Playing for Kicks (Play Makers Book 5) (37 page)

As he held her, she finally sobbed, although
it was more of a whimper. Only then did she realize how scared she
had been. How honestly terrified.

“Hey, boss,” the bouncer interrupted
awkwardly. “She’s fine, you know. It just happened so fast.”

Ed’s eyes were as cold as his voice. “You
need to get out of here.
Now.”

“Am I fired?”

To this, Ed actually growled like a rabid
animal, and Jerry took off at a sprint.

Still holding Tess, Ed brought her back to
the original two officers, and they all watched as three uniformed
colleagues escorted the ballplayers toward the exit.

“Thanks for getting here so fast, guys,” Ed
murmured. “This woman is precious to me. To all of us.”

“Yeah,” the first one said with a wistful
smile. “Hey, Colbee. I’m usually not in uniform—”

“Oh, my gosh, Tanqueray and lime! We watched
the World Cup together.” She hugged him sheepishly, then smiled
through her tears. “You look so handsome in your uniform. You too,”
she told the second officer as she studied his face. “Have you been
in before, too?”

“No, but I’ll be back.” He grasped her
shoulder firmly. “You might be in shock. So let’s sit, okay?”

“Crap, of
course
she’s in shock,” Ed
said mournfully. “Tess, honey? Do you need a doctor?”

“For my wounded pride?” she quipped, but she
sat down as the officer had suggested, then buried her face in her
hands, trying to compose herself.

Victoria sat with her while police business
swirled around them. Neither woman spoke, and that was fine. They
were safe, Ed had closed the bar for the rest of the night, and the
shell-shocked patrons were giving statements and departing.

Finally Ed joined them, telling Victoria she
had a police escort to her car whenever she was ready, and
insisting that Tess should come home with him. When she said she
wanted to go to her boyfriend’s house in Portland, he seemed
shocked, then offered to drive her, but backed off quickly when she
sniffled again.

“I thought Colbys never cry,” he teased her
helplessly.

“This is a first,” she admitted. Then her
spirits drooped again. “What happens now, Ed? With Zane, I mean.
Zone D doesn’t need this kind of publicity. Neither do the
Mariners.”

“Yeah, their manager stopped by. He promised
me those two will wish they were never born. And I think he meant
it.”

“Then let’s keep it out of the papers,
please?”

“Whatever you want.” He cupped her chin in
his hand. “Damn, Tess.”

“I know.” She wrapped her arms around his
chest as his unspoken words echoed through their miserable hearts.
Three years together. And only one short week to go before it could
have ended on a high note.

Instead, it had ended like this.

• • •

With Ed standing outside her RAV4, she sent a
quick text to Sean, hoping it sounded light and breezy.

Shift ended early. OK to come by? 11ish?
Miss U yum

He would be surprised. Would have a million
questions. Might even text her back. But he wouldn’t call because
he’d know she was already on the highway. And given his amazing
intuition, he would also know she was upset for some reason, so he
wouldn’t take the chance of making things worse while she was
driving.

So she tucked her phone in her purse, hooked
up a podcast of the Hutch Hutchison show to keep herself from
wallowing in misery, and headed for his beautiful sanctuary.

The familiar drive settled her nerves, and
she almost believed she had recovered completely. She hadn’t been
alone, had she? Victoria and the Crunch brothers had been there,
ready to assist. Even Jerry, for all his cluelessness, would have
kicked in at some point. And Tess herself was hardly an
invalid.

And yes, it had gotten out of hand. She had
been attacked by a drunken loser. But even without the cops, Zane
would have stopped after he got his ridiculous birthday kiss, so
the damage would have been contained. The price a woman paid for
working in a bar for almost six years. Did she honestly think she
had some invisible shield that protected her from real life? Just
because it was a
sports
bar?

Forget about bartending. Forget about
Zane,
she advised herself as she approached her exit.
Just
think about Sean. He’ll be great. Funny and charming. And this will
just fade away.

The plan worked until she drove up to his
gate and realized her fingers were trembling over the keypad. But
he must have been watching, because the gate swung open by itself.
So she drove gratefully up to the house, trying to find humor in
the embarrassing incident.

Then she saw him, and her heart literally
ached for the guy, trying to look casual, but clearly worried. He
had her door open before she even killed the engine, then he took
her hand and helped her out. No grabbing, no overpowering hug. Just
ready for anything.

“Hey,” she murmured, moving into his
embrace.

“Hey, babe.” He stroked her back with one
hand while he hugged her. Then he cupped her chin and looked into
her eyes. “What’s going on?”

“I just needed to see you,” she said,
conscious of every muscle in his chest and arms. He seemed taller,
broader, stronger. Powerful in a way he had never seemed before. “I
hope I didn’t worry you, because it’s nothing. And it’s over. I
just needed to be with you.”

“Let’s get you inside.” With his arm wrapped
around her shoulders, he ushered her into the house, where he eyed
the dining table uncertainly. “Coffee?”

“Oh, God, Sean.”

Shock lit his green eyes, but only for a
second. Then he swept his arm under her legs and gathered her up
off the floor, his mood confident again. “Let’s get you into
bed.”

Chapter
Eleven

It should have felt romantic when he whisked
her up the staircase, but it was a lot like the cops at Zone
D—efficient, purposeful, commanding. And just as with the cops, she
let it happen, grateful she didn’t have to think. Didn’t have to
speak. Didn’t have to do
anything
but just breathe.

“Okay, baby,” he murmured as he pulled back
the covers and set her on the bed. “I’m here, okay? So just sit
back. Or you probably need the bathroom, right? Just let me
know.”

She wanted to assure him she only needed
him,
but surely he knew. So she pulled off her tennis shoes,
then stripped off her jeans and her Colbee tee, leaving only her
panties and bra as she pulled the covers over herself. She thought
he understood, but when he took a respectful step back, she
clarified things by holding her arms out to him.

“Okay, babe.” He climbed into bed beside her
and cradled her against himself, his rough hand fondling her bottom
lovingly. “We’ll sleep for a while, okay?”

She slipped her hand under his threadbare
Villanova T-shirt, loving the feel of warm skin. “Just be with me,
Sean,” she whispered. “I need you. It was so crazy. Not bad. No one
hurt me. It was just so crazy . . .”

“Shh . . .” Stripping off his jeans and
shirt with one hand, he still kept her close to his body, where his
erection burgeoned, hard and uncompromising. And while she knew he
couldn’t help it—knew it was the last thing on his mind—it was
exactly what
she
wanted. What she needed. Sean inside her.
Sean owning her. Loving her. Wanting her.

Together—and invincible—at last.

So she stroked it firmly, drawing it against
herself, grinding with need and permission.

“Okay, baby,” he said hoarsely. Then for the
first time since her arrival, he kissed her. Gently at first, but
understanding now what she needed, so his tongue grew demanding as
his hand explored her breasts, unhooking her bra so that his lips
could move to her nipple while he reached down to slide her panties
low on her thighs, then down to her feet, where he tossed them
aside and explored between her legs with his hungry mouth.

Arching against him, she groaned in relief,
knowing now it would really happen. They would make love. Make
everything else fall by the wayside. Be one with each other. And
Sean knew it, too, because he moved his mouth back up to hers,
kissing her passionately while he pressed her thighs apart and
entered her with gentle intrusions that quickly became demands,
overwhelming her senses while she clung to him, urging him on.

Frantic for the right position, she rolled on
top of him, then on her side, finally settling on her back again.
It was glorious, and when she came, it felt like nothing less than
deliverance.

Sean came too, his breathing ragged, his soft
words making love to her in a gentle way she hadn’t allowed his
body to do.

“Damn, Tess.”

“I know,” she gasped. “I know. Oh, God, Sean.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me?” he murmured. “Man,
Tess, I never saw it coming.” With a wince, he added, “I know you
didn’t want it to happen like this—”

“It
had
to happen like this. I needed
you, Sean. I wanted it, I swear.”

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “It seemed that
way.” Pulling her against his damp chest, he stroked her hair.
“You’re so beautiful, babe. So perfect. Tell me what to do now.
What to say.”

Raising her head enough to smile uncertainly,
she said, “Maybe I should tell you what happened. Even though it’s
all gone now, thanks to you.”

“It won’t be gone until you talk about it.
That’s how these things go. And I’m right here, aren’t I?”

“You’re definitely here,” she murmured
gratefully.

His eyebrow arched in gentle insistence.
“Don’t sugar-coat it. You need to tell me everything. I need to
hear
everything.”

When she nodded, he sat up, propped some
pillows behind his back, and then gathered her onto his lap before
pulling the covers snuggly around her. Then he reminded her,
“Everything.”

She sighed, knowing he was right. She even
suspected his imagination was ten times worse than what had
actually happened, so this might do him some good in a bizarre way.
So she would be thorough, except for the actual identities of the
two jerks, since that part didn’t matter and it might just tweak
him for reasons that had nothing to do with anything.

She began simply. “I’ve always relied on my
bouncer. His name is Rocky and he’s the best. And I guess I took
him for granted, because he had to leave suddenly and we hired a
new guy. Then tonight when these two losers came into the bar .
. .” Pausing to gulp for air, she told the story just as she
remembered it. The birthday, the “puss” pejoratives, the
willingness of the Crunch brothers to step up, the willingness of
Victoria to step up, and the new bouncer’s lazy, sullen
attitude.

“I should have called Ed. Or maybe even 911.
But I thought it was under control. Right until the guy jumped the
bar and grabbed me.”

“
What?”

“He grabbed me and kissed me, and I tried to
push him away, and I guess it shocked me so much, I freaked. I
can’t remember exactly how it went after that, but suddenly the
place was swarming with cops. Thanks to Victoria.”

Sean exhaled sharply. “Show me how he grabbed
you.”

“What? Oh . . .” She held up her wrist
and was surprised by the band of dark purple bruising. “Shoot, I
didn’t even feel it.”

Staring in disbelief, Sean pulled her closer
as he examined the injury. “Geezus, Tess. Can you move it? Twist
it?”

“My wrist?” She flexed it up, down and
around. “Good as new. Must have been the sex.”

“Huh?”

“With
you,”
she said with a laugh.

To her surprise, he scowled. “Don’t remind
me. You get attacked, and my solution is to attack you again. I
know you wanted to wait—”

“Stop saying that. I had to give it up
eventually, as Bam would say.” She stroked his cheek soothingly.
“You didn’t attack me, Sean. It was the other way around. And I’ll
never regret it. I promise.”

He hesitated, then asked, “Did this guy have
a name?”

“You mean the birthday boy? What difference
does it make? He’s in big trouble with the law, trust me. I mean .
. .” She eyed him firmly. “We tried to keep it informal, since
bad publicity would hurt Zone D more than it would hurt
him
.
But trust me, he’s on everyone’s radar now.”

“You’re not pressing charges?” he demanded,
but he backed off quickly. “That’s your choice, obviously.”

“We dealt with it, I promise.” She snuggled
against him. “I’m just so glad to be here. It’s all I could think
about. Being with you. I knew you’d make everything good
again.”

He cleared his throat. “You’re not going back
to work, are you?”

“I gave my notice just like we talked about.
So two more shifts and I’m history. Now more than ever.”

“Can’t your boss cover those? Just make a
clean break, Tess.”

“Because I’m suddenly afraid to be a
bartender? After all these years?” She sat up and moved away, not
because she was upset, but just so she could think.

Then she admitted, “It scared me. Which is
why I
have
to go back, right? Otherwise, Gusty was right. My
dad was right. Coach Pop was right. I never should have been a
bartender in the first place.” She gave him a weary smile. “I
understand what you’re feeling. And I appreciate it. But I need to
face this, mostly because it’s been so safe all this time. And Ed
will be there, I’m sure of it. No way would he let someone else be
my bouncer after this.”

“Not even me?” he asked hopefully. “You could
change your schedule to Saturday and Sunday, right? So we’d have
the same days off. Then I’ll just sit in a corner, drink coffee,
and keep an eye on things. You won’t even know I’m there.”

“Well, for one thing, I’d definitely notice a
green-eyed hunk in my bar,” she said with a warm laugh. “And you
haven’t seen Colbee in action. You might accidentally fall in love
with her. Or at least, lust.” When he chuckled, she added gently,
“I need to do it on my own, Sean. Please? I don’t want it to end on
a bad note. Not after all it’s meant to me.”