in such a hurry? The night’s still young and so are the women here tonight, bro.”
The team’s newest rookie, JP Trudeau, piped up, “Yeah, where are you going?”
Mark glanced down at the young Iowan and grinned. The kid was shaved bald as a cue ball from a bout of rookie initiation, but was sporting a black ski cap to cover up that fact. It didn’t help. At the ripe old age of twenty-five he looked like a boy band member, even with the nasty shiner.
Man, had he ever been that fresh-faced and innocent-looking?
Yeah, maybe. Back in the day before the major leagues when he couldn’t get play with a girl to save his life. But one good luck charm and a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays had changed all that. Now those days seemed almost surreal. Women weren’t hard to come by anymore, and hadn’t been for years.
Mark glanced at the rookie again, his thoughts turning back to the brunette. Hell, maybe he was becoming jaded in his old age. There’d been a time when a drink from any woman would have sent him to the moon and back. And it kind of sucked that he hadn’t felt that excitement in a very long time.
Turning his gaze just in time, he caught sight of her as she slipped out the back door. He needed to catch up to her before she got away. “I’m curious about something. I may or may not be back. Either way, don’t wait up.”
Kowalskin grinned. “Ah, the cute brunette that just left. Good choice, brother.”
JP’s eyes went huge. “I saw her, too. Great ass.”
Suddenly impatient, Mark tucked his wallet away and said, “If you boys don’t stop yapping, I’ll miss her.”
Why did it even matter?
Making his way through the bar with long, purposeful strides, Mark hit the back door and stepped out into the chilly Colorado night. As he scanned the parking lot, anxiety quickened his pulse when at first he didn’t see her. Then his eyes fell on her curvy figure near a small red car and he smiled. Anticipation and curiosity quickened his pace as he headed across the parking lot toward her.
A crowd exited the bar, their laughter and loud voices muffling his footsteps as he approached. “So, what? You buy me a drink and then skip out before introducing yourself?”
The brunette spun toward him on a gasp, one hand flying to her throat.
Biting back a laugh at her reaction, Mark crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. “The logic of that is all wrong.”
He had to give her points. Even though she was obviously off balance, she rallied and replied, “Is that so? Just what would the logical step have been for me then, being as you rejected my drink?”
Good question. What had he really wanted her to do? Damned if he knew. Apparently tonight he was a bundle of contradictions. So he settled for an easy answer. “Come over and down the shot yourself. No need to waste good booze.”
“And then what? You would have been overcome with desire and whisked me back to your place?” The expression on her face told him clearly that she had her doubts.
So did he. “I might have. But the night’s young. It’s still a possibility.” And why in the hell had he just said that? She wasn’t even his type! He’d meant to deny her suggestion, not proposition her. Shit.
Obviously he’d had one too many drinks and his ability to reason was impaired. That, or he’d taken one too many balls upside the head in his career and it was finally catching up with him.
LORELEI PAUSED AND narrowed her eyes at the catcher. Had he just hit on her? It sounded suspiciously like the guy was inviting her back to his place. Lordy, she’d never had a one-night stand in her life. Wasn’t her style.
Her first instinct was to laugh at the thought of going home with a strange man. Especially since the man suggesting the tryst was the very one she planned on stealing from.
She opened her mouth to blow off the invite, but something occurred to her and she snapped it closed again.
Fate was handing her a cookie. And now she felt like smacking her forehead at her denseness. Why break in and steal from him when she could simply get invited back to his place as a one-night stand? Was it a viable alternative?
It was an even better idea than the original plan and with less