She melted into him, and the next thing he knew their arms were wrapped around each other and he was oblivious to anything else except her sweet tongue tangling with his, lost to everything.

But her.

What seemed like hours later, she pulled back and opened her eyes. “Interesting that that’s still there.”

He’d known it would be.

“You have to go,” she whispered. “The boys.”

He stroked a strand of hair from her face. “They can wait another minute.”

At that, she bit her full lower lip, a naughty light coming into her eyes. “We’ve accomplished quite a bit in a minute before.”

He was already hard, he’d been in that condition since . . . since he’d first seen her in that dress, the one that was now slipping off one shoulder. And those black heels with the ankle strap . . . “You have no idea how much I want that minute,” he said reverently.

She pressed her breasts into his chest. “Tick tock . . .”

“No.” He gulped in air and put his hands on her waist, holding her away from him. “We’re not rushing again.”

“Again?”

“We were in a hurry last time. Good things come to those who wait, Holly.” And he planned on getting good things. Very good things.

She arched a brow, amused. “You sound like a fortune cookie.”

“Yeah. And your fortune says the wait will be worth it.”

“I’m not much of a waiter.”

“I’ve noticed.” He dropped his forehead to hers. From his vantage point, he could see down her dress, and he didn’t think she was wearing a bra. “Got to go.” He was talking to himself, reminding himself. “And in three hours, I fly to Arizona to watch us get our asses kicked by the Dia mondbacks. But when I get back, we’re both going to . . .”

“Get good things?”

“Yeah. Really good.”

Her breath caught.

“You onboard with that?” he asked.

She could only nod, and he smiled grimly. It was going to be a long road trip.

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Baseball’s designed to break your heart. The game begins in spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone.

—A. Bartlett Giamatti

Holly woke up the next morning to find a note on the bedroom door.

I’m off, taking the boys with me to drop them at home. Your car’s out front. You left the lights on and the battery needed a charge. See you when I get back. Pace

She peeked out the window. There was her car. Pace had promised to be there for her, and he’d come through. It was a first for her with a guy, and it did something to her heart, something she wanted to attribute to lust but had to admit, was more.