ever figure out a way to get me to leave.”
She’d meant it as a joke, but he didn’t so much as smile at her. “Sounds good to me.”
Her skin tingled under the intensity of his gaze and she sternly told herself to snap out of constantly fantasizing that there was something more behind his words than there actually was. Still, she needed to make absolutely certain that she hadn’t crossed the line last night.
“I feel really bad about falling asleep on you last night. You know what a lightweight I am, especially after a few sleepless nights at Roach Central Station.”
He sat down at the breakfast bar beside her and poured them both coffee. It smelled like heaven, but she was still too churned up over being this close to him to do more than cup the mug in her hands.
“My ego will get over it eventually,” he joked, but a moment later she was surprised to see her easygoing friend look a little bit nervous. “I didn’t think you’d be comfortable sleeping in your dress, obviously.”
Now it was her turn to joke, “Just as long as you kept your eyes closed.”
The lacy undergarments were her big post-divorce splurge, a last-ditch effort to try to feel the slightest bit sexy again. Now, even though they weren’t exactly practical, she wore them as often as she could simply because they’d been so expensive and she was hell bent on getting her money’s worth out of them.
She couldn’t help wondering if he’d liked what he saw, even though she knew tall, brunette, size-four supermodels were his type rather than small, blonde, curvy girls like her.
He held his hands up as if to admit that he had, in fact, taken a peek or two. “Sorry about that. Forgive me?”
If he had been anyone else and she hadn’t been horribly, excruciatingly attracted to him—say, if he were gay—she would be rolling with this no problem.
Yes, that was what she’d do.
She’d pretend he was gay.
Or that she was.
Actually, it would probably be safer just to pretend both of them were completely, utterly into their own team.
Forcing herself to shrug, she teased, “Just so you know, the next time I fall asleep on you, I sleep best with nothing on at all.”
Ryan choked on the bite of eggs he’d just taken and she silently cursed herself for saying exactly the wrong thing to diffuse the situation.
“So,” she said a little too brightly, “what’s on your agenda today? Practice? Or a game?” She crammed a huge handful of bacon into her mouth to make herself shut up.
Ryan drank some coffee to wash down the rest of the eggs before saying, “There’s an afternoon game.”
“Are you pitching?”
“Tomorrow night. Any chance you can make it?”
“I can’t today, but hopefully tomorrow.” She’d never been a baseball fan until she’d seen him play in high school from her spot in the shadows of the big oak tree some distance back from the field and stands. “The board will be coming by this afternoon to check in on all of this year’s fellowship contenders.”
Ryan’s expression tightened. “Is James going to be there?” When she nodded, he said, “Make sure you don’t end up alone with him, Vicki.”
“Don’t worry,” she said, “I’m not going to be that stupid ever again.”
“He tricked you.”
“Maybe, but I should have known better, enough to at least trust my instincts about him when he gave me the creeps at the studio. In any case, between his thinking you and I are an item and all the people that will be at the studio this afternoon, I can’t imagine he’d try anything.”
“He’d better not.” Her friend’s expression was fierce. “You mean too much to me. Why don’t you give me the address of the studio, just in case.”
He’d just typed it into his phone when it rang.
“It’s my cousin. Sorry, I need to take this.” He put the phone to his ear. “Rafe, hold on a sec.”
He rattled around in a kitchen drawer and pulled out a set of car keys. “I wish I could take you
She’d meant it as a joke, but he didn’t so much as smile at her. “Sounds good to me.”
Her skin tingled under the intensity of his gaze and she sternly told herself to snap out of constantly fantasizing that there was something more behind his words than there actually was. Still, she needed to make absolutely certain that she hadn’t crossed the line last night.
“I feel really bad about falling asleep on you last night. You know what a lightweight I am, especially after a few sleepless nights at Roach Central Station.”
He sat down at the breakfast bar beside her and poured them both coffee. It smelled like heaven, but she was still too churned up over being this close to him to do more than cup the mug in her hands.
“My ego will get over it eventually,” he joked, but a moment later she was surprised to see her easygoing friend look a little bit nervous. “I didn’t think you’d be comfortable sleeping in your dress, obviously.”
Now it was her turn to joke, “Just as long as you kept your eyes closed.”
The lacy undergarments were her big post-divorce splurge, a last-ditch effort to try to feel the slightest bit sexy again. Now, even though they weren’t exactly practical, she wore them as often as she could simply because they’d been so expensive and she was hell bent on getting her money’s worth out of them.
She couldn’t help wondering if he’d liked what he saw, even though she knew tall, brunette, size-four supermodels were his type rather than small, blonde, curvy girls like her.
He held his hands up as if to admit that he had, in fact, taken a peek or two. “Sorry about that. Forgive me?”
If he had been anyone else and she hadn’t been horribly, excruciatingly attracted to him—say, if he were gay—she would be rolling with this no problem.
Yes, that was what she’d do.
She’d pretend he was gay.
Or that she was.
Actually, it would probably be safer just to pretend both of them were completely, utterly into their own team.
Forcing herself to shrug, she teased, “Just so you know, the next time I fall asleep on you, I sleep best with nothing on at all.”
Ryan choked on the bite of eggs he’d just taken and she silently cursed herself for saying exactly the wrong thing to diffuse the situation.
“So,” she said a little too brightly, “what’s on your agenda today? Practice? Or a game?” She crammed a huge handful of bacon into her mouth to make herself shut up.
Ryan drank some coffee to wash down the rest of the eggs before saying, “There’s an afternoon game.”
“Are you pitching?”
“Tomorrow night. Any chance you can make it?”
“I can’t today, but hopefully tomorrow.” She’d never been a baseball fan until she’d seen him play in high school from her spot in the shadows of the big oak tree some distance back from the field and stands. “The board will be coming by this afternoon to check in on all of this year’s fellowship contenders.”
Ryan’s expression tightened. “Is James going to be there?” When she nodded, he said, “Make sure you don’t end up alone with him, Vicki.”
“Don’t worry,” she said, “I’m not going to be that stupid ever again.”
“He tricked you.”
“Maybe, but I should have known better, enough to at least trust my instincts about him when he gave me the creeps at the studio. In any case, between his thinking you and I are an item and all the people that will be at the studio this afternoon, I can’t imagine he’d try anything.”
“He’d better not.” Her friend’s expression was fierce. “You mean too much to me. Why don’t you give me the address of the studio, just in case.”
He’d just typed it into his phone when it rang.
“It’s my cousin. Sorry, I need to take this.” He put the phone to his ear. “Rafe, hold on a sec.”
He rattled around in a kitchen drawer and pulled out a set of car keys. “I wish I could take you
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