Playing the Field: A Diamonds and Dugouts Novel (15 page)

Her son sulked on his barstool. “How long is
that
gonna take?”

Sonny couldn’t really blame Charlie for being bored and cooped up. It was summer break—a time for fun and frolick. A time to play.

But she had work. Being responsible sucked the big one sometimes.

Her boy’s cabin fever was infectious, and by the time Sonny had worked for a few hours in her shop she was antsy and ready to break free. It was just past eleven in the morning and the rest of the day stretched before her, beckoning her out to play.

On her way back to the house she passed Charlie and Vader playing tug-of-war with a half-eaten volleyball. He’d gotten over his pout and was having a good time with the dog. When she walked by, he glanced up and said amiably, “What’s for lunch?”

It was one of those questions that she heard every single day. Along with “What’s for breakfast?” and “What’s for dinner?” It really was true that growing boys were nothing but bottomless stomachs and too-big feet. Sometimes she felt like a feeding factory.

The sound of gravel crunching signaled a vehicle approaching. Leaving Charlie with Vader, she walked to the side of the house. When she rounded the corner Sonny looked up the long road and felt butterflies take flight in her belly. A red Double Cab Toyota Tacoma was making its way down her drive, with a deeply tanned elbow resting out the open driver-side window. Through the front glass she could make out aviator sunglasses, broad shoulders, and messy hair.

JP had come calling.

It was the first time they’d seen each other since she’d fallen asleep on his chest, and she felt incredibly self-conscious. Something had changed between them and she wasn’t sure of herself anymore. She wasn’t sure where things stood, period.

One thing she did know, though, was that when JP climbed out of his truck and she caught a good look of him in cargo shorts and flip-flops, looking like a bronzed Adonis, her heart tripped in her chest. It perched precariously on the edge of a very tall cliff. A stiff wind would blow it over, sending it into free fall.

When had it even become in the
vicinity
of a cliff?

And where had she been while this had all gone down? Because she could swear that she’d been aware and adamant against this very thing the whole time. Sonny Miller didn’t want a man—especially one loved and adored by millions—and she was perfectly single and happy, remember?

JP caught sight of her and grinned, devastating her.

Crap.

Sonny glanced in partial panic around the yard, thinking that there had to be something out there that she could use to get rid of these feelings swirling around inside her, unwanted and unwelcome. Maybe a hand trowel could dig them out?

God, she wasn’t ready for this.

Her heart racing, Sonny watched JP stride right on up to her, and she absently patted her hair. With every step he took, the butterflies kicked up a notch. The last words from the message he’d left her echoed in her head.
I’ll be thinking about you, Sonny.

When he reached her side, he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her in for a positively delicious kiss. Forgetting that Charlie was just around the house in the backyard, Sonny had no resistance and kissed him back passionately, her body and heart betraying her mind.

JP drew back and rested his forehead against hers, his sunglasses bumping against her nose. “I missed you.”

That right there. There it was. The reason that she hadn’t been able to stay immune to him. He was so damn good and sweet and honest.
I mean
, she thought,
who just up and says exactly what they’re feeling and thinking?

And how was she supposed to stay away?

Before she could think about it, she heard Charlie call out, “Who’s here, Mom? Is it Sam?”

Pushing out of JP’s embrace, Sonny smoothed her hands down her shirt and cleared her throat. Would he stop looking at her like that? She could see his eyes through the amber-colored lenses, and they were focused intently on her. It was making her squirm.

Sonny tucked a strand of hair behind an ear and broke eye contact. “Why don’t you come over here and find out?” she hollered back at her son.

JP spoke, forcing her to look at him again. “You look good, Sonny. Are you feeling recovered?”

She nodded. “I am.” Though she was still embarrassed about it, she added, “Thank you for taking care of me the other night. You didn’t have to.”

“I know I didn’t. I wanted to.”

See? There it was again. He was acting like the sweetest man on earth and making a wreck of the barriers she’d so meticulously erected around herself years ago. The way that things were going she wouldn’t have any left before the day was through.

A voice at the back of her mind asked if she even wanted them there anymore. Sonny automatically rejected the thought. Of course she wanted them there. Didn’t she?

Charlie chose that moment to come barreling around the corner, Vader hot on his heels. When he spotted JP, her son pumped a fist and skidded to a halt. “All right!”

JP held out a hand and they bumped fists in a complicated handshake that only members of the male persuasion could replicate. When they were done the shortstop hooked his thumb over his shoulder at his truck and said, “How do you feel about a day of tubing the river with me, slugger?”

Charlie’s eyes went huge. “Yeah? No way. Seriously?”

JP nodded and glanced at Sonny. “Think we could convince your mom to go with us?”

Sonny looked at the bed of the Toyota and saw three large tubes strapped down. They were the kind that had handles built into them and loops for rope to thread through. A small blue cooler sat in the back next to them.

Longing flooded Sonny. How wonderful it would be to play hooky for the day and go splash in the river, to feel the cold water swirl around her. It’d been a couple years since she’d had a day of tubing. Last summer had been so hectic with starting the business that she hadn’t been able to get away. Charlie, on the other hand, had gone with Sam’s family a few times. It was one of his favorite activities.

Shading her eyes with a hand, she took in the deep, cloudless blue of the sky. A light breeze played with the loose strands of her hair and birds chirped joyfully in the trees nearby. It was a perfect summer day. One meant to be enjoyed.

But she had to work.

Both males were looking at her with hopeful, expectant expressions. Her protest was halfhearted. “I would love to, but I have to work, guys. Cheese doesn’t make itself.” Well, it did, sort of. But that wasn’t the point.

Charlie batted his eyelashes at her and pressed his palms together. “
Pleeeeease?
Come on, Mom.”

JP taunted playfully, “Yeah, c’mon, Mom.”

They stared at her, waiting. The ballplayer waggled his eyebrows and jerked his head in the direction of his truck. “You know you wanna.”

You know what? She did want to. Screw it. “Okay. Let’s do it. Let’s go tubing.” Why not? It was just one day, right? It didn’t mean anything.

Charlie did a little victory dance.
“Yes!”

JP seemed awful smug, his grin totally naughty as he watched her. He held out his fist and bumped knuckles with her boy.
“Woop.”

Too excited by the prospect of an afternoon of fun to take offense, Sonny grinned. “Let me throw a bag together.”

Leaving the guys talking, she headed toward the house and marveled at the jitters in her stomach. God, she felt like a teenager, chucking it all for an afternoon of fun and sun with the hot boy. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this way.

In the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards by the time the guys came in, Sonny reached for a water bottle on the top shelf in the back. Not quite tall enough in bare feet, she rose to her tiptoes and tried again.

Suddenly she felt a rock-hard chest press up against her back, pushing her gently forward into the countertop. An arm pinned her in on each side—one of her hands flush against the cabinet, the other stretched out toward the water bottle. The heat radiating from his body flirted with her, enticing her closer.

Because she really wanted to, she leaned back into JP a tiny bit and felt his breath hot on her ear. “Here. Let me help you with that.”

Awareness sparked like a brush fire between them and Sonny inhaled sharply. Her nipples puckered tightly when she felt him move behind her, his penis growing hard against her butt. It would feel so good to push back into him a little and rub slowly.

The thought sent heat straight to her groin and she went instantly wet.

“Hey, Mom. I need to get my insulin kit.” Charlie strode into the kitchen, oblivious, and JP jerked away from Sonny. “Can we eat at a restaurant later?”

Sonny let out a shaky breath, her body on overload from all the hormones.

JP did that to her. Wow.

Hoping she sounded normal, she replied, “We’ll have to see, hon. If we do, it’s your last food splurge for a while, okay? We’ve been having a lot of treats lately. It’s fine once in a while, but not all the time.” Going into Mom-mode helped her get a grip. Man, sexual frustration could be brutal.

Who knew?

Sonny stole a glance at JP and bit her lip to hide a grin. Though he tried to hide it, she could tell he was suffering too. His face kind of had a pinched quality to it, and he was standing awfully stiff.

For some reason it all suddenly made her want to laugh. Having a kid kept things interesting for sure.

Charlie grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and stuffed it into his diabetes kit to keep everything cool. “Deal. Can we make it pizza then?”

JP raked a hand through his hair and shot her a look that was hot and dark. “Anything you want, Charlie.”

Oh, he was feeling it bad.

Sonny couldn’t keep the laugh inside anymore and it bubbled up and out. JP tipped his head to the side and looked at her questioningly. Feeling spontaneous and playful, she blocked Charlie from seeing with her body, snuck out a hand, and rubbed the top of JP’s thigh suggestively. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. She tossed him a sassy grin in return.

His gaze narrowed on her, honing in with serious intensity.

Her smiled melted in the sudden heat and she let her hand fall away. Playing with JP really was like baiting a tiger. Yowza.

An image flashed in her mind of what it would be like to have that focused intensity on her while she was naked. She nearly whimpered. And it wasn’t from fear. Being the center of attention in bed with JP would be amazing.

Sonny stole another glance at him, arousal still an echo inside her.

Today was going to be mighty interesting.

Chapter Thirteen

T
HE
P
OUDRE
R
IVER
was wide, cool, and crystal clear when they arrived: perfect conditions for an afternoon of tubing. JP had found a place to park near the river on the outskirts of Fort Collins where huge cottonwoods shaded the slow moving water. An assortment of SUVs and compact cars were crowded into the small pullout.

Excitement made Sonny jittery as she climbed out of the truck. She could barely contain the thrill of playing hooky for a day to spend it with JP. It felt youthful and eager and silly. And, well, just plain
fun
.

The midday sun beat down on her bare shoulders and kissed her cheeks. A few hours out in this and she’d acquire a few new freckles across her nose if she didn’t put on a hat. That she didn’t mind. It was the whole cancer thing that she wasn’t keen on. Reaching back into the Toyota, she grabbed her hat and put it on.

Charlie threw open the back door and jumped out, eager to get in the water. His bright orange swim trunks were on the big side and hung down past his knees. A pair of strappy water sandals in bold blue made him look like a Broncos fan.

The sound of water moving over rocks raised her spirits even higher, and Sonny lifted her gaze to the sky. Above her a hawk flew effortlessly, its wings outspread as it glided on the gently moving air. It didn’t matter how many times she saw one of the great birds, it awed her every single time. They were beautiful.

The hawk stopped gliding and dove into the cover of the trees just as JP pulled an inner tube from the truck bed. He called over to Charlie, “Hey, kid. This one’s yours.”

Her son darted over to the far side of the truck and grabbed the fancy tube. Most of the time when they went tubing all they had to use were black rubber ones. They didn’t have handles to hold on to, and the air valve stuck out and would poke you in some very private and unhappy places.

Suddenly the hair on the nape of her neck got tangled in the knot of her bikini strings and pulled sharply. With a hand she extricated the fine hairs and adjusted the tie. She’d thrown on a pair of denim shorts with large front pockets and a white ribbed tank top over her flowered bikini. Her hair was tucked up under her wide-brimmed khaki hat.

In front of her was a path of flattened grass that led to a sandy bank. The water there was almost still and her toes itched to dip into the refreshing moisture. Baby-fine rocks shimmered as the current whispered over them.

Leaving the boys to grab the tubes, Sonny stepped the few feet to the river’s edge and kicked off her flip-flops. Her toes dug into the sandy brink and she sighed. Oh, sweet heaven.

JP came up beside her and handed her a tube. “It looks like we weren’t the only ones to think of this.” He tipped his chin at the other cars.

Sonny shrugged good-naturedly. “Tubing in a cold river on a hot summer day was a genius collaboration of Mother Nature and Man.”

JP grinned. “True that.”

“How was your trip to Moab?” She’d been meaning to ask him. He was super tan from it. It was pretty hot.

He kicked off his shoes and shoved the flip-flops in one of the large cargo pockets built into his shorts. The black heels stuck out over the flap. “It was great. We climbed Fisher Towers and camped in Onion Creek. I clipped in on some challenging moves that I wasn’t sure I was ready to take on, but Garret got me through it. I have the cuts and scrapes to prove it,” he finished with a self-deprecating grin.