sat here staring after her, but I do know it's been too long. “What’d you say to Frankie, you ass?”

Next to Jen is Vinny. While my sister is looking at me like I skinned her cat, Vinny nods at me before glancing back the way Frankie left. I don't even try to figure out what that means. I stand and exit the booth.

“Corey, what the hell?” Jen grabs my arm to stop me, but I shake her off. “What the hell is your problem?”

“Jen,” I say, glancing back at her and shaking my head. “Let it go.”

My sister yells after me as I rush through the crowd, but I don't hear a word she says. Coming here was a mistake. Being with Frankie was a mistake. But no matter what I do, I can't stop wanting her.

F
rankie

I
couldn't bring
myself to go to the next three days of home games. But I also couldn't keep from watching them, or the next weeks’ worth of away games, on TV. I felt like I was inches away from losing my sanity. I needed to see Corey, but I couldn't be close to him. I couldn't risk it, knowing how he made me feel.

It was worse now, knowing he felt something too. My heart clenched in my chest when he begged me not to walk away. But it was the only thing I could do to keep him safe.

My cousins kept calling me, and I made the mistake of picking up once.

“What’s wrong, Frankie?” Vivian asked. Her voice was full of anger and I cringed, glad I wasn't there in person. “You’re freaking me out, acting like this. Poor Vinny doesn't know what to do. Jen’s sure her asshole brother did something to you.”

“He didn't do anything, Viv,” I assured her. “Tell Jen and Vinny this has nothing to do with Corey.”

“Do I need to have Daddy talk to you?”

“What? No!” I was shaking, my heart was beating so fast. Marco couldn't know anything about this. About me and Corey. “Jesus, Viv, just…I'm just…dealing with some stuff right now, okay? I need some time to figure this out.”

It took a while to talk her down. When she was finally assured I wasn't dead or dying, and there was nothing she could do to help me, I was able to hang up. I’d been ignoring all other calls from everyone. Well, everyone except Mitch.

“You’ve gotta talk to him, Frankie,” Mitch insisted over the phone.

“To who, Mitch? Corey or Marco? I talk to Corey, Marco will kill him. I talk to Marco, he’ll take it out on Corey. The only way to keep Corey safe is to leave him alone.”

“Frankie, darlin’.” Mitch’s voice softened, making me feel like he was right there with me, holding me in his arms. “If you don't do something, you’re hurting yourself. You’ve gotta try. You’ve gotta do something.”

“I know,” I said, so quiet I wasn't sure he could even hear me. Mitch was the only thing good in my life right now. But doing what he suggested would put him at risk, too.

Since I couldn't bring myself to do what I needed to do, I did the only thing I could to make myself feel better. Right down the block from the Savory is a small park with an open field of green, edged by trees and benches and a playground off to one side. Though the wind off the lake was a little much at times, I’d been taking yoga classes there at least once a day. Mornings were the worst. The early afternoon classes were my favorite. Not only was the temperature more bearable, but during the week there were less students attending.

Today is more busy than most, probably because the wind is minimal and the sun is out, keeping the chill out of the early spring air. I'm sitting on a bench just off the path, lacing up my shoes after my workout, when I see him.

Corey jogs right past me, then turns off the trail and slows to a stop, looking out over the sun-drenched water. He has his hands on his hips and he turns his head up to the sun, like he’s soaking it in. I sit there watching him, not sure if he’s real or my imagination. Maybe my last shred of sanity has slipped and I'm seeing things. Seagulls squawk in the distance, bikers and runners speed along the path between us, but for me, there’s only him.

A dog starts barking somewhere behind me, and it snaps me out of my trance - a moment too late. It snaps Corey out, too. He turns back towards the path and his eyes immediately fall on me. The laces of my left shoe are still in my hand, my foot resting on the bench in front of me. I finish tying it and grab my yoga mat off the bench beside me as Corey walks straight towards me. He’s wiping his face on the front of his t-shirt, and I catch a glimpse of his chiseled abs and the deep V that runs down into his sweats. I'm half-tempted to make a run for it. My hotel’s right there, I could probably do it. But I'm frozen in place, watching him.

Corey stops in front of me and looks around at the people in the park. When he looks down at me and smiles, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

“You are unbelievable, Frankie.” I'm about to yell at him, to insist I'm not stalking him. The park is right next to my hotel, the hotel I
live
in. If anyone is stalking, it’s him. But his next words are like a punch to the gut. “Yoga pants and a hoodie, and you’re still the most beautiful woman in the city.”

It takes me a second to recover from what he says. I drag my eyes away from him, looking out at the lake. “Vivian’s right across town.”

“Who?” When I look back at him, he looks serious.

“My cousin. Vivian.” He grimaces. He actually grimaces. “She’s pissed at you, you know.”

“What’d I do this time?”

“It's more what you didn't do.” I can't help the crooked smile that appears on my face. It doesn't even disappear when Corey sits down beside me, his leg and shoulder close to mine. I turn to him. We're close enough I can feel the heat coming off his body, fighting against the chill in the air.

“Then tell me what I didn't do.”

“She's very beautiful, Corey.” He shrugs, so I continue. “She’s tried twice now to get your attention, and you don't give it to her.”

“She's not my type anymore.”

“Your type?” I sit back and cock my head at him.

“Yeah. Model thin, knows she’s beautiful, thinks she can have whomever she wants. More looks than brains. Not my type anymore.”

I want to argue, to defend my cousin. But I’m more interested in him. “And what’s your type now?”

He turns his head and faces me, his deep blue eyes boring into mine. He shakes his head and reaches out to my knee, tapping it with his fingertips. “You are, Frankie.”

For a moment, I'm soaring. Just for a moment, before reality hits me and I come crashing back down.

“You never answered me the other night.” Corey pulls his hand away from me. He looks like he’s braced for a fight.

I study his face. When I respond, my words come out slow and cautious. “What was the question?”

“Can we be friends?”

“Corey…” God, he’s making this so hard on me. I bend over and put my face in my hands. I feel like I could sob. When I push myself up, I go all the way, slipping the strap to my yoga mat over my shoulder and standing up. Corey’s right there beside me, looking at me like he thinks I'm going to run away.

And what I wouldn't give to be able to do that, to dodge this whole conversation. I turn and start walking down the path, the one that leads down closer to the lake. He doesn't leave my side, which both thrills me and frightens me. We walk together in silence for a while, letting the sun soak into our skin while the breeze off the lake cools the air around us. I feel like I can be with him here, away from prying eyes. When we come to an empty bench that looks out over the water, I stop and take a seat. I don't look at Corey as he sits down next to me. I'm too afraid of what I’ll see there.

“I'm not used to depriving myself of what I want,” I tell him as I watch a seagull swoop down to pick at something in the water. “It’s uncomfortable for me.”

“And what are you depriving yourself of, doll?”

I don’t answer immediately, but instead, I find the nerve to look at him.

“You have to understand, I'm trying to protect you.”

He shakes his head with a small smile on his lips. “I don't need protection.”

“Yes, you do.”

“From who?” he asks, a laugh in his voice and his eyebrow raised.

This is so much harder than I expected. I look away from his deep blue eyes, back across the water. Then, “You know Vivian and Vinny are my cousins, right?”

“Yes.”

“Vivian and Vinny Leonetti.”

“Yes, Vivian and Vinny Leon…Leonetti?” He stutters, his eyes wide as he gapes at me. “As in, Marco Leonetti?”

“Yes.”

“The owner of the team is your uncle?”

“Yes.”

He’s silent a moment before he speaks. “And you think you need to protect me from him?”

“Do you enjoy playing baseball, Corey?”

“You know I do, or I wouldn't be here.” He sounds so amused. I wish he’d take me more seriously, but I don’t know how to make him. “You think he’ll kick me off the team if we’re together?”

“No,” I say, looking back at him again. “I think he’ll kick you out of the sport. Blackballed for life. He’s very protective of me.”

Corey laughs.

“It isn't funny,” I tell him. Without meaning to, I reach out and grab his hand. I want to pull away, but I don’t. “You don't understand my uncle, what he’s capable of. What he’s done before. My mother was his baby sister, and he promised her on her deathbed he’d look out for me.”

“You’re right, I don’t understand.” Corey runs his thumb over my knuckles, making my heart jump erratically in my chest. “Why don’t you explain it to me.”

I try to remember how I explained this to Mitch. I want Corey to believe me, like Mitch does. I want him to understand that by merely being in my presence, his life could be in danger.

“My high school prom date had his car vandalized the week before the dance,” I start. “Tires slashed, baseball bat taken to the head and tail lights. He was a pizza delivery driver. He got out of his car to bring a pizza up to a customer and came back five minutes later to find his car ruined.”

“Your uncle vandalized a car?”

“My uncle would never do that.” I glance up at Corey, then look away. “My uncle has people for that.”

“I'm glad you’re worried about my baby,” he jokes. Ah, yes. His beloved car.

When he quiets down, I continue. “I never got to go to prom. I never went on any dates in high school, especially after that. I thought I was free of him when I got to college, but somehow my straight-laced boyfriend was found with drugs in his car, his dorm, and on his person, and was expelled from school. My next boyfriend had his apartment burned down. After that, I stopped dating. It’s not worth it to put people at risk.”

“You think your uncle had that done.”

“I know he did.”

Corey leans closer to me, and when he speaks again, his voice is so quiet it makes me want to lean closer to hear him. “Can't you tell him to stop?”

“I can tell him all I want,” I say. “It doesn't mean he’ll listen to me.”

We both fall silent. Corey is still holding my hand, running his thumb over my knuckles. I wish he'd stop. I wish I had the courage to take my hand away from him, but I want to hold on a little while longer.

“So where does that leave us?” Corey asks. “Do I have to choose between you and my career?”

“There can't be an us, Corey. Don't you see?” I pull my hand away from him and look out across the water, to the boats that are speeding by. “I'm not going to be responsible for you losing everything you have.”

“Shouldn't I have a say in this? Don't I get to choose? It is my life we’re talking about.”

I swallow down the lump forming in my throat. “There isn't a choice for you. I've already chosen. I won't let Marco ruin you.”

Corey grabs both my hands in his and pulls me back so I’m facing him. “See, here’s the problem with that. I'm not used to depriving myself of what I want, either. And I want you, Frankie. You can't deny we’re good together. And I can't stop thinking about you. Everything about you. You consume me, and my life without you in it is just a shell. So let him take my car, my job, and my apartment. So long as I have you, I'll be okay.”

“You don't even know me,” I say, my head shaking as much as my resolve. “What if the reason you want me is because you can't have me? I'm just a challenge to you.”

“You are a challenge to me,” he says. He releases my hand and runs his fingers across my cheek. I can’t help but close my eyes and lean into him. “But I don't think that's what this is. And I don't think you believe that either.”

I don't say anything. I couldn’t if I had a chance. Corey kisses my lips, a long, lingering kiss. I can feel him putting everything he can into it. And it takes everything in me not to respond. When he pulls away, it’s with a heavy sigh.

“I’ll wait for you, Frankie,” he says, his lips brushing the skin near my ear. “One of these days, you’ll realize you want this as much as I do.”

With another brief kiss on my lips, Corey gets up and walks away, leaving me alone on the bench. Alone in the city. Alone in the world. A tear trickles out of my eye and carves a path down my cheek. When it falls off my jaw and hits the bare skin on my chest, I stand and sling my yoga mat over my shoulder. I run back to the hotel, to my car, and slip inside. There's something I need to do. If I don’t do it now, I may lose my nerve. And I’d never forgive myself.

I ignore the strange looks I get from my staff as I rush into my office wearing my workout gear. It takes forever for my computer to boot up, but when it does, it takes me just a minute to find what I’m looking for. I grab a sticky note from my desk drawer and scribble down an address. I don’t bother shutting my computer off. I grab my car keys and rush out of the building as fast as I can.

C
orey

I
can’t believe this
. I just can’t. Frankie Sarcone is Marco Leonetti’s niece. Of course I’ve heard the rumors. Marco’s a powerful man, and he has ties all over the world, in business and beyond. Good and bad. I know what he’s capable of. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to give up. I don’t understand why Frankie keeps fighting this. Surely she can talk some sense into her uncle. Surely he’ll understand she’s got to live her own life eventually.

The worst thing is, I bared my soul to this woman, and she completely ignored me. She sat there without moving while I tried to portray the depth of my feelings for her through that kiss.
That’s
what’s killing me.
That’s
what’s got me pacing the floor of my apartment, wearing a path in the hardwood floors.

I need to shower. My run to the stadium and back had me sweating bullets. But I’m working up even more of a sweat with my pacing, and I can’t bring myself to stop. I want a chance. I want to show Frankie how good we could be together. She drives me crazy, gets my heart rate up just by thinking about her. She’s worked herself under my skin and into my heart without even trying.