Over the Fence: Lyssa Layne's Baseball Romances (32 page)

Asher cracks open another mussel. “I’m not interested.”

Anger rushes throughout my body and I speak in a loud whisper to keep from shouting, my voice cracking as I say, “Not interested? Asher, that offer is more than generous! You know that you can leave behind Tomko Realty and start your own business with no problem.”

A grin creeps across his lips and he nods. “You’re right. I could, couldn’t I?”

“So do it.”

He shakes his head.

I take a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “Then buy me out.”

He pauses a second to think about it then shakes his head no.

My pulse is beating quickly and I grit my teeth. “Fine then I’ll sell to someone else,” I threaten, although I know it’s not a possibility.

Asher pushes his plate away from him and turns to me. His hand runs up my leg and slides under my dress before I can stop him. “Amelia, you know that’s not an option. When we started the business, we
both
wrote into the contract that neither of us can sell out unless it’s to each other.”

Tears threatened at my eyes but I can’t let him see me cry…again. He’s caused me tears one too many times to count. Besides, the helpless woman act does nothing for this heartless man. With no other option, I begin to plead. “Asher, please…let me move on.”

His hand moves quickly and grasps my wrist, a hold that I’m all too familiar with. I know better than to twist my arm or try to pull away as it’ll only make the pain and his anger worst. “Here’s the deal, Amelia. You may have ended our marriage, but I will never let you out of this business. You will
always
be mine.”

I can’t hold back the tears any more. They spill down my face…tears from frustration, anger, pain. I thought the divorce would end all of that, but Asher’s right, he will always claim me. I should’ve known there will be no escaping him…ever.

CHAPTER 12

Mia

Yet again, I spent another sleepless night over my ex. Feeling defeated, I drag myself out of bed and throw on a pair of shorts and a long-sleeve Under Armour shirt. With a cup of coffee in one hand and my running shoes in the other, I head to my back deck. The sun hangs low in the sky casting bright rays of orange, yellow, and red over the ocean. I should move, get away from him. Start over.

Dropping into the couch by the fire pit, I sigh and set the coffee down. There won’t be any starting over unless I want to pull a Julia Roberts circa
Sleeping with the Enemy
. My shoelaces tied tightly, I lean back up and bring the mug to my lips, enjoying the aroma first then taking a long sip.

Closing my eyes, I remind myself that Tate arrived in town last night. He was more than excited to drive my car but I could tell he was disappointed when I told him to keep it for the evening. I was too upset to be around anyone; I didn’t even want to be around myself after dinner.

Blinking my eyes open, I shake my head. Asher may not let me go professionally but he’s not my husband anymore and I’m not going to let him ruin anything I have with Tate. My arms stretch over my head as I stand up and sway side to side. Holding the movement for a few seconds on each side, I lean over to work out my tight hamstrings. I have Tate now. Upside down and touching my toes, I smile. I like that.
I have Tate now
…
and he’ll protect me
.

I swallow, hoping Tate will never find out about my past and never have to protect me. He has a son and I can’t handle the thought of ever putting either of them in danger. Part of me feels like my infertility was a blessing, as I’d never want my abusive ex-husband near any child of mine.

My ears perk up when I hear a low wolf-whistle behind me. Still facing down, I look between my legs and see Tate on my deck in a pair of running pants and a t-shirt. Quickly standing, the blood rushes back to my face and I get a little dizzy. Luckily, Tate is right beside me and grabs my waist.

“Mmm, I love that sight,” he teases and gives me a quick kiss, patting my backside as he does.

All of my emotions mix together and I feel tears in my eyes. Throwing my arms around his neck, I squeeze him tightly, not wanting to let go. Tate’s arms move to my waist and he pulls me closer.

“Mia, is everything okay?” he asks as he leans back and inspects my face.

I laugh and wipe at a stray tear. “Yes, I just missed you and…I can’t believe you’re here…for good,” I answer, which isn’t a total lie. I did miss him and I am happy he’s here, but it’s not the cause of my tears. The sunrise reminds me what time it is. “What are you doing here?”

He smiles and leans his forehead against mine. “I figured you’d be up early for a run and was going to use the excuse to bring the ‘Vette back, but honestly, I couldn’t wait any longer to see you. And that car… wow! You can easily do top speeds and not even realize. It rides so smooth.”

My heart skips at his admission, but I laugh and nod with the last part of his statement. “Right? It’s my escape from the real world; lets me get my pulse racing.”

Tate tilts his head and sucks on my bottom lip. His tongue slips into my mouth, distracting me from his hand that slips under my shirt. When I let out a moan of anticipation, Tate breaks the kiss.

“Maybe I want to get your pulse racing?” he says with a raised eyebrow and mischievous grin.

“You definitely do that, but first, a run on the beach before I have to get ready for the day.”

Tate sticks out his bottom lip, pouting. “But it’s my first day in town and I wanted to spend it with you.”

Giving him a quick kiss, I take a few steps backward and start jogging toward the ocean. “We’ll have plenty of time to play, don’t worry,” I yell back at him and he runs behind me.

A quick jog down the beach and back and the smell of salty ocean air has me feeling better about life in general. We both slow to a walk but continue in silence, listening to the tide crashing against the sand. Without saying a word, Tate reaches over and links his fingers with mine. I glance at him and smile then pull our hands up and kiss his.

He turns to me and pulls me close. My loose hairs blow in my face and Tate pushes them back, a hand on either side of my face. “I know this is still new for both of us and we have so much to learn about each other, but Mia, I’m falling…I’m falling hard.”

I smile and our lips meet. Tate scoops me into his arms and my stomach flutters at the thought of being in bed with Tate again. But instead of heading toward my house, he carries us toward the ocean.

“Tate, what are you doing?” I ask, slightly panicked.

He grins. “We need a proper cool down.”

“In the ocean? It’s freezing!”

Grasping his neck, a loud, girly scream escapes me and is followed by a giggle as he dunks us both into the freezing cold water. When we surface, his lips touch mine and he moves my legs around his hips. With the touch of his lips, my body goes from shivering to incredibly hot.

Tate

Mia’s legs drop and her lips move off mine. My arms reach out for her but she’s already running out of the ocean, giggling, which has more effect on me than it should. Or maybe it’s the way her clothes cling to her body, showcasing every perfect curve that woman has. I jog after her, catching up as she gets to her deck.

About to open the sliding doors, she turns around wagging her finger, motioning me to come closer. She kicks off her shoes as I meet her in a few quick strides. I capture her lips before she can speak, eliciting that wonderful purr-moan of hers before she leans back against the door.

“I have to go downtown to volunteer this morning then I’m all yours for the rest of the day.”

My lips move to her neck and in between kisses, I ask, “Where are you volunteering? Maybe I’ll go with you.”

Hey body tenses and I lean up to look at her, wondering what I said wrong. Her eyes are wide and she chews on her bottom lip. Running my hand down her cheek, I try to ask again. “Mia, where are you helping? I would love to go with you.”

She shakes her head. “It’s… a shelter. I try to help serve breakfast there on the weekends.”

My thumb trails over her lip. “Sounds good. I did that back in Milwaukee.”

She opens her mouth then closes it, not saying anything else.

“Unless you don’t want me to…”

“No! I do. It’s fine, but we need to leave in half an hour.”

I grin. “Then it sounds like we’ll need to shower together.”

Finally, she relaxes and lets out a laugh. “I guess that would be the quickest way to get ready, but no messing around or we’ll be late.”

She opens the door and leads me inside. I slap her backside playfully and she jumps with a giggle. “You’re going to make that hard for me…in so many ways.”

To prove my point, she strips off her wet shirt and my hands immediately grab her waist as I stand behind her. Nipping at her neck, my hands slide up her abs, over her wet sports bra, and back down. I slip one finger under the band of the bra to make room for the rest of my hand. Pushing the material up, my hands replace it and I squeeze her tightly. She leans back against me and I bite her ear playfully.

“Tate,” she says with that noise I love to hear. It will be my new goal to hear that as often as possible.

“Yes, Mia?” I whisper in her ear as I roll her nipples between my thumbs and forefingers.

“Maybe we better shower separately…” she says softly, her breath getting more rapid.

I nod against her cheek, moving one hand down her body. I begin to rub over her shorts, between her legs. “Sure, if that’s what you want.”

Her hips grind against me as she moves her hand over mine, pressing it harder against the wet spandex barrier. Her eyes closed, the sound of her purr-moan fills the room and I move my hand from her breast to tug off her shorts.

With one swift movement, Mia spins around to face me. Her hands against my chest, she pushes me into the bathroom and points to a towel. “There’s soap in the shower and the towel’s right there. Do we need to swing by your place for clothes?”

I can’t even hide my shock at how quickly the situation just changed. With my jaw dropped, I shake my head and recover enough to say, “No, I brought clothes to change into after we ran.”

“Perfect. Be ready in twenty, okay?” she says, giving me a quick kiss and exiting the bathroom.

Glancing down at the damage she’s created in my pants, I sigh and turn on the shower. Stripping down and stepping into the stream of water, I drag my hands down my face. What did I expect? She has a life here. She can’t just drop everything to be with me.

On the shelf sits a bottle of men’s body wash and shampoo.
Hmm
, I wonder how many men shower at her place. I shake my head, trying to rid the thought as I squirt the gel into my hands and wash my hair. Closing my eyes as I let the soap rinse off, I smile as I picture her looking sexy as ever in her running outfit when I arrived. I couldn’t wait to touch her, kiss her, but that hug…

I open my eyes, rubbing soapy water out of my face. That hug meant more that it appeared. It was the same way she hugged me when I surprised her at the house when she’d bumped her head. Both hugs were intense, but not in the “it’s been so long and I’ve missed you way”, but more a “I need someone to hold me and take care of me way.” I don’t mind either, like I told her, I’m falling for her fast and I’ll protect Mia any way that I can.

I turn off the water and wipe the towel over my body. Wrapping a towel around my waist, I sprint out to Mia’s ‘Vette, pausing briefly to admire it before I grab my clothes and head back inside. I pull on my jeans and navy V-neck t-shirt and slip on a pair of leather flip-flops.

I walk into the living room and am wowed at the view in front of me. Mia turns around, her long locks in a loose bun on top of her head that’s wrapped with a colorful scarf, low rise jeans that fit snug on her curvy hips, and a grey long-sleeve knit t-shirt with a round neckline. It doesn’t hug her torso, but good god, it still looks sexy.

Mia walks toward the door, holding her hand out. “Keys?”

Her voice brings me back to her and I follow her outside. Pouting, I question, “Why can’t I drive?”

She turns around and I run right into her. Her hand takes hold of my neck and she kisses me passionately. “Because you don’t know where we’re going,” she answers and slips her hand into my pocket to retrieve the keys. Giving me a victorious grin, she pulls away and opens her car door, getting in and revving the engine.

I’m pretty sure she does it to get me moving, but it turns me on more than anything else. I slide into the passenger seat. Leaning over, I kiss her again, slipping my tongue between her lips before I buckle my seatbelt and close the door. Her eyes flutter open lazily as I end the liplock and she gives me a smile.

Backing out of the driveway, she asks, “How was the house? I hope you liked it.”

“Everything was all unpacked, the fridge was full, I really couldn’t ask for more. Gave me time to enjoy this baby,” I say as I run my hand over the dash. Mia smiles proudly and I move my hand to her thigh. “Of course, I was missing one thing…”