Captivated (17 page)

A
day off during the season was meant to be enjoyed. Dom rose early, played with
Champ, and dutifully made his phone calls to his mom and brothers. He couldn
’t
wait to spend the day with Irisa. He hadn’t seen her since she’d left his bed
Saturday morning, bound for four concerts in Northern California, and her
flight was due to arrive any minute. Offering to pick her up at the airport
ensured he’d get some alone time with her. He sat in his truck, waiting for her
call, feeling as excited and impatient as Champ acted while he waited for a
treat.

Finally, his phone
pinged.
I
’m waiting outside the terminal.

Blood pounding, he drove
around to the front of the terminal. In heeled sandals, toned legs, white
shorts, and one of those flowy shirts she liked so much in vibrant orange, she
looked amazing. Grinning, she waved and hurried toward his truck.

She climbed in, filling
the air with that spring-fresh scent she wore.
“Thanks for
picking me up.”

“Anytime.” He tossed her
carry-on into the back of the cab, then lingered over kissing her hello. A car
horn sounded behind him. He pulled away and eased the truck onto the street.
“How were the shows?”

“Tension-filled.
Musically everything went fine, but it’s not fun being backstage with the guys,
or stuck on a plane with them. I’m so glad we don’t have a show tonight.”

“You need to relax. Is there
anything you have to do today?”

“Nope. I worked during
the flight.”

A billboard advertisement
caught his attention.
“Would you want to go to a ball game?”

She peered at him over
the top of her sunglasses.
“You want to go to a baseball game on
your day off from playing baseball?”

“Sure. Minor league games
are fun. I think you’ll have a good time.”

Nodding, she settled back
in her seat.
“You love it so much, I know watching with you will be
fun. You won’t get mad if I ask a lot of questions? I want to understand it
better.”

“Ask away.” He covered
her hand with his. She was making an effort, and he couldn’t put into words how
much that meant to him.

He bought tickets. Not
quite nosebleed high, but close. Loaded up with popcorn and beers, they settled
into their seats. Empty rows surrounded them. He caught his reflection in her
sunglasses. With stubble covering his cheeks and chin, the mirrored Aviator
sunglasses, and a cap advertising the minor league team, no one recognized him.

Irisa propped her feet on
the empty seat in front of her.
“Wow, it’s pretty empty.
Nothing like a Riptide game.”

“The Blazers haven’t had
a winning season for the past few years.”

He explained the game and
kept up a running commentary on the on-field strategy. Her muscles relaxed. He
slipped his arm over her shoulders and she leaned against him, warm and happy.

During the seventh inning
stretch, the Kiss Cam zoomed around the stands, landing on various couples. He
smiled at their excited faces and the resulting displays of affection. And then
the Jumbotron
’s screen lit up with him and Irisa.

“Hey, look. It’s us.”
Removing her sunglasses, she straightened and turned to him.

A smile lit her face, as
bright and dazzling as a sunbeam. So beautiful. And aimed at him. Whether the
camera was on them or not, he had to kiss her, the urge too overwhelming to
ignore. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. Then his lips
captured hers. Soft, sweet, and a hint of berries from her lip gloss. His heart
beat hard, a drum in his chest. Her fingers curled into his shirt. She had to
feel the effect she had on him. Cheers rang out around them. He changed the
angle and took her deeper.

When he lifted his head,
her eyes remained closed for a moment. Her tongue touched her lips as though
she sought one last taste of him. Hazel eyes blinked open. 
“Wow.”

“No kidding.” His lips
curled into a smile and he cupped her cheek with a gentle hand. He couldn’t
wait to get her home. Only two and a half more innings to go.

Her phone rang during the
bottom of the eighth inning.
“It’s my realtor.” She turned away to
take the call.

The excitement in her
voice pulled at him. If she got the house, she
’d leave. He
wanted her to be happy, but he also liked knowing she was only a floor away.
Dom studied her profile. No happy sounds, no celebratory gestures. Her
shoulders slumped, then she lowered her phone.

Her gaze fixed on the
field.
“They
didn’t accept my offer.”

“I’m sorry. But there
will be other houses.”

“You don’t understand.
When I walked in there, I felt like I’d come home.” Her voice hitched.

Shit, she better not cry.
He couldn
’t handle tears, especially hers. He linked their
fingers together. “You really wanted it. Put in a higher bid.”

“The seller countered,
but I can’t afford to bump my offer up that high.”

“Could you meet them in
the middle?”

“I’m not sure. My realtor
said they’re pretty firm on that price.” Her lips pressed together. “Maybe it
wasn’t meant to be mine.”

He had to cheer her up,
or at least distract her.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. We’ll
go home and get Steve to mix you a chocolate martini.”

“Chocolate can’t fix
everything.” The disappointment in her voice and mists of tears in her eyes
gutted him.

He pulled her to her
feet, then slid his arm around her.
“How about I add in a
massage and a night of watching movies with me and a Great Dane with the
world’s worst timing?”

A little laugh and then a
smile began to bloom.
“That might help.” She leaned up and
pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Thank you.”

He cupped his hand behind
her head. His gaze roamed her features. Behind them, the game played on. The
crowd cheered. But interest in the game he loved paled in comparison to the
woman in his arms.

Love. He loved her.

The realization struck
him hard, right then and there. She mattered, more than anyone, and more than
anything else. He
’d do whatever he had to do to make sure
that smile stayed on her face.

The alarm clock
’s
ringing broke through the haze of fading dreams. Irisa snuggled closer to Dom.
Warm limbs wrapped around hers. She rested her hand on his chest, and the even
rise and fall of his breathing lulled her into relaxing even more. They’d slept
in way too late after staying up way too late for their movie marathon. A quiet
room, sheets as soft as clouds, and him beside her. The only thing that could
make the morning even better would be breakfast in bed.

“How are you feeling?”
His fingers skated down her spine.

Losing out on the house
didn
’t
hurt quite as much with him there, smiling at her, and sharing his pillow. “I’m
better. Thanks for last night.”

“Anytime.” His torso
shifted, rubbing against hers in the most enticing way as he turned to face
her. “Would you want to come to my game this afternoon? You wouldn’t be stuck
watching it alone. The guys’ wives and girlfriends all sit together in one of
the sections.”

He
’d
never asked her to attend his game before. Pleasure and surprise radiated deep.
She managed to keep her voice even. “Is that what I am, your girlfriend?”

Brown eyes held hers
captive. Her breath caught at the intensity swirling in their depths.
“I’d
like for you to be.”

Happiness fluttered
through her with the strength of a thousand butterfly wings.

Although his fingers
continued their casual stroking pattern on her back, the rest of his body
tensed, waiting for her response.
“What do you say?”

“I’d better get a Riptide
t-shirt with my boyfriend’s name on the back.”

The room brightened even
more with his smile. His fingers trailed up her face and into her hair, and
urged her closer to his waiting lips.

Champ stirred in his spot
on the floor. Collar jangling, he stretched, then stood and cocked his head at
them. She giggled at the dog
’s confusion. “I don’t think he’s
used to finding me here.”

Dom rolled her under him.
“He’d
better get used to it.”

Her laughter faded as his
body lined up with hers and he pressed kisses along her collarbone. She sucked
in a breath and held tight. Getting used to waking up to this every day would
be so easy.

Two sharp barks pierced
the air. Dom sighed and lifted his head.
“Sorry. He needs to go out.”

“It’s fine.”

She stretched and watched
him pull on shorts and sneakers. Champ ran into the hall. Dom tugged a t-shirt
over his head and then stopped in the doorway and looked at her.
“Don’t
go anywhere.”

Clutching the sheet to
her breasts, she nodded. And lay there, grinning while he talked to the dog in
the hall. When the door closed behind them, she reached for her phone and
dialed Jayne
’s number. Missing one radio interview with the band
wouldn’t be so bad, especially if Jayne could accompany them. And the game
would be over well before the band’s performance that night.

"Irisa. Hi. I was
just about to call you." Jayne's voice wavered through the speaker, an
octave higher, and stretched thinner than her normal pitch.

The last time Irisa had
heard that stress in her friend's voice had been when Jayne's dog died.
"What's wrong?"

"Did Luke call
you?"

"No. Why?"

"I'm finished with
doing his ridiculous errands. I don't mind helping out the guys, but when he
calls me and demands that I spend six hours driving to get him specialty tea, I
put my foot down. He's not even nice to me anyway, no matter what I do. No band
member has ever treated me this way. I
’m done."

Irisa's stomach burned.
Jayne couldn't quit now. "Please don't quit. I need you. I didn't know what
was going on."

"I won't quit. I
wouldn't do that to you. But I'm done going out of my way for him."

She released the
stranglehold she had on the sheet. "I'll talk to him. I promise."

"Thanks. I don't
want to put you in an awkward spot, but I wasn
’t sure if he'd
call you, and I don't want you to think I'm not doing my job. I've put up with
this stuff for weeks.” She paused and took a deep breath. “But that's not why
you called me. What's up?"

She winced. Asking Jayne
to spend any more time in Luke's presence wouldn't be the best idea. "I
was going to ask if you could go to the band's interview at K-SWT this
afternoon. I can't be there; something came up. But if you don't want to be
near Luke, you don't have to go. The guys can do things on their own
…"

"I'll go. Zander
already asked me, anyway." Jayne's voice brightened, warming. "He
mentioned they would be performing the new song he wrote."

The incoming call alert
beeped. She glanced at the screen.
Luke
. Frustration tightened her
muscles and her stomach clutched again. Running interference was exhausting,
and doing it again, now, pushed her over the edge. "Thanks. I'll let you
get back to your day. See you tonight at the show." She ended the call and
answered his. "Hey, Luke."

"Jayne laid into me
pretty hard this morning." His voice had lost its usual snarl, but his
words were tight and tense. "She said a lot of things and I need you
to—"

Fuming, she gripped the
phone and sat up straight. "Listen to me. She's doing me a huge favor by
helping out. I'm fed up with playing referee, first between you and Zander, and
now with you and Jayne. This stops now. Don't ask her for outrageous things
that you'd never think to ask me to get you. Work out how to be civil to her
and grow the hell up."

Before he could respond, she
ended the call. Breath pulsed in and out of her lungs, and her heart slammed
against her ribcage as fast as if she
’d just finished a hard
workout. If one more thing went wrong on this tour… The familiar clutch and
burn seized her stomach, but her antacids were tucked away in her purse, in the
living room. Inhale, hold for a count of four. Exhale, hold for a count of
four. Slow. Calm. Breathe. She focused on Dom’s shirt hanging over the back of
the chair. His scent in the pillow and the soft sheets surrounding her peeled
the layers off her anger. She’d never laid into any of the guys like that.
Maybe she’d been too harsh. Maybe he’d needed to hear it. Maybe she should call
him back and apologize.

Oliver
’s
words echoed in her head:
You need to keep control of your
band.

Too late.