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  “Hello, miss, you may not remember me from earlier today, but I—”

  “Oh, I remember you, Mr. Reed,” she said with the same intonation a judge would use when confronted with a two-time loser. Her tone softened when she added, “Congratulations on making the cut today. Your pitching was awesome.”

  “Thank you. I want to apologize about the name thing. I didn’t mean to seem so …” While he searched for a word not totally damning, she arched a brow and folded her arms across her chest, which did amazing things to the tank top. His vocabulary skills plummeted.

  “Difficult?” She prompted. “Entitled to special treatment?”

  The twitch of her lips into an almost-smile took some of the sting out of her words. But only some. Her attitude shot holes in his hopes for a dinner date. He had expected to dodge the whole name thing without much trouble because, heck, he’d been doing that for twenty years without it being such a big deal. Obviously, for her, it was. “Again, I apologize. If I promise to come by tomorrow and sign on the dotted line, may I make up for my bad behavior by taking you to dinner?”

  “You don’t need to do that, Mr. Reed. I accept your apology. And no need to be so formal, either.” She put her hand out. “I’m Sky Zeigfeld.”

  He took her hand, her slender fingers warm and soft in his. He held them longer than necessary, finding the urge to bring them to his lips almost overwhelming. “AJ,” he said, finally, mesmerized by her large, brown eyes framed with long, dark lashes.

  She did smile, then. “Yes, I know.”

  He shook his head slightly, as though awakening from a spell. You are acting like a complete ass, man. Get your shit together, or this lovely woman will blow you off like the arrogant prick she thinks you are.

  The next song was a slow one, and without releasing her hand, he asked, “Dance with me?”

  Her eyes widened slightly. She hesitated, then gave in to the tug of his grip. As she preceded him toward the dance floor, he couldn’t resist putting his hand at the small of her back. The touch sent tingles through his fingers. The singer slid into a cover of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One,” and he folded her into his embrace.

  She fit perfectly in his arms and smiled up into his eyes, the twinkle in her brown ones totally bewitching him. Donnie Betz’s warning replayed in his head, although Sky Zeigfeld could hardly be classified as one of the groupies Donnie scoffed at. AJ ignored the warning and the tingles, telling himself it was only a dance, after all, not a declaration of love.

  Because he was in no position to commit to anything other than baseball.

  Chapter Four

  It’s just a dance. It’s just a dance. The mantra played over and over in her head. AJ Reed was almost as good a dancer as he was a pitcher. As they circled the floor, the pressure of his hand on her back gradually brought her closer until her breasts brushed against the solid wall of his chest, sending a tingle along her nerves and causing her nipples to bud. While he was quite a few inches taller, her heeled boots brought her close enough to feel his breath on her cheek, smell his spicy cologne and see the lacy pattern in the blue of his irises.

  She leaned back in his arms to put a little distance between them. “I take it you and Cal are celebrating your successes tonight.”

  He frowned slightly. “You know Cal?”

  “Not really. My roommate met him at the sign-up this morning, and of course, we saw him pitch before your turn out on the mound.

  “So, the other pretty lady you came in with is your roommate?”

  She nodded. “Yep. Kelly and I are sharing a townhouse over in Bucks Landing.”

  Pretty lady, huh? Makes me wonder if I just won the toss, rather than being your first choice. So if you were planning on romancing both of us, this could become very awkward, hot shot.

  She and Kelly had not had a chance to talk about dating, but she was sure they would both agree to pass on each other’s man-of-the-month. It was one of the unwritten codes between roomies.

  He thinks Kelly’s a pretty lady. And she is, so why am I bothered that he mentioned it?

  Sky firmly decided this would be their one and only dance. Remember your plan, she scolded herself. Play the field. Meet a few men and have a good time. No—she mentally underlined the word several times—absolutely no exclusive relationships.

  She glanced over at their table, now empty, then searched the dance floor and spotted Mike and Kelly smiling into each other’s eyes as they danced. Yep, they were hitting it off. They looked great together. Kelly would be good for Mike. He worked so hard building his fitness center; he never seemed to have time to date.

  The music ended, and AJ escorted her back to the table, then lingered after she sat. Against her better judgment, she offered him a seat. “Why don’t you join us for a drink? I’ll introduce you to Kelly and Mike—he’s my brother.”

  Generally, if she offered to introduce a man she was with to her brother, the guy responded with at least a small degree of apprehension. Mike was tall and, as the owner of a gym, he put the equipment there to good use. The protective vibe he radiated around her usually made her dates uncomfortable. AJ however, appeared relieved to know that Mike was a relative, and when the other two sat down, he responded to Sky’s introductions with a friendly handshake and a smile.

  “AJ made the cut today at tryouts. He’s going to be a pitcher for the Bucks,” Sky explained.

  “Well, it’s not a done deal yet, but I have high hopes,” AJ said.

  “Congratulations, man. I’ll look forward to watching a few games with you on the mound.” Mike glanced at Sky with speculation in his eyes.

  She gave a tiny shake of her head to indicate she wasn’t interested in AJ, and therefore Mike didn’t have to grill him like a suspected serial killer, but Mike didn’t appear to buy it. She sighed. Older brothers could be such a pain.

  AJ signaled the waitress to bring drinks for the table. “Are you a baseball fan, then, Mike?”

  Mike and Sky shared a grin. “We’re dyed in the wool Phillies fans,” he said. “And if we can find Jed around here, he can tell you the stats on every player in the lineup this year.” He looked around the crowded room.

  “Jed’s my younger brother, AJ, and no more dedicated a baseball fan lives today,” Sky said. “He’s thrilled about my job and wants to see every game the Bucks play, but unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.”

  At AJ’s questioning look, Mike said: “Jed and I drove down to bring Sky’s furniture from home. We’ll head back tomorrow.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” AJ said. “I wanted to ask Sky to have dinner with me tomorrow, but it would be great if you two could join us.” He glanced from Mike to Kelly and back again.

  Sky piped up immediately. “I’m so sorry, but I already have plans for tomorrow night.” She winced at Kelly’s kick under the table. “Ow.” She shot Kelly a dirty look. “Wha—”

  Kelly pushed back her chair. “We’ll be back in a few, guys. Sky and I need to visit the ladies’ room.”

  Heaving a sigh, Sky rose and grabbed her purse. The female tradition was not to be denied. “Yeah, we’ll be right back.”

  In the ladies’ room, Sky glared at Kelly in the mirror as she checked her hair and makeup.

  “Are you nuts?” Kelly took her lip-gloss from her purse. “That guy is gorgeous. And he’s hot for you. So what’s the problem? You don’t like his initials?”

  Sky did not want to go into her previous relationship with the jerk she sarcastically referred to as Handsome Ben. It was too long a story for the ladies’ room and too embarrassing besides. Explaining how her boss’ attentions had turned her young, stupid head, so that she happily did all of the work while he took all of the credit, was a tale to be told with lots of wine—and no men waiting back at their table.

  “I decided after my last relationship tanked that I would do just what the guys do. I’d date a bunch of different men, have fun, and not get attached to any one guy. So that’s what I’m doi
ng.”

  “Okay, I’m fine with that, but doesn’t he deserve a first date before you move on?”

  Sky didn’t want to admit, to herself or her friend, that the attraction she felt toward AJ was so strong she was afraid, like a drug addict, she’d be hooked on him after one more exposure. “Doesn’t tonight count?”

  Kelly huffed out her exasperation. “No. This is not a date, just a chance meeting in a bar, for Pete’s sake. Stop throwing roadblocks up. You can always kick him to the curb if he turns out to be a jerk.”

  “It wouldn’t be so bad if you and Mike and Jed would be there. But they’re going home tomorrow.”

  “Maybe we could talk them into staying one more night?” Kelly dabbed some powder on her nose.

  “You wouldn’t mind going out with my brothers?”

  “For you, my dear, I’d make the sacrifice,” Kelly said.

  Sky grinned. “You’re such a good friend. And I know your generosity has nothing to do with being around Mike, who, although my brother, is also a very hunky guy.”

  “Yes, he is,” Kelly admitted, closing her eyes with a sigh.

  “We’ve been in here long enough. Let’s see if we can talk my brothers into one more overnight.” And I will pretend that I am only doing this for Mike and Kelly’s sakes.

  When they returned to their table, Jed had joined the party. He and AJ were in the middle of a lively discussion about who the best pitchers in the American League were.

  AJ stood and pulled out Sky’s chair, and Kelly raised a single brow as Sky sat. Her message was unmistakable.

  “I decided to postpone my plans for tomorrow night,” Sky said. She carefully ignored the way AJ’s eyes lit up. “On one condition.” She pointed a finger at her brothers. “You two have to stay another night and join us.”

  “Hey, we can do that,” Jed spoke up. “Can’t we, bro? I can miss one day at school, since I only scheduled one class on Mondays. I’m already acing my stats course.” He tossed his hands in the air as if it were a done deal.

  “Well, I have to go to work, Jed. You’ll get used to that idea in a couple of years.”

  “Aw, come on, bro. You own the damn gym. Give yourself one day off. The place won’t fall apart without you.”

  “It would be great if you could stay,” Kelly said, putting her hand on his arm.

  “You are the boss, Mike,” Sky chimed in. “You work hard all the time. When was the last time you took a day off?”

  Mike raised his hands in surrender. “You win. We’ll stay.” He glanced at Kelly. “You sure you want to spend more time with us?”

  She smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Great. I’ll make reservations at Junonia for 7:30,” AJ said.

  “Ah, no.” Sky shook her head. She knew neither of her brothers brought suits, not expecting to go anywhere fancy to eat the one night they planned to be here. And they certainly didn’t have the money to spend on dinner at such an upscale restaurant.

  Was AJ just out to impress her? He was acting more and more like Handsome Ben. “Why don’t we save Junonia for another time? Maybe when you sign on the dotted line for the Bucks,” she suggested. “I’d rather try a more relaxed, casual dinner. How about South of the Border, or the Toasted Pelican?”

  Kelly nodded. “There are a couple of nice places just across the causeway, too. I’ve heard Arturo’s has great Italian food.”

  “I love Italian,” Jed said. He beamed at Kelly.

  Mike shot his brother an annoyed glance, and Sky hid a smile.

  “Okay, then, Arturo’s it is,” AJ agreed. “Is 7:30 okay? I’m not sure how long the coach is planning on working us out tomorrow.” He casually put his arm across the back of Sky’s chair. “Besides, I have to finish up some paperwork before Sky will agree to be seen with me.”

  Sky felt the flush stain her cheeks and refused to meet Mike’s eyes. She knew she was in for a brotherly inquisition at home later. “Actually, the paperwork can wait until we know you’ll get a contract offer,” Sky said, with just enough snark to counteract AJ’s attempt at more familiarity. “From now on, though, you’d better play by the rules, Mr. Reed.” She felt the brush of his fingers on her shoulder and smothered a shiver. And I’ll be sticking to my plan, so don’t get any ideas, buster.

  “You have my word, Miss Ziegfeld,” he echoed her formality. I’ll pick you up at 7:15.” He stood. “I have an early day tomorrow, so I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of your evening. It was great to meet all of you.”

  Sky watched him walk back to the bar and chat with Cal for a minute, then leave. Cal stared at their table for a moment, then signaled the bartender for another beer. He didn’t look happy.

  Sky leaned toward Kelly and tilted her head in the other pitcher’s direction. “I think Cal just found out he’s been out-maneuvered for a date with you.”

  Kelly shrugged. “He’ll get over it. It’s only one dinner, after all.”

  Sky smiled to herself. My thoughts exactly.

  ~~~

  The next morning, AJ found the lavish breakfast spread at the cafeteria irresistible. He piled his plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries and toast and added a large glass of orange juice to his tray before he took a seat at the table with Cal, Mack and two other would-be pitchers.

  “I hope you guys didn’t stay out too late celebrating last night,” Mack warned. “Donnie always works the hell out of new recruits the first day after tryouts, just to take all the cocky attitude out of you.” He grinned evilly. “Be prepared to run your asses off after he warms you up.”

  “Sounds like you and Coach Betz go back a ways,” Cal said.

  “We’ve been on a couple of other teams together,” Mack admitted.

  Cal groaned. He’d downed a few more beers after AJ came back to the bar and told him Kelly was joining Sky and her brothers for dinner with him.

  AJ had no sympathy for the other man. If there was one time he wouldn’t let alcohol cloud his abilities, it was this week. His date tonight with Sky put him in a very good mood, true, but even if the tables had been turned and Cal had gotten lucky with Kelly instead, he still wouldn’t have drowned his sorrows in a vat of vodka. This week was too important. If he hadn’t scored a date with Sky, he’d have waited until he signed on the dotted line before he found solace in booze. The woman attracted the hell out of him, there was no doubt about that, but baseball was at the top of his priority list.

  Out on the field, Donnie had them all do stretches to loosen up, then got down to serious calisthenics—push-ups, jumping jacks and sprints. Everyone was timed from home plate to first base, and the slowest got an ultimatum—improve or leave. They were all expected to spend time in the gym to increase their stamina as well as have batting practice a couple of hours a day.

  In the afternoon, a few more men trickled in and found their places in the locker room. Most were from other teams in the A league who had gotten better offers from the Bucks, as well as a few who had been “sent down” from the Double A teams their franchise owned. More would arrive during the week, and by Thursday, there would be enough players to divide the team in half for a practice game.

  AJ itched to put his skill to the test against players who had already proved themselves on other teams. He and the other potential pitchers spent the afternoon honing their skills under the sharp eye of the pitching coach, Art Stenning, whose personality traits were remarkably similar to Donnie’s. No one on this team’s staff had any trouble pointing out a wanna-be player’s flaws.

  “You got a nice curve going for you, AJ,” he commented. “Now all you have to do is make sure you throw a perfect one every single time your catcher signals for it. Repeatability. That’s the name of the game. And make sure you ice that shoulder and elbow after every workout. We won’t put too much stress on those joints once you’re in the lineup, because you’ll rarely pitch more than seven innings straight on a five-day rotation schedule. But don’t blow your chances by trying to impress everyo
ne here and winding up with a torn rotator or a Tommy John injury.”

  AJ merely nodded. The way the coach talked made him think his place on the team was almost a sure thing. He didn’t want to say or do anything that might jeopardize that.

  By four o’clock, Donnie called it a day, and the guys hit the showers. AJ joined Cal and Jerry who dutifully iced their pitching arms per Art’s instructions, and traded opinions about who in the majors had the best 12-to-6 drop, Nolan Ryan or Clayton Kershaw. AJ’s own curve ball was good, but he had a ways to go to be considered in the same company as those two greats.

  Determined to concentrate on his pitching, AJ had pushed his dinner date with Sky to the back of his mind, but now that the day’s workout was over, she popped back to front and center. She was one more reason he wanted a contract with this team. He might not see her every day, but knowing she worked right upstairs from where he hoped to make his home added an extra zing to playing for the Bucks.

  He couldn’t seem to get his act together around her and regretted the misstep of suggesting Junonia for dinner. He’d simply wanted to take her someplace nice but should have realized the resort’s restaurant would be too pricey—as well as requiring jackets and ties for the men. Dumb move. The past five years working in New York’s financial district instilled a few habits he’d have to break.

  Sky didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who’d be impressed by a guy who flashed money around like he printed more every night. Good thing he’d already dumped the Lambo. He’d found the Shelby Mustang convertible in a luxury rental lot. It was a few years old, but tricked out with enough horsepower to still give him a kick out of driving it. He carefully avoided mentioning his plans, since Cal was already annoyed about losing out to Sky’s brother—at least for tonight.

  He’d better get used to scaling down his expenses, though, because if he made the team, there was no doubt in his mind that dear old grandad would tie up his trust fund six ways from Sunday, if he didn’t pull the plug on it completely. Without his job at Zeke Nicholas’ investment firm, he’d be living on his savings plus the meager salary he expected from the Bucks. He wouldn’t be poor by any means, but his lifestyle would definitely be different.