Stealing Home: A Diamonds and Dugouts Novel (23 page)

And when tears slid down her cheeks and fell to his shoulder, he kissed them away and whispered, “I know, baby. I know.”

Chapter 25

T
HEY WERE INVITED
to a barbecue at Peter Kowalskin’s house. When they got there the driveway was already full of cars and Mark had to park down the street. He pulled his Range Rover over and parallel parked. It was absolutely gorgeous out and he was looking forward to the get-together because he had Lorelei with him. She alone made everything perfect.

“Does Peter tend to throw big bashes at his house during the season? Is this normal? Aren’t you guys supposed to be in some zone where you eat, breathe, and think only about your next game?” she asked as they walked hand-in-hand down the tree-lined sidewalk.

He glanced down to see her eyes sparkling up at him and grinned. “Well, the great thing about Kowalskin is that he’s a completely screwed-up individual. He never does things like a normal person. He said after the last game he thought we all needed an afternoon to chill, so here we are. Getting ready to
chill
.”

She wrinkled her nose in the cutest expression and said with a laugh, “It’s
so
not good that he’s the team’s unofficial leader. He’s more likely to get you all into trouble than keep any of you out of it.”

Mark tugged on her hand with his and pulled her up against his side. “That’s why we like him. Just pray he doesn’t have the kegs set out this time. Last time he got the brilliant idea for us all to do beer bongs, and Drake Paulson got so hammered he went swimming in the buff. The sight of his big hairy ass bobbing around on the back of that blow-up crocodile will haunt me till the day I die, I swear.”

She laughed over that and it made him smile.
She
made him smile. Every little thing about her.

“I could have lived happily for the rest of my life without that visual,” she said.

He regarded her out of the corner of his eye as they walked up the brick paved driveway. “Speaking of visuals, I’m still crushed you wouldn’t wear your cowboy boots today. You have to promise to wear them tonight, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Naked.”

She tripped over the front step and he laughed as he kept her from falling. She sputtered, and just to see her flustered he added, “Then you’ve got to give me a lap dance in them, Ms. Rodeo. And after that you have to ride me like a bucking bronco so I’ll walk bowlegged for a week.”

She stopped and stared at him openmouthed. He was referring to the night they’d met. When she found her voice she muttered, “Oh God, I’d forgotten about that.”

“I haven’t. You were a real naughty girl that first night, Fonda Peters.”

“Don’t remind me.”

Mark didn’t knock on the front door. He just pushed it open. “Honey, I plan on reminding you as often as possible. I’m mean that way.”

The sound of live music and rowdy voices greeted them when they walked through the door. A crowd was gathered in the huge living room listening and shouting encouragement to Peter as he played a blues number on his acoustic guitar. A female voice began singing the words as Mark slid his hand to the small of Lorelei’s back and escorted her down the few steps of the sunken room. Instantly he recognized his sister’s voice.

Lorelei caught sight of who the performers were and pulled up short. “Wow. That’s a surprise.” She glanced up at him. “Leslie’s got a great voice.”

His sister did have a pretty awesome voice. She used to annoy the hell out of him with it as kids, though. “Yeah, she does.”

“Must run in the family,” she said.

Mark nodded in greeting to a few of his teammates and leaned down to say, “What do you mean?”

Light green eyes leveled on him and Lorelei smiled. “That you’ve got a great voice, too. It’s so raw and rough, just like a rock star’s. I got all gooey inside when I heard it.”

Joy flowed warm inside him at her words. “I tell you what,” he said against her ear, “I’ll sing for you like a rock star anytime you want if it’ll make you look at me like you did that night.”

The curve of her neck was calling his name so he kissed her below her ear as she asked, “How did I look at you?” She sounded a little breathless.

He nuzzled that sweet spot just below her ear because he couldn’t help himself. When he felt her shiver he grinned. “Like you were falling for me,” he said. Opening his mouth, he traced her ear with his tongue and then whispered, “Tell me, Lorelei. Are you?”

She bit her bottom lip and didn’t answer. Mark chuckled and slid his tongue over the curve of her ear and nipped. “Chicken,” he teased.

The crowd broke into enthusiastic applause and Mark raised his head reluctantly. All he wanted to do was touch Lorelei and if he couldn’t restrain himself he’d embarrass them both.

“Pete and Leslie play awesome together,” Lorelei murmured.

Kissing her hair, he agreed. “Yeah, they do. My sister’s been trying to get him to agree to playing a night at the club this fall after the season’s over. So far he’s held her off, but she’ll get her way. When she wants something she’s relentless.”

Pete set down his Gibson and strode toward the two of them.

“You and Leslie sounded fantastic, Peter. Have you two played together much?” she said when he reached them.

“Thanks, sweetie. We’ve jammed a few times before, but not too much. Leslie’s got a great voice, though, doesn’t she?” Peter said as he started to escort Lorelei down the hall to the back of his house.

Mark watched them go. Actually, he watched her butt go as the two of them chattered on like old chums as they walked down the hall. Releasing a slow breath as his gut tightened, he glanced around Pete’s house at the scattering of players and their significant others. Most everyone had plastic cups in their hands, which could only mean one thing: The beer kegs were back.

“Oh hell,” he muttered, and began his way down the carpeted hall to the kitchen. If Paulson got shit-faced again and decided to strip in front of Lorelei, Mark was going to have to hurt him. He entered the large, open kitchen and spotted Lorelei through the French doors out on the patio. He started walking toward her when he noticed she was standing next to Leslie and another player’s wife, holding a plastic cup of beer in a hand. And that reminded him about the kegs, had him changing direction and heading toward the group out by the pool.

Drake was over there lounging in a plastic chair with his feet propped on an ice chest. Granted, it was a little early in the season for swimming and Paulson was still dressed, but Mark wasn’t taking any chances. He wanted to make sure he’d get laid again sometime this century.

“Move your feet, Paulson, so I can grab a beer,” he said when he reached the first baseman’s side. “Looks like Pete hid the crocodile this time. Actually, he probably threw it away after the way you molested the poor thing.”

Paulson slid his feet off the ice chest and grinned. “Nah, he gave it to me and I named her Betty. She’s been living in my hot tub since last September.”

Mark pulled out a bottle of Guinness and smirked. “Whatever floats your crocodile, man. I just wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be a repeat performance. I’ve got a sweet little thing over there who’d get real embarrassed over seeing you naked.” He grabbed a chair nearby and sat down.

“Are you afraid she’d like it, sissy boy?” Drake said and scratched his chest. His Hawaiian shirt was halfway unbuttoned and his chest hair sprang out like a brown afro.

Mark eyed him and drawled, “Yeah, I’m real worried about that.” The guy was ugly as a mutt.

A woman he didn’t recognize appeared by the veteran’s side with a plate full of food. She looked about twenty-two and had a tight little body and huge smile. “Here you go, Drake. I got everything you wanted and I made the burger up just the way you like. Let me know if you want anything else, okay?” She spun to leave and said over her shoulder, “Oh, and I canceled my date tonight so go ahead and pick me up at eight. See you then. Bye boys.”

Mark stared after her, his bottle of ale suspended in mid-air. Then he blinked hard and looked at the guy in disbelief. “How in the hell do you do that?”

Paulson grinned over his shoulder at the girl’s retreating form and then at Mark, pure male ego in his eyes. “It’s a gift, brother. A great big goddamn get-me-laid gift.”

Yeah, it was something all right.

“You know, the beginning of this season I’d have given my left nut for that
gift
. Now, I’m cool and you can keep it, ’cause I’ve found something so much better,” he said, and his gaze slid over to it. To Lorelei.

“You ready to admit you’re in love yet?” Drake asked and took a pull on his beer.

Lorelei laughed over something one of the women said and the sound floated over to Mark, into him. Curled right around his heart and hugged it tight.

Was he ready to admit he was in love with her?

Maybe.

And he was a little shocked that it didn’t terrify the hell out of him. “I’m getting there, man.”

Paulson kicked Mark’s foot with one of his own to get his attention. His voice was dead serious. “Hey, I want you to listen to me.”

He tore his gaze from Lorelei and looked at Drake. “I’m listening.”

The first baseman hooked a thumb over his shoulder and said, “That one’s a keeper. She’s beautiful, funny, and she doesn’t take any shit from you. She’s not like what we normally date, brother. She’s better than that. So do us all a favor and don’t screw it up.”

H
E WAS WATCHING
her again. Lorelei knew it because the skin on the back of her neck began to tingle. Turning her head, she scanned the large backyard and the people until she spotted Mark by the huge, peanut-shaped pool. He was relaxing in a white patio chair with his long, muscular legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. When he caught her gaze he raised his bottle of beer in a small salute and grinned.

She could practically feel the heat in his eyes as he stared across the cement patio at her. It melted her insides and began to warm her up degree by degree. In fact, it was getting pretty darn hot outside, period. Raising a hand, she grabbed her loose hair and twisted until she’d created a roll. Then she coiled it like a bun at the nape of her neck and let the breeze wash over the heated skin.

Out of the corner of her eye Lorelei watched him watching her. Tried to understand what that look was in his eyes. Couldn’t. So she stared at the rest of him instead. At his black “Big Willie’s Hand Jobs—Lubrication and Tire Rotation Specialists” T-shirt and distressed jeans. At his platinum Rolex and gray running shoes, and at the mass of dark blond hair that curled at his neck, framing his smooth-shaven face.

She was so in love with him it was almost pathetic. Lorelei felt like grabbing a notepad and scribbling his name all over it with little hearts. It was all she could do to keep from giggling like a schoolgirl. And if she wasn’t so damn thrilled about it she’d be seriously annoyed at her own behavior.

“Earth to Lorelei, hello?” Leslie elbowed her and jolted her back to reality. “Stop drooling over my brother for a moment so I can ask y’all a question.”

“When you say ‘y’all,’ do you mean all of us or just me?” she asked as she tore her gaze from Mark.

Leslie chuckled and tossed her pale blond hair over her shoulder with a feminine swing of her head. “I mean
you
. Do you think Peter is attractive? From a purely platonic standpoint and all since I know you’re crazy about Mark, of course.”

Lorelei thought about it for a second. “Absolutely. Not in a conventional way or anything, but in a rugged, rough-and-tumble sort of way. Why?”

“I was just wondering, that’s all,” Leslie said.

Lorelei just stared at her expectantly and waited. If Leslie was asking that kind of question it was because she was interested in the answer. And Lorelei wanted to know why she was interested.

“Oh, all right. I’ll give. There was this moment earlier when he was playing his guitar when I thought he looked kind of sexy.”

“It was kind of sexy.” Actually she had no idea what Leslie was talking about. She’d been too busy playing with Mark. But she figured that probably wasn’t what Leslie wanted to hear.

“What was kind of sexy?”

Both women turned at the voice. Mark stood right behind her. Lorelei dropped her hands and her hair spilled over her shoulders. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?” he asked.

“Move without a sound. You’re huge.”

The rotten man laughed and winked at her. “It does my ego good to hear you say things like that.”

Leslie snorted and said, “He’s always been the humble sort. Can’t you tell?”

He reached out a muscular arm and hooked it around Lorelei’s shoulders, pulled her back against him. Lowering his head, he pointed his beer bottle at Leslie and said, “Has my sister been telling lies about me again? She’d lead you to believe that I’ve got an ego problem.”

Leslie looked down at her deep red fingernails and laughed. “You do have an ego problem. You’re a diva.”

He gave an exaggerated gasp. “I can’t believe you just said that.” The steel band of his arm tightened around Lorelei’s collarbone and he said in her ear, “This coming from a woman who prides herself on using her looks to get out of speeding tickets.”

Well
, Lorelei thought,
she’s beautiful
. And if she looked like a tall, blond Nordic goddess she’d use it, too.

“But I’ve never been given one now, have I?” Leslie challenged.

“Hey, sis. How long did it take you to get ready today?” Mark teased, and took a pull of his beer.

“A lot less than you, pretty boy.”

Lorelei shook her head and laughed at their sibling banter. It sounded like how she and Logan used to be before his wife had died. And she hadn’t realized until just that moment how much she missed that ease and lightheartedness between them.

That in turn reminded her that she had to go home tonight. Which in turn reminded her that she’d been neglecting her duties there. And that made her think of sweet little Michelle.

In all the rush of emotions and excitement of falling in love with Mark she’d forgotten to put her family first. In fact, she’d sort of tossed them aside and pursued her own wants with no regard to them, and that was wrong. Her parents had taught her better than that.